Going Pro Yoga Podcast

Wrist injuries are one of the most common injuries to occur in a yoga class! And yet it is still very possible to practice yoga with a wrist injury... In this episode, we cover the various ways you can modify and practice yoga whilst managing a wrist injury. We also discuss the teacher’s perspective and how to safely cue and guide students that are dealing with wrist injuries in your class. Also,...

Have you got injured practicing or teaching yoga? It’s much more common than you would think, and we are here to explain why. Plus we cover how you can avoid getting injured or making your injuries worse in your yoga practice. This episode is especially for Yoga teachers. As injuries are far too common in yoga teachers and are easily avoidable. Injuries in yoga is a topic we are very passionate ab...

This is the best business advice for new yoga teachers! You can hear firsthand the experiences and wisdom of someone who has gone through the complete process of transitioning from a corporate job to a full-time yoga teacher, then to a business coach for yoga teachers. Amy MacDonald is a yoga business coach with a huge range of experience and knowledge in the yoga industry. In this episode, she sh...

Back pain is one of the most common injuries or issues that appear in yoga classes! Learning how to practice with a back injury and lead a class is really important. Plus understanding how to safely share and teach students who are suffering from back injuries is very valuable. As a yoga teacher, it is important to understand both the benefits and also limitations of yoga to heal someone’s back. P...

Have you ever taught a yoga class and left feeling like it was the worst class ever? Don’t worry, it happens to every yoga teacher at some point. Today we are going to discuss how you can bounce back from that experience. And become a better teacher. Plus we will discuss what actually makes a “bad class” a bad class. And how your perception as a teacher and the students’ perception of the class ma...

Hot Yoga is a style of yoga that is rapidly growing in popularity in the modern yoga world, especially in the West. But is it actually good for you? Today we discuss the Pro’s and Con’s of Hot Yoga. Sharing our personal experiences and knowledge. Plus talking about the anatomy and physiology perspective of what hot yoga does for the body. And why some people may be more naturally suited to it than...

This is a truly inspiring story of following one’s passions, taking risks, and pursuing a life of purpose and fulfillment! Listen to the extraordinary journey of your host, Michael. Who went from physiotherapist to yoga anatomy teacher and all the incredible steps between. In today’s episode, Michael shares his personal story that spans the past 10 years. From graduating in Australia as a professi...

Knee injuries are incredibly common in yoga. Understanding how to modify, and adjust your practice and your teaching is absolutely essential. By gaining this knowledge you will protect your students and your own knees. In today’s episode of The Going Pro Yoga Podcast, we discuss knee injuries and issues. We dive deep into adjustments and modifications, to allow safe practice with a knee injury. Un...

Do you or your students have an ankle injury but still want to practice yoga? Then this is the podcast episode for you! In today’s episode of The Going Pro Yoga Podcast, we discuss chronic ankle injuries and acute ankle injuries. We give the top tips and advice on how to practice yoga with an ankle injury. How to help boost recovery and healing through your yoga practice. And we discuss how best t...

Have you ever wondered what it feels like to practice yoga whilst in the air? In today’s episode we cover the benefits of AcroYoga. AcroYoga can improve your yoga practice, relationships and interpersonal skills. In this episode Michael hosts Caspian Burrell, an AcroYoga and Yoga Teacher based in Bali. Caspian shares his personal journey into teaching AcroYoga. Caspian shares a long list of benefi...

Do you struggle with controlling the room in your yoga classes? Taking control of the room is an essential skill to master as a Yoga Teacher. If you struggle to control and lead a room full of students, the impact of your teaching will be much less effective. Gaining control of a room, and setting boundaries/rules, are essential to providing a desirable experience in your yoga classes. Michael and...

How can you make gym/fitness students fall in love with your yoga classes? Teaching yoga in a gym environment can be incredibly challenging and difficult, but can also lead to much more rewarding results! Like giving an amazing first impression of yoga as a practice, and really changing the course of somebody's life... In this episode of the Going Pro Nugget Series, Michael Henri and Byron de...

