the most painful and productive way to improve your yoga teaching

If you want to grow as a yoga teacher, the best tool is already in your hands—and it’s completely free. The catch? It’s a little uncomfortable at first.

The secret is simple: record yourself teaching. Whether you start with audio or dive bravely into video, reviewing your own teaching is the fastest way to improve.

why self-evaluation matters

As yoga teachers, we’re often in our heads while teaching, focusing on cues, sequences, and students. Watching yourself on video or listening to an audio recording lets you step into the student’s perspective. You’ll quickly notice:

• Verbal tics or filler words.
• Cues that might not land clearly.
• Volume problems.
• Pacing issues, like rushing or dragging.
• Uneven lengt hof holds between sides

The beauty of this process is that it’s objective and actionable. Once you see or hear what isn’t working, you can fix it.

getting past the cringe

I know: watching yourself on video can feel cringey at first. But the more you do it, the easier it gets. Start small. Record five minutes, listen back, and notice what you’re doing well. Celebrate those wins, and then look for opportunities to improve.

bonus: extra credit exercises

• Follow along with your own video to feel what it’s like to be a student in your class.
• Transcribe your recording to analyze your word choice and phrasing.
• Run your transcript through a word cloud generator and see what you learn! Here’s what https://www.wordclouds.com made from my transcript of the Yoga Teacher Confidential podcast episode, S1E14, on this topic.

These steps take a bit more effort but offer deeper insights into your teaching style.

It’s not about perfection; it’s about progress. Taking the time to self-assess is one of the best gifts you can give your students—and yourself.

For more tools and exercises to grow as a teacher, read The Professional Yoga Teacher’s Handbook!

To hear more (the word cloud in action!), listen to Yoga Teacher Confidential wherever you get your podcasts (or right here):

Or watch the video on Spotify or YouTube: