Ep 19: Your Personal Practice - Where Did it Go & How to Get it Back

Let's just go back in time for a little bit. Remember when you were practicing all the time, just loving being a student? And then you started teaching, adding classes to your schedule, and taking more continuing education. Did your personal practice kind of fall by the wayside?

This episode explores strategies and tips for reigniting  that spark and reclaiming your personal practice. It's not uncommon for you to find yourself in this situation where you spend so much time guiding others through their practice, that you begin to neglect your own. Teaching yoga can be incredibly fulfilling, but it can also be physically and mentally demanding, which leaves little time and energy for your personal practice.

What can you do when you feel disconnected from your own yoga practice? Well, first is essential to acknowledge that it's okay to feel this way. Keep listening, because we're going to dive right on into this subject and help you get back on track.

Transcript

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Let's just go back in time for a little bit. Remember when you were practicing all the time, just loving being a student, and then you started teaching? Maybe adding classes to your schedule and possibly taking more continuing education and your personal practice just kind of fell by the wayside. Today, we're going to explore strategies and tips for reigniting that spark and reclaiming your personal practice. It's not uncommon for you to find yourself in this situation where you spend so much time guiding others through their practice that you begin to neglect your own. Teaching yoga can be incredibly fulfilling, but it can also be physically and mentally demanding which leaves little time and energy for your personal practice. So what can you do when you feel disconnected from your own yoga practice? Well, first it's essential to acknowledge that it's okay to feel this way. Keep listening because we're going to dive right on into this subject and help you get back on track. Welcome to the Essential Conversations for Yoga Teachers podcast with me. I'm Monica Bright, and I've been a teacher. I've been teaching yoga and running my yoga business for over a decade. This is the podcast for you. If you're a yoga teacher, you're looking for support. You love to be in conversation and you're a lifelong student. In this podcast, I'll share with you my life as a yoga teacher. The lessons I've learned, all the stuff that wasn't taught in teacher training, my process for building my business, and helpful ideas, tools, strategies, and systems I use, and you can use, so that your business thrives. We'll cover A diverse range of topics that will help you whether you're just starting out or you've got years under your belt and you want to dive deep and set yourself up for success. I'm so glad you're here. Listen, I don't take myself too seriously, so expect to hear some laughs along the way. Now let's do this together. All right. Applications open today for the business of yoga 2. 0 coaching program. Get on my email list. That's how you get the application to apply for a moment. I want to talk to you a little bit about the coaching, because if you feel like building a yoga teaching business. is challenging. You know, many of us were never really equipped with the essential skills during yoga teacher training. And the reality is every quarter, it seems like there's a surge of new yoga teachers. And the question becomes, how do you stand out in this ever expanding sea of instructors? Do you wonder about sustainability of teaching a full roster of classes every week? How are you going to keep that up year after year? What if you have a family emergency or you get injured and you can't teach? How are you going to cover yourself and your expenses? These are all questions that we all have to ponder. Maybe you teach part time and you want to turn teaching into a sustainable income before the quote unquote real job becomes a tempting option. Or maybe right now you're teaching part time and you want to quit your day job completely. How about if you're teaching during one of those prime teaching slots? You know, weeknights and weekends. While they bring success in the form of full classes, are they keeping you tethered to this schedule, causing you to miss out on family outings and celebrations? Any of this sound familiar to you? If so, I hope you know that you're not alone. Success in this field doesn't mean piling on more classes. The real secret lies in diversification. For Diversification isn't just about expanding your schedule. It's about reclaiming time for yourself, your friends, and your family. It opens up limitless opportunities for creativity and income growth. It's your chance to evolve into the teacher that you've been dreaming of because you have some diversification in your schedule. The Business of Yoga 2. 0 is a four month coaching program where you and I will work together and you will learn everything you need to know about diversifying your offerings. We'll target things like retreat planning, membership design, online offerings, workshops, email planning, and organizational strategies, and many more goodies just waiting for you to implement right away. So even if you think coaching might help you out, hop on my email list so I can send you the application. We'll go over it together and decide if now's the right time for you. Listen. Everyone benefits from coaching. It's how we evolve and get better at what we're doing. So let's see if we're a good fit. And if so, let's work to build yourself a yoga teaching legacy. All right. Welcome back to the essential conversations for yoga teachers podcast. And today's episode was inspired by a conversation I just had. Recently with a yoga teacher. It's quite common and I wonder if you've ever experienced this as well. It's losing your own practice amidst the demands of teaching and daily life. Yeah, if you can relate to that, then you probably felt that statement in your heart. Let's go back in time for a little bit. Remember when you were practicing all the time, just loving being a student? And then you started teaching, adding classes to your