2 Types of skills you need as a yoga teacher

Yoga Business Mentor, Yoga Business Coach, Trauma-informed Yoga

Two Types of skills you need to learn as a yoga teacher

There are two types of skills you need to learn if you work as a yoga teacher/therapist, bodyworker or an embodiment practitioner/coach:

  1. your teaching/trade skills
  2. and your business skills

With both of them there is no shortcut or overnight success – do not believe the hype. Those who become an overnight success often have been mastering their skills for 5, 10, 20 or even more years. They showed up day after day and at some point they reached a tipping point – that place where others recognise the depth of their mastery and skill, and they feel confident with sharing their expertise.

One set of those two types of skills cannot be a substitute for the other. You can be an insightful, compassionate and experienced practitioner but not be good with business stuff and struggling to support yourself and your family from your work.

And the opposite can also be true – you can be great at marketing and promoting your work but not so great at getting results for your students and clients, and having to work twice as hard because your students don’t stay.

Both types of skills require you to first learn the knowledge, then work on your deeper understanding, and then practice, practice and practice. Day after day.

The knowledge and understanding on its own is not enough – you have to work with your students and clients for some time to turn that understanding and knowledge into good practical applications.

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For example – you can read many books and watch many trainings on trauma-informed yoga but unless you work with this approach with your students and clients for some time and learn from each experience – you will not truly understand what this approach is and how powerfully healing it can be. The same goes for practicing and teaching Yoga, Mindfulness or Embodiment.

And when we talk about your business skills – it takes time to master them too. It’s like learning a new language and a new way of perceiving things and then trying it out to work out what works for you.

But the biggest thing about business skills is that it’s an inside job. Strategy, marketing skills and techniques are not enough. Your business decisions and your path need to be aligned with your soul and your wholehearted purpose. And guided by your inner wisdom and intuition. It is an ongoing work with your beliefs about who you are and what you can do.

In a nutshell – you have to create and build your own Embodied Wisdom Path – meaning – you have to carve out and follow your own path. This is the road less travelled. And there is no cookie cutter approach for that.

It requires you to become a person who can show up for yourself, your students/clients and your business – day after day.

It will ask you to trust the process and your own inner guidance, and believe that you can create a business that you love – even beofre you see the results of your hard work.

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So today be kind with yourself and remember it’s all about learning and mastering your skills. Nobody was born with an ability to teach yoga or mindfulness, give a healing massage or build a sustainable and thriving business. We all have to learn those skills – one day at a time.

And I also want to encourage you to reflect which one of those skills you need to develop and nurture more right now.

From my experience of mentoring and coaching many yoga teachers/therapists, bodyworkers and somatic coaches I often witness practitioners spending a lot of time and money to learn more modalities in hope that that will resolve their feast and famine issues, instead of giving enough time to learn how to make those trainings pay for themselves.

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What do you think? What’s your experience? I’d love to know!

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And if you’d like to more support in both of those skills – with training as Trauma-informed Yoga Teacher or building your wholehearted yoga and wellness business – reach out and I’ll be happy to talk with you. Book your free call with me let’s talk.

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yoga teacher training Ramsgate, yoga teacher training Kent, TREY, trauma-informed yoga.

Choose commitment over enthusiasm

Let’s talk about why you need to choose commitment over enthusiasm in your yoga and wellness business and trauma-informed work. If you find that you cannot stay consistent in your yoga business or keep hitting burnout cycles – then this training is for you.

For more FREE support and trainings join the Trauma-informed Yoga and Embodied Resilience for Social Impact Facebook Group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/traumainformedyogaandembodiedresilience

For more information about 80-Hr Trauma-informed Yoga & Embodied Resilience Teacher Training & Mentoring, and Yoga Business Mentoring go >HERE<

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What makes our trauma-informed yoga teacher training different?

