r/YogaTeachers

Hi everyone! Looking for some tips/advice. One of my students has asked if I can teach her mother-in-law yoga one to one.

I feel immensely honoured to have been approached, but don't have any experience with Alzheimer's either through teaching or personally.

I've done some chair/accessible yoga training so am going to aim for a chair based practice, including lots of breath work, meditation and chanting.

Just wondering if anyone has any specific tips they'd be happy to share? 🙏

I'm coming to the end of my teacher training about a month left 🥳 I'm excited and even have done some practice teaching and it went well.

My main road block in life right now is putting these positions in my memory bank and remembering how to transition in and out of them. For example my teacher the other day because I mentioned this said how would you get me from laying down to childs pose? I have taught childs pose, and variations on it, but as I'm looking at her body, my brain could not compute how to draw her back on her toes and extending her arms. Like my brain turned to tv static. I'm so used to teaching childs pose from table top it's like I couldn't think of how to describe it. I literally had to do the motion myself to know and express it, which is difficult with scripting and also keeping my teaching steady, and when I do positions I'm not good at speaking, at least not yet in my teaching practice.

This means I'm really stuck on scripts and not good at spontaneity or adjusting if something doesn't work for the class and I don't want that. I want to be able to adapt if students need it or just shake things up from time to time.

I also have a hard time remembering poses. What does Google even mean that there are like 8 million variations? How the heck do you even memorize basic poses so you can try new things?

I'm doing teaching observing the next few weeks and I hope it helps but if anyone has advice please let me know; I'm feeling a bit panicky at the moment. I know asanas is one of the 8 limbs and it's the one I struggle with the most; from doing to teaching.

I think comparing different software to book clients and it seems a little excessive for a smaller practices. It’s also very expensive just wondering what the options in the market are.

I’ve been using Google for, but want to step it up a little bit because I want to start offering it to a more upscale clientele.

What are your favourite ones and why?

What booking platforms are you guys using?! I am curious to see the different pricing and offer packages. I know certain platforms are ridiculously expensive but for someone who is a start up yoga studio owner, what do you use? And do you like it?

Strange one, last few weeks every night I wake up (2/3am) and think I'm teaching a class. Sometimes I literally lift my legs up to move into some random asana and hoping my invisible "students" didn't notice I fell asleep and give me bad feedback.

I kinda force myself to stay awake, move into a supine twist and recite some cues to students who aren't there which just rolls off the tongue as complete nonsense.

Guessing a stress response, but I am interested in the wider/stranger symptoms of repetitive teaching on the mind that some of you may have experienced?

I’ll start with context so you understand this is a very sincere question.

I’m 36, living in Hawaii last decade, deepening my practice and observing the world.

I have noticed a clear shift in just about everything. Nothing new, life changes. Something is different though, I don’t know how to explain or word it.

I’m okay, just processing. I figure I’m not the only one who has sincerely been on this path for a long time and is asking a lot of deep questions right now.

I kept the question broad to make it a discussion. I can learn from just observing, instead of it just being about me.

I am a new teacher (7 months) I have been hustling and teaching twice a week, started in my home and now renting space in a collective. the space is OK but not great. It is HARD and slow but I am slowly, slowly growing. I love teaching, HATE having to be a business person. I have a modest financial goals ($500 mo)

I have been talking with the owner of a local studio that is fairly new but just really welcoming, soulful, community driven, and beautiful. She really wants me at her studio - we have been talking since I received my certification. At first she said her teachers were welcome to teach anywhere she wasn't going to stand in the way of anyone's career she didn't have anything at the time. This week we have been talking again and she said that she's more comfortable with her teachers being based primarily at her studio rather than building a presence elsewhere.

I am hoping to meet with in person soon to get a clearer idea of what this means. I know at BEST she could only give me one or two classes (I teach only 1 style) and those would not be prime spots. The pay is $20-40 per class with a bonus over 8.

I don't know how she expects teachers to be loyal to her studio when she can't offer many classes? Is this a realistic ask? Are there other questions I should ask about this thought process? I WANT to be present in that studio but I don't want to be limited to the studio. I am feeling a little protective of the very tiny client base I have, I don't want to abandon them and i'm not sure they would make the move.

First time posting here 🙏🏻 Had a conversation today with a fellow yoga teacher about yoga studios using sanskrit words as their business name.

i am personally anti sanskrit as a business name because i think it is cultural appropriation, and blatantly commercializing a spiritual word. plus, many people (where i live) will likely say the studio name incorrectly which i find disrespectful. for context, i’m in the US. i live in a Midwest suburb that is primarily white.

an example, based on a new “yoga studio” opening near me: said studio will offer hot vinyasa yoga, yin and restorative yoga, pilates, and sculpt. not the actual name but let’s say the studio is calling itself “ajna yoga.”

