Becoming A Teacher Part 4
This story marks the fourth entry of a
series I’m calling
“On Becoming a Teacher”
In the past, my “On Becoming a Teacher” series focused primarily on a School Teacher series. This week’s blog focuses on the OTHER side of (for the …) love of teaching: Yoga Instructor style.
I became a Yoga Instructor in Utah in 2004 and have taken over 2000 Registered Yoga Instructor hours since that time. I’ve practiced yoga since the 1970’s when it was competing against more popular activities such as Jazzercise and Aerobics. I decided to keep the peace in the family and take up all three activities. I loved it. I still do.
I think what has made yoga so enjoyable for me is the connection between young and old people that I am fortunate to facilitate. As a student of yoga, I loved being guided by my teachers and was often taken away to a mindset far, far away.
As an instructor of yoga, I enjoy participating in laughter yoga, creating fun activities within the realm of yoga, playing loud music and jumping up and down. I love breaking the rules of a typical yoga class while dancing with 60 burn survivors up at the University of Utah’s Burn Camp Nah Nah Mah to the music of Pharrell Williams - Happy (Video)
We are LOUD!
(and we love it)
I think the times that I am most happy include the times that I am instructing yoga with children. The energy of these young minds, hearts and souls best capture the message of yoga.
But there were times that my own Best Practices were when I taught yoga with A Quality Life Community - a non-profit for Cancer Survivors, Caregivers and their Loved Ones. I can hardly speak enough about the wisdom these men and women taught ME as we worked through our practice and lived with one another over long weekends filled with stories, tears and lots of laughter.
Yoga for Wellness, LLC, has been my latest yoga adventure since 2020. We have hosted 12 Yoga for Wellness Retreats and Workshops. Most recently, Kayden Baker McInnis and I hosted a Riders and Writers Retreat in Moab. The stories that were created took my breath away!
We had two Mother-Daughter teams with us. These 15 & 18-year olds showed us adults the magic of their world through words. Magnificence beamed from their eyes and pen.
Over the years, yoga has grown from a single studio to dozens of studios, and from backyards to the front of the Capitol during the summer months.
Why do we Practice?
I often think it is our attempt to make sense of the chaos that surrounds us,
Politically, Personally and Physically.
During the pandemic and for 18 months, I practiced and taught yoga in my living room. It was often the only time I could connect to my yoga community. I taught my students on Zoom for over a year this way. I took classes for my own sanity and when we were allowed to return, a change had occurred within each of us.
There were times when the change felt overwhelming. Living in a changed world and then being asked to be still with our minds and hearts was painful. It felt like it only intensified things.
And then … the shift began to take place. The laughter returned. We began to play in the Yoga Playground again. We were allowed to touch and be touched. Hug and be hugged. Once the fear began to dissipate, we began to regulate our emotions.
We celebrated on ancient grounds together. We reached out in joy and howled at the moon. (literally- see below)
When the time shifted to darkness, the darkness didn’t take us this time.
We celebrated the light and we were rewarded with the warmth.
Click the photo below to watch the video of Howling at the Moon, Riders and Writers 2024
