As a yoga teacher, sometimes it’s hard to keep your classes fresh and exciting. You might find yourself looking for ways to stay inspired and keep your students engaged.

That’s where theme ideas for yoga classes can really give you the creative boost you need to keep teaching new and exciting classes.

You’ll find everything you need and more to create awesome theme ideas for your yoga classes that will keep your students coming back for more!

What Are Yoga Class Themes?

A theme class is when there’s a general idea inspiring the overall flow of the class. You might have gone to a fall or spring-themed class or even a Thanksgiving or Christmas-themed class.

The teacher will usually keep this “theme” running throughout the entire class and may mention the theme a few times throughout the session.

Themes can be based on a time of year, a celestial event like a full moon, in honor of a feeling like love, or inspired by nature. There are really endless theme ideas for yoga classes.

Themed classes are unique because they offer a different and fun experience for the yoga student, as well as a chance for the yoga instructor to find new inspiration for their teaching style.

If you are a yoga teacher and are feeling stale about the classes you teach, you should utilize a class theme to bring some creativity back into your class’s flow.

Types Of Yoga Class Theme

There are many different ways to come up with a theme for your class. To make it simple, here’s a list of categories for theme classes.

Physical Theme– Like twist, inversions, balancing, etc.

Feeling or Word Theme– Love or union, strength, power.

Celestial – Full moon, planets in retrograde.

Weather – Rain, sunshine, seasons, etc.

Temporal – Morning, evening, afternoon.

Event or Holiday – Easter (abundance,) New Years’.

Intention – Let go, surrender, acceptance, or forgiveness.

Chakra – Theme a class based on each, or all the chakras.

Namas & Niyamas – The Namas & Niyamas are like the 10 commandments of yoga.

Elemental – Fire and ice.

Nature – Draw inspiration from anything in nature!

Animal – Create a fun, primal flow based on an animal.

Fantasy – Make a really unique class inspired by a mystical creature.

Finding Inspiration For A Yoga Class Theme

Yoga is such a beautiful language and through that language, we can understand ourselves and the world around us better. With that said, finding inspiration for your yoga class theme is as easy as exploring and examining the world around you.

I believe NATURE is one of the best inspirations for your themed yoga class.

Connecting with nature is something everyone is craving more and more these days. Themeing a class after “wind,” “rain,” “water,” or “lightning,” can be very meaningful for your students as it tickles the imagination and brings up memories of their own experiences connected to this theme.

You might also find inspiration for themed classes in your everyday life. Turbulence in relationships can conjure themes like “forgiveness,” and “truth.”

Emotions like “happiness,” “joy,” “elation,” and “patience,” are also great themes.

Even listening to the news might conjure theme ideas like “women’s power,” “world peace,” “understanding,” and “mother nature.”

How To Make A Theme Into A Yoga Flow

Taking some of the examples above, how do you make “women’s power,” or “patience,” into an actionable, real yoga class?

The best way to turn these ambiguous words into actual yoga poses and classes is to break down the meaning of the word and how it relates to yoga and the physical body.

For example, “women’s power” could be translated into poses like Yogi Squat (Malasana) which was a pose traditionally used to give birth, Goddess Pose, Mermaid Pose, and any other pose that has to do with opening the hips.

The theme “patience” could be put into use by perhaps slowing down the class, holding poses longer than usual, and making people become comfortable with the unknown.

It might also be helpful if you include an anecdote about your personal experience with patience or self-love, this will make the theme less abstract and more relatable to your students.

Each theme or word might seem intimidating at first. But if you break it down into how that word makes you feel, what it immediately brings to mind, and how it might relate to the human body in yoga, you’ll be well on your way to creating amazingly unique themed yoga classes that your students can’t get enough of.

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101 Ideas For Yoga Classes

Check out this inspirational list below to help you create a theme for your next yoga class! Feel free to find inspiration in your own life as well.

Physical Themes

Twists – Incorporate plenty of twists throughout the entire class, a really great theme for cleansing the body.

Balancing – Focus on balancing poses like Tree Pose, Half Moon Pose, Warrior 3, and Dancer’s Pose.

