What makes a great yoga teacher: What ingredients do you need to be a successful yoga teacher?

Being a great yoga teacher isn’t about holding a headstand for 10 minutes, or completing 3 hours of practice every day. Being a great yoga teacher is really just about being a great teacher, full stop. Having patience, empathy for others and a willingness to help people.

We run yoga teacher training courses from our studio in Beckenham, and we have worked with and witnessed our fair share of yoga teachers over the years. Below are some of the ingredients we believe make the perfect yoga teacher…

A love of practice and others

Many of us are drawn to yoga to help remedy some hardship in our lives, stress, back pain, or anxiety for example. Often, the practice transforms us and we learn to soften ourselves to live in a more present way. This creates a deep love of yoga and a desire to share that experience with others, in a supportive and nurturing environment.

As we said, you don’t have to be the most flexible or strong yogi to be a good yoga teacher, but you do need to have a love of yoga practice… you’ll be spending a fair amount of time doing it!

Present, not perfect

One of the most important traits a yoga teacher can have is a willingness to be present at that moment, in that class, with those students. Being a yoga teacher isn’t about being just one thing, or fitting perfectly in a box, it is about wearing many hats to suit many students and each of their needs. Some students might not want anatomy facts or alignment cues in class, they might want to shake it off and have a giggle, whilst other students may be craving silence and stillness.

A great yoga teacher identifies what is needed from the class, and supports the students by delivering a class tailored to their needs.

First to arrive and last to leave

Great yoga teachers will take the time to build lasting relationships with their yoga students. Showing up extra early and sticking around after Savasana is one way to open up opportunities for discussion. The discussions that happen in the before and after can help you get a better understanding of what motivates your students' practice, so you can best address their needs.

Book a yoga teacher training course

The Breeze YTT is a 200hr Vinyasa Yoga course taught by senior yoga teacher, Hassan Hassan. Our course focuses on practical learning complemented by other tutors who support in anatomy and philosophy lessons. To read more or inquire about our yoga teacher training course, visit our page here.