9 Challenges For New Yoga Instructors

In recent years, there has been a large number of new yoga instructors across the world, all different races, ages, sizes, sex and personalities. Everyone having their own unique style and reason for wanting to become a yoga instructor in the first place. Which is fine and dandy but social media has a way of glamorizing this image, as if things are...perfect but there is a lot of personal development that comes with the journey. Not many are aware of the rollercoaster that it can be for any instructor, not just for yoga of course so in this blog, I will briefly share my experience as a new yoga instructor in the world of such amazing instructors, which can be intimidating! Along with tips and words of advice for all new or aspiring instructors to come.

Crystal Experience Fun Fact: I've been wearing a Moldavite with Herkimer Diamond pendant EVERY SINGLE DAY at least 1.5 years before making the decision to change my career path into the path of my life purpose. If anyone wants proof that Moldavite and Herkimer and strong crystals that bring extreme spiritual growth, alignment and change, well...I'm your witness! I made my pendant back in 2017 and completed my YTT in 2018 lol. Keeping this Moldavite with me since 2017 and here I am, changing my entire life around!

So how did I even get started?

Welllllll since you asked lol, my first encounter with practicing yoga was in my college years, where I took a yoga class for 2 semesters back to back (my whole freshman year of college). It was the class that I was NOT going to miss and I was always excited to go to twice a week (clearly!!). I had an amazing yoga instructor, who had such a deep passion for teaching her class, even going through her own journey to bring yoga to a Christian based college! I am grateful that it was a class offered by the time I got there, as it was my first real introduction to the practice and it was something that felt very natural for me. As a kid, I was very heavy into gymnastics and dreamed of being in the Olympics so I felt very drawn to the physical part of yoga! Today I am grateful to see beautiful women living that dream, truly a beautiful sight to see today! Thank you for shining the way that you do ladies!

Any who, I was able to find my connection to yoga at the age of 18, but that connection was always there as a child. I was in love with the movement and flexibility of my body through gymnastics, there was a sense of trust that I had for my body and embracing the "weird things" that I could do physically, later to learn they were yoga poses!! Some of my favorite poses to practice today too (we know as children!!!!). Explains why it is important to listen to our children, and inner child, there is natural gifts to unfold once embraced and lived (hint hint wink wink)

Fast forward, graduate college with my B.S. in Computer Engineering and become an Infrastructure Engineer! Travel out of the country for the first time to Costa Rica with 2 amazing souls, kickstarting my spiritual growth rapidly and having many other wonderful trips, which have been some of my biggest blessings in life. Also finding myself in a period of "growth", allowing me to realize that I fell out of touch with things that I truly enjoyed doing in my heart, moving my body. I was not practicing yoga as heavy as I was before! Not doing things that were natural to me, to the point where I even forgot about it all! It became more about trying to get through the day and enjoy the new lifestyle called adulthood that was suddenly thrown to me (well all of us but that's another story in itself).

So boom, spirit came and slap me upside my head when I found myself experiencing anxiety and depression (another story for another day lol). Finding this "dark cloud" over me, unknown and mysterious to me, and scared of it to say the least! We'll call it being in mental trenches, not knowing how I will see a brighter day or if that even exist. Feeling ashamed for how I was feeling in the first place when to others, well I had it all! Money, travel, success blah blah blah, the thing's we're told we should want in life to be happy! Then we get them and still unhappy? How ungrateful are you! There are others living out there that have it worse! That was the shame talking, and I listened because I didn't want to seem ungrateful but the dark cloud was still there.

That dark cloud lingered for yearssss honey, coming and going as it pleases! Until I got tired of seeing that sucka come around here and had to face it! Look into it and find love! I had to face that voice of guilt, give her a little hug and say hey...its ok to feel how you feel, but I feel how I feel as well and that's ok too! But together, we will find our way back to peace. How? I was trying to force the "how" for so long but for whatever reason, I decided to buy a yoga mat when I saw one at the store and we go from there...

Finding a yoga mat and ready to get back into the practice, I decided to make an Instagram account for fun and to track my progress, to help me to stay consistent really! Today I look back at my IG page @jassi.yoga and realize that it tells a story of true growth like many other inspiring and growing accounts out there. Not realizing that this was a key mark in my journey, I practiced for a few years, on and off but still always finding myself back at my mat! Not leaving my mat more than a month thankfully in those years but eventually finding myself wanting to teach yoga! Ohhhhh boy making that decision, not aware of the MASSIVE lessons that would come with that!

So here I go, googling different studios that offer YTT and finally making that decision, and totally went for it. Mind you, I was SO SCARED in the whole entire process, from to my fingers shaking when filling out the application in person, all the way to having my heart pounding and nerves going crazy while receiving my cert! So many questions flying through my mind and not knowing ANY answers!! My Virgo rising does NOT like not knowing things!! But my Sag Sun and Sag Moon is way too adventurous to not step into the unknown! From the bottom of my heart, I am so grateful that I said Yes! I am grateful that I had the "cliché" idea to become a yoga instructor! I am grateful for my guru! She is someone that catapulted my growth in many MANY ways that I will forever be grateful for. I was able to I meet amazing individuals from different places throughout training! One that I'm still very close to, a soul sis! My training in Ashtanga Yoga was quite intense physically and mentally but now...nothing but gratitude for that period of life. I was forced in a direction of destruction for rebirth and recreation of my higher self the second I decided to become a yoga instructor by my spirit guides. It's the most beautifully messy process!

