Becoming a Yoga Teacher… by Saying Yes to the Moment
“The path to becoming a yoga teacher often begins long before you feel ready.”
Before Teaching Was Even an Idea
For WHY’s very first blog post, I wanted to tell you I “didn’t choose” to become a yoga teacher. But that’s not the whole truth. I did choose… eventually.
The reason I almost wrote it that way is because teaching yoga was never on my radar. It wasn’t my plan. It wasn’t on my 2004 “life bingo card.” Then one day, in a room full of 25+ yoga students, a yoga friend suddenly announced, “Wendy can teach!” And just like that, something bigger than me nudged my life in a new direction.
But to really understand how I got there, we need to rewind a few years—back to my first steps onto a yoga mat and the unlikely path that led to my very first class as a teacher.
The Injury That Changed Everything
It started in the winter of 2001, when a running injury brought my active lifestyle to a screeching halt. My only goal was to heal so I could run again. After months of doctor visits and physical therapy, not only was I not healing—I was sliding into a chronic illness. My inability to rest and let my body recover helped trigger an inflammatory arthritis that would shape my life for years.
In those early, painful days, I started searching for ways to move that didn’t worsen my symptoms. My small-town gym in Russellville, Arkansas, offered a “yoga stretch” class. I didn’t walk in looking for spiritual truths or enlightenment—I went because I thought stretching might loosen my pain and get me back to running.
It didn’t “fix” me overnight. But it did give me a way to manage my symptoms well enough to get moving again. I went back to running—painfully—but I pieced together a routine of PT exercises, stretching, Pilates, and massage to keep myself going.
Falling in Love with Hot Power Yoga
Then life moved us to East Texas. My new town had a strong community of experienced personal trainers, so I hired one—Georgia. After eight sessions, she had me balancing on half a foam roller while doing tricep extensions. She noticed my balance was solid and suggested I try the new hot power yoga classes at the gym.
I went. And from my very first class, I was hooked. I remember thinking, “I don’t have to run anymore.” I never booked another personal training session. Instead, I made space for yoga—without knowing it would one day become not just a practice, but my profession.
By the spring of 2003, I was practicing hot power vinyasa yoga daily. My teacher was both educational and inspiring, and I soaked up every class. One day, a fellow student mentioned that our teacher had learned from an instructor who’d written a book—and that the main sequence we practiced was in it. She said it was inspirational, so I found a copy.
At the time, I was a mom of three little ones—ages 4, 7, and 9. Most days, I’d drop them off at the gym childcare and head straight into yoga. But on the days when colds, carpool chaos, or family schedules kept me away, I rolled out my mat in our garage. Texas summers turned that garage into the perfect hot yoga studio, and with the book propped open beside me, I learned the sequence on my own.
The Day I Became a Teacher
Not long after, my teacher hit a rough patch in her life and began missing more and more classes. At first, I would simply stay in the heated room and practice on my own after everyone else left. I had three kids happily playing in childcare, the room was already hot, and—like so many new students—I needed that yoga class in a way I couldn’t quite explain.
Then came the day that changed everything. Our teacher didn’t show up again. The gym director offered to teach, but she also said, “It might feel more like what you’re used to if one of you taught.” No one volunteered. The room was packed, mat to mat. It was silent—until my friend suddenly spoke up: “Wendy can teach!”
I shook my head. I didn’t want to teach. I was sitting at the front of the room, silently hoping someone else would step forward. No one did. No one left. After what felt like forever (but was probably only 20 seconds), I sighed, moved into Downward Dog, and said, “I’ll practice and say what I’m doing out loud. But I’m not teaching.”
And that’s how I taught my very first yoga class—called forward by something greater than my own intention. It wasn’t an instant “love at first teach” moment like my first class as a student, but I knew it wouldn’t be my last time. Within a week, my name was on the schedule as a regular yoga teacher. The rest, as they say, is history.
Start Where You Are
Looking back, I realize something important: the path to becoming a yoga teacher often begins long before you feel “ready.” You don’t have to know everything. You don’t have to have years of experience. You just have to start where you are, say yes when the moment arrives, and trust that something greater might already be working through you.
“You don’t have to feel ready to begin—you just have to begin.”
About the Author
Wendy Cook is the founder of Whole Health Yoga (WHY), a primarily virtual yoga business that blends the art of yoga with evidence-based therapeutic practices. Since 2014, she has trained more than 300 yoga teachers through her Yoga Alliance–registered 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training—a unique program combining virtual learning, a week-long immersion in Guadarrama, Spain, and personalized 1:1 mentoring.
In addition to training new teachers, Wendy offers 1:1 and small group therapeutic yoga sessions (5–8 students) through WHY’s virtual platform, helping individuals support their health alongside medical care. Whether you’re ready to deepen your practice, begin your teaching journey, or explore yoga as a therapeutic tool, Wendy will meet you exactly where you are.
Ready to take your first step toward teaching—or deepen your personal practice?
Join our next 200-hour YTT or explore our 1:1 and small group therapeutic yoga offerings.