Yoga Teacher Resource Podcast

Win/win relationships between teachers and studios

Mado explores the sensitive relationship between yoga teachers and yoga studio owners and managers and how we can navigate these relationships with integrity.  Episode highlights: The causes and the effects of placing restrictive policies around what yoga teachers can share with their students in class. Real stories and experiences of the yoga teacher and yoga studio dynamic.  Considerations about boundaries, agreements, and contracts between teachers and studios. What it would actually look like for studios and teachers to have win/win relationships.   Links & Resources Episode 23: Teacher centered yoga studio business model with Kaya Mindlin Join the Yoga Teacher Resource Facebook Group Sign up for the email list and get 100 yoga class themes 

Who should I trust online (about yoga)

Mado shares how yoga teachers can discern who and what to believe when there are so many opposing perspectives being proclaimed with equal confidence online. If you’re wondering where to turn for reliable information and how to parse through the different perspectives to figure out what is right, tune in for this week’s episode.    Episode highlights:   The challenge of sifting through all of the confident and conflicting voices online. The importance of examining our own relationship to social media. Why content designed for social media is so compelling from a neuroscience perspective.  How we can apply yoga philosophy to hold space for multiple conflicting truths. Links & Resources   Join the Yoga Teacher Resource Facebook Group Sign up for the email list and get 100 yoga class themes 

Why new students don’t return to your classes

Mado shares reasons new students might not be coming back to your classes and solutions to help you attract the people who truly want what you are offering. This information in this episode will help yoga teachers build their class attendance faster and find their authentic voice as a yoga teacher.    Episode highlights:   Reasons people don’t come back that have nothing to do with you as a teacher  The most common ways that yoga teachers make their students feel uncomfortable without realizing it and the quick fixes for this problem  How to make sure that the advertising for your class is as accurate as possible The importance of naming your classes and considerations for choosing a class name  How to talk to your regular students to get feedback on what they enjoy and get out of your classes Links & Resources   Join the Yoga Teacher Resource Facebook Group Sign up for the email list and get 100 yoga class themes 

Are you making these yoga niche mistakes?

Honing in on your niche is a powerful tool for reaching more people and making a bigger impact with your yoga teaching. However, many yoga teachers don’t truly understand why and how to choose their niche. In this episode, Mado explores this topic and the common mistakes that might be undermining your best intentions in choosing your specialty as a yoga teacher.    Episode highlights:   The benefits of specialization as a yoga teacher today Five common mistakes and misunderstandings about choosing a niche  Being too broad vs. too narrow with your niche  What to do when you want your classes to be inclusive but also target a specific group of people Tips for choosing a niche organically, how to listen for clues, and what questions to ask yourself   Links & Resources   Episode 58: Lessons on burnout and spiritual bypassing from The Bhagavad Gita Join the Yoga Teacher Resource Facebook Group Sign up for the email list and get 100 yoga class themes 

Is my niche too narrow? [on air coaching call]

Kate Lynch is a long time yoga practitioner, yoga teacher, and mother of a special needs child. While she has a lot of clarity about exactly who she wants to work with, she also has concerns that her niche is too specific and that it could make things difficult in terms of growing her yoga business. Listen to this on-air coaching call to find out what advice Mado offers about Kate’s niche, how to make more money as a yoga teacher, and getting over the fear of taking big steps.    Episode highlights:   How having a more narrow niche usually plays out in a fledgling business  Dealing with fear and anxiety as it relates to business and making big decisions  Overcoming the obstacle of asking for money for services in markets that are resistant or uninformed as to the value you offer The pros and cons of in-person or online options pros and cons  Strategizing and prioritizing larger projects like writing a book, blogging, podcasting, and planning retreats.  Links & Resources   Schedule a Strategy Session with Mado Join the Yoga Teacher Resource Facebook Group Sign up for the email list and get 100 yoga class themes 

