Stage Fright
My teachers keep telling me it’s inevitable. I have to go through a stage where I forget what I’m trying to teach, wade through awkward silences, say “left” when I mean “right,” and make a complete fool of myself most of the times I open my mouth. To make matters worse, there aren’t even any asanas I can do to make my symptoms less severe.
“You just have to practice so you can get past that first stage of awkwardness,” Christopher Love says. “Eventually you will develop your own way of saying things.”
This week, Stephanie Snyder led us in a class called “Finding Your Own Voice.” For a brief moment I thought I had found mine, but it got lost in a sea of self-doubt and nervous energy when I got in front of just three of my peers to teach for 30 minutes.
It was by far the longest 30 minutes of my life. Not only did I not know how to instruct my three unfortunate pupils from one pose to the next, but there were a few occasions when my mind went completely blank and I couldn’t think of a single pose to bring them into. I wanted to stop and take a nice long, reassuring Child’s Pose. Sadly, that’s not an option for the teacher.
I hope I’ll look back on that moment in a few years and marvel at how far I’ve come.
Until then, I’m going to keep reminding myself that teaching is very much like my asana practice—if I can just breath, soften, and be patient, my true voice will emerge.
Stephanie shared a few tips on keeping our cues dynamic and clear, and our love for teaching fresh and sincere:
- Use complete sentences.
- Avoid using slang.
- Watch for repetitive words.
- Be specific with your feedback.
- Don’t say: “We’re gonna ...,” “See if you can ...,” or “Try to ...” Ask students to experience your cues, instead. “Feel for the shoulder blade sliding down the back.”
- Speak slowly, clearly, and truthfully.
- Remember to keep your hands and body language open.
- Teach what serves the students, even if that’s something different from what you had planned.
- Stay connected with your own practice.
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Comments
Dear Erica,
Your teacher has given you great advice. One more item to remember is that your students will understand if you mistake "Left" from "Right." Trust me...I do it all the time! As an instructor, the best lesson I have learned is to let it go and to laugh at yourself. In my opinion, a yoga practice is nothing without a sense of humor.
My best example of this? Falling on my head as I was demonstrating the shift from Bakasana into Forearm Stand. I was demonstrating and...bonk!...right onto my noggin' in front of an entire class. We had a good laugh, I said a few words about the importance of joy and releasing inhibitions in our practice, and we moved on.
Your students know that you're human and they respect you more when your humanity shows.
Posted by: Mary | June 16, 2006 12:41 AM
Hi Erica,
Sense of humor and don't plan too hard, don't think too much. My best classes come when I don't think too much! :) Always have a Plan A, Plan B, (and possibly a Plan C) because you never know if someone will show up with an injury, etc...and you need to change what you had planned for class.
Students are extremely forgiving and I have found they prefer someone who is NOT perfect and someone who is human. I have a bone disease and have broken my back several times. They know I have 'challenges' with my back, but this does not make me a bad teacher, it just makes me human. Most of my students appreciate this and tell me they feel less threatened in my classes because I DO make mistakes. The best way to handle it is to laugh it off and admit your limitations. I have never had anyone upset when I 'messed up'. We just laugh and move on. Your teacher has given you great advice! Relax and have fun!
Andrea
Posted by: Andrea | June 29, 2006 02:37 PM
I'd like to hear more about what Stephanie Snyder taught in her class "finding your own voice." Sounds like worthwhile information.
Posted by: Lalitha | June 29, 2006 08:54 PM
Hi Lalitha,
Other than what I've relayed here, Stephanie made a really nice point that our students' experiences won't be exclusively in our hands... that we'll be relaying something much larger than ourselves and our knowledge. I took comfort in the idea that just as students tend to get exactly what they need from each class, teachers receive the words that are supposed to come.
Besides that point, we spent the rest of the class practicing teaching each other.
Namaste,
ERICA
Posted by: ERICA | July 6, 2006 06:38 PM