Seriously!!!

1 in every 10 people in Jersey is a Yoga Instructor. OK. I am clearly jesting; but it does feel like that the last couple of years as Darren and I struggle and have an ongoing conversation about how we are going to sustain what we do in the climate we are operating in; But that is OUR worry and I am sure many of the other Yoga Instructors who teach Yoga full time for their livelihood are having similar dialogues either internally or with those around them. MAY WE ALL SUSTAIN.  We are all busy waving our virtual hand (online) saying hi! To potential new practitioners, we are over here if you would like to try out what we have to offer.  Right now things are tricky but we love what we do so much and we are ‘awkward’ enough that we will still be here in 10 years’ time doing it.  IT DOES NOT HELP THE WORRIES HOWEVER when one of your newer, younger students who have recently found a love for Bikram Yoga comes in to class this morning and tells you that they were recently actively targeted in the street by someone in a black tee that had the word ‘instructor’ on the back. The practitioner clearly singled out in the street near our studio because they were carrying a Yoga mat and asked if they would like to come in and try a Yoga class at their place.  Getting a permit from the parish hall to hand out flyers in the street is one thing (this person wasn’t handing out flyers – we did when we first opened but I handed out 2 flyers in an hour on King Street (and we got prior permission) because I didn’t want to bother people (well they were carrying shopping bags or pushing prams and looking stressed!!); and then someone I knew saw me, tutted at how pathetic I was at it and took them off me and handed out about 30 in 2 minutes; I am clearly not made for that kind of marketing, just don’t want to bother people and never did it again!BUT to walk up to someone who is clearly already on their way to their Yoga class is another. Aggressive marketing at its best and personally, and some may think I am naive, I think it really doesn’t have a place in Jersey; Jersey is just too small, it really is not like other places.  Needless to say, it had my head spinning a bit; I do not believe the individual in the black tee to be an actual Yoga instructor because a Yoga instructor would NEVER do that; it is a blatent going against the third Yama ASTEYA (or Non Stealing if your Sanskrit isn’t too fresh in your memory).  The need to steal essentially arises because of a lack of faith in one’s own ability to create what is needed for/by oneSelf.  ‘This perceived ‘lack’ creates a desire, a want, a greed arising; everyone else has what we want; we will just take it.’  I am sure the Yoga teachers in that place would be mortified if they knew what action was being taken to acquire students for their classes.  I am just so glad the practitioner was already feeling the love for their newfound practice of Bikram Yoga and not actually on their way to their first class with us and then got waylaid.  One person told me this; I don’t know how many others have been targeted that didn’t tell me or their own instructor elsewhere.  For the rest of us trying to get by, this time will pass.  Love this blog for getting stuff off the old chest 😉 but as my head spun today I had a word with myself and reminded myself of a famous Bikram quote “Never Let Anyone Steal your Peace otherwise you are the loser.”

Asteya Out

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