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| Hi all -
This is an offshoot of a sub-conversation we started in another thread.
I am curious to get others' take on the difference between yoga as a hobby and yoga as something more. One comment was made about the fact that hopefully yoga teachers don't merely consider yoga a hobby, but as something more. I would agree, but I think most of us start out seeing yoga as a hobby, before it transitions to something more. Maybe the one's that never transition are the one's the cease practicing yoga entirely.
I personally am not a yoga teacher, but have considered making that transition many times. The main reasons I have not made the transition are the fear of losing the personal benefits of yoga, and of course lack of time as I try to finish graduate school.
I know it depends on your definition of "hobby" but I'm interested in other thoughts on this topic.
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| well, i think that a hobby is something that someone considers fun, interesting, and often "light" or that they dont' take too seriously. But, i also know that for some people, it's the only time (that 'hobby time' or 'spare time') that they can do what they're truly passionate about but that wouldn't make them a living if it was a day job, or something that they dont' want to do as a day job so that they don't loose the passion for it.
So, the definition does matter.
for my own part, i know "hobbiest teachers" and by this, i mean non-professional teachers, and by this, i'm refering to the amount of time spend teaching and preparing to teach. professional teachers tend to spend more time on it, making it a full time job, while hobbiest teachers may only teach once or twice a week--if that.
I think that these folks make great teachers because even though they may nto be technical in their teaching or what have you, they're very passionate about their process and sharing what they have experienced. this is a great thing to offer. And, there are so many classes that need to be taught, if it was only left to the "pros" there would be so few classes!
As for my own perspective of what yoga is for me, I did answer the survey taking the concept of hobby-as-passion rather than being a sort of fun add-on to my day. but, for me, i'd say it's even more than that.
For me, yoga is a spiritual discipline and has been since i was a small child. i was first exposed to yoga in the home, with my mother, as a spiritual discipline. I began to make it my own around age 13/14 or so and i also got involved with buddhism around that time.
teaching yoga is also a spiritual discipline.
I feel that both practices (the practice of yoga and the practice of teaching yoga) inform me as to who i am (spiritually speaking) and how i should live. I learn so much from doing it, and i try to give as much as i learn when i teach.
it really is intrinsic to who i am, i guess. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
    
| Yoga as a hobby or pastime is decidedly different from, say, photography as a hobby or pastime. There is also a world of difference between someone like me who has added part time yoga teaching to a day job and someone like zoebird who teaches full time. It is an interesting question, though, and I hope your results will show that people can find a great deal of satisfaction in their hobbies-turned-jobs. That has certainly been my experience  |
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| I think I define hobby as anything you spend your time doing that you do just for yourself. Or others too, I suppose, but that you get something out intrinsically, as one poster mentioned.
Given that definition, I personally expect to find that once a hobby turns into a job, it is no longer a hobby in most cases. I think it can still be a passion, but you no longer do it only for you, so by my definition, it is most often not a hobby.
But I think certain factors may help it remain a hobby, such as spending time doing it as a hobby, purely for your own growth/satisfaction. Or if you manage to stay so connected in the joy of the activity, it might still be a hobby while it is a job.
I've personally witnessed this phenomenon in yoga instructors and in ministers - when they stop spending time on their own, doing the hobby/passion/what-have-you just for themselves, then they lose the passion for the activity as a hobby, and it becomes more of a job.
But it is tricky because you can't make "hobby" synonomous with "passion", although they could be related, as well as doing your passion as a paying job.
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| Therefore, taking a bath is a hobby. Putting on lip balm is a hobby. Eating is a hobby. Sleeping, a hobby.
sjperry - 2007-12-12 8:58 AM
I think I define hobby as anything you spend your time doing that you do just for yourself.
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| I think there are various degrees of "yoga as a hobby" for people, and it's not so much about how you define hobby, but how you define yoga. Taking my personal experience as an answer to your other post about making your hobby into your profession, I did that with fitness. I used to attend fitness classes, was a big enthusiast, and so my hobby became my profession when I studied to become a personal trainer. With yoga, however, even though the same events took place, I can't say it was the same sort of thing. Yes, I took yoga classes frequently, enjoyed them immensely, and eventually trained to become a yoga teacher (am I one of those "hobbyist" teachers ZB was talking about? I teach only two classes a week, so maybe  ). But I would never call my relationship with yoga a "hobby". Perhaps other people do, the ones that enjoy taking classes but pretty much leave yoga at the studio and/or gym when they leave. But for me, I was living and breathing it all the time. See, I didn't come to yoga for physical health and fitness, especially since I already had that in my "fitness hobby". I came to yoga for mental health, which the pursuit of I would NEVER consider to be a "hobby". A hobby is something you do. I don't consider yoga as something you do, so that's why it's so different for me. There are tons of people out there that for them, yoga is a "doing" thing, rather than a "being" thing. Could yoga be a "doing" thing for yoga teachers as well? That, I think, is the question you're trying to get at. |
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| i don't know if you are or not, honestly. LOL
my friend considers herself a "hobbiest teacher" because she "teaches as a hobby."
