I think one of the biggest challenges of teaching yoga is the tendency to make assumptions. The truth is: It’s hard to read a room without reading into it. It’s hard not to label what we see and feel. It’s hard to hold space without getting in the way. It’s ALL hard. Teaching is HARD.
I would argue it only gets harder. The more you learn, the more experience you have, and the more confident you feel, the easier it is to fall into the trap of thinking you know. In my experience, this is where we get into trouble, because how could we possibly know? If we’re not mindful of our own insecurities, judgements, and beliefs, it becomes difficult to discern between what we see and feel in the classroom and the assumptions we’re making about what we’re seeing and feeling in the classroom.
As teachers, we must first (and always) do our own work. We must be clear and honest with ourselves. There’s a LOT of self-study that goes into removing the filters and projections that fuel the stories we create about our students, their practice, their bodies, and their experience. Devote yourself to your craft, keep learning, and stay curious, but perhaps the most important thing you can do as a teacher is your own work.
