shut up and teach

I remember the first time I received a negative comment about my Yoga teaching. Someone had left a comment at the studio complaining about my voice.

It hurt. I was not used to receiving negative comments. My tendency is to be a people-pleaser. But what could I do with this comment? I can’t change my voice!

Another evening, I was teaching Yin Yoga in a studio with 15~20 people attending. There were always a few people in this class who were brand new to Yin Yoga, which made me feel nervous, and like I needed to explain more about the practice.

I told people to let me know if they needed any help finding a pose that fit their body. One lady raised her hand. I went to the corner of the room where she was lying on her mat. I leaned over expecting her to ask me a question. She said, “Can you please stop talking? I can’t relax.”

I can’t remember how I physically reacted or what kind of expression I had, but inside I was shocked and offended.

I walked away and stood at the back of the room to take in what had just happened.

I paused and became silent.

Once the shock of being told to shut up faded away, I actually noticed little things I usually didn’t take in when I was talking. I had time to really watch the people in their Yin poses and how they were breathing or moving. I had time to go to people individually and help them. I allowed the beauty of this practice to be present with silence.

Ever since that day, I am more conscious of how much I speak. I catch myself when I am talking just to fill the silence. Now when I teach Yin Yoga, I purposefully create silence.

Thanks to this lady who actually gave me valuable feedback, I now also embrace the odd silence in my daily life when it happens. When I’m with someone and there is silence, I feel comfortable allowing that silence to be.

I sometimes remember that lady who told me to shut up. Of course she never came back to my class. I wish I could tell her how grateful I am for her “negative” comment.