Still a Teacher. Always a Student.

As I look ahead to The Art of Yin: Presence, Language & the Skill of Guiding Attention at JTown, I’m feeling a fresh surge of enthusiasm about what I want to share—and how much there is to explore together.

I recently returned from teaching at Sharing Yoga in Concord, New Hampshire, feeling deeply nourished. Such a thoughtful, curious group of people. Such a welcoming community. And the pleasure of spending substantial time together exploring a practice I love.

That weekend opened something in my teaching that I’m excited to develop further at JTown.

I’ve been teaching yoga since 1999, and I still find this work so compelling. There is always more to discover, more to articulate, more to understand through the questions and experiences of the people in the room.

This training also brought me to a growth edge of my own.

There is material I’ve taught for years that feels steady beneath my feet: Yin and Yang, anatomical uniqueness, tension and compression, the importance of developing an inside-out understanding of alignment. These teachings give us a foundation for making intelligent choices about practice.

At Sharing Yoga, I went a little off script.

I ventured further into the nuanced, sometimes nebulous world of language: how we articulate an invitation, where we direct attention, and how our words influence someone’s experience. We explored three levels of language, plus silence—which deserves its own consideration. Knowing when to stop talking, and trusting what might happen in that space, is part of teaching, too.

We also talked about different structures for practice and began to touch on how our choices create a different cadence and experience. Our time together was full, and there was more I would have loved to explore.

That’s one of the threads I’m excited to pick up at JTown: different approaches to sequencing and the choices involved in crafting meaningful classes with depth. What organizes a practice? How do we establish a thread and develop it? How might the sequence, the language, and the space between our words support the same intention?

Alongside the foundational material, we’ll make room to explore these questions—developing the discernment and confidence to create classes that express our understanding and offer students something meaningful.

I loved taking this material further. And I could feel the particular vulnerability of teaching something that is still finding its fullest expression in my own voice.

It asks for a different kind of confidence.

I have tremendous respect for my teachers and the foundations they’ve given me. Decades of practice and teaching have also yielded discoveries of my own. I’m learning to stand more firmly in what I know, to trust what I’ve observed, and to offer my contributions with greater agency.

That feels like an important part of maturing as a teacher: recognizing that our experience has something to contribute, and accepting responsibility for giving it form.

It’s also a reminder that remaining effective and relevant requires us to remain students of our profession. To keep examining our assumptions. To let a good question unsettle an overly comfortable answer. To take a risk when an idea is ready to be explored, even if we haven’t perfected how to express it.

After all, how can I keep inviting students to explore beyond their preconceived limitations if I’m unwilling to encounter my own?

I’m grateful to the Sharing Yoga community for the curiosity, engagement, and thoughtful questions that helped this material come alive. Teaching is relational. What happens in the room can draw something out of us that preparation alone cannot.

That spirit of shared inquiry is what I’m bringing to The Art of Yin: Presence, Language & the Skill of Guiding Attention at JTown: a strong foundation, room for exploration, and an invitation to grow in your own understanding and voice.

If you’re feeling ready to deepen your relationship with Yin Yoga, expand your teaching possibilities, and explore what you have to contribute, I’d love to have you join us.

I’ll arrive with plenty to share, and an understanding that continues to grow.

That’s part of what keeps me so interested.