Top Cueing Tips for Yoga Teachers (Yoga Teacher Tips)

Transcript

hey there yoga teacher in this video I'll be showing you six ways that you can improve your queuing for your yoga [Music] classes my name is Crystal gray I specialize in supporting newer yoga teachers by filling in the gaps from their yoga teacher training so they can finally gain the confidence they need to take the next step in their yoga teaching Journey now one thing I hear from from a lot of newer yoga teachers that I work with is that queuing is one of the biggest struggles for them in an area that they just really have a hard time feeling confident in that's why I wanted to create this three-part Series this video is part one of three so make sure you like this video and then for the rest of the series to get more content like this all right so let's get into it number one always cue from the ground up this means if you're in a standing pose you'd start from the feet if you're in hand stand you'd start from the hands you always want to be building the foundation this will help make your poses strong stable and safe number two remember that it's okay to go slow and breathe speak with intention sometimes when we're nervous or unsure of ourselves we tend to get it out really really quick and speed through it but that just creates more anxiety for ourselves and our students so slow down think about what you want to say then say it see where their body is now and visualize where you want it to go then slowly and calmly say the steps that will get them there next take out Superfluous language that's a mouthful now you're going to want to is one I hear the most often think about these three things movement body part placement for example raise what arms where overhead this helps to keep the mental chatter or chitt at Bay and keeps your students present in the the moment instead of focusing on all the extra fluff that you're anxiously throwing into the instructions that are honestly clouding the message now you might be worried that you'll sound like a drill sergeant but just because you are being clear and concise doesn't mean that you're barking orders at them now what you can add in is language that makes your cues an invitation I invite you to is a great example of this but only use it where it's needed okay next one I lost track of what number we're on this is really important though realize that it's okay if you make a mistake like I just did I forgot you can always correct it no one expects you to be perfect and you're only human like everyone else allowing yourself Grace here and there will also help to keep your nervous system in a relaxed state which will start to filter into your class and keep them at ease as well if they know that you're not perfect it actually allows them to not to have to try to be perfect and isn't that really what we want yoga is a time to stop striving and to just be I can actually feel people relax when I mess up it's the perfect opportunity to make a joke and lighten the mood then just keep going isn't that how we want to be off the mat this is your chance to set an example of what it looks like to not beat yourself up to not take things so seriously to pick yourself up dust yourself off and keep going it's not that big of a deal all right next embody the pose it's important to really understand and grasp the pose that you're teaching because then you will be queuing out of a place of knowledge embodiment and not memorization when you're trying to teach a class from memory oh my gosh it's so stressful and not embodiment you disconnect yourself from the present moment and from your students you just don't have to be teaching poses that are out of your own practice okay or out of your grasp but that's an entirely another topic for an entirely another video next practice see if your friends or family will let them queue you into a pose practice queuing without demoing have them turn around if you really really want an ego check but honestly this is one of the things that helps my yoga teacher trainees and clients become experts and queuing you can even practice just saying the words out loud while you're driving taking a shower taking a walk whenever another thing you can do is to teach classes or flows and video yourself teaching them practice along to the video and see if the cues make sense as a student it will help you so so much do these things over and over again and queuing will feel like second nature and just remember it takes time don't beat yourself up the more you teach the better you're going to feel and the more confidence you're going to have no one starts out as an expert they just don't and no one expects you to either that's the great thing there are always going to be ways that we can keep improving I'm always trying to refine my cues and working at getting better and better and I've been teaching yoga for 18 years and I'm still refining I'd love to know in the comments which trick you're going to implement first let me know in the comments please I would love to see and if you'd like more support please check out the yoga wisdom Collective that's my mentorship for newer yoga teachers where my team and I provide you with all the support and training that you need to help you become The Confident amazing and empowered yoga teacher that I know that you can be I'll put the link down in the comments so that you can catch all of the videos in this SE series as well as just other content around becoming a confident yoga teacher and I'll see you soon