Reinventing The Wheel

Does every Yoga class or session have to be Uniquely different? 

What a tricky question. This is the question that I gave myself when I started teaching yoga. There are just SO MANY COOL THINGS IN YOGA  that I want to show my students! 

I just got so excited to share my knowledge that I wanted every class I taught to change my student's lives. I know that sounds crazy, but if you know me I tend to get over excited easily. Woops. :) 

Though I do believe that yoga can change your life, I had to learn that something that significant can't happen in one yoga class. (Thank goodness I have a husband who not only supports me but knows when to talk me off of my over-excited mountain.) What I learned was that every person who enters my class will be different and their personal yogic journey will be different. Honestly, can you imagine tailor-making a class that will give every person exactly what they need so they can progress on their journey perfectly?

 I can't imagine it either. That is the pressure I was putting on myself when I first began teaching.

 One day when I was so nervous about my yoga lesson plan that I was crying on my stairs asking my husband if I'm a fraud, something dawned on me. Should something I love be this anxiety causing? (A little nervousness yes, but feeling incompetent, no.) Husband's response to me helped me to understand. He said you don't have to reinvent the wheel every time you teach. Meaning, that I don't have to make every class unique and life-changing. 

I took Husband's advice along with the instruction of my yoga mentor (at Bodhi yoga www.gobodhiyoga.com) that I can open the yoga gates for my students and then they can choose where they want to go from there. What happened was I began teaching my classes in this way-beginning with breath work, warming up the tissues, then movement through poses. That was my outline or structure for the class. As I did this I noticed that my classes became unique on their own. Having the structure of the class so that I (really the yoga) can be free to adapt within the structure makes each class a unique blend of what our bodies wanted that day. 

I don't have to reinvent the wheel, in fact I can use the already invented wheel to take me where I want to go.

As an instructor I really do want to give your body what it needs and I do want you to go on your yoga journey. I just can't force it, and I think it is better that way. Yoga will be your teacher and I will just be the person adjusting you and guiding you. The nice thing about each class being unique is that occasionally opportunities arise for new things to be taught, and I try to use those opportunities to guide you and challenge you as your journey (and your spirit) grow. 

Namaste'

Camille