The Life Cycle of a professional yoga instructor
Yoga instructors and everything in nature goes through a cycle of birth, growth, maturation, and death. Yoga instructors look for ways to navigate through these identifiable changes with mindfulness. Is there a best path for your development as a yoga education provider?
Every area of science talks about specific creation, destruction cycles. A cycle occurs in a career, a year, a day, and in a class.
The novice yoga instructor’s career
The typical springtime of a yoga instructor’s career begins with having completed 200 or 500 hour Yoga teacher training. Rigorous yoga instructor training programs make the novice teacher realize that they have just touched the surface of yoga’s science. The novice phase will generally last about 1 to 2 years. Growth is at its maximum, and confidence is gained.
The new yoga instructor’s most significant resource is their heart. The Heartmath institute states that.
“The interaction between two human beings, such as the consultation between patient and clinician or a discussion between friends, is a very sophisticated dance that involves many subtle factors. Most people think of communication solely in terms of overt signals expressed through facial movements, voice qualities, gestures, and body movements. However, evidence supports the perspective that a subtle yet influential electromagnetic or “energetic” communication system operates just below our conscious level of awareness. “-
www.heartmath.org/research/science-of-the-heart/energetic-communication/
The novice has the opportunity to relay the heartfelt passion for yoga. They freshly remember that they have the potential to be an igniting force for the transformation.
A novice yoga instructor actively looks for advice and feedback from their peers. At this point, they understand that there is so much to learn and, if not supported, they may struggle after graduation from yoga teacher training. A significant advantage of teaching in a studio setting is that the new teacher provides a fresh perspective that is enriching for fellow teachers and the students.
A novice public school teacher’s career has safety nets that aren’t always available to yoga instructors. In most school districts, a mentor teacher is assigned for the first year. This real-time guidance helps rookie teachers discuss and resolve problems that are no longer theoretical. In the springtime of their teaching career, the yogi brings a fresh perspective and new information to the yoga studio. The critical learning period is contagious, and the new hire may inspire veteran teachers to refresh their repertoire.
Newbie yoga instructors are generally released into the yoga world without formal follow up. The 200-hour or 300-hour programs do their best by giving the yoga instructor trainees feedback while still in the program. But the standard for regular education teachers is to have consistent observations and evaluations for the entire 1st year of employment. In a year-long yoga training program, feedback comes from peers and advice from veteran yoga instructors, but continued support when teaching in the studio is often not thorough and consistent. Expert yoga instructors are now fostering the growth of the novice yoga instructor by incorporating mentoring services online. Online mentoring support the novice instructor with goal setting, charting progress, and encouragement.
Novice yoga instructor characteristics
- Open to new information
- Provide a fresh perspective to students and fellow instructors
- Clarity in simplicity
- Passion and energy
- Fresh pedagogy and updated practices
The professional yoga instructor’s career
The professional yoga instructor phase begins from years 3 to 5 and can be an experimental phase for yoga instructors. The roots are now firm, and in the right environment, a yoga instructor can grow prolifically during the summer of their career. This newfound stability is where we develop our voice and unique talents. Each yoga instructor becomes an amalgam of all their experiences. Every class is a chance to figure out what is working well and how to refine it. New yoga pedagogy and curriculum are now easily adapted.
By year five or so, a professional yoga instructor now has enough background knowledge to balance exploration with intuition. Classes tend to be consistent, and the instructor can attend to each student. An experienced yoga instructor knows that it isn’t the accumulation of knowledge that makes them masterful. They become student-centered, and they can adapt to any unexpected events in the classroom. Yoga instructors decide on their continuing education, unlike many of the required courses for public education teachers. There are two things that the teaching profession knows:
- Continued targeted professional development is essential to become a better teacher.
- Sharing with peer teachers (even in an informal setting) creates clarity in direction.
Continuing ed is now required for most yoga instructor license renewals and is a requirement for many yoga studios.
Professional yoga instructors characteristics:
- Experiments help students keep a spirit of inquiry.
- Attainment of competence and consistency.
- Students see recognizable growth in their practice.
The Expert/Mentor Yoga Teacher
The time it takes to reach this stage in a yoga instructor’s career is variable. Typically a classroom teacher would spend about six or more years at approximately 1000 hours per year. Yoga instructors don’t typically log so many hours per year, but they will enter this career stage with consistent teaching and growth. Teaching workshops to students and offering continuing education to other yoga instructors is a hallmark of an expert. At this point in a yoga instructor’s career, there is a spirit of cooperation and not competition.
An expert yoga instructor’s confidence is unshakable. They have developed an expanded vocabulary and can quickly answer most basic yoga questions without referring to resources. At this stage in an instructor’s career, they can see large yoga science patterns because of hours of experience. Most markedly, they are professionals, and they know the value of taking the time to prepare for a lesson.
