Yoga Teaching Mantra/Prayer

Like many new yoga teachers, when I first began guiding classes I had a shiny, new teacher certificate in my hand, a love of the practice bursting in my heart, and a blooming desire to share that passion with the community…I also had many concerns, worries, and fears.

“Will they like me?”

“Do I know enough?”

“Will I screw up?”

“Will I give them what they want?”

“Will I honor their time and efforts?”

Before I guided my very first class, I felt the need to write a teaching mantra/prayer.

To ground me.

To center my soul.

To keep my focus exactly where it should be–not on my worries and fears, but on the needs of my students.

“Today, may I let my inner teacher lead. May the words and asanas I offer the class meet each person exactly where they are and honor the needs of their bodies and souls. May I lovingly serve each person in this room knowing the next 60 minutes is meant for them and not myself. Above all, may I hold space for everyone; allowing them to just be–exactly as they are, experience what they need to experience, and surround them with comfort, light, and acceptance.”

–V

I’ve taught hundreds of classes since that first day, and I’ve incorporated several other grounding rituals in my pre-class preparation, but I still recite this mantra each time.

No need to physically read it anymore; it’s become imprinted in my soul.

“Today, may I let my inner teacher lead. May the words and asanas I offer the class meet each person exactly where they are and honor the needs of their bodies and souls. May I lovingly serve each person in this room knowing the next 60 minutes is meant for them and not myself. Above all, may I hold space for everyone; allowing them to just be–exactly as they are, experience what they need to experience, and surround them with comfort, light, and acceptance.”