Overcoming Imposter Syndrome in Yoga Teaching | #130 with Karen Fabian

In this podcast episode, Karen Fabian, a seasoned yoga teacher with over 22 years of experience, discusses imposter syndrome and its impact on yoga instructors. She describes imposter syndrome as a feeling of inadequacy or self-doubt, where teachers feel they are "faking it" or not qualified enough, despite their training and expertise. This often stems from the pressure of public speaking, the deep responsibility of guiding students through a practice rooted in ancient traditions, and personal limiting beliefs tied to past experiences.

Karen emphasizes the importance of detachment from external validation to build confidence, advocating for a consistent teaching approach, such as using a signature sequence, to reduce anxiety and foster authenticity. She shares practical strategies, like grounding exercises and pre-class breathing, to manage nerves and encourages teachers to reflect on their teaching experiences to find balance and authenticity.

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Yoga teacher, Podcast Host, Author and Founder of Bare Bones Yoga, Karen Fabian has a background in rehabilitative medicine and healthcare. Her passion for anatomy and human movement is behind all she does, including her work with yoga teachers inside her program, The Yoga Anatomy Blueprint Learning Program. Along with her qualifications as a yoga teacher, she also earned her Certified Personal Trainer certification in 2017 and Corrective Exercise certification in 2019 with the National Association of Sports Medicine to deepen her knowledge of human movement.

Her mission is to empower and educate yoga teachers so that they can share exceptional and accessible classes in their communities, online and in a variety of settings. She firmly believes in the ripple effect of yoga’s benefits moving from teacher to student to family and community. Her podcast, “Conversations for Yoga Teachers” has over 300 episodes and over 200K downloads and shares lessons in anatomy, cueing and sequencing and shares stories from other yoga teachers and experts in related fields.

She’s written several books including “Stretched: Build Your Yoga Business, Grow Your Teaching Techniques,” and “Structure and Spirit.”

Karen has her B.S. in Rehabilitation Counseling from Boston University and her Master’s in Health Care Administration from Simmons College. She is an Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher, a Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider and was one of the first Certified Baptiste Yoga Teachers. She has been teaching since 2002 and lives in Boston.

Links

https://barebonesyoga.com/

https://www.tiktok.com/@barebonesyoga

https://www.instagram.com/barebonesyoga/reels/

https://www.youtube.com/@KarenFabian

Karen’s Freebies

https://barebonesyoga.lpages.co/the-5-day-confidence-challenge/

https://barebonesyoga.lpages.co/the-bare-bones-yoga-guide-to-incredible-yoga-teaching/

https://barebonesyoga.lpages.co/free-guide-steps-to-confident-teaching/

https://barebonesyoga.lpages.co/how-to-build-a-yoga-sequence-lead-page/

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