The best yoga philosophy books don’t read like textbooks. They read like stories, and the wisdom arrives while you’re busy following the plot.

That’s my whole filter for this list. Six books, none of them about asana, all of them about living the thing rather than studying it.

When I finished my first 200-hour, I remember the specific feeling of having barely scratched the surface. I was hungry in a way the training hadn’t satisfied. Over the years since, I’ve read a lot of yoga books — philosophy, anatomy, history, and everything strange and mystical in between. These are the ones I keep returning to, the ones with dog-eared corners and underlining in three different colors of ink.

They come on retreat with me. We talk about them in teacher training. I’ve handed them to fellow teachers, to students, and to people with no interest in yoga whatsoever who came back a month later wanting to talk about them.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Some of the book links below are affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I’d recommend every book here either way — this is what I actually assign.

What’s in this post

1. What makes a yoga philosophy book worth reading
2. The Bhagavad Gita — Stephen Mitchell
3. The Secret Power of Yoga — Nischala Joy Devi
4. The Path of the Yoga Sutras — Nicolai Bachman
5. Autobiography of a Yogi — Paramhansa Yogananda
6. How Yoga Works — Geshe Michael Roach
7. The Stories Behind the Poses — Raj Balkaran
8. Where to start
9. Frequently asked questions

What makes a yoga philosophy book worth reading

A good philosophy book gives you something you can teach from, not just something you know.

That’s a real distinction. There are texts I can summarize accurately and have never once used in a class, and there are books I’ve quoted from the front of the room a hundred times. The difference is usually whether the ideas arrived attached to a story, a person, or a moment I could picture.

None of these six are about poses. They’re about the other seven limbs — the parts of the practice that shape how you move through a day, handle a hard conversation, or sit with something you can’t fix.

If you’re building a class around an idea rather than a body part, this is where the ideas come from.

The Bhagavad Gita — Stephen Mitchell translation

Start here if you only read one.

The Gita is one of the core texts of Hinduism, and it holds the teaching that sits underneath most of what we call yoga philosophy: act, fully and well, without gripping the outcome. Arjuna is frozen on a battlefield, unable to choose. Krishna talks him through it. That’s the whole frame, and it turns out to be enough to carry an extraordinary amount of wisdom.

I first read it in high school, studied a different translation in college, and have read several since — some good, some not.

Mitchell’s is the one I recommend. He’s a poet, and it shows. The story stays in motion because he keeps his commentary out of the body of the text, which some translations don’t. You feel like you’re standing on the field rather than reading footnotes about it.

The audiobook is worth knowing about too. It’s read beautifully, and hearing it lands differently than reading it — closer to how the text would originally have been received.

A note on translation. Mitchell is interpretive rather than literal, which is exactly why it reads so well and also why some scholars prefer other versions. If you later want something closer to the Sanskrit, that’s a good instinct to follow. But for a first read, or for finding language you’d actually say out loud in a class, this is the one.

The Secret Power of Yoga — Nischala Joy Devi

The Yoga Sutras, read through a woman’s lived experience.

Which matters more than it might sound like. The Sutras were compiled by and largely for male renunciates — men who had left ordinary life behind. Most of us have not. You have a job and probably people who need things from you, and the traditional commentaries were not written with that life in mind.

Devi reads Patanjali from inside that reality. Her rendering is warm, and it’s interpretive enough that some scholars push back on it. That criticism is fair and worth carrying while you read.

I still think it belongs on any teacher’s shelf, particularly if you teach women. It gives you access to the Sutras as something you can live rather than something you have to decode.

Get the Revised Edition — A Woman’s Guide to the Heart and Spirit of the Yoga Sutras.

The Path of the Yoga Sutras — Nicolai Bachman

The scholar’s counterweight, and the most useful entry point to the Sutras I’ve found.

Bachman knows Sanskrit cold, but he doesn’t write like it. He takes the concepts one at a time rather than marching through the sutras in order, and he includes journaling exercises and contemplative practices so you’re doing something with each idea rather than just filing it away.

Read it alongside Devi. One gives you the felt sense, the other gives you the precision. Together they’re better than either alone, and you’ll notice quickly where they disagree — which is its own education.

Autobiography of a Yogi — Paramhansa Yogananda

The book most yoga teachers get to eventually.

In 1999 a panel of theologians named it one of the hundred most important spiritual books of the twentieth century, and it earned that. It follows Yogananda from a childhood in India, through a long search for his guru, to bringing Kriya Yoga to America in the 1920s.

It takes a moment to settle into his writing. Once you do, it carries you.

What stayed with me isn’t the miracles, though there are plenty. It’s the picture of a life organized entirely around one question, and how ordinary that looks from the inside.

How Yoga Works — Geshe Michael Roach

The Yoga Sutras, delivered as a novel.

A young woman named Friday is imprisoned near the Tibetan border, held because her captors believe she’s stolen the Yoga Sutras. Over the course of her captivity, she teaches the text to the man holding her.

It’s long. It’s also the book I’ve handed to more non-yogis than any other, because the teaching arrives through the story rather than around it. You finish it having absorbed a genuine amount of the Sutras without ever sitting down to study them.

If the Sutras have felt dry to you, this is the way in.

The Stories Behind the Poses — Raj Balkaran

Fifty poses, fifty stories, told by an actual scholar of Indian religions.

This one earns its place for a specific reason. A great deal of the pose-origin material circulating in yoga culture is half-remembered, garbled in transmission, or invented outright — teachers passing along what they heard in their own training, which was passed along to them the same way.

Balkaran is a scholar of Indian religions, and this is where you look something up before you say it from the front of a room.

It’s also, unexpectedly, a lovely book to read straight through.

A note on language, while we’re here. You’ll see these stories called “myths” all over yoga writing, including by people who mean no harm by it. In everyday English, “myth” implies something untrue. Within Hindu tradition, the Ramayana and Mahabharata are classified as itihāsa — literally “so it happened” — and held as living scripture by people practicing today. “Story” and “teaching” do the same work without the implication. Worth adjusting if it’s not already how you speak.

Where to start

If you’re new to yoga philosophy, read them in this order:

1. How Yoga Works — the easiest entry, and it teaches the Sutras sideways
2. The Bhagavad Gita (Mitchell) — the foundational text, in its most readable form
3. The Path of the Yoga Sutras — now go back and study the Sutras properly
4. The Secret Power of Yoga — read alongside Bachman for the contrast
5. The Stories Behind the Poses — reference it as your teaching needs it
6. Autobiography of a Yogi — whenever you’re ready for a long one

None of this is a race. I’ve been at these for years and still find new things in them. Different teachings land differently during different seasons of life.

We read some of these in teacher training. And all of them are woven in. Inner Alchemy: Root & Radiance is our 200-hour hybrid program for women — online study plus two in-person immersions, one in Bend, Oregon and one on the coast of Nicaragua. Philosophy sits alongside women’s anatomy across the lifespan, nervous system science, and consent-based teaching.

See what’s included →

If you want the full required reading list rather than the philosophy shelf, it’s here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Love,
Autumn

The post The Yoga Philosophy Books That Changed How I Practice appeared first on Ambuja Yoga.

It’s this: stop filling every second with words.

Most nidra I hear taught is continuous. Beautiful language, correct structure, warm voice — and never more than three or four seconds of quiet from beginning to end. The teacher is doing everything right on paper. And the room never quite goes under.

If you’ve been guiding nidra for a while and you have the vague sense that your students enjoy it but don’t drop — this is almost always why.

What is the most common mistake when teaching yoga nidra?

Talking too much. Specifically, leaving too little silence between instructions.

Yoga nidra works by guiding a student to the threshold between waking and sleeping and then leaving her there, conscious. Your voice gets her to that edge. The silence is where she actually goes over it. If the next sentence arrives before she’s had time to arrive, you’ve called her back before she ever left.

Rhythm, cadence and the art of the pause will transform your students’ yoga nidra experience, so this is where you should refine your delivery.

Filling every second is the mistake that survives training, because nothing about it looks like a mistake. Your script is fine. Your students say it was lovely, but they don’t really drop in.

Why does silence matter so much in yoga nidra?

The state you’re after can’t be instructed into existence. It has to be allowed to happen, and that takes unfilled time.

Think about what you’re actually asking for. In the rotation of awareness, you name a body part and the student’s attention has to travel there and land. That’s not instant. In the sankalpa, you’re asking her to repeat a phrase internally three times with meaning — which takes about twelve seconds if she’s doing it properly, and about one second if you’ve already moved on. In the visualization, you’re asking her to build an image. Every one of these is a task with a duration, and we routinely give them no duration at all. You want to pause just long enough without giving their brain too much time to wander.

There’s also a mechanical piece. The sleep-onset transition — the drowsy, image-rich, threshold state that nidra is aiming at — is genuinely fragile. It reverses easily. A voice is a sound, and sound is one of the reliable things that pulls a nervous system back toward waking. Every sentence you speak is a small tug in the wrong direction. Necessary tugs, most of them. But you want fewer of them than feels natural.

What does the research actually say?

The strongest evidence is Kjaer and colleagues (2002), who used PET imaging during yoga nidra and found roughly a 65% increase in endogenous dopamine release in the ventral striatum, alongside a measurable drop in readiness for action. That’s a real, physiological shift into a distinct state — not just a nice lie-down. It’s also the finding that makes the case for silence, because that shift takes time to develop and is not something a student can be talked into.

Two other threads are worth knowing about. The sleep-onset literature describes the hypnagogic transition as unstable and easily reversed by external stimuli. And there’s evidence the brain continues processing the meaning of speech even as a person drifts toward sleep. Read that second one carefully: it means your students’ language networks stay engaged while you’re talking, whether they seem “out” or not. Continuous speech keeps a part of the brain working that you are specifically trying to let go quiet.

I will say that there are no studies that tess pause length in yoga nidra scripts and tell us the right number of seconds. That research doesn’t exist. What we have is the physiology of the state, the tradition’s own instructions, and what you can observe in your own room. Everything below is that — reasoned practice, not proven protocol. Treat the numbers as a starting place and adjust to what you see.

Why do teachers over-talk in nidra?

Because silence feels like you’ve stopped teaching. I remember dealing with this too; whether I was teaching yoga nidra or an asana class, I felt like I had to talk and fill the space because I carried the belief that I wasn’t a good teacher if I couldn’t or didn’t.

You’re the only person in the room who’s awake and responsible. Ten seconds of quiet feels endless from the seat you’re in — you’re tracking the clock, tracking the room, wondering whether someone thinks you’ve lost your place. Meanwhile the woman on the mat has no idea how long anything is taking, because time perception is one of the first things to go in that state.

The other cause is the scripts themselves. Nidra scripts are written as continuous prose, so they read as continuous prose. Even the pause markers are usually just the word [PAUSE] — which tells you that to stop, but not how long. So you stop for a breath, because a breath feels like a pause, and you carry on.

My own nature-inspired script does this, and I’m not exempting myself. Go look at it: the markers are there, unquantified. Below is how I’d time them.

How long should the pauses be in yoga nidra?

Here’s where I’d put actual seconds, stage by stage. These are for a 25–30 minute practice.

Add it up: a well-paced 30-minute nidra can be a third to nearly half silence. If your 30-minute script takes 30 minutes to read aloud at a conversational clip, you’re teaching a very nice guided relaxation. It isn’t nidra yet.

The practical fix: write the seconds into your script. Not [PAUSE] — [PAUSE — 20 sec]. Then read the whole thing aloud with a timer before you ever teach it.

The discomfort test

Here’s the thing I’d most want you to take from this post, and it’s the one I use myself:

If the silence feels slightly too long to you, it’s probably about right for her.

You’re awake, alert, and holding the room. She’s at the edge of sleep, where time stretches. Your discomfort is not information about her experience. It’s information about yours — and it’s the single most reliable signal you have that you’re finally giving her enough room.

So when that itch arrives to say the next line, wait through it. Count if you need to. The itch is the practice working.

Want a script to practice this on?

My nature-inspired yoga nidra script is free — printable PDF plus the full audio — and it’s built on the Bihar School structure with the pause points already marked. Take it, add the seconds from the table above, and read it aloud with a stopwatch.

Read the blog where I share the script or get the free script + audio delivered to your inbox below.

Will my students think I’ve forgotten where I am?

No, that’s the fear underneath the over-talking.

