Teaching in a New City

Lakeland, FL has started to feel like home. Breaking in to the city as a new Yoga instructor with a Canadian passport was not easy at first, but it has been a heart opening experience.

Finding a gorgeous studio to study, grow and teach at was a huge blessing. Satya Life Yoga has been a perfect place for me to connect with like-minded friends and find a way to continue my Yoga journey.

The biggest lesson that I have learned is how to open your heart. Since studying at Satya my practice has veered toward an alignment focus and a million and one ways to open your heart. My confidence, upper body awareness and strength has awakened. Finding upper back strength has really helped with low back tension, too. My favourite heart opening class has been Aerial Yoga. We fly very, very high in this class!  It gives amazing traction for the whole spine and the anti-gravity feeling is phenomenal. So grateful to have such a unique class offered at the studio. The combination of classes I take on a weekly basis have strengthened my wings;)

So thankful for everything Lakeland, FL has shown me.

Peace, Love & an Open Heart!

Let me know if you have ever done Aerial?

YOGA JOURNAL HAS A TALENT SEARCH

Hello blog readers-- that is if you still exist! I am having a wonderful time teaching Yoga in LAKELAND, FL at Satya Life Yoga Studio.  The studio offers everything from Therapeutic Yoga to Aerial Yoga, my new found love!

The classes are great because of my teacher FRANKIE HART. Tuesday, March 29th she entered the Yoga Journal Talent Search competition and I am trying hard to make sure people vote!  She has a beautiful practice which is truly depicted in her photograph!

We are up against BIG competition so please go to the site below & give her the unlimited amount of FIVE STARS that she deserves!!!

Talent Search Website: http://talentsearch.yogajournal.com/view/2899

Please, Love & Asanas!

Day Two

Two students showed up for Yoga Basics last night!

It was not my best work because I was sincerely prepared to have no students.  I prepared the class well in advance. For some reason, I did not mentally register the idea of teaching it. I took the two students through the class but my nerves were ever so present.  Speech nightmares from grade 7 and 8 always linger when I teach in a new space.

When my first student arrived I was overwhelmed with joy! I helped her pay for the class, after successfully swiping her card! Afterwards, I made sure she had all of the props and was ready to start.  My mind was racing to remember how I wanted to start the class and all of a sudden my husband knocked on the door. He was barely on-time but I managed to find a starting point for my two students.  While in the opening moment of silence, I realized that I had positioned the class different from my class plan.  Quick thinking was needed because the class was supposed to start on the wall. Hopefully, my facial expressions did not indicate my panicked thought! Somehow my chi found balance and class begin to flow. I improvised by bringing the ballet bar to them.

Both students had very tight hamstrings. They made a great pair for teaching.  The time flew by surprisingly and I did not get to all of the planned poses.

I will let you know if my student returns because I will be surprised.

First week down- I look forward to the weeks to come!

peace & joy

Day One

Like trees, new yoga classes take time to grow : )

My class had no participants Monday night.  Satya studio anticipated a very small turnout. The holidays know how to fill someone's schedule and Monday night's New to Yoga is a new class. In a small city like Lakeland, FL, yogis must be gathered and informed. Lakeland is not NYC where 'everyone' is seeking Yoga. It is easier to get a yoga job than it is to get a yoga student. My night turned around quickly once I joined another yoga class at the studio, Core Yoga!

Tuesday night is my second scheduled class- I have one guaranteed participant, my husband ; )

Time to start recruiting because I am looking forward to teaching more classes and people!


namaste

My First New To Yoga Class

Focus: Downward facing dog

Props/ Person: 1 Strap, 2 blocks, 2 blankets, 1 chair, 2 mats 

Room Format: Mats lined-up on walls

Warm-up (10-15 mins)

• Mountain Pose w/ 1 min of silence 
• Posture awareness, weight placement, elongation of legs to crown of head
• Upward facing hands w/ gentle side stretch
• Swinging chair pose w/ arms (flowing from bent to straight knees, breath & arms flow together)
• Standing forward fold w/ bent knees (or using support of chairs)

Stretch (12-18 mins)

• Chair/wall down dog, depending on students in class
• Using wall calf stretch w/ straight & bent knees
• Lunges w/ blankets & blocks (focus on hip alignment & stretch)
• Childs Pose
• Hero Pose: Rolled-up mat between calves & hamstrings to release quad & hamstring tightness (knee injury: might refrain from pose or have everyone use a blanket and blocks for those who need them).
• Small down dog with bent knees (use props if class is trying down dog for first time

