December 16, 2024 • 21 mins
As we continue this month of quick episodes that are tailored to your health, I realize the holidays can be a lot to manage. Are you busy preparing for the holidays with friends and family? Are you planning special holiday classes or workshops? Well, while you're doing all of that, are you also taking care of yourself?
This is an easy time of year to burn yourself out, however taking care of yourself helps you become more present for yourself and your friends & family this holiday season. Besides don't you want to take these last few weeks of the year to focus on caring for yourself?
In this episode, let's talk about caring for yourself, physically. I'll share a few of the practices that help me during busy, stressful times as well as throughout the year!
And I hope that they will be helpful for you and remind you to get back to some of these same practices as well.
You deserve to care for yourself!
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
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
I am so excited to continue thismonth of quick episodes that are
tailored to your health.
I know this is a busy month forso many.
I'm feeling it too.
Have you been busy preparing forthe holidays with friends and
family?
Are you planning special holidayclasses or workshops?
Well, while you're doing all ofthat, are you taking care of
(00:23):
yourself?
This is an easy time of year toburn yourself out, but we don't
want that.
I know, you know, that you musttake care of yourself so that
you can be present for yourfriends.
And family this holiday season.
Besides don't you want to takethese last few weeks of the year
to focus on caring?
(00:45):
For yourself too.
And this episode, let's talkabout caring for yourself,
physically.
I'll share a few of thepractices that help me during
busy, stressful times.
And I hope that there'll behelpful for you and remind you
to get back to some of thesesame practices.
I mean, I practice thesethroughout the year as well, but
(01:06):
especially during the holidays..
Not only do you need to bereminded of these tips, but you
deserve them.
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.
(01:28):
This is the podcast for you ifyou're a yoga teacher, you're
looking for support, you love tobe in conversation, and you're a
lifelong student.
In this podcast, I'll share withyou My life as a yoga teacher,
the lessons I've learned, myprocess for building my
business, and helpful ideas,tools, strategies, and systems I
(01:53):
use and you can use so that yourbusiness 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 want to dive deepand set yourself up for success.
I'm so glad you're here.
Listen, I don't take myself tooseriously, so expect to hear
(02:17):
some laughs along the way.
Now, let's do this together.
Welcome back to the podcast.
I am so truly thankful that youare here.
Listening and getting value fromthese episodes.
It's the reason why I'm so gladI started this podcast.
(02:39):
To reach you and talk with you.
The ability to dive intosubjects on social media is so
challenging, but here I havemore space and time to talk
about the conversations.
That yoga teachers either don'thave, or they need to be more
widespread.
Okay.
Let's get into some ways that Itake care of myself physically.
(03:04):
Because teaching yoga, runningyour own business and being an
entrepreneur.
Can really do a number on yourphysical health.
I am at my computer much morethan I ever was when I was
teaching in person.
I've made some accommodations.
I have a standing desk.
I take breaks often.
(03:26):
I have blue light glasses.
And I'm intentional about takinga rest.
From the computer screen.
All right.
These are in no particularorder.
And I find each of them to bejust as important as the others.
So if you want to get yourjournal or take notes on your
phone, Or take notes mentally.
(03:46):
Now's the time to just, breathe.
Settle yourself.
And take each of these in.
All right.
Number one, practice.
Yoga yourself regularly.
I know, you know, that youshould keep up with your own
practice, but that's easier saidthan done.
(04:07):
I know I get it.
I think about how challenging itcan be to get to a class that's
just for you and how it's evenmore challenging to turn off
your teacher brain.
And just enjoy a class sidenote.
Did you realize or wore youwarned in your yoga teacher
(04:27):
training?
Just how difficult it would benot to think about queues and
transitions.
And why did the teacher do itthat way?
And how you would do it instead.
That's the teacher brain.
And it's so hard to turn off,but being a student, being led
(04:49):
and instructed is such a goodfeeling connecting to your body
how you feel and the reactionsyou may have as a result to
oppose or a sequence is alsovery informative.
I always suggest to teachers todo this without harsh judgment.
(05:09):
But instead with an inquisitiveand curious mind, and it
wouldn't even hurt sometimes toturn that off and just be.
Without having to understandeverything.
The goal is to connect back toyou.
I've mentioned it before.
Online studios have been mysavior.
