Assigning homework to your private yoga clients is a great way to help them take their progression into their own hands (and onto their own mat), and a natural extension of the value of your one-on-one work with them.
Passing off a tangible homework or individual study tool for private clients creates trust, a physical resource for them, and also feels like a great exchange (especially when you consider the time, money, and energy spent on your work relationship).
Here are four snapshots at what homework could look like for you as a private yoga teacher.
Idea #1: Video
You could use a pre-made video as homework for new clients that is catered to your specific niche and to them as a “perfect-fit” client. This could be a recording of your session, or a customized video you make for your clients to focus on in between sessions.
What it could look like: As a private yoga teacher who specializes in cancer recovery, for instance, you may have a library of mini videos you can stagger and send to your clients via email at certain stages that focus on elements of recovery and growth.
Idea #2: An Audio Teaching
You can create meditation recordings, yoga nidra recordings, or an audio-delivered sequence for them to follow.
What it could look like: Private yoga teachers may have a specialty of yoga nidra and use their training to pull together a few audio recordings that they send to new clients and then establish a weekly or daily practice using the meditations.
Idea #3: Creative Assignments
You can make a pose family library (videos, pictures, drawings located in a central place), a “members only” area with specific focuses (think virtual studio). You may also create something out of pictures of postures, or of your client in poses (with customized reminders and prop use descriptions).
What it could look like: Restorative yoga-focused private yoga teachers may have an e-book that they reference that includes snapshots of poses. They could also use props or a chart of poses with descriptions, props, and duration assigned individually to their clients based on their needs.
Idea #4: Sequences (Paperwork)
You can design a comprehensive sequence for them to work in between sessions using ‘yogaglifics,’ draft key areas requiring their focus ranging from asana to pranayama to meditation, and compile a personalized list of refinement tips and tricks for them to remember as they practice on their own.
What it could look like: A private yoga teacher working with endurance athletes could create a mini-sequence for clients to use prior to their athletic events and practices, and a symmetrical sequence catered to the client’s unique body that they practice a few times a week in between sessions.
Ready to start implementing homework in your one-on-one sessions? Start by considering your unique teaching style and your private clients. What seems like the best method for you to start with? Use these tips to begin incorporating homework into your private yoga sessions.
