July of 2026 marks my 40th year of teaching yoga. I don’t remember the exact date, but I believe my very first class was somewhere in mid-July. When I started teaching back then, I couldn’t have imagined getting to this point. And it’s safe to say that I still feel like a beginner.
Yoga is a vast and varied system. Not only have many different yogic practices come to the fore in the millennia since yoga began, but each system of practice is intricately layered, requiring years to understand.
In my 40 years of sharing yoga with students, I’ve learned a few things. It’s my hope that this advice can be helpful to teachers of all varieties of yoga practice. In the future, I may write a few blogs to elaborate on these subjects.
Guidelines for Teaching Yoga Ethically and Joyfully
Show Up
This may be the most important teaching tip of all. Building trust with our students is essential to maintaining a teaching practice. When students know they can count on you to be present—both physically and mentally for them—they feel safe in your classes. Of course, you’ll need to miss classes occasionally. Teachers need vacations too! But knowing you’re going to be there—on time and fully present—builds trust.
No matter how many students are in your class, show up for them. Whether there are 25 students in your class or there’s just one student, be present. They’ve made time to get to your class, so they value what you have to offer. Give them your best.
Respect Individuality
Early in my teaching, when a student couldn’t perform the “full expression” of a pose, I’d say something like, “If you keep practicing, you’ll be able to do it eventually.” I wish I could take that statement back. The fact is, we all come into the world with different genetics, and our bodies have all been through unique experiences. Our joints are formed differently, and our soft tissue—muscles and connective tissue vary from person to person. We’re not cookie cutters. Doing crazy poses is not the point of practice. Stay open to helping students find their own yoga.
Use Yoga Props
Related to the above suggestion, yoga props can be a teacher’s, and a student’s, best friend. Straps, blocks, blankets, etc., help everyone receive the same benefit from whatever asana they’re practicing. Sometimes students get the mistaken impression that yoga props are a “crutch.” The best ways to disabuse them of this misconception is to model using them yourself when you demonstrate a pose, and to have the entire class use props in certain poses.
Be Open to Change
I was certified by BKS Iyengar in 1989. One of the things I admired most about him is that he was not afraid to scrap alignment instructions when he discovered something new. Even though he may have spent years insisting on a particular alignment principle, if he realized what he was teaching was not quite right, or if he discovered something better, he was willing to say it and to change his teaching. That may be the most important thing I took with me after my trip to India in 1989.
Be a Student
No matter how long you’ve been practicing, there’s always more to learn. Keep reading and taking courses—online or in person—with teachers who are more experienced than you are, or are experts in certain subjects. Continuing to learn keeps your own practice and teaching fresh.