 
A yoga teacher asked me recently what’s so different about our 80-Hr Trauma-informed yoga & Embodied resilience teacher training and mentoring course (TREY) – after all it’s just trauma-informed yoga and there are many training out there now teaching it. 
 
I had to agree – I see many trauma-informed or trauma sensitive trainings popping up all the time on my feed. 
 
So what makes it this training different? 
 
> It’s delivered over 12 Modules with live online sessions. Yes there are many pre-recorded videos for most modules but I believe this kind of pre-recorded learning is not enough. This is why we have live sessions – to answer all the questions and work together to understand and process the information. 
 
> You also get two 1-2-1 mentoring sessions with me. I cannot tell you how valuable this is – to be able to ask questions and explore in a safety of a private session. 
 
> we also have a buddy system. After each session you will be allocated a buddy to discuss material with, practice and integrate. This is how we build connection, trust and a safe community. 
 
> And our focus is on Embodied Resilience not just trauma-informed yoga. We explore the path from Mindfulness (awareness) to embodiment, and we learn tools and practices you can teach your student in any setting (not just in a yoga sessions). 
 
> I also teach you foundations of Focusing (Embodied Listening – working with felt-senses and parts). A different way of connecting within and working towards integration. I’ve been learning and practicing Focusing for almost 4 years as part of Focusing Practitioner training and it has completely changed my relationship with myself and others. This is coming from somebody who’s been practicing yoga and mindfulness for over 26 years, and has done huge amounts of training and lots of therapy. 
 
> And lastly you will be a part of a supportive community of other trauma-informed yoga teachers. I am running cohort 6 from January and our community is growing. 
 
Also, I teach from many years of experience, which comes from working with individuals and whole families experiencing trauma and trauma symptoms, mental health, addictions and DV for the past 20 years – out of which 16 years was full-time work front line and team managing/training in Social Care. 
 
So this is what makes this course different. 
 
REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN for next cohort start on 7th May 2022, delivered over 6 Saturdays, and I really believe that all yoga teachers should do this kind of training. 
 
If you are interested in becoming trauma-informed yoga teacher with focus on Embodied Resilience then check all information and booking at: 
 
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Aneta Idczak, Yoga Business Mentoring and Coaching

Our world has changed so much over the past 2 years and as yoga teachers we now need different skills to support our students and communities effectively.

It’s no longer enough to know how to teach a yoga pose or a movement. We now need to understand how our nervous system works and how we can teach and support our students through the ongoing stresses. Because our students come to our yoga sessions for a relief from their daily stresses and look to us to show them how to manage their physical and emotional needs.

Let’s learn those skills and create a safer and better world for our students and ourselves.

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5 tips for dealing with the current lockdown

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5 tips for dealing with the current lockdown – especially if you’re getting triggered by the current situation

We all know how important it is to connect with your body and it’s wisdom, and how compassion helps us to be kinder to ourselves and others.

But in my experience we often struggle with how to do it in practical terms. This is why even though we know it is good for us but we don’t do it.

This is why somatic practice is everything. Otherwise it’s just a lovely sounding theory.

So here are 5 steps for managing current situation.

They can be life changing – I know because they keep me sane and safe on a daily basis. But don’t take my word for it – try them out for yourself and see how you feel after practicing them.

And remember – it’s a practice.

If you are new to this kind of practices it will feel strange. Be curious about it.

If it becomes too intense – stop and come back to it later.

Over time these practices will become more familiar and a place of inner refuge.

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Slow down and reconnect within your body 

Take time to slow down a little.
Take a pause to notice your body and breath.
Relax your belly and take a few slower breaths into your belly.
Or if this is difficult then move your body – in any way that feels right for you right now.
You can even make some noise out loud as you move.
Sit down or lie down and allow your body to relax into the support underneath you.
Allow the weight of your body to be physically supported feeling the stability of the ground underneath you.
Move your shoulders and neck around allowing yourself to experience all different sensations within your body.
Or roll around on the floor opening and curling your body.
Explore what your body needs right now – what is your body story in this moment?

