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4 Ways Yoga Teachers Can Replenish their Energy
Here’s a little truth bomb for you. You have a soul (whether you are aware of it or not). And, it’s patiently waiting for you to acknowledge its presence so that it can help support you in living your best life.
However, your soul also needs a little TLC from you too.
As a yoga teacher, you are a natural healer. You stand in front of a class of people and share your knowledge, energy, and time with a crowd of people who look to you for strength, encouragement, and inspiration.
Many students show up to practice when they need solace and support during life’s challenges. It’s a safe and comforting place to be; knowing that space is being held for them no matter what their current situation.
As the teacher, you set the tone for the rest of the class. Either verbally or non-verbally, you create a space for the students to feel safe and welcome.
As a result of being the main source of comfort and healing to a large group of people, over time you may notice you start to feel drained, depleted or even exhausted. You may start to avoid interacting with people in social situations when you’re not teaching a class. Unfortunately, it is an all too common experience for yoga teachers.
When this happens, you may turn to rest, eating a cleaner diet, and spending more time on your mat. And those are all great things to do for your body but have you considered tending to the needs of your soul?
Your soul is made of pure energy. When you’re in the position of teacher and you’re giving your energy to dozens (or even hundreds) of people each week, it’s vital to replenish your energy and make your needs a priority.
By developing a daily spiritual practice, it’s possible to refuel in a way that is not dependent on anything outside of yourself.
It doesn’t matter if you consider yourself a ‘spiritual person’ or not.
You do not need to be gifted, sensitive, or have a certain personality type in order to learn how to develop a relationship with your soul.
You can start today by setting time aside for yourself to spend a few minutes in stillness. If meditation is something that doesn’t regularly make the top of your priority list then it’s even more vital that you schedule it in today.
By spending time in stillness, you’re taking a break from sending your energy outside of yourself and instead, focusing inward and making your needs a priority. Going inward on a daily basis is of the utmost importance for your soul’s health.
You may associate meditation with sitting on your mat or laying down in savasana however, there are many different ways to meditate.
Here are 4 ways to deepen your meditation practice:
Pick Your Chair Wisely
Try spending your meditation practice sitting in an upright chair with your feet flat on the floor. Either a kitchen chair, an office chair, or sitting upright on a supportive couch works well. It’s important to have your feet flat on the floor so that you can ground your energy and encourage the energy of the Earth to come up through your feet chakras and cleanse your system.
Posture Matters
It’s also important to have your back straight so that your chakras and energy system are in alignment, enabling energy to move freely. When I sit on my mat for too long, whether I’m using a block or bolster, I still find I get a sore lower back and it starts to affect my posture. If you don’t have proper posture, it’s like putting a kink in the hose of your energy system.
Begin by Setting a Grounding
You’ll want to set up an energetic grounding to release any unwanted negative or foreign energy from your system. Setting a grounding involves sending a branch of your energy down from your tailbone and into the Earth to ground you for the day; similar to how a tree sets roots into the ground. Once you’ve set your grounding you can release any unwanted energy out of your system, down and out your grounding.
Use Visualizations
If you have difficulty sitting still for too long or find that your thoughts just start running away from you, there are many tools and tricks to help you tune inward. One of my favorites is to use a guided visualization style of meditation. Use an audio recording of someone walking you through exactly what to focus on for the entirety of the meditation.
As a yoga teacher, it’s not easy being ‘on’ all of the time. By implementing a daily spiritual practice that grounds you and cleanses your energy system, you can reset how you’re feeling for the day and show up as your best self on and off the mat.
Tracey Gazel specializes in helping yoga teachers deepen their meditation practice so that they can develop a relationship with their soul, get in touch with their spiritual side, and have a massive impact on and off the mat. She shares lots of fun tools to strengthen your intuition, set energetic boundaries, and cleanse your energy system. Tracey’s mission is to spread the power of living a soul-led life and she offers a free online workshop to show you how you can begin developing a relationship with your soul.
Thanks for the insight, Tracey! Connect with Tracey through her website: https://reawakenyoursoul.com/
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