Full-Time Yoga Teacher

In this episode, I sit down with yoga teacher, mentor, and educator Tara Alperin to explore what it really looks like to build a long-term career in yoga. From her beginnings as a competitive figure skater and dancer to teaching over 20 yoga classes a week in New York City, Tara shares how each chapter of her journey shaped the teacher and mentor she is today. We also talk about the realities of m...

In this episode, I sit down with yoga therapist, yin yoga teacher, and teacher trainer Nyk Danu, who has been teaching since 2004. Nyk shares her unlikely path from hairstylist to full-time yoga teacher and how injuries and a growing interest in Buddhism led her to yoga. We also talk about her studies with Paul Grilley, the value of mentorship and apprenticeship, and how yoga teachers can flourish...

In this episode, I sit down with Klaudia Paletta, founder of Pink Means Go, bilingual wellness facilitator, and yoga teacher dedicated to making yoga more accessible to Latinx communities. Klaudia shares her journey from retail management to full-time yoga teaching, how teaching her grandmother during the pandemic inspired her work, and how she has built community-centered wellness programs throug...

In this episode of the Full-Time Yoga Teacher Podcast, Reika sits down with Maria Wada to explore her journey from growing up in Japan and Mexico to becoming a professional dancer in Los Angeles, performing with artists like Britney Spears and Taylor Swift. Maria shares the emotional highs and challenges of the entertainment industry, how yoga helped her reconnect to herself beyond external valida...

In this episode, I sit down with Chase Bossart to explore what it really means to practice and live yoga beyond the mat. Chase shares his journey from studying philosophy to becoming a longtime student of T.K.V. Desikachar, offering a rare glimpse into the depth of the teacher-student relationship. Through his years of study in India and ongoing practice, we talk about individualized teaching, hum...

In this episode, I’m joined by Brenna Barzenick, yoga teacher, studio owner, and physical therapist with over 30 years of experience. Brenna shares her journey from traditional PT to yoga and how she now bridges both worlds of science and yoga. Brenna shares her journey from working in orthopedic physical therapy to discovering yoga later in life, and how that path eventually led her to become a S...

In this episode, Sunny returns to share how her teaching career has completely shifted, from teaching over a dozen classes a week to intentionally scaling back for a more sustainable and aligned life. We talk about the real process of valuing yourself as a yoga teacher, setting boundaries, and making difficult decisions around work and finances. Sunny also shares how her path has expanded beyond s...

In this solo episode, I share a real-time update on my teaching life: what my current schedule looks like, the different streams of income that support my work as a full-time yoga teacher, and a continuing education program I’m in that’s been expanding how I see movement, pattern recognition, and teaching. In the second half of the episode, I answer two of the most common questions I hear from new...

In this episode of the  Full-Time Yoga Teacher Podcast , Reika Shucart speaks with longtime yoga teacher and yoga therapist  Rebecca Sebastian , the host of the podcast  Working In Yoga . Rebecca shares her unconventional path from nonprofit fundraising into a 25-year career in the yoga industry, including becoming a yoga therapist, studio owner, nonprofit co-founder, and now a full-time media cre...

In this episode of the  Full-Time Yoga Teacher Podcast , host Reika Shucart sits down with  Elizabeth Clark , a full-time yoga teacher, prenatal and postnatal yoga specialist, birth doula, and founder of  Looma Birth . Elizabeth shares her decade-long journey of building a sustainable yoga career rooted in motherhood, birth work, and entrepreneurship. From becoming a yoga teacher in the same year...

In this episode of the Full-Time Yoga Teacher Podcast, Reika sits down with Lauren Cohen, a San Francisco-based yoga teacher and retreat leader, to talk honestly about what it takes to build a sustainable life in yoga. Lauren shares her journey from ballet and competitive figure skating to discovering yoga during a deeply challenging period in college, an experience that ultimately changed the cou...

In this episode, Reika sits down with  Aimee Echo , a yoga teacher and educator devoted to preserving the integrity of classical Yoga while making its tools accessible to modern practitioners. Aimee is the owner of Community Yoga Club, home of Ashtanga Yoga Long Beach, where she leads a daily Mysore-style program and offers Individual Yoga Therapy. Together, they explore what it means to remain a...

