Creating a Yogic Lifestyle: A Foundation for Aspiring Yoga Teachers

If you're preparing to become a yoga teacher, or even considering it, your journey starts long before you stand in front of a class. The most impactful teachers are those who live their yoga, both on and off the mat.

A yogic lifestyle is about embodying the values, discipline, and awareness that you’ll one day share with students. In this post, we’ll explore how you can start living more yogically as you step into the path of teaching.

What Is a Yogic Lifestyle?

A yogic lifestyle involves aligning your daily choices with the philosophy and principles of yoga. It’s about creating harmony in your mind, body, and environment, and building inner clarity that naturally radiates into your teaching.

This doesn't require perfection or spiritual extremes, it’s about

that supports your evolution as a practitioner and future teacher.

1. Live the Yamas & Niyamas

Before you learn how to sequence a class or cue poses, it's essential to understand the ethical foundation of yoga: the Yamas and Niyamas.

These are your first teachers. They guide how you treat yourself and others, and they shape the integrity behind your voice as a future instructor.

Yamas (Ethical Disciplines):

• Ahimsa (Non-violence): Speak with kindness, including your self-talk.

• Satya (Truth): Teach and live with authenticity.

• Asteya (Non-stealing): Honour others’ time, energy, and knowledge.

• Brahmacharya (Moderation): Conserve your energy and stay balanced.

• Aparigraha (Non-attachment): Let go of outcomes and comparison.

Niyamas (Self-Discipline):

• Shaucha (Purity): Keep your mind, body, and space clear.

• Santosha (Contentment): Teach from a place of acceptance, not ego.

• Tapas (Discipline): Show up consistently, even when it's hard.

• Svadhyaya (Self-study): Study texts, your habits, and your reactions.

• Ishvarapranidhana (Surrender): Trust the path you're on.

As a future teacher, these principles won’t just support your life, they’ll become the essence of your teaching.

2. Eat and Live with Awareness

Nourishment goes far beyond food. As a teacher-in-training, it’s important to notice what you’re feeding your body and mind, because your energy will eventually hold space for others.

Suggestions for Daily Living:

• Choose sattvic foods, fresh, plant-based, and light, to support clarity.

• Eat mindfully and without distractions.

• Be aware of your media consumption, what you watch, read, and scroll shapes your inner state.

• Prioritise rest and movement in balanced ways.

You don’t need to be rigid, just intentional. Students don’t need “perfect” teachers; they need present ones.

3. Build Meaningful Daily Rituals

Establishing consistent habits now will ground you through your teacher training and beyond. These rituals become your anchor as you learn, grow, and eventually guide others.

Daily Practices to Cultivate:

• Morning meditation or pranayama to centre yourself.

• Journaling or intention-setting to track your inner journey.

• Evening reflection or gentle movement to release the day.

• Digital boundaries to preserve your peace and focus.

Think of these not as obligations, but as daily acts of self-leadership. A steady inner practice will make you a steadier teacher.

4. Prioritise Inner Work

Asana is only one part of teaching yoga. The best teachers are those who do the inner work who know their triggers, tend to their nervous systems, and seek alignment over performance.

Key Practices:

• Meditation: Observe your thoughts and reactions without judgement.

• Self-inquiry: Ask what truly motivates you to teach.

• Journaling: Record insights, doubts, patterns, and shifts in your energy.

• Mentorship or community: Surround yourself with others walking the path.

When you embody the practice, not just teach it, your words carry weight and truth.

Final Thoughts for Aspiring Teachers

You don’t become a yoga teacher the moment you complete a training, you become one through how you live, how you listen, and how you show up every day.

The yogic lifestyle isn’t about doing more; it’s about doing with more awareness. Every conscious choice you make, from what you eat, to how you speak, to when you pause, builds the foundation of the teacher you’re becoming.

Ready to Begin Your Journey?

If you’re feeling called to deepen your practice or prepare for teacher training, get in touch to consider either the full 230hr accredited Yoga Teacher training qualification or the Meditation Teacher Training Programme, both offering the structure and the soul of yogic living.