Did you know that arthritis is not one single disease, but a category of over 100 medical conditions that is actually the leading cause of disability in the US?? Before talking to Dr. Steffany Moonaz (and reading her book) I didn’t either!

The term self care is ubiquitous in our world today and since yoga practice is an important part of self care for some people the topic comes up for us yoga teachers quite often! Also, it can be difficult to practice good self care as a yoga teacher running all over town trying to make ends meet, so I am really excited to introduce you to my friend Gracy today! 

Teaching yoga one-on-one requires a totally different skill set than teaching group classes and these unique skills are left out of most teacher trainings so if you have lots of questions about teaching 1x1 lessons that makes sense.

I’m honored to call Cecily Milne a friend. She is thoughtful, smart and an amazing force for change in the yoga world.  As the creator of Yoga Detour, she is seen as a yoga “integrator”, helping people bridge the gap between the yoga they already love and the other things, like strength and mobility, they're becoming increasingly curious about.

A large group of yoga teachers at YogaWorks in New York City is working together to create a labor union that would be the first of its kind. (!) This is what they have to say about it, 

“We are Yoga and Mindful Fitness Educators. We’re coming together to have a voice in our industry, raise industry standards and create a more equitable and sustainable profession for all. Our goal is for employees, students, and businesses to thrive.”

Dr. Garrett Neill, or Dr. Yogi Gare as he’s known online, is a Chiropractor and a yoga teacher and I LOVE following his work on social media. He shares tons of helpful information for yoga teachers and holds the space for really interesting conversations for our community. 

The shoulder is a notoriously complex and even injury prone joint, but we don’t have to be afraid of it!  Today we have Diana Zotos, our resident Physical Therapist, joining us on The Mentor Sessions to dive into everything yoga teachers need to know about the shoulder! 

I absolutely love Kathryn Bruni-Young’s smart approach to movement and well-rounded strength and I’m so excited to have her back on The Mentor Sessions to share her wisdom with us! 

I hear frequently from yoga teachers who feel burned out and are trying to figure out how to dig themselves out of that hole. I know it can be so tough! We become yoga teachers because we love the practice and are initially so excited to share it with others, but the realities of making a living as a yoga teacher can be very challenging.

The yoga world is a subculture of our society; it mirrors both the beauty and the problems of the wider culture it inhabits. As a group we tend to spend more time teaching and talking about the things we deem “positive” about ourselves and our world, but in the long run this does everyone a disservice, both us and our yoga students. 

My spiritual practice is one that asks me to wake up to the world as it is. 

My spiritual practice asks me to be strong enough to see the truth about our society and understand my place in it. My spiritual practice values equity for all people and has a deep reverence for our inherent interdependence as a species. 

Ann Swanson is a certified yoga therapist, mind-body science educator, and author of the beautiful new book,  Science of Yoga. She is part heart-based healer and part science nerd. With a Master of Science in yoga therapy and roots studying yoga in India and tai chi/qi gong China, Ann uniquely applies cutting-edge research to mind-body practices while maintaining the heart of the traditions. She joins us on the podcast today to talk about the intersection of yoga and science.

Matthew Remski is a yoga teacher and author. As the survivor of two cults, his work has been pivotal in illuminating the shadows of globalized yoga and Buddhism. His writing shows that disillusionment and critical inquiry can be gateways to mature spirituality.

Erin Jade has been working in massage therapy and yoga/movement instruction since 2004. In 2014 she began to pivot away from traditional asana into varietal movement drawing from the influences of Katy Bowman, Erwan Le Corre, Ido Portal, Igor Burdenko, Moshe Feldenkrais, FRC, Laban Bartenieff, contemporary dance and more.

This is a VERY special podcast episode! To celebrate Episode #50 I decided to turn the microphone around and let someone interview ME. And it’s not just any “someone”. Almost by coincidence two of my very best friends from college, Alece Demeray and Nikki Hay, became yoga teachers many years after I did.

It is common for yoga students to come into class, tell us they have an injury and expect us to be able to modify for them or at least give them ideas as to what they should avoid. If those moments before class make you nervous then today’s podcast episode is for you!

The path of a career yoga teacher can be a circuitous one. I find it so helpful to hear how different teachers navigate that terrain, and today we get to hear from Caitlin Casella, who has been teaching yoga and leading teacher trainings for a decade! Since adding strength training and other functional movement modalities to her repertoire, her practice and priorities have shifted.

Today I am THRILLED to introduce you to yoga teacher, writer, mama and studio owner, Octavia Raheem. This episode stands out as an all time favorite; the deep wisdom and beautiful words that Octavia shared felt like a salve for a wound I’d hardly even noticed was there.

More and more yoga teachers are incorporating resistance bands into their teaching because they can be a wonderful complement to the movements found in a traditional asana practice. We are super lucky to have TWO amazing teachers who are EXPERTS at this joining us on the podcast today for a roundtable discussion on incorporating resistance bands into asana classes

Have you been hearing yoga teacher friends talk about PAILs and RAILs and CARs and 90/90 and you’re feeling a little left out because you have no idea what they’re talking about? No worries... we’re going to fix that today!