Yoga Teacher Resource Podcast

Four types of retreats (and how to choose the one that's best for you) with Lily Dwyer Begg

Yoga retreats allow you to share yoga free from the distractions of daily life - while often earning far more than your usual weekly classes. There are four basic types of retreats to consider: day, camping, local, and international. In this episode, we cover the pros and cons of each to help you decide which is right for you. Packed with personal insights and practical tips, this dialogue aims to inspire yoga teachers to organize retreats, explaining the win/win dynamic for both student and teacher.
 
 
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:
00:00 Why we love retreats and four types of retreats to consider leading
01:34 Retreat opportunities for students and teachers
13:24 Day Retreats: A low-risk way to dip your toes into leading retreats
19:33 Camping Retreats: An affordable option for nature lovers
27:03 Local Retreats: Gateway to a deeper practice
33:47 International Retreats: The easiest retreat to fill up and earn a profit
40:07 Conclusion: Choosing the right retreat for you
EPISODE LINKS & RESOURCES:
Quiz: What kind of retreat is best for you?
Retreat Timing Guide
Episode 226: Yoga Retreat Fundamentals
Episode 233: How to Thrive as a Retreat Leader
Lily Dwyer Begg Yoga
Follow Lily on Instagram @lilydwyerbegg
The Ultimate Retreat Roadmap Online Course
LINKS AND RESOURCES:
Follow YTR on Instagram @yoga.teacher.resource 
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Join the Yoga Teacher Resource Facebook Group
Learn more about the Impact Club
Leave a review on iTunes
Ask a question for the podcast on the Yoga Teacher Resource website or on SpeakPipe

12 Tips for Teaching Large(r) Groups

Teaching large groups can be intimidating! But it’s also fantastic for improving your teaching skills and boosting your confidence. This episode focuses on the unique challenges and opportunities involved in teaching large yoga groups. Learn to embrace the challenges of large-group instruction and develop your ability to offer high-quality instruction to groups of any size.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:
00:00 The benefits of teaching larger groups
05:15 Why teaching large groups is so nerve-wracking
07:02 Why it’s important to keep your class plan simple in a larger group
09:33 How to encourage focus and engagement in a larger group
10:12 How to balance different personality types when it comes to student participation
12:04 How to manage student questions to avoid getting thrown off track
15:06 How to provide an intimate experience in a large group
17:14 Thoughts on physical touch in a large group
19:17 How to bring attention back to you after small group or partner work
21:06 The role of visual aids in a larger group
22:51 How to utilize assistants when teaching a larger group
24:54 How to learn your student’s names (even if you’re usually terrible with names)
26:52 How to facilitate connection between students in a larger group
LINKS AND RESOURCES:
Follow YTR on Instagram @yoga.teacher.resource 
Join the Yoga Teacher Resource email list
Join the Yoga Teacher Resource Facebook Group
Learn more about the Impact Club
Leave a review on iTunes
Ask a question for the podcast on the Yoga Teacher Resource website or on SpeakPipe

An Anti-Perfectionist Approach to Accessible Yoga with Jivana Heyman

Over the past decade, there has been a welcome push towards a more inclusive approach to yoga. But what does that look like on a practical level? Jivana Heyman has been at the center of the accessible yoga movement as the founder of the Accessible Yoga Project and the author of The Teacher's Guide to Accessible Yoga, Best Practices for Sharing Yoga with Every Body. In this episode, Jivana shares an anti-perfectionist approach to accessible yoga that centers the relationship between teacher and student. The conversation delves into insecurities and imposter syndrome, the interplay between teaching and personal growth, and the importance of ethics in guiding both personal and teaching practices.
 
 
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:
00:00 The philosophy of accessible yoga
01:48 Jivana’s early experiences with yoga
03:30 How yoga helps with emotional regulation
05:59 The impact of social media and information overload
08:43 How to deal with impostor syndrome
13:22 Teaching as a relationship
21:04 Inquiry on the ethics of teaching
27:50 The importance of meeting your students where they are and respecting their preferences
33:41 Perfectionism and people-pleasing
38:30 Kindness as a guiding principle for accessible yoga
42:15 Helping and fixing vs serving 
EPISODE LINKS & RESOURCES:
Accessible Yoga School
Access all of Jivana’s books here
Follow Jivana on Instagram @jivanaheyman
LINKS AND RESOURCES:
Follow YTR on Instagram @yoga.teacher.resource 
Join the Yoga Teacher Resource email list
Join the Yoga Teacher Resource Facebook Group
Learn more about the Impact Club
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Ask a question for the podcast on the Yoga Teacher Resource website or on SpeakPipe

How to Run a Registered Yoga Series with Nyk Danu

Series classes deepen your relationship with your students, helps them commit to their practice, and provides financial stability for you as the teacher. Nyk Danu, a certified yoga therapist and business mentor, shares her insights on creating a sustainable yoga teaching business through a registered series. Listen in to hear practical advice on setting up your series, handling logistics like space rental and insurance, and filling your series classes. Nyk also touches on considerations for yoga studio owners thinking about transitioning to a registered series. If you value teacher-student connections, consistency in practice, and control over your teaching environment, this episode is for you!
 
