How to sequence a yoga class: more than a list of poses

By Giang Hoang · Yoga teacher

We had reached the twists in an online lesson. The student had just finished a seated twist on both sides.

I asked them to lie down for a supine twist.

Then I remembered another seated twist I had not taught yet. So I changed the plan: finish the seated poses first, then lie down. No need to lie down only to sit up again.

My mouth was one step ahead of my lesson plan.

A small moment. But it points to a skill that new teachers often overlook: a yoga sequence is not a list of pose names. It is the path a real person takes from one position to another.

The red sequence above is an example. On paper, “Triangle → supine twist → Extended Side Angle” is just three names. On the mat, it means standing, lying down, then standing up again. The person practising has to do everything between those arrows, including the parts you did not write down.

This article is for you if you are learning to teach and starting to plan your own sequences. It is not a practice session to follow along with.

1. Poses are destinations; transitions are the route

Imagine giving directions to someone who does not know the area. You name three places and tell them to go that way.

They will get lost.

A lesson plan with only pose names has the same problem. You know where you want to go. The person practising does not know which foot moves next, which way to face, or where to put their hands.

In that lesson, after Extended Side Angle, I asked the student to remember how they had entered it. They would need that when guiding their own students: where to start, how to enter, and how to leave.

1. StartWhere is the person just before this pose: standing, sitting, kneeling or lying down?
2. EnterFrom there, what needs to change: feet, hands, direction, or body level?
3. LeaveWhere do they go as they leave the pose? When do they change sides? Where do they go next?

Every arrow in your lesson plan is a question still to answer.

2. Choose what to teach before choosing the poses

Once you can answer that, choosing poses becomes much easier. Many no longer need to be on the list: they do not serve what you are teaching.

That day, I taught three groups of poses.

Each group gives the student something to understand. Instead of remembering unrelated names, they can think: these are twists, with seated, lying and standing versions.

Along with what you want to teach, you need to know what the person has already learned, whether you need to ask your teacher anything first, and how much time you have.

And do not use your own body as the measure. What feels easy to me may not feel easy to someone else.

3. One pose, more than one way in

That day, I guided the student into Extended Side Angle in two ways: once from a wide standing position, and once from Downward-Facing Dog.

Same destination. Different preparation, and different words to guide it.

These diagrams compare ways to plan a sequence. They do not give enough detail to practise an unfamiliar transition on your own.

Route 1 · from standing

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Route 2 · from Downward-Facing Dog

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Why learn both routes? My explanation was simple: if we are already in Downward-Facing Dog, we can connect from there. We do not have to return to standing and start again every time.

Next came Triangle. Its starting stance was like the one we had just used for Extended Side Angle: feet apart, one foot turned out and the other turned in. The poses share a base. Put them close together and the person does not have to set up from the beginning again. It also makes the sequence easier to guide.

Triangle can also begin from Downward-Facing Dog. There are many ways into a pose. At first, learn one or two well.

There was something else I kept doing throughout the lesson: practising both sides of each one-sided pose. Mark the change of sides in your plan. It is easy to forget when you are busy thinking about the next pose.

Once you have chosen the route, you need words that the person can follow. I cover that separately in how to cue yoga poses clearly.

4. A transition is also time to set up again

It is easy to stop paying attention between poses: finish this one, move quickly into the next.

Yet this is exactly when a person can lose the position you helped them find.

In the lesson, I brought the student back to Mountain before Twisted Chair. Within a few seconds, I noticed their lower back arching. We adjusted the position of the torso first. Then came the hip hinge, lowering the hips, and only then the twist.

Those extra steps make the sequence longer on paper. But they give the twist that follows a base to work from.

Do not skip the setup.

If the next pose needs a new base—a different stance or foot position—write that setup into your plan. Do not assume the person already knows it.

5. Group poses to avoid unnecessary level changes

Back to the opening story. The student was sitting. I was about to ask them to lie down. There was still another seated pose to teach.

Finish the seated part first, then lie down. Nobody needs to lie down just to sit up again a moment later.

Sometimes you change position deliberately: to allow rest, to practise a particular transition, or because you notice the person needs a change. Standing, sitting, then standing again is not automatically wrong. Know why you are doing it.

One more point: that day was a lesson on groups of poses, not a complete practice session. After the lying poses, I had the student stand up for Twisted Chair. Do not copy the whole lesson order as a model sequence.

