Teaching Yoga Again After You've Been on a Break

I’ve recently started teaching a weekly restorative yoga class on Sundays, after being on a break from teaching for about a year.

Off and on throughout my 13 years of teaching yoga, I’ve had periods where I wasn’t teaching a class. Sometimes I was taking an intentional break, or there was something happening in my life like a move or new job that created a change in my schedule, so I needed to create more space.

Returning to teaching after being away for a while can be challenging. You have to find your groove again, so to speak. You might feel nervous or uncertain or uncomfortable as you’re adjusting to a new space and new community. Inevitably, every studio, gym, and teaching space has its own vibe. And it takes some time to build a class.

Returning to teaching yoga after a break can also feel refreshing and exciting! It brings you a new perspective on your own yoga practice, and can often reinvigorate your connection to why you teach in the first place.

Here are a few tips on how I’ve been getting back into the teaching groove, for any yoga teachers out there who are in a liminal space, too. Whether you’re considering teaching again, not sure if it’s something you want to do, or you have a new class and you’re getting used to it, these ideas are meant to support you in that transition.

Ideas for If You're Thinking About Getting Back Into Teaching (But Aren't Sure If You Want to Commit to a New Class Yet)

There’s a weird, sometimes wobbly middle ground between “I’m on a break from teaching” and “I’m ready to start a new class.”

The longer I’ve taught yoga, the more I’ve realized truly what a commitment it is to take on a new class and build it from the ground up.

In my humble opinion, a teacher should really be prepared to commit to at least a year of teaching that class consistently when they say “yes” to a teaching opportunity. I think studio owners experience a lot of turnover and scheduling frustration and so out of respect for those community leaders, I’ve approached starting a new class with the mindset that I’ll be teaching for a long period of time.

Of course there have been a few times when it wasn’t the right fit, and I had to let a class go after just a few months of teaching it (so I’m not saying you should stay in a situation that you know isn’t right for you)… but also be ready to commit when you take on a class.

Here are some tips if you are deciding whether or not it’s time to get back into teaching yoga regularly.

1. Take some time to meditate and reflect before you say “yes” to a new yoga class. You don't have to decide today. One of the gifts of a break is that it gives you space to notice what you actually miss about teaching, and what you don’t. You could also reflect on: What is my identity as a yoga teacher? How am I changing and growing as a person and how does my yoga practice align with that? What kind of yoga class would serve me best right now? Can I show up for students in the way my community needs me to? If not, why not?

2. Question your fears and doubts. Fear and unreadiness feel similar but they aren't the same. If your body and spirit are rested and the hesitation is mostly about your own confidence levels, that's worth exploring. Remember, just because you feel “rusty” doesn’t mean you’re starting over or starting from scratch. All of your teaching experience thus far in your career will serve you when you go to start the new class, even if it feels awkward or clunky at first.

3. Start small. Offer to sub a single class. Lead a free session for friends. Teach one person. You don't have to commit to a recurring gig before you remember what it feels like to be back in the room. Starting small can also reveal to you if you truly feel ready. You’ll usually know right away if it’s a “yes” or a “not yet” in your gut.

4. Reconnect with your own practice first. Often the resistance to teaching is really a signal that something in your personal practice needs tending. Before you figure out what you want to give, notice what you've been receiving lately.

5. Give yourself permission to come back differently. You're not the same teacher you were before your break—and that's actually a good thing! You’re not meant to be stagnant. You’ve learned, grown, and changed since you last taught, and that’s something to embrace, not resist. You might want different hours, a different format, a different population to teach. Be true to what you’re craving now and how you’ve evolved.

A Few Tips for Getting Your Groove Back Once You've Landed a New Class

So, you’re ready to teach! Here are some ideas for how to handle transitioning back into regularly teaching a class.

1. Be kind to yourself and remember that this transition doesn’t have to be perfect. Give yourself permission to be a little wobbly. Students are more forgiving than we are with ourselves, and they're usually just glad to be there. Ask yourself, why am I being critical? What am I worried about? Am I trying to people-please or fake something? What can I do to give myself permission to be vulnerable and not overthink it?

2. Read the room. Receive from the energy of your class and community. Every studio, gym, and teaching space has its own energy. Instead of trying to impose your teaching style immediately, get curious about the vibe of this particular room and this particular community. Adapt. Observe. Teach to who is right in front of you. Let the energy from your students inspire you and give you ideas for where to go next.

3. Build in rituals that anchor you. Whether it's how you set up your mat, a breathing practice you do before class, or a short meditation you offer at the beginning of class, you can create small consistent structures that help you feel like yourself even when everything else is new.

4. Notice what's changed in you—and use it to your advantage. Time away from teaching tends to deepen your relationship with being a student. Bring that perspective into how you teach. The things you've been exploring in your own practice may be exactly what your students need to hear right now. Notice the energy exchange—what you’re showing up ready to give, and what your students have to give and mirror back to you, too.

5. Be patient with building slowly. A new class takes time to find its people. Attendance in the early weeks is not a reflection of your worth as a teacher. If there are a few weeks where no one shows up, choose not to take that personally and use the time for your own practice or to reflect on what you want to create. Keep showing up with intention, keep refining what you’re offering here and now with this new class, and trust that your consistency will help build the community.

Questions to Ask Yourself (Whether You’re Teaching Yet or Just Thinking About Teaching)

These are great questions to ask whether you're deciding whether to return or already settling into a new teaching rhythm:

• What do I really want?

• Do I have energy to give?

• Am I committed, or is there a part of me that’s hesitating? Why? What’s that about, really?

• What does my yoga practice mean to me now?

• Am I ready to give or do I need to receive? Do I have capacity to hold space?

• What does my body feel when I imagine being back in a classroom? Is it contraction or expansion?

• What drew me to teaching yoga in the first place, and is that still true? What’s drawing me to teach now?

• How is teaching now different than it was before?

• Am I putting guilt or shame on myself for the break I took from teaching? Why? What’s that about, deep down?

• What would I need in place to feel supported as a teacher right now?

• Am I returning from a place of fullness, or am I hoping teaching will fill something?

• What do I want to do differently this time? And why?

• Who am I teaching for?

• Who do I want to reach through this class?

• How do I want to feel during and after teaching? How can I create that experience for myself?

• What self doubts or insecurities do I need to address and face to show up as the most confident and strong yoga teacher I can be?

• What would "enough" look like in a teaching life right now, versus what I used to expect of myself?

Yoga teachers, I’d love to hear in the comments if you have any other questions or practices that have helped you transition from being on a break to teaching again.

Wishing you much peace and self-acceptance and self-love as you move through this transition!