13 Qualities of a Great Yoga Teacher, Plus 5 Tips to Stand Out

A National Health Interview Survey reveals that more Americans use yoga to stay healthy more than any other form of complementary and alternative medicine. (1) Yoga beats out both meditation and chiropractic care, making it the most common all-natural health approach.

This is good news if you are a yoga teacher. It means that you have a growing pool of people who need your services. But teaching yoga isn’t enough to grow your clientele. You also have to be able to differentiate yourself from every other instructor who leads a yoga class.

Why It’s Important to Set Yourself Apart from Other Yoga Teachers

If you don’t stand out as a yoga teacher, you become just another face in the crowd of instructor options. There is nothing that compels a potential student to choose you.

Taking action to set yourself apart is akin to placing a spotlight on you and the services you offer. You become the one yoga teacher that pops out. You are the red in a sea of gray or the tulip in the field of daffodils. 

When you are different, people will want to know more about you. They are more compelled to learn how you can help them. This increases the likelihood that they will choose you to take them on their yoga journey.

Once you gain them as clients, setting yourself apart also leads to increased referrals. As clients begin to appreciate your uniqueness—recognizing that you aren’t the same as every other yoga teacher out there—they are more likely to suggest you to their family and friends. They know that you are one of a kind and they want their loved ones to experience your teachings too.

13 Qualities Found in a Great Yoga Teacher

From making the activity enjoyable to creating a safe environment, here are 13 qualities yogis felt made a good teacher great.

• Makes the Class Fun

• Personable

• Honors and Respects Yogic Origins and Traditions

• Confidence

• Has a Basic Understanding of Anatomy

• Continual Education and Excitement Toward Growth

• Harmonizing With Their Voice

• Humility

• True Passion for Their Teaching

• Customizing the Practice, Tailoring Success

• Communication With Students

• Cleanliness for the Space

• Ability to Create a Safe Environment

Makes the Class Fun

I started doing yoga about three years ago and just recently started doing hot yoga. I travel a lot for work and like to visit yoga studios in different cities. The quality of instructors you get is enormous. 

The best instructors that I have seen make it fun to be in class. When you leave, you are just in a good mood, and everyone is tired but happy. You can tell the instructors who have yoga as their passion and others who do yoga instruction as a job. The best quality instructors make the whole process fun and enjoyable, even if they aren't the most knowledgeable instructor.

Evan McCarthy, President & CEO, SportingSmiles

Personable

I have been doing yoga every morning for the last eight years, and from my experience, I believe that one of the key qualities of a great yoga teacher is having a personable nature. 

Personability means that a teacher should be approachable and able to connect with their students on a deeper, human level. Having this connection truly helps build trust between the two parties and can nurture open conversations where the teacher may offer better advice, guidance, or support during their practices.

Personability also enables participants to feel more relaxed when they enter a class, as they are familiar with what to expect from the teacher. Personability is an essential component of teaching yoga—it allows for effective learning and growth!

Antreas Koutis, Administrative Manager, Financer

Honors and Respects Yogic Origins and Traditions

Something that is the mark of authenticity of quality yoga instruction is honoring the roots of yogic teachings and origins. Yoga is not just an exercise for staying physically fit, it is a millennia-old practice of spiritual alignment, lifestyle, and value embodiment focused on worldly and spiritual groundedness and detachment.

Yoga is co-opted in many forms by many practitioners to fit profitable goals, such as starting businesses or making money by charging practitioners to learn yoga. Yoga, in truth, is for everyone to practice and share and respect for its Indian, spiritual origins to empower and balance us through Buddhist and other schools of reaching for enlightened living.

True yogis honor these traditions through their practice, education, marketing, and treatment of other practitioners. Yoga is not just a fitness class, it is an ancient and tested way of life. When you meet teachers who embrace the core of these tenets, you know they respect the practice.

Guna Kakulapati, Co-Founder & CEO, CureSkin

Confidence

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in a yoga class and thought “do they even know what they’re doing?” We’ve all been in those types of classes before, where the teacher is unsure of themselves, and the insecurity is just palpable. And you can’t be like that as a yoga teacher! 

You need to have command of your class and exercises, and be able to flow seamlessly through your sequenced poses. The best yoga teachers exude confidence. I don't mean this in the sense of being cocky, but in terms of command. Those who are sure of themselves and their command of the class always impress.

John Ross, CEO, Test Prep Insight

Has a Basic Understanding of Anatomy

As an MD, I have seen great yoga teachers in action. One quality that I consider essential is a basic understanding of anatomy. Those teachers are highly attuned to the body and its nuances, and that makes them so good at delivering simple instructions for each move. 

They know exactly how to modify poses for different bodies, based on certain physical limitations or strength levels. Such an understanding would not be possible without a solid grasp of anatomical knowledge. 

Through my professional practice, I can confidently say that this is integral for any yoga teacher to be truly successful—it's what sets those great ones apart from the rest!

