I believe the invitation of life is to become ourselves, live fully and freely, and then, if you are a student of yoga, to extend that full, free, safe living out to all beings everywhere. But how often do we get to see someone really do that?

Today I have a treat for you: a person who is doing just that. Becoming. My friend Miles Borrero (he/him) has survived fronting a Latin rock band, riding horses competitively, acting on various stages across the US, and nannying a six-year-old. He has been Catholic, Jewish, and a frequent guest at Krishna’s house, and has lived life as a boy, a girl, a woman, a man, and something in between. Now a senior yoga teacher who leads retreats and trainings all over the world, Miles is passionate about dismantling the systems within ourselves that keep us small. And he has written a beautiful book called Beautiful Monster: A Becoming. The book reads like one long dharma talk, full of creative writing and yogic wisdom.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• how Miles was Rodney Yee’s best student even though they never met

• why was it yoga teaching that really stuck for Miles, despite having so many jobs and creative endeavors 

• what it was like for Miles to teach in his native language after learning to teach yoga in English first

• all about Miles’ teacher Raghunath and what Miles learned from him

• what changed in Miles’  asana practice after his top surgery and taking testosterone

Learn More From Miles:

• Website

• Chant Your Way to Freedom (Course)

• 100 YTT with Miles

• Miles Book, “Beautiful Monster:  A Becoming”

In case you don’t know, Jivana is the founder and director of Accessible Yoga, an organization dedicated to increasing access to the yoga teachings and supporting yoga teachers. He’s the author of the books: Accessible Yoga: Poses and Practices for Every Body; Yoga Revolution: Building a Practice of Courage & Compassion; and a new book, The Teacher's Guide to Accessible Yoga: Best Practices for Sharing Yoga with Every Body. His books, classes, and trainings offer support to yoga teachers and yoga therapists in finding ways to bring creativity and collaboration into their teaching while still respecting the ancient yoga tradition.

Check out the other two episodes with Jivana:

• 70: Yoga, Human Rights, and Accessibility with Jivana Heyman

• 105: Yoga And Social Justice with Jivana Heyman

In this episode you’ll hear:

• how Jivana recommends we balance  tradition and innovation in asana

• how teachers can innovate in a way that honors the roots of yoga

• some thoughts on the abuse present in so many lineages and why ethics creates accessibility

• the specific skills that yoga teachers can learn to make their offerings accessible to everyone

• the inherent power imbalance between student and teacher

• how we can use language to make the practice invitational AND clear

• the kinds of support Jivana recommend yoga teachers find

• the recurring teaching nightmare that both Jivana and I have!!

Learn More From Jivana:

• Instagram

• Facebook

• Accessible Yoga School

• The Teacher's Guide to Accessible Yoga Book

The brain and the nervous system play a HUGE role in how we integrate sensory information, experience pain and create movement patterns but this topic is not often covered in foundational yoga teacher trainings. That is why I’m so excited to introduce you to Missy Bunch (she/her), a multi-certified movement therapist who has been educating and coaching for over 14 years.

As a young professional dancer, she battled many injuries over her career and one day she found someone who studied neurology (the study of the brain and nervous system). After one session with this person, her 4-year knee pain was completely gone. She knew she wanted to teach this approach to the world.

The importance of brain function and using the nervous system to rapidly “debug” movement patterns, decrease pain and increase performance, has led her to teach and create lightning-fast improvements with people from all walks of life. Her specialties include injury prevention, injury rehabilitation, joint mobility and decreasing pain, holistically. 

In this episode you’ll hear:

• a deep dive into assessments including how to cue them and what are we looking for when we reassess

• what it mean to move into a shape “reflexively”

• how can we work with the brain to decrease pain

• the role of the nervous system in integrating inputs and creating motor output

• all about the opposing joint theory and how to use it with 1x1 students

• an overview of cranial nerves and how and why to stimulate them

Resources Mentioned:

• Missy’s website

• Missy on Instagram

• The Science of the Private Lesson

• The Mentor Sessions Sangha

Today I will answer a bunch of questions that you all have sent in about teaching private lessons!

In this episode you’ll hear:

• suggestions for helping a student establish a neutral pelvis in daily life

• advice and guidance for hands-on work in private lessons

• tips for finding private clients outside of the studio

• tips for when you need to make some money fast

• support in lightening up a teaching schedule

• how (and why!) to raise your rates

• help for a  private student who wants to learn to meditate, but always seems agitated when practicing 

Resources Mentioned:

• 37: Q + A About Private Lessons with Francesca

• 62: Q + A About Private Lessons with Francesca #2

• 92: Planning And Progress In Private Lessons (Q+A!)

•  Teachprivateyoga.com

• The Mentor Sessions Sangha

Well, this is an unusual episode!! Since I released a podcast episode last year about my group class planning process I’ve been getting more and more questions about my unique teaching style.  It’s been described as Buddha Dharma Meets Corrective Exercise With A Little Vinyasa In The Middle For Some Fun. It’s a specific style that has been cultivated over almost 20 years of very full time teaching, and I especially love the way it lands online and in an audio format. 

So this episode is a short explanation, and then a full length practice! You might find it interesting to listen to even if you can’t or don’t want to do the physical part of the practice.

Resources Mentioned:

• The Mentor Sessions Sangha

• The Science of The Private Lesson Training

• 115: The Case For Teaching Leveled Classes

• 116: Integrating Buddha Dharma and Asana with Meredith Witte – Live Mentoring Session

• 118: My Group Class Planning Process

I’m sure you’ve noticed that many stock images and illustrations of yoga practitioners show a very narrow representation of bodies and abilities.

