Imposter syndrome:  “the persistent fear of being exposed as a fraud"

Most people suffer, at some point or another in their lives, with imposter syndrome. 

Imposter syndrome stifles our potential and keeps us in our lower self.  It stops us from moving forward in our lives and actually making decisions to do the things we truly desire. 
Some of the main things that comes up in conversation when people want to take the next step on the yoga journey are:

•  I haven’t been practising very long

• What will other people think when I tell them I am going to a yoga teacher training

• I’m too out of shape 

• I can’t do XYZ pose and I’m not flexible 

• The feelings of not being good enough to be a yoga teacher

Sound familiar?

We start to worry we are going to show up and look like a fraud so we stay small and stop ourselves from taking action. 

Self doubt can come and go, and the feelings of not feeling good enough can swamp us leaving us paraylsed and not following our dreams.

Here are 5 ways to help you stop the downward spiral into imposter syndrome: 

Reflect on your successes 

Make a list of all the successes you have had in your life, big or small. Take a moment to ask yourself how it makes you feel to see all your achievements. Go back to how it felt when you achieved these things.

This exercise is a great way to realise how capable you truly are and all the things you have achieved in your life so far.  It’s so easy to forget and focus on what you haven't done yet. 

Reframe your negative thoughts & questions

Low energy thoughts and questions make us doubt ourselves, we need to ask ourselves better questions to shift our mindset 
Ask yourself:

• How can I improve my life by doing yoga teacher training? 

• How can I improve my practice?

• How can I help others by becoming a yoga teacher ?

Observe what comes up and journal.  

Eliminate comparison 

It is so important to focus on our own growth and journey rather than comparing ourselves to others. Comparing your beginning to someone else's middle you create expectations that hold you back.  We don’t know what goes on in other people's lives and what they have had to go through to get to where they are, remember every person's journey is different.

Ask yourself: How would I feel if I complete my yoga teacher training and have the opportunity to teach? 

This helps you to  shift the focus away from somebody else’s journey and move towards taking action towards your dreams. 
Lean into acceptance 

Lean into acceptance of where you are on your yoga journey. Stop thinking you need to have the perfect yoga practise to be a teacher, that your downward dog needs to be 100% correct alignment and that you must be able to do every single yoga pose.  Yoga is constant evolution. 

What will others think

We worry about what others will think of our decisions and the choices we make, this is actually our lower self talking. You might be imagining your friends and family thinking you’ve gone nuts or your coworkers talking about your new adventure!

People don’t talk about us or think about us as much as we think. It really isn't any of our business what other people think of us, it’s just our ego. 

Ask yourself:  What is the worst thing that can happen if I decide to become a teacher? 

Taking action is the actual thing that will banish your self doubts and wash away an imposter syndrome, stop putting your life on hold because of what others may think. The time is now! 

At evolation the moment the training starts the trainees are asked to embody being the student and the teacher.  As yoga practitioners, students and teachers we are constantly learning, there is no end goal in yoga, it’s constantly evolving.  We are always looking for ways to better ourselves as teachers and human beings.  

It’s important to be your own biggest cheerleader in life and never forget that:

 “There are people less qualified than you, doing the things that you want to do, simply because they decide to believe in themselves.” - unknown

The path of yoga is expansion, trust and self belief, it’s the journey not the destination. This planet needs more yogis, more healers and coaches to make a bigger impact and a better place for us all.

So, what are you waiting for?  The time is now to take action.

Click below to start your yoga teacher training journey