One of the studios I work at has a new manager. She has been taking teacher’s classes, getting a feel for their style. Last night she attended my class which made me more than a little nervous. It was a bit like having an exam at school. Thankfully the class went okay and her feedback seemed genuinely positive. In my yoga teacher training we talked about how rare it was to get honest feedback about your teaching once you are out offering classes in the real world. People either say something nice….or they say nothing at all but NEVER return to your class (and possibly tell all their friends how horrible it was). Sometimes people love your class but they NEVER return either so it is incredibly difficult to know how things are going. This is amplified in classes at a studio where the structure is drop-in rather than registered classes.
My yoga classes follow some really popular classes at this particular studio. The teachers are dynamic and established. After their classes there is excitement in the air. Everyone is chatty. The room buzzes with energy. You can really notice that the class was enjoyed by the students. My classes however are very quiet. We focus on going inward. We are still, silent, calm. When my classes end there is no buzzing. It is eerily silent. Few people interact with me….except for maybe a quiet “thank you”. If I was a comedian this would be a sign of total and complete failure but with the style I teach I suppose quiet students leaving the studio isn’t a bad thing. It does make it interesting as a newish teacher to know how I am doing though. I really have no idea. People come. People go. My classes are never huge but they are never empty either. Teaching restorative yoga in a drop-in setting is kind of odd sometimes.