Conversations for Yoga Teachers

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

Yoga Book Review (EP.317)

In this episode, I share a journal exercise you can do to be sure you’re teaching in a way that’s consistent with what you value about teaching yoga. I also share excerpts from Mark Singleton’s book, Yoga Body: The Origins of Modern Posture Practice.”

Meet Kat Fowler (EP.316)

I interviewed Kat on the show before and I wanted to have her back on to talk specifically about energy healing and a specific technique called Akashic Records readings. 

She recently did a session with me and I was amazed at how much of what she said resonated. In this episode, we cover some of the basics of energy readings, talk about what it means to hold space for your students and go into detail about what Akashic records readings are and how you can benefit from one.

 

Kat’s website is www.katfowler.com and she is on Instagram as @katfowler