What Are Some Alternatives or Additions to Weekly Yoga Classes?
Whether you are a yoga teacher or a yoga student, it can be a challenge to commit to a weekly yoga class due to a variety of factors, including shift work, child/family care, chronic illness or disability, travel, regular access to transport, or perhaps you just don’t wish to commit to being somewhere every week at the same time.
As well, you might be a teacher who has great weekly classes, but you want to offer something more, perhaps dig deeper into areas of yoga study or practice or supplement your income with events.
So, are there options for teaching or taking yoga classes that aren’t regular, weekly classes? Of course!
This is a subject we’ll be talking about this week in our yoga teacher training group coaching session, but I hoped that perhaps you all had some extra ideas for me to share in that talk about how to have an inspiring yoga teaching practice when you can’t keep a regular schedule. And, for students, how to find opportunities to practice where you can learn, get feedback, and develop community, rather than yet another anonymous YouTube video.
A few ideas I had off the top of my head include:
- Yoga Labs or Masterclasses – fortnightly or monthly specialty classes where you can dive deeper into philosophy, technique, anatomy, etc. Usually, a bit longer than a regular class, 90-120 min.
- Retreats – and you don’t have to commit to a week-long retreat at a destination. Half-day or one day retreats are a great way for students to have some deeper experience in yoga and develop their community. You might include yoga, meditation, and a creative, nature-based, or other movement activity.
- Pop Up Classes – a great option when you are travelling, or your schedule is inconsistent. You’ll need a good base of students or an exciting destination to make this work.
- Shared Classes – if you teach a class but can’t commit to every week, perhaps another teacher wants to share the schedule with you.
- Weekend Intensives – experienced teachers might consider teaching intensives for students or fellow teachers in an area that they specialize in.
- Blocks or Courses – having a block of classes designed for a special population, like Beginners Yoga, Pre/Postnatal, Accessible Yoga, or Yoga for…Athletes, Frontline Workers, Carers, Tradies etc.
- Private Sessions – whether face-to-face or online, private sessions give you a lot of flexibility in timing, location, and often solve problems like finding child or family care while you work/practice.
That’s all I can think of at the moment, but maybe you have some creative ideas to share on how you can have an inspiring practice or teaching practice outside of the weekly yoga class.
We’d love to hear your ideas and keep learning together!