Conversations for Yoga Teachers

In today’s episode, you’ll learn about the key aspects of assisting. We’ll cover both the techniques of assisting and also the mental and mindset related aspects of assisting in your classes.    At the end of the episode, I share a podcast offer with you. If you’d like to take this offer, you’ll need this link:   https://barebonesyoga.thinkific.com/courses/Yoga-Anatomy-Accelerator

Have you ever thought about what beliefs you have about teaching yoga and how this impacts how you teach? Here’s a simple one: if you believe your students might get hurt in your classes, that might cause you to worry before you go into class. If you believe your students need to see you practicing, that will cause you to be the kind of teacher who practices with their class.   In this episode, you’ll discover how beliefs drive behavior, the common beliefs yoga teachers have and how to move past them so that you can find your most empowering way to teach.   At the end, I have a special update on the Yoga Anatomy Accelerator Program. Find out more here:    https://barebonesyoga.thinkific.com/courses/Yoga-Anatomy-Accelerator

For this episode, I did a query of Chat GPT and asked it, “What are popular questions you’re getting from yoga teachers?” I got the top 3 questions and I answer them in this episode.    I start out speaking from the heart and from my passion for helping you in sharing how this month’s group is doing inside the Yoga Anatomy Accelerator Program and what’s possible for you if you enroll.    The link to the program is here:     https://barebonesyoga.thinkific.com/courses/Yoga-Anatomy-Accelerator   My new e book is out!   Get it here:   https://barebonesyoga.lpages.co/from-the-interview-chair-e-book/

In this episode, we take a look at understanding the “why” behind some cues. These cues were submitted to me via comments on my social media posts by yoga teachers. I put out a call to teachers to submit cues where they’d like to understand more about why that cue might be used.    For this episode, I also did an IG LIve workshop. The link to the workshop is below.    Link to workshop:   https://www.instagram.com/p/DP4Ata_kXBX/   Link to Yoga Anatomy Accelerator Program:   https://barebonesyoga.thinkific.com/courses/Yoga-Anatomy-Accelerator   Link to Signature Sequence video:   https://barebonesyoga.lpages.co/how-to-create-a-signature-sequence/   Link to new e book, “From the Interview Chair: Lessons for Yoga teachers”   https://barebonesyoga.lpages.co/from-the-interview-chair-e-book/

Sometimes you might feel like there’s so many different aspects of teaching yoga: there’s your cues, your sequences, understanding anatomy, feeling confident, sharing philosophy, building community and maybe even building a yoga business and brand.  With all these areas of focus, it’s important to know what your priority is right now, so you can create a plan of action. It’s hard to work on everything all at once and this can be stressful for you so in this episode, you’ll hear how to create an action plan that allows you to gain momentum in the direction of your vision.    Here are links you’ll need for this episode:   My new e book:   https://barebonesyoga.lpages.co/from-the-interview-chair-e-book/   The Yoga Anatomy Accelerator:     https://barebonesyoga.thinkific.com/courses/Yoga-Anatomy-Accelerator

Yoga teachers use lots of common phrases when they talk about how things are going with their classes. I know because over the years, I’ve talked to hundreds of teachers and am always listening to their word choice. It’s part of what I do as a coach and it’s always interesting to me how they classify their challenges and struggles using similar phrasing. You’ll have to listen to the episode to find out more about this but in this episode, I not only give you the clues, I share the process that will allow you to move past limiting beliefs, as expressed by your word choice and instead unleash your most confident, empowered yoga teacher.   For this episode, you’ll need these links:   The group Accelerator Program:   https://barebonesyoga.thinkific.com/courses/Yoga-Anatomy-Accelerator   The one on one Blueprint Program:   https://barebonesyoga.thinkific.com/courses/blueprint-learning-program   The Instagram video I referred to:    https://www.instagram.com/p/DPRzuATj_K9/   The anatomy test:     https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/mvUhA7cRp8HNwNKmMfOqnmq-f4VfDifNHmX9JHPHTQyTLXACCOke3SIkqkXqdEEC.oDT3htPBtEC-qxBt?startTime=1714942660000     Send me a DM on Instagram @barebonesyoga with any questions or thoughts after you listen.

