Why Teaching Yoga Is Never a Neutral Act

Elodie Abadie • 19 janvier 2026

Why Teaching Yoga Is Never a Neutral Act

Teaching yoga is never a neutral act.

Behind every class, every transmission, every guided posture, there is a deeper intention than it may seem.
For some, teaching yoga comes from an inner calling—almost visceral.
For others, it is a fully structured profession, grounded in economic reality.
And for many, it is also—sometimes without intending to be—an engaged, almost militant act in a world that moves fast… too fast.

So, teaching yoga—
Is it a vocation?
A profession like any other?
Or a conscious stance toward society?

The truth is that teaching yoga often sits at the crossroads of all three.
And that is precisely what makes it so powerful… and so complex.

Teaching Yoga as a Vocation: An Inner Calling

Many yoga teachers tell the same story:
they didn’t really choose it.
Yoga came to them.

First as a personal practice.
A need to understand themselves, to heal, to find calm.
And then, at some point, the desire—almost the necessity—to pass it on.


Teaching yoga as a vocation means:

  • feeling a sincere impulse to share what transformed your life,
  • wanting to accompany without dominating,
  • transmitting without imposing,
  • guiding without placing yourself above others.

This kind of teaching rarely comes from a rational calculation.
It comes from the heart, from lived experience, from embodiment.


But a vocation, as noble as it may be, is not enough to build a sustainable livelihood.
And this is often where tension begins.


Teaching Yoga as a Profession: An Unavoidable Reality

Today, teaching yoga is also a professional activity.
With responsibilities, obligations, and frameworks.

Being a yoga teacher is not only about guiding postures.
It also means:

  • creating and structuring classes,
  • training continuously,
  • understanding anatomy, pedagogy, and safety,
  • managing administration, communication, and client relationships,
  • positioning yourself in an increasingly competitive market.


Professionalizing yoga teaching is not betraying its philosophy.
It is honoring the transmission.

Teaching with integrity requires time, energy, and commitment.
It is normal—and healthy—that this work is recognized and paid.


The trap is not making yoga a profession.
The trap is making yoga only a product.

When performance, visibility, or profitability take over,
meaning can slowly fade.


Teaching Yoga as a Militant Act (Often Without Intending To)

Even without slogans or overt activism, teaching yoga is a deeply engaged act.

In a society that values:

  • speed,
  • productivity,
  • competition,
  • control,

offering:

  • slowness,
  • body awareness,
  • conscious breathing,
  • feeling,

is already a form of gentle resistance.


Teaching yoga means:

  • restoring the body as a place of wisdom, not just performance,
  • inviting listening rather than domination,
  • bringing life back into lives that are often disconnected.

It can also mean:

  • questioning body norms,
  • opening inclusive spaces,
  • deconstructing the idea that you must be flexible, thin, or “perfect” to practice,
  • transmitting a more compassionate relationship with oneself.


Even without political discourse, yoga changes how people inhabit the world.
And that, in itself, is profoundly transformative.


The Tensions Yoga Teachers Face Today

Being passionate, professional, and engaged at the same time creates real tensions.

Among the most common:

  • fear of “selling out” and losing authenticity,
  • the feeling of having to choose between spirituality and financial stability,
  • pressure from social media and dominant models,
  • self-doubt: “Am I legitimate? Am I enough?”

These tensions are not weaknesses.
They are signs that teaching is alive, questioned, conscious.


The danger is not doubt.
The danger is teaching while disconnected from yourself.


Finding Your Right Position as a Teacher

There is no single way to teach yoga.
There is your way.


Finding alignment begins with essential questions:

  • Why do I teach?
  • What do I want to transmit beyond postures?
  • Which values guide my teaching?
  • What rhythm is right for me?
  • Who do I truly want to support?


Teaching yoga with integrity means accepting that:

  • your pedagogy evolves,
  • your vision refines,
  • your role as a teacher transforms with you.


It is not a fixed identity.
It is a path.


Vocation, Profession, and Engagement: A Possible Coexistence

Contrary to popular belief, these three dimensions do not oppose each other.
They can coexist.

  • Vocation gives meaning.
  • Profession provides structure.
  • Engagement brings depth.


When these three pillars are in balance, teaching becomes:

  • more stable,
  • more embodied,
  • more sustainable.


Yoga transmitted with consciousness, professionalism, and heart
is a yoga that truly transforms—quietly, without dogma, without violence.


Conclusion: Teaching Yoga as a Conscious Act

Teaching yoga is neither just a mystical calling, nor merely a job, nor a solitary militant act.
It exists at the intersection of all three—where inner calling meets responsibility, and transmission becomes an act of presence, coherence, and meaning.

To teach yoga is to accept constant questioning, evolution, and listening—to your body, your students, and the world around you.
It is to transmit not a fixed ideal, but a living, embodied, deeply human practice.


And if you feel the call to teach (or to teach differently), you can explore our Yoga Dance and Yoga Vinyasa training programs, designed to support teachers who wish to transmit with consciousness, freedom, and integrity:
 https://www.yogadanse.eu


Because in the end, teaching yoga is not about showing a path…
it’s about learning to walk alongside others.


