Spending 2 or 3 hours a week in a yoga class can improve the quality of your life mentally, physically, and spiritually. Finding the right yoga teacher can mean the difference between flourishing and growing in a certain style of yoga or giving up. A good yoga teacher makes the commitment and dedication if not easy, at least more comfortable.
Level of knowledge and accreditation:
A good instruction should be at least two levels above the one being taught. Check out a possible teacher’s level of achievement, see that this person has some type of accreditation from a reliable source and ask questions until you’re satisfied this instructor knows what’s what in being a yoga teacher.
Good communication:
Everyone learns in different ways. Maybe you need to see a position demonstrated, or you need to hear a description before you’re ready to try it yourself. Make sure this yoga teacher gives instructions in a manner you can learn from easily.
Pace:
Does this yoga teacher keep the pace you need to keep up and stay interested with the workout? Too fast and you’ll have to struggle to keep up with the rest of the class. Falling behind all the time can break your resolve to attend the class. Too slow and you’ll get bored then lose your focus and stop wanting to attend. The yoga teacher must be able to set a pace everyone can follow, but still feel challenged.
Empathy:
After several years of practice it’s easy to forget how hard learning something new can be especially when it involves outraged, under worked muscles not wanting to cooperate with a new workout regime. A good yoga teacher needs to remember those early days of learning. They should show patience and understanding in the face of wobbly, sweaty new students.
Remember, don’t follow the herd. It’s important for the new student to find the right yoga teacher for their own needs. Just because a certain teacher is developing a big following doesn’t mean you must adapt yourself to their style. Find the class and the yoga teacher who’s right for you.