Omology Yoga

I did something a couple weekends ago that would have been impossible without verbal teaching…

I had the pleasure of teaching at a brand event. It was an all-day thing.

I taught *4* beginner-friendly Yoga classes back to back to over 120 people, many of whom had never tried Yoga before.

+ while I was definitely a little tired at the end of the day (that’s a long-ass day😅) my body didn’t *feel* depleted.

Why??

Because I demo’d minimally + taught all 4 classes VERBALLY 🙌🏽

I say verbal teaching “saved” my teaching career because 4 classes/day 3x/week used to be my schedule as a freelance teacher + flowing + demoing through all those BURNT ME OUTTT (+ it was hell on my body) 😮‍💨

I know so many teachers are reluctant to try it for fear that it wont work, + while it is a skill that takes practice, it’s moments like this event that remind me how it’s 100 percent worth it.

Not just for yourself as a teacher, but for your students.

More on the latter this weekend 😉

So, do you need to stand on your hands to “do” Yoga?

No.

But can you?

Possibly.

It’s not so much about the poses as it is about how we practice them.

The intention that you bring to the mat + the connection that you develop with yourself while you’re there, THAT is the Yoga.

For Yoga classes that support a mindful movement practice, explore our on-demand studio via the link in our bio✨

Years ago, when a popular Yoga teacher that I admired started building their Instagram content around the message that “Yoga is NOT fancy poses”, I promptly found my way to the “unfollow” button on their page lol.

Baiiiii👋🏽

As someone who had a strong physical posture practice (known in Sanskrit as “Asana”), I felt attackedddd 😅

Deep down I knew that Yoga was wayyy more than what (in mainstream media) meets the eye.

But I also felt that Asana + physical challenge had played a ✨pivotal✨ part in my experience of Yoga (after all, it was what brought me to the mat in the first place). My Asana practice taught me:

-impermanence
-selflessness
-non-judgement
-that I am MORE than this body + this mind

Over the past decade that I’ve been in the teaching space, I’ve watched countless teachers debate what “is” or “is not” Yoga. I’ve always tried to stay away from this rhetoric. I find it dogmatic + frankly off-putting (also…if you have to tell people what Yoga is, chances are you’re not teaching it in your classes 🙄 lol).

For me, the physical postural practice is one of many vehicles that allows me to experience the connectedness + spiritual growth that Yoga is all about.

So, while I don’t think anyone *needs* to stick their leg behind their head to understand Yoga, I can also respect that a physical practice might be a way for some people to establish part of that connection.

+ if that’s the case? Who am I to judge!

In our online studio, we teach Asana.

+ whether it’s Warrior 2, Forearm-stand, or a flow of movements, I like to think that we teach in a way that not only embodies the philosophy of Yoga, but that encourages self-discovery through movement.

So rather than ME telling YOU what Yoga is (or isn’t) you get to discover it for yourself 🙌🏽

Back when I owned/operated a busy group class Yoga studio I received (at minimum) two applications per week from people asking for teaching jobs.

Most were “cold calls” that used a generic email template that had quite obviously been sent to every other studio in the city (one time I even got an email addressed to another studio owner 😅).

I, for obvious reasons, didn’t hire any of these teachers.

Instead, I hired within + it was the best decision I’d ever made 🙌🏽

Two of our front desk staff were trained Yoga teachers + when they were ready to begin teaching, I offered them substitute positions.

+ this worked REALLY well because:

✔️they were keen to teach
✔️my students were already familiar with them + trusted them (no awkward “new teacher” vibes!)

So. Here’s my advice lovies.

If you’re struggling to find a teaching position, maybe stop looking for a teaching position (lol) + start with building a relationship with the studio that you aspire to teach at.

🙌🏽Take their classes.

🙌🏽Make an effort to engage with their community/teachers/front desk staff after class.

🙌🏽Engage with their socials.

🙌🏽Bring friends/family out for classes occasionally.

🙌🏽+ if they have a front desk position open – TAKE IT!! Because studios are never not needing emergency subs + I can guarantee that you will be their FIRST call if you’re already at the studio ready to go 😉

I share more on this + other business tools in our Teaching Methods Course linked in our bio! Because I want to see teachers be able to put their best most confident foot forward (or at least do better than a mis-addressed generic email) when taking their first steps into teaching.

I felt my throat close up + my eyes welled with tears. I looked at what I'd received for my first 10 classes as a certified Yoga teacher + my cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

The worst part? I felt like it was my fault.

See in my excitement, I had forgotten to ask one *kind of* important question: “what will I be paid?”

But now that I am older + wiser [read: jaded lol] I understand that this happened for a variety of reasons, most of which were not my fault at all:

➕I was inexperienced + had no idea what the market rates were for studio classes (+ the studio that hired me knew this + did not volunteer their rates of pay)

➕I was (as many teachers are) told repeatedly that I might need to teach for free until I have "enough" experience to warrant being paid

➕I was educated in an environment where the business side of Yoga was very much taboo + was not talked about

This moment (+ having witnessed so many other teachers go through similar situations) made me realise how essential it is for aspiring teachers to have an empowered understanding of the business of Yoga + to have the tools to navigate it with dignity.

+ well, seeing as most Yoga teachers are *not* especially keen to teach this stuff, I am more than happy to make it my hill to die on (as I am sure you can tell if you've been here a while lol).

Because here's the thing: my story actually has a happy ending BECAUSE I advocated for myself.

I ended up having a conversation with the studio owner about being underpaid. They apologised + together we agreed on a fair rate of pay for me that resulted in a long + happy teaching post.

I usually share this story in my trainings because I think there's power in learning from one another's experiences.

So, teacher friends:

What's one business thing that you wish you'd been taught in teacher training? Share below x.

