1001 FREE Yoga Class Planning Tips And Downloadable Yoga Class Handouts…Plus My 5-Step Formula For Creating A Memorable Yoga Class Plan
I hope you’re enjoying the 1001 free yoga class planning tips, downloadable yoga class plans, and yoga class handouts on my site. I’ve spent hundreds of hours since 2010 adding them to this site so that my fellow yoga teachers can access them for free.
I recently got an email from one of our drag & drop yoga genie lesson planner members asking me this question…
“How do you go about creating memorable yoga class plans?”
Below is my 5-step formula for creating a memorable yoga class plan. I’ve also included links to most of the hundreds of yoga lesson planning tips.
5-Step Yoga Class Planning Formula
Step 3: 101 Yoga Lesson Planning Ideas
Step 4: Yoga Genie Lesson Planner
Step 5: 1001 Yoga Lesson Planning Tips
Step 1: One Yoga Lesson Plan
Create ONE yoga lesson plan
The biggest mistake a newbie yoga teacher makes is to create a new yoga lesson plan for each yoga class.
I used to do it. Why? Because I thought I was over-delivering value. Because I thought I was being a fabulous yoga teacher.
But boy, was I wrong!
And here’s why I was so wrong…
It takes too much time to create a new yoga lesson plan for each class, and your students won’t like it. That’s two really good reasons to only create one lesson plan every 6 weeks (or 10 weeks if you run your classes every 10 weeks).
Creating a new yoga lesson plan for every class means your students never get their “groove on”.
Creating a new yoga lesson plan for every class means your students don’t have time to learn anything because you’ve given them something new in every class. If you teach from the same yoga lesson plan for 6 or 10 weeks they get to groove some of the sequence and mental/emotional teachings into their DNA.
So, trust me on this one. Your students want continuity for 6 or 10 weeks.
That means resisting your A Type Personality (got to be the best at everything you do) urge to create a new yoga lesson plan every week.
Hmmm, OK…
Time to click the Pause Button. If you’re A Type Personality, please read the above section several times.
Seriously.
Read the above section a few times…I’ll be here waiting for you.
Welcome back. You’re ready for step 2.
Step 2: Yoga Class Themes
Morph into existence an interesting yoga class theme
There is an infinity of yoga lesson plan themes you can choose from.
Below are 34 free downloadable yoga lesson plans (within 10 themes) that I’ve created for my own yoga classes using the Online Drag & Drop Yoga Genie Lesson Planner. Feel free to use them for your own yoga classes, or as inspiration to come up with your own yoga class themes.
Attitude Yoga Themes
Become A Peaceful Warrior Yoga Lesson Plan
Caterpillar To Butterfly Yoga Lesson Plan
How Heavy Is This Glass Of Water Yoga Lesson Plan
Surrender To Slowness Yoga Lesson Plan
You Don’t Need Permission To Shine: Just Show Up, Shine & Be Yourself
Body Part Focus Yoga Themes
Abiciously Delicious Core Yoga Lesson Plan
Chair Yoga Themes
Chair Yoga For Seniors Lesson Plan
Nature Yoga Themes
Sun Salutations Chair Yoga Lesson Plan
Sun Salutations A Yoga Lesson Plan
Sun Salutations B Yoga Lesson Plan
Sun Salutations C Yoga Lesson Plan
Peak Pose Yoga Themes
Camel Peak Pose Yoga Lesson Plan
Downward Facing Dog Pose Variations Lesson Plan
Plank Peak Pose Yoga Lesson Plan
Revolved Poses Yoga Lesson Plan
Twists Themed Yoga Lesson Plan: 41 Twist Poses To Whip Your Student’s Cores Into Shape
Quirky Yoga Themes
Sports Yoga Themes
Yoga for runners (triathletes) Lesson Plan
Yoga For Seniors Themes
Yoga For Seniors Yoga Lesson Plan
Yoga Style Themes
Yoga Therapy Themes
Yoga Therapy: Arthritic Spine Yoga Lesson Plan
Yoga Therapy: Asthma Yoga Lesson Plan
Yoga Therapy: Hips Yoga Lesson Plan
Yoga Therapy: Opening Upper Back, Neck & Shoulders Yoga Lesson Plan
Yoga Therapy: Restorative Yoga Lesson Plan
Yoga Therapy: Soothe Sciatica Yoga Lesson Plan
Yoga Therapy: Varicose Veins Yoga Lesson Plan
Step 3: 101 Yoga Lesson Planning Ideas
Have a brain storming session
Click here for 101 yoga lesson planning ideas which cover the following seven categories for coming up with creative yoga lesson plans: theme, peak pose, group of postures, muscle type, key point, body area, and quotes.
The only rule to coming up with a creative yoga class plan is that there is no rule.
Allow your imagination to roam free!
At the end of a 6 week yoga course, I allow myself time to brainstorm a new “theme” for my next 6 weeks of yoga classes. This brainstorming time can take anywhere from 5 minutes (if I get lucky and stumble across a theme quickly) or 5 hours. Though, my 101 yoga lesson planning ideas, and list of ideas below will save you time.
