7 Lessons from teaching yoga on a College Campus
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As my last student walked out of the studio that Sunday, my inner critic was loud.I worried that the playlist I’d chosen wasn’t cool enough. I wondered if students liked the sequence enough to come back. I hoped they didn’t think it was weird that I’d led them through several rounds of channel-cleaning breathing.
My experience teaching yoga on a college campus to a population of students-slash-peers began shortly after I started my graduate program. Suddenly I had the opportunity to teach folks that I had seen around campus and offer them a chance to destress during finals week or find community while managing the loneliness of university life.
Even though teaching yoga on a college campus was a rewarding experience, it also came with its own set of challenges. Whether you’re an experienced teacher or a complete newbie, it can be quite the learning curve. But if teaching to a group of college kids sounds intimidating, don’t let that stop you. Campuses need dedicated instructors who want to share the gift of yoga.
Instead, let these mistakes I made while teaching yoga to Gen Zers serve as lessons to support your own college teaching journey.
It’s all about staying calm and confident. And don’t forget to ask your students how finals are going.
1. Try Not to Make Assumptions About Your Students’ Needs
I assumed that teaching a mostly younger age group woudl mean that my students wanted fast-paced flows-ones that would make them break a sweat. But the best feedback I received actually came after I taught a slower-paced flow, offering my students enough time to go deeper into each posture.
Remember, college kids often have hectic schedules and attending a yoga class may be the only part of their day to unwind and slow down.
2. Enforce Class Rules
It’s never fun to enforce class policies. It’s even less fun when it’s to a group of peopel around your age.
Whenever students used their phones or showed up well past our gym’s late period cutoff, I let it slide. I didn’t want to be known as the bossy yoga teacher. Plus it just felt uncomfortable to tell someone my age what to do.
But I was actually doing a disservice to the rest of the class by staying quiet. As instructors, it’s important to cultivate a calming space free of distractions.even though it