Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Foreign.
[00:00:12] Hello, and welcome to Deep in your yoga practice. I'm Lauren Leduc, the owner and founder of True Love Yoga in Kansas City, Missouri. And I was wondering, have you ever taken a yoga class that stayed with you for weeks or maybe years? Maybe you don't even remember the sequence exactly, but you might remember how you felt.
[00:00:32] Maybe within you, something softened or something clicked or something shifted. And maybe on the other hand, you've taken classes that were technically excellent with amazing alignment and sequencing, but just didn't land in the same way. So today I want to explore a question that I think is fascinating for both students and. And teachers, which is what actually makes a yoga class feel transformational. I know as a yoga teacher, I want to be really intentional about the classes that I lead, and I'm hoping that people leave feeling better than when they came in, that maybe they have learned something or had some kind of valuable experience.
[00:01:17] And I know so many different yoga teachers feel this way. And as students, maybe we're just looking for a workout or we're just looking to calm our minds a little bit, but sometimes, sometimes we have that huge shifting experience that we can't always put our finger on.
[00:01:34] So what is it about those teachers, those classes, that make such an impact? So let's get into it. One important thing to note is that transformation is not necessarily about intensity. It's not always about hard postures and going into the deepest stretch possible or the deepest meditation that you've ever had. It's not about being sweatier than you've ever been before. That doesn't make things more meaningful. Oftentimes, the classes that we remember that stick with us maybe made us feel really safe. Maybe we felt seen. Maybe we felt connected with ourselves, with our fellow students, with the space or nature or the universe, with our teacher. Maybe we felt emotionally present. Maybe we learned something that shifted our practice in a meaningful way. So we can know that transformation is not necessarily about this level of intensity. Often it's more of this resonance or this vibe that we feel. Students rarely remember the exact cueing that a teacher uses or even the exact sequence, the way that they felt.
[00:02:47] Maybe something about the atmosphere, maybe the emotional journey that they went through, and maybe unlocking something new in their practice. Transformational classes usually have this function foundational component, which is nervous system safety. So when you are feeling safe in your body, when you are allowed to show up exactly as you are, when you feel like you can let go, it opens you up in this beautiful way where you can simply be yourself, whatever that Means for the day, your nervous system can help determine openness, receptivity, learning, maybe emotional processing as well, which are all keys to transformation. So as a teacher, there are certain components that create this felt sense of safety within ourselves and our students. One of them is predictable pacing and predictability in general. That doesn't mean that we can't be creative, that we can't sometimes be spontaneous, but we do let our students know what to expect, and then we show up in a trustworthy way to that. We also create safety through clear cueing.
[00:04:02] So instead of going way too deep into metaphors, or maybe just expecting students to know what we mean, we maintain a sense of clarity. And as a teacher, I always like to think about teaching a class in such a way that someone could have their eyes closed and still, for the most part, know what's going on. So that's how clear I want to be in my.
[00:04:26] Another thing that creates safety is a non performative environment.
[00:04:31] So no one is here to show off, teacher or student. We aren't trying to provoke specific emotional responses in our students.
[00:04:41] Instead, we can promote a sense of authenticity within the experience. The teacher shows up, of course, professionally and prepared, but also honestly and authentically. We're all human, and I think when the teacher does that, it gives students permission to be the same. And for me, this has always been such an important part of true love yoga. Just being able to walk through the doors, be accepted, be yourself, and put any masks or sense of performing out the door. Another way we can create safety through a yoga class is to give our students, or ourselves as students, permission to modify the practice and to rest as well. So if you take my classes, you know, I love giving lots of options. They are not hierarchical. Some might be more accessible than others, of course. But I want students to know that each option is equally good and only they can know what is best for them that day. As well as resting, I love to work hard. I love to offer tapas, or intensity and heat in classes. But I love seeing people honor their bodies. I love seeing people rest. I love it when someone who is capable of doing the hard thing sometimes chooses the quote, unquote, easier option. All of that is welcome. And in a society that promotes hustle culture and striving, there's something so safe about permission to let go of that, that to rest and to really tune into what we're needing and then give that to ourselves as a gift. Another way that teachers can help our students feel safe is through our own nervous system regulation. No, we don't have to show up perfectly every time. I spoke about being non performative and showing up authentically. But we do need to be prepared and we do need to be professional. And part of what that takes is getting our nervous systems into a grounded place or as grounded as we can before serving our students.
[00:06:55] So that might mean creating some rituals before the practice. Maybe it's taking a few moments of breath. Maybe it's a mantra that you use.
[00:07:07] And I know for me often this includes not only preparing myself before I walk through the doors, but also the way I talk to my students as they come in, the mindfulness of things like rolling out my mat and preparing the space. And it also involves the grounding portion of class.
