I have such a treat for you!! On today’s episode I have the honor of interviewing my main teacher from my very first teacher training back in 2005, Jennifer Brilliant!  Since 1989 Jennifer has taught all levels of group and private yoga classes and lead countless special workshops.

Today you get to meet my friend Ariana Rabinovitch. She is the host of the Yoga & Beyond Podcast, co-authored the Exposing Yoga Myths book series and founded the Yoga Research and Beyond membership site.

I am so excited to share this powerful conversation with you. While many yoga studios proclaim that “Everyone is Welcome!” in their classes, in today’s episode we ask, “ Are we actually teaching our classes in a way that supports that message?”.

This is a very special, unusual episode! While most of the episodes you’ll find here at The Mentor Sessions are either interviews with friends and teachers of mine, or short teachings that I offer myself, today we’re doing something different. I’m going to take you on a trip with me for an intimate, inside view of my life and teaching for an entire week!

Today I am going to answer one of the questions other teachers ask me most frequently: How do you encourage your students to commit to a home yoga practice? I have tried almost every option out there, and I’ve landed on a way that I think works best.

I am so excited about today’s episode because I get to bring you the wisdom of the founder of my own teaching lineage (OM Yoga) , Cyndi Lee! Cyndi is the first female Western yoga teacher to fully integrate yoga asana and Tibetan Buddhism in her practice and teaching.

If you don’t already know her, I am so excited to introduce you to my friend Brea Johnson from Heart + Bones Yoga. Brea has been a yoga teacher for over 15 years and is also a certified Restorative Exercise teacher.

Is all discomfort good? Is all discomfort bad? What is the “right” way to teach any given asana? How do we offer the version of a pose or practice that will be most beneficial to our students right now? Being able to answer these questions with confidence comes from a depth of understanding of what I call The Yoga of Discernment.

A deep study of anatomy will change the way you teach. It is empowering, clarifying and fascinating! For example, let’s talk about Warrior 2 alignment.

The practice and study of yoga is so vast that the more we all continue to study and teach, the more this question seems to loom taller and taller: what exactly is the job of a yoga instructor? To process this out loud with me, I invited my friend Jules Mitchell for a chat.

When you teach yoga classes {group or private} how much are you demonstrating poses? If you have been hanging out in my world for a while you may know that I mostly advocate for a style of teaching that relies on language to convey important information, including subtle movements, instead of relying on the use of our body to teach.

Anatomy studies can be a powerful tool in the yoga teacher’s utility belt, but I know many of us don’t know where to start or how to apply it to a teaching practice. There is so much to learn and it can feel overwhelming!

In our initial yoga teacher trainings we learn how to teach safe and effective group classes, but what do we do when only one person shows up to class?? Or how do we teach a new student who requests a 1x1 lesson?

Kathryn Bruni-Young is the founder of the Mindful Strength method of teaching and one of my favorite teaching inspirations. Kathryn has been teaching for 11 years, and while her roots are in traditional yoga practices and teaching, more recently she has become a proponent of incorporating strength training into her movement practice.

Do you have Schedule Drama? I certainly do sometimes! As yoga teachers most of us are freelancers, which means we run our own small business whether we realize it or not.

Welcome back, everyone! Today, I am excited to bring to you the wisdom, experience, and enthusiasm of my friend Trina Altman. Trina is a certified Yoga and Pilates instructor who is passionate about varied movement.

Welcome to the second episode of The Mentor Sessions Podcast. Today’s show is going to address why teaching yoga can feel so scary. {!!}

Hello and welcome to The Mentor Sessions! I’m your host, Francesca Cervero and I’m here to offer my fellow yoga teachers two things:

Nourishing support to help you feel more confident in your teaching

Realistic strategy to help you find more clarity on your career path  

I am soooooo excited about what i get to share with you today! This has been a loooooooong time coming, and I finally get to announce that my podcast is ready for you!