Elevate Yoga Teaching: Insights from Beyond the Poses Vol 2

Enjoy this insightful excerpt from Chapter 3 in the upcoming Volume 2 of Teaching Yoga Beyond the Poses by Sage Rountree and Alexandra Desiato. This essential companion volume introduces entirely fresh content, featuring 54 practical, ready-to-use ideas and templates designed to enhance your yoga cl

Enjoy this insightful excerpt from Chapter 3 in the upcoming Volume 2 of Teaching Yoga Beyond the Poses by Sage Rountree and Alexandra Desiato. This essential companion volume introduces entirely fresh content, featuring 54 practical, ready-to-use ideas and templates designed to enhance your yoga classes, sharpen your teaching voice, and deliver inspiring themes with genuine joy and assurance.

How to Effectively Support Your Yoga Students

Yoga students are drawn to teachers who are genuine and deliver straightforward, deeply personal, and profoundly meaningful lessons. Sharing these teachings and philosophical insights is not mere filler or superficial content; it forms a core responsibility that yoga instructors embrace. These messages serve as bridges to connect with students directly. They link students to timeless wisdom and philosophical concepts rooted in tradition. Most importantly, they guide students toward a deeper connection with their own inner selves. This web of connections embodies the true essence of yoga.

To disseminate the transformative power of yoga, building a dedicated student base is essential. Whether it's a tight-knit group of committed regulars attending your weekly sessions or a larger crowd, every interaction where you share yoga's profound teachings helps propel them closer to true freedom and ultimate liberation, known as moksha. In the following sections, we explore practical strategies for drawing in these students and, once established in relationship with them, maximizing the ways you can support their growth and journey.

Building a Loyal Following Through Thoughtful Theming

We recognize that your passion for teaching stems from a deep love of yoga and a firm belief in its profound benefits for those who practice. At the same time, it's undeniably rewarding when your classes draw larger crowds and feel vibrant. Numerous external factors influence attendance, such as the scheduled day and time, seasonal shifts, weather conditions, and more. However, students are also motivated to show up for instructors they admire and whose classes they truly enjoy. They return repeatedly for various reasons, and a key one is that the conceptual ideas and themes presented resonate deeply within them. Thoughtful and intentional theming, just like every other element of your class structure, plays a vital role in expanding and strengthening your community of practitioners.

Students keep coming back because they connect emotionally and intellectually with the messages you share. As yoga teachers, we rarely receive detailed verbal feedback from participants—it's uncommon for students to elaborate beyond a simple "Thanks, that was a wonderful class." The most reliable and telling form of positive affirmation is the presence of returning students. They might not articulate precisely why they return, but it's safe to assume it ties directly to the sensations and insights they experience both during and after your sessions. This goes beyond impressive choreography or meticulously crafted sequences—in truth, those aspects likely carry less weight than you might imagine. You don't need to script every moment or invent wildly creative elements each time. It's probably not the carefully curated playlist, with hours spent selecting and editing tracks like a professional DJ, that seals the deal. What truly leaves a lasting impression is the emotional impact of your words and guidance throughout the class. Recall the timeless quote often linked to Maya Angelou (though its origins are even older): "People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." This principle rings especially true in the context of a yoga practice.

Do you incorporate hands-on assists into your yoga sessions? Or perhaps provide a subtle, nurturing touch during Savasana, such as a soft press on the shoulders or a soothing scalp massage with lavender oil? If these are part of your approach, you've likely noticed how students eagerly anticipate and cherish these moments. They view them as unique highlights tied specifically to your teaching style and classes. Similarly, when your themes empower students to gain greater self-awareness, alleviate feelings of isolation by linking them to shared human experiences, prompt reflection on their core values, or equip them to manage difficult emotions, these elements become anticipated treasures. Students begin to associate your classes with this depth, drawing them back eagerly for the next insightful message.

We touched on this concept earlier in chapter 2, but providing students with a tangible takeaway amplifies the resonance of your theme or central message. If you maintain an email list for your classes and distribute newsletters, you can reinforce and expand upon your themes by articulating them in writing. Consider doing this even prior to the class itself—it serves as an invitation to practice and builds anticipation for the theme you'll explore together. Alexandra leads an all-levels community class in a quaint village just west of her home. She's been facilitating variations of this class for nearly fifteen years, with some participants joining her consistently over that entire span. Each week, ahead of the session, she dispatches an email featuring a personal anecdote from her recent experiences, intertwined with perspectives drawn from yoga practice, philosophy, or broader moral and spiritual insights that reframed her story. This preview informs students about the core idea that will weave through the practice. In the class itself, the theme expands upon the email's foundation. Participants often engage in lively chats and lighthearted banter with her and one another before starting, referencing the email's content. This ritual fosters a stronger sense of community and interpersonal bonds. Through this approach, Alexandra effectively disseminates her message across the full arc: before, during, and after the class.

