1) From the inside out:

You think of something that is going on with you. Something that you are dealing with, learning, something going on inside of you. Perhaps it's something you just read, or something that's on your mind. Then you meditate on it, find the pulsation in it and find a way to make it universal. Then you think of a quality that encompasses the story that you want to share and Bam! You have your theme! 

For example: "So today the wind was blowing really loudly and I was listening to the rustling of the leaves in the trees. I started to think of air, of the element of air, how it is everywhere, even in us. How the element of air is so generous, since it disperses all over with such ease. I was thinking how the element of air is considered one of the qualities of a good student. Since a good student is generous with the sharing of his/her knowledge. Since a good student is creative and dexterous with the way that they hold new information. So today's theme is: The element of air. And the quality that we will be cultivating today is "Generosity." May we be generous like the air. Please close your eyes and deepen your breath..."

Then you think of a pose that would represent that quality for you. For me, generosity can be seen in Hanuman. And, Bam! You have your peak pose- And then knowing where you are headed, you can work your way back like Hansel and Gretel, following the crumbs of your peak pose. "If I'm doing Hanuman, then I have to open their hamstrings, teach them to hug in, muscular energy, etc..."

or

2) From the outside in: 

You think of a pose you want to work on. Something that you saw on the Anusara poster on on Iyengar's "Light on Yoga" or on the latest issue of "Yoga Journal" or even in a class you took. Something from the outside that's inspiring you. Something you haven't done in a while. Like in the last few days I've been teaching Natarajasana (King Dancer's Pose) which is an asana that I rarely teach. Don't know why. I just love that pose but I forget to teach it and instead I rely on the usual suspects: bridge, urdhva, camel, bow... So you think of a pose you want to work on: Natarajasana and then you think, well, what qualities does this pose represent for me? 

Natarajasana is interesting because it is a backbend and yet it is a standing backbend. All other backbends, I think, are on the ground or really close to the ground. This pose is so high up and for me it requires incredible precision, strength and also courage to stand tall and open my heart. Also, it's an asymetrical backbend so I get to do the whole thing on the other side! Wow!

So I have my peak pose: King Dancer and I have my quality: Courage. And I keep working. Meaning, what poses do I need to do before King Dancer? Well, some shoulder openers for sure and some hip openers. Definitely baby dancer. Definitely some pigeon and pigeon thigh stretches. Hopefully urdhva... And if I'm doing all of that- then what principle of alignment best supports all of this? And so forth...

The third way is crazy!

3) Wingin' it!

You come to class. You have an idea of what to share, something inspiring. Hopefully you have a theme, a word, a thought that will carry the students to their hearts. But you didn't prepare much. You had a late night. Whatever, we've all been there. We're all human. So you have a peak pose in mind but you are open to see who is in class today and you are ready and willing to throw it all out the window. Hell, you even ask for requests. You pay attention to your students as they are moving around. You play it by ear, you play the edge.

I find that Wingin' it! is what I do when I have not had any time to prepare. And being a good ex Catholic, I feel guilty as hell. 

The good thing about Wingin' it! is that it really keeps me on my toes and I have to be really open to everyone in the room.

The drawback is that I end up teaching the same thing over and over. And often I find that when I am flying by the seat of my pants and didn't prepare a class with a peak pose, then people somehow sense that class is not building up to something and often they end up not wanting to go past their comfort zone. Therefore, I end up doing too much coddling to the students and we all end up in savasana half an hour before. I end up teaching the same thing, I don't push them to their edge and we end up all talking about pop culture and So You Think You Can Dance. Oh well.

To be REALLY honest, I find Wingin' it! to be a very popular way to teach. I swear I see it in many teacher's classes although few of us would cop to it. I also think students like it. I have seen myself over prepare for a class, come up with a perfectly designed sequence, a kick ass theme, bring in some serious philosophy and within the first few minutes I have lost half of my class. Sometimes we are so attached to our theme that we forget that we are there to be of service to the students and to pay attention to them and the unique energy that forms in every class. (By the way: I don't mind it Wingin' it! classes at all. They are really fun classes to take. That said, I do prefer a more structured and spiritually themed class. That's my personal preference.) 

So I learn as I go. I've been trying to do all the three ways somehow. To have the best elements of these three different paths. I think what works best for me is to find a pose that inspires me, then connect it to my heart and to something that is going on with me that day. And then, be willing to throw it away, to play around with the energy of whoever is there today in class!

I also find that I need to continually re-inspire myself as a full time yoga instructor.

I need to come up with games for myself. Like, one week I taught bound poses. Another week I taught focusing on Muscular Energy. One week I did pranayama in every class. Again, no one has to know. Or sometimes it's nice to tell the students that you are bringing something new. One of my most popular classes ever, was when I was doing one chakra a week for seven weeks. So great.

Anyway, hope this is helpful!

PS. And I decided that as a way to re-inspire myself I am going to go through the entire (gulp!) Anusara poster, going one pose at a time in every class. Hopefully going through the entire poster. God help me. And if that doesn't work out, I'll wing it!