This past week, my podcast hit a special milestone with over 2,000 people listening to the show! In this special episode, I share the details of this milestone and share how this inspired me to set a big goal for the rest of this year.    Listen in and when you do, you’ll need these links:     One on one Program   https://barebonesyoga.thinkific.com/courses/blueprint-learning-program   Group Program   https://barebonesyoga.thinkific.com/courses/Yoga-Anatomy-Accelerator   Thank you so much for listening to the show!

Are you working a full time job and teaching yoga also? For a lot of teachers I’ve talked to over the years, as well as myself when I was teaching in this model, they share their special challenges that go with this lifestyle.    Yoga teachers sometimes feel that teaching “on the side” isn’t as good or as important as those who are teaching full time. Nothing could be further from the truth. And that’s what this episode is about. I cover some of the myths associated with full time teaching, discuss the steps you need to consider if you want to leave your full time job and present a case for how to approach teaching and working full time in a way that allows you to enjoy both.    In the episode I share a few offers that have links associated with them. Here are the links:   My virtual online yoga studio opens 10/1/25:   https://barebonesyoga.com/online-studio/   The Yoga Anatomy Blueprint Learning Program:   https://barebonesyoga.thinkific.com/courses/blueprint-learning-program   The Yoga Anatomy Accelerator Program:   https://barebonesyoga.thinkific.com/courses/Yoga-Anatomy-Accelerator

When you share anatomy in your cues, do you understand the reason for the cue? Many times, teachers tell me they share the words but they don’t understand the rationale for the cue but that doesn’t stop them from sharing it.   Imagine using cues that you can actually explain. It’s what I call “Understanding the WHY behind the cue” and it’s transformative. You’ll feel more confident, be able to re-word the cue if you need to and you’ll be able to answer any questions that come up.    To do this you have to learn the fundamentals of anatomy. In this episode, i’ll share some actual cues with you along with the WHY behind them and we’re doing it in a “quiz” format so you’ll be able to test your knowledge.    In the episode, I talk about a few links you can get in the show notes. Here are those links;   The Cues Training Video   https://barebonesyoga.lpages.co/how-to-share-clear-yoga-cues/     The Yoga Anatomy Accelerator Program   https://barebonesyoga.thinkific.com/courses/Yoga-Anatomy-Accelerator     The Yoga Anatomy Blueprint Learning Program   https://barebonesyoga.thinkific.com/courses/blueprint-learning-program

What’s your vision for how you want to teach yoga? When you close your eyes and dream about how you want to show up in your classes, what do you see? For many yoga teachers, they have a clear vision but their day to day experience doesn’t match that vision. In my work with yoga teachers in my program, I get to see what it looks like when a teacher starts teaching in a way that is more in line with how they want to show up. This is the stuff of what I call “Yoga Teacher Transformations.”    In this episode, you’ll hear the stories of two yoga teachers and the transformations they experienced as well as get an action plan for how you can start to make your vision come true too.    You’ll need the links below that go with this episode:   The Signature Sequence training video:   https://barebonesyoga.lpages.co/how-to-create-a-signature-sequence/   The link to the Yoga Anatomy Accelerator Program:   https://barebonesyoga.thinkific.com/courses/Yoga-Anatomy-Accelerator   The link to the Yoga Anatomy Blueprint Learning Program:   https://barebonesyoga.thinkific.com/courses/blueprint-learning-program   The link to the September book club:   https://barebonesyoga.lpages.co/the-bare-bones-yoga-virtual-book-club/

Are you speaking to the benefits of yoga in your classes or assuming your students know what they are? In this episode, you’ll discover the benefits of yoga by looking at the medical research instead of just listening to the stories and “things yoga teachers say” that might not be backed up by science. Having said that, there are lots of benefits of yoga that might not (yet) have medical research behind them so it’s not about one being better than the other. However, there is a body of research out there now speaking to the benefits of yoga and we’ll look at some of that here.   You’ll need the links to the studies:   https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39607489/     https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6451238/   https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8583600/   And you’ll also need links to my two programs:    https://barebonesyoga.thinkific.com/courses/Yoga-Anatomy-Accelerator     https://barebonesyoga.thinkific.com/courses/blueprint-learning-program

