A Day in the Life of a Satyananada Yoga Teacher

On this particular day, the sun has risen but it is still early enough to hear nature’s morning chorus. My husband gets up first today. He does early morning stretches that help him manage his physical job as a builder. He is more physical and I’m more spiritual. We meet somewhere in the middle. As I wake, I recall and journal any dreams. I practice 20 minutes of self-Reiki, sit up and chant my personal mantra 108 times with my mala beads.  Traditionally mala beads are tulsi. Mine are Sandalwood and I love the smell of them. It takes me back in time to over 20 years ago when I first received them on starting my Satyananda yogic studies journey in 2003 at Mangrove Mountains Ashram. Newly over from London and pregnant with my first child, I left my 9-5 pm corporate job and began studying yoga in between nappies, playgroups, parks and the odd class or two. 

I practice a 15 minute ajapa meditation with mantras through the chakras, a shorter version of the one Jayne Stevenson and Swami Shakardev Saraswati from Big Shakti taught me. I infuse each chakra with its own mantra before doing a grounding practice. I thank my teachers past, present and future.   

Twice a week I do an hour of yoga asana and pranayama practice before teaching an early morning class or seeing a private client. On Fridays, I often run (more of a trot perhaps) down a hill at the end of my road with my friend, to a national park as the sun rises. We sometimes walk back up through bushland spotting native plants and animals on the way and chatting. It’s right on the beautiful Hawkesbury River. I love the water and used to love swimming in the saltwater creek and taking the kids kayaking when we visited the Mangrove Ashram. 

Today is Thursday, so no online class, no trotting down hills. It’s a quiet day, I only have 2 classes today and no private clients. 

Once upon a time, 4-6 am was the only time I could meet my needs before the little ones rose. I’d hear the pitter-patter of little feet and my youngest would be gently pulling out a mat next to me, near the end of my practice, or sitting on my cross-legged lap with tiny soft little hands in gyan mudra, meditating with me.  In the later years, I’d hear her humming or singing mantras around the house. My eldest attended my teen yoga classes with her friends and my middle child has been practising pranayama over the last couple of years and does ‘yoga’ stretches to improve flexibility. 

I set up the Yoga room and sit at my favourite spot under my beloved white mulberry tree to chant my mantras. It’s hot today so I decided to walk my dog, Monty, later in the day. I can fit my practice in more easily these days. It has become more of a dance throughout the day, which is wonderful and sustains me. I have a fond memory and feel a yearning for the more regular and extended daily practice that I used to have. I miss that quiet magical time of dawn, the transition from night to day. I was incentivized to rise at the crack of dawn because it was possibly the only time to get some me-time before meeting the needs of my children. It made a difference to how our day unfolded when I was running on a full self-care tank. Looking back, having to practice at that time was a gift. 

Back in the house, I reload the washing machine and dishwasher, hang the washing out and vacuum Monty’s endless stream of white hair off the surfaces. I like to have a little clean in the morning before class and late afternoon while making dinner – it’s my karma yoga time, and making the house sparkly is a daily practice! 

It was a huge privilege to have been able to immerse myself in the yogic lifestyle and to have the generous teachers share their passion for the teachings with me. We partook in karma yoga. This involved jobs such as cleaning the bathrooms or taking part in bush regeneration in the surrounding mountains, as we flicked off leeches. We harvested veggies from the gardens that we cooked and enjoyed with pure bhakti. Towards the end, I helped teach early morning classes and yoga nidras. I was so lucky to be given the opportunity to help with teaching yogic studies. 

Today I will take great joy in harvesting produce from my own veggie patch. I like to share my harvest by leaving brown paper bags out for clients to pick their own mulberries when the tree is full. I sometimes exchange herbs and veggies with friends and neighbours. We even have bananas, passion fruit and pineapple guavas. I make my own teas with dehydrated white mulberry leaves, berries and herbs too.

This Thursday morning, 15 minutes before my morning class is due to start, the first client meanders up the walkway to the yoga room alerted by my dog, Monty. The clients love Monty as much as he loves them. He plonks himself down in the middle of the room with a big groan which many of us can relate to. We are at that liminal halfway point of the term and we do a seasonal-type class, revise our sankalpas to get back on track & discuss yamas and niyamas.  The sound bowl makes the most incredible sound it hasn’t made before, and it doesn’t go unnoticed. 

I look forward to seeing my clients and hearing about their week as many of them have been coming for years.  It feels like a supportive community. Some of the students suggested having a combined Christmas party for all the classes this year to mingle with students from other classes, which was great fun. They are already discussing plans for next year, such as a pottery class. We often discuss going on a retreat together too, which may happen one day!

Satyananda yoga is a classical style of yoga.  I guide my students through a settling practice, asana, pranayama, meditative techniques and end with Yoga Nidra. I love weaving through yogic philosophy which helps raise awareness and manage everyday challenges. 

I used to teach in a lovely hall that took a lot of people but having my own space is a huge advantage and privilege (a bonus of marrying a builder, which I did not plan … honestly).  Every day I am grateful. I am starting to take more advantage of the space and sometimes invite guests to treat my students to different experiences/events. I usually only take up to 12 for these but have taken up to 16 before (the local Scouting/Venturer/Rover groups who didn’t mind squishing up with friends). 

