Conversations for Yoga Teachers

2025 Yoga Teaching Goals (EP.327)

In this episode, you’ll walk away with a plan of action to help you up-level as a yoga teacher. As this episode is being recorded in December, 2024, it’s a great time to set new goals for your development as a yoga teacher for next year. However, the goals you’ll discover when you listen to this episode are timeless and you can experiment with them any time of the year. 

 

The episode begins with a description of “glowing up” and how that resonated with me as the source of the goals that you’ll hear about when you listen. I then go on to share a re-cap of the prior episode, Episode 326, where I interviewed Helene Whitfield, the Chief Visionary Officer of the newly formed G.O.Y.A, the Global Online Yoga Association. I wanted to be sure if you missed it, you took the time to listen because it’s really a one-of-a-kind conversation that dispels many of the misconceptions about what it means to be a Registered Yoga Teacher via Yoga Alliance. It also gives you a chance to learn about GOYA as another resource you can use to help you learn and grow. 

 

I then share a mindset lesson designed to empower you and support you in teaching the way you want, rather than trying to please the students in your class. While it might seem counterintuitive, it truly is the path to confident teaching. 

 

You’ll then hear the 6 “glow-up” goals for 2025 and I’ll walk you through each one with examples. 

 

Action steps from this episode: 

 

There's  a new opportunity for you: The Yoga Teacher Confidence Club. This monthly membership will allow you to access exclusive workshops and trainings that I’ll host each month, along with special training guides, private videos and audio lessons and more. Doors open 12/16/24 and when you take join for just $27/month, you’ll get a bonus of free access to my Mindset Method course-regularly priced at $444! To join the Club, use this link:

 

CLICK HERE

 

Next, download the free guide to confident yoga teaching HERE: 

 

https://barebonesyoga.lpages.co/free-guide-steps-to-confident-teaching/

 

Next, DM me “Walk and Talk video” and I’ll send it to you. In this week’s episode, you’ll learn more about the Walk and Talk technique of teaching yoga and with this video, you’ll learn how to experiment with this in your classes. 

 

One more thing: If you watch the episode on You Tube, leave a question or comment so the video gets more reach and more yoga teachers can discover it!

 

LINKS:

 

My website: www.barebonesyoga.com

 

Check out what’s possible for you when you work with me inside my signature program: https://barebonesyoga.thinkific.com/courses/blueprint-learning-program

 

Download my free e book: https://barebonesyoga.lpages.co/the-bare-bones-yoga-guide-to-incredible-yoga-teaching/

 

 

Meet Helene Whitfield from Global Online Yoga Association (EP.326)

In today’s episode, you’ll meet Helene Whitfield, Chief Visionary Officer with the newly formed Global Online Yoga Association, or GOYA. We talk about the mission of GOYA and how it can benefit you as a yoga teacher. The link to the organization is below where you’ll find information on how to become a member. Use the coupon code CHANGE to access your first year of membership for free. 

 

URL for people to access first year free:  https://globalonlineyogaassociation.org/ya-exclusive-offer-complimentary/

 

COUPON CODE: CHANGE

 

Find out more about Helene below:

 

Helene Whitfield

ECYT500, CCYT, CPYT, CYYT, CRYT

 

As a yogi with a visionary spirit, I have combined my love for mindful practices and my business acumen to create GOYA. With over two decades in the health and wellness industry, my mission has been to cultivate spaces where everyone can find their flow. My leadership has steered GOYA from a concept to a global association for teachers, schools and practitioners. Over the last 15 years, navigating the intricate and frequently perplexing realm of yoga education standards and alliance bodies, I've encountered numerous challenges and frustrations. These experiences led me to deeply consider and envision what my fellow yoga educators and teachers genuinely require from their membership organization. As a mother and a wife, my journey took a dramatic turn during the pandemic, battling breast cancer and facing the lack of guidance and support from the very organizations meant to provide these to their members. This challenging period crystallized the vision of GOYA.
Determined to rewrite the narrative on what a yoga education and teacher credentialing association should embody, I stand here ready to turn a new page. As a yoga teacher, a yoga teacher trainer, and an avid volunteer for global causes, I have nurtured this dream for many years. I am overjoyed to see this vision come to life and thrilled that you are part of this movement for change.