A student in nidra has substantially reduced time perception and no expectation of pace. She isn’t holding your script in her head. She has no idea whether ten seconds or ninety have passed, and if she’s genuinely dropped, she isn’t tracking anything at all.

The students most likely to notice a long silence are the ones who haven’t gone under yet — which is exactly the group who need more silence, not less.

If it helps, you could say something at the start like“There will be long stretches of quiet in this practice. That’s on purpose. You don’t need to do anything with them.” One sentence at the front buys you all the room you need.

What changes when you get this right

The reports change. Students stop saying “that was so relaxing” and start saying things they can’t quite explain or don’t have the words for — that they lost time, that they’re not sure whether they slept, that they went somewhere, that something unexpected came up. Sankalpa work starts to land instead of just being a fleeting phrase. People get up slowly.

That’s the practice doing what it’s supposed to do. And most of the time, the only thing standing between a good nidra teacher and that outcome is a willingness to sit in quiet longer than feels comfortable.

Your voice gets them to the edge. Give them the room to go over it.

Frequently asked questions

How long should the pauses be in yoga nidra?

For a 25 to 30 minute practice: 20 to 30 seconds after settling in, 10 to 15 seconds for each sankalpa repetition, 45 to 90 seconds for breath awareness, 15 to 20 seconds for each pair of opposite sensations, 15 to 30 seconds for each visualisation image, 3 to 5 minutes at the deepest point, and 30 to 45 seconds before coming back. The rotation of awareness is the exception and should stay brisk and rhythmic.

How do you time pauses in yoga nidra without watching a clock?

Count your own breath. A slow breath cycle runs roughly four to six seconds, so four breaths is about 20 to 25 seconds and ten breaths is close to a minute. This keeps you internally paced rather than glancing at a phone, which pulls you out of the room. Write the intended seconds into your script, rehearse it with a timer beforehand, and by the third or fourth time you teach it the timing sits in your body.

Can you play music during yoga nidra?

You can, but choose carefully, because music fills the silence the practice depends on. If you use anything, keep it to a single sustained drone with no melody, no rhythm and no changes, played very quietly. Melodic music gives the thinking mind something to follow and track, which works against the state you’re guiding towards. Traditional yoga nidra is taught without music at all, and it’s worth teaching it that way at least once to feel the difference.

Should the rotation of awareness be slow in yoga nidra?

No. The rotation of awareness is the one stage that should stay brisk. In the Bihar School method the rotation is rhythmic and quick, which keeps the thinking mind from catching up. Long pauses belong elsewhere in the practice, particularly around sankalpa, breath awareness and visualisation.

How long should a yoga nidra practice be?

A full traditional practice with all its stages usually runs 25 to 45 minutes. Shorter forms of 11 to 20 minutes are common and can be effective, but the stages have to be genuinely shortened rather than simply read faster, because the pauses are part of the practice rather than gaps between instructions. If a 30 minute script takes 30 minutes to read aloud at a conversational pace, it’s being rushed.

Should you read a yoga nidra script or memorise it?

Read it, particularly while you’re still building experience. Everyone in the room has their eyes closed, so nobody knows or minds. Reading protects your pacing and stops you improvising extra words to fill a silence that felt uncomfortable, which is the most common way a nidra gets over-talked. Mark your pause lengths directly on the page so the silences are part of what you’re reading.

How do you learn how to teach yoga nidra?

Start by practising nidra regularly yourself, then learn the traditional structure: settling, sankalpa, rotation of awareness, breath awareness, opposite sensations, visualisation and return. Read scripts aloud with a timer to build a sense of pacing. Formal training matters here because guiding nidra depends more on facilitation and timing than on the words themselves.

Do you need a certification to teach yoga nidra?

There’s no single governing body for yoga nidra and no legally required certification, so any qualified yoga teacher may guide it. That makes the quality of your training the thing that matters rather than the credential itself. Most general teacher trainings cover nidra only briefly, so if you intend to teach it regularly, look for a training that treats it as a subject in its own right.

Where to go next

• New to nidra, or want the science in more depth? The benefits of yoga nidra →
• Want the full script? Yoga nidra script inspired by nature (free PDF + audio) →
• Curious about nidra for intention work? Yoga nidra for manifestation →
• Already teaching yoga nidra? Stop policing sleep →

Learn to teach nidra properly

Pacing is one piece. Finding your facilitator voice, writing scripts that hold up, guiding sankalpa work, knowing what to do when someone cries or snores or leaves — that’s the rest of it, and it’s what we work through in the yoga nidra module of my 200-hour teacher training for women.

See the teacher training →

References

1. Kjaer TW, Bertelsen C, Piccini P, Brooks D, Alving J, Lou HC. “Increased dopamine tone during meditation-induced change of consciousness.” Cognitive Brain Research 13(2):255–259, 2002. DOI: 10.1016/S0926-6410(01)00106-9
2. Ogilvie RD. “The process of falling asleep.” Sleep Medicine Reviews 5(3):247–270, 2001. DOI: 10.1053/smrv.2001.0145
3. Kouider S, Andrillon T, Barbosa LS, Goupil L, Bekinschtein TA. “Inducing task-relevant responses to speech in the sleeping brain.” Current Biology 24(18):2208–2214, 2014. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2014.08.016

The post If You’re Teaching Yoga Nidra, Stop Doing This appeared first on Ambuja Yoga.

Full disclosure, I trained in a Bihar-inspired lineage, so I do ask my students to remain awake. Once when I’m explaining the practice, and usually once more right before we drop in: this isn’t sleep — see if you can stay on just this side of sleep.

Then I let it go. And here’s what I’ve realized after thirteen years of watching rooms full of tired women fall asleep during yoga nidra:

If a woman can fall asleep on the ground, outside, surrounded by women she met yesterday (or even just an hour ago)— that is not a practice that failed. Nor has she failed. In fact, it’s the single best piece of evidence I will ever get that she feels safe and that the container has done its job.

She needed the sleep. And her nervous system had to come all the way down before she could take it.

Is it bad if students fall asleep during yoga nidra?

No, it isn’t inherently bad. Is it conscious rest? No. But it usually means one of two things, and both are good news.

The first is obvious: she’s exhausted. Most of the women I teach are carrying a sleep debt that no single night of “good” sleep can touch. When the lights go down and someone else is finally in charge of the next twenty-plus minutes, the debt collects. That’s the body doing exactly what it should.

The second one is the one most yoga nidra teachers miss. Sleep does not happen in an activated nervous system. It can’t. Arousal and sleep onset are mutually exclusive, and the arousal has to come down first — not as a metaphor, as a precondition. So if she fell asleep on a floor, in an unfamiliar room, among people she barely knows, something in her genuinely downshifted. You can’t instruct that. You can only build the conditions that allow it, and if it happened, you built them

The research on this is better than you’d expect

The best-established finding in insomnia research is that people who can’t sleep are aroused — and not just in their heads.

Riemann and colleagues reviewed the evidence and found support for hyperarousal at every level they looked, from the molecular up through the whole system, with autonomic, neuroendocrine, neuroimmune, electrophysiological and neuroimaging studies all converging on elevated arousal in people with insomnia. A 2023 update calls increased arousal one of the most consistent findings the field has produced.

If elevated arousal reliably blocks sleep, then sleep arriving is evidence that arousal came down. You don’t have to take her word for how she felt. Her physiology already answered.

There’s a second finding worth knowing, and it explains why this is harder in your room than in her own bed. Sleep researchers call it the first-night effect — people sleep badly the first night in a new place. Tamaki and colleagues used brain imaging to show why: in an unfamiliar environment, one hemisphere stays measurably more vigilant than the other during deep sleep, acting as a kind of night watch. It runs automatically on novelty, and it fades once the place stops being new.

Which sets the bar higher than you’d think. Her brain arrives in your unfamiliar room running a protocol designed to keep her from going all the way under. If she does anyway, she cleared an obstacle her nervous system put there on purpose. And on retreat, when night three is easier than night one, that’s the same protocol standing down as the place becomes familiar.

One thing to note: the hyperarousal work studies people with insomnia, and the first-night research was done overnight in sleep laboratories. Nobody has studied either in a yoga room at four in the afternoon. I’m reasoning across from one setting to another, and you should hold it as a mechanistically sound argument rather than a proven finding. Worth saying too: the Tamaki team specifically argue the first-night effect is not driven by conscious anxiety — it tracks novelty rather than how nervous anyone reports feeling. So the honest version of my claim isn’t that she consciously felt safe. It’s that her arousal came down far enough for sleep, in a setting built to prevent exactly that.

So why say anything about staying awake at all?

Because the awareness is where the value lives, and the tradition is right about that.

In the Bihar School method, yoga nidra is explicitly distinguished from sleep. Swami Satyananda is direct about it, and do not sleep appears in the traditional scripts. If you trained in that lineage you were taught it for a good reason. Conscious rest and unconscious rest are different practices with different benefits, and only one of them lets a sankalpa land.

So I’m not arguing you should drop the instruction. I say it. Say it.

I’m arguing about everything that happens after you say it.

Where teachers actually go wrong

Not in giving the instruction. In repeating it, and in what we do with our faces when it doesn’t work.

Here’s what policing sleep looks like in practice. You say it at the start. Then again after the rotation. Then again before the visualization, with a little more emphasis, because you can hear breathing change in the back row. By the fourth time there’s an edge in your voice that everyone still conscious can hear clearly.

Every one of those repetitions is an interruption. And it lands hardest on exactly the wrong people — the women who were settling, who now have to surface, register an instruction, and check whether they’re doing it right. The ones already asleep hear none of it. You’ve woken your best students to police your most tired one.

There’s a deeper problem with repeating it, too. You’re asking for a state that depends on the release of effort, and try harder to stay awake is a request for effort. Vigilance is arousal. Arousal is the thing standing between her and the threshold.

The part that should genuinely bother you

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine lists it among the effective behavioral treatments for chronic insomnia, and it works exactly as it sounds: you instruct the patient to lie down and gently try to remain awake. Ascher and Efran first applied it to sleep-onset insomnia in the seventies.

The rationale is the part you should sit with. The technique rests on the premise that performance anxiety is what inhibits sleep onset. Take away the pressure to succeed at sleeping, and the anxiety goes with it, and sleep arrives more easily than it did when she was chasing it.

Now read that back as a description of your room. “Try to stay awake” is a performance instruction with a failure condition attached. You’ve handed every woman on the floor something to succeed or fail at, in a practice whose entire mechanism depends on her stopping trying.

The mechanism is well described in the insomnia literature as the attention–intention–effort pathway: the more deliberate effort you aim at a sleep-related outcome, the more you interfere with the automatic process that produces it. Effort breaks it in both directions. Trying to sleep keeps you awake. Trying not to sleep is still trying.

So the instruction you’re repeating to keep the room conscious is, in clinical terms, a recognized method for helping a person fall asleep. Say it once, where it does its framing work. Past that you’re not really enforcing anything.

What to say once, and how to say it

Frame the state, then remove the failure condition:

“We’re aiming for the place between waking and sleeping — awake enough to hear my voice, relaxed enough that you’re not holding on. You’ll probably drift in and out. That’s normal. And if you fall asleep, your body needed it and you haven’t done anything wrong.”

The last sentence is the one that matters the most. It takes the performance out. It removes the pressure of doing it “right.”

Then I say a shorter version right before we drop in, and that’s the last time I mention it.

How to wake someone without embarrassing her

If someone starts snoring loudly enough to pull the room out, I get up and wake her. Gently, and this part is craft. I intentionally share my “wake up” protocol with my students while we’re preparing. This removes any uncertainty and reduces the chance that they will startle awake.

Kneel down beside her rather than standing over her. Make contact before sound — a light tug on her mat, a gentle hand on the top of her foot or on her shoulder, enough pressure that she registers it before she surfaces. Give it a second. Most people shift their breathing and come back up on their own without ever fully waking, and that’s the ideal outcome. I honestly never use words to bring students up from sleep, but if you do, keep them quiet and close and undirected — no name, nothing the rest of the room can hear.

Then go back to your seat and keep going in exactly the same voice. The room reads your response, not the snoring. If you handle it as unremarkable, it stays unremarkable.

And never, ever say anything to her about it afterward in front of anyone else.