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Acknowledge your feelings and inner experience with curiosity

Ask yourself – what am I feeling right now?
Scan your torso from your neck to your pelvis and notice any feelings.
Acknowledge all your feelings by saying: ‘something in me is feeling … (angry, sad, worried, anxious, exhausted, etc) – instead of I’m angry, I’m sad.
Notice how feelings often come with sensations in your body. There might be tightness in your stomach – and also fear gripping your stomach. Or choking sensation in your throat and anger being present there.

Be open to what is present within your inner experience without having to change it, fix it or deny it.

Allow those feelings and sensations to be here and give them some space to tell you what is going on from their perspective. Can you listen without doing anything with them? Can you let them be here without jumping into fixing?
Notice what thoughts are present in your mind. What story is your mind telling you? Is it a familiar story? Can you observe it with curiosity?

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Be kind and compassionate towards yourself and your inner experience 

Can you shift into holding the whole of your experience – body sensations, feelings and thoughts – within your compassionate embodied self?
Can you hold all different parts of your experience within a safe container?
What do you need right now in order to be able to do it?

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Connect with others for co-regulation

Reach out to somebody who you feel safe with and you know that can hold a safe and compassionate space for you.
And from your compassionate embodied self offer this safe and compassionate space to others.

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And if you are a yoga teacher and want to learn about trauma-informed yoga with focus on resilience and embodiment check out the available CPD and 50-hour accredited trainings at YOGA SCHOOL page.

yoga teacher training Ramsgate, yoga teacher training Kent, TREY, trauma-informed yoga.

Ordinary Sacred Moments

yoga

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Ordinary Sacred Moments 

I’ve been reflecting on the ordinary… all those little moments in life.

The stuff that life is really made of.

So how do I feel about ordinary?

When I was young I used to run away from it. I wanted big experiences, huge feelings, cathartic releases.

I wanted to achieve great things…

I wanted to be an enlightened yogini, a great writer, an amazing healer, a powerful witch.

But that was over 30 years ago…

And over the years as I learned more about life and psychology and slowly started embody my own body and being, getting grounded and mindfully within the moment – something shifted.

My relationship to ordinary changed.

 

I realised that those ordinary moments have become a real refuge for me – a moment to pause and check within what I’m really feeling and give myself space to honour it; a warm big hug with a person I love; a cup of my favourite earl grey tea early in the morning as I’m sitting in our little conservatory looking into the garden and listening to birds; a smile on a client’s face as they reconnect within and we sit in silence soaking up the moment; a walk by the sea with all those soothing sounds around.

Ordinary moments.
Fully experienced within my body.
Moments of powerful connection inside out.
Powerfully healing for me.

So…

How do you feel about ordinary?
Do you embrace it and make room for it or do you avoid it as much as you can?

I’d love to know.

And if you’d like to join a community of yoginis on #embodiedyoginipath – then come and join us in our free Facebook group: EMBODIED YOGINI Path, where at the moment I’m running a free challenge throughout the whole July.

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Understanding how to work with trauma in yoga

CPD yoga teacher training, trauma awareness yoga, Kent, Thanet, trauma informed yoga

FOR YOGA TEACHERS – Understanding how to work with trauma is more important then ever.

But understanding trauma – what it is, signs and symptoms, and theories – is only a first step.

What’s key here is to know HOW IT TRANSLATES INTO OUR WORK WITH STUDENTS AS YOGA TEACHERS.

Because let’s be honest – yoga and mindfulness are sold these days as practices that are good for many things – physical health and fitness, stress reduction, mental health and wellbeing, embodiment, spiritual transformation. That’s a lot of high expectations.

 

These days people coming to our sessions can present with many different needs, and these can include trauma symptoms. How do you recognise when somebody gets triggered? And how do you support, guide and create safety for them in your sessions?

How all this knowledge and understanding of trauma translates in practical ways into working with YOUR client group?

