Ep 113: Sequencing Considerations

Creating a new yoga sequence can feel overwhelming, especially when you are trying to account for student needs, your own teaching goals, and the realities of the world outside the studio. In this episode, we explore the key considerations to have when planning a sequence so the process feels intentional.

You will hear how anchoring a class around a simple concept or intention can bring clarity, and why familiarity, pacing, and repetition are powerful tools for supporting presence and awareness.

If you have ever felt unsure about how to start planning a sequence, or felt pressure to make every class new or impressive, this conversation will help you reconnect with sequencing as a relational skill. One that supports students, honors your capacity, and brings you back to what matters most in your teaching.

Transcript

Monica: 0:00

Imagine yourself working on a new sequence for class before you've written anything or begin to move your body. Do you feel like there are so many different avenues you could go down? The needs of your students, the energy in the world, your own capacity and the intention you want to set in the room can all start to compound and compete for your attention. In this episode, I will help you think through sequencing in a way that feels grounded and supportive rather than overwhelming. This is a conversation about context awareness, and intention, and how small thoughtful choices can help you create classes that meet students where they are, while also honoring your role as a teacher. Welcome to the Essential Conversations for Yoga Teachers Podcast with me. I'm Monica Bright and I've been teaching yoga and running my yoga business for over a decade. This is the podcast for you. If you are a yoga teacher, you're looking for support. You love to be in conversation, and you're a lifelong student. In this podcast, I'll share with you. My life as a yoga teacher, the lessons I've learned, my process for building my business and helpful ideas, tools, strategies and systems I use and you can use so that your business thrives. We'll cover a diverse range of topics that will help you, whether you're just starting out or you've got years under your belt and you wanna dive deep and set yourself up for success. I am so glad you're here. Listen, I don't take myself too seriously, so expect to hear some laughs along the way. Now let's do this together. Welcome back to the podcast. I'm Monica, and I'm so glad you're here. Here we talk about the anatomy, the injuries, the nervous system insights, plus all the real life knowledge you wish had been included in your yoga teacher training. When you work on creating a new sequence, it can feel like there are endless possibilities and just as much pressure to get it right every single time. You might wonder what students need, what feels relevant, or whether the class will land the way you intended it to. Sequencing is not just about poses and transitions, it's about context. It's about responding to the moment you are teaching in the students who are showing up and the intention you want to bring into the room. So let's talk about a few considerations you should have while you sequence. One of the first considerations should be the broader environment your students are living in. We know that the world does not stop at the studio door. Collective stress, uncertainty, grief and fatigue often show up in students through shallow breathing, restlessness, or low energy. When you are aware of these larger dynamics, sequencing becomes an act of care. This does not mean that you need to address current events directly, but it does mean considering how much stimulation, challenge, or complexity is appropriate. I often think of the yoga room as a safe space from all that's going on in the world, and maybe students just need 60 to 75 minutes to breathe, move, and be still with themselves. so sometimes the most supportive sequence is one that emphasizes grounding. Predictability and steadiness rather than intensity or novelty. Alongside the collective experience, there are individual realities students bring in with them. Pain, injury, history, nervous system sensitivity, and emotional stress, all influence how a sequence is received. When you're planning, it can be helpful to assume variability rather than uniform ability. Instead of sequencing for an idealized body, you can sequence for adaptability. This might mean choosing poses that allow for multiple expressions or building in moments where students can pause and check in with themselves. Sequencing with this mindset does not require more work. It simply requires a shift in intention from control to responsiveness. Another important consideration is whether there is a specific concept you want to teach. This could be something physical, for example, such as exploring spinal rotation or hip stability. It could be internal, such as cultivating patience, awareness, or presence. When you anchor a sequence around a single idea, it becomes easier to make decisions about what belongs and what does not. Rather than asking what pose comes next, you can ask how the next movement supports the theme of the class. This often leads to simpler, clearer sequences that feel cohesive instead of crowded. Okay. Sometimes the intention is not to teach something new at all, but to help students arrive in the present moment. In those cases, sequencing can emphasize repetition, slower transitions, and familiar shapes. Familiarity reduces cognitive load and allows attention to shift inward. When students are not trying to keep up or figure out what's coming next, they have more capacity to notice their breath, their shifting sensations, and their internal responses. This is