When half the room goes under every single time

That’s a design question, not a discipline question, and no amount of instruction fixes it.

• Time of day. Mid-afternoon and post-dinner are the hardest slots to stay conscious in. Late morning is the easiest.
• What came before. Long hot vinyasa straight into nidra is a sleep protocol.
• Temperature and light. Warm and fully dark is a bedroom. Cool with a little low light keeps a thread of alertness alive.
• Position. Fully flat goes deepest. A bolster under the knees and a folded blanket under the head supports her without laying her out. Reclined or seated is an option for anyone who wants it.
• How tired the room genuinely is. Retreat, day two, after a hike? They’re going to sleep. Let them.

Change the conditions. Leave the instruction alone.

Want a script to try this on?

My nature-inspired yoga nidra script is free — printable PDF plus the full audio. It follows the Bihar School structure through the koshas with a journey instead of the archetypal images, and it’s the framework I teach from and train teachers on.

What changes when you stop policing it

The language your students use changes first.

Right now, in most rooms, women come up and apologize. I think I fell asleep, sorry. That apology is learned — she picked it up from a teacher who made sleep into a failure, and she’s carrying it into a practice designed to give her permission.

Take the failure condition out and you start hearing the other report instead. That she lost time. That she isn’t sure whether she was completely out or not. That something surfaced she wasn’t expecting. That in-between report is the practice doing precisely what it’s built to do, and it shows up far more often in rooms where nobody is “working at it.”

Your job is to build a room safe enough that her body will let go, and then to get out of the way of whatever it does next. Some days that’s conscious rest. Some days it’s the first real sleep she’s had in a month.

Both of those are worth it.

Next in this series: If You’re Teaching Yoga Nidra, Stop Calling It Nidra — on the stages most of us skip, and what’s left when you do.

Where to go next

• The science on why nidra works: The benefits of yoga nidra →
• The full script: Yoga nidra script inspired by nature (free PDF + audio) →
• Nidra for intention work: Yoga nidra for manifestation →

Learn to teach nidra properly

Framing, pacing, sankalpa work, and what to actually do when a room won’t settle — that’s the yoga nidra module of my 200-hour teacher training for women.

See the teacher training →

Frequently asked questions

Is it bad to fall asleep during yoga nidra?

No. It usually means two things, and both are good. Your body needed the rest, and your nervous system came down far enough to take it. Elevated arousal reliably blocks sleep onset, so sleep arriving is evidence that arousal fell away. Reaching that state in an unfamiliar room among people you barely know is harder than doing it at home, which makes it a sign the setting worked.

Does yoga nidra still work if you fall asleep?

Partly. The rest itself is real and your body takes it either way. What you miss is the conscious part, which is where the intention work happens and where you practise observing sensation without reacting to it. If you sleep through most practices you’re likely carrying a genuine sleep debt, and the awareness tends to return once that’s paid down. Treat the sleep as the practice doing something useful rather than as a session wasted.

How do I stop falling asleep during yoga nidra?

Practice earlier in the day, keep the room cool rather than warm, use a bolster under the knees and a folded blanket under the head instead of lying completely flat, and consider a reclined or seated position. Avoid practising straight after a vigorous class. If you fall asleep every time, you’re likely carrying a genuine sleep debt, and the awareness tends to return once that’s addressed.

Why do I twitch or jerk during yoga nidra?

Those are hypnic jerks, the involuntary muscle contractions that commonly occur as a body crosses from waking into sleep. They are harmless and most people experience them. In yoga nidra they are useful information rather than a problem: a jerk means you reached the threshold the practice is aiming at. Nothing needs to be done about them. Let the body settle and carry on.

Is one hour of yoga nidra equal to four hours of sleep?

No, and no research establishes that ratio. The claim circulates widely in yoga marketing but no study supports it. Yoga nidra does produce real physiological change and many people feel deeply rested afterwards, but it isn’t a replacement for sleeping and should not be described as one.

Should you tell students to stay awake during yoga nidra?

Say it once while explaining the practice, and optionally once more just before beginning. Don’t repeat it throughout. Yoga nidra depends on the release of effort, and asking a student to try harder to stay awake asks for vigilance, which is arousal. Repeated reminders also interrupt the students who were settling, while doing nothing at all for the ones already asleep.

Does the yoga nidra tradition say not to sleep?

Yes. In the Bihar School method taught by Swami Satyananda, yoga nidra is explicitly distinguished from sleep, and the instruction not to sleep appears in traditional scripts. The awareness is where the benefit of the practice lives. The tradition frames this once rather than repeating it, and it doesn’t treat a sleeping student as having failed.

Why do so many students fall asleep in yoga nidra?

Most are carrying a real sleep debt, and the practice creates the first conditions in which their body is willing to collect it. Setting matters too. Mid-afternoon and post-dinner slots, a warm dark room, lying fully flat, and a vigorous class immediately beforehand all make sleep more likely. Adjusting these conditions works far better than repeating an instruction.

What should a teacher do if a student snores during yoga nidra?

If the snoring is pulling the room out, wake her gently. Kneel beside her rather than standing over her, make light physical contact at the shoulder or foot before using any sound, and give her a moment to shift her breathing on her own. Keep any words quiet and undirected, then return to your seat and continue in the same voice. The room takes its cue from the teacher.

Is yoga nidra the same as sleep?

No. Yoga nidra guides you to the threshold between waking and sleeping and keeps a thread of awareness there, which is why it’s sometimes called conscious sleep or yogic sleep. Ordinary sleep involves losing that awareness. Most practitioners cross back and forth over the threshold several times in a single practice.

Why is it harder to sleep in an unfamiliar place?

Researchers call this the first-night effect. A 2016 study by Tamaki and colleagues found that in unfamiliar environments one brain hemisphere stays measurably more vigilant during deep sleep, acting as a kind of night watch. The effect runs automatically on novelty rather than on how anxious a person reports feeling, and it fades once a place becomes familiar. It’s why the first night of a retreat is often the hardest and the third is easier.

References

1. Riemann D, Spiegelhalder K, Feige B, Voderholzer U, Berger M, Perlis M, Nissen C. “The hyperarousal model of insomnia: a review of the concept and its evidence.” Sleep Medicine Reviews 14(1):19–31, 2010. DOI: 10.1016/j.smrv.2009.04.002
2. Dressle RJ, Riemann D. “Hyperarousal in insomnia disorder: current evidence and potential mechanisms.” Journal of Sleep Research, 2023. DOI: 10.1111/jsr.13928
3. Tamaki M, Bang JW, Watanabe T, Sasaki Y. “Night watch in one brain hemisphere during sleep associated with the first-night effect in humans.” Current Biology 26(9):1190–1194, 2016. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.02.063
4. Morgenthaler T, Kramer M, Alessi C, et al. “Practice parameters for the psychological and behavioral treatment of insomnia: an update. An American Academy of Sleep Medicine report.” Sleep 29(11):1415–1419, 2006.
5. Ascher LM, Efran JS. “Use of paradoxical intention in a behavioral program for sleep onset insomnia.” Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 46(3):547–550, 1978.
6. Espie CA, Broomfield NM, MacMahon KMA, Macphee LM, Taylor LM. “The attention–intention–effort pathway in the development of psychophysiologic insomnia: a theoretical review.” Sleep Medicine Reviews 10(4):215–245, 2006. DOI: 10.1016/j.smrv.2006.03.002

The post If You’re Teaching Yoga Nidra, Stop Policing Sleep appeared first on Ambuja Yoga.

Chair pose shows up in almost every vinyasa and ashtanga class you’ll ever take. It looks simple on paper — bend the knees, reach the arms, sit back into an invisible chair — and then you hold it for five breaths and your quads start talking.

This is a full teaching guide to chair pose, or utkatasana in Sanskrit. Where the name comes from and what it actually means. How to cue it from the ground up. What usually goes wrong and how to fix it in real time. Variations, modifications, and the honest version of what the pose is doing in the body.

It’s written for two people: the teacher who wants better cues, and the student who wants to understand what she’s being asked to do and why.

Table of Contents

• What is chair pose?
• What does utkatasana actually mean?
• Where did chair pose come from?
• Is there a story behind chair pose?
• Yoga cues and alignment tips for teaching chair pose
• Should your knees go past your toes?
• Common chair pose mistakes and how to fix them
• Variations of chair pose
• How to modify chair pose for different bodies
• Benefits of chair pose
• FAQ

What Is Chair Pose?

Chair pose is a standing yoga posture where you bend your knees, sit your hips back and down, and reach your arms overhead — as if lowering yourself into a chair that isn’t there. It’s called utkatasana in Sanskrit, pronounced oot-kah-TAH-suh-nuh.

It builds strength and stability in the legs and core, creates heat in the body, and asks for focus and balance in a way that a lot of standing poses don’t. Most of the work is happening in the quadriceps, glutes, calves, and ankles, with the deep core and back muscles working to keep the spine long while the hips travel back.

It’s also one of the most-cued and least-explained poses in a general class. Which is exactly why it’s worth slowing down on.

What Does Utkatasana Actually Mean?

Utkatasana does not mean “chair pose.” The Sanskrit word utkata means fierce, powerful, proud, intense, immense, or difficult — so the more literal translation is fierce pose or powerful pose. “Chair” is a modern English nickname that describes what the shape looks like, not what the name says.

You’ll hear all of these in different rooms:

• Chair pose — the common English name
• Fierce pose or powerful pose — closer to the Sanskrit
• Awkward pose — what it’s called in the Bikram sequence
• Utkatasana — Sanskrit, from utkata (fierce, powerful) + asana (seat or posture)

That same root shows up in the pose next door. Utkata konasana — usually taught in English as goddess pose — is fierce angle pose. Same fierceness, wider stance. If you have ever wondered why goddess pose and chair pose feel like cousins, that’s why: they’re named for the same quality, not the same shape.

This is worth saying out loud in class, because the English name quietly changes what a student thinks she’s doing. “Sit down in a chair” is a passive instruction. “Hold a fierce, powerful shape” is not. The Sanskrit is asking for something the nickname doesn’t.

Where Did Chair Pose Come From?

The standing version of chair pose we practice today is relatively modern, but the name is centuries old — and it originally described a squat, not a standing pose. The lineage runs roughly like this:

15th century — Hatha Yoga Pradipika. The earliest clear textual mention of utkatasana isn’t in a list of postures at all. It appears in the chapter on cleansing practices, in the instructions for basti — a yogic colon-cleansing technique performed while squatting in navel-deep water. Utkatasana here simply names the squat you hold while you do it. Not glamorous. Very useful for keeping our stories about “ancient poses” honest.

17th century — Gheranda Samhita. Utkatasana appears as one of the 32 asanas taught in the text’s second chapter, described as balancing on the big toes with the heels lifted and the seat resting back onto the heels. Still a squat — a toe-balancing one.

19th century — Sritattvanidhi. This illustrated Mysore manuscript describes utkatasana with the soles of the feet on the ground and the knees drawn up toward the ears, and names it the haughty. A deep squat again, and again named for attitude rather than furniture.

20th century — Krishnamacharya and the Mysore Palace. The upright, standing, arms-overhead chair pose that shows up in modern vinyasa and ashtanga is generally traced to Krishnamacharya’s teaching in Mysore, where the older squatting utkatasana was reworked into the standing form we inherited.

So when someone tells you chair pose is a 500-year-old posture, the honest answer is: the name is at least that old, and it used to mean something different. The shape in your class is closer to a hundred years old than a thousand. That doesn’t make it less valuable. It makes it a living tradition rather than a museum piece — which is a much more interesting thing to teach.

Is There a Story Behind Chair Pose?

No classical text assigns chair pose to a particular deity the way the warrior poses are tied to Virabhadra. What exists is a teaching story — one that connects utkatasana to the throne, and to the Ramayana.

The story goes like this. In the India where these texts were written, chairs were not ordinary household objects. Most people sat on the floor or the ground. Elevated seats were for royalty — thrones, raised so a king or queen could be seen, and could see. That act of seeing and being seen has its own name, darshan, and it’s central to how people related to both rulers and deities.

The Ramayana — the epic of Rama’s exile, his fourteen years away from home, and his eventual return to Ayodhya to be crowned — is, read a certain way, a story about a throne. Who sits in it. Who was denied it. What it costs to come back and claim it.

