Here’s a scenario: You walk into a group yoga class and ten minutes in, you’re already confused. Right foot here, left arm there–it’s all a big jumbled game of Twister to you. Not to mention your left hip has been bothering you for a while and you have a pinchy feeling in your wrist everytime you bear weight on your hands. Anatomical terms go straight over your head and you aren’t sure what version of a pose to do, especially since the students around you have customized their practice and are all doing slightly different things.

Group classes are great once you’re confident that you can choose the right option for your body at the right time. It’s fun to move in a group setting when class leaves your body feeling and working better afterwards. But for many people, group classes can be a tricky place to figure out the next best thing to do. After all, yoga teachers are teaching to a composite mix of all the bodies in front of them. It’s likely that not every cue the yoga teacher says will apply to you, and it’s even more likely that there are cues that would apply to you but that the teacher isn’t saying.

Sometimes in these cases, the best thing to do is to reclaim your responsibility for your body by working one-on-one with an experienced teacher.

In a one-on-one setting, a teacher can give you their full attention and can customize all of their language to your specific circumstances. Not only that, but they can customize the positions to your body and movement history, which means you aren’t getting a yoga class that was planned out in their notebook for a theoretical group–you are getting a practice customized to what you need to work on in order to see the strength, mobility and stability that you’re likely attending class for.

Working individually with teachers restores some power back into your hands. Whereas a group class is more like a monologue where the teacher instructs and the group follows, a private yoga lesson gives you the chance to stop and ask questions and follow-up on things that you might otherwise move right through in a group setting.

It’s not just that you’ll get a customized movement experience in a private setting. You also get the chance to learn and explore new concepts, check your understanding and find new ways to apply it. Because of this, your progress will likely happen much faster, with less roadblocks and frustration.

While a private yoga lesson may cost more than attending a group class, it will yield more and better results in the long-run, which may ultimately save you money over time.

A good private yoga teacher will be able to assess your movement and talk you through that assessment so that you understand areas for improvement.

If you’re thinking of pulling the trigger on private yoga lessons, a good start would be to reach out to potential teachers and screen them for a right fit. A great yoga teacher for you is someone who makes you feel comfortable and understood. You should feel safe to confide in them, ask them questions and to listen to what they have to say.

If you’re in the San Diego area, you can start by emailing info@pilgrimageyoga.com, where our studio managers will be able to recommend different teachers to you based on your background and goals. If you’re outside the SD area, private yoga lessons can also be conducted via Skype, Zoom or other video conferencing platforms. You will want to make sure to set up your web-cam so that your teacher can easily see your movement, and the benefit of this option is that you can participate from the comfort of your own home. If this sounds like the right option for you, we invite you to check out our partner’s Digital Yoga Privates at Yoga In Your Living Room, where Brentan specializes in digital private yoga and helping people feel comfortable in a digital environment.

At Pilgrimage Of The Heart Yoga, our approach to private yoga lessons includes a physical fitness evaluation. We work with you the way a personal trainer would, by evaluating your current range of motion and assessing for opportunities to improve strength, mobility and stability. We start by testing your body’s way of moving, talking about your history with movement and injuries, and ultimately devising a movement road-map designed to help you improve in all areas. After working together for a period of time, we re-test your movement to monitor improvements and changes to ensure that you are always getting the most from your private yoga experience.

Email info@pilgrimageyoga.com today to get started!