What makes a yoga teacher a great one?
There’s tons of room for interpretation when it involves deciding what makes an instructor not just “good,” but outstanding. Of course, there are a couple of things to think about when you’re starting out—and some very practical “do’s and don’ts.” We often advise new yoga teachers to keep their sequences simple and incorporate tougher asanas and trickier transitions eventually, as they gain experience and confidence.
It’s also safe to mention that throughout a yoga teacher’s career, maintaining relevant and current technical knowledge of anatomy and alignment is going to be necessary. Clear, calm, confident instruction is additionally important. While “Don’ts” may comprise of things such as restricting your students resting period, being distracted with your phone during class, or picking on students for slow progress, insisting rigorous practice without properly explaining.
There’s also a long-held perspective among some yoga teachers that an individual has got to be extremely spiritual to be a yoga teacher, or must be thoroughly acquaintance with the human anatomy and alignment. In reality, there are a variety of things that inspire people to be a yoga teacher. Some chose this profession because they need to share yoga as a sort of exercise, others teach because they’ve found yoga to be both physically and emotionally therapeutic and need to share what they’ve experienced with others.
Regardless of where you fall along the “yoga teachers should/yoga teachers shouldn’t” spectrum, here’s one thing that we as yoga teachers got to remember:
While there’s a particular degree of self-exploration involved in teaching yoga (again, like asking yourself the question: “How am I able to move from being an okay teacher to an excellent teacher?”), teaching yoga isn’t entirely about us. For the foremost part, it’s about our students. And learning to grow strong, healthy relationships with them is of utmost importance.
How to become a great yoga teacher?
Being a yoga teacher comes with tons of responsibility, aside from just teaching the poses. Becoming an instructor may be a life-transforming and astonishing experience that permits you to bestow the treasure of the traditional art of yoga to others. A yoga teacher is someone who is responsible for spreading yogic wisdom, and to become a licensed yoga instructor, enrolling for a certified yoga training course is the first step. CYT, as it’s often called is meant to supply the tools necessary to show others about the traditional practice of yoga, teach you to supply major life-lessons to your students, and train you to become a refined instructor.
To enhance your own yogic performance & wisdom, to multifold your contribution to your yoga student’s life transcending journey, and for your own transformation from a yoga instructor to a great yoga teacher consider these tips:
1. Show it yourself and explain fully
Always take every opportunity to be present in your teaching, be it inspecting your student’s progress and offering adjustments, giving anatomical cues, or opening up about your own relevant experiences, etc. A great yoga teacher designs a comprehensive class by building thoughtful sequences and delivering them clearly to its students. Additionally, you must always demonstrate the asana however simple it maybe along with the corresponding breathwork and the anatomical breakdown of the body and message behind each pose.
2. Keep your class structure flexible
There could also be moments where a particular sort of student walks into your class you don’t expect. This might include a pregnant woman, a yoga beginner, someone with a selected injury, etc. Investing time into taking workshops or continued education schemes will assist you instruct more confidently when this individual walks into your studio. These classes or programs will assist you to know what adjustments or modifications are ideal to supply in each unique situation. they’re going to also assist you to style a well-rounded sequence that has various poses for flexibility, balance, stress-relief, muscle-strengthening, etc.
This kind of sequence should include a mix of warm-up poses, standing poses, twists, inversions, backbends, forward-bending poses, closing postures, and in fact, savasana. Then don’t forget to feature a touch of your own unique style, whether it’s through music or sharing a private story relative to your theme.
3. Be consistent in your own practice
Self-practice is something that distinguishes a good teacher from an excellent one. To take a great yoga session it is crucial to take time out for your own practice. Inner work and committing fully to your own practice encourage you to continuously grow in your teaching. The more you show integrity in your yoga journey, the more authentic you’ll be to your students. Self-practice helps you connect internally and believe yourself fully. And remember, people will only trust and believe you once you begin trusting yourself, and giving time to your own practice is the best thing to achieve this level of self-trust.
4. Keep evolving and always learning
Life never stops teaching us, on and off the mat. As a yoga teacher, don’t stop being a student, no matter how experienced you’ve become. To bring excitement to your practice and to be more innovative together with your teachings, continue your education, whether it’s through workshops, retreats, or training. One can also always refer and re-refer the study material, for example, yoga books.
5. Engage in relaxing conversations
Teaching yoga requires you to be an excellent communicator. It’s important to believe the ways you address your class, whether it’s speaking during a tone that everybody can hear, or enunciating your words so you’re well understood. This will take practice and doesn’t always happen overnight, so practice teaching to your friends, family, or coworkers! Eventually, you’ll get to an area where your communication seems unadorned and effortless.
6. Indulge in self-healing
As a yoga teacher, remaining balanced and patient emotionally, physically, and mentally is important. This enables your students to believe your teachings consistently from week to week, day today, and the other way around. While we aim to seek out balance in certain postures on the mat, there’s a sort of balance that goes beyond your asana practice. Emotional and mental soundness helps you stay positive, sensitive, capable of forming a deep connection to yourself and all. It allows you to remain present within the moment and feel more centered. It also greatly impacts your teaching skills as you gain more experience because it drives you towards being humbler and more approachable.
Becoming more creative with your teaching may be a wonderful thing to enrich your classes and encourage students to adopt yoga into their everyday lives. It is always delighting to listen to when students have begun a daily meditation practice and now feel more connected to themselves. Or that they use their favorite pranayama to calm their nerves, or have absorbed a touch of philosophy as help in handling a troublesome situation.
That’s once we really fulfill our role as teachers—when, by sharing our passion for yoga, we become our students’ servants. And they, in turn, become our greatest teachers.