A Yoga Teacher’s Goals, Affirmations, and Words to Live By 

The start-ish of the year always makes me thoughtful. I reflect on the last year and, more importantly, what I’d like to do differently. Yes! I am one of those people who make new year’s resolutions. Some I forget by the 5th of January, while others become habits, achievements, etc. Whatever the results have come during the year, I always feel that there's next year to get better. This year is a bit different, though. I went through loss, which made me realize how short life is. It made me put my foot down on myself, so to speak. This made me question my actions, the direction I want to go into, and where I want to be. By making these affirmations, I can take action within a timeline I created. As I thought of them, I thought that it might help other teachers as well. Let me share them with you.

I am a reflection of my worth, and my worth reflects on my pricing 

Pricing has always been a controversial topic for us yoga teachers. Ask for too much, and we are a rip-off; as for too little, and we are pushovers. I decided that this is the year that I will sell my services for what they are worth. I have 7 years of experience to offer. Whether I have a level 2 teacher training diploma or not, I have the experience to back up my price. I also never stop learning on my own, and that is worth something. Believing and knowing one’s value is important for us because it is the step you need to take to move up in your career. 

So wherever life may take you through the years, know that every day is a new day to do something. 

I am keeping the jobs that speak to me and leaving the jobs that don’t serve me. 

I used to take all the jobs offered to me when I was starting. I thought that it sent positive energy and would eventually lead to more work. It was true up to a point. I landed jobs that I loved and still love. I also landed jobs that paid but felt like I got played. In addition, other lines of work did not give me peace. A workplace where the atmosphere was very competitive, and the company encouraged that “healthy” competition. So, I put a vetting system in place to weed out jobs that took advantage of me or gave me more anxiety. I calculate everything before agreeing to any offer–non-monetary value included. Sometimes you need to say no to be kind to yourself and know it’s not always about making bank.

I am moving on from career decisions that keep me stuck in a situation that has run its course. 

After moving to a small town, I got caught up in getting my name out there. 2 years later, and I am still doing the same thing because I made excuses. “It’s a bad time.” “People have to get to know me more.”, “ I’m still not as advanced in my practice.” Then my dad died. During his funeral, they celebrated his brilliant career, and I saw that he wasn't in a perfect place when he decided to move forward. He just did it with mistakes and rough patches included. I am taking a page from that. Trying and failing is still something as opposed to failing to try. 

Kindness to myself is part of my practice. 

This year I will stop putting myself down and celebrate every success in my progress. Whether I become a centimetre more flexible in my splits or I launch a new course, all of them matter. In the end, this is what practice is about. No fast-forward buttons, just you, your mind, body, spirit, and the mat.

Stop comparing myself to more successful yoga teachers. 

This is a work in progress for me. I tend to compare myself to others in my practice and career. Somehow, I still have it in my head that I started too late. While I know that I always talk about how it is never too late, it is something I keep telling myself to do, and that’s ok. 

I am accepting my limitations and using them to create direction. 

As of this moment, I am physically at my strongest. That is saying something because I was never a natural athlete. Moreover, I started my yoga career a bit past my prime (see what I did there?). I also have to take into account that some professional decisions I may make will affect my husband's life as well. I can't just take off to a faraway retreat or accept a new job in Seychelles. I may never achieve some advanced asanas, and that's the way it has to be. I won't let these things hold me back. I will concentrate on the things I can do and what I'm good at to make way for myself and my brand. Having limitations doesn’t get you stuck. It makes you take pause and look for other ways to keep going. 

Change is a constant that we can count on. We need to adapt to that. We create better versions of ourselves. Whether it's bit by bit or we take a big leap and live the dream. The point is to start and keep going. So wherever life may take you through the years, know that every day is a new day to do something.