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Health & Fitness

Born to Teach

When it comes to teaching yoga, are you born to it, called to it, or do you just kind of… stumble upon it?

Lately, I’ve been thinking about doing a yoga teacher training. In fact, I’ve pretty much decided that I am going to sign up for ChildPlay Yoga Teacher Training at AquarianYoga Center, a weekend session September 7th through 9th with a phenomenal teacher named Gurudass Kaur. I like the idea of this particular training because it’s about teaching yoga to kids, which seems to be an amazing way to support and uplift our next generation, by helping children to become more balanced physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. The program provides the opportunity to enhance their coordination, balance, flexibility, group skills, sense of humor, self-esteem, concentration and to work out excess energy in a positive, uplifting environment.

I also like it because it’s for people who want to awaken their own inner child. So if it turns out that I never end up teaching kids, I still get to have fun and wake up my own playful nature.

I’ve talked to a few yoginis and yogis who took this course and they said it was absolutely amazing and loads of fun. “Fantabulous,” actually. Gurudass Kaur has worked with children for over 30 years, holds a BA in Education from the University of Massachusetts and is a certified AMIS Montessori Teacher. She is a KRI (Kundalini Research Institute) and Yoga Alliance certified yoga teacher and trainer and also a talented musician and singer who has recorded many mantra and song CD‛s. In other words, what’s not to like?

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This all sounds grand. So while I’m at it, why not go for a full course of adult yoga teacher training, too? After all, I practice yoga virtually six days a week. I talk about yoga all the time. I read about yoga all the time. I write about yoga. I’ve turned vegetarian. So basically yes, I live, eat, and breathe yoga. For this reason, my entire family has been saying for the past few years that I should be a yoga teacher. And still….I hesitate. Why?

The reason is that I’ve always felt one must be “born to teach.”  The teachers I know are passionate, compassionate, wise, patient, incredibly hard working and extremely knowledgeable. I am impressed, inspired, and wowed by my teachers. I have been blessed to have a number of yoga teachers (and other teachers) who have been, well, fantabulous.  And every teacher I know seems to be called to it, seems to be born to it, seems to be “a natural.”

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But maybe…just maybe…some of them were one day just like me. Maybe they didn’t really know if they should teach. Maybe they didn’t know for sure if they’d be good at it. Maybe they just took a leap of faith….maybe they realized that they didn’t have to be perfect, at least not right away.

Anyway, if you’re thinking of becoming a teacher, or if you’re already a teacher but want to expand your knowledge about teaching children, check out ChildPlay Yoga Training (and if you sign up before April 31, you’ll get a very nice discount, too). Hope to see you in September!

 

 

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