How to Sequence Yoga Exercises for Instructors

Learning how to sequence yoga exercises takes time and practice, especially when you are building a class for a diverse array of students. You have to know your students' limitations and needs as well as your own. As with any other workout, the class should begin with a warm-up before progressing into more challenging poses, and then after completing the most challenging exercises, ease back into a cool-down or deep relaxation phase.

Things You'll Need

  • Sticky mats
  • Props
  • Book or chart of yoga poses
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Instructions

  1. Study

    • 1

      Read a reliable source like "Yoga Journal" or "Yoga, The Path to Holistic Health" and study the sequences presented.

    • 2

      Understand your class. Do a survey to find out what prior yoga experience your students have. If your students are members of a gym or have been taking yoga for some time, you will be able to design your flow at a more intense level. If they are beginners, you will need to make the class more introductory.

    • 3

      Set a goal for your class. Decide what the one main objective of this class session will be. Some possibilities include deep relaxation, a balance challenge, or ending in a back-bend.

    Design

    • 4

      Keep your final goal for the class in mind and select exercises that will lead up to that point. For example, if your goal is a back-bend, then the middle portion of the class should focus on opening the upper thighs and belly muscles, while not fatiguing the arms so much your students can't support themselves.

    • 5

      Allow time at the beginning for students to collect their thoughts and start to focus. Starting out seated, cross-legged on the floor, with hands on knees, gives your class a chance to leave daily stresses behind.

    • 6

      Start out with simple poses to warm the body and ease into the work ahead. Cat and cow stretches with alternating arm and leg movements are a gentle way to warm up.

    • 7

      Move into the standing poses like mountain pose, chair pose, and a forward fold. Downward-facing dog, plank, upward-facing dog, and Warrior I and II are good poses for this segment of the workout.

    • 8

      Move into your final goal pose and then relax. If you selected back-bend, then do camel and bridge pose before moving into the full upward-facing bow pose. Once you have accomplished the goal, move your students into corpse pose and give them at least five minutes to relax and enjoy.