256 - The Creative Practice of Teaching

Today I'm sharing about a couple big experiences--my first time traveling overseas, and to teach Flow School in Switzerland!--and how those weave with a larger conversation about imposter syndrome, and what it means to grow as a teacher and human. 

I also explore the the significance of trust in teaching, how we cultivate inclusivity, balancing planning and play, and why creative sequencing and self-ownership matter in our leadership. 

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The music for this episode is Threads by The Light Meeting.
Produced by: Grey Tanner

Transcript

Bonnie (00:01.39)
I have now traveled overseas. Welcome to the Podcast Loves. Today I'm going to give you two things. One is a lesson for teachers because it's one of the things, I'm gonna give you one of the things that I talk a lot about with teachers. And number two thing that I can give you is kind of a recap of traveling overseas for the first time ever.

and for the first time for Flow School and my experience with that. So, which is so interesting. So, welcome back to the podcast. Just to bring you up to date, I offer something called Flow School. Flow School is a yoga teacher course for current teachers. Every once in a I have somebody who is

still finishing their training or people who haven't taken an initial training at all, but are already teaching classes. And that's what I did. I was teaching classes for a whole year before I even took a teacher training and finished a teacher training. And I had people who are already coming to me as a trainer, as I started teaching them yoga. So I really wanted to, you know, create something that taps into the way that we lean into creative sequencing and how do we

marry the world of alignment and postures and the transitions between them and how flow is really this continuous connection with breath and body movement. And how to tap into that outside of a son A or a son B or what you would call a warrior standing flow.

And what else is there? How else can we sequence that's not just a dance that's choreographed to particular, like there's types of yoga where maybe you choreograph different movements to different moments in a song and different words in a song that can exist. And there's so many different types of yoga. So even the idea that a 200 hour training that we receive, we do not receive the same thing as a 200 hour training. I just want to put that out there.

Bonnie (02:21.102)
And there's so many different schools of yoga and different ways to approach yoga that like it's gonna vary everywhere you go and wherever you get trained in that initial 200 hour training program. And that can also be largely dictated by your desires and by your interest in the teachers that you have and how they show up and what they have to offer. And all of that is actually really great.

It does also provide a lot of variance in what we might call like, what is yoga? And how do we know if we're teaching yoga? And how do we define it for ourselves? And how do we define it for our students? So I really believe that there's more than one way to be right. And that yoga has evolved over hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of years, and it will continue to evolve.

And so we have the opportunity or the responsibility both to evolve with it and to do it to the most, like hold it in as much integrity, the practice and also ourselves and also our students and to do that as much as possible. So it's a lot of fun. It is so much fun to lead flow school and to gather teachers together that come from

so many different sorts of trainings of ways that they're currently teaching. And sometimes people who are still haven't stepped in the room yet and they come and then other people show up who have been teaching and practicing for 20 years or plus. People who are studio owners and people who have no community with where they live because of maybe the rural kind of part of the world that they live in. So I teach this both online and in person.

And last year was the first time I did it in person. was like, you know what? I've been doing this for almost three years at that point in time. I think we could do this in person. makes sense now. And I had two in-person flow schools in 2023. Now, as we're nearing the end of 2024, also just take a moment that this podcast is five years old, five years old. That is like, we're still doing this thing. I honestly feel proud of myself because...

Bonnie (04:40.974)
You know, sometimes things look shiny and exciting other places, but this has continued to be a really powerful place and something I have stuck with and has definitely been a gift as a way to connect with you. So just that moment. But, know, 2024 comes around and I was like, you know what? I think there are more people want full school in person and it's a different experience in person.

And so at this moment, as I'm recording this, I have one more flow school in person here in Portland. It is sold out. I have 16 people coming. I cap it. do not have other people who want to come. I'm like, no, we're like 16. This is it. Cause I want to be able to have a touch point with every person who comes so that they really feel seen by me and that we can have a connection. I'm not here to just get.

you know, 100 people in the training at once and to call that good. That's not where I'm at. That's not what I'm interested in. So it's a higher touch experience and a little bit more intimate. And so after I'm done with this training in two weeks, I will have led four in-person flow schools. So last year too, this time, this, you know, and now it's going to be four. Next year I am planning on hosting at least four again. Like it's amazing. It's so incredible to connect.

in person and I think the online version of Flow School is also incredible. It's something different and it's the same content. It's the timeline is different. So the way that people integrate is different and I love both for different reasons. Also anybody who comes to Flow School always gets to participate online afterwards. So even if people come in person, I'm like, remember you're a Flow School alumni. You're part of the family now.

