Teaching practice gives you something that reading alone cannot: a chance to hear how your instructions land with other people. The useful next step is to turn feedback into a change you can actually rehearse.
Ask for an observation you can use
“Be more confident” is difficult to practise. A specific observation is easier to work with: perhaps your instruction arrived after the movement began, or you used several different names for the same action. Ask which moment the feedback refers to and what the listener noticed.
Keep your notes descriptive. Write down what happened, rather than judging yourself as good or bad at teaching. One practice session is a source of information, not a verdict on your future.
Choose one small teaching experiment
For your next rehearsal, choose a single focus. You might shorten an instruction, leave a longer pause or explain the starting position before describing the next movement. Practise a brief section with a peer rather than rebuilding an entire class.
Ask the listener to comment on that same focus. Was the starting position clearer? Was there time to follow the instruction? A narrow question makes it easier to compare your intention with their experience.
Use a three-line reflection
- What I intended to communicate.
- What the listener understood or asked about.
- What I will try in the next rehearsal.
Keep observations about other students anonymous. Recordings or photographs need clear permission from everyone involved; a written reflection is often enough.
A worked example: an instruction that arrives too late
Imagine you explain where to place a hand only after your practice partner has already started moving. Their feedback is that they were guessing the starting position. Your next experiment could be to describe the position, pause, and then give the movement instruction.
Rehearse the same short section again. Ask, “Did you know where to begin before I described the next action?” If the answer is still unclear, shorten the starting instruction rather than adding several more explanations. This is an example of communication practice, not a prescribed sequence or a substitute for your tutor’s teaching.
Sort feedback before acting on it
Write comments under three headings: something that was clear, something to practise, and something to ask your tutor. The third category matters. Peers can tell you how an instruction sounded, but they may not be able to resolve a question about technique or suitability.
Where comments conflict, do not try to satisfy every suggestion at once. Take the specific examples to your tutor and agree on your next focus. Keep the earlier note so you can compare what changed. A short record of your choices is more useful than a growing list of criticisms with no plan attached.
Connect practice with your course
The YogaLife / LUMEN training describes teaching practice, cueing, sequencing and feedback as part of its learning approach. Use your tutor’s guidance to choose appropriate practice tasks and stay within what you have been taught.
Read about YogaLife’s 200-hour teacher training and ask the team how teaching practice fits into the current course.