Identifying Students Who Will Benefit Most from Your Themes

Theming is versatile and can enhance any yoga class, regardless of its specific format or structure. That said, it's wise to ensure alignment between your class style, the makeup of your student group, and the message you intend to deliver. Pause to reflect on what your students anticipate as they enter the space. Pose these questions to yourself (and, upon arrival, to them as well):

• How did they discover this class? Through an online search, a recommendation from a friend, or perhaps a discounted deal? Does that discovery channel prepare them for a blend of philosophy and physical movement?
• What is the class title, and if applicable, its description that students have encountered? How do these elements shape their preconceptions about the session's nature and potential messaging?
• Factor in the timing and duration of the class, as these influence the ideal message and delivery style. Evening sessions often carry a mystical vibe, with participants more receptive to spiritual explorations. Sunday morning practices might evoke nostalgic church memories from childhood, subtly priming students for a philosophical discourse. A quick midweek lunch-hour class lends itself better to practical, actionable wisdom. Always tailor your approach to meet students exactly where they are.
• For regulars, reflect on recent messages you've shared. What complementary themes could logically extend those ideas?
• Assess their familiarity with yoga asana practice, yoga philosophy, Sanskrit terminology, and chanting. What is their overall comfort with these elements?
• Given their background and expectations, does your selected theme harmonize with the volume of verbal cues needed for movement sections? Can you still incorporate meaningful periods of silence?
• Are there current local or global events that naturally connect to your theme?

The individuals who stand to gain the most from your messages might mirror your own experiences closely or differ significantly. Avoid assuming your theme isn't landing simply because the group doesn't resemble you—or because their expressions aren't beaming with smiles and nods during delivery. A neutral or attentive face can easily be misread as disinterest or detachment. The quicker you detach your self-worth as a teacher from interpreting facial cues and reaffirm the inherent value of your content, the more effectively you'll guide your students.

Selecting Language That Resonates with Your Audience

The vocabulary you employ to express a theme can range from ethereal and abstract to concrete and practical, depending on the individuals filling your yoga space. It might even incorporate casual slang or mild profanity if it suits the group's dynamic and enhances comprehension. Approach theming as an ongoing exercise in inventive rephrasing. Experiment with a theme from multiple perspectives, tweaking phrasing until the words flow naturally from your lips and echo meaningfully in your students' minds.

Repetition is not only acceptable but indispensable. As we explored in Volume 1 of Teaching Yoga Beyond the Poses, you alone have heard the entirety of your spoken words across all classes; students catch only a fraction—perhaps a third—of what you articulate. Dismiss any worry about over-repeating yourself; it almost never happens.

When uncertain, opt for clear, uncomplicated language and distill your message to its purest essence. Alternatively, embrace brevity. During practice, your voice stands alone as the guiding presence. While speaking is part of your duty, so too is bestowing silence—a gift entirely within your control. Wield this thoughtfully. Provide ample substance for students to absorb, yet carve out space for them to tune into their inner dialogue.

Above all, cherish the moments flanking the practice as prime opportunities to truly hear your students. Welcome them warmly, establish eye contact, and invite their input through questions. Reserve your verbal guidance for the practice itself; prioritize active listening before and afterward.

Mastering Storytelling Fundamentals in Yoga Classes

From the dawn of humanity, stories have captivated us. Effective storytelling underpins diverse pursuits, from formal education and casual gossip to persuasive sales narratives. A compelling story thrives with vivid, memorable details, an unexpected twist, and a satisfying conclusion. Start with a relatable protagonist—perhaps yourself, anonymized as "a friend" (drawing from your life), or a genuine acquaintance, family member, or even a public figure from recent news or interviews. Forge a connection point for your students: What aspirations drive this character? In what ways do they mirror the practitioners in your class? If starkly dissimilar, identify alternative bridges. Surround this central figure with evocative specifics, like the story's setting in time and place, to vividly stage the scene for unfolding events.

The narrative's momentum grips listeners through surprise. To craft this, anticipate your audience's predictions, then deftly upend them. For instance, in Alexandra's "No Blond Mommies" tale featured later in the book, she might recount: "Driving home from the salon, I felt on top of the world—like a Disney princess come to life. Naturally, I figured my daughter would be thrilled by my fresh look." This builds anticipation swiftly overturned when her daughter recoils, darting behind her bedroom door now adorned with a handmade sign declaring "No Blond Mommies." Such a pivot sustains engagement, even in a concise anecdote spanning under thirty seconds.

Conclude with a definitive resolution that validates the story's inclusion, linking seamlessly to your overarching theme via a key insight or practical application. Signal closure by transitioning back to the theme—perhaps with a pertinent quote, observations on its relevance to the practice, or an invitation for students to contemplate (and share, in intimate group settings) parallels in their own lives.

Embrace your humanity, and don't shy from injecting humor! Light-hearted moments suit yoga classes perfectly; we needn't maintain an exclusively solemn or austere atmosphere. That said, remain unfazed if laughter doesn't follow—it's not a measure of success. Stay mindful, too, of using humor to seek external approval. Your role is to offer abundantly; theirs is to receive. Stoic faces often signal profound internal processing. Visible smiles or overt participation might reflect lighter engagement, suitable for certain class types but potentially limiting deeper yoga connections we aim to cultivate.

As you weave your story, bridging personal anecdotes to universal truths, strike a delicate equilibrium: render the theme accessible without centering it solely on yourself. Per our refined template, after introducing the message, pause for students to retrospectively connect it to their past experiences. Revisit at class's close, projecting it forward into their futures. This could inspire journaling prompts in your takeaway materials. Such intervals enable fuller digestion of your words, prioritizing their personal ties over your narrative alone.