Yoga Teacher Confidential: Secrets of Becoming a Great Yoga Teacher
Sage Rountree 110 episodes Nov 10, 2026
Yoga Teacher Confidential explores the practical and emotional realities of teaching yoga. Host Sage Rountree draws on decades of experience as a teacher, studio owner, mentor, and teacher trainer to offer advice on confidence, classroom presence, and authenticity. Episodes address challenges such as imposter syndrome and help teachers refine their skills for specialized groups and settings. The show also shares insights from her books on sequencing, teaching beyond poses, and building a professional yoga career.
Episodes
111. How to Plan a Workshop That Actually Fills
Nearly every yoga teacher I know is carrying around a someday workshop. It lives in the notes app or on a sticky note: the hip-opener workshop, the yoga-for-runners workshop, the stress-and-rest afternoon you’ve been meaning to offer for two years. Then the loop starts (what if the topic’s wrong, what do I charge, what if nobody comes?), and “maybe someday” renews its lease for another season.In t
110. How to Become Your Students’ Favorite Yoga Teacher (Favorite Teacher, Part 1)
You are never going to be everyone’s favorite yoga teacher, and I put the word almost into this series title on purpose. The chase for universal approval is precisely what keeps good teachers from becoming anyone’s favorite at all: the harder you contort yourself to please every person on every mat, the more generic your teaching becomes, and generic teaching is nobody’s favorite teaching. This ep
109. What Most Yoga Teachers Get Wrong About Core: Five Misunderstandings and the Objections Underneath
When most yoga teachers hear the word core, the picture that flashes up has nothing to do with yoga: a gym floor, a timer, somebody counting crunches, an ad promising a flat stomach by summer. That picture is exactly why so many thoughtful, skilled teachers have decided core work is somebody else’s department. I understand the instinct completely, and I want to challenge it, because the picture is
108. The Two Arrows: Yoga Philosophy for When Life Hurts
It’s Sunday night. You have three classes to teach this week and you’re staring at a blank notebook, 45 minutes into scrolling for sequence ideas, five browser tabs open, nothing right for the actual students who’ll show up tomorrow. That’s the first arrow: the real challenge of building a class. Somewhere around minute 30, a voice crept in. Everyone else just walks in and teaches. What’s wrong wi
107. How Learning to Teach Core Makes You a More Useful Yoga Teacher
Sooner or later, a student stops you on the way out the door with three words: “More core, please.” For a long time I answered that request badly, tacking three rounds of bicycles into the middle of an otherwise unrelated class and calling it giving the people what they wanted. This episode is the case I wish someone had made to me early on: learning to teach core well makes you a more useful yoga
106. The Shadow Self in Autumn: The Five Kleshas in the Teacher’s Seat
Autumn is my favorite season for a slightly embarrassing reason: as the light gets lower, everything casts a longer shadow, and I find that weirdly reassuring. The shadows were there all summer. You just couldn’t see them at high noon. That’s the whole premise of this episode, which goes somewhere more specific and more uncomfortable than the survey I gave you back in episode 91: what the five kle
105. Introduction to Teaching Yoga Nidra: What Do I Actually Say for 20 Minutes?
Twenty minutes of continuous talking to a room full of people lying still with their eyes closed has scared off more experienced yoga teachers than any arm-balance workshop ever has. I hear the same question from teachers who can sequence a 90-minute class in their sleep: what do I actually say for 20 minutes? If that question has stopped you from offering yoga nidra, this episode is your orientat
104. Revisiting Atha—The Yoga Sutras' First Word
Every September I promise myself this will be the year I stay on top of my class planning. By week four, the notebook holds four lesson plans and a grocery list, and the fall shine has worn off—for me and for my students.In this episode, I'm revisiting atha, the very first word of the Yoga Sutras and one my coauthor Alexandra DeSiato and I return to throughout our new book, Yoga Off the Mat.