So anytime you want to join online and get a refresh and like connect with me there, like come do the thing. And that's been a part of my model for over four years of my whole time of doing flow school. So that's what we're doing with flow school in case that's new to you. And I have just traveled to Switzerland. I was gonna host a retreat in Portugal.

Bonnie (06:59.446)
And I had somebody from Lausanne, Switzerland reach out and she had done online flow school with me in the past. And she's like, hey, I have a studio. You when you're coming over here, do you want to just come and do flow school here at my studio in Switzerland? And I was like, well, yes, I do actually. That sounds great. And then I ended up canceling my retreat in Portugal. It was just the wrong timing, which truly it was like things happened exactly as I needed to. And I went to Switzerland and

Again, it was the first time overseas, the first time experiencing jet lag, the first, like so many things. And it was a big deal for me. And you know, I sat in that circle at the end of our four days together and they're long days. We're like together for eight hours. The full school is usually five days, but we had the studio and scheduled to work around, so we had four days. And as we sat there,

And as a studio owner of Nueva Luna Yoga, go there, go there if you're in Switzerland. As they were talking and saying like, wow, you could have gone anywhere Bonnie, but you came here to our studio.

I just stay here and be like, but like, maybe it feels like they're not, they think that they're not a big deal, but you know what? I'm sitting here thinking like, well, I'm just staying here in in my office with my plants. mean like, am I a big deal? Like who am I? Who the fuck am I to be traveling to Switzerland to be leading this course for, for yoga teachers where teachers are some of like I,

Somebody flew from Nashville, Tennessee. I had people come travel from London, from Sweden, from Italy, many places over Switzerland and from Ireland. And people traveled to come to the studio and to be together. And so as much as she said, who are we that you might come here to us? You know, in my own head, I'm like,

Bonnie (09:13.602)
No, this is a big deal to me. Maybe you feel small. Maybe this feels like, but it's like the...

But it's the same, like we're all out here trying to do the thing that we love, trying to build community and do it well and to show up and to build a sense of self that feels expansive and inclusive. Gosh.

I had somebody invite me overseas to come and teach yoga and I love what I do. I love what I do. I love watching it change people's lives because they give themselves permission to play. They give themselves permission to create. claim, they claim their own version of being an artist and a leader. And

watching that in yoga teachers is a giant gift to help other people step into the place where they own their voice.

is something that's so powerful to witness. And we just barely start to step into that as we are in that time together, but it shifts things. And I get a front row seat to watch people shift. And that is a big deal.

Bonnie (10:52.022)
So, you know, I read that I have a friend who talks about being brave, Iona, and she shared a thing online, said, if you're not feeling imposter syndrome, right, which I've done a whole podcast on imposter syndrome and the history of that.

those language, that language and that term and whatnot. if you're not feeling like really what I'd say is if you're not feeling a little bit like who the fuck am I to be doing this thing? Like what? Then are you being bold enough? And that if you're feeling that, then congratulate yourself because you're doing shit that matters and that's helping you grow. And so as I sit here and be like, my gosh, like I was invited to come to the studio and to be with these people and

It felt really big and also, you know, it felt exactly the same because it's a yoga studio. I know what a yoga studio is and what people are trying to do, who own yoga studios, how the community they're trying to create, the freedom they're trying to help people find. Like, that's the same, really. We're the same everywhere. We are also very different, but we are also the same.

You know, I was taking this train across Switzerland and was on the train for like three hours and there is a house that we passed and it was starting to be evening. So you can see in this house's windows, like the windows were open as we were going by in the train and there's people, they were like gathering together and putting stuff on the kitchen table to eat dinner. And I was just watching out the windows as we drove by and thought, wow, it's the same. We're the same.

like the values and the things that we think are important really are the same everywhere. And the way they're executed might be different and the way that we dress might be different and the way that our bus system works might be different and the way our grocery stores close might be different and the way we treat our cows might be different. There's a lot of things that I learned about, I don't know, just like regular life things that are different in Switzerland than here in Portland, Oregon.