 

 

Links:

 

Link to GOYA’s website: https://globalonlineyogaassociation.org/

 

Link to Bare Bones Yoga website: www.barebonesyoga.com

How To Teach Yoga Using Anatomy Based Cues (EP.325)

Quick recap
We start this episode with a call for your feedback, all designed to help the show be as useful to you as possible. We then review how to share anatomy in your cues and I share my simple and powerful framework to do so.
Next steps
• Listeners to send feedback via Instagram DM to @barebonesyoga or email to karen@barebonesyoga.com on desired podcast topics, episode formats, and interest in coaching calls.
• Included below is your free downloadable PDF on "10 Key Steps to Understanding Anatomy".
• If you’re interested in learning more about anatomy, you can request a free one-on-one coaching call with me via Instagram DM.
Summary
Listener Feedback to make the podcast even better for you!
This is my call out to you to share feedback on the topics you’d  like to hear more about, the type of interviews you prefer, and the ideal episode length. Listen for the questions I have for you, which will help the podcast meet your needs even more.
Anatomy-Based Cues in Yoga Teaching
We discuss the importance of incorporating anatomy-based cues in your classes and I share with you my easy framework to do it. Action cues will guide students into a pose, followed by an anatomy-based cue that highlights a muscle concentrically contracting in the pose. We review examples so you have a good idea of how to make this work for you.

 

Show links:

 

Website: www.barebonesyoga.com

The Yoga Anatomy Blueprint Learning Program: https://barebonesyoga.thinkific.com/courses/blueprint-learning-program

The 10 Step way to learn anatomy (free PDF): https://barebonesyoga.lpages.co/ten-steps-to-learning-anatomy/

 

How To Deal With Different Yoga Teaching Scenarios (EP.324)

Quick recap

Karen Fabian, host of "Conversations for Yoga Teachers," discussed common scenarios in yoga classes and offered approaches to handle them, emphasizing the importance of understanding one's teaching style and adapting it to suit individual students. She covered topics such as maintaining confidence, preparing well, and focusing on effective communication and cues during classes. Karen also addressed professional boundaries, handling unexpected situations, and encouraged teachers to explore different teaching methods while staying true to their intentions.

Next steps

• Yoga teachers can experiment with one of the discussed scenarios in their classes over the next 2 weeks and share with Karen via Instagram DM if they wish.

• Interested teachers can send a DM to Karen on Instagram requesting the cues training video.

• Teachers interested in learning the "walk and talk" technique can send a DM to Karen on Instagram to find out how to get started with this approach.

• Listeners can download the free "Concepts in Movement" PDF from the link in Karen's Instagram bio, @barebonesyoga

• Teachers interested in enrolling in Karen's Yoga Anatomy Blueprint Learning Program can take advantage of the new payment plan before January 1, 2025 and get started for just $367!

Summary

Handling Yoga Class Scenarios

In this episode, Karen Fabian, the host of "Conversations for Yoga Teachers," discusses common scenarios that occur in yoga classes and offers approaches to handle them. She emphasizes the importance of understanding one's own teaching style and not being afraid to adapt it. Karen also introduces a new format for the show, where she demonstrates the content at the beginning to ensure the listener knows what to expect. She encourages listeners to share their experiences via DM on Instagram @barebonesyoga if any of the scenarios resonate with them.

Dealing With Negative Feedback in Yoga

Karen shared a story she saw on TikTok about a Yoga teacher in Chicago who shared that someone, a student, publicly ranked her favorite teachers based on their classes. Karen expressed her thoughts about this and emphasized that teachers can't control how others perceive their classes and shouldn't be worried about negative feedback. Instead, they can focus on teaching their best.

Maintaining Confidence in Teaching

Karen discussed the importance of being prepared and confident in teaching, regardless of the students' backgrounds or levels of experience. She emphasized the need to stick to a well-prepared sequence and not be swayed by unexpected situations or student reactions. Karen also shared a hypothetical scenario where a teacher encounters a class full of new faces with varying levels of experience, and advised against changing the planned sequence on the spot. She stressed the importance of maintaining a non-reactive mindset and focusing on one's own preparation and delivery.

Adapting to Student Needs in Yoga

Karen emphasized the importance of adapting to the needs of individual students in a yoga class. She suggested that teachers should not feel obligated to change their prepared sequences unless they can easily do so. Instead, they should focus on helping students who are struggling by getting off the mat and walking around to provide clear cues. Karen also recommended using action-oriented phrases to effectively teach a mixed-level class.

Accessible Yoga and Teacher Intentions

Karen discussed her cueing method and its application in teaching yoga. She emphasized the importance of making classes accessible to students of varying levels of experience and flexibility. Karen suggested that teachers can focus on offering modifications to make postures more accessible, rather than presenting advanced variations that may not be suitable for all students. She also encouraged teachers to be intentional about the type of yoga they present, aligning it with their vision. Karen concluded by urging teachers to reflect on whether their classes are a reflection of their true intentions or merely a replication of what they were trained to do.

