In 2016, I did my first round of a standard 200 hour yoga teacher training and all things considered had a wonderful experience. I met some of my, even to this day, dearest friends in that time and am endlessly grateful for those connections.
But my first experience having a yoga mentor didn’t come for a while after. More on that in a bit…
When I was in my 200-hour training, I was really into power and ashtanga yoga. I pushed myself relentlessly, despite recurring injuries that should have signaled a need for change. I injured my right shoulder and literally could not dress myself for weeks in the midst of that training. Was that enough to keep me from doing crazy asana? Well hell no. I’m a pitta after all! I kept on my power yoga/ashtanga journey well after I graduated and as I started teaching.
In 2017, I had been having some issues with my left hamstring and finally one day in a primary series class, my teacher held my leg in the air while I felt my hamstring attachment tear.
With tears rolling down my cheeks, she told me to ‘breathe through the pain.
That was it – I was done.
I left that room feeling so defeated and ready to walk away from yoga all together. The thing that had previously brought me solace had done nothing but bring me injury after injury. At the time, I was teaching 8 group classes a week at 4 different studios in town on top of working a full-time job, and was struggling to find comfort even in simple movements. I had reached a breaking point.
It was during this challenging time that I crossed paths with my first mentor, a fellow teacher studying yoga therapy. She offered me not just guidance, but a lifeline.
During our time together, not only did we heal that tear, my shoulder, and a long standing knee issue I’d had since high school, but we began to unravel the emotional knots that had woven themselves into my practice. Through her teachings, I learned the true essence of utilizing breath and practicing yoga functionally—a transformation that went beyond the mat. She introduced me to the depth of what real yoga can be, so I asked her to be my mentor. I was ready to change everything about how I was teaching.
A couple years later, I enrolled in the American Viniyoga Institute’s Foundations for Yoga Teaching and Yoga Therapy program. During this 2-year program, a portion of hours came from meeting and working directly with an assigned mentor.
Having this 1:1 relationship was critical for my success in the program.
My mentor helped me to better understand my own personal practice and guided me in what appropriate practice looked like for me, allowing for changes as needed.
She helped me workshop my own teaching and offered a space for me to bring questions about what I was seeing in my classes and how to better serve my students. Her mentorship facilitated both my personal practice and my teaching–both endlessly valuable.
I’m fortunate to have maintained a relationship with my mentor from that time, and discovered some additional mentors along the way. Each adding their own unique wisdom and perspective to my journey.
Their influence continues to shape how I teach, practice, and approach life both on and off the mat.
When I reflect on my journey from eager trainee to seasoned teacher, I can’t deny the impact having a mentor has had on both my teaching and my personal practice. It is a reminder that yoga is not just about “mastering” poses or sequences, but about cultivating a deeper understanding of oneself and fostering connections that nourish growth and healing.
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