Yoga Teaching and Learning
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Hello Reader

Welcome to the May newsletter.

This month's article is about why yoga students don't come back! I've been looking at the top 7 complaints that students make about yoga teachers online, and reflecting on what we can learn from this.

I'd be interested to hear your experiences and thoughts on this topic. Do come along to the Q&A tomorrow to share your ideas and and chat with fellow yoga teachers.

The next yoga teacher Q&A get-together on Zoom is tomorrow Saturday 3rd May at 10-11am. Come along to discuss the article, or indeed anything else relating to any aspect of your yoga teaching. The Zoom link will arrive in a separate email. See you there!

Love and light,

Keep scrolling for:

🤷🏻 Article: Why yoga students don't come back

👉 News and resources

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Article:

Why yoga students don’t come back

Common complaints and what we can learn

Have you ever wondered what students say after leaving your class - especially the ones who don’t come back? Regulars will likely be singing your praises, but the disappearance of a student can leave us wondering.

Out of curiosity, I used an AI digital assistant to scour through yoga forums, social media threads, and class reviews to find the most common frustrations that students share about their yoga teachers.
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It’s important to recognise that many of these complaints stem from student expectations - and sometimes misconceptions - about what yoga ‘should be'. A new student who sticks with their practice regularly for a year or so, may come to see things differently.

It’s useful to know what preconceptions beginners arrive with, and I found that all the aspects raised are worth reviewing in our own teaching for self-reflection and refining our skills.

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The top 7 complaints about yoga teachers

Following are the top 7 most common complaints that are made by students about yoga teachers online. I’ve added some reflections about the teaching skills each relate to.

If you are unfamiliar with the Sanskrit words in bold below, you can find those explained in most versions of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras (or search online).
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1. Class content and pacing

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​"Are you going to keep teaching the same thing?"

"Too fast/slow/not challenging enough."​
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What’s going on?

• Students frequently complain that classes are too repetitive or predictable. They feel the sequence never changes, or that the class is not challenging or varied enough.
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• Others express frustration when the class pace is too fast or too slow, when the level doesn’t match their expectations or abilities.
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Teaching reflection:

A balanced approach to teaching offers repetition in order to learn and refine yoga practice (abhyasa). This needs to be balanced with new practices or exploration of different ways of practising to maintain interest.

Speed or level of challenge really comes down to personal choice and fitness - a fast practice may be more appealing to able beginners, but also comes with safety issues (ahimsa). A slow class is more meditative and develops a deeper awareness, which beginners may find challenging to begin with. In this case we have to find ways to keep those students engaged (dharana) or else recommend another class that meets their expectations.

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2. Lack of modifications

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"Not enough support for injuries or physical limitations."

"No options for beginners."

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What’s going on?

• Students with injuries or physical limitations often feel unsupported. They want more options and personalised attention, especially in larger classes.
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• Not informing less experienced students about modifications for advanced poses is another common complaint, leading to discouragement or even injury.
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Teaching reflections:

Offering modifications for students with injuries or limitations keeps students safe (ahimsa) and makes everyone feel included. Doing this swiftly and clearly is a skill to develop in yoga teaching. It’s also an opportunity to teach autonomy and self-awareness (svadhyaya) by not only giving clear options, but also giving pointers on how to choose which version of the pose to take.
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3. Teacher’s ego

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​"Teacher shows off advanced poses."

"Focuses more on own practice than the students."​
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What’s going on?

• Some students feel teachers let their ego get in the way - demonstrating challenging poses unnecessarily or focusing on their own practice rather than the students’ practice. This can make students feel inadequate or ignored.
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• Teachers trying to incorporate new or very challenging poses without knowing how to teach them can also frustrate students.

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Teaching reflections:

As the teacher, a yoga class is not your practice, but the students’ practice (asteya). Demonstration is for education and guidance, and not for showing off what you can do (asmita)! So this only needs to be done when necessary to teach.

Practising with the students can also sometimes prevent you from seeing the students as they practice practice. Observation is a vital teaching skill which is needed to inform clearer and more specific teaching cues to support students and keep them safe in their practice.
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4. Lack of focus

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​"Class felt unfocused and disorganised."

