Themed Yoga Classes: What to Expect

I’ve taught a lot of themed yoga classes throughout my time as an instructor. I find that choosing a theme helps unleash my creativity and offers something new to students who might be used to traditional sequences.

Some themed yoga classes I’ve taught include:

Halloween-themed yoga class
Heart chakra class for Valentine’s Day
Video game-themed yoga class

Many yoga classes will have a theme based on setting an intention at the beginning of the class, and then returning to that intention throughout the class. Taking it further, a theme could include everything from different pose names, to thoughtful music choices, to gifts for participants at the end of a class.

For yoga teachers who are building a business, who are teaching at unique venues or who just want to offer something different to their regular students, here are five ways you can create a themed yoga class.

1. Create a Sequence Based on the Theme

When I devised a heart chakra yoga class in Alexandria, most of our poses were focused on heart opening poses. For those that weren’t, students were still encouraged to focus on the heart center and to bring more attention to it in whatever poses they were doing.

Here’s another example: if you choose “courage” as your theme for a class, you might create a thoughtful sequence to lead up to really challenging peak poses. You could also offer an advanced “courageous” option for poses all throughout the class.

2. Adapt Poses to the Theme

When I’ve taught at a video arcade/restaurant, I’ve renamed poses to video game-themed titles or used video games to explain the pose. For example, Sunbird Pose (Chakravakasana) becomes the dinosaur Yoshi sticking out his tongue to eat some fruit. In my Halloween-themed classes, Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) becomes haunted house rooftop.

After you’ve created your sequence based on your theme, you can use the theme to guide how you’ll explain to students how to approach the poses. A theme is a great way to make yoga accessible to kids and beginners, since you can use other reference points to explain how to correctly move into poses.

3. Build a Themed Music Playlist

This is from a Halloween-themed yoga class I taught at Hot Yoga University in Scottsdale, AZ, where we did “zombie arms” as part of Tadasana (Mountain Pose).

Building a music playlist is one of my favorite parts about being a yoga teacher in Alexandria. A themed class gives you the perfect opportunity to add another fun themed element to the class.

In my Halloween-themed yoga classes, I played spooky instrumental music. For a heart chakra-themed class, I chose songs with lyrics that mentioned “heart”. For my video game-themed yoga classes, I found instrumental music from popular video games. Many students smiled and giggled when they recognized certain songs, which made the classes even more fun.

4. Choose Themed Essential Oil

I love to make my yoga classes as immersive as possible, from the lighting and music, to scents and touch. At the end of most of my classes, I’ll rub an essential oil on my wrists before offering a hands-on shoulder adjustment in Savasana (Corpse Pose). I’ve been in many yoga classes where essential oil is used in some way, either in a hands-on touch like I do, or in a diffuser which emits scent throughout the class.

For a themed class, you can choose an essential oil that relates to the theme. For example, I could use Frankincense in a Halloween-themed class, as a nod to Frankenstein, or peppermint oil to get students energized like Sonic the Hedgehog in a video game-themed class. You can explain the oil and how it relates to the theme to provide an even more special touch in your themed class.

5. Give a Themed Gift

Budgets are tight for yoga instructors, but if you have a special themed class that can accommodate adding a gift to the class, this is a great opportunity to emphasize your theme. For example, when I went on a trip to New Orleans, I purchased jade stones at a gem shop with their own individual gift bags. At the end of my heart chakra-themed class, I left a bag with a stone at each mat for a surprise gift for the students to wake up to out of Savasana. Jade is green, which is the color that corresponds with the heart chakra.

At the video game-themed class I teach, students get tokens to play in the arcade after class. A small gift can really make your themed class that more memorable.

What’s Your Favorite Approach to Themed Yoga Classes?

The examples I’ve included here are really specific themes that allowed for a ton of creativity. In yoga classes with more general themes like strength, openness and playfulness, you can apply the same tips to make your class unique and unforgettable. A theme can help students immerse themselves more on the mat, which can be a beneficial experience any yoga class.

Have you taught a themed class or been a student in one? Let me know your favorite themed class or how you approach them. Share your thoughts in the comments.

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