In this episode, you’ll discover how to save time as a yoga teacher from the weekly and monthly tasks that so many yoga teachers do. These things include prepping a new sequence every week, practicing it at home, researching anatomy questions and more. These activities, while they may seem required, are often fueled by beliefs that are perpetuated by a narrative in the yoga industry that doesn’t serve teachers teaching in a way that feels easy and fun.    To find out more about my two programs I discussed in this episode, use these links:   https://barebonesyoga.thinkific.com/courses/Yoga-Anatomy-Accelerator     https://barebonesyoga.thinkific.com/courses/blueprint-learning-program

Ever look at your students knees as they practice? The knees and the feet can tell you quite a bit about what’s going on in the body. Correcting alignment at the feet and knees can allow students to feel more grounded and steady and can even lead to better knee health.   In today’s episode you’ll hear about cues to several common poses and how to correct problems in alignment that show up in the feet and the knees.    I also speak about the upcoming Virtual Book Club. DM me on Instagram to get on the list. This program is free.    I also share with you a podcast discount for the Yoga Anatomy Accelerator Program. DM me on Instagram for the discount code for $50 off. Check out the program with the link below:   https://barebonesyoga.thinkific.com/courses/Yoga-Anatomy-Accelerator

Ever wonder about the connection between the benefits of yoga and what’s discussed in medical studies? In today’s show, you’ll learn about how a study on osteoarthritis has a connection to teaching foot and knee alignment in yoga. While this might sound like a stretch, once you listen to the episode, you’ll see what I mean.   You’ll also hear about themes from the book, “Big Magic” by Elizabeth Gilbert and how they’ll be part of a Book Club I’ll be offering in the fall, 2025.   Links you’ll need:   https://nyulangone.org/news/study-reveals-how-small-changes-walking-technique-may-help-treat-knee-osteoarthritis     https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanrhe/article/PIIS2665-9913(25)00151-1/abstract     https://barebonesyoga.thinkific.com/courses/blueprint-learning-program     https://barebonesyoga.thinkific.com/courses/Yoga-Anatomy-Accelerator

Do you consider yourself an over-thinker? Over-thinkers stand in the way of their own progress and often over-think because they’re not confident in how they’re teaching their yoga classes. In this episode, you’ll hear some of the signs and symptoms of an over-thinker and discover an interesting experiment you can try to shift from being an over-thinker to being a confident decision maker!   In this episode, I mention my two programs and you can find the links below:     Learn one to one:   https://barebonesyoga.thinkific.com/courses/blueprint-learning-program   Learn in a group program:    https://barebonesyoga.thinkific.com/courses/Yoga-Anatomy-Accelerator

Imagine you had a step by step way to feel more confident not only in your life but when you’re teaching your classes. This is what you’ll discover when you listen to this episode. In it, you’ll discover The Confidence Practice, a 6-step framework for building your confidence, grounded in science and mindset principles.    Once you listen, you can take the next step by doing the 5 Day Confidence Challenge, a self-guided experience designed to give you fun things to try every day, in service to tapping into feeling great.   You can get it here:   https://barebonesyoga.lpages.co/the-5-day-confidence-challenge/   And don’t forget to DM me as you’ll hear about at the end of the episode.

Catch this episode and you’ll walk away with solutions to problems that yoga teachers are having. These are problems I hear about from teachers all over the world and with all levels of experience. In many cases, they’re driven by the narratives in the yoga industry around different things: cueing, sequencing, student injuries and how to teach your class. These beliefs drive behaviors that lead teachers to feel frustrated, boxed in and less than confident.   In this episode, you’ll hear solutions for problems like:    -Fear of students getting hurt in class -Spending hours prepping for class -Feeling underpaid for classes -Being dependent on practicing with class when you really want to do the Walk and Talk -A lack of understanding of anatomy.    At the end of the episode, I make you an offer and there’s an incentive included since you’re a podcast listener so listen for that.    I also talk about the 5 Day Confidence Challenge which you can access here:   https://barebonesyoga.lpages.co/the-5-day-confidence-challenge/     I also refer to my recent interview on The Inner Fire of Yoga podcast. You can listen to that here:   https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/yoga-teaching-confidence-starts-here-anatomy-mindset/id1795863974?i=1000718213326     I talk about my group program, The Yoga Anatomy Accelerator:   https://barebonesyoga.thinkific.com/courses/Yoga-Anatomy-Accelerator   and the one on one program, The Yoga Anatomy Blueprint, link below:     https://barebonesyoga.thinkific.com/courses/blueprint-learning-program