Namasté 

🌿 How to Find Your Path: A Journey Back to Yourself

par Elodie Abadie • 5 janvier 2026
Finding your path.
These words sound like a promise… and sometimes, like pressure. We’re constantly told to “find our purpose,” “follow our heart,” “live our passion.”
But in reality, it’s rarely a straight road. It’s more of a winding path — full of doubts, sparks, turns, and awakenings.
A deeply inner journey before anything else. So how do you find your path when you feel lost?
How do you know what’s truly right for you — without being influenced by others’ expectations?
And most importantly, how do you move forward even when the answers aren’t clear yet? This article is an invitation to come back to yourself — not to search harder, but to listen differently.

🧘‍♀️ How I Stay Organized as a Yoga Teacher & Entrepreneur

par Elodie Abadie • 29 décembre 2025
Between teaching, creating, managing projects, running trainings, and nurturing a personal life, being a yoga teacher and entrepreneur can easily feel like a balancing act.
You’re expected to inspire, teach, plan, organize, create — all while leaving space for yourself, your family, and your breath. People often ask me: “How do you manage it all without burning out?” So today, I’m opening the doors to my own routine — not a perfect or rigid system, but a living, breathing, adaptable rhythm that changes with my energy, priorities, and inspiration. If you’re a yoga teacher, a creative entrepreneur, or simply someone trying to find balance between structure and flow, this is for you.

🪷 Yoga: Spiritual, Physical or Political?

par Elodie Abadie • 15 décembre 2025
Yoga intrigues, fascinates, and sometimes even divides.
Some see it as a physical practice, others as a spiritual path, and some as a symbol of engagement or resistance. But deep down… what is yoga really?
Is it a lifestyle? A path of awareness? A way to connect with yourself and the world? In this article, we explore the many faces of yoga — physical, spiritual, and even political — to rediscover its essence: a living, embodied, and profoundly human practice.

🌿 Living Yoga Every Day

par Elodie Abadie • 1 décembre 2025
What if yoga wasn’t just about postures?
What if, beyond the mat, this ancient practice became a way of inhabiting your life — acting with awareness, breathing with presence, and connecting deeply to yourself and the world around you? Through its eight branches, yoga offers far more than a series of physical exercises.
It’s a complete philosophy of life, a daily art of living, and an inner compass to navigate with balance, authenticity, and serenity. In this article, you’ll rediscover the 8 limbs of yoga — known as Ashtanga Yoga — and learn how each one can transform your life, step by step, breath by breath.

Yoga Alignment: Beyond the Postures

par Elodie Abadie • 17 novembre 2025
You might think that alignment in yoga means placing your knee perfectly above your ankle, keeping your hips square, and your spine long and straight.
But what if it was so much more than that? In our culture of “doing things right,” alignment is often reduced to a technical cue — a matter of perfect lines and precision.
Yet in yoga, true alignment goes far beyond the body .
It extends into the breath, the energy, the emotions — and the way you connect to yourself. This article invites you to revisit this word we hear everywhere and rediscover its deeper meaning — on your mat and in your life.

Simple Yoga: Returning to What Really Matters

par Elodie Abadie • 3 novembre 2025
What if we practiced yoga to return to simplicity? 
Not to perform.
Not to master a thousand postures.
Not to impress.
But to come back to what truly matters: one breath, one presence, one body we truly listen to. Today, yoga is often seen as a performance discipline — associated with the image of the perfect body or the most advanced pose. 
Yet, in its essence, yoga is a practice of awareness and unity .
It’s not about doing more, but about being more present. This article invites you to drop the masks, let go of the “shoulds,” and rediscover yoga as a path back to yourself — to slowness, to simplicity, and to truth.

Emotional Release Through Movement

par Elodie Abadie • 20 octobre 2025
What if your body had messages that your mind can’t put into words?
What if free movement was a doorway to everything you feel deeply but don’t dare to express? The body remembers.
The body speaks.
And sometimes, all it takes is letting it move differently so it can finally set itself free. In this article, let’s explore the emotional intelligence of the body, the blocks that manifest through physical tension, and the power of spontaneous movement to bring back breath, clarity, and inner peace.

Dancing Your Yoga: Freedom and Expression

par Elodie Abadie • 6 octobre 2025
What if your yoga mat became more than just a space for postures?
Imagine it as an inner playground, a sacred space where you can move differently, breathe deeply, and express yourself freely. Dancing your yoga is a unique practice that blends free movement, breath awareness, and spontaneous creativity.
It’s a yoga that both grounds and liberates.
A yoga that isn’t limited to “doing it right,” but one that invites you to feel, create, and vibrate. In this article, discover what it means to dance your yoga, the benefits of this practice, and how to integrate it into your daily life.

How to Overcome the Fear of Failure?

par Elodie Abadie • 29 septembre 2025
The fear of failure affects everyone, regardless of age, background, or life path. It often prevents us from taking action , seizing opportunities, or truly believing in ourselves. Combined with the fear of judgment from others, it can become paralyzing if we don’t learn how to understand and transform it. In this article, let’s explore why the fear of failure exists, what the signs are, what failure can teach us, and above all, how to overcome it to regain confidence, serenity, and motivation.

Yoga: Why and How to Set an Intention

par Elodie Abadie • 22 septembre 2025
I n yoga practice, every posture (asana) and every breath carries a deeper meaning. But there is one tool that makes your practice even more powerful: setting an intention. More than a simple ritual, an intention acts like an inner compass. It guides your energy, directs your mind, and transforms your yoga session into a true experience of awareness and alignment. 👉 In this article, you’ll discover why setting an intention in yoga is essential , how to formulate it effectively, when to use it, and the benefits it can bring both to your practice and to your daily life.