Recipe for A Yoga Class

On a Saturday morning after class, I usually take a cursory look at the sequence I’ve just taught. Then, I'll place my class plan neatly at the top of a big pile of old class plans. I've collected quite a few.

Last week, in an attempt to organise these bits of paper, I sprawled them out on the floor. They suddenly appeared to me like large recipe cards, crumpled and furiously annotated. Each had been prepared for a specific purpose, time and place and possessed a particular flavour and personality. All were made for sharing.

Have you ever wondered how your particular yoga class comes into being? People have asked me how exactly I decide what to teach. As I’ve been thinking about what we will enjoy together again this coming week, here’s a behind-the-scenes peek at a few bits of the process...

🍅 Last Minute Prep

I usually write my lesson plan the night before the class. On Friday evening, I’ll steal away, “I’m off to do my sequence now!” and sit on my bed (in Sukhasana, of course) with a decaf in hand, paper and pen.

Okay, I’m focusing now on themes, ideas, and poses. Between pondering and scribbling, I’ll hop off the bed a few times, try a few things on the floor, do a cat-cow or two, and then get back to writing. The first draft will be illegible. One draft, maybe two or three appear depending on how fickle I feel. Then I’m done. Bedtime, for there is a class to teach tomorrow.

🍲 Rolling Stock

If you go to any yoga class, you’ll be able to taste the essence of a recipe passed down through generations - presence, breath, movement, savasana. The syllabus, Sanskrit, and philosophy deliver an underlying base note like no other - you know it’s yoga when you taste it.

But which ingredients to enrich the stock? There’s so much in a yoga curriculum for teachers to draw from. I might consider the time of year to make my choices, think about the work we’ve done in previous weeks to build upon and have a mind to rotate in poses we haven’t done for a while for freshness, variation and balance.

This season’s warming broth simmers with the additional flavours of Autumn - Thanksgiving gratitude leads me to heart opening, and recently, hands have been speaking to me as conduits to the receptive qualities I’d like to nurture right now.

These subtle spices of the season; when you come dine with me, maybe you’ll notice them, maybe you won’t.

🍑 Season to Taste

The punchier elements of the dish may be more evident to the palate, and it is the signature that makes this dish mine to serve at this moment.

My yoga class is a window into what I’ve been eating myself. What did I devour this week? What am I craving? Does my neck need a sweet release, or has it been a while since I’ve worked on those glutes and lower back? While considering the weekly recipe, I’m thinking, what do I want to eat again, and what might others enjoy too?

Other teachers constantly influence my choices. I borrow words, cues, and transitions that resonate. Sometimes, I steal whole recipes—well, I attempt to! I often adapt existing recipes, deconstructing and reinterpreting them in my kitchen. The community feeds each other incessantly.

While I could draw solely from my yoga body and yoga bubble, the stories of people around me percolate. Whether it’s a colleague with back pain, an anxious patient who can’t take a deep breath or a friend who’s undergoing cancer treatment, so many lives give fuel to thoughts and probably recipes, too.

I wonder - how can yoga support us right now? How can humble morsels of yoga nourish us in company, movement and relaxation?

🥔 Domestic Goddess

I like to pretend I’m a domestic goddess, always perfectly prepped to deliver something special. Nuh-uh. Getting stuck in a rut is commonplace as I find myself both doubting my skill and searching for inspo.

Sometimes, I’ll make the same old boring meal. And other times, there’s no time to cook, let alone think of a brand new recipe. Saturday is fast approaching, though; what to do? Could I rehash the same recipe? Yes, why not?

A few favourite fail-safes for curveballs and emergencies come to the rescue - go-to recipes and fast food I can rely on. Everyone loves a bit of juicy lateral extension…yummy, or we can’t go wrong when we return to the feet…always deeply nutritious! It can’t be argued - the classic dishes are often the best.

☕ Feeding Myself

It’s Saturday already. I wake up, and it’s dark. The morning silence is just perfect for personal practice. The air is chilly, and a ritual starts - I’ll clear the living room floor, gather props, and take a look at last night’s notes as I roll out my mat. Thruuummmm.

It is time to feed myself before I feed others, to clear the inner space and open my body and mind just as I'd like others to do later in the morning. Satisfaction.

🍽️ Service!

It’s 8.15 am, I’m online.

À Table, Tout Le Monde! We are ready to eat.

The class itself is over quickly, in a matter of a few poses and a few deep breaths. I hope this morning’s meal was nutritionally balanced, tasty, and sustaining.

I do a quick appraisal once everyone leaves - how did it go down? I must accept that not everyone will enjoy my cooking, but I wonder if anyone did. If it’s hit the spot, someone might ask for the recipe (a Zoom recording 😛)

♥️ Come Dine With Me

I find it interesting to talk with other teachers about how we each prepare for class and what ingredients we consider essential and delicious.

My process must sound quite laboured - since I’ve been told I could repeat old recipes (sensible) or plan ahead for the month to reduce the weekly preoccupation. Meal planning - I agree it is an excellent idea!

Personally, though, I must have an obsession with yoga as much as I have an obsession with food! I love new recipes and enjoy dreaming them up, too.

The yoga class is a sweet opportunity for creativity, and like cooking for a family, it feels like a way of showing and sharing the love ❤️

So, thank you for trying out my dishes! 🙏 Hungry now?

Let’s practise.