We can learn from academic teachers that the expert recognizes the value of a teachable moment. They change the direction of the lesson if the opportunity presents itself. The talent of their peers often humbles dedicated experts. They consistently seek ways to be inspired. They value getting to know their students and staff. They welcome the opportunity to contribute to their profession.
Expert/Mentor yoga instructors characteristics:
- Researching, planning, and preparing is the hallmark of professionalism.
- Leader educators contribute to the profession.
- Mentor and contribute to the education of their peer instructors.
- Provide in-depth workshops to yoga students.
- Advocate for the trade in a professional organization.
- Professionals are aware of social learning’s real value and regularly attend and observe other instructor’s classes.
- Take advantage of a teachable moment.
- Appreciate knowing their students well and connect with them in every class.
The Master Yoga Teacher
By this time in a master yoga instructor’s career, they have contributed freely to yoga’s art, and they are known for their works. Books, videos, and other forms of media have left their mark on the yoga world. These yogis are always focused and can propel transformation in just one class.
Yoga instructors don’t have some of the advantages that professional classroom educators have. The school year is full of breaks, and traditionally summer was a time to reflect and rejuvenate to prepare for the academic year. University teachers traditionally had one year of sabbatical for every seven years that they taught. These built-in breaks are essential to avoid burnout. Yoga instructors aren’t “actively teaching” for 6+ every day but time to refresh and learn is just as important.
Teaching yoga is an art and a science, and the expert instructor helps the student think for themselves.
Master yoga instructors characteristics
- Excellent speakers and listeners.
- Established clear goals.
- Provide challenging tasks within the students’ grasp.
- Have tried and true methods.
- Have high expectations for all students because they believe that all students can learn.
- Respect their students profoundly and foster an environment where everyone is appreciated.
- Continually learn and use the best new methods.
- Consistently correct the course of the learning.
Teaching can be an elaborate act. Yoga instructors create a space where the student can focus on themselves. No matter where you are in the life cycle of your yoga teaching career, there’s a chance to enrich the students with core human values of love, honesty, curiosity, compassion, and non-attachment. Modeling these core values is the heart of teaching. Being the change we want to see is the mantra of the new age. Creating a time and space for others to come home to their souls is a sacred act. Meditation before teaching is what will bring a life-giving quality of centeredness into the yoga studio. Yoga teaching in America has evolved from being a physically based practice to include nourishment for the mind and soul.
When the teacher comes to class with an even breath, the students follow the lead. Everything that we do has an impact. Master teachers realize that they naturally model behavior. Their presence is often enough to create change.
Honoring your teachers is a tradition in yoga as well as other practices of spiritual growth. A master teacher in the winter of their career is revered for what he or she contains and his dedication to transferring the wisdom. We venerate the teacher not just for their compassion and knowledge but also for their willingness to bring that light to others — the totality of their work. The gift of dedicating their heart, body, and mind to the service of enlightening humanity will continue to unfold long after their life ends.
All Phases of the yoga instructor’s career have untapped beauty.
All yoga instructors benefit from:
- Arriving to class with the spirit that you wish to impart to the students.
- A carefully thought out lesson plan that is built around a current need.
- Focusing on human relationships.
- Lessons relevant to the students in front of you.
- Dedication to continued learning and interaction with exemplary instructors.
Meditation and yoga are becoming part of the general healthcare system. Educational resources are needed so that everyone can find the specific information that a student/client needs. We provide a space where yoga instructors can share, buy, and sell their yoga printables. This peer marketplace helps yoga instructors bring their best ideas, talents, and printable materials to other yogis. Here we create a symbiotic relationship where we grow our own businesses while supporting each other. The immense pool of talent for freelance yoga instructors has been an untapped resource until now. Technology has helped improve the ability to self-direct your learning in real-time. YogisPayYogi provides a way to connect with external networks of yoga instructors who are also working autonomously. The novice yoga instructor and a seasoned expert will contribute to the collective consciousness of yoga. Specific and targeted learning by specialists and broad overviews will both have a place to be found in this shared marketplace for yoga instructors.
Yoga teaching is generally an autonomous activity. Yogis love freedom, and we welcome the opportunity to share.
YogisPayYogi.com, a peer marketplace for yogis, provides:
- An easy way to find targeted yoga education resources.
- Financial advantages for you and your yoga peers.
- Examples of quality and tried yoga teaching methods.
- An opportunity to speak to an interested and shared audience.
- Engage with your customers digitally with appointments or digital office hours.
- Branding exposure in your virtual store.
- Opportunities to learn from yoga instructors outside of your area.
- Open-source learning. No commitment or membership fee is required.
- One place shopping.
- Digital platforms make editing and updating easy.
Support others while you navigate your yoga career with grace. Spend your money in a way that helps other yoga instructors grow their business!
http://www.academypublication.com/issues/past/tpls/vol04/01/05.pdf (Al-Ahdal)
https://www.heartmath.org/research/science-of-the-heart/energetic-communication/
