Moving Through Burnout as a Yoga Teacher

Yesterday morning I woke up feeling sore all over, tired despite my full night of sleep, and

longing for more time off. It dawned on me that I have been trying to teach too much lately and

am dealing with some burn out because of it. In this past week, I have taught my own classes,

subbed three, ushered both of my kids through the end of their school year, and still managed to

do both paid and unpaid writing. Depending on your life situation, all of this may look like a lot or

not much at all, but for me, life has felt incredibly busy lately.

After my Sunday afternoon class yesterday, I met a friend and fellow yoga teacher for a beer.

And while I was talking with her, it became abundantly clear just how prone yoga teachers are

to burn out, and the great need there is to work through that. I wish I could take a week or two

completely off. It would feed my soul to go by myself for a week in the woods. However, that is

not the reality for me, and I'm guessing the same is true for a multitude of people. I have little

kids who are out of school and a spouse who travels for work. Going on a solo retreat is not in

my cards right now. Instead, what I am offering to myself and to the community are ideas for

practical ways to move through burn out.

1. Acknowledge how you're feeling

The first step is to simply acknowledge how you're feeling. Rather than turn away from

the feeling of fatigue and burn out, turn towards that feeling. Allow yourself to speak the

words to yourself and others. Lovingly acknowledging this feeling is the first step towards

moving through it.

2. Right use of energy

Evaluate how you're using your energy and ask yourself if there are arenas in your life

where you could potentially pull back. With my kids out of school, I have limited

availability in my schedule and have to be discerning with my time and energy. Even

though my heart loves to help, I have to pull back during these months, which means I

will have to say no to subbing needs that may come up at my studio.

3. Prioritize rest and self-care

If your life is similar to mine, a solo retreat may not be in the cards, but going to bed

early may be. Getting a pricey facial may not be feasible, but I can make sure I wash my

face every night or create the space for an epsom salt bath. Taking a few hours to sit in

a quiet coffee shops and write sounds like a pipe dream, but I can create space to grab

my journal and jot down a few lines. Look for the low hanging fruit in your life that can

provide you with some inspiration for prioritizing rest and self-care.

4. Read

Read a yoga philosophy book. Read a celebrity memoir. Read the latest Reese

Witherspoon book club pick. Read the book your grandma recommended. Reading is a

simple way to immerse yourself in a flow state and to provoke your mind. The feeling of

finding a book you cannot put down is so delicious and can help to pull us out of feelings

of fatigue and burn-out.

5. Get in nature

Right now, the earth is green, pregnant with possibilities and new growth. Getting

outside for even a short while can help us connect with our aliveness. This reminder of

our inherent aliveness can help us feel more connection to ourselves and our

communities. Taking hikes, a walk around the block, even stepping into our backyard

are all ideas for getting into nature and moving through burn out.

If you're feeling burnt out right now, you're not alone. Trying to overgive, overdo, and

overachieve are all very common conditions in our society. Taking steps to move

through this burn-out rather than turn away from it, can increase our resilience over time

and help to encourage our students and felloe teachers to take steps to help themselves

when burn-out starts to rear its head in their lives.