When I started teaching yoga, I quickly specialized in beginners. During the teacher training, I got my whole family to take up yoga so I had someone to practice with. I love teaching beginners and want to pass this on to other teachers. But teaching beginners is not only fun, it also has many advantages for you as a teacher. I have compiled these for you here.
If you teach beginners, you can bring new people to yoga and thus also attract new participants to your classes.
People who are new to yoga often ask different questions than yogis who have been doing it for a while. Sometimes certain "yoga phrases" are repeated so often that they are no longer questioned. It's good to be asked something you don't know. This gives you the opportunity to delve deeper into it and develop yourself and your students.
You will usually see rapid progress in beginners who attend your class regularly or a beginners' course. This motivates you and your students.
When teaching beginners, you can't just say the name of a pose, and everyone knows what to do. You have to explain how to get into a Downward-facing Dog, where the foot has to go, and what the arms and hands do. This way you also notice when you are unclear and your instructions don't lead to the goal. This way you can improve your cuing.
When teaching beginners, you can deepen your understanding of the anatomy and physiology of the body by helping your students to improve their body awareness. This will help your understanding of how different asanas affect the body and help you give more effective instructions.
By teaching beginners yoga, you learn how to adapt your teaching to the individual needs and abilities of each student. This can help you become a better and more well-rounded teacher and support your student even more.
By teaching beginners yoga, you can develop simple sequences tailored to the students' needs. This can help you improve at sequencing and create more effective lesson plans. Find simple sequences in my new Teaching Guide that you can use for your beginner classes.
By teaching beginners yoga, you learn how to support your students in finding mental relaxation and reducing stress. This will help you deepen your own understanding of meditation and guide your students even better and more lovingly.
I have created a guide for yoga teachers that contains all my knowledge on teaching beginners. It also includes teaching materials such as sequences and drawings that you can use for your teaching or preparation. Have a look: go to the Teaching Guide.
1. Attract new people to your classes
If you teach beginners, you can bring new people to yoga and thus also attract new participants to your classes.
2. Beginners will take you further
People who are new to yoga often ask different questions than yogis who have been doing it for a while. Sometimes certain "yoga phrases" are repeated so often that they are no longer questioned. It's good to be asked something you don't know. This gives you the opportunity to delve deeper into it and develop yourself and your students.
3. Rapid progress
You will usually see rapid progress in beginners who attend your class regularly or a beginners' course. This motivates you and your students.
4. Improving your cueing:
When teaching beginners, you can't just say the name of a pose, and everyone knows what to do. You have to explain how to get into a Downward-facing Dog, where the foot has to go, and what the arms and hands do. This way you also notice when you are unclear and your instructions don't lead to the goal. This way you can improve your cuing.
5. Deepening understanding of anatomy and physiology
When teaching beginners, you can deepen your understanding of the anatomy and physiology of the body by helping your students to improve their body awareness. This will help your understanding of how different asanas affect the body and help you give more effective instructions.
6. Adaptation to individual needs
By teaching beginners yoga, you learn how to adapt your teaching to the individual needs and abilities of each student. This can help you become a better and more well-rounded teacher and support your student even more.
7. Developing simple sequences
By teaching beginners yoga, you can develop simple sequences tailored to the students' needs. This can help you improve at sequencing and create more effective lesson plans. Find simple sequences in my new Teaching Guide that you can use for your beginner classes.
8. Focus on mental relaxation
By teaching beginners yoga, you learn how to support your students in finding mental relaxation and reducing stress. This will help you deepen your own understanding of meditation and guide your students even better and more lovingly.
I have created a guide for yoga teachers that contains all my knowledge on teaching beginners. It also includes teaching materials such as sequences and drawings that you can use for your teaching or preparation. Have a look: go to the Teaching Guide.
