40 creative yoga class themes

Becoming a successful yoga teacher means becoming an expert instruction giver. Concise and precise cues allow students to float in and out of asanas. But equally important, and likely to resonate long after your students step off their mat, is the class theme or dharma talk. Its the other instruction of yoga the one that gets to the heart of the practice. Theme sets you apart, shows your individuality as a teacher and assures your students that yes, youre human, and if you can stay the course of yoga so can they. Theres no shortage of concepts you can explore but sometimes like writers block they dont flow as easily. If thats the case, get inspired with these 40 creative yoga class themes gathered from life, books, quotes, music and yes, yoga classes. Im grateful to all my teachers who have inspired me to write this list. And if youd like to polish your technique see 5 speaking tips for yoga teachers.

Create an experience
1. Explore what it feels like to be absolutely still even while moving.

2. Imagine you have 3D vision and see the body from every angle, not just front and back. 3. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Newtons Third Law of Motion 4. Explore the mat and postures as would a child playing his or her favorite game. 5. Match your pose sequences to speak to the current season. 6. Choose poses and create energy thats opposite of the days weather. Raining? Energize the class. Sunny and hot? Cool down with restorative poses and shitali pranayama. 7. Ask students to think back to their first yoga class how every movement felt new and different. Have them relive that feeling in each pose. 8. If you usually teach with music, turn it off for one class to allow your students to focus solely on hearing themselves breathe and move. 9. If your students are able and in good health, have them wear blindfolds during the entire class to experience what yoga feels like, rather than what it looks like. 10. Give students a couple free poses during class a chance for them to do whatever it is thats calling to them in that moment. (via yoga mentor Karen Lerner)

Lets get physical

12. Focus on the four corners of the body the hips and the shoulders. 13. Think about what life would be like to lose function of your legs. Spend class appreciating every movement your legs make. 14. Focus on core strength the deep inner strength both physical and mental that guides us through life. 15. Observe the differences between one side of the body and the other. 16. Make every movement purposeful and deliberate. Dont rush the breath, fall in line with it. 17. Keep your drishti on the third eye area throughout class. 18. Choose a specific pose to come back to throughout class (such as chair pose) with cues to increase flexibility or increase the challenge each time.

19. Emphasize the feet placement, weight distribution, how the toes spread even when the feet arent touching the ground. 20. Sun salutations. Lots of them. A whole class of them with little variation in order to challenge the mind, which inevitably will start squawking. Dedicate each round or set to a different aspiration, person or event. 21. Twist it up! Incorporate standing, seated and supine twists, focusing on twisting the four areas of the spine: cervical, thoracic, lumbar and sacral.

Inspiring quotes
21. Ignorance is regarding the impermanent as permanent. Sutra 2.5, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali translated by Sri Swami Satchidananda 22. Every thought you produce, anything you say, any action you do, it bears your signature. Thich Nhat Hanh, Buddhist monk 23. We cannot add happiness to this world; similarly, we cannot add pain to it either. Swami Vivekananda from The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda Vol. 1 24. Life is beautiful because of you. 25. Think light and feel light. Do not think of yourself as a small, compressed, suffering thing. Think of yourself as graceful and expanding, no matter how unlikely it may seem at the time. Light on Life by B.K.S. Iyengar 26. Where you are right now is exactly where you need to be. 27. By your stumbling, the world is perfected. Sri Aurobindo (via Meditations from the Mat: Daily Reflections on the Path of Yoga by Rolf Gates and Katrina Kenison) 28. Transcending mind-made limitations doesnt mean you stop being yourself. On the contrary, you become more yourself than ever before. Steve Ross, author of Happy Yoga: 7 Reasons Why Theres Nothing to Worry About 29. The highest spiritual practice is self-observation without judgment. Swami Kripalu 30. We are cups, constantly and quietly being filled. The trick is, knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out. Ray Bradbury

Feel the love

31. To say I love you one must first be able to say the I. Ayn Rand 32. Some people are sent to us for quick lessons, some are sent to us for seasonal lessons and some are sent to us for a lesson we are to be taught over a lifetime. The Daily Love 33. Create an intention to love one of your traits that you wouldnt think to immediately self love. This trait could be physical, mental or emotional. Reaffirm your love throughout your practice. 34. The worst prison would be a closed heart. John Paul II 35. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not selfseeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NIV version) 36. Instead of envisioning what love looks like, envision what love feels like in every yoga posture and during meditation or savasana. 37. At the heart of all life is the heart. Henry David Thoreau said it well: Dwell as near as possible to the channel in which your life flows. Ask students to surrender to the flow of their bodies in each posture and love where theyre at no judgment. 38. Whats your best side? Almost everyone seems to favor one side of their face for photos or one side of their body in certain yoga poses. Ask students to observe the differences between both their sides, the right masculine and the left feminine, and send love to both. 39. Your task is not to seek for love but merely to seek and find all barriers within yourself that you have built against it. Rumi (via dear friend @almadeline) 40. Place special emphasis on backbends and heart openers, such as reverse plank, upward facing dog, camel pose, wheel, cobra and bridge. Of course, warm your students up before dropping them right into their heart center.

