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Should you become a yoga teacher?
Edward Serrano on 14 April, 2010 |

If you're reading this article you're probably toying with the idea of becoming a yoga teacher. You've doubtless been practicing for a while and have experienced huge benefits both physically and mentally. You love yoga! But should you teach?

The transition from student to teacher is a logical one and is something that many students feel drawn to. It's a wonderful thing to pass on the wisdom and benefits of yoga that you've experienced yourself. Who could think of a nobler job? But there are some points worth considering if you’re planning on taking up the role of teacher… and while the following points should never put you off your dream; it's worth entering the role of yoga teacher with open eyes.

Being great at yoga poses doesn't equal a great teacher.
The ability to contort the body into advanced asana is entirely separate from the ability to teach yoga. A great teacher is a great communicator. They’re someone who is able to empathise with students and who is able to guide them through an appropriate practice. Sometimes a teacher who's always been flexible can misunderstand the difficulties of a stiff beginner. Can they comprehend the challenges, both mental and physical, that the practice may present to this student? It is important for a yoga teacher to empathise will all their students and allow the experience and journey to be entirely unique for each one.

So while being able to nail mayurasana isn't a prerequisite for teaching you do need to have developed your own practice. It's about having a deep knowledge of the body, of how it responds to various nuances and the subtle effects that it evokes in the mind. A student who has a mature approach to asana knows their limitations and can modify a practice to suit their needs. Once you have achieved that maturity in your practice you may be ready to develop your skills as a teacher.

Teaching yoga isn't practicing yoga
A full time yoga teacher can spend their days teaching four or five classes per day... But they're not practicing 4/5 classes of yoga themselves. One of the main pitfalls that so many teachers fall into is that they loose their own practice. This is especially true for teachers in London who need to teach an extraordinary number of classes per week in order to make ends meet.

Continuing a daily personal practice, in whatever form that may be, is essential to be a good teacher. When a teacher looses their own practice their teaching becomes stale. The same words and prompts start to flow from their mouths and the classes become stagnant and without life. Absolute effort must be made to keep the personal practice alive, so think about how much time you can commit to teaching without sabotaging your own practice.

Teach evenings and weekends
When you teach yoga you need to be available when others are off, so expect to work early mornings, evenings and weekends. Morning classes can start at 7am and evening classes end as late as 9.30pm. You'll have rest in between but plan on either rising early or sleeping late, whichever you choose.

But it’s not all doom and gloom!
Being a yoga teacher is certainly a wonderful thing. There’s the happiness of doing a job you truly love, seeing your students blossom with their practice and escaping the mundane 9-5 life. There’s a tremendous amount of joy to be gained from becoming a yoga teacher and, whether you choose to give only one class a week or teach full time, it’s an enormously rewarding role. But (as when any hobby turns into your work) sometimes reality bites.