Because teaching yoga to a group of teenagers, fit adults, older ladies or prison inmates will require you to approach it in different ways.

Join me for:

TRAUMA AND BEING SAFELY EMBODIED
4-hour CPD workshop: Practical ways to teach yoga with trauma awareness

Friday 5th June 2020 – 1pm to 5pm UK

Online via Zoom – This workshop is limited to 25 participants only to allow for interactive and safe learning.

Info and booking details are here: http://www.anetai.co.uk/cpd-yoga-teachers-training-trauma-…/

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For Yoga Teachers – the real value of your practice

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yoga teacher training in Kent, yoga teacher training

FOR YOGA TEACHERS – Do you ever get up in the morning and open your emails, see all those amazing things others are doing and feel your energy crash?

That’s what happened to me this morning. I woke up feeling slightly tired. Didn’t have a good night. My mind wouldn’t switch off and I was restless. I did too much yesterday and didn’t wind down in the evening.

And when I got up I made a mistake of checking my emails instead of doing my practice first. This rarely happens but when it does it usually has unpleasant consequences for me.

I saw all these wonderful people doing amazing work that I also long to do and my energy crashed. I heard a quiet voice within me: ‘Ohhhh I’ll never be able to do it’ and I felt my whole body loose vitality. It felt as if a plug was pulled out in a bathtub and all the water poured out into the ground.

If you are anything like me you want to show up for your community and clients and do your best work. You want to support others the best you can. You are willing to do the work and learn and grow for the benefit of all.

But here is the crunch – in order to be able to do it you have to take time to nourish YOU first.

Your morning yoga, meditation and pranayama practice that you know you should be doing daily is not just for you so you stay healthy, fit and grounded – it’s also to create a strong container within you so you can support others from this grounded and embodied space.

Your reflective practice of journalling or Focusing is not just for you to reconnect within and build inner self-trust – it’s also to be able to hold a safe space for your clients when they’re struggling or processing something.

Your time out to rest is important so you can nourish your energy and integrate in an embodied way all the learning and progress you’ve made.

This time for your own practices is the foundation of who you are as a yoga teacher.

Why??

Because…

It’s about your own deeper connection, integration and wholeness.
It’s about you walking your talk in an embodied way.
It’s about you teaching from a space of understanding, embodied experience and compassion for yourself and others.

Otherwise something within you will feel like a ‘fraud’, scared that it will be found out. It will remind you again and again that you are not walking your talk and it will sabotage your efforts of showing up fully. It will bring up doubts about your abilities to achieve your dreams.

So today just reflect on your ‘I don’t have time for my practice’ story. Your practice doesn’t have to be long – but it has to be consistent. Because showing up for yourself is the foundation of showing up for others.

I’d love to hear what you think.

And if you’d like to connect with me and other yoga teachers check out current further yoga teacher trainings with mentoring on trauma-informed yoga at YOGA SCHOOL page.

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Embracing Yin

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Autumn is happening all around us…

Last Saturday I was outside of Canterbury in a little village in the middle of the fields. It was raining and the hills looked misty. The leaves on the trees started turning red and yellow. It was a great Autumn day. 

And I was with a group of lovely women in a cosy yurt, with a wood burner throwing a warm and soothing light, a soft music playing and a little altar with candles, gift pouches and healing cards in the middle of the room. 

We were gathered for Sacred Pause Day Yoga Retreat. A second one I hosted at the same place. But last time it was summer time and very hot and sunny outside. A completely different experience. 

