Beyond the Flow: Group Classes and Private Guidance in Chiang Mai Yoga

The most popular and common yoga style in Chiang Mai is Vinyasa, especially in yoga studios that provide group classes. What makes Vinyasa so popular? I think it’s due to its flexibility. The teacher can adjust according to the students’ levels and offer different sequences during a one- or 1.5-hour class.

Since most Chiang Mai yoga studio students are walk-ins with different levels of experience, studios cannot provide classes dedicated to a single level. To accommodate everyone, they usually offer “all-level” classes, which begin with some warm-up and then flow through the hour. Teachers often add advanced or intermediate poses to spice up the sequence and make it more engaging.

In fact, flowing continuously for 1.5 hours is no easy task—it requires a strong body and well-trained muscles. So how do yoga studios or teachers manage to complete a 1.5-hour session without making it too difficult, while still keeping it enjoyable? Adding advanced or intermediate poses is one way to bring fun to the class. Students feel challenged if the poses are new to them, or accomplished if they turn out to be the only one who can do them.

We shouldn’t judge that—everyone has their ego. It’s not wrong to feed your ego with some fun once in a while.

While group classes are designed for walk-ins of different levels, private classes are tailored for those who want to improve specific aspects of their practice. We spend time doing self-practice and attending group classes, yet there comes a point when we feel stuck—like we’re not moving any further. During this bottleneck stage, we may feel discouraged, frustrated, or full of self-doubt. Talking to a third person who has experience usually helps, because they can see what’s missing in our practice and possibly how to improve—and what to improve on.

Taking private classes doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll break through right away. However, having another perspective is always useful when we feel lost.

Maybe you think private yoga teachers are just there to help improve the physical practice. In fact, since many yoga teachers in Chiang Mai like to do meditation in temples from time to time, they are often able to bring calm to our minds without us even noticing it.