December 1, 2025 • 16 mins
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 system regulation. Learn why repetition and familiarity are actually essential for developing strength, stability, and proprioception, especially for students with pain, injuries, or limited mobility.
We also explore the limitations of sequencing based solely on your personal practice. While your own body can be a helpful reference point, it cannot reflect the wide range of experiences and needs present in a group class. You’ll hear how this mindset might lead to gaps in your teaching and unintentionally exclude students who move differently than you.
Instead of chasing creativity for creativity’s sake, this episode will help you shift toward purpose, clarity, and progressive sequencing that meets students where they are.
Most importantly, it encourages you to see that effective sequencing does not come from being flashy or inventive; it comes from being intentional, observant, and aligned with what your students actually need.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Monica (00:00):
In this episode, let's explore two of the most common
myths that keep you feelingoverwhelmed, unsure, and stuck
when it comes to creatingsequences.
If you believe that every classmust be brand new to keep
students engaged, or thatsequencing should revolve around
what feels good in your ownbody.
(00:20):
Trust me.
These beliefs are widespreadamong yoga teachers, but they
often create unnecessarypressure and ultimately will
prevent you from developingmeaningful, intentional
sequences that truly support thediverse needs of your students.
I'll explain why constantnovelty is not only unrealistic,
(00:44):
but also counterproductive forstudent learning and nervous
system regulation.
Plus, learn why repetition andfamiliarity are actually.
Essential for developingstrength, stability, and
proprioception, especially forstudents with pain injuries or
(01:04):
limited mobility.
I'm so excited for thisconversation.
Welcome to the EssentialConversations for Yoga Teachers
Podcast with me.
I'm Monica Bright and I've beenteaching yoga and running my
yoga business for over a decade.
This is the podcast for you.
If you are a yoga teacher,you're looking for support.
(01:28):
You love to be in conversation,and you're a lifelong student.
In this podcast, I'll share withyou.
My life as a yoga teacher, thelessons I've learned, my process
for building my business andhelpful ideas, tools, strategies
and systems I use and you canuse so that your business
(01:51):
thrives.
We'll cover a diverse range oftopics that will help you,
whether you're just starting outor you've got years under your
belt and you wanna dive deep andset yourself up for success.
I am so glad you're here.
Listen, I don't take myself tooseriously, so expect to hear
(02:11):
some laughs along the way.
Now let's do this together.
Welcome back to the podcast.
I'm Monica, and I'm so gladyou're here.
Here we talk about the anatomy,the injuries, the nervous system
insights, plus all the real lifeknowledge you wish had been
included in your yoga teachertraining.
(02:34):
Listen, we have passed a hugemilestone, 101 episodes, and
it's not about numbers and itkind of is.
Too, but it's more about theidea of starting something,
sticking to it, and allowing itto unfold.
Over the last two years, I'vediscussed topics that I believe
(02:57):
yoga teachers need moreconversations around.
And you've proved me right as Iread the emails you send me and
see the podcast grow.
So I wanna say thank you againfor being here.
I truly.
Appreciate you today.
Let's jump into two of the mostcommon myths yoga teachers
(03:18):
believe to be true aboutsequencing.
These myths are not justharmless misunderstandings.
They create pressure,insecurity, and confusion about
what it means to offer a.
Skillfully designed class, andeven more importantly, if you
believe these myths, they cankeep you from feeling confident
(03:40):
in your work and keep yourstudents from feeling fully
supported by you.
The first myth is that everyclass has gotta be brand new.
It's gotta be different, or it'sgotta be exciting to keep
students coming back.
Many teachers have thisexpectation often without
realizing it.
(04:01):
If you think your students willget bored or judge the class as
repetitive, or assume you havebecome complacent, then let me
tell you this is not true.
However, the pressure to alwaysreinvent the wheel can turn your
sequencing into a performativeact rather than a teaching
(04:21):
process that's purposeful andintentional.