Rosmy Barrios, Director, Health Reporter

Continual Education and Excitement Toward Growth

The best yoga teachers don’t stop their education once they’re certified. Instead, they independently engage in their own regular practice and take on new learning opportunities to improve their knowledge base and teachings. 

Teachers who value continuous learning will continually build better classes and pass that attitude on to their students. Curiosity and excitement toward growth are essential!

Brian Dechesare, CEO, Breaking Into Wall Street

Harmonizing With Their Voice

A great yoga teacher knows that vocal pitch is key. Not only do you have to modulate your energy level, but a harmonious vocal pitch is also the way to truly connect with people in a meaningful way. When leading a class, having vocal range, emphasis, and vocal tempo creates an experience of tranquility and inspiration while providing direction and encouragement.

A great yoga teacher knows that vocal variations also help learners remain engaged as they flow through the movements with greater ease and awareness. The ability to adjust vocal pitches between low for relaxation or higher for energization makes a great yoga teacher stand out from the crowd!

Jimmy Minhas, Founder & CEO, GerdLi

Humility

A good yoga teacher needs a strong sense of humility to best understand their students. No reputable yoga teacher will claim to have all the answers or put themselves on a pedestal above their students.

Instead, the ideal teacher should strive to share their knowledge and wisdom through their students’ eyes, and that takes humility. This student-centered approach‌ enables teachers to best guide students on their terms.

Adam Bem, Co-Founder & COO, Victoria VR

True Passion for Their Teaching

A good yoga instructor is not just there for the money. They are there because they live and breathe yoga. They are invested in every progress you make, and because of this, they care about your outcome. Not just how yoga affects you physically, but also emotionally. 

They want you to experience what yoga is for them. Why they got into this profession in the first place. A yoga teacher with a genuine passion for yoga is a dedicated teacher.

Lydia Mwangi, Content Writer, Barbell Jobs

Customizing the Practice, Tailoring Success

One of the most common pieces of feedback we get about our in-house yoga teacher is that he does a fantastic job of scaling and customizing the practice to meet the needs of each student. 

Being attentive, knowledgeable, and understanding how to tailor classes and poses to meet individual needs and abilities is something students really appreciate. In addition, placing an emphasis on each individual's alignment, breath work, and modifications makes for a more personalized experience, which is highly valued by students.

Relatedly, great yoga teachers tailor the notion of success and improvement to the individual student, recognizing that progress isn't necessarily linear, and that everyone has different goals and abilities. Through this recognition, teachers can truly create a unique experience and lasting impact on each student.

John White, Director, We Run

Communication With Students

As a fitness enthusiast, I get to meet many great yoga teachers. Apart from their incredible yoga skills, I have observed a standard quality in them. And that quality is their communication skill. 

Those teachers have strong communication with their students. As a result, students ‌share everything with them. They tell them which poses are difficult for them and which poses they like the most. A yoga teacher teaches by not only physical demonstration but also verbal cues. 

With powerful communication skills, yoga teachers can understand which verbal cues to use. Their audible and clear voices are easier to comprehend. They also should explain the benefits of the yoga poses they teach. So, their students can learn them with enthusiasm.

Sean Harris, Managing Editor, FamilyDestinationsGuide

Cleanliness for the Space 

A clean studio is essential for any great yoga instructor. Students will notice a dusty or grimy floor. They won’t want to walk in areas where they see dust bunnies. A top priority for any instructor is to ensure that the floor space and yoga mats are regularly cleaned—and done professionally. 

Any business in which bare skin touches anything—whether it’s a yoga studio, gym, tanning salon, or day spa — needs to be immaculate at all times. Make sure the studio is clean before it opens, between every class, and at the end of every day. Mats need to be disinfected and the hardwood floors need to be spotless.

Emily Saunders, Chief Revenue Officer, eLuxury

Ability to Create a Safe Environment

One quality of a great yoga teacher is their ability to create a safe and welcoming environment for their students to practice in. A great yoga teacher should create a space where students feel comfortable, supported, and able to fully relax and focus on their practice. 

After all, it is known that yoga is not only physical exercise but also spiritual-mental practice. And to achieve this, the right atmosphere, peace of mind, and emotional calmness are essential. 

A great yoga teacher achieves this by conveying yoga techniques to students, including the meaning of physical postures (asanas), breathing techniques (pranayama), and philosophical principles. Creating a safe and welcoming environment also means adapting their teaching style to meet each student's individual needs and abilities.

Nina Paczka, Community Manager, Live Career

5 Tips to Stand Out from Other Yoga Teachers

Creating a stand-out appeal doesn’t have to take a lot of time. By implementing a few extra quick tips, you can set yourself apart as a yoga teacher.

Tip #1: Translate Yoga Philosophy into Real-Life Benefits 

The first question consumers have when choosing any new service provider is: “What’s in it for me?” They want to know the reasons they should select you over everyone else who is offering the same service. One way to easily answer this question is to translate how doing yoga offers real-life benefits.

