Reflection: Elevate

It has now been about 3 weeks since Elevate (the post-YTT mentoring program) ended at the studio. I'm a creature of habit, so trying to get into a new routine. I have to have a structured schedule and plan in advance. Things like work, events, working out, house chores etc., has to be routine and I need to know exactly what my week looks like ahead of time. Borderline OCD, I know. But I'm a hot mess if it isn't this way.

Looking back on it, it didn't quite start out how I imagined it would be, but I am extremely grateful on how it all turned out and the experience definitely changed the way I felt about teaching. When it first started, it seemed a little disorganized. This was only the second time the studio offered a program like this, so I know there are always bugs to work out. I like to know what to expect, what hours were required of me, and so on (please see my OCD comment above). It wasn't confirmed what exact day we would begin teaching or who would be teaching what. There were 6 of us, so we split up into two groups of 3, one to teach Saturday and one to teach Sunday.We also had to adjust/assist in at least two of the YTT leaders' classes a week.  But as life seems to do, sometimes things came up. Someone would have trouble teaching on their day and had to switch. Or we wouldn't know our parts until really close to the weekend and sometimes it was really confusing. Have you ever been in a group text with 8 women before?? Ohmahgawd. 

I also thought that we would get some studio time with the leaders of the YTT to do some more practice teaching (like we did in YTT), but that didn't really happen. After a couple of weeks and expressing some concerns, some of the kinks were ironed out. We got to spend some one-on-one time with the leaders after their classes to go over adjustments and after our community class teaching, we sat down with them for some excellent feedback, which I think made a world of difference for me. It helped me become more comfortable in the studio. I got to really understand a lot of the postures and how they worked in different body types even further through all of the assisting/adjusting. Some of my jitters have gone away (emphasis on SOME). I learned a lot from our YTT leaders, now mentors. Even better, I made some really good friends in my fellow YTT graduates and met some really great people form the current YTT and regular class goers. 

The poster for the Spring YTT on the side of my yoga studio. I'm famous!! Haha! (I'm in the middle of the "N")

Practicing handstands in the studio with Tess.

Margi and I adjusting during a Live DJ yoga class (glow bracelets!).

Tess, Christina and I after teaching one of our classes. Post savasana silliness. 

I'm hyping myself up to schedule a mock with the studio owner and one of the YTT leads. Mocking is basically an interview to teach there. An audition, if you will. I'll have to mock teach to them. If that works out, I may be actually teaching some classes! No rush, yet. April is set to be an extremely busy month. A road trip to the desert, a flight to the bay, and another move are on the calendar. But after that, I may just give it a shot! Exciting to think about!

Mallory's going away dinner. (From left to right: Anakin, Tess, Kayla, Christina, Mallory, me, Margi, Nika and Mac)