Not confident in my teaching after 200 training

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

I just finished my 200 hour teacher training course. One of my biggest fears is speaking in front of a large group. I had discussed this with the teachers in my program & they ensured me, that by the end of my training i would be able to teach a class without going blank and feeling like i am going to pass out.

I taught my first class at a fitness canter last week. I was so nervous, that my voice was shaking, i forgot all the sequencing i planned out, i did not look professional up there…i felt like a fish out of water. I thought i was going to throw up. The thought of trying to teach again just makes me so scared.

The thing is…i WANT to teach so bad! I want to get over this fear, i want to share my knowledge & share this ancient art with as many folks as i can.

Should i take the 200 hour course again? I thought maybe from a different place. This course i took was so packed, we didn’t get any 1 on 1 attention, which i thought would be part of the course. I’m starting to think that maybe i signed up for the wrong 200 hour course. They did not have me teach any classes before i graduated. I now am finding out, that many other courses MAKE you teach a few classes before they’ll hand you a certificate. Which i think may have helped me a lot.

Any advice would be very much appreciated. I love yoga and my heart/soul really wants this…but i am beginning to doubt my abilities as a yoga instructor because of this feeling i get when in front of a large group.

Please help

~ Chica

#2

Chica,

A good question and I’m sure you will get a myriad of replies. Perhaps one will resonate with you. My thoughts…

In my teacher training we had to not only teach to our group (which was about 17) taking turns each week toward the end of training, but also as a “guest teacher” with our TT teacher observing. Yes, this was beneficial and enlightening. But it is really a whole different ball game when it is just you up there. It can be overwhelming and frightening.

I guess I’m one of the fortunate ones who has no issue with this. It probably helped that I took several public speaking courses in college. What I can offer you is this. Teach from what you know. Try not to get too hung up on written sequences, trying to memorize them. If you forget a part of it, it’s like the domino effect. So, when you plan for your classes, get a general idea of what you want to teach. That gives you the flexibility to switch it up. If you, while teaching, come up with a blank on what to do next, have them either hold the current pose longer or have them rest in child’s pose. That should give you time to re-group your thoughts. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve done this and still do!

Another idea is to tell them as you begin class that you are new and a bit nervous. This usually will put you at ease letting them know this ahead of time.

And finally, make sure you do some pranayama, meditation and your own home practice before you teach. This will help you with calming your mind and helping you with focus.

And above all, don’t worry! Confidence will come with practice. Try practicing with a group of your friends too. You’ll be much more relaxed and can more objectively see areas that are giving you trouble.

Best of luck! Smile, breathe and go slowly Chica.

#3

Hello Chica,

I think your experience is a common one for teachers just finishing their first training program. It is unfortunate that you didn’t have the chance to practice teaching in front of your group so you could try out your skills in front of people you are familiar with. However this doesn’t mean that you have to do another training, you just need some practice!

I work at a Yoga Teacher Training school and yoga retreat center so I have seen a lot of students come through. Our teachers do have the students practice, first in small groups, then at the end of the training they teach a 60 minute class on their own. They also have to teach some classes to their friends and family at home before they get their certificate.

This is what I would suggest to you… get groups of your friends and people you trust so you can work on your sequences and have them down pat. Once you don’t have to think so much about what you are teaching it should take some of the pressure off.

As a teacher I can tell you that it gets easier and easier every time I teach, the only time I get nervous now is if I am not prepared for class. With this comes another tip, which is to always know what you are going to teach and be familiar with the routine.

Thanks for posting, I hope you get some replies that are helpful!!

Namaste,

#4

The process of a 200-hour yoga teacher training is not about preparing you to teach. It is about introducing you to yourself and providing you a glimpse of the vastness of Yoga that you can use to deal with your ego, your sadness, your quietness, your talkativeness, and your fears.

The idea that a person is “qualified” to impart yoga to others after 200 hours…well frankly my reply could only be “just barely”. Somehow you intuitively know this. At the same time you are more prepared than anyone else in the room. You are not in a room full of teachers. You are not here at Yoga Centers in front of a master. You are in front of a few interested folks at the gym.

I cannot speak to the effectiveness or quality of your particular training. However I do believe that a 200 hour training is a bare minimum and that during that training you should be up in front of the group teaching a pose, working to teach in smaller groups AND being constructively critiqued in a very caring but straight forward fashion by whomever is taking on the role of “teaching teachers”. Additionally it is very helpful if you are “allowed” to make a fool of yourself very early in the process to get it out of the way and be done with it.