(05:32):
I've been practicing onlinesince probably 2011.
And before that I was practicingwith DVDs and VHS.
And when I was really young,those workout classes that aired
on PBS.
Okay.
I'm really dating myself here.
But the point is I was findingthe time that worked for me.
(05:56):
The online classes were allprerecorded, but I could take
them when I needed a class.
Or when I had the time for aclass.
The point is I was working theminto my schedule and I did that
because I knew how important itwas for me to practice just.
For me.
(06:17):
Number to warm up before yourclasses.
This is really important,especially if you demo parts of
your sequence in your classes,think about this.
You don't warm up at all.
And then you teach a class andneed to demo.
Let's say birds of paradise.
For example, this is opposedthat requires a fair amount of
(06:39):
flexibility and range of motionin your hips and shoulders.
You're.
Doing your physical body, adisservice by not warming up
before class.
And no, just teaching in a hotroom is not enough to protect
you.
The heat is actually prettydeceiving.
And because of it, you feel asthough you can push your body
(07:02):
into deeper stretches becausethe room is hot and hot rooms is
where I caution students andteachers the most regarding deep
stretching.
So make sure you warm up a bitbefore your classes.
It doesn't have to be much justsome simple movements that
expose your body to all of theplanes of movement, the
(07:23):
sagittal, the transverse, andthe coronal or frontal planes.
Number three, incorporatestrength training.
As a movement educator, youknow, the benefits of varying
the types of workouts you do.
So it would not be beneficialfor you to only practice
stretching.
(07:43):
Right?
You also need to incorporatestrength training as well.
I hope you realize that the oldideas we had about lifting
weights meant that you had tobulk up and look.
Unnatural.
It's quite the contrary.
Instead, you should be liftinglightweights and gradually
increase your load, your repsand your intervals.
(08:06):
This is going to benefit yourjoints and soft tissues in ways
that stretching and yoga cannot.
Plus becoming stronger helps youyoga practice and makes you less
prone to injuries.
You could do something as easilyas wearing ankle and wrist
weights or wearing a weightedvest while on your walks, don't
(08:30):
make it more complicated than itneeds to be.
Number four, maintain properhydration.
Again, it's easy to get caughtup in your busy teaching
schedule and forget to hydrate,but it's so necessary.
Especially if you're teachinghot classes and sweating a lot.
Lately I've been making this abig deal.
(08:52):
I have two water bottles that Imust finish every day, no
exceptions, but I also includeelectrolytes at times and focus
on eating fruit that has a tonof water content like
watermelon.
I don't take this lightly.
Plus, I've been focusing a loton skincare and self care, and I
(09:13):
want to see the benefits ofbeing well hydrated.
How much water are you drinkingnow?
Can you increase it or betteryet?
Should you be increasing yourwater intake?
Number five.
Get regular body work likemassage or myofascial release.
(09:34):
Okay.
This is one of my favorites andI didn't really understand the
benefits of it until Iexperienced it.
So I was working at a studiothat had a lot of connections
with healthcare experts in otherareas.
So from time to time.
They'd have them come in and theteachers could, I guess you'd
(09:55):
say sample their services.
So we did, and it was fantastic.
Also, there were massagetherapists who would offer yoga
teachers a discount to getregular massages.
And, oh my God.
Did it feel amazing?
It was more than the physicalfeeling of amazing.
(10:17):
It was the feeling that I wascaring for my body to.
You use your body so much forwork that you simply must take
care of it.
Then I went on to becomecertified in self myofascial
release using yoga tuneup balls.
Not only do the training,transformed my teaching
completely from my thoughtpattern to what I wanted to
(10:40):
offer to what and how I wantedstudents to feel.
And how I could teach them tobecome more aware of themselves.
I mean, the training wastransformative, but I also
learned how to massage myself.
So when I couldn't get to amassage therapist, I could still
reap the rewards that massageshave on my body.
(11:05):
Do you get regular massages?
You should consider them.
I promise.
You'll be glad that you decidedto commit to them.
Number six prioritize sleep.
Poor sleep.
We'll do a number on your bodyfrom the way you look, feel, and
relate to the world.
You have got to get your sleep.
(11:27):
Getting adequate sleep helps youto restore your inner.
Getting adequate sleep helps torestore your energy, improve
your focus and is the foundationto your overall hill.
