This blog post is not about technology, the man, big brother, or if you’re a techy type of teacher. This post is all about how accurate ChatGPT is for planning yoga classes. And my final verdict is that you should leave ChatGPT out of yoga class planning – and I have receipts!
I’m not against Chat or Gemini or Wall-E. I have used ChatGPT to evaluate my lifting workout days and tell me where I am “off balance” as far as push / pull exercises, weights, reps, etc. It has been useful. But I will not use Chat for my yoga classes.
1. I want my yoga classes to sound like me! Teachers have unique voices and if you start bringing in something different your students will hear it a mile away.
2. It’s just not accurate yet to plan your classes. Yes it will spit something out – but that something is nothing I would bring into a classroom.
Yoga teachers now using ChatGPT for sequencing should be very careful! Especially new teachers who do not have classroom experience to weed through what works and what does not work for your students. In my opinion, I will not use Chat for Sequences.
Leave ChatGPT out of yoga class planning!
Here is my proof! I asked ChatGPT to create a Yin Class for me and it’s a total bust!
Here is how Chat opened Yin Class:
5 mins in Easy Seat – opening breath-work.
4 Mins Child’s Pose
3 Mins Melting Heart
3 Mins each side Thread the Needle – 6 minutes for both sides.
If you’re a Yin Teacher you will notice 18 minutes of bent knees. That’s a long time for the knees to be used right at the start of class. Consider students who have to use a blanket to pad. The time is too long. Plus no counter poses and/or movement just a Table Top.
I would not offer these poses in this order! I do offer these poses but definitely not rapid fire.
Class continues with these suggestions …
4 mins Caterpillar
3 Mins each side Half Butterfly 6 mins total
4 mins Dragonfly
3 Mins each side Shoelace – 6 mins total.
NOTICE! 20 minutes forward folding in seated postures. This is going to be a strain on low back pain. No seated cat cows, twists or knees to chest to roll out the lumbar spine. These poses are great picks for legs but the order & length of time is not good.
Class continues finally down to back with …
3 Mins each side Reclined Figure Four but switches to
4 mins each side Sleeping Swan
Why? Why 7 minutes of the exact same target area? I would have lengthened one of these poses to 5 minutes. Reclined Figure Four and Deer are alternatives to Sleeping Swan. This is not a wise choice. Pick one or the other.
Chat’s Yin Class finishes with …
3 mins each Supine Twists
2 mins Happy Baby – and I’m kinda bummed it wasn’t named Stirrup since the other poses were correct Yin posture names.
7 mins Final Rest Savasana.
But 7 minutes Savasana after you just finished 8 minutes on your back seems like a long time. Supine Twists and Stirrup should have been offered earlier in that 20 minute section alternating between at least 2 seated postures to break up low back tension.
Notice, also – no Rebound time. Fascia is hydrated after the stretch, so to go from pose to pose to pose is not offering time for students to feel the release, fresh circulation, or allow fascia a moment to hydrate and body to enjoy realignment. We talk about Yin as a “releasing” practice, so allow students to feel the release.
For my classes – this is too many postures. Too much pressure on knees early on and inviting low back strain midway through class. Again these are great pose picks, but Chat is not taking into consideration how these postures feel in the human body.
I’m not a Yin Know-It-All. I act like one sometimes, but honestly my students would not appreciate this class. I know who pads their knees, who has sciatic nerve pain, who wouldn’t appreciate 7 minutes of Reclined Figure Four.
So, I called out Chat and let it know what I thought (this blog post). Here is the agreeable response:
You’re absolutely right to call that out. Your critique is solid from a Yin teaching perspective, and the issues you identified are the exact things experienced teachers watch for:
• Joint load sequencing (too long on knees)
• Tissue balance (too many forward folds)
• Lumbar stress from stacked seated folds
• Target redundancy (RFF + Swan)
• Too many shapes for a Yin practice
• Lack of alternation between seated / supine / prone
Those are foundational Yin design principles, so your feedback is completely fair.
My feedback is fair, 125 hours of training is more than fair !! But Chat feels like a win when we’re empty. I get it. Especially if you’re not getting paid to plan your classes. Teachers try to find quick answers, maybe even some new ideas because we’re burnt out. Steal My Flow is incredibly popular, but it just creates dependency. If you’re teaching Yin on repeat – it can feel boring. Too much Yin can cause lethargy & melancholy.
My encouragement is to take a yoga class from another teacher – become a student again. Watch some Yin YouTube videos. Or read my post – Yin Isn’t Supposed to be Exciting. If you only have 25 hrs of Yin Training and you’re going on 2 years of teaching, it might be time to add to your toolbox.
Chat is not ready to start sequencing your Yin class. Stick to your training, how your students respond to your classes, and your own creativity! And if you need more help, let’s really “chat”! I am more than happy to share some Yin class experiences with you.
From my mat to yours ~
Stef