Episode Details

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 seat of not knowing and let someone else lead. She gets honest about why studio ownership, local reputation, and a teacher's analytical brain can all make genuine studenthood complicated, and how online classes and complementary modalities like Pilates helped her reconnect with beginner's mind.

You'll hear practical strategies for protecting your studenthood: taking other yoga teachers' classes regularly (even with your camera off), exploring complementary movement practices, budgeting time and money for being a student, and learning to say "this is just for me" when the business brain kicks in.

Whether you're a brand-new yoga teacher or you've been at the front of the room for decades, this episode is a reminder that your studenthood isn't a luxury—it's the foundation your teaching stands on.

Mentioned in this episode: The Professional Yoga Teacher's Handbook by Sage Rountree, the Prep Station Movement Library at https://www.comfortzoneyoga.com/prep, and the free Zone community at https://www.comfortzoneyoga.com.

And join my newsletter: https://sagerountree.com/newsletter

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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