Yoga Practice Tracker Game: Ingenious 5 Step Formula For Turning A Home Yoga Practice From A Difficult Discipline To A Fun Game That Your Students Will Love

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 simple 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 Students A Folder

If you want to go the extra mile, get the fancy presentation ring binders so you can insert a cover with your student’s name and your yoga class details (I’ve included a cover template within the Yoga Teacher Lesson Plan Kit).  The folder will act as a gigantic business card and your students will feel a real sense of ownership towards your class. After all, they now have a sleek folder with their name on the front of it. And it’s not even their birthday.

Step 2
Download & Print

Download and print out the “Yoga Practice Tracker” (see below). Ask your students to place it in the very front of their sleek, new presentation ring binders.

Click here to download the Yoga Practice Tracker (MS Word Version)
Click here to download the Yoga Practice Tracker (PDF Version)

Step 3
Best Game Ever 

Within seconds of handing out the “Yoga Practice Tracker”, 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, easy peasy 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.

It’s as easy as A–B–C–D

A) Ask your students to look at the “Yoga Practice Tracker” and draw their first star (provide pencils, pens) which will be in the Week 1 Day 1 box. This will be a very easy first step for your students, and provide a quick win. This step is very important. You see, giving an easy win very 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 the 6 weeks 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 very 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 wondrous 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 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.