One of the best ways to create a safe and loving place for your yoga students is to put yourself in your student’s shoes. Think of yourself as a student coming to this yoga studio.
Does it make you feel like you’ve stepped into a place where your worries can finally be put to rest? If you feel doubtful, here are some helpful tips and methods to make sure your yoga studio is the ultimate safe place for your students.
In this blog, I will explain how you can create and enhance the best environment for your yoga students by:
- Creating the best appearance and setting for your yoga class
- How to create a good yoga atmosphere?
- What does a yoga teacher look like?
- Sound advice for yoga teachers
The appearance and setting of your yoga studio
The most important aspect of creating the best environment for your yoga students is to make sure they enjoy the studio. Let’s start with the architecture. Choosing a wide, open and spacious studio is very necessary. One may feel confined and suppressed if placed in a significantly small room. Your studio should be well lit and having large windows only adds to the overall aesthetic.
Making sure, however, that the yoga studio isn’t near bustling traffic is also very important. There shouldn’t be any major distractions, for example, construction sites, etc. Total silence is the main goal. Decoration should be at a minimum as to not over-crowd the place.
Placing various and intricate gemstones add to the aura of the studio and many people believe they have benefits on mental health.
In yoga studios, one must remember: simplicity is key.
Next, we come to the layout of the yoga class. Some find the mechanical layout of rows and lines to be too disciplined. Also, allowing your students to place their mats wherever they want to may become chaotic as well. Circling the mats around yourself, with ample distance between each student, is another way to go about it.
The incense and aroma of the yoga class
Moving on from the visually appealing department, making sure the aromas in your studio are pleasant is important as well. This ensures the best environment for your students. A smoky, suffocating room with an over-bearing smell is probably not the atmosphere you’d be going for. The use of incense can be very nice and relaxing. However, if you decide to use incense it is advised to burn the incense at least 30 minutes before the starting of your class and make sure the smoke is gone before students enter the yoga room. A soft fragrance of incense can be very calming, but it is also important that the air is fresh and full of oxygen. During yoga practice, you might also do some breathing exercises which definitely requires fresh air.
Being organized and starting the class off with a clear mindset as a yoga teacher
The path to providing the best environment for your yoga students doesn’t just depend on the location or setting, but on your personal approach and outlook as well. Regardless of how long you’ve been teaching, it can be helpful to decide before class what you will offer. This could refer to the sequence itself, a theme for the class, or the decision to present a standard flow that you’ve used over the years. Although many people will argue personal appearance has nothing to do with the environment of your yoga class but, your outlook can have an influence on the class energy. Your clothes but also your jewelry, make-up, hairs, etc. show a lot about yourself but they also radiate certain energy. Loud colors, a lot of decoration, etc. can be very nice outdoors, but in a yoga class, it might be too active and distracting.
Creating a sort of “uniform” for yourself will also help guide other students into wearing the same thing and not place too much emphasis on what to wear for the class, rather than the class itself. Wearing similar clothes represents unity and bond in the studio, thus inevitably affecting the environment of the yoga class.
But being organized as a yoga teacher also means that you have to get everything right. There must be no uncertainty or stress about whether or not a yoga class will take place or about arranging payments. Yoga studio software can help you to manage your business easily.
How sound influences your yoga studio
Many yoga studios have different ways of providing background noise or music. This could be from an instrument or you could play soft instrumental music that relaxes your students. It’s not a must but many people find it to be very helpful in guiding them into deeper relaxation.
The choice of relaxing music is endless so surely you will find something that suits your needs. Keep in mind that soft instrumental music and nature sounds are very effective. Whichever music you decide to use, make sure it is a very soft and subtle background sound. It shouldn’t be so loud that it becomes disturbing and conflicting with your own voice. Practicing your own voice and molding it into a peaceful melody is a skill. It may take time to learn, but the goal is to help your students unwind with the sound and guidance of your voice.
Conclusion
Overall, these are some tips to help enhance your mindfulness with your students and create the best yoga environment for them. It is important to keep in mind that your mental and physical energy will have an immediate effect on your students. With that being said, it is not possible to fulfill every one of your student’s hopes for the class and one must not overexert themselves.
Finally, as a teacher, you cannot energetically take all the responsibility for creating a loving environment. You are just one person. Students should be encouraged to engage and support one another and create a bond that is essential in having the best yoga environment. Create your own yoga community for a good atmosphere and high engagement.
