57. The Call to Teach: What Happens Before You Even Know You Want to Be a Yoga Teacher

There's a phase that happens before yoga teacher training even begins—a liminal space where you're no longer just a student, but you're not yet ready to call yourself a teacher. I call it Phase Zero.

Maybe you find yourself mentally teaching along during class, wondering why the teacher chose that particular sequence. Maybe people keep telling you that you should be a teacher, or you're naturally the one helping other students find their way. Maybe you feel called to share yoga with specific populations—your stressed coworkers, your athletic friends, your aging parents.

In this episode, I'm breaking down the eight signs of Phase Zero, why this awakening period is actually necessary, and how to navigate the doubts and fears that come up. I'm also sharing practical steps you can take right now to honor this calling and prepare thoughtfully for what comes next.

If you've been secretly wondering whether you could teach yoga, or if you're feeling drawn to teaching but aren't sure you're qualified, this episode will help you understand what you're experiencing and how to move forward with confidence.

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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Chapters

• 0:37 Phase Zero: The Pre-Teacher Awakening
• 1:23 Signs You're in Phase Zero
• 4:05 The Importance of Phase Zero
• 6:39 Overcoming Doubts and Fears
• 8:43 Practical Steps to Embrace Your Calling
• 10:43 Introducing the 200-Hour Hybrid Training

