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After I began teaching yoga back in 2007, I used to be working full-time for town as an urban planner with a typical 40-hour, Monday-through-Friday workweek. Frustrated with my profession, I discovered myself sitting at my desk excited about yoga all day long.

On the time, I’d been practicing seriously for a few yr and was considering taking yoga teacher training (YTT), considering perhaps I could teach part-time and convey some meaning back into my skilled life. My yoga teacher could tell that I had a spark and encouraged me to contemplate signing up for training. I went for it.

Shortly after I graduated from YTT, I discovered myself in the fitting place at the fitting time. Or so it seemed. The Manhattan studio where I practiced and had taken my training offered me a number of prime classes. I distinctly remember considering to myself, “I can’t turn this down,” while concurrently asking “Can I realistically fit this into my schedule?”

After I sought advice from my teachers, I used to be told one of these thing doesn’t occur and I can be crazy to pass up the chance. Ultimately, I made a decision to just accept. I wanted to start out teaching yoga and a probability like this won’t occur again soon—if ever.

How I Let Teaching Yoga Overtake My Life

I woke up every morning at 6 a.m. to practice my sequence. After my 9-5 workday, I hopped on the train and would should literally run to the yoga studio, arriving minutes before class was scheduled to start out. Without fail, a room full of students expected me to deliver a dynamic and provoking practice. And I definitely tried, regardless that I used to be feeling completely disheveled and anything but grounded.

Depleted, I’d come home and, as a substitute of talking with my wife, I’d be excited about the sequence for sophistication the following night. My daytime profession was also suffering, but I couldn’t realistically hand over the financial advantages of getting a full-time job. Between my 9-to-5 responsibilities, the regular classes I took on as a teacher, and the sub requests I accepted, being present at any moment was becoming increasingly more difficult. So was finding time for my personal practice—or personal life—each of which had became almost non-existent.

Looking back, the disappearance of my personal practice was the primary sign that there was an issue. The thing I loved most—and your entire reason for my current situation—had begun to feel forced. Because I used to be not being inspired by my very own practice, I discovered myself trying too hard to create classes that were inspiring. I had nothing to attract on, so my classes became either forced creativity or simply boring.

Still, I pushed to proceed. When someone needed a sub, I volunteered. I used to be told that I needed to take every opportunity to get in front of as many students as possible and construct my following. But eventually I became disenchanted with teaching. It felt like a chore. And the thing about teaching yoga that every one teachers share is we’re not doing it for the cash but because we find it irresistible. And for a short while, I not loved it.

I used to be drained and overwhelmed and never showing up because the yoga teacher I envisioned myself being. I didn’t feel like I used to be serving my students, myself, or my family. Burnout was real.

Eventually, it got to the purpose where I needed to take a break, step back, and reevaluate. After I finally gave myself that space, I made a decision to maintain teaching but provided that I approached it otherwise.

And that made all of the difference.

It took years of experience and a few serious self-reflection to grasp how I needed to point out as much as myself as a part-time yoga teacher. The next insights have worked for me and plenty of of my friends and students who’re also teachers and find themselves in similar situations.

3 Things Part-Time Yoga Teachers Have to Know

1. It’s okay to say “No.”

Turning down opportunities to show may be difficult, especially if there aren’t many coming your way. But not all yoga gigs are created equal.

Only tackle classes that realistically work to your schedule and that resonate with the way in which you teach. In case you’re an evening person, perhaps you’re not a super teacher for the 6 a.m. class at a studio that requires a 30-minute commute. In case you prefer to teach a meditative yoga nidra, then think twice about taking a category at a gym that blasts techno and positions the practice space mere feet from where weights are being dropped.

Keep your options open, as sometimes you will likely be surprised by what resonates with you and what doesn’t. But when you understand it’s not a fit, don’t be afraid to say that. You may feel guilty if one other teacher secured you the interview or if you happen to get along well with the owner of the studio, but when you desire to take your teaching seriously and remain within the business for the long term, you wish boundaries.

2. Take at Least One Day Off From Work a Week

In case you’re working a 40-hour work week, teaching not more than a pair classes per week will likely leave you adequate time and space to point out up and be truly present to your students and yourself. I tell the teachers I train to schedule not more than two classes per week, and ideally, you wouldn’t teach on the times that you’ve off out of your full-time job.

Even if you happen to find it irresistible, leading others through their yoga practice is figure. Having a minimum of one entire time off each week is crucial. I shared this recommendation with a friend who transitioned from part-time to full-time yoga teacher years ago and so they still thank me for that.

There will likely be times when you desire to help out one other teacher as a result of a last-minute emergency. It’s fantastic to assist out from time to time if you happen to can. But you may only be of service to others if you’re also searching for yourself.

3. Get on Your Mat

In case you’re teaching yoga, that you must be practicing yoga. What you share along with your students needs to return from the insights you experience in your mat. Your personal practice is the fuel for each yourself and your teaching.

Be sure to take classes where you get out of your teaching brain and let yourself be a student again. In case you catch yourself analyzing a cue, questioning the music, or trying to recollect the sequence, take a breath and switch that a part of your brain off.  You should experience what keeps drawing you back to the mat and what made you desire to teach in the primary place. Let yourself experience the practice.

Getting in your mat ought to be non-negotiable. I set my entire personal and skilled schedule around my teachers’ Tuesday and Friday morning classes. As much as you’re keen on teaching, that you must replenish yourself consistently to be the perfect version of yourself.

About Our Contributor

Patrick Franco, E-RYT500, is a yoga instructor and director at YogaRenew Teacher Training Online. He leads in-person and online teacher trainings everywhere in the world, focusing totally on yoga sequencing and the business of yoga.