We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Chrissy Copley. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Chrissy below.
Chrissy, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
Before answering this question I Googled the definition of purpose and it said it was “the reason for which something exists.” So then I had to think, do I exist to be a yoga teacher? Yep, I think I do. But when I really ask myself how I found my purpose, the answer I have is, I didn’t find yoga, it found me.
I didn’t grow up wanting to be a teacher of any kind. I actually spent my entire childhood and into my teens wanting to be a doctor. And I was never interested in yoga. No one I knew did yoga, no one’s parents were yoga teachers, and we didn’t do it in P.E. class. I didn’t really know what it was. As far as yoga philosophy goes, I grew up non-denominational with just a little bit of church experience, so it wasn’t like yoga was calling to me in the early years.
Flash forward, after one year of college my high school sweetheart decided to join the military and so we got married. Between then and having a daughter, yoga still wasn’t on my radar. I worked some odd jobs but never went back to school. At that point I was very satisfied with being a wife, and eventually even more satisfied being a mom.
About a year after becoming a mom, I decided to hop on the health train and tried a yoga class. I loved it! The next week, I tried a second class and hated it. I didn’t do yoga again for about seven years. Obviously the universe knew I wasn’t ready for it yet.
In 2014, I gave yoga another try and fell in love with the physical practice. In 2016, I had an opportunity to sub a class and volunteered. I had never taught anything, had no formal instruction on how to teach any type of class, and no clue really how to structure a class. By the end of the class, I had an offer to teach every week, and was asked to create a chair yoga class. I haven’t stopped teaching since.
So as silly as it sounds, I don’t have any other explanation of why this is my purpose, it just is. The universe knew I was supposed to share yoga with people and was just waiting for the right moment to present it.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
A few years ago I mentioned to my husband that it would be cool to be “known” for yoga. I’m not quite sure if I’m the “it girl” for yoga, but I am definitely out here in the yoga world and kicking butt in my community.
I currently teach at two gyms in my city. I teach all types of yoga from hot to restorative, and teach about eight yoga classes a week. In addition to teaching classes, I also love sharing the other limbs of yoga with the community. Each month I host a Yoga Book Club where we read and discuss books about yoga philosophy. About once a month I also teach clinics about topics ranging from arm balances to Mudras.
I’m very passionate about sharing yoga with people who may not find it in a gym setting, and am honored and excited that I was asked to teach at a Female Veteran gathering later in September in a nearby town.
In addition to teaching classes, I love sharing my knowledge with fellow teachers or those that are looking to become teachers. I had the honor of being a teacher at a training in 2019 at the same ashram where I completed my own training. Recently, I have been approached by some fellow teachers who want to learn how to sequence classes and become more comfortable with “free flowing.” In the new year and with another teacher friend, we hope to offer weekend retreats for students and fellow teachers.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
This is a hard question to answer because I was not on a yoga journey for years that lead me to where I am now. I truly believe yoga was given to me at the precise moment I was ready for it. But I don’t think I would have been as accepting as I was if I was not open-minded. I think that is one of my best qualities. I am okay with the unknown and very welcoming to new information. I don’t ever take ideas and philosophy as the ultimate truth. Instead, I listen and read about ideas and question them. If I meet people that have different viewpoints than me, I learn about what they believe and find common ground. I recently held a clinic on Mudras and one of the first things I told my students was that I was proud of them for being so open to new ideas. I believe that both students and teachers should try to be as open-minded as possible in the class, not only with philosophy but with the physical aspect; you can always learn something new if you are willing to open yourself up to possibilities.
This one is kind of two-fold; I am very good at taking my personal journey and turning it into lessons (specifically the physical side), but I am also very good at not sharing my personal journey when it does not pertain to the class. For example, when I first started practicing I only wanted to do handstands. I thought that if I could do a handstand I won yoga. It wasn’t until years later that I actually started to learn the key elements I needed to be able to balance on my hands. So in a class, I am sure to let people know all those key pieces they need in their practice to be able to advance. I can show people step by step pieces because I have also had to follow those steps and have experienced the postures.
On the other hand, if there is something happening in my life, yoga related or not, that might impact the way someone feels in my class, I do not share. A yoga space is a sacred space and extremely energy focused. I cannot, as a good teacher, come into a space with my own negative energy and bring that into other people’s practice. I think this is one of the most important things that new teachers should practice. When a teacher is in the front of the class, they should not make the class about them. It can be a hard lesson to learn, and a skill that might take time to develop. But it is definitely something that is important.
The final thing that I think makes the most impact in my classes, is that I genuinely care about the outcome of each class and the people in it. My personal journey started and then almost immediately stopped because I was in a class that did not cater to a range of different people. I never want anyone to feel like they can’t come to my classes. I want everyone to feel welcome and comfortable, safe, and empowered in my classes. And I take time to get know my students. I’ll be honest, I am not the best with names, but I am great with faces. Even if I don’t remember your name I will remember your favorite spot to place your mat, which type of blocks you like, and what postures are your favorite.
For anyone who is on their own yoga journey, whether you’re a student or a teacher, my advice is this: keep an open mind with your own practice. Try different types of yoga, explore all the limbs of yoga, and never stop learning. Make your practice something that is sacred to you. Share things that may help others but try not to make your practice someone else’s. Finally, don’t give up on yoga. It could be that the class you took wasn’t your style. Don’t be afraid to try a whole bunch of different classes and styles to find what is right for you. And if you’re not quite sure yoga is for you, it’s okay. Yoga doesn’t mind waiting for the right moment. Even if you’re not actively looking, it may just find you.
Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
The one book that has played the biggest role in my yoga journey is the “Yamas and Niyamas” by Deborah Adele. The Yamas and Niyamas are the first two limbs of yoga and they are the ethical practices of yoga; things you practice outwardly and things you practice for yourself. There are so many books that describe these but this book is incredibly easy to understand and the author does an amazing job of explaining these thousand year old ideas in a way that people today can easily grasp. Another great thing about this book is that it can be enjoyed by anyone, no matter their beliefs. I have gifted this book to so many people and I highly recommend this book to everyone, not just people in the yoga community.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.yogawithchrissy.weebly.com
- Instagram: yogawithchrissy
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/yogawithchrissy
