I was scrolling through Instagram recently and saw a post by @sacred.alchemist that really struck me. It said “Don’t block your purpose for someone else’s comfort.” Seeing this came at a time when I really needed this message. For months I had been weighing the pros and cons of letting go of a class that my students enjoyed, but my heart wasn’t into teaching anymore. After seeing this post, it really brought to the surface what I already knew deep down. In order to be true to myself (and to my students) I needed to let that class go.

While I struggled for months trying to decide the best course of action for myself and my students, I noticed a few recurring feelings that were telltale signs of what ultimately needed to be done. I hope that what I learned from this experience will help you avoid the drawn out internal angst and guide you to making the best decision for you as soon as possible. So, here are the sign posts to pay attention to that will alert you that it’s time to switch up what you’re teaching.

Signs that it’s time to make a class change

1. You don’t look forward to teaching the class.

Whether you’re a full time instructor or you’re teaching part time, I think most would agree that teaching yoga doesn’t feel like work. It’s something that you do because you love it. You might look at it like your calling or a hobby that you get to share with your community. When I was working a full time corporate job and teaching, no matter how tired I was after my eight hour day I still looked forward to teaching my 90 minute class because it didn’t feel like work. It felt like a time to play, connect, and recharge my whole being.

When you stop looking forward to teaching a specific class it can be the first inkling that a change is in order. If you can’t immediately pinpoint an exact reason you’re feeling this, get quiet and pay attention to what feelings or thoughts arise. Give yourself a specific time frame to review the issue. For example, if you’re teaching the class once a week, you can make a mental note to see how the next month goes. If you teach that class more than once a week, you can revisit your feelings after two weeks to see if you still don’t look forward to teaching your class.

2. You have trouble creating inspired class plans.

When it comes time for you to prep your class, how do you feel? Are you uninspired? Does it feel like a struggle to come up with an interesting theme or flow? Do you find yourself working from previous class plans to avoid the stress of coming up with something new? If you answered yes to these, it’s likely that you’re due for a change of pace. Creating the class plan is just the beginning of the joy of teaching so if there’s no joy and inspiration there, how can you expect to deliver that feeling to your students once the class is in session? If this is you, consider what it is about the current class that is uninspiring? Maybe you’re teaching a vigorous flow and you would really like to be teaching a more gentle class. Or, perhaps you’re teaching a beginner level class and want to challenge yourself to teach something more advanced. Think about what you would prefer to be teaching instead. If you can’t bring more of what inspires you into your current class, it’s probably time to let it go.

3. Your energy is depleted by the end of class.

Think about one of the best classes that you’ve taught. How did you feel at the end of it? You probably felt alive, connected, present and energized. Now, think about how you feel after teaching the class that you may be thinking about letting go. If you feel more tired than usual, physically or mentally drained, that could be a sign that the class has run its course for you. If you’re not sure, set a reminder for yourself at the end of each class to pause and check in with your energy levels and keep note over time of how you feel. If you teach multiple classes per week, compare how the different classes affect your energy. Ideally, how do you want to feel when you’re done teaching? You’ll likely find that the classes that you love to teach leave you in a better mood than the class that isn’t your favorite.

4. The thought of not teaching the class anymore brings a feeling of excitement or relief.

When you think of no longer teaching the class, how does it make you feel? Are you excited? Does it make you feel relieved or give you a sense of freedom? There could be a mix of emotions here too. You may feel guilty if you think you’re letting your students or studio down. You may be fearful of what the change might bring. When considering your feelings around not teaching the class anymore, let go of those emotions that are ego or fear based and try to focus on the emotions that are really coming from your soul or inner knowing. If the thought of no longer teaching the class leaves you feeling excited, joyful, free, or relieved, it's time to embrace that vision and make it a reality.

5. Any of the previous signs occur over an extended period of time.

Take a look back at how many of the previous four tips you identified with. If you find that these feelings have been present for an extended period of time, say over the last several weeks or months, there’s no need to continue to suffer. Take a look at our blog on how to begin to make the change to teaching something that will serve you better emotionally, physically, and mentally.

Is It Time to Teach a Different Class?