Yoga Teacher Confidential: Secrets of Becoming a Great Yoga Teacher

37. Why Boundaries Make You a Better Yoga Teacher

• Sage Rountree • Episode 37

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In Episode 37, I dive deep into the essential yet often uncomfortable topic of boundaries in yoga teaching. I share insights from over two decades of experience, covering:

  • the teacher-student dynamic
  • ethical considerations
  • the tricky terrain of transference and projection

You’ll learn practical tips on maintaining professional and personal limits, communicating clearly, and recognizing when your boundaries are slipping. Most importantly, we’ll reframe boundaries not as barriers but as powerful containers that allow you to serve your students with clarity and care.

Want to become (almost) everyone's favorite yoga teacher? Get in the Zone at Comfort Zone Yoga, my virtual studio focused on teacher development. I have a ton of Sage advice in there for you—let's chat there!

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Can I tell you something? The most transformative yoga lessons I've ever taught haven't been to packed studios of 30 students, mat to mat. They've been one-on-one private sessions where real breakthrough moments happened. Yet standing there where just one student in front of you can feel way more intimidating than facing a room full of people. In episode 35, we talked about how to prepare for private yoga lessons. Today we're diving into what happens during that one-on-one session, how to create meaningful connection, provide effective feedback, navigate timing and transitions, and how to handle unexpected situations that might arise. I'm Sage Rountree, and this is Yoga Teacher

Confidential:

Secrets of Becoming a Great Yoga Teacher. Let's start with the very beginning, those first few moments when your student arrives for their session. This initial connection sets the tone for everything that follows be a gracious host. More on this in episode 33 of this podcast. Begin by welcoming your student warmly and creating a safe container for their practice. If this is your first session together, take a few minutes to review together the information from their intake form. That's something we covered in the previous episode. This confirms that you've understood their goals and gives them an opportunity to add anything they may have forgotten to mention. I like to start by asking, how are you feeling today? It. This simple question often reveals crucial information about what your private lesson student needs in this particular session, maybe they mentioned neck tension in their intake form, but today they're actually dealing with low back pain after a long car trip. Maybe they're especially stressed about an upcoming work deadline. This real-time check-in ensures you're addressing their current needs, not just the general goals they identified on their intake form. This overview serves several purposes. It shows that you've thoughtfully considered their needs, gives them confidence that you have a plan, and most importantly, gives them a chance to provide feedback before you begin. If they say, actually, I was hoping we could work on handstand today, you can adjust your plan accordingly. Remember that while you are the guide, they are the hero of this journey. Giving them agency from the very beginning establishes a collaborative relationship rather than a hierarchical one. Now let's talk about one of the most powerful aspects of private

teaching:

