What If Your “Weaknesses” Are Actually Your Strengths? (Dear New Yoga Teachers, This One’s for You Now you've fnished your 200 hour Yoga Training)

So, you’ve graduated from your 200-hour yoga teacher training. You’ve chanted the final Om, folded up your manual, and maybe even taught your first few classes.

And now… cue the inner critic.

“I overplanned that class.”“I didn’t plan enough for the next one.”“I gave them too much information.”“I forgot half the stuff I meant to say.”“Why did I say ‘heart space’ three times in a row?!”

Sound familiar?

First of all, take a breath. A big, slow one. The kind you cue all the time but forget to actually take yourself. Inhale… exhale… good. You’re not failing. You’re just beginning.

The Beautiful Mess of Becoming

I want to talk about some of the common “weaknesses” new yoga teachers experience — and why they might actually be signs that you’re right on track. All of the teachers we have graduated from our holistic 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training in North Somerset have been fantastic teachers. I, mean, really - they have blown me away with their confidence, authenticity and skill. However, once we get out into the world of teaching, the inner critic often creeps in and we start to criticise our "mistakes".

Let’s begin with a few you might recognise:

📝 Overplanning

Ah yes, the 3-page class plan with colour-coded post-its and backup options in case someone has a dodgy knee. Overplanning shows you care. You want to offer value. With time, you’ll learn to hold structure lightly, but this phase? Totally normal.

🧠 Overcomplicating

You wanted to teach a sweet, grounding class and somehow ended up with a 60-minute discourse on koshas, fascial trains and the Bhagavad Gita. Ahem - still guilty after 18 years of teaching! Bless your big, beautiful brain. Your enthusiasm is not a flaw — it’s your fuel. You’ll learn when to distil and when to dive deep.

💡 Too Many Ideas, Not Enough Continuity

You’re creative, inspired, and your Google Docs are a chaotic masterpiece. Sure, your students might be wondering why last week was Yoga Nidra and this week is a warrior bootcamp. But you’re exploring. Over time, your voice will settle — and your classes will start to flow like a story, not a pop quiz.

🪷 Underplanning

Some days you wing it. And feel terrible about it. But here’s the thing: teaching from intuition is a skill too. It’s not lazy, it’s alive. You’re learning to listen — not just to your students, but to yourself. That’s brave.

🤯 Thinking You Have to Know Everything

You don’t. No one does. Not even that teacher on Instagram who seems to have a Sanskrit name for every joint in the body. Your humility keeps you human. Be willing to say, “I’m not sure, but I’ll find out.” That’s leadership.

📚 Trying to Say Too Much

You packed in quotes, alignment cues, trauma-awareness, pranayama, and a brief lecture on the nervous system — all before Surya Namaskar B. Why? Because you’re generous. You want to give your students everything. With time, you’ll learn that space can teach too. Less really can be more.

🧘‍♀️ Trying to Be Physically Perfect

We’ve all been there — trying to demo crow pose while keeping a serene face and remembering the next cue. But real teaching happens in your presence, not your performance. When you wobble and laugh, your students breathe a little easier. They realise they’re allowed to be human, too.

Becoming a Teacher Isn’t About Getting It “Right”

You don’t need to be perfect to be powerful. You don’t need to be fully healed to be healing. You just need to be honest, present, and willing to keep learning.

Let your quirks lead you. Let your so-called “mistakes” teach you. That over-prepared, over-enthusiastic, slightly overwhelmed version of you? She's exactly who your students need. She’s real.

Please remember this:

Every “weakness” is really just a strength that’s learning how to walk in new shoes.

And I, for one, am wildly proud of the teacher you’re becoming.

Keep going. Keep showing up. And please, for the love of savasana, keep being you.

With love, admiration, and a lot of overpriced herbal tea, Morven xxx

Our holistic 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training in North Somerset, near Bristol produces authentic, empowered, skilful teachers who really care. Would you like to join us?

Visit the 200 hour Yoga Training page to find out more about our course and download the prospectus.

200 hr Yoga Training