Teaching for free......

As part of my level 1 training I was required to do 8 hours of community service. Which means teach yoga for free. And we were encouraged to try to bring it to a community that doesn't already have a personal practice. Easy peezie I thought. I know plenty of people right at my school who could benefit from some form of relaxation but who would never take the time to do it for themselves. So I put out an email and got lots of eager takers. Afterall, the price was perfect.
I have to admit going into it I thought it was going to be a cake walk. I teach everyday right? So I'm used to being the center of attention. In fact, I probably went into teaching to fulfill some deep-rooted need to always be the center of attention. Or so my self-appointed therapist nameless family member would say. But teaching a roomful of kids is way different from teaching a roomful of adults. In numerous ways. The adults listen to your directions......the first time. And they don't hit, or kick, or spit or bite each other.
My first class was in the multipurpose room. Our plant foreman, Denny (who is the sweetest man and will do anything for me probably because I make oatmeal cookies for him) got the room all ready for me by vacuuming the carpet and dimming the lights low enough to make this big space actually feel warm and inviting. I got there early to cue up my ipod and do a warm-up stretch alone before my new students arrived. As they slowly started to wander in I was suddenly filled with the overwhelming sensation of wanting to go somewhere and throw up. What was I thinking???? I can't do this! I quickly glanced at my notes, took a few deep breaths and started class by telling them how and why I was here bringing yoga to them.
I think that first class was more of a learning experience for me than for them. I learned a lot about myself in that hour. I learned that I am a kinesthetic learner. Which means I process information by doing and touching and feeling. I had always suspected that was my learning style, but there's nothing like putting yourself in a completely new experience to really see that it truly is. I needed to do the yoga with them in order to be able to tell them how to do it. I needed to feel that strain in my quads or my hamstring to be able to relay that information to them. As the weeks went by I found it easier to get out of my own personal space and into theirs. And by the last class I was actually able to walk around the room and give verbal cues with out even having to get into the pose myself.
Now, 8 weeks later, I look back on that first class and can truly say that I get that message that I have preached to all of my students over the years:
Practice makes progress.