schedule, possibly taking more continuing education, and your personal practice just kind of fell by the wayside. Fear not, because today we're going to explore strategies and tips for reigniting that spark and reclaiming your personal practice. It's not uncommon for you to find yourself in a paradoxical situation where you spend so much time guiding others through their practice that you neglect your own. Teaching yoga can be incredibly fulfilling, but it can also be physically and mentally demanding, leaving little time and little energy for your personal practice. So what can you do when you feel disconnected from your own practice? Yoga practice. First and foremost, it's essential to acknowledge that it's okay to feel this way. Only human and it's natural for our priorities to shift and evolve over time. However, reconnecting with your practice can bring immense benefits not only to yourself, but also to your teaching, to your students. So let's dive into some practical tips for how to revive your practice amidst your busy schedule. You got your journal? I hope so. Okay, first, begin with setting clear intentions for your practice. What do you hope to gain? Whether it's re centering yourself and finding more inner peace. Maybe it's improving your own movement. And that could include flexibility, mobility, strength, resistance. Whatever the case is. Or simply, it's reconnecting with yourself. Possibly increasing your sense of proprioception and interoception. I remember a few years ago dealing with vertigo that was caused by an ear infection, which was caused by a simple cold. And my practice at the time turned into reconnecting with my sense of balance with a focus on my vestibular system. So I was doing a lot of movements. that would help me feel more balanced. It wasn't even necessarily mat practice. Some of the exercises that I was doing involved me laying down in my bed or on a couch. So my practice looked a little different, but I had a clear intention for what my practice needed to be. at that time in my life. When you start with a purpose, it can oftentimes guide you and help you reconnect with your practice. So start there. See what your intention is. The next is to start small, right? You don't need to commit to hours of practice each day. Even just 10 minutes of mindful movement or meditation can make a significant difference. Find pockets of time throughout your day, whether it's in the morning before you get out of bed, during a break in your day. Maybe it's while you're at the airport or you're in your car. Maybe it's while you're stopped at a stoplight or before bed. And dedicate these small pockets of time to your practice instead of like a whole hour or an hour and a half practice, which could seem daunting. The next is to incorporate yoga into your teaching. We don't really think about like this idea, but what if you found creative ways to weave your personal practice into your teaching? Maybe it's taking a few moments to center yourself before class or demonstrating poses with your students. Maybe you flow with them for a little bit or incorporate elements of your own practice into your sequences. Think about teaching as an extension of your own practice. See, we don't often think like this, but maybe this option might help you reconnect. So, think about it. Next is to stay flexible, not in the physical sense. Remember that your practice doesn't have to look the same every day. Some days you may have more time and energy for a vigorous flow while other days, gentle restorative practice may be more appropriate. So listen to your body and honor what it needs each day. You know this because you teach this to your students, don't you? Your practice doesn't need to be a physical one either. It could be mindful breathing or it could be sitting in stillness. Maybe it's listening to a YouTube video or audio of a guided meditation. You get to choose all of that, right? Thank you. And then finally, prioritize your own self care, right? Make self care a non negotiable part of your routine. Just as you prioritize your students well being, prioritize your own. Whether it's getting enough sleep, nourishing your body with healthy food, or simply taking time to rest and recharge, self care is essential for maintaining a sustainable yoga practice. And I'm willing to bet that you feel a difference when you prioritize your self care and when you don't. Now, remember, when you reconnect with your practice, it's a journey, not a destination, right? When you're patient with yourself, it's not going to seem like a burden. And don't be afraid to seek support from fellow teachers, mentors, or your broader yoga community. It's important to prioritize your own practice so you enhance your well being, deepen your connection to the teachings of yoga. And ultimately enrich your life and the lives of those you touch through your teaching. This seemed like a little shorty episode, but we got through what we needed to get through, right? And I thought it was important to touch on this conversation regarding your personal practice, because one, it's something a lot of teachers deal with. And two, when you acknowledge and accept it, It gets a little easier to get back on your mat and regain your practice. I hope this episode was helpful, even if it just reminds you that you're not alone. I love having this conversation because I truly believe we are more the same than we are different. You know, that my goal for you is to love the yoga teaching life and allow it to be fulfilling and rewarding while you keep up your own connection to the practice you love so much. If you loved this episode, let me know, just send me a shout out, subscribe to the podcast. So you're always in the know when a new episode drops and share it with another yoga teacher who you think would love to be in on these conversations. I'm so excited to bring you more conversations on a wide variety of subjects that yoga teachers should be having. Thank you for helping to spread the word about this podcast. And finally, don't forget to join my newsletter that's just for yoga teachers. I'll link it in the show notes below and I would love for you to join it so we can always stay connected. All right, that's it for now. Bye.