You know this moment.
You’re teaching a class. It’s a sequence that you’ve taught many times. You suddenly stop and think, “Wait, did I just say the same thing twice?”
You’re spacing out.
It’s a normal phenomenon for a yoga teacher. Although we speak continually of being mindful and present, we are human and subject to the same mind-wandering as everyone else! It is easy to feel a bit out of body – especially if we are teaching a lot of classes. In my experience, teaching yoga can be an even more potent practice than taking a class ourselves: we are called to be awake in each moment so that we can be of service to our students.
Here are some tips to help you.
1.Remember your purpose.
Take thirty seconds before each class to outline your intention for your teaching. Why do you teach? What do you want to bring to your students? What is the value of the class? When we reflect on the values that we are bringing to our students, we remember that yoga has a higher purpose. As we use the class to embody our own teaching mission, we can feel more alive, awake, and purposeful.
2. Focus on your students.
When you begin to feel like you’re an autopilot, get out of your head and into the classroom by focusing on serving your students. Verbal and hands on assists are an excellent way to get re-grounded in the space. When the focus is on the students – rather than ourselves – we become instantly more present and tuned in.
3. Feel your body.
Get grounded in the physical sensations of the room: sight, hearing, taste, touch, sound. The body is an instant pathway to presence. Use the reality of this moment to help you arrive solidly in the here and now. If you’re really feeling off your game, then demonstrate part of the practice with the students. While we ultimately want to make demonstration a tool that is based on what the students need (rather than what we need), it can be a useful way to arrive if we are feeling very spacey, anxious or out of sorts.
4. Change the script.
Having a script can be helpful. For example, there is simply a very effective way to use language when cuing a sun salutation! However, when we’ve said the same thing many before, we can start to run on autopilot. Shake up your own cuing by setting aside your script. Really consider what you are trying to communicate and the best language that you wish to use. Deliberately toss out your customary words to expand your own language possibilities and find new ways to express the pose.
5. Lose the script.
This is a potent exercise to do at any time: rather than cue from what you think you want your students to do, instead, look at them and see what they really need. Often we cue from the habits in our head. But do your students really need to be reminded to sit into their heels in utkatasana, or are they actually all already doing it? Try this: teach an entire class entirely from looking at your students – rather than cuing from your head. You may have to say a lot less than what you originally expected, or you may find that you discover new an interesting ways to address alignment or energetic factors that you hadn’t explored before. Plan your sequence, but enter the space of not knowing what you are going to say next, and allow the class experience to be your guide.
6. Teach to different layers of experience.
We often get stuck teaching just to the physical layer of the class. Explore teaching to other layers of experience: sensation, energetics, breath, emotion, thought, Presence. After all, yoga is about more than just the physical body. There is a whole world to explore!
For more cuing tips, check out my YouTube channel. Happy teaching!
