If you talk to a yoga teacher chances are you’ve heard of someone talking about feeling burnt out. We teach so many classes a day, a week, a month – year after year. Eventually the sound of our own cues becomes grating. We wonder how to say “release” in a new fun way. We desperately try to find a new warm-up, a flashy transition, a more relaxing savasana.
Can I just lovingly say, yoga has been yoga for thousands of years – we’re not going to make it more flashy, more enjoyable, more anything. Friend, yoga is enough. Are you feeling pressured because you’re burnt out or because your students need to be entertained? No judgement, love & understanding here because I used to jump through hoops too.
5 Themes When You Feel Burnt Out
You really don’t need 5 new themes. You just need to “upgrade” your last 5 Themes.
1. Take your Twists class – and let’s focus on where you direct the gaze. Twists are fun and have great physical benefits, forget all that. Where are you looking? Are you keeping your eyes on the right things? OR, let’s take that twists class to option 1B. Notice the breath when you’re in the twist. Try to exhale longer – while you’re twisted. Because life doesn’t always unwind. We need to learn how to breathe in our twisted moments. That’s two themes for the price of one “twisted” theme! Don’t focus on the twist anymore – focus on the Drishti and Breath.
2. Let’s ground! When a teacher tells me they planned a grounding class and all those standing poses to prove they know what grounding is – I think you’ve missed an opportunity. Instead of focusing on your root chakra and feet feeling “rooted” in your beloved tree pose … Start grounding the forearms in forearm plank, Dolphin, etc. Ground the hand in all the Side Plank options. The forehead in Puppy. The top of the skull in a Headstand Prep. For the love of Grounding – Please stop busting out Tree pose for a Grounding Class. Ground something else besides your feet!!
3. Heart Openers = Cactus arms, done check. You probably have a Goddess Pose in there. Okay, how about keep it but float Eagle Arms to Cactus arms in other postures – not just Goddess. In your High Lunge, Warrior II, Goddess – then open into Cactus and offer a deeper heart opener with a bind in those same postures again. One heart opening pose might not be enough for your students to truly feel stretched open. Or 3B I bet you’re loving that peak pose of a Camel or Bow Pose – maybe swap it out for a longer Supported Fish Pose. As in 2 minutes on a bolster once your flow is complete and you’re on the ground. yum ! If that doesn’t open up someone’s heart – check for rigor mortis !! Trust me, Supported Fish with time on your side is a crowd pleaser. You can flow and use a bolsters, it doesn’t have to be a Yin class to bring out the props.
4. Straps! My hamstrings love starting a class on my back with straps. That’s the warm-up. Open the leg, supine Twist (holding the foot off the ground to get into the glutes), Half Happy Baby. Warm up my legs first with straps rather than just one Staff pose & I am ready to flow! Again, you can use props in a flowly class. And this has been a favorite when I teach evenings. After sitting all day my students love a deeper stretch before getting into standing postures.
5. Teach a Mini Workshop! I love a Side Plank, so you can imagine my surprise when a student told me she hated Side Plank. GASP! I asked why and then broke down every single variation of Side Plank I could think of so she could find a better place for her. The next week, I taught a Side Plank Mini Workshop. Do you know why your students don’t like some poses? Have you found out that Georgia had shoulder surgery and doesn’t know she can put her knee down in Side Plank? Or that Stef (ahem, me) would rather step behind than stagger the feet? You can do this with so many poses – teach a break down class!
If a student asks a question after class, use that to teach next week! I’ve had some great questions. 1. How do you do that Chatarunga thing so easily? 2. What does “flip my dog” mean? 3. I’m flipping my dog but it doesn’t look like Wild Thing. 4. What else can I do to make Reverse Plank more enjoyable? 5. How did you fly in Hurdler?
Questions are a great source for class themes! It’s obviously relevant to the class, and your students feel like they’re being seen & heard. Which opens the door for growth and consistency. They’ll appreciate you covering the content in-depth rather than just running through another boring Warrior Flow.
from my mat to yours ~
Stef
Need some Side Plank refreshers? I shared an IG Post awhile back and just saw it’s been forever since I’ve done Eagle Legs in a Side Plank!