![]() ![]() If you teach yoga at a car assembly plant you’re likely teaching people who have a physically demanding job – teach them a wrist stretch you know, they’ll appreciate it. Unlike when you teach at a studio, you have the advantage of being able to know your client and their needs beforehand. When anyone sits at their desk for a long period of time, they’re more prone to have back pain, neck pain, wrist strain, poor posture, tight hips, shallow breathing and more. I give my students permission to rest or stay in the modified version of the pose that day. Watch for red flags – anyone who is about to hurt themselves – think knees in the wrong place in a lunge pose or a misaligned neck that could cause them great harm. I give them permission to rest or stay in the modified version of the pose that day. I always remind my students to breathe and not push through the pain. All are welcome, but it’s important to offer modifications when necessary. Sore necks, tight backs, scoliosis, carpal tunnel syndrome, a newborn, a recent car accident, people who don’t exercise…this is just a taste of the mixed soup you will experience in your corporate yoga classes. Be prepared to offer a lot of modifications Hold the space for them, make it a nonjudgmental, supportive environment and your students will keep coming back for more 4. Each student is doing the very best they can. A 30 or 45-minute class is still “real yoga”. ![]() Finishing on time is even more important, as often people are racing back to their desks to finish a mountain of tasks. Unless my class organizer has asked me to wait, I always start the class on time. Your corporate yoga students have taken time out of their busy day to do yoga with you, sometimes for just 30 or 45 minutes, so every minute counts. Take a watch or phone with you as it’s important to start and finish the class on time. Unlike a yoga studio, there may not be a clock in whatever room you teach in at the office. ![]() Also, if you are going to teach something like chanting in your corporate classes, make sure you chant louder than your students.ģ. Start on time, finish on time and be prepared for people to be moving around If you’re going to teach them to chant, for example, make sure you give them permission NOT to chant and also explain why chanting is a big part of yoga. Give them time to ease into the classes and become comfortable with you. However, I have always found Corporate Yoga students are actually very open to learning all about the spiritual side of yoga – they just need to hear it in small, manageable chunks. Introduce spiritual stuff slowlyĪbout a year ago, one of my new corporate yoga clients told us that they didn’t want any of “that mumbo jumbo spirituality stuff” when they were setting up their classes. Find out in advance what style of yoga your client is looking for – restorative, vinyasa, hatha, yin? 2. You just need to make sure that you have this conversation about expectations with them before classes start, so everyone is on the same page. If they ask you for a non-spiritual yoga class, you can still introduce the concept of chakras to them or read them a line from the Yoga Sutras. I like to follow the motto “give them a little of what they want and a little of what they need.” If they ask you for a super easy beginner class, you can still throw in a challenge – perhaps a standing balance pose or a backbend. They usually tell us they’re all beginners, or that they don’t want a “spiritual” class. Most of the time, corporate yoga clients aren’t sure what style of yoga class they want. Find out in advance what style of yoga your client is looking for So, here are my top 10 dos and don’ts for teaching Corporate Yoga in an office: 1. I’ve been teaching corporate yoga and leading a team of corporate yoga teachers for 14 years, and I’ve learned a lot from the hundreds of clients we’ve worked with. It’s important to be prepared before going into an office environment to teach yoga. Corporate yoga is becoming more and more common around the world, but teaching it is probably not something your 200-hour YTT prepared you for.Īs you can imagine, teaching to company staff in a boardroom is going to feel very different than teaching at a studio… The space is going to be different, you may be teaching a shorter class and you may be teaching to employees who have never done yoga before. But as the practice grows more popular in the West, yoga classes can be found all over the place, from gyms to breweries – and even at the office. It used to be that to get your yoga fix, you had to stop by a studio. ![]()
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