What do I call myself?
I have contemplated this for a while now as I try to figure out how to describe what I do. I know I help people. I know I have a solid education. My trainings include courses and mentorship with an amazing Ayurveda teacher named Eleni Tsikrikas. She is a faculty member at the California College of Ayurveda. Ayurveda looks at the individual as just that, an INDIVIDUAL and recommends daily practices and the best diet and herbs to help that person regain or maintain their optimal health. Ayurveda is a nature based medical system that is completely logical and empowering. I have been able to heal myself and help many students through simple diet and lifestyle changes.
Among the many classes I have taken with Robert Birnberg was a standout course called Yoga Wellness Coaching Course ™. Robert is my teacher and he was a student of T.K.V Desikachar, following the lineage of T. Krishnamacharya. In the course I learned how to coach people to help them reach their goals, improve their relationships, achieve clarity and the things they desire. I learned how to identify their blocks (or the things that hold them back) and how to overcome those blocks. Through positive psychology and Faster EFT I can help people let go of the past and move forward, creating amazing transformations. With breath-centered yoga and meditation for daily practices, I set people up for success on a moment-to-moment basis.
I also dove deeply into the study of the Yoga Sutras and use that philosophy to educate my students. It is amazing how ancient wisdom can still be so relevant today. They are not called “timeless teachings” for nothing!
I took superb yoga therapy courses from Michelle Mazur, a master of body work who has studied every style of yoga, and I continued to further hone those skills in additional classes. I help people find relief from pain and to gently recover from injuries. I teach people how to avoid further injuries from incorrect practices and how to maintain a strong, healthy body. I teach people how to connect to their body through their breath for better relaxation and mental clarity.
I combine all these techniques, including Reiki when I work with my students. So when the tax person asks me the innocent question, “what is your title?,” they look perplexed as I struggle to answer. What do I call all this? I help people, that’s what I do. …. “Well…. I’m a Yoga teacher.”
That is true in every sense of the word, but that does not translate well to the Western idea of yoga. Most Westerns do not know that all these things are very much a part of yoga. So when I call myself a Yoga teacher, it seems to fall short in the minds of many. That is a blog for another time.
So here I sit, trying to figure out how to tell people in a short simple title all the complex things I offer in a session.
I am…… a Yoga Teacher.