Hips – Utilize poses like Lizard Pose, Pigeon Pose, Malasana, and Low Lunge.

Inversions – Add headstands and handstands to make this a fun upside-down class.

Advanced – If you have advanced students, bring them into difficult poses like Peacock, Crow, Scorpion, and Eight-Angle Pose.

Flying – Many of the balancing poses will also fit into this theme like Warrior 3, Lightning Bolt Pose, and Bird Dog.

Upper Body Strength – Bring your students into poses that challenge the upper arms, like Yogi Pushups, Dolphin Pose, and Side Plank.

Lower Body Strength – Use poses like Goddess Pose, Yogi Squats, and the Warrior Poses to bring heat to the lower body.

Core Strength – Side bends, Plank variations and Boat Pose would be great additions to a class focused on the core.

Back Strength – Forward Folds and plenty of moves in Superman Pose will strengthen the back.

Feelings & Emotions

Love – Use the concept of love or self-love and reiterate that concept throughout the class.

Union – Using physical poses like binds and twists to represent “coming together.”

Strength/ Power – Create a fiery flow incorporating all the muscle groups to embody strength.

Surrender – Slow down the class and pause in difficult and uncomfortable poses to embody surrendering.

Forgiveness – Use this idea throughout class in a way students can forgive either their body or someone in their life.

Gratitude – Reminders of gratitude throughout class will reinforce this sentiment, like “Be grateful for your legs holding you strongly atop the earth.”

Peace – Remind your students to be at peace throughout the class.

Happiness – Remind your students to smile repeatedly throughout the class and maybe encourage laughter.

Celestial Yoga Theme Class

Moon Phases – Let the moon phase inspire your class; Full – abundance and clarity, half – optimism, or new moon – clean slate and mystery. Each phase represents a different meaning.

Special Full Moons like Blood Moon etc – Bring awareness to why this full moon is special and the symbology behind it. Feel free to add all the moon-named poses like Half Moon Pose and Crescent Pose.

Lunar Eclipse – These can be mysterious celestial events happening in the middle of the night, bringing about mystery and the occult.

Solar Eclipse – A solar eclipse only lasts a few minutes, perhaps invite your students to hold a pose for as long as a solar eclipse lasts.

Solstices – The summer solstice is the longest day of the year while the winter solstice is the shortest, translate these into long or short holds.

Equinoxes – These events reveal equal length in days and nights, so focus on balance and equality in our bodies.

Planets in Retrograde – Sometimes this can cause turbulence, invite your students to reflect on what that means for them and how they can manage to fight any negativity.

Astrological Seasons – Theme a class on the current astrological season.

Weather Events

Rain – Rain represents new growth and washing unwanted things away.

Thunder – Encourage your students to get audible, or stomp the ground together making a noise like thunder.

Lightning – Incorporate quick and fast movements.

Sunshine – Make the class light and fun, perhaps focusing on energy and growth.

Wind – Lead the body in rhythmic movement like the wind perhaps with pauses for calm and then moving into turbulence.

Hurricane – This could be a power class driven by force.

Tornado – Make a spontaneous power class peppered with twists.

Temporal Themes

Morning – Bring energy into this class to start the day.

Evening – A mellow class is great to help students unwind from their busy days.

Afternoon – An afternoon class can either be energetic or chill.

Dusk & Dawn – Play with the duality of darkness and light.

Event or Holiday – Easter (abundance,) New Year’s, (new beginnings and resolutions,) and other holidays can be great inspirations for classes.

Intention Themes

Let Go – Start this class with deep clearing breaths to help your students let go of anything they’re holding onto. Keep the theme running throughout the class.

Acceptance/ Self-Love – Remind students that if a pose can’t be achieved, or if you fall out of a pose, practice acceptance and move on.

I Am Perfect – Invite students to say this phrase out loud, and reiterate it throughout yoga poses.

Be Present – Constantly remind your students to be present by using their breath and not attaching to thoughts.

Chakra-Themed Yoga Class

Root Chakra – Use poses like tree Pose, Mountain Pose, and Malasana to target this chakra.

Sacral Chakra – Triangle Pose, Crescent Pose.

Solar Plexus – Bow Pose, Sphinx Pose.

