As with any career, being a yoga teacher presents its own challenges. Some of the biggest challenges and frustrations that I’ve encountered in my eight years of teaching is about knowing the right people and being the right place at the right time. Which can feel like so much happenstance. I used to be really frustrated at this, the idea that people were getting ahead because they knew someone or because they’re friend knows someone. It wasn’t until I began to realize that I have the same opportunities available to me and that while another yoga teacher might have their network, I, too, can have my very own network and community.
Within the yoga community, perhaps even more than in my corporate life, the power of a network and how we treat people on a daily basis is amplified. What becomes absolutely crucial is the way in which we leave people feeling. There’s that saying by Maya Angelou, it reminds us that people will remember how we make them feel, not necessarily what we did.
It took me a long time to realize that our words, actions, and behaviors are always being received and that when we can feel a clear sense of purpose within our own dharma, suddenly those feelings and thoughts are broadcast and your network will pick on these feelings. I struggled with feeling like this was manipulation until I realized that influencing people is less about convincing people that I’m the right yoga teacher for the job and more about sharing my deepest goals and allowing my purpose to shine bright. Once we have alignment with a higher purpose that is not serving to the individual ego, the Universe will align.
With this alignment to something more significant than the self, we can then influence our networks from a place of service, and that is what makes a huge impact on our ability to get hired, to pick-up prime time classes, to break into corporate teaching gigs, and to continue pursuing our dreams. This authentic energy is felt far beyond our reach.
I began by choosing how I wanted to show up, where I wanted to show up. Remember, you can’t be everywhere all the time. Choose wisely where you spend your energy.
With so many yoga teachers in the world, it can be hard to differentiate from one another, and it’s so easy also to feel like we’re in competition with one another. One of my goals as a teacher is to always teach from a place of love and potential, to truly see the light in every person I get to share this practice with. I allow this to set me apart from my comrades.
Ultimately, my goal is to help people feel more connected with themselves, and their intuition. I truly believe if we spend a little more time filling our own cups and setting down the baggage we so often carry around then there is an opportunity for us to enter most of our interactions from a place of wholeness, love, and compassion. I’ve always told myself that even if only one person benefits from my offering, lessons shared, and they begin to build a sense of deeper connection then my work is complete. My life’s mission is satisfied. I have fulfilled my dharma.
So, put in the work on yourself first. Get really clear on your goals as a teacher, healer, provider. Enter every interaction from a place of love and service. Then, and only then, put yourself out there. You can’t get what you don’t ask for.
If you’re looking for some dedicated time away to get clear on your purpose, free of distraction. I’d love to have you join us this fall as we spend four days in Mendocino, cultivating a deeper practice and tuning into our inner wisdom and intuition. Book before the end of May to save $150 with the code: YBPEARLYBIRD.
You’ve got this,
Paige