Hi Karen
As you discovered, having a group of students sign up for a course of classes is really ideal: you get to know them, and their limitations and can help each student evolve throughout the time of the course. For most teachers, unfortunately, Yin Yoga is taught as a drop in style class, and the teacher needs to be able to cater to a wide variety of experience and abilities. It is not easy, but it is quite possible.
My own preference is to offer three "tracks" during my classes. Track One is for beginners, or for students who want or need a more gentle, less challenging practice. Track Three is for those students who already have an great deal of range of motion or are seeking a deeper physical challenge. Track Two is somewhere in between. I will often start the class by letting students know that we have these three tracks on offer, to pick the one that works best for them today, and to feel free to switch tracks at any time.
As you know, we don't need necessarily deeper or harder poses in Yin Yoga as we progress - we can just work towards staying longer. Remind your students that time is more important than intensity, and then also remind them that they don't have to wait for permission to come out of a posture early. Listening to the body is the most important instruction of all.
With this as background, I will generally start each class with a very yin-like, easy pose, such as Butterfly or Sphinx, which almost every level can do, and while the students are in this first pose, I explain the philosophy of Yin Yoga. Once students understand the intention of the practice and how to play their edges, become still and hold for time, then we can start to offer the different tracks.
- Track One: students can come out of the pose anytime their body tells them too
Track Two: we can offer options in the poses that make the intensity stronger if the edge has gone away
Track Three: we can offer more challenging postures.
For example, we can start with a Caterpillar for everybody:
- Right at the start, invite Track One students to sit up on cushions and bend their knees. After 3 minutes you can invite Track One students to come of the pose, while inviting Track Two to stay where they are, and then offer to Track Three (only!) the option to come into Snail.
Think of the progressions you can offer:
- Track One - easiest versions and come out early
Track Two - stay longer
Track Three - more challenging postures
We can start with Sphinx, for example, then work towards Seal. We can start with Baby Dragons and work towards Winged Dragons. You can see how to proceed from here.
I hope this helps.
Cheers
Bernie