Hello curious person Welcome to a new series I'm starting called Diary of a Part-Time Yoga Teacher. I want to explore the highs and lows of this vocation. I'm hoping that this blog will help you, a student, understand some of what happens behind the scenes. I also really want to find common ground with other yoga teachers and create conversation about this very independent trade. I thought the best place to start this series would be with the topic of time. But first, I want to give you some background. I work full-time, Monday to Friday, in IT Support. I've been doing this since graduating university. One of my favourite aspects about this job is that it's all about problem solving varying from simple things to complicated, developmental projects. From now on, I will simply refer to this as the "day job". Time is tight when you're working full-time and teaching yoga part-time. I have to use my time pretty efficiently to deal with all the admin that goes into making this happen. The hardest part, though, is having to manage my own expectations with my offerings. I am bubbling with ideas, but I have to be careful not to break my own back trying to execute every idea I have. The reality is that each offering decreases (my already limited) time and I never want to compromise the quality of what I currently have to offer.. What is this admin I talk of? Well, teaching yoga is running a business, whether the aim is to make money or not. To begin with, this requires all the rules around potential taxable income to be followed. From there, I deal with all the communication, bookings, venues, website management, class planning and social media. I’m certain there are things I have completely missed from this list, but I hope I am starting to build the bigger picture that’s happening behind the scenes.
There are loads of things happening before I can get into a room with you. This all typically happens, in my life, between 5pm and 9pm. This means that, between the “day job” and yoga, my days can get quite long and busy. I do manage to squeeze a social life in there too!
Where does this series go from here? I have plans to talk about topics like missed opportunities, admin management and the invisible costs of teaching yoga.
I want to hear your thoughts on this topic! I rarely make demands, but I really want to get this conversation started and I know this will resonate with a lot of you. Comment on the blog, reply through my social media and/or share this post. Share anything that springs to mind.
It's great to see you here and I'm looking forward to what’s next in this journey
Sam