Heart Chakra – Camel Pose, Full Wheel, or Bridge Pose.

Throat Chakra – Shoulder Stand, chanting mantras.

Third Eye – Inversions and meditation.

Crown Chakra – Headstand and meditation.

All The Chakras – In one class, move through all the chakras starting at the ground and moving up to the crown. Take time to talk about each one and how it relates to the current pose.

Elemental Themes

Water – Make a sumptuous, steady, and flowy yoga class like water.

Fire – Bring up the heart rate to create heat in the body.

Ice – Create rigid poses and hold them longer than usual.

Metal – Iron, metal, and titanium can represent strength and stability.

Namas & Niyamas Themes

These can be interpreted in many different ways, use the Sanskrit word throughout the class and then describe the concept. We can all be reminded to practice each of these ideas below.

Ahimsa: Nonviolence

Satya: Truthfulness

Asteya: Non-stealing

Brahmacharya: Non-excess or celibacy

Aparigraha: Non-possessiveness

Saucha: Purity

Santosha: Contentment

Tapas: Self-discipline

Svadhyaya: Self-study

Ishvara Pranidhana: Surrender 

Animal-Themed Yoga Class Ideas

Lion – Roar like a lion and use Lion’s Breath pranayama.

Turtle – Go slow and savor each pose.

Rabbit / Frog – Practice plenty of hopping.

Eagle or other bird – Use flying poses like Warrior III, Superman, and Bird-dog.

Fish – Similar to a water theme, make students focus on creating fluid movements.

Bumble Bee – Conjure images of flowers and flying throughout the class. Try bumble bee breathing.

Nature-Themed Yoga Classes

Mountain – Utilize Mountain Pose and encourage students to be present, strong, and unmovable like a mountain.

Ocean – The ocean is vast, fluid, and unpredictable. Use this to inspire an exciting class.

Space – Space is the new frontier, add imagery of planets, express the importance of gravity, and let students reflect on what’s “in their orbits.”

Earth – Create an earth flow with powerful grounding poses like Downward Facing Dog, Cobra, and Savasana.

Tree – Build a class around tree pose or the idea of a tall, intelligent, and stable tree with deep roots in the ground.

Rose or other flowers – Use the idea of blossoming in a flower-themed class.

Fantasy And Magic Themed Yoga Classes

Magic – Use magic in a class by coaxing people into difficult poses they thought they could not achieve.

Wizard – Everyone can have their own wizard in this class and manifest their own reality.

Dragon – Incorporate heat, fire, and flying themes.

Unicorn – Let everyone express their uniqueness with a freestyle period.

Chimera – Combine several poses in an unorthodox way.

Dinosaur – Let your students roar and stomp and feel the passage of time.

Leprechaun – Great for St. Patrick’s Day. Incorporate imagery of rainbows.

Fairy – Use flying themes and let students manifest their desires as if they had their own personal fairy.

Mermaid – Focus on water and perhaps lead students into a Mermaid Pose.

Werewolf – You can include many of the moon themes but add a fun element of change, the class can become more wild and difficult toward the end (whenever the moon comes out!)

Pheonix – The Pheonix rising is all about change. Incorporate change, fire, and flight into this class.

Even More Ideas For Yoga Theme Classes

There is a neverending spring of inspiration to theme your yoga class. You can come up with even more themes than the ones listed above, depending on where you live and the people who are attending your class.

For example, if you live in a university town, you can use the mascot of the team as inspiration. Or perhaps you can craft a class based around your town’s seasonal festival or something the town is known for like a fruit, event, or a special export.

If you teach private yoga lessons, you can draw inspiration from the life of your student, and maybe touch on something that’s going on in their life. Other private class topics could include marriage, the birth of a new child, or the success of a new business.

You could theme a class based on an essential oil that everyone is welcome to try at the beginning of class. Or use a poem read at the start to theme the rest of your yoga class.

Just remember that the point of a theme class is to make the class more fun and interesting for your students. A theme adds a whole new dynamic for everyone to enjoy, always keep it positive and fun!

Video Inspiration For Yoga Theme Classes

How do you theme your yoga classes? Have you used any of the topics above? Share in the comments below 🙂