5 Ways to Become a Yoga Teacher Who’s Authentic

In the months after graduating from yoga teacher training, I’d stand in front of a mirror and practice my script for hours. I rehearsed cues, memorized my pronunciation of Sanskrit terms, and recited inspiring quotes from books over and over again because I thought that’s what it took to sound like a “real” yoga teacher.

Yet when I made audio recordings of myself teaching an actual class and later played them back, I would cringe. I loved taking classes that inspired me with quotes and poems, but that approach to teaching just didn’t sound anything like me. I was trying to be yoga teacher Pedro instead of just being Pedro. The real Pedro cracked jokes, related everything back to everyday life, and didn’t care if I stumbled over my words.

Over the years, I’ve seen this pattern play out again and again with the teachers I’ve mentored and trained. I’ve heard countless variations of the same struggle, “I don’t sound like I know enough,” or “I should know more before I start teaching.” When in reality, the most powerful thing we can do as teachers is to simply show up as we are, get out of our own way, and just be ourselves!

Eventually, I realized the moments when my classes felt the most effective didn’t happen when I was trying to impress anyone. They took place when I let myself crack a joke, simplify a sequence, or actually connect with the people in the room before, during, and after class.

We still need to lead classes accessibly and in a way that’s relevant to students’ needs. After all, we are providing a service, and a powerful one. But there’s also a human component to teaching, and it’s something that cannot be faked.

How to Become a Yoga Teacher Who’s Authentic

When you commit to remaining true to yourself and showing up authentically over and over again, you will stand out to those students who vibe with you and will benefit from your way of teaching. Following are some of the most challenging things to remember as you are stepping into your power.

1. Don’t pretend to be anyone you’re not!

When I was starting out, I tried to teach like the people whose classes I attended by dropping fancy anatomy terms and reciting Lao Tzu quotes. Not only did it sound forced and awkward AF, it just didn’t feel right for me to include mid-flow anatomy lectures and dharma talks.

I would also try to match the energy of the studio brand or, worse, of the previous teacher that I was subbing for or had replaced. It felt terrible. And it probably didn’t feel great for the students when I was trying to force my teaching into a style that wasn’t mine.

So I stopped trying to fit into a box that I thought students wanted and instead led class as myself. Guess what? Students seemed happy to have me show up as the light-hearted, not-so-serious yoga teacher I am. And they kept coming back.

As I took more training, gained more practice, and built a community, I found more confidence in how I was teaching.

2. Teach what you know

In my early days of teaching, I would look around at students and my inner critic, being quite loud, would ask what I could possibly teach them. Then I would overcompensate and try to justify my being there by adding more cues, more complexity, more everything. That only made things more confusing.

So I kept things simple. I taught easy flows, cracked a few jokes, and somehow it ended up working out way better than I could’ve ever imagined. Some 14 years later, I still don’t overcomplicate my sequences. Because my teaching style is consistent, students know what to expect and they trust it.

This doesn’t mean you should ignore what you’re curious about or suppress your enthusiasm! You’re allowed to learn and evolve your teaching. But you don’t need to overcomplicate things. If your students can gain familiarity with the poses and see growth in their practice, they will trust you. And if they trust you, they will keep coming to class and experiencing change in their lives even as you continue your study of yoga.

3. Don’t worry about what other teachers are doing

It’s easy to get caught up in comparison and judgement, in part because of the pervasive influence of social media. If you’re creating content for a social platform, it’s important to communicate authentically and share messages and content that resonate with you, just as you would in class.

You don’t have to post pictures of you in postures if that’s not your jam. If sequencing creative flows is your vibe, share them. I’ve had plenty of success with sharing hilarious memes—a radical deviation from those poetic quotes of my early days. Whatever shares an authentic portrait of you and makes it easy for you to be consistent with your posting, do that.

4. Whether it’s 1 or 1000 students, give everything you have

I recently taught a class where only 1 person signed up. As a new teacher, this situation probably would’ve made me feel anxious and defeated. But after 14 years of teaching, I know that no matter how many students are present, they deserve the same attention and care as a class that’s packed wall-to-wall with mats. The class is about their experience, not your validation.I did everything I could to accommodate her needs and gave her the best experience I could. She came back to class the following week. A month later, she signed up for an upcoming yoga retreat along with four of her friends.

Stay true to always doing your best and giving whatever you can to whoever is in the room.

5. Remember your “why”

A wise teacher once said to me, “Forget about how you think it is all going to work out. You will figure that out as long as your WHY is strong enough.” I figure where there is a why, there is a way.

So ask yourself, why did you want to start teaching in the first place? Why do you keep showing up over and over again? Write it down and keep it handy. Then come back to it time and time again throughout your teaching trajectory. Your why might evolve. That’s okay. Whatever it is, stay true to it.

Photograph by Kelly Rodriguez