Why do we go to yoga class? Why do we really like certain teachers? When I first started teaching, I thought about this a lot. I wondered what I could do to boost class sizes, make people happy, and feel like I was making a difference.

I tried lots of different things. None of them worked.

Except, finally, one thing: Being myself. When I started to practice radical self-acceptance, loving-kindness and consciously letting my light shine–that’s when I started making the biggest difference. That’s when people began to feel touched.

And I realized that it’s not the music, the asanas, the messaging, or the creativity of my flow. That all helps.

What people are really coming for is to feel loved.

So here’s my new list:

10 Things People Want from a Yoga Teacher

1. To be touched–physically

2. To be touched–emotionally

3. To be listened to

4. To feel heard

5. To feel accepted

6. To feel lighter

7. To be hugged

8. To be smiled at

9. To feel understood

10. To be loved

It begins with us–with you and me. And whether we are officially teachers or not, we can do this for other people. It beings with doing it for ourselves. And then that one drop radiates out into the ocean.

I love this quote:

“We can do no great things, only small things with great love.” ~Mother Teresa

Namaste,

Lindsey