So consider how much sleepyou're getting and the quality
of it.
And be honest with yourself asyou determine what might need to
(11:49):
change.
If you're having trouble fallingasleep, start a wind down
routine.
At least an hour before bedtime,this could include a bath.
Low lights, no screen time,music or reading.
And if you wake up in the middleof the night, resist the urge to
(12:09):
pull out your phone, Try toallow yourself to fall back
asleep naturally.
I say this as I'm recording inthe morning after only getting
about four hours of sleep.
I just could not fall back tosleep last night and yes, I do
feel it this morning.
(12:29):
Okay.
Number seven.
Learn proper demonstrationtechniques.
Okay.
Tie this in with number two,warming up before you teach,
Popping into opposed to showstudents who are visual learners
is totally understandable.
I get it that some students needto see what you're teaching,
(12:50):
especially newer students.
So while you can't or youshouldn't rule out demonstrating
oppose.
You've got to be more deliberateabout taking care of yourself
because you need your body forteaching, but also you don't
want to be injured in your lifeoutside of teaching yoga.
Right?
So, how do you do this?
(13:11):
If you're not a teacher thatpractices the whole class with
your students, and there aresome teachers that do.
And that's perfectly fine, butif you walk around the room
more, if you sit or stay at thefront of your class, Or even if
you teach online and you watchstudents from your screen, you
have to find parts of yoursequence to do, to help prepare
(13:35):
your body for an advanced posethat you may demonstrate later.
Can you do sun salutations?
Or could you do seated forwardfold?
Or maybe some standing posestoo, like triangle.
All of these, including morewill prepare you physically so
that you aren't going into apose that requires deep
(13:57):
stretching.
Cold.
Trust me, you will thankyourself for doing this.
Number eight stretch afterclass, it might feel great for
you to do some movement or somestretching that feels good in
your body after class,especially if you're only
practicing parts of yoursequence with students.
(14:18):
Yes, your sequence should makeyour students feel wonderful and
not needing more, but you mayneed something else.
So don't discount that and ifyou need it, do it.
Think about it.
If you're doing a lot ofstanding in classes, you might
consider a foot massageafterwards.
I bet that will feel amazing.
(14:40):
When I was teaching in person,full-time one of the little
gifts I used to treat myself to.
We're monthly massages.
I found a couple of places inChicago that offered 60 minute
foot massages.
And let me tell you, it felt.
Like heaven.
All right.
Number nine.
Address injuries promptly.
(15:03):
This is huge.
Please do not neglect getting adiagnosis and a treatment plan
in place.
To help in resolving whateverissue you might be facing.
No one likes feeling pain andyou certainly must not push
through it or ignore it.
It will only exacerbate theproblem.
(15:24):
And again, you need your bodyfunctioning well to do your job.
From getting a good night'ssleep to getting to class
Preparing and warming up toteaching well, and having the
ability to show up for yourselfand your students.
I get it.
We all get injured from time totime, but take it seriously and
(15:46):
understand how to recover.
Chronic and persistent injuriesare only going to affect your
quality of life.
Probably negatively.
So promise me that you'll takethis seriously.
And finally, number 10.
Take rest.
Days, I cannot stress thisenough.
(16:08):
I recently ran into a teacherwho is teaching 25 classes a
week.
I immediately felt exhausted forher.
I know we are trying to make aliving teaching movement, but
this is not sustainable.
Eventually you will feel theeffects of burnout injuries, or
even a lack of downtime.
(16:30):
So that you can feel nourishedby rest.
You simply cannot continue atthis pace.
However, if this is yourreality.
What can you do?
Try to get at least one day offduring the week.
If you can do too, that's evenbetter.
And if those two days off can beback to back, that's the shifts
(16:54):
kiss.
Then notice what you're doing onyour rest days.
Are you running errands all dayor are you spending time in
nature?
Are you spending time withfamily and friends?
Are you doing or thinking aboutsomething other than teaching?
For some is hard to be still.
(17:15):
I know.
One of my favorite ways to rest,but still feel movement is to go
to the lake.
I can do all sorts of thingswhile I'm there.
I could just lay in the sun.
I could read, I could peoplewatch.
I could be mesmerized by themovement of the water.
I could even do a little bit ofyoga or some stretching.
