Yoga Practice Tracker Game: 5 Step Formula For Turning A Home Yoga Practice From A Difficult Discipline into A Fun Game That Your Students Will Love
In this post, you’ll discover my five step formula for turning a home yoga practice from a difficult discipline into a fun game that your students will love.
My name is George Watts.
I’m a BWY yoga teacher and have taught 800+ classes in the last 15 years.
I hope you’ve been enjoying the hundreds of free yoga class planning tips, ready-to-use yoga class plans, and yoga class handouts on my site. They are resources that I’ve personally used for my own yoga classes.
What is the Yoga Practice Tracker Game?
Let’s find out…
Yoga Practice Tracker Game
The holy grail for all yoga teachers is for their students to do a daily yoga practice at home.
The sad reality, however, is that a daily yoga practice is about as rare as a Big Foot sighting (part ape, part human creature that is said to inhabit forests in the Pacific Northwest). That is why I created the Yoga Practice Tracker.
The Yoga Practice Tracker is a game that will turn a hard to follow, disciplined daily yoga practice into a fun game. It’s the best yogic invention since sliced yoga bread.
Ready?
Let’s play.
Here are the 5 steps to play the Yoga Practice Tracker game…
Step 1: Give Your Students A Personalised Folder
If you want to go the extra mile for your students, give them a fancy presentation ring binder and insert a cover with your student’s name and your yoga class details (you can get the cover I use as a bonus when you get the Online Yoga Lesson Planner).
The student folder will act as a gigantic business card.
But that’s not the best part.
The student folder shows that their yoga teacher goes above and beyond for them. Less than one percent of yoga teachers will be giving their students a personalised student folder! Going above and beyond for your students breeds loyalty to your class. If there are several yoga classes in the area, they’ll keep coming to your class because you give them handouts that they can put in their folder.
The folder makes your students feel special. After all, you’ve given them a special yogic gift, and it’s not even their birthday!
Step 2: Download & Print The Yoga Practice Tracker & You’re A Star Certificate
Download and print out the Yoga Practice Tracker and You’re A Star Certificate (see below), then ask your students to place it in the front of their sleek, new presentation ring binders.
Click here to download the Yoga Practice Tracker (MS word & PDF)
Or you can download them as images (see below).
Here’s the Yoga Practice Tracker…
Yoga Practice Tracker Handout
And here’s the You’re A Star Certificate…
You’re A Star Certificate
Step 3: Best Game Ever
Within seconds of handing out the Yoga Practice Tracker, for your students to put in their folder, say with feeling and great gusto something like:
“The reason why this Yoga Practice Tracker is the best game ever invented is because it will turn a daily yoga practice from a difficult discipline into a fun game.“
Step 4: Explain The Game
Now, you’ve got them all excited about the Yoga Practice Tracker, it’s time to explain how the game works.
The game is as easy as A–B–C–D.
(A) Ask your students to open their student folder, go to their Yoga Practice Tracker handout and draw their first star which will be in the Week 1 Day 1 box (provide pencils or pens).
This will be a very easy first step for your students, and provide a quick win. This quick win is very important.
Giving an easy win early on in a game is what all successful games do. As we all know, the hardest step is always the first one. So, make the first step ridiculously easy. All they have to do is draw a star.
(B) Immediately after they’ve drawn their star, tell them that they absolutely must let out a silent (or loud) whoop of joy.
(C) Explain the point system by saying something like:
“At the beginning of this 6 week yoga course everyone is in the black hole. The more home practices you do, the brighter your Inner Light becomes.
If you do a yoga practice every day for 6 weeks, you get 42 points and will become a Supernova Star Warrior. Nothing in the Universe shines more brightly than a supernova.
Your 6 classes with me count as 6 points. So, with your 6 class points in the bag, all you need are 36 points to become a Supernova Star Warrior.
Oh yes, I almost forgot.
There is a special prize at the end for the students with the most stars.”
(D) It’s important to say that you, the yoga teacher, will also be playing the Yoga Practice Tracer game as well. Knowing that their yoga teacher is also playing will provide your student’s with extra motivation to keep playing through the entire 6 week course.
You could up the ante by saying something like:
“If anyone has more daily practices than me (maximum is 42), you get the next 6 week course for free.”
This has the added bonus of giving you a whole load of positive motivation to do your “daily practice“. It adds that important ingredient of successful games – curiosity and intrigue. Subconsciously your students will be thinking…
“Can I beat my yoga teacher? Can I get a free 6 week course?”
Step 5: Awards
Ask your students to add up their points at the end of your 6 week yoga course and put the total in the Total Points Box.
Handout the “You’re A Star” certificate (see download above) to the “Stars” and “Supernova Stars”. The ones who don’t receive an award will be more motivated during your next 6 week course to get it. Trust me, they will.
You may think your “adult students” won’t be motivated by this game. But that fact is that even adults love games, even your serious, yogic adults! After all, we all need a little fun in our busy, hectic lives.
It’s time for my conclusion, and why I love using yoga card decks as teaching aids in my classes.
George’s Conclusion: Using Yoga Card Decks As Fun, Easy-to-Use Teaching Aids
I hope this post gave you a new yoga teaching tool to inspire your students.
If you’re a fellow yoga teacher, I’ve got a hunch you’re gonna love my Online Yoga Lesson Planner.
As a Yoga teacher, I’m always looking for fun, easy-to-use teaching aids to make your classes engaging, informative, and effective. That’s why I create yoga card decks. Each deck has been painstakingly crafted to serve as a quick-reference guide, teaching aid, or lesson-planning tool, designed with Yoga teachers, and serious students, in mind.
