Thursday Mar 14, 2024

Teaching Mixed Abilities in Yoga Classes with Dr. Libby Hinsley

Yoga is for everyone, but when people of varied physical abilities show up in the same class it can be difficult to meet all their needs at the same time. In this episode, Mado and Libby offer a framework for understanding why your students might struggle with a particular asana and how to offer variations that provide a similar experience to people with different physical abilities.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

00:00 Why teaching mixed ability yoga classes is harder than it needs to be

02:49 How to plan for an all levels class

03:35 Understanding progression and regression

04:46 Four reasons a pose might be challenging for a student

05:39 How to simplify yoga postures

07:14 Essential biomechanical principles for yoga

11:35 How gravity can impact asana

16:27 Why teaching simpler poses will help your students progress

21:50 How teaching one one-on-one will help you teach better group classes

23:16 A breakdown of Warrior 3 Pose

28:51 Moving vs static yoga postures