But here's the truth.
Human bodies do not learn bestfrom novelty.
They learn from repetition,refinement, and familiarity.
When you repeat movementpatterns with variations that
are intentional, the nervoussystem begins to understand
(04:43):
those patterns more clearly.
Trust begins to deepen becausestudents can anticipate and
prepare.
Students build proprioceptionbecause they're given consistent
opportunities to feel where theyare in space.
This is why the belief that newequals better becomes a
(05:05):
roadblock.
Many teachers forget that whatfeels repetitive to them is
often exactly what theirstudents need to grow and feel
steady.
You probably take multipleclasses a week, experiment in
your personal practice, studymovement constantly and
generally live inside your bodywith a high degree of awareness
(05:28):
students, however.
Rarely move in this way outsideof class.
They need time with thesequence.
They need space to explore.
And here's something you mayrarely ask yourself.
Are my students asking forvariety or am I assuming they
are?
when you ponder this, honestly,the pressure often dissolves.
(05:53):
Students crave clarity.
Not constant creativity.
They crave safety, not surprise.
They crave understanding, notperformance.
If you wanna explore this foryourself, try asking yourself
these questions.
What would change in my teachingif I no longer believed Every
(06:15):
class had to be brand new?
What if repetition was not asign of stagnation, but a sign
of intention?
And what if students are notbored at all, but actually
grateful for consistency?
Get your journal and reflect onthose questions.
(06:36):
You might find that you changeyour own mind about this myth
once you sit and contemplate it.
Now let's have a look at asecond myth, which is the belief
that sequencing should be basedon what feels good in your body
or what you personally prefer topractice.
This is incredibly common,especially if you're in the
(06:58):
early years of your teachingcareer.
Why?
Because our own body is theeasiest and most familiar
reference point.
But while this isunderstandable, it creates an
incomplete approach to teaching.
When sequencing is based only onyour experiences, It inevitably
(07:18):
reflects your body rather thanthe diverse needs of the
students in your classes.
If you are hypermobile, youmight just unintentionally
sequence for spaciousness ratherthan stability.
If you are naturally strong, youmay lean towards more challenge
rather than practices thatsupport the nervous system.
(07:42):
If you avoid an entire categoryof poses because they feel
difficult in your body, yourstudents may miss valuable
movement patterns that.
They need.
This does not make you a badteacher.
It simply highlights a very realtruth.
Your body is not the blueprint.
It's one data point, a helpfuldata point, but not the whole
(08:06):
picture.
I remember when I had frozenshoulder, I literally could not
move my shoulder in ways that mystudents needed to in their
bodies, but just because Icouldn't do it, didn't mean I
didn't teach it.
I still needed to teach themshoulder focused classes.
I simply could not just onlyteach classes that are focused
(08:30):
on the hips, the spine, or feet,for two and a half years, they
needed that shoulder movement,even though I couldn't perform
it in my own body.
A more powerful approach tosequencing will emerge when you
shift the focus from yourpreferences to the needs of your
students.
This is what transforms you froma teacher who teaches poses into
(08:53):
a teacher who teaches peopleWhen you observe your class,
listen to your students andrespond to what they are
communicating Through movement,your sequence becomes more
intentional, more accessible,and more supportive of real
human.
Bodies.
If you wanna explore where youare on this spectrum, ask
(09:16):
yourself these questions.
How do I sequence based on whatfeels good to me versus what
would benefit my students?
What movements do I rarelyinclude because they feel
difficult in my body, And are mystudents missing something
because of that?
And what would change if I sawmy personal practice and my
(09:40):
teaching as too related, butseparate experiences?
Another layer to thisconversation is the belief that
you cannot teach poses that youcannot personally do.
This belief keeps you avoidingentire families of movement that
you could actually guide safely.
(10:01):
The truth is that mastery is notthe same as performance.
Many of the most skilledteachers in the world do not
demonstrate everything they knowhow to teach through language,
observation and understandingrather than personal execution.
