There was a big debate on Sydney Yoga Teachers group on Facebook just recently. It was about whether experienced teachers should be paid more than beginner ones? Many people responded studio owners shared their views. One person got even fired over her comment in that thread. Bizarre!
While reading all the comments, I went on Payscale website and this is what I found there:
Yoga Instructor salary in Australia - on average AU$32.50Yoga Teacher salary in Australia - on average AU$45.38
And I wondered why this difference? What makes me a Yoga teacher versus a Yoga instructor? The answer came to me on that same weekend during a teacher training, where we discussed exact same thing. A yoga instructor is someone who simply leads a class. You hear your instructor directing you what pose is next, to step a foot forward, to lift an arm up. An instructor merely leads you through practice, giving you a feeling that you’ve worked out. A yoga teacher is actually TEACHING you how to do poses. How to position yourself in space, what to engage, where to relax. Coming out of a class with a teacher, you can say that you have learnt something and gained a valuable piece of information. Be it alignment, philosophy etc.
So what makes up a Yoga Teacher?
Alignment and anatomy understanding. We do not to merely instruct students to do a virabhadrasana, we actually want to make them understand how to perform it in such a way that the pose is switched on, balanced and grounded.
Noticing our students. When giving cues, we actually look at people and see what needs to be said instead of just repeating what we always say in this particular pose.
Promote growth. We actually want our students to evolve in their practice. We support, we challenge, sometimes we teach them to make a conscious step back. We create an environment where students get a chance to cultivate their virtues and realise their shortcomings.
We connect. Be it through chatting after the class or by giving them hands-on assists. Whenever I get students into a shape where energy flows, I always prompt them to pay attention to how it feels.
A good compliment after a class for me is to hear: “Thank you. I have learnt something today.” This is what I am passionate about. Teaching. Transmitting all my experiential knowledge. Inspiring students to feel poses, not merely do them.
To refine your teaching skills, please check out these 2 events:
SEQUENCING MADE EASY - online course
HANDS-ON ASSISTS CLINIC - workshop in Manumission Yoga Paddington