So…

> we created a circle with our mats and bolsters and got comfortable with blankets and many cushions
> we practiced gentle embodied mindful yoga in the morning and yin/restorative yoga in the afternoon
> we took time to meditate and breath deeply
> we took time to reconnect with our bodies and our inner experience
> we practiced listening deeply to our body’s wisdom 
> we practiced with curiosity and kindness 
> we connected with each other with compassion 
> we did a yin ritual 
> we had lots of warm Yogi and Pukka teas
> we had nutritious vegan lunch and chatted happily

And it was a perfect Autumn day – a day of Yin season. 
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Autumn is a perfect time to embrace more YIN 

Following our Sacred Pause Day Retreat one of the participants send me this note: 
‘Interesting Saturday made me connect with how tired I was, … then in the evening I felt really relaxed and revived! The last 2 nights I have slept really well and started the week refreshed rather than exhausted! So a good start, plus got up 10 mins earlier to do stretches!’

And that’s what Yin offers you when you embrace it..

… when you just let go of constant striving and doing….

… and you lean into the support of Mother Earth and support available around you. 

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Maybe it’s:

  • sinking into your favourite spot on your sofa or armchair, with a good book
  • a warm nourishing cup of tea
  • having a nourishing and healing Thai Yoga Massage 
  • going for a walk in a forest or woods and connecting with Autumn trees full of colour 
  • committing to a weekly nourishing yoga class 
  • taking little breaks during the day and resting more 
  • eating nourishing warm foods 
  • reflecting on how this year has been and letting go of whatever doesn’t work for you any more 

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Yin is a heart medicine 

It’s a feminine soothing energy that heals deeply. Especially in our constantly busy society. 

It allows us to re-connect deeply and find our own rhythm. And live in line with Natures’s rhythm. Just like we are build to do. 

>> SO WHAT CAN YOU DO OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS TO EMBRACE YIN IN YOUR LIFE?

I’d love to know! 

anetai lotus

What is VITALITY?

wellness coaching, life coaching, Ramsgate

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Do you know that VITALITY is another byproduct of responding skilfully to your needs?

But…

…maybe we need to start with defining what vitality is. 

What I see is that in our society vitality is being portrayed as jumping out of bed in the morning and welcoming your day with open arms and a big smile on your face, being ready to conquer the world! 

Well…

In my eyes that’s a really bad way of looking at vitality.

Yes, sometimes you can wake up and jump out of bed full of joy and wonder.

But life is not like that all the time…

 

Sometimes you might struggle with your business/work, or be very tired from a busy period of work or looking after children, or have a disagreement with someone, or a loved one is ill or dying.

In those times I doubt that you will jump out of bed full of beans! 

Does it mean that you have to loose your vitality and wellbeing? Does it mean we can only be ok when life is ‘rosy’? 

If that’s your belief then I’m sorry to say but you’re screwed… 

Because life is life and those challenges are part of it. 

And there is another way…

A way that allows us to be real in our lives and the same time stay fully engaged.

A way to bring more pragmatic wisdom and skilful action into our lives. ☝️

A way that can help us stay connected and responsive to our needs within challenging circumstances. 

It’s simply about showing up for yourself, acknowledging your feelings and responses, honouring your needs and above all responding to those needs with compassion.

It will look different for each one of us.

You might need:
> more time on your own
> more time with loved ones
> journal about your feelings and inner processes
> talk with others
> seek professional support
> move your body more
> seek more stillness
> change your job
> cut things out in your business
> shift your focus more into whatever nourishes your soul

It’s just so personal and individual. There is no cookie cutter approach. It’s just your inner wisdom guiding you to what you need. 

And so vitality might mean eating well and taking rest so you don’t exhaust yourself and keep your energy levels steady.

It might mean going to your regular yoga sessions and have a movement practice that is right for you right now.

It might mean taking any other skilful action to nurture your vitality.

Because even in those challenging times we can still act with self-compassion and loving-kindness towards ourselves and relate to others and the world from this space. ❤️

>> SO WHAT DO YOU NEED TO NURTURE YOUR VITALITY? 

And if you’d like to have some help to work it out – reach out and let’s chat. This is exactly what I help my clients with in Thrive with Body Wisdom – 3-month coaching programme. I offer FREE 30 mins consultation so let’s chat. 

anetai lotus