A peek behind the scenes
I get my inspiration for class themes from many places – a class or workshop I have attended myself- too many to list, a book – such as Tias Littles amazing book “The Practice is the Path”, a philosophical aspect of yoga such as the yamas and niyamas an aspect of the subtle body such as the chakras, the time of the year, the phases of the moon, a type of pose such as back bends or anatomy. I may also be influenced by current events- the pandemic had been a particularly fruitful source of inspiration! Infact pretty much anything anywhere can inspire – it just depends how you look at it! I was once inspired by the heading to a chapter in a book!
Once I have an idea I research it on Google, in my previous class and workshop plans and in my library of yoga books to be sure that there is enough material for a whole class. If there isn’t I may be able to combine 2 similar or complementary themes.
I’m a strong believer that I should teach all the 8 limbs of yoga and not just focus on the physical side – or asanas so I pull together a whole range of material from notes on postures, meditations I have written, Pranayama and mudras. I also like to dip into other styles of yoga that I would not normally teach or practice myself.
Once I have my theme and material I think of writing a class as like putting a jigsaw together. Lots of pieces which don’t mean much on their own but once put together into a whole they mean so much more than the individual components.
Whilst the pace and style of the class may vary from week to week I like to keep my classes structured with a clear road map through from start to finish.
I start with an introduction to the topic and explain how I will weave it into the session – I call this my dharma talk. Depending on the theme we may then move onto some guided breathwork – something calming if the topic is chilled or something energising if the class is more active.
We then have a perhaps longer than average warm up working with the theme before reaching Sun Salutations anywhere between 15 – 20 minutes in. Depending on the theme I will change the emphasis in the Sun Salutations. So if we are focusing on back bends we will spend more time in cobra or upward facing dog with additional drills . If we are working with conscious movement we will move super slow and with extra awareness. If the focus is on longer holds well, no surprises here – we hold the poses in the sequence for longer may be a breath longer than in the previous round. The possibilities are endless!
Then we move onto the middle sequence – the filling of the yoga sandwich if you like with extra emphasis on the poses which reflect the theme best.
We progress into a cool down sequence consisting of counter poses and calming asanas to prepare the body and mind for relaxation – which might be guided – and then final Savasana. The time flies by so quickly and 1 hour never seems enough.
Workshops tend to be a natural progression from classes and will often have their roots in one of my classes. As I do my research I will often find more inspiration or content than I can possibly fit into a 1 hour class. I may read up on the theory and find information about scientific research. Or I may write an extended guided mediation. Or get reacquainted with an awesome Pranayama practice.
I think that workshops are a great way to move deeper into an aspect of yoga whether theory or practice with the guidance of a teacher and I just love spending that extra time delving deeper with a group.
Michelle Higgins
Ashtanga and Vinyasa Flow Teacher Southampton and Hampshire
info@michellehigginsyoga.co.uk
07803 586161
