I don't often openly dispute the advice other yoga teachers give. On the whole, I believe this industy needs to be about 1000x more supportive of one another.
We work in a world where everyone has a different "more correct" way of doing things from teaching to the way they interact with students, so I try, for the most part, to offer my perspective and be open to the fact that other instructors may disagree with me because they have found something that works for them and their students.
However, when it comes to yoga teachers perpetuating myths and bad business practices to others, I am much more vocal.
When I hear a part-time yoga teacher shame a full-timer for wanting to make a better living through their teaching income or suggesting that they aren't "spiritual" because of it, I speak up against that bull$hit.
When I hear about a studio asking their teachers to work for months on end for free as a "trial period" while they still charge full price for classes, I stop taking yoga classes there (in fact I turned down a class at a studio awhile back because of it).
There are other pieces of advice that teachers give one another that seem harmless and even well intentioned. One that I hear a lot (and just came up again recently in a blog post making its way around the teaching community) is "Say yes to every opportunity you get to teach no matter what it is".
Sounds reasonable, especially if you are a new teacher right?
Actually, no. Saying yes to everything is not always the best thing. In fact, I feel like doing this actually prevented my own growth as a teacher for years.
Click here to hear the story of my early days of teaching where I followed this advice...and almost quit teaching forever (6 min)
(Source: This clip is from The Yoga Teacher Survival Course - 6 Weeks to Success)
What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comment section below
