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10 Tips for New Yoga Teachers

Teaching Yoga | Yoga

As a new yoga teacher, there are so many things you are hoping to accomplish in the span of one class. And a great deal of things to remember about teaching is that it can all become overwhelming. Follow these tips to help you stress less about teaching while building your classes and student base.

1. Find Your Unique Voice

When you first start out teaching, it can be difficult to have your own, unique voice. Remember what it is you want to communicate to students and be true to what made you want to teach yoga.

2. Avoid The Overuse Of “I” Statements.

Students want to know you can relate to them and vice versa, but it is not about you. Students are in class to have their own experience, to heal their own pain, to explore their own inner spaces. Telling too many personal stories can pull students out of achieving these things.

3. Say Things That Are Meaningful

Not every moment needs to be filled with dialog. Choose your words mindfully and try to avoid talking for the sake of talking. Allow students some breathing room to just be without the need to listen and take in more information.

4. Try Not To Use Filler Language

Um, ok, so or whatever words you use when you are trying to fill space.

5. Speak Clearly And Concisely

As you start out teaching, it might be tempting to use some of the more complicated anatomical terms you learned in teacher training, but what students want is simple and easily understood language. This is especially true if you are teaching beginners.

6. Try Not To Use A Great Deal Of Jargon Or Yoga Lingo

Using Sanskrit can be a great way for students to start to learn some of the words and terms commonly used in yoga, but using it gratuitously can overwhelm and frustrate newer students. Find a balance such as using the English word or phrase immediately before or after the Sanskrit so students can comprehend what you are communicating.

7. Try Recording Or Filming Yourself Teaching

If you are not very clear on what you sound like teaching, take the time to record yourself or even better – film yourself teaching – so you can better understand how you come across and what tweaks you can make to create the best student experience possible.

8. Create Consistency In Your Teaching

Knowing what you want to convey to your students, and what your message is as a teacher, is key to creating consistency in your teaching. Being consistent allows students to understand what to expect when they attend your classes. It will also help build your following if students know you provide a consistent experience.

9. Get To Know Your Students And Their Stories

Be available before and after class to talk with your students about their motivations for coming to class. Being present to your student’s needs lets them know you are invested in their progress and wellbeing.

10. Start And Stop Classes On Time

Being punctual in beginning and ending classes shows respect for your students’ time for the studio or location where you teach. Students want to know they can rely on getting out of class when they expect to, and they also want to experience a full class. Doing this shows professionalism and will be appreciated by those in your class as well as those who run the studio or space where you teach.

Do you have your own tips you’d like to add for new yoga teachers? Feel free to share them below!

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