Conversations for Yoga Teachers

In this episode, I sit down with yoga teacher Lauren Ilacqua to talk about an incredible shift she's experienced over the past few months. After hearing her describe how she went from feeling pressure, dread, and uncertainty before teaching to feeling joyful, present, and deeply connected with the students in her class, I knew I wanted to invite her on the podcast to share it with you In this auth...

If you're new to this podcast—or you've been listening for a while and want to better understand the philosophy behind what I offer—this is the perfect place to start. In this episode, I answer five foundational questions: Why is anatomy often taught in such a confusing way? Why do so many yoga teachers struggle with confidence? Why did I create Bare Bones Yoga? What makes my approach to teaching...

As a follow up to last week’s episode where I shared my new perspective on a problem I was experiencing in my business, I pick up on a related theme but turn the frame to you. This episode talks about a common theme for yoga teachers, which has to do with wanting to do a particular thing in their class or as a teacher but being worried about the outcome or what other people will think of them. As...

In this episode, I share a recent lesson I've been learning in my business about feedback, expectations, and letting go of outcomes I can't control. What started as frustration over not getting replies to emails, DMs, and workshop invitations led me to rethink how I show up and serve my audience.    As I share that story, I connect it to a common challenge many yoga teachers face: looking for vali...

In this episode, I turn the microphone around and share some of my own story as a yoga teacher—how I got started, the challenges I faced early on, and the experiences that ultimately shaped the work I do today.    Along the way, I reflect on some of the struggles I had and maybe you’ll see yourself in some of what I share.    My hope is that listening to this episode gives you some context for wha...

In this episode, I share the inspiration behind the updated version of my book, Structure and Spirit, and explore the core themes woven throughout its two sections: Structure, which focuses on anatomy and movement principles, and Spirit, which explores themes of mindset, awareness, growth, and self-inquiry. From foundation, balance, and leverage to connection, resistance, and inspiration, I discus...

Do you ever feel distracted, scattered, or mentally overloaded while teaching yoga? Do you feel like you’re multi-tasking and it’s blocking you from feeling at ease, present and actually teaching the humans in the room? In this episode, I’m breaking down some of the most common distractions that pull yoga teachers out of presence while teaching—from over-focusing on beginners and constantly checki...

Are you actually struggling more with your teaching than you realize? Or maybe things are just “OK” but you wish they could be better? In this episode, I walk you through a simple self-assessment designed to help you take a closer look at your experience as a yoga teacher. Through a series of questions, you’ll uncover patterns that may be holding you back—like over-preparing, second-guessing, or f...

Episode Description Have you ever felt like you should be more confident teaching by now… but you’re not? In this episode, I’m breaking down 7 common “teacher types” I see all the time when working with yoga teachers—and the underlying beliefs that keep them stuck. As you listen, you might recognize yourself in one (or more) of these patterns. And more importantly, you’ll start to see how the way...

Ever teach your yoga class and feel a rush of nerves coming on? When this happens, sometimes it’s hard to stop things from escalating and pretty soon, you’re in a full blown panic.  In today’s episode, I’ll share a powerful mindset technique called “Zooming in” and how to use it to re-set your nervous system. Additionally, I’ll share the opposite technique, called “Zooming Out” and share with you...

Many yoga teachers feel unsure about what “style” of yoga they should be teaching. Should it be vinyasa? Slow flow? Power yoga? Something else? And often, that confusion starts with how they picked the 200 hour training they attended. You might have chosen a training based on timing, location, or cost — not necessarily because it aligned with how you practice or teach. So when it came time to teac...

In this 400th episode, I’m taking a step back to reflect on the story of this podcast — and how things have changed and shifted in what I share with you.  When I started the podcast in 2018, I was already seeing gaps in how yoga teachers were being trained. But over the years — through conversations, coaching, and working with hundreds of teachers — my perspective and method has evolved. In this e...

