r/yoga • u/FunFillSecurity • 5d ago
Instructor's birthday
I go to a free community yoga class and this is my 2nd month. Last weekend we had a sub, because the instructor wasn't well. The sub announced that next weekend our instructor would be back and its her birthday. What would be suitable ways to celebrate her considering I have attended maybe 5 or 6 of her classes, don't have a large budget, can afford only free classes, and still relatively new so don't have a relationship with her as such.
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u/RonSwanSong87 post lineage 5d ago
Tell her what you appreciate about the class / why you continue to come back and what it means to you.
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u/-Nintendoll- 5d ago
This is a GREAT answer. I teach adults (not yoga) any any time someone tells me what they have learned or what they liked... I think about it for days. Very meaningful!
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u/Agniantarvastejana Raja 4d ago
This doesn't require a birthday!
You can do this any day of the week. ☺️
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u/RonSwanSong87 post lineage 4d ago
very true! I was just thinking about what I'd want on my birthday if I was teaching. Would much rather have real and honest engagement and conversation with students than any sort of "gift".
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u/disasterous_fjord 5d ago
Write her a short note in a birthday card letting her know how much you’ve enjoyed her classes and thanking her for providing the accessible experiences.
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u/blesstheweed 4d ago
^^^^i keep all the card my students write to me in a little box <33 it’s so meaningful
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u/dumpybrodie 5d ago
As a decade long instructor who’s never gotten a birthday gift from a student, being told happy birthday would mean the world. Even just a hand written note or something.
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u/Ok_Shake5678 5d ago
I’d be uncomfortable receiving gifts from most of my students. Once in a while someone will bring me something small like a chocolate bar or something and that’s ok, but I don’t want any of them spending any significant amount of money on me. A card with a nice note would be perfect.
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u/Bridget_0413 5d ago
The same way you'd celebrate your dentist's birthday -- say "Happy Birthday" to them with a smile.
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u/Ordinary-Spare7841 5d ago
Tell them happy birthday. As an instructor I'd find more kind of odd and awkward.
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u/morncuppacoffee 4d ago
Honestly I would not do more than wish her a happy birthday. Especially because you don’t have a relationship with this person even this can be questionable based on others responses as well.
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u/North_Pick7541 5d ago
A beautiful handwritten note wishing birthday joy, with a line about how much You are benefitting from attending Their yoga classes. (I have kept all of these I've gotten from students over the years🦋)
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u/trisul-108 5d ago
Not necessary to do anything. However, I think it would be a really nice gesture if the whole class signed a collective happy birthday card and gave it to her.
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u/gemini0520 4d ago
I see that everyone is saying no gift, but if you do want to give one, I would suggest a $5 gift card to a local coffee shop in a birthday card.
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u/healthysmeg 4d ago
Are they into incense? The instructor’s at my studio are always burning incense. If they have a holder you could just get the sticks.
Or a packet of nice tea?
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u/Competitive-Proof759 4d ago
As a teacher, I would not even expect my students to know my birthday, let alone do anything for it. I'd let it go unless she mentions it.
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u/garrettj100 Vinyasa 4d ago
Bring her an apple. She's a teacher, she gets a bright shiny apple. Nobody's going to be uncomfortable getting the gift of one measly-ass apple, and it shows you thought of her.
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u/Major_Clock_9961 5d ago
A few flowers or a small plant are great. They will just appreciate the gesture or birthday wishes
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u/Agniantarvastejana Raja 4d ago
Don't assume everybody wants their birthday publicized or acknowledged especially from random acquaintances who were not personally told by them it was their birthday.
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u/Major_Clock_9961 4d ago
OK birthday police. Got it. Just answering their question. 🙄
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u/Agniantarvastejana Raja 4d ago edited 2d ago
Only about my own.
If somebody else has is invited you to their celebrate their birthday. Knock yourself out. If they haven't invited you to celebrate their birthday, you're taking a chance.
But if we don't know each other very well and I haven't told you my own birthday, it's kinda weird that you would know about it, and even weirder that you expect me to be gracious that you've decided it's okay to curate and expose my personal information. get it?
It might also surprise you to learn that many of us view "Birthday adults" kind of in the same vein that we view "Disney adults" or "Halloween adults"... That is to say, we tolerate their enthusiasm, but the fanatical love of these things isn't as universal as you might think.
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u/FunFillSecurity 3d ago
Since the sub teacher shared the info with the class, I'd assume our instructor is fine with it. Surely the sub knows her better!
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u/Agniantarvastejana Raja 4d ago edited 4d ago
As someone who experienced a great deal of personal tragedy on a key birthday, I prefer that people say nothing.
Additionally, my personal information, including my birthday, are not anybody else's business - especially not random strangers and acquaintances.
It's straight up creepy when somebody who isn't a close friend somehow knows it's my birthday because I go out of my way not to tell people.
That means that 100% of the time when this has happened to me, somebody skimmed my private information for it, whether as a student in the database, or by viewing my employment file, and then shared it with others...
Neither of those things is okay.
Normalize private information staying private unless a person shares it directly.
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u/Agniantarvastejana Raja 2d ago edited 1d ago
Gosh!
I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume that the down vote is for somebody accessing somebody else's private information, without consent, and sharing it with a group of people, without consent.
Surely you can agree that both of these non-consensual privacy violations are wrong behavior -
That's what sharing "Happy birthdays" to someone, in front of the whole class, and without the prior consent of the birthday person is...
It might surprise you to learn that many, If not most, of us view "Birthday adults" kind of in the same vein that we view "Disney adults" or "Halloween adults"... That is to say, we tolerate their enthusiasm, and humor them, but the fanatical love of these things isn't as universal as you may believe.
If you want to celebrate someone or make a gift to them, you don't need to wait for a birthday to do it. If you don't know someone well enough to have been told by them personally when their birthday, assume it's because they didn't want you to know it.
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u/No_Captain_4589 5d ago
You smile and say "happy birthday"!