Conversations for Yoga Teachers

Have you ever given a cue in class and wondered, “What does this really mean?"

Many yoga teachers learn cues by hearing them in teacher training, taking classes or watching other teachers. But when you don’t understand the WHY behind a cue, it can be hard to trust what you’re saying—or know what to do when a student is out of alignment. 

In this episode, I’ll walk you through a simple framework for creating cues from an understanding of anatomy rather than relying on memorization.

We’ll look at how to start with the pose, identify the major joint movements, determine which muscles are creating those movements and then turn that understanding into something you can actually say to your students.

I’ll also share my 3 action cues + 1 anatomy cue approach and explain why I always say, “Say the cue, see what they do.”

Because the goal isn’t to memorize more cues. It’s to understand the WHY behind what you say so you can adjust, reframe and teach in your own voice.

That’s how you begin to trust your cues—and trust what you teach.

 

Here’s the video I referred to in the episode:

 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DdozrvOMQC2/

 

Here is the link to the Yoga Anatomy Accelerator. You get a $50 discount for being a podcast listener ( let me know you’re ready to enroll and I’ll share the code)

 

https://barebonesyoga.thinkific.com/courses/Yoga-Anatomy-Accelerator

 

 

Here’s the link to the 90 day coaching program:

 

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

 

Have you ever walked into teach your class, started teaching and something triggered you to feel nervous or anxious?

In this episode, we’ll talk about why this can happen even after you’ve completed your 200-hour teacher training and feel like you “should” be getting it by now.  I’ll share how overcomplicated sequences, complex cues and the pressure to please or take care of your students can make teaching feel harder than it needs to be.

You’ll learn simple strategies to help you stay grounded, including using a signature sequence, simplifying your cueing with action cues, and what to do in the moment when anxiety starts to take over.

The other piece of the episode that will really shift your perspective is the section on mindset. The mindset you have about your role as a teacher, especially as it relates to you and the people in your class, is a huge part of how you feel when you teach This rarely gets discussed in teacher training and that’s why so many teachers end up feeling nervous when they teach. 

Trusting yourself as a yoga teacher doesn’t mean you’ll never feel nervous. It means having a clear approach you can rely on when you do.

Here’s a download on how to create a Signature Sequence: 

 

https://barebonesyoga.lpages.co/how-to-create-a-signature-sequence

 

And if you’re looking to get support to pull this all together, here’s how we can work on it together:

 

https://barebonesyoga.thinkific.com/courses/Yoga-Anatomy-Accelerator

 

How can anatomy actually help you build a yoga sequence? In this episode, I take you behind the scenes of a recent hip-focused Movement Lab and share the simple framework I used to create a 30-minute sequence leading to Half Pigeon. You’ll learn how starting with an objective, creating the structure of your class, and using movement to guide your pose choices can make sequencing feel simpler and more intentional. I’ll also show you how understanding the anatomy behind your sequence can help you create clearer, more effective cues.

 

Links:

 

 

 

https://barebonesyoga.lpages.co/how-to-build-a-yoga-sequence-lead-page

 

 

https://barebonesyoga.thinkific.com/courses/Yoga-Anatomy-Accelerator

 

When you went to teacher training, how much “real life” support did you get around scenarios that come up when you’re teaching? If you’re like a lot of teachers I talk with, you didn’t get much. Now that you’re teaching weekly classes, you might feel like  every class there’s a new situation that comes up where you’re not exactly sure how to handle it. In today’s episode, I cover 7 scenarios that arise and an approach to each. 

 

The conversation covers both the technical aspects of teaching, meaning cues and sequences, the anatomical aspect of teaching, meaning how you apply anatomy to movement as well as the mindset piece that can impact how you feel when you teach. 

 

As you listen, you’ll hear me refer to The Yoga Anatomy Accelerator. If you’re curious to find out more, here’s the link:

 

 

https://barebonesyoga.thinkific.com/courses/Yoga-Anatomy-Accelerator

 

 

If you have questions or are wondering if it’s a good fit for you, just reach out to me in my Instagram DM’s and let’s talk. 

 

As we head into the fall, there’s a natural shift in energy, People get back to work, their regular schedules and children return to school. With that shift, we as yoga teachers can leverage this shift and speak to it in our classes to match how students are feeling. This can be a fun experiment and exercise in bringing in a theme to your class and also giving yourself a chance to speak to a theme that’s outside the technical aspect of teaching. 

 

In this episode, you’ll discover a way to approach your classes this fall that allows you to feel in control and calm and to have an approach that helps you build confidence. You’ll learn how to bring in simple movement based themes and a short exercise you can do after your class to track how you’re feeling- in an objective way. 

