Have you wondered how often you should change up your sequences? How much? Does that seem to vary at different places where you teach? Some styles of yoga, such as Bikram and Ashtanga, have a set sequence that students practice every class. With Hatha and Vinyasa, however, teachers have the freedom to vary sequences class to class. In a way, that becomes an obligation, because students start to expect it. Offering new poses, transitions and flows also gives students places into which they can grow. It helps them to drink a few more drops of the vast ocean that is yoga practice.
Yet there is such a thing as changing sequences too drastically, too quickly - for instance, offering a calming “slow flow” one week, and then coming in with something much more high-energy, fast, and with many new poses the next week. It could also be heading straight into complex arm balances, binds, and the like without first going through the baby steps to these more advanced poses. How do we find the best balance, that “sweet spot” that we seek in yoga practice?
All of this being said, avoid making assumptions. Things aren’t always what they seem, at least not always consistently, and we can be wrong. Start with all of that as a baseline and then see what you see, hear what you hear, and remain open to feedback and needing to adjust. In fact, try proactively asking questions - including how students and/or administrators feel about what you’re offering, and if they have any changes they’d like to recommend to better suit the site and its students. Those things make up the transparent behaviors and humble, yet confident attitude of a true professional.
Watch for clues from students that they may seem confused or overwhelmed, or conversely are desiring more variety and challenge - just as practice teaches us to be open to, and more experience teaching shows us how to do. Then be sure to respond accordingly. Ideally, this adjustment can be done before students feel the need to speak up about their desires, but certainly adjust if they do (within the bounds of safety, reason, and majority opinion).