Yoga Class Scripts for New Yoga Teachers to Cue with Confidence
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teaching yoga is a bit of an art and a science. new yoga teachers need more support. that’s why i’m writing this post, and that’s why i created the yoga scripts on my website.
In this blog post, I’ll share all about the yoga class scripts I created for new yoga teachers to help you cue with confidence.
If you’re a new yoga teacher and you want to get from nervous to confident faster and with ease, this post is for you.
In 2013, I was fresh out of 200 hour power yoga teacher training. I was excited. Passionate. Eager to launch my teaching career and find my teaching style. I thought often about whether my classes were good enough, whether students would like them enough to come back, and how I could improve.
I was seeking to find my footing, but feeling overwhelmed by the lack of confidence in my voice every time I stood in front of the room.
Am I remembering the right order of the postures? Am I cueing the breath correctly? Is the temperature in here ok? Is the music too loud?
Stepping into the role of a yoga teacher required me to keep track of all the things and I was determined to deliver impactful, safe classes… but, to be honest, it all felt a bit daunting. I wondered, how many years is it going to take before this feels second nature, and I’m finally comfortable?
Eventually I found a method that worked for me.
as a writer, creating a yoga script was a natural way for me to integrate and synthesize what i’d learned in teacher training, and make it make sense to me.
I created a tool for myself to make cueing a yoga class easier, and I focused in on having one really good class under my belt that I could teach anywhere, anytime. A sequence that I knew like the back of my hand (that wasn’t far off from the exact sequence we’d been taught in teacher training).
It was basic, it was simple, and it worked.
There’s a valuable lesson here: as a new teacher, it’s OK to use straightforward sequencing (nothing too fancy) until you get some experience under your belt.
I think with so many yoga teachers out there, and so much content online with intricate, unique, expressive yoga class sequences, it’s easy for new yoga teachers to think, I need to invent something incredible and new and breathtaking for students to experience. I need to bring a new, fresh class every time I teach. I need to innovate and wow people!
What if what you need right now is to keep it simple?
Keeping it simple is a key to getting from nervous to confident.
Yoga class scripts are a simple, easy-to-use resource for any yoga teacher who feels overwhelmed by the task of sequencing a class and memorizing the cues for the poses.
As a new yoga teacher, I think it’s more important to cultivate a feeling within yourself of I can do this than it is to wow students or other teachers/studio owners with having a unique sequence.
It’s more important to have the basics down— how to pace the class, how to get students in and out of the poses safely, how to feel at peace in your own skin— than it is to bring a rockstar playlist.
When you graduate teacher training, there’s a lot of material floating around in your head and it’s hard to know where to start.
But what if you started here: with a basic class, straightforward cues, simple breathing. What if you took some creative freedom to make savasana your own, but you kept the class simple?
whether you’re teaching a small class at your gym or a big, crowded, sweaty yoga class at your studio, the same nerves and excitement are there.
That’s what I’ve done in my yoga teacher scripts. They’re PDF documents with the exact words to say when you get up in front of class and teach.
You can read them out loud at home to practice, you can read them right before you walk into the studio, you could even read them to friends and family while teaching a practice class at home! You can use them however you want so that you build up your confidence and feel more at ease. So you aren’t searching for the right cues and words to say.
It’s not cheating. It’s a clear method to help you get from nervous to confident.
And for some, it’s the only way to not quit teaching altogether.
here’s a throwback image of me teaching a full yoga class at bridge yoga in loomis, ca.
I’ll share a little story before I close out this blog post…
Serena (her name has been changed) is a yoga teacher I met a few years ago. She was on the brink of giving up teaching, just three months out of graduating her 200 hour yoga teacher training. She was frustrated. She felt alone. She felt like she was failing as a yoga teacher, even though she was just getting started.
“My trainers gave me so much information,” she said, “which I love. I love learning all the details. But now I get in front of the class and feel like I’m just overthinking it. I freeze.”
I smiled.
I told her how I remember having those exact same feelings when I was out teaching my first few months of classes.
“It’s ok,” I told her. “This is totally normal.”
Hearing that seemed to take some pressure off for her. She felt relieved that she wasn’t the only one (and I did too, honestly!).
Serena started using the Power Yoga Script (which is the most popular one I sell) and quickly felt better. She felt like she had clear direction. She had something specific she could study before and after class, a basic template she could work off of. “I wish my trainers had given me this sooner,” she said, “because honestly I was this close to just giving up on teaching and not doing it anymore.”
I get it.
I really do.
The transition from yoga teacher training to actually teaching classes can be a tough one. You go from having this close-knit community where you feel safe teaching and being yourself, to suddenly being in classes where you aren’t sure what to expect, you aren’t sure if you’re doing it right, or you get so jumbled that you suddenly feel like nothing from training “stuck” with you and made it into your actual classes.
It’s a not-so-fun place to be!
Long story short, that’s why I created the yoga class script pdf resources that are here on my site. Because new yoga teachers need support in getting from so-nervous-I’m-shaking to wow, I can actually do this.
You know you have so much to give, but you’re not sure how to build confidence or find the right words to say.
You’re so passionate, yet so lost.
This space, Alive in the Fire, is the platform where I hope to pay it forward and help any yoga teacher who is struggling.
I invite you to check out the page: Yoga scripts and resources for new yoga teachers
Or leave a comment below or send me a note. If you do email, put “I’M A YOGA TEACHER” in your message so I’m sure I can prioritize getting back to you quickly.
I’d love to help you. 💛
I support what you’re doing, and I see the sacrifice it takes— being uncomfortable at first. But there is hope. There is a way. And what you’re doing matters.
Sending love,
Rachel
i hope this post helps you and i hope you check out the scripts! If you have any questions feel free to reach out to me and i can help you narrow down which one is the best fit for you and your needs.
