Three Times a Charm: The Art and Science of Repeating Your Yoga Sequences.
Do you spend hours thinking about new yoga sequences to teach in your classes? It’s quite tiring and time-consuming, isn’t it?
Hayley and I often get asked whether it is okay to repeat the same sequence, with the same peak pose for a few weeks.
Absolutely yes! Repeating a yoga sequence for at least three weeks allows for neuro-muscular adaptation to occur in your students’ bodies. The repetition will improve motor learning and muscle memory, leading to better expression of the peak pose and potential progression of that posture.
Image from 'The Yoga Sequencing Solution', module 2: The Nervous System Playbook. To view full screen, hover cursor over top right-hand corner of image.
The first time you teach your students, the sequence sparks cognitive (logical mind) curiosity. The brain says: “How do I do this? This is new and interesting.”
The second time you teach your sequence, learning, retention, and some neuromuscular adaptation start occurring. The brain says: “Oh hello, this feels familiar! I know what I need to do to be lighter and more relaxed, and perhaps progress a little further!”
The third time, muscle memory becomes more automatic. The brain says: “I have got this. This feels smooth. I can do this without overthinking. I am in the moment, out of my head and in my body. I am in flow! I can be playful on my edge!”
"But my students like variety!" I hear you say!
If you would like to add some variation to your repeating sequence and peak pose, then changing your cueing language to match a different intention could be a beneficial way of changing the energy of the repeating sequence.
Consider how your sequence feels in the body and nervous system if your cueing language aligns with an intention of “soft, flowing, and light” versus “strong, courageous, and brave.”
Close your eyes and sense this in your body… Quite different energies and muscular activations, right?
Same sequence, same theme, but change the feeling
In summary, you have the same sequence and perhaps the same theme, but you can change the feeling and sensations you want your students to receive by changing the cueing language. You expose your students to different internal sensations, which helps the nervous system to tolerate more and build sensory capacity over time.
Nowhere is this principle of repetition more beneficial than when we guide athletes through a yoga practice. We repeat the same sports-specific peak pose and sport-specific mobility requirements, but we change the emphasis depending on where the athlete is within their training schedule. Repeating sequences allows for certainty and a sense of familiarity when athletes are under training or performance pressure.
When athletes are in a training volume phase, we might focus more on recovery (rest and digest), slowing movement down, and incorporating interoceptive practices to help the athlete listen to their bodies and minimize dissociative mental behaviours such as constantly pushing themselves despite feeling niggles and fatigue.
In the off-season, the cueing emphasis might lean towards stability, conditioning, and novel sensory experiences. The nervous system has an increased capacity for new sensations when training and performance stress is lower.
This way of teaching yoga to athletes supports the concept of training smarter, not harder.
I hope you are all inspired to work with athletes after seeing the amazing performances at the Olympics and Paralympics!
Final Thoughts
Repeating your yoga sequences is a gift to your students; you help their bodies (nervous systems) expand, adapt, and retain. Repetition frees you as the teacher to focus on creating the energy, vibe, and feeling you want your students to experience. This fuels the joy of being a Yoga teacher!
Enjoy playing with your sequences!
Annelize x
PS: If you are interested in learning how to take your sequencing skills to a new level then sign up here for the Yoga Sequencing Solution online course - 50 hours of continuing education. It's a first in the yoga world, offering yoga teachers evidence-based solutions to the sequencing challenges that modern teachers encounter. It covers all the sequencing topics you wished you'd learned in your YTT!
Annelize Ferreira is a Chartered Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist based in the UK. She is the Consultant Physiotherapist and a senior lecturer at the Institute of Yoga Sport Science. Her areas of expertise are neuro-musculoskeletal physiotherapy, strength and conditioning rehabilitation, functional biomechanics, and somatics.