If you can explain a pose, breakit down, adapt it, and observe
(10:24):
it, you can teach it.
So what are more effective waysto think about sequencing that
make these myths irrelevant?
The first is intention basedsequencing.
When you begin with anintention, everything starts to
align.
Instead of asking what poses youshould teach, you ask what
(10:46):
purpose your sequence serves.
Maybe you're preparing yourstudents' bodies for hip
stability.
Maybe you are exploring spinalrotation.
Maybe you're helping yourstudents prepare their nervous
system for downregulation.
When you sequence withintention, repetition becomes
(11:06):
meaningful rather than boring.
And students learn rather thansimply following along.
Another approach is progressivesequencing.
Rather than thinking of a classas a list of poses, think of it
as a pathway or a roadmap.
You begin with foundationalpatterns, layer in complexity
(11:29):
slowly, and build towardssomething that requires more
awareness or coordination.
This approach supports studentswith injuries because it
respects their need for gradualloading.
It supports beginners because itallows them to understand how
one movement leads to another,and it supports experienced
(11:53):
practitioners because it refinestheir skills with purpose rather
than novelty.
A third approach to sequencingis adaptability.
You might believe that changingwhat you've prepared for class
means that you're unpreparedwhen in fact, adaptability is a
sign of mastery.
(12:14):
When you understand movementdeeply, you can shift based on
who arrives, what energy yourstudents bring, or what.
Injuries your students have whenthey come to class.
Adaptability is notimprovisation.
It's responsive, and it's one ofthe most valuable qualities you
(12:35):
can develop.
So if you're listening to thisand you have ever felt pressure
to entertain or pressure to becreative, or pressure to teach.
Only what feels good in your ownbody.
I want to invite you to reflectwhat if effective sequencing was
never about constant innovation,but about thoughtful repetition.
(13:00):
What if your teaching becameless about personal expression
and more about collectivesupport?
And what if simplifying yoursequencing actually made you a
more advanced teacher?
Your value as a yoga teacher isnot measured by how inventive
you can be.
It's measured by how clearly youcan teach, how intentionally you
(13:24):
can sequence, and howcompassionately you can support
the real students in yourclasses And those skills come
from understanding movement,paying attention, and having the
confidence to teach from purposeinstead of pressure.
When you throw these myths intothe wind, you make more room for
(13:47):
confidence, for clarity, andgenuine connection with your
students in your teaching, andthat is what students are truly
looking for.
The biggest lesson from today'sconversation is that effective
sequencing is not built onconstant creativity or whether a
pose feels good in your ownbody.
(14:09):
It's built on intentionalchoices that support how real
students move, learn, and adaptover time.
when you realize the pressure toreinvent every class, you create
space for thoughtful repetition,nervous system safety, and
progressive sequencing.
And when you move away fromsequencing based solely on your
(14:32):
personal practice, You begindesigning classes that honor the
full spectrum of students'bodies and their experiences in
your classes Moving forward,here are some next steps for
you.
Choose one sequence you alreadyteach and refine it for clarity
and what's the purpose.
(14:53):
Observe your students' responsesrather than relying on your
preferences and begin askingyourself what each poses for in
the context of your largerteaching goals.
These small shifts will help youbecome more confident in your
sequencing goals.
They'll help you create anenvironment for more supportive
(15:16):
classes and help you create amore grounded teaching
experience for both you and yourstudents.
Understanding anatomy,biomechanics, and the effects
yoga Asana have on the bodyhelps you help your students.
If you've been enjoying theseepisodes, I know that you're a
yoga teacher who's ready toteach with more intention and
(15:38):
less fear around injuries.
Let's continue to raise the barfor how yoga supports real
bodies in real life.
It's so important for us to havethis conversation so that you
remember that students of allshapes, sizes, alignment, and
abilities come to your classesand you can serve all of them.
