Hi Caroline!

Great to hear from you. I remember you very well. Congratulations on your new place – so happy, right?

I read your email carefully.

When I opened my studio in Phuket 4 years ago, I also had ONLY beginners in my classes, tough job! Before that in Rayong, in Thailand, my first yoga class there, we’d just opened the studio, the room was full. 55 people. 52 Brand-new. Only 3 spoke English!!!! Shit!!!! )))

The good thing is, that once you figure out how to teach them well, everything else will seem easy by comparison.

It is MASTERY in teaching when you can teach the room full of beginners well.

Here are some quick thoughts that come to my mind, some things I would perhaps do in your situation.
I assume you’re teaching Absolute series, 90 minute classes, and heated, right?

— get a ‘beginner’ trial that is NOT a one-class. get a week unlimited and tell them they need to come 3-5 times that week, or a 5-class-card-in-10-days series, sell it cheaply, this will help them get used to the intensity and the heat. tell them that 1 class is not enough to try hot yoga, they must try a few classes in a few days, so that they can feel and see the difference.

— teaching class, make sure you are NOT over-instructing. simplify instructions to make them VERY basic.

— and demonstrate more often, but without stopping the class.

— avoid correcting them, rather encourage, support, smile, tell them they are doing well. allow them to be wrong. (only stop them if they’re going to hurt themselves.)

— if you’re out of time, you’re talking too much. talk less, breathe more, smile more, give them a gentle pat on the shoulder.

— you can slow down the pace of the class, if you need to. nobody says you MUST do 2 sets, or the full sequence. for example, for now, you can skip the twisting prayer utkatasana, do only one set standing head to knee, etc. so that you don’t “kill them”. also, AVOID the ‘smooth transition’, bring them up to standing instead, then go to the next triangle. give them 1 minute savasana at the end of the standing postures, then sit up to staff pose. save time and skip the 2 sage postures, give them a longer savasana at the end of the class, stay with them quietly.

— make sure you take time before and after class to explain all benefits of practice + why drink water + why rest enough + how often to practice. remember, that what you and i know, and take it for granted, is big news to them. you have to take time to explain.

— DON”T tell your students that you are a new teacher. they don’t need to know that.

— read everything on my weblog at http://tomaszgoetel.wordpress.com/ - there’s more stuff that will be useful to you, I hope!

hope this helps, Caroline. let me know.

if you want, you can forward my answers to other friends from your training, i’m sure many of them face the same questions! and if you let me, i will copy/paste your question to my weblog? it’s a common one…

let me know what you think!
and more questions are welcome

with love,

TG