her practice has the many personal benefits and what not, that we commonly associate with yoga (these 'deep things' that we call keep alluding to), and she takes that practice very seriously.
but i would say that she doens't necssarily take her teaching in the same way. she just teaches because she enjoys doing it, and she really only wants to teach on her own terms, and she really only wants to teach a few times a week, and in a place where she doesn't have to worry about schedules, etc--so that she can go on her yoga retreats/vacations, plus her regular vacations, and so on.
she really does take the teaching rather "lightly" as in her approach to it, but she loves teaching and she's a great teacher. I really enjoy her classes (they are a lot of fun!).
but, that's where i got the idea/term about "hobbiest teacher." i think it offends some people, but i have noticed that there are a lot of "ladies of leisure" who like to teach yoga "just for fun" or "for something to do" and they teach well and lead fun classes--but they don't put the effort into it that other teachers might, or have the same perspective of teaching that i do (i see teaching as a spiritual discipline). but, they definitely take yoga "very seriously" and that's why they like teahcing, i think. |
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| zoebird - 2007-12-13 1:55 PM i see teaching as a spiritual discipline That's exactly how I see it as well. In fact, it's become more my practice than any other aspect of yoga lately. Maybe it's just a phase, because I'm still so new. Oh, and I can totally see how referring to someone as a hobbyist teacher (that's what you mean, right? as opposed to someone who's the "most hobby" = hobbiest ) might offend them, because they could take it that you don't consider what they do as something "serious". I think there's a distinction to be made between taking what you do seriously, taking yourself seriously, and just being serious about what you do. So am I a hobbyist? I'm with you, ZB, 'cause I honestly don't know either.  |
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| well, to be even more clear, SHE "coined" the term. LOL
she pointed out that there seem to be two (or more) kinds of teachers: those who teach as a hobby, and those who teach as a calling/spiritual discipline. I suppose that a person could teach any number of lcasses as either one, though a hobbist (is that a better spelling? i mean one who is doing it as a hobby--hobbiest?) would be less likely to teach full time.
but this doesn't mean that everyone teaching part time or once/twice a week is necessarily a 'hobbiest.' it just means that's what their schedule allows or what they want. it's really not an indication of their perspective.
i t hink the teaching bears out the perspective. hobby-teachers tend to have light, fun classes that have decent substance, but not a lot of depth and breadth over time. still, great and light classes where one has a great time doing it. i find that spiritual-discipline style teachers are always studying, trying new things, and offering depth and breadth to their teaching because they spend so much tie working on it.
i don't know if i'm making sense, but my friend realized that i teach very differently form her, and it's not just a matter of 'style.' she listened to me do an intake of an elder gentleman where i asked specific questions about his knee pain in relation to movement (which movements tended to cause pain), the type of pain, and how frequent/intense it was. i also asked in depth questions about his heart medication and his heart condition, etc. i then took this information and was able to quickly know what to do about it.
she said "i would have just told him, 'be careful, do only what you can.' and i would have left him to his own devices because i'm really interested in the larger group having a good time. i see that you're interested in making sure that every individual's needs get met, while still providing a class that suits everyone. you obviously put a lot more effort into your teaching than i do."
and it wasn't a compliment or a judgement or anything else, just straight observation, which got us talkin.' |
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| zoebird - 2007-12-13 3:27 PM she said "i would have just told him, 'be careful, do only what you can.' and i would have left him to his own devices because i'm really interested in the larger group having a good time. i see that you're interested in making sure that every individual's needs get met, while still providing a class that suits everyone. you obviously put a lot more effort into your teaching than i do." and it wasn't a compliment or a judgement or anything else, just straight observation, which got us talkin.' And so do you agree with her? I wouldn't think so, in that it's more a reflection of an individual teacher's style and approach, as opposed to putting more "effort" into one's teaching. These are all good things that you've described here, the welfare of the individual student as well as the entire group. It's not like either of you are going to do a half-a$$ed job in your teaching, LOL. Me, I'm in neither one of your leagues, being still so new to it all. My entire life's just a hobby, half the time.  |
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| I am not a teacher myself so this should be taken with a grain of salt. All the teachers(full time) I have talked to only seem to enjoy their personal practice more. For them yoga is their passion in life and teaching helps them spend even more time with their passion. Personally I am jealous of people like that who have found their one true passion in life. |
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| purnayoga - 2007-12-13 11:00 AM
Therefore, taking a bath is a hobby. Putting on lip balm is a hobby. Eating is a hobby. Sleeping, a hobby.
I think some people might consider these activities their hobbies, excluding lip balm, perhaps. 
I really appreciate the thoughts shared so far. This conversation is helping me better define my personal relationship with yoga.
I had another thought about the distinction between teachers who consider yoga a hobby versus more than a hobby...it's the usually very obvious distinction between classes offered at a general gym versus a yoga studio. I am blessed to currently have a teacher who is an exception to this rule, but I've had many fitness-instructors-turned-yoga-instructors at the gyms to which I've belonged.
