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Fact: Walk into any class that’s labeled “yoga” and what you experience will vary quite dramatically depending on how it’s described on the schedule, whether vinyasa or yin, ashtanga or hatha.
You already know that. But what’s equally critical to your experience of yoga is the delivery of it. A yoga teacher not only sets the vibe but literally becomes the lens through which you will come into shapes, adjust your breath, quiet your racing thoughts, and perhaps even start to perceive your practice and your life a little—or a lot—differently.
Everyone has preferences for how they like a yoga teacher to conduct themselves. Some of us prefer an instructor who challenges them while others want someone to remind them to rest. Some want to hear poetry recited at the beginning and end of class while others want to hear Lil Jon throughout it.
Curious, we recently inquired on Instagram what you value most in a yoga teacher. You responded not just with desired behaviors but with preferred human traits. The message we heard again and again from respondents was that you want a teacher who is authentic. Or, as one respondent eloquently stated, “An authentic soul.”
Not far behind that in terms of mentions was “no ego.” That could mean many things although we translate it as not distracting class with their ability to do a pose, not (over)sharing personal anecdotes, and not making class about themselves.
Some expectations, like “attentiveness,” are things you should experience in each class you take. Others, like, intuitiveness, belie the rather dangerous assumption that yoga teachers can wordlessly ascertain what each student needs whereas teachers are very much human.
Of course, teachers, this isn’t a checklist of things to try and be. Instead, it’s a simple awareness that some of the things that students most appreciate about your teaching aren’t what you’d expect. In fact, most of the time, it isn’t your sequence of poses or your playlist. It’s actually…you.
And students, no matter what the external circumstances during class, you are in charge of your yoga experience. Exactly how much consideration you accord the teacher is, in large part, up to you. Whatever you want to feel from your yoga teacher, try to amplify that within yourself.
33 Things You (Desperately) Want in a Yoga Teacher
Here’s the list of traits you appreciate in its entirety.
1. Authenticity
2. No ego
3. No judgment
4. Links poses with the breath
5. Compassionate
6. Able to read the room
7. Demos and helps us find correct form
8. Calming demeanor
9. Patient
10. No hierarchy of poses
11. Offers options
12. Humility
13. Starting and ending on time
14. Laughing at mistakes
15. Variation among classes
16. Warm
17. Attentive
18. Attentive to each student
19. Offers alignment cues
20. Present
21. Doesn’t force a pose or philosophy
22. Compassionate
23. Creates an inviting and safe space
24. Reminds us it’s not a competition
25. Reminds us to check in with our ego
26. Flexibility…in their approach
27. Happy vibe
28. Inclusive of different bodies and abilities
29. Ability to communicate
30. Someone who is relatable and down to earth
31. Open-minded
32. Intuitive
33. Someone who is a student first