(there are some other curious things about this studio, like promoting an “ambassador program” that “isn’t about influencing”—and yet their program will give away free memberships for social media posts. am i wrong, or is that an influencer…?)

curious this community’s thoughts on this topic?

When doing a simple and quick hatha sequence, how many time should I do Sun Salutation C? Is there a specific number I should stick to in my class?

Hi fam! I’ve been asked to teach at an event by a nonprofit . It’s open to families with activities catered for neuroatypical kids. I’m super honored and offered to teach for free but they said they have a grant and want to pay me. It’s for about 30 minutes but might be more. What’s a fair rate? TIA!

hello! so before anyone says “find a teacher you love and align with, don’t just ask strangers on reddit”, please just help a girl out! i have done a lot of research into schools in kerala and have a few options but i really just want to hear some real testimonials ❤️ where did you go??

i mainly practice vinyasa and am interested in doing a course in hatha, ashtanga vinyasa, or both. if anyone thinks a multi style is a bad idea please let me know.

looking for something not mega expensive and immersed in nature.

thanks!!

Hi guys! I have been practicing yoga for 7 years and I got my 200 hr training in 2024. I haven't gotten myself up to the task of actually starting to teach until now. I didn't do my training at a yoga studio, so I don't have any connections. The best advice I've been given is to start teaching yoga at gyms and then after I feel more comfortable and experienced I can approach studios I go to asking if I can sub.

Anyway...All of this is to say I just got hired to teach yoga at a large corporate gym chain, at several different locations, 4 classes a week. What I really want is to be a part of a wonderful yoga community in a studio but I will be patient. What I want to know is has anyone else had experience teaching in gyms? Especially if you are more spiritually oriented (not just doing yoga as a form of fitness but as a spiritual and energetic practice).

Do you have any tips for starting out in this environment? Was there anything important you learned as a teacher in the process? Was there anything you didn't like about it?

Thanks!

Hey r/YogaTeachers,

I’ve been living in Bangalore for a while and noticed a huge trend: we all want to stay fit, but the "traffic vs. gym" struggle is real. Many of us pay for virtual trainers (VPT), but paying ₹800 - ₹1,000/session for someone to watch us on a blurry WhatsApp call or google meet feels outdated.

I’m working on a product called "Be Better." It’s an AI app that uses your phone camera to track your posture in real-time (no human watching) and corrects your form via voice—like an expert trainer but at 1/10th the cost.

I’m trying to validate if this actually solves a pain point for people currently using virtual trainers or yoga coaches or there are more reasons for people to go outside for yoga, workouts or other such activities. Please provide your feedback/opinion on this product, whether it is solving a pain point of users.

I’m specifically looking for people who have used/are using online coaches. I want to understand if this is a global need or limited to cities like Bangalore only.

Thanks

I’m in need of inspiration and I’d love to hear what other people enjoy for their yoga playlists!

I’m playing a lot of Hermanos Gutierrez these days but I’m open to all kinds of music and want to create more variation in each playlist for my classes. A lot of teachers in my area play similar tunes, which are amazing, but I need to get out of this bubble to find some new songs.

Let’s hear your favorite songs for yoga classes from the electronic to folk to indie to mantra and traditional… what songs do you love to teach to?

Edit: I teach vinyasa flow classes + gentle flows.

My circle plays a lot of DJ Drez, Janet Stone, Desert Dwellers, Sol Rising, East Forest, ODESZA.

I tend to lean mostly no lyrics but I’m always open to songs with positive lyrics if it flows well.

I’m very aware some people prefer silence, but my studio prefers music. So this question is for the teachers who use music in class. :)

I’ve been teaching yoga since college (BA in Communications with creative writing minor) so almost 20 years. I’m sick of not making enough money. I hustle hustle hustle with private clients, studio jobs and a website and i still can’t pay the bills- I’m in debt, I’m burnt out and I need something else- at least part time. I’m 38 and by 40 i just really want to be more financially stable and independent.

I love teaching yoga, ideally I’d still be able to teach but not as much as I am right now. I also just finished writing a 200 Hour YTT. Ideally i could lead trainings for quite a bit of extra income but also want to sell it to studios etc. I hope it fills the gap for me but I’m also doubtful and foreseeing the same old rig-a-maroll of sometimes it does well and sometimes it’s a bust…

I know I’m not alone. Any other yoga teachers take on part time jobs, if so, what were they. Also- anyone else find that writing a manual and leading trainings put them in a way better financial position with more balance and less burn out?

Funny story...

I was cueing Tadasana / Mountain Pose and was asking students to shift the weight into the heels, then forward into the balls of their feet and toes. Then eventually to find balance through all four corners of each foot. Except when I cued it, I just said "send the weight into the heels. Then, send the weight into the balls." I didn't say "of the feet" and everyone CRACKED up!!! It was a nice moment of levity but also made me blush 🤣