I love teaching beginner yoga, I love sharing yoga, seeing the difference it makes to people in the body, their mind, their life. Sounds a bit far stretched? (excuse the stretch pun!) If you do yoga you will not think so. I can assure you it’s not far stretch at all. I honestly have not taught a single person, who says they have not benefited from yoga. Yes some say it’s too slow, then I direct them to an Ashtanga class, and tell them to avoid Yin classes. There is a yoga class and a yoga teacher for everyone!
Time and time again, my yogi community will tell me how much they love yoga, how they good they sleep after a class, how they just noticed they don’t have that back pain that was constant for so long! How their doctor tells them there blood pressure is the best it has been in years.
I have thought about this, really thought about why I love teaching beginners yoga. I have never been a person who pushes people to do the things that I like, “read this book, you must read it!” “You must do sewing too, it’s the best!” I have never been like that. However as much as I like people to find there own way to yoga, once they are in the class, I will share every benefit and help every person to get the best out of their version of yoga.
That is what seems to surprise people the most, I am not teaching them that they must get to the perfect pose, it must look a certain way, You must do this, and you must do that. I guide them to find their yoga practice, for their body, for their speed, for their flexability. That the text book pose, will not look the same for everyone, as we don’t all look the same!
Once the beginners know this, they settle in to the classes find their way and then they start to tell me how much they love it, how it helps them, how they notice that if they miss their practice, their body tells them.
This is why I love beginners yoga, I love sharing that journey with them. I sometimes ask myself, Is that my ego though? Wanting praise? Wanting to hear how I helped them? Being a Yogi, I think about that a lot. However after I sit a while and think about it, I always come back to the same thing. It’s just wrong not to share it when it helps so many. 🙂
I teach my beginners programme monthly online and inperson (when allowed COVID19 restrictions allow)
Elizabeth Jamieson 