One Thing Leads to Another: Intelligent Sequencing for Yoga Classes

The phrase, one thing leads to another, might remind you of The Fixxs 1983 smash hit single, but these few simple words can actually serve as a guiding principle for structuring your next yoga class. Two primary objectives of the physical practice of yoga are to: (1) create balance in the body through the development of strength and flexibility, and (2) establish a deep connection between breath and movement. The word vinyasa is a somewhat general term that can be used to describe a number of yoga-related elements, from a series of postures to a certain style of yoga class. However, when broken down to its Sanskritic roots, the term vinyasa means to place (nyasa) in a special way (vi). Typically, when we speak of vinyasa, we are referring to breath-synchronized movement throughout a yoga class in which poses are linked together using the breath in order to create continuous flow. While there are an abundance of asanas (commonly referred to as postures or poses) in yoga, the foundation for a physical practice should focus on practicing postures progressively in order to enhance steadiness, alertness and overall comfort qualities referred to as sthira and sukha in the Yoga Sutras. In order to realize the qualities of sthira and sukha, it is imperative to first understand the necessary steps to prepare ones breath, body and attention for the asanas selected in the given practice. To do so, it is important to explore and understand a variety of postures (which are often grouped into categories, such as seated, standing, etc) and the associated physiological, emotional and spiritual benefits of each. With a deeper understanding of the purpose and benefits of each asana, we may then begin to focus our attention on the fundamental concept of vinyasa krama, which is expressed in the Yoga Sutras as the action taken to correctly organize and construct a gradual and intelligent course for yoga practice [in Sanskrit, this is the step (krama) used to place (nyasa) in a special way (vi)]. The re ality is, one best way to sequence a yoga practice does not exist because there are many factors to consider. These factors include the individual or class needs; lifestyle and long-term goals; what activities will follow the practice (for example, a series of asanas designed to prepare a tennis player for his/her sport will likely be very different from someone who suffers from insomnia and is seeking a relaxing practice to perform late in the evening); energy level; experience, etc.

Usually, most but not all sequences in yoga are linear: One posture follows another in a logical step-bystep direction from less to more challenging asanas, and then concludes with less challenging asanas. A practice following this notion may look like this: Beginning a sequence with simple warm-up poses that set the tone (and prepare the body) for the practice, moving to more challenging postures that add intensity to the practice before ultimately slowing the practice down through the incorporation of cooling postures, and then ending in savasana. As an example, lets look at the following general class structure and discuss the logic behind why certain postures may come before others:

Centering postures: Beginning class in a posture such as balasana, or standing or sitting quietly, gives students the opportunity to become grounded and to begin to observe the body and the breath, focusing their attention towards cultivating pranayama, often described as the art of breath control (from its Sanskrit roots, prana means life force or breath while ayama means to suspend or to restrain). Standing poses: In an effort to effectively prepare the body for the practice and ultimately develop the connection between breath and movement, standing postures, including Surya Namaskar (sun salutation), are frequently utilized as a warm-up. Standing poses also serve as good preparation for many balancing poses to follow. Seated, Kneeling or Supine poses: Postures performed in a variety of positions (e.g. seated, kneeling, supine, etc) are often included in a practice in preparation for inversions and arm balances. These may include postures that are performed in order to open or stretch an area of the body, such as supported virasana, or perhaps to strengthen the body, such as vasisthasana. Inversions and Arm Balances: Inverted postures, such as salamba sirsasana, allow students to explore and discover unknown aspects of themselves by moving into positions that, for the most part, are opposite from our daily positioning. Prone poses: Many prone poses, like bhujangasana and salambhasana, are backbends which can serve as great counterposes for many inverted poses while also strengthening the body. Seated poses: Seated postures can provide numerous benefits towards the end of a practice, and often work well as a transition into the supine postures to follow. It is important to be mindful, however, not to place two intense, opposing postures back-to -back without incorporating an appropriate period of rest and transition postures in between. (This applies to any point in the class sequence.) For example, if youve finished your series of prone poses with an intense backbend such as dhanurasana, incorporate a few resting, transitional postures into your sequence before moving into a powerful forward bend you may be visiting in the seated series to follow, such as paschimottanasana. Resting poses: Concluding practice with resting poses, which are often performed in a supine position, give the body a chance to restore while once again, allowing students to practice pranayama before moving into the completely relaxed state of savasana.

Again, this is just one example of a general class sequence, but it provides some thought and understanding into how postures may be sequenced. Other ideas for sequencing may include:

Teaching to an apex pose: Apex (also referred to as peak) poses are more challenging and require multiple areas of the body to be opened and/or strengthened first. If opting to sequence to an apex pose, begin by first selecting a pose that is challenging, yet appropriate, for the format and class level you are teaching. From there, be sure to identify what areas of the body will need to be opened and/or strengthened before reaching the apex poses, and then identify the appropriate preparatory poses. Teaching to an area of the body: Structuring a class sequence focused on an area of the body can have many benefits, and may better serve your students needs. For example, a class sequence which focuses on opening the hips could be a great option when teaching students who spend the majority of their day in a seated position (such as at an office). Or, creating a class sequence that focuses on the hamstrings can be good when leading a yoga class for athletes since many athletes tend to lack a great deal of flexibility in the hamstrings. Finally, a sequence focused on the back may appeal to a varied class of students since back pain is the second most common complaint cited in doctors offices in the U.S.

Teaching with a theme: Teaching with a theme can help you develop a deeper connection with your students because the focus extends beyond simply practicing yoga and instead, encourages students to truly embrace and live yoga. It is important that the theme you select is relevant to your students, so ask yourself what your students need and where you would like to take them. Examples include concepts or qualities, such as gratitude or awareness, as well events in nature, such as a full moon or summer solstice. To best serve your students, ensure that the theme is carried throughout the entire class from the postures selected to the music played to the phrases and quotes spoken.

The take-away message is that there is no steadfast rule or specific path to follow for sequencing yoga classes; there are many different styles of yoga as well as many different reasons for practicing. Other factors to keep in mind are the skill level of the classes you are teaching (e.g. beginner, intermediate, advanced) and most importantly, the students unique goals, desires and needs for the evolution of their personal yoga journey. A good rule of thumb, regardless of what style or level of yoga you teach, is to always practice what you teach to ensure that the sequence youve developed and the postures youve selected conveys what you want, both physically and emotionally.