Teaching complexity
What I Taught in Yoga This Week | 2.14.24
Dear humans,
Well my, my, my – I didn’t really think about the fact that I’d be sending this letter out on valentine’s day until I sat down to write it. There is no overtly heart-felt or mushy theme associated with my topic today, but I do want you to know how much I am appreciating this blossoming online community. Thank you for being you, being human, loving yoga, and following along.
I was going to share two flows today, the second behind a paywall, because, well, capitalism. BUT because it’s valentine’s day I’m just going to send them both – fo free! Happy valentine’s day, loves, take care of yourself and those around you today.
(However, if you have the means and want to become a paid subscriber to show your love, I really do appreciate it!)
Onto the flow!
I’ve shared two flows below, the first is what I would consider my “main flow” and it’s an intermediate vinyasa flow with a variety of interesting transitions.
The second video is what you could use as your “first flow” or a flow to warm-up the body. You could also use this “first flow” as your main flow in an all levels class. This video is shared in real time. (I typically speed up my videos to fit them into the 1 minute mark and make them more digestible, but let me know what format you prefer.)
What I Taught in Yoga This Week | February 14, 2024
Main Flow
First Flow
A few thoughts on the main flow: With all these interesting transitions, this can be a tricky flow to teach. Teaching something new tends to be more of a challenge because, as a teacher, your students rely on your clear cues and often a demo to understand what you’re asking for.
This means you are juggling speaking and moving, and all the other elements of teaching, in your brain, which sometimes can make you feel out of breath or overwhelmed.
Here are my tips for teaching through complexity:
Calm: First things first, remind yourself to regulate your voice and tone – calm conveys calm. The more calm you are as a teacher, the more calm and confident your students will feel. If you need a breath or a drink of water, take it! Short gaps of time in speaking is totally fine in yoga. In fact, more often then not, we should practice saying less.
Clear: When you are cuing, try to provide clear and slow cues, one at a time. You can cue something new more slowly than you might cue something familiar.
Balance teaching “on” and “off” the mat: When you teach more advanced vinyasa, you must learn the skill of teaching “off the mat” so that you can have enough energy and breath to speak. Additionally, it’s so valuable to be able to look at your students and see if your cues are landing. The simplest tip for teaching off mat is to watch your students for prompts about which side of the body you are asking them to move (right or left). When teaching “off mat” you become an observer and you are teaching from what’s happening in the room, rather than from what’s happening in your own body. Another tip is to try to be “off mat” during the more familiar shapes so you can save your energy for demo-ing the new stuff.
Move: Literally move around the room. If you are having your students face a side wall, move to that side of the room. My students will tell you that I’m always squeezing myself in between their mats. Don’t be afraid to walk around. Ideally, the teacher should be in the student’s gaze, especially if you are providing demos. This requires you to move, rather than having the students turn their heads.
Start simple, then build: I’ve said this before, but if you are new to teaching complicated transitions, then start by just adding in one or two a class. Practice your cues. Understand what’s happening in the body. Let the rest of the class flow in a more traditional fashion, and then add in your creativity. Or, using this newsletter as a guide, you could teach the “first flow” only, and then work your way up to the “main flow” in a few weeks. A little goes a long way. You’ll naturally build up the skill as you go.
As I write this, I’m struck by how much I’m still a student when it comes to teaching complexity. It’s a skill I’m working on, but I’m certainly still practicing. What helps you when teaching “harder” vinyasa classes? Or, as a student, what do you appreciate from a teacher? Let me know in the comments.
Alright dear humans, signing off for this week. Have a lovely day. Be kind to yourself and your hearts. Eat chocolate and drink water.
Sending love,
Izzy
Izzy Martens
author, yoga teacher, sequence enthusiast
www.yogahumans.com
This week’s sequence in longhand:
Main Flow:
Roll forward to high plank
Half pushup
Plank
Knee to nose
Three legged dog
Low Lunge
Easy Twist
High Crescent Lunge
Revolved Chair
Chair Revolved Chair (Second side)
Revolved Chair (First side)
Hover non-bound leg and step back
Revolved crescent
Warrior II
Dancing Warriors x3
Half-Moon
Warrior III
Revolved Half Moon
Revolved Hand to Foot
Warrior III
Star
Wide Leg Fold
Side Lunges
Skandasana (back of mat)
Skandasana (front of mat)
Low lunge (back of mat)
Easy twist
Step foot back and sit
Hand to toe taps
Wild thing
Flip around to down dog
Start flow on other side!
First Flow:
Roll forward to high plank
Half pushup
Plank
Knee to nose
Three legged dog
Low Lunge
Easy Twist
High Crescent Lunge
Revolved Chair
Chair Revolved Chair (Second side)
Revolved Chair (First side)
Hover non-bound leg and step back
Revolved crescent
Warrior II
Reverse Warrior
Low Lunge
Side Plank
Vinyasa
Want more? Head to yogahumans.com