103. Back-to-School Energy in Yoga Class and What to Do When Your September Motivation Fades
Every September I watch teachers, myself included, sign up for something new: a fresh planning system, a training, a whole approach to class we’re sure will finally stick. By October, most of it has quietly stalled out.In this episode, I’m talking about the difference between motivation and discipline, and why the surge you’re feeling right now is weather, not climate. I dig into tapas, yoga’s tea
102. The Real Reason Your Yoga Teacher Instagram Isn't Finished
For years, I refused to build an Instagram account for Comfort Zone Yoga. I could see exactly how the treadmill goes: post the same thing twice with a different caption, fall behind on both accounts, and eventually one goes dark. So I built @comfortzoneyoga to be finished in one afternoon instead. It still is.In this episode, I'm previewing the September Comfort Zone Conversation, where we&ap
101. Smells in Yoga Class: The Room, the Oils, and the Hard Conversation
Every yoga room has a smell before you say a word of your opening—the space itself, the scent you add on purpose, and the students who walk through the door. In this episode, I’m working through all three: how to get a room ready before class, what to do with your own products and oils, and the real difference between a student who arrives already smelling strong and one who gets that way forty mi
100. What 100 Episodes Taught Me About Repetition and Teaching Yoga
One hundred Tuesdays, and I have opened every single episode with the same five words. I never planned it that way, and I never mentioned it out loud until now, which is a little funny given that I have spent two years telling yoga teachers that repeating yourself is a professional skill rather than a failure of imagination.In this episode I look back at what actually changed over ninety-nine week
99. What to Do When Your Yoga Class Goes Off the Rails
The second class I ever taught went off the rails before I said a word—and then I spent an hour making it worse by apologizing for not being the regular teacher. Two students set me straight the next day, and I still teach from that lesson two decades later.In this episode, I’m separating the two things yoga teachers mean when they say a class went off the rails: the logistics problem that happens
98. What Most Yoga Teachers Get Wrong About Teaching Yin
My husband took his first yin class with me at Kripalu and told me afterward that I should rename the practice. He wasn’t entirely wrong: a room built on stillness produced an enormous reaction in his body, and that’s yin working exactly as designed.In this episode, I break down the three mistakes I see yoga teachers make most often when they teach yin: treating it as a slower version of a flow cl
97. All Yoga Pants Are See-Through: What to Wear and Where to Look as a Yoga Teacher
All yoga pants are see-through. Your expensive pair, the clearance-bin pair, all of them—under the right light, in a deep enough fold, the fabric gives away a little more than you bargained for. That isn't a flaw in you or your students. It's fabric and physics, plain and simple.In this lighthearted episode, I walk through the 2013 Lululemon recall that erased roughly two billion dollars
96. Technology in the Yoga Room: Phones, Presence, and Consent
For years, I was the phone police. I taught with a sensitive wireless mic that glitched every time a phone buzzed, so I asked everyone to power down—and told myself I was protecting the practice.Then I watched a student at a workshop keep fidgeting with a little device. I caught myself judging her for it, until I realized it was her insulin monitor. That moment changed how I think about technology
95. When and How to Demo Poses in Your Yoga Class
Most yoga teachers have heard some version of don't demo. Get off your mat. Cue with your words. Be a real teacher. The advice is reaching for something true—but the rule, as it usually gets delivered, hurts newer teachers and doesn't actually capture what experienced teachers are doing differently.In this episode, Sage walks through when demonstration genuinely serves your students (and
94. Readings from Yoga Off the Mat: Joy, Comparison, and the Fear of the Unknown
This week is a little different. Sage is joined by her co-author and friend Alexandra DeSiato to read from their new book, Yoga Off the Mat—the book that takes what yoga builds on the mat and lets it shape the rest of your life.Alexandra reads from the chapter on abhinivesha, the fear of the unknown: why we grip so hard for control, what a Stephen Colbert bit has to do with death, and a few practi
