In all the years I've been doing this work, only one person ever has accused me of being unprofessional.
And you know what? They were right.
It's unprofessional to let a student stay after class for five, ten, thirty minutes because they're going through some tough stuff and they really need someone to listen.
It's unprofessional to tell a student I'm praying for them when they're sick or struggling.
It's unprofessional to be friends with my students and clients. It's unprofessional to text them funny yoga memes and motivational quotes between classes. It's unprofessional for them to send me pictures of themsleves doing yoga on the beach when they go on vacation and miss a class with me.
It's unprofessional to offer to continue someone's classes for free when their financial situation changes because it's more important to me to help them continue their healing than it is to get paid.
It's unprofessional to have my dog in the studio, and to let him lie with his head on someone's mat (or on their lap) while they're practicing. It's unprofessional to let my littlest yogi students snuggle up next to Jupiter for their Savasana.
It's unprofessional to invite my students to stay after class for tea and coffee, or to accept invitations to their homes for dinner and to meet their families.
It's unprofessional to care deeply and unreservedly about everyone who crosses the threshold of my studio.
And that's why I do it.
The reason I became a yoga teacher was not to create another “professional” business, in an impersonal commercial space with fluorescent lighting and wall-to-wall mirrors. I became a yoga teacher because God has called me to help others heal, and to create a space in which they can begin their own healing journeys.
I set out to create something new, something different. The people who work with me notice the difference and it's why they choose to come back again and again and again. I want my studio to feel less like a studio and more like a home. I want my students to feel less like clients and more like family. I've put an immense amount of effort and energy into creating exactly the kind of space I want to share with others. It's what makes Luminaire the unique success that it is. It's what makes me who I am.
So cheers to all you “unprofessionals” out there, putting your whole hearts and souls into the work you've been called to do. You're the Light in this world.
Namaste.