08/29/2026
Nice to know @
We feel there’s an important distinction between individual instruction and teaching a group class.
In a private setting, constantly changing what you’re asking someone to do based on their individual needs can be a sign of excellent instruction. But in a group setting, we don’t think the goal should necessarily be for everyone to be doing something different.
In fact, there is a tremendous amount of skill involved in getting an entire room of people, with different bodies, abilities, limitations, and experience levels, to perform the same posture, at the same time, with the same basic structure and intention.
That doesn’t mean we ignore individual students. We can still give subtle corrections, modifications, and specific cues when someone truly needs them. But there is also value in teaching the group as a group.
If everyone in the room is doing the same thing because the teacher has successfully communicated the posture, the technique, the breath, and the intention clearly enough for everyone to follow, that isn’t a sign that the teacher isn’t doing their job.
We would argue that, especially in a method based class, getting everyone to do the same thing correctly is actually one of the harder things a teacher can accomplish.
Individual instruction is a valuable tool. It just shouldn’t be the measure of whether a group teacher is doing a good job.