93. Yoga Off the Mat—Philosophy for the Rest of Your Life (with Alexandra DeSiato)
In this episode of Yoga Teacher Confidential, I sit down with my dear friend and longtime writing partner, Alexandra DeSiato, for a conversation about our new book, Yoga Off the Mat, out July 14. It is the fourth book Alexandra and I have written together, and it grew from a simple question: what happens when you take the attention you practice on the mat and let it shape the rest of your life?We
92. When and How to Use Sanskrit in Your Yoga Class
A few weeks ago, I posted a simple carousel on Instagram in my “Here’s the Tea” series for yoga teachers: not every pose needs you to call out a Sanskrit name. The comments rolled in—some grateful, some furious, most somewhere in the thoughtful middle. This episode is the longer answer that didn’t fit on eight slides.I walk through what I was actually trying to say in the post, where the conversat
91. The Five Things Keeping You Stuck: An Introduction to the Kleshas
Ninety seconds of Instagram scrolling. Five distinct forces firing inside you, so fast you experience them as a single feeling: “I’m not good enough.” But it’s not one feeling—it’s five. Yoga philosophy named them twenty-five hundred years ago.In this episode, I’m walking through the five kleshas from Book Two of the Yoga Sutras: avidya (wrong-seeing), asmita (ego), raga (craving), dvesha (aversio
90. Restorative Yoga That Actually Restores
The first time I felt true parasympathetic rest, I was ten minutes into legs up the wall during a restorative workshop, and the entire outline for my book The Athlete’s Guide to Recovery dropped into my head, fully formed. I had no idea this state was even available to me for free—and once I felt it, I understood why so many well-meaning restorative classes miss the mark.Telling students to relax
89. Effort and Ease—The Balancing Act You’re Already In
You’ve cued it a thousand times: “Find the balance between effort and ease.” In this episode I take Patanjali’s sthira sukham asanam (Yoga Sutra 2.46) off the mat and show you how it runs underneath every cue you give, every class you plan, and every decision you make about your teaching career.You’ll learn what sthira (steady, firm, structured) and sukha (literally “good axle space”—smooth, well-
88. The Three Gunas Explained—Yoga Philosophy You Can Actually Use
Right now, three tracks are playing inside you. One is heavy—the energy that makes you hit snooze. One is wired—the one drafting tomorrow's class at 2 AM. And one is clear—the energy that shows up when teaching just flows. Yoga philosophy has a name for this trio: the gunas.In this episode, I walk through one of the most practical frameworks in all of yoga philosophy. Your students will grasp
87. Summer-Proof Your Yoga Teaching
If you teach in any climate with real seasons, summer attendance has its own logic. The first beautiful spring day empties the studio. A July heat wave fills it back up. By August you're juggling subs, outdoor classes, your own travel, and a schedule that no longer makes sense.After twenty-plus years of teaching and fifteen years of co-owning a studio in North Carolina, a state with four seas
86. The Two Arrows—Why Your Suffering About Suffering Is the Real Problem
You know the spiral. A student walks out of your class early, and by the time you reach your car, you've decided your classes are getting stale, the studio is about to replace you, and you should probably go back to your day job. The student leaving was the first arrow. The forty-minute story you built on top of it? That's the second arrow—and it hurts far more than the first one ever di
85. How to Teach Balance for Every Body
Have you ever had a student freeze in tree pose and apologize for wobbling? In this episode, I'm rethinking how we teach balance so every body in the room—regardless of age, injury history, or experience—can work the skill without feeling like they're failing.I walk through the four systems that keep us upright (vestibular, proprioception, vision, and musculoskeletal), why the brain&apos
84. Why a Private Yoga Lesson Isn't a Smaller Group Class
For over a decade I taught private yoga to Hall of Fame coach Roy Williams, and somewhere along the way I realized I'd been teaching privates wrong. Not because I didn't know yoga. Because nobody had ever sat me down and said, A private is a different craft. Here's how.In this episode I walk through the three shifts that turn a group-class-with-one-student into an actual private les
