Yoga Teacher Resource Blog
All articles in order of date, newest first
Beyond 500 Hours: Competency-Based Standards and the American Yoga Council
Are 200 and 500 hour designations meaningful, or are they just gatekeeping? Andrew Tanner, CEO of American Yoga Council, speaks on the topic. Andrew describes founding the American Yoga Council as a public benefit corporation to improve yoga education and help professionals earn a living through transparent, competency-based school standards with accountability, member benefits like insurance and continuing education, revenue sharing back to teachers and schools, and consumer tools to match people with the right yoga for their needs.
First Time Retreat Math: Pricing, Deposits, and Minimums
Planning your first yoga retreat? Let’s make sure the math actually works! In this episode, you’ll hear a real-life retreat planning conversation about pricing, minimum enrollment, deposits, cancellation policies, and how to make sure you’re paying yourself for all the work that goes into creating a retreat. We also talk about how to communicate the value you bring when the retreat center already offers yoga, Ayurveda, food, and other experiences.
Vetting Venues: Questions First-Time Retreat Leaders Forget to Ask
Dreaming of leading your first yoga retreat? Save yourself time and potential headaches by following this two-step retreat center vetting process that covers everything from communication red flags to the fine print on cancellations. In this episode, you’ll hear exactly how I narrow down my options for retreat venues, compare apples to apples, and read between the lines to find the best venue for your first yoga retreat. If you aren’t sure exactly what questions you need to ask a retreat center before booking with them, tune in for practical advice for choosing the venue for your first or next yoga retreat.
12 Reasons Every Retreat Leader Needs to Be a Guest Too
Many yoga retreat leaders have never attended a retreat as a guest. In this episode, I share 12 reasons why retreat leaders should prioritize experiencing a retreat from the other side. Some of these reasons are personal, such as forcing you to take a break, while others are more practical, like discovering your operational blind spots. Since finances are often a major hurdle, I also share three ways that retreat leaders can get discounts on other people’s retreats.
How to Sequence a 20 Minute Demo Class
Mado shares her top 5 tips for sequencing a 20 minute demo class to audition for a teaching position.
Breathing Myths and Misconceptions
Dr. Crystal Frazee unpacks common myths and misconceptions about the breath that are frequently shared in yoga classes. In this episode, she shares the basics of breathing physiology that every yoga teacher should know – and how to apply that knowledge in a yoga setting. She advises teachers to drop the cue “deep breath,” prioritize quiet, effortless nasal breathing with lower rib expansion, emphasize the full breath cycle and pauses, offer opt-outs in group classes, and use gentle strategies such as slowed exhalations and brief breath holds to support CO2 tolerance and student self-observation.
Tips for Teaching Anatomy
If you’re an anatomy nerd eager to share your enthusiasm for the human body with your students, you’ll love the insider tips and best practices we share in this conversation. Listen in to hear about the balance between clarity and accuracy, the importance of knowing your audience, and the potential pros and cons of incorporating anatomical concepts into asana classes. We also cover special considerations for teaching anatomy in yoga teacher training programs.
Yoga Anatomy Made Easy
Why is learning anatomy so hard for yoga teachers? In this episode, we discuss the importance of becoming fluent in basic anatomy to accurately speak about the body in your yoga classes. We know anatomy can feel like a foreign language – that’s because it is! But fear not, we have the secret sauce to make it all stick. From our own adventures with anatomy to tips that’ll make studying a breeze, this episode is the ultimate cheat sheet for all wanna-be anatomy enthusiasts. Get ready to unleash your inner nerd and build a rock-solid anatomical foundation.
Yoga’s PR Problem (& how you can help)
As teachers we have an important role to play in improving the public perception of yoga. In this episode, you will learn the most common misconceptions that prevent people from trying yoga, why yoga is misunderstood in the wider culture, and what you can do about it as a yoga teacher.
So You Want to Run a Teacher Training?
What does it actually take to run a yoga teacher training? In this episode with Angela Hammond, founder of Main Street Yoga, we talk about the real behind-the-scenes of leading a 200-hour yoga teacher training. From curriculum design and Yoga Alliance requirements to navigating group dynamics and burnout, Angela shares what she’s learned over years of trial and error. Teacher trainings are a lot of work, yes—but also the most rewarding format for teaching.
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Teaching With an Injury [On-Air Coaching Call]
Physical demonstration is an important tool for teaching – so what do you do when an injury prevents you from being able to demonstrate? In this on-air coaching call with Juzbi Walia, we explore what it means to teach yoga with an injury, from rethinking asana beyond set sequences to developing more subtle, specific approaches to movement and instruction. What at first feels like a limitation can actually boost creativity, expand accessibility, and highlight the role of structure and community in long-term growth.
Why Running a Yoga Business Feels so Hard (and things that will help)
Yoga teachers often begin their teaching journey expecting a flexible, meaningful, and low-stress career, but quickly find themselves overwhelmed by the realities of running a yoga business. In this episode, we break down why the modern yoga teacher role feels so hard, from the pressures of social media to the many hats you’re required to wear when self-employed. This conversation unpacks the gap between the “dream” and the day-to-day, and what it actually takes to build a sustainable path as a yoga teacher today.
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Sustainable Service Packages and The Myth of Passive Income [On Air Coaching Call]
Yoga teachers often find themselves with a business model that leads straight to burnout. In this live coaching session, yoga teacher Amberly Kelley-Dotson opens up about the exhaustion of the one-on-one grind. Amberly is caught in a cycle of high-touch services and hidden, unpaid labor. In this episode, we work through a real-time restructuring of her business, moving away from the “passive income” fantasy and toward sustainable, concrete alternatives.
Alignment and Functional Movement
Basic misunderstandings about the human body can lead to yoga cues that have the opposite effect from what the teacher intended. In this episode, physical therapist and longtime yoga educator Dr. Ariele Foster breaks down why rigid alignment cues often fail our biology. Listen in to hear a nuanced discussion of the role of alignment in asana and how to bring more functional movement into your yoga classes.
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Be Less Cringey on Camera [On-Air Coaching Call]
If you feel super awkward as soon as the camera starts rolling, you’ll be able to relate to this on-air coaching call. Henrica shares her challenges in producing on-demand yoga videos that she feels are good enough to release to her students. Listen in for my advice on how to get started with creating and editing yoga videos when you’re struggling with perfectionism.
Yoga, Longevity, and a Balanced Movement Diet
In this episode, physical therapist and yoga teacher Libby Hinsley introduces the concept of a “movement diet” as a framework for long-term physical sustainability and longevity. Over-relying on asana means missing out on essential movement “nutrients.” Learn about the ‘macro-nutrients’ of the movement world, including where yoga shines and where it is limited.
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Pricing and Financial Sustainability [On-Air Coaching Call]
Join me for an on-air coaching call with yoga teacher Lorine Bamberg as we explore the intersection of spirituality and commerce. Lorine is committed to embodying yoga’s ethics but faces the very real challenge of protecting her own financial health. Together, we look at the evolving responsibilities of the modern teacher, from navigating fair pricing to balancing service with self-preservation. We also explore the complex role of social justice in practice: determining when to speak up and how to hold space for global issues with integrity.
Advanced Asana Part 2: Aesthetics, Access, and the Algorithm
What happens when algorithms influence the public perception of yoga? Social media algorithms distort the public view of yoga and exacerbate a disconnect between yoga teachers and the people we aim to serve. In this candid discussion, Lily and I explore the challenges of teaching and practicing in the digital age. We question the viability of the “all levels” class and discuss the profound missed opportunities when yoga is ‘sanitized’ and divorced from the messy reality of life.