1. How many hours per week should a yoga teacher practice?

A) 14
B) 7
C) It depends
D) This is a trick question, right?
E) Both C and D

2. Mastery of which key pose is the level of initiation for successfully teaching yoga on the local level?

A) Tadasana
B) Savasana
C) Full Wheel
D) Crow Pose
E) This is a trick question, right?

3. Mastery of which key pose is the level of initiation to successfully teach yoga at the national level?

A) Headstand
B) Handstand
C) One Handed Handstand
D) Foot Behind Head
E) This is a trick question, right?

4. What is the highest acceptable percentage of body fat yoga teachers may have?

A) 2-5%
B) 10-13%
C) 14-20%
D) 32+%
E) This is a trick question, right?

5. Which of the below names is the most appropriate spiritual name for a yoga teacher?

A) Karuna
B) Karuna-ananda
C) Moonbeam Lollipop
D) Billy
E) This is a trick question, right?

6. Which is the acceptable diet for a yoga teacher?

A) Vegetarian
B) Vegan
C) Raw
D) Gluten Free
E) This is a trick question, right?

7. What is the minimum number of Chaturanga Dandasanas that is acceptable to teach in a 90 minute class?

A) 0
B) 10
C) 20
D) 49,000
E) This is a trick question, right?

8. Which is the single most effective method of hatha yoga?

A) Anusara
B) Bikram
C) Vinyasa
D) Ashtanga
E) This is a trick question, right?

9. What is the largest size in lululemon Wunder Unders that is acceptable for a yoga teacher to wear?

A) Negative Zero
B) 0
C) 2
D) 4
E) This is a trick question, right?

10. Which is an acceptable morning beverage for a yoga teacher?

A) Decaf latte with soy milk
B) Kale smoothie
C) Hot water with lemon
D) Vodka
E) This is a trick question, right?

Was that quiz ridiculous enough to make my point? My point being that most people live life a whole lot like Mulder from The X-Files, believing that “the truth is out there“.

But the truth isn’t out there. It’s ours to create.

(At least, it’s mostly ours to create. Certainly, I acknowledge that there are truths that are true enough to be true without human consent, experience, or subjective interpretation. My teacher often uses the sunrise to make this point. With me, or without me, the sun will come up tomorrow morning. That will be true with or without my consent, whether or not I am present to witness that particular sunrise, and regardless of my feelings about it.)

Right now, I’m interested in more subjective kinds of “truths”. I’m talking about the truths that we create, or buy into, truths that under closer examination aren’t true at all. I’m talking about beliefs. 

Take those questions up there, for example, about requirements for success in the field of teaching yoga. Sure, they are deliberately tongue-in-cheek, and look ridiculous on paper–but I’ll bet I’m not the only one who has believed some form of at least one of them!

It’s all too common–and so very human–to hold up our beliefs as gospel, and then to fail to measure up against them. Maybe we unconsciously create our own metaphorical yardsticks of belief. Maybe we invest in someone else’s beliefs. Either way, unquestioning acceptance of beliefs means forfeiting power.

Right now, my passion as a life coach, lies in helping people question their limiting beliefs. My passion as a yoga teacher who mentors other yoga teachers is twofold:  it lies in  sharing what excites me, and facilitating teachers in questioning unconscious beliefs–their own and the ones they’ve inherited–about what it means to be a “good teacher”.

What kind of limiting beliefs have held you back in your teaching? What kind of experiences have you had bumping up against the limiting beliefs of others? What did you once believe to be true that you no longer believe?  Leave a comment below and talk to me! Read more of my posts here.