83. Stop Reinventing Your Yoga Class Every Week: What Exercise Physiology Tells Us About Sequencing
If you've ever spent hours creating a brand-new yoga sequence every week, only to wonder if your students even noticed the difference, this episode is for you.I spent over a decade coaching endurance athletes to age group world championships and podium finishes at ultramarathons. In all those years, I never once gave an athlete a completely different workout every single day. That's not
82. Studenthood Is the Bedrock of Your Teaching
The best yoga teachers never stop being students—but the longer you teach, the harder that becomes. In this episode, Sage Rountree shares how selling her yoga studio after fifteen years unexpectedly gave her back something she'd been missing: the freedom to simply be a student again.Sage explores the difference between continuing education and true studenthood—the kind where you sit in the se
81. Inside the Comfort Zone Yoga 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training: A Guided Tour of Everything You Need to Know
"Will I fit in?" In over a decade of personal conversations with prospective students, that question came up nearly every time. In this episode, I answer it honestly—along with everything else you'd want to know before enrolling in a 200-hour yoga teacher training.This is a full guided tour of the Comfort Zone Yoga 200-hour YTT: the teaching frameworks you'll learn (including 6
80. Why I Named It Comfort Zone Yoga
"Get out of your comfort zone." It's practically a bumper sticker. But here's the definition I keep coming back to: the place where you can operate without fear of failure. That's not a limitation. That's a superpower.In this episode, I share the story behind the name Comfort Zone Yoga—what it actually means for your teaching, your confidence, and the kind of teacher
79. Theming Your Yoga Classes without Overthinking
Think about the last time you sat down to plan a themed yoga class. Did you freeze—staring at your notebook, wondering whether to use a Sanskrit concept, a seasonal metaphor, or a quote from a book you half-remember? You're not alone, and you're probably overthinking it.In this episode, Sage Rountree breaks down what a yoga class theme actually is—and what it isn't. A theme is simpl
78. Yoga Nidra, the Koshas, and You
I was teaching my regular Monday night balance class when I realized something: the centering I've been guiding for years—body, breath, mind, intention—is a walkthrough of the koshas. I just never called it that.In this episode, I break down the five koshas (body, breath, brain, belly, bliss—the five B's) and show you how this ancient model from the Taittiriya Upanishad is already woven
77. Storytelling for Yoga Teachers with Sara Joelle
Website copywriter Sara Joelle joins me to talk about something every yoga teacher needs—storytelling. Whether you're theming a class, writing a newsletter, or trying to tell people about your workshop without cringing, Sara has practical methods to make it easier.We dig into the mindset around selling and why the voice in your head telling you you're annoying is one you made up. Sara sh
76. Why Every Yoga Teacher Needs a Newsletter (And How to Start One)
Have you ever noticed how even your most loyal yoga students eventually drift away? Life happens—schedules change, people move—and without a way to stay in touch between classes, those connections fade.In this episode of Yoga Teacher Confidential, Sage Rountree breaks down why a newsletter is one of the simplest, most ethical tools yoga teachers have for building lasting relationships with student
75. Why Teaching Yoga Is Not Like Teaching Other Subjects
A vivid dream about teaching Spinning brought me face to face with something I've known for years but never quite articulated: teaching yoga is fundamentally different from every other kind of teaching I've done.In this episode, I'm drawing on my background in Spinning instruction, university English literature, and public radio to show exactly where those skills help in the yoga ro
74. When It's NOT Your Choice: Losing a Class You Didn't Choose to Leave
Classes end in a variety of ways. Last episode, we talked about choosing to drop a class on your own terms. But what happens when the decision isn't yours?Maybe the studio cut your class. Maybe an illness or injury forced you to step away. Maybe life circumstances made it impossible to keep showing up. This is a different kind of loss—and it deserves its own conversation.I'm coming at th
73. When to Drop a Class: How to Know It's Time to Walk Away
