Speaking of intuition (in my last blog), if you practice self hypnosis or meditate, start requesting help from your subconscious. For those of you in other holistic fields, find a qualified hypnotherapist and request a trade to learn self hypnosis. It is a tool that will assist you in every area of your life. Once you have picked a topic, allow your subconscious to help you become comfortable with teaching. Create a mental image of appearing in front of your class. See yourself interacting with your students. You all know the power of visualization; after awhile it is the easiest thing you have ever done. You will wonder why you waited so long.
I was incredibly nervous teaching those first few classes. The first workshop I taught had only two students, and I knew them both. By the third or fourth workshop, I was attracting more students, but I was still very tense. I asked members of one class if they felt cold. No, they were comfortable. Well, I was freezing.
When I left the room to turn up the thermostat, I realized that I was not cold from the temperature but from nerves. I stayed away for a few minutes taking deep breaths and finally rejoined the class.
Then, one day, it occurred to me that I knew more about my subject than anyone else in class. Whew, that helped me to relax. As I continued to teach, I began to hear responses from the students about the positive changes they were making in their lives because of what they learned in my class. I relaxed even more. Soon, I looked forward to teaching because I knew how much the students could gain from this information. Their enthusiasm was contagious. My confidence grew.
I discovered something about myself through this process. There had always been a teacher hidden somewhere deep inside me. Somewhere inside many of you a teacher may be waiting to emerge. If I had not tried teaching, I would still be uncomfortable working with groups. You cannot uncover your aptitude for teaching until you begin to teach.
If fear is holding you back, work through it. I taught a class, From Fear to Freedom, that was very helpful for my students. The course is available for you to teach. We teach what we need to learn. While teaching this class you can work through your own fears and help others. Just do the exercises prior to class so that you’re a step ahead of your students.
Copyright 2012 Katherine Zimmerman
All Rights Reserved