"Too much attention on one student."​
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What’s going on?

• Students notice when teachers seem distracted, disorganised, or veer off course, resulting in classes that feel unfocused or like “a weird soup of a little bit of this, a little bit of that”, leaving students disorientated.
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• Over-focusing on the needs of one student at the expense of the group is also noted as unfair or alienating.
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Teaching reflections:

Lesson planning is a skill to develop and refine so that it allows us to create a logical development and informed sequence of practices (vinyasa). When the practice doesn’t have a logical progression, students are often unaware of this but can feel a lack of ease (sukha) in their bodies.

Managing a group where one student has specific needs, in such a way as to support that student without neglecting the others, can be enabled by some thought at planning stage. Skilled delivery of the lesson allows you as a teacher to give swift support to one student, while staying aware of and holding the whole group at the same time.
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5. Poor communication

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​"Teacher didn’t listen to feedback."

"Miscommunicated class content."​
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What’s going on?

• Students complain when teachers don’t listen to feedback or concerns, or when they feel brushed off or patronised.
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• Miscommunication about class content, expectations, or changes can lead to disappointment or frustration.
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Teaching reflections:

Effective communication skills are important in yoga teaching and something that we can improve and develop with self-assessment and reflection (svadhyaya).

Acknowledging any feedback openly, informing students and treating them with respect and clarity aligns with yoga principles which we can study and cultivate in ourselves (yama).
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6. Environmental factors

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​"Music/temperature was off."

"Teacher didn’t manage disruptions."​
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What’s going on?

• Complaints about music, temperature, and distractions (such as students doing their own thing or being disruptive) are common.
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• Some students are bothered when teachers don’t address etiquette issues or maintain a focused environment. Teachers not managing disruptive behaviours or failing to create a comfortable environment is a recurring issue.
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Teaching reflections:

Holding the space and reading the room are important skills for a yoga teacher. Disruptive behaviours need to be dealt with delicately and swiftly – in fact the manner in which you do that can be a teaching in itself about holding boundaries.

Boundaries in class are important to help minimise distractions to promote relaxation (saithilya) and inward gaze (pratyahara) – hence why we practice in an enclosed quiet clean space (sattwa) with the door closed. Heating can be an issue in some rooms, which needs to be taken into account when planning and delivering a practice (ahimsa).

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7. Making inaccurate claims

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​"Teacher made unscientific or unsupported claims."​
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What’s going on?

• Some students are frustrated by teachers making inaccurate or unscientific claims about the body or yoga benefits, which can erode trust and credibility.
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• The teacher may be straying beyond the limits of their knowledge and qualifications, and repeating things they have heard or misinterpreted.
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Teaching reflections:

It’s important to recognise areas where your knowledge is limited and to stay within the limits of your current knowledge (avidya) to avoid passing on misinformation (satya).

Continuing to learn through reading and training courses allows yoga teachers to grow and to refine their teaching, particularly in relation to scientific or medical knowledge. Being on a path of learning also keeps your teaching fresh and relatable.

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Every student complaint is a mirror - not always a flattering one, but always instructive.

Some student dissatisfaction stems from mismatched expectations or resistance to deeper aspects of practice. But whether a valid complaint or not, any feedback can give us insights into areas that we can refine or where we can take further training, for example improving communication skills, studying topics in more depth, holding the space more skilfully, and staying aligned with the deeper principles of yoga.
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News and resources

For your students and anyone interested in learning to be a yoga teacher trainer:
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👉 NEW BWY level 4 Professional Diploma in Yoga Teaching - 500-hour teacher training starting September 2026 (in-person and online)

👉 NEW BWY Foundation Course - starting January 2025 (online)

Contact andrea@yogauk.com for more information.
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For yoga teachers:

👉 Knee function in asana ebook (free): Get the ebook here​

👉 Essential Anatomy and Physiology for Yoga Teaching online study - more information here​

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The next two Q&A meetings:

Support and connect with other yoga teachers - more here
​These meetings are free of charge.

• Saturday 3rd May at 10-11am
• Saturday 12th July at 10-11am

All yoga teachers are invited by email the day before.

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