How to balance being real vs. being positive

Yoga teachers experience difficulties in life like anyone else but how much of our personal challenges should we bring into our classes? In this episode, Mado shares how we can find a balance between giving our students the positive experience they seek while also being honest about our personal struggles.    Episode highlights:   Using a dharma talk or introducing a topic or deeper teaching at the beginning of your classes  The difference between oversharing and acknowledging challenges in your own life Three techniques you can use to discuss challenging topics in a yoga class so that it feels authentic without being self indulgent or burdening your students  Specific examples of how to implement these three techniques  Questions you can ask yourself when your feeling conflicted about whether or not to share an idea or challenge with your students    Links & Resources   Join the Yoga Teacher Resource Facebook Group Sign up for the email list and get 100 yoga class themes 

The Art and Business of Teaching Yoga with Amy Ippoliti

Teacher’s teacher, Amy Ippoliti joins Mado for a conversation about the gifts and challenges of teaching yoga as a career. They discuss and dissect the many layers of what makes an effective yoga teacher and a successful yoga business.    Episode highlights:   How to cultivate a sustainable and fulfilling yoga teaching career for yourself  Amy’s personal rituals and strategies for staying in a place of passion and inspiration and avoiding burnout Specific ways to help make sure you succeed in your business and balance all of the many priorities a yoga teacher might have How learning about business can help you serve your students better  How to support new teachers and elevate the entire yoga community including the veteran teachers and yoga studios   Links & Resources   Join the Yoga Teacher Resource Email List 90monkeys.com  Buy the Book: The Art and Business of Teaching Yoga 

How to scale yourself (on-air coaching call)

Angel Coughlin’s yoga studio is expanding. Along with this extra growth comes the increasing demands on her time and attention. In this on-air coaching call, Mado talks with Angel about ways she can balance her larger vision for her studio with the realities of running (and growing) a business and while continuing to being there for her yoga students who adore her. Mado also guides her with some actionable steps she can take and information about how best to utilize tools like email marketing and videos to essentially “scale” herself and communicate her vision more effectively.  Episode highlights: What to do when there is a disconnect between what you know your message to be and what your students understand it to be.  How to meet your students’ needs through a medium that reaches more people at once Using your email list as an opportunity to get the word out about your larger vision and message. Avenues for building your email list through partnerships.  How to segment your email list and why. Differences between yoga studio email lists and independent yoga teachers   Links & Resources Join the Yoga Teacher Resource Email List

Leslie Kaminoff on the rise of fitness yoga

Leslie Kaminoff is a straight talking yoga teacher who has been around long enough to have seen the tremendous shift in how yoga is practiced and perceived in the US. In this follow up to their previous conversation about the history and future of the Yoga Alliance, Leslie shares his background and yoga origin story. He and Mado also discuss the ways in which the birth of the fitness industry paved the way for what we in the west know yoga to be today.   Episode Highlights:   Leslie’s recommendations for people looking to work as a full-time yoga teacher Leslie’s personal yoga story  How the rise of the fitness industry directly influenced yoga as we know it in the US  Whether someone is or isn’t doing “real yoga” if they came to yoga through fitness  Thoughts on the Yoga Alliance’s new standards  The origin of the Leslie’s esutra email list and the original dialogue he started around the Yoga Alliance standards years ago  Links & Resources   Join the Yoga Teacher Resource Email List and Get 100 Yoga Class Themes Free Leslie Kaminoff’s Yoga Anatomy website  Episode 46: Leslie Kaminoff on Teaching Standards and the Yoga Alliance Episode 60: Yoga Alliance CEO on their new standards with Shannon Roche Leslie’s public statement after new standards announced E-sutra post with original Yoga Alliance dialogue 

5 Steps to (Re)claim your personal practice

Maintaining a consistent home yoga practice is one of the most common challenges for yoga teachers. In this episode, Mado shares the strategies she is currently using to re-establish the habit of home yoga practice after her recent travels. She also talks in detail about the science-based reasons why we struggle with our personal practice, even if we have a ton of integrity in other areas of our lives. Also included are some techniques you can easily implement to reclaim your personal practice.     Episode Highlights:   Mado’s definition of a home yoga practice The true value of home practice for yoga teachers  Why maintaining a personal practice is such a challenge for teachers 5 steps you can take to establish or re-establish the habit of home practice Information and resources about the human brain and how it applies to having a consistent home practice  Links & Resources   Join the Yoga Teacher Resource Email List and Get 100 Yoga Class Themes Free The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg Atomic Habits by James Clere The Willpower Instinct by Kelly McGonigal