I recently dropped a class I'd been teaching for nearly 23 years. Monday nights at 6 p.m.—since the literal day when the studio opened in 2004. Walking away from that class was one of the most bittersweet decisions I've ever made.In this episode, I'm sharing the full story of how I came to that decision, along with the signs that it might be time for you to let go of a class: declin
72. You Get Who You Get: Teaching Yoga to Unpredictable Audiences
I was teaching a free yoga class at an outdoor gear store in Edmonton when a woman walked in with a toddler and an infant. Not a sleeping infant in a carrier: these children were alert, wandering, making noise. And if you've ever taught yoga, you know exactly what happens to your nervous system in that moment.In this episode, I'm sharing what I've learned about staying composed—and
71. What Yoga Teacher Sponsorships Really Look Like
I once sat next to the drummer from Loverboy on a plane, and we realized our lives were almost identical: city to city, same performance, different crowd, trying to find a salad somewhere. Except he was an actual rock star, and I was coming back from teaching yoga at an REI store in Minneapolis.In this episode, I'm sharing what sponsorships and brand ambassador deals actually look like from t
70. The Planning-Confidence Cycle: Finding the Middle Path Between Overplanning and Winging It
If you've ever spent three hours planning a sixty-minute yoga class—or shown up with nothing but vibes and hoped for the best—this episode is for you. I'm unpacking what I call the Planning-Confidence Cycle: the exhausting trap that keeps yoga teachers bouncing between meticulous overpreparation and chronic underpreparing.Here's the thing: neither extreme gives you what you actually
69. Applying the Service Mindset to Social Media (Minimalist Instagram for Yoga Teachers)
Instagram can feel like a second job-especially when you became a yoga teacher to teach, not to perform online.In this episode, I share a simple reframe that takes the pressure down fast: your job on social media is not to entertain the algorithm. Your job is to help the right students find the next step into yoga with you.I walk through three struggles I hear from yoga teachers all the time: hati
68. Teaching at Gyms and YMCAs: The Best Training Ground for New Yoga Teachers
When I started teaching yoga at the UNC Wellness Center, I had to complete hospital safety training about bloodborne pathogens and biohazard spills. I was teaching yoga in a gym. The odds of encountering a biohazard during downward-facing dog were essentially zero. But they paid me for that training time, and there were snacks at the meetings—so I wasn't complaining.Teaching at gyms and YMCAs
67. How to Approach a Yoga Studio for Your First Teaching Job
Most new yoga teachers approach studios completely wrong. They send generic emails, mention how much they need the work, and haven't taken a single class at the studio they're asking to teach at. Some even copy-paste so carelessly that they mention the wrong studio's name.In this episode, I'm sharing the exact approach that gets yoga teachers hired—the one that makes you stand
66. How We Can Work Together in 2026: Programs for Every Stage of Your Teaching Journey
I've spent twenty years watching yoga teachers struggle with the same pattern. They finish their training, start teaching, and then something happens. They're standing in front of three students wondering what they're doing wrong. They're scrambling every Sunday night to plan Monday's class. Or they never start teaching at all because the imposter syndrome is too loud.Here
65. Teaching Meditation with Confidence—Gabrielle Harris on Authenticity and Finding Your Voice
Most yoga teachers feel secretly terrified about teaching meditation. You know how to cue a vinyasa, but when it comes to that moment where you ask students to sit still and turn inward, the panic sets in. Who am I to guide someone's meditation practice?In this conversation with Gabrielle Harris—author of Lessons in Meditation, The Language of Yin, and The Inspired Yoga Teacher—we unpack why
64. From Set Sequences to Lead Teacher: Lana Boone on Finding Confidence Through Framework
When Lana Boone first started teaching formats beyond her familiar Baptiste sequence, she was terrified. Today, she's the lead teacher at Yoga Six in Potomac, Maryland, confidently teaching everything from power to restorative to sound bath—and her classes are filling up.In this conversation, Lana shares how the 6-4-2 framework and chunking approach completely transformed her lesson planning.
