Essential Conversations for Yoga Teachers
The podcast for yoga teachers centered around important conversations for yoga teachers to discuss, reflect, and implement. From class planning to business strategy, these conversations help yoga teachers build the business that will help keep them teaching long-term and with a sustainable income.
Episodes
In this episode, let's explore how to identify your class’s true purpose. Including the physical, functional, and nervous system outcomes you intend for your students to experience. We’ll discuss how to move from creativity-based sequencing to need-based sequencing, how to plan for injuries and limitations, and why simplicity and clarity often make the most powerful classes.
This episode will help you stop doubting your choices...
In this episode, we explore two of the most common myths that get in your way when it comes to creating effective sequences. If you believe that every class must be brand new to keep students engaged, or that sequencing should revolve around what feels good in your own body, well, that's just not true!
We'll examine why constant novelty is not only unrealistic but also counterproductive for student learning and nervous sy...
This 100th episode isn’t about me, milestones, or fancy numbers. It’s about you, the teacher who continues to show up, learn, and support your students in your classes, even on the days when it feels challenging. In this episode, I'll reflect on what it really means to hold space as the yoga teacher: the courage it takes, the doubts that often arise, and the quiet impact you make in the lives of your students.
Let's revisi...
We all want to create classes that feel safe, supportive, and empowering for every student who joins. But how confident are you that your sequences truly support different bodies, different types of injuries, and physical limitations in students' bodies?
In this episode, I'll explore the art of intentional sequencing, the kind that considers anatomy, the nervous system, and each student’s unique movement experience. Rather...
In this final episode of the series, I’ll discuss the unique challenges of the shoulders: the balance between mobility and stability, the high volume of weight-bearing in vinyasa flows, and the nervous system’s role in amplifying or quieting pain.
I’ll continue to explain how shoulder pain shows up in different yoga class formats, from repetitive transitions in vinyasa, to prop-heavy Iyengar setups, to restorative postures that need...
In this second episode of our pain-focused series, I'll explore what it really means to support students with sensitive knees across a few different yoga class formats.
I’ll discuss how weight-bearing in vinyas, alignment expectations in Iyengar, deep/long holds in yin, and prop use in restorative can either aggravate or alleviate a student's knee discomfort. You’ll learn why:
- knee pain is rarely just about the knees th...
Hip pain is one of the most common conditions yoga students have, and for many teachers, it can feel overwhelming to know how to help without making things worse.
In this episode, listen as I explain why all hip pain isn’t the same, how the anatomy of the hip joint (the femoral head and acetabulum) influences a student’s range of motion, and how nervous system regulation is just as important as physical modification.
This conversati...
One of the hardest things for yoga teachers is knowing what to say when students mention pain. The language we use can either empower our students or unintentionally create fear that makes them feel fragile or unsafe in their own bodies.
In this episode, I explore how to talk about pain in yoga classes without reinforcing fear-based narratives. You’ll learn why traditional alignment cues like “never round your spine” or “don’t let y...
As yoga teachers, we often feel pressure to be endlessly creative in our sequencing, transitions, and class themes. But when a student walks into class with an injury or persistent pain, creativity isn’t what they need most. They need you to be confident about how you're going to teach them!
In this episode, I break down why confidence (not flashy sequencing or the “perfect” peak pose) is an important foundation for teaching st...
Do you feel overwhelmed by the thought of learning anatomy as a yoga teacher? You’re not alone. I'm sure you know the importance of understanding anatomy, but at the same time, it feels complicated, time-consuming, and intimidating.
In this episode, I'll dissect the reasons why learning anatomy often feels overwhelming and how it doesn’t have to be this way. I’ll walk you through the most common 'thought barriers&apo...
Not all yoga injuries happen in a single moment. Many develop slowly, over time, from repeated movements or sustained positions. These are known as repetitive stress injuries, and they are some of the most common injuries students have because of their yoga practice.
In this episode, you'll hear why repetitive stress injuries are not always known to you or the student. I'll also remind you why adding variety to your sequen...
The feet are our foundation, yet they can be overlooked when it comes to teaching and sequencing. In this episode, I'll discuss a few foot injuries and conditions, like plantar fasciitis, bunions, arthritis, ankle instability, and stress fractures. And explain how a student with these conditions experiences physical yoga in your classes. Not just the physical challenges, but also the impact on their proprioception, nervous sys...
When you finished your 200-hour yoga teacher training, chances are you walked away not just with a certificate but with a list of “rules” about how to teach. Rules about sequencing, alignment, hands-on assists, and even how you’re supposed to show up as a teacher. At the time, those rules might have given you confidence and structure. But the truth is, many of them simply aren't true, are opinion-based, or have been discredite...
Sequencing is more than putting poses together; it’s actually a puzzle if you think about it. Inside that puzzle are nervous systems, mixed abilities, injuries, as well as the human need for meaning and understanding. If sequencing still feels like a challenge, it’s totally understandable that it would.
In this episode, we’ll consider the hidden mistakes even experienced teachers continue to make, and how to design classes that act...
Teaching yoga in a group setting can feel overwhelming when students show up with injuries or persistent pain. How do you balance the flow of the class while making sure every student feels safe, supported, and included? In this episode, we’ll chat about strategies you can use to build trust and create safety in your classes, no matter who walks through the door.
I'll remind you of the importance of setting the tone early in cl...
Click HERE to send me a text & let me know your thoughts on this episode!
YouTube: Yoga with Monica Bright
Freebie: Yoga Sequencing for Different Injuries
Let's connect:
- Check out my website: Enhanced Body
- Connect with me on Instagram
- Wanna work together? Book a Discovery Call
- Practice yoga in my online studio The Alliance (7-day free trial)
- Join my Newsletter for teachers below! ...
In this episode, I'll discuss three internal systems that shape every student’s experience on the mat, but are often left out of the conversation in yoga teacher trainings. They are: proprioception, interoception, and the vestibular system.
I'll teach you:
- What these systems are
- Why they’re essential for movement, balance, and body awareness
- How to incorporate them into your teaching, and
- Why students with injuries need ...
Click HERE to send me a text & let me know your thoughts on this episode!
YouTube: Yoga with Monica Bright
Freebie: Yoga Sequencing for Different Injuries
Let's connect:
- Check out my website: Enhanced Body
- Connect with me on Instagram
- Wanna work together? Book a Discovery Call
- Practice yoga in my online studio The Alliance (7-day free trial)
- Join my Newsletter for teachers below! ...
If you’ve ever had a student say, “I have sciatica,” and your go-to response was to offer hamstring stretches or deep hip openers, you’re not alone. Many teachers and students think they’re helpful. Today, let's unpack why that approach often doesn’t work & what you should be considering instead.
Strategy Call: Schedule HERE
Click HERE to send me a text & let me know your thoughts on this episode!
You’ve probably heard people say that yoga improves both flexibility and mobility. While that may be true, what most yoga teachers don’t realize is that mobility has more than one definition.
Each definition matters when you're teaching students with injuries, pain, or physical limitations.
In this episode, I’m going to break down those definitions & explain why understanding them (and using them for their intended purpose)...
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