Worth knowing if you teach this: Hindu tradition classifies the Ramayana as itihāsa, which translates roughly as “so it happened.” It’s held as history, and it’s living scripture for a great many people practicing today. That’s a good reason to speak about it with the same care you’d want extended to anything you hold sacred.

Told alongside utkatasana, the frame lands: this is not an easy chair. It’s a throne. You are not sinking into it, you are holding yourself in it. And utkata — fierce, proud, powerful — is exactly the quality the story is about.

One honesty note: This connection is a teaching layer, not a textual origin. The old manuals that name utkatasana don’t mention Rama, and the pose they describe is a squat used for cleansing practices and seated work. The throne story came later, from teachers and writers finding meaning in the shape.

That’s not a reason to drop it. Yoga has always accumulated meaning this way. It’s a reason to say it accurately. “There’s a story teachers tell about this pose” is a completely different sentence from “this pose comes from the Ramayana,” and only one of them will survive a student who goes home and reads about it.

If you want to offer it in class, offer it as what it is:

“There’s an old idea that chairs in India were for royalty — that a chair meant a throne. Some teachers tell this pose that way: not sinking into a seat, but holding yourself in one. See what happens if you practice it like that for the next five breaths.”

Then let her decide what to do with it.

Yoga Cues and Alignment Tips for Teaching Chair Pose

Teach chair pose from the ground up — feet first, then knees, then hips, then spine, then arms. Just as you would build a house starting with the foundation, it’s important to build a steady posture from its base. Students feel the difference immediately, because the pose stops being a shape they’re holding and becomes a structure that holds them.

Here’s the sequence, in cueing order:

• Stand with feet together. Big toes touching, heels slightly apart.
• Knees point over the second toes. This is the alignment that protects the knee — the joint tracking in the direction the foot is pointing.
• Weight distributed back toward the heels. She should be able to lift her toes, or at least feel that she could.
• Sit the hips low. Send the hips back and down, the way you would toward a real seat behind you.
• Lengthen the spine by drawing the lower abdomen in and up. This is what keeps the low back from collapsing as the hips drop.
• Arms reach overhead with palms facing one another. Biceps beside the ears, if the shoulders allow.
• Shoulders soften away from the ears.
• Gaze straight ahead — healthiest for the neck. No craning up to look at the hands.

A note on the arms. If chair pose creates too much tension and stress in your student’s shoulders, suggest she take the hands slightly wider than the shoulders, or “goal post” the arms — elbows bent, upper arms out to the sides. This is not a lesser version. For a lot of shoulders, it’s the version that lets the legs actually do the work instead of the whole pose getting hijacked by the upper body.

A note on feet together. Feet together is the classic ashtanga expression, and it’s harder — narrower base, more balance demand, more adductor work. Feet hip-width apart is not a beginner’s compromise. It’s a different pose with a different job: more stable, more accessible for wider hips, and easier to load the glutes. Offer both, and say what each one is for.

Should Your Knees Go Past Your Toes?

Probably yes, at least a little — and the “knees must never pass the toes” rule is more rigid than the evidence supports. In a small 2003 study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, researchers compared barbell squats with knee travel restricted by a physical barrier against squats with no restriction. Blocking the knees from moving forward reduced torque at the knee — and dramatically increased torque at the hip, along with more forward lean of the trunk. The authors concluded that appropriate loading may actually require the knees to move slightly past the toes.

Hold that finding loosely. It’s seven trained men doing loaded barbell squats, not women holding an unloaded yoga pose for five breaths. But the mechanical principle transfers: when you forbid one joint from moving, the load doesn’t vanish. It relocates. Usually to the hips and low back.

What this means for how you cue chair pose:

• Keep cueing weight back toward the heels. That’s still the right instruction — it loads the posterior chain and keeps her from tipping forward onto the toes.
• Stop policing the knee line. A knee that travels slightly past the toes in a bodyweight pose is not an injury waiting to happen.
• Keep cueing knee tracking. Direction matters far more than distance. A knee collapsing inward toward the midline is the alignment worth correcting; a knee moving forward over the foot generally isn’t.
• Watch the ankles. Limited ankle dorsiflexion is often what’s driving a student to lean forward or lift her heels. That’s an ankle conversation, not a knee one.

Common Chair Pose Mistakes and How to Fix Them

Most chair pose problems come from the pose migrating upward — out of the legs, where the work belongs, and into the low back, shoulders, or neck. Here’s what you’ll actually see in a room, and what to say about it.

That last one is worth its own beat. Chair pose is where a lot of women meet the moment they decide whether to grip or to breathe — and where a teacher can offer a genuinely useful choice: come up a little higher, and keep breathing. Depth is not the point. Staying present in effort is.

Teaching this well takes more than a good cue list.

Knowing why a cue works, when to drop it, and how to read a body that doesn’t match the textbook is the difference between leading a class and teaching one. That’s the core of Ambuja Yoga’s 200-hour teacher training, Inner Alchemy: Root & Radiance — a women-centered training built around anatomy, nervous system science, and the real bodies in your room.

Learn about the training →

Variations of Chair Pose

Chair pose adapts easily — you can twist it, lift the heels, bind the arms, narrow or widen the stance, or take it to a wall. Each variation changes the job of the pose, so choose based on what you want a student to feel.

• Revolved chair (parivrtta utkatasana). Add a twist. Several arm options work: hands at heart center in prayer, or arms spread wide. Those two are my favorites. Cue the twist from the ribs rather than the arms, and keep the knees level with each other — the knee opposite of the direction you’re twisting will want to slide forward.
• Heels lifted. Press up high onto the balls of the feet and lift the heels. Adds a real balance and calf demand, and quickly shows a student how much she’s been relying on her heels for stability.
• Hands bound behind the hips. This option opens the shoulders and chest. Interlace behind the back, straighten the arms, draw the knuckles down and away. Good counter to a day at a desk.
• Feet hip-width with a block between the inner thighs. This version of utkatasana helps engage and strengthen the inner thighs (adductors). Squeeze the block and notice how the pelvic floor and deep core come online with it.
• Palms touching overhead. Bring the palms of the hands together above the head. A small change that asks more of the shoulders and upper back.
• Ardha utkatasana (half chair). Bend the knees closer to a right angle so the thighs come nearer to parallel with the floor and the torso inclines forward over them. This is the harder, more athletic expression — not a half-effort version.
• Chair at the wall. Back against the wall, feet a step out, slide down. Removes the balance demand entirely so the legs can work without the fear of tipping. Excellent for beginners, for larger bodies, and for anyone rebuilding leg strength.
• Chair with an actual chair. Set a real chair behind her and let her touch down and lift off it. Best teaching tool there is for the “hips back, not down” cue.
• Chair with a block between the hands. Hold a block between the palms overhead and press in. Instantly recruits the upper back and stops the arms from splaying.
• One-legged chair (figure four / eka pada utkatasana). Ankle crossed over the opposite thigh, sit back. Big balance and hip demand — a strong option for students who want more.
• Utkata konasana (goddess pose). Not a chair pose variation exactly, but the same utkata root and a natural pairing. Wide stance, feet turned out, knees bent and tracking over the toes.

How to Modify Chair Pose for Different Bodies

Chair pose is highly modifiable, and the right modification depends on what’s limiting — knees, shoulders, ankles, low back, or joint stability. Some starting points:

• Sensitive knees. Reduce the depth. A shallow bend held with good tracking is more useful than a deep bend held with a collapsing knee. Feet hip-width often feels better than feet together.
• Shoulder limitation or overhead pain. Goal-post arms, hands wider than shoulders, or hands at heart center. Nothing about the leg work requires the arms overhead.
• Limited ankle dorsiflexion. A folded blanket or a low wedge under the heels. This is one of the fastest, most satisfying fixes in a yoga room — the trunk comes upright immediately.
• Low back discomfort. Come higher, and cue the lower belly in and up before the arms go overhead. Usually the arms are the culprit.
• Hypermobile students. Watch for the low back doing the work of the shoulders, and for a locked, hanging quality at the elbows. Cue muscular engagement before depth — hug the muscle to the bone, keep a soft elbow, and work at eighty to ninety percent of available range rather than the end of it. Hypermobile bodies tend to have poorer joint position sense, so she genuinely may not feel where the end of the range is.
• Pregnancy. Widen the stance for a stable base, reduce the depth, and skip the closed twist in revolved chair — take it open instead, with the hand reaching back rather than crossing the belly.
• Larger bodies. Feet hip-width or wider. The wall version is often more useful than the free-standing one, and there is no reason to treat it as a lesser expression.
• Perimenopause and beyond. Chair pose is load-bearing leg and hip work, which matters more as estrogen declines and bone and muscle loss accelerate. Longer warm-ups, and keep the strengthening in. This is not the season to take it out.

“She gives you options for how to get into a pose, and she commands the room in a very gentle way that you feel safe. She makes the room a place where you can practice in your own space and not worry about anyone else.” — Bridget Carroll, Rooted & Wild, Sedona

Benefits of Chair Pose

Chair pose builds lower-body and core strength, improves ankle and hip stability, and generates heat — those are its most defensible benefits. Specifically:

• Builds strength and stability in the lower body, including the hip flexors, quads, ankles, and calves
• Tones the muscles of the legs
• Strengthens the core muscles of the trunk
• Opens the chest and shoulders
• Loads the legs and hips in a weight-bearing way, which supports bone and muscle maintenance over time
• Creates heat, which is why it shows up early in vinyasa sequences
• Requires focus and balance, which is its own kind of practice

What tradition adds. Older and more traditional sources describe utkatasana as stimulating the heart, diaphragm, and abdominal organs, and associate it with the svadhisthana chakra and qualities of creativity and determination. These are worth knowing and worth teaching as tradition. They aren’t clinical claims, and it’s cleaner to say so — “in this tradition, this pose is associated with…” rather than “this pose stimulates your organs.”

Students trust a teacher who marks the difference between what’s measurable and what’s inherited. It costs nothing to be precise, and it buys a lot.

“I appreciated the pose modifications for beginners and for more advanced yogis.” — Stefanie D., Back to Nature, Oregon

Chair Pose FAQ

What does utkatasana mean? Utkatasana comes from the Sanskrit utkata, meaning fierce, powerful, proud, or intense, and asana, meaning seat or posture. A more literal translation is fierce pose or powerful pose. “Chair pose” is a modern English nickname based on the shape.

How do you pronounce utkatasana? Utkatasana is pronounced oot-kah-TAH-suh-nuh, with the emphasis on the third syllable.

Is chair pose the same as awkward pose? Yes and no. Awkward pose is the name used for utkatasana in the Bikram sequence, though the Bikram version is taught as a three-part series with different leg positions rather than the single standing shape used in vinyasa and ashtanga.

What muscles does chair pose work? Chair pose primarily works the quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, calves, and ankle stabilizers, with the deep core and spinal muscles working to keep the torso long. The shoulders and upper back work to hold the arms overhead.

Should your knees go past your toes in chair pose? A small amount of forward knee travel is generally fine in an unloaded pose. Research on squats found that physically blocking the knees from moving forward reduced knee torque but sharply increased load at the hips and low back. Knee tracking direction matters more than knee travel distance — a knee collapsing inward is the alignment worth correcting.

How long should you hold chair pose? Five breaths is standard in vinyasa and ashtanga sequences, which usually works out to roughly thirty seconds. For strength-building purposes, longer holds of forty-five seconds to a minute are useful, as long as the student can keep breathing and maintain knee tracking.

Is chair pose safe for bad knees? Chair pose can often be adapted for sensitive knees by reducing the depth of the bend, taking the feet hip-width apart, and making sure the knees track over the second toes rather than collapsing inward. Anyone with a diagnosed knee condition or ongoing pain should check with a physical therapist or physician.

What are the best variations of chair pose? Common chair pose variations include revolved chair with a twist, chair with the heels lifted, chair with the hands bound behind the hips, chair with a block between the inner thighs, palms touching overhead, half chair with the thighs closer to parallel, and chair practiced against a wall for extra support.