Bonnie (13:11.466)
I kind of loved that. And it was almost weird to step back into a place where people spoke mostly English, where Switzerland, it's French and German and Italian. And some English then spread between that. And to travel in Switzerland where everybody is speaking French, then to travel to the part where everybody is speaking German. And it was so fun and also so the same and also so different. And it just feels like an honor.

to be here and you know I had this moment before the training started where I thought what I was like this is I'm in Switzerland and if you have been here with me for a minute friends and this podcast started five years ago gosh like to have to be able to imagine myself here five years ago I

I could not. I could not.

Bonnie (14:16.735)
Really though...

It was this time five years ago that I took a couple trainings for some people who traveled to Portland and they were teaching here and they were all dudes, which is fine, like great teachers. And I took three different dudes workshop weekends and I came to Portland to teach.

And I sat there in those trainings and I watched them teach as a teacher and watched them the questions that they were answering about movement and about yoga and the way that they like the different ways that each of them did it, which was very different and how they taught. And I watched them and I thought. I could do this like I could answer that question like I know how to do this and I had had people.

I had a friend who was asking me to come and teach a workshop in Ohio and I had told her that I was too scared. Well, actually back up, I didn't say I was too scared. I said I wasn't ready. And I had already taught a workshop in Ohio before, but I had told her, was like, you know what, I'm not ready yet. And I watched those people and I thought, what am I waiting for? And so this was five years ago. And I said, what am I waiting for?

I can do this. Did I know how to do it? Nope. Did I have a lot to learn? Yes, yes I did. And I said, okay, let's do this then. Right? And I got home from the workshops and after that last one, and I emailed this friend in Ohio and I said, I'm ready. And you know, I went to her studio like five months later.

Bonnie (16:15.086)
And I was scared. I was on the plane. I was feeling nervous and my gosh, like the, yeah. Yeah, that's all. It was definitely the feels of who am I to be going and doing this. But I had to get to that point. I had to take those first steps. And if you're in a place where you're thinking,

who am I to be doing this thing and feeling so nervous about your stepping into that, you have to do that part. You have to take the step where it feels scary, where it feels exciting, but it feels terrifying, where you're like, can I actually do this? And then you step in front of the room, you're like, I can actually do this. So I actually know, you know, like the head talk sometimes before the thing is really loud, but once we get into it, we realize what we're actually doing and what we have to offer.

And it was definitely that kind of experience for me and where I ended that weekend thinking like, okay, I can do this. And that was then in March of 2020 and flow school started in August of 2020. And here we are. And I feel like I'm at the beginning, which is great because I feel like there's still problems to solve. still, and I love having problems to solve. I'm always saying like, Ooh, this is a fun problem to solve.

the way that continues to make me curious and make me experiment with things and say, how can I do this better or different or what did they really get from this or did they understand this? It makes me learn how to listen better, which truly being a leader is learning how to listen. So I always tell teachers, I'm like, if you're teaching 95 % roll, like you can be teaching, you can be demoing, that's fine, but you're queuing, you're gonna watch your people 95 % of the time. Your eyes are on them.

Your eyes are on them. Like your goal is to watch them the entire class so you know if they actually know what you're talking about and what you're doing. And so I think the journey here for me, it feels like it's in the beginning place while also the same time having done some shit and feeling stoked about it and feeling like I can hold going overseas and showing up in Switzerland. Okay, cool. Now let's do it again.

Bonnie (18:37.102)
Now I'm looking at other places and saying like, okay, let's go to this place and go teach flow school because it's harder for people, you know, in London and in Switzerland and in Sweden to maybe fly over to the United States. So what does it help if I go there?

