5 Tips to Finding your Voice as a Yoga Teacher
Written by Tarryn Thomson
Great. You’ve finished your 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training and you’re ready to dive straight in to this teacher journey. It’s going alright until you hit a speed bump. You’re planning your classes, choosing the right music and writing out exactly what to say… but something doesn’t feel right. You’re nervous, uncertain and doubting your words and cues. Maybe you’re observing other teachers, wondering “What if I just say what they say?” or questioning whether they’re a better teacher than you.
We’ve all been there. And maybe the issue starts with the fact that we do not share these insecurities when we start teaching. Some experience it more than others but there is a large percentage of teachers who will experience these moments of self doubt and questioning.
The good news? This isn’t bad at all. In fact, it’s all a part of this journey of finding your voice as a yoga teacher.
Finding your voice as a teacher refers to the actions and process of stepping into your confidence and authenticity. It’s the process of finding your purpose, as well as exploring ways to share that with your students. Each teacher is unique, which makes the practice of yoga a truly experiential practice.
Over the years of finding my own voice as a teacher, I am proud to say that after 4 years I have found a “calling”, or a “vision” of what I want to share through my practice. Sitting on the back end of Yoga South Africa, I am often receiving questions from new, and more experienced teachers, who are still on this process. Somewhat demotivated and confused. Its normal. By reading this, you are already on the path of finding your voice.
Although this process is unique and different for each teacher, I would like to share my FIVE tips for finding your voice as a yoga teacher.
Self Enquiry
The most vital aspect to this process is understanding what KIND of yoga teacher you wan to be. What are your values? passions? stories? Before you ask the tangible questions of what style, pace and music you want to incorporate into your classes - start off with the foundations. These journaling prompts will send you in the right direction of understanding exactly what you are wanting to share through your practice and teachings.
1. What message do you want to share as a yoga teacher?
2. What are your values as a yoga teacher?
3. What makes you unique in your approach to teaching?
4. What kind of experience do you want your students to have in your classes?
And then right at the end:
5. What style, speed and type of yoga do you want to share?
Once you have answered these questions, keep checking in. The answers may change, but as they do, you also develop self awareness and understanding.
2. Teach what you Practice
Our personal practice is the first entry point into your teaching. What you feel, learn and experience on the mat is your guide to what you can teach. Teach from experience and from a place of understanding. The more you understand how yoga makes you feel and act, the sensations you experience, the thoughts and the shifts, the more you can guide your students through it. This will enhance the way are actually “teaching”. Their experience may be different to yours, but your hands-on and personal approach will be appreciated. It will also set you a part from other teachers.
3. Teach from a place of authenticity
When we are stepping into a teacher role, it’s very easy to compare ourselves to other teachers in our environment and even online. You may find yourself slip into a mindset of wanting to mimic their words, sequences or way of teaching… not often realising how our own experiences are what make your service, or class, unique. Students will practice your class because of YOU and as soon as you realize that, you will start to trust your instinct. Ever heard that Dr Seus poem which says “There’s no one else thats you-er than you"“? Absolutely true. in understanding yourself and your values, it will be apparent that not everyone will agree and enjoy your classes - know that thats ok.
4. Owning your “Flaws”
You’ll fumble, mix up your lefts and right, have awkward silences and fall out of dancer’s pose during a demo. It’s in these little “mishaps” that your students acknowledge that you are, too, in fact human. It may even be that your students learn to relate to you on a more personal level as they also fumble and fall out of poses. The idea that teachers need to display this “perfect” class is unobtainable, and unsustainable. So own your flaws, make that lame joke (even if nobody laughs) and quit being so hard on yourself.
5. Let go of the outcome.
You may have planned every step, transition and word spoken in your class, but I can guarantee that most of the time, things wont go according to plan. You may prepare a strong arm balance class and have someone walk in with a wrist injury. Being a yoga instructor is all about thinking on your feet and actually TEACHING rather than leading your students through a flow. Let go of the attachment of that “perfect class”. Once you remove that expectation, you will find the opportunity to explore your inner voice.
Have any tips of how you found your voice as a teacher? Share them in the comments below!