Understanding Yoga Styles and Confidence

Karen discussed the importance of understanding the style of yoga and the class setup when covering for another teacher. She emphasized the need to familiarize oneself with the regular teacher's class before taking on the subbing role. Karen also highlighted the need to avoid putting oneself down when covering a class, as it's a service to the students. She stressed the importance of being confident in one's own teaching abilities and not comparing oneself to others.

Maintaining Professional Boundaries in Teaching

Karen shared a personal anecdote about a time when she had to substitute teach a popular class, highlighting the importance of maintaining professional boundaries with students. She emphasized that a teacher's role is to focus on the practice, not their personal relationships with students. Karen also discussed the issue of students leaving class early, advising against taking it personally and instead focusing on sending them off with positive thoughts. She stressed that students' actions are often driven by their own issues, not the teacher's performance.

Adapting Teaching Methods for Students

Karen emphasized the importance of adapting teaching methods to suit individual students. Karen also discussed the issue of cues not working during a class, suggesting that teachers can revert to clear, short action phrases and spend more time observing students to correct any misalignments. She offered to help teachers who want to improve their teaching style through a direct message on Instagram.

Adapting Teaching Methods for Students

Karen discussed the importance of adapting teaching methods to the needs of students. She emphasized the value of observing students and adjusting cues in real-time, as this helps students feel seen and learn better. Karen also shared her personal experience of feeling called out during yoga practice and suggested that sharing cues to the room versus a specific student is very effective.

Empowering Yoga Teachers

Karen emphasized the importance of feeling confident teaching yoga classes. She stressed the need for teachers to be aware of their sequence and not be swayed by special requests from students. She encouraged teachers to explore different teaching methods and styles, and to not be constrained by traditional norms. Karen's goal is to empower teachers to be the kind of yoga instructors they truly want to be, rather than being driven by consumer expectations.

Final thoughts

Karen ended the episode by encouraging listeners to experiment with the new approaches over the next two weeks and share their experiences via Instagram DM. She also offered a free PDF on her Instagram page, titled "Concepts in Movement," and a new payment plan for her program, The Yoga Anatomy Blueprint Learning Program, offering a discounted rate of $367 to get started, with 5 more similar payments after that. This offer is good until the end of 2024.

 

Links: 

 

www.barebonesyoga.com

https://barebonesyoga.thinkific.com/courses/blueprint-learning-program

https://barebonesyoga.lpages.co/concepts-in-movement/

 

Your New Strategy For Clearer Cues (EP.323)

In this episode, you’ll uncover the easy step by step way to share clearer cues so that your students know exactly what to do.

The Blueprint For Confident Yoga Teaching (EP.322)

Get your notebook for this one,  because you’re going to want to take notes. I walk you through the tested and proven blueprint for how to become a confident yoga teacher. At the end of the episode, I offer you more in my e book. Get it using this link:

 

https://barebonesyoga.lpages.co/the-bare-bones-yoga-guide-to-incredible-yoga-teaching/

 

Meet Sage Rountree (EP.321)

In today’s episode, you’ll meet Sage Rountree, PhD, E-RYT500, former endurance sports coach and the author of 10 books on yoga, training and teaching. In this episode, Sage and I cover a variety of topics in both the areas of teaching yoga as well as the business of yoga. We even cover some things that are often on the minds of yoga teachers but rarely get discussed; how to set your rates, how to charge what you’re worth and how to move past limiting beliefs that might be holding you back from being the best yoga teacher you can be. 

 

You can find out more about Sage at sagerountree.com

Meet Isabel Tew (EP.320)

We breathe without thinking about it and as yoga teachers, we know that there is an entire practice devoted to the study and practice of the breath. In this episode, meet Isabel Tew, yoga teacher and creator of “Breath Cards,” a wonderful resource for yoga teachers and practitioners alike to learn all about the breath and different techniques you can use. If you’re a yoga teacher, you can easily bring these cards into class to enhance the learning process. 

 

To get your own copy of Breath Cards, visit isabeltew.com and also on Instagram @breathcards

How To Create Anatomy Cues (EP.319)

Discover how to create anatomy cues based on what you know, rather than just repeating cues you’ve heard.

Meet Crissy Florio (EP.318)

I put the call out to my mailing list for yoga teachers with inspiring stories and was thrilled Crissy responded. She’s a long time yoga teacher with a wealth of experience and she also went through the challenge of a breast cancer diagnosis in 2020. In this episode, we talk about how surviving cancer has changed her as a person and as a yoga teacher as well as her approach to teaching. She shares her empowering approach to teaching her students and what she does so that she can be her most confident, authentic self when she teaches her classes. 

 

You can find out more about Crissy on her website, www.healinginharmony.net