A Bundle of Nerves

Tomorrow I, along with two of my friends, will be doing our video review for our yoga teacher training program. It's pretty much the culmination of our training. We each teach a 30 minute segment to create a 90 minute class.

I'm teaching the last section - so mainly seated and supine poses. I'm also responsible for creating a relaxing savasana and a fulfilling closing. I've been practicing my sequence for quite some time now - my poor students in the suburbs have done enough janu sirsasana for a lifetime - but, despite my practicing, I'm still feeling a bit nervous.

When I stop to think about why I'm feeling nervous I think back to when I'd be getting ready to take the stage for a ballet performance - specifically when I was the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker. It was my first solo role and though I had practiced for months on end and could do the piece in my sleep, I still found myself with a racing heart as the time for me to take the stage drew near. At that point, it wouldn't have done me any good to physically practice the steps, but what I remember doing was taking a moment to close my eyes, breathe deeply, and visualize the performance I wanted to share with the audience.

And, though, I was still nervous when I took the stage, I felt confident in what I was about to deliver. I'm sure there were things I could have done better (aren't there always?), but the performance I gave came from the heart, and I think that's all that really matters.

So, I think I'm going to apply that lesson to my class tomorrow and to any situation in which I find myself a bundle of nerves - to take a minute to close my eyes, to breathe deeply, to remember why I started all of this in the first place, and to visualize a class where the students leave feeling refreshed and open to the idea of yoga. Oftentimes, I think being nervous gets a bad rap, but when you've practiced your piece and feel confident with what you're doing, some nerves are a good thing. They remind us to put our best foot forward and to give from the heart.