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So we have all been there, usually at the beginning of our yoga teaching career, when we have just one student show up for our class. I also know it happens later on throughout our teaching path, having myself been the only student in some classes, where the teacher usually has a full to capacity class, yet for some reason, every now and then I have been the only student. I remember my feelings well, although several years ago now, the pleasure of having a ‘private’ yoga lesson with a great teacher in a usually busy London studio, although half way through class, cursing silently under my breath that I felt embarrassed to ask for a break, to rest in child’s pose in a sweaty heap on the floor where he worked me so hard, however overall I felt privileged to be the only one there and have personal tuition for the price of a yoga class, I still remember those coaching tips he gave me today over a busy class with the same teacher.

So why then just over a year into my teaching path do I panic when I realise I only have one student booked on?

What was I doing wrong?

Had my wording been ‘wrong’ in the advertisement?

Why was this class not taking off and others had?

I was told by many how when we start our own classes in the beginning, we can spend weeks, even months only having one or two students. For some reason I never travelled down this route. Coming straight out of training to teach packed hot yoga classes I was thrown in the deep end. A month or so after teaching ‘hot’, in addition I decided to start up my own classes expecting only a few students at the very most. The first week I was blessed with two lovely ladies, the second week, seven, within a couple of months my classes grew to double figures and plateaued there. I felt truly blessed the Universe had sent me so many wonderful people in such a short space of time.

It was on deciding to start up a new class and the second week in only one lady had booked on. It happened to be on a day where I had arranged to come back from a holiday early to teach this class, the class was in the park outdoors and the weather forecast was sunny, why had only one person booked on? I had a mailing list of 30 interested in said new class, however only one taker? hmmmm….. My ego started to kick in, maybe I should cancel the class and drive back from holiday later, it was a hot sunny day and I was lazing on the beach becoming ‘annoyed’ if I’m quite honest at having to go out of my way for just ‘one student’ who may not even show up ( yes, negativity was really kicking in, even in this wonderful beach moment, my ego was reigning and mentally it was not one of my best moments). However I remembered back to when I started and had only expected one or two students, how everyone had told me ‘Even for those one or two, don’t ever cancel’. So it was with this motto I chose to go ahead, and come back early depriving myself of that extra afternoon on the beach on the hottest day of the year so far to come back for this one student.

Before leaving I sat down and had ‘words’ with my ego. I visualised what I ask my students to do, at beginning of class place their ego in a suitcase (colour of their choice) and wrap it in a bubble of china blue light and leave it at the door. At this moment in time the door wasn’t good enough for my suitcase and ego, so I chose to throw it over my garden fence into my neighbour’s somewhat derelict garden! Immediately I felt better, lighter, happier, now rid of this ugly greyish looking thing (well this is how I perceive my ego to be, I am sure maybe others have different visions, this however is mine.) Loaded with a book for the train journey, mentally thinking I would also enjoy reading if said student didn’t turn up,so either way it really wasn’t that horrific a situation as my ego had tried to kid me earlier on the beach that day.

Arriving at destination, five minutes past the class start time there is no sign of my one student, however I do not mind, it’s a wonderful sunny evening so I sit on my mat, get out my book settling in for a read before watching the sun set. Ten minutes in I look up to see a girl approaching, she is my one student, part of me curses, I was quite enjoying sitting here in this beautiful place admiring the wonderful views across London waiting for the sun to set with my book. Now I have to teach, after minutes earlier psyching myself up not to have to teach……

I introduce myself and explain it’s just her and teacher for class. I had a class plan in mind, however spontaneously I ask her about her previous experience and ask her what would she like to concentrate on. This is a first for me, up until now, every class I have done I have planned out and usually stuck to that plan. She replied she loved ashtanga yoga and a strong practice. I had something more meditative planned for some of the class, a wind down for an evening session. On the other hand I wanted to give her something she enjoyed and would be of benefit to her, so a strong ashtanga based vinyasa flow she got. At times she looked tired, but happy! I wondered if she felt like me in that class I attended that time, a sweaty heap too embarrassed, scared even, to request a rest!

This turned out to be the first class I took spontaneously with no class plan and also lots of adjustments. Something else I had neglected overall since starting my teaching. When I first started most were older folks preferring to be ‘blissed out’ not ‘pulled about’ as I could gather through teaching them. My classes then became so busy I felt I had too much to concentrate on and preferred just giving verbal adjustments to any students I felt needed it, realising (or maybe assuming in some cases) that most preferred this. It was only more recently I had started to ponder over giving more adjustments, and being out of practice since my training I was beginning to feel not as confident as I should be here. I’d even been contemplating how to go about learning adjustments from scratch again before attempting any in a busy class. Now I realised I had this opportunity, the opportunity most have in those first few months or years of teaching yoga with only one or two students who are happy to be adjusted to put their skills into practice.

The early months I had missed out on through teaching large classes, by being thrown in at the deep end as it were. So I took this opportunity with my one student. She seemed to enjoy the class, she was one of those few students who smiled throughout her whole practice, she was a wonderful student to teach.
On chatting after class she explained she was a student, who was stressed about her exams the following week. I realised she could never have afforded a private class and saw how much she had come on during this 90 minute class with individual coaching tips and those adjustments I’d been so tentative about bringing into my teaching sessions. The energy was amazing. I left feeling happy I had been here for this one student. I also wondered if I got even more out of this class than she had. The moment had made me go back to basics on several things I clearly needed to go back to rather than neglect, as well as give me more confidence to teach spontaneously with no class plan & give those adjustments that are sometimes much needed for students. I also hope (and had the feeling it did) even if just for that 90 minutes some of that stress she had over her exams melted away.
If ever I have that ‘only one student turn up for class’ again (and I am sure I will) I will always say look for the positive in the situation rather than questioning the negative. And yes, the motto is right, do not ever cancel a class even if not one student shows up on that mat, just do what I did, take a book (or practice your own yoga) and enjoy the moment whatever that may be, that arises, and learn from it even if it be a lesson for that ugly grey thing called the ego……

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