5 Simple Ways to Boost Your Confidence as a New Yoga Teacher
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Transitioning from a yoga teacher training to teaching classes with actual students can be quite a journey.
Suddenly, you’re in a new environment with new people, unexpected situations, and a whole lot of information swimming around in your head.
So, how do you stay grounded as you show up to teach?
Here are 5 easy ways to boost your confidence and remain calm while you teach yoga.
Keep up your own yoga practice
I remember hearing this a lot from my trainers. I would sort of roll my eyes and think, well of course I’m going to keep practicing! I love yoga. But the more often you teach, the more likely you are to get a little burned out on being at the studio, thinking about yoga, coming up with sequences, and overall being immersed in that realm.
Become very focused about your schedule. Be realistic with how much energy you have in a day. And find a way to get your practice in. This can be a big factor in helping you feel connected to students and avoiding feeling imposter syndrome as a teacher.
Receive feedback on your own terms
Understand when you are (or aren’t) in a good headspace to receive feedback. If you’re having an off day, or you’re just not open to receiving comments from a fellow teacher, studio owner, or student— say so. Speak up and share that you are not in a place to receive feedback, and politely ask that you do so at a different time. Generally, people are understanding of this, especially if you share authentically about where you’re coming from.
Face your insecurities
If you’re lacking confidence, it’s time to look at why that is.
What are you scared of?
What are you worried about?
What’s the worst that can happen?
Spend some time reflecting and see what you can work through emotionally so that you show up as your best self when you go to teach.
Record yourself
I never enjoy doing this, but it works. Recording yourself on audio or video can be super helpful. You are able to notice where you repeat yourself, what parts of class you struggle with, and where you can improve. It may feel awkward or uncomfortable to record your own classes, but it’s a fast and effective way to review your own work and make it better.
Get your cueing down
Cues are what make a rockstar yoga class. You need to tell your students where to go next in the most clear and efficient manner possible.
If you’re stumbling over your words, consider asking another teacher to mentor you, reviewing your training materials, hosting a practice class to get feedback, or even reading a yoga script.
Teaching awesome yoga classes takes time— and plenty of practice. Keep at it and before you know it, you’ll be walking in feeling more confident than you thought possible.
If you’re interested, I developed a helpful guide for power Vinyasa yoga teachers who are looking to teach classes similar to the Baron Baptiste method. If you’re working on building a sweaty, dynamic, fun class, but you’re struggling to find the words, this script may be helpful to you.
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