Age Yoga Lesson Plan Ideas
- Partner Yoga For Teens
- Yoga for high school students
- Yoga for kids
- Yoga for kids: 7 to 11 age group
- Yoga for teens
- Yoga for seniors
Body Part Yoga Lesson Plan Ideas
- Arm balance with crow as peak pose
- Arm balance with crow and crane pose
- Hip opening: seated & supine poses
- Yoga for gaining arm strength: arm balances
- Yoga for hips
- Yoga for lower body (thighs & feet)
- Yoga for spleen and stomach
- Yoga for tight psoas muscle
- Yoga for tight hamstrings (Uttanasana as peak pose)
Chair Yoga Lesson Plan Ideas
- Chair yoga for beginners
- Chair yoga for office workers
- Chair yoga for seniors
- Chair sun salutations
Emotional IQ Yoga Lesson Plan Ideas
I love picking up a book and flipping through for ideas. To show you what I mean, I’ve just randomly picked up a book from my bookcase and scanned for sentences and words that popped from the pages.
The book I picked was called: Journey Into Power: How to sculpt your ideal, body, free your true self, and transform your life with yoga (it didn’t have to be a yoga book though). The book is packed with emotive, rich wording. So, the theme ideas I came up with (see bullet points below) were almost all “emotional IQ themes”.
- As We Think & Act, So Our World Becomes – The Dhammapadda (emotional IQ theme)
- Be In The Now And You’ll Know How (emotional IQ theme)
- Bumblebee: With my heavy body I shouldn’t be able to fly, but with light in my heart I find a way (bumblebee theme)
- Empty Your Mental and Emotional Cup (emotional IQ theme)
- Exceed Yourself To Find Your Exceeding Self (emotional IQ theme)
- Forgive & Let Go (emotional IQ theme)
- Journey Into Power (warrior yoga theme)
- Sculpt Your Ideal Body (core yoga theme)
- Sculpt Your Inner Body (yin yoga theme)
- Stop Chasing The Illusion (emotional IQ/yin theme)
- Stumbling Upon Your Path To Bliss (emotional IQ theme)
- Sweat And Serenity (yin yang theme)
- Think Less, Be More (breath awareness theme)
- Transcend Your Boundaries And Grow (emotional IQ theme)
- Uddiyanna Core Stabilization (muscle type theme)
- Unlearning Negative Patterns (emotional IQ theme)
- We Are Either Here Or Nowhere (emotional IQ theme)
Restorative Yoga Lesson Plan Ideas
- Restorative yoga with a bolster
- Restorative yoga with props
Peak Pose Yoga Lesson Plan Ideas
- Balance with eagle as peak pose
- Balance with tree as peak pose
- Balance with warrior as peak pose
- Core strength with side lying (samanasana) as peak pose
- Deep leg stretch with split (hanumanasana) as peak pose
Spiritual Yoga Lesson Plan Ideas
- Balancing chakras
- Balancing the sacral chakra
- Balancing the root chakra (muladhara)
- Balancing the third eye chakra (ajna)
- Chakra yoga
- Heart opening with side bends
- Sun salutations with mantras
Sporty Yoga Lesson Plan Ideas
- Yoga for cardio
- Yoga for cyclists
- Yoga for golfers
- Yoga for paddle boarders
- Yoga for runners
- Yoga for rock climbers
- Yoga for swimmers
Yoga Therapy Lesson Plan Ideas
- Yoga for achilles tendonitis
- Yoga for anxiety
- Yoga for arthritis in knees: poses to strengthen knees
- Yoga for back pain
- Yoga for bladder control (Urinary Incontinence)
- Yoga for breast cancer survivors
- Yoga for diabetes
- Yoga for digestion (poses to stretch/strengthen stomach)
- Yoga for endometriosis
- Yoga for hip replacement
- Yoga for insomnia
- Yoga for knee injury
- yoga for lower back pain
- Yoga for menstruation
- Yoga for osteoporosis
- Yoga for sciatica
- Yoga for trauma survivors (restorative yoga)
- Yoga for varicose veins
- Yoga for weight loss
Step 4: Yoga Genie Lesson Planner
Use the Yoga Genie Lesson Planner
Open up the Drag & Drop Yoga Genie Lesson Planner that’s included within The Yoga Teacher Lesson Plan Kit and create the yoga lesson plan quickly and easily. Or, if you love creating yoga lesson plans from scratch with pen and paper, do that.
I do both.
95% of the time I use the Drag & Drop Yoga Genie Lesson Planner because it saves so much time.
5% of the time I draw yoga stick figures using pen and pad.
Step 5: Keep Enlarging Your Yoga Lesson Planning Brain
Below are 1001 yoga lesson planning tips on my blog…to help enlarge your yoga lesson planning brain
101 Yoga Lesson Planning Ideas
101 Ways To Teach Yoga With A Poet’s Heart
101 Tantalising Yoga Lesson Plan Title Templates
101 Yoga Asana Symbols: Reveal A Hidden Language To Your Yoga Students
101 Guided Yoga Imagery Phrases For Yoga Teachers
101 Perfect Quotes For A Quote Themed Yoga Class
10 Reasons To Use A Yoga Lesson Plan
10 Steps To Uncover Your 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 Visualization To Rehearse Your Yoga Classes
Give Your Yoga Lesson Plans A Chill Pill
How To Create A Yoga Card Deck In 10 Easy Steps Using My Free Downloadable Card Template
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 Use Safari Web Browser To Create Yoga Class Handouts With One Click
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
Yoga Class Plans Made Easy: Includes 3 Top Secret Yoga Teacher Marketing Tactics
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 Hire A Local Photographer To Morph You Into A Yoga Star
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
That’s it.
If you enjoyed this EPIC post, I’ve got a hunch you’re gonna love my Online Yoga Genie Lesson Planner.