especially valuable during times of stress or distraction. It is helpful to consider your pacing. Sequencing is not only about what you teach, but how quickly you move through it. A sequence can be anatomically sound and still feel overwhelming if there's no time to integrate. When you're planning, you might ask whether there are places to linger, repeat, or pause. These moments help students process what they're experiencing and support nervous system regulation. They also give you time to observe the room and adjust if needed. Another consideration is the balance between effort and rest. Many teachers focus on building toward a peak moment or a peak pose, but often forget to consider how students will recover from that effort, including neutral or symmetrical shapes throughout the class Helps regulate the system and prevents fatigue from accumulating. Don't think of these moments as interruptions in the sequence. They're a part of what makes the sequence sustainable and supportive. It can also be useful to reflect on your own state when creating a sequence. Your energy focus and emotional tone influence your choices more than you might realize. If you're feeling rushed. Pressured or disconnected. That often shows up in the structure of the class, and students can feel your energy as well. Taking a moment to ground yourself before planning can bring clarity. You don't need to be perfectly regulated, but awareness of your own state allows you to sequence with more intention and less reactivity. Okay. When it comes to strategy, keeping things simple is often the most effective approach. You do not need to account for every possible scenario or create a perfect plan for your classes. Starting with a general arc and a clear intention gives you enough structure to teach confidently while leaving room for students to adapt. Over planning can actually make sequencing feel more stressful, whereas a flexible framework supports how students respond and gives you wiggle room to shift if you need to. It's important to remember that sequencing is a skill developed over time. Each class, so you teach, gives you information. What felt supportive? Where did students struggle? Where did you notice the energy shift? Reflecting on these observations will help you refine your sequences going forward. You are not expected to get it right every time. Thoughtful sequencing will evolve through practice, curiosity and reflection. At its core, creating a new sequence is about developing relationships, a relationship to your students, to the moment and to the intention behind the practice. When you approach sequencing as a way to support awareness, rather than impress or entertain, the process becomes less overwhelming and more meaningful. You're not trying to predict every need. You are creating space for students to meet themselves where they are. When you hold these considerations gently, sequencing becomes less about doing more and more about doing what matters. it becomes a way to guide students into presence, adaptability, and trust. This is what makes a sequence effective. Regardless of how complex or simple it appears on the surface, thoughtful sequencing begins with awareness. considering the broader context your students are living in, along with their individual experiences, helps your sequencing become an act of responsiveness to what clearly needs attention. You are not trying to predict or fix everything. Instead, think about it like creating a container that feels appropriate for the moment you're teaching it. anchoring. A sequence around a clear intention or concept can simplify the planning process and make your classes feel more cohesive. Whether that intention is physical, emotional, or simply helping students arrive in the present moment, it provides a framework that guides your choices and helps to reduce decision fatigue. Remember, effective sequencing also depends on pacing, integration and balance, including pauses, repetition and moments of rest supports both learning and nervous system regulation. Okay. These elements are not extras, but essential parts of a sequence that help students absorb and respond to what they're experiencing. Finally, sequencing is a skill that evolves through reflection and practice. Confidence grows when you allow yourself to learn from each class rather than aiming for perfection over time, this approach helps sequencing feel less stressful and more intuitive, rooted in trust and presence rather than pressure. I hope this episode helped you think about sequencing in a more layered way and helps you remember that poses and transitions are only one part of the puzzle. The other pieces rely on the energy and intention you set for class, and sometimes they can outweigh your physical sequence altogether. Understanding anatomy, biomechanics, and the effects yoga Asana have on the body helps you help your students. If you've been enjoying these episodes, I know that you're a yoga teacher who's ready to teach with more intention and less fear around injuries. Let's continue to raise the bar for how yoga supports real bodies in real life. It's so important for us to have this conversation so that you remember that students of all shapes. Sizes, alignment and abilities come to your classes and you can serve all of them. You know that my goal is for you to love the yoga teaching life. It's important to understand movement and the issues students come to your classes with. Subscribe to the podcast so you're always in the know when a new episode drops, and share it with another yoga teacher who you think would love to be in on these conversations. And finally, thank you for helping to spread the word about this podcast. Alright. Thank you for listening. That's it for now. Bye.