Episode Details
Back to Episodes75. Why Teaching Yoga Is Not Like Teaching Other Subjects
Description
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 room—and where they actively work against your students' experience. From the constant monologuing of radio to the performance energy of Spinning, I had to unlearn a lot to become an effective yoga teacher.
I'm also sharing the surprising overlaps—like helping students find comfort in their setup, using breath as an anchor, and navigating students' desire for intensity. These are transferable skills that serve you beautifully when you know how to adapt them.
If you've come to yoga teaching from fitness, academics, broadcasting, or any profession where you were trained to fill space and hold attention, this episode will help you identify the habits you're carrying and give you concrete steps to shift from performing to witnessing.
Listen now!
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.
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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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