How To Write Directives For Your Classes

• November 11, 2019
• By Jonnie Goodmanson

How To Write Directives For Your Classes

As a new instructor, it can be daunting to plan out the poses and language you’ll use in your classes.

There is a lot to balance in a Holy Yoga® class. Hopefully, teacher training has ironed a lot out for you, and you are learning to navigate balancing the elements of a class. Just for support, I wanted to share with you a process for working out directives as you are planning your flows for your classes. I hope you find this helpful and will feel free to modify this process to fit your learning and teaching style!

I want to start with banging the same drum I always do…this process starts with your personal practice. It is critical to this process that you are “working out” your own practice, as the insights you’ll gain on your mat are far more superior than intellectually trying to understand directives and how they align the body. I can explain to you all day long the need to root down the opposite hip in a twist and you can try to understand that in a disconnected way. But it will remain that way, disconnected. When you roll your mat out, close your eyes, taking long deep breaths and feel your rooted hip pull on the thoracic vertebrae allowing more length. That unlocks understanding that thinking through directives will never allow. Use your body-brain, not your physical brain.

Once you’ve planned the asana in your class, be sure to roll out a mat, turn on some tunes and do it! Making the connections you are going to talk through before getting in front of your class will help you in many ways. You’ll memorize the flow with your mind and your body. Writing it out will allow you to work it through your mind and then practicing it will help you feel it in your body. This will not only help you speak directives but give you confidence in your flow by reducing the anxiety around whether you’ll remember or know it well. We all know reducing anxiety is key to keeping your mind clear!

Once you know your asana and you’ve felt it in your body, you can begin to write out your directives. Start with writing out your flow. Leaving bullet points below each asana for a few directives depending on the level of class you are teaching to.

The newer a student is to yoga, the fewer directives they hear and can connect into their body. For instance, if you are teaching a power class, you can speak four to seven directives for each pose. This is because your students likely have a good foundation for each pose you call. When you say Warrior 1, they likely are comfortable with what that shape is and can get there on their own. Once there, your directives refine their pose. On the other hand, if someone is new to yoga and has no context for a pose name or shape, they are looking to your directives to get them there (especially if you are not modeling the pose). These students will often only hear one to four directives per pose. Keeping your directives minimal brings them success in the poses, which increases their confidence as well.

I’ll write out a sun salutation for a new class based on the above facts. Here’s an example outline:

Mountain

• Root down through all four corners of the feet
• Draw the tailbone down to the floor
• Draw the shoulders down your back and together
• Lift the top of your head to the ceiling, softening your chin down

Forward Fold

• Inhale and draw your hands over head and exhale, hinging at the hips
• Exhale and press the tops of your feet into the mat
• Shoulders draw together and down the back
• Core draws the chest toward the thighs

Halfway Lift

• Inhale and draw halfway up
• Lift your belly button to your spine
• Hands on the shins

Plank-Chaturanga

• Exhale and bend the knees, hands to the mat
• Lift the hips high and step the feet back
• Lift the belly button and heart space toward ceiling
• Do not hang the head
• Chaturanga-
  • Exhale and lower down halfway keeping your belly lifted
  • Elbows stay close to your side
  • Shoulder blades drawn down your back

Upward facing dog

• Inhale and move to the tops of the feet
• Pull your hands toward you as you lift the chest
• Press the tops of the feet into the mat

Downward facing dog

• Exhale and tuck the toes
• Lift from the mid back space and press the mat away from you
• Lift the hips high 

Once you do these steps, you’ll likely have to reference your notes very little. By this time, you’ve written it out and practiced it. Your notes are there for your comfort and reference in case you forget them. I hope this has helped your process for writing out directives for your class. As you grow in your teaching, you’ll have foundations down and this process will grow to include advanced variations.

Have fun with it!

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