New Yoga Teacher Tips for Teaching Your First Yoga Class
You’ve just graduated from Yoga Teacher Training and now you’re ready to teach! Or are you? You now have to put everything you learned into action and actually go in front of real students and you know… talk to them and teach yoga! I’ve been there: I was so anxious about my first yoga class too!
I dug deep into the newbie yoga teacher's worst fears and most pressing questions to come up with this complete first-time yoga teacher guide. You will feel fully confident about teaching your first yoga class and have a concrete plan of what to do and what to avoid.
Worried about messing up and forgetting everything you’ve learned in yoga teacher training and in this article?
Table of Contents
How to Be a Confident Yoga Teacher and Beat the Stress of Teaching
If you are reading this article, let’s face it! You are probably nervous about teaching yoga for the first time and want to make sure you know how to be a good yoga teacher. Keep reading for concrete advice to feel less anxious about teaching yoga.
1. Face your fears
What is the voice in your head telling you? Here are a few of the most common fears debunked:
What if no one shows up? It is ok, although very unlikely! Most times one or two people will show up, which is probably even more awkward for most people. Make it a learning experience! When I teach very small groups I like asking them their names, and what their yoga goals are to make the class totally tailored for them. You can also insist on the fact that you are excited to give them a private or semi-private class. If that is not enough for you, ask a friend or a partner to come to class.
What if I mess up and forget my sequence? It helps to arrive prepared but if you totally forget what you were about to teach you can always have people rest in child’s pose and do a quick breathing exercise while you gather your thoughts.
How can I deal with something unexpected? Take the pressure off by knowing you will experience weird or even crazy situations while teaching yoga: I almost electrocuted myself, had my pants break during class, fell while demonstrating a pose, had two students physically fight... while of course I don’t wish that to anyone, this or another unexpected event could also happen to you! This is part of the experience of teaching yoga and it makes for fun stories to tell afterwards.
2. It's ok to feel stressed about teaching yoga
There are many reasons to feel awkward about teaching yoga: You will have to speak in public, in front of a group of people who will be watching your body when you demonstrate poses, and maybe even show your taste in music to a group.
All of these taken individually seem like a nightmare to me and I personally felt stressed about not being naturally entertaining to a larger audience. Remember that the stress you might feel is only temporary as your comfort zone is stretching.
3. Relax before class
Since you'll be arriving early use this time to relax: listen to a soothing song, do a breathing exercise or just talk to the person at the front desk. As a yoga teacher, you have all the tools you need to come back to balance when you are stressed.
Practice what you teach and actually do the centering and the breathing exercises with your students at the start of the class.
4. Know what to expect before teaching your first class
Knowing what to expect and practicing acceptance will go a long way:
You will probably mix up left and right: it's ok, don't over apologize or use negative language, just correct yourself so that your students do exactly the same thing on both sides
It is very silent: You students will not be speaking, they will even sometimes not even make eye contact as they are focused on their own practice. Don't feel you need to fill up every silence with your words and hold space for them.
Prepare your class: more on that in the next section.
How to Prepare Your First Yoga Class
Prepare your class in advance: Not only prepare your sequence in advance but also practice it so that you can feel it in your own body. This will help you memorize your class, especially your transitions which can be tricky in the beginning.
Teach what you practice: You need to actually have experienced the pose to be able to teach it to your students. For example: I don't teach shoulderstand as my neck is fragile. I teach legs up the wall instead.
Make it simple: Don't plan for anything too fancy! Stick to poses you know well and add maybe one or two wild cards per class. By wild cards I mean, something that is pushing your boundaries as a teacher like a fun transition or a pose variation.
Know your audience: Don't teach the same thing at a gym, yoga studio or at a company. As the person organizing the class what students are expecting of you and how long they have been practicing. Usually corporate classes tend to be more "conservative" so avoid wide legged forward folds.
Be ready to improvise: Adapt to who is in your class. You are teaching real people so don't stick too tightly to your plan. No need to be afraid when someone walks in obviously pregnant or with an injury, just remember the safe modifications you learned in teacher training and tell them do do what feels good for their bodies.
How to Be an Authentic Yoga Teacher and Let Your Personality Shine
It’s not only about teaching yoga, it is also about enjoying it and bringing your unique value to your students! Here are a few ways to find what makes you unique as a yoga teacher:
1. Get inspired
Who are your favorite teachers and why? Go to a few yoga classes and take notes of what the teachers you like are doing. Go to a few classes of a totally different style as well and see what you like or not. You will learn so much by doing that. I personally still write down what I enjoyed after some yoga classes by my favorite teachers.
