Gaining confidence as a yoga teacher
Being a yoga teacher is probably one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. It has brought out a confidence in me I never knew I had. Growing up, I always hated being center of attention. I did not like the spotlight being on me at all and would do anything to avoid it. After attending yoga classes for a few years, I decided I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and become a yoga teacher. Now, I never thought I would actually be a teacher teacher…lol. I mostly wanted to do private lessons and SMALL group classes because I was way too anxious to stand up in front of a room full of students and LEAD them in a class. The thought of doing that terrified me. I was afraid of messing up and being judged. I was not confident in my abilities AT ALL. But what do you know? I am now a yoga teacher at Beach Town Yoga teaching classes of up to 50 people and the best part is….I feel right at home doing so. It feels right to me. It feels like I found my calling. Now, I am still a newish teacher and I am still finding my groove and learning, but I feel that I have come a long way in finding my voice and finding my style of teaching. I wanted to share a few things I have learned about gaining confidence, finding my style of teaching, and overall just finding my voice and being authentic and true to myself and my students as a teacher. Here we go!
1) Discover your style of teaching. Finding your yoga teaching style is definitely a trial and error kind of situation. I started from a Baptiste background which I love so much, but that was the only style I knew how to teach. I did not know how to create my own flows, playlists to go with these flows, my speaking style, cue style, etc. Of course during your training, you do learn some of this stuff and you can take some of this stuff with you into your teaching style. I personally LOVE power classes and teaching power classes. I knew that this was a style of yoga I wanted to teach, so I chose to start teaching power classes because I was most confident with this style. So pick a style you love and learn to teach that one first. Down the road you can branch out and teach other styles of yoga as well.
2) Embrace mistakes. Making mistakes are apart of the learning process. If you lived your life avoiding doing things in fear of making mistakes, well then you are really missing out on life. As a teacher, I have messed up, I have said things that probably don’t make sense, I mix up my rights and lefts, and more. And I am here to tell you it is ok and it is NORMAL. We are only human after all. Learn to embrace messing up and being imperfect. The only way you will ever learn is by making mistakes. Enjoy the process.
3) Practice, practice, practice. I cannot stress this enough. You need to keep practicing in order to get better. Practice on your mat. Don’t have a plan, just do it. Take out your yoga mat and just start moving your body. See what flows and what doesn’t flow. I always practice on my mat and just keep moving my body and that is how I create my flows. Having a strong yoga practice can make you feel more confident in your ability to teach.
4) Practice teach often. Practice on your friends, family, or even in front of the mirror. Get feedback from friends and family and apply that feedback into your teaching. Just getting the words out in front of a group of people can instantly boost your confidence. Practice teaching all the time is what helped my confidence as a teacher. When you first practice teach, it is intimidating and scary, but how else do you expect to get better and grow as a teacher? Just get up there and call out some poses and keep doing that until you feel more and more comfortable speaking in front of people.
5) Speak like you know what you are talking about even if you don’t know. Even if you are not confident, act like you are. Stand up taller, project your voice even if it’s shaking with fear, and walk like you own the room. I did this for a while even though deep down inside I was panicking. I pretended like I knew what I was saying and doing even though I usually didn’t. Fake it until you make it! It really does work.
6) Don’t be afraid to try something new. It might seem scary to try something out of your comfort zone such as teaching new poses, switching up the flow, etc. But that is the only way you will ever grow from it. You eventually learn to love trying new things and applying it to your classes.
7) Go to your favorite teacher’s classes. This is a great way to take notes on things you like and don’t like in a yoga class and how to apply it to your teaching style. You can listen to how other teacher’s speak and cue their classes. Take notes.
8) Be yourself. This is such a cliche saying, but it is so important. You don’t want to sound like a copycat of someone else. People will love you and your classes because it is YOUR class not someone else’s. People love when you bring your own personal touch into each class. If you have ever taken my classes, then you know I randomly crack jokes even if they are not funny lol, I laugh at myself if I make a mistake, I share things from my heart that I feel can help others, and I play my style of music that I love. Make your classes a reflection of YOU. Your authentic energy will attract so many people.
I hope some of these tips can help you gain more confidence as a yoga teacher. They definitely helped me. You are already gaining so much confidence by stepping out of your comfort zone to become a yoga teacher. That takes some serious guts that some people don’t have. You will do great things. Just believe in your abilities and just share your gift with the world. 💕
XOXO,
Brittany