(15:59):
You know that my goal is for youto love the yoga teaching life.
It's important to understandmovement and the issues students
come to your classes with.
Subscribe to the podcast soyou're always in the know when a
new episode drops.
And share it with another yogateacher who you think would love
to be in on these conversations.
And finally, thank you forhelping to spread the word about
(16:22):
this podcast.
Alright, thank you forlistening.
That's it for now.
Bye.
In this episode, let's explore two of the most common
myths that keep you feelingoverwhelmed, unsure, and stuck
when it comes to creatingsequences.
If you believe that every classmust be brand new to keep
students engaged, or thatsequencing should revolve around
what feels good in your ownbody.
(00:20):
Trust me.
These beliefs are widespreadamong yoga teachers, but they
often create unnecessarypressure and ultimately will
prevent you from developingmeaningful, intentional
sequences that truly support thediverse needs of your students.
I'll explain why constantnovelty is not only unrealistic,
(00:44):
but also counterproductive forstudent learning and nervous
system regulation.
Plus, learn why repetition andfamiliarity are actually.
Essential for developingstrength, stability, and
proprioception, especially forstudents with pain injuries or
(01:04):
limited mobility.
I'm so excited for thisconversation.
Welcome to the EssentialConversations for Yoga Teachers
Podcast with me.
I'm Monica Bright and I've beenteaching yoga and running my
yoga business for over a decade.
This is the podcast for you.
If you are a yoga teacher,you're looking for support.
(01:28):
You love to be in conversation,and you're a lifelong student.
In this podcast, I'll share withyou.
My life as a yoga teacher, thelessons I've learned, my process
for building my business andhelpful ideas, tools, strategies
and systems I use and you canuse so that your business
(01:51):
thrives.
We'll cover a diverse range oftopics that will help you,
whether you're just starting outor you've got years under your
belt and you wanna dive deep andset yourself up for success.
I am so glad you're here.
Listen, I don't take myself tooseriously, so expect to hear
(02:11):
some laughs along the way.
Now let's do this together.
Welcome back to the podcast.
I'm Monica, and I'm so gladyou're here.
Here we talk about the anatomy,the injuries, the nervous system
insights, plus all the real lifeknowledge you wish had been
included in your yoga teachertraining.
(02:34):
Listen, we have passed a hugemilestone, 101 episodes, and
it's not about numbers and itkind of is.
Too, but it's more about theidea of starting something,
sticking to it, and allowing itto unfold.
Over the last two years, I'vediscussed topics that I believe
(02:57):
yoga teachers need moreconversations around.
And you've proved me right as Iread the emails you send me and
see the podcast grow.
So I wanna say thank you againfor being here.
I truly.
Appreciate you today.
Let's jump into two of the mostcommon myths yoga teachers
(03:18):
believe to be true aboutsequencing.
These myths are not justharmless misunderstandings.
They create pressure,insecurity, and confusion about
what it means to offer a.
Skillfully designed class, andeven more importantly, if you
believe these myths, they cankeep you from feeling confident
(03:40):
in your work and keep yourstudents from feeling fully
supported by you.
The first myth is that everyclass has gotta be brand new.
It's gotta be different, or it'sgotta be exciting to keep
students coming back.
Many teachers have thisexpectation often without
realizing it.
(04:01):
If you think your students willget bored or judge the class as
repetitive, or assume you havebecome complacent, then let me
tell you this is not true.
However, the pressure to alwaysreinvent the wheel can turn your
sequencing into a performativeact rather than a teaching
(04:21):
process that's purposeful andintentional.
But here's the truth.
Human bodies do not learn bestfrom novelty.
They learn from repetition,refinement, and familiarity.
When you repeat movementpatterns with variations that
are intentional, the nervoussystem begins to understand
(04:43):
those patterns more clearly.
Trust begins to deepen becausestudents can anticipate and
prepare.
Students build proprioceptionbecause they're given consistent
opportunities to feel where theyare in space.
