I'm going to show up...and I'm going to suck!

If you are reading this, you probably know me personally or via Facebook, and I just announced that I was beginning Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) training in downtown Appleton at one of the best yoga studios in the area. One of the requirements of the class is that we reflect upon the class in some way. I've chosen to blog. I appreciate your interest in my adventures!

That being said...I realize I am just a student...but, on my first day of class, I SUCKED.

I totally believe that each of us is our own worst critic. I am no exception. However, one of the requirements to be admitted to yoga teacher training was to have attended yoga classes pretty regularly...and I've been taking classes several times a week for seven years. I'd like to think I know what differentiates a good yoga teacher from a bad one. But...for our first teaching exercise, I was pretty darn miserable!

The exercise was, very simply, to instruct another student to get onto one of the easiest yoga poses in existence - child's pose. I got into place for instructing: standing at the front of the yoga mat, facing the other student. The other "student" stood on her mat, ready for instruction. When our class instructor said to begin, I had no idea where to start! This felt extremely odd for a girl who's been known to, on occasion, say too much. I over-explain things to others all the time. How could I be at a loss to explain something I enjoy doing so much? I was dumbfounded!

I found this extremely difficult to explain to someone (even someone who does child's pose quite often!) on the spot. I slipped over my words. I stuttered. I wanted to say "touch your butt down towards your feet", but felt embarrassed to say "butt"!

(To clarify child's pose: imagine the act of bowing down to someone, as if to worship them. This is the down position. You're on your knees and they're splayed outwards, your forehead rests on the mat, your forearms and hands are pressed on the ground, outstretched in front of you. This should have been easy, right? Nope!)

A major reason I even signed up for yoga teacher training is because I thought I'd be good at it. We embark on many experiences in our life because we're pretty sure we're ready for them. This was actually a topic that was brought up by our instructor at class on the first day. When going for an interview, what are the chances we'd get hired if we have no experience whatsoever? Would we get the job? Heck, no!

However. Consider this.

Have you ever tried learning a completely different language...or attempted to learn to play an instrument you've never played before...or took a shot at painting or sculpting without having any prior experience with either...or tried out stick shift when you're used to automatic?

Did you immediately do this new skill well? Heck, no! You SUCKED!

I felt exactly the same way when I tripped over my words today trying to teach the simplest of all yoga poses to an experienced yogi!

Our instructor brought to light an interesting point regarding sucking at doing new things. As adults, we crave comfort. We rarely like to try learning something completely new for fear we might suck at it. But children take on learning differently than adults do. They're totally OK with sucking at doing something they didn't know how to do.

Wouldn't it be awesome if we just showed up to any new skill with confidence...even if we still sucked at it?

Yoga is called a practice for a reason. You simply do not become an expert at yoga overnight. In fact, many people who've been doing it for years still feel they've just begun their yoga journey. I myself may feel confident in a Power Yoga class...but if I attended a different kind of yoga, I'd probably feel a little foolish...like I sucked.

But isn't that OK? Certainly it is! We only get better at something by practicing it.

Baron Baptiste, the man who modernized Power Yoga to what it is today, had a similar experience when he began his yoga journey. He embraced the fact that he "sucked at yoga" and said, "I'm going to show up and suck until I show up and shine!"

What an excellent way to approach something new!

That's how I'm going to treat our next teaching exercise in class. I might suck at it...but I'm going to keep trying...until I shine at it, too!

Thank you for reading. Peace and love to you!

Sarah