Yoga Teaching Cues

Cues can be powerful tools for yoga instructors as they guide their students through the physical practice of yoga. But the best cues do more than inform the students what their bodies should be doing — they empower the student to take control of their own body and move how it feels, while honoring their personal experience with each posture. Developing the skill to effectively communicate a pose to your students will set them up for future success, both in their yoga practice and throughout their lives.

One of the most effective ways to do this is to use active language rather than descriptive language that tells what each part of the body should be doing. This allows the student to feel ownership of the movement and gives them time to digest the information before moving into the pose. Using active Best cues for yoga teachers is especially useful for newer students, as they may have trouble understanding descriptive language on their own.

Another helpful technique is to offer a few options for each pose to allow the student to choose how they want to move and what their body needs. This also helps them build a sense of trust that they can make their own choices and be successful in the practice, even if they are not performing the posture exactly as the teacher has instructed.

Effective Yoga Teaching Cues to Empower Your Students

For example, if the teacher asks the class to step their right foot between their hands in downward facing dog, a student might not be able to do this because of tight hamstrings. By simply offering a few alternatives, such as the more forward-facing down dog or child’s pose, that allow the student to release the tension in their hamstrings and still feel the stretch of the pose, the student will be able to get the full benefit from the pose and will learn that they can compensate for their individual experience with each posture and movement in yoga.

Inviting the student to pay attention to how each movement feels also helps them develop a sense of trust in their own abilities, which is important for all students – particularly in a mixed level class when students may be competing with one another or feeling discouraged by other’s abilities. The ability to trust themselves and their own ability is a crucial life lesson for all students, not just in the practice of yoga, but in their everyday lives as well.

Lastly, encouraging the students to check in with how each pose feels is an empowering way to end the class and empower the students to continue to move forward in their practice and life, regardless of what they may be going through personally or professionally. The more they trust themselves and their own bodies, the more they will be able to move through each challenge with ease. And that’s what yoga is all about – finding comfort and ease in the midst of uncertainty.