So moving along, I graduate and become a certified 200hr RYT with Yoga Alliance but...what now? I'm too scared to teach and not feeling 100% ready! Not that we will ever be 100% ready for anything in life but again, tell that to my Virgo rising! So, I look around for places hiring but not much at the time. I continued to post on social media to stay consistent and grow as a teacher (even if I wasn't teaching) but truth be told, I felt like a total failure at that time. One day, there was a wonderful message to me via Instagram from a yoga studio nearby to come do a demo (even as a newbie) with the potential of teaching!

Excited about that, like doing backflips and thennnnn...COVID hits, everything shuts all the way down! We all know the story and how life took a pause for everyone to sit at home for a good year or so. Once things started opening back up, I heard back from that same studio to still come do that demo after they were able to reopen. Again I repeat: "If you get NOTHING from this article, please realize that if something is meant for you, a way WILL be made for you, just say yes when it comes."

I said yes, scared and all but I did my demo! Super duper scared I should say! Talk about an example of what people say by "feel the fear and do it anyway"! That's exactly what happened! Also another saying.... "taking some action is better than no action at all", which is another great example because, well after not having a chance to teach for over the year, I was not feeling so confident about the demo that I gave. Even with that negative feeling of not thinking my demo was greatness, I was still beyond grateful to have the opportunity to give a demo in the first place! I was proud that I even drove all the way there with my anxiety at 110% and give the demo! I was able to muster up enough confidence and positive energy to do something that I kept telling myself that I wanted to do, and now scared to do it! lol Even with the roller coaster of emotions, I was given the offer to sub teach at that studio! Which I was BEYOND happy about! That was such a perfect situation for me, I felt so blessed!!

So getting the offer was a blessing as I mentioned, but it was also going to come with new challenges for me to get through as a new yoga instructor! I wasn't "there" yet with such a small victory (Mars in Scorpio talking there), it was only the beginning to a new journey to learning my entire life purpose (teaching yoga is only a part of that)! It gets deep (which we will save for another blog later) and below, I want to share the challenges and tips for other new yoga instructors out there! I hope they serve you well as a teacher or just someone stepping into the unknown in general.

So let's get right into it! Below are the top 9 challenges that I faced as a new yoga instructor! Giving both the "Challenge" and "Word of Advice" for the tip or lesson that came from each challenge!

1. The Challenge: I've never taught a real class outside of my training!

Word of Advice: No new teacher has ever taught a real class outside of their training! None! Everyone has to start somewhere regardless of who you are! There will be a wonderful studio/place that will welcome you with love and allow you the chance to gain experience and grow in your practice. Keep in mind that just because you're new to this does not make you any less valuable but you do have to start somewhere still! Give yourself permission to say yes when offered, you are not the first to teach for the first time in life! Welcome to the party, you will be telling another new instructor the same once you overcome this hurdle.

2. The Challenge: I cannot remember my flow or what to say in class by heart!

Word of Advice: The best tip here is to PRACTICE your flow BEFORE your class!!! I cannot stress this enough, your body will begin to remember the transition from pose to pose after a few runs. It's ok to keep a cute little notebook to peak at as needed while teaching. Don't put so much pressure on yourself, it's ok if you happen to skip a pose, just skip it on the other side too for consistency! As a matter of fact, who will know that you skipped a pose besides you? Teachers change up classes a bit to keep it fun and exciting so do not worry about that. Some more experienced ones are simply intuitive with how they teach their class and you will gain that skill in time as well! In the meantime relax, practice teaching your flow out loud before classes more than 3 times! Even when you get used to teaching the class, still give yourself a quick run through before class, it will allow you to be more present while giving the class to your students.

3. The Challenge: What if the students hate my class?

Word of Advice: I'll be 100% honest with you, not everyone will love your class and you need to be okay with that! You are not for everyone, you are not for every studio! That is what makes you unique at the same time! There will be good days and there will be days for growth. Both are equally important for the sake of balance and inner peace with what is (another blog for another day because that can get deep too). It's natural to have such thoughts but at the same time, don't be so hard on yourself. Just give it your best every time you step on your mat to teach or for your personal practice. If someone is not satisfied then that is okay, there is a student that will love you and there is a teacher that is more for them which is all okay and why its a wonderful thing to have many teachers, all with something special to offer.

4. The Challenge: What if students ask questions that I do not know the answer to?

Word of Advice: You don't have all the answers and that's okay! If there's something that you don't know, just be honest and say that! People respect honesty and if they don't then hey, it is what it is but honesty is always the best policy. Especially as you do not want to give out false information, but instead you can educate yourself and get back to them with an answer! That way you both grow and learn something new!