[00:07:24] So maybe while I'm chanting or leading a body scan, it's also an opportunity for me to breathe and for me to ground. And my hope is that while I do that, while I take care of myself in that way, that it gives students the permission to do the same.
[00:07:42] But it also might be something more than permission. It is like co regulating. So I ground myself. I regulate as the person serving as the leader. And that sets the tone for everyone else to ground and soften. Our students might be able to feel where our nervous system is by our tone, our breath, our pacing, maybe our sense of emotional steadiness.
[00:08:09] And when we're dysregulated, it's very hard to create a deeply regulated room. We talked about some people thinking about transformation coming from pushing harder. But it actually comes from finally feeling safe enough to soften at times. Even when you're doing hard things with your body, can you soften more in your mind? Can you be kinder to yourself? Can you give yourself permission to try but also not be perfect? I love as a teacher and then as a student in different yoga environments, knowing that there's this knowledge of trauma awareness, where the teacher gives language of choice, where students have a sense of autonomy, where there's no shame, and it's really something we can soften into. Another component of a transformational class might be music, or even no music. Music can shape perception. I know as a teacher, it can influence what I am offering.
[00:09:08] And as a student, it certainly influences my experience. It influences the way I move, the way that I feel. So music influences our breath rhythm, our emotional tone, our nervous system arousal, and even memory formation. Certain songs just seem to hit. Maybe there is a positive emotional association.
[00:09:30] Maybe there's this synchronization of pacing. Maybe it's this feeling of collective resonance with those around US Music can be highly transformational. It can also be highly triggering to certain people. So different types of music, maybe with lyrics, maybe love songs, maybe things that are religiously affiliated, maybe things that talk about harm, can also provide an experience that doesn't feel safe or transformational in a positive way. So it's important to be so intentional as a teacher with your music selection. And I want to add too, that silence is also so powerful and important.
[00:10:11] Silence, when used strategically, can increase interoception or the ability to feel what is going on inside of us and deepens a sense of awareness. So music can shape the emotional architecture of a class. It should support the experience, but it shouldn't overpower it. And additionally, silence can be so very powerful. I intentionally chose, when I designed my set sequence called Abiasa, to not include music except for chanting at the beginning and end, because I wanted the breath to become the music. I was feeling very overstimulated by life in general, by being a mom, by phones, by the political atmosphere. That the thought of 90 minutes of quiet was incredibly soothing. I find without music, it can take a few minutes to get used to. It might feel a little awkward, we might want to fill in the silences. But soon enough, it actually becomes deeply nourishing.
[00:11:16] It allows people to focus inward and the sounds of the room and the breath, the cars passing by, the birds, become this beautiful, soothing, spacious soundtrack. Another component of transformational classes is sequencing and pacing. Good sequencing feels aligned, it feels coherent. The body loves regression, it loves preparation, and it loves integration. So instead of chaos, instead of going deep and fast, we prepare ourselves. And this matters so much because a well sequenced class helps build trust, it reduces threat to physical safety, and it helps create a flow state. In yoga classes, sequencing becomes like storytelling. It has an arc, it has a beginning, a rising action, a peak, and a resolution.
[00:12:16] So it feels like you're going on a journey. And in our sequencing, we call it the bell curve because we start with grounding and quiet, we start load at the ground, we pick up the intensity slowly over time, and then we bring it back down for the resolution or shavasana at the end. The pacing in this matters so much. If it's too fast, it can feel really overwhelming to the nervous system.
[00:12:44] And if it's too slow, we can lose engagement as students or as teachers. So as we think about the class as a story arc, transformational class often feels like being guided through this journey or experience, not just being led through poses. And we might find interest through movement variability, through balancing this sense of effort and ease and of this rhythm between activation and rest.
[00:13:15] So a good class follows this bell curve, but also has this pulse to it, this heartbeat, this beautiful rhythm that lends itself inherently to transformation. We also talked a bit about the teacher's nervous system, but I want to add on to that. Knowing that a transformational class often comes from the teacher's presence as well. It doesn't come from a sense of performance, but again, this presence, this grounded nervous system, this authenticity, this embodiment of the practice as well. And knowing that a teacher is showing up in integrity in this way is so much more important than perfect cueing or absolutely perfect sequencing.
[00:13:59] Their presence, their awareness, their compassion, is what's going to shine through. Presence can look like groundedness, attentiveness, emotional congruence and pacing with intention. The teacher is aware, they're watching, they're responding, they're not phoning it in. Our students might not remember every cue, but they will remember how your presence and steadiness made them feel. Know too that as a teacher, when we're providing these experiences and hoping they're transformational, that doesn't mean that we're perfect. We're certainly not gurus, we're definitely not performers, but we are present, we're attuned and we're authentic. We attune ourselves or respond to the emotions in the room. We're aware of our students and we respond to what we see with compassion, with patience, and with this sense of holding space. Another aspect of a transformational class could be storytelling and yoga philosophy as well.
