Posted on March 10, 2026 11:14 am
I still remember the anxiety I experienced during my final yoga teacher training internship. To graduate, we each had to lead a 45-minute class that demonstrated various elements of what we had learned over the course of 200 hours—breathing, leading students into poses, covering the topic throughout the class, and building toward the climax pose. All without reservations.
I took diligent notes during the study. I was fascinated by the mechanics of the teaching, even keeping a journal in which I wrote down specific elements of each class that I took and loved, including language, sequencing, and transitions that felt particularly masterful. In my life off the mat, I’m used to giving presentations and leadership meetings, always with notes. So it’s no surprise that something in my brain resisted using them. Simply put, I do better with some written details.
I successfully guided my classroom practicum without notes. But later, I promised myself that when I became a real yoga teacher, I would develop my own rules for using notes.
For the past five years, I have taught each of my classes and kept my notebook handy. But sometimes I have to remind myself that the fact that my thoughts are written down and easily accessible doesn’t make me any less of a gifted teacher.
I relied on my notebook as a tool for working out the sequence before class and keeping track of what went well (or not) after class. A quick scan of my notebook shows hearts scribbled in the margins, playlist names that worked flawlessly, crossed out parts that didn’t fit as I intended, or “do this again” along the sequence. It has become a useful tool and time capsule for my classes.
The process of writing things down helps me stay focused, organized, and responsive to my students’ needs. And in talking to other teachers, I realized that I’m not the only one who relies on this approach. Using notes is not necessarily a sign of inexperience or a crutch that makes me or anyone else less of a teacher. It can be a practical teaching tool.
5 Reasons Why Yoga Teachers Use Notes
Notes are not always helpful. I once attended a yin class where the teacher spent the entire hour at the front of the room, lowering his eyes and reading from his notebook word for word. In this case, the use of notes definitely detracts from the student experience. The notes seemed rather to support his familiarity with the subject.
That class clarified something important for me. Maybe the question is not about the notes whether the yoga teacher uses their choice, however What kind of they use them. Looking back on my final internship, I can see why “no notes” didn’t matter. It was not about proving that we had memorized the sequence. It was about learning to be present, responsive, and as teachers with the subjects we learned.
However, my yoga sequence book has become a collection of aspects of the teaching that I have refined and learned over the years. This is what I and other teachers rely on.
1. Notes can help you feel prepared
Writing clears my mind. Taking a few moments at the beginning of the week to write down the sequences I want to teach helps me not only create, but remember the order of the poses. It also sets the arc of the class in my body and mind long before I enter the studio.
Even if I don’t have to stand in front of the class to look at my notes while I’m teaching, it feels more consistent when I’m done on paper.
2. Notes help you support students
Preparation is the obvious meaning. But it is not the same as strictness. Depending on the needs and energy of any particular class, I may deviate from my intended sequence by adding or removing a pose here and there. Having notes gives me a basic plan and a reasonable structure, but allows me to adapt creatively inside that framework.
Yoga teacher and studio owner Ashley McDougal relies on such an approach. He goes one step further by marking his reservation with the guarantee that his classes are available.
“When I don’t have a prepared sequence that predicts the peak pose, I find that my classes become a jumble of random movements that aren’t accessible to me,” explains McDougall.
When going through the sequence on paper before class, allow enough time to review and note where and how to include and change variations, alternate poses, or include props during class.
3. Notes can reduce your anxiety
Even after years of leading classes, I still get a little nervous. I know my stuff, but sometimes the unexpected can throw me off – a technical malfunction, a disruptive student, even a co-worker or friend dropping by unexpectedly can throw me off. Keeping mine close to the notebook acts as a safety net.
Even though I rarely need it, knowing it’s there and I can consult it when needed reduces my stress and helps me stay grounded and present to my students. And sometimes moments of forgetfulness make those memories inevitable.
“Having a notebook with me reduces my anxiety about those moments when I forget a sequence,” says yoga teacher Taylor Lorenz. Having a cheat sheet for when this happens will help minimize disruption to the classroom, not just the teacher’s state of mind.
4. Notes help you be prepared at the last minute
I’ve found my notebook handy when I’m called to sub or have a last-minute class. Knowing that I can refer to an old class plan helps me be more prepared to help a fellow teacher in a pinch.
5. Notes can help improve your teaching
Finally, my notebook gives me something to go back to and see what I’ve taught, what hit the ground running, what didn’t, and how a particular sequence or way of teaching a pose has evolved over time. Essentially, my notes became my teaching journal and a growth tool. If nothing else, seeing my style and technique change over time.
Lorenz observed the same trajectory in his teaching. “I’m able to add to my notes after class and improve my sequence over and over again,” she explains. “I used to think that using notes made me a lesser teacher. But I no longer see notes as a crutch. Now I see them more as a way to support me and my students.”
I still carry my yoga journal with me everywhere I teach and refer to it when I’m looking for inspiration. Being present does not necessarily equal empty handed. It comes from preparation, observation, and a well-worn notebook of insights that support us as we strive to meet students where they are.
