I Promise This Yoga Class Theme Will Stay in Your Students’ Hearts Forever—It Could Be the Greatest Gift You Ever Give Them

 

Class Theme

How Heavy Is This Glass Of Water?

Theme Overview

This theme is universally impactful and adaptable to any yoga class or other themes. With a simple prop—a glass of water—you’ll deliver a life-changing lesson. You’ll show your students how to release the weight of stress they’ve been carrying, leaving them with a lasting tool for emotional and physical relief.

Props Needed

The props needed are:

• Glasses filled with water (or water bottles) for each student.
• Yoga mats.
• Printed image of a glass of water for the closing ritual.

Class Aims

The aims of the class are:

1. To help students understand the importance of releasing stress and “putting it down.”
2. To foster mindfulness and present-moment awareness.
3. To provide a symbolic yet practical approach to managing daily stress through yoga and reflective practice.

Class Objectives

By the end of the class, students will:

1. Demonstrate increased body awareness and mindfulness through yoga poses and breathwork.
2. Reflect on personal stressors and learn to consciously “let them go.”
3. Experience a deeper sense of calm and relaxation, both physically and mentally.

Class Duration

60–75 minutes

 

How Heavy Is This Glass Of Water: How To Teach This Yoga Class Theme In 10 Steps 

 

This yoga class theme has 10 steps that will help your students understand the weight of stress in their lives and empower them to let it go.

Step 1
Watch This Video

Begin by watching this short video to familiarise yourself with the concept.

Step 2
Glass & Water

Take glasses with you to class (enough for all your students). If you don’t have access to water, bring water with you in a bottle. When you arrive at the class, fill the glasses with water.

Step 3
Hold The Glass

At the beginning of the class hold the water silently in your hand with a smile.

Step 4
Raise The Glass

Raise the glass of water. Everyone will expect you to ask the classic question: “Is the glass half empty or half full?” But instead, smile and say: “How heavy is this glass of water?” You will probably get answers ranging from 100 to 500 grams.

When you’ve had several students guess the answer, reply something along these lines:

“The actual weight of this glass has no real significance. What does matter is how long I hold the glass. If I hold it for a minute, it doesn’t feel so heavy. If I hold it for an hour, I’ll eventually start cramping up in my arm. If I hold it for a whole day, my arm will probably numb up and feel paralysed. In each case, the glass’ weight doesn’t change – but the longer I hold it, the heavier it gets. Stress and anxiety are like a glass of water. If we stress about things for a short while, nothing happens. If we think about them a little longer, it starts to hurt. If we think about them all day, we will feel paralysed – unable to do anything. It’s important to remember to let go of whatever stresses you. Every evening, as early as possible, put away the stress you have carried during the day. Don’t carry things throughout the evening and into the night. Remember to put down your glass of water.”

Step 5
Glasses For Students

Ask your students to get a glass of water from the table (or ask them to hold onto their bottles of water…if you haven’t brought glasses to class with you. If students don’t have bottles of water, ask them to imagine they are holding a glass of water).

Step 6
5 Second Hold

Ask your students to stand with the glass raised out in front of them for 5 seconds.

Step 7
60 Second Hold

Ask your students to stand with the glass raised out in front of them for 60 seconds.

Step 8
5 Minute Hold

Ask your students to stand with the glass raised out in front of them for five minutes.

Step 9
Every Pose

Ask your students to raise their glasses before, during and after each pose (for varying lengths of time).

This will drum home the class theme. Whatever you do, don’t just ask your students to raise their glasses only once or twice.

Why?

Well, repetition is the mother of all skill.

Keep the theme alive ‘n’ kicking by raising the glass before, during and after every pose. Yep, you can raise it during a pose if you’re teaching a Yin (static) pose.

The point I want to get across is that it’s impossible to raise the glass too often…and it’s very easy to not raise the glass enough.

 

Make sure you and your students raise the glass dozens of times during the class!

 

Step 10
Put Down Your Glass Of Water

Right click on the image below and click “save”.

Print one copy.

Nearing the end of the class, place it on the floor. Gather your students in a circle around the image (they’ll need to bring their glasses).

Hold hands.

Eyes closed.

Sit in silence and contemplate upon the class theme: “putting down your glass of water”.

After a few minutes have passed, ask each student to individually get up from the circle, place their glass around the image, then return to the circle. You can be the first one to do this. When everyone has done this, there will be lots of glasses that have been “put down” which is a great visual for the students.

Resist the temptation to get all your students “putting down” their glasses at the same time. The hidden value in each student doing this symbolic act of “putting down” their glass in front of a crowd will deepen the emotive power of the theme, which helps imbed the theme into long-term memory.

Now guide your students into a drishti practice – gazing technique. Ask them to focus their full attention upon the glasses.

