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10 Tips to Creating Yoga Class Themes and Source Inspiration

Developing yoga class themes invites students to go deeper.

Theming is a powerful way to gain insight and awareness of the practice’s more subtle elements. It allows you to refine and go deeper into one particular element you’ve chosen to unpack. 

Yoga class themes are also a wonderful tool when selecting a peak posture. Theming may help narrow the options when choosing the poses for the sequence. A specific topic can create a centerfold that highlights the physical and philosophical components the teacher wishes to explore and share. 

For new and seasoned yoga teachers, constructing relevant, intentional, and relatable yoga class themes is an ongoing practice that becomes more nuanced over time. Keep reading to learn the top tips for choosing a theme and how to develop an authentic voice as a yoga teacher. 

Table of Contents:

Why Create a Yoga Class Theme? 

Choosing a theme to anchor your yoga class can help students experience the practice more deeply and engage in philosophical inquiry.

Yoga is so much more than the asana and physical poses; it’s a space to ask the bigger questions and develop an awareness of self.

The asana practice is one aspect of Patanjali’s Eight Limbs of Yoga.

The Eight Limbs provides a way to create meaning and intention in one’s lifestyle by providing a guide to ethics, moral boundaries, and self-discipline. 

Theming in a yoga class allows the practitioner (and the teacher) to consider yoga’s esoteric, metaphysical, philosophical, mythical, and ethical components. 

Jnana is the yoga of knowledge and wisdom; it is the study and inquiry of who we are beyond our ego-mind.

A theme invites the teacher and the student to probe beyond the physical and examine the rich history and educational sources that provide the lineage of yoga its roots. 

Where to Discuss and Your Theme

Bookend your class with the theme you’ve chosen. You may open the practice with a word, quote, or intention that centers on your theme. You may also close the practice with a brief nod to what you revealed throughout the class. 

It is important to leave moments of silence for students to absorb what has been said and feel the sensations and expressions of each pose. Keep the musing brief as you work with a theme to allow students to digest what has been said. Less is more. 

Boa Slow Flow and Harmony Meditation are two great examples of classes on Practice with Clara that weave the theme into the practice through language, landscape, movement, and breath. 

Take one of the classes mentioned above and answer the following questions:

  1. What is the theme?
  2. How is the topic reflected in the environment/movement? 
  3. What language is used? Pick 3-5 words that add to the theme.
  4. Where and when does Clara bring the theme into the practice? Why do you think this is? 
  5. What other elements contribute to the theme? List 5-7.
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Theming for New Yoga Teachers

When starting teaching, there are a lot of elements to consider, including the sequence, pacing, timing, modifications, and music. 
Ask a question. 
The yoga practice is so individual; we each show up to participate in a sequence of postures together, yet our class experience will be wholly unique depending on what we are going through that day. 
Work with what’s in front of you. 
The best way to choose a theme for new AND advanced teachers is to work with the idea that you are currently moving through. 
The caveat to this advice is if you are too emotionally close to the subject. Remember that you are the facilitator of the experience, so while it is great to encourage students through a heart-felt theme, you are holding the space for them to go deeper and not vice versa. 

On Sharing Personal Experiences

Sharing personal anecdotes may offer students a different perspective on a similar event. 

Much of what we learn is through stories. Stories validate our experiences, give a voice to the underdog or those with less power, and enrich our connection to each other. 

Sharing what you’ve gone through and your process may provide something someone needs to hear on that day. Listening to what others have gone through and learning about their approach can be insightful, educating, and liberating. 

I appreciate it when teachers share their stories, as they shed light on how I experience similar sentiments and express intense emotions.

One of the most poignant classes I’ve attended was one themed on grief. The teacher of the class had shared something close to her heart.

Her words permitted me to feel the sorrow I’d been carrying about a similar event I’d experienced. 

I’ve left many yoga classes feeling lighter, calmer, and more grounded about making a difficult decision. This is partly due to my body’s movement and release and partly because of the intentional theme. The carefully constructed approach to the theme helped me better understand myself.

These experiences on such personal and poignant topics can be therapeutic for the student. 

The shadow of sharing of personal experiences occurs when oversharing occurs. I’ve also been in classes where what is shared abruptly turns from investigative to unnecessary venting. The latter occurs when the teacher is not clean around their emotional wounds. 

Do not bring the topic to your class if you are still emotionally charged by it. 