A good idea here is to take online recorded classes so that you can actually pause them to write down your thoughts.
2. Find your own style
Once you know better what you enjoy as a student, now it is time to understand what you like teaching and what value you can bring to others.
It is time to find your own style by asking yourself a few questions:
What was your favorite part of yoga teacher training? Maybe it was anatomy, maybe it was philosophy
What are your favorite poses to teach and why?
What is unique about you that people enjoy? Maybe your friends always tell you how you’re able to explain something complex in a very accessible way, maybe you are very funny or super relatable. How you deliver your class is part of your style too!
Once you’re a bit more sure of what your yoga teaching style is, just own it! Don't copy other teachers and be yourself.
Use that to add your unique special touch. Maybe it is adding an essential oil neck-rub in Savasana, your precise cues or your really fun playlist.
3. Don’t make it about yourself!
Of course, let your own personality shine but make sure your personal stories are serving your students. So refrain from telling them all your life story. It is not about you: you are here to serve your students, not yourself.
Also, you never know what is going on in your students' lives, so don't assume someone is frowning or doing something totally different because they just hate your class. And in any case, it is ok if a student doesn't like something you teach, there are so many styles of yoga and yoga teachers. You will not be everyone’s teacher!
4. Know your limits
See yourself as a guide, not an expert! Your students are the experts in themselves and you should treat them as such.
Similarly don't overstep your zone of expertise: yoga teachers can't treat or diagnose anything. There will be people asking you how to treat their injuries: you can only show them how to safely practice yoga with their limitations and offer them suggestions. Don't talk in absolutes and invite them to consult with a medical professional.
In the same way, you should only give advice around yoga, not around your student's love lives, their diet or their mental health. You can of course share your personal experience but make sure it is obvious.
Don’t be afraid to not know something about yoga either. Just say "i don't know but I will look it up and tell you next class".
5. Connect with your students!
This is the best part about teaching yoga. You get to have a lasting impact on people’s lives by helping them find their answers along their own journey.
So, connect with your students:
Someone is doing great? tell them!
Learn your regulars’ names and write them on a note if you tend to be forgetful.
Actually talk to them before or after class, it is always more fun when you know who is in the room with you
Speak in a Way That Serves Your Students
A lot of new yoga teachers wonder how to speak when teaching yoga and exactly what to say. Here is how to find your own voice and bring value to the people in your class:
1. Keep it simple
Use simple, easy instructions that anyone can understand:
Refrain from over-metaphorical language, like “spread your wings” vs “lift up your arms”
Avoid passive language like "stepping your feet wide"
Don’t assume people know what you are talking about and define all technical terms
2. Make people feel good about themselves
When introducing different versions, encourage people to choose what feels good for them. Don’t talk about easy or hard versions, give people options instead. If you are demonstrating a pose, demonstrate the more basic version as well, like bending your knees in a forward fold, so that people don't feel discouraged.
3. Teach more than the physical practice
Don't stop your teachings at the physical practice and give students learning opportunities through the practice of yoga.
Here are a few ideas:
Listening to your own body
Not attaching to the outcome of a pose
Not comparing yourself with others
Letting go of distractions (a particularly helpful theme if there is noise outside!)
4. Respect people’s individuality and be inclusive
Remember that people have different experiences: gender, faith, sexual orientation, race, social background.. Make sure you include everyone in the way you speak!
Here are a few things to keep in mind:
Before speaking, ask yourself: is this a shared experience? Or is it just particular to a specific background or experience.
Avoid words that can exclude people: talk about a partner instead of a boyfriend or girlfriend for example
Avoid generalizations: nothing makes me more alienated when someone talks about “us women”
Don’t assume anything about people, wait for them to tell you about they own experience
5. Be real and use your voice to lead the class
Please, please, don’t adopt a generic yoga teacher voice. You have so much to bring by being yourself so no need to play a role here.
Use your voice to lead the class:
Speak loud enough so that everyone can hear you
Speak with intention
Bring value to your students with your words
Managing Your Class Like a Pro
You can know everything there is to know about yoga, but if you forget these easy tips, your class will not be perfect! Here is how to manage your yoga class like an experienced yoga teacher:
1. Timing
Time-management is one of the key yoga teacher skills that will help you stand out:
Start on time: Arrive at least 5 minutes before to set up the space. If you don’t know the space I would recommend arriving 15 minutes before to get set up and understand where everything is like how to turn on the light, play music and where the props are.
