Free Download! Making Yoga Accessible to Every Body – Shifting the Focus from Pose to Function

About one in three Americans say they are interested in starting yoga. This presents a tremendous market opportunity for yoga teachers and yoga studios, but unfortunately, attracting and retaining new, beginning yoga students is not easy.

In this free download, yoga therapist Olga Kabel offers a new look at how we as yoga teachers can make yoga more accessible to every body.

One important key, Olga notes, is to shift the focus from the shape of the pose to the functions. If we get too focused on putting our body into the specific shape that we associate with a given yoga posture, we easily lose sight of what yoga is really about.

Instead, Olga points out, we need to look at what functions or effects we are trying to create with the pose. When that happens, the yoga pose and whatever version of it is performed become secondary to the specific effect we are trying to create.

Olga also shares her insights into finding a common denominator when teaching mixed level classes to make sure that the class is equally interesting and engaging to all students. She also explains how the setting of an intention that is relevant for all students is one way to create an integrating effort, and she offers additional advice for working with mixed level classes.

Olga also discusses the difference between yoga poses that are ‘show poses’ and those that are ‘work poses.’ ‘Show poses’ may look nice in Instagram pictures, but ‘work poses’ often ultimately are the ones delivering the greatest benefits. Some poses are more ‘benefit dense’ Olga notes, and for those, we can choose to create specific effects based on the variations we emphasize. As teachers, this gives us numerous options that make it easier to teach yoga to every body in a way that every students finds motivating and interesting.

You may also enjoy Olga's course, Yoga for Every Body: How to Adapt Yoga Poses for Different Situations, Conditions and Purposes.