The holidays are a wonderful time of year to foster a greater sense of love and connection between yourself and your students. It can be a very meaningful season to many in your yoga community.

Gifts are exchanged, people get to spend time with their families, and we are steeped in the comfort of tradition. The flip side of this is that: you have to shop for gifts, travel and spend time with your family, and maybe wear some sweaters you rather wish you didn’t have to.

Bottom line, the holidays are a time where you can go from warm and fuzzy to frazzled in an instant. Yoga classes and often the teachers themselves can become a sanctuary of stability and calm for stressed students.

By showing just a little bit of extra TLC (tender loving care) for your treasured students, you are making a professional and personal investment in your students.

First, this is a fantastic way to build community and foster real connection between you and your students because it demonstrates that you care and understand what they may be experiencing. Students who feel like they are part of a community are far more likely to come back to class and stay motivated in their yoga studies.

Secondly, just by extending a small gesture of your appreciation for your students, they will probably be more likely to examine how much they appreciate your offerings, and may ask about private lessons or workshops and retreats.

Finally, when you make a loving gesture you are opening and holding space for honesty and mutual respect between yourself and your students, which fosters healthy student-teacher relationships and a great classroom dynamic.

Here are some ideas on how to bring holiday TLC to your students:

• Bring food/homemade foods and baked goods that are health-conscious yet delicious to share at the end of class.
• Create special offerings for your regular students for programming in 2016. This might be a fixed amount off of workshops or retreats, or offering exclusive private session packages at lower rates.
• With your most loyal private clients, offer a compensated session as a gesture of thanks (This is also nice for birthdays!).
• Place a chocolate or some other treat on your students’ mats during Savasana. It’s a tender and loving gesture, and a delight to wake up to.
• Go above and beyond to provide service and attention to the students who come to your classes and attend your events.
• Never underestimate the power of a handwritten note. These are wonderful gestures for private clients especially as a recognition of their support.
• Holiday cards can be made cheaply and quickly en masse, and are a lovely gesture to thank your regular students, even if it’s just placing them by their mat in Savasana.

Join the conversation in the comments below? How do you like to pamper your students and get them excited about the new year?