(17:38):
But I try to stay off of mydevices while I'm there also.
I love it.
And I feel rested andreplenished.
After a day at the lake.
So what's it going to be foryou?
Do you have rest days now?
Are they still filled with work?
Do you need to prioritize rest alittle bit more?
(18:02):
How's your sleep quality.
Do you need to improve it?
Incorporating rest days, nomatter how many classes you
teach will be extremelybeneficial to your longterm
health and wellness.
And I must add, especially ifyou have an injury, your body
needs rest.
(18:24):
Whether you're a new teacher ora seasoned one, I cannot stress
enough how important it is totake care of yourself.
Sometimes we can get in ourheads and create more trouble
than necessary.
Uh, this month and goingforward, I want you to
prioritize yourself and yourphysical needs.
I want you to take care ofyourself because honestly, in
(18:45):
the end you are all you've got.
So you better take care ofyourself.
I hope this episode makes youthink about how you're taking
care of yourself.
I've added a link in the shownotes for you to send me a quick
text message about your thoughtson this episode or any other, I
won't know your phone number.
It's an addition to the platformI use that allows for this new
(19:09):
and super easy way for you tocommunicate with me.
Once you click on it, it willtake you to your messages.
Don't delete the code.
That's how your message will getto me.
And I would love to know yourthoughts on this topic.
If he can't tell already, I lovediving into these conversations
because there are so manyimportant discussions to be had
(19:31):
in the teaching world.
You know that my goal is for youto love the yoga teaching life.
And allow it to be fulfillingand rewarding and sustainable.
The ability to take care ofyourself while you care for so
many of your students isimportant too.
If you love this episode, let meknow, subscribe to the podcast.
(19:53):
So you're always in the knowwhen a new episode drops and
share it with another yogateacher who you think would love
to be in on these conversations.
Thank you for spreading the wordabout this podcast.
And if you've been taking notesin your journal, as you listen
to these episodes, I'm so gladyou are.
And I'd love to hear about it.
(20:15):
Don't forget to download theebook sequencing for different
injuries.
The link is in the show notes,and I promise you.
It will help you form afoundation for teaching students
with injuries.
And it'll be a great resourcefor you to return to again and
again.
When you download the ebook,you'll be joining my newsletter.
(20:35):
That's just for yoga teachers.
I've got more exciting teachingscoming soon.
So I want to tell you all aboutthem.
The link is in the show notesbelow, and I would love for you
to join it so we can always stayconnected.
All right.
That's it for now.
Bye.
Mhm.
I am so excited to continue thismonth of quick episodes that are
tailored to your health.
I know this is a busy month forso many.
I'm feeling it too.
Have you been busy preparing forthe holidays with friends and
family?
Are you planning special holidayclasses or workshops?
Well, while you're doing all ofthat, are you taking care of
(00:23):
yourself?
This is an easy time of year toburn yourself out, but we don't
want that.
I know, you know, that you musttake care of yourself so that
you can be present for yourfriends.
And family this holiday season.
Besides don't you want to takethese last few weeks of the year
to focus on caring?
(00:45):
For yourself too.
And this episode, let's talkabout caring for yourself,
physically.
I'll share a few of thepractices that help me during
busy, stressful times.
And I hope that there'll behelpful for you and remind you
to get back to some of thesesame practices.
I mean, I practice thesethroughout the year as well, but
(01:06):
especially during the holidays..
Not only do you need to bereminded of these tips, but you
deserve them.
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.
(01:28):
This is the podcast for you ifyou're a yoga teacher, you're
looking for support, you love tobe in conversation, and you're a
lifelong student.
In this podcast, I'll share withyou My life as a yoga teacher,
the lessons I've learned, myprocess for building my
business, and helpful ideas,tools, strategies, and systems I
(01:53):
use and you can use so that yourbusiness 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 want to dive deepand set yourself up for success.
I'm so glad you're here.
Listen, I don't take myself tooseriously, so expect to hear
(02:17):
some laughs along the way.
Now, let's do this together.
Welcome back to the podcast.
I am so truly thankful that youare here.
Listening and getting value fromthese episodes.
It's the reason why I'm so gladI started this podcast.
(02:39):
To reach you and talk with you.
The ability to dive intosubjects on social media is so
challenging, but here I havemore space and time to talk
about the conversations.