About the Author

Autumn Adams is the founder of Ambuja Yoga and an E-RYT 500, YACEP-certified teacher based in Bend, Oregon. She has been leading women’s yoga retreats since 2014 — 13 years, 40+ retreats, and 700+ women across Oregon, North Carolina, Sedona, Patagonia, Mallorca, Greece, and Thailand. She is the author of The Little Book of Mudra Meditations and the host of The Aligned Yogi Podcast, and her work has been featured in Insider, Shape, Zappos, and Asia Spa. More about Autumn →

Practice This in a Room Full of Women

Chair pose is a good one to keep working on at home. It’s a different thing entirely to practice it somewhere with no rush attached — outside, in a body that finally got some sleep, with women who are also figuring out what they want the next chapter to feel like.

That’s what Ambuja Yoga retreats are for. Small groups, real food, actual nature, and yoga that meets the body you brought.

See upcoming retreats →

Not ready for that yet? Get on the email list for teaching notes, practice breakdowns like this one, and first word when new retreat dates open.

The post How to Teach Chair Pose: Alignment, Teahing Cues, and Variations appeared first on Ambuja Yoga.

When I tell people I launched a yoga retreat business fresh out of teacher training — before I’d taught much of anything on my own — I usually get wide eyes and some version of “wait, what?” It’s an unconventional path. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

This is the story of how Ambuja Yoga started, the messy and beautiful parts both. If you’ve ever dreamed of leading retreats — or you’re just standing at the edge of some big leap in your own life — I hope it lights a spark.

In this post

• How did Ambuja Yoga start?
• How do you become a yoga retreat leader?
• What’s it really like to lead retreats?
• Why women come — and the ripple effect
• The real lesson: you can take the leap too
• FAQ

How did Ambuja Yoga start?

Ambuja Yoga started with a six-month honeymoon and a realization I couldn’t shake. My husband Steve and I had just gotten married, and we spent six months traveling all over Southeast Asia — trekking, dancing under the full moon, snorkeling, scuba diving, climbing mountain peaks, and practicing yoga in some genuinely incredible places. Somewhere in there, yoga became something more to me than the physical poses.

When we got back to Portland, Oregon, we were both ready to shake things up. So we packed up and moved to Bend — a place I’d visited as a kid but Steve had never really been. That first or second weekend in town, I met a woman named Jeannie who owned a yoga studio downtown. She had a teacher training starting in two weeks. I took a class, we talked, and before I knew it I was signed up. I didn’t overthink it. Something in me just said yes, now.

About halfway through that training, I had a deep, undeniable feeling that I was meant to teach — but not just in studios and gyms. I wanted to lead retreats. I wanted to create spaces where women could step away from the busyness of life and reconnect with themselves in beautiful places, the way I had on my honeymoon. So I launched Ambuja Yoga while I was still in my teacher training.

How do you become a yoga retreat leader?

There’s no single certification or permission slip that makes you a yoga retreat leader — you become one by actually leading a retreat. My path was to leap straight from teacher training into hosting my first one, a few months after I finished. Six women signed up. One was my mother, one was my aunt, one was a friend, and a couple came from the internet. It was small. But I did it — I dove in headfirst.

If you’re dreaming of this, here’s the honest version of what it takes: a solid yoga teaching foundation (get properly trained and certified), a place to gather people, a small group willing to say yes, and the willingness to begin before you feel fully ready. That’s it. The rest you learn by doing.

And it grows faster than you’d think when you’re doing something real. A few months after that first Oregon retreat, I led one in Nicaragua with ten or eleven women. The next summer, seventeen in Oregon. By my third year, thirty-six women signed up for Back to Nature — the year I had to add a second session, and the year I realized I couldn’t do it all alone and brought on Toni, who’s been with me ever since.

What’s it really like to lead retreats?

It’s deeply rewarding — and it is not always sunshine and rainbows. I say that plainly because the highlight reel isn’t the whole truth. Over the years I’ve had just about every curveball thrown my way: torrential downpours, scorpions falling onto people’s yoga mats mid-class, leading retreats all through COVID, leading retreats while pregnant with my son Atlas, and then bringing him along after he was born.

I’m not immune to the challenges every retreat leader faces — the logistics, the doubt, the constant learning. What’s changed is how I hold them. I’ve come to see the curveballs as invitations to pivot, to try something new, to get outside my comfort zone. Honestly, that willingness to do the hard things is where most of my growth has come from.

Dreaming of leading your own retreats one day? I’m putting together resources for women who want to do exactly that. Get on the email list and you’ll be the first to know when it’s ready — plus behind-the-scenes of how these retreats actually come together.

Why women come — and the ripple effect

Around my third or fourth year, I realized the women weren’t coming just for yoga. Yoga was the common denominator that brought us together, but they were after something more — connection with themselves and other women, rest, and the experience of being seen, witnessed, and accepted exactly as they are. That was the space I’d been building without fully naming it.

And here’s the part that still moves me. I get emails from past guests saying, remember that ceremony where I said I wanted to call in a certain thing? It happened. They named what they wanted out loud — and then they went home and did the work. They opened the boutique. They opened the yoga studio. They bought the land they’d pictured. The naming mattered because it pointed them; the aligned action is what made it real.

It goes beyond the women who attend, too. When a woman reconnects with her own strength and gifts, she carries that home — into a life that feels more connected, more joyful, more hers — and it ripples out. She inspires other women to take charge of their lives. She shows her kids what confident and compassionate looks like. Empowered women empower others. That ripple is the whole reason I do this.

The real lesson: you can take the leap too

More than a decade in, Ambuja Yoga is thriving — I lead more than ten retreats a year now, I get to travel doing work that lights me up, and I bring Atlas and sometimes Steve along. I’m living the life I pictured back in that teacher training, and it still feels surreal some days.

But the point of telling you all this isn’t the destination. It’s that the whole thing started with one unreasonable-seeming leap — launching a retreat business before anyone would have said I was ready. We’re all capable of a leap like that toward the thing we actually want. I see that for you, whether the leap is leading retreats or something only you know the shape of.

So here’s my question for you: what big leap are you taking this year?

If this stirred something up: the email list is where I share the behind-the-scenes and what I’m building next. If you want to come experience a retreat before you ever think about leading one, see where we’re headed. And if you’re staring down a big brave decision, Episode 3 on going all in is the one to read next.

About the author

Autumn Adams (E-RYT 500, YACEP) is the founder of Ambuja Yoga and host of The Aligned Yogi Podcast. She’s led women’s yoga retreats since 2014 — 40+ retreats and 700+ women across Oregon, Sedona, Patagonia, and beyond — after launching the business straight out of teacher training. Her work has been featured in Insider, Shape, Zappos, Asia Spa, and Bend Nest. She’s the author of The Little Book of Mudra Meditations and is mom to Atlas. Learn more about Autumn →

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you become a yoga retreat leader? You become a yoga retreat leader by actually leading a retreat — there’s no single license that grants the title. Most people start with a solid yoga teaching foundation and certification, a place to gather a small group, and the willingness to host their first retreat before they feel completely ready. Experience and confidence build from there.

Do you need to be an experienced yoga teacher to lead retreats? You need a genuine teaching foundation, but not decades of it. I led my first retreat a few months after finishing my teacher training. What matters most is that you’re properly trained and certified, comfortable holding a group, and honest about what you can and can’t offer yet.

How do you start a yoga retreat business? Start small and real: complete a reputable yoga teacher training, choose a location you can host in, and invite a small group to your first retreat. My first had six women, including my mom and my aunt. From there you learn the logistics — pricing, food, accommodations, and flow — by doing it and improving each time.

Can you make a living leading yoga retreats? It’s possible, but it usually builds over time rather than overnight. My first retreat had six guests; more than a decade later I lead over ten retreats a year. Sustainable income tends to come from consistency, repeat guests, and expanding thoughtfully — not from a single launch.

What’s the hardest part of leading retreats? The hardest part is everything the highlight reel doesn’t show — logistics, curveballs, and the doubt that creeps in. I’ve dealt with torrential downpours, scorpions on yoga mats, running retreats through COVID, and leading while pregnant. Learning to adapt and pivot is the real skill.

How many people usually come to a first retreat? A first retreat is often small, and that’s completely normal. Mine had six women, several of them family and friends. A small first group is a feature, not a failure — it lets you learn how to hold the experience well before you scale up.

Where does Ambuja Yoga lead retreats? Ambuja Yoga leads women’s retreats in Oregon, Sedona, Patagonia, and other destinations around the world. Offerings change year to year, so the current lineup and dates live on the retreats page.

How do you take a big leap toward a goal you’re dreaming of? Start before you feel ready, and shrink the first step instead of the dream. Big leaps rarely feel comfortable — the discomfort is usually a sign you’re at the edge of real growth. Naming what you want and taking one aligned action toward it is how most bold changes actually begin.

The post How to Become a Yoga Retreat Leader: My Real Story appeared first on Ambuja Yoga.

I’m so glad you’re here. If you’ve been on retreat with me, you know how much reverence I have for the natural world — and this yoga nidra script and practice grew straight out of that love.

Below is a complete yoga nidra script inspired by nature, co-written with fellow retreat leader Toni Larson, and inspired by one of our favorite retreat destinations. It runs about 20–25 minutes, follows the teachings of the Bihar School in India, and moves inward through the koshas — from annamaya (the physical) to anandamaya (bliss). It’s one of the scripts my yoga teacher training students learn, and it’s yours to practice with or to teach from.

This short yoga nidra script will take approximately 20-25 minutes and its format is inspired by the teachings of the Bihar School in India and it follows an inward journey through the koshas , from annamaya kosha to anandamaya kosha.

Yoga nidra has so many benefits… from relieving stress to improving sleep and accessing that bliss state, ananda. You can read more about the benefits of yoga nidra here.

Table of Contents

• What Is a Yoga Nidra Script?
• How Long Is This Script?
• Tips for Practicing and Teaching Yoga Nidra
• The Yoga Nidra Script
• How Do You Write Your Own Yoga Nidra Script?
• Frequently Asked Questions

What Is a Yoga Nidra Script?

A yoga nidra script is a written, spoken-word guide a teacher reads aloud to lead students into yoga nidra — a state of deep, conscious relaxation between waking and sleep. A good script moves through set stages: settling in, an intention (sankalpa), a rotation of awareness through the body, breath awareness, and often guided imagery.

This particular script is built around a journey into nature, and it can be used either as a personal practice or as a teaching tool (see the usage permissions at the end).

How Long Is This Script?

This yoga nidra script takes about 20–25 minutes to read at a calm, even pace. It’s on the shorter side as far as full nidra practices go — long enough to move through all the koshas, short enough to fit into a class, a morning, or a lunch break.

Want to practice along instead of read? Get the free printable script + audio download — yours to keep, offline, no ads, anytime.

Tips for Practicing and Teaching Yoga Nidra

A few things worth knowing before you begin, whether you’re practicing or guiding:

On your language and voice (for teachers): Keep your wording simple and precise. When you are reading your yoga nidra script, avoid too much inflection in your voice. Speak clearly, with an even volume and tempo. The stillness in your voice is part of what lets students drop in.

On sankalpa: Yoga nidra is fertile ground for working with a sankalpa — a heartfelt intention phrased as a positive “I am” statement. If one doesn’t come to mind, use “I am the witness.” Sometimes you discover your sankalpa was quietly there the whole time.

If you’re facilitating: Sit upright in a position you can stay still and comfortable in. If you’re distracted by discomfort, that restlessness carries into your students. Sit on a folded blanket, bolster or block. Wear comfortable pants. And have water handy.

If you’re practicing: Get genuinely comfortable. A pillow under your head and a bolster under your knees eases your lower back. Your body temperature drops during nidra, so drape a blanket over yourself and add cozy socks or a warm layer. The stiller you are, the deeper it goes.

Prefer to be guided? The full audio of this practice is below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5NIDZLw7N0u0026list=PL6X59cXieYTjQ2thxiwxB7yPJaJZthim3

The Yoga Nidra Script

Yoga Nidra Script Inspired by Nature — by Autumn Adams & Toni Larson

We will practice yoga nidra in Savasana, lying on your back. Please take a moment to make yourself as comfortable as possible. Use any props you have available to support your body.

Before we begin, bring into your mind’s eye your sankalpa, your “I am” statement. Repeat it quietly and internally to yourself three times. [PAUSE]

Preliminary Relaxation

As you settle into Savasana, bring your awareness to the spaces between your body and the earth beneath you. Invite your body to soften and rest. As you begin to surrender into relaxation, notice the spaces between your body and the earth beneath you becoming smaller and smaller. Your body relaxed, lying on the floor.

