Class Structure: The Five-Stage Framework

Overview

Every well-designed yoga class follows a natural arc from beginning to end, and understanding this structure helps you create classes that feel complete and satisfying. The five-stage framework gives you a reliable template while leaving room for creativity and adaptation. Whether you're teaching a 45-minute lunch class or a 90-minute deep practice, this structure ensures students get what they need: a proper warmup, meaningful work, and thorough integration.

Key Concepts

The Five Stages

As Mark Stephens explains in Yoga Sequencing, "there are potentially infinite ways to structure a yoga class," but we need guidelines for "what to do, when, and in what relation to everything else." The five-stage structure provides exactly that—a framework that honors how bodies and minds naturally move through practice.

Stage 1: Opening (Set Intention) This is where students arrive—physically, mentally, and emotionally. You're creating a container for practice and helping students transition from their busy day into the present moment.

Stage 2: Warmup (Initial Warming) Gentle movement that prepares the body systematically. You're waking up joints, warming muscles, and establishing the breath-movement connection that will carry through the rest of class.

Stage 3: Build (Path to the Peak) The active heart of your class where students work with standing poses, flows, and progressively challenging movements. Energy and heat build steadily.

Stage 4: Peak (Peak Exploration) The most challenging or complex part of your sequence—whether that's a difficult pose, a sustained flow, or deep work in a particular area. This is where students meet their edge.

Stage 5: Integration (Cooldown + Savasana) Cooling poses, forward folds, and twists that help the body transition toward rest, followed by Savasana for complete integration.

Why This Structure Works

This framework mirrors natural patterns: the arc of a day, the rhythm of breath, the cycle of effort and rest. It also respects how bodies work—you can't safely access deep hip opening or challenging backbends without proper preparation, just as you can't expect students to settle into Savasana if they're still buzzing with energy.

The structure also creates psychological completion. Students know they've been somewhere and come back. They feel the journey.

In Practice

Timing Breakdown for Different Class Lengths

Here's how the five stages typically distribute across common class lengths:

60-Minute Class

• Opening: 5 minutes (8%)
• Warmup: 10 minutes (17%)
• Build: 20 minutes (33%)
• Peak: 10 minutes (17%)
• Integration: 15 minutes (25%)
  • Cooldown: 10 minutes
  • Savasana: 5 minutes minimum

75-Minute Class

• Opening: 5-7 minutes (7-9%)
• Warmup: 12-15 minutes (16-20%)
• Build: 25-30 minutes (33-40%)
• Peak: 12-15 minutes (16-20%)
• Integration: 18-20 minutes (24-27%)
  • Cooldown: 10-12 minutes
  • Savasana: 8-10 minutes

90-Minute Class

• Opening: 8-10 minutes (9-11%)
• Warmup: 15-18 minutes (17-20%)
• Build: 30-35 minutes (33-39%)
• Peak: 15-20 minutes (17-22%)
• Integration: 20-25 minutes (22-28%)
  • Cooldown: 12-15 minutes
  • Savasana: 10-15 minutes

Notice that the percentages stay relatively consistent—it's the absolute time that expands. A longer class doesn't just mean more poses; it means more time to explore each stage fully.

Stage-by-Stage Breakdown

Opening: Creating the Container

What you might include:

• Arriving in a comfortable seat or lying down
• Breath awareness (simple observation, no manipulation)
• Brief body scan or centering practice
• Setting an intention or theme introduction
• Gentle neck rolls or shoulder movements

Purpose: Help students transition from their day into practice. Create psychological and physical readiness.

Warmup: Systematic Preparation

What you might include:

• Cat-Cow and spinal movements
• Gentle Sun Salutations (modified or full)
• Joint mobilization (wrists, ankles, hips)
• Simple standing poses to warm legs
• Breath-to-movement coordination

Purpose: Prepare joints, warm muscles, establish breath connection, and begin building heat gradually.

Build: Active Practice

What you might include:

• Standing pose sequences (Warriors, Triangle, Side Angle)
• Standing balance work (Tree, Warrior III, Half Moon)
• Core strengthening
• Hip openers or shoulder work
• Flowing sequences that build heat

Purpose: This is the main work of your class. Students are fully engaged, building strength, flexibility, and focus.

