6 Yoga Teacher Tips for Remembering Peoples' Names

Our yoga students consistently comment that they can't believe how we remember everybody's names. The truth is, the more classes a teacher teaches per week, the more challenging it can become. Here are six tips that will have you greeting yoga students (and everybody you meet!) by name in no time at all!  

1. Repeat their name back to them when they first say it.

"Nice to meet you Susan. I am so glad you are here for class today." Saying it back right away will increase your odds of remembering it.

2. Make eye contact when they tell you their name, and remember a detail about their face.

This detail might help you with memory recall. Something like, "Max has green eyes." Then, the next time you see Max, you might not remember his name at first, but the detail about him can help you pull it up in your mind.

3. Connect their name with a physical issue and/or their goal.

This is my personal favorite because it helps not only with remembering their name but with following up on their progress with their practice, i.e. "Kate has knee problems."

Then, when Kate comes back to class, I can recall her name and show that I am interested in her and her practice. "Hi Kate, how is your knee doing? What improvements are you noticing with your yoga practice?"

4. Stand at the front desk during class sign-in, or by the door to the classroom, and personally greet each student.

Seeing them come in helps you in a few ways. You can note what their energy is like as they come into the studio, you can see movement patterns in their body, and you can catch their name if they are new or you don't remember it off hand.

5. Check in with each new person before the start of class.

This is something that has worked for me over the years. I stop by their mat and see how they are doing, if they have any injuries, and re-introduce myself if I don't remember their name. This gives me a chance to personally connect with each person in the room.

6. Repetition, repetition, repetition.

Have the students introduce themselves and tell you how they're doing at the start of every class. The more you hear it, the better you will remember. This practice helps you get updates on how each student is feeling and it also helps students to get to know one another as well.

These tips work great for remembering yoga students' names, but with a couple of little tweaks they can be great for remembering the name of anyone you meet! Try them out and let us know which ones work best for you, or share a tip of your own!

Best regards, Emily

Emily Loupe is a yoga teacher, yoga therapist, the creator and director of The Yoga Room's 200 Hour Teacher Training Program, and a self-professed yoga nerd who has completed more than 2500 hours of Teacher Training in a variety of disciplines and specializations.

Can I Practice Yoga If...

I hope you're having a nice today. It's Friday, we're having beautiful (rainy) weather in central Texas. It's almost the weekend, time to rest, have some fun, and recharge our batteries. Yay! But I wanted to take a minute to talk to you about something that's been on my mind. So many people *think* they can't practice yoga. Are you one of these people? Or do you know one of these people?

I get emails, Facebook notes, Instagram notes, and questions from people I meet who are interested in yoga but they're not sure whether they can practice yoga. They ask "Can I practice yoga if..."

If I'm overweight/full-figured/plus-size If I'm out of shape If I'm not flexible If I'm pregnant If I have scoliosis If I'm old If I'm a man If I have a bad knee/elbow/shoulder/back/ankle/wrist/hip/pinky toe If I have osteoporosis/osteopenia If I have high blood pressure If I've had a knee replacement/hip replacement/spinal fusion If I've had heart bypass surgery If I've had brain surgery If I have fibromyalgia/lupus/rheumatoid arthritis/other pain condition If I have IBS/Crohn's/colitis/other digestive disorder If I've had a stroke If I have MS If I'm in treatment for cancer

And the answer is always YES!!!

EveryBody can practice yoga. EveryBody can benefit from yoga.

The trick is, you need to find the right teacher and the right class. And that could possibly be a little bit challenging.

At The Yoga Room, we do offer physically challenging classes, like our CorePower, Vinyasa Flow, and Hatha II classes, for fit and able-bodied people.

But what sets us apart from other studios is that we specialize in gentle, accessible, therapeutic yoga classes for EveryBody else who is not perfectly fit and able-bodied.

We have Restorative, Gentle, and Hatha I classes, and we even have specialized classes for people who are recovering from a neurological issue or who are in treatment for, or recovering from, cancer.

So how do you go about finding the right class for you? You just need to ask. If you live in or around Round Rock and you'd like to come to The Yoga Room, just give us a call (512-318-2112) or send us an email. Tell us a little about yourself and we'll be happy to make some recommendations for you.

If you live away from the Round Rock area, just Google yoga studios in your area. If you live in a smaller city or town, just search for "Yoga (Your City Name)." If you live in a big city, you might have success with a more specific search (for example: "Gentle Yoga Los Angeles" or "Plus Size Yoga Seattle").

Call studios, tell them about yourself, and ask them if they offer yoga that is appropriate for you. If they don't, don't be discouraged. Ask them if they know anyone who specializes in what you're searching for. Call another place, and keep calling another place, until you find something that sounds like it might be a good fit for you.

When you do find a place that sounds like a good fit, ask them, "What is your process for new students?" (for reference, here's our FAQ for new students). Then go and try them out. Seriously, you must go. If you're nervous, take a few big inhales and long exhales. Give yourself a pep talk, and just go. Bring a friend if necessary.

If you go and you like the place, great! If you go and don't like the place, it's totally ok. Maybe you can try a class with another teacher at the same studio. Or maybe try a different studio. Keep trying until you find a place that feels right.

And if you don't find a place that feels right, consider moving to Round Rock because we'd be more than happy to work with you!

Yoga is an amazing, transformative practice. And it really is for EveryBody. If you need help finding the right class, please reach out. Ask your friends. Ask at the natural grocery store, the vitamin store, or the library. And if you still can't find what you're looking for, shoot me an email and I'll try to help.

Have a great weekend!

XO, Zelinda

P.S. If you think this post could be helpful for someone you know, please share it using the links below. :)