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I'm not one of those people who usually slows down when I am sick. Life's too short and I want to be out there living it. Besides, exercise is a great way to start feeling better. Not only do you release endorphins, which boost your strength and immunity, but sweating is particularly effective in extracting toxicity from your system. In fact, yogic twists are also very useful for wringing out the internal organs of any negative, foreign substances that might be lurking around.

However, sometimes the choice of being in a yoga class--as a teacher or a student--can involve an aspect of social responsibility. When you are sick and contagious, going to class is no longer about making yourself feel better but about protecting those around you from getting what you've got!

With your students, I recommend setting an illness policy that if a child is unable to exercise or is contagiously ill, s/he should not come to class. But, be careful not to foster hypochondria or excuse-making when you do this. One way to help keep parents from over-reacting about illness is by maintaining a 24-hour cancellation policy, whereby parents must pay for any class that is missed without a day's notice. When there is money at stake, parents will think a lot more critically before canceling a class.

When you are sick as a teacher, not only do you lose money if you skip classes (so you have the same built-in incentive as the parents), but you can also lose students and credibility if you do it too often. So, I encourage you to put the same question to the test. If you are unable to teach or are contagiously ill, cancel the class. In fact, if 24 hours before the class, you are feeling very sick, I recommend calling the students then and letting them know...give them the same courtesy as you would like to receive. Or, if you are feeling moderately sick but still up for teaching, maybe just ask the parents if they are comfortable still having class. You can tell them that you won't be touching the children, just to keep them safe.

You don't have to stop life when you aren't feeling 100%, just be smart about it.

And that's the mini yogis minute for this week. You can sign up for mini yogis teacher training to learn all the in's and out's of working with kids. And be sure to check back for a new tip each week or sign up below for weekly reminders.

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