Jealousy rears its ugly head

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

I have been approached to possibly begin instructing yoga at my university.

They do not require a certification, I have been practicing yoga for over a year, and have been leading a small group of friends for a few months.

I really want to audition, and then the school will pay for my certification.

However, here is the deal.

My girlfriend hates the idea. She doesn’t understand why I want to instruct and that it seems shady that I want to teach people yoga, and she is bothered by the notion of me leading a class full of women.

She is being ridiculous, no? How should I handle this?

#2

Love her completely and try to appreciate where she is coming from: she obviously cares about you. Whether that caring is somewhat attached to the idea that she needs to keep you in check or not, can be forgiven if you ask me. See if you can appreciate the love that’s driving her to be jealous, the love and insecurity that’s behind her seemingly annoying behaviour.

Then, when you show her - by example - how love is all-forgiving if one wants to, you can give her the confidence that she has nothing to worry about. Of course, provided with the fact that you really do know decisively where your commitment lies and that your intention is ‘pure.’ If not, then maybe she’s got a point :).

Goodluck friend,
B.

#3

Speaking generally…

I wouldn’t presume the other person is the one being ridiculous. It fails to facilitate the nature of personal responsibility one on the path of yoga adopts, in order to live life fully without excuses or complaining.

Instead, I would examine whether or not I was being, as you put it, “shady”. Why am I considering teaching without proper teacher-training? Why am I considering that after only one year of personal practice? And if it is valid for me to consider such a thing and move forward with it, then I am (really) considering a significant LIFE change which calls so loudly for proper education as a teacher (and as a student).

Sharing yoga with others is lovely when the person doing the sharing is very capable AND understands the difference between the skills of a practitioner or student and those of a teacher. When capability and comprehension are absent or incomplete, sharing yoga often results in other people sustaining injuries or developing poor alignment habits which become firmly rooted in their practice.

Only after all this self examination and reflection would I consider the other person as being “off” and only if I passed my own internal litmus test three times.

Gordon