I have taught a few yoga classes with a raging hangover.

On certain Friday nights I would let off steam, and drink enough glasses of wine to feel the effects of it in my Saturday morning yoga class.

I have since given up drinking completely, and life is better for me. But that’s a another story.

And yes! Even yoga teachers go out and have fun that involves adult beverages.

If you are a yoga teacher and find that you have partied a little too hard the night before, the last thing you feel like doing is teaching an enthusiastic yoga class the next morning. The truth is that not only will you need to gather enough energy to get through it, you will need to deliver the best class you can.

Here are some tips that may help you.

1. Imbibe your last drink at least 12 hours before your first class. That way you’ll stand a chance of having a low grade hangover.

2. Practice what you preach. Do a detox practice yourself before class. Then teach the same practice to the class.

3. Shower and brush your teeth. Twice.

4. Eat fresh basil before ohm-ing.

5. Spray the room with odor killing, mood uplifting eucalyptus or tea tree oil.

6. Prepare minty scented, cooling face cloths. Inhale yours deeply every time your students go into standing forward bend or child’s pose.

8. Stick to your usual sequence. Don’t try anything new or fancy. You won’t be able to swing it.

9. Avoid pre-class chit chat. You will find it annoying, and it will cause you to lose valuable energy.

10. Get your students to go inside within the first 2 minutes of class. Get them to close their eyes and notice their breath. It’ll take the focus off of you, and you’ll be able to grimace freely if you need too.

11. Stick to short, breath centered instructions. Don’t talk too much, because you will be a rambling idiot. If possible teach by telekenisis.

12. Practice pratyahara. Have a stoic expression on your face at all times. Your students may believe you to be deeply spiritual.

13. Keep a five meter radius between yourself and your students, or risk them smelling the Sauvignon Blanc seeping through your pores.

14. Don’t physically adjust your students. You will be crap at it, and your students will feel irritated and off balance.

15. Get your students to demo and assist each other.This will make the class go a lot faster, and the students will feel they have really worked on their alignment.

16. Never demo yourself. You will screw up and get hurt.

17. Get your students to do a silly dance. Tell them it’s to move synovial fluid. It’ll make you laugh and give you energy to keep going.

18. Avoid teaching restorative classes. You will deeply resent your students for relaxing while you are sitting up and having to hold space for them.

19. Don’t tell your students that you are hungover. They won’t care, and you will lose respect. It’s about them, not you.

20. Offer a detox workshop at the end of class, and vow to yourself never to drink again.

21. Consider giving up drinking completely. Especially if you are drinking to the point of suffering hangovers.

It’s hard work living a double life, and you may find that giving up drinking is  the key to taking your teaching to the next level.

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Apprentice Editor: Chrissy Tustison / Editor: Catherine Monkman

Photo: via Flickr