Episode Details
Back to Episodes12. Teaching Yoga Is a Conversation: How to Truly Connect with Your Students
Description
Your yoga class isn’t a monologue—it’s a conversation. While you only get to hear your side of it, your students hear both. Becoming a great yoga teacher means giving them the time and space to contribute their side of the conversation, even if it’s silent.
In this episode, I explain how teaching yoga is about fostering connection—even when you can’t hear the other side of the dialogue.
Chapters:
1.[00:00:00] Teaching Yoga Is a Conversation
I share why your yoga class is more than just you giving cues—it’s about fostering a two-way connection.
2.[00:01:26] Hearing Only One Side
Here’s how to understand and embrace the one-sided nature of teaching yoga.
3.[00:04:36] How to Be a Good Conversationalist
Practical ways to make your teaching feel more connected, even when students don’t speak aloud.
4.[00:06:45] Listening Before and After Class
Your students’ voices matter! I explain why listening to them outside of class is just as important as giving cues during it.
5.[00:07:33] Affirmation: I Am in a Healthy Relationship with My Students
Use this affirmation to remind yourself to prioritize connection and care in your teaching.
Resources Mentioned:
•Teaching Yoga Beyond the Poses, Volume 2 (coming March 2025—preorder now!)
•Free Email Course on Workshops
September’s lesson plan in the Prep Station is Balance Play Trio. The recording is already waiting in the Movement Library, and I teach the plan live on Mondays, September 14, 21, and 28, at 6:00 p.m. Eastern, with 15 minutes afterward for your questions. Every class posts as a recording. It’s all part of the Yoga Class Prep Station, $39 a month.
Join us:
The next cohort of Mastering the Art of Yoga Sequencing Mentorship Membership—MMM, my six-month group mentorship for yoga teachers—starts in January 2027, and the wait list is open now. Doors open to the wait list first, in December, before anyone else hears about it. MMM is also the required half of the Comfort Zone Yoga 300-hour yoga teacher training.
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