Personalized feedback. In a group class, you might offer general alignment cues or make a brief suggestion as you move through the room. In a private session, you have the opportunity to provide precise and nuanced feedback that can dramatically accelerate your students' progress in their practice. The key to effective feedback is balancing encouragement with constructive guidance. Start with what they're doing while always look for the good, look for the Shri. For example, I noticed how you're engaging your core strongly in this pose, which is creating a beautiful, stable foundation. Then offer one specific adjustment. Now, try broadening across your collarbones to create more space for your breath. Limit yourself to one correction or tweak at a time, especially with newer students. Too many corrections at once can be overwhelming and can actually impede learning. Once they've integrated your first suggestion, you can then move on to the next refinement. Vary your feedback methods based on how your student seems to learn best. Some respond well to verbal cues while others need a visual demonstration or a gentle hands-on guidance with permission, just like you would in a group class, always ask for their consent before offering physical assists and be especially mindful of your touch in the intimate setting of a private session. Remember that feedback goes both ways. Regularly check in with questions like, how does that feel in your body? Or does that adjustment make sense to you? These questions not only give you valuable information, but also teach your student to develop bodily awareness and articulate their experience. When you notice a significant improvement or a breakthrough, celebrate it explicitly. Do you feel how different that is from where we started? That's real progress. These moments of recognition help build their confidence and motivation. I. One advantage of private lessons is that you can specifically address compensatory patterns or habits unique to your student. For example, if you notice they consistently hike their right shoulder toward their ear in several poses. You could help them become aware of this pattern and offer techniques to counteract it. It. And of course one of the biggest pluses of a private lesson is that your student can ask questions and you will learn a ton about students' experience in that q and a dialogue. I've done private lessons to workshop headstand, to talk through yoga philosophy, no movement in that session at all, and to test a variety of mats in order to find the perfect one for that student. We had them all arranged and put him into down dog on everyone so he could choose. Each of these lessons was really powerful for the student and really illustrative for me. Pacing a private lesson requires different skills than teaching a group class without the energy of a room full of students. You'll need to be more intentional about creating momentum and managing transitions. In a group class, you might move somewhat briskly to keep everyone engaged. But in a private lesson, you have the luxury of slowing down to explore poses in greater depth. Use this time for detailed alignment work, investigating subtle sensations, or helping your student understand the biomechanics of a particular movement. That said, don't let the practice become too intellectual, too much in your head or stagnant. Create a rhythm that balances exploration with flow. For example, if you've spent several minutes working intensively on aligning their Warrior two, transition then into a more dynamic sequence to integrate that understanding into movement. Be attentive to your students' energy levels and their attention span. Watch for signs of fatigue or mental overload, like fidgeting or size, or a furrowed brow or GL glazed eyes, and shift gears accordingly. As opposed to in class where my advice is not to take students' expressions personally. In a private lesson, you can ask, what does that expression mean? How is this feeling for you? How is this landing for you? Sometimes this means offering a more challenging variation to reengage your student. Other times it means moving toward more restorative work. Unlike a group class where you might stick rigidly to your planned sequence, private lessons offer the freedom to follow productive tangents. If your student has a light bulb moment with a particular pose or concept, it's often worth spending some extra time there. It even when it means dropping something else from your plan. Remember to manage your talking to listening ratio. It's easy to overexplain in the one-on-one format. Aim to speak clearly and succinctly, then give your students space to process their experience. Silence is not your enemy. It's often where the deepest learning happens. Let's address a common concern for new private teachers. What to do when things don't go according to plan. Maybe your student isn't connecting with the approach you've chosen, or perhaps they've revealed a limitation you weren't aware of. How do you pivot gracefully? Start by giving your student a roadmap of what you have planned at the top of the session. For example, you could say, based on your goals of reducing stress and improving sleep. Today I've designed a practice focusing on gentle forward folds and restorative poses. We'll start with some breath work. We'll move through a sequence targeting your shoulders and upper back where you hold tension, and we'll finish with a longer relaxation. Does that sound like what you are looking for today? First, remember that adaptation is not failure. It's responsive teaching. If you sense that your planned sequence isn't landing well simply acknowledge it. I noticed this approach isn't quite matching what you need today. Let's try something different. Keep a mental library or a written lesson plan with alternative approaches for common goals. For example, if your stress reduction sequence highlighting forward vols isn't resonating with your student, you might pivot to a more active practice to burn off nervous energy or to breast energy techniques or to restorative poses with longer holds. Sometimes students will directly tell you something isn't working for them. Other times you'll need to read more subtle cues like wincing or holding their breath or seeming distracted, develop the habit of regularly checking in. How is this feeling for you? Or is there anything you'd like to adjust about this approach or in this pose? If your student discloses a new injury or limitation during the session, don't panic. Thank them for the information, and take a moment to mentally recalibrate. You could then say, thanks for letting me know about your wrist pain. Let's modify our approach to keep pressure off that area today. Remember that your student isn't expecting perfection. They're looking for attentiveness and personalization. Your willingness to adapt demonstrates that you are truly focused on their needs rather than rigidly following your own agenda. One of the most powerful aspects of private teaching is the opportunity to forge a genuine connection with your student. This relationship goes beyond the technical aspects of yoga and touches on the deeper dimensions of the practice. Create space for conversation without letting it dominate the session at appropriate moments. Perhaps during a longer hold or a natural transition from standing to down on the mat. Invite your student to share about their experience. Simple props like what are you noticing, or how does your practice relate to what's happening in your life right now? These can open doors to a really meaningful exchange. Be judicious about sharing your own experiences, brief and relevant. Personal anecdotes can build rapport. They can illustrate concepts, make really make them embodied. But remember that the focus should always remain on your student, your student as the hero. Avoid the temptation to become the hero yourself, or to dominate the conversation with your own yoga journey or philosophy. Honor the boundaries between yoga teaching and other modalities. Your student might share, for example, some challenges that venture into therapeutic territory, and while you can and should hold space for their experience with compassion, you also need to be clear about the limits of your role as a yoga teacher. Refer them to appropriate professionals for issues beyond your scope of practice as a yoga teacher. Listen more than you speak. When your student shares something personal, resist the urge to immediately offer solutions or platitudes. Often your student isn't looking for answers, but for the experience of being truly heard in that case, a thoughtful thank you for sharing that with me can be far more powerful than a quick fix. Remember that transformation often happens gradually. While breakthrough moments do occur in private lessons, real change usually unfolds over time through consistent practice, celebrate small victories with your student and help them recognize their own progress. As we approach the end of this episode, let's talk about how to conclude your private lesson effectively. The closing minutes are crucial for integration and setting the stage for continued practice and rebooking your private client. Always reserve adequate time for Shavasana or final relaxation. At least five to seven minutes in a 60 minute session is a good rule of thumb. This gives your student time to absorb the benefits of their practice and then to transition mindfully back to their day after final relaxation. Make sure you save time to create some space for reflection. Ask open-ended questions like, what are you taking away from our practice today? Or what felt most meaningful to you? In this session, your students' answers often reveal what resonated most deeply, and that provides guidance for your future sessions. I. Revisit any homework or home practice that you're suggesting. Be realistic about what your student can integrate into their life. A 10-minute daily practice they'll actually do is far more valuable than an ambitious 60-minute sequence that they will never even attempt. Consider writing down key points or emailing your student a summary after the session. Discuss next steps, whether that's scheduling another session or establishing a regular cadence for your work together. Many private teachers find that weekly or bi-weekly sessions provide the best balance of support and independence. Express genuine appreciation for your students' trust and effort. A simple thank you for practicing with me today acknowledges the courage it takes to show up for this very intimate form of learning. It requires some vulnerability to be the student in a private lesson, and we should celebrate that. Finally maintain professional boundaries as you conclude. While private teaching often does create close relationships between you and your student, remember to always hold appropriate teacher student dynamics even in the one-on-one setting. We'll discuss boundaries in the next episode, episode 37. Teaching private yoga lessons is both an art and a science. It requires technical knowledge, intuitive awareness, and genuine compassion. With each session, you'll refine your ability to adapt to your students' individual needs while maintaining the integrity of the practice across time. Here's an affirmation to help you remember. I create a safe container for transformation. I create a safe container for transformation. If you've had meaningful experiences teaching or receiving private yoga lessons, I'd love to hear about them. Join our discussion at comfortzoneyoga.com in our free community for teachers called The Zone. There's a link in the show notes. Thank you for listening to Yoga Teacher Confidential. I'm Sage Rountree, and I'll see you next time.

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