In this episode, I sit down with Jivana Heyman, founder of Accessible Yoga, to reflect on over 30 years of teaching, learning, and evolving within the yoga world. Jivana shares his journey into yoga, early influences from Integral Yoga, and how his experiences shaped a lifelong commitment to accessibility, service, and community. We explore the realities of teaching yoga beyond the poses, power dy...

In this solo year-end episode, I reflect on 2025, a year shaped by endurance, teaching, travel, and honest observation. I share highlights from running my first marathon and first 50k ultra, leading a SmartFLOW 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training, producing weekly podcast episodes, and guiding retreats in Nicaragua while preparing for what’s ahead in 2026. I also reflect on my pilgrimage on the Kumano...

In this episode, Reika sits down with Amanda Kingsmith: 500-hour RYT, yoga business coach, podcast host, author, world traveler, and mom of two, for an honest conversation about building a sustainable yoga career while living a nontraditional life. Amanda shares her journey from leaving a corporate job to teaching yoga full-time, launching  Mastering the Business of Yoga , and eventually embracing...

In this episode, Reika interviews Francesca Cervero, a yoga teacher and mentor with over 20 years of experience teaching yoga and working one-on-one with students. Francesca shares her journey from dancer to full-time yoga teacher. Together, they explore the art and sustainability of yoga teaching, the role of mentorship and continuing education, and what it really takes to build a long-term yoga...

In this special 100th episode of the  Full-Time Yoga Teacher Podcast , Reika reflects on the journey of creating the podcast over the past two years and the many lessons learned from interviewing over 65 yoga teachers from around the world. She shares an honest behind-the-scenes look at the realities of podcasting, including slow growth, unpaid labor, and what it truly takes to stay committed to a...

In the final episode of this anatomy mini-series, Reika and Olga dive into the importance of understanding movement patterns and what they reveal about how the body truly functions. They explore why there is no one “correct” alignment for every body, how anatomical differences shape the way we move, and how yoga cues can either support or limit healthy movement if we’re not careful. This conversat...

In this second of the anatomy mini-series, Reika and Olga dive into one of the most important and most overlooked topics in yoga education:  anatomical variation . They explore how differences in bone structure, joint shape, and movement capacity influence every student’s experience on the mat. This conversation breaks down why flexibility isn’t just about stretching more, why some poses feel acce...

In this first episode of our three-part mini-series on anatomy for yoga teachers, Reika and Olga dive into their personal journeys of learning anatomy, starting from their early experiences in 200-hour trainings to the continuing education programs that helped everything finally “click.” They reflect on what was missing in their initial anatomy education, what sparked their fascination with functi...

In this episode, Reika sits down with  Jo of Organic Adaptive  to reflect on their shared experience organizing and leading the  Ethical Yoga Retreat  in Nicaragua. Together, they revisit the planning process, from developing a clear theme to balancing structure with free time, and share what it truly takes to bring a meaningful retreat to life. Reika and Jo discuss the value of collaboration, com...

In this episode, Reika sits down with  Mado Hesselink , yoga teacher, mentor, and host of  The Yoga Teacher Resource podcast , to explore what it truly means to build a sustainable and fulfilling yoga career. Mado shares her journey from teaching group classes to mentoring yoga teachers worldwide through her online courses and community. Together, they discuss the realities of the yoga industry, b...

In this episode, Reika sits down with Debbie Livingston, yoga teacher, ultra runner, coach, mother, and lifelong advocate for mindful movement. Debbie shares how she discovered yoga and trail running during college and how both practices have remained beautifully intertwined throughout her life. With over two decades of experience in fitness, yoga, and coaching, Debbie reflects on the importance o...

In Part Three of the  Intelligent Sequencing for Vinyasa Yoga  mini-series, Reika and Karen explore the power of  consistency  in yoga sequencing and how it supports both teachers and students. They discuss why predictability can actually create a deeper sense of safety, embodiment, and connection, rather than stifling creativity. This conversation dives into how a consistent framework allows teac...

In Part Two of the  Intentional Sequencing for Vinyasa Yoga  mini-series, Reika and Karen dive into one of the most common challenges yoga teachers face: doing too much in a sequence . They unpack the pressure many new teachers feel to prove their creativity through complex flows and explore why simplicity often creates a more impactful experience for students. Through candid conversation and pers...