Yes, Yoga Teachers, You Can Use Your Notes During Class

I can still remember the anxiety I experienced during my final practicum of yoga teacher training. In order to graduate, we each had to lead a 45-minute class demonstrating different elements of what we’d learned throughout the 200 hours—cueing the breath, leading students into poses, incorporating a theme throughout class, and sequencing toward a peak pose. All without notes.

I had taken diligent notes throughout the training. Fascinated by the mechanics of teaching, I even kept a journal where I wrote down specific elements of each class I had taken and loved, including the language, sequencing and transitions that felt especially skillful. In my life beyond the mat, I was accustomed to giving presentations and leading meetings, always with notes. So it wasn’t exactly surprising that something in my brain resisted not using them. Put simply, I work better with some written-down details.

I successfully guided my class practicum without notes. Yet afterward, I promised myself that when I became a real yoga teacher, I’d make my own rules around using notes.

Throughout the last five years, I’ve taught every single one of my classes while keeping my notebook within reach. But at times, I’ve had to remind myself that having my thoughts written down and easily accessible doesn’t make me any less of a capable teacher.

I’ve relied on my notebook as a tool to work out sequences before class and keep track of what went well (or didn’t) after class. A quick flip through my notebook shows hearts scribbled in the margins, names of playlists that worked seamlessly, crossed-out sections that didn’t land as I’d intended, or a “rework this” alongside a sequence. It’s become a useful tool and time capsule for my classes.

The process of writing things out helps me stay focused, organized, and responsive to the needs of students. And in talking to other teachers, I learned I’m not the only one who relies on this approach. Using notes isn’t necessarily a sign of inexperience or a crutch that makes me or anyone else less present as a teacher. It can be a practical, intentional teaching tool.

5 Reasons Why Yoga Teachers Use Notes

Notes aren’t always helpful. I once attended a yin class in which the teacher spent the entire hour at the front of the room, eyes down, reading word for word from her notebook. In that case, the usage of notes definitely detracted from the students’ experience. It seemed the notes were standing in for, rather than supporting, her familiarity with the topic.

That class clarified something important for me. Perhaps the question about notes isn’t whether a yoga teacher chooses to use them but how they use them. Looking back at my final practicum, I can understand why “no notes” mattered. It wasn’t about proving we’d memorized a sequence. It was about learning to be present, responsive, and embodied as teachers with subject matter that we understood.

Still, my yoga sequence book has become a collection of aspects of teaching that I’ve refined and learned from over the years. Here’s how I and other teachers rely on it.

1. Notes Can Help You Feel Prepared

Writing clarifies my thinking. The act of taking a few moments at the start of the week to write down the sequences I intend to teach helps me not only create but remember the order of the poses. It also anchors the arc of class in my body and mind long before I step into the studio.

Even if I don’t need to look at my notes as I stand in front of class to teach, having done the work on paper makes the sequence feel more embodied.

2. Notes Help You Support Students

Preparation means clarity. But it doesn’t equate to rigidity. Depending on the needs and energy of any particular class, I might stray from my intended sequence by adding or removing a pose here and there. Having notes gives me a basic plan and a thoughtful structure but allows me to adapt creatively within that framework.

Yoga teacher and studio owner Ashlee McDougall relies on a similar approach. She takes it a step further by crediting her note-taking with ensuring her classes remain accessible.

“When I don’t have a prepared sequence that foreshadows the peak pose, I find that my classes become a hodgepodge of random movements that aren’t as accessible as I’d like,” explains McDougall.

In going through a sequence on paper prior to class, there’s ample time to consider and jot down where and how to include and cue variations, alternate poses, or the inclusion of a prop during class.

3. Notes Can Reduce Your Anxiety

Even after years of leading classes, I still get a little nervous. I know my stuff but sometimes unexpected things can throw me off—a tech malfunction, a disruptive student, even a colleague or friend unexpectedly dropping into class can distract me. Keeping my notebook nearby acts as a safety net.

Even though I rarely need it, knowing it’s there and that I can consult it if I need reduces my stress and helps me remain grounded and present with my students. And sometimes moments of forgetfulness make those notes indispensable.

“Having a notebook with me curbs my anxiety for those just-in-case moments when I forget a sequence,” agrees yoga teacher Taylor Lorenz. Having a cheat sheet when this happens helps minimize disruption to the class, not only to the teacher’s state of mind.

4. Notes Help You Feel Prepared to Sub at the Last-Minute

I’ve found my notebook to be handy when I’m called in to sub or pick up a class at the last minute. Knowing that I can lean on an old class plan helps me feel more prepared to help a fellow teacher in a pinch.

5. Notes Can Help Evolve Your Teaching

Finally, my notebook gives me something to return to and look back on what I’ve taught, what landed, what didn’t work, and how a particular sequence or way of teaching a pose evolved over time. Essentially, my notes have become a journal of my teaching and a tool for growth. If nothing else, it’s cool to see my style and technique change over time.

Lorenz has observed the same trajectory in her teaching. “I’m able to refine my sequences again and again by adding to my notes after class,” she explains. “I used to think that using notes made me a lesser teacher. But I don’t see notes as a crutch anymore. Now, I see them as a way to support me and my students better.”

I still carry my yoga journal with me everywhere I teach and refer to it when I’m seeking inspiration. Presence doesn’t necessarily equate to being empty-handed. It comes from preparation, observation, and a well-worn notebook of insights that support us as we try to meet students exactly where they are.