That yoga teachers either don'thave, or they need to be more
widespread.
Okay.
Let's get into some ways that Itake care of myself physically.
(03:04):
Because teaching yoga, runningyour own business and being an
entrepreneur.
Can really do a number on yourphysical health.
I am at my computer much morethan I ever was when I was
teaching in person.
I've made some accommodations.
I have a standing desk.
I take breaks often.
(03:26):
I have blue light glasses.
And I'm intentional about takinga rest.
From the computer screen.
All right.
These are in no particularorder.
And I find each of them to bejust as important as the others.
So if you want to get yourjournal or take notes on your
phone, Or take notes mentally.
(03:46):
Now's the time to just, breathe.
Settle yourself.
And take each of these in.
All right.
Number one, practice.
Yoga yourself regularly.
I know, you know, that youshould keep up with your own
practice, but that's easier saidthan done.
(04:07):
I know I get it.
I think about how challenging itcan be to get to a class that's
just for you and how it's evenmore challenging to turn off
your teacher brain.
And just enjoy a class sidenote.
Did you realize or wore youwarned in your yoga teacher
(04:27):
training?
Just how difficult it would benot to think about queues and
transitions.
And why did the teacher do itthat way?
And how you would do it instead.
That's the teacher brain.
And it's so hard to turn off,but being a student, being led
(04:49):
and instructed is such a goodfeeling connecting to your body
how you feel and the reactionsyou may have as a result to
oppose or a sequence is alsovery informative.
I always suggest to teachers todo this without harsh judgment.
(05:09):
But instead with an inquisitiveand curious mind, and it
wouldn't even hurt sometimes toturn that off and just be.
Without having to understandeverything.
The goal is to connect back toyou.
I've mentioned it before.
Online studios have been mysavior.
(05:32):
I've been practicing onlinesince probably 2011.
And before that I was practicingwith DVDs and VHS.
And when I was really young,those workout classes that aired
on PBS.
Okay.
I'm really dating myself here.
But the point is I was findingthe time that worked for me.
(05:56):
The online classes were allprerecorded, but I could take
them when I needed a class.
Or when I had the time for aclass.
The point is I was working theminto my schedule and I did that
because I knew how important itwas for me to practice just.
For me.
(06:17):
Number to warm up before yourclasses.
This is really important,especially if you demo parts of
your sequence in your classes,think about this.
You don't warm up at all.
And then you teach a class andneed to demo.
Let's say birds of paradise.
For example, this is opposedthat requires a fair amount of
(06:39):
flexibility and range of motionin your hips and shoulders.
You're.
Doing your physical body, adisservice by not warming up
before class.
And no, just teaching in a hotroom is not enough to protect
you.
The heat is actually prettydeceiving.
And because of it, you feel asthough you can push your body
(07:02):
into deeper stretches becausethe room is hot and hot rooms is
where I caution students andteachers the most regarding deep
stretching.
So make sure you warm up a bitbefore your classes.
It doesn't have to be much justsome simple movements that
expose your body to all of theplanes of movement, the
(07:23):
sagittal, the transverse, andthe coronal or frontal planes.
Number three, incorporatestrength training.
As a movement educator, youknow, the benefits of varying
the types of workouts you do.
So it would not be beneficialfor you to only practice
stretching.
(07:43):
Right?
You also need to incorporatestrength training as well.
I hope you realize that the oldideas we had about lifting
weights meant that you had tobulk up and look.
Unnatural.
It's quite the contrary.
Instead, you should be liftinglightweights and gradually
increase your load, your repsand your intervals.
(08:06):
This is going to benefit yourjoints and soft tissues in ways
that stretching and yoga cannot.
Plus becoming stronger helps youyoga practice and makes you less
prone to injuries.
You could do something as easilyas wearing ankle and wrist
weights or wearing a weightedvest while on your walks, don't
(08:30):
make it more complicated than itneeds to be.
Number four, maintain properhydration.
Again, it's easy to get caughtup in your busy teaching
schedule and forget to hydrate,but it's so necessary.
Especially if you're teachinghot classes and sweating a lot.
Lately I've been making this abig deal.
(08:52):
I have two water bottles that Imust finish every day, no
exceptions, but I also includeelectrolytes at times and focus
on eating fruit that has a tonof water content like
watermelon.
