Becoming a certified yoga teacher can be a beautiful journey, but it can be overwhelming, too. You want your class to run smoothly, create the perfect atmosphere, and have a great flow. Sometimes it works, but many times it doesn’t. The truth is not about being the perfect yoga teacher, but about being yourself, coming to every class with the passion, energy, and love you want to share with your students.
Finding your style as a yoga teacher takes time – sometimes a few months, even years – and that’s perfectly okay. Trust yourself, trust the process, and keep going – everything will come to you naturally.
In the beginning, ask these questions:
- How do you want your students to feel in your class?
- What kind of teacher do you want to become?
- What can make your class different?
1. Why Your Unique Teaching Style Matters
Your teaching style is not about how perfect your cues are or what every pose looks like. It’s about creating an environment where students feel safe, seen, supported, and connected with their bodies and minds.
When you teach from the heart, your students feel it – and it permits them to be their true selves, too. This authenticity builds connection, trust, and community.
2. Find your Power and Strength
- What parts of yoga do you like the most? Is it slow movement, pranayama, philosophy, or meditation?
- Do you like energizing flows or slow ones, focusing on the holding poses a bit longer to allow your student to feel the asana in depth? Or maybe something between?
- Are there special skills you bring, like storytelling, music, or anatomical knowledge?
Your strengths are your superpowers. Lean into them. Maybe you’re naturally nurturing, or maybe you bring playful energy into the room – both can be powerful. Your teaching style begins when you connect with yourself and with the students from the beginning.
3. Explore Different Styles and Techniques
Don’t be afraid to experiment. Try teaching different styles of yoga: Vinyasa flow, Yin yoga, slow Vinyasa, or Hatha yoga. Study different teachers, notice what resonates with you, and feel free to borrow techniques while making them your own – be inspired by them, but don’t copy them.
Also, explore beyond physical yoga (asanas): integrating mindfulness, pranayama, or even small moments of stillness can deeply enrich your classes. For example, offering silent moments in Savasana allows students to find calm in a world that is always “doing.”
4. Experiment and Get Feedback
Teaching is a learning, exploring, and evolving practice. Be prepared, but also flexible. You might plan a beautiful sequence, but then notice that your students need more rest or are struggling with some of the asanas. In this case, slightly change the sequence depending on the mood of the class or give them more variations and modifications of the poses, using the blogs.
And yes, ask for feedback – even if it feels scary. Listen to your students when they share what they enjoyed or what they found challenging. Bad feedback isn’t failure; it’s great information that helps you grow and become a better teacher. A lot of the time, it’s about the energy between you and your students. Be prepared that some students will come back and some won’t. During our teaching, we are connecting with different people, and we attract those who resonate with our energy.
5. Trust the Evolution of Your Teaching Voice
Your voice as a teacher won’t appear overnight. It will evolve class by class. Trust that process.
Sometimes you may forget a pose, miss a cue, or side. That’s okay. As long as you show up with positive energy, care, and presence, your class will have meaning.
Stand tall (literally – body language matters), breathe deeply, and know that confidence grows each time you show up, even when you feel unsure. The students coming to practice yoga, connect with themselves, and enjoy the time – give them these benefits
Final words
Stay True to Yourself and Your Students
The most beautiful thing you can offer is you and your energy. Stay connected to your “why” – why you started teaching yoga in the first place. And never give up, keep sharing, studying, and most importantly, keep listening and observing your students and yourself.
Your unique teaching style will unfold naturally when you balance preparation with presence, technique with heart, and structure with intuition.