Episode 02: “How do I teach a lunch break yoga class in an office setting?”
Corporate yoga classes are great teaching opportunities for a lot of reasons. Class sizes are usually small, allowing for great 1:1 relationship building. Many of my corporate clients remain friends long after our classes in office together. You get space to play with your creativity and variety in your classes. This won’t apply to one-off corporate bookings for wellness fairs and pop-up experiences. With weekly or even monthly in-office yoga classes, you are generally going to be seeing the same people every session. It will become important to continue bringing variety into these classes as it can become monotonous for both you and your students.
Because most in-office and corporate yoga sessions will be held on lunch breaks, or the 1 hour before and after the workday begins, your students will usually have an hour. To allow people joining their class the time to relax and settle in, and also be able to leave with time to ease back into the second half of their day, I have found that 45 minutes ends up being the perfect amount of time for the class. I also have noticed that most people are entirely consumed with their work loads mentally, so 45 minutes seems to be the common cap for attention spans before people need to get back to their outlook inbox and data reports.
You’re oftentimes going to have a very mixed level of experience in a corporate wellness class. They often also arent usually too interested in getting really sweaty before heading back to work. I typically teach a hybrid yoga class that has elements of mindfulness, breathwork, vinyasa flow and deep stretch. I try to get them moving their spine in every direction and reversing some of the stiff habitual body patterns associated with sitting at a desk and looking at a screen all day.
This is what a typical class outline for an in-office corporate yoga class, for a 45 minute session looks like >>>
Remember that all information is shared to demonstrate one way this has been done and worked for one yoga teacher. Take what resonates, leave what doesn’t, and make it your own! Find more lesson plans like this on the resources subscription site available on both Patreon and Skool
Opening (8 minutes)
Greet everyone who is there, acknowledge any new students welcoming them into the class.
Begin on their backs, knees bent, feet hip’s width apart with knees falling in toward each other. (a really great, gentle IT band stretch for those who sit or even drive all day)
Guide them through 2 minutes of guided breathing, Invite them to land in their body;
“Notice your breathing, see if you can extend the length of your inhales and exhales. “
“Relax the weight of your shoulders and upper back into the ground beneath you. Allow yourself to be heavy. Give all of your weight to the ground beneath you.”
“Relax your eyebrows, jaw, fingers and toes.”
“Slowly breathe in for 4 seconds” (count to 4 in your head)
“Hold your breath for 4 seconds”
“Easefully breathe out for 4 seconds”
“Hold your breath for 4,” and repeat the pattern
Warm Up Movement (10 minutes)
I like to start with them seated, easing out from having just been laying down. Take simple yet effective stretches that open the muscles around where we breathe while also maintaining the focus on mindful breathing,
Seated Side Bends, R/L
Seated extended mountain
Reach arms forward like your hugging a tree, rounding the spine like cow pose
Chin to chest, ear to shoulder rolls (slowly)
find a flow with all above, moving slowly with breath.
inhale Stand up - exhale Forward fold - inhale Stand up, reach up - exhale Side bend R, inhale back up to the middle, reach - exhale Side bend L - inhale Extended mountain pose, reaching tall - exhale Forward fold
Move into Sun A Salutations
Flow / Hybrid Vinyasa (15 minutes)
Step back low lunge arms reach up, grab elbows, draw elbows back lifting your heart and framing your face.
low lunge twist (R foot is in front)
balancing half moon (standing on R foot)
chair pose
stand up, forward fold, 1/2 way lift, step L foot back warrior one (R foot in front)
cactus the arms open through the front of the shoulders and heart
thunderbolt
warrior 3
stand up, forward fold, 1/2 lift - step R foot back low lunge on the left, onto the other side
1st round: moving through each pose slow, holding each post for 5 breaths, giving alignment cues for the front knee, relaxing shoulders and breath
2nd round: hold each post for 2-3 breaths, less cueing
3rd round: flow through at a slow flow pace, one breath one movement - extended 4 count breath pace of movement so it is challenging but accessible to everyone there
4th round: after the warrior 3, stand and do a tree pose with the opposite foot down than what they were just standing on for warrior 3
to be continued …