Conversations for Yoga Teachers

Meet Kelly Smith (EP.156)

Have you ever thought about including meditation or guided imagery in your teaching? Maybe you’ve wanted to do it but you’re not sure how to include or what you’d say. Well, this week, tune in for yoga teacher Kelly Smith’s conversation with me because we take a deep dive into how to integrate this into your classes. Kelly tells her origin story as a yoga teacher and shares her journey of building her own yoga teacher training program and yoga business.

 

Here’s a bit of background on Kelly:

 

Kelly Smith is a globally renowned yoga and meditation teacher, E-RYT 500 /YACEP, founder of Yoga For You, and host of the chart-topping Mindful in Minutes podcast and its spin-off, Meditation Mama. With over 6 million downloads across 181 countries, Kelly’s wildly successful show and accessible but powerful approach to mindfulness have solidified her as a rising star in the world of yoga and meditation. Kelly was first drawn to yoga as a teenager, when she saw the therapeutic mental and physical benefits the practice had on her mom during her battle with breast cancer. Several years and over 8,000 hours of teaching later, what began as a modest studio in the rural Midwest has evolved into Yoga for You, a location independent yoga and meditation school that has served thousands of students located all through the US, Canada, and the UK. Kelly specializes in the non physical limbs of yoga and is best known for her master trainings and workshops in meditation, restorative yoga, and yoga nidra, as well as her international yoga and mindfulness retreats.

 

Kelly’s teaching philosophy is grounded in her belief that yoga and meditation is not one-size-fits-all; she encourages her students and listeners to find their own personal practice, listen to their bodies, and find inner joy by accessing their most authentic selves and owning their power.

 

You can connect with Kelly on Instagram at @yogaforyouonline.

Meet Patty Ivey (EP.155)

In today’s episode, I’m thrilled to introduce you to a dear friend, Patty Ivey, fellow yoga teacher whom I have known for almost 20 years. Patty and I go into how we met in the episode and she talks about her journey to finding yoga and owning a highly successful group of yoga studios in Washington, DC, called Down Dog Yoga. Patty’s work today, while it still includes working with the studios and training teachers, focuses primarily on coaching leaders. She helps people find their power and most effective and authentic way of being, using coaching techniques she honed while working for many years to develop the teaching staff as well as in her work running several other businesses prior to Down Dog Yoga. 

 

Patty and I get into a conversation about what holds people back from being their best self, what kinds of fears get in the way of all of us being happy and doing what we love and shares different techniques that we all can use to improve our lives and grow our impact.

 

You can find out more about Patty on her website at www.pattyivey.com

Meet Molly Casto (EP.154)

There’s no denying that the past 18 months has greatly affected the yoga industry. While it can be easy to fall into the story of how hard it’s been, there are also new opportunities and ways you can move forward with positivity and a strategy and plan. Molly Casto, the owner of The Practice Power Yoga in Bozeman Montana is a great example of a teacher who has come out of this time stronger. Molly shares her personal story of how she started practicing here in this episode along with how she transitioned to teaching, to owning a studio and to leading her studio through the pandemic.

 

You can find out more about Molly and her studio and take classes with her using this link:

https://thepracticepoweryoga.com/

Meet Jules Mitchell (EP.153)

In today’s episode, I have the opportunity to interview Jules Mitchell, MS, CMT, ERYT500, about her new book, “Yoga Biomechanics: Stretching Redefined.” In this conversation, you’ll hear as we cover some of what the book is about along with a touching on some of the concepts and definitions presented within it.

For more information about Jules, how to order the book and how to sign up for her book club experience, visit www.julesmitchell.com.

Rebecca Pacheco, Author, Still Life (EP.152)

Join me for a wonderful look into the latest book by author Rebecca Pacheco, as she explores themes of meditation and mindfulness in her latest book, Still Life. Rebecca is the author of “Do Your Om Thing” (Harper Collins, 2015) and skillfully presents the reader with an instruction guide to learning this time-tested tradition, while weaving personal stories into the narrative. Rebecca’s writing style feels like the friend you need right now to listen and guide you through stressful times and also at the same time, through showing her own vulnerability, encourages you to be bold in showing your’s as well. 

 

You can get Rebecca’s book anywhere books are sold and find her on Instagram @omgal.

 

Rebecca Pacheco is the author of two books: Still Life: The Myths and Magic of Mindful Living, published by HarperCollins in August 2021 and Do Your Om Thing (2015), which was named one of the “top ten yoga and meditation books every yogi needs” by Yoga Journal and is used in teacher training programs across the United States. She has more than 20 years of experience practicing and teaching yoga and meditation and has appeared on NPR and The CBC and been featured in Forbes, The Huffington Post, Reuters, and more. She frequently contributes to the Boston Globe on a range of mind-body topics and is a graduate of the University of Richmond, where she studied English Literature and Women’s Studies. She lives in Boston with her family.

Pose Breakdown (EP.151)

Listen in while we break down some not-so-commonly taught poses into their anatomy and cues you can use. I also refer to a cues download I have which you can get here:

 

https://barebonesyoga.lpages.co/yoga-cues-evaluation/

Does Data Matter in Yoga Teaching? (EP.150)

In today’s world, we hear about data a lot when it comes to the climate and the pandemic. But in the yoga world, we often speak from experience and tradition. Is there a place for data in yoga teaching? I share some thoughts on this along with a quick review of an anatomy concept and a conversation about teaching skills.

Teaching Skills and Invitation to Enroll in the BLP (EP.149)

Over the past week and a half, I hosted 3 workshops on teaching skills. In today’s episode, I review the highlights of those workshops which covered effective cueing techniques, building yoga sequences and how to confidently answer student questions. Because all of these skills depend on your knowledge of anatomy, I offer you a chance to enroll in my Blueprint Learning Program at the end of the episode. I only open enrollment a few times a year and as a follow up to this free training, I am opening enrollment to help you round out your anatomy knowledge so that you can be confident in applying these skills. 

 

For the link to register for the training, which has the 3 workshops, you can click the link below. Even though the workshops are done, the replays will be available until 9/25:

 

https://barebonesyoga.lpages.co/the-bare-bones-yoga-facebook-live-workshops/

 

For the invitation to review my offer to you to enroll in the Blueprint Learning Program, click here: 

 

https://barebonesyoga.lpages.co/blueprint-learning-program

 

Shoulder Anatomy and Pose Cues (EP.148)

Let’s do a quick review of shoulder movements, muscles and then translate it into cues you can use when you teach. I also mention my free training happening this week. To register, click here:

 

https://barebonesyoga.lpages.co/the-bare-bones-yoga-facebook-live-workshops/

 

Teaching Goals (EP.147)

Do you feel like you’re a cork in the ocean, floating around teaching and not really sure how things are going? You might have some strong feelings either way about your teaching or maybe you’re clear on goals you have. In either case, this episode will help you get really clear. Here I review a set of  self-evaluation questions you can ask yourself to help you start to measure how you’re doing. Let’s face it; we can’t poll everyone that comes to our classes and that might not even be a great barometer anyway. So, take a listen and see if what I share here is helpful. As always, I welcome your feedback via DM’ing me on IG at @barebonesyoga.