How do you incorporate meditation into your classes?
I'm interested in how different yoga teachers here include guided meditation into their classes? Of course, meditative aspects can be present throughout the class, but do you include time for participants to have a still meditation practice in their class? What techniques do you guide them through? Do you have any resources you would recommend that helped you incorporate guided meditation into your classes?
I'm hoping to get some inspiration for my own teaching. I generally try to guide students through breath and body awareness throughout the Asana, rather than just going through the motions of the poses. I also sometimes do a little guided meditation at the start of shavasana, usually either a body scan / progressive relaxation or being present as an observer of their thoughts.
I feel a desire to expand the types of guided meditation that I feel comfortable leading in my yoga classes, but I also feel nervous at the idea. I find leading Asana and Pranayama practices is so much easier because I get instant visual feedback on whether my words are landing with people, while leading a still meditation practice feels more like I'm nervously throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping that it sticks. And of course, there is the big issue of trying to make space for every aspect of the practice in a 60 minute class, which I'm learning since starting teaching is a very short amount of time!