When I lead yoga trainings, I save exploring the language of guiding yoga until almost the very end, like the cherry on top of the experience. It’s not that language isn’t important; it’s that it only has its full power when it supports what you are already doing. In yoga, and in life, people feel, and often follow, how you are: your habits, your presence, and your actions. When all of that is solid, words that support it are helpful.
I love working with artists because so much of creating art is similar. Actors often study old films by watching them silently. By subtracting language from a clear work of art, an actor can feel how to embody a character. Language isn’t the first thing to learn, it’s the last, after everything else has been built.
I’ve found the same to be true in leading yoga. Learning the foundation of moving well, understanding where my body is in relation to others, and connecting my own breath and body is the basis of both leading and practicing. Leading means being part of the experience you’re aiming to create while placing your attention on others. You need to know what you’re leading so well that you don’t have to think about what to do or say next.
It’s like taking a shower. You don’t think about how to wash your hair, you just do it, because you’ve done it so many times. Maybe that’s why we do our best thinking in the shower: we’re moving without effort, creating momentum, and allowing inspiration to show up if it’s there.
The words you use when you lead aren’t the magic, you are. The experience becomes more connected the simpler and more direct your words are. With the best of intentions, yoga often gets this wrong. Funny or inaccurate language slips into classes in an effort to create something special, but it can actually create distance, disconnection, and subtle control. It may seem overly picky, but stay with me.
A yoga teacher might say, “Now we’re gonna take a big inhale and lift our arms up to the sky.” It sounds harmless, but we can do better. First, you can’t lift “our” arms, the instruction isn’t technically correct. The teacher is trying to create a sense of togetherness, but using incorrect language actually creates fuzziness and distance, not emotional connection.
Instead of:
Now we’re gonna take a big inhale and lift our arms up to the sky.
Try:
Take a big inhale and lift your arms up.
Simple. Clear. Direct. Let the experience shine. You are more than enough.
Simplifying language also gives you, as the leader, space to be included in the experience. When you’re not filling every moment with words, you can breathe more fully. The words you do use naturally carry a connection between your voice and body, helping you find the right volume and tone for the group.
Instead of filling the space with words, you fill it with your whole self, shared with others. You create a shared experience. You lead everyone individually toward noticing what’s happening for them right now. You teach each person how to respond with care. You create an inclusive environment where everyone moves in a way that’s right for them.
You create a space where it’s okay to be your full self, together.
Language can do all that.
Soften. Breathe. Notice how you feel.
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