A Yoga Teacher’s Confession
Here’s a true confession from most yoga teachers: we always go faster on the second side. This happens for a variety of reasons, prime among them that we have said all our best cues on the first side and haven’t grown comfortable with silence, or that we have mismanaged time and see the clock ticking.…
Mark Your Calendars: Kripalu 2023
Mark your calendars now for two workshops Alexandra DeSiato and I will be co-leading at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Lenox, Massachusetts: Recharge: A Retreat for Yoga and Movement Teachers, Sunday–Friday, October 1–6 Teaching Yoga Beyond the Poses: Create Inspiring Classes for All Students, Friday–Monday (holiday weekend = expanded three-day version!), October…
Satisfaction Equals Perception Minus Expectations
One of our teachers at Carolina Yoga Company also teaches business classes at the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School. There, she told me, she tells her students that customer satisfaction follows this formula: Satisfaction = Perception − Expectations. Satisfaction is a result of what the consumer perceived they received minus what they expected…
I’d Love to Chat with Your YTT
I wrote The Professional Yoga Teacher’s Handbook to help teachers at every level—and to serve as a yoga teacher training manual. If you’re using the book as your YTT textbook, I’d love to offer a free Zoom Q&A with your cohort to talk about what you are learning, answer any outstanding questions, and help you…
Nouveau: YOGA AU-DELÀ DES POSTURES
Aujourd’hui, YOGA AU-DELÀ DES POSTURES (TEACHING YOGA BEYOND THE POSES) est disponible en français ! Nous remercions Clémentine Erpicum pour la traduction. Alexandra et moi avons écrit ce livre pour que vous puissiez intégrer les élements de la philosophie de yoga à vos cours et à votre propre répétition et benéficiez d’une expérience plus profonde.…
Last Days for Early Bird Rates: Designing and Teaching Gentle Yoga Sequences and Classes
The $50 early bird savings for my upcoming continuing education program for movement teachers, Designing and Teaching Gentle Yoga Sequences and Classes, is good through August 23, so now is the time to sign up. In addition, the workshop includes a preassignment that you’ll want to spend a few hours on, so this is the…
Watch: Six Moves of the Spine, Supine, One Leg
One of my favorite sequences can work as a warmup, as an end-of-practice sequence, and as yoga to do in bed. Here’s a run-through; when you are practicing this on your own, take your time with each move, so that the whole sequence takes 15 minutes or more. Want to learn more gentle sequences? Join…
Registration Open: Kripalu in September and October
For over a decade, teaching at the magical Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Lenox, Massachusetts, has been the highlight of my work travel schedule. The last time I was there was in late January 2020; I clearly remember the ongoing news coverage of the outbreak in Wuhan, China. After two and a half…
Imposter Syndrome Is Normal
Our yoga teacher trainees at Carolina Yoga Company and in my continuing education courses often ask me, “When did you stop feeling like a fraud?” The question makes me smile, because it presumes that I’ve ever stopped. Some days, I still feel like I’m not experienced enough, or perky enough, or whatever enough to lead…
New Video: Split Squat Flow
Surrendering shrimp, aggressive chicken: there’s a new flow up in my Sequence Library! This standing sequence uses a split squat, lateral lunge, and eagle pose to challenge your legs and balance while you move your spine through side bending, twisting, and, as you see here, flexion and extension. This clip gives you a taste of…
Listen: Run with Fitpage Podcast
I had a wonderful conversation with Vikas Singh of the Fitpage website and podcast in India about yoga for runners, breathing techniques, and lots more. This featured an especially wonderful listener question! Listen on your favorite platform: Fitpage site: bit.ly/3NetXJd Apple Podcast: apple.co/3GP9c4s Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3PUWfKo Amazon Music: amzn.to/38K8ngE Google Podcast: bit.ly/3xauyWF
Teachers, Your Class Is Not Your Practice
Your yoga class is not your asana practice time. Don’t overdemonstrate. Hold the demo just long enough to make your point. This can be really tough for new teachers. Remember, you’re leading yoga, not doing your own practice. While some forms of group exercise—step aerobics, Spinning—and most video classes do better with the teacher participating…