Quitting medicine to become a Yoga teacher
3 diary entries, documenting my experience of leaving a conventional path in search of myself.
29/03/2021 – Freeing myself from expectations
So I decided, I’m quitting medicine to become a Yoga teacher. I want to pursue my own creative projects and see what I can make of my life, with movement, laughter & love as the driving priorities.
It was one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make, and for once, I am truly proud of myself. Some find it easy to do what they want… but, for me, it has always been hard to know what I want. It is shocking how different the reactions are when you tell somebody that you will become a doctor, compared to that you are a teacher; “Oooh, you study medicine? Wow“.
I felt imprisoned in a golden cage, and found that I started to like the shelter that it offered.
It didn’t take long though to realise I was hiding behind my desk, from the world and from myself. As the image of becoming a doctor fell apart, old dreams started to bloom; I can become anything! A bar tender, teacher, writer, project manager, dancer…
I needed this hard cut and the feeling that I have disappointed my parents in order to feel free. And in this newly-gained empty space, I see the chance to create and grow.
04/04/2021 – Forgiving your parents
I ended up blocking my parents on WhatsApp. I couldn’t stand the one sentence messages that were flying in: bling, bling. Yes, they are not happy.
The fight carried on beyond the topic at hand to the next level, where we are bringing up the past.
So, I started reading about how to forgive your parents and 2 thoughts helped me a lot:
The first was, thinking about whenever they have acted in a similar way with my brothers. In those situations, it was easier for me to forgive them. Because I not only see their imperfections… I also see their love.
The second thought, was that until I learn to forgive, I put myself in a position of dependency. Where I would always be the child then and the grief would be like a shadow above us, lending a dark tint to both the past and present.
No one would benefit from this path.
26/04/2021 – Finding a new way
I haven’t regretted it yet. I move more and importantly I laugh more.
Being self-employed ain’t easy. Especially in the beginning, online and during covid times. But in general things are really good!
Within 2 weeks I found a tutoring job for Biology & Spanish, which at least gives me a little bit of stable income and we started 3 new courses: two Yoga courses & one Beginner AcroYoga course.
I am glad that Tomas stands by me throughout this entire process. And I was also really grateful for receiving emotional support from some of our students. Thank you.
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Acro-love & hugs,
Marie xo
We sincerely hope that this article provided you with useful information that you can put into action. If you have any feedback, personal experiences or questions, feel free to leave a comment.
Thank you so much for the article! I am currently a fourth year medical student and I want to leave medicine. I was just wondering how you are able to quit with student loans? I feel very trapped as I am unsure how I could ever repay them. Thanks in advance!
Dear Lynn,
thank you for your comment, it’s always good to know you’re not the only one in a certain situation. I must admit, I didn’t have much of a student loan, as I quit sooner than my fourth year. Therefor, your situation might have more to consider than mine did. I can only share with you my thoughts about money and the wheel of debt and work… For me, it was eye-opening to realize that there are other jobs than medicine, in which I can gain money; buy a house, get a car – or pay off a loan 🙂
I have a friend, who has to pay off 1 million euro’s on their house. So, he feels like he can’t afford to change or lose his job, nor take half a year off for travelling until he is a pensioner, perhaps at 70! Because of that, he’s working at a company he dislikes in order to live in that house. It is easy to relate to this feeling – especially in our society – but, this seems crazy, right?
To answer your question: I am able to cover my monthly costs (by doing what jobs I can right now: teaching yoga, acro, biology & fitness…) and even if I weren’t able to cover my basic costs, the german government would not let me die 😀
Perhaps ask yourself this, what is the worst case scenario, if you quit with your student loans right now? How would the next year be, the next 5, or 10? Worst, average & best cases? Often times with the worst scenario laid out, you can see that it may not be that bad, and even if it happened, there would be a path forward, a way out… And if that future is more appealing to you than continuing with something that you are not sure that you enjoy, is it worth the risk? For me, the worst case was not that bad, and it was worth the risk. Everyone’s situation is different ofcourse, and this is not to say that it is ever easy.
I wish you the best of luck in whatever path you choose to take! Feel free to response and share your thoughts 🙂