Teaching Yoga

I've been teaching yoga in a conference room at work since November. It's been going really well. People keep showing up. I used notes at first to keep myself from freaking out. That's a perk of teaching free classes, I don't feel bad about using notes. They know they're my practice bodies. :-) My last class I didn't have notes or even a specific plan. I just knew generally what I wanted to do and improvised. That was easier than trying to memorize an original sequence every time. I could just look at the clock and decide what do do from there. I really enjoyed that one.

Teaching yoga to beginners in a conference room at work is awesome and all, but now I'm starting to teach parts of classes at a real yoga studio for the practicum part of the teacher training. Saturday was my first time, and it's much harder than it looks. I was really intimidated by the room full of people who know what they're doing. Teaching intermediate to advanced students is actually easier because you don't have to explain the details, and they know how to avoid injury, but it's freaking intimidating because they also know if you screw up. Also, it was scary because it was the Ashtanga standing sequence. This is a specific, traditional sequence. No improvising or mixing stuff around is allowed in this one.

I don't think it was horrible, but I know it could have gone better. My in-laws came into town for Brad's birthday even though we told them a few times that it really wasn't a good weekend for company. Brad had just gotten home from training in California, I had a yoga workshop, and the yoga teaching at the studio going on, but they always come for his birthday and this is probably their last weekend to come see us until tax season is over, so they came.

Work is really busy right now. I may have to work overtime this weekend, but I'm in yoga school all day Saturday and Sunday, so if I do work overtime, it will be late evenings. Bummer. Balancing family, yoga, work, and WoW gets really difficult when family visits while I'm working on my practicum, thesis, and attending yoga workshops and teacher training, while work is super busy. WoW isn't a priority, of course, but I did just get promoted to officer, and I do like to attend all of the raids.

I still need to write my thesis on Ashtanga yoga, but I don't know when I'll have the time. If I don't have to work this weekend, I can probably knock it out Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon. At least I have a solid outline to get me going.

I graduate from teacher training at the end of April. I feel like everything will calm down and I can get a normal schedule going then. Of course, when I start teaching, I'll have to balance that with practicing and WoW, but I can find a routine that I'm comfortable with and stick with it.