A SECRET GUIDE FOR GETTING INTO THE ZONE TO PLAN YOUR BEST EVER YOGA CLASS
Figuring out how to plan a yoga class can be tough. Some days, the class plan flows straight out of my brain and onto the page in no time. On others, I can’t even seem to string 3 poses together without convincing myself that whatever I’ve come up with is complete and utter rubbish (I should probably listen to my own advice when it comes to tackling self-doubt, huh.)
Getting in the zone to prepare the perfect practice for my students can be really, freakin’ tricky. Sometimes I can’t help but ball up my metaphorical piece of paper and throw it in the trash, putting off my class planning for as long as I possibly can. However, even I know that procrastination is a recipe for disaster.
Leaving sequencing to the last minute is not only an inefficient way of using your time, but in doing this, the quality of your class plan is likely to suffer too. And when you get around to teaching, knowing that you haven’t quite put the required hours, effort, thought, and care into the practice you are about to lead… well, that’s anxiety-inducing!! Believe me, I’ve been there.
With all that added stress and pressure, this last-minute rush is a sure-fire way to send your parasympathetic nervous system into overdrive. None of this sounds like a healthy or productive way to teach yoga does it?
So if we’re not leaving our class planning until the last minute, but can’t find our flow when we do sit down to sequence, then what next?
In this article, I’ve included all my tricks for getting yourself in the flow - mind, body and soul - so you can plan any yoga class to the best of your ability. From this post, I’m hoping that you can learn from my mistakes and put the helpful practices I’ve discovered into action! Then, you’ll be setting yourself up to produce the high-quality yoga class plans that you are more than capable of and that your students will really love, too.
GIVE YOURSELF TIME AND SPACE
It is important to carve out dedicated time in your weekly schedule to plan the classes you’re booked to teach.
You can start by adding a weekly, recurring event into your calendar, setting aside a few hours (depending on how many classes you teach, of course) specifically dedicated to class planning. Knowing that you have this time set aside will help to seriously reduce the anxiety that last-minute ditch efforts tend to cause.
Personally, I don’t see much benefit from dipping in and out of sequencing throughout the week, planning just before class that evening, bouncing from task to task daily. I therefore recommend sequencing a few classes at a time, in one set period if you can. This is called batching and is a productivity trick used by high performing, mass-producing content creators to stay efficient with their workload. Setting aside a few hours to focus on a single task helps to keep our minds on track far more effectively. Carving out this time in your week will allow your concentration to be sharper, ultimately enabling you to create higher quality, more thoughtful, and purposeful practices for your students, en masse.
CENTRE YOURSELF
As a yoga teacher, you’ll already be aware of the plethora of benefits that meditation has for our lives. Taking a few moments to center ourselves before rushing into class planning can help rid the mind of distracting thoughts, allowing for fixed concentration on the task at hand, as well as a clearer thought path for inspiration for the sequence being written.
So before you begin, perhaps you pop on a short, guided focusing meditation, or simply ground your feet to the floor and take three large deep breaths, bringing yourself out of your mind, back to your body and into the present.
Or maybe your centering technique is more focused. You could try meditating on the type of class you are seeking to teach or the purpose of the practice you want to share. Perhaps you could base your meditation practice on the specific theme or philosophy to wish to focus on in class and see what sparks of insight arise for your teachings.
SET THE MOOD
Your space matters. How are you supposed to concentrate on writing beautiful, flowing, intuitive sequences if you are distracted by the dirty dishes in the sink or the clanging of the building works next door? Add an ambiance to the room that signifies something sacred is about to begin. This ritual you are creating in your space will help to signal a transition from daily life to productive, class planning mode.
Find a space to work that has minimal distractions, then light a candle or incense. Maybe turn on a diffuser with your favourite essential oil as a symbol of the importance of this planning process, whilst also awakening your senses, ready for action.
Perhaps you could bring some focusing crystals into the space with you:
Quartz is my go-to crystal when I need focused attention on my class plans, with attributes that aid in decreasing mental chatter and sharpen the intellect.
Much like a tiger that never daydreams when out on a hunt, Tiger’s Eye crystals grant the wisdom to stay focused on your current task through its unique capabilities to filter mental distractions and boost determination.
Sodalite is known as the Student’s Stone, perfect for helping with memory and organisational abilities. Additionally, it is a great crystal for enhancing intuition, keeping the mind attentive and free of diversions when it comes to choosing your optimal sequences.
If the sounds of the outside world are overwhelming, you can always turn on some music whilst you plan. Recently, there has been a spike in the popular use of Binaural Beats whilst working, as a way to put ourselves in the optimal state of mind for the task at hand. It is said the effect that these sounds have on our Beta brain waves can be conducive to our brains operating in ‘learning mode’, the ideal state for efficient class planning.
HELP FROM THE KITCHEN CUPBOARD
Now we’re talking big picture tips. Everyday lifestyle choices can have a really significant impact on our mental resilience, therefore affecting how well we can get into the flow of working or planning a class sequence or even teaching itself.
Fortunately, we can look to the kitchen cupboard (or our local health food store) to help overcome excessive amounts of stress and other lifestyle challenges that may have caused unnecessary burdens on the body, including our brains.
Although none of these are necessary, and can sometimes add up $$$, these natural assistants can be used to power-up productivity and improve mental focus so we can function at our very best:
If you drink coffee, use it to your advantage and consume your caffeine strategically. Drink a cup right before you want to be at your most in tune, as it’s proven that caffeine allows us to focus more intensely, work for longer without giving up, and as well as helping improve short-term memory. Just try not to drink more than 2 cups, or consume it too late in the day, as it will definitely impact the quality of your sleep.
The list of major benefits provided by Lion’s Mane is pretty endless, but I’m recommending it here as it is associated with notable brain repair. Lion’s mane mushroom, which I take in the form of a coffee-style drink, stimulates cognitive function and helps improve memory, so is a great focus-friendly supplement to aid our class planning mindset.
In addition, other herbal allies such as Cacao, Peppermint, Rhodiola and Holy Basil are all great assistants for getting your body and mind ready for focus, in either herb, essential oil or tea form!
BRING THE INSPIRATION
The scene is set, your body and mind are prepped to work at their optimum, yet you’re still struggling to put pen to paper.
My advice? Look to your inspiration.
Reread through old class plans, what can you reuse? Perhaps you only need to make a few tiny tweaks and edits to put a whole new spin on a well-worn sequence that your students already know and love.
I like to take notes from innovative sequences that I’ve experienced in my own body, whilst practicing in the classes of other teachers. With the rise in online class platforms, now is as good a time as any to be taking notes from the yoga teachers that you admire most (check out my favourite free online practices here). Pop on a video or two and see if any of the peak poses stand out to you as a basis to work from.
Otherwise, yogic texts, influential books, and last but not least, your teacher training notes are always a great place to fall back on.
Light on Yoga by B.K.S. Iyengar is a key text for practitioners, giving both perspective and direction in the details of over 600 poses.
Eddie Stern’s One Simple Thing includes a number of beautiful meditations that I use to inspire into my teachings.
Have any other go-to books for when sequencing inspiration runs dry? Or perhaps there is a playlist that you LOVE to listen to whilst batch planning your classes? Be sure to share any other tips and tricks you have in the comments below.
