The hardest skill in teaching isn’t sequencing — it’s knowing when the right answer is “this isn’t mine to handle.”
Clear refer-out signals:
- A student describes symptoms, not sensations (“shooting pain down my leg” vs “my hamstrings are tight”)
- Anything involving numbness, dizziness, chest pain, or recent injury/surgery without clearance
- Mental health disclosures beyond everyday stress — panic, trauma responses, disordered eating patterns
- You’re being asked to treat (“can yoga fix my herniated disc?”) rather than to teach
The script that works (steal it):
“That’s outside what I can responsibly work with as your yoga teacher — and you deserve someone who specializes in it. Would you be open to seeing a PT / your doctor / a therapist about it? I’m happy to keep supporting your practice alongside that.”
Two sentences. No diagnosis, no drama, and it raises the student’s trust in you rather than lowering it. Teachers worry referring out looks like incompetence; students consistently read it as professionalism.
And document it. A one-line note (“6/12 — advised S. to see PT re: knee pain, modified practice meanwhile”) protects both of you.
What’s the hardest refer-out call you’ve had to make?
— Lior