And then if I step back for a minute and I think, what? How did you become this person, How are you this person that has the pleasure?

to travel and go teach yoga and connect with yoga teachers who can know so much about you because there's so much of me online between my sexy Sunday account and podcast and having been online for over 10 years. There's so much to know about me and people say like, yeah, actually, yes, I will go there. And where I can step into that room, I know that people opted in.

and people who are abundant, people who are there to not only free themselves, but free each other, people who are interested in tapping into their own voice and their own creativity and that kind of room to be a part of, y'all, it changes them, but it changes me.

Bonnie (20:00.522)
Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah.

And so I will keep doing this. I will keep doing this and it will keep evolving and growing. And I have some fun plans. now that I can, now that I'm here, even though I still have the moments of like, who the hell am I? That I am one of these people that's traveling and teaching and truly I gave myself permission. I was like, well, what if I try? What if I try to do it? What if I'm terrified, but I still do it?

And then I did it. I was terrified. And I did it. And what if I keep doing that? What is scary now? And can I still do it? And where is it that I can hold myself? Where is it can ask for help? Where is it that I need to say no in order to have more capacity for this yes? And all of that, feels so exciting. It feels so exciting and.

Honestly, yoga I think is the business of trust, is a business of people, but it's a business of trust. And part of the trust is trusting yourself. And as a teacher, there's no way you can't show up in front of the room and lead other people and have them be able to drop into their bodies and set things down. They can't do that if they can't show up and feel that you trust yourself, that you've got them because they've got themselves.

Bonnie (21:34.946)
that they're not asking you to hold them or validate them or whatever, that I can show up and have totally bitchy face and like be in my own process as a student and the teacher is just gonna like do the thing that they need to do to help guide that space. Like my trust in them as a teacher is hugely impactful and important for my own experience as a student.

And that is part of what I get to deliver as well. If I showed up in flow school to lead y'all as teachers and I was like, well, if you want to do this, like,

My own permission and boldness and tenderness and compassion as much as my commanding, right, holding all of the yin and the yang, the shivash, the shakti, the form, the flow, the moon, the sun, like holding all the different parts of me all at once and not apologizing for them helps other people be able to learn to be like, I can show up here in all of my parts too.

I can lead with all of my parts too. That's what we want. That's what we want. So my takeaways are people are so damn cool. And I loved meeting people from other places. I loved how we were the same. I love the way that everybody's voice is unique to them. And

For this experience, there was so many different languages in the room, which has definitely impacted how I think about teaching now. And especially because I teach people from around the world and online flow school is already international people from around the world, from so many countries have joined me and how I'm used to queuing in English. I'm used to giving directions in English. so understanding other languages and how different words

Bonnie (23:39.264)
are different lengths, even just that, is a reminder that it's gonna be different in other places. And we're all gonna have to tweak what we're doing to meet exactly where we are. And that includes even just the language that you might teach in. And it was really special to be a part of a room where at different points I was like, okay, I'll teach.

you know, find a partner, teach in English or find somebody who speaks your language that you are teaching in and then do this exercise, do this experiment, I call it, do this experiment in either of those languages. And so then to have the room erupt in so many languages all at once. So it's different, but it's the same. And the power in that, it was so beautiful to me. It was so fun to me.

We all want freedom and foundation. We all want creativity and lightness and play. And truly, those are integral to our leadership. Your own creativity and the tapping into it. And really that's a drawing up from inside of you, right?

from your creative energy, your erotic energy, and truly think of it as an erotic thing. Like to create something and put it out in the world, like this is erotic energy. You have to own that. You're sharing of that. And they embrace in the desire for lightness and peace and ease and for play and play and pleasure. And also like a step into discomfort and learning and wiggling through those things. How those...

Those pieces are really integral to you being a leader, for all of us being leaders, and how we own ourselves in the room. And it's really beautiful to watch other people step into that space and to offer it. Truly so much of flow school I feel like is, you know, I am teaching flow and yoga in a way that is atypical. And where I have asked the question,

Bonnie (25:52.884)
What do we teach if we don't teach sun salutation? Sun salutation is a vinyasa, but vinyasa is not a sun salutation practice. Those are not synonymous actually. And so a vinyasa is a special way to place something. It's not a particular set of postures. So what is it? And vinyasa has stemmed, empower vinyasa.

through some different people has stemmed from Ashtanga, but people wanted to do something different than Ashtanga. So they created Vinyasa, which still had its roots in Ashtanga. So now I've been like, well, what happens from there? What if we're tired of Sun A's? What if we're tired from the Vinyasa they've been given? Now what do we create? But still it holds on to where we are and it will continue to evolve, right? So I have taken this and said, let's ask some more questions and let's see what we can create and let's make it make sense.

