The other day, while on a recent trip, I went with my friend to a yoga class. Half way through class I found myself looking up at the ceiling tiles while the yoga instructor had the audacity to pull my hair bun back to “encourage me” into a deeper back bend. It was in that moment I thought, “ It’s high time I share my honest-to-God thoughts on the sh*t ( excuse the color) yoga teachers do!”

As someone who’s been a practitioner of yoga since the age of 8 and a teacher for 10+ years, I’ve observed and taken ALOT of yoga classes. So I wanted to jot together my honest, uncensored feedback and talk about 5 real pitfalls yoga teachers can fall into. Because hey, once we become aware of things we do, well, we can figure out how to change and become empowered leaders of yoga!

Let’s dive in!

Before I end this blog, please note: this is not meant to shame or tear down any of you yoga teachers out there. I love the fact that yoga is like wine, their are SO many varieties and each teacher has a unique gift to offer. But we have to be honest with ourselves as teachers. We can make or break someone’s experience to yoga. So we must continually check in with the habits we form as instructors. I hope this help to shed light on some real pitfalls and how to climb on out and lead safe, mindful, and empowering yoga classes.

Please share your thoughts and comments below! For my yogis out there, what are some of your favorite attributes from your teachers?