Are you in challenging yoga teaching environments? It’s clear that yoga instructors have a lot to offer with their skills and knowledge in guiding various individuals to greater holistic wellness – Opportunities for doing so range from nursing homes to health clubs to schools. Many resourceful and creative yoga instructors have taken advantage of such diverse opportunities, often apart from the specialized yoga studio atmosphere. It’s also clear that yogic philosophy often differs from Western’s cultures perspectives on wellness, including the best ways to both work towards and maintain it.
The result can be a clashing of philosophies between yoga instructors and those at the sites where they find themselves teaching. In the long run, then, places where offering yoga isn’t a central mission can present challenging environments within which to teach. If we can exercise our practice tools – such as keeping full breath, and remaining detached from needing to achieve “ideals”, and above all remain open and curious – we can persevere. We can continue to offer all that we know how to, even in those challenging environments.