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| Image: Lululemon Athletica |
Yesterday, I checked out a really cool yoga studio in Nashville, TN. I’m here staying with my mom as she preps to donate stem cells to my uncle who is fighting a battle with leukemia (more on that later). When I told my mom I was going to a yoga class she said, “What if I wanted to come, too?” She’s never done yoga before so of course I wanted to encourage her! The website said the class was open to “all levels,” so I told her she should come along. Ultimately, she decided against it.
It was a good decision.
Of course, I knew that an all levels vinyasa class might be a bit much for my middle aged mom with no yoga experience… But this class was HARD! It would have been a disaster if my mom had come.
It made me wonder how often that happens… Someone totally new to the practice of yoga decides to go to a yoga studio just to see what it’s all about. He chooses an all levels class because he doesn’t know where he fits in. He unrolls his mat… and WHAM! The teacher leads them through inversions, arm balances, and super hard balance sequences with very little discussion of alignment or instruction on how to get in and out of the poses. This would make any beginner feel confused, frustrated, and like yoga is definitely NOT for him. If my first yoga experience had been like that, I would probably never have gone back!
I don’t mean to pick on Nashville. I’ve noticed that all levels classes at studios in San Francisco and other places I’ve practiced could be just as hard. It seems to depend on what kind of yoga studio (all levels at an Ashtanga studio is probably a lot different than an Iyengar all levels class) and the students that show up (after all, teachers try to tailor their classes to the students who are there and if only advanced students show up it might be silly to teach a level 1 class).
I’d love to do a little informal research here… Please share: What’s involved in an all levels class at your home studio (and be sure to tell us where your studios is!) Should studio owners make more of an effort to explain what all levels means at THEIR studio? Or is it OK to leave it open-ended and teach who shows up?
What do you think?
in my opinion it really depends on the teacher! as well as the style of yoga being taught~
i often take all levels classes, i also take designated level classes- in different styles these can be drastically different~
i think studios can attempt to describe what all levels means to them, but ultimately its a student / teacher thing.
but, for brand new students to yoga, i personally don't recommend an all levels class unless i know the teacher (that i have taken that class)
if i were to visit a state where i knew no one and needed yoga- i might drop in to an open level class~ BUT i know tons of people that take ONLY all levels classes always and always have~
Teach who shows up.
I had this situation while visiting Orlando – tried to convince my MIL to join me and was very glad she decided against it for the exact same reason.
@babs – perfect.
Where I teach in Newport, RI we have either beginners or all levels. We don't have many classes a day (2 or 3) so we don't want to "level" people out. However my all level class is definitely different from other teachers classes. I take the time to explain to new students which classes are appropriate for them after discussing their experience, as do the other teachers.
To begin with my style is a slow flow without long complex sequences. I work to promote healing and strength by holding poses and working with alignment. That being said, a beginner could take my class pace wise and I would give modifications for anything more advanced. I feel it is my responsibility to keep it safe for all of the students.
Because I know my class tends to be a slower pace I asked to have my class to have a different description so new students will know it's OK to try. I think it is up to the owners to define what it means at their studio.
To me, all levels SHOULD mean the same thing to everyone. I think a good teacher will make sure to give options in their class so that there are modifications for beginners, basic instruction for the intermediates, and more difficult bits for the advanced students. I think an all levels class that clearly isn't doable for any newbies present is the sign of a poor teacher.
However, there's definitely always that thing about teaching who shows up. Even if a class is designated as LEVEL 1 – if all you get that day is INT/ADV yogis – you're going to teach to them – not what the description says.
I teach in a small studio in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta. I had a noon drop-in for a while and occasionally someone new would wander in to "try it out". Since my training is Ashtanga-based, I often start with Surya A and variations and it's a good way to see who practices regularly and gauge strength. For beginners, I actively encourage modifying and I've had instances where everyone in the class had long standing practices with just one newbie where I have had to give them completely different poses due to tightness or knee/back problems. It's not a big deal though it does mean the other students sometimes spend a bit more time "finding themselves" in a pose.
My teacher has slowed our Ashtanga class or even workshopped components when beginners show up so as not to scare them off. I am always amazed by people who simply show up without having researched or asked around.
I try to contact studios in advance of traveling to get a feel for their teaching style.
Love your response, Babs. I think that pretty much says it all.
My home studio (Princeville Yoga) does not have an "All Levels" class. But I wholeheartedly agree that if the class you describe were my first experience, I would not have stayed with yoga. An "all levels" class is like a "one size fits all" dress. There is no such thing and I think it's a diservice to their clientele. At the very least, the instructor should explain what they plan to do in the class before they get started so those who want to can leave.
The first time I ever tried yoga I went to a beginners class, loved it so much the next day I went to an all levels yoga class. I was so sore and unprepared for it, I waited a while to go back again. All levels does not mean beginners (in my opinion) but the studios should clarify this!
I teach at a family-oriented studio in Charlotte, NC. All levels to most of the teachers there, myself included, means teaching the style indicated by the class description (slow flow, power, ashtanga, etc) and offering options for modifications to both ease and deepen the pose. I personally teach smack in the middle of the various levels I have in class, again offering options to make it a bit more accessible and also more difficult. It then becomes 100% the student's decision where to take his or her practice on any given day! Lack of alignment cues should never be an issue, because even "advanced" yogis need reminders to stay safe and move effectively!