63. How I Chose My 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training (And Why I'm Building a Better One)
Most 200-hour yoga teacher trainings teach you how to do yoga—but they don't teach you how to teach yoga. If you've been through a training yourself, you know exactly what I mean. You spent weeks learning Sanskrit names, memorizing muscles, and perfecting your own poses. Then they handed you a certificate and said you're a yoga teacher now. Except you didn't really feel like on
62. Your Teaching Year in Review: Reflection and Intention Setting for 2026
Most yoga teachers end the year measuring what they didn't accomplish. The workshops they didn't lead, the certifications they didn't finish, the Instagram following that didn't grow. But here's what I've learned after two decades of teaching: you're probably measuring the wrong things.In this episode, I'm walking you through the reflection framework I use i
61. Teaching Yoga When Friends and Family Show Up to Class
The most awkward yoga class I ever taught? When my husband raised his hand mid-class like a third grader to ask if he was doing it right. If you're teaching through the holidays, you're probably about to experience your own version of this—friends, family, and visiting relatives showing up to your class.In this episode, we're diving into one of the most complex dynamics in yoga teac
60. Teaching Yoga on Video—What I Learned the Hard Way
I've been creating yoga video content since the DVD era—and I've made just about every mistake you can make along the way. From losing the rights to my own videos to stress-recording live classes while trying to serve paying students, my journey with video has been full of hard-won lessons.In this episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on 20+ years of creating yoga videos. I'll
59. Evolve Your Voice: The Power of Self-Assessment for Yoga Teachers
Most yoga teachers avoid watching themselves teach. The cringe factor is real. But self-assessment through video recording is the single most effective—and completely free—tool you have for evolving as a teacher.In this episode, we're diving deep into the second E in my S.E.R.V.E. Method: Evolve Your Voice. I'm sharing the complete framework I teach in Module One of Mastering the Art of
58. Phase 5: Mastery and Legacy—Teaching the Teachers Who Will Teach the Teachers
After two decades of teaching yoga and training teachers, I've noticed something profound: some of my most meaningful moments happen when I visit the teacher trainees of my former students. These metaphorical grandchildren—students of my students—represent what Phase 5 of the Yoga Teacher Success Timeline is truly about.Phase 5 isn't about age or years of experience. It's about the
57. The Call to Teach: What Happens Before You Even Know You Want to Be a Yoga Teacher
There's a phase that happens before yoga teacher training even begins—a liminal space where you're no longer just a student, but you're not yet ready to call yourself a teacher. I call it Phase Zero.Maybe you find yourself mentally teaching along during class, wondering why the teacher chose that particular sequence. Maybe people keep telling you that you should be a teacher, or you
56. What Teaching Yin and Restorative Contributes to ALL Your Class Formats
I used to think teaching yin and restorative yoga were niche skills—nice to have if you wanted to teach those specific classes, but not essential to your development as a yoga teacher. I was completely wrong.After 20+ years of teaching and training teachers, I've discovered that learning to teach yin and restorative might be the most transformative thing you can do for your teaching—no matter
55. Phase 4: How to Thrive as a Yoga Teacher—Confidence, Boundaries, and Legacy
In this episode, I explore what it really means to thrive as a yoga teacher. Phase Four of the Yoga Teacher Success Timeline—the Thriving Teacher Zone—is where teaching becomes intuitive, fulfilling, and sustainable.I share the signs that you’ve reached this stage, from having loyal students and diversified income to teaching from intuition rather than fear. I also unpack how thriving doesn’t mean
54. Phase 3 of the Yoga Teacher Success Timeline: Moving Beyond Teaching Plateaus and Building Your Yoga Career
Have you ever felt like your teaching has hit a plateau? In this episode of Yoga Teacher Confidential, I dive into Phase Three of the Yoga Teacher Success Timeline: the Professional Development Zone.This is the stage where teaching starts to feel sustainable but can also begin to feel routine. I share the hallmarks of Phase Three, including confidence in delivery, steady students, and a desire to
53. The Mindset Shift That Transforms Your Teaching
After 52 weekly episodes—a full year of this show!—one truth has emerged: the teachers who struggle most are still practicing yoga while trying to teach it. In this anniversary episode, I explore the irony at the core of our profession: yoga is an inward practice, but teaching yoga demands we look outward.I share my personal journey, the common struggles I see in teachers, and the shift that chang
