Teaching yoga in person or online can be a great way to create a community. However, yoga instructors must take several essential steps to establish and sustain a virtual community.
Clara has been teaching globally for nearly two decades and studied with 20 unique vinyasa yoga teachers who contributed to the creation of Lila Flow Yoga.
See Clara’s top tips for yoga teachers who want to teach online.
We created several channels for the virtual yoga studio members to get support, ask Clara anything, get general news and updates, see upcoming virtual events, and share their yoga challenge experience!
Establish a system and consistent workflow to host and manage your classes. Digital platforms such as Zoom, Vimeo, Uscreen, YouTube, and Thinkific are services that provide a way for teachers to host live yoga classes and share on-demand content for students to engage and participate. Before you select a service, decide how and when you want to teach, as each platform has significant differences and unique benefits.
For example, Zoom is excellent for hosting classes if you want to watch your students practice and provide feedback; however, Zoom does not offer a way to host on-demand content. YouTube is great for hosting on-demand content so students can watch classes at their leisure and connect with your teaching style and offering. Uscreen is the service we use for Practice with Clara as it allows on-demand and live yoga classes; however, the only method to directly engage with students is the live chat box during the class. If you want to watch your students practice and provide feedback on alignment, Zoom is the best option.
Hire someone to do tech support while you teach. This will allow you to focus on how and what you teach, so you don’t have to split your attention between two things. There are often minor issues during the live classes, mainly regarding how the students set up the technology. Students tend to have questions or feedback before, during, and after the class, and it’s helpful to have someone supporting the communication so details don’t get missed.
If you can’t hire someone to do tech support, you might explore exchanging services or asking a friend. Be sure to communicate expectations and have consistency in the setup and flow so as not to cause disruption to the students and convey the same message each time!
A microphone, camera/phone, laptop computer, tripod, extension cord(s), AirPods iPad, and access to good lighting.
In the Online Art of Sequencing Training, Clara breaks down the details and covers the equipment we’ve used that works and the equipment that didn’t work out as well.
The training provides videos of Clara sharing her process and best practices for setting up and teaching a live yoga class and setting up and teaching an on-demand yoga class.
A branded website, a platform to host your classes, a transcription service (if you want your classes written out for students to see the sequence), a service like Open Broadcaster Software for recording and live streaming events, social media,
Leave more time than you think you need to troubleshoot, test your equipment,t and double-check that you have everything you need if you’re shooting in a new location. Giving yourself extra time also creates space to charge equipment should you run out of battery.
Clara leaves 30 minutes to set up for a live yoga class. If you’re new to teaching virtual yoga classes, give yourself more than 30 minutes. Starting and ending virtual yoga classes on time is essential to respect people’s schedules and establish consistency with your students.
Do I need people to help me, or can I do this alone?
It’s possible to host a virtual yoga class and create content on your own; however, it’s nice to have someone assist with live class tech support to assist students. For on-demand courses, it’s helpful to have someone take the class before you post it so your students can listen to the cueing and assess the sequence. It’s not uncommon for yoga teachers to cue the wrong side or miss a cue, and having a person who reviews the class and watches for minor mishaps will help you refine the class before sharing it with your community.
How do I interact with students?
One option is to offer a live Q&A after the live yoga class. Clara sets aside 30 minutes after each live class for students to ask questions about the sequence, give feedback, and make requests.
If your content is only on-demand with pre-recorded videos, give your students multiple ways to contact you, such as messages in a private Facebook group or Instagram, contact forms, and email.
Where and how do I market my online classes and events?
Social media, community referrals, a newsletter, events and partnerships with complementary brands, free resources, and eBooks—you must be creative and collaborate with others to spread your message—much like in a yoga studio.
Clara Roberts-Oss is the founder of the Lila School of Vinyasa and the Practice with Clara Membership virtual yoga studio.
Clara has been teaching for 20+ years and has over a decade of experience leading her 200 + 300-Hour Yoga Teacher Training Programs worldwide. Clara taught at the Chamonix Yoga Festival, Wanderlust Whistler, Northwest Yoga Conference, Whistler Yoga Conference, and the Whistler Yoga Festival.
