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30 yoga class themes and intentions

A theme gives a class a thread that students can hold onto. It doesn't need to be profound: a single idea, introduced at the start and echoed a few times, is enough.

The Yolgi team · · 5 min read

Short answer: pick one simple idea that fits the physical focus of your class or the season, introduce it in one or two sentences at the start, echo it two or three times during the practice, and close with it in savasana.

Themes from the body

These come straight out of the sequence, which makes them the easiest to weave in.

  1. Grounding: standing poses, feet and legs.
  2. Making space: hip and side-body openers.
  3. Steadiness: balance poses.
  4. Opening the heart: backbends and chest openers.
  5. Letting go: forward folds and long exhales.
  6. Strength with softness: core and arm balances.
  7. Turning inward: twists.
  8. The breath as a guide: any vinyasa class.
  9. Both sides: noticing differences between left and right.
  10. Rooting and rising: press down to lift up.

Themes from the season

  1. New beginnings: January, new terms, new series.
  2. Growth: spring.
  3. Lightness: summer mornings.
  4. Release: autumn, shedding what you don't need.
  5. Rest: winter evenings.
  6. Gratitude: the end of the year.
  7. Balance: equinoxes.
  8. Warmth: cold days.
  9. Slowing down: busy holiday weeks.
  10. Reflection: the last class of a series.

Themes from the mind

  1. Patience: progress that comes breath by breath.
  2. Curiosity: meeting a familiar pose as if for the first time.
  3. Non-striving: doing less, feeling more.
  4. Kindness: toward yourself as much as others.
  5. Focus: one point of attention.
  6. Courage: trying a new pose or option.
  7. Contentment: enough, as it is today.
  8. Presence: here, in this breath.
  9. Effort and ease: working hard without gripping.
  10. Trust: in the body and the process.

How to weave a theme through a class

  • Open with one or two sentences. “Today we'll work on steadiness. Not stillness: steadiness, which can include a wobble.”
  • Echo it in two or three key moments, ideally in the pose that embodies it best.
  • Close with it as students settle into savasana.
  • Keep it short. A theme that takes five minutes to explain becomes a lecture.
In Yolgi, each class has an intention field that shows at the top of the class, so your opening line is right there when you open it to teach.

Questions

How do you choose a theme for a yoga class?

Start from the physical focus of your sequence or the season, then pick one simple idea that connects to it, for example grounding for a standing-pose class or patience for a hip class. Introduce it in a sentence at the start, mention it two or three times, and close with it.

What is the difference between a theme and an intention?

A theme is the idea the teacher weaves through the class. An intention is something each student chooses for themselves, often suggested by the theme. For example, the theme might be balance and a student's intention might be to slow down.