A few new faces here recently so I thought maybe it was a good time to re-introduce myself 👋🏽

I’m Kylie, + this is my bestie Ri 🐕🤍. She occasionally joins us for class (+ by “class” I really mean Savasana 😂).

I’ve been a registered Yoga teacher for nearly a decade. I tell everyone for that reason I am jaded AF lol.

After years of struggling to find an online Yoga practice that I *actually* enjoyed, I created OMOLOGY to offer home practitioners an on-demand Yoga experience 🖥️🧘🏽 that felt *as* full + nourishing as a studio practice.

I teach alongside 3 other talented humans 🕺🏻🕺🏻🕺🏻 .flows + am gearing up to expand our team (if you think you’d enjoy the flexibility of teaching Yoga online + you live in KL, get at me!).

My big focus for the remainder of the year (+ 2024) is creating a series of accessible digital resources that help Yoga teachers feel empowered in their role (ahhh sooo many exciting things coming soon I can’t wait to share!!).

Some topics you will deeeefinitely hear me chat about (every five minutes):

➕ Yoga teachers getting paid WELL for their work

➕ Inclusive language in the Yoga space

➕ Letting go of the idea that there is only one “right” way to do the Yoga (because there isn’t)

When I’m not creating content for OMOLOGY, I’m coaching my clients at which provides private Yoga classes focused on injury management + rehabilitation 🫶🏽

One fun fact about me that is not work related: whenever I get asked what my last meal on earth would be, I always tell everyone it’s Omakase 🍣 but the truth is I would probably want my mama’s lasagna. Ain’t nothin’ better 🤌🏽

Ok enough from moi 😬. Tell me about youuu + what you’d love to see more of here on the grid! x

I ran a little experiment this week 🤓📊

I asked you all to weigh in on this question + I mostly received opinions from Yoga teachers (which was kind of what I was expecting).

I was also expecting to receive something along the lines of "no, because it's not safe".

+ I did!

There's always been some skepticism around online Yoga. To be fair, the internet is a vast place + honestly there's a lot of crap out there lol (sorry someone had to say it).

But there's also a lot of really great online teachers who are committed to bringing accessible, inclusive foundation-level Yoga to their communities + so like anything, I think the quality of your learning experience will come down to where you're getting your information.

I really want to change the rhetoric for beginners around where + how they begin Yoga because I think the prevailing discourse is sometimes very shaming, privileged, and rooted in fear of something new + different (not necessarily something that's ineffective).

When we say that learning Yoga online is dangerous, or it can't be done, or that it's not as "legit" as a studio practice, we disempower those who do practice online, who did start their journey at home in perhaps the only way that they could.

+ honestly, let’s just be real: if I can learn out how to fix a faucet online, wtf can't we learn how to Downdog??

Immemorialising this little series of stories on the feed in case ya missed ‘em or you want to save them as dinner party conversation topics x

Is it better for beginners to start Yoga online or in-studio? My take? 👉🏽

Both have their benefits.

But seeing as this author owns an online studio (*laughs in obvious bias*) I am going to speak mainly to that context.

Watch our posts + stories this week for more on:

☕️why I think the Yoga community has been skeptical of the efficacy of online Yoga

☕️why I think a lot of beginner students enjoy starting Yoga online

☕️why, when I was opening our online studio, it was imperative that we offer a weekly beginners-level program (she’s called 101) + why it was equally important that this not be an “easy” or “gentle” class

☕️*the* online platform I would create today if I didn’t already have this one + two other Yoga businesses 😅 (enough is enough!!)

☕️what essential elements to look in an online Yoga class if you’re trying Yoga for the first time

Oouuufff so much tea on this topic I could spill on it for two weeks but we’ll have to make do with just the one. So my darlings, if you’ve been curious about Yoga + you’re thinking of getting starting online first…stay tuned for all the deets on how to begin x

Don’t say I didn’t, say I didn’t warn yaaaaaaa! Get this one before the price goes upppp 💸

My loves, I created this course a year ago + she remains my *most* value-packed resource. I am so so proud of everything that’s in here. It’s honestly a course that I could have really used at so many points throughout my teaching journey (not just when I was a newbie). Seeing it help so many teachers feel confident in their teaching literally just gives me all the feels 🥹.

So, because she knows her worth (+ also because I’ll be rolling out some new content for her in the new year!) the Teaching Methods Course will be increasing in price very soon.

If you want lifetime access to everything that is currently there + everything that’s coming…the link is in our bio.

+ if you want a little *extra* support in your teaching journey, you’ll have the option to add-on teaching mentorship after checkout x.

We've talked a lot this week about how to *pick* a Yoga teacher training. But what happens if you've already done a training and you feel like you picked wrong??

Pick again.

Lol kidding. Don't do that. Save your money and your time. The answer doesn't lie in taking another training.

It actually lies in learning + developing the teaching skills that you feel you're lacking.

Conveniently, like the passionate little teaching nerd that I am, I've developed a course for that! 🤓

It's called The Empowered Yoga Teacher: Teaching Methods Course + I created it because I know firsthand how confidence-zapping it is to feel like you have no fking clue how teach a great Yoga class.

It sucks. But it's also not the end of the world. Teaching skills are very learnable especially if you're already teaching because you can start to practice right away!

For a limited time I'm offering a 1 hour teaching mentorship call with the purchase of the TM course so that you can also ask questions about the course material, teaching Yoga or you can even get feedback on a class-plan. Totally up to you how you want to spend that hour. But my hope is that you will leave feeling more sure of your teaching practice than ever before because that's when teaching becomes a really really enjoyable career✨.

Prices on both of these products are going up soon. Get them at a steal via the link in our bio x