Teaching and Sharing Yoga

Around the world, the practice of yoga has grown massively in the last 20 years. The number of people currently practicing and teaching yoga is larger than at any other time in history. Back in the day, yoga was the exclusive practice of a very few dedicated monks and sadhus in India. But in this modern age, yoga has found its way into the daily lives of millions of people all around the world and it is still growing.

So many people have felt the amazing benefits of the practice, on their health, their clarity and their happiness. This has led many people to teaching and sharing this beautiful and powerful system of conscious transformation. No other system provides such useful and accessible tools to help people change the quality of their lives, and the world is a healthier place because of this worldwide spread of yoga. So many teachers have taken the yoga and made it their own unique expression to share with others. You may also want to share this practice that is so beautiful, but how?

If you want to teach yoga there are some essential things that will make you an effective teacher that can help transform people’s lives:

The first thing that is essential is your own practice. Without being dedicated to yoga and getting on your mat to practice (something) regularly, you will never be a truly effective teacher. Many important lessons come in classes, but the most important ones come when you are alone, in your own space, exploring the yoga for yourself. Good yoga teaching must come from personal experience and a lasting commitment to the practice. Commit to the practice and keep going. Don’t let distractions and complications take you from your yoga. Carve out space to do your practice.

Secondly, you need compassion and the desire to help others. Being a yoga teaching is not about being a star or about being famous. Being a yoga teacher is about guiding people to find their own power and their own balance. Teaching is about the students, not about the teacher! You must find a way to teach so that each person has their own space to explore, grow, feel and just become more themselves. Instead of trying to turn people into copies, help them turn into their own unique beings. For this, you need compassion and understanding for the lives and challenges of people.

Thirdly, you need students! It is very difficult for most people to step into a class full of 20 mixed level yogis at a yoga center. It’s better to start local, with your friends and family. If you want to learn to teach, gather a few friends for a little session at the park or in someone’s house. Create a situation where you can make mistakes without the pressure of students who expect an expert. Your friends and family will be forgiving and will love you for helping them to learn some yoga. Make it easy on yourself!

Also, keep learning. Always keep learning. Develop a thirst and a curiosity for knowledge that will help your teaching. All good teachers are always students as well, continually learning new things. You can explore countless subjects. Choose things that light you up, that excite you, that you want to learn. In this way, they will more easily be absorbed into your body of knowledge. Read books, watch videos, go to workshops, explore new styles and teachers. Learn mantra, anatomy, Sanskrit, philosophy, Tantra, psychology or anything else that excites you. Never stop learning.

Above all, be committed to yoga. Remember that yoga is a life-long practice and you will grow as you continue to explore. After 25 years of teaching, I am still excited and interested in yoga. My practice and teaching have changed greatly over the years, but it keeps getting better and more refined. My style has become both simpler and more effective as I have grown as a teacher. This is due to the fact that I know that I am in yoga for life, and I just keep going, year after year.

If you want to deepen your teaching skills, your knowledge and your experience of yoga, consider taking one of our authentic, fun and affordable 200 Hour Teacher Training Courses or one of our 100 Hour Modules on Prana and Pranayama, Teaching Skills or Meditation and Yin Yoga. It will change your yoga and change your life! See you on the mat.