I don't take this lightly.
Plus, I've been focusing a loton skincare and self care, and I
(09:13):
want to see the benefits ofbeing well hydrated.
How much water are you drinkingnow?
Can you increase it or betteryet?
Should you be increasing yourwater intake?
Number five.
Get regular body work likemassage or myofascial release.
(09:34):
Okay.
This is one of my favorites andI didn't really understand the
benefits of it until Iexperienced it.
So I was working at a studiothat had a lot of connections
with healthcare experts in otherareas.
So from time to time.
They'd have them come in and theteachers could, I guess you'd
(09:55):
say sample their services.
So we did, and it was fantastic.
Also, there were massagetherapists who would offer yoga
teachers a discount to getregular massages.
And, oh my God.
Did it feel amazing?
It was more than the physicalfeeling of amazing.
(10:17):
It was the feeling that I wascaring for my body to.
You use your body so much forwork that you simply must take
care of it.
Then I went on to becomecertified in self myofascial
release using yoga tuneup balls.
Not only do the training,transformed my teaching
completely from my thoughtpattern to what I wanted to
(10:40):
offer to what and how I wantedstudents to feel.
And how I could teach them tobecome more aware of themselves.
I mean, the training wastransformative, but I also
learned how to massage myself.
So when I couldn't get to amassage therapist, I could still
reap the rewards that massageshave on my body.
(11:05):
Do you get regular massages?
You should consider them.
I promise.
You'll be glad that you decidedto commit to them.
Number six prioritize sleep.
Poor sleep.
We'll do a number on your bodyfrom the way you look, feel, and
relate to the world.
You have got to get your sleep.
(11:27):
Getting adequate sleep helps youto restore your inner.
Getting adequate sleep helps torestore your energy, improve
your focus and is the foundationto your overall hill.
So consider how much sleepyou're getting and the quality
of it.
And be honest with yourself asyou determine what might need to
(11:49):
change.
If you're having trouble fallingasleep, start a wind down
routine.
At least an hour before bedtime,this could include a bath.
Low lights, no screen time,music or reading.
And if you wake up in the middleof the night, resist the urge to
(12:09):
pull out your phone, Try toallow yourself to fall back
asleep naturally.
I say this as I'm recording inthe morning after only getting
about four hours of sleep.
I just could not fall back tosleep last night and yes, I do
feel it this morning.
(12:29):
Okay.
Number seven.
Learn proper demonstrationtechniques.
Okay.
Tie this in with number two,warming up before you teach,
Popping into opposed to showstudents who are visual learners
is totally understandable.
I get it that some students needto see what you're teaching,
(12:50):
especially newer students.
So while you can't or youshouldn't rule out demonstrating
oppose.
You've got to be more deliberateabout taking care of yourself
because you need your body forteaching, but also you don't
want to be injured in your lifeoutside of teaching yoga.
Right?
So, how do you do this?
(13:11):
If you're not a teacher thatpractices the whole class with
your students, and there aresome teachers that do.
And that's perfectly fine, butif you walk around the room
more, if you sit or stay at thefront of your class, Or even if
you teach online and you watchstudents from your screen, you
have to find parts of yoursequence to do, to help prepare
(13:35):
your body for an advanced posethat you may demonstrate later.
Can you do sun salutations?
Or could you do seated forwardfold?
Or maybe some standing posestoo, like triangle.
All of these, including morewill prepare you physically so
that you aren't going into apose that requires deep
(13:57):
stretching.
Cold.
Trust me, you will thankyourself for doing this.
Number eight stretch afterclass, it might feel great for
you to do some movement or somestretching that feels good in
your body after class,especially if you're only
practicing parts of yoursequence with students.
(14:18):
Yes, your sequence should makeyour students feel wonderful and
not needing more, but you mayneed something else.
So don't discount that and ifyou need it, do it.
Think about it.
If you're doing a lot ofstanding in classes, you might
consider a foot massageafterwards.
I bet that will feel amazing.
(14:40):
When I was teaching in person,full-time one of the little
gifts I used to treat myself to.
We're monthly massages.
I found a couple of places inChicago that offered 60 minute
foot massages.
And let me tell you, it felt.
Like heaven.
All right.
Number nine.
Address injuries promptly.
(15:03):
This is huge.