At the end of the class you could say something other than “Om Shanti” or “Namaste”. You could ask your students to say something like:

 

“I will remember to put down my glass of water.” 

 

The Yoga Lesson Plan: How Heavy Is This Glass Of Water

 

Below are the poses, exercises and research notes for the lesson plan. You can use the Online Yoga Lesson Planner to create this plan. 

 

Opening (10 minutes)

 

1. Centring Exercise (5 minutes):

• Begin in a seated position.
• Hold a glass of water silently for a moment. Smile, then ask:
  “How heavy is this glass of water?”
• Lead a brief discussion (see below) to introduce the metaphor: stress and how it grows heavier the longer we hold onto it.
• Invite students to reflect on something they’ve been “holding onto” recently.

 

2. Breath Awareness (5 minutes):

• Guide students in slow diaphragmatic breathing, emphasising letting go of tension with each exhale.
• Visualise putting down their stress with each out-breath.

 

Warm-Up (10 minutes)

 

Dynamic Movements:

• Cat-Cow Pose (Marjaryasana-Bitilasana) – 1 minute.
• Sun Breaths: Inhale arms up, exhale arms down with a forward fold – 5 repetitions.
• Shoulder Rolls: Large circles forward and back.
• Gentle Twists: Seated or standing spinal twists, holding an imaginary or real glass of water.

 

Main Practice (35 minutes)

 

1. Standing Poses (15 minutes):

• Mountain Pose (Tadasana): Raise the glass and hold for 5 breaths. Focus on balance and stillness.
• Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II): Extend one arm with the glass, focusing on strength and awareness.
• Tree Pose (Vrikshasana): Balance while holding the glass. Option to switch arms.
• Transition between poses, emphasizing mindfulness of movement and breath.

2. Seated/Yin Poses (15 minutes):

• Seated Forward Fold (Paschimottanasana): Rest the glass nearby, symbolising letting go of stress.
• Reclining Butterfly Pose (Supta Baddha Konasana): Place the glass beside them as a symbol of release.
• Child’s Pose (Balasana): Encourage students to feel supported by the ground, letting go of tension.

3. Active Stress Releasing Pose (5 minutes):

• Lion’s Breath (Simhasana): Exhale forcefully, letting go of any lingering stress.

 

Closing (10–15 minutes)

 

1. Guided Relaxation (Savasana):

• Lie down in Savasana. Guide students through a visualisation of putting down their glass of water and leaving their worries behind.

2. Symbolic Ritual (5 minutes):

• Gather students in a circle with the printed image of the glass.
• One by one, ask students to place their glass or water bottle around the image as a symbolic gesture of letting go.
• End with a brief moment of silent reflection or drishti (focused gazing) on the circle of glasses.

3. Closing Affirmation:

• Invite students to repeat:
  “I will remember to put down my glass of water.”

 

Post-Class Reflection

 

Encourage students to journal their experience or share their reflections with the group. Offer additional support if needed for managing stress in their daily lives.

 

Adjustments for Time/Level

 

• Shorten or modify poses based on student ability.
• For beginners, focus on simpler poses with minimal balancing.
• For advanced students, integrate longer holds or transitions with the glass as a challenge to mindfulness and stability.

This plan provides a cohesive blend of metaphor, movement, and mindfulness, ensuring students leave with both practical and emotional tools for stress management.

 

My Research Notes When Creating The “How Heavy Is This Glass Of Water” Themed Yoga Lesson Plan

 

Whenever I create a themed yoga class, like this one, I usually spend a few hours having fun researching the theme. Below are my notes on stress. 

 

The Weight of Stress

 

Chronic stress is directly linked to the six leading causes of death: heart disease, cancer, lung conditions, accidents, cirrhosis of the liver, and suicide. It’s time to break the cycle.

Stress doesn’t just affect the mind; it infiltrates the body. While acute stress triggers the body’s fight-or-flight response, chronic stress disrupts the balance, keeping people stuck in overdrive without a chance to rest and recover. For millions, the pendulum never swings back to “Rest and Digest” mode.

The World Health Organisation has dubbed stress the “health epidemic of the 21st century.” This is no exaggeration.

 

Why Stress Kills

 

Stress often goes unnoticed because it’s normalised in modern life. But its impact is deadly. People unknowingly channel their stress into harmful habits like overeating, excessive drinking, smoking, or screen time. Over time, these habits chip away at their health.

The result? 14 million preventable deaths each year caused by stress-related illnesses.

 

Yoga Teachers Are on the Front Line

 

While healthcare systems grapple with treating stress-related illnesses, yoga teachers are uniquely positioned to tackle stress at its root. By helping students manage their stress levels, yoga teachers become agents of profound, positive change.

Teaching stress relief through yoga is more than a profession—it’s a calling. It’s an opportunity to save lives and transform communities.