During the World Cup games in December, I was struck (as was the media) by how the Japanese team left their locker rooms better than they found them – clean, tidy, and with a hand-written thank you note and carefully folded paper cranes on the center table. Even their fans stayed after the games to pick up plastic bottles and trash to leave the stadium pristine.

This kind of sensitivity and conscientiousness makes people want to invite a team like that back.

• What if you could engender that feeling in the folks who hire you at their yoga studio?
• What if you got asked back year after year by your favorite yoga festival because they love to work with you?
• What if online platforms booked you regularly to teach because you were such a dream to work with?

To get to this level in your career, you’ve got to avoid these five mistakes that can put you at a disadvantage when you’re being paid to be a professional in a working environment.

Here they are:

1. Operating from a Place of Entitlement vs. Graciousness

When I co-wrote The Art and Business of Teaching Yoga in 2016 I think I mentioned the word “entitled” only twice in the entire manuscript, referring to a yoga teacher’s attitude in the workplace.

If I were to write the book again today, I might need an entire paragraph devoted to that word. Maybe even a whole chapter.

The more I talk to yoga studio owners, festival organizers, and online yoga content managers who interact regularly with yoga teachers, the more I hear their complaints about teachers acting like “the world owes them” in their business dealings.

When you’re hired and being paid in exchange for your services, whether that’s yoga teaching, consulting, or writing, always be gracious and show gratitude for the opportunity. After all, someone is sharing their hard-earned money to pay you. Think of this as a chance to show your appreciation for the window to be of service to the yoga community.

Even if you believe your time is worth more than what they are offering, you can still be grateful and appreciative of the opportunity in negotiations or if you’re parting ways.

This includes invitations. If you receive an invitation to teach, rather than seeming “put upon” by the invite (yes, believe it or not, some teachers respond as if the invite is an imposition), respond promptly with a “Thank you so much for thinking of me, I would be honored to be part of it.” Or if you need to decline, “Thank you so much for thinking of me, I wish I could attend but I will be out of the country that week.”

2. Biting the hand that feeds you vs. being respectful and professional toward those hiring you

In contrast to graciousness, “biting the hand that feeds you” could take the form of dissing studio management, lashing out, or talking behind your employer’s back because you disagree with a studio policy, you have a conflict of some kind with management, or you’re reacting poorly to feedback from them you don’t like. No matter how egregious a crime you think your employer or manager may have committed, the professional way to handle conflict is to have a direct, compassionate, and open conversation with the party or parties involved, give the benefit of the doubt, and refrain from talking negatively behind their back. If you can’t come to a resolution, try to part ways without burning a bridge.

3. Skimming or violating contracts vs. fully comprehending and delivering on what you signed up for

Don’t be a victim of a contract you didn’t read carefully. This is something we see a lot in the yoga profession:

• Yoga teacher signs a contract they only skimmed
• Teacher violates the contract, or learns that there’s something they don’t like about the working relationship (that was stated in the contract they didn’t read fully but signed)
• Yoga teacher complains when they’re called out on violating the contract and/or…
• Teacher feels victimized when they find out about the thing they didn’t like in the contract

‘Nuff said. Don’t complain or be a victim about your working relationship with another party until you’ve gone back and actually read and are aware of what you signed up for.

4. Winging it vs. Being prepared and on your A-game

With so much digital yoga content produced these days, you may not have students in the room with you, so it’s harder to improvise, or read the room and decide on the spot what you’re going to teach next. Therefore, preparing ahead of time is essential.

If you’re being hired to teach online, or even in person, make sure you show up ready. This means your sequence and theme should be written out in advance and submitted in time for any deadlines requested.

5. Not taking responsibility for your actions vs. being defensive and pointing the finger elsewhere

Everyone makes mistakes. Without them, we’d never learn how to be – and do – better! If you’ve genuinely goofed in the yoga workplace, be quick to apologize, own it, take responsibility, and then commit to work with people on how to avoid the mistake in the future. This sets you up as coachable, dependable, and also real, so people can relate to you and not worry that you’ll judge them harshly when they themselves mess up. If you’re humble, it means you’re willing to grow. People generally prefer working with those who are coachable. If you say nothing when you’ve messed up, get defensive, or point fingers, people will feel like they have to walk on eggshells around you and won’t want to work with you anymore.

There you have it. Avoid these five mistakes in your professional dealings and marinate on graciousness. Contemplate – how you can embody graciousness as you move about your yoga world?

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