52. Medical Emergencies in Class, Part 3: When the Emergency Is Yours
Emergencies happen in yoga class—and sometimes the emergency is mine. In this third installment of the series, I share practical steps for handling sudden illness, a coughing fit or lost voice, migraines, or a panic spike while I’m teaching. You’ll hear real stories, what I say to students in the moment, and how I decide whether to simplify, deputize help, or end early. The goal: care for myself s
51. The Truth About Leading Yoga Retreats with Amy Boerner
Leading a yoga retreat isn’t just a vacation with yoga—it’s a business, a service, and a deep commitment to your students. In this episode of Yoga Teacher Confidential, I talk with retreat leader Amy Boerner about what really goes into hosting successful retreats. From requiring deposits that “hurt to lose” to learning the hard way why you should never cook for your participants, Amy shares both t
50. Phase Two of the Yoga Teacher Success Timeline: Finding Your Teaching Identity and Confidence
Five years into teaching, I realized I was sounding just like one of my mentors—same words, same tone, same everything. It made me wonder: who am I as a teacher when I’m not imitating someone else?In this episode, we’re diving into Phase Two of the Yoga Teacher Success Timeline: the Identity Formation Zone. This is where you’ve moved past the overwhelm of Phase One and into regular teaching—but st
49. Space Management Secrets for Large Yoga Classes
Teaching yoga in a big space with dozens of students can be daunting—how do you connect with everyone and keep the class flowing? In this episode, I share practical strategies for managing large rooms so every student feels included. You’ll learn how to set up your space, move with intention, project your voice, and adapt to challenges without losing your connection to the whole group. These tips
48. How to Plan Your Yoga Class Quickly and Easily with the Prep Station
If you’ve ever found yourself spending hours on Sunday night scrolling Instagram for yoga class ideas, this episode is for you. I share the real struggle teachers face with planning: the overwhelm, the blank-page anxiety, or the temptation to just wing it.After 20+ years of teaching, I’ve discovered that the most successful teachers aren’t the most creative or the most flexible. They’re the ones w
47. How to Find Private Clients Who Value Your Teaching
Teaching private yoga lessons can be one of the most rewarding parts of your teaching career—both financially and in the depth of connection you create. But finding clients who truly value your teaching can be a challenge.In this episode, I share exactly how I’ve built a roster of private clients who commit to regular sessions, respect my expertise, and pay my full rate without constant negotiatio
46. How to Build Community in Yoga Class—Before, During, and After
What makes students keep coming back to your classes? It’s not just your cueing or sequencing—it’s the sense of connection you cultivate.In this episode, I break down the art of building community in your yoga classes—not in a forced, overly social way, but in a grounded, intentional way that supports all types of students. You’ll learn what to do before, during, and after class to foster belongin
45. How to Move Past YTT Overwhelm and Actually Feel Ready to Teach
You finished your 200-hour training, certificate in hand . . . but your class plan is blank and your brain is fried. Sound familiar?In this episode, I walk you through Phase 1 of the Yoga Teacher Success Timeline: what I call post-training overwhelm. It’s that panicky season where you feel like you should be ready, but instead, you’re second-guessing every pose, bouncing between over-planning and
44. The Yoga Teacher Success Timeline: Where You Are, What’s Next, and How to Move Forward
“I’ve been teaching for years and I still feel like I’m faking it.”If that sounds familiar, I'm here to reassure you: you’re not alone, and you’re not behind.In this episode, I share the Yoga Teacher Success Timeline, a five-phase framework that helps you name where you are in your growth as a yoga teacher—and understand what’s coming next.Whether you’re fresh out of teacher training or you’v
43. Repetition Builds Confidence: Nyisha Rylander’s Journey Teaching Yoga on Kauai
What if the secret to confidence wasn’t doing something new—but doing the same thing, over and over again?In this episode, I talk with Nyisha Rylander, who teaches yoga in three very different contexts on the island of Kauai: at a local gym with regular students, at resorts with one-time guests, and online as part of her health coaching business. You’ll hear how she used one master sequence—what s
42. How to Use Music in Yoga Classes: Legal, Practical, and Energetic Tips