It has to make sense both in movement science, but it has to make sense in our body. so flow school is one part, a new paradigm, a new like kind of method. Say like, okay, this is not without, not with some salutations. What does that look like? And just side note, nobody has to leave flow school and teach like that. They can take anything they want and integrate it or not. That's totally fine. I am not here to say there is a way. And that

I don't teach other ways too. Like there's other times that I mean, in classes I'm still might teach so nice, but that's a different story. Okay, so when people then are coming to my classes and then I'm saying like, okay, well here's a different way to do this. So one, I'm giving them a new experience, right? And number two then is then helping give them tools and experiments that tap into their own creativity so they feel the feeling.

of flow and freedom in their body that uses yoga, but also sets down the rigidity and have to use or pressure of what yoga has been. And then we turn it on to another layer and say, okay, now let's take this and how do we teach this in a yoga class setting? So flow school is trying to do all of those things.

Bonnie (28:12.782)
And so it is very multifaceted and a very rich experience in that way. And one of the things I tell people all the time is like, perfect is boring because even in flow school, sometimes it'd be like, wait, what did you do? That didn't make sense. And I'm like, yeah, tell me, tell me. Like, I agree. When I was just, there was one, there was one class I remember in particular for in-person flow school where at the end, because I was sitting and we break down class and what did I do and why did I do it?

And it got to this point, was like, yeah, and then I switched it up here and then it didn't even feel right. And then the other people, you know, the teachers who were there who like were in flow school, they're like, yeah, it didn't. Then I felt all wonky and I felt like it took me out of the way that, you know, the flow feeling. was like, yes, I know. So we could have this conversation around the class that I had just taught for flow school and how it felt wonky and that I was okay holding that because each class is an experiment.

then it doesn't have to say what my worth is as a human or as a teacher if one class sucks. Because we all have classes that suck. We all have times where we're like, well, that one didn't go as planned, but perfect is boring. And it stops us from asking questions. It stops us from being curious. It stops us from finding play and pleasure in what is and the power of laughing about something and the power of learning from.

from what we've done. So that's really important. And one of the other things that I tell teachers when they come besides perfect is born-ing is that they don't have anything to prove.

Bonnie (29:53.586)
At the end of flow school, I'm not there to give them a stamp of approval and saying like, you've achieved X, Y, Z, or now you can do this or whatever. It's a continued learning. It's the understanding that creativity never ends and that our leadership journey is always evolving and that teachers get to arrive in the room and they don't have anything to prove. They...

get to be there, they are teachers, and that is enough. And now it's play. And it's an open field of permission. And it transcends language and the location of where you live and who you teach. And...

And it's about building enough structure in place where I know, I know where they're at. I know where we're gonna go. And I know how to hold that group in a way that then gives them a little bit of opportunity to take a breath and play.

Bonnie (31:07.374)
I think one of the most powerful lessons then in this, and the point that I really wanted to get to as well is that there's a subjective and objective experience for every person. And as a leader of a room, as a teacher, right? There are some things I have control over. So there's...

there's things that I can control like how loud the music is or how bright the lights are, the direction we face or the flow that I'm going to lead and the words that I use and where people are going to set up their mats. And I can be like, scooch it over a little bit more, right? So there's going to be like some different ways that I can know about the external kind of

experiences of things and what is quote unquote right. But then there's like this internal part that I don't get to know about everybody else. And on top of that, what is objective and subjective can get really tricky about remembering that everybody's having a different experience.

