Navigating Roles and Finding Alignment: A Journey from Front Desk to Yoga Teacher
In the spring of 2021, the owner of my local studio called me to offer me a part-time job working
at the front desk. She and I had known each other since 2016 when I started attending studio
classes, and we both had young daughters close in age. She knew that I would be pursuing
yoga teacher training and was offering me this role as a way to get familiar with the business
side of the studio before beginning my role as a teacher.
Of course, I said yes.
This opportunity came at a time when we were just coming out of COVID, and I was ready and
excited to venture back into the working world after taking time off to be home with my kids.
Working at the front desk on the weekends was a great way for me to spend some time working
outside of the home while still being home the majority of the time.
Working at the front desk helped me in so many ways. My studio offers yoga, massage, and
other wellness treatments, so fulfilling this role gave me a chance to get to know the teachers,
massage therapists, and clients. I also familiarized myself with the ins and outs of MindBody
and honed my ability to communicate clearly and directly all while still being friendly.
Overtime, I took on the role of yoga teacher while still maintaining my front desk hours, and I
kept it this way for a year. However, it got to the point where I was always working. I had gone
from only working in the home to working every single day outside of the home. Something had
to change.
Slowly, I began to release responsibilities that were no longer in alignment for me. And as much
as I loved my front desk hours, they were no longer in alignment. It took time to arrive at the
place where I felt comfortable giving up that role, but doing so has freed up time and energy that
I can devote to teaching yoga, writing, and building my yoga business.
Even though I eventually left my role at the front desk, I still value the experience and draw upon
my front desk training almost every day as a teacher. Due to my time at the front desk, I know
how to use aspects of MindBody that some of the other teachers find tricky. I also am familiar
with all aspects of the studios business, not just the yoga side. This helps me to view the
business holistically and to answer questions students may have about massages or other
offers the studio has. Lastly, I value that this experience pushed me to evaluate where I put my
time and energy. To me, this ties back to Bramacharya, right use of energy. In order to embody
this Yama, I had to let go of a role that I really did enjoy and value in order to make space for
the new.