Juggling Family life and teaching yoga
In modern life managing work and family life can feel like you are a juggler in a circus! so many balls in the air. Teaching yoga may be your full time job or part time job which you manage with other employment. I teach yoga part time and continue to work as a registered nurse 24 hours a week.Teaching yoga can bring positives to family life and sometimes some drawbacks.
Teaching yoga can give you flexibility in your working hours. You can arrange classes around school, childcare hours to suit you. However school holidays can throw a bit of a curve ball for childcare unless you deliver classes on a term time basis.
Finding class cover for sickness (yours or a childs), parents evening, or even for you to attend your favorite bands concert can be a problem. Particularly if you teach in a niche area. However your regular class attendees will understand and canceling a class shows you are not invincible and are human with interests outside of yoga. In one of my classes many of the mums from my sons school attend. When there is an event on at school class numbers drop significantly. You can either take the opportunity to cancel class or provide a more focused class on the group that do attend!
Preparation for class, writing lesson plans take time and I often find myself writing notes when on long car journeys, having quiet time on a family day out or when my son is at sport training. Inspiration comes at some really bizarre times! I always carry a notebook to write ideas for lesson plans or potential business ideas and minimise impact on family time. Writing draft emails for notes or blogs on my mobile phone are also useful and time saving. I'm so glad cut and past was invented!
Use family as students to try new ideas and encourage a yoga practice particularly for my son who plays sports intensely.
The only time I impose my yoga work on family life is when taking photos for promotional use! Lovely scenery, good weather, unique pictures usually obtained in holiday! Holiday snaps have never been the same since I started teaching yoga. Luckily my son has a great sense of humour and a photobomb usually occurs!
Numerous photos taken by my husband, different angles, composition just trying to get a ' perfect' picture that can be used for my website! I will admit I have ' carefully' selected outfits to wear on days out or even taken 'photo appropriate' clothes....... Just in case the opportunity arises!