How To Find The Best Yoga Teacher for You

Most people don't know this, but finding the right yoga teacher for you is the most important part of building a regular yoga practice.

And having a regular yoga practice is the only way to start reaping the benefits of yoga:

• Feeling more peaceful, calm, and relaxed
• Gaining strength and flexibility
• Being more focused and clear minded
• Having more energy throughout the day
• Balancing your hormones
• Feeling happier and more satisfied in life
• Losing weight and maintaining a fit physique

You can read a lot more about the benefits of yoga here (all scientifically verified in medical studies).

Without regular yoga practice, you may feel more calm, more flexible, and happier on the days you practice. But after a few days, you'll feel just like you did before. One or two classes is not enough to make any lasting change.

When you build a yoga habit — that's when the magic happens! That's when you start to feel incredible as your default setting.

And one of the fundamental keys to building a regular practice — is finding the right teacher for you.

The rest of this article will show you secret to finding the best yoga teacher for you.

1. Do you like the teacher's personality?

This might seem obvious to you, but to most people it's just an 'icing on the cake' situation.

The reason this is #1 , is because even if you have the discipline to force yourself to show up. You can't rely on discipline in the long-run. Discipline takes effort — habits are effortless. So we need to create a Yoga Habit.

If you don't like the teacher, you'll always be forcing yourself to show up. When you do like the teacher, showing up becomes easy. In fact, you might show up even when you don't want to (but know you should), just because you don't want to disappoint your teacher.

So this is one of the easiest ways to help yourself show up... finding a teacher that you like.

2. Can they teach to your level of experience and flexibility?

This is a tough one to find at your local studio. But it's critical to find a teacher and class at your level.

One that is challenging enough to push you forward in your practice. But easy enough that you can keep up.

If the class is too easy, you'll get bored and drop off. You don't have to strain and push yourself to new athletic levels. But you do have to be challenged - even if it's just holding the asana for a few seconds longer.

And of course, this has to be balanced. You won't stay long in a class that is too difficult for you either.

If you feel like you can't do any of the asanas, and like the teacher is leaving you behind. You will become discouraged or feel a sense of failure. Then, the risk / reward mechanism in your mind will tell you to stop showing up.

So when the class is too easy, you get bored and stop showing up. When the class is too hard, you feel like you can't do it, and stop showing up.

But when you find that Goldilocks teacher... When it's just right — then you feel motivated and excited to show up every day!

Finding the right class for you can be impossible at your local studios. Its hard to find that perfect class when there are only 4 or 5 options. That's why myYogaTeacher offers 35+ daily classes live, and has over 80 incredible teachers. You can click here to sign up for a free 14-day trial (no credit card required).

3. Are they a good teacher?

NOTE: While finding a 'good' teacher is fundamental, it has to be #3 on the list. Because if the teacher's personality and class difficulty are not a good match, you won't stick with it!

This is a difficult one to answer if you're not a teacher yourself.  But it's really important to get right — because learning from an unskilled (yet often well intentioned and kind) teacher can lead to injuries. Sometimes serious injuries, if you're already struggling with issues like back-pain or knee-pain.

But don't worry, I'll give you some key things to look for. So you can see if the teacher is skilled at teaching (not just flexible or good at practicing yoga).

One of the first things to look at is: How many hours of certified training does the teacher have?

In the US, it's common for people to take a 200-hour certification course and then jump right to teaching at a studio. A 200-hour certification is amazing for going deeper in your practice. And you can be an excellent teacher with only 200-hours of certification. But it takes time and experience for these skills to develop.

If the teacher only has a 200-hr certification, look for at least 4 years of teaching experience.

In India, yoga is practiced, taught, and learned at a whole different level than in the US. It's more like the medical field.

Most yoga teachers go to university and study yoga the way a physical therapist, nurse, or doctor does in the US. With myYogaTeacher you'll find teachers who are literal Doctors of yoga, yoga therapists, and many with 900+ hours of certified training.

This means that you can trust the teacher to give you a safe practice that will help your body heal and become stronger and more flexible, without the risk of injury. Especially when you have back pain, knee pain, injuries, or are recovering from surgery.

Yoga is a natural way to heal many illnesses and injuries. But only when your teacher truly knows what they are doing.

If you're interested in trying classes with an expert Indian teacher, someone who has 900+ hrs of certified training, went to University for yoga, or even a Dr of yoga — you can click here for a free 2-week trial of myYogaTeacher.

Summary

If you want to find a teacher that will naturally motivate you to be consistent with your yoga practice, heal any injuries or illnesses, and help you feel stronger, more flexible, and more at peace — you should look for:

1. A yoga teacher you like
2. A yoga teacher who's classes challenge you but aren't too difficult
3. A yoga teacher who has at least 200-hours of certified training AND 4-years of experience
   1. Or better yet, an expert teacher from the birthplace of yoga, India, who studied yoga in University (similar to a Dr or Nurse in the US)

If you want to try yoga (for free) with an expert teacher like this,you can signup for a 2-week free trial of myYogaTeacher by clicking here.