Sunrise at anchor, four mats on the aft deck, and a guest who tells you she "does yoga" and immediately kicks up into a headstand on a moving boat, two metres from an open transom. What you do in the next three seconds matters more than anything else you will teach that morning.
The main styles
| Style | Character | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| Hatha | Slow, posture-by-posture, held | Beginners, mixed-ability guest groups |
| Vinyasa / flow | Breath-linked, continuous | Fitter guests, morning energy |
| Ashtanga | Fixed, demanding sequence | Experienced practitioners only |
| Yin | Long passive holds, connective tissue | Evening, recovery, stressed guests |
| Restorative | Supported, props, near-stillness | Jet lag, illness, older guests |
For a mixed group of guests you have never met, Hatha or a gentle flow is almost always the right choice. Never open with your hardest sequence to impress people.
Breath
Pranayama and simple breath awareness are usually the most valuable thing a guest takes away. Teach the breath to lead the movement: inhale on expansion and extension, exhale on flexion and effort. Keep advanced breath retention practices out of a guest session — they are not a party trick, and some are contraindicated for people with high blood pressure or during pregnancy.
The pose families
- Standing — Tadasana, Warrior I and II, Triangle. Foundation, and the safest place to spend time on a boat.
- Forward folds — Uttanasana, Paschimottanasana. Never force these.
- Backbends — Cobra, Bridge, Camel, Wheel. Highest risk. Approach gradually or not at all.
- Twists — seated and supine. Lengthen first, then rotate.
- Balances — Tree, Warrior III. On a moving boat, expect to fall. Position accordingly.
- Inversions — Downward Dog is fine; Headstand and Shoulderstand are not for guest classes.
- Restorative and Savasana — always close with stillness.
The poses that most commonly injure people
- Deep backbends (Wheel, Camel) — lumbar compression and neck strain in guests with no preparation.
- Headstand and shoulderstand — cervical spine loading. Do not teach inversions to guests, and never on a moving vessel. The risk is not worth the photograph.
- Forcing hamstrings in forward folds — the classic yoga injury is a slow hamstring tear at the sit bone, caused by months of pulling into a fold. Cue "bend the knees" without shame.
- Anything a guest is pushed into by an adjustment they did not ask for.
Sequencing a session
- Settle and breathe (3-5 min).
- Gentle mobilisation — cat-cow, joint circles.
- Sun salutations or a warming sequence, built gradually.
- Standing poses — the substance of the class.
- Peak, if the group warrants one. Often they do not.
- Counter-poses, twists, gentle forward folds.
- Savasana (5-8 min). Never skip it.
Onboard Notes
- If a guest arrives with an advanced practice, your job is to keep the class safe, not to compete. Offer options and let them self-select.
- Assume a moving surface. Widen stances, lower the centre of gravity, drop the balance work.
- Say early and clearly: "Take an option, come out of anything that hurts, and no pose is compulsory."
- Preparatory study only. Nothing here qualifies you to instruct. Leading guests requires an accredited qualification and professional indemnity insurance.