A few weeks ago I published an article on DoYouYoga.com (here) where I wrote about how I manage to teach 8 private clients in one day AND not feel totally run down by the end of it. What I didn’t mention is this…I love this day of all day teaching. Truly, Wednesday is my favorite day of the week.
Probably the most frequently asked question from my teacher friends and those who study with me is always…How do you do it?
One of the ways is through the self care practices that have become a natural part of my daily life over the last decade of teaching private yoga. You can read more about those here and here!
The other important note is, I created and scheduled this day on purpose. More on that in a moment. 🙂
People always ask me what the day actually looks like, so here ya go:
4:15am:: Alarm goes off
In a perfect world I was in bed reading something non-digital, {usually The Washington Post!} by 8:15pm the night before. That doesn’t usually happen, but the attempt means I am in bed by 10pm at the absolute latest.
4:30am:: I do the 7 minute workout from the NY Times.
I use a great app by the same name, you should check it out! It is a simple {literal} seven minute practice that has a lot of planks, squats, jumping jacks, etc. Full disclosure:: I JUST started doing this recently, so we’ll see how long it lasts, but so far I am loving the the short, structured, self-focused start to my day. Okay…even more Full Disclosure?? I usually opt for childs pose and downward dog instead of jumping jacks and high running knees. Even so, the simple, guided movement practice is a great way to start such a busy day.
4:45am:: Shower, Dress, pack snacks for the day
5:15am:: Cab to first client
5:45am:: Client #1
Quick walk
7am:: Client #2 {right up the street!}
Breakfast {usually pre-made cold granola/greek yogurt} happens in this cab.
8:30am:: Client #3
9:35am:: Walk 15 minutes to next client. I am now done with cabs for the day, and get to walk, bus, and subway around the rest of the day. {Much preferred. Cabs are expensive!}
10am:: Client #4
Bus to next client. Here I usually check and respond to emails and have a snack, but not at the same time. 🙂
12pm:: Client #5
1pm:: Client #6 {they are co-workers, so I don’t have to travel here. Yay.}
Brisk walk. {No phone allowed.}
2:30pm:: Client #7
Grab a juice/snack and hop on the subway.
4:30pm:: Client #8
Walk from Chelsea to Gramercy Park. {Two of my favorite NYC neighborhoods!}
6pm:: Early Bird Sushi Dinner with my dear friend, and fellow private yoga teacher, Aubrey!
8:30pm:: Home to crash. No email, no other work. Just reading, resting, and getting ready for Thursday.
This day, on it’s own, is pretty imbalanced. It is a massive amount of energy out, with little time to do anything other than teach. I am writing another post on A Week in the Life of a Private Yoga Teacher, and that will show much more balance. {Time for play, rest, grocery shopping, cooking, connection with family and friends, acupuncture, extended asana and meditation practice, and attention to managing and growing a thriving business}
After years of teaching spacious but long and scattered days, I was finally able to fill my Wednesdays to the brim with teaching and I just love it.
I really struggled with the long, spacious days. Teaching at 7am, 12pm, 5pm, and 7pm left me with so many holes in my day, and that meant that I had to move out of my role as teacher into another role {friend, daughter, grocery shopper, house cleaner, etc}. As I mentioned in this article, I found switching gears like that to be super energetically draining.
Everyone that I teach on Wednesdays I have been teaching for many years. They are people I love teaching, and feel so grateful to have seen wildly meaningful changes occur in their lives. I am committed to working with them, and we have so much fun!
I have also been teaching this schedule, almost exactly, for YEARS, and so the whole routine feels very consistent and grounded.
Given that it is such an intense day, it requires an incredible amount of presence and focus, and spending a whole day In The Zone like that feels amazing.
Teaching privately, especially this much, asks me to be clear, present, and vulnerable. Engaging in my teaching that way {as a daily practice} has had an amazing impact on the way I carry myself through the rest of my whole life. I have found the more I teach from an authentic, deeply present place, the more I show up in the rest of my life in the same way.
Having so many classes packed into one day is a personal choice, that works so well for me, but of course, it is not for everyone! We all get to decide how we show up in the world as teachers and as people, and I wanted to share my story and thoughts here in the hopes of inspiring you to create the schedule and life that works best for you.
Tell me loves. What does your teaching schedule look and feel like now? How might you like it to see it shift?
