Have you wondered how often you should change up your sequences? How much? Does that seem to vary at different places where you teach? Some styles of yoga, such as Bikram and Ashtanga, have a set sequence that students practice every class. With Hatha and Vinyasa, however, teachers have the freedom to vary sequences class to class. In a way, that becomes an obligation, because students start to expect it. Offering new poses, transitions and flows also gives students places into which they can grow. It helps them to drink a few more drops of the vast ocean that is yoga practice.
Yet there is such a thing as changing sequences too drastically, too quickly - for instance, offering a calming “slow flow” one week, and then coming in with something much more high-energy, fast, and with many new poses the next week. It could also be heading straight into complex arm balances, binds, and the like without first going through the baby steps to these more advanced poses. How do we find the best balance, that “sweet spot” that we seek in yoga practice?
First, objectively regard your students and where you’re teaching. A “healing arts"-type studio (offering services such as acupuncture and massage) might very well draw students who are less interested in experiencing a new sequence every week than those who attend classes in a gym/athletic club; it’s more likely that they’re there for healing and relaxation than for fun, a sweaty workout, and feeling stronger. Of course there can be exceptions to that. Regard also what seems to the “brand" of where you’re teaching - fun and fast flows, gentle and particularly mindful movement, or focus on anatomy or yogic philosophies.
All of this being said, avoid making assumptions. Things aren’t always what they seem, at least not always consistently, and we can be wrong. Start with all of that as a baseline and then see what you see, hear what you hear, and remain open to feedback and needing to adjust. In fact, try proactively asking questions - including how students and/or administrators feel about what you’re offering, and if they have any changes they’d like to recommend to better suit the site and its students. Those things make up the transparent behaviors and humble, yet confident attitude of a true professional.
It's also wise to take stock of the students in class overall. If you're taking over a class, for instance, try to attend a class or two of the prior teacher’s. If more than once, notice how much the classes differ from one another. However many may be able to attend, it's helpful to have a discussion with the prior teacher and discuss this matter, among others. If you're starting a new class, begin with a balance of change and some consistency (with the exceptions of styles such as Bikram and Ashtanga, as mentioned, or a site’s particular brand of offering a unique class every time).
Watch for clues from students that they may seem confused or overwhelmed, or conversely are desiring more variety and challenge - just as practice teaches us to be open to, and more experience teaching shows us how to do. Then be sure to respond accordingly. Ideally, this adjustment can be done before students feel the need to speak up about their desires, but certainly adjust if they do (within the bounds of safety, reason, and majority opinion).
Achieving balance in variety of sequencing week to week is also an advantage, among others, of both practicing and writing down new sequences week to week. You have a record to look back at of the past week’s sequence (if it’s all not already in your body) and ones older than that. When you write the sequence down, you can write things that you’d like to include the following week (what you’d like to keep, and things you didn’t include this week). These notes, and note-taking process, can take on whatever level of formality that you may find works best for you. Just as with most things about this work, it’s all about balance, noticing what is, and responding accordingly. Om Shanti!
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