Building a Community by Morgan

Building a Community by Morgan - January 2017 Scholarship Essay

Yoga has always been an extracurricular activity I have participated in, amongst the usual school regulated sports and clubs. While attending classes within the community, I found it very difficult to understand when the instructor said that the hardest part of yoga was making it to the mat. Finding calm and balance in sometimes awkward poses often seemed impossible; I couldn't understand how simply showing up could be the hardest part. But as I continued to participate and practice, I realized that not only does a yoga teacher keep their students safe and instruct a physical workout, they give the structure and foundation to allow their class to build their own communities.

We all worked, sweated, shared stories, and laughed. This, in addition to my own passion for yoga, inspired me; I could build a community of my own. I had the power to share the fun and joy of yoga with my classmates, with my school, and with my community. I would become a yoga teacher.

With the help of the local studio, I began learning more about yoga poses, their benefits, and about the responsibility of being a leader. Finally ready to share this knowledge, I began by teaching to my gym class at school.

As I gained more experience at teaching, I truly began to appreciate the preparation that all of my teachers do. The more background knowledge that you have, the easier it is to prepare and the more confident you feel. When I heard about the opportunity to become a certified yoga instructor, I was excited. Although the 200 hour training was a large commitment, the benefits would be priceless.

I continued teaching to gain experience throughout the five month training and was offered the opportunity to volunteer at the local recreational(rec) department. The majority of people who attended the rec department classes were senior citizens. Although they didn’t have a large background in yoga, they just wanted to have some fun and move around. We built a supportive community where we laughed away our mistakes. Together, we learned the beauty of yoga: we all look different in our poses.

Now certified, I still teach at the rec department but am also able to teach more classes at the studio. Every class I teach, I try to change the perception of yoga. Once you make it to your mat, you join the community that we are building: compassionate, driven leaders who grow stronger with every move, one yogi at a time.