 

At the end of the episode, I speak about a new opportunity for you called, “September Sessions.” This is a series of 4 live teaching labs I’ve added for just the month of September for teachers inside my program, The Yoga Anatomy Accelerator. It’s designed to help you learn in real time how to apply anatomy to movement. All the details and dates of the live sessions are on the program page which you can see here:

 

https://barebonesyoga.thinkific.com/courses/Yoga-Anatomy-Accelerator

 

If you have questions, just send me a DM on Instagram. 

 

If you've been following my Anatomy Breakdown videos on social media this summer and loving the format and content, this short bonus episode is for you.

I'm sharing why those videos inspired something new I'm launching this September (2026)—and why learning how to think through movement is far more valuable than memorizing anatomy or repeating cues.

In this special announcement episode, I’m sharing a new way for you to up level your confidence- it’s called September Sessions, a new series of Live Teaching Labs designed to help you learn how to apply anatomy to movement without having to memorize anatomy or feel like you’re just repeating what you were told in teacher training. 

You can discover the exciting details in the episode and of course, you’ll need the link to the Yoga Anatomy Accelerator which you can find here:

https://barebonesyoga.thinkific.com/courses/Yoga-Anatomy-Accelerator

 

In a number of episodes, I speak about the anatomy and how to apply it to your teaching. But in today’s episode, I take it up a notch and talk about once you’re the kind of teacher who truly understands not just the anatomy but how to apply it to movement, what’s the transformation? By this I mean what kind of transformation do you experience? 

 

This is the kind of episode that’s meant to inspire; to help you see what’s possible for you and to take you from the day to day teaching of classes, to the broader vision that describes the teacher you really want to be. 

 

In this episode, I share a Listener Appreciation Bonus. This is something that’s only available to listeners of the pod. Once you get to it, you’ll need these two links:

 

 

https://barebonesyoga.thinkific.com/courses/Yoga-Anatomy-Accelerator

 

 

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

 

As summer comes to a close, I found myself reflecting on the episodes I shared this summer, conversations I had with teachers and what’s coming up in the fall. The fall is always a busy time and for yoga teachers, you’ll find busier classes and more beginners. In today’s show, I share a few lessons I learned by really listening to the teachers who reached out, emailed or commented on my social media and I share these lessons with you in this episode. 

 

As you listen, see which ones resonate and what you might add that’s a lesson you learned from teaching this summer. 

 

As always, I love to hear from you so drop me a line and share any thoughts you have. 

 

Links:

 

The Yoga Anatomy Blueprint Learning Program

 

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

 

 

The Yoga Anatomy Accelerator

 

https://barebonesyoga.thinkific.com/courses/Yoga-Anatomy-Accelerator

 

I hear from so many teachers that they feel overwhelmed learning anatomy. This leads to a host of problems like the teacher feeling like there’s something wrong with them because they can’t learn it but also that they aren’t able to feel confident teaching. 

 

The reasons behind why so many teachers feel this way have to do in part with how the yoga industry is set up to teach anatomy inside 200 hour trainings. But more importantly and connected to that is the lack of a step by step, proven method is what’s missing. Inside my programs, I have a step by step proven method that has helped teachers all over the world move past this feeling of overwhelm and instead feel confident that they know what they’re doing when they’re teaching. 

 

Today’s episode will give you the step by step way to learn anatomy and if you choose to work with me inside one of my two programs, I’ll walk you through it. You also learn about how people learn and the brain science behind it. You’re going to discover some things in this episode that will surprise you. 

 

Here are links to the two programs and my e book as well: 

 

The Yoga Anatomy Accelerator/ 30-day short program:

 

https://barebonesyoga.thinkific.com/courses/Yoga-Anatomy-Accelerator

 

The Yoga Anatomy Blueprint Learning Program/ 90 day coaching experience

 

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

 

 

The Bare Bones Yoga Guide to Yoga Teaching

 

 

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

 

In today’s episode, I share a simple framework for how to bring anatomy themes into your classes. This is a great way to use the Signature Sequence you already know and simply overlay an anatomical theme onto it, to teach your students about movement and lend a bit of a different focus. 

 

I also review a recent article about yoga teacher pay and talk about the implications of what was raised for you and how you plan for the work you do as a yoga teacher. You’ll find links to the articles below.

 

Article one:

 

https://www.thesunlightexperience.com/insideyogablog/some-of-us-scrape-the-floors-others-can-afford-the-apartment-a-hard-look-at-yoga-alliances-executive-pay

 

Article two (related):

 

https://yenfeng.substack.com/p/the-half-million-dollar-ceo-salary

 

E book:

 

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

 

How to build a Signature Sequence: 

 

https://barebonesyoga.lpages.co/how-to-create-a-signature-sequence

 

The Yoga Anatomy Accelerator: 

 

https://barebonesyoga.thinkific.com/courses/Yoga-Anatomy-Accelerator

 

 

The Yoga Anatomy Blueprint Learning Program:

 

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

 

 

The Mindset Method:

 

https://barebonesyoga.thinkific.com/courses/the-mindset-method