Feeling the Flow, Finding the Words
How teaching yoga is helping me grow into my Voice
Did you know there are many prominent figures who overcame speech impediments?
Winston Churchill worked hard to conquer a lisp and stutter, and came to deliver famous wartime speeches with clarity and impact.
President Joe Biden has been open about his struggles with a stutter since childhood. He credits reciting poetry in front of a mirror as one strategy to help him overcome it.
"The King’s Speech" movie depicts how King George VI worked tirelessly to overcome his stutter with the help of an unorthodox speech therapist who incorporated breath and vocal exercises that were ahead of their time. He also believed that it was essential to address underlying emotional issues influenced by stress, trauma, and self-doubt.
This one surprised me most: James Earl Jones, known for his deep, resonant voice, had a severe stutter as a child and remained virtually silent for years. He gradually overcame it through poetry recitation and acting, which helped him become one of the most iconic voices in film.
As a yoga teacher, you and your voice are quite literally front and center—a daunting aspect of the role for me, given that I am an introvert who has a fraught relationship with my voice.
With nearly two decades of personal practice in various yoga disciplines, I entered the Pranakriya School of Yoga Healing Arts 200-hour yoga teacher training program feeling confident in my understanding of yoga. However, one of the greatest challenges I encountered was realizing that my knowledge of the practice did not automatically translate to being able to teach skillfully.
The first few months of training felt painfully awkward, a humbling experience that challenged me deeply. I kept thinking, I know this practice so well—why isn’t it easier to articulate? Translating the subtle adjustments and intuitive alignments I make in my own body into clear, spoken cues took a great deal of practice — especially when not assuming the pose in the moment to remind myself of what goes where. Learning to put into words what my body already knew required a whole new skill set, not to mention the challenge of memorizing and accurately pronouncing Sanskrit terms that I had largely ignored until now.
Does the sound of your own voice make you want to cover your ears? You are not alone! Perhaps you’re also a part of the estimated three-quarters of the world population affected by Glossophobia, the fear of public speaking. It’s considered the most common phobia and according to the evolutionary psychology perspective, it’s tied to our fundamental need for social acceptance and survival. So it’s not too far-fetched to feel like giving a speech could be the end of you!
To build confidence in my yoga-teacher-voice I practiced with friends, family, and classmates. The best people to practice on were total beginners because they had the most to teach me about what cues made sense to a newbie. When I ran out of people to practice with I recorded myself and cringed my way through taking my own classes. Some days my voice dysmorphia and self-loathing was hard to bear. Despite all the practicing, there are still days I find myself in Throatchokeasana and Imposterasana. From what other teachers have told me, this part of being a teacher may never go away…you just learn to welcome it and not let it stop you. ✊
I embraced all that yoga could teach me. Leaning into pranayam more, I dared to take in more air, create more space, and make noise like never before. Lion’s Breath, for example, is a yoga breathing technique that releases tension, stimulates energy, and promotes self-expression. It was as if a yogic puberty was underway — I could feel my throat opening and Om’s changing.
The final weekend of training was the most demanding. It pushed me to my limits and from there, a little voice inside of me emerged and with it I was capable of shifting into a gear I didn’t know I had. It was like an Inner Cheerleader - it was me, Little Jules, the one with the speech impediment reminding me that I am a brave girl (more like, “brave guul”). I played this mantra on repeat to get me through the weekend, and it still comes to me when I need it most. This inspired a poem I’m reciting here as an exclusive for paid subscribers. 😉
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