Applying yoga thought to yoga auditions

You'd think it was obvious: yoga studio owners and managers will behave in manner appropriate to the yogic path right?

Hmm, in this day and age of a studio on every corner, and yoga "corporations" popping up left, right and centre ... not so much.

You can tell a lot about a studio and their ethos by how they audition you and interact with you when applying for teaching posts. Over the past 5 months I have responded to countless posts about yoga openings across the city. Of those I responded to I've been invited to numerous auditions. As someone without any background in dance, singing or acting, I really had no pre-conceptions about attending an audition, it was a little daunting but merely because of the pressure I placed on myself to be teaching as soon as possible. What I was not expecting were the extremes of the audition experience.

My audition experiences have been diverse to say the least.
From the fantastic : welcoming, friendly one-on-one chats in a back room, subbing standing classes at a peak time or teaching a new studio owner and his partner-in-crime in his living room.

Shout out to my personal teaching spots CorePower Yoga, Shambhala Yoga & Dance, Earth Yoga NYC and Church Avenue Yoga & Bodywork Center - there's a reason I am excited to turn up at your studios to work, you make me feel like part of a community and treat me with such grace and respect, and it started right at the audition process.

   

   

To the obnoxious : 50 other students, 3 minutes a piece, trying to fit in each others flows and practice in a highly competitive, awkward environment.

To the frankly ... creepy : being asked to come take a class and being watched as I practice (from behind I'll add) along with 3 other girls, only to be ignored in the studio and emailed later to come take another class to be watched again. ... No, I did not go back.

With this in mind, whether you're a current studio owner, looking to own a studio in the future, or a teacher looking for spots here are my Yamas and Niyamas of Yoga Auditions.

For the Managers and Owners:

Practice Ahimsa (non-violence) : treat your potential teachers with respect, allow them to warm up before asking them to jump into a disjointed flow taught by other teachers, acknowledge they may be nervous. And for goodness sake acknowledge them!

Practice Satya (truth / honesty) : be honest, ALWAYS be honest. If you only intend to hire from within do not audition others to simply "fill space". Be aware that teachers may have turned down paying spots to be with you. Be honest with what you are looking for before you book the audition.

Practice Asteya (non-stealing) : Do not waste teachers' time. They are there for you, they are interested in you - do not keep them waiting and do give them fair time to demonstrate their craft. If they are auditioning you are not texting or talking (yep, I've had that experience and it left a really bad taste)

Practice Brahmacharya (moderation) : Simple. 30 teachers in a room with 2 minutes to teach is too much. You can't remember everyone, they can't take enough time to settle themselves let alone demo how wonderful they are.

Practice Aparigraha (non-hoarding) : The audition experience belongs to both you and your auditionees. As yogis we are a community, a way of life, share your thoughts so teachers can grow even if they are not right for you right now. Simple shutting the door behind a teacher and ignoring their requests for feedback is no short of rude. We're all busy, if you have too many people to respond to then look up a point!

For the Teachers:

Practice Saucha (cleanliness) : Of mind, of body and of flow. Keep it effective. Trying to do too much will make you feel nervous and that will show. Stick to what you know and teach it well, let them hear your voice. Any studio that chooses acrobatics over authenticity probably isn't going to be a fit for you (unless that's what you love, in which case, hell, go for that crazy inversion!)  Also, and this should go without saying, remember you are auditioning from the moment you step into the studio, just as you are teaching all the time not just in the yoga room, your actions and behviours leave an impression, good studios want good teachers who embody the practice on and off the mat.

Practice Santosha (contentment) : know your worth. Your time has worth. Your training has worth. Your energy and heart has worth. Trust that the right studio will recognize that and be okay waiting for them.

Practice Tapas (heat) : BRING IT! Don't turn up half-hearted. Be there and show them how completely brilliant you are.

Practice Svadhyaya (self-study) : Be honest about how you did, be honest about whether the studio is a fit for you. This is, after all, as much an audition for the manager as it is for you. As for feedback and take it graciously.

Practice Ishvara Pranidhara (surrender) : Let go. If you've done your work, trust that the right studio will hire you. This is an age crying out for healing - your light will shine.

Live the questions...

Yoga raises more questions than it answers.

Why can’t I put my foot behind my head yet? 

Why am I scared of inversions? 

How do I align my hips in half moon? 

What is the point of Ujjayi breath? 

Why do get angry in Half Pigeon?

It can be irritating and unnerving, especially in a society where we are expected to be, and are rewarded for being, decisive, knowledgeable and forthright. 

However, when we pause and we begin to practice within those questions our practice grows. Instead of forcing a pose, when we ask what’s going on and take the time to breathe and be okay with not really knowing, something magic happens and we find that it gets easier and before we know it we’re in a place we never expected to be.

Similarly, off the mat, when we begin to live the questions we begin to investigate ourselves and we get to know ourselves on a deeper, more authentic level.

Remember the last time you met someone new, perhaps a first date or a job interview – those times are all filled with questions. Often the true answers don’t come until much later when you really experience that person, that relationship, that job.  You find the things you love over time, the quirks, the annoying habits that you’d be lost without, the short cuts and organization you need.

In the same way, life unfolds itself slowly to us, but for some reason we stop asking the questions. We start to believe we know it all.

Just for today allow yourself to challenge that:  ask every question, live every question. Stop preempting the answer, be safe in the knowledge that it will come in time, but for now investigate, experiment and play in the unknown.

As Deepak Chopra says “Accept what you do not know and what you do not know you do not know”. Breathe into those spaces, and in that place of intrigue, of mystery, of magic, find the fullness of life. Return to your childlike innocence where the wonder and the wild things are, the places where everything is new, surprising and fantastic. Let go of the “I know” of the ego and be okay with the “I wonder”. In this place … in the questions … truly anything is possible