Becoming.
Every time a 200 hour yoga teacher training that I’m leading or assisting edges to a close, I feel nostalgic, wistful and a little string tugs at my heart, whispering, “Look at what is becoming”. I feel this same pull in the week leading up to our first moments together as well, mostly in excitement and anticipation to meet my new group who will transform over the course of 200 hours of deep and soulful work within themselves to access the yoga teacher within, constantly reminded of the student they will forever be. Teaching teachers is a labor of love and always enables me to dive to the depths of my own practice as I’m reminded to live by example and humbled in the process of how much work we must do to continue to grow as human beings.
Teaching yoga isn't about the poses or the pants. It isn’t the amount of students who show up to classes or the style of yoga one decides to teach. It has nothing to do with how many yoga books sit on the bookshelf or how many times someone utters the word “authentic” and other shit yogis say. It isn’t even about the breath or finding “enlightenment.” What matters is that we are becoming. Always. the practice constantly teaches us to become and to be human BEINGS with compassion, empathy, humility and sincerity.
There is something each and every one of us who is becoming, or who have transitioned to being a teacher needs to know. All of us have an incredible gift and between yoga classes and teacher training times, between homework, playlists and class planning, I hope the space in between all of that allows the process to unfold and we may dig into this gift. My heart is very full thinking about the teachers we are all becoming.
What I want my students to remember is that taking the step to be a teacher, is not to be taken lightly. And the role as a student is never complete. We practice, practice, practice. Continue soulfully down the path of a DAILY practice and think about what it means to live a yogic life. As I’ve grown in my own practice and what I seek in teachers, my career, friendships, experiences, the way I spend my time and what I focus on, literally every facet of my life, is better because of yoga and my discipline and dedication to it. I, alongside other teachers, didn’t know what the hell I was doing that very first yoga class I taught. But consistently allowing TIME to focus on the values I wish to cultivate is the utmost important part of the process and it is what I hope each new teacher takes with from their training, if all else fails.
I begin each of my teacher trainings with the yamas and niyamas, the first two limbs of yoga. For many, this is an introduction to them for the first time. I like to think of the yamas and niyamas as my version of “Don’t be a dick,” self-reflection. Becoming a yoga teacher, rests in these social and ethical guidelines for how we carry ourselves through the world and how we interact with those along the way. Practice what we preach and walk the talk. We will find ourselves off course constantly, but with our practice, we find our way back.
I encourage all teachers and students to constantly keep inventory of the yamas and niyamas, how they show up in daily life, and how they reflect their own values, whatever they may be. Make a list of daily habits, interactions and thoughts - what part of us is living with these limbs in mind? What parts still need work?
To encourage us to stay on the task of becoming I have created a little workbook of sorts to build a template to check in with our charted course. Below are the yamas and niyamas. Each has a space to write how we plan to be an example and live with these tenets. They aren’t wild and crazy out of our way things to do, but merely a reminder to stay humble, recognize the goodness others have brought into our lives and follow the practice of, “Don’t be a dick.” This can be updated any time and can be done daily, weekly, monthly or whenever one feels like it.
YAMAS
Ahimsa - Nonviolence: I will practice _________________________ to bring more peace within myself. This will bring allow me to feel more compassion for myself and others.
Satya - Truthfulness: Risks I’m willing to take to speak my truth are _________________________. This will help me to speak my truth and express my uniqueness.
Asteya - Nonstealing: I will be grateful and recognize what I have been given by _________________________. Doing so helps me to recognize my own abilities and cultivate new skills for personal growth.
Bramacharya - Nonexcess: I will live the sacredness of my life by not overindulging in _________________________. This act will enable me to appreciate what I have.
Aparigraha - Nonposessiveness: I will live without the burden of attachment and live life more fully by _________________________. This allows me to release attachment.
NIYAMAS
Saucha - Purity: I will stay present and in the moment when I _________________________, which is usually when I find my mind wandering.
Santosha - Contentment: My life is perfect just as it is and no matter what comes up, this will be my mantra.
Tapas - Self-Discipline: I won’t turn away from _________________________ which is challenging to me.
Svadhyaya - Self-Study: Diving into my practice makes me feel _________________________. It’s easier not to deep dive, but I will continue down this path.
Ishvara Pranidhana - Surrender: Just like the Serenity Prayer, I recognize what I can change and what I must lean into.
Becoming is not something done overnight. Upon graduation we aren’t yoga teachers, but students still. Only we are students with a depth of study that carry us into a new chapter. It is messy, exhausting, often painful and frustrating. Often times our best self and worst self come to a head. Our lives shift because relationships change as we recognize things about ourselves we are no longer willing to sit with, and other parts of ourselves we more readily embrace. Either way, the shift arrives. Eventually.
And so I leave you with this, from the Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams.
“It doesn’t happen all at once,” said the skin horse. “You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real, you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.
For reference, The Yamas & Niyamas, Exploring Yoga’s Ethical Practice by Deborah Adele was used to create this workbook and is recommended reading for all of my Yoga Teacher Trainings.