End on time: Respect your students’ time. Make sure you have an eye on the clock when you’re teaching.
Know if there's a class before or after in the space you’re teaching in: if you’re teaching in a studio, they often make sure the timing works for everyone. However, there are many spaces where they schedule back to back classes, which means you’ll sometimes have to discreetly remind them that they have to end their class. Reciprocally make sure you end on time and everyone is out before the next class starts.
Things often take more time than expected: I like to plan for a lighter class and add stuff on top of it depending on who is in my class. It is always easier to add than to take away and you won't need to rush through everything. If you find yourself with a little extra time, you can always add a few restorative poses or breathwork exercises before savasana.
2. Class Structure
When you teach yoga, make sure the experience is as smooth as possible for everyone. Don’t forget why people come to your class and make sure you are giving them as much value as you can through your class structure.
Here are a few tips to do so:
Sequencing: while you will keep learning about it during your whole yoga teacher career, you already know enough simple sequencing rules to craft an enjoyable class. I won’t go in depth here as a lot is already covered in your yoga teacher training but a few ways to sequence a class are building up to a peak pose or having a theme. Common themes can be based on anatomy (like side bending, forward folds…), Ayurveda (particularly helpful during season changes!), or even philosophy. Pick one that resonates with you and that you actually practice.
Don’t forget the energy of the class: I like to build my classes following an arc of energy, meaning starting slow, building to a higher intensity before going down in intensity again. This will change according to the time of the day and who is in the class.
Manage the room to serve your sequencing: There are many things you can act on like the light, the music or the room temperature. Make sure they serve the energy you are trying to create for example by playing more dynamic music during sun salutations or turning off the lights during savasana.
3. Organisation
Here are the most commonly asked questions about concrete yoga class organisation:
Where should you stand during class? I recommend staying at the back of the class at first to observe the students and then adjusting all the students at least once during class, unless you don’t feel comfortable adjusting someone.
Should you demonstrate all the poses or not? While it might seem easier at first I don’t recommend it. When you are demonstrating all the poses, you are not able to see all your students and actually teach to the people in the room. I usually only do the centering exercises with them and demonstrate specific poses where I feel the students will benefit from seeing them.
Do I need to plan the full yoga class ahead of time? I recommend doing so at first, and writing down specific cues you’re going to use. As you gain experience, you will tend to do this less and only write down bullet points. This helps you be intentional about your sequencing and have a library of prepared classes you can draw from.
Should I teach a different class every time? No, plan to teach the same sequence several times, you can memorize it better and you can adapt it depending on what you see in class. I personally keep a weekly theme that I teach in all my classes but I adapt it depending on where I teach.
Annoying Yoga Teacher Mistakes
In my opinion, these are the things that can make a class a less relaxing experience than expected and even cost you a few students:
Pseudo-science: as a teacher, you are in a position of authority and it comes with the responsibility of not presenting beliefs as truths. If having good ethics was not enough to convince you, you can also get sued for that kind of stuff so please don't tell anyone yoga will cure their condition.
An aggressively unbalanced class: You spend 5 minutes on the right side of a pose while giving a lot of cues then 2 seconds on the left. Every. single. time. Consistently giving more attention to one side of the body than the other will have your students come out of your class limping and awfully unbalanced. Same with your adjustments, make sure you adjust on both sides for the same reason.
Teaching something else than what is on the schedule: I once went for a Yin class that was in fact a surprise Power Vinyasa. I walked out of class, ready to sue the studio (just kidding of course!). Don't be that teacher. If you are subbing a class ask the teacher what they usually teach and try at least to teach something similar to that.
Body shaming: we don't need another opportunity to feel bad about our bodies. Seriously. Don't make judgments about bodies, talk about burning calories or losing weight in class. Make your class a no judgment zone.
Music that's a little bit too explicit or out of context: Actually listen to the lyrics or you might have the very painful experience of listening to a song about drugs-fueled parties during savasana. This totally happened to me and I still cringe when thinking about it.
Texting during savasana: your students can feel it if you are not fully present with them. The class ends after savasana: you are asking your students to not skip it after all!
You are now ready for your first yoga class and now know everything you need to know to fully serve your students and avoid any common mistakes! Congratulations, you are one step closer from a successful yoga teaching career.