I contend that the most fortunate people are those lucky enough to be able to afford both a yoga studio membership and a gym membership. And joining both is one of the first things I plan to do when I graduate and get a job that actually pays me something...
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| OM:
do i agree with her approach? I wouldn't say that i disagree with it, but that i have a very different perspective of what i am doing.
I consider this a spiritual discipline in which i learn about myself/cosmos/etc--so i am compelled to examine myself deeply in the process of teaching to understand what i'm called to do. i also feel compelled to strive to offer what i feel compelled to offer--even if it's beyond my ability or capacity in that moment (or rather, i think that it is or may be). And, i'm always "pushing" myself as a teacher to get to a space of more knowledge, etc.
My friend, on the other hand, quite literally teaches for fun. She's not teaching half-asped, as she definitely puts her heart into it and *loves* to do it. But, she's coasting. She knows a lot of yoga, and for her personal practice, she takes the approach of a spiritual discipline (as above), but completely sees her teaching as something that she doesn't have to/need to do, that she doesn't feel compelled to do. She just likes doing it.
I think that hobbies often have this effect on us. It's something that we enjoy, so we do it, and as soon as it's not enjoyable, we stop doing it. She's never stopped doing yoga, but she has stopped teaching for a time, and then come back to it when it's "fun" again. She learns a lot and brings that to her classes, but again, that's only because of what she's already doing--not because she feels compelled to do something so that she can offer it to her students.
Does that make sense?
And i really don't think of things in terms of "leagues." i know that i have my "style" within my "perspective" of my teaching. And, i know that someone can have a different perspective, or the same perspective but a different style. And it's not necessarily "better"--they're all just different.
I think that when it comes to the sort of instruction given to this man, my friend would have said that and walked away from it. I adjusted the class, gave him specific instruction as we went through, and after class spoke with him more. I asked if he would return, and he said he would (and has), and then i went home and researched about those conditions, added into my teaching/study asana practice (to see how i could access certain things within limited mobility).
on the other hand, my friend would have said "did you have a good class? great!" and then gone home and not thought about him again until the next class, given him the same instruction, and so on.
I think that a teacher with the same perspective (spiritual discipline) and a different style may give the same instruction and question at the end of class, but also would take some time to study that area, or to learn more about it, or ask other teachers about it on a forum like this, or what have you.
but, i could be wrong.
and, of course, there's nothing wrong with being new to something. it takes time to learn. i've been doing this a long time, and i do it full time. so, i put a lot of time in. but, i also know that i'm stylisticly different than most teachers too. |
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| ZB -- I see I was unclear with my question when I asked if you agree with her. I meant to ask if you agree with her assessment of her style vs. yours, not whether you agree her approach. I think the more I am cerebral (over-analyzing, etc.) about my teaching, the less I feel successful at it. It's like only talking about being happy but never actually being happy, ya know? Bottom line (for me, at least), is not to worry about definitions such as "hobby". I do know that I love teaching yoga, but I'm noticing that not every time I'm in a class to teach, does it feel like I'm teaching yoga (my turn to ask if that makes sense ). Sometimes it's not fun for me either, but I tend to think that's because of my newness still; I get torn between wanting to teach the yoga that's authentic to me vs. what I see the gym members wanting. So yes, I recognize that that very conflict is my spiritual journey of sorts, and that's why I continue when it isn't so much fun. It's funny, you say you're so different from many teachers, but I see a very distinct similarity between your style and that of my first teacher, the one I did my training with. So from my pov, it's really all I know, the standard I first learned as being what a yoga teacher is. There's a lot of background and preparation and attention to detail, as well as a definite sense of ease and enjoyment regarding teaching. Sthira and sukha, indeed. |
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| honestly, i agree with her assessment of our differences and i'm fine with her labelling, but i'm completely nonattached to it altogether. it really isn't something that i think about.
the only time i think about it is when i'm in conversation with someone who thinks that all yoga teachers are equally interchangable. they do recognize that people have different "styles" or what have you, but what they don't realize is that teachers can be dramatically different in their approach.
and i think that's the only time i think about the differences between styles and perspectives of teachers and whether or not someone would be a good "replacement" for me when i'm leaving a given location. i know what the students there want/expect, and so i try to find someone who is similar to me in style (regardless of perspective), so that their transition is easier.
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| it's nto giving me karmann's post. have to post to get it, i guess. |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| The board gets goofy sometimes. Not taking proper rest over the busy holiday time, I bet. |
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| Perhaps Vocation or avocation are better descriptions:
A vocation is an occupation, either professional or voluntary, that is carried out more for its altruistic benefit than for income, which might be regarded as a secondary aspect of the vocation, however beneficial. Vocations can be seen as fulfilling a psychological or spiritual need for the worker, and the term can also be used to describe any occupation for which a person is specifically gifted, and usually implies that the worker has a form of "calling" for the task.
Avocation then is applied to the smaller affairs of life, or occasional calls which summon a person to leave his ordinary or principal business. |
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Yoga as a hobby?
