Tips for New Yoga Teachers
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When you first start teaching yoga, it can be a bit overwhelming.
There’s a lot of information to think about when it comes to sequencing and cueing the poses. You want to keep your students safe, offer great modifications, keep track of where you are in class, and of course manage logistics— signing people in, getting the temperature in the room right, playing the music, all of those fun details.
In the beginning, teaching yoga can bring up a lot:
Nervousness and anxiety
Imposter syndrome (feeling like you’re not qualified to teach)
Self-doubt
Worrying what other people think of you
Being hard on yourself when you mess up
Needing to learn more information about the poses
Wondering when things will get easier or if you want to keep teaching
Navigating different cultures at different studios or spaces where you teach
But fear not!
The journey of becoming a yoga teacher is well worth the challenges. If you’re a newly graduated teacher trainee, here are a few helpful tips.
Think of class like a conversation you’re having with your students.
As you cue the class, notice how your words land. Notice how students are responding. Are they able to track all of the information you’re sharing, or just one or two ideas? Are they struggling? Does the energy in the room seem energized and excited or is it more relaxed or slow?
Let your experience unfold and notice moment by moment what your students are telling you. Let your listening inform your teaching.
Focus on what is the most important information you need to convey. Simplify where you can.
On days when you’re feeling receptive, ask for feedback.
Don’t worry about asking for feedback on days when you feel overwhelmed or not your best. If you already know you struggled, let yourself move forward without getting into all the painful details of what could have been done differently. On days when you felt confident (or at least moderately confident), check in with your students after class. How does your body feel? is a great question I like to ask. It directs the feedback away from personal interpretations about class (it being “good” or “bad” or what poses they liked or disliked) and instead focuses the response on the benefits the student received from the postures, which can give you good feedback about safe sequencing. Other great questions to ask:
How did the pacing feel?
Did you have any follow up questions about any of the poses?
Is there anything I can do to support you during class next week?
If you’re stuck, get unstuck.
We all get in our heads sometimes. If you’re really struggling to find the words when you teach, or you end up leaving class and feeling really hard on yourself, find some tools to make things a bit easier. Once you create some momentum, it will free you up to experiment more and have more fun with your sequencing. One tool I highly recommend is a yoga script. Even if all you do is read the script out loud to your friends and family while teaching classes in your living room, this helps you find the confidence in your voice to then branch out and get more creative. It can be challenging to memorize all of the cues for the many poses in a power yoga class. It can be challenging to keep track of the timing, play music, help students who are struggling, prevent distractions, etc, etc, etc! There’s a lot going on in the room every time you teach. If you’re really struggling, do yourself a favor and simplify your teaching—try a script, do less classes, try something unique that helps make your life easier. And of course, as always, please feel free to reach out!
Calling all new yoga teachers! Are you ready to teach a badass power yoga class?! This script can help you improve your cues, build your confidence, and discover the sequencing and pacing that will define your unique style as a teacher. A great tool for transitioning from your yoga teacher training into any environment where you are leading classes, whether that’s a studio, gym, corporate setting, or private classes.
If you are struggling to remember what to say when you teach, or you’re having trouble guiding students from pose to pose, this script can help. The Power Yoga Script breaks down exactly what verbs and cue details to use as you teach. Are there fears or insecurities holding you back? Are you comparing yourself to other yoga teachers instead of letting your voice be heard? Explore the big questions behind how and why you teach using this helpful guide.
The sequencing follows the Baptiste methodology including the following sections: Integration, Awakening, Vitality, Equanimity, Grounding, Igniting, Stability, Opening, Release, Rejuvenation and Deep Rest.
This 48-page script includes:
Introductions
Warm ups
Sun salutations
Warrior poses
Balancing poses
Triangle series
Backbending
Abs and core work
Hips
Forward bending
Inversions
Cool down and shavasana
There’s also space for you to plan out a class and write out all the cues you’ll use to guide students safely through the poses, plus a list of questions to help you discover where you’re feeling stuck.
Precise cues, smart sequencing, and ideas for how to start and end the class in an engaging and authentic way. Walk into class feeling empowered and prepared to deliver a kick-ass yoga experience to your students.
Take your teaching from basic to badass with this power yoga script.
Here’s what yoga teachers are saying about the POWER YOGA SCRIPT:
“This definitely helped me improve my flow with teaching asana after my teacher training.” -Donita, Vinyasa yoga teacher
”I love how you laid this script out. I felt confused and scattered as I was working on my classes and this helped me save time in the process. Thank you!” -Keyla, yin yoga teacher
“I’ll be honest: when I got done with my 200-hour training, I felt totally lost. I mean, my trainers went over all the poses but as soon as I’d get in front of the room, the words just weren’t there. I felt so stuck. This book helped me build my confidence and doing some memorization so I wasn’t always so terrified to teach.” -Beth, power vinyasa teacher
I’ve been feeling a shift in my yoga practice.