Yoga Teacher Talk

In this episode, host Becca Schmidt shares ideas on how using the scientific method can help your students understand Svadhyaya — the practice of self-study. Just like the scientific method, Svadhyaya emphasizes observation, questioning what appears to be true, creating some educated guesses, experimentation through trial and error, and oftentimes a paradigm shift.  Yoga teachers typically cue our...

Why does flowing yoga feel so good?  Because flow is the natural order of the universe. When we move like water, or air, or fire, we are experiencing an extraordinary connection with life all around us. This experience is known as life force, or prana or chi. Becca shares stories from the book “The Well-Lived Life” by Dr. Gladys McGarey, who believes that movement is a human’s most natural state,...

Bask in the vibrant colors of New Delhi. Walk in the footsteps of the Beatles at the Maharishi Mahesh ashram and visit the sacred Kunjapari Temple in Rishikesh. Experience Ayurvedic foods and treatments from master instructors. Dance to sacred music, and even get a gorgeous henna tatoo! In this episode, Krystal Gignac, yoga instructor and founder of Adventure India, takes Becca on a virtual tour o...

Are you ready to co-teach your next yoga class or workshop? Becca invites you to the inside lane of tag-team teaching, with dynamic duo, Holly Idzick and David Ricklck, who share their five best practices for a seemless class. Discover why co-teaching with someone you trust is guaranteed to bring an game-changing energy to your programs. A few highlights from this episode: Holly and David present...

Welcome to Yoga Teacher Talk (formerly The Language of Yoga) and what a season premiere it is! Host Becca is joined by her guest Rachel Chase, a dancer-turned-energy healer, yoga teacher, and therapist whose path is anything but ordinary. Rachel's story begins where all great stories do: in the body. She came into this world moving, and dance became her first language — her communion with the divi...

Welcome to a sneak peak of our newly rebranded show, Yoga Teacher Talk. We have transitioned away from our name "The Language of Yoga", but the spirit is still very much alive. Make sure to tune in to our first episode of Season 4 with Rachel Chase. Thanks for listening!

Bethanne Weiss, Author of the book  " Move Your Assets: From the Chair, Not the Bank", and founder of FUNIQ Fitness®, shares her strategy on keeping students motivated to move. A big secret is using humor and radient positivity. Join Becca and Bethanne in this fun episode where you will begin to feel  "more joy and less oye” about teaching! Find out about Beth’s programs at BethanneWellness.com ....

Somatics may be the missing link in how you help your yoga students shift into a deeper mind-body connection. In therapy, as well as on the yoga mat, somatics focuses on internal body awareness, emphasizing sensations and feelings to help release deeply stored stress, trauma and habitual holding patterns by exploring what feels safe and good in the body. Dr. K shares stories about how somatic ther...

Is it “vertebrae or vertebra”?  “What is normal kyphosis?” “What exactly is a bulging disc?” “What are the best poses for a healthy but aging spine?”   Chiropractor, Dr. James Baily answers these important questions and much more, in this episode all about the back. Having a strong understanding about the design and functions of the spine is essential to a yoga teacher’s scope of knowledge. Learn...

Season Three: Episode 3 Letting Ganesha In When you’re in a jam, invite Ganesha into your classroom. Becca has tips on how the symbols and lessons from Ganesha, the Elephant, remover of obstacles can lend a hand when you need it most. Show music from An Attachment Supreme by The King Tides from their album Russian Red , which is available wherever you stream music. Links:  Bluemoon.yoga    bekindy...

How much fun is too much fun on the yoga mat?  This episode talks about painting your face, grabbing glow sticks and headsets and dancing to the yoga beat! Lean in to more fun with Alex Cuellar! 

Season Three:  Episode 1  Bringing your voice to the Forefront  Becca talks with Angela Schwoneck, a vocal courage coach and musician who specializes in the type of music yoga teachers love so much - bells, bowls, drums,  shruti box and the human voice!  Angela leads the listeners in a chant that can cure a headache and give the body a sense of sweet serenity. (She also teaches us to chant OM with...

Take a virtual tour of Magnolia Yoga and Wellness Center, a comprehensive holistic center in Longwood, Florida. Magnolia is a program of Christian Relief Services, created by Lorena Castiglione, the Director in collaboration with Bryan Krizek the CEO.  Magnolia is a trauma-informed space where the priority is inclusivity, safety and emotional well-being. At Magnolia, there is always an emphasis on...

