Thank you for your support
By Alana and Megan
In a year of change and challenge, Megan and I are humbled to be recognized with Reader’s Choice Awards for our yoga teaching. These awards are about community, and for Megan and I who strive to build engaged, safe, and supportive communities wherever we are teaching, it is so exciting to be recognized.
Whether you’ve taken one class with us or we move and laugh together every week, thank you!
From Alana
I chatted this week with another practitioner who was recognized with a Reader’s Choice Award. She and I both felt disbelief – neither of us could believe we had won.
It was easy to reassure my friend that she was deserving of her award. I see how incredibly hardworking she is, how she brings authenticity into everything she does, and that her passion for her work is obvious to everyone who knows her. Her community sees that, benefits from it, and recognized it with her award.
It was harder to turn the same logic on myself. In an industry like yoga where you put so much of yourself out there, I often feel like I’m making it up as I go. That it genuinely makes no sense that people like my classes.
The imposter syndrome runs deep, and I continue to be humbled and honestly surprised by the successes I’ve found in my teaching. I have a knee-jerk reaction to counter good news with rationalizations – I got this job because of who I know, this event turned out well because of good timing, I won this award because I have incredibly supportive friends.
It's easier to explain away the wins than say out loud that I’ve earned them. This dismissiveness is something I think many, especially women, can relate to. For example, I have this tendency whenever I receive a compliment to compliment the person back:
Them: “I really enjoyed your class”
Me (an awkward weirdo): “Thanks, you looked really strong in your chatarangas!”
Or to immediately reject anything nice:
Them: “Your cueing is so clear”
Me: “Oh thanks, I just ramble endlessly and hope it makes sense.”
But wait. I have over 1,000 hours of teaching in just over two years of work in this field. I’ve done hundreds of hours of additional education and taught in all kinds of settings with all kinds of students. I’ve helped start a yoga non-profit, connected with students in time zones around the world, and made so many incredible friends. So maybe, I am in fact pretty good at my job and deserving of this award?
My therapist recently gave me some homework. She told me that every time I receive a compliment, instead of one of my auto-tactics (the ol’ compliment back or dismiss), I simply say ‘thank you.’
No jokes, no downplaying, no explanations. Just thank you. Sit in the feeling of accepting a compliment and believing that the person who offered it really meant it.
It’s harder than it sounds, but now is as good a time as any to start. So, from the bottom of my heart – thank you for your support!
Alana
From Megan
I have been blessed to grow a career that has allowed me to blend my passion for anatomy, movement, physiology and that creates connection between the mind and body. It's my intention that in my classes and my clinical work I'm creating a safe and informed space for people to connect back to themselves. In all my work, I promote skills of building internal awareness, coming back to the breath, and moving within the body's capacity.
One of the things I love most about my career is the ability to create both experiential and evidence-informed learning in sessions. In sharing theory, practices and resources I hope to empower my clients and students to feel they have accessible tools for self-care and that they can make informed movement choices outside of our sessions together.
As a self-employed person, the business world can be overwhelming. It's constantly changing and there are so many different roles you have to play, often at once. Alana and I often joke that we spend a lot of time yelling into the void on the Internet. Often, you just don't know if or what people find valuable. The overwhelmingly positive feedback and support Alana and I have received this past year from our community has meant so much to me and us personally and professionally.
Thank you for supporting me and this work.
Xo -m
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