Nervous When You Teach Yoga? From Nerves to Confidence

Trish Corley Author

How Yoga Teachers Can Transform Nervousness Into Confidence!

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Recently, I’ve had many discussions on the importance of confidence in yoga teaching and how it can transform your teaching experience. Confidence not only makes it easier to land teaching jobs and market yourself, but it also enhances the joy and fulfillment you derive from teaching.

I’m excited to introduce a yoga teacher mentorship program designed to help you build confidence and elevate your teaching practice, but first let’s address a few things about being nervous to teach yoga.

1. Why nerves are normal.
2. How confidence can boost your career.
3. Why having a mentor can be a game-changer for your teaching journey.

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Understanding Nerves Before Teaching Yoga: It’s Completely Normal

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Feeling nervous before teaching a yoga class is something nearly all of us experience at some point in our careers. In a recent poll I conducted, 31% of yoga teachers said they get nervous every time they teach, 54% said they get nervous sometimes, and only 15% said they never get nervous. It's a natural response rooted in our physiology.

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When we perceive a situation as challenging, our brain triggers the release of stress hormones, preparing our body to handle the task at hand. This response is designed to help us perform under pressure.

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In the context of teaching yoga, nervousness can manifest as sweaty palms, a racing heart, a dry mouth, or feeling fidgety.

When I feel nervous, I get a “jittery” sensation in my chest. Although I have been teaching for a long time, I still get this sensation, especially when I am teaching in a new environment!

And I suppose I want to “perform” well under the pressure. But where’s the pressure from? Usually myself! I have learned to recognize the nervous sensations and recognize them as signs that my body is ready to rise to the occasion. In other words, something with great potential is waiting to be unlocked, and I have all it takes to deliver it!

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Instead of viewing nervousness as a negative, I see it as a sign that we care about our students and our teaching. It indicates that we’re invested in providing a great experience. Embracing this perspective allows us to harness our nervous energy and use it to our advantage.

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Confidence Can Boost Your Yoga Career!

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If you get nervous before class, it’s okay! I noticed on the poll on Instagram that many of the yoga teachers that admit they get nervous are great teachers!

I also know this: the great teachers are well prepared, understand why they are nervous, and have techniques in place to help manage their nerves. In other words, they are confident in their teaching, but still get that exciting nervous feeling before something big is going to happen. Having confidence in your teaching makes it easier to sell yourself and get hired as a teacher, makes it more fun to teach, and ultimately leads to greater impact on the students. They trust you and keep coming back!

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If you do get nervous when you teach yoga, ask yourself, “Why?”

Are the nerves related to doubt in your sequence or your cuing?

Do you worry that students will ask you questions about their body and you don’t have enough eduction to help them?

In other words, are you nervous because you don’t feel like you have enough training and/or guidance?

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If you have confidence in your cues and your sequencing, you understand anatomy well, believe in your ability to answer students questions, prevent injuries, and connect with students…then I’d say you are just nervous because it’s normal and you care about giving your students an excellent experience. If this describes you, find a method to ground yourself, acknowledge the nerves, and step into the potential of a highly impactful class!

There are many methods of grounding. For me, what works best is to stand at the front of the studio (or the doorway of the studio), feel my feet on the ground, and takes several conscious breaths. I also put my hand on my heart and acknowledge that I am prepared!

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But it was not always this way. When I first started teaching, I really wasn’t prepared - so the nerves were greater. For me, I was most nervous about my sequences. I was concerned I wouldn’t remember what I wanted to teach, and worse - concerned the sequence just wouldn’t work.

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For other yoga teachers, they are more worried about what to say. “What cues should I use?” “How do I know if I sound authentic?” “What if I don’t make sense?”

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As I discovered in the community of yoga teachers at Yoga Anatomy School, it’s normal to be nervous. And it’s even more common to be very nervous if you are new to teaching and don’t have any guidance. 

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A Good Mentor Changes the Game of Teaching Yoga with Confidence!

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When I first started teaching yoga, I was lost and felt so unsure of myself before each class. But I was so lucky to have mentors that guided me through every step of my journey. Without them, I would not be the confidence yoga teacher that I am today!

As yoga teachers, we understand the importance of guidance in our students’ progress. The same principle applies to us as teachers. Just as our students benefit from having a teacher, we can grow exponentially with the support of a mentor. 

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In a recent survey, 40% of yoga teachers said they had mentors and are grateful for them, while 60% said they are trying to figure things out on their own.

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Nervousness before teaching yoga is a natural part of the process, signaling our commitment and passion for what we do. By building confidence, we can make teaching more enjoyable and effective, enhancing our ability to connect with students and succeed professionally.

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If you’re looking to improve your teaching, consider the value of mentorship. Just as our students benefit from our guidance, we too can thrive with the support of a mentor.

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I developed Elevate Your Impact - The Yoga Teacher's Journey to ensure you can be the go-to yoga teacher in your community and teach with the joy and confidence you and your students deserve!

In Elevate Your Impact I reveal the proven step by step process I’ve used for over ten years to mentor yoga teachers like you who want to teach with confidence, ease, and high level impact that leave students empowered & coming back.

Teaching yoga is a journey and, just like our practice, we can continue to learn, get better at our craft, and make positive and high impact on others.

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This program does not promise that you will never be nervous to teach yoga!

It does promise that you will develop skills to trust your cueing and sequencing, to understand anatomy and know how to answer students questions, and to work with students with injuries. With this knowledge and skills, you will also learn how to harness any nervous energy and deliver a yoga class with high impact that students will want to come back to!

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Apply today to be 1 of just 6 participants in the Beta Version of Elevate Your Impact

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