Chakra Chair Yoga Card Deck: 52 Cards For Mind-Body Unity
The Chakra Chair Yoga Card Deck is a transformative tool designed for yogis of all levels, especially those seeking a gentle, accessible practice. This beautifully illustrated 52-card deck combines the wisdom of the chakra system with the ease of chair yoga, offering a unique way to balance your energy centres while staying grounded and supported.
Chakra Chair Yoga Expansion Card Deck: 52 More Cards For Mind-Body Unity
The Chakra Chair Yoga Card Deck was so popular that I created the Chakra Chair Yoga Expansion Deck with another 52 chair yoga exercises.
Blissful Breathing Card Deck: Your Guide To Mastering Pranayama
The Blissful Breathing Card Deck is your go-to resource for mastering the art of pranayama (yogic breathing). With 41 beautifully designed cards, this Blissful Breathing Card Deck guides you through a wide variety of breathing techniques to enhance relaxation, focus, and vitality.
Face Yoga Card Deck: 50 Cards For Youthful Radiance
The Face Yoga Card Deck is a fun and effective way to tone, relax, and rejuvenate your facial muscles. This 50-card deck features simple, step-by-step exercises designed to improve circulation, boost skin elasticity, and promote a radiant, youthful glow.
101 Mini Yoga Cards: With 101 Asana Sanskrit Pronunciations
The 101 Mini Yoga Cards are a compact and versatile resource for yoga teachers and practitioners alike. Each card features an illustrated yoga pose, its English and Sanskrit names, and how to pronounce the Sanskrit name. This makes it easy to plan classes, create sequences, or inspire personal practice while deepening your connection to yoga’s roots.
Zen Of Blissful Boredom Card Deck: 52 Ways To Cultivate Calm
The Zen Of Blissful Boredom Card Deck offers a lighthearted yet profound approach to finding peace in the mundane. Featuring 52 cards filled with simple, humorous, and mindful activities, this deck encourages you to embrace boredom as a gateway to inner calm and creativity.
But don’t stop there. You’re on a roll. You’ll definitely want to look at my 10-step yoga sequencing formula. It’s got lots of infographics to make the learning visual and fun.
“Below are hundreds of yoga lesson planning tips on my blog…to help enlarge your yoga lesson planning brain.” – George Watts
- 101 Yoga Lesson Planning Ideas
- 101 Ways To Teach Yoga With A Poet’s Heart
- 101 Tantalising Yoga Lesson Plan Title Templates
- The Spiritual Meaning Of Yoga Poses: Asana Symbolism
- 101 Guided Yoga Imagery Phrases For Yoga Teachers
- 101 Perfect Quotes For A Quote Themed Yoga Class
- 18 Yoga Lesson Planning Tips: From An Experienced Yoga Teacher
- 12 Part Yoga Class Structure
- 10 Reasons To Use A Yoga Lesson Plan When Teaching
- My 10-step yoga sequencing formula
- 10 Tips To Motivate Your Students To Start A Home Yoga Practice
- 10 Yoga Lesson Planning Tips From 10 Yoga Teachers
- 9 Quirky DIY Yoga Props To Use In Your Classes
- 7 Yoga Imagery Phrases To Inspire Your Students
- 5 Steps For Teaching Relaxation Techniques
- 4 Quick & Easy Ways To Combine Yogic Breathing & Movement To Your Yoga Sequences
- Become An Olympic Yogi: Use Visualisation To Rehearse Your Yoga Classes
- Do Your Own Practice Tactic
- Einstein And Om
- Give Your Yoga Lesson Plans A Chill Pill
- How To Create Yoga Class Themes (5 minute video tutorial)
- How To End Your Yoga Class On Time Every Time
- How To Make A DIY Bolster In 60 Seconds
- How To Sequence Around A Peak Pose: Secret Formula Revealed
- How To Write Compelling Yoga Lesson Plan Aims & Objectives
- Include 10 Minutes Of Inversions At The End Of A Class
- Smooth Flowing Yoga Sequence: A Simple Formula For Yoga Teachers
- My Top 3 Non-Marketing Tactics For Filling Up My Yoga Classes
- Yoga Sequence Flow Formula
- How I Applied The 8 Limbs Of Yoga To Go From 5 To 25 Students
- How To Become A Full Time Yoga Teacher
- How To Draw Staff Pose
- How To Hire A Local Photographer To Morph You Into A Yoga Star
- How To Remember Student Names
- How To Teach Extended Triangle Pose
- How To Teach Revolved Triangle Pose
- Yoga Anatomy 101: A Crash Course For Yoga Teachers
- Yoga Teacher Poet: How To Teach Backbends With A Poet’s Heart
- Yoga Teacher Poet: How To Teach Boat Pose With A Poet’s Heart
- Yoga Teacher Poet: How To Teach Bow Pose With A Poet’s Heart
- Yoga Teacher Poet: How To Teach Bridge Pose With A Poet’s Heart
- Yoga Teacher Poet: How To Teach Extended Side Angle Pose With A Poet’s Heart
- Yoga Teacher Poet: How To Teach Mountain Pose With A Poet’s Heart
- Yoga Teacher Poet: How To Teach Staff Pose With A Poet’s Heart
- Yoga Teacher Poet: How To Teach Tree Pose With A Poet’s Heart
- Yoga Therapy Precautions Cheat Sheet