For instance, yoga helps reduce joint pain. So, in your social media posts, talk about how doing yoga makes it easier to get out of bed in the morning without stiffness and discomfort. Share how yoga can help take the pain out of everyday activities, such as walking or working around the house.

Connect the dots for potential students. Help them realize that, as a yoga teacher, you can help them live a better life. This helps you stand out from other instructors that only spend their time promoting themselves. The more people can “see” how yoga can improve their lives, the more they want to engage in this practice. Since you are the person painting this picture, they are naturally compelled to want you as their instructor.

Tip #2: Emphasize How Your Teaching Style is Unique (Read: Better)

Every yoga teacher has a slightly different style. Therefore, it is important to help potential students see how your teaching style is the best. This involves being able to clearly state the ways you are unique.

Do your current students tell you that you are particularly good at cueing proper form? If so, highlight this on your website and in your social media marketing campaign. Or maybe you are consistently complimented on your ability to create a stress-free environment within your studio. Share this too!

Tell potential clients what you offer that other instructors don’t. Get them to see the value you offer. Ideally, this should be a value that they can’t get if they choose another yoga teacher.

Tip #3: Clearly State Which Yoga Students Are a Good Match

Imagine that you want to create a new yoga practice and are looking for a training program. Would you rather have an instructor who teaches everyone or someone who works specifically with novice practitioners? 

Locating a teacher who works with your specific demographic provides a greater level of comfort. You also feel more confident in their services because they’re used to working with people just like you. 

Yet, some yoga instructors try to appeal to every potential student. As a result, their marketing is vague about who they can help most. It doesn’t compel their ideal client to want to sign up.

Do you teach kids yoga or would you prefer to work with seniors? Is there a soft spot in your heart for beginners or do you like to work with a student who already knows yoga basics? The clearer you are about your ideal student, the more comfortable they are in choosing you as their teacher.

Tip #4: Offer Different Services (Such as Traveling Yoga Teacher)

Conduct an online search for yoga instructors and you will see that many offer the same type of services. They might offer different styles—from Vinyasa yoga, which is more intense, to restorative yoga, which is gentler—but the basic services are often the same. They teach yoga classes at a studio or fitness center, just like everyone else.

If you want to really stand out, offer different services. Give them access to a yoga training program they can’t find anywhere else. 

One way to do this is as a traveling yoga teacher. This involves going from studio to studio in various locations and offering classes at each one. Post images on your social media accounts of you teaching the class. Show prospective students that you have the ability to lead classes anywhere. This is also a good way to boost your yoga resume.

If teaching at different studios isn’t of interest, highlight how your services are unique. For example, maybe you are a personal trainer who teaches yoga. Since you have experience in both areas, you’ve developed a training program that combines yoga with other types of exercise. This would be more appealing to someone who wants a fitness program that incorporates both.

You can also point out the differences you offer within each yoga style. If you use unique yoga sequences in your Vinyasa class, for instance, let prospective students know. If your yoga studio is different than the others, mention this as well. 

Tip #5: How to Stand Out from Other Yoga Instructors as a New Teacher

If you’ve been a yoga teacher for years, it’s pretty easy to point out how you’re different from other instructors. Highlighting your uniqueness when you’re new to yoga teaching is much more difficult. But there are still a few things you can do.

As a new yoga teacher, you can stand out from others who are marketing similar services by reinforcing the training you’ve received to effectively lead a class. Identify the teacher training program on your website and social media “about” pages. Help clients see that, even though you’ve just completed yoga teacher training, you have the skills needed to develop a sound yoga practice.

Also list your yoga teacher training program in your bio. A short bio is typically used on event flyers, such as if you have a booth at an expo or are leading a class at a yoga retreat. Use this bio as an opportunity to share your training. This adds to your credibility. It makes you an authority in creating an effective yoga practice. Talk about your yoga teacher training on all of your marketing materials.

If your goal is to be hired at a studio instead of building your own yoga business, crafting a stand-out yoga teacher resume is critical. Since you’ve spent limited time as a yoga teacher, this section should be placed last. Instead, your resume should highlight your yoga teacher training by placing this section first.

In the training section, identify the teacher training program you completed. State whether you are a Certified Yoga Instructor or if you are a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT). This ensures that you meet their minimum requirements. Be sure to also mention any other certifications you have, such as if you are certified in CPR.

If you are not yet certified, you can earn your Yoga Instructor certification through ISSA. This course teaches you the skills needed to lead classes in a studio, as well as how to build your own yoga business. When you become certified through ISSA, you also get a free website. This helps establish you as a yoga professional while providing an online platform where you can share how you are different. It also gets you one step closer to becoming the successful yoga teacher you were meant to be!

References

1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2018, November 7). National survey reveals increased use of yoga, meditation, and chiropractic care among U.S. adults. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Retrieved January 10, 2023, from https://www.nccih.nih.gov/research/research-results/national-survey-reveals-increased-use-of-yoga-meditation-and-chiropractic-care-among-us-adults