Variety in Yoga Class

One of the things I love about Power Yoga is the flexibility (excuse the pun) of the class format.  In some practices the sequence is very strict which means the class is exactly the same every time.  I find this to be boring and less beneficial for the body.  When I am planning a class I try to make each one different.  There are ways to change the format of the class without altering the benefits.  For example, some classes are more cardio-based.  In this type of class I keep the postures basic but the flow constant, which means we are moving each time we in hale and each time we exhale.  The movements are also using the large muscle groups of the body which adds to the cardio effect. I add "floats" which are light, controlled hops or jumps to increase the heart rate and challenge large core muscles.  Another example of a different class format is to have a more "power" based class.  In this type of class I typically "warm-up" with about 20 minutes of vinyasa (flowing) movements and then phase into some really challenging strength moves.  I organize the class format into a leg series, core series and upper body series.  So we may do three or four challenging lower body postures followed by three or four core postures and ending with the same for the upper body.  This is the easiest class format to use and the most basic.  But there are several ways to intertwine the cardio with the strength and the different muscle group focus.