My head was spinning. Not from the physical act of moving in a circle; I remained relatively stationary. I was teaching a mandala yoga flow, a sequence in which students move fluidly from one pose to the next, ultimately creating a circle, or mandala on their yoga mats.
It’s a complicated sequence without pause they required me to not just be physically present for my students, but mentally as well. It’s not a flow I would have had the courage or experience to teach two years ago, or perhaps even one year ago. Then again, I never thought I would be teaching a yoga class, let alone prepping for my third year as a college teacher of art and design this fall.
Like my students as they revolved from inhale to exhale on their yoga mats, my journey as a teacher has come full circle as well. This summer I joined the Power Teacher Training Team at my yoga studio to coach students through their 200 hour yoga certification. It’s the same program I took on three years ago, just this time I’m on the other side of the mat.
It’s an experience that feels both familiar and entirely new. Familiar in the sense of nostalgia I experience every training when I recognize the bonds between the students formed from countless practice hours. I too created strong friendships during my training in 2019. But it’s also entirely new to me learning how to constructively give feedback to my students, to acknowledge their strengths and push past their mistakes.
In yoga the term ‘namaste’ means many things. But one interpretation is ‘the essence in me, sees and honors the essence in you.’ Or more aptly, ‘The student and teacher in me, sees and honors the student and teacher in you.’ Because we all are a little of both; student and teacher. I may have my 200 hour certification under my belt, but I’m still learning. I’m learning both how to be a better student and a better teacher.
After all, I credit my experience on my yoga mat for giving me the confidence to teach not just in my yoga studio, but an art studio too. It made me realize that I’m not just content to practice on my own mat or at my own drawing board, but that I want to share my knowledge and skills with others. I want to give back to the communities that have given me so much.