This is why the belief that newequals better becomes a
(05:05):
roadblock.
Many teachers forget that whatfeels repetitive to them is
often exactly what theirstudents need to grow and feel
steady.
You probably take multipleclasses a week, experiment in
your personal practice, studymovement constantly and
generally live inside your bodywith a high degree of awareness
(05:28):
students, however.
Rarely move in this way outsideof class.
They need time with thesequence.
They need space to explore.
And here's something you mayrarely ask yourself.
Are my students asking forvariety or am I assuming they
are?
when you ponder this, honestly,the pressure often dissolves.
(05:53):
Students crave clarity.
Not constant creativity.
They crave safety, not surprise.
They crave understanding, notperformance.
If you wanna explore this foryourself, try asking yourself
these questions.
What would change in my teachingif I no longer believed Every
(06:15):
class had to be brand new?
What if repetition was not asign of stagnation, but a sign
of intention?
And what if students are notbored at all, but actually
grateful for consistency?
Get your journal and reflect onthose questions.
(06:36):
You might find that you changeyour own mind about this myth
once you sit and contemplate it.
Now let's have a look at asecond myth, which is the belief
that sequencing should be basedon what feels good in your body
or what you personally prefer topractice.
This is incredibly common,especially if you're in the
(06:58):
early years of your teachingcareer.
Why?
Because our own body is theeasiest and most familiar
reference point.
But while this isunderstandable, it creates an
incomplete approach to teaching.
When sequencing is based only onyour experiences, It inevitably
(07:18):
reflects your body rather thanthe diverse needs of the
students in your classes.
If you are hypermobile, youmight just unintentionally
sequence for spaciousness ratherthan stability.
If you are naturally strong, youmay lean towards more challenge
rather than practices thatsupport the nervous system.
(07:42):
If you avoid an entire categoryof poses because they feel
difficult in your body, yourstudents may miss valuable
movement patterns that.
They need.
This does not make you a badteacher.
It simply highlights a very realtruth.
Your body is not the blueprint.
It's one data point, a helpfuldata point, but not the whole
(08:06):
picture.
I remember when I had frozenshoulder, I literally could not
move my shoulder in ways that mystudents needed to in their
bodies, but just because Icouldn't do it, didn't mean I
didn't teach it.
I still needed to teach themshoulder focused classes.
I simply could not just onlyteach classes that are focused
(08:30):
on the hips, the spine, or feet,for two and a half years, they
needed that shoulder movement,even though I couldn't perform
it in my own body.
A more powerful approach tosequencing will emerge when you
shift the focus from yourpreferences to the needs of your
students.
This is what transforms you froma teacher who teaches poses into
(08:53):
a teacher who teaches peopleWhen you observe your class,
listen to your students andrespond to what they are
communicating Through movement,your sequence becomes more
intentional, more accessible,and more supportive of real
human.
Bodies.
If you wanna explore where youare on this spectrum, ask
(09:16):
yourself these questions.
How do I sequence based on whatfeels good to me versus what
would benefit my students?
What movements do I rarelyinclude because they feel
difficult in my body, And are mystudents missing something
because of that?
And what would change if I sawmy personal practice and my
(09:40):
teaching as too related, butseparate experiences?
Another layer to thisconversation is the belief that
you cannot teach poses that youcannot personally do.
This belief keeps you avoidingentire families of movement that
you could actually guide safely.
(10:01):
The truth is that mastery is notthe same as performance.
Many of the most skilledteachers in the world do not
demonstrate everything they knowhow to teach through language,
observation and understandingrather than personal execution.
If you can explain a pose, breakit down, adapt it, and observe
(10:24):
it, you can teach it.
So what are more effective waysto think about sequencing that
make these myths irrelevant?
The first is intention basedsequencing.
When you begin with anintention, everything starts to
align.
Instead of asking what poses youshould teach, you ask what
(10:46):
purpose your sequence serves.