To subsidize my Yoga Teaching, I offer various modalities to my private clients including massage, myofascial release, craniosacral therapy (CST) and somato-emotional release (SER). I particularly enjoy working with the client’s inner physician using techniques from yoga therapy, CST & SER to rebalance the chakras. I can be flexible to work around family and choose how much work to take on.  I teach 8 group classes a week with up to 8 people in each (9 including my 16-year-old retriever, Monty if he attends). I offer options for modifications, variations and substitute practices to suit different ages, needs and levels of experience.

After class, I chat to my clients and they make a fuss of Monty. No wonder he loves going. My daughter is inside.  She has two semesters left until she completes her degree in creative industries. She has just finished making me a logo. It is exactly what I wanted. I feel full of gratitude. Between her online university classes, my daughter has also designed a beautiful ticket, for our upcoming Mother’s Day collaboration of Sound and Yin (which I’ve more recently trained in).

I’ve done many amazing courses through Trina Bawden-Smith, Yoga Therapy Institute including yoga therapy, Ayurvedic Lifestyle consultancy courses on menopause and inflammation and of course all of Big Shakti’s teachings of whom I am a huge fan. I treasure the teachings from the Krishnamacharya tradition shared by Sal Flynn during Yoga Therapy studies and the other wonderful teachers and use the techniques frequently in my private sessions. Though spiritual, I’m not religious and enjoy finding and comparing truths and familiarities in different belief systems. The beauty of yoga is that you can practice it whatever your spiritual inclination. 

Due to the 1440hr (2.5 years back-to-back study or in my case 11 years) including the long residentials, the Satyananda yoga Diploma was intensive. The last residential was impossible to attend with 3 young children so I waited until the kids were all school-age to ask my mother, in the UK to come over and help my mother-in-law look after the children.  I am incredibly grateful to them and my husband for their awesome support during this time.  I completed a Hatha Yoga Diploma with my pre/postnatal teacher to get me started in the meantime.

The weather has cooled so I walk Monty and find lots of inspiration for yoga nidra. Today I am gifted with yet another feather that drops right in front of me from nowhere just as I finish sending distance reiki. At the Ashram we saw diamond pythons shedding their skins and all sorts of incredible wildlife that may feature in my yoga nidras when they come to mind. 

Satyananda yoga to me has been an anchor and an inspiration. Yoga was what I relied on and leant on through any challenges. I am so grateful to have been able to share the knowledge and use it to heal and improve my life, as well as my relationships with myself and others. 

It has provided me structure and a framework through the past 22 years. It has provided tools for my nomadic yearning, allowing me spiritual exploration through all my walks of life. This is what I needed as a mum who wished to provide safety and security remaining grounded and present; yet also meet my own spiritual needs and freedom to continue my own journey as an individual. 

My husband used to return home from work stressed like a whirlwind. These days, he goes upstairs, does his pranayama and yoga nidra. I often join in, while dinner’s cooking, before wattsapping my family in UK and going to teach my evening class. I will be teaching them their third mantra tonight. 

Satyananda yoga is a tradition that recognizes duality. We are both polar opposites. We cannot have one without the other. There is beauty in grief and sadness as well as in joy and gladness.  However, it is in the magical in-between space, between awake and asleep, between the in and the out-breath and between light and darkness that the potential for change exists. This is where we experience wholeness, balance and contentedness. 

I have a light snack only. The children have all started working and socializing. My husband likes to watch the news and I teach, so these days, it is a rare occasion to have our dinner around the table together. This is something I look forward to when it does happen. I remind myself to release my attachment to family meals. It is a work in progress. 

I cross the grass from the house to the studio and notice how the evenings are growing darker as we move into Autum. As I look out of the studio window at the evening sky, I notice one of my capsicums has turned red. How exciting!  I light the candle and prepare the room. I hear the sound of lively chatter approaching. They gravitate to their favourite spot and set themselves up. We catch up briefly and get stuck in. At the end of the evening class, we chant our 3 mantras. The group sounds wonderful and I glow with pride inside at how far they’ve come in learning the mantras, pronunciation and resonance. I love chanting with them. There’s a lovely energy particularly as the group has become very close.  I love my job. There have been times when it’s quiet and I ponder whether I’m doing the right thing and think about going back to corporate even if part-time. My clients give me feedback and it reminds me I’m on the right path and it is making a difference to them as much as it does for me and I can’t imagine not teaching.

The house is fairly quiet when I come in. I listen to my son playing his guitar gently as I get myself a cup of tea. It is very relaxing. The live kirtans at the Ashram were a lot more stimulating than this gentle strumming and led to some amazing dreams but could keep me awake at night.  I have a little silver tray with a crystal, candle, daily quote and flower and I light the candle.  I remind myself it is the journey, rather than the destination. All that matters is that we “om on ozzie om on” with pure intention and effort all the way home. I go over my day in my head as I lie down. I ask my subconscious to answer any questions I have or give me messages and I give myself reiki.  I send out my gratitude and fall into a deep slumber.