Harmony Willow Hansen is a freelance illustrator, graphic designer and yoga practitioner who creates beautiful images that represent the true diversity in the student body of yoga practitioners worldwide. She created a beautiful book called You Are Strong And Worthy that showcases these images. Willow also has lots of resources available for yoga teachers and studios who want their images and branding to reflect the beautiful multifariousness of their students.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• what Willow saw in the bodies around her in class that inspired her to start making art

• what she hopes people take away from seeing the images she created

• all about the custom art and images she has created for yoga studios and teachers

Learn More From Harmony:

• Website
• Instagram
• You Are Strong and Worthy (Book)

Teaching teachers how to teach yoga is a massive responsibility. (How many times am I going to write the word “teach” in this intro???) 

Many people who listen to this podcast either already are, or are hoping to be a teacher of teachers. I get asked all the time for advice on creating and leading a teacher training. I have created a very successful speciality training, The Science of the Private Lesson, and a big part of my business is mentoring yoga teachers. I have supported teachers in writing their own 200 hour teacher training, but I have never actually created or led my own foundational 200 hour teacher training. So to have this conversation I asked my Yoga Mama, and the ultimate Teacher of Teachers Cyndi Lee, to join me and walk us through how to create and lead a teacher training. 

In this episode you’ll hear:

• how to decide what to cover in a teacher training since yoga is so vast and expansive

• what is most important to consider when you first start to write the manual or syllabus for your teacher training

• how to teach sequencing and class planning to future yoga teachers

• what Cyndi thinks about marketing a teacher training as a way to "deepen your practice" without an intention to teach

• how teacher trainers can stimulate creativity and confidence in their learners

Learn More From Cyndi:

• Website

• SUBSTACK: Drip, Drip, Drip

• Instagram

• Facebook

In today's episode, we have a very special guest, Anjali Rao (she/her). Anjali is a yoga teacher, writer, and podcast host who offers profound insights into the often obscured stories and histories of yoga. An Indian American immigrant and cancer survivor, Anjali beautifully integrates yoga philosophy and history with storytelling, imagery, and poetry. 

Anjali and I had a thought-provoking conversation about the sociopolitical context of yoga and its historical beginnings. We delve into topics such as the caste system, the intersections of power and access to knowledge, and the erasure of South Asian teachers in modern yoga spaces. 

In this episode you’ll hear:

• all about Yoga's relationship with the caste system

• a deep dive into Yoga's relationship with hinduism and other religions

• how Anjali recommends we can teach and practice yoga with integrity

• about the political nature of yoga and the connection between spiritual teachings and the pursuit of social change

• a conversation on ahimsa and its active role in disrupting harm (rather than passive inaction)

•  the importance of self-reflection and understanding one's positionality as a yoga practitioner and teacher

Learn More From Anjali:

• On Instagram

• At her website

• On her podcast “The Love of Yoga”

I have wanted to have a teacher on the podcast to talk to us about The Yoga Sutras for years, and I finally found the teacher we needed! Vikram Jeet Singh is here today to share an exploration of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras that is both accessible and deep.

Vikram is a certified yoga teacher with over twelve years and 11,000 plus hours of teaching experience. Besides asana, Vikram also teaches courses and workshops on classical yogic texts such as Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra, Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads. Additionally, he runs mentorship courses and workshops for teachers and practitioners to help bring yoga in every aspect of their lives. A strong advocate of diversity & inclusion, Vikram consults yoga teachers and studios on cultural appropriation, decolonization and inclusion in yoga and related spaces. Having moved from Toronto three years ago, Vikram and his family live in Goa. 

In this episode you’ll hear:

• what has shifted in Vikram’s teaching as a result of his study of the Sutras

• the main differences between some of the popular commentaries and the ones he recommends

• what is most important for yoga teachers to know about Sutra 1.2

• how the Sutras define practice

• the main differences between the first and second books

• a deep dive into the Kleshas

• how free will plays out in terms of Kleshas and Karma

Back in February of 2018 I shared an intimate view of a full week in my teaching and work life. I shared my daily habits and routines, the things I was working on in my group classes, and how I met each of my private clients. (Listen to that episode here!)

Well, the world at large, and my little world too, has changed drastically since then, so I wanted to share an updated version! 

In this episode you’ll hear:

• how I’m managing parenthood while keeping my business afloat

• what has shifted in my mindset around business growth since having a kid

• how I make time for my own practice in the morning

• what’s been working well in my group classes lately

• specific things I do with private clients who work with chronic pain

Resources Mentioned:

• 15: A Week In the Life (A Peek Inside My Daily Schedule and Rituals)

• The Mentor Sessions Sangha

• Ethan Nichtern (my teacher)

Today I’m here to share a vulnerable update of my life lately, and some tools I’m using to teach great yoga classes even though I’m in a very challenging season. I’ll be honest, there almost wasn’t a podcast episode this month. This has been one of the hardest summers of my life and I’ve been feeling totally under water. I realized the middle of the month had already passed and I had no interviews scheduled and no ideas for a podcast episode. 

But then I remembered... I’ve been teaching through it all! And I’ve actually felt great about what and how I’ve been teaching.

So today I am sharing a few ideas that I hope support you if you’re struggling to find inspiration for your teaching. 

In this episode you’ll hear:

• how to  identify why you are not feeling inspired

• the difference between private clients and group classes when you’re lacking inspiration

• why being gentle with yourself is always the first instruction

• how to come up with dharma teachings when you’re struggling

• how to freshen up stale sequences

• why taking a class without the intention of actually taking it is a good idea!

Resources Mentioned:

• 115: The Case For Teaching Leveled Classes

• 116: Integrating Buddha Dharma and Asana with Meredith Witte – Live Mentoring Session

• 118: My Group Class Planning Process

• 119:  All About My Morning Routine (And Suggestions For Yours!)