Almost 18 years ago I made the transition from dancer to yoga teacher. I am writing this from a very different place now — and these are the reflections I wish someone had shared with me back then

From a very young age, I struggled with my relationship with my body, always feeling “too fat” compared to my naturally athletic sister. When I wanted to become a dancer, I felt that not being thin enough was the biggest obstacle in my path. At dance college, I would stand in front of a mirror in a leotard, feeling horrible about myself for hours every day.

Despite this, I loved to move, to create beautiful lines, to feel the music, and to express myself creatively through my body. So I squeezed myself into what I thought might fit and kept it up for years. I was pretty thin and ‘nearly good’ for quite a while, but underneath I was deeply unhappy.

The world I trained in

The focus from all of the dance teachers and choreographers I worked with over the years was solely on teaching the movement and perfecting it through the body. They were highly skilled, and countless hours were spent ensuring every fine detail was exact and precise. Every line, every angle, every movement had to be perfect — and they had the eye to see everything. However, there was never any consideration of the person behind the movements. In fact, at times, it felt like we weren’t even treated like people.

For a young person in their late teens and early twenties, still figuring out who they are, still forming their sense of self and their confidence, this is a lot to carry. You end up not knowing who you are or how to be. You become very good at reading the room, at shapeshifting, at trying to be what you think they want — and very bad at trusting yourself.

I think any person who has gone through full time vocational dance training and been in the world of dance can easily say that no amount of yoga training could compete with the amount of time, commitment and detail spent in those years. But throughout all of it, my inner state, my mental health and my wellness were not looked at for a second. They were irrelevant.

When I found yoga

When I found yoga, it was a relief. I could wear what I wanted, there were no mirrors, and there was no competition. I could breathe and I could be me.

My first yoga class was taught by just a normal lady — not like the dance gurus from college with all their opinions and the power to push you up or pull you down. She was just so normal, and spoke to me in a regular, casual way. She showed kindness and understanding and it felt completely non-judgmental — which to me was a completely new concept for a physical discipline.

Yoga allowed me to delve deeper into working with my body without all the other pressures that came along with dance.

The missing piece of the puzzle

When I went on to study further, I took the British Wheel of Yoga Foundation Course and learned all about yoga philosophy. I was fascinated. There were so many links between the physical aspect of yoga and dance, which explained so much. But the yoga philosophy was the missing part of the puzzle for me. Studying Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, one of the foundational texts of yoga, opened up a whole new world. It showed me how to cope with life. It showed me that mindset and our inner world matter as much as the outer, that we are so much more than flesh, bone, muscle and positions.

I discovered there was even a word for what had been missing all those years in dance — ahimsa, non-harm, which includes the kindness and compassion we show to ourselves. I had spent years doing the opposite without even knowing it. I learned about santosha — contentment — and realised that the deep restlessness and unhappiness I had carried for so long had a name, and more importantly, a remedy. And aparigraha — non-grasping, not seeking what we don’t have — finally gave me permission to stop seeking the approval of others and to stop trying to be something I was not.

It taught me that my own natural instinct and manner — as someone who is naturally compassionate and kind — is my greatest strength. It taught me that the world of dance and its competition was not for me. It taught me that I didn’t need anybody else’s approval and to stop seeking it.

My journey from dancer to yoga teacher

When I changed from dancer to yoga teacher, I became my own boss, my own cheerleader. I was done with auditioning. I am forever grateful for my training and experience in dance — it taught me invaluable things about the body, expression and creativity. But when I gradually moved into yoga, all that effort, sweat, commitment and dreams were not lost. They transformed and merged into something new — something that I didn’t have to squeeze myself into, or chop part of myself off to fit. That now merges with my knowledge of yoga philosophy, which informs me how to ‘be’.

The yoga teacher I became

When I became a yoga teacher I realised I could create a space where everyone is welcome — without competition or pressure. In my yoga teacher training, I cover all the anatomy and fine details of each and every pose, still with some of my precise dancer’s eye but without judgment. But very importantly, I also teach you to look at the whole person in front of you — because this is at the heart of everything we do together on the course. Not just the poses, but the person:

• Are they happy and comfortable?
• Do they need reassurance right now, or are they ready for some guidance?
• Do they need space, or do they need positive encouragement?

It’s about understanding and honouring each individual’s experience. It’s about doing what feels right intuitively and truly caring for the students in your class. This is the real art and service of teaching yoga.

If any of this resonates with you — whether you are making the journey from dancer to yoga teacher or simply thinking about becoming a yoga teacher, you will always be welcome here exactly as you are. No mirrors. No competition. No judgment. Just yoga, just you, and a space that was made for every body.

You can find out more about my BWY Level 4 yoga teacher training in London and online HERE.

Hana Saotome has been teaching yoga for over 17 years and runs a BWY Level 4 yoga teacher training in London and online, as well as a yoga teacher mentorship programme for qualified teachers.