What kind of yoga teacher do you want to be? Drill sergeant, sassy best friend, or something else? Defining your teaching persona helps you align your classes with your vision and goals.
Yoga teachers: what’s your teaching persona? Drill sergeant? Sassy best friend? Something else?
It can be helpful to articulate what kind of teacher you want to be, so that you have a goal to be striving toward, and to know when you are meeting your vision for yourself as a teacher. Periodic redefinition or reinforcement of your goals will keep you on track.
Here’s a self-inquiry prompt to get you started. Begin by noting what you think your own teachers do well. Write a little about:
+ the tone your teachers use with students in class and out of class
+ the body language and physical reaction your teachers use with students in class and out of class
+ the interactions you see your teachers use with students in class and out of class, including on social media if relevant
Next, write a description of the kind of teacher you want to be. Notice any friction between how you want to act and how you feel you have been acting.
Finally, given what you know about your students and the content of the class, write a little about the right tone for the class. Is it drill sergeant? Sympathetic coach? Caring mother figure? Sassy best friend? Repeat for each of the classes in your schedule—they could be different. When you review recordings of your class, be sure to check whether the tone you hear matches the tone you meant to convey.
You can get this and many other workbook exercises keyed to my book The Professional Yoga Teacher’s Handbook right here!
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