Please do not neglect getting adiagnosis and a treatment plan
in place.
To help in resolving whateverissue you might be facing.
No one likes feeling pain andyou certainly must not push
through it or ignore it.
It will only exacerbate theproblem.
(15:24):
And again, you need your bodyfunctioning well to do your job.
From getting a good night'ssleep to getting to class
Preparing and warming up toteaching well, and having the
ability to show up for yourselfand your students.
I get it.
We all get injured from time totime, but take it seriously and
(15:46):
understand how to recover.
Chronic and persistent injuriesare only going to affect your
quality of life.
Probably negatively.
So promise me that you'll takethis seriously.
And finally, number 10.
Take rest.
Days, I cannot stress thisenough.
(16:08):
I recently ran into a teacherwho is teaching 25 classes a
week.
I immediately felt exhausted forher.
I know we are trying to make aliving teaching movement, but
this is not sustainable.
Eventually you will feel theeffects of burnout injuries, or
even a lack of downtime.
(16:30):
So that you can feel nourishedby rest.
You simply cannot continue atthis pace.
However, if this is yourreality.
What can you do?
Try to get at least one day offduring the week.
If you can do too, that's evenbetter.
And if those two days off can beback to back, that's the shifts
(16:54):
kiss.
Then notice what you're doing onyour rest days.
Are you running errands all dayor are you spending time in
nature?
Are you spending time withfamily and friends?
Are you doing or thinking aboutsomething other than teaching?
For some is hard to be still.
(17:15):
I know.
One of my favorite ways to rest,but still feel movement is to go
to the lake.
I can do all sorts of thingswhile I'm there.
I could just lay in the sun.
I could read, I could peoplewatch.
I could be mesmerized by themovement of the water.
I could even do a little bit ofyoga or some stretching.
(17:38):
But I try to stay off of mydevices while I'm there also.
I love it.
And I feel rested andreplenished.
After a day at the lake.
So what's it going to be foryou?
Do you have rest days now?
Are they still filled with work?
Do you need to prioritize rest alittle bit more?
(18:02):
How's your sleep quality.
Do you need to improve it?
Incorporating rest days, nomatter how many classes you
teach will be extremelybeneficial to your longterm
health and wellness.
And I must add, especially ifyou have an injury, your body
needs rest.
(18:24):
Whether you're a new teacher ora seasoned one, I cannot stress
enough how important it is totake care of yourself.
Sometimes we can get in ourheads and create more trouble
than necessary.
Uh, this month and goingforward, I want you to
prioritize yourself and yourphysical needs.
I want you to take care ofyourself because honestly, in
(18:45):
the end you are all you've got.
So you better take care ofyourself.
I hope this episode makes youthink about how you're taking
care of yourself.
I've added a link in the shownotes for you to send me a quick
text message about your thoughtson this episode or any other, I
won't know your phone number.
It's an addition to the platformI use that allows for this new
(19:09):
and super easy way for you tocommunicate with me.
Once you click on it, it willtake you to your messages.
Don't delete the code.
That's how your message will getto me.
And I would love to know yourthoughts on this topic.
If he can't tell already, I lovediving into these conversations
because there are so manyimportant discussions to be had
(19:31):
in the teaching world.
You know that my goal is for youto love the yoga teaching life.
And allow it to be fulfillingand rewarding and sustainable.
The ability to take care ofyourself while you care for so
many of your students isimportant too.
If you love this episode, let meknow, subscribe to the podcast.
(19:53):
So you're always in the knowwhen a new episode drops and
share it with another yogateacher who you think would love
to be in on these conversations.
Thank you for spreading the wordabout this podcast.
And if you've been taking notesin your journal, as you listen
to these episodes, I'm so gladyou are.
And I'd love to hear about it.
(20:15):
Don't forget to download theebook sequencing for different
injuries.
The link is in the show notes,and I promise you.
It will help you form afoundation for teaching students
with injuries.
And it'll be a great resourcefor you to return to again and
again.
When you download the ebook,you'll be joining my newsletter.
(20:35):
That's just for yoga teachers.
I've got more exciting teachingscoming soon.
So I want to tell you all aboutthem.
The link is in the show notesbelow, and I would love for you
to join it so we can always stayconnected.
All right.
That's it for now.
Bye.
Mhm.
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