Ep 105: Ever Felt Unprepared in Class? Here’s What To Do

Every yoga teacher knows this feeling, I know I do from time to time... It's the moment you prepare to teach and realize you don’t feel fully prepared. Maybe the energy of the room is different than you expected, a student comes with an injury you weren’t planning for, or the sequence you created suddenly doesn’t feel right for the students in the yoga room. In this episode, we explore what to do when you feel uncertain and how to handle it with confidence and authenticity.

You’ll learn how to regulate your nervous system before and during class, why flexibility in your teaching matters more than sticking to a rigid plan, and how moments of uncertainty can actually be signs of growth. 

Whether you’ve been teaching for years or you’re just starting, this episode offers grounded guidance for how to stay centered and confident, even when your plan seems to fall apart.

Transcript

Monica: 3:59

Every yoga teacher knows this feeling. It's that moment when you're teaching or you are about to teach and you realize you don't feel fully prepared. Maybe the energy of the room is different than you expected, or a student comes in with an injury you weren't planning for, or your sequence doesn't support. The students that showed up for class or the sequence that you plan to teach suddenly doesn't feel right. In this episode, we'll explore what to do when you feel uncertain and how to handle it with confidence, authenticity, and authority. You are gonna learn how to regulate your nervous system before and during class. Why flexibility in your teaching matters more than sticking to a rigid plan, and how moments of uncertainty can actually be a sign that you're growing. Welcome to the Essential Conversations for Yoga Teachers Podcast with me. I'm Monica Bright and I've been teaching yoga and running my yoga business for over a decade. This is the podcast for you. If you are a yoga teacher, you're looking for support. You love to be in conversation, and you're a lifelong student. In this podcast, I'll share with you. My life as a yoga teacher, the lessons I've learned, my process for building my business and helpful ideas, tools, strategies and systems I use and you can use so that your business thrives. We'll cover a diverse range of topics that will help you, whether you're just starting out or you've got years under your belt and you wanna dive deep and set yourself up for success. I am so glad you're here. Listen, I don't take myself too seriously, so expect to hear some laughs along the way. Now let's do this together. Welcome back to the podcast. I'm Monica, and I'm so glad you're here. Here we talk about the anatomy, the injuries, the nervous system insights, plus all the real life knowledge you wish had been included in your yoga teacher training. Now, let's talk about one of those moments that every yoga teacher has experienced. No matter how long you've been teaching, it is that sinking feeling when you suddenly realize you don't feel prepared for class. It happens to all of us. Maybe you overestimated the time you had to plan or the sequence you're prepared to teach doesn't feel right for the students that are in your class at the moment. Maybe you're subbing for another teacher and the students are expecting a class you don't typically teach, or maybe you're in the middle of class And a student mentions an injury or some kind of condition and you're not sure how to support them, whatever the situation, that feeling of uncertainty can make your heart race, and your mind chatter starts to go crazy. If you've ever thought I should have prepared more, they're gonna know I'm winging it. I'm not experienced enough for this. Then this is the episode for you. First, I want you to know you're not alone. Feeling unprepared isn't a sign that you are a bad teacher. It's a sign that you're human. All of us are. It's also a reflection of how much you care. You want to show up for your students and create a meaningful, safe, and supportive experience for them. that feeling that you have is what makes you a great teacher. So in this episode, we're gonna talk about how to navigate those moments with grace and confidence, even when things don't go as planned. So let's start with this so we know how preparation and adaptability are both essential qualities when it comes to teaching. A lot of teachers overemphasize one and undervalue the other. Some teachers plan meticulously thinking about every pose and transition and can feel lost. When something unexpected happens in class, other teachers teach from intuition and flow, but sometimes realize mid-class that they don't have a clear direction or structure. Neither approach is right or wrong, but both benefit from balance preparation gives you structure while adaptability gives you freedom. This sweet spot is being prepared enough. So that you can pivot when needed without losing your sense of grounding or authority in the room. I remember early in my teaching career, I'd spent hours preparing for a class only to walk in and realize that the energy of the group was completely different than what I had planned for. I had prepared a strong active flow. I was teaching power yoga classes and the students wanted something a little bit more slow and grounding. So I needed in my head to eliminate and. Rearrange the sequence, one week I had planned a chest opening or back bending class and half the room had some form of back or shoulder pain. At first, I would panic inside. I mean, I think that's natural for anyone, right? I would try to force the sequence that I prepared to work, which only made me more anxious and disconnected from what was actually happening with students in the room. Over time though, I realized that feeling unprepared wasn't really about not having a sequence. It was about not feeling connected to what my students needed in that moment. The more I learned to listen, observe, and respond, the more confident I felt, even when I didn't have everything figured out. So what do you do when you find yourself in that situation, when you're prepared to teach a class and realize you don't feel ready? The first step. Is to pause, take a