To Master, Teach

If you look on my info page on my Facebook profile you will see one of my favorite quotes is this:
To learn, Read.
To know, Write.
To master, Teach.
I do like that quote. And as I start to try my hand at doing private yoga lessons I am finding out how very true this quote is for me. Currently I have only two students. Well really only one, but I will count my favorite wine-maker/gardner/old house restorer as my other student since he indulges me with subjecting him to little mini-lessons as often as he can stand them.
I was told that I am not charging enough for my private lessons, and being someone who really doesn't get the whole concept of capitalism I am sure that is entirely true. But for now I think I will keep my fee at this incredibly cheap rate because, to be honest with you, I think the one who is learning the most is ME! Each time I meet with my one true private student I learn something new about yoga and how to teach it. I've learned that the poses look and feel different in each student's body. I've learned that giving clear verbal cues is not necessarily enough information for someone else's brain to figure out how to move her body. And I've also learned that reminding students to breath into and out of a pose is probably more important than where to place her hand or foot.
All of these are things I learned and discussed at great lengths in my training over the past year. But it wasn't until I starting putting this knowledge into practice did I really come to realize how important these concepts truly can be.
And finally, the greatest gift I have received from my new "side job" is the reassurance that my initial hopes and dreams can and will be fulfilled. When I first started my journey down the path of becoming a certified yoga instructor I really wasn't sure what I was going to do with it. And as the year progressed, the idea of doing private lessons emerged out of my desire to bring the gifts of yoga to people who might not otherwise explore them. As I've watched my student go from being someone who struggled in Warrior 2 to looking like a powerful Yogi with her arms stretched wide and her feet firmly planted on her mat, and I listen to her tell me about how she has stopped herself in the middle of a stressful situation to take the time to just breathe, I feel as much pride in her accomplishments as I have when one of youngsters at school finally discovers the mystery we call Reading.
As for my other private student, watching him go from being mildly interested in my obsession with yoga to actually doing some stretches almost every morning AND seeing how quickly his fingers are inching closer and closer to the floor, I have to say it does more than warm my heart to know that he too will someday call himself a "Yogi."
So, although I wouldn't exactly call myself a "master" by any stretch, I truly can say that for me, teaching is the way to become a better teacher. Who knows, maybe someday I'll even raise my rates and actually make some money at it.