Thanks to the cooler than normal temps, it’s been about a week since I taught my last SUP class. Prior to that, my process was to create a new flow each Monday that I’d teach throughout the week. No two class were ever exactly the same but the general gist of what I taught to the classes throughout the week would be similar. Until this week.
It’s Friday and I’m finally teaching a class. I thought about putting together a class plan but why? I have two classes tomorrow (Saturday) and maybe one on Sunday…and we’re done for the season. Surely I could just pull one of my previous classes from memory and go with that.
But once I got out on the water…chatted with the students…I decided to teach what felt right. I decided to go in without a plan and put postures together based on what my body wanted to do…based on what I wanted to teach the students to do.
In addition to the three students, I had the privilege of teaching Princess Grace. I thought about telling her prior to class that I didn’t have a plan but held my tongue. I wanted to see if she’d realize it. If it would be obvious.
To my credit (yes, I’m patting myself on the back a bit here), Princess Grace enjoyed the class. When I told her I made it up as we went along, she told me that it worked. That it flowed well. Didn’t feel made up…it felt planned. I couldn’t be happier.
You see, that’s how I handled much of my career. Eventually, I’d gotten to the point where I’d faced the majority of situations that came my way. I mean, there are only so many ways to skin a cat. My job became second nature…it was like breathing. So gradually, I spent less and less time preparing as the job just became a part of me.
Today was the first step in that direction with yoga. Gone were the nerves…the feeling that I needed to be prepared — overly prepared. Gone was the fear of forgetting a sequence…of stumbling over my words…of failing to give a proper verbal cue.
In its place was confidence…ease…a peacefulness that comes from having a firm grasp of what I’m doing. In its place I found a stillness that comes from teaching from the heart, instead of the head.
My plan was to go in without a plan…and it worked.