7 Tips to Create Your First Yoga Class
Updated: Jan 19
Creating your first class can be an intimidating process. It requires leading a large group, memorizing your lines and finding confidence in your flow. Use these 7 tips to help prepare for teaching your first yoga class.
1. Create a Theme - Focus your class around a theme to help connect a community that enjoys doing similar practices. Consider doing a heart opener or balancing class. Creating a playlist with a theme can be a fun way to add rhythm to your poses.
2. Peak Pose - Find one challenging pose to base your practice around. This will help to make better decisions on the best sequences to warm up and cool down from class.
3. Don't Over Complicate - Keep it easy. Don't make it to hard on yourself. Stick to the poses that you know and that you feel confident in. No need to speak in Sanskrit when you need to focus on remembering your lines. There will be plenty of opportunities to add complications to your class, but it will become easier with the more experience you have as an instructor.
4. Practice First - Do your homework before you teach. Write down your sequence and say it out loud. Keeping a log of your classes will give you something to refer back to and it also can be used to create a portfolio of your classes.
5. Collaboration - Collaboration gives access to an audience that you wouldn't normally have and promotion by someone else that's vested. Consider hosting your class at a coffee shop or bring in a musical artist to play in the background. If your nerves are really stirring bring in a second yoga teacher and split the class time.
6. Have Fun - Add special touches to your class. Burning incense or giving a short Thai massage in savasana can make your class unique. Share quotes of inspiration in the beginning or at the end of practice to help set intentions.
7. Bring your authentic self - People are coming to your class for you! Don't give them someone else. Share with your students the same you that's on and off the mat. Bring your gift of positive energy with anyone that attends.
Good luck in teaching your first class!
Subscribe to Passport Utopia for more original yoga content.