Daphne Manhattan shares her transformative journey from student to teacher and how Restorative Yoga can reshape your practice and teaching approach.
When I enrolled in teacher training, I had no intention of ever actually teaching a class. I was just trying to go deeper in the philosophical side and to find out the anatomical demands so I could stop getting injured in the public classes I attended. I think this is common for most teachers in today’s world. There often isn’t enough time in classes to break down postures for each person’s body and the philosophy isn’t a priority because most people aren’t looking for that. So, we find the nearest 200 hour and dive in.
What happened for me was that I didn’t stop studying, I became a qualified yoga therapist, a meditation teacher and I took up philosophy classes and Vedic chanting with my current teacher. When I moved into the public teaching space many years ago, I quickly became known for the restorative yoga style from Judith Lassater’s influence. The restorative training I did was only 50 hours of the initial 350 hour training I took up. What made it special to me, was that the teacher leading it, was the same teacher that taught me restorative yoga in a 2-hour class 4 years earlier.
I was lucky enough to remember what I felt as a student who had been attending power yoga classes, but was suddenly in an almost silent room trying to find deep stillness. Despite the frustration I had at not moving and the noisy mind chatter from being in shapes for 10 minutes or more, I went back the next 2 classes that month and became deeply infatuated with the style of restorative. There are a few things about it that I believe make it a unique but very accessible practice for people in today’s world.
As a yoga teacher there is a high chance you’ve spoken about stress and the autonomic nervous system. You’ve probably also discussed meditation and calming the mind. Well to hold the space of a restorative class and allow your students to de-stress and calm the mind you will need some strong interpersonal skills and you will need to experience the practice for yourself.
Often the first thing that teachers who start teaching restorative will comment on is the challenge of waiting and being in silence. It can also be called holding space. There is usually a drive to be helpful that motivates yoga teachers to teach. So, it can seem counterintuitive to sit in silence and hear the shuffle and adjustments of students without assisting them. Obviously if a student calls you over or if they’re in pain you check in, but mostly you ride the waves of letting whatever happens in that space, happen and wait out the time you’ve allowed for each shape.
If you’ve watched a room full of students in Savasana you will likely have seen the feet tappers, the toe flexing, the head rocking and so on. Now you’ll potentially see this through the whole class when you teach a restorative class. This is a gift in my eyes, I often practice accepting what is whilst I teach these classes. Whilst also having compassion for my urge to fix and adjust, and compassion for their experience that I cannot know but I can see the fidgeting, the breathing and the facial muscles moving.
For all the students reading this, I don’t want to make out like teachers are eyeballing you, we are usually scanning for ways to help. There is no right way to have an experience in a yoga class. In restorative classes I’ve seen anger, sadness, grief, delight, bliss, laughter and lots of sleeping for those overworked mothers, fathers and career people. Nothing Suprises me in a restorative class anymore and I’ve worked with other senior teachers that can say the same. Sure, there are unexpected things that come up, but nothing time, acceptance and loving kindness won’t fix.
If I could suggest one quality you could cultivate to make you a great restorative yoga teacher, it would be safety. It’s a big ask to be in stillness, in silence with strangers. Your ability to hold a safe space, with firm boundaries delivered with loving kindness is crucial for your safety and the students. I generally know when to refer students to outside services for more support, I don’t hand out my personal contact information and I moderate or limit the post-class chat so there is no trauma dumping of floodlighting.
The best part is that once you’ve developed these skills you will notice all the other aspects of your teaching will become easier from having worked on them. That acceptance and compassion to yourself will radiate to your students. Those boundaries will signify safety to the students and your own nervous system. Perhaps you are similar with a history that valued dynamic over still, something over nothing and to-do’s over being. There is nothing more crucial for today’s modern world than to teach skills to handle stress and overwhelm. It’s even better when you can do that with a bolster or two and a cosy blanket.
Is Restorative Yoga calling you? Join Daphne for the Restorative Yoga Teacher Training.
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