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:
00:52 Meet Nyk Danu: Yoga Misfit and Mentor
06:09 Why yoga classes shifted away from the registered series model
09:59 How to Start Your Own Registered Yoga Series
20:11 Finding the Perfect Space for Yoga Classes
22:04 Essential Tools for Running Yoga Series: Registration and Communication
24:40 Essential Policies for your Registered Series
28:21 Priority Registration for Existing Students
29:20 Starting Small with Class Registrations
30:15 Engaging Older Students with Simpler Technology
31:18 Handling Minimums and Cancellations
31:47 Leveraging Workshops to Fill Series
33:30 Setting Minimum Attendance Numbers
36:16 Choosing the Right Duration for Your Series
37:40 Make-up Classes and Free Sessions
40:09 Finding Your First Group of Students
46:02 Utilizing Email Lists for Growth
48:58 Transitioning Studios to Registered Series
50:14 The Benefits of Running Pre-registered Series
55:43 Concluding Thoughts and Resources
EPISODE LINKS & RESOURCES:
Nyk Danu Yoga
Follow Nyk on Instagram @nykdanuyoga
LINKS AND RESOURCES:
Follow YTR on Instagram @yoga.teacher.resource 
Join the Yoga Teacher Resource email list
Join the Yoga Teacher Resource Facebook Group
Learn more about the Impact Club
Leave a review on iTunes
Ask a question for the podcast on the Yoga Teacher Resource website or on SpeakPipe

Teaching Mixed Abilities in Yoga Classes with Dr. Libby Hinsley

Yoga is for everyone, but when people of varied physical abilities show up in the same class it can be difficult to meet all their needs at the same time. In this episode, Mado and Libby offer a framework for understanding why your students might struggle with a particular asana and how to offer variations that provide a similar experience to people with different physical abilities.
 
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:
00:00 Why teaching mixed ability yoga classes is harder than it needs to be
02:49 How to plan for an all levels class
03:35 Understanding progression and regression
04:46 Four reasons a pose might be challenging for a student
05:39 How to simplify yoga postures
07:14 Essential biomechanical principles for yoga
11:35 How gravity can impact asana
16:27 Why teaching simpler poses will help your students progress
21:50 How teaching one one-on-one will help you teach better group classes
23:16 A breakdown of Warrior 3 Pose
28:51 Moving vs static yoga postures
30:39 The role of creativity in yoga teaching
32:14 A breakdown of Triangle Pose
38:53 Why anatomy is a key skill for asana teachers
 
EPISODE LINKS & RESOURCES:
Libby Hinsley
Anatomy Bites
Follow Libby on Instagram @libbyhinsleypt
 
LINKS AND RESOURCES:
Follow YTR on Instagram @yoga.teacher.resource 
Join the Yoga Teacher Resource email list
Join the Yoga Teacher Resource Facebook Group
Learn more about the Impact Club
Leave a review on iTunes
Ask a question for the podcast on the Yoga Teacher Resource website or on SpeakPipe

Bridging the Gap between Retreats and Online Classes with Laura Mendez Asbach [On-Air Coaching Call]

Laura reached out for help to increase enrollment in her online classes. Despite her success in drawing people to her global retreats, she struggles to fill her online series and workshops. In this conversation, we discuss strategies to improve sign-ups for online offerings. Some of the ideas we consider include positioning online classes as 'extensions' of the retreat experiences, frequency and timing of communication, incentives for retreat participants, and the importance of urgency in online sign-ups. We then created a plan to convert her current library membership into something that might appeal to retreat participants.
 
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:
01:14 Laura's background and how she started leading retreats
03:40 How Laura’s retreat business survived the pandemic
05:23 Why & how to learn what motivates your students
12:19 The importance of urgency in marketing
13:59 Helping students bridge the gap between retreats and online classes
17:41 An idea to repurpose Laura’s membership to support retreat participants
18:42 How to create consistency with a constantly changing schedule
22:11 How to leverage moments of inspiration
22:42 Final Thoughts and Future Plans
 
EPISODE LINKS & RESOURCES:
Laura Lakshmi
Follow Laura on Instagram @yogawithlauralakshmi
 
LINKS AND RESOURCES:
Follow YTR on Instagram @yoga.teacher.resource 
Join the Yoga Teacher Resource email list
Join the Yoga Teacher Resource Facebook Group
Learn more about the Impact Club
Leave a review on iTunes
Ask a question for the podcast on the Yoga Teacher Resource website or on SpeakPipe

Cueing, Demonstration, and Finding your Voice as a Teacher with Johanna [On Air Coaching Call]

Johanna is a new yoga teacher who struggles to lead her yoga class without physically practicing along with her students. Mado helps her unpack why she wants to develop this skill and provides simple strategies to build her ability to cue without practicing along with the class. Along the way, they explore internal vs external motivation and learning to trust your inner voice.
 