6. Fewer poses, more attention

When we reached joint mobility, I told the student we would add just one more pose that day. Too many would be hard to remember.

That applies to someone learning to teach. It also applies to the people in your class.

A sequence with twelve different poses may look varied. But each pose has a way in, a way out, and a point for changing sides. Keeping up with all your instructions can take so much effort that the person has little attention left for their body.

In the same lesson, I suggested starting with simple poses when you first teach. Many people are much stiffer than I am.

It sounds simple. But a new teacher may choose difficult poses to show how much they know. The person practising needs a sequence they can follow, not proof of how skilful the teacher is.

A good sequence is one the person can follow.

7. Variations: change one element at a time

In the squat, the student asked whether to lift their heels.

A good question. I explained that heel position could become a variation later. Today, we were learning the basic squat. Another day, we could change one element, such as lifting the heels. We would still be working on hip mobility, just in a different way.

Then I showed a few more versions. Each was another way to work, with a different level of difficulty:

The coloured label shows what changes from the basic squat.

The third card, in class

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BasicChange: arms

Changing the arms can change the balance demands. Two variations that look similar may not be equally difficult. When you are learning to plan sequences, try changing one element at a time on paper. Ask your teacher to review it before guiding someone else.

I told the student that this early stage was about understanding principles. Once those make sense, there is room to be creative, rather than copying bits from elsewhere or memorising every example.

Have a reason for each variation.

8. Revise a draft sequence

This is a paper exercise to practise thinking through a sequence. It is not a practice session or a lesson plan I used in class. The poses are ones the student had been taught during the lesson.

Look again at the opening chart: the same six poses, reordered to remove two changes of level in this paper example. Here is what changed.

The revision is still not a complete practice session. Preparation, rest, the transition from standing to sitting, and timing are still missing. But rearranging the poses reduces the level changes on paper from five to three.

9. Try it: write the transition between two poses

To see an existing sequence broken down for learning, read Sun Salutation for beginners. Learning a set sequence and planning your own are related, but they are not the same task.

10. A plan on paper is not yet a class

On paper, the arrow between two poses is only a few millimetres long. With a real person in front of you, you may need to wait, explain again, or choose another way in.

A moment in class

During the seated twist, the student told me they were turning their body.

I looked again. They were, though only a little. I put that down to stiffness in the spine. That was all right.

The plan says “seated twist”. It does not say how far the person in front of you can turn. You find that out by watching and listening.

In lessons, I often remind students to slow down and pay close attention to what they feel in their own bodies. Learning to feel a movement for yourself is part of learning to understand and guide someone else.

In the 200-hour online yoga teacher training, teaching practice involves real people. I observe in person or through Zoom and give feedback. That is where you find out whether your plan works beyond the page, on the mat.

Do not only ask whether you remember all the pose names. Ask whether the person knows what to do next, and whether you can keep observing them as you guide.

For a pose or transition you have not learned, you need direct guidance from a teacher. This article cannot assess a person's health or adjust a movement for them.

Common questions

Must every yoga sequence go from standing to sitting to lying down?

No. That is one way to reduce changes of position, not a rule for every class. The order depends on what you are teaching and who is practising.

How many poses should a sequence include?

There is no right number for every class. When you are new to teaching, a few poses that people can follow while you observe them are more useful than a long list.

Should I include both sides?

In the sessions I guide, we practise both sides of one-sided poses. Mark the change of sides in your plan so you do not forget while teaching.

Can I combine poses I already know?

You can start planning on paper. But knowing individual poses does not mean you know how to connect them or choose them for another person. Practise guiding a short section with a teacher's guidance and feedback.

Is this a 60-minute yoga class plan?

No. This article is about choosing an order and planning transitions. A class also needs timing, an appropriate level, preparation, rest and adjustments for each person.

Start with two poses

No need to plan a long class yet. Choose two poses you have learned, write the route between them carefully, then take it to your teacher.

Remember the transitions.

Read next: How to check understanding in yoga

Giang Hoang

Yoga teacher, E-RYT 500 & YACEP (Yoga Alliance)
Giang Metta Academy: RYS 200 & RYS 500 (YA ID 442630)
Based in Da Lat, Vietnam. Teaching online worldwide.

About Giang →