What to do when a problem strikes

& a flow dedicated to pyramid in many forms

Dec 11, 2024

∙ Paid

Dear Humans,

The other morning I taught a community yoga class at a new event space in town. The class was sold out! Almost 50 people in attendance. Mats, side by side in a huge, lovely space.

I was in “flow” as I was teaching. My words were coming out smoothly, I felt tapped-in to the energy in the room, and everything felt pretty good, until I stepped on something.

I noticed the prick of pain. I reached down, absent-mindedly, and swiped whatever it was away. I was still laser-focused on what I was teaching, I didn’t think that much of it.

There’s a funny thing that happens to us as teachers sometimes: the adrenalin of teaching rushes in and what’s happening in our own bodies becomes muted. If you’ve ever been able to easily access a tricky yoga posture while teaching, one that is tough for you when you’re not teaching, then you know the feeling.

It’s counter-intuitive because that’s the opposite of what we’re asking our students to do. We could probably go into a big rabbit hole here, but I’ll save that for another time.

Anyways, I continue teaching, and at one point I feel like I’m stepping in something sticky, so I look down at my foot and I see that it is covered in blood. I look at my mat and it’s covered in streaks of blood, too. I later found the small piece of glass that I stepped on (pictured for you below, you’re welcome). But in that moment, I had no sense of what had really happened.

I had only the facts: bleeding on stage and a sold out class in mid-flow in front of me.

So let’s pause here. If you were teaching and this happened to you, what do you think you would do? No judgement. No wrong answers. Just be open to imagining the scenario. What do you think your honest reaction would be? This is part of the exercise.

Would you exclaim loudly in front of your class? Would you ignore it? Would you make a joke out of it?

I think it’s so crucial to think through the “problem scenarios” that might arise while teaching yoga, and ask yourself how you might react.

Typically we are totally prepared for the expected, but how do we act when the unexpected happens?

These are the moments when your teaching skills and your confidence in holding space are really tested. It’s all well and good to teach beautifully when things are flowing. But what about when things go wrong?

And let’s face it, things will always go wrong. The music won’t work. Someone will call your phone in the middle of savasana. In a worse case situation, someone might get injured in class or feel faint.

I think that this skill—the skill of staying centered when things fall off track—is under-taught and highly important. And yes, I do believe that it’s a learned skill. It’s the skill of holding space.

When I walk out of a yoga class that I loved, I always reflect on why it felt so good. Usually it isn’t so much about the postures, but it’s because the yoga teacher made me feel “held” the entire time. They didn’t break the “spell” or the magic of class. They kept things flowing and moving, which really allows me as a student to trust that I don’t have to worry about anything beyond what’s happening in my own body, mind, and soul.

So how do you stay calm, and keep holding space, even when confronted with an issue while teaching? Here are some things I try to think about. It isn’t a comprehensive list, and every situation will be different.

Take a breath and think before you react. This is what we’re working on in yoga all the time: How to face challenges without allowing your emotions to hijack you. And this is actually the most important thing to keep in mind when hiccups come up in your class. When something happens, can you pause, take a breath, and then consider your reaction, without just reacting?
In a moment I’ll talk about real emergencies, but for now let’s just say that you’re having issues with your audio. Are you able to keep flowing and keep cuing, even as you are trying to sort out why your music keeps skipping? Can you stay calm and carry on, as they say. This will make your students feel confident that even though there’s an issue, it’s not going to deeply detract from their experience.
Consider whether or not you need to verbalize what’s happening. Most of the time, it’s better for the student experience if you can handle the situation without even signaling to them that there’s a problem. This often comes up when you make a mistake in your sequence. So you made a mistake, it happens, but I would say 9 times out of 10 your students haven’t noticed, and by signaling to them the mistake, you’re just adding emphasis to it. Unless of course you do something really wild or silly. Then it’s totally fine to acknowledge that! If you do address some issue, then try to do it in a light-hearted way. You can “let the students in on the joke,” but they don’t need to be part of the team of problem-solvers. Sometimes if I start my sequence in the wrong way, I’ll say something like: “Inhale, lift your left leg.” Then I’ll realize that’s wrong, so I’ll say, “Nope, actually, that’s wrong, put that down,” with a little laugh. I’ll continue on and the students usually laugh along with me. If it’s a mistake that you aren’t going to backtrack on though, just don’t worry about it. It’s already in the past.
In the case of a student (or yourself) becoming ill or getting injured, I’d highly recommend taking a few minutes to think about what you’d do in that live situation. This will prepare you in case this moment ever arrives.
The guidance I’ve received is to cue the rest of the students into child’s pose, so that the student can have privacy. Calmly attend to the student, asking them what they need. If it’s a small issue, then usually you can solve that together, and then class can resume. If it’s a larger issue, then you would need to call for help, and give the rest of your students clear guidance on exiting the space.
Many times, studios have their own protocols for this. But the most important thing to remember here is that your students will look to you for guidance, because you are the convener and the position of authority in that moment. Hopefully this never happens, but by reflecting on how you might handle it ahead of time, you’re better prepared should something come up.