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:
02:17 Johanna's journey to becoming a yoga teacher
06:25 Why Johanna struggles to teach without practicing along
07:42 The conflict between internal and external motivation
12:22 How people pleasing harms and holds us back as yoga teachers
22:11 The paradox of being a beginner teacher
22:51 Why it’s important to embrace slow and steady growth
23:36 The danger of comparing yourself to people who are further along the path
25:56 What your students really want from you as a teacher
27:56 Helping your students vs pleasing them
28:19 The benefits of cueing without demonstrating
36:28 Comparison between yoga and fitness classes
38:10 Meeting your students where they are
39:11 Baby steps to develop your ability to cue without practicing
41:00 How & why to let your students peek behind the curtain
 
LINKS AND RESOURCES:
Follow YTR on Instagram @yoga.teacher.resource 
Join the Yoga Teacher Resource email list
Join the Yoga Teacher Resource Facebook Group
Learn more about the Impact Club
Leave a review on iTunes
Ask a question for the podcast on the Yoga Teacher Resource website or on SpeakPipe

The Art and Science of Teaching Yoga Online - Part 2 with Lily Dwyer Begg

Transitioning from in-person classes to online can shake up every aspect of your teaching. When Lily Dwyer Begg dove headfirst into this process, she found greater clarity in her voice and a blossoming creative potential in her teaching. In this episode, Lily shares advice for the art of teaching yoga online including demonstration, verbal cues, class planning, and how to substitute direct touch. She also reveals some of the challenges and opportunities that arose when she stopped teaching at studios and started running her own platform.
 
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:
00:00 Introduction
00:53 A comparison between teaching in person and online
08:35 The unexpected benefits of teaching online
10:29 The benefits of livestream classes (vs on-demand)
18:11 The business of teaching online
22:31 Things that don’t work well in online classes
29:37 Why it’s best to start with a single class vs a full schedule
31:24 The types of classes that tend to do well online
33:18 Different approaches to demonstrating in online classes
35:28 The art of verbal cueing and how to improve your cues
41:20 The role of touch in yoga and how to substitute touch online
49:15 Lily’s class planning process
54:35 Why the limits of teaching online are also the benefits
 
EPISODE LINKS & RESOURCES:
Lily Dwyer Begg Yoga
Follow Lily on Instagram @lilydwyernbegg
 
LINKS AND RESOURCES:
Follow YTR on Instagram @yoga.teacher.resource 
Join the Yoga Teacher Resource email list
Join the Yoga Teacher Resource Facebook Group
Learn more about the Impact Club
Leave a review on iTunes
Ask a question for the podcast on the Yoga Teacher Resource website or on SpeakPipe

The Art and Science of Teaching Yoga Online - Part 1 with Lily Dwyer Begg

Learn the nuts and bolts of setting up an online yoga studio. Despite describing herself as a 'Luddite', Lily started teaching online when in-person classes shut down during COVID. She found that online teaching allowed her to teach fewer classes, increase her income, and boost her creativity. In this episode, she shares practical advice on optimizing audio and visual quality, choosing clothing for online classes, and using editing tools to refine recorded classes.
 
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:
00:00 Introduction to online teaching
01:02 How Lily transitioned to teaching online during COVID
03:19 How to adapt your teaching style for online classes
08:30 The business side of teaching online
11:13 How to set up for high-quality online classes
21:23 Why clothing matters when teaching online
25:14 Interactive vs passive teaching platforms
25:23 Audio setup for live streaming
27:36 The benefits of a multi-camera setup
32:26 How to get quality video with your phone.
40:34 Why you should tag your videos and add thumbnails
41:23 How to keep your editing simple
45:38 Unexpected gifts from online teaching
 
EPISODE LINKS & RESOURCES:
Lily Dwyer Begg Yoga
Follow Lily on Instagram @lilydwyernbegg
Get a list of all the tech that Lily mentions in this episode
 
LINKS AND RESOURCES:
Follow YTR on Instagram @yoga.teacher.resource 
Join the Yoga Teacher Resource email list
Join the Yoga Teacher Resource Facebook Group
Learn more about the Impact Club
Leave a review on iTunes
Ask a question for the podcast on the Yoga Teacher Resource website or on SpeakPipe

Is Yoga Bad for Bendy People? with Dr. Libby Hinsley

Ever been told that hypermobile people shouldn’t practice yoga? Yoga is not bad for bendy people, but there are different considerations for people with hypermobile joints. Dr. Libby Hinsley, author of Yoga for Bendy People joins us to debunk some myths and talk about the ways that yoga is amazing for bendy people.
 
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS: 
Hypermobility basics - what does it actually mean to be bendy?
Unique needs for bendy people in Asana practice
Alternatives to passive stretching that work better for bendy people
What yoga practice injuries are telling us
Libby’s new book, Yoga for Bendy People
 
EPISODE LINKS & RESOURCES:
Libby Hinsley
Anatomy Bites
Follow Libby on Instagram @libbyhinsleypt
 
LINKS AND RESOURCES:
Follow YTR on Instagram @yoga.teacher.resource 
Join the Yoga Teacher Resource email list
Join the Yoga Teacher Resource Facebook Group
Learn more about the Impact Club
Leave a review on iTunes
Ask a question for the podcast on the Yoga Teacher Resource website or on SpeakPipe