Yoga Teacher Resource Podcast

How to stay inspired as a yoga teacher

What happened to your yoga practice when you became a teacher? Many yoga teachers are surprised by the way that the new role of teacher can actually derail their personal practice. That’s what happened to Brittany, a yoga teacher and digital marketer in Minneapolis. She went from feeling like yoga was her special refuge, to only practicing while she teaches. Now she feels lonely and lacks inspiration. In this coaching call we explore her priorities and make some choices around how she spends her time so that her cup will be full enough to share with her students. Why it’s imperative to think of yourself as a student of yoga first and a teacher second. How to organize your life around your personal practice instead of the other way around. The pros and cons of teaching in a yoga studio, vs gym or community center. How she can eventually combine her skills as a yoga teacher and digital marketing to create a sustainable business. Get on the waitlist for the group coaching/mastermind starting in the fall of 2019. Join the yoga teacher resource facebook group. Learn about scheduling your own strategy session with Mado.

Sequencing Warm Ups

Warm ups are an essential part of your yoga sequence - so how to you know if you are choosing the right poses? By listener request, I share my thoughts on the topic in this episode including: The two main purposes for warming up The kind of movement that is best for fulfilling these intentions How to choose warm up poses based on the more challenging poses you plan to teach later in the sequence. Why I think that most basic yoga poses are actually pretty complex - and how to prepare our students to get the most out of them. A simple guideline you can use for any class How to modify warm ups based on the population you teach Email subscribers also have access to three short videos of warm up sequences that I use personally. Subscribe now to get access to this and other bonus content. 

How to get teaching experience

If you’re trying to break into teaching, this episode will cover a whole bunch of ideas of how to do so. Whether you recently graduated from YTT, are still in YTT, have recently moved to a new location, or are planning to move soon - getting started is often the hardest part.  Why a yoga studio might not be the best place to start teaching - and where to find the perfect first teaching gigs. How to build trust at a yoga studio where nobody knows you (yet). The reason I recommend teaching privates - even if you don't feel ready.  How to start with the end in mind - why your reasons for teaching and your vision for the future should influence the environment in which you teach.  Get on the waitlist for the group coaching/mastermind starting in the fall of 2019. Join the yoga teacher resource facebook group.  Learn about working with me one on one. 

Leslie Kaminoff on The Yoga Alliance and Teaching Standards

Author of Yoga Anatomy and long time teacher Leslie Kaminoff shares his insider's perspective on the history and future of the Yoga Alliance and the forces influencing teaching standards in the yoga industry. Some of the topics we cover: -->What the yoga world was like when the Yoga Alliance got started and the thought processes behind their initial policies. -->How yoga evolved from a fringe activity into an industry - and how the concerns around teaching standards changed with that evolution. -->What Leslie thinks the Yoga Alliance has done right...  and several ways he thinks they have mistepped in the past -->Leslie’s top priority and reason for participating in the Yoga Alliance advisory committee -->The important element that Leslie believes Yoga Alliance is missing in their structure -->Leslie’s hope for the future of the Yoga Alliance and the industry as a whole

Inclusive Language & Yoga’s PR problem [on air coaching]

Katie Yandrick is a college professor and yoga teacher who wants to bring yoga and movement to people who don’t realize yoga is for them: body shape/size, economic background, varying abilities, race, and ethnicity – She wants the diversity that exists in her community to also exist in her yoga clients.  Katie reached out to me for help on how to speak to those people to get them to try her classes and then also once they are in class. Some questions we dive into include: What does accessible language really mean? Is it possible to speak to everyone who doesn't currently see themselves as yogis at the same time? Within the diversity of her community, what do the students Katie connects with most deeply have in common? How can we talk about yoga with people who think they know what it means, but are completely off base? Links and resources: Schedule your own coaching call with Mado Join the Yoga Teacher Resource Facebook Group Get on the Yoga Teacher Resource Email List

Building Confidence as a Teacher

Grace reached out for advice and support on gaining confidence as a yoga teacher. She's been teaching for a year and is afraid that her teacher training was sub-par, but doesn't have the funds to take another at the moment. She feels she should have enough experience by now to feel confident, so she wonders what the heck is going on? The main source for confidence as a yoga teacher The biggest reason teachers lack confidence One powerful teaching from the yoga sutras How to interrupt the habitual thoughts that feed lack of confidence. Why more knowledge does not equal more confidence. Sign up for Mado's email listJoin the Yoga Teacher Resource Facebook Group

Foundations of a yoga business

Learn the often neglected first steps to creating a sustainable and profitable yoga business.  As most yoga teachers do not have business training, we end up really lost when it comes to creating a business around our yoga teaching. It's easy to waste a lot of time and energy on things that ultimately don't matter unless you have your foundations in place. This episode covers the foundational steps that will make sure your yoga business is solid from the beginning. If you follow the advice in this episode, you will set yourself apart from most yoga teachers who either don't know to do these things or don't realize how important they are.  If you want personalized help in implementing these steps, based on your unique situation I would love to help in a strategy session or coaching package. 

Self Doubt and Impostor Syndrome

We all experience moments of self doubt and sometimes feel like an impostor - as though we are not really qualified to take the seat of the teacher and lead others in yoga. In this episode you'll hear why I think this is actually a good thing and how you can continue to serve your students no matter how you are personally feeling on a given day.  Please join the yoga teacher resource facebook group for a community of supportive teachers. We lift each other up with guidance, reflection, and encouragement. 

Cueing, Intention, and Progressive Sequencing

When Allison signed up for an on-air coaching call, she thought she wanted help with narrowing her focus and keeping her classes interesting - but the byproduct of that work was to optimize her teaching schedule and hone back in the reasons she loves teaching in the first place. Why excellent teaching is always about coming back to your intention. The deeper reasons that your cues feel stale - and what to do about it. How to structure your class schedule to be a win-win for you and your students. How to use progressive sequencing to help your students understand the ‘whys’ behind your cues. The purpose and place of a cue in your classes - and why cueing should not replace teaching. The reason you might consider teaching privates before you ‘feel ready’ and how to get private students to give you helpful feedback. I have a limited number of spaces to work with yoga teachers intensively over the next three months. If you would like to be considered for a spot, please sign up for a free clarity call to make sure we are a good fit to work together. 

Anatomy of Stretching

Learn what is really happening in your body when you stretch and how to use this information in your classes and personal practice. Trigger point therapist and yoga teacher Cat Matlock takes us on a tour of the human muscular system and the way it interacts with the nervous system. Highlights: The key sensory organ that resides in your muscles and regulates your ability to stretch. The reason you cannot do yoga specifically for your muscles or specifically for your fascia. The difference between tone and tension - and how this impacts your ability to stretch a muscle. Why the stretch reflex actually does the opposite of what it sounds like. Techniques for stretching that honor the way your muscles actually work. Links and Resources If you have loved the last three episodes on anatomy with Mado, Ferris Fakhoury, and Cat Matlock - we would love to have you join us for an in-person training in Asheville, NC. Register for the anatomy series - March 10-April 7 FreeBody Trigger Point Therapy Clinic Book a strategy session with Mado