Meet renowned yoga instructor, studio owner and founder of Grounded Yoga, Krystal Gignac. She has trained hundreds of yoga teachers and has recently opened a studio in Orlando, Florida. In this episode, Gignac shares her ziz zag journey of studying yoga — from her tiny apartment with a Donna Farhi library book, to using yoga breathing techniques early in her career as a wildlife specialist to cope...

Becca's has a poignant conversation with Alberta Dering, RYT300, a trauma-informed yoga teacher, innovator, and trailblazer in healing and resilience. Alberta is dedicated to breaking stigmas around mental health, trauma, and recovery, bringing trauma-informed yoga to underserved communities, including juvenile detention centers, domestic violence shelters, and recovery programs. Alberta offers pr...

There’s more to marketing a yoga business than getting hits on social media. Join host Becca Schmidt and Colette Ferrell, founder “It’s Just Yoga” festivals and get invaluable tips on how you can acquire new students organically through group marketing opportunities in your area.  Central Florida Yoga Fanatics… mark your calendar for Sunday, March 9th for the next It's Just Yoga Festival at Lake E...

Sit in on a warm, heartfelt conversation with Becca and longtime friend and yoga instructor Joanmarie Seacord as they reflect on how important it is for teachers to show up for their students in difficult times.  According to Seacord, “this is what we’ve been practicing for. We find a way to still the mind and calm the central nervous system to be able to stand in the storms.”   Secord also sugges...

Becca invites into her home for a private tour of her vast yoga library. Go behind the scenes with Becca as she shares her dog-eared favorites, her treasured top shelf books and tips for acquiring and curating just the collection. Listeners will get a sneak peek into the “must haves” yoga teachers will need throughout their career. Intro Music: ♫ Song: Totohm Shanti - A Melodic Drum Music promoted...

This episode is all about Balance - why we teach it, how it applies to better mobility in everyday life and some creative new ways to talk about balance to your students.  Teach balance poses throughout your class and use some of these synonyms for variety: stability, steadiness, evenness, level, grounded symmetry, harmony, equity, equanimity.   And for balance poses that move, try some of these:...

Join us for Season Two, episode one, with renown DJ performer, Taz Rashid. Becca asks Rashid about how he stays creative while balancing a busy schedule which includes releasing a new album, a concert tour, a trip to Saudi Arabia — and a newborn baby! For more ways to connect with DJ Taz Rashid, you can check out his: Website djtazrashid.com Instagram @djtazrashid Facebook DJ Taz Rashid For more w...

Emily and Becca chat about the perks and perils of doing yoga on a moving mat. To find out more about Emily, visit her Instagram @emzenyoga . You can also find her books here on Amazon. To find out more about Becca's work, visit bluemoon.yoga for more information. This podcast was recorded and produced at WPRK Studios in Winter Park, Florida. Outro Music: ♫ Song: Totohm Shanti - A Melodic Drum Mus...

No one wants admit they talk too much, but a lot of yoga teachers find the need to over-explain poses, or needlessly fill the air with talk. This episode reminds that when yoga instructors talk too much, we take away from our students’ experience. To find out more about Becca's work, visit bluemoon.yoga for more information. This podcast was recorded and produced at WPRK Studios in Winter Park, Fl...

In this episode, we look at how gate pose replicates the physical shape of the long lever that closes the latch on a gate. Students will visualize a long fence line representing life’s many choices where they may choose to keep the latch closed, or open a floodgate of new possibilities. Becca also presents how, while in bridge pose, our human form offers connection, passage and equanimity.  

Join Becca and Tribe Yoga Studio owner Stephanie for a heartfelt discussion about the importance of inclusion, connection, humor, music and all the good stuff that makes a student feel appreciated wherever they practice yoga.  Tribe Yoga Studio can be found at  Tribe Yoga Studio tribeyogastudio.com |

This episode brings the ancient concept of Santosha to the 21st Century. Modern students of yoga are facing post-pandemic struggles like never before - Isolation, depression, discontentment — and are bringing a desire for a new definition of contentment to their mats. Our students are striving for Happiness .  But what is happiness in the 21st Century? And how can we, as yoga instructors, help our...