Teaching from a Place of Love

By Barbara Schuette on October 12, 2021

One of the first things I learned when I was deciding to become a yoga teacher was to teach from love. And it resonates with me each and every time I lead a class or hold a private lesson. This tool of love is the most important one to have in your Yoga toolbox. 🧰

I became a yoga teacher because I loved the yoga and wanted to share that love with others. When I don’t know what to do for a student, I just try to figure out how to love them more.

Most of my life I didn’t have anything I was passionate about. Nothing that set a spark under me. I loved raising my children, but had little time to develop any hobbies or interests. I did love to run and found I could easily do that when they were sleeping in the wee hours of the morning. It was an awesome way to maintain my weight and keep me fit. Then came my 40's…

Running was still effective at keeping the weight off and enhancing my mood—nothing like a good ole “runner’s high.” Or so I thought… I knew I didn’t stretch enough. Actually barely at all. And the joints were beginning to ache a little (or a lot 🤔!)

So this is when I stumbled upon my first hot yoga experience while I was working in St. Louis. Well, if you’ve  read any of my other blogs, you know I haven’t looked back! I found my passion—yessss!!!

Next step: how to bring this amazing practice to my hometown??? Wow that was the question. Money, money, money was all I kept thinking—“where the hell was I gonna get the cash to start up a hot yoga studio and would it even go over in a small town??”💰

I had so much desire to help others and teach from love and share this practice, I decided I didn’t need money—just a physical location. Well that became my home studio (namely my oldest daughter’s bedroom!) I spent very little in start up costs because I already had all of my heaters (notice plural!) and could get the room (that only held about 8 yogis) up to over 100 degrees! I was set!

So not to bore you all with the rest of the details, things just evolved from there, and I count my blessings each and every day! Life is like the race between the tortoise 🐢 and the hare 🐇. It’s like a crockpot, not a microwave. Slow and steady wins the race every time!

Things didn’t happen over night! Baby steps! They are still happening! But teaching from a place of love with the passion to help others makes the journey so worth the wait. 💫