Do you feel like your intuition is guiding you when it comes to how you’re teaching or are you following what you were told or what others are doing? In this episode, you’ll discover ways to listen to your intuition so that you can find the most authentic, easy, confident way to teach your yoga classes. By the end of this episode, you’ll have a clearer idea of the direction you want to go as a teacher, what that looks like and what your first step is to help you get there.   You’ll hear about the 5 Day Confidence Challenge which you can take here:   https://barebonesyoga.lpages.co/the-5-day-confidence-challenge/   You’ll also hear about the Yoga Anatomy Accelerator Program, which you can check out here:   https://barebonesyoga.thinkific.com/courses/Yoga-Anatomy-Accelerator

Are you feeling overworked and underpaid or even one or the other? Catch this episode and discover how to swap that out and instead feel rewarded, balanced and valued. I heard this statement from a yoga teacher recently as a comment on my social media and I used it to query my email list to see if it resonated. I got a bunch of replies and that told me that we’ve got a problem. Feeling overworked and underpaid is self-defeating and energy sucking experience and over time, you’ll grow to resent your classes. So, instead, listen to this episode and you’ll discover how to set your own rate, how to evaluate your teaching schedule so it’s filled with rewarding opportunities and how to get all your planning time back so you drop that feeling of being overworked.   At the end, I share a special offer that goes with this link:   https://barebonesyoga.thinkific.com/courses/Yoga-Anatomy-Accelerator

In today’s episode, you’ll meet Dr. Jodi Blinco. She is an educator, former yoga studio owner, entrepreneur and leader in higher education. Jodi and I have a spirited conversation about confidence, managing your energy, learning and building a life you love. Listening to this episode, you’ll hear more about:   Developing your intuition Jodi’s work owning and teaching in her yoga studio outside Boston, MA Holistic practices she shares with people in a way that makes it easy to access and understand The concept of “Performative Polish” and how we can teach our classes in an authentic way Grounding practices for yoga teachers Mindfulness techniques she shares with people Her concept of “Managing your energy ROI,” or “return on investment” Using frameworks to build confidence Using systems and practices to make life easier.  Learn more about Jodi below:   Dr. Jodi Blinco is a visionary educator, serial entrepreneur, and pioneering leader in higher education. As the Founder of The U School and Vice President of Enrollment Management Consulting at EducationDynamics, Dr. Blinco has spent over two decades at the forefront of innovative training and coaching methods, driving student success, faculty development, and sustainable growth in higher education. With a Doctorate in Education, a Master's degree in Business, and a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Dr. Blinco's unique blend of academic expertise and business acumen has led to impactful results across various institutions. Her work emphasizes student-centered approaches, personalized learning, and strategic enrollment practices that foster engagement and retention. Dr. Blinco’s dynamic leadership style and her commitment to empowering educators through training programs have transformed how colleges and universities approach teaching, mentorship, and leadership development. Her workshops and consulting sessions go beyond traditional methods, offering actionable strategies that enhance institutional effectiveness and drive measurable outcomes. Grounded in a passion for education and innovation, Dr. Blinco’s mission is to inspire meaningful change within higher education, equipping institutions to adapt to the evolving needs of students and the workforce. Her contributions continue to shape the future of learning, fostering environments where both students and educators can thrive.     Find out more and contact Dr. Blinco here:   https://jodiblinco.com/   For the link to The Yoga Anatomy Accelerator Program I shared with you at the start of the episode, click here:   https://barebonesyoga.thinkific.com/courses/Yoga-Anatomy-Accelerator