This is a great article. I feel more validated about those days with big holes in them. I feel like I get nothing accomplished because of the constant shift in roles. I’ve been trying to book my sessions and classes closer together, and it works much better. I even (officially) gave myself one workday evening off and no longer work weekends. I’m trying to do one self-care thing a week and prepare healthy foods on Sunday to help my work week flow more smoothly. Thank you for helping me bring more awareness to creating a career and lifestyle that supports and nourishes.
Yes, that is awesome Sandy! Not everyone finds that constant shift of roles draining, but I know I do too. I’m so happy you’ve found some great ways to take care of yourself, so you can continue to offer yourself full in your teaching. Sending you love…
I am quite the opposite of what you are describing – for years I tried to schedule my clients close together and found myself exhausted by the end of the day. So now I operate with a few stretchy breaks in my days, and enjoy switching between all the different roles. I find that helps my mind stay fresh and improves my ability to focus. Perhaps the way we structure our schedules depends on the type of personality we are – vata, pitta, kapha? introvert, extrovert?
I love this Julia! Yes, we are all so different, and so incredibly lucky to be able to create schedules that work best for our different temperaments. I tend to be pretty pitta and extroverted. Once I’m fired up I like to stay that when. Then I get longer chucks of time to settle in for “house work” (both real house, and inner work) which I need, sense it takes me a while to settle down. What about you? Do you find you are more introverted? Which dosha do you tends toward? (Thanks so much for sharing your perspective!)
Francesca,
I’m in aw of your schedule! You rock! I currently teach 5 days a week (I just recently re-claimed my weekends) and normally have 3-5 classes a day (not all privates) spread out with around 2 hour breaks between each one. Initially I thought this would be a good break but I’m finding that as soon as I sit down to do work or shop, it’s time to go back at it again and I hardly ever have time to actually get anything done. I would much prefer your schedule. Did you have to get any of your existing clients to switch days or times when you switched over to this schedule? Thank you for all the great content you put out!
Hi Samantha! I also really prefer to have the long chunks of time (whole days) without teaching to get my other work done. It was a really slow process to get to this Wednesday schedule. I did ask one client to switch from Friday morning to Wednesday morning, but mostly I just kept offering new people the holes in my Wednesday schedule until there weren’t any left. (This took many many years, just for frame of reference). Best to you, dear! XO
Thankyou for another great blog Francesca. I love your Wednesdays! – getting to be in The Zone all day teaching whilst intentionally taking care of yourself in between clients. I find your blogs/teaching approach really inspiring. One question I have – do you always prepare specific plans for each client each time or do you work more instinctively & mainly respond to an individual student’s needs in that moment based on general background knowledge of your client? I feel more comfortable taking quite a specific plan based on previous sessions with a student; (probably for my reassurance!) & especially if teaching one client quickly after another as you obviously do so much – but I feel I should try & respond more to their needs when I’m with them as I think that’s one of the main advantages of private teaching for students.. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Best wishes & thankyou for sharing.
Thanks for this great question Gail! I will usually come in with a few ideas of things I might want to work on with a client, but I never come with a specific plan because I like to work really intuitively and create sessions on the spot that meet my clients deepest needs. This is not easy to do, so you are not alone in preferring to work from a specific pre-created plan. It took years and years of practice for me to hone my intuitive skills. This is one of the topics we cover most in depth in my online training (http://fcyw.wpengine.com/online-training/). We spend a full month looking at the topics of Meeting Students Where They Are and Observation and Assessment Skills. Sending love to you!
Wow, this is some schedule! One thing that is not mentioned is children and for those who have them and have to arrange their schedules, a packed schedule such as yours is not feasible. For me, I am looking to fill the hours between 9am-3pm only but not one after another. Kudos to you and all your energy! Ah, to be young!! 🙂
Thanks Annette, so much, for your thoughts! This is the schedule that works for me {and I have good friend who is a mom/ yoga teacher and has a schedule just like this one day a week}, but you’re right. It’s totally about what works best for you and your family. Love your website, and our mutual teacher Judith Lasater, thanks so much for all the good work you do in the world!
Hi! I appreciate the honesty you put into this post. I only have one question, are you open to being a mentor. More specifically, My mentor? I graduated from a 6 month YTT program about 3 months ago. I believe I had secured 1 client, but that quickly dissipated and now I am trying my best to regroup and focus on growth. I am wanting to not only survive but succeed in this business. Seeing someone be successful at it helps immensely. Thank you for what you do!
Hi Heather! Thanks so much for being a member of our community here! I’m going to send you an email…XO