Transcript

0:00

Can I tell you something? I was about three years into my personal yoga practice when my teacher asked me to demonstrate a pose for the class. Afterward, she pulled me aside and said, you have a gift for this. Have you ever thought about teaching? My immediate response was, oh, no. I could never do that. I'm not that kind of teacher. I'm an English teacher. I'm not spiritual enough. I don't know enough. That seed was planted and for months, every time I was in class, I found myself mentally teaching along, thinking about how I would cue that pose, or wondering why the teacher chose that particular sequence. Welcome to Yoga Teacher Confidential. I'm Sage Rountree, and today we are talking about something that happens before the official yoga teacher journey even begins, what we could call phase zero of the yoga teacher success timeline or the pre yoga teacher training awakening. If you've been secretly wondering whether you could teach yoga, if you find yourself naturally helping other students, or if people keep telling you that you should be a teacher, this episode is for you. Phase zero is that liminal space where you're no longer just a student, but you're not yet ready to call yourself a teacher. You might not even consciously know you want to teach, but something is stirring. Here are the signs of phase zero. You find yourself naturally helping other students. Maybe you are the person who shows new students where the props are, or you share what worked for you to find comfort and downward facing dog or lift into your first grow pose. Or even just choosing the right mat, you're mentally teaching along during class, you catch yourself thinking, I could have cued that differently, or I wonder why they chose to do arm balances after back pens. People keep telling you that you should be a teacher. Friends, fellow students, even teachers themselves suggest that you have teacher energy or a natural gift for explaining things. You are insatiably curious about the why behind yoga. You're not just doing the poses anymore. You want to understand the anatomy, the philosophy, the sequencing principles. You feel called to share yoga with specific populations. Maybe you think about how yoga could help your stressed out coworkers or your athletic friends or your aging parents. You have moments of clarity during your practice that feel teachable. You experience something profound in a pose or a meditation, and your first thought is other people need to know about this. You're spending increasing amounts of time and money on yoga. You're taking multiple classes per week, attending workshops, maybe even going to retreats. Yoga is becoming less of a hobby and more of a passion. You feel frustrated by classes that don't serve you or other students well. You start to notice when teachers are unprepared, when sequences don't make sense, or when the energy in the room feels off. The underlying theme of Phase zero is this growing sense that yoga has given you something valuable and you feel called to pass it on, but you may also be wrestling with doubt, fear, and questions about whether you're qualified to teach. This phase can last anywhere from a few months to several years. Some people experience it as a gentle awakening while others feel like they're being hit over the head with a calling to teach. The call to teach yoga is unlike the call to most other professions. It's not just about learning a skillset or pursuing a career. It's about stepping into a role that involves other people's physical safety, emotional wellbeing, and spiritual growth. That's why it feels so scary and it should feel a little scary. If it doesn't, that might be a red flag. Let me share why I think Phase Zero exists and why it's actually necessary. First, it's a testing period. The universe, or your intuition, or whatever you want to call it, is checking to see if this calling is real or just a passing interest. Teaching yoga requires dedication, ongoing education, and genuine care for others. Phase zero weeds out people who aren't really committed. I see people who decide to do yoga teacher training on a whim. Maybe they want to deepen their practice or they think it would be fun, or they're looking for a career change. Maybe there's something in their lives that they want to shift and they aren't sure how. So they turn to yoga teacher training as a placeholder. There's nothing wrong with any of these motivations, but they're different from feeling called to teach from feeling the vocation. The people in Phase Zero are the ones who can't stop thinking about teaching. They're the ones who wake up with sequence ideas in their heads, or who feel genuinely excited about the possibility of holding space for other people's practice. Second phase zero gives you time to become a really solid student before you become a teacher. I'm a firm believer that you can't teach what you don't embody. You need to have your own relationship with the practice before you can guide others into theirs. I had been practicing for several years before I did my teacher training, and I'm grateful for that foundation. I had experienced yoga's benefits in my own body and my life. I had worked through my own resistance, my own ego, my own physical limitations that gave me empathy and authenticity when I started teaching. If you're in phase zero, don't rush it. Use this time to deepen your practice to study with a broad range of different teachers to explore different styles. The more diverse your foundation, the more you'll have to offer your future students. Third phase zero is where you start to develop your unique perspective on yoga. You begin to notice what aspects of the practice resonate most with you. Maybe it's the physical challenge or the meditative aspects, or the community building or the philosophical teachings. This emerging perspective will eventually become your teaching niche. I was drawn to the ways yoga could complement athletic training. That early interest eventually became my specialty in teaching yoga to athletes. But here's what I want you to understand about the fears that come up in phase zero. Most of them are actually wisdom in disguise. When you think I'm not qualified, what you're really recognizing is that teaching is a serious responsibility that requires preparation. That's true. The solution isn't to give up on the idea, it's to get the training you need. When you think I'm not spiritual enough, what you might be recognizing is that yoga is far more than just physical exercise. That's also true, but spirituality isn't about being ethereal or perfect. It's about being authentic and committed to growth. When you think, I don't know enough, you're acknowledging that there's always going to be something more to learn. That's the mark of a good teacher recognizing the vastness of what you don't know and maintaining humility about it. The teachers I worry about are the ones who think they know everything after their first training. The best teachers are the ones who remain curious and continue learning throughout their entire careers. Phase zero is also where you might start to encounter resistance from people around you. Family members who think yoga is just stretching and can't understand why you'd want to make it a career or a side gig. Friends who worry you're getting too woo woo. Or culty partners who are concerned about the financial viability of teaching yoga or about the time that teacher training will take all the way from your weekend family time. This resistance can be discouraging, but it can also help you clarify your motivation. Are you called to teach because you genuinely want to serve others, or are you trying to prove something to yourself or others? The people who make it through phase zero and into successful teaching careers are usually the ones who can articulate why they feel called to teach despite the obstacles and uncertainties. So what do you do if you recognize yourself in phase zero? First, trust the calling, but don't rush the process. If you feel drawn to teaching, that's worth paying attention to. But use this phase to prepare thoroughly rather than jumping into teaching immediately. Second, deepen your personal practice. Take classes with different teachers, explore different styles, attend workshops and retreats. Build a strong foundation of personal experience before you start thinking about teaching others. Third, start paying attention to what aspects of yoga excites you most. Are you drawn to the physical challenges, the philosophical teachings, the community aspect, the connection, the therapeutic applications. This will help you identify your future teaching directions. Fourth, begin developing your voice and your perspective. Start journaling about your yoga experiences. Notice what insights arise during your practice. Pay attention to what you would want to share with others. I have a free mini course on finding your voice for you with prompts like this. It's available in the Zone at Comfort Zone Yoga. The link is in the show notes or come to comfort zone yoga.com. Fifth research teacher training programs thoroughly. Not all programs are created equal. Look for trainings that align with your interests and your learning style led by teachers you respect and want to learn from. Sixth, start building relationships in the yoga community. Attend workshops, volunteer at events. Get to know teachers and studio owners. This network will be invaluable when you're ready to start teaching. Seventh, address the practical concerns. Think honestly about the financial and lifestyle implications of pursuing teaching yoga. Having a realistic plan will help you commit fully when you're ready. If you're feeling ready to take the next step, I wanna tell you about my 200 hour hybrid online and destination yoga teacher training. This is a unique format that includes a 50 hour self-paced curriculum with me online at Comfort Zone Yoga, followed by two weeks on the beautiful Caribbean Island of Dominica with Amy born. What I love about this program is that it combines the flexibility of online learning, self-paced on your own time. With the transformative experience of immersive training in a stunning, natural setting. You'll build a solid foundation of knowledge through the online portion. Then deepen that learning through hands-on practice and community building in Dominica. This training is designed for people who are serious about teaching, but want a more intimate, personalized experience than large group trainings often provide. It's perfect for phase zero students who are ready to commit, but want to do so both thoughtfully and thoroughly. But whether you train with me and Amy or with someone else, the most important thing is that you choose a program that feels aligned with your values and your vision for teaching. Remember feeling called to teach yoga is a gift. It means you've experienced something valuable through your practice and you feel moved to share that with others. That's not a small thing, that's a sacred calling. But callings require preparation. They require dedication. They require stepping into your own growth and development as both a practitioner and as a human being. If you are in phase zero, know that you are in good company. Almost every yoga teacher I know went through this phase of wondering, questioning, and gradually stepping into their calling. Thanks for being here. If this episode resonated with you, I would love to hear about it. And if you're ready to explore that teacher training, calling more deeply, you can find information about our 200 hour program in the show notes. I'm Sage Rountree and I'll see you next time on Yoga Teacher Confidential.