How To Theme Your Yoga Classes
How to theme your yoga classes
What is the significance of theming?
The golden thread that connects the poses, breath, and experience is the theme. It's what helps students to become so engrossed in their practise and themselves that they may feel fully present for 90 minutes.
Choosing where to focus your attention and how you want your students to feel after practise is an important part of developing a yoga class. It's quite fine if theming does not come naturally to you. Connect with your colleagues and receive support from other educators who have found a method that works for them and are willing to share and exchange ideas with you.
Think about why.
You can make your yoga sessions as easy or as complicated as you desire. Start with the "why" when taking a more straightforward approach to theming.
Why did I create or select a certain asana sequence?
Why do I want to tell my pupils about this? What is the benefit to them?
The first step in allowing the theme to'reveal itself' is to ask why. By taking a few seconds to consider why you're teaching what you're teaching and how it will benefit the individuals in your class, you'll be able to spot patterns that, when combined with the proper dharma, the right mood, and the right words, can result in transforming lessons.
Each lesson you teach might have a different theme. Depending on how far you want to extend each subject or theme, you can change your theme weekly, monthly, or quarterly. Consider making theming a part of your own education, since opportunities for research and inquiry will inevitably occur.
Organizing your classes according to a specified calendar
Choosing a calendar model that appeals to you or one you want to investigate is a terrific approach to better organise yourself and theme your classes.
Calendar models can be based on the following:
The four distinct seasons (could be a more Ayurvedic approach)
The horoscope/zodiac
the phases of the moon cheval cheval cheval cheval cheval cheval cheval cheval cheval cheval cheval cheval cheval
Important holidays and dates in your culture
Solstices and equinoxes (also could be with an Ayurvedic approach)
Threads that evolve with major dates and that you may easily connect through your lectures, workshops, and retreats
Using music to theme your classes
Connecting your lessons to your playlists is another fascinating aspect of theming. I like to select significant music and lyrics that relate to the mood I'm attempting to convey, as well as the energy I want to evoke through particular genres and writers.
Your topic could be inspired by a lyric from a song, a poem, or a brief piece of literature. Several of my yoga courses have been inspired by Lauryn Hill's song "Everything is Everything."
Laia's music flow – energy expansion
This is an energetic technique for reawakening the body and mind. If you're feeling restless, it'll get your blood moving and help you clear your head. To help you feel invigorated and expansive, the playlist created for this class weaves together the physical activity, breath, and music.
Using layers to theme your classes
Yoga has numerous layers and approaches that can be studied. I believe that more people are becoming aware of yoga's origins and roots, and that physical practise is only a small portion of what yoga can be.
When it comes to theming your class, consider a handful of these components that, when combined, can create a well-rounded theme:
The yoga technique (i.e. Hatha, Vinyasa, gentle, power, yin, etc.)
The asana selection (Which positions will I use in my sequence?)
(Will I comment about any area of philosophy relating to classical texts?) Yogic philosophy
Breathwork (Will I teach any pranayama, and if so, how will I introduce it?)
(Will I use any mudras, and if so, for what purpose?)
(Will I use any chanting or mantras, and if so, for what purpose?)
Classes themed around a specific feature of yoga
For your 'fitness-oriented' friends, you can opt to emphasise on specific physical components of yoga, such as:
Focus cueing on front body opening and emotional release to enhance heart-opening.
Core strengthening: Concentrate on postures that strengthen and stabilise your core.
Hip-opening: Focus on releasing tension in the lower back, hips, and legs while creating space in the lower body.
Balance and concentration: To build the same stability off the mat, try balancing poses that require presence and concentration.
If you're interested in sharing the spiritual and energy aspects of yoga with your pupils, consider the following themes:
Chakra balancing: Spend time exploring each chakra by using various yoga materials such as specific postures, breathwork, mantras, etc., as well as meditation and visualisation.
Grounding: Students are encouraged to connect to the Earth, themselves, and the entire class experience through a sequence and language.
Exploring the five sheaths of existence may be a good approach for more advanced trainees to deepen their practise.
Energizing: Get people moving through an intellectual and engaging sequence that includes space for breath and self-inquiry, leaving them feeling refreshed and powerful.
Using dharma to theme classes
Because the possibilities are endless, one of my favourite methods to explore theming for yoga sessions is through dharma. When I'm reading a book that has an affect on my belief systems and how I interact with the world, I find myself theming lessons in this way.
The following are some of the books that I highly recommend:
Desmond Tutu's The Book of Joy
Michael Alan Singer's The Untethered Soul
Dana Faulds' Go In and In
It's also crucial to draw on your personal experiences. Set a healthy limit for how much of your personal and private life you wish to reveal. However, keep in mind that certain epiphanies you may have had (when stuck in traffic, for example) can be a terrific source of inquiry for you and your class.
This method of theming your lessons necessitates a lot of self-exploration, so I recommend journaling. Learn what motivates you and use it into your classes in little doses.
Flexibility and efficiency
Being a yoga instructor is rewarding, but it can also be draining. One of the most important reasons to theme your yoga courses is to make your planning more efficient. So, whatsoever way you choose to theme your lessons (if you choose to do so), make sure you use an approach that is sustainable and will reduce, rather than add, stress to your life.
Attempt to maintain flexibility and adapt to what is required at any given time. You can plan and theme your class to the nth degree, but you must also be ready and willing to modify based on the bodies and energies that appear in class.
However, in the end…
Keep in mind that you don't have to be inspirational all of the time. It is not always necessary to express anything wonderful or life-changing. Recognize that, given our crazy lifestyles, you might just make it to class on time and teach a short Hatha lesson centred on the breath. That class is still fantastic.
Make time in your life to play and have fun, and connect with other teachers and mentors to build a support system and, ultimately, your yoga family, if you want to stay creative and inspired.