We will begin a rotation of awareness. All you have to do is allow your awareness to follow my voice as I guide you from point to point within your body.

Option 1 — Abbreviated Rotation of Awareness (when you’re short on time)

Right heel. Left heel. Right calf. Left calf. Right knee. Left knee. Right thigh. Left thigh. Right hip. Left hip. Both hips together. Lower back. Middle back. Upper back. Back of right hand. Back of left hand. Right wrist. Left wrist. Right forearm. Left forearm. Right elbow. Left elbow. Right upper arm. Left upper arm. Right shoulder. Left shoulder. Both shoulders together. Neck. Back of head. All points of contact with the earth. All points of contact with the earth. [PAUSE]

Option 2 — Long-Form Rotation of Awareness

Move your awareness to your mouth. Become aware of your tongue. Lower jaw. Lower row of teeth. Upper row of teeth. Gums. Upper lip. Lower lip. Space between your lips. Both cheeks. Right ear. Left ear. Forehead. Both temples. Top of the head. Back of the head. Tip of the nose. Right nostril. Left nostril. Right eyelid. Left eyelid. Right eye. Left eye. Right eyebrow. Left eyebrow. Space between the eyebrows. Now go to the right hand. The right hand thumb. Second finger. Third finger. Fourth finger. Little finger. Palm of the hand. Back of the hand. Wrist. Forearm. Elbow. Upper arm. Shoulder. Right armpit. Ribs. Waist. Hip. Right thigh. Knee. Calf. Ankle. Heel. Sole of the foot. Top of the foot. Right big toe. Second toe. Third toe. Fourth toe. Little toe. Go to the left hand. The left hand thumb. Second finger. Third finger. Fourth finger. Little finger. Palm of the hand. Back of the hand. Wrist. Forearm. Elbow. Upper arm. Shoulder. Left armpit. Ribs. Waist. Hip. Left thigh. Knee. Calf. Ankle. Heel. Sole of the foot. Top of the foot. Left big toe. Second toe. Third toe. Fourth toe. Little toe. Groin. Right buttock. Left buttock. Lower back. Mid-back. Upper back. Right shoulder blade. Left shoulder blade. Back of the neck. Back of the head. Right inner ear. Left inner ear. Roof of the mouth. Throat. Right collar bone. Left collar bone. Right chest. Left chest. Middle chest. Upper abdomen. Navel. Lower abdomen. Groin. Whole spine. The whole head. Right arm. Left arm. Both arms together. The whole right leg. The whole left leg. Both legs together. Whole front body. Whole back body. Be aware of the whole body. [PAUSE]

Breath Awareness

Now bring your awareness to your breath. Follow the gentle tide of your breath without altering it. Now, envision your breath as a golden light flowing up and down your spinal column. With your inhale, the golden light flows from the tailbone to the crown of the head. And with your exhale, it flows from the crown of the head back down to the tailbone. A cosmic tide of prana. Stay with your breath as it flows up and down your spinal column, golden, vibrant, radiant. [PAUSE]

Opposite Sensations

Now bring awareness to the sensation of heat. Your right leg warm. Your left leg warm. Both arms warm. Torso warm. The whole body becoming hot. [PAUSE]

All at once, your body becomes cold. Legs cold. Arms cold. Torso cold. The entire body cold. [PAUSE] Now let that go. [SHORT PAUSE]

Guided Imagery Journey

Imagine that you are standing outside in nature.
You feel your bare feet on the earth.
You’re standing in an open meadow surrounded by a lush forest.
You tip your face upward to feel the warmth of the sun.
Smell the wildflowers in the air.
In the distance you see a path leading into the forest.
You walk toward the path and step into the forest.
Once inside the forest, your eyes adjust to the shade of the trees.
The path continues in front of you and winds easily up the hillside.
Sunlight shines through the trees, birds sing in the distance.
You continue on the path as it climbs steadily uphill.
Near the top of the hill you see a small opening in the side of the mountain.
This opening is a cave.
You feel drawn to the cave and walk toward it.
Within the cave you see a single lit candle.
You realize you’ve stumbled into a sacred temple.
You sit down upon the earth.
A sense of calm washes over you; you feel at peace with all that is.
You need nothing from the outside world; you gaze into the candle flame.
You drop into deep meditation.
In the middle of the flame you see the purest golden seed, untouched by the flame.
On the surface of the seed, see your sankalpa inscribed.
Gaze into the flame once again. The seed is no longer in the flame.
The seed is now in your heart.
Repeat your sankalpa three times, quietly, internally, and with meaning. [PAUSE FOR FIVE MINUTES]

The practice of yoga nidra is now complete.

Gently guide your awareness back to your physical body, lying on the earth. Become aware of your breath. Your body slowly breathing in and out. Without opening your eyes, become aware of your surroundings. The earth beneath you. As your awareness comes back, invite your breath to deepen. When you feel ready, stretch your arms long overhead, extend your legs long, point your toes, and take a full-body stretch. Slowly roll over into the fetal position on your right side — a posture that resembles a newborn child or a fertile seed, a posture that symbolizes new beginnings. Take a moment here. When you’re ready, gently press up to a comfortable seat.

Practice Along (Audio)

So many of you asked for a recording, so here’s the full downloadable guided practice.

Keep it forever: Get the printable PDF + downloadable audio so you can practice offline, anytime — and teachers, so you can prep from the page.

How Do You Write Your Own Yoga Nidra Script?

To write a yoga nidra script, follow the traditional sequence: settle the body in Savasana, set a sankalpa, guide a rotation of awareness through the body, move to breath awareness, introduce pairs of opposite sensations, lead a guided visualization, return to the sankalpa, and gently bring awareness back. Keep your language simple and your pacing slow. And make sure to give your students silence and space throughout the practice.

That structure is exactly what we teach, step by step, in the yoga nidra module of my teacher training — including how to find your voice as a facilitator and write scripts that land. If guiding nidra is something you want to do well, the teacher training goes deep here.

For Practitioners: Experience This in Person

Reading a script is one thing. Being guided through nidra in a quiet room, after a day outside with no agenda, is another entirely. That’s the kind of rest we make space for on retreat. See upcoming retreats →

For Teachers: Learn to Hold This Space

If you felt something reading this — imagine guiding it. Whether you want to deepen your own practice or learn to teach nidra and lead retreats of your own, my teacher training and facilitator mentorship are where that begins.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a yoga nidra script? A yoga nidra script is a written guide a teacher reads aloud to lead students into yoga nidra, a state of deep conscious relaxation. It typically moves through settling in, setting an intention, a body scan, breath awareness, and guided imagery.

What should I do if my students fall asleep during yoga nidra? My yoga nidra training is in the Bihar lineage, a style that explicitly asks students to remain awake. However, we don’t need to police our students’ sleep during yoga nidra, so I mention it and let it go. Learn more about sleep during yoga nidra and why it might not be such a bad thing after all.

How long should a yoga nidra script be? Yoga nidra scripts usually run anywhere from 10 to 45 minutes. This one is about 20 to 25 minutes, which is long enough to move through all the koshas and short enough to fit into a class or a busy day.

How do you write a yoga nidra script? Follow the traditional sequence: settle the body, set a sankalpa, guide a rotation of awareness through the body, move to breath awareness, introduce opposite sensations, lead a guided visualization, return to the sankalpa, and gently bring awareness back. Keep the language simple and the pace slow.

What is a sankalpa? A sankalpa is a heartfelt intention or resolve, phrased as a short positive “I am” statement. In yoga nidra, you plant it at the beginning and return to it at the end. If one does not come to mind, “I am the witness” is a gentle place to start.

What are the koshas? The koshas are five layers or sheaths of being in yogic philosophy, moving from the physical body (annamaya) inward to the bliss body (anandamaya). This script guides awareness gradually inward through these layers.

Is yoga nidra the same as meditation? Not quite. Meditation is usually practiced seated and awake, while yoga nidra is practiced lying down and guides you into a state between waking and sleep. Both calm the nervous system, but yoga nidra is specifically a practice of deep, conscious rest.

Do I need experience to practice yoga nidra? No. Yoga nidra is one of the most accessible practices there is. You lie down, get comfortable, and follow the voice. There is nothing to do correctly and no experience required.

Can I use this yoga nidra script to teach my own class? Yes, for live in-person classes only, with attribution, under the permissions below. You may not reproduce or distribute the script in any other form without written permission.

New to nidra? Read more on the benefits of yoga nidra.

Usage & Permissions

This script is copyrighted Ambuja Yoga © 2019, all rights reserved. You may use this script to guide live, in-person classes or events only. Descriptions and advertising for any live in-person class using this script in whole or in part must include one of the following attributions: script ©Ambuja Yoga used by permission, or modified from script ©Ambuja Yoga used by permission.

This use does not convey the right to borrow from this script or to reproduce it in any way. No part of this script may be reproduced, distributed, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means — including photocopying, digital copying, print, audio or video recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods — without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

About the Author

Autumn Adams (E-RYT 500, YACEP) is the founder of Ambuja Yoga and has spent 13 years guiding women through yoga, nature, and deep rest across Oregon, North Carolina, and abroad. She’s the author of The Little Book of Mudra Meditations and teaches yoga nidra as part of her teacher trainings. This script was co-written with retreat leader Toni Larson. Meet Autumn →

Other Resources for Yoga Nidra

• Book: Yoga Nidra by Swami Satyananda Saraswati
• Book: Yoga Nidra: A Meditative Practice for Deep Relaxation and Healing by Richard Miller
• Book: Yoga Nidra: The Art of Transformational Sleep by Kamini Desai (this one is really good on Audible )

The post Yoga Nidra Script Inspired by Nature (Free PDF + Audio) appeared first on Ambuja Yoga.

Many yoga students type “how to know if I’m ready for yoga teacher training” into Google right around the time their practice begins to mature — but they’re not sure what the next step actually is.

If that’s you, here’s the honest answer — and it’s probably not the one you came looking for.

You don’t find out you’re ready. You decide you’re ready. Yes, I said it.

Readiness has nothing to do with flexibility, headstands, or feeling certain. It isn’t a threshold you cross or a checklist you finish. It’s a choice. The signs below won’t make you ready — nothing will. What they’ll tell you is that the pull is real and worth trusting. Becoming ready is the moment you stop waiting to feel it and choose to begin.

Most women enroll in a 200-hour training not because they want a new career, but because they want depth. They want to know why the practice works, not just move through it. Not more poses — more understanding.

So here’s what that pull tends to look like — and why, in the end, the deciding is yours.

What It Means to Be Ready for Yoga Teacher Training

Being ready for yoga teacher training is less about meeting a checklist and more about a decision. Yes, it helps to have an established practice and a genuine desire to understand yoga beyond the postures. But those things don’t make you ready — they just mean the pull is real. You become ready when you choose to begin rather than wait to feel certain.

Most reputable 200-hour programs recommend at least six to twelve months of consistent personal practice before you enroll.

Here’s what that pull usually looks like:

• You keep a consistent personal practice, even when life is busy.
• You’re curious about anatomy, philosophy, sequencing, and how teaching actually works.
• You want deeper understanding — not harder poses.
• Your growth edge has shifted; it feels more internal and intellectual than physical.
• You’re curious about teaching, even if you’re unsure you’ll ever make it a career.

None of these make you ready. They just mean the question is alive in you — and that’s worth listening to. Readiness isn’t mastery, and it isn’t certainty. It’s commitment: the decision to begin.

The 5-Part Readiness Framework

After more than a decade of teaching and guiding women into deeper study, I’ve noticed the pull toward training tends to show up the same way. These aren’t five gates you pass through to become ready. They’re five signs the desire is real. Readiness still comes down to a choice — but if you recognize yourself here, that choice is closer than you think.

1. Practice Consistency

You’ve kept a steady practice for at least six months. You understand foundational alignment in the body, and you can steady your breath. Consistency matters far more than intensity here — a calm, regular practice tells you more about readiness than an ambitious one.

2. Intellectual Curiosity

You’ve started wanting to know why. Why a sequence works the way it does. Why some cues land and others don’t. How biomechanics keep a body safe. What trauma-sensitive teaching really means. How the nervous system responds to different pacing. How women’s bodies change across life stages.

When the questions start multiplying, the training becomes relevant.

