Did you know that 85% of people are unhappy with their jobs? Yes, almost everyone! That’s why even if I feel guilty sometimes, I feel lucky and proud to get paid to teach yoga. But it’s not because of the money. Here are nine reasons why I love teaching yoga that may convince you to become a yoga teacher, too.
Seeing My Students’ Transformation
To decide to start practicing yoga takes a higher level of self-awareness and discipline than the general population. Yoga is a mental, emotional, and physical exercise. Yes, it’s relaxing. But it’s also exhausting, especially the asana part.
It takes self-awareness to admit that you need to exercise, and it takes discipline to continue to exercise. That’s why I am incredibly grateful to see my students’ physical and mental transformations.
One example of this is when one of my students was finally able to finish the whole class. This student has been attending my class regularly for a month.
He works 70 hours a week. He can only do the joint loosening and warm-up flows during the first few classes before he gets exhausted. I advised him not to force himself and do Child’s Pose or Savasana when he feels tired.
Many times, he just falls asleep while the class continues to flow. I understand he is tired and needs to relax because he works three jobs. But he keeps on coming back to the class, and I can see his energy levels are improving.
Every time he comes back, his strength and endurance improve. Until one day, he finally completed the whole class. He felt incredibly proud of himself.
What Teaching Yoga Teaches Me
Teaching is a two-way process whether you teach English, math, or yoga. Your students are not the only ones learning from you. You also learn from them.
When you start teaching yoga, you will learn more about it and yourself. You will discover that what works for your body doesn’t work for other people’s bodies. You will learn that some people may not find Savasana relaxing at all, while others do.
You will also know that maybe you are not as good as you think. You learn to let go of your ego and to become open-minded. So, in a way, it teaches you to become a better teacher.
As long as you keep an open mind, you will learn many things about teaching yoga from your students. And as the famous saying goes, to teach is to learn twice.
Being Surrounded by a Supportive Community
Yoga is a journey of self-discovery. But just because it is, doesn’t mean you have to do it on your own. When I became a yoga teacher, I practiced yoga primarily by myself since I didn’t have much time to go to a yoga studio.
But it got lonely, and I realized how important it was to have a supportive community as a teacher and as a forever yoga student. I also realized how important it was to become supportive of my students’ journey. I have become their support as much as they have become mine.
Making People Feel Good
Yoga makes you feel good. I remember one student who told me how I make her feel relaxed even after a powerful flow. She said that her body just does it instantly when I tell them to relax and to put all their weight onto the mat.
I also have another student who feels very conscious of how she looks. She keeps checking if her belly is not showing when doing asanas. But with my guidance, she learned to feel good about her body, rolls and all.
This student claims that yoga made her feel more confident and less judgmental of her body. Stories like these are one of the reasons why I teach yoga.
I Can Do It Anywhere
You can practice yoga and teach it anywhere. I’ve led classes in my yoga studio, the gym, parks, schools, the beach, and even in hospitals. You don’t need to bring anything to teach yoga. Once you are certified, you can go anywhere and teach it.
You can also teach it online, just like what many yoga teachers are doing now. You can travel around the world and still teach yoga. Some yoga instructors do this by teaching yoga on a cruise ship and leading yoga retreats and workshops in different locations.
I Can Focus on Health and Wellness
I practice yoga to stay healthy and feel well. My students also practice it to improve or maintain their health and feel good. To become a great teacher, I have to be a great role model to them.
I have to prioritize my health and wellness so that I can help them prioritize theirs. If I don’t, I will not be there to guide them in their yogic journey.
Helping Others
When you teach yoga, you help your students in whatever their goal is in practice. You help them to become healthier. You help them to become more mindful of their lives. You allow them to accept who they are and where they are in their journey.
One of my students thanked me because she now doesn’t feel very stressed driving in the city when the traffic is heavy. Before yoga, she would get stressed when she couldn’t move faster to her destination because of the traffic.
Now that she knows breathing exercises, she practices yogic breathing to calm herself down while waiting for the traffic to move faster. She claims I helped her become more patient and kinder.
It Makes Me a Better Person
According to a study, many yogis feel they are nicer people when they practice yoga. I feel the same way. I have been kinder, less judgmental, and more compassionate to myself and others since I started practicing yoga.
When I started teaching it, I knew I needed to become a better person. I have students who look up to me and think I have better judgment than them. They come to me for guidance in and out of the mat.
Of course, I am not perfect and I still make mistakes. I let my students know that. I also let them know that it’s okay if they make mistakes.
Sharing Its Benefits
Yoga has helped me in so many ways. It has been transformational to me. That’s why I want to share these benefits with other people. I want other people to transform their lives for the better. By teaching yoga, I can help them achieve that.
Connecting with People on a Deeper Level
When practicing yoga, many people feel emotional and vulnerable. When you are so focused on the practice, you worry less and can access your deeper mind. Being able to do this will make students access issues that they may have buried deep within their subconscious.
They become vulnerable. That sounds like bad news, but it helps them connect, recognize, and solve their hidden or deep-seated issues. As a yoga teacher, the more the students are aware of themselves, the more you can connect with them on a deeper level.
You will understand them more and become a better mentor to them. Being able to connect with my students on a deeper level is one of the reasons I love teaching yoga.
I Can Teach Anyone
Everyone can do yoga—kids, males, females, gays, lesbians, youngsters, seniors, fit, and differently-abled. As a yoga teacher, you can teach anyone. As long as you know how to adjust your teaching method based on the students’ needs, you can teach anyone.
That’s why it is necessary to learn how to teach group classes. You will have students from different age groups, demographics, sexual orientations, and abilities. You will need to create a safe space for them.
I Can Do More Than Teach Yoga
Another reason why I love teaching yoga is that I can do more than just teach yoga. Yoga has so many aspects. There’s pranayama or breathing exercise. There’s meditation. There are physical postures and so much more.
These aspects can be linked with other practices or can work independently. The asanas or physical poses are exercises. For people who don’t like the meditation part and would like to work out, you can teach them just the physical side of yoga.
The pranayama exercises can also be taught independently without asanas or meditation. Many people now practice breathwork which is just basically pranayama.
When you teach yoga, you and your students can learn other practices that are similar to it or are inspired by it. So, when you do practices or sports such as gymnastics, animal flow, aerial arts, breathwork, and more, you already have a background. Teaching yoga opens you to many new opportunities for your professional career and personal life.
As the famous saying goes, “Do what you love and love what you do.” If you love practicing yoga and want more people to get the benefits of it, consider becoming a yoga teacher. Teaching yoga can be a fun and fulfilling career. It opens you up to many opportunities and helps you to make people feel well.