breath, and ground yourself before you start teaching. That simple act can change everything. When your nervous system settles, your mind clears and you can make better choices. If you start teaching while your system is still in fight or flight, you are more likely to rush through cues. Second guess yourself and feel scattered. But if you take one deep breath or two or three if needed, and remind yourself I've got this, you'll access your resourcefulness and your intuition. Next. Remember that your students don't know what you've planned for class. They only know the experience you are creating. In that moment, you might feel like everything is unraveling, but from their perspective, it's just class. That awareness takes a lot of pressure off of you. If you need to shift the sequence, simplify it. Or slow things down, you absolutely can. You don't have to stick to a rigid plan. Sometimes the most grounded teaching moments come from improvising in response to what's happening in real time. Here's something to consider. Uncertainty can actually be a sign of growth. When you're learning new things about anatomy, sequencing injuries, or the nervous system, it's natural to go through a period where you feel unsure, you know enough to recognize what you don't know yet, and that can feel. Uncomfortable, but that's also where deep, deep learning happens. Instead of fighting that discomfort, try reframing it as a sign that you're evolving as a teacher. Growth rarely feels. Certain, it usually feels kind of wobbly. If you find yourself in class and a student presents with pain or a movement limitation you weren't expecting, you don't need to have all the answers on the spot. You can use your language that will help empower both you and your students. Try saying something like. Let's explore what feels comfortable for your body today. Or you could say you can skip this pose and take a supportive variation if that feels better. You're not expected to diagnose or fix anyone's pain. Your role is to create an environment where students feel seen, supported, and safe enough to move in ways that serve them. This is a huge gift and it doesn't require you to know everything over time. The more you deepen your understanding of anatomy, pain, science, and the nervous system, the more tools you'll have to draw from when the unexpected happens, but even with that knowledge, you'll still have moments where you feel unprepared. The goal isn't to eliminate uncertainty. It's to get comfortable moving through and navigating that uncertainty. When class ends and you're reflecting on how it went, resist the urge to criticize yourself. Instead, you can ask yourself some constructive questions like, what did I learn about myself as a teacher today? I'm still asking myself this question after every class that I teach. What moments surprised me? How did I adapt and what might I try next time? These kinds of reflections build self-awareness and resilience rather than just sowing self-doubt. When you feel unprepared in class, remember it's not failure. This is a moment of truth and growth. Every yoga teacher faces uncertainty and how you meet. It matters far more than whether you had the perfect plan. So ground yourself first. Take a breath and remember that your students don't know what you intended. They only experience what you're creating in the moment. Your ability to stay present, flexible and compassionate towards yourself, sets the tone for your entire class. Preparation is valuable, but adaptability is what makes you an embodied teacher. Balancing both means you can confidently pivot when needed, creating space for real connection Use moments of uncertainty as opportunities to reflect on your growth, expand your awareness. And strengthen your relationship with your teaching. You know, I always like to leave you with a few journal prompts so you can explore these questions on your own. Ask yourself what situations tend to make me feel the most unprepared as a teacher and why? When I have successfully adapted in class, what was it that helped me do that? What would it look like to trust my teaching more even when things don't go as planned? And believe me, we've all been there and how can I support my own nervous system before, during, and after class so I can show up grounded? Your teaching presence matters more than a perfect sequence. Students remember how you made them feel far more than they remember the poses themself. If they feel safe, supported and seen. You've done your job beautifully. Even if privately, you were quietly trying to figure things out as you were teaching, so the next time you feel unprepared, take a breath. Root your feet and remind yourself that you already have everything you need to guide your students. The best teachers aren't the ones who never feel uncertain. They're like you, the ones who keep showing up anyway, grounded in presence and open to learning. That's really where the growth happens. If you walk away with one message from this episode, let it be this. You don't have to have everything figured out in order to be a great teacher. You just need to stay grounded, stay curious, and keep showing up with honesty and caring for your students, which I know you do. Understanding anatomy, biomechanics, and the effects yoga Asana have on the body helps you help your students. If you've been enjoying these episodes, I know you're a yoga teacher who's ready to teach with more intention and less fear around injuries. Let's continue to raise the bar for how yoga supports real bodies in real life. It's so important for us to have this conversation so that you remember that students of all shapes, sizes, alignment, and abilities come to your classes and you can serve all of them. You know that my goal is for you to love the yoga teaching life. It's important to understand movement and the issues students come to your classes with. Subscribe to the podcast so you're always in the know when a new episode drops, and share it with another yoga teacher who you think would love to be in on these conversations. And finally, thank you for helping to spread the word about this podcast. Alright. Thank you for listening. That's it for now. Bye.