In my continuing series of themes for your yoga classes, today we’ll take a look at teaching classes that focus on balancing. This is such an important skill from a mobility perspective and as people age, balance degrades so it’s helpful to focus on it in your classes. One of the ideas behind teaching with this theme is to share with students what the benefits are as they’re in the postures and th...

Many yoga teachers leave their training with a lot of information — anatomy, alignment cues, sequencing ideas — but still feel unsure when it comes to actually teaching. Why does that happen? In this episode, I break down one of the most common learning mistakes yoga teachers make, based on a concept I’ve been talking about: the difference between Building knowledge and Applying knowledge. I heard...

There’s no denying that yoga helps people feel better. But what benefits come from yoga practice? In today’s episode, we look to not only a recent study to discover some of the benefits of yoga to one’s mental health but I also share how you can create sequences that are focused on improving mental health. This could be used in a clinical setting or any setting where you’re teaching people with me...

In Part 1 of this series, I talked about why many yoga teachers finish their training expecting to feel confident, only to find that teaching still feels harder than they expected (and takes a lot more planning time than they thought). In this episode, we shift the conversation toward what actually helps teachers feel more confident. Instead of focusing on accumulating more information or taking m...

Many yoga teachers complete their training expecting that confidence will naturally follow. But once they begin teaching, they often find themselves questioning their cues, second-guessing their sequences, or feeling confused about anatomy.  In this episode, I talk about a pattern I’ve seen after working with many yoga teachers: the gap between completing a training and actually feeling confident...

In this episode, I’m tackling a common source of confusion in the yoga industry: when teaching methods get mistaken for anatomical/movement principles. Many yoga teachers hear cues or “rules” about certain poses — things like “don’t put your foot on the side of your knee in Tree Pose” or “you shouldn’t square your hips in Warrior 1 because that forces the hips into an uncomfortable position.” But...

Have you ever heard a teacher say, “It takes a long time to be a good yoga teacher.” This is an embedded belief in the industry and what it leads to is teachers who feel ill-prepared, overwhelmed and lack confidence.    In this episode, I’ll walk you through how to build your confidence by showing you what to focus on, exactly, in a step by step way. This episode will help you cut that feeling of...

In this final part of a 4-part podcast series, you’ll discover more of what builds confident yoga teaching. We’ll talk about the what it takes to have a confident, empowered mindset; one that allows you to teach with a feeling of calm, roundedness and joy.    This is a topic that’s rarely taught. But is so central to what it takes to not only enjoy teaching, but have it feel easy and fun.    I men...

In this part 3 of a 4-part podcast series, you’ll discover more of what builds confident yoga teaching. We’ll talk about the role of understanding movement and with that, understanding anatomy and how to apply it to your teaching. This tends to be the area where teachers need the most help and in this episode, you’ll discover some powerful reframes that will allow you to look at learning anatomy i...

In this part 2 of a 4-part podcast series, you’ll discover more of what builds confident yoga teaching. It’s a combination of having a solid approach to cueing, sequencing, to understanding the fundamentals of anatomy and having a confident mindset. In today’s episode, you’ll hear about a sequencing approach that will help you feel more confident in the sequence you offer, take less time to prepar...

In this part 1 of a 4-part podcast series, you’ll discover what builds confident yoga teaching. It’s a combination of having a solid approach to cueing, sequencing, to understanding the fundamentals of anatomy and having a confident mindset. In today’s episode, you’ll hear about a cueing approach that will help you feel more grounded and clear as you teach.    I mention a training video that share...

Do you find that you compare yourself to other yoga teachers? Maybe this comes up when you take someone else’s class or when you scroll on social media. It could even be with a yoga teacher you like but you still find yourself thinking, “Why don’t I have as many people in my class?” or “Why don’t I feel like my cues are as clear as her’s?”    While this is common, it’s definitely something to look...

When you started this year and had an idea of the kind of teacher you wanted to be, how does that match up to how you’re actually teaching from week to week? In this episode, we’ll talk about that realization and I’ll share a little bit about why that gap might exist.    We’ll end with some reflection questions at the end so if you want, you can have a journal ready to write down your answers.   ...