Is it safe to transition from Warrior III to Half Moon? This would be considered an ADVANCED yoga transition, and the discussion on whether it’s safe to practice, and safe to teach is what needs to be clear for yoga teachers. There are many challenging transitions that some teachers like to explore, while others stay away from completely. Why is that? What is it about these transitions that we nee...

For the first time, Michael Henri shares his story on how he was rejected from Physiotherapy school for 3 years straight. In this biographical episode, you’ll learn how a below average student became an above average guy. After spending thousands of hours and dollars chasing his dreams, only to get swatted down time and time again. Michael shares his story on how he climbed the ladder to become on...

Imagine teaching a yoga class with: A.) A first time Beginner to Yoga B.) An advanced Yogi of 15 years C.) A 70 year old man in the back D.) ALL OF THE ABOVE ✅ This is what teaching an ALL LEVELS class can be like. Intimidating yes… but it doesn’t have to be… It really all depends on how you approach it. What are some considerations or things to think about before creating a sequence for an all l...

Alignment is THE most important concept when it comes to yoga! Just in case you disagree... There are several different types of alignment that need to be understood in order to value it as much as we do. In this episode, Michael teaches about the Principles of Alignment through the Spirals of Energy. A deep topic that can be discussed for hours. Within this episode you'll learn about: Yoga Pr...

Everyone has a pose (or position) that they struggle with... and we blame it on our tight hips! Most of us feel like our hips are tight. But the reality is there are several factors that affect our hip flexibility. Some of these factors we can influence/change/adjust... while others... we can't do anything about. The hip is a deep and complicated joint.  However, the more you can understand th...

"I'm so burnt out. I've completed exhausted myself." Why is this conversation so common in the yoga community? How do we fill ourselves up? How can we sustain our work? If you're teaching 15 classes a week (which is a lot), then that's probably around 20 hours per week. Most full time jobs are 40 hours per week. So if you really think about it, are we just that lazy where...

Giving ourself permission, forgiveness and grace is one of the hardest challenges we all face. It is an art. And it starts with giving ourselves permission first. Not always easy and often requires reminders, which is why made that the focus on this episode. This week's episode we invite Callan Mielnik , a Yoga teacher, Acro Yogi, Dance artist and overall sweetheart. Callan has strong beliefs...

Who HASN'T had issues with their shoulders? The thing that isn't common is what causes most issues in the shoulder.  While most of us are not "anatomists", you don't need to be in order to understand some of the basics. Knowing the basics can save your shoulders in the long run. Here are a few of the facts that Michael covers in this episode: Shoulder muscles are smaller than...

Yoga Teachers don't drink, swear, eat meat, or make mistakes.  Ha! That was hard enough to type let alone accept as truth. These are just a few of the unrealistic expectations that are put on Yoga Teachers. It's true that as Yoga Teachers, we have a responsibility to help heal the world and inspire health and wellness through the practice, but not in such a way that doesn't align with...

Our knees are under-appreciated in life. We typically don’t think too much about them until they become a problem. Depending on what your life has looked like, or what kind of activity you’ve gotten into throughout your life, you may have knees that are feeling older than you are! Or maybe that’s just me (Michael)! Either way, the knees are super important and require a lot of TLC to make sure the...

That choice on whether you're going to... respond... or react.⁠ ⁠ In this week's episode, we welcome back Byron de Marsé as our guest to talk about so many interesting topics that it's hard to encapsulate them all in this description.... But I'll try (Just listen to the full episode, you won't be disappointed) The general theme of the episode is centered around the choice of reacting versus respon...

Do you ever have those days where you just feel like you can't do anything right? I hear ya! It happens to the best of us. One of the most important things you can do to resolve that is to incorporate a morning routine. Let's face it, the science is out, and there are plenty of case studies to demonstrate its effectiveness. Yet a lot of us still don't do it - myself included (Michael). I'm working...

Posture is relatable to everyone.. and alignment is even more relatable and important for yogis and yoginis. Most people don't realize this, but both of these are STRONGLY controlled by the movement of your pelvis! Whether you're:  Sitting at a desk working and need to correct your posture... Doing a sexy dance and shaking your hips and want to know how to move and flow more smoothly... ...