I've always wondered why these advanced classes are called "All Levels!!" To me that means anyone can go and do fine. My very first class at my home studio in Northern VA was an All Levels and I nearly died. After 6 months, I still rarely go to those since they are so much more advanced.
Luckily, the teacher was great at giving cues to the few newbies in the room, so I did get through it.
Bonnie where do you practice? I live in Arlington!
What an interesting post! At my studio (in Nanaimo, BC), I definitely preach that my classes are all levels, although I tend to attract mostly beginners. I do teach to who shows up and my regular students know that. They know if it's just them, I might show them a further level to take something, give less explanation, hold poses longer. And they also know if someone new shows up, that we're going back to basics and not challenging ourselves as much physically. I also think this is a great experience for them because it gives them a chance to work on their foundation. But I will definitely have to keep this in mind if I start teaching more advanced classes. Thanks!
Colleen — Inner Power Yoga in Sterling.
I don't entirely agree with the "teach who shows up" statement.
I think there is always a lot to learn from a fairly basic class. Especially if it's a style you're not normally used to. And a good teacher is one who will always give modifications. You need to be able to have your mind in more places (or at more levels) than just one to teach that.
If anything, it should be over simplified so that anyone can understand but advanced yogis can at least work on allignment.
What timing! I have been contemplating this very thing lately. I had finally invited my mother in law to a yoga class. It would be her first so I chose a gentle restorative class. She loved it. When the teacher announced that she would have a new gentle class starting after the new year at the studio a little closer to MIL's home, my MIL decided to get a membership and start going once a week. About a week later I received a Facebook message from MIL about how she had barely survived an "all levels" flow class she had decided to try while she waited for the other class to begin. Thankfully she laughed it off as a lesson learned and was planning on continuing to attend the gentle class each week. It could have gone otherwise, though. I have heard many stories where people have had similar experiences as hers and never wanted to do yoga again.
I don't believe "All Levels" means "Beginners" and I think that yoga studios should make that clear some place very obvious on their websites and printed schedules. A simple forewarning that some yoga experience with a general concept of asanas would be good for those attending an all levels class. I've been to a couple classes where the teachers truly applied the concept of all levels to the class. They kept the class at a moderate pace and started out with giving the simpler and less difficult options for a pose and then gave increasingly more complex and difficult options for those who wished to try them or knew that they were at that place in their practice. Those were good all levels classes. But they are rare in my opinion and I've been practicing for over 10 years. More often, in my experience, all levels classed run more like a level two or higher.
I think studios should give a clear explanation of what to expect in each of the class levels and if something says all levels for the teachers to truly teach in a way that serves all levels.
Hi! I teach at several locations and I have three classes a week I call "All Levels". Typically they are fairly hard. Not as hard as the "Power Flow" class I teach but somewhat difficult. I do however, offer options for beginners and advanced students. It can be a hard class to teach because you are really trying to make a widely varied group happy. I teach these classes because they are very popular. I remind students that they should listen to their body and it is ok to sit certain poses out too.
It is definitely difficult to teach an "all levels" class, especially when it is a large class, and most students are fairly experienced, with one student being a clear beginner. I try to show and explain several variations of a pose, beginner to advanced, and let the students opt for the level they feel comfortable with. I don't want beginners to become frustrated and give up on yoga, however, I don't want the more advanced students to become bored and leave feeling unchallenged. It is a difficult balance! I once taught an all levels class in which seniors and beginners showed up, when, a lady walked in late and announced to us all that she was "a very experienced yogi". Because of the makeup of the majority of the class I had to keep things at a basic level. The lady then began to do her own yoga practice in the middle of the class, confusing the new people…(showing off)The class was a disaster! I was bewildered at the end of class when she rolled her mat up and didn't stay for savasana! Any "expreienced yogi" knows this is the most important pose of the practice!
About 10 years ago, while living in the US, I got my husband to come with me to a yoga class at the YMCA (I won't say which one, as the situation may have radically changed).
The class was described as a "rolling" class, and beginners were welcome to drop in at any point, as it was open to "all levels".
What happened was that we walked into a room with 8 others who all knew each other. They smiled. The teacher walked in. She smiled. And she immediately went into a routine which everyone else was clearly familiar with. Not one word was said to us. Even though we were front and centre, she didn't acknowledge our presence. It was scary and disheartening, and if I hadn't taken a couple of 10-week yoga classes with my mother years before, I'd have been put off yoga for life.
My husband decided right there that yoga was clearly not for him: "I'm not flexible enough, and I can't just follow along that quickly."
I began a Kundalini yoga practice last year with a lovely teacher whose first action after greeting the class was to ask everyone she didn't know what experience they had of yoga, assure everyone that every pose can be modified, and emphasise that she encourages questions and requests for help. With every asana, she reminds the class that, "If you have difficulty with this pose, you can [do this], and of course it's OK to rest and give it another little go. Just do what your body can do today."
Each person gets individual attention, and with only 6 attendees, that's easy for her to keep an eye on. Now that's what I call an "all levels" class. I don't know how someone can pay attention to large classes.
I actually think challenging beginners who dont necessarily know much about yoga (in a safe way) may actually encourage them to come back.
In my experience when I teach a tough class people always have this look in their eyes of wanting to do better, wanting to compete with themselves. I know not the best yoga state of mind.