Remarkable sequencing
Do you sometimes feel like you’re missing that little extra that takes a course from basic to brilliant? It’s sometimes easy to run out of inspiration for our sequencing and we can feel like we’re becoming repetitive or lacking creativity. Here are some tips for keeping lessons creative and fresh without overcomplicating just for the sake of it. These key points worked for me and I hope they will work for you too.
- Structure: Have a basic structure for your class, a skeleton class that you work from and that works for you, so that you don’t have to completely rewrite your lessons every time. You can sometimes modify it if you feel something isn’t working or can be improved, but stick to a basic template to simplify your teaching. Within this structure, you can introduce new postures every week and your classes will always be new for your yogis.
- History: Work with a theme for each class. It will allow your students to learn and grow and will allow your teaching to be focused and your classroom instructions to follow a clear thread.
- Simplicity: Keep it simple. If you are doing a course on chakras, for example, work on them one at a time. Don’t overload your students, otherwise they will retain very little. Even if we are masters of what we teach, our students usually are not. So it’s best that we deliver the teachings in small, manageable offerings of knowledge that they can continue to chew on after class while absorbing the teachings.
- Power: Just as you keep the subject simple, don’t overload them with postures. Gradually work your way up to maximum posture, layering postures in a way that makes anatomical sense, rather than throwing things in just because…. Less is more.
- Play: If you’re stuck in a rut and lacking inspiration, get out. Go see an art exhibition, a film at the cinema, take a bike ride or walk, anything that will refresh your eyes. Inspiration comes to us as much off the mat as on the mat.
- Pace: Slow down. Don’t rush your class into practice. Give your students time to experiment with the postures and the challenge of each posture. Let time and space breathe.
- Flavor: Allow plenty of downtime. Students love savasana. Don’t change them!
I will be running a workshop in March with an opportunity for you to refine your sequencing skills. We will explore how to stay inspired and keep our students interested and invested. The session will be interactive and you will have the opportunity to put the lessons into practice through group work. We extended the workshop to 2 days following feedback from previous workshops that 1.5 days was not enough time to explore and play! Learn more and book here. I hope to see you there.
All the best, Erika