There are many yoga teachers, each one having their different style of teaching. Some teach the same sequence every class, some practice themselves during their classes, others walk around, some coordinate their class following the chakras or choosing a certain theme like backbends. It is also possible to sequence the class around an emotional theme like letting go of emotions, releasing stress, etc. There are countless ways to structure and teach a yoga class. This article doesn’t aim to judge any teaching style but simply to share personal experiences and to give some tips for teaching.
It is possible that you have difficulties keeping your students. They all say they like your teaching but for some reason they don’t come back after a few classes. The tips below might give you a few ideas to change some things in your class and to keep your students motivated and loyal to you and your classes.
First of all it is important to give your students personal attention. Make sure you know their names, their goals in their yoga practice, etc. When you call students by their name they feel much more attached to you and your classes. They feel like they get personal benefit by coming to your classes, like they are not just a number. By knowing why they practice yoga and what they want to achieve, you are able to help them better and give them personal guidance and feedback according to their needs. Personal attention is really of primordial importance. A way to get to know the goal of their yoga practice is by giving them a form after their first or second class. In the form you can ask general questions like their personal data, but you can also ask if they have any injuries, why they practice yoga, how long, which styles, etc. In this form you can ask any question that you think might be helpful to know your students better. They won’t mind, because they know it is personal and if they notice in your class that you use the information that was given to you to give personal attention and guidance to the student, they will really appreciate and trust you. Make it a rule to talk to at least 4 students after class. Ask them how they are doing, give them some feedback on the class, ask about their development,... Show them that you are interested in them as a person, not only as a student who pays for your classes.
During the class, it is recommended not to practice while you are teaching. When you practice yourself you cannot see the students and correct their mistakes. The main focus should always be on the students, not on your personal practice. However many teachers do this. They think that it is better for the students if they see what you are doing, they like to show how good their practice is, they like to use the time for their own practice because they don’t know when else to do it. There are many reasons why teachers think it is better to practice themselves. Therefore you can really distinguish your classes from others by walking around during the class and correcting your students. Of course you can show new poses if the students don’t know them. You can show things to make it more clear or to show the correct alignment. You can also show poses on students. This keeps them motivated: if another student can do it, so can they. Show poses if required, but try to walk around as much as possible. By giving quick and effective corrections you give the students the feeling that they are learning something and positive feedback keeps them motivated because they are being pushed and they are making progress. This being said you should be careful however to not over correct your students. Minimum 2, maximum 4 corrections per student per class is recommended. If you do this, your students will really appreciate your classes, they will see the benefits for them and they will definitely keep coming back.
Structure your classes in a balanced way. Some teachers try to over impress the students by giving them difficult asanas, others are afraid that the students will get bored with repetition so they keep giving new sequences every class. Though it might seem the most interesting way to give classes, it is not a problem to have a fixed sequence which is good balanced and covers all the important asanas. There should be a balance between forward bends, backbends, inverted poses and standing poses. You can still make variations but it helps to have a set structure and then change some poses or give variations for some poses. This will give your students maximum benefit of your classes.
Finish your class with a high quality relaxation. If you give a class of 1.5 hours, you can spend 15 to 20 minutes on relaxation. Speak with a soft and slow voice and make your students completely relaxed. (It helps to sing when you give relaxation). You might feel a little bit uncomfortable to sing in the beginning but when you hear the positive feedback from your students you will get more confident. Whether you sing or speak, make sure your students are completely relaxed after your relaxation. They should have let go of every tension in their body and every feeling of stress. It is not a problem if they fall asleep. When they feel relaxed and balanced after your class, they will have energy to go through the following day. They will keep coming back to your classes to have that feeling again.
These are just some of the many tips there are to add something extra to your classes and to differentiate yourself from other yoga teachers. The author of this article is an experienced yoga teacher. He owns a yoga ashram in India and the Netherlands. Spiritual seekers are welcome to follow a 200 hour yoga teacher training course in India and the Netherlands and a 300 hour yoga teacher training in India.
