As a new teacher you will be super excited about receiving your teaching certification (as you should be!) and will most likely jump at your first opportunity to teach. This is perfectly understandable and normal! You will need to experience teaching for some time before you decide on a niche for which you are best suited. Until that time, proceed with an open mind and follow these tips to hone in on your niche. Continue to educate yourself and stay open to the many possibilities on the horizon. The yoga teaching “world is your oyster!”
- Broaden your horizons
During my 200 hour YTT (yoga teacher training), I participated in two outside certification trainings. One for a restorative certification and one for a yin yoga certification. Even though I had not yet decided what my niche would be, it helped improve my marketability and gave me knowledge and experience in knowing what I liked or didn’t like about teaching each of these types of yoga. We touched on these briefly in our 200 hour YTT but in the specialized certification trainings there was more time to delve deeper into the history and philosophy of these types of yoga. There was also more time spent on learning the postures, breaking them down, and practice teaching each style of yoga. For these reasons, I would definitely recommend taking as many other trainings as your time and budget permit to help you discover what you like teaching. Go with anything that piques your interest. There are many, many specific teacher trainings available for you to chose from. Prenatal, trauma informed, meditation, pranayama, yoga nidra, anatomy, the Sutras, the Chakras, Ayurveda, etc. They can be anywhere from a day, a weekend, to several weekends long. Most offer continuing education credit hours (CEs) through the Yoga Alliance (YA). If you plan to become YA certified they do require you to have a number of completed CE hours every three years to maintain your yoga teacher certification. Check the specifics here. In addition, the YA offers online workshops and trainings live and recorded (some eligible for CE credits) that will expand your knowledge.
- Follow your passion
Sounds easy enough. If you have a passion that is… and not everyone does. But if you DO have a special interest (mine is horses) then research how you can combine that interest with yoga. Maybe begin by investigating if anyone else is offering yoga in this niche. Do an internet and/or social media search for those teachers. If you’re an Instagram user you can do this by searching related hashtags and following these yogis. I was amazed to find teachers in my local area who were teaching equestrian yoga (yoga for riders) just as I had dreamed of doing. It never hurts to connect with these teachers, let them know about your interest and see if they’re willing to offer you any insight. People love to talk about where their passion lies and may be willing to share valuable information with you.
- Try it out by teaching a workshop
If you have a passion or knowledge in a specific area and want to combine it with yoga, try planning and teaching it as a workshop. See my post on How to Plan and Teach Yoga Workshops for detailed information on how to do this. By conducting a workshop, you’ll have an opportunity to really get into the weeds so to speak and see if this niche feels right to you without a permanent commitment. You may chose to try a couple different topics and repeat them a few times to get a good feel for the topic and make adjustments to the agenda and teaching plan.
- Attend other teacher’s classes
You’ll be amazed what you’ll learn by attending other classes as a student. Again, keep an open mind and soak it all in. Perhaps do some research by reading the teacher’s bio online prior to class to learn more about their training and education. See if you can feel that particular training and education transfer into his/her specific teaching style. Is it something you can connect with and that speaks to you?
Go online and watch as many successful teachers as possible. See my post on My Favorite Teachers and check them out. Watch them on YouTube and go to their websites to learn more about them.
Now that you have been trained as a teacher and continue to observe as a student, there will be times you DO connect in a class and will try to assimilate as much as possible from that teacher – and other times you will wonder why in the world this person is teaching and know that you will NEVER teach that way! We are all different, there are many, many different teaching styles, lineages, and teaching methods and they will not all be right for you.
- Continue your yoga education with reading
Aside from taking additional trainings as mentioned above, read and educate yourself as much as possible. Although while in your YTT training you feel like there is SO much information being thrown at you (at least I did), there is 1,000 times more information out in the world for you to learn about yoga. You will have to do some “information management” along the way because there is good and bad in everything, but this is the only way you will continue to expand your knowledge and decide what you will use. My yoga library is increasing every single day. Some of the books that have benefited me the most are listed at the end of this post. You WILL decide what resonates with you and what just doesn’t mesh with your personality and style. But it has to start somewhere. Keep reading!
- Travel
Explore the world! (Or your world locally.) How many studios have you visited? Have you taken outdoor yoga classes? Stand-Up Paddle (SUP) board yoga? Hiking and yoga? It wasn’t until I visited my daughter on the west coast that I took a class at the beach overlooking the beautiful Pacific Ocean, listening to the waves, smelling the salt air, seeing surfers, dolphins and palm trees all during practice. What an incredible experience. Maybe THIS speaks to you? It stands repeating, “the world is your oyster!” You never know where your inspiration will come from until you explore your surroundings.
- Teach, teach, teach
Continue teaching in whatever capacity will help you to develop and achieve your full potential as a new teacher. If you haven’t yet landed that first teaching job, teach to family, friends, co-workers, or yourself! The more you teach, the more you will learn about what feels right and intuitive to you. Remember to download our 10 Step Guide to Start Teaching with Confidence Now to help bring you along your way!
- Ask for feedback
Sometimes it takes hearing from others to discover your strengths. Listen to what your students are saying – in their words and in their breath, movement, and body language during practice.
Before I became a teacher, I was always the quiet student who at the end of class would give an extra bow in namaste and say a whispered thank you when leaving. Now, as a teacher, I greatly appreciate any extra words of thanks and feedback I receive from students. A “great class” or “that was just what I needed” goes a long, long way. Which of your classes receive positive feedback from your students? Take it seriously, since like me, they may be going out on a limb to provide those few kind words to you. Your class impacted them in some special way. Also, take notice of the unspoken feedback – which classes keep bringing students back?
- Continue a regular home practice
The more time you spend on your mat, teaching and practicing, the more comfortable and confident you will feel. This is also when you’ll discover who you are as a teacher. Take time to practice what you preach. Meditate, practice pranayama, focus on YOUR alignment, your cueing, your voice. This is your time to know what feels good to you and what makes you feel authentic. Take time to recall why you love yoga. What benefits YOU have realized from the practice. This is a great place to start and to expand on finding your niche.
- Go back to your roots
Remember what it was or who it was that inspired you to teach initially. What kept you returning to your mat practice after practice?
Think back to that moment when you discovered YOU wanted to share yoga with others. What was it that motivated you to feel that way? When all else fails, think of your foundation. Where it all began and what motivated you to build on that foundation. Keep building on that foundation, follow your heart and you WILL discover your niche.
List of books for inspiration and further education:
The Yamas and the Niyamas by Deborah Adele
The Key Muscles of Yoga by Ray Long
Restorative Yoga for Life by Gail Boorstein Grossman
Restorative Yoga: Relax. Restore. Re-energize by Caren Baginski
The Complete Guide to Yin Yoga: The Philosophy and Practice of Yin Yoga
Yoga for Depression by Amy Weintraub
Yoga for Equestrians: A New Path for Achieving Union with the Horse by Linda Benedik
Yoga for Riders by Cathy Woods
The Essential Yoga Program: Creating Monthly Workshops Introducing doTERRA Essential Oils
