The Art of Holding Space – Invisible Skill that Distinguishes a Good Class from a Transformative One
- Apr 14
- 6 min read
Erica Stanzione is a NYC-based yoga and meditation educator, retreat host, and teacher training leader. She was given a mission and has a deep passion for supporting and empowering her students as they elevate their lives spiritually, emotionally, mentally, physically, and energetically.
The most transformative spaces are rarely defined by technique alone, but by the quality of presence that allows people to soften, trust, and truly receive. This article explores the invisible art of holding space, how grounded energy, intentional language, and emotional steadiness can turn any classroom, studio, or boardroom into an environment where real change becomes possible.
Earlier in my career, I had a business mentor tell me that my communities were paying for my energy and presence more than my years of study and experience. At first, I honestly didn’t entirely love the feeling of that, knowing how hard I was working to build my craft and all of the money that I was investing to study with renowned teachers and healers all over the world. But thirteen years later, I understand it and appreciate it more than ever.
Throughout all of those years, I have had the great fortune of studying thousands of bodies and witnessing how they respond, how they move, and the extent to which my words can hold them and help them surrender to the experience that they are meant to have. I watch the breath get curious. I watch shoulders soften. I watch jaws unclench. I watch stress melt away from facial muscles. I watch sacrums release. I watch hearts crack open to possibility. I watch spines get longer. I watch integrity within posture. I watch confidence elevate. I watch the corners of lips turn upward and light up the entire face. I watch eyes get clearer. I watch skin shine. I watch bodies get completely still within dark rooms so the intuition can speak. And after all of this time, I am still completely in awe and in love with all of it.
So, what is this invisible skill of holding space really all about? Holding space for others is first about being crystal clear about the energy that we’re emitting as educators and the degree to which we’re grounded and fully present. It’s about showing up and providing someone or a group with our full, undivided attention. It’s about listening deeply with empathy and not formulating a response in our head while they are speaking. And it’s being mindful not to inject our experience into their story.
In order to truly embody this form of art, I believe that strengthening our self awareness and mastering emotional steadiness are crucial elements. Because if a leader feels ungrounded, unsure, scattered, or anxious, their room will absolutely feel it and mirror it.
With that, the ability to hold space is directly connected to safety. If we can create a truly safe environment, it will foster trust, which then develops into strong, long term relationships. That starts with allowing the student to show up where they are physically, energetically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. We allow the practice to meet them where they are, regardless of what we had prepared for the experience on that particular day.
If a teacher sets the tone properly, it takes any pressure away from students if they feel like they have to “perform” or compare themselves to other practitioners in the room. As leaders, we also have to be cognizant of the fact that we aren’t here to fix or control the outcome. Instead, we walk alongside them, bearing witness to whatever journey they are meant to have.
If a space feels unsafe, a guarded body that is filled with tension will never be able to fully receive the practice. A guarded body that doesn’t feel fully supported may move in a surface level way, but it isn’t actually opening, especially energetically. In an unsafe space, you may feel pressured to create a shape with your body that you aren’t ready for or that doesn’t feel honest on that particular day. Which is why I always love to give the reminder that just because we have certain poses in our practice, it doesn’t mean that they will serve us every time that we step onto our mats.
If an experience feels unsafe, you may feel rushed to “improve” or be on the receiving end of dialogue that feels abrasive, over corrective, judgmental, or non accepting. That is why being intentional with our language choices as leaders is imperative, it can either deepen the sense of love and support or do the exact opposite. We never want our words to feel like a harsh command, but rather an invitation.
Rigid or hypercritical dialogue often leaves students feeling defeated, insecure, and unsuccessful, and less likely to return. Not every wobble or slight misalignment needs correction. Not every planned pose in the sequence needs to be offered if it doesn’t serve the demographic of the group that day. And not every silent moment needs to be filled with words.
Normalizing breaks, offering guidance to move at a slower pace, and prioritizing the usage of props is a teacher’s responsibility, and contributes to a successful experience for all body types and practice levels. Yoga was never and will never be one size fits all, as every pose is never going to look the same for each student. But when we’re rooted in that trust within ourselves and our abilities as leaders of rooms, we’re able to create an atmosphere where real change can naturally unfold. That atmosphere then becomes a vessel where healing and impactful transformation can take place.
All of these tools can also be particularly valuable in high performing and overstimulated cities like New York City. Within the first few minutes of a private session, offering my clients permission to soften through carefully chosen language can be deeply productive in and of itself. That element of softening then becomes a loving space where they don’t need to worry about leading, doing, deciding, or achieving. They can just be. Be with their breath. Be with themselves. And be with their thoughts. Then, that invaluable inner guidance and clarity can come through when our bodies are completely still and supported by high vibrational energy.
At the end of the day, students aren’t going to remember your sequence, your anatomy knowledge, or how you cue certain postures. What they are going to remember is your energy, your heart, your passion, your support, and how you made them feel. They’re going to remember if the space that you created felt loving, positive, inclusive, and inviting. Yes, of course our knowledge of the practice and keeping everyone safe is incredibly important, but that isn’t what grows our classrooms or keeps students coming back year after year. It’s how we show up.
Whether students are conscious of it or not, they are attuned to the teacher’s energy, and that is why being grounded and confident in what we’re offering is crucial to creating a memorable experience. When our energy, presence, and intentional language choices help others release the stress and armor of their day and bravely meet the full spectrum of the human condition, we are, as facilitators, doing our work well.
For those that support others in a similar capacity, including academia or Corporate America, may we strive to create spaces and show up in a way that invites others to access versions of themselves that they might not have known were possible. Because it isn’t only about what we’re doing as leaders of classrooms, lecture halls, or boardrooms. It’s also about who we are while we’re doing it.
Read more from Erica Stanzione
Erica Stanzione, Yoga and Meditation Educator
Erica is an industry leader in guiding the life-changing practices of breathwork, vinyasa yoga, and meditation. She leads by example both on and off of the mat, and teaches others about the profound effects of our mindfulness practices that far exceed the external benefits. The intention behind her classes, workshops, retreats, and trainings are to serve as a sacred container where her students feel safe to step further into their power, confidence, emotional intelligence, spiritual connection, and continuous evolution.
