Overcoming Imposter Syndrome as a Yoga Teacher
Yoga Teachers & Imposter Syndrome: How to Trust Your Teaching Skills
Watch the video discussion, or scroll down for transcript notes, links, and some questions and journaling prompts to guide your own journey in overcoming imposter syndrome and finding confidence and comfort in your role as a yoga teacher.
What Is Imposter Syndrome?
Have you ever felt like you weren’t really ‘qualified’ to teach yoga? Like maybe you don’t know enough, or you’ll never know enough, or one day people will realize you’re not really supposed to be here?
That feeling has a name—imposter syndrome. It’s the persistent belief that we don’t deserve our position or our success, that we’re not truly capable, and that at any moment, someone will “find us out.” Even when we have experience, training, and positive feedback, we still doubt ourselves.
This is incredibly common, especially in fields like yoga, where we are constantly learning. And it’s not just an individual issue—it’s shaped by culture, gender, and the expectations placed on us.
Check Your Own Expectations
One of the most common reasons I have seen with yoga teachers and teachers-in-training who are experiencing imposter syndrome is that it’s in some way a product of having an unrealistic idea about what a yoga teacher is.
Like, as though we are these perfected beings that know everything about yoga, and who practice every day in their organic free range yoga clothes and never get frustrated or eat a cookie or get an injury or suffer from disability or love Taylor Swift and we only listen to kirtan music and we are all vegetarians and and…It’s too much!
It’s not realistic, and it’s getting in the way of you feeling confident in your role as a yoga teacher.
And, I’d argue it’s a kind of gatekeeping – perpetuating myths about yoga and yogis that actually make yoga less accessible.
If we maintain this illusion (and it is an illusion) that yogis are different from everyone else and we are somehow above the beautiful chaos of everyday life, we will keep some students feeling like yoga isn’t for them. As teachers, we have to be the first to acknowledge that we are works in progress, that we can embrace our messy yoga lives, and find ways to communicate that to our students.
Many of us have invented these ideas about what yoga teachers are, an impossible standard of knowledge and living and being that no one actually can live up to (and would you even want to?), so of course you feel like an imposter.
What if you understood that yoga teachers are everyday people with a yoga practice, who have developed knowledge and teaching skills to share that yoga with others, and everything else is either window dressing or part of your personal, unique character?
What if yoga teachers could be anyone, even you?
Question: have you been holding yourself to an impossible standard, one that you created? What would change if you let that go?
Why Imposter Syndrome Affects Women More Often
While imposter syndrome can affect anyone, it’s more common among women. Why? Because from an early age, women are often socialized to seek external validation, to be careful rather than confident, and to feel they must be “fully qualified” before taking up space.
Have you ever hesitated to apply for something—a job, a workshop, or even a teaching opportunity—because you felt you weren’t quite ready yet?
Often, men are more likely to apply for something if they meet some of the qualifications, while women often feel they need to meet all of them before even trying. This plays directly into imposter syndrome in yoga teaching—many of us feel we need to know everything before we can truly call ourselves teachers.
The Story of ‘Bicycle Face’ – A Lesson from History
A while back I saw a video about this old myth: bicycle face. (find it here) which I think is instructive.
In short, in the late 1800s, when bicycles became more popular, some doctors warned that women who rode them would develop a permanent look of strain—what they called “bicycle face.” They said women’s bodies weren’t built for cycling, that it would harm their health, and that they should just leave it to men.
Of course, we know now that none of this was true. But the fear worked—many women hesitated to ride. They worried about whether they were doing something unnatural or wrong.
This is the same way imposter syndrome works today—it makes us question our place, even when we’re fully capable. It’s a tool that has historically been used to keep people from stepping into new spaces.
So, let’s pause here:
Question: Can you think of a time when you doubted yourself, but looking back, you were actually fully capable?
Accepting the Not-Knowing
One of the biggest challenges in yoga teaching is that we know that we don’t know everything. And we never will. But that’s not a flaw—it’s just the nature of yoga.
Yoga is thousands of years old, constantly evolving, and deeply layered. There are myriad styles and lineages and forms of yoga. There is asana, pranayama, mudra, bandha, mantra and kirtan, there is Ashtanga and Hatha and Yin and Aerial and Restorative Yoga.
As well, we are still learning so much about the benefits of yoga and about our bodies, and our minds, and nervous systems. We are learning better teaching methods, better ways of sharing yoga with diverse populations, and how we can make the most of technology in sharing yoga. How could one yoga teacher be expert in all of that?
We could study yoga for a lifetime and still have more to learn. But does that mean we’re not qualified to teach? Not at all.
We can both be students and teachers. We can find a place of comfort with not-knowing while also honoring what we do know.
Let’s reflect:
Question: How do you feel about teaching something that you know you haven’t “mastered” yet?
Acknowledging What We Do Know
Instead of focusing on what we don’t know, let’s acknowledge what we do bring:
- We bring our own experience with yoga—the way it has shaped our lives.
- We bring the ability to hold space for students, creating a safe and welcoming and inclusive environment.
- We bring the knowledge we have studied, whether it’s anatomy, philosophy, or sequencing.
- And most importantly, we bring our presence—our ability to listen, respond, and support our students.
Question: What’s one strength you bring to your teaching?
How to Manage Imposter Syndrome
So, what can we do when imposter syndrome creeps in? Here are a few strategies:
- Notice it – When those thoughts of doubt arise, recognize them for what they are: just thoughts, not facts.
- Talk about it – Most yoga teachers have felt this way at some point. Reach out to your yoga community, mentors, peers, or fellow teachers in training.
- Reframe mistakes – We don’t have to be perfect to be effective teachers. Every experience is an opportunity to learn.
- Acknowledge the good – A student’s kind word or positive feedback, a class that went well, a moment of connection—these all matter.
- Adopt a beginner’s mind – Instead of worrying about knowing everything, approach teaching with curiosity.
Closing Thoughts on Overcoming Imposter Syndrome as a Yoga Teacher
Imposter syndrome doesn’t mean you aren’t capable—it means you care. It means you’re aware of how vast this practice is, and that’s a good thing.
But just because we don’t know everything doesn’t mean we don’t know enough to share what we have learned.
So let’s move past the doubts and towards confidence — not because we have every answer, but because we are willing to show up, to keep learning, and to share yoga with those who need it.
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