We all know that we live in an over stimulated, technologically driven world, but as yoga teachers, how much is too much when it comes to social media?

I use Facebook and other social media outlets to keep students up to date with classes, post inspirational yoga quotes and photos, promote my blog, create events, get invited to events, hell, I even found my current teaching gig at PIES through Facebook! Yoga teachers, yoga blogs, yoga events, yoga products, we all use social media heavily and often depend on it to get the word out!

Graduating from Emerson College in 2009 as a Communication Studies major, my degree actually should have listed my major as Social Media Relations. While much of what I studied was oration, writing, and all the classic face-to-face tactics, additionally, we were having to learn how to use social media, and how to do it responsibly.

Changing college curriculum: A true sign of changing tides.

Sometimes I wonder if social media and responsibility can truly be used in the same phrase. We are having less and less control about how we are portrayed in the digital world. All of a sudden my iPhone, Facebook, Twitter, WordPress, Tumblr, and Instagram are all connected and putting out information I didn’t even know I could alert the world about! Our technology is making it easier and easier to dish out information, but often feels impossible to figure out how to use the privacy settings.

As a yoga teacher, there is definitely a certain persona we try to cultivate in front of the class. That’s not to say that yoga teachers are acting when they get up in front of a class, but there is a distinctive tone, presence, and awareness that comes out depending on the class and who’s there.  (Or, if you’re awkward like me, you’re just plain-old you and hope that your students laugh at your lame, corny puns and stories..) So, do you separate the Off-the-mat-you from the Yoga-teacher-you, or do you just put it all together? Do you let your friends post and tag photos of you drinking at the bachelorette party the weekend before? Is it better to be the real you, or to portray your teaching voice exclusively on its own Facebook and Twitter? How often do you post??

I’m not sure that there is a real answer to any of these questions. (Although Yoga Journal did put out an article on it, which must make it an official document) Basically, it all boils down to what kind of teacher presence you are trying to grow.

For me, I want to be real. I want to be genuine and show my students that no matter how “good” of a Yogi or Yogini you are, we are all on our own path. No path is without hurdles of some kind, and sometimes those hurdles trip you up and you fall. I’m not going to stand in front of my class and pretend that I went to bed with the sun and woke up a perfect, happy, shining yoga teacher. Yes, that is what I strive to do, but I am human and so are my students. How can we learn to forgive other people for doing stupid shit if we can’t even forgive ourselves? We are all a work in progress. That’s what life is all about, right? We’re working on our shit, improving our minds and bodies in hope of one day earning a glimpse of that big-T Truth.

I do hedge my Facebook for sure. Hiding photos from my less than Yogic past, knowing that isn’t me anymore. I would never deny that side of me if a student asked, but I just don’t feel it’s an accurate representation of who I am today. Social Media should represent the currant you and help you remember happy times that helped shape the positive person you are today; and I don’t think you even need to be a  yogi to make that change.

The moral of my opinionated story is use your social media responsibility to portray yourself truthfully. Love who you are for all of your imperfections, and if you lose friends, students, or employers you will find better ones, and you will be happier for it in the long run. Just make sure you are being the best you you can be.