Teaching Outdoor Yoga | Working with the Elements
After long autumn and winter months, we can finally go outside and enjoy the sun and warmer weather. Summer is coming and we can feel it! A couple of weeks ago at Yoga Moves, we introduced Outdoor Classes. Students can now come and enjoy the practice in nature, under the blue (mostly) sky. However, we’ve also noticed that teaching outdoors can bring some extra challenges that you don’t usually deal with indoors – rain, difficulty to concentrate, lawnmower rumbling – to name a few. Well then, how to make sure your students can make the best out of the outdoor experience? How to guide them into safe and enjoyable practice in nature? We’ve asked 4 of our teachers to share their best tips to teach a successful outdoor yoga class.
Guiding the attention
When teaching outdoors you might find your student’s attention going literally everywhere. It’s so natural since there are so many distractions outside! As a teacher, you might use a couple of tricks to guide your student’s attention and help them stay focused, and yet enjoy their surroundings. Invite your students to consciously rest their gaze on a nearby tree in a tree pose or to look into the texture of the grass in Downward Dog. In Savasana you might want to experiment with inviting your students to keep their eyes open, looking at the blue sky. It can bring such a different experience!
Pre-class ritual
When teaching outdoors your personal preparation becomes even more important. You need to firmly ground yourself. Take time to bring yourself in the right headspace for the class. Meditate. Practice some yoga. Touch the grass. Smell the fresh air. Make it a pre-class ritual. During the class, especially during challenges, keep on returning to your breath and that feeling of groundedness.
Connect the Senses to Nature
Practicing outdoors gives us an opportunity to deepen our connection to the sights, smells and sensations of the natural world. The feeling of the earth underneath your feet, the smell of the green grass, the sound of chirping birds around you. Students really appreciate if you help to notice and absorb these things. Adjust your verbal cues to all their senses and the natural elements.
Below some ideas… but feel free to take a moment to write down how nature resonates with you and incorporate your experience in your language.
Earth | The earth is grounding you. Let your worries and insecurities sink into Mother Earth. Feel the grass in between your toes, connecting how it grows from a few seeds to this full green oasis, with water, dirt, and sun only.
Air | Smell and breathe in the natural smells around. Feel the breeze on your skin.
Trees | Soften your gaze on the tree and meditate on its essence. On how it has been standing tall here all through the seasons. What can you take with you into your own life?
Sounds | Open your sense of hearing to everything close and far away without judgement. Listen to the sounds of your own body, your breath, the wind, the trees, animals, and people.
Sun | Feel the rays of sun softening your skin, melting away any resistance. Let the sun recharge your battery with new energy.
Rain | Water is such an important element of life, whether human, animals or plants. Remind your students that we are 60% made from water and the plants are welcoming that fresh supply of rain.
Moon | Can you see the moon? Can you feel the influence of the moon’s cycle?
Start with taking the time to connect your students with these elements. To be there without judgment. So, when that lawn mower rumbles, kids shout, the barbecue fumes, dogs bark and the boombox blares, you can bring your students back inwards. Instead of trying to pretend none of it is happening, simply acknowledge the distractions lightheartedly.
Taking yoga off the mat
Do not let wet grass spoil all the yoga fun! Doing yoga without a mat can bring a whole new dimension to the experience. Then nature becomes your mat! Depending on the circumstances, however, you may want to minimize or prevent students from placing their hands on the ground. If you would like to offer a practice off the mat, you might experiment with using more standing poses. And then how about using trees as your props? Be creative and experiment with inviting your students to practice shoulder openers or downward dog by placing their hands on the tree. Look around and you might find more “props” in nature. Go wild!
Always Take the Weather with You
You can practice in most weather conditions if you adjust your sequence and dress for the occasion. Communicate with students before the class so they are prepared too.
Cold | Put on that cap, gloves, socks/shoes and a wind or rain jacket. Make sure to warm them up with an 8-minute slow run. End with a seated meditation instead of Savasana, so they do not cool down too much.
Rain | You can still practice with a small drizzle. Make sure to pack that rain jacket and shoes. The damp grass can become slippery and dirty. Keep your yoga mat at home, and let the earth be your playground.
Sun | Midsummer those shady spots might be hard to come by. Plan in your class earlier of later in the day and advise your students to use sun protection.
Wind | Enjoy the fresh air and accept the added challenge. Practice steady warriors and other standing postures. Gaze forwards or down for that extra needed balance.
Celebrate the Experience
Remind your students how special the experience of practicing outdoor is. Find those hidden gems in or around the city to make yoga outside a truly memorable experience. It does not have to be a park. Even though nature is proven to calm down the nervous system. It can be on top of a building, in an orchard, on the beach, in the forest, near a lake. Be creative and feel what resonates within you. Let your students take a photo of themselves in tree pose in front of that great oak or a warrior before the setting sun. They love to have a photo as a memory reminder as it is always special to practice outdoors.
We hope you enjoyed these few tips on how to level-up your outdoor teaching. Don’t forget to check our upcoming workshops and events calendar to pick your next training!