So all of these things kind of mesh together and maybe some of these words you're like, okay, wait, this is too many words, Bonnie. So like, let's narrow this down and say, when we talk to a certain person, some things are going to be hard and some things are going to be easy. Some things might be somewhere in between and it might be hard because of where they are emotionally and mentally. And we don't know that internal

experience of that person and maybe they can do something physically, but then the next class they come and they can't do it. And you're like, what's with Bob? Right. But we don't have access to that internal experience of somebody. And so we look at that person and think, well, that person can do a pistol squat. So I'm going to do some pistol squats, but that's very subjective because then maybe Bob can do a pistol squat that day. And now we've sequenced pistol squats.

Bonnie (33:26.614)
in our flow. And so I think one of the really important things in our sequencing, and especially as we look at creative sequencing, is to look at the demand of movement that is both in the postures and the transitions. And what is that demand asking of people? Knowing that we only have so much control as a teacher,

and that people are having an internal experience that we are not aware of, and we don't know where they come from from their day or the week before, and how we approach them, we have to continually be objective in our planning of a class because we are not, unless it's a one-on-one where we're having a lot of conversation with one particular subject, right, one person, we don't know what all of the subjects, subjectives, right,

what the subjects in our class might need or might be able to do or might want, et cetera. So we have to plan our classes objectively. So this is where it gets really fun to me to think about creative sequencing, to say, ooh, okay, let's use a pistol squat since I've already said it. I'm thinking about a pistol squat in this flow and I have like played on my mat and found a, played on my mat first. So play comes first, then planning. I played on my mat, I found a pistol squat.

pistol squat flow. Now I'm coming to a mat. I'm like, okay, now I want to plan around that flow that I found. I know that four people in my class can do a pistol squat. Cool. Does that mean that I should just put a pistol squat in my flow? Because it's really cool. Like, you know, maybe this is like the most amazing flow ever. But there's another two people, but maybe four that like,

can't do it or wouldn't be able to do it very well. So what do I do then? And this is where it gets fun. This is where you're gonna say, as a teacher, this is a fun problem to solve. How do I sequence this flow to make it successful regardless of the subject? How do I objectively look at the demands of a pistol squat and say, ooh, a pistol squat is hard?

Bonnie (35:52.608)
Me personally, like speaking even for myself, Bonnie, I could go up and down in a pistol squat. I can go down and I can stand back up. Okay, cool. So yeah, I could put that in a flow. If I was ready and geared up and warmed up for that, I could do that. Cool. Not necessarily even that difficult. Does that mean it's hard? Yes, it's hard. Objectively, what is the demand of a pistol squat? There's a lot of mobility and flexibility that's required in my ankles.

and in my knees and in my hips, there's a lot of flexibility of my leg that is staying lifted too. You have one straight leg in front and you gotta be able to extend that leg and hold it right out in front of you. This also requires a ton of strength to hold that up in your hip flexors, right, in your quads. And then I have the quads and even ask like the whole entire like hip thing that's happening on the other leg to be able to go down and back up and hold it stable in the whole process.

And then my mindset to say like, can I do a pistol squat today? And the question of that, and am I ready for that? And where do I go after that? And how long do I have to hold it at the bottom? And can I just do it a little bit? What counts? And there's all these words. And so I get to sit with this as a teacher and say, okay, so maybe I can't do a pistol squat. So what's my goal? Am I trying to go from a single leg to dasana?

and sit all the way down on the mat into a seated twist. Okay, so that's really what I want people to do. A pistol squat is a way to get there. What's an easier way to get there? And I think what's an easier way to get there? What's the ultimate goal of using the pistol squat as opposed between here? And then is there a way that I can offer the thing that objectively requires less demand? It has.

It requires less strength, less flexibility, less mobility, less stability, less brain games. And can I teach that first? And then is there space then to say, hey, we've done this three or four times now. If you want to do a pistol squat here, if that's something that you like to play with, this is a place you can do a pistol squat.

Bonnie (38:12.034)
I don't even have to have that be a workshop moment. Of course I can workshop that another time, so it doesn't have to be. And it can be something you offer where it's the same, this is really important, it has to be the same amount of time to get through it or that you have planned the breadth of, especially if you're gonna teach to breath pace, which is a whole other podcast and skill to teach that. And how do I teach that then in a way that makes it successful?

in sort of the flow of all staying together, same time, same rhythm, whether or not you do a pistol scope.

