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Yoga Time Thieves (and what to do about them)

online yoga yoga yoga class yoga instruction Jun 13, 2022

I was dripping with sweat and already feeling the sore creeping into my muscles from the class. Honestly, I felt more than weary… I was physically done.

“How long have we been at this?” I thought as I glanced at the clock.

Shockingly we’d been moving through this intense yoga class for almost 75-minutes… and there was no sign that it was coming to an end.

Instantly, I have to admit to you… I was annoyed.

When I signed up for the class it had been slated as a 60-minute session.

I had a list a mile long of things that needed to get done and people that needed my attention, and today was not the day to have a yoga session that lasted almost two hours.  

What made it worse was I felt like I couldn’t click out of the class without offending the instructor. I didn’t want them to think I wasn’t a good student, or someone that couldn’t commit to their practice. But... I needed to move on.

So, the class continued on with me getting more and more agitated as I saw another 20-minutes tick by without an apology from the instructor or acknowledgement that they had run over.

Has this ever happened to you?

It’s happened to me more times than I can count over the last couple of decades of my practice.

The way I deal with it? I find a different class or a different instructor. Sounds extreme, I know. But, having class run over chronically is a deal breaker for me. 

Because time is our most valuable resource in this lifetime.

As a yoga instructor I take that to heart. You arrived to take the class on time and it should begin on time 

And, you reserved an hour, or sometimes 75 or 90-minutes to take this yoga class – that’s HUGE. We are all so busy.

I believe you should not feel like you are in yoga jail if the instructor goes over on time. It’s the teacher’s responsibility to manage their time and respect their student’s commitment to their practice, as well as, their commitment to their life off of their yoga mat.

There are some situations when I just have to roll with it. This includes teacher trainings or continuing education trainings. Usually, I’ve reserved a large portion of my day for these events, so I’m okay with it going a little over on time.

But, I truly appreciate when the instructor acknowledges that the time is being taken and explains why it’s important to continue on. 

So, here’s how I deal with time in my classes.  

My classes begin on time. They also end on time. If I know I’m going to run over by 3 to 5 minutes I will tell you and give you the option to click out of it if you need to move on. I get you have other things to do.

I hope more instructors take their timing to heart. Sometimes you have to cut postures out of your lesson plan. It’s okay. You’ll have another class to teach tomorrow, or the day after.

But, I’ve seen more and more people leave their yoga practice completely over the years because they simply don’t have the time. It’s up to us as instructors to make the practice accessible, not frustrating, or even impossible.

I know this post might be a bit of a conversation starter. So, what do you think? How do you feel when your yoga class goes over on time? Send me a message and let’s connect.

May your yoga be strong, fun, empowering, and on time this week and always…

Sending you love & hugs,

Tori ♡


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