Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift, that's why they call it present...

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Sweat & Smiles

HOW grateful am I? Every night I walk out of my classes at Planet Workout with the BIGGEST smile and my heart filled with excitement and love. Can I tell you how good it feels to actually have a class full of people who WANT to learn something new?
I started my first week with three and have tripled my numbers since then. I STILL haven’t even advertised yet. Something I am working on though. I have 4 regular students that have come to every class and getting to know them and hear about how much they love my classes has really been a blessing. This is truly where I shine and I am VERY thankful I stuck with it and never gave up.

Each one of my classes is different, working on a particular theme and/or muscle. There’s a big difference between 3 and 10 people in classes. Last night I had a lot more people and found myself getting up to assist more than moving through the postures with them. I haven’t really decided what I will continue to do when it comes to guiding or assisting. A lot of my students are new and I find it more time consuming to assist them through posture since they’re not that flexible yet. I’m trying not to contradict myself when I say “not flexible enough” as I stress to my students there in NO destination when it comes to a yoga posture, but you really do have to pick your battles. I do make sure while guiding them through the flow I make sure they know what they’re “supposed to be feeling, where they should feel it, and how to move deeper if it is available to them.

My favourite part is talking to each of my students after each class, especially the new ones. I continually get the same feedback, and the same smiling, relaxed but energized faces. Since I’ve started I’ve heard a lot of “this muscle was sore and tight and you completely relaxed and loosed it up” I put it right back onto the student and make sure they’re aware it was all them. I was merely there to direct and guide them. They feel proud and they have every right to. Yoga can be challenging, and in the end very rewarding.
I’m still working on trying to drop the stigma around yoga for men. I spoke to this one guy yesterday who I introduced myself to when I started there 3 months ago. He hasn’t been to my class yet...but I see him continually looking in on my classes. I like to think he’s interested...in yoga! I stopped him yesterday to mention he STILL hasn’t attended any of my classes yet. He told me “I don’t think I can, it hurts!” I asked “what hurts?!?!” He said...”YOGA!” We talked for a bit because I HAD to make sure he had a clear understanding of what yoga is, why it would be great for him and why is should never HURT. He said he’s try to come to my class tonight. I might have to rethink my flow as I had a pretty tough one planned that actually branched from Bikrams 26 postures...which is weird because I personally did not enjoy Bikrams yoga as much as the others I’ve tried. I guess I'm ready to change it up.

Either way I know tonight will be another satisfying night of yoga, smiles and a room FULL of wonderful keen students...my students!

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