5. The Challenge: There are already better and more experienced instructors than me!

Word of Advice: Honey, let's get one thing straight, this is NOT about you! Teaching yoga is a service that you give to others! Just because someone has done this more times than you does not devalue the class that you have to offer! Someone out there needs your most authentic self. So you should focus more on the gift that you will give to others when you are present and yourself as an instructor. Comparing ourselves to another is a recipe for disaster. Their journey is theirs and yours is yours for a good reason, both need to be lived out in different ways and frequencies for each other's growth.

6. The Challenge: There are poses and flows that are still hard for me to do!

Word of Advice: That's the ego crying out there! Being a yoga instructor is not about doing the most advanced poses and flows. Some of the best and most beneficial instructors teach gentle or restorative yoga! I was also once told that, just because you cannot do a pose physically does not mean that you cannot teach it! There are beautiful variations to teach that would be great for your students as well! The best that you can do is educate yourself on the poses that you cannot do! Learn the anatomy of how the body would move in that pose and limitations for them. Learn the variations and how to verbally guide your students into the pose. Do not limit your mind by the physical!

7. The Challenge: I don't know what to say during class in between poses!

Word of Advice: You don't have to say much! Just be their guide and keep them mindful of how they are transitioning from pose to pose in the flow. It is helpful to keep your students mindful of their breath and sayings that help keep them centered in their process. Check out YouTube videos and study what others say while teaching. Make your class yours, say things that are beneficial to your class or even staying silent! Just be yourself, it's ok if you jumble over words here and there, we're human and your students know that as well. They are simply listening to you to know what to do next!

8. The Challenge: My classes are empty or having no-shows!

Word of Advice: That's okay! Every studio/teacher will have ups and downs with students! There may be times where you are fully booked and others times where there's no one at all! Embrace both situations knowing that it can all change but do not doubt your gift to the world in teaching your yoga class! It is also help to get some feedback on how you can improve your classes! Not to say that your class is just ALL bad but there is always room for improvement!

9. The Challenge: Stepping into the unknown!

Word of Advice: The "Unknown" can be a dark and scary place! It brings up lots of anxiety, stress and other negative emotions. Being a new yoga instructor is a lot like stepping into the unknown when you first start teaching! The BEST piece of advice is feeling the fear and doing it anyway! There is growth on the other side of fear! You will become more confident and familiar with being in the unknown to the point where you create your own reality out of it! The reality is created based off your vibration so if you keep thinking things will go wrong then sure enough, your mind is powerful enough for things to actually go wrong (another blog for another day, talk about having a spiritual awakening here!!!!) but when you think of things going right, you welcome blessings! So the more you step into the unknown, the more you grow and learn the space to later thrive!

So there you go! Top 9 challenges faced as a new yoga instructor on the scene! If you are a new or soon to be new yoga instructor reading this, I truly hope this blog helps to ease some nerves or concerns you were having. I wish to share more and inspire you all to be in your truth and life purpose. We need you where you were meant to be when you came into the world. We need you to go through those trials and tribulations, to succeed and help the next that is going through the same. So here I am, doing my part! Being a service to others, now teaching 3 classes a week in person, at that same studio that wrote me on Instagram for almost a year now and having my own practice with online yoga classes through my website www.justjassi.com. Which is now receiving a wonderful amount of clients in different services offered all allowing me to live my truth life purpose as a healer in modern times!

So much deep cellular healing has taken place since making the decision to become a yoga instructor. I've prayed to become a great wonderful teacher and it's happening! I just didn't know there would be a lot of growth and obstacles to overcome in the process, didn't read the fine print I guess! Lol. There is nothing that I would not change in the process and this is still only just the beginning. My ego had to be shattered on many levels and my highest self has been revealed in the process. From hear on out, it is not about me anymore, it never was but truly understanding that makes the difference now.

There's levels to personal development, just when you think you reached your ultimate goal, a new one is born! This part feels like the 7 of wands in a Tarot deck! You win a victory and have to persevere and fight through the challenges that come with the victory! Little did I know in the beginning that practicing yoga is NOT all about the cool poses and cool flows, not about being super strong or flexible either but how we live on a day to day basis. How we take care of ourselves and others, how we allow ourselves to heal! Yoga is applied to your daily life whether you're aware of it or not. Personally, I'm grateful for the ups and downs, I still face many of the challenges before teaching a class still! The difference now is how patient and compassionate I am with myself (and others) and the journey and continue to move through the unknown, holding just a small light like the Hermit in a Tarot deck, knowing only just the next step.

For all new, aspiring and experienced instructors of Yoga, Pilates, Qigong, Tai Chi, Reiki, Spiritual Coaches, Intuitive Psychics, Starseeds, Herbalists, all of you special healers! Thank you for coming to Earth during THIS time! Thank you for being your unique self, paving the path for individuals like myself to be...myself and live my dreams! We all have a dream that needs to be lived for a reason, for me, I learned that I'm supposed to help heal folks out in this wild world of ours! So I will do my part and do my best for all that I serve over time! Thanks for reading and sending all love your way forever and more!

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Love Always,

Jas ღ