3. Discernment

You notice the subtleties in a class now — the pacing, the breath, the clarity of a cue, the way a sequence feels in your body, the shift in the room. This isn’t criticism or judgment. It’s your perception growing sharper, and it’s often the first real sign the pull toward studying the craft itself has arrived.

4. Sustainable Motivation

You’re not driven by urgency, comparison, or something you saw on Instagram. You’re drawn by something steadier — a real wish to understand the practice and where it lives in your life. That’s a reason that lasts the whole way through, not just the first week.

5. Integration

The deepest pull of all: your growth edge moves from intensity to integration. You want your knowledge, your intuition, and your lived experience to line up. You want to deepen your practice inside your real life — not escape it — and to live yoga both on and off the mat.

This is exactly where a training that unfolds over time, rather than in one condensed burst, tends to serve women best.

Do You Need to Want to Teach to Be Ready?

No.

Plenty of women take a 200-hour training with no intention of ever leading a public class. They come to understand anatomy in context, to study philosophy properly, to learn trauma-sensitive and nervous-system-aware approaches, to sharpen how they communicate, and to weave yoga more fully into daily life.

Some go on to teach. Many never do. Both leave with a more refined, grounded practice — and both are glad they came.

When Is the Right Time to Start?

There is no right time that announces itself. There’s only the moment you decide. It won’t be when you feel fearless or finally certain — that moment isn’t coming. It’ll be when your curiosity outweighs your hesitation, when you want context more than choreography, and when you’re willing to commit to consistent study inside your real life.

If you’re waiting to feel one hundred percent confident, you’ll wait forever. Confidence isn’t a prerequisite. It’s something the training gives you, not something you bring to it.

I waited seven or eight years before enrolling in my own teacher training — not because I wasn’t ready, but because I thought readiness meant certainty. It doesn’t. Readiness was never a feeling I was waiting to arrive. It was a decision I finally made. The day I stopped waiting to feel ready and simply chose, I was ready. That’s how it works for everyone.

Choosing the Right Format

If you’re weighing whether you’re ready, the shape of the training matters as much as the timing.

Not all 200-hour trainings are built the same. Some are condensed into a few intense weeks. Others — like hybrid, women-centered programs — are designed to unfold over time, so the learning has room to land. A format that respects your real life lets you:

• Balance the training with work and family
• Study anatomy and philosophy in depth, not in a rush
• Practice teaching and actually get feedback
• Complete in-person immersions for hands-on, embodied learning
• Absorb what you’re learning gradually, instead of cramming it

If sustainability and real integration matter to you, structure matters.

What Inner Alchemy Actually Involves

Inner Alchemy is a hybrid, women-centered 200-hour yoga teacher training built for women fitting deeper study into a full life. Here’s the shape of it:

• Format: TWO in-person immersions + live weekly learning + expert workshops, accountability + an additional 6 months of mentorship once you’ve graduated.
• Immersion: November 2026 in Bend, OR + Nicaragua in May 2027
• Timeline: 200 hours over 7 months
• Cohort size: maximum of 15 students
• What you study: anatomy, philosophy, sequencing, trauma-sensitive and nervous-system-aware teaching, women’s physiology across life stages, and supported teaching practice with feedback
• Certification: Alliance RYS 200 — graduates can register as an RYT 200
• Tuition: $5497 with payment plans from as little as $250/month
• Who teaches: Autumn Adams, E-RYT 500, YACEP & Toni Larson, E-RYT 500, YACEP

If you’re reading this and quietly nodding, pay attention to your inner voice, your intuition. Inner Alchemy was built for exactly this woman — the one who wants depth, not a new line on a résumé. See the next cohort →

Signs You’re Ready — A Quick Recap

You may be ready if:

• You practice consistently
• You crave deeper understanding
• You’re open to feedback
• You’re curious about teaching, even quietly
• You want integration over intensity

If that resonates, you’re likely more ready than you’ve let yourself believe. The signs aren’t a gate to wait at — they’re just the pull, telling you the desire is real. They’ll never add up to certainty, because certainty isn’t how this works. Readiness is the choice to begin. You won’t feel one hundred percent sure. Choose anyway.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if I’m ready for yoga teacher training? Readiness for yoga teacher training is ultimately a choice, not a feeling you wait for. The signs — a consistent practice, real curiosity, a desire for depth — tell you the pull is real, but you become ready the moment you decide to begin rather than wait to feel certain.

Do you need to be advanced to start yoga teacher training? No. Most reputable 200-hour programs ask only for a consistent personal practice, not advanced postures. Some of the best teachers never teach a single advanced pose — what matters is understanding and clear communication, not flexibility.

Is yoga teacher training worth it if I don’t want to teach? Yes. Many students enroll to deepen their knowledge, anatomy, and practice rather than to pursue a teaching career. You leave with a more refined practice and a fuller understanding of yoga whether or not you ever lead a class.

How long should you practice before doing yoga teacher training? Most reputable 200-hour trainings recommend at least six to twelve months of consistent personal practice before enrolling. Consistency matters far more than intensity or how many years you’ve practiced.

How much does a 200-hour yoga teacher training cost, and how long does it take? [Add your real tuition range, payment-plan options, total duration, and the split between online study and in-person immersion. A hybrid format spreads study over several months so you can train without pausing your life.]

Can I do yoga teacher training while working full-time or raising a family? Yes. That’s exactly what hybrid, women-centered trainings are designed for. By spreading the hours over time and combining online study with shorter in-person immersions, you can train without putting your life on hold.

What’s the difference between an intensive and a hybrid yoga teacher training? An intensive condenses all 200 hours into a few consecutive weeks, while a hybrid spreads them over time with online study plus in-person immersions. Hybrid formats prioritize integration — letting you absorb and apply what you learn inside your real life.

Is the training Yoga Alliance certified? [Confirm and state it plainly — e.g. “Yes, Inner Alchemy is a Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga School (RYS 200), so on completion you can register as an RYT 200.”] Yoga Alliance registration is the standard credential to look for in any 200-hour program.

Ready to explore the next step?

If your practice has been quietly asking for more, the Inner Alchemy 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training was built for you — women-centered, hybrid, and designed to deepen your practice inside your real life. See the next cohort and what’s included →

Or sit with it a little longer. Just know the noticing never turns into certainty — at some point you simply choose. And when you do, you’ll be ready.

A FREE CLARITY PRACTICE

You won’t find readiness. You’ll decide it. Before You Begin is a short practice that helps you tell the difference between not being ready — and not yet choosing. Twenty quiet minutes, a pen, and an honest look.

Stay close to your practice. A weekly note from me — grounded practices, honest reflections, and the occasional nudge toward your next step. No spam, ever. Unsubscribe anytime.

The post How to Know If You’re Ready for Yoga Teacher Training appeared first on Ambuja Yoga.

You can take the course wherever you are and from any device

One of the biggest and maybe most obvious benefits of online yoga teacher training is that they are flexible. You don’t have to give up all of your evenings, weekends, or a month of your life and you’ll still have time to spend with your friends and family. If you’re lucky, you might even be able to convince them to be your yoga student “guinea pigs”.

You can take your course from wherever you are AND from any device… as long as you have an internet or phone connection. If you know you’ll be without internet on your upcoming vacation, and you don’t want to fall behind, you can download any videos you may need and you can call into weekly calls via phone.

Course material hosted online

All your course material is hosted on the web and you can access it anywhere. Yep! No need to lug around tons of books, which means you can keep up with coursework while lounging in a hammock, relaxing on the beach, or cuddled up in your favorite reading nook or cafe.

And finally, you can work at your own pace. Some weeks are simply busier than others and that’s okay. There is no reason to feel shame, guilt, or overwhelm when your attention is needed elsewhere. Study when you have the time. Practice when you have the time. And then touch base weekly with your instructor and peers on live calls and your accountability buddy by text, email, or whatever works best for the two of you.

Online support and accountability

You’ll receive support and feedback on your teaching from your instructor and peers. You’ll learn tips and tricks to refine your teaching skills. You’ll have an opportunity to ask questions and get answers from peers, teachers, and TAs. Weekly calls help you stay on track, while accountability buddies help you with the little daily tasks that keep you moving forward. One-to-one support, mentoring, and coaching is so incredibly helpful. If your training offers one-to-one support I highly encourage you to take advantage of it. And make sure to be prepared with questions and concerns for each of these meetings.

Learning anything new and making life changes is easier in a group, it’s scientifically proven. A great online yoga teacher training will help you hold yourself accountable. Group calls and accountability buddies make it so much easier to stay on pace. If you’re like me, you’ve probably signed up for a fully go-at-your-own-pace course on Udemy or Coursera, you watch the first video or two and then life happens and you never pick up the course again. That’s my M.O. So many courses have gone to the online course graveyard! So that’s why I think it’s so important to include the group work with the independent study. You get a good balance of learning on your own, connecting with peers, and yes, accountability.

Learning that works for YOU

One thing that I love about online yoga teacher training is that it is so flexible and students are empowered to make the course work for them. For myself, I know that I am super productive in the morning or late at night after the rest of the house has gone to bed. These are typically good times for me to create class plans or writing assignments because I’m distraction-free. By late afternoon, I’m usually lower energy and I’m quite happy to sit on my butt, watch a video, and take notes. I modify my schedule and activities to fit my energy levels.

I also love that there is no rush to finish the online content and complete the course… this will be different for each course. I give my students 18 months to complete their 200-hour course material, however, I do encourage them to complete their coursework shortly after the online courses are over, simply so they don’t lose momentum! 

Online yoga teacher training benefits include the much important time for assimilation and integration

Each week another topic and another group of poses is introduced and then you have a week to explore, integrate, and apply what you’ve learned. Access to the course material is available to you even after the course is complete. It’s awesome to not feel rushed! I did my 300-hour yoga teacher training as an intensive course and let me tell you, it was intense! So much information, piled on so much information… I really struggled to retain it all!

Every student is different and some do great in an intensive environment, while others thrive in an environment where they have a bit more time to integrate all the information, ask questions and apply what they’re learning. One benefit of online yoga teacher training is that you really have the time and space to live what you’re learning and integrate the yoga philosophy into all areas of your life… your real everyday life.

Some students learn great through reading, some through listening, some are more visual, some require a more tactile experience, and some thrive in groups or solo study. A great training will accommodate multiple different learning styles. Let’s be honest, none of us want to sit on our butts and watch lecture videos all day long! (okay, well maybe some do)

Progress check-in

Quizzes can be super helpful when you need or want to check your progress and they help bring our awareness to the topics that you need to spend a little more time exploring AND they show you your natural strengths! What have you learned and integrated well? What are you naturally drawn too? So much insight can be gained from these simple little quizzes.

A worldwide yoga community

One of the great things about doing an in-person training is the sense of community you have, sitting in circle and holding space for one another. Just because we’re online doesn’t mean we can’t connect and hold space for one another! Weekly calls, the private Facebook group, and small group projects can really help you connect with your fellow trainees. And when you’re traveling to California or Europe or wherever… you can meet up with fellow trainees, take each other’s classes, go on a local hike, and share your favorite local restaurants.

Technology has improved so much!

Technology has improved so much in the past five or ten years and has really made online yoga teacher training a possibility, a viable and awesome possibility. With resources like Zoom, Thinkific, Facebook groups, Google drive and all the other resources out there, we’re able to connect and learn in a new and fun way. Literally, you can do your online yoga teacher training from your Iphone!

You can still learn how to teach to different bodies in an online setting. You can still learn how to “read” bodies and energy in an online setting. You can still learn to weave yoga philosophy into your classes. You’ll still be an effective teacher and leader, so don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Our second to last benefit of online yoga teacher training: It’s AFFORDABLE!

Another benefit of online yoga teacher training is that it is typically more affordable than an in-person training because the teacher’s expenses are reduced and that savings gets passed on to you. All of the extra expenses that come with an in-person yoga teacher training are removed from the equation; expenses like travel, accommodation, and parking don’t apply anymore. Not only that, but you don’t have to give up your job for three weeks and lose out on income! You don’t have to hire a nanny to watch the kiddos or pay a dog sitter to watch your pooch.

And finally, it’s good for the earth

Yep! If you follow us on Instagram, you know that we love getting outside as much as we love practicing yoga. We love this life-giving planet so much, which is why we LOVE how eco-friendly online yoga teacher training is. No driving! No flying! No need to order take-out or eat pre-packaged food because you only have an hour for lunch. No need to order a huge stack of books because most of them are available on kindle or used. You can even keep your manual as a digital copy instead of printing it!

