Teaching for small classes
& another yummy hip mobility flow
Hi buddies,
Nico’s Flows is my regular newsletter designed to help yoga teachers plan meaningful, intentional classes. Each post includes readings and reflections, curated yoga music, and vinyasa yoga sequences for teachers or anyone who loves to move.
Free subscribers receive these newsletters monthly, while paid subscribers receive them weekly, along with additional class planning tools and resources. If this space supports you, inspires your classes, or simply gives you something thoughtful to read each week, I’m so grateful you’re here - however you choose to engage.
Teaching for Small Classes
I know not all of you reading this are in the Northern Hemisphere, but I am in Montana, which means summer... which usually means smaller yoga classes.
Of course, small classes don’t only happen in the summer. Every teacher experiences them at some point. And when only one, two, or a handful of people show up you can take it personally…. OR you can see it as an opportunity to grow as a teacher.
In the winter, my classes are consistently full. In the summer, they’re often much smaller. I started a new class last week, and this morning only one person came. A few years ago, I would have been discouraged. I probably would have wondered if I was doing something wrong or if people didn’t like my classes. Now, I look at it differently.
Small classes have become some of my favorite classes to teach because they’re where I grow the most. When there are 40 people in the room, it’s difficult to truly see everyone. I do my best, but I can’t always notice every movement pattern, every facial expression, or every opportunity to help someone understand their body a little better.
But in smaller classes I can learn everyone’s name. I can watch how they move. I can offer more specific cues because they’re based on the people actually standing in front of me instead of trying to cue for every body imaginable. I can ask questions, check in, and adapt the practice to exactly who is in the room that day. To me, that’s what teaching is really about.
I’ve also found that smaller classes give me permission to step outside my comfort zone. Usually there’s something in my own practice that I’m curious about or working toward, but I don’t always feel like I have the space to explore it in a room packed with people. For example, I rarely teach handstands or headstands in large public classes. It’s not because I think they’re inherently dangerous. I simply don’t feel like I can safely support everyone in a crowded room.
But when there are only a few students, I can give each person the attention they need. I can spot them if necessary, answer questions, and create an environment where exploration feels safe.
If you’re a newer teacher, I actually think these smaller classes are a gift. This is where you learn to observe instead of just recite cues. This is where you become comfortable adapting instead of following your class plan word for word. This is where you learn to teach the students in front of you instead of the class you imagined would show up. Those are skills that stay with you long after your classes fill up.
So if your classes have been a little smaller lately, don’t take it personally. Use them as an opportunity to become the teacher you want to be. Your students will probably leave feeling more seen, and you’ll leave having learned something too.
A few things I’ve been enjoying exploring in smaller classes:
Pelvic floor awareness and bandhas
Headstand and handstand progressions
Balance drills
Mobility work specific to the students in the room
Taking extra time to workshop one posture or transition
More individual feedback and hands-on assistance (if appropriate)
Sequence Inspiration
Another week of hip mobility!
We are in full summer mode here in Montana, which means everyone’s hips are feeling the trails. I feel like you can never go wrong with a hip-focused flow, and this one incorporates lots of fun movement patterns to both strengthen and create space.
Whether you’ve been hiking, running, biking, or simply sitting a little too much, I hope this flow helps your hips feel a little happier. :)