If you’re feeling tired, stuck, raw, or still working through how you feel, leave it out until you can approach it without the residue affecting your words.

10 Tips for Creating Authentic Yoga Class Themes

1. Choose a topic that you’re passionate about.
The best way to offer a theme to your students is to speak about a topic that interests you. If you genuinely care about what you teach, your students will feel your excitement and enthusiasm, so choose something you want to learn more about or share with the community. 
2. Speak from an authentic space.
You don’t need to be an expert on the topic you’ve chosen to discuss, especially if you’re still learning about it yourself. It’s important that you have embodied and worked with yourself before you bring whatever you share to a yoga class. If you’re unsure about what you are saying or doing, your students will feel it, and it’s your job to be the anchor as you guide students through the experience. 
When I started teaching mantra, Clara advised me to practice it alone for two years before teaching it. Daniel Odier, a Tantric Philosopher, practiced for nearly 40 years before bringing what he’d learned to the community. 
What you share will resonate if you speak from the heart. When you choose a theme, check in with what you want to say and remember that how you feel about your topic may change depending on the type of day that you are having. 
Honor your relationship to the practice. Authenticity asks that we speak what is true for us at that moment. Please choose what you share by reflecting on your experience and how you want to express it to others. 
3. Have a backup plan. 
You may have crafted a great theme to discuss during your yoga class, but you’re not feeling it when the day arrives. You could be tired, sick, or experiencing an emotional hangover. If you’re not feeling well or have something weighing on your emotional resilience, keeping your theme simple is better than forcing what you do not feel. There are days we have to show up and perform even when we do not feel like it, and sometimes, putting on a brave face and faking it can put us in a better mood. 
Honor how you feel, and do not teach a theme that doesn’t light you up, even if you’ve rehearsed it and planned your class around it. If you wake up and your creation doesn’t work that day, choose a simple theme that suits your class. Working with the breath is always a great backup plan! 
4. Share your sources; cite accordingly!
Your theme could be about a particular person who influenced or sparked your curiosity. If you draw insight or knowledge from a teacher, artist, or guide, remember to cite your source of inspiration. If you use a poem or quote, refer back to the author and give credit where it is due. 
5. Rehearse your theme. 
Write your theme or say it aloud, especially if you’re using a mantra, quote, or poem. Rehearsing your theme will help you feel more comfortable speaking it aloud and more confident in what you are saying. 
If you teach several classes each week, use the same theme for each class and see how you can fine-tune and adjust the theme based on what you see around you and what you feel within. How the theme expresses itself may change as you keep working with it.
6. Make it universal. 
Clara is the queen of universal themes. Sometimes, her themes include a personal tale, though most of the topics she offers are universal. A versatile and omnipresent subject is more relatable, as students will infer and create meaning based on their experiences. 
7. Learn how to say the same thing in five different ways. 
Clara’s tip to students in the Art of Vinyasa Yoga Sequencing Training is to say the same phrase repeatedly throughout the class in various ways. We all learn in different ways, and your students may receive what you have to say if you speak to the central focus of your theme throughout the class without repeating yourself. 
Repitition is how we learn; however, when we say the same thing over and over, we dilute the message. Your students may tune you out if you repeat yourself, though if you get creative in how you state your message, it may have a greater impact by the fifth time around!
8. Choose postures/peak poses and music that compliment.
Your theme should complement your class sequence and music playlist. A great example of this is Drop Back Vinyasa. This class is themed on surrender. Heart-opening practices ask that we open the front line, typically associated with reception, vulnerability, and expansion. 
Check out this article to learn more about the energy associated with heart opening and this article to learn more about arm balancing. 
9. Connect your theme to an emotion.
The yoga practice is a portal to the body; what we feel is real, and there is no hiding from the sensations once you step onto your mat. As yoga teachers, we know that emotions are stored in the body. Emotional energy is stored in and affects our organs, muscles, tissues, and the function of the body’s major systems, including the endocrine, immune, and nervous systems. As a result, it is not uncommon to experience a rush of emotion during yoga and other body-focused practices and therapies. 
Consider the emotion expressed through the poses you choose and the theme you’ve decided to work with. Heart and hip-opening have a very different effect on the body than arm and leg balancing poses. 
The six main emotions are anger, fear, sadness, disgust, surprise, anticipation, trust, and joy. 
As you construct your theme and select the poses for your class, considering the emotion you’re invoking will help you guide students through a more intentional experience. 
10. Stay in the experience with your students. 
Stay in the sequence with your students to maintain the rhythm and observe where it is appropriate to reconnect to your theme. To bookend the experience, you may offer the theme at the beginning and end of the class. 
Opening the class with the theme is a great way to introduce students to the central intent of the experience. Closing the class with an echo of the theme allows students to chew on what you’ve laid out. 
As you continue to teach, you will learn to carefully place the theme at appropriate moments during the class. Leaving enough space for students to reflect on what you have said is as important as the alignment cues and reminders of the theme. 
One way to stay in the experience with your students is through breath. Breathe with your students as they move through the postures. In this way, you’ll feel with them when it is time to speak and when it is time to leave silence to digest what has been said. 