You can train exactly where you are. Listen to calls while hiking on a local trail or watch a YTT video while you make dinner. It’s awesome! Let’s keep this planet beautiful for generations to come. We’re practicing the yogic principle of ahimsa, or non-harming, by taking our training online.

Whether you choose to train online or in-person, it’s important to make sure the course is right for you! It doesn’t really matter what other people think. Take time to get quiet and clear about what is important to you. Then do your research and find the course that fits your needs. If you’re wondering if training online is worth it, check out this blog post. If you’re not sure what course you should take, check out this blog post that is packed full of questions to ask the instructor(s) before handing over your hard-earned cash. Reach out if you need help! I’m always happy to answer your questions. Did I miss any benefits of online yoga teacher training? Please share in the comments below. <3

Love and Light,

Autumn

The post Top 7 Benefits of Online Yoga Teacher Training appeared first on Ambuja Yoga.

Deciding to do any yoga teacher training, whether it’s in person or online is not only life-changing, it’s a huge time commitment. These days, most yoga trainings are a minimum of 200 hours, either packed into a couple of weeks or spread out over multiple weekends. I’ve taught both intensive and weekend format teacher trainings and now I’m branching into the online world. (Read about why I’m so passionate about this here). To be honest, all of the formats have a fair number of pros and cons. The most important thing when deciding on your YTT is finding a teacher, schedule and price point that works for you. Your 200 hour yoga teacher training just scratches the surface. You’ll be so hungry to learn more, I know I was, and my 200 hour training was fantastic!

Get to Know The Instructor

So is an online YTT worth it? Well, that depends. As with any yoga teacher trainings, or other large purchase, I recommend doing your research. I would hate for you to invest in a YTT (any YTT) and have it basically be a “lemon”. Check out the teacher(s), read their reviews and chat with them on the phone. Who did they train with? What are they passionate about? Is there training more “magical” or rooted in modern science? I would highly recommend speaking to one of their former students. I know that I would happily connect a future YTT student with a former student because honestly, I want to make sure that the students that join my yoga teacher trainings are a good fit.

I think scheduling and flexibility is a huge perk to participating in an online training. A good online training will provide live calls, one on one coaching, and community building activities in addition to their online resources. You don’t want to sign up for a training that is just a series of pre-recorded videos. Interaction, feedback, and discussion on online calls and in closed forums are invaluable. Check the call times and figure out exactly how many you need to attend to get your certificate. If you need to miss a call, are live calls recorded and available for you to watch? While we’re on the topic of schedules, I would also recommend that you find out if there is a deadline to send in your course assignments. Personally, I like deadlines because they hold me accountable, without them it could take me years to send in that final assignment. So, know if you do better with or without them.

Get A Sneak Peek

If possible, ask the instructor if you can see some of the material. Is it presented well? Is it professional? Or does it look like it was slapped together in Word. Ask to see a chapter of the manual, a module, a workbook page, or video — whatever you’re comfortable asking to see or are most concerned about. The more you know about the course, the more you will know what to expect AND you’ll know if it’s actually a good fit for you.

Unlimited Access to Materials

There were so many powerful, engaging lectures and discussions from my early trainings that I wish I had recorded copies of them, just so I could go back and review the material or sink deeper into the knowledge and wisdom provided to me. Another benefit of joining my online yoga teacher training is that all of our calls are recorded and available for you to view, review, fast-forward, rewind and rewatch.

Online Yoga Teacher Training Fits Your Already Busy Life

One of the beauties of online yoga teacher training is that you can show up exactly as you are… sweat pants, crazy hair, toddlers hanging off your hip. You can hop onto your calls from home, the beach, or a cafe. You can listen to your video lectures on your morning commute, while you’re making dinner, or after the kids are in bed. Training to become a yoga teacher online fits into your daily life… no need to add commute times, no need to hire a babysitter, no need to take copious amounts of time off of work.

In my experience, a well thought out online yoga teacher training or online workshop is totally worth it. They provide flexibility, community, and access to the materials anytime you want them. I recently brainstormed the many benefits of online yoga teacher training and put seven of them into a blog post. Check it out.

In the not too distant past, training to become a yoga teacher online was looked at as being “less than” training in person, but I’m here to change that. I’ve been pouring my heart, sweat, and tears into this project. And it’s ready to share. Registration is open for the our next YTT.

The post Is Online Yoga Teacher Training Worth It? appeared first on Ambuja Yoga.

I recently moved to Santa Barbara, CA and have started teaching at some studios in the area. YAY! It feels great to be back in the studio teaching again… but I have to laugh because I feel like I’m starting over from scratch. Teaching in a new space, especially after a break from teaching tends to throw me off… even though I have been teaching for what feels like a bazillion years. So I thought I would share my go-to practices for recentering. There are a handful of tips for new yoga teachers I would love to share, but today I will focus on tackling just this one issue. Here are my favorite ways to teach a great class after I’ve lost my focus or center.

Erik Brolin @ Unsplash

New Yoga Teacher Tip #1: What to do when you’re anxious before teaching your yoga class.

Joe Gardner @ Unsplash

As a new yoga teacher, you could be anxious for a ton of different reasons. Maybe it’s your first class in a new space, maybe it’s your demo class or the studio owner is taking your class or a million other reasons… and that’s okay. We all get anxious sometimes. New yoga teacher tip #1 for centering when you’re anxious: DON’T start your yoga class with everyone sitting or standing there looking at you. Invite them into child’s pose or down into supta baddha konasana or even just to close their eyes. With their eyes off of you, start guiding them through some three-part belly breath (deerga swasaam) or alternate nostril breathing (nadi shodhana). And do it yourself. A few minutes of either of these pranayama exercises will get you and your students grounded and centered for class.

New Yoga Teacher Tip #2: What to do when your music stops working randomly.

Okay, this honestly happened to me this morning. On a system that I don’t know how to troubleshoot (yet). Sigh. New yoga teacher tip #2: have your students hold a pose like downward facing dog, child’s pose, or forward fold while you troubleshoot your music. If possible, keep teaching the breath and they won’t even notice, or they’ll at least think it was part of the plan.

• Check your auxiliary cord and make sure the connection is secure.
• Check the settings on your sound system.
• Check your bluetooth (sometimes if another teacher has their phone in the same room and it also connects to the same sound system then it can override your connection… *sometimes*)
• If none of the above work… restart your phone. And try again.
• If that doesn’t work, roll with no music.

This morning my Spotify account was being buggy. The songs would play for ten seconds and quit. Not so cool, but restarting my phone did the trick.

Keep teaching the breath. If you need to ground, join your class for a downward facing dog or a partial sun salutation.

New Yoga Teacher Tip #3: What to do when you forget the sequence on one side.

rawpixel @ unsplash

Oops! You’ve linked together too many poses and can’t remember the other side!!! Eek! Okay, but seriously don’t freak out about this one. Once again, have them hold a pose for a few breaths while you try to remember… and if you can’t? New yoga teacher tip #3: OWN IT! You’re human, it happens. Ask your students! Laugh it off! Thank them! What would you do without them? Also, your students are your best teachers, often times they will go into the next pose without you even teaching it… a blessing in disguise!

That being said, if this happens a lot… you need to create shorter sequences or spend more time prepping for your classes. If it happens once in a blue moon, it will endear you to your students. If it happens every other class, it will drive them nuts.

New Yoga Teacher Tip #4: What to do when you fall out of a demo.

Autumn Adams @ Ambuja Yoga

You might not be teaching advanced asana when you’re a brand new teacher, but also you might be and if you are, there is a good chance that one of these days you’ll fall out of an asana… perhaps you’ll fall on your bum or perhaps you’ll fall on your face. Real world advice: this is a great teaching moment. It teaches your students that it’s okay to fall. It’s okay to not be perfect. And you better get up and try again. Laugh it off. Keep it light. Smile. Have fun. And keep going.

I was teaching a private yoga teacher training for a student and we were taking a class together and practicing side-by-side and we were transitioning from eka pada koundinyasana up to chin stand and I hadn’t done it in a while and I used WAY too much force to lift up and I ended up skidding across the floor on my chin. It hurt, but I was fine and we had a good laugh. And my student now uses it as a teaching story in his own community.

New Yoga Teacher Tip #5: What to do when someone walks out of your yoga class.

Mitchell Griest @ Unsplash

Whatever you do, don’t take it personally when someone walks out of your class. It will happen eventually. Yes, it throws you off. Yes, it makes you doubt yourself. Yes, it makes you want to run after them and make sure everything is okay. Consider that a good thing because it shows that you care. You want people to enjoy your class. I get that. New yoga teacher tip #5: people leave classes for all kinds of reasons… smells, temperature, they don’t feel well, the level of the class, the music… honestly it is rarely because of something you’ve done. Personally, I like to let the yoga studio owner know… and that’s just so they can follow up with them if they want to. Keep going. When you’re distracted by your student leaving you might want to make your next sequence simpler, likely you will not be present as you were before they walked out. Get yourself grounded again… teach the breath, get everyone into a grounding pose, join your class for a pose or two. Give a simple *feel good* assist and move on.

New Yoga Teacher Tip #6: What to do when someone does their own flow.

Okay, I’m not going to lie, this is a HUGE pet peeve of mine. It is so distracting! Not only is it distracting, but if you’re not careful you can get sucked into questioning your teaching ability… is my sequencing good enough? Is my pacing okay? Etc. Etc. Etc. New yoga teacher tip #6: Don’t go down the rabbit hole! If they’re doing mostly the same sequence and modifying to make it more challenging or more accessible let them be (this doesn’t bother me at all). If they’re doing warrior 2 to reverse warrior and the rest of the class is doing a crescent lunge sequence it’s going to be obvious and distracting. If you’re up for it, you can bring the class down into child’s pose/down dog and quietly check in with the student… they could have an injury or something else going on. If you’re not confident enough to address the issue right away, check in after class. If you do check in with them, make sure it is from a place of care not from a place of ego, doubt, anger, frustration, etc. And be prepared for any kind of answer.

Remember that it is their practice and it might be the only chance they have all week to get on their mat. Maybe ask them to set their yoga mat up toward the back of the room the next time they come in, simply so they aren’t distracting the other students. For me personally, I partially ignore these people. I will still have an eye on them, but my main priority is going to be keeping the students that are participating safe and engaged.

New Yoga Teacher Tip #7: What to do when you’re hungry/hangry.

Erol Ahmed @ Unsplash

Oh boy, this definitely happens. You accidentally skip a meal and now you’re irritable, light-headed, spacey. New yoga teacher tip #7. Keep a snack in your bag… something simple like a bar or a handful of almonds and eat it before class starts. If you don’t have a snack available, make some tea. If you don’t have tea available, drink lots of water. Also, do yourself a favor and keep your sequencing simple. Teach your go-to sequence. Maybe don’t demo your forward folds… you might get light headed when you stand up to tadasana.

And Finally My Last Tip: What to do when you’re exhausted.

Christin Hume @ Unsplash

Keep it simple. Simple sequence. Simple theme (or just use the breath as your theme). Personally, when I’m tired and I have to teach I get inverted! A couple of handstands at the wall will usually give me the little boost I need. And if I don’t have time for a short inversion practice I will center class using pran mudra… it’s a mudra for vitality and reducing fatigue. Another favorite is shaking… it sounds weird, but it really helps. I will shake my right hand/arm above my head for a count of seven, followed by my left hand followed by my right leg followed by my left leg. Then I repeat the sequence from six and then five… all the way down to one! You can even do this with your class if the energy is low.

When things don’t go as planned, go back to the basics. Keep it simple. Recite a grounding mantra or hold a mudra for a few moments. Snag a copy of The Little Book of Mudra Meditations to learn more about mudras. Keep a couple of your favorite essential oils in your bag so they’re there when you need them. Try to come up with a pre-class ritual that helps you ground and center. Follow these tips and you will be able to handle anything that comes your way with grace and ease!

Do you have a favorite tip for new yoga teachers that you would like to share? Comment below!

Much love,

Autumn

The post What I Wish I Knew as a New Yoga Teacher: New Yoga Teacher Tips & Advice appeared first on Ambuja Yoga.