Strength/balance (4 mins)

• Tree using wall

Core (8-10 mins)

• Cat/cow & finding neutral spine.
• Boat Pose (Feet/toes on ground and working on feeling the core work through lift)

Cool-down (7-10 mins)

• Reclined on back using straps to open hamstrings (a one-legged twist)
• On back w/ bent knees: 2 part in-hale with 2 part ex-hale

Final Relaxation (5-10 mins)

A little celebration : )

The meeting was a success and it looks like I will be joining the Satya Life Yoga studio as a faculty member. The night classes are New To Yoga on Monday and Yoga Basics on Tuesday.  The yoga space has two-story high ceilings and spring flooring. Satya also offers massage therapy and Tai Chi.

In preparation for my first week of classes my mentor has encouraged me to buy a new Yoga book, '30 Essential Yoga Poses For Beginning Students and Their Teachers' by Judith Lasater, Ph.D., P.T. The book arrived yesterday and I look forward to reading it today!  I also wrote the yoga class proposal in advance so that I could get feedback before presenting it to students.

Now I can only hope to have a student in each class next week!

namaste : )

Loving & Hunting!

Two months of living in Lakeland, Florida!   A lot has changed this fall but it all seems to be coming together, just like the marriage plans for this Saturday, November 13th.  All six of our parents are set to arrive by the time of the wedding.

Aside from getting married to the love of my life (former yoga student- thanks Holly), most of my time has focused on yoga, coaching, job hunting, and riding roller coasters (favourite: Manta at Sea World).  I even got to visit the Florida Keys for the first time with my best friend Debra and her boyfriend, Jeff. It was a magical surprise Birthday celebration for Debra whom I also met in my Yoga class. Yoga knows how to bring people together. It is almost 2011 and I continue to pursue my long term goal.


Right now, I am searching for my next career step while trying my best to stick to a goal I made on a European trip during the summer of 2008. My best friends, Kaitlin and Lindsay,  helped me realize my true passion for yoga.  They helped by pointing out my tireless conversation about the practice and love for teaching. The conversation came about while we were sitting beside a gorgeous lake in Lucerne, Switzerland.  We all shared our current direction in life and I seemed to be the most in need of guidance.  I had just finished my undergraduate degree and was in a bit of a cross-road.  Yoga had become a huge part of my life but I was not sure if I could pursue yoga as a career.  I thought the safest pathway was to get a masters in a degree with a more secure financial future.  I was all set to pursue a masters in Urban and Regional Planning after another good friend, Rachel (yoga class friend, too),  helped guide me through the application. After much deliberation, I ended up choosing to pursue a different masters program, Sport Management, and yoga.  Sport Management had room for me to continue studying and teaching yoga in Tallahassee, FL.

Kaitlin and Lindsay gave me confidence that day by the lake. Yoga had more sparkle and I was not ready to let it be a practice from my past.  In case you were wondering, the goal is to one day guide students in my own yoga space. This is why I continue to practice, study and teach.

Aside: Thank you girls for being a part of my journey and for our European adventure. I will never forget how helpful you were, especially when I lost everything, including my passport at the Duomo in Milan, Italy.



Yoga and regular job hunting continues as I get to know my new city. After two interviews with Geico, I have yet to hear a response.  I think their response is in the mail; ) I am not convinced that Geico wants a yoga instructor with a business degree and a Canadian passport.

Last week, I submitted my resume to a running shoe store and hope to hear back from them, too. I have considered applying to a fitness organization in town but a yoga studio would be ideal.

In effort to connect with a studio and to keep practicing I have been attending class daily at Satya Life yoga in Lakeland. I would be more than honoured to join their faculty and to continue learning from Frankie Hart.  My soon to be husband has been encouraging me to approach her with my availability and interest.  I am quite intimidated by the studio because of the instructors vast knowledge and skill. He has been an amazing back bone to my dream and I was planning on mentioning my interest to Ricky before the new year. Somehow the stars were aligned and after my second interview with Geico my instructor invited me to have a conversation about potential opportunities at her studio, Satya Life. Her interest absolutely made my month!

As some of you know, I had four amazing years practicing and teaching at two studios in Tallahassee. Finding my next opportunity has been intimidating.  Satya has re-kindled my excitement and I will keep you posted once that meeting happens.  So thankful !!!

Namaste

yours gingerly,

W h i t n e y