I would invite you to consider the following: “How can the tools I’ve learned help me in this particular challenge?” And by “tools” I’m speaking specifically to the tools of a student of Yoga. I would prefer not to answer this for you as it robs you of something incredibly valuable as a teacher. However, if after some consideration you need more, please check back in.

warmly,

gordon

#5

I did a 200hour TTC in 2010 and initially i started to teach on a one to one basis afterwards. I enjoyed it very much as did the people i was teaching but as time went on i started to feel really fraudulent! Ive stopped teaching now as ive experienced the 200hour TTC to be “just the tip of the iceberg” and in no way sufficient for me to feel comfortable teaching others in a safe and knowledgable way. That doesnt mean i cant share the tools i have learned on a non formal basis, but that i would not want to call myself a yoga teacher at this point, and maybe not for the considerable future, until i have studied and trained substantially more.

I too have issues around public speaking. i am surprised the teachers on your TTC said you would be over them after the course! For those of us who are shy or timid it really is a work in progress to deal with those fears and not something i would imagine we can deal with in the space of one course alone. Ofcourse the shakey voice thing gets less with practice and confidence grows each time we teach, but if you do only have the 200hour TTC and dont feel it was adequate, it is because it simply wasn’t! some people may be able to teach and feel fine about it with so little knowledge but many of us will feel inadequate and maybe even “not safe” to be teaching.

#6

Hello

First of all it is essential if its called teacher training that they let the student take at least some classes and see what is needed to improve you as a teacher.

Also by learning how to teach you become even better your self as you see it from another angle.

Try to teach a smaller group, maybe with friends or friends of friends, just because you did 200h teacher training doesnt mean you are pro in teaching yet . First you do 200h and master that but you also must start from scratch again when teaching and then you will master that eventually.

If you dont give up and you really are burning for this YOU will become a teacher some day i promise you.

Just search for feedback before jumping into a teacher training course again and you will succeed. When we are child and started to walk we fell many times but did we give up? NO and so you shouldnt give up just because you didnt seem to choose correct teacher training program.

Yoga is business and many people try to take advantage of that. So keep looking and you will find.

#7

Thank you all so much for your feedback!

That first class i taught…there was 40 people there! And there was also another instructor in there who was critiquing me. I think that really made me more nervous. I did except a position at a small mom & pop type gym, owned by a cute older couple. Their classes are very small, yet they have dedicated students. I was welcomed with warm, open arms and i did not have to go through a trial teaching class.

The first class i taught here was much easier than the last experience. There was only 7 students there, it was not a hot yoga/fitness class (that other class was, which is out of my element).

I feel much stronger that i can do this now. My whole life, I’ve wanted to get over my shyness. Maybe i’ll always be shy, but i think this class will really help me find my voice and teaching style.

I’m not going to take the 200 hour course again, but i do want to look into taking the 500 hour course…possibly somewhere else this time.

I’m not going to give up! I will be a GREAT teacher one day! Thank you all for your kind words!

Namaste!

~ Chica

#8

All excellent advice. It is very important to choose the right teacher training. Frankly, some of them are not good. Ask instructors you admire where they trained. Do a lot of research before you sign up for another one.

#9

[QUOTE=Samurai_chica;70659]I just finished my 200 hour teacher training course. One of my biggest fears is speaking in front of a large group. I had discussed this with the teachers in my program & they ensured me, that by the end of my training i would be able to teach a class without going blank and feeling like i am going to pass out.

I taught my first class at a fitness canter last week. I was so nervous, that my voice was shaking, i forgot all the sequencing i planned out, i did not look professional up there…i felt like a fish out of water. I thought i was going to throw up. The thought of trying to teach again just makes me so scared.

The thing is…i WANT to teach so bad! I want to get over this fear, i want to share my knowledge & share this ancient art with as many folks as i can.

Should i take the 200 hour course again? I thought maybe from a different place. This course i took was so packed, we didn’t get any 1 on 1 attention, which i thought would be part of the course. I’m starting to think that maybe i signed up for the wrong 200 hour course. They did not have me teach any classes before i graduated. I now am finding out, that many other courses MAKE you teach a few classes before they’ll hand you a certificate. Which i think may have helped me a lot.

Any advice would be very much appreciated. I love yoga and my heart/soul really wants this…but i am beginning to doubt my abilities as a yoga instructor because of this feeling i get when in front of a large group.

