Yoga Teacher Archetypes
This post was written with the support of the American Yoga Council, and was shared on their blog, The Pulse.
When your goal is to have more constructive conversations about teaching yoga, it’s really important to recognise the many different ways you can be a yoga teacher.
Leading a monthly meditation group for experienced folks just isn’t the same role as running a drop-in vinyasa class for people with busy lives – and that’s okay.
But it’s deeper than that. Getting clearer about different yoga teacher archetypes could help us understand what we have in common, and what we can respectfully disagree on, so do let me know what you would change or add to this list. And please, take the survey! Details here.
The priest
I’m not trying to say that a yoga teacher is an actual religious icon. But if your intention with teaching yoga is to stand in a long line of people striving for spiritual evolution, then your teaching style is going to reflect that.
You resonate with this archetype if…
You want to pass on sacred teachings to anyone that wishes to follow them, in the hope that a few students will want to carry on the legacy you carry.
You know that whatever has brought your students to yoga, it has the power to profoundly transform their lives. Just as it has yours.
People associate this kind of yoga with…
People think it’s all meditation and chanting, but you know that any practice can be an act of devotion. It will still be atmospheric and special, even feel like a ritual. It’s also more about the experience than the shapes you make.
Good yoga teaching looks like…
It’s all about reverence, discipline and compassion. There doesn’t need to be a lot of explanation, because the practice brings its own rewards.
This kind of teaching can get dogmatic, and be resistant to change. But it can also be healing, holistic and inclusive.
The therapist
Yoga has been used therapeutically for more than a century. A lot of yoga teachers agree that the highest standard of care we can give our students is modelled on therapeutic professions.
You resonate with this archetype if…
You want to ease your students’ suffering by correcting any issues that are preventing them from enjoying life to the fullest.
You know that yoga is bigger than just easing tight hamstrings. But the most urgent problems people have with their health can be solved by the appropriate application of yoga as a science.
People associate this kind of yoga with…
People think you just teach asanas. But you know that the right breathing practice or relaxation can be just as effective for the right person.
Good yoga teaching looks like…
It’s all about accurate assessment, innovative remedies and keeping your knowledge up to date.
This kind of teaching can depend too much on universal rules and can assume everyone has the same experiences. But it can also be evidence-based, pragmatic and highly effective.
The activist
The most popular forms of yoga are focused on improving the person. But a lot of yoga teachers eventually wonder: is there a way to teach yoga that can liberate communities as well as individuals?
You resonate with this archetype if…
You want to expand the definition of ‘yoga means union’ in order to bring people together for solidarity and peaceful change.
Across the world, solidarity movements have always practised healing movement together. Besides, yoga has always been shaped by politics, but you get to choose the kind of politics it supports.
People associate this kind of yoga with…
People think activism is all about social media campaigns. But you know that it’s really about holding yourself accountable, and building community.
Good yoga teaching looks like…
It’s all about holding space, inclusive language, and radical accessibility. You meet your community where they are at.
Activist groups are prone to burn out and vulnerable to bad actors. But teaching this way can be ethical, inclusive, and even life-changing.
The guide
The problem with somatic practice is that a lot of people do it, but only experts have usually heard of a name for it. But if you’ve ever had a student say: ‘We’re just wiggling about. I thought we’d be doing sun salutations’; this is your kind of yoga teaching.
You resonate with this archetype if…
You want to bring each person gently back to their most natural state of equilibrium.
You know that ease flows when we learn to tune in to the voices within us. You know the right practice can unlock that.
People associate this kind of yoga with…
There’s a lot of wriggling, and repeating, and experimentation. It can be slow and meditative, but there’s usually some subtle movement happening.
Good yoga teaching looks like…
It’s all about invitations, not instructions. You use a lot of metaphors to invoke inner experiences.
Being taught this way can feel a little vague or frustrating. But it can also be a profound and intimate experience.
Minor players
There are other archetypes that are less common, at least in America. Some teachers are dancers and are all about practice as self-expression. Some teachers are coaches, teaching moral discipline through physical hard work.
Yoga teachers can also be school teachers, business coaches or personal trainers.
Some of these roles are just part of bargains we make to do the work we love. But the really important archetypes are part of the story we tell ourselves about why we teach yoga at all.
Understanding the archetype that most inspires you can help you decide where you work, and what skills you need to practise most.
Understanding each other’s archetypes can help us all remember that there’s more than one way to be a yoga teacher, just as there is more than one yoga to teach.
It's fun to consider each one and maybe I have multiple personalities! ;)