What to Say When You're Teaching a Yoga Class
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As a new yoga teacher, it can sometimes feel like you’re struggling to find the right words.
I can remember when I graduated from my 200 hour teacher training, I was asking myself questions like:
How do I memorize the sequence?
How do I transition from pose to pose without forgetting what to say?
How do I find my voice and make my classes feel unique?
What if I mess up or repeat something?
Will this always feel so hard? (When does it get easier?)
I think all of these questions are normal to ask as you get into your teaching groove. Here are a few ways I made the transition from training to teaching.
Practice in the car. While driving, I would teach out loud. This helped me prepare mentally and identify where in my sequencing I felt confused or uncertain. Getting used to hearing the cadence of my voice and the spots where I would sometimes forget or feel less confident definitely helped improve my classes.
Teach friends. Get some people over to your house or to the studio and teach them a class. Or teach part of a class. The more you practice, the easier it flows.
Step away, take a break, or take more classes. Being a student is a vital part of being a teacher. And letting yourself take breaks from thinking about teaching can give your brain time to process the information and give your heart a chance to feel at peace with where you are in the process. While you’re new, it’s going to feel a bit uncomfortable— and that’s OK. Take time to also slow down, give yourself credit for all you’re doing, relax into your body, and celebrate where you are in your journey.
You might also try using a yoga script for a little while. This is a write up of exactly what to say word for word during class— an exact list of poses and cues you can try. This might feel clunky or like it’s not your own voice, or it might be a helpful tool that helps boost your confidence and practice what to say.
PS Here are a few other posts on what to say when you’re teaching a yoga class:
As always, please feel free to reach out if you have questions or need support along the way. Thank you for all you do as a teacher — it matters! :)
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.