I taught a yoga class at The Happy Yogi, a new studio opened this month by a friend. It's in an area that hasn't had a good yoga studio, so it is attracting a new client base.
I arrived with a well thought out plan for the class and had put a lot of thought into the poses and sequencing. Four students arrived. I introduced myself and asked about their experience. For two, it was their first yoga class. Ever. For the other two, it was their second.
OK.
I started into the class, helping them adjust blankets and blocks to find a comfortable seat that allowed them to sit tall. It was clear right away that my teaching had to shift away from my plan to a simpler, more basic approach that focused on fewer poses and more on instructing fundamentals.
It was very helpful that I had planned so thoroughly for the class, but in a different way that I had intended. My preparation gave me access to, and confidence in, the information I needed to teach the class well. By being forced away from my plan, I was pushed into the present, needing to be aware, observe, and respond intuitively based on what I saw right in front of me. Rather than being a problem, the fact that the reality of the class required me to adapt on the spot brought out the best in my teaching.
By all accounts, it was a good experience for the students as well as me.
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