Peak: Meeting the Edge

What you might include:

• Most challenging pose or sequence
• Arm balances, deep backbends, or complex flows
• Sustained holds in demanding poses
• Creative or playful exploration
• Work that requires full attention and effort

Purpose: Students access their fullest expression. This is where transformation happens—not through force, but through meeting challenge with steadiness and ease.

Integration: Coming Home

What you might include:

• Seated forward folds
• Gentle twists
• Hip openers (Pigeon, Butterfly)
• Legs up the wall or supported inversions
• Savasana (10-15 minutes minimum)

Purpose: Allow the nervous system to shift from activation to rest. Give the body time to absorb the practice. As B.K.S. Iyengar emphasizes in Light on Yoga, "After completing the practice of āsanas always lie down in Śāvāsana for at least 10 to 15 minutes, as this will remove fatigue."

Style-Specific Variations

Vinyasa Flow The five stages are present but transitions are faster and more fluid. You might move through multiple mini-peaks rather than one sustained peak. The structure is there but feels more dynamic.

Hatha Yoga Each stage is more distinct with longer holds. You might spend 5-10 breaths in each pose during the build phase, making the progression very clear and giving students time to refine alignment.

Power Yoga As Baron Baptiste teaches, "every power yoga class will follow the same general blueprint of poses, intentions, and qualities." The structure is consistent but the pacing is vigorous, with emphasis on building heat and strength in the build and peak phases.

Yin Yoga The structure adapts significantly—you might have a brief warmup, then move into long-held passive poses (the "build" and "peak" are more about depth of release than intensity of effort), followed by integration.

Restorative Yoga The entire class might stay in the opening and integration energy, with 4-6 deeply supported poses held for 10-20 minutes each. The five stages collapse into a sustained state of rest and restoration.

Common Questions

Q: Do I need to include all five stages in every class?

For a complete practice, yes. Even a 30-minute class benefits from this structure—you just compress the timing. Opening might be 2 minutes, warmup 5 minutes, build 10 minutes, peak 5 minutes, and integration 8 minutes. The arc is still there.

Q: What if I run out of time?

Never skip Savasana. If you're running short, shorten the peak or build phase. Students need that final integration more than they need one more pose. Aim for at least 5 minutes of Savasana, even in a short class.

Q: Can I have multiple peaks?

Yes, especially in longer classes. You might build to a peak, cool down slightly, then build to a second peak. Just make sure your final integration is thorough enough to bring students all the way back down.

Q: How do I know how long each stage should be?

Use the percentages as guidelines, then adjust based on your students and teaching context. A morning class might need a longer warmup. An evening class might need more integration time. Watch your students and trust your instincts.

Q: What's the difference between cooldown and Savasana?

Cooldown is active—students are still moving through poses, just gentler ones that release rather than build. Savasana is complete rest, no movement at all. Both are essential parts of integration.

Q: How does this relate to the energy arc?

The five stages ARE the energy arc in practical form. Opening is tamas (grounded), warmup transitions from tamas to rajas, build and peak are rajas (active), and integration moves from rajas back through tamas to sattva (balanced, clear). The structure supports the energetic journey.

Next Steps

• Read next: Pose Transitions and Flow to learn how to move smoothly between stages
• Explore: Energy Arcs in Class Design to understand the energetic framework behind this structure
• Apply: Setting Duration and Pacing to learn how to adapt this structure for different class lengths

Sources

This article draws on traditional yoga teachings and modern sequencing wisdom, including:

• Yoga Sequencing: Designing Transformative Yoga Classes by Mark Stephens, particularly his explanation of the five-stage class arc and the principle that while there are infinite ways to structure a class, we need clear guidelines
• Light on Yoga by B.K.S. Iyengar, especially his emphasis on Savasana duration (10-15 minutes minimum) for proper integration and fatigue removal
• Teaching Hatha Yoga guidelines on class timing and structure for different levels
• Baron Baptiste's Power Yoga teachings on consistent class blueprints that create strong, empowering sequences