yay Faith D. so great to hear that this class with Nancy was a pause for you and that you loved it, Nancy is such a great teacher!! 

Yay Dawn C. So great to hear that you enjoyed this practice with Tammy!! She is such a great teacher!!

Hi Pao, Thank you for practicing with me and glad to hear it was xactly what you needed!!

Thank you Bina, so happy you enjoyed the class and the view. It was filmed at the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland!

Karis M. yayy!!! I'm happy to hear that you are enjoying your learning in this community. We are so happy to have you!!

Thank you for practicing with me Itamar Z. and trying something new!! Yeah I love being able to fuse different movements. I think at the end of the day as long as one is aware of the breath and present in the moment that is yoga.

Amanda C. Yay!!! Emily is a great teacher!!

Joanne G. Yay so great to hear!!! Thank you for practicing with me!!

Hi Karis M. Just jumping in here if you don't mind and just to cover for Joanna as she is currently traveling. By the way... thank you for this thoughtful reflection, and I love that you're already using the "rest pose reset" technique. That's actually one of the best tools "in the book", so keep using it without any guilt! You could also... In the first minute or two, notice energy levels, ages, any injuries mentioned (if any), even body language as people set up their mats. This would be a good "lesson plan" to follow. I usually think of a written sequence as a starting point.

Also, rather than a rigid sequence, think of your class as a series of modules you can lengthen, shorten, or swap, a warm-up block, a standing block, a peak block, a cooldown block. If the standing block is clearly too much, you can move straight to a gentler variation without it feeling like you've "failed" the plan. You could also use sentences (with some confidence!!) like "Let's slow down here and really feel this," sounds intentional, even if internally you're recalculating. Students take their emotional cues from your voice and face, not from whether the class matches your notes exactly. I think that a class that changes because you're paying attention to real humans isn't really something that could go "wrong", it's sort of, actually, the whole point. Feel free to see your plan as a tool more than a promise.

I also think that It's completely normal for this to feel overwhelming early on, it gets much easier with practice, and you're clearly already developing the right instincts. Keep noticing what works for you, like your rest pose... that kind of self-awareness is exactly what will make you a great teacher.

Michelle K. so glad you enjoyed this practice with Gilbert !!!