Maybe you're preparing yourstudents' bodies for hip
stability.
Maybe you are exploring spinalrotation.
Maybe you're helping yourstudents prepare their nervous
system for downregulation.
When you sequence withintention, repetition becomes
(11:06):
meaningful rather than boring.
And students learn rather thansimply following along.
Another approach is progressivesequencing.
Rather than thinking of a classas a list of poses, think of it
as a pathway or a roadmap.
You begin with foundationalpatterns, layer in complexity
(11:29):
slowly, and build towardssomething that requires more
awareness or coordination.
This approach supports studentswith injuries because it
respects their need for gradualloading.
It supports beginners because itallows them to understand how
one movement leads to another,and it supports experienced
(11:53):
practitioners because it refinestheir skills with purpose rather
than novelty.
A third approach to sequencingis adaptability.
You might believe that changingwhat you've prepared for class
means that you're unpreparedwhen in fact, adaptability is a
sign of mastery.
(12:14):
When you understand movementdeeply, you can shift based on
who arrives, what energy yourstudents bring, or what.
Injuries your students have whenthey come to class.
Adaptability is notimprovisation.
It's responsive, and it's one ofthe most valuable qualities you
(12:35):
can develop.
So if you're listening to thisand you have ever felt pressure
to entertain or pressure to becreative, or pressure to teach.
Only what feels good in your ownbody.
I want to invite you to reflectwhat if effective sequencing was
never about constant innovation,but about thoughtful repetition.
(13:00):
What if your teaching becameless about personal expression
and more about collectivesupport?
And what if simplifying yoursequencing actually made you a
more advanced teacher?
Your value as a yoga teacher isnot measured by how inventive
you can be.
It's measured by how clearly youcan teach, how intentionally you
(13:24):
can sequence, and howcompassionately you can support
the real students in yourclasses And those skills come
from understanding movement,paying attention, and having the
confidence to teach from purposeinstead of pressure.
When you throw these myths intothe wind, you make more room for
(13:47):
confidence, for clarity, andgenuine connection with your
students in your teaching, andthat is what students are truly
looking for.
The biggest lesson from today'sconversation is that effective
sequencing is not built onconstant creativity or whether a
pose feels good in your ownbody.
(14:09):
It's built on intentionalchoices that support how real
students move, learn, and adaptover time.
when you realize the pressure toreinvent every class, you create
space for thoughtful repetition,nervous system safety, and
progressive sequencing.
And when you move away fromsequencing based solely on your
(14:32):
personal practice, You begindesigning classes that honor the
full spectrum of students'bodies and their experiences in
your classes Moving forward,here are some next steps for
you.
Choose one sequence you alreadyteach and refine it for clarity
and what's the purpose.
(14:53):
Observe your students' responsesrather than relying on your
preferences and begin askingyourself what each poses for in
the context of your largerteaching goals.
These small shifts will help youbecome more confident in your
sequencing goals.
They'll help you create anenvironment for more supportive
(15:16):
classes and help you create amore grounded teaching
experience for both you and yourstudents.
Understanding anatomy,biomechanics, and the effects
yoga Asana have on the bodyhelps you help your students.
If you've been enjoying theseepisodes, I know that you're a
yoga teacher who's ready toteach with more intention and
(15:38):
less fear around injuries.
Let's continue to raise the barfor how yoga supports real
bodies in real life.
It's so important for us to havethis conversation so that you
remember that students of allshapes, sizes, alignment, and
abilities come to your classesand you can serve all of them.
(15:59):
You know that my goal is for youto love the yoga teaching life.
It's important to understandmovement and the issues students
come to your classes with.
Subscribe to the podcast soyou're always in the know when a
new episode drops.
And share it with another yogateacher who you think would love
to be in on these conversations.
And finally, thank you forhelping to spread the word about
(16:22):
this podcast.
Alright, thank you forlistening.
That's it for now.
Bye.
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