Before enrolling in a yoga class it is often a good idea to check out the yoga teacher and evaluate whether that person is going to be able to teach you yoga or not. You may want to prepare a checklist against which to tick off positives and negatives in the makeup of the teacher and then decide accordingly. These could serve as a basis on which to decide whether to go ahead and learn from a particular teacher or not.

Check Out Against CALM Criteria

If the yoga teacher can meet the criteria of communication, assistance, listening as well as modification, or CALM, you will have found the right place and the right person to teach you yoga. The yoga teacher should be able to speak with you as well as the other students in a manner that is full of respect for one another, and he or she should also be open to answering any questions that may arise in the minds of the students.

A good yoga teacher would also be one that is compassionate and who can spare time to guide the students through meditation and also help them to relax. These are major areas within yoga and the teacher should be adept in teaching them. Beware of a teacher that simply wants to rush through the various aspects and is only interested in getting the workouts finished and done with.

The yoga teacher should also be a person that is caring about the student’s form and will provide all manner of assistance while teaching yoga, and will encourage the student into learning the skills. In addition, the student should also find that his or her queries are adequately answered, and that the teacher is attentive to their concerns. Also, the yoga teacher should change the exercise and modify it to suit the class and should also encourage letting the students use props, if required.

Feel Good Factor

Your yoga teacher should be pleasant to interact with, and not abusive or rude. A stern person that is also caring is preferable to one that is curt or insists on knowing everything that there is to know about yoga. He or she should earn the respect of the students and reciprocate the same to the students. The yoga class should have a feel-good factor that binds the class together and promotes harmony and a better learning curve.

The bottom line is that if the yoga teacher passes your criteria test of CALM then you may go ahead and commit to learning from that person. Otherwise, you will be better off looking around for a more appropriate instructor.

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