Your Joy Can Beget More Joy

These past two weekends, I was the substitute yoga teacher for the Saturday morning “Breathe & Flow” yoga class at Studio 34. 

I enjoy teaching, but subbing can be a bit rough. Some students are super attached to their teacher, and I’ve even had a student come to class not knowing I was teaching that day, find out it was me teaching instead of their favorite teacher, and then actually say out loud, “oh it’s you, nevermind” 😦😬🫣😳😳before leaving. (Oooof!!) 

That definitely panged my heart for a moment, but I decided that it’s probably less personal, and more about me not being the teacher they prefer, and that’s ok. I’ve also had students roll up their mats and leave halfway through class and that’s ok too; I will never know for sure why they left, and that’s also something to live with, without dwelling on.

So I was a little nervous about subbing these past two weeks, especially because that first week I looked at the roster and saw only students who I had never met. That means no relationships to rely on, less guaranteed friendly faces (or at least no friendly faces I can count on ahead of time), and it means that I have to both have a plan but also assess the student’s level on the fly for the first bit of class so that I can adapt the rest of the class to what feels doable for them. 

Regardless of who showed up, I was prepared with a plan for heart openers and fun poses that I enjoy teaching. I’ve learned that when I'm enthused and thereby show up completely, the students will generally ride that wave of excitement with me. It’s a gentle version of “if I’m ok, you’re ok.” 

My joy can beget more joy in the students, and that’s exactly how the class turned out. We did some difficult poses, and the students were definitely challenged, but several students told me on the way out that the class was fun.

The second week I was teaching, my plan ahead of time wasn’t as enticing to me, but logic/my brain told me that I should follow a week of heart-openers with a week of hip openers, so as to not be redundant and to make sure no one was “bored.” But yoga is never redundant–it’s always a brand-new, ever-unfolding experience–so I told my brain/logic to take a backseat and ditched my elaborate hip-opening plan. 

I ended up teaching a similar heart-opening sequence for the second week in a row. No one complained and again students left smiling and several told me that class was fun. 

Our brains are great, but the brain needs to be in service to the heart, and not the other way around. Our heart in Chinese Medicine sets the tone and generates rhythms which the brain and the nervous system can then sync up with. (More on that in my next newsletter.)

We need to learn to listen to our hearts with more reverence and to make sure that we are leading with our own inner connection and ease. I still used my brain in planning and teaching–I made sure that the poses were sequenced in a safe and reliable manner, but I let my heart lead me in teaching something that I felt a sincere connection with. 

Are there areas of your life where you’re doing what you “think” you should do rather than what you “feel” connected with? My next newsletter will focus on heart-centered breathing to help you reconnect with the guidance of your beautiful human heart.

Happy summer.