I am a little nostalgic and teary as I sit down to write to you this week. This past Friday I celebrated thirteen years as a yoga teacher.

Thirteen years ago, I walked to the front of a yoga class filled with rows of people and led them through their practice.

I remember feeling so excited for it. I wasn’t nervous at all. It was a feeling of knowing I was in exactly the right place and at home in myself in ways I hadn’t been in the past.

It was the same feeling I had when I stepped on my yoga mat in front of a camera in March of 2020 and led the first online class of the Tori G. Online Yoga Studio. A feeling as if everything in my life up to this point was preparing me for this.

And, though the lessons I’ve learned through the past thirteen years of teaching are too numerous to count, I thought I’d share with you the big ones. These are the ones you can take with you as you move through your world, whether you’re a yoga teacher or not.

Here’s what I know for sure:

1. We’re all doing our best. I believe this about every single person, in all walks of life.

You might not agree with me and that’s okay. But, everyone’s best is different depending on what life has thrown at them along the way. We’re all shaped by our unique experiences and cope with situations the best we can.

So, when someone in your yoga class interrupts the flow, or doesn’t take the correction, or is even rude in one way or another, just let it go. 

That’s their best today. And, maybe tomorrow, their best will be better.

2. Everyone deserves to be seen (and wants to be, too).  

I think everyone should hear their name at some point during a yoga class. I have made sure to do that from class one.

If I don’t know their name, I will assist them in other ways. But, each person will be seen, noticed, and acknowledged for doing their yoga practice.

It’s why even in my online space I make sure we have a connection, as teacher and student. There’s no way I could just drop a library of classes and hope you take them. That’s not teaching. And, I am a teacher.

I think it’s amazing you took a whole hour out of your day to practice. It’s so hard to do. (If it was easy, more people would do it… and I can tell you they don’t.)

So, acknowledge the people in your life for the good work they’re doing, the love they have for others, and the way they serve. You might not think they need that kind of attention, but they deserve to be acknowledged and they’ll not only feel good, but you will, too.

3. Praise the good and forget the rest.

I’ve seen a LOT in the last thirteen years of teaching yoga. And, what I know for sure is that the best way to get through to a student is to praise them for what they are getting “right.” And, let the rest sort itself out.

If a student always insists on going to the wall for a Headstand when I know they don’t need to, I don’t get upset with them. Instead, I compliment how amazing their line is and help them notice that they aren’t even using the wall anymore, giving them the confidence to inch away from it bit-by-bit.

See the good in people. There will always be more good there, than not. 

4. Do better. Everyday.

I take being a yoga teacher seriously. The goal for me is to learn something new everyday. If I continue to grow and educate myself that means I have more to offer my students.

If you are a yoga teacher and your classes have become rote and uninspired, please go learn something new today. 

If you have a bad class – I’m talking to both teachers and students here – find out why and be open to learning how to make the next one better.

And, even off the yoga mat… how can you do better today than you did yesterday?

5. Love your tribe hard.

To be a yoga teacher means you are a leader in a community – whether you own your own space or are on a team of teachers. You are a leader.

The people in your community came to your yoga space to heal, connect, and thrive in their lives. Give them the space to do that.

Take care of them. Check in on them. And, be grateful every day that you have the opportunity to teach and share with them something you love.

To love someone is to see them as the best version of themselves even when they can’t see it.

And, that right there is the real work of a yoga teacher: To help others see what an amazing light and true force they already are in this world.

To all of my students through the years: I see you. You amaze me. I will always work to do better for you. And, I love you.

The Biggest Hugs,

Tori G. ♡