By Jessica Jayne
There are always things that I wish I could say to students, (especially newer students) but just like with anything, there is always a time and a place. So… I thought I could write about it! A few things I wish I could share with every single one of my students… Confessions of a yoga teacher: What we want you to know!
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EVERYBODY FARTS. It is a part of this incredible human body that we are taught to love and honor in our yoga practice. When we are twisting and turning, moving our energies and organs around internally, we are bound to pass gas every now and then. As a teacher, I am thankful that I could create a space for you in which you are relaxed enough to give yourself permission to LET GO… So, don’t be embarrassed, we all do it!
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Props are your friend. I am a prop queen when I practice. Sometimes there can be this stigma that if you are using props to support yourself in a pose then it must mean you aren’t doing the “full” pose… When in reality, props can get you deeper into almost any pose in the safest way possible. It IS a win win situation!
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Advanced postures don’t make you more of a yogi. Yoga isn’t about doing handstands or scorpions, or any other crazy advanced yoga posture. It’s about developing a deep sense of awareness that allows you to journey inwards, and connect with the deepest parts of yourself. So guess what? If you never get to the handstand… That doesn’t make you any less of a yogi. Never forget that.
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Sometimes you will cry, sometimes you will be frustrated… Yoga is very much an energetic and emotional practice. Most of the time it makes us feel great. However, sometimes when we move in a certain way, or feel a certain part of our bodies, it can create an emotional response. Sometimes we know why, sometimes we have no idea at all, that is OKAY. Let it out. Be with your feelings. This is just as much a part of the practice as the physical postures are.
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We are all unique, yet… WE ALL BELONG. In every yoga class I teach I have people of all different ages, genders, cultural-backgrounds, shapes, and sizes… Each with their own story. We are all so different, and that in itself, is so beautiful. Yet even though every single human-being on this planet is biologically different, we are also all the same. Yoga, essentially means union, and this is what yoga teaches us. We are all in this together, and we ALL belong.
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I want you to honor your story. Speaking of uniqueness, I want you to honor that. Only YOU know your body best… Only YOU know your story best… I can do everything in my power to create a safe atmosphere, but you must honor yourself and your body in every way and form. Take the childs pose… Put your knees down in plank… Yoga is not a competition, and its so important that we honor that.
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
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My connection with you is what my job is all about. I became a yoga teacher for MANY reasons but one of the most important ones is to connect with my students. I want to know your story. I want you to ask me questions that you have. I want you to share your experiences. I want to know how your practice went. I want you to know that I am there for you.
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Yoga teachers are NOT perfect. As your teacher, I guide you through an informative, loving, liberating practice. I stay after class and speak with you about the wisdom I have gained throughout my journey, and the knowledge I wish to seek out. I take the yoga practice with me in all aspects of my life… But please know, that I am not super-human. Sometimes I eat fried food. Sometimes I swear. Sometimes I have bad days… I feel sadness, loneliness, anger, and misery. However… this is exactly why we practice yoga. To better understand this complex human existence, to see the light within ourselves and everybody else when the darkness comes. To find balance in the every-changing world that seems to always bounce between joy and suffering. It’s all a part of the journey, and I experience this just as much as you do.