Dissecting and Discovering Themes 

There are so many ways to theme a yoga class and just as many sources to find inspiration!  

Your theme may be something you plan and prepare beforehand, or perhaps its something as simple as looking out your window for a glimpse of beauty.

Sources to Spark Inspiration:

Developing Your Voice as a Yoga Teacher

The practice and what you offer students will shift as you do. Trust that you will build the confidence to explore advanced poses and themes as you continue to teach. 

Here are a few ways to develop your voice as a teacher:
Record yourself teaching.
Tape yourself teaching; this is a great way to assess your alignment cues, tone of voice, pacing, timing, and theming of the class structure. It may be hard to listen to yourself (we’ve all been there!), but it is worth assessing what you want to change/develop moving forward. 
Ask for feedback.
Seek your peers or friends who attend your classes- or ask them to come to your class- and get their feedback. Ask those versed in the craft who can provide you with constructive wisdom to develop as a yoga teacher. It’s great to hear how your sequence and themes land with others. 
Seek a mentor. 
Mentorship is a great way to grow and develop a signature style while learning the foundational elements of the yoga practice. I mentored with Clara shortly after completing my 200-hour Program. Clara attended my yoga classes, gave me tips to improve, reviewed my class sequences, asked me questions to develop my understanding, and provided me with a wealth of resources to draw from. 
Write it down.
For example, write down your sequence and theme to review your creation when recording your yoga class. Write it several times and speak it out loud to yourself. This will help you memorize what you want to offer students, and you will hear how your theme and cues flow together. Reviewing your writing or spoken word may help you find the snags in your sequence and where to add to or take away from the theme. 
Speak slowly. 
When practicing or presenting your theme, speak slower than you think you should. Nervousness typically causes people to communicate faster than they want to or think they are. Pausing will also allow your students time to adjust and absorb your words. 

More Resources to Learn About Yoga Class Themes

The Online Art of Vinyasa Yoga Sequencing prepares yoga teachers and students with the insight and guidlines to establish a virtual studio.

Accredited Online Training

Level 1:
Advanced Asanas

level 2:
Progressive Theming

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.
 
“As a Manual Osteopath I’m very passionate about injury prevention and support and Clara educated us on the newest research regarding incorrect movements and common injures we’re seeing in the industry today. She taught us what we can do as teachers to support our students through proper alignment, cueing and how to careful craft a proper sequence that prepares the body and supports the intention. We learned how to find inspiration, flesh out theming that feels authentic to us and create impactful bhav.”
Clara Roberts-Oss, yoga teacher, Vancouver
— Melanie Emlyn
500hr ARYT Yoga Teacher + Manual Osteopath

5 Compelling Reasons to Join the Online Art of Sequencing

  • Engage in philosophy, Ayurveda, subtle body practices, and peak poses.

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.

  • Make new friends and connect to a global community.

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.

  • Unearth aspects of yourself to transform your lifestyle.

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.

  • Establish holistic rituals and routines for longevity iandwellness.

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.

  • Learn digital production, operations, and marketing skills.

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.

 

Online Art of Vinyasa Yoga Sequencing Online Training

The Lila School of Vinyasa Yoga provides in-person and online opportunities to elevate your education for students and teachers.
See the Online Training
Clara Roberts-Oss Vinyasa Yoga Teacher

Seraphina Dawn

Seraphina has a BA in Literature from Simone Fraser University and participated in the Creative Writing Program at UC Berkeley. She is a Kundalini teacher, writer, and poet. She admires Clarice Lispector’s prose, Octavia Butler’s fiction, and Simone Weil's philosophy. Seraphina currently lives in Istanbul. 

Website

@sera.phina.dawn

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