Private Yoga Clients: What You Need to Know.

I meet a lot of yoga teachers who are teaching private yoga sessions in a way very similar to a group-led class and frankly, they're missing the mark. In a one-on-one session, teachers have an incredible opportunity to deliver a truly potent experience to their client. A lot of pieces tie into being able to deliver customizable and uniquely catered-to-the-client sessions - and usually, we’re taught none of them in our 200- and 500-hour trainings.

Being able to deliver individualized private yoga lessons initially and sustainably has a lot to do with your intake and assessment of your new client. This creates a process which you'll consistently evaluate, gauging the needs and progress of your clients and meeting them exactly where they are in their process.

Establish a robust initial intake assessment.

The first time you meet with a client, you want to have a system for making an initial assessment of a few key things, including:
• Moving through their range of motion
• Discussing their personal desires and intentions
• Defining objectives and units of measurement
• Discussing their health history and physical mobility
• Exploring their lifestyle, energetics and other quality-of-life factors
• Asking questions that explore their personality

Having an initial assessment that allows you to identify areas to focus on is essential to creating a home practice and sequence that is catered to their needs and conceived to amplify their growth.

Create the space for a consistent conversation.

One of best parts of private yoga lessons is the element of connection. You can truly connect with your clients on a personal level and open the door for cultivating conversations that will aid you in deepening the yogic experience you can provide. Set up boundaries around your conversations (but keep them focused and professional), and cultivate a dialogue that allows you to continue to explore their experiences and their needs.

Curate a system to write, revisit and revise.

Creating a system that allows you to record your clients' initial assessment and progress is key. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but you do need some documentation for your own records and for revisiting. Periodically, come back to the intake and allow this to inform your occasional re-evaluations, taking into account the work that you’ve done together up to that point and the progress. Then, don’t be afraid to revise.

A personal yoga practice is a very fluid thing – it is constantly changing as the yogi does. Don't hesitate to modify the sequence or plan you're following, especially when you're doing so directly in response to the measurement you’ve taken with your client.

What elements are you already using to evaluate your private yoga clients? What aspects do you plan to adopt?