"I feel so much more like myself."
"I'm so much more confident in my own skin as a teacher."
"It's like my students really get me now, and they're even more invested than ever
before."
Being Seen.
It's the opposite of imposter syndrome. And man, does that feel goooooooood.
NOT that they feel like total anatomy rockstars starting soon after they begin (though they do tell me that.)
NOT that Leslie tells the most hilarious stories of any yoga educator they've ever met (Ok... this one gets commented on a lot, too.)
And NOT that this is the most enriching yoga education experience they've ever had (okok, I hear this one, too).
But specifically that their imposter syndrome has all but disappeared, and they feel SO MUCH MORE LIKE THEMSELVES when they teach after they've taken this course.
This is high praise, and
you can't fake it.
I've seen this transition again and again for the past 15 years, and it always reminds me of what I like to call "The Paradox of Being Seen."
In order to have someone SEE THE REAL YOU...
You have to, first, KNOW THE REAL YOU.
And be willing to BE THE REAL
YOU.
But... the fear of rejection of our REAL self is so scary that most of us keep pretending... which means no one knows the real us at all...
And THAT's the paradox. We NEED to be seen. But it takes a lot for us to feel safe enough to reveal that much about ourselves.
That's what got me fascinated about this consistent piece
of feedback. What is it about how Leslie teaches that stimulates this level of self-knowledge and self-trust in his grads?
Well, I've had a front-row seat for fifteen years... and here's what I've noticed...
(1) Leslie believes that teaching his students HOW TO THINK is more important than telling them WHAT TO THINK
But more than that, you're going to get schooled in
HOW TO THINK. Sometimes you're going to feel like you're in
a philosophy class, or learning how to be an architect. The cross-disciplinary thinking is a mind-opening rollercoaster ride.
Leslie's focus is not naming bones and muscles. That, alone, is never going to make you a better yoga teacher. (Though of course, you will learn all those things.) You're going to become a better thinker, which is going to trickle into every aspect of your life.
(2) Leslie leads by example.
It doesn't take long in class to realize that simply parroting Leslie will
not get you very far. You have to engage with your own experience, deeply listen to your body, and then reflect on your own experience.
Leslie shares that this
is the way his teacher, TKV Desikachar, engaged with him.
This is not what the Western educational system has taught us. And breaking out of this habit is going to change your life.
(3) Leslie empowers his students, and teaches you how to empower yours.
"Try this, try that, see what you notice."
Leslie believes in empowering students to be the experts of their OWN bodies. It's how
he'll teach you, and it's how he'll teach you to invite your own students into their own experiences on the mat.
As a
bodyworker who has seen 45 years of yoga-related injuries, he knows what he's talking about here, and it will fundamentally change the way you teach (and help your students stop feeling "wrong" about their experiences.)
(4) Leslie knows himself, and he teaches us how to know ourselves, too.
I will never forget the day, in class, when Leslie
said, "I often wish I were as good a human as I am a teacher." Holy smokes. What an admission.
And then he followed with a story of
his own life, and some reflections about how what he was teaching us could have turned a personal experience into something better... had he only remembered in the moment.
But he didn't, because he's human.
And I can promise you that every single one of us in the room felt a little more comfortable in our own humanity after that.
AND... the ripples continued. I began approaching my own classes with a level of humility and openness... And I know my fellow classmates did the same. And
the students responded. It's a virtuous circle, but someone has to go first.
(5) Leslie is not afraid to be a pioneer.
I remember someone once asked Leslie if he thought that he was being untrue to yoga by "inventing" some
new ways of teaching
things. After all... there was no record of any of the masters teaching it that way...
Leslie smiled and said, "I've actually thought about this a lot. And you know what I think? Those teachers were pioneers. They were responding to the time they lived, and the students in front of them, and discovering the best way to communicate in that exact time and place. I'm doing the same thing. So I like to think of myself as
following in their footsteps by being a pioneer, too."
I loved that. And it inspires me, and reminds me, that I get to do that, too. I get to use my own blend of experience, creativity, & ingenuity to communicate with my students.
And the more I do... The more I let myself be a silly muppet who is not trying to look like a teacher who "has it all
together".... the better I feel, and the more connected my students feel.
BECAUSE I AM LETTING MYSELF TRULY BE SEEN.
So what do you get when you put all this together?
This is how you end up feeling exactly like the best version of yourself, even when you don't plan everything. You can handle anything that walks in the door. And you feel open, spacious, and deeply connected to the Universe when you're doing it.
So - if you're ready for a curriculum that's going to help you become
more of yourself (that is disguised as a yoga anatomy curriculum), you're in luck. 😉
AND... you couldn't be joining at a better time. We are celebrating the Summer Session with some amazing bonuses for you...
Don't forget: after May 31, doors will close and we'll start a waiting list until we open up the course again this October.
MAY 2024 BONUSES
- ENROLL BY 5/17 - Enrollment of $1,597
$1,997 USD + Free Bonus Course ($497 USD Value) + Free Autographed copy of Yoga Anatomy for first 10 enrollments!* - ENROLL BY 5/24 - Enrollment of $1,697
$1,997 USD + Free Bonus Course - ENROLL BY 5/31 - Enrollment of $1,997 USD + Free Bonus Course
>> ENROLL NOW WITH "SUMMER SPECIAL" SCHOLARSHIP <<
All My Best,