Whether you love crafting playlists or prefer teaching in silence, this episode helps you make thoughtful, legally sound, and energetically aware choices about music in yoga classes. I walk you through:the legal requirements most teachers overlooknuts-and-bolts tech tips to avoid disruptionand the nuanced ways sound shapes student experience.You’ll also get guiding principles and practical options
41. How to Teach Corporate Yoga Classes That Pay Well and Feel Great
Corporate yoga might just be the hidden gem of your teaching business. In this episode, I share everything you need to know to succeed in this unique environment—from landing gigs to crafting office-friendly sequences.You’ll learn how to approach HR and wellness directors, price your sessions with confidence, and teach diverse groups who may never have stepped foot in a studio. I break down exactl
40. Handling Nosebleeds, Cramps, and Dizziness in Yoga Class: Minor Medical Emergencies with Grace
As yoga teachers, we’re often prepared for the flow—but what about the unexpected? From nosebleeds and nausea to cramps and emotional releases, minor medical situations happen more often than we expect. In this episode, I share practical, professional ways to respond to these common classroom incidents without derailing your teaching or unsettling your students.You’ll learn how to recognize early
39. Teaching Yoga in Small Spaces: Maximize Every Inch
NB: I fixed the audio glitch—thanks for listening to this better version!Tight rooms, big challenges—and even bigger opportunities!In this episode, I share lessons from years of teaching yoga in spaces that may have seemed too small on paper but that turned out to be perfectly intimate in practice.You’ll hear my go-to strategies for mat arrangements, movement economy, managing props, and creating
38. How to Sub Yoga Classes Without Apologizing or Losing Your Style
My second-ever yoga class as a teacher is one I showed up to take but wound up subbing unexpectedly. I learned a lesson I’ve carried ever since: you don’t have to be the regular teacher, you just have to be you.In this episode of Yoga Teacher Confidential, I’ll walk you through how to:navigate the challenges of subbing someone else’s classcommunicate effectivelyset the right tonehonor class cultur
37. Why Boundaries Make You a Better Yoga Teacher
In Episode 37, I dive deep into the essential yet often uncomfortable topic of boundaries in yoga teaching. I share insights from over two decades of experience, covering:the teacher-student dynamicethical considerationsthe tricky terrain of transference and projectionYou’ll learn practical tips on maintaining professional and personal limits, communicating clearly, and recognizing when your bound
36. Navigating Private Yoga Lessons: Personalized Teaching, Lasting Impact
The most transformative yoga moments I’ve had didn’t come in packed studios—they happened one-on-one. In this episode, we dive deep into how to craft meaningful, student-centered private yoga sessions. I walk you through welcoming students, providing tailored feedback, managing pacing and flow, adapting on the fly, and creating a safe, empowering space.We’ll cover how to read subtle cues, when to
35. How to Prepare for a Private Yoga Lesson (Even If You’re Nervous)
If you feel overwhelmed or intimidated by the idea of teaching a private yoga lesson, you’re not alone. In this episode, I walk you through the exact steps to prepare for a private session that’s safe, professional, and deeply personalized—whether it’s your first time or your fiftieth.We cover how to create an effective intake process, use the 6-4-2 sequencing framework to build a tailored plan, a
34. How to Handle Medical Emergencies in Yoga Class: Life-Saving Preparation Every Teacher Needs
The longer you teach, the more likely you’ll face a medical emergency in class. In this episode, we explore how to recognize and respond to serious situations like diabetic shock, cardiac events, and seizures—those rare but real class-stopping issues.You’ll hear real-life stories from teachers who stayed calm, trusted their instincts, and took the right action at the right time. I’ll walk you thro
33. Managing Difficult Students Without Losing Your Cool
Every yoga teacher encounters students whose behavior challenges their calm—talking during class, arriving late, doing their own thing, or just radiating resistance. In this episode, I share real-life stories from my two decades of teaching and offer compassionate, effective strategies to address common classroom disruptions without compromising your boundaries or your students’ dignity.We’ll refr
32. How to Be a Gracious Host to Your Students: Elevate Your Teaching by Welcoming Connection
In today’s episode of Yoga Teacher Confidential, I explore how thinking of yourself as a gracious host—not just an instructor—can deeply transform your students’ experience. I share actionable tips like preparing your space, greeting each student personally, adjusting your cues to student needs, and embracing authenticity in every class you teach. Plus, I introduce my new Comfort Zone Yoga studio
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