As a yogi I try to keep my crankiness to a minimum. But I have to say, nothing puts me on the cranky-train faster than a poorly done yoga teacher headshot.
You know the ones - where your favorite yoga teacher (who is cute as a button and radiates sunshine) looks like a blurred-out, fuzzy mess who quite possibly has just finished an all night bar crawl with her ten closest friends (who are of course whooping it up in the background of the tiny image.)
Or the one where your teacher is twisted up so far into a pretzel that you are not sure where her legs end and her head begins and you just want to look away because, frankly, that looks like it hurts and you just don't want that to happen to you because you quite possibly will get stuck. Forever.
Come on folks. Let's get our headshots together.
Often a yoga teacher's headshot is the first thing that you will see when deciding if you want to take your class. Wouldn't a happy, meditative, in-focus yogi convince you to take a class more than a lot of the pictures out there?
I beg of you - if you are a student and your yoga teacher's headshot is just not up to par, let them know. Take a snapshot yourself if you must. You'll be helping them, I promise.
And if you are a teacher - take a quick look. What is your headshot saying about you?
For articles with some lovely headshots check out our Yoga Mentor Experts.
Recently a friend and newly anointed yoga teacher asked me for advice on how to pick a yoga studio to teach at. I thought it was a great question from a newbie since I see so many new teachers salivate over ANY class they can call their own, even if it's at 4:30am AND 20 miles outside of town AND they have to pay for cleaning AND the list goes on...
After several years of trial and error I think the best way to ensure success is to make sure you consider all aspects of any teaching opportunity:
Do you like the studio & its students? A studio you teach at should be a place you feel at home in and you would want to practice there yourself. Every studio has a very different personality so some will fit and some just won't.
Do you like the owner? The owner/management has so much influence on a studio and your experience in it. Make sure your personalities mesh before committing to a class
Do people like working there? Talk to other teachers and get their experience.
Are you going to get a time slot that works well? While it can be good experience when you're starting out to get any slot (especially at a studio you really want to teach at), it can also be a real bummer to show up and have just a few students (or none at all some days). Figure out what attendance that slot currently gets and what you are willing to live with.
What don't you know yet? Do you get paid per student or a flat-fee? Is there a minimum you will be paid or if you show up and no-one else does do you go home empty-handed?
Do they take anything out of your pay per month (like insurance or a cleaning fee)? Are you required to have liability insurance on your own? How often are you paid? Do they have front desk people working or do you have to sign people in? How early are you expected to be there for your class? Are you responsible for getting your own subs? Is there a sub list or can you get anyone to sub? What is the process? Are there any other things you will be expected to do?
For those more seasoned teachers out there—what else do you consider before committing to a new studio or new class?
Need ideas on how to get your chosen studio to notice you? Learn how to catch a studio's attention.
That is the questions I ask myself each week as I start to think about my classes. Some weeks the answer is a clear "yes" and I will plan a class around a pose, a sequence, a story, or even a feeling. And some weeks it feels better to just, well, go with the flow.
Yet, I still wonder what the right balance is between planning and spontaneity. As a student or a teacher. which approach do you prefer? Or do you even notice a difference from your blissful place on the mat?
To read more on this topic, go to Yoga Journal's article, "What's Your Plan?"
I've
been noticing lately that a lot of my yogis are falling asleep in
Savasana. Even snoring sometimes. Whereas in most other "classrooms"
I'd be slightly offended if my students fell asleep on me, I am
choosing to take this as a compliment. But it's got me thinking: is
sending your students into blissful slumber a desired effect of
savasana? Have I helped them to get a snippet of deserved rest that
they most clearly need? Or have I pushed them over the edge from mindfulness to unconsciousness? It reminds me of a friend asking a similar question in our teacher training
program: "What do I do if a student falls asleep?" Our teacher
Stephanie Snyder had a response that I loved: "God bless them—they're
tired! Let them sleep." And so let them sleep I do. Hopefully my students will thank me for it... when they wake up that is.
Four years ago I graduated from yoga teacher training and was declared, officially, a "yoga teacher".
I
have to admit that declaration scared me to death. Did I know enough to
teach? Had I absorbed enough alignment, anatomy, physiology,
philosophy, sequencing and Sanskrit to really teach others? What I be a
fabulous success or a total flop the first time I stood in front of a
group of brand new, paying (!) students? Yup, I was scared. But as all
of us "teachers" do, I went out and I taught. Because I knew deep down
that I love yoga and I had to share this joy with others.
Now, four years later, I have noticed a shift. I feel confident in
telling others that I am a yoga teacher. I no longer shake (yes,
literally shake) when I stand in front of a group of students. I am
more able to pour my heart and soul and love of yoga into my teachings.
But some days, those questions still crop up. And, not surprisingly, a
whole new crop of questions has emerged, big and small.
What voice do I want to express in my yoga teachings? Do I use music or
not? Should I adjust alot or a little?
I am very excited to be writing for Yoga Journal's Teacher Tells All
blog so that I can explore these questions and more with all of you.
I
will be so grateful if you will post any questions,
comments, advice, or words of encouragement below. Let's form a
teaching community and get our questions answered so that we can go out
and shout from the rooftops:
I am a Yoga Teacher.
To follow me on my journey please keep reading.
 Hannah O'Reilly is Yoga Journal's Online Production Manager by day and a San Francisco Flow Yoga Teacher by night (and sometimes early morning). She simply loves yoga and wants to share it with as many people—in as many ways—as she can. She is thrilled to be contributing to Yoga Journal's Teacher Tells All blog as a new way for her to talk about and form community around yoga.
As a yoga teacher, Hannah is known for her joyful spirit, flowing movement, focus on the breath, and occasionally, some kick-your-butt ab work. Hannah pulls yogic inspiration from far and wide including yoga teachers Stephanie Snyder and Jason Crandell, San Francisco city life and (more often than you might care to know) reality tv. She encourages lightheartedness on and off the mat and finds laughter every day playing with her pup Zeke. For more information about Hannah please visit her website or become a fan of Hannah Yoga on Facebook.
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