Learn how to create holistic vinyasa yoga sequences for all bodies – this training includes yoga classes, lectures, and tutorials with Clara Robert-Oss as your guide.
Yoga Teachers receive 22 CE Credits with Yoga Alliance with the purchase of Level 1 + 2
The Lila School of Vinyasa Yoga teacher training is never just about yoga.
Clara believes that yoga should be lived daily, regardless of how you make it to your yoga mat.
This approach means that every training hosted by the Lila School of Vinyasa Yoga is a well-rounded event accessible to students of every level. Students can register as teachers with Yoga Alliance and receive certification or teaching credits.
The greatest teacher is the teacher of experience. Yoga teacher training gives you the space to move, breathe, reflect, and listen to your body. It’s an opportunity to pause the busyness of your day and sharpen your skills and self-discipline with rituals that enhance your quality of life.
The Art of Sequencing explores the intricacies of yoga asana and how to build peak yoga poses. It also explores yogic philosophy, Ayurveda, and subtle body practices. This yoga teacher training focuses on theming for yoga classes to create cohesive and memorable student experiences. You’ll learn about subtle body practices, including the chakras, visualization, yoga nidra and body scan, pranayamas and mantras, and meditation.
You’ll be invited to express yourself and develop your voice as a teacher. One of the biggest takeaways from this training is weaving elements and ideas you’re passionate about into your yoga classes. Philosophy, poetry, wellness tips, anatomy, and the things that bring you joy can be shared with students when interwoven with the class theme.
Clara introduces various aspects of dance, martial arts, and philosophy in her yoga classes, which makes Lila Flow Yoga unique. This training teaches you how to artfully introduce your passion to your students and build a community doing what you love.
Connect with fellow yoga practitioners who share your passion for all things related to the practice. One benefit of online training is that it is available to individuals worldwide. You never know who you’ll meet or where your connections may take you.
The Art of Sequencing features LIVE breakout rooms and LIVE Q&A discussions each day of the 4-day training, so you’ll get to meet and interact with your peers. You’ll work in groups to create sequences that include a peak pose, Bhav (mood), and theme, and share your class plans with the group.
We also invite all training members to join our private Lila Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training FB Group to discuss and give feedback during the event.
Perhaps a lesser-known benefit of yoga teacher training is its transformative effect on our personalities, behaviors, and lifestyle patterns. When we commit ourselves to something bigger than ourselves, such as yoga training, we open ourselves to receiving new information, tools, and ways of being. We open ourselves to the unknown.
The Art of Sequencing will prompt you to dig deep and examine who you are and how you want to appear to your students, communities, and loved ones. This training helps teachers develop a voice and vision for their yoga classes by asking thoughtful questions and providing prompts to examine what motivates them to get out of bed daily.
Self-reflection is an essential tool for refining our practices and patterns. Whether you teach yoga or not, this training in meditation and mindfulness practices will help you explore your deeper, subconscious aspects, aiding in personal and professional transformation.
A yoga teacher training will help establish rituals in cultivating a daily yoga practice and healthy lifestyle. You’ll be tasked with practicing daily and engaging in subtle body practices that stimulate the pranic (energy) body. The Art of Sequencing features a 2-hour Lila Flow Yoga class each day, including meditation, pranayamas, mantras, asanas with peak yoga poses, bandhas, and other subtle bodywork to capture the Lila Flow experience.
It’s easier and more motivating to initiate a new routine when we do it with a community to seek inspiration and support! Yoga teacher training provides the foundation for committing to a daily yoga ritual. However, it appears in your daily life.
For the first time, the Art of Sequencing is a 4-day virtual event open to practitioners worldwide.
We’ve included 4+ hours of BONUS content on building and sustaining a digital yoga platform. You’ll learn how to create on-demand content, host live yoga classes on a streaming platform, and market and manage your business as an entrepreneur.
Clara covers the necessary software and hardware, the timing for live events, the behind-the-scenes setup with lighting and equipment, hiring and trade skills, and adjusting class cues and sequencing for virtual yoga classes.
This level of instruction and knowledge benefits anyone in the digital industry who wants to build a virtual business and connect to communities online.
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