Teaching Tip: Respect the Clock

Teaching more than 1 yoga class in a day?

Keep reading for a tip based in Ayurveda (and other philosophical systems)!

The short version?

Learn to harness the energies of Sun, Moon and Fire for slight tweaks in your sequence to respect the times of day and their unique energetic needs.

Did you know that our asana's have energy?

Yep!

And different categories of asanas, generally speaking, will have similar energy.

We can look at this from many different angles:

1. doshas - ayurveda considerations of constitutions, imbalances, and seasons

2. chakras - subtle energy centers located along the spine (and other places)

3. vayus - directions or patterns that energy moves

Each topic is enough for a lifetime of study…

Without going too deep into philosophy (which we definitely tip our toes in the deep end in our 200-hour YTT and go out for a swim in 300-hour YTT) - as teachers we can simply vary our sequences based on the time of day.

Being mindful of words/space/attention span:

Morning classes - get the day going by prioritizing backbends, heart openers, and energetic pranayams. Hello Sun!

Lunch/afternoon/early evening - get the fire going with active twists, fun balancing play, and balanced (or fiery) breathing. YESSS Fire!

Evening - give extra time for integration at the end and include grounding asanas/pranayams. Goodnight Moon.

I have started calling myself an energy-informed yoga teacher and it is all summed up below.

Giving it all away here:

Hello Sun!

Energy:

Brahmana

Words:

YAM + HAM

Uplift

Energize

Bright

Illuminate

Enliven

Wake-up

Light

The Gayatri

Areas to cue:

Heart

Throat

Ribs

Asanas:

Backbends

Laterals

Guna:

Rajas + Sattva

Chakra:

4th + 5th

Pranayama:

2:1 + Retentions

Dirgha

Ujayi

Surya Bhedena

YESSS Fire!!!

Energy:

Samana

Words:

RAM

Ignite

Burn (Away)

Passion

Transform

Heat

Flame

Spark

Namo Agnaye Namaha

Areas to Cue:

Mid-Belly

Action in Pause

Asanas:

Activating Twists

Fire Series

Arm Balances

Guna:

Rajas + Sattva

Chakra:

3rd

Pranayama:

1:1 + Retentions

Agni Sara

Kapalabhati

Agni Bhav

Goodnight Moon.

Energy:

Langhana

Words:

SO HUM

Calm

Ground

Cool

Soft

Ease

Melt

Let it go (be)

Maha Mritanjaya

Areas to Cue:

Feet

Low Belly

Asanas:

Forward Folds

Gentle Twists

Guna:

Tamas + Sattva

Chakra:

1st + 2nd

Pranayama:

1:2 + Retentions

Nadi Shodana

Brahmuri

Chandra Bhedena

Yoga Nidra

There it is, my whole approach to sequencing. Obviously, there's a lot of other background information to have digested for this to make sense.

So how does this information support us as Yoga teachers with more than one class in a day?

We can save time/energy/brain space by slightly altering our sequence to fit into the energy of the time of day.

A similar sequence can be slightly adjusted and informed by Sun, Moon and Fire so we can preserve ourselves for the long-haul.

By making energy-savvy choices, we are doing ourselves and our students a solid by respecting the clock, and it's unique influence on our days and bodies.