[00:15:02] People tend to remember and respond to stories. The stories might create some emotional meaning or help the student contextualize and experience.
[00:15:12] This doesn't mean we need to, as teachers tell 10 minute stories at the beginning of class, it could be short and simple and then relate to yoga. So relating to yogic philosophy and philosophy is such an important part of the yoga practice. It's what creates depth and the transformation happens in these depths.
[00:15:35] So instead of yoga being something that is mechanical, with philosophy, the movement becomes something that is reflective, that is deep, that relates to our lives in a real way. So maybe the teacher themes around things like non attachment or courage or grounding or compassion.
[00:15:56] It doesn't need to be complicated. It can be something simple that becomes the bhava, that becomes the vibe, that maybe becomes the intention for for the class. And it's something the student can feel themselves embodying just through the movement and the breath and the presence. Movement becomes so much more powerful when it Connects to something emotionally or philosophically meaningful. So not every class needs a lecture or poetic monologue or a long personal story. I think often subtlety works best and lands the most. Another aspect of a transformational class is ritual and repetition. Humans use ritual to create a sense of meaning and comfort. So maybe as a teacher, you always begin seated. Maybe you lead the class in a chant of om. Maybe you have a certain way, you like the lighting. Maybe there's a certain way that you lead savasana or that you close out your class. Maybe if you're like me, I teach a set sequence on Sundays and I teach the same class. Obviously it's going to come out a little bit in different ways, but the intention of it is to be this 90 minute ritual that students return to week after week and kind of clear the cobwebs and fill their cups before the start of the week. Ritual works so well because it signals transition, it creates predictability, and it communicates a sense of care, Especially when it's done with presence and not emptiness. Repeated rituals help reduce cognitive load. So that predictability aspect is super important.
[00:17:37] We don't have to wonder what's coming next. It also increases a sense of safety, so we can let go of any vigilance. And it helps deepen emotional association. So maybe there's a chant you hear your teacher repeat, or a certain sun salutation or movement, and it's this signal to your emotions and to your nervous systems that, okay, it's all right to relax, it's all right to let go, it's all right to work hard and simply be myself. Ritual helps tell the nervous system that this moment matters. Another important element of a transformational class is community and collective experience.
[00:18:20] So this shared practice is so powerful. As humans, we are social beings. We evolved to be together in community. And this group movement and breath can create this sense of synchronicity, of belonging, of shared emotional resonance. And group classes get to this place sometimes of co regulation, where the person next to you is breathing deeply, they're focusing, they're authentic that it gives you the permission to do the same thing. Or you can simply feel it from them and your body responds in turn. In group classes, we might feel this sense of collective rhythm through our breath and through our movement, which can be deeply nurturing. We also get to witness. We can witness both ourselves and others, and we can do it with appreciation and sometimes admiration, with compassion. Oftentimes transformation happens because people stop feeling alone and they start to feel a part of something. It's always been so important to me for True Love Yoga to feel welcoming and inclusive and authentic, so that when people walk through the door, they feel part of a community and that they can shed some of the burdens from the outside world.
[00:19:38] Finally, transformational yoga classes often have a mystery element.
[00:19:43] Maybe that certain je ne sais quoi. Something that we can't quantify or put our finger on exactly. Maybe it just resonates with what is going on in our lives right now. Whether you think it's coincidental or not. Maybe it resonates with your life circumstances, maybe with your readiness to hear or feel something. Maybe the timing is just right.
[00:20:09] And maybe we don't always know why something feels transformational or resonates, but it just does. We can't force transformation. We can practice. We can show up both as teachers and as students. We can do it enthusiastically and sincerely and regularly. But then we have to let go of the results. So a teacher can create the conditions for transformation, but can't manufacture it or force it to happen. Maybe sometimes you've said as the teacher the same thing many times, but the cue just lands differently because of where someone is in life or because they finally feel ready to hear it. So those are some of my thoughts about what creates a transformational class. These classes are rarely about perfection, but instead they're about presence and, and safety, rhythm, meaning, connection. And they help people feel more connected to themselves, to their bodies, to other people, and sometimes to something that is larger than themselves. And maybe that's what keeps people returning to yoga. Not just how the practice looks, but how it makes them feel. So thank you so much for joining me today. I'd love your thoughts on what makes a yoga class transformational.
[00:21:28] If you are interested in creating transformational yoga classes, I highly recommend our yoga teacher training programs at True love yoga. Our 200 hour program gives you the foundations to teach an excellent vinyasa or Hatha class. And then for 200 hour graduates from any yoga school, our 300 hour advanced teacher training really helps take your teaching to the next level in many different ways.
[00:21:55] And these are the kind of discussions that we're having. How do we provide this meaningful, authentic, transformational experience for our students? So thank you so much for listening today.
[00:22:08] Om Shanti, Om Peace.
