You’ve done hours, months and years of yoga learning. Yet you feel like you don’t know enough to succeed as a yoga teacher. You’re on the brink of good enough, never quite there. You feel compelled to be an expert in absolutely everything – anatomy, philosophy, trauma, health conditions, spirituality, science, and the list goes on.
If this sounds like you, you might have a case of impostor syndrome. That persistent sense of self-doubt, the fear of getting it wrong, and worrying that you might do more harm than good to your students. Or have any impact at all.
What is it about imposter syndrome that so many yoga professionals suffer from it? And what can we do to navigate it? Here’s what I’ve learned along my journey as a yoga teacher and yoga therapy training provider.
“The more I taught, the less I felt I knew”
– Trina Bawden-Smith.
When I was still teaching yoga, I had classes all over Sydney. But the more I taught, the less I felt I knew. I had a severe case of imposter syndrome and was burned out. By 2006, I was managing a back injury while teaching, and most of my students were in their 40s, 50s, and 60s, with a variety of health conditions. I became even less confident in my ability to help them, and I lacked the skills and knowledge to support students with complex needs.
I felt I didn’t have what it takes to succeed as a Yoga teacher. If I had access to further education, such as Yoga Therapy training, at that point, I would still be teaching yoga now. But back then, there were no registered yoga therapy training courses in Australia.
Although this led me to stop teaching yoga, it inspired the next part of my yoga journey: to create the education and resources I wish I had for other yoga teachers. And the Yoga Therapy Institute was born.
More is expected from yoga teachers today
The demands and expectations placed on today’s yoga teacher are significant and growing. Complementary and alternative medicine has become increasingly prevalent, with as many as 2 out of 3 Australians accessing alternative forms of health management. People are looking to yoga to help with stress, anxiety, sleep, pain and injury, as well as to manage the symptoms and side effects of illnesses such as cancer.
Yoga students want teachers with the skills, experience and confidence to guide them through a variety of health and lifestyle concerns. Without the proper support, experience and education, imposter syndrome is inevitable.
How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome as a Yoga Teacher
Learn from real-life experience
Foundational training is only the beginning. While some yoga teachers are brimming with confidence after their 200-hour yoga teacher training, many quickly realise that it hasn’t fully prepared them for the realities of teaching students of all shapes, sizes, abilities and issues.
It’s like learning your ABCs, but it doesn’t help you build your vocabulary just yet. That takes practice. It’s teaching — and sometimes stumbling that helps you refine your voice, develop your confidence, and trust your instincts as a teacher. Give yourself permission to grow into it, and learn from every class and every student interaction.
Find an experienced mentor
A good mentor can make all the difference. They’ve been where you are and can offer practical guidance from their own lived experiences. A mentor doesn’t just give you answers — they hold space for your questions, challenge your ideas and help you reconnect with why you started teaching yoga in the first place.
Mentorship is impactful no matter where you are in your yoga journey, whether you’re a new teacher or someone who has been teaching for years. We’ve heard from many yoga therapy graduates about how the mentorship following their training has elevated their skills. It helps them integrate their learning more meaningfully and step into classes and yoga therapy consultations with greater clarity and confidence.
Join a supportive community
Joining a supportive yoga community can remind you that you’re not alone in your journey or your doubts. It helps break the illusion that you’re the only one struggling, while everyone else seems to have it all figured out.
One of the things I’m most proud of at the Yoga Therapy Institute is our growing community of yoga therapists and yoga teachers. Community creates a safe space to share ideas and experiences, discuss challenges (including imposter syndrome), celebrate wins, and connect with others. Together, we are also involved in conversations around the broader yoga and yoga therapy movement, as well as excellence in education and student and peer support.
Invest in mindful upskilling not certification stacking
One of the most common side effects of imposter syndrome is the urge to chase multiple certifications, and the internet is ripe with yoga trainings, ready to take advantage.
But ask yourself this – are you looking to fill a real gap in your knowledge or just looking for external validation to quiet the self-doubt?
At some point in your yoga travels, you will find gaps in your knowledge and skills. I did. We all do. You may have students with diverse needs and expectations. You may be looking to move your yoga offerings towards a more specialised niche. Mindful upskilling is intentional. It implies choosing learning that aligns with your values, your students’ needs and your long-term goals as a yoga professional.
“Without the yoga therapy training, my yoga career would not have developed the way it has. I’m so grateful for the tools and the confidence that it’s given me and that sense that I’m not an imposter anymore. I found that my foundation of knowledge became more secure, and it settled in me. The most surprising thing that almost fell into my lap after my yoga therapy training was an opportunity to run workshops for corporates and the government. Prior to the yoga therapy training, I would not have said boo to a goose. I was so shy and retiring. The yoga therapy training gave me confidence to present at conferences. My yoga therapy workshops have developed from there. I offer office workers a yoga toolbox or a set of practices that they can reach for in times of stress.”
– Cat Rathjen, Yoga Therapy Institute graduate and farmer.
Imposter syndrome is very real, but it doesn’t have to own you. That voice that says you’re an imposter, it’s just fear. It’s important to keep reminding ourselves that we have something valuable to offer our students and clients. Yoga is a journey, and every day we grow and learn. Find a great mentor, join a supportive community and bridge that skill gap. You are not alone in how you’re feeling. And you are better than that voice in your head.
If you want to move beyond imposter syndrome, our Yoga Therapy Training is designed to give you the skills, confidence, and mentorship to truly support your students. Learn more about our upcoming training here.
Author:
Trina Bawden-Smith is the founder and director of the Yoga Therapy Institute, which has trained over 420 Yoga therapists. She has been overseeing the development of the Yoga Therapy Institute’s Accredited Yoga Therapy Certification since 2012, has conducted 8 Yoga therapy conferences and directed numerous professional development programs for Yoga therapists and Yoga teachers since 2003.