Like for so many others, yoga has been my go-to for grounding and self-care, especially during times of high stress. However, when yoga is part of your job, it’s easy for lines to get blurred, leading to burnout.
In a way, I blame the hussle culture, the “daily streak” culture. Even practitioners who have no obligation to show up on their mat can slip into the mentality where they feel pressured to practice, even when it is detrimental ot their mental or physical state. Have you ever felt like this?
Why Does This Happen?
Perhaps you made a financial commitment or a promise to a friend. Perhaps you see your practice as major part of your identity. Or maybe you’ feel like this is something you’re supposed to do’re an overachiever who sees yoga as a personal challenge?
Over my last ten years of practice, I’ve done all of the above. At one point, I also thought that going all-in is what I was supposed to do.
And so, how are we expected to set boundaries and not let dedication spiral into obsession?
How I Circumnavigate Burnout
Through some trial and error (and ongoing reflection), I had to accept some things as true. It helped me let go of the image of the perfect practitioner, and instead approach yoga from a more earnest angle.
- Taking a break does not make you less of a yoga practitioner.
- There is no minimum daily or weekly quota you have to fulfil.
- Yoga looks different day to day; don’t use your practice is the past as a benchmark.
- Yoga isn’t always the answer.
- Truly, it is not the end of the world if you have to cancel (even as a teacher). Some things in life come first.
- You can dial down your practice, even in class. A good yoga teacher will hold space no matter what your practice looks like.
Yoga as a Job
As a yoga teacher, I feel an additional layer of pressure to show up because, well, it’s my job. Students rely on me to provide that mental or physical relief, a studio relies on me to deliver a service to their customers. Also, as a freelance professional, if I don’t provide the service, I don’t get paid.
This summer, I challenged myself even further. I committed to a yoga teacher training, which required extra hours of personal practice, self-paced study, live learning sessions, and homework – none of it I could simply “skip”.
In a situation like this, it’s not uncommon to start viewing yoga as just another item on your to-do list. Yoga had turns from a gift to a task, from a retreat to a responsibility.
Somewhat ironically (since yoga stands for “union”), this is when I had to learn to compartmentalise. I had to introduce a degree of separation to my identity as a student, teacher, and trainee.
Naturally, when I wear my yoga teacher’s hat, my motivations for stepping on the yoga mat are different than when I come to practice for myself.
In Conclusion
My relationship with yoga had shifted miles over the years. I realized there’s beauty in rebalancing, in letting go of expectations, and in accepting each practice as it comes.
I feel very fortunate to make a living as a yoga teacher, but I also see immense value in reclaiming my mat as a space where I’m free from performance and pressure. Because sometimes, the most powerful thing we can do on the mat is nothing at all.
