It's been almost 2 years since I started teaching in DBay. It has been both rewarding and challenging. Funny how it all went by so fast....
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| My studio in Chianti, DBay |
I remember holding free classes to the disfavor of my teacher. He thought I was doing myself a disservice. But I needed to get things rolling. I wanted to teach no matter what. So I tested the water in DBay by holding a couple of free classes.
I posted on the forum and got some people in. I also got some nasty comments from people who were students of another teacher. Very mean.
I also designed flyers using my very limited computer skills.
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| Circular Flyer |
Anyway, I didn't care about the negative comments and just kept things going.
I was scared but I just kept going.
After a while, I started regular classes, which became a 4 times a week thing. Of course I also started to charge money.
I was finally making some money!
Over the months I met a lot of people. Some stayed, some moved on.
Teaching in DBay taught me a lot of things that I never learned in school or learned in my yoga training. It was not easy in the beginning because I treated everything so personally. In some ways the process was an awakening. You need to be business savvy to keep teaching. It wasn't all about chanting, breathing, lotus flowers, or putting yourself on sale. So I learned. I applied.
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| Uttanasana |
I love sharing yoga to other people. And all these people who came to my class, I learned from them too. Good or bad. Now I understand that teaching isn't a one sided stage. Energy is shared both ways.
Since I moved out of Dbay to live in the city, I can only manage to hold classes there once a week. I have been renting space in the community center, and because of this, class time has become more precious. I make sure my students come and leave with a sense of achievement, glee and soaked in sweat. Heehee!
For my students in Discovery Bay, thank you and keep practicing!
