The challenges of being a yoga teacher
Are you disillusioned about being a yoga teacher?
Yoga isn’t an institution or a culture of looking or being a certain way. Yoga isn’t an industry. It’s about you, Universal Truth and the Great Mystery…
I hear a lot of people being disillusioned about yoga. They feel like they can’t be part of that system anymore. And want to “give up”. Many yoga teachers but also regular people.
Teaching at Copenhagen yoga festival for 100s of people
The interesting thing is that it is the culture around modern Western yoga that seems to be the issue. It is as if you are supposed to look or behave a certain way. Perhaps as a yoga teacher, you feel the need to play the game.
And there are lots of games to play as a yoga teacher:
As a teacher, you may feel that you have to have a specific image or lifestyle.
Maybe you feel you “should” be part of a big yoga studio or have a massive following on social media?
Some yoga studios require you to “fit in” and have a large social media following and share about the studio as well.
Perhaps you feel you need to be part of specific yoga cliques or participate in specific events or wear certain clothes.
There is an overwhelming of discussion on the “right conduct” as a yoga teacher on social media too and it is as if you need an opinion about e v e r y t h i n g.
The industry of yoga and yoga teaching
The industry of modern Western yoga is huge. The industry of yoga outfits and mats. Of teacher training courses. Of influencers.
At my first yoga teacher training course in India in 1998
Yoga teachers are not part of the money-making machine. (Or perhaps a few are?) It’s what’s around the yoga that’s an industry.
But it’s up to YOU how much you choose to participate.
I’ve been teaching for 18 years and practising for a lot longer (see photo above - first teacher training to simply deepen my own practice). It is what I do as a “job”. It is what pays my bills. And I can tell you things have changed a lot…
I too have been drawn into wearing the right leggings (I had a lot. And was gifted a lot too). The studios look beautiful and intriguing. I taught one-to-ones in one of the most exclusive spas in Chelsea and a luxury private members club in South Kensington. I covered some classes in a major yoga studio chain. But most of my classes were my own. Renting a hall in a Capoeira school with broken loos and smelly dirty and sometimes cold floors (depending on the venue).
I was never really intrigued by the bigger yoga studios. Although I covered some classes in the bigger studios it wasn’t something I “needed” to be a part of.
Questions as a yoga teacher in the yoga teacher industry
My questions would be: why would you? Understand why? Why do you strive to be part of a large glamorous studio? You can highly likely earn more by renting your own space. Although it may be nice to be part of a community of other teachers and teach in a beautiful environment. And let other people deal with the admin (big bonus!!!) and promoting classes. Yet, you teach there. You don’t ‘have’ to be part of a culture you don’t connect with.
Notice what you are disillusioned about. Because it has probably nothing to do with yoga. If you follow people, yoga studios, or other companies in the yoga industry on Instagram and they trigger you then stop following them.
Notice what you are disillusioned about. Because it has probably nothing to do with yoga.
You don’t have to be part of something that you are disillusioned about.
Carve out your own inspirations, your own environment.
It’s not Yoga’s fault that you are disillusioned.
You are most likely not disillusioned by the practice of yoga whether it’s your movement practice, asana, breath awareness, philosophy or spiritual practice. That is yours alone. And it doesn’t have to look a certain way.
Just do you.
My local Streatham, London, classes at the Capoeira school (pre-lockdown and before moving to Worthing). Not the most glamorous space but the people made it a very special, inclusive and warm environment.