Holding Space

Do yoga teachers have a professional obligation to be happy?

As yoga teachers, we sometimes place a lot of pressure on ourselves. For a lot of us, giving students a technically sound asana class is not enough, we want to help lift their spirits too.

A tough ask on the best of days, but what if we’re having an off day? Is it even possible to make someone else feel better when we’re feeling low? Do yoga teachers have a professional obligation to be happy all the time?

Thankfully, I don’t think we’re expected to be perpetually bubbly. That kind of compulsive effervescence would be unrealistic. We all have ups and downs and to act otherwise would be exhausting.

I do, however, think we have a responsibility to manage our own energies well. Regardless of what we may be going through personally (good or bad), we should be able to manage our own thoughts, feelings, etc. so that we never usurp the students’ experience.

Teaching this way means holding space for our students. By honoring the truth of our own experience without getting swept-up by it, we make it easier for our students to do the same. In doing so, students become more receptive to the benefits of yoga, and hopefully it’s the practice itself that buoys their spirits. Our duty as teachers is simply to create the most conducive environment we can.

Not always easy though. Some days are rough and we feel completely empty. Even then, it may pay to serve our students first. Because service in yoga is never one directional. And in serving our students, we fill our own hearts too.