In the case of the bleeding foot, here is what I decided to do:

I thought that some of the students in the front row must have noticed the blood, so I figured I should address it. Especially because I wasn’t sure how deep the cut was, and I thought I probably needed a band-aid. So I light-heartedly said something like, “I’m totally fine, but my foot seems to be bleeding, so I’m just going to grab a band-aid. I’ll keep cuing though.”

Then, as I walked through the space, I kept speaking. Luckily we were in a pretty mellow part of class. If we had been in a more active part, I may have had to cue “play time” or child’s pose, and then restart.

I verbalized what I was doing for another reason. I wanted the support person to hear that I needed a band-aid, so that they could start grabbing it for me. Then, I stood in the back of the room, still cuing, while I applied the band-aid. I returned to the front of class, and we moved on from there.

I don’t know if I handled it perfectly, I’m not sure if that’s ever possible. What I’m proud of, though, is that I didn’t knee-jerk react when I saw the blood. I took a moment, assessed the situation, then made my move. I think the students felt sure the entire time that I had everything under control.

It’s not a matter of being totally in control all the time. Your students are forgiving, and if things come up, they will understand that you’re just a human. Especially if it’s a big situation. But if it’s something small, like a little cut or a simple mistake, it’s worth thinking about whether or not the students need to be let in on your problem-solving.

Okay, my newsletters are getting longer and longer I fear! If you’re still with me, thanks for reading and reflecting with me. I hope this sparks some interesting self-reflection on what you might do in similar situations.

Being intentional as a teacher means reflecting on the many aspects of what it means to hold space.

Onto the flow!!

Our sequence this week is inspired by a series of classes I took with yoga teacher Kayla Nielsen. This modified take on her style incorporates side planks and pyramid pose as a transitionary movement. It’s the “final flow” that I taught in my intermediate yoga class.

For paid subscribers, I am giving you the two flows that I taught as a lead up. The first flow is an infinity flow that is suitable for all levels, and the second flow is the “main flow” which features a lot of fun transitions, including many modifications and versions of pyramid.

I hope you enjoy these sequences, dear humans.

If you have any reflections to share this week, I’d love to hear from you!

Izzy

Izzy Martens

author, yoga teacher, sequence enthusiast

www.yogahumans.com

the sequence write-up

downward facing dog
inhale — heels lift
exhale — drop heels to the left
- *If you are starting with your right leg forward, then your heels will drop to the left, this way you can step your right foot forward in just a moment!
side plank variation
three legged dog
knee to nose
dancing pyramid
extended side angle
side lunge (skandasana)
*sit onto mat
modified wild thing
seated side bend
low lunge (facing the back of the mat)
pyramid leg lift
- straighten the front leg, tent up on your fingertips, sweep straight front leg up and back
three legged dog
knee to nose
side plank with eagle legs
unwind to three legged dog
downdog or vinyasa!

Do you have a yoga teacher in your life that you are thinking of this holiday season? Consider giving them the gift of sequencing inspiration and community!

Gift subscriptions to What I Taught in Yoga This Week are a thoughtful token of appreciate and a gift that keeps giving through the year.

Give a gift subscription

Get a group subscription

If you’re new here – hello!

Let me introduce myself! My name is Izzy Martens and I’m just a human who teaches yoga, writes, hangs out with her two cats, hikes around Colorado, and enjoys creating yoga sequences.

Read more about the history of this newsletter, Yoga Humans, and my ethos below.

Buy a coffee ☕

If you don’t have the means to become a regular paid subscriber but want to send a token of appreciate you can buy me a coffee as a way to say thank you for the time and effort it takes to create this newsletter.

Two more flows! We start with a warm-up infinity flow, which prepares the body for the movements ahead. It is also just a great flow to teach to an all levels class, or maybe to practice on your own.

Then, we get to our “main flow” — which is the main standing sequence I featured in class. Take a look!

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to What I Taught in Yoga This Week to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.