On feeling safe in yoga classes

Practising yoga can often make us feel vulnerable. Testing your body in a tricky physical pose, or not overthinking during a breathing exercise, or letting yourself relax into stillness and quiet: all of these processes challenge us and, to be done authentically, require us to experience senses that we often try to ignore.

When my student made this observation last week, it prompted some discussion. There were three of us present: two students (each with very different reasons for joining a small-group yoga class), plus me. We were in-person at the Acle studio, and the first student noted that they felt safer because they could clearly see that I was there to help them physically if they struggled with a pose.

We can also create similar feelings of safety online. Set up your yoga mat with plenty of space around it, and put the camera where I can see your whole body (ideally ‘on the huh’, to use a good Norfolk term, which means I get a more nuanced view than if you’re looking straight at the camera). My general advice is that it’s more important for me to see you, and therefore give you personalized advice, than for you to see me in detail. Of course if you want to join a online call using two devices, so that we BOTH get an ideal view, go for it!

But my client didn’t just mean physical safety. As we talked, all three of us mentioned ways that we felt comfortable to try new things, make mistakes, ask for help. This is the beauty of small groups. We can develop a curriculum that really suits your needs, and there will always be enough time for you to ask questions, explore different approaches, and be honest with me about how you feel. Unlike a large-group class, we don’t move ‘at the pace of the fastest/slowest’ and there’s not a tendency for one participant to ‘speak for the group.’ I’ve been to those classes and left feeling inferior, confused, or like I’m ‘not trying hard enough.’ It’s not fun.

I don’t want to say that all our yoga classes are ‘a safe space.’ Depending on your individual needs, this may not be true. But if you want to be part of a small group who talk to each other during classes, we might be a good fit for one another. As a guide, our regular clients are aged 35-85, generally have at least one long-term health condition, and may be neurodivergent. Most do not attend big yoga studios and the majority were new to yoga when they joined our classes. I’m also thinking of starting an online group class specifically for younger adults with a neurodivergent diagnosis, so drop me a line if that interest you.