And so that piece is the same no matter where we are, no matter what country you live in, but looking at the objective and subjective requirements and demands on movement and how they change from person to person and how we as teachers can only teach from our own experience. And so I'm like, well, pistol squats, I can do that so everybody can do it. And how that doesn't work is people cannot.

And so how do I plan it to be an inclusive experience, but still a creative experience for both me and the students? Then how it does require you to sit with your planning beforehand and how so many people feel like they have tapped into creativity, but then when they plan ahead of time and take time to write it down and think through these sorts of pieces, that they actually find more creativity because it's really hard.

Not impossible. I wouldn't say anything is impossible, but it's really hard to do this kind of work on the go because to think about something new to do, right? How else could I transition from this pose to this next pose? How else can I do that? To do that on the fly in one moment to the next without pausing and thinking about it, to scale it.

Bonnie (40:18.05)
for many bodies in the room and think about how to make it easier and teach the easier first and then say if you want more and up level it from there and to teach it to a breath pace because if you're gonna teach to breath pace, you have to figure out that ahead of time before you get to the classroom because then you're also trying to pay attention to the music and is this the right song and how is Bob doing over there and what's that person's name and what is that person doing?

and this person is lost and now my hair tie just broke and now my hair just fell into my face and there's like so many other things to think about. So in some ways it might feel hard and I have some teachers come who are not used to writing down their flows or planning them ahead of time. And I do think you can get to the place where like you don't need to and it is definitely part of the craft of teaching to be able to walk into a room and just wing it and that

there are times when we need to do that because who is showing up in the room needs something different than we have prepared 100%. And that if you're interested in finding a different sort of creativity, you have to get on your mat and play, not getting on your mat to plan, but getting on your mat to play. Like set your notebook down, go play. And how that pre-work of planning after you've played.

I sometimes feel like it takes a lot of time, which is why we repeat our classes, which is why we add more repetition within our classes, because people need space, including ourselves, to get into it and to understand how to do it. And for us as teachers, how to lead it. It takes a minute. It takes a minute. And the planning of it gets to be part of the play and

sometimes when we switch up what we're doing and how we've done things, it takes more time because we don't know it. Because it's new. Because we're like, what are I doing? Why am I doing it this way? This is scary. This is too overwhelming. This is too much. I'm not used to it, but when we're not used to it, it is harder. And again, you don't have to teach like this. You could teach like something else. And you can pull from any of these things, even here in this podcast, or if you come to Flow School.

Bonnie (42:43.384)
There's like so many things that you could pull from. And that's kind of the beauty of it too. And it just is a giant gift to be able to hold space in this way to watch teachers step into their own practice of leadership. Because teaching truly is a practice.

Bonnie (43:12.146)
I am in conversation with folks about some places for in-person flow school, so IRL flow school for 2025. There will also continue to be online flow school and online flow school is also going to be, I'm to have a couple of courses online that to support teachers. So just stay tuned with those things. You can watch for those things if you sign up on my email list, which of course is in the show notes or follow me on the gram and

We're gonna be there. As soon as I open up my dates for IRL Flow School 2025, then they will be available on my website. Again, first come first serve. All of them have been selling out. So this is a good time to then be able to register early. There's payment plans with all of them. I offer scholarships for online flow school. I don't currently offer a scholarship for in-person flow school.

the size of group and travel, all the things are factors in that. So stay tuned on scholarships for in-person, but everything will be on the page on my website, bonnieweeks.com, so you can find it there. And thank you, thank you for being here. Thank you for being a teacher and a leader and in so many different capacities of.

how that might show up for you and for being a witness of my journey and making space to listen to this podcast and the way that.

That changes me?

Bonnie (44:52.846)
And the way that when you share how this podcast has impacted you and maybe this episode has impacted you that maybe it changes you. And I just am such a believer that we do this together.

because I certainly could not do the things that I'm doing without you. So go forth, be cool. I always tell my kids when they're walking out that are out the door, I'm like, don't have fun. And they're like, okay, mom, you don't have fun either. So, you know, go, don't have fun.

And come find me in person, yeah? Come find me in real life. And let's hug for real, if that's your thing. We can long hug. I'm totally into that. Okay loves, let's do this again soon.