Please help

~ Chica[/QUOTE]

Cofidence is experessed by saying “I can”. Most of us say I CAN at two level: first is superficial and second is real. To illustrate, you may say I can drive a car or…,etc. (if you have never driven) realizing your potential to do so and having seen other doing the same. It is only after drving a car, …,etc. for couple of week, you say I can drive a car. Moreover, Sage Patanjali told two important things to achieve in path of Yoga i.e. PRACTICE and DETACHMENT.
So, practice Yoga yourself and practice Yoga teaching regularly. It is regular PRACTICE and a few mistake take you to experiences and improved confidence and better teaching abilities.
Vijay Singh Gusain E-mail:yogivijayg.04@gmail.com

#10

Dear Chika,
Cofidence is experessed by saying “I can”. Most of us say I CAN at two level: first is superficial and second is real. To illustrate, you may say I can drive a car or…,etc. (if you have never driven) realizing your potential to do so and having seen other doing the same. It is only after drving a car, …,etc. for couple of week, you say I can drive a car. Moreover, Sage Patanjali told two important things to achieve in path of Yoga i.e. PRACTICE and DETACHMENT.
So, practice Yoga yourself and practice Yoga teaching regularly. It is regular PRACTICE and a few mistake take you to experiences and improved confidence and better teaching abilities.
Vijay Singh Gusain E-mail:yogivijayg.04@gmail.com

#11

Chika,

I’m in my 200 hour teacher training now and I too feel it is the tip of the iceberg. We do practice teach in groups in class; however there are thirty+ students so you can barely hear yourself or the other.

I too am very afraid of public speakig but I’m slowly learning to adjust. I thought it was crazy to want to be a yoga teacher but then being afraid of public speaking. Then I remembered I was a waitress from when I was 15 until I was 21 and prior to being a waitress I was one of the clumsiest people you meet. When I told my mom I got a job waitressing she thought it was a April Fools joke. Nope, and I learned not to be so clumsy.

One of the requirements is we have to teach 6 one hour classes with a minimum of 3 max of 10 students, I recruited my friends to volunteer their time. Which is part of our grade and a requirement for graduation. My classes start next week. I have been practicing by teaching my husband twice a week. I have all my stick figures in a spiral so I can look down. I’ll prepare as much as I can. Then we have a practicum in which we teach the whole class. We have to prepare our own sequences and get approval on them.

I feel you. If you are able maybe you can get some advanced teacher training. My husband was flabbergasted that I told him I wanted to take some advanced teacher training that focused on sequencing and alignment after my 200 hours. To the tune of $795 -I feel I still need it after the 200 hours.

Practice, Practice - I know it sounds crazy but Practice teach while driving. Practice teach while in the shower. Just saying things out loud and hearing your voice, practice looking at yourself in the mirror.

Best of luck to you

#12

Chica,
One of the most important things you said is, “I WANT to teach so bad”. That’s it. You will.

The external symptoms of sweat, dry mouth, butterflies in the gutts are only interpreted by your mind as “fear”. Each one shows body’s extra preparedness and can be easily turn around in your favor. Try it. Why are you nervous? Because you care. It is positive energy. Invest it in rigorous practice. Yoga is all about practice.

You wanted to make the class a success by teaching like a “pro”. Why? Trash that conditioned concept. Teach like you! Share your own learning process with a genuine desire to touch the students in self-less giving.

Make the ‘shaking voice’ and ‘forgetting the preparation’ itself the topic of your class. Analyse it as the beginner’s natural response to anything first-time because physical body is taken as primary. Apply body-mind-soul Yoga model to explain why asanas are practiced to make such an overwhelming physical awareness to melt away to make way for subtle awareness of breath. In the process of showing how, you will compose yourself.

Teacher is not the superior, teacher is a vehicle. Students don’t learn from a teacher, they learn on their own; teacher is the catalyst. Teacher doesn’t teach, he kindles learning and stands by. Most important, students learn for a while, teacher learns forever.

#13

[QUOTE=Suhas Tambe;71096]
Teacher is not the superior, teacher is a vehicle. Students don’t learn from a teacher, they learn on their own; teacher is the catalyst. Teacher doesn’t teach, he kindles learning and stands by. Most important, students learn for a while, teacher learns forever.[/QUOTE]

That is similar to what I read in a book about presentations. It is not about the person who presents. The audience is important, it should be the centre of attention.

If I think about my teachers, what I like and dislike, I can say that the worst things teachers can do is to pretend to be someone else (super happy or super funny) or to be too pushy.

I believe you will be alright, shy or shaky or not :wink: