With amazing guests or solo, I explore the craft of teaching yoga, as its own practice. I'm seeking answers to the questions about why we teach something the way we do, how we could be more expansive and inclusive in our teaching, and how we can continue to grow and evolve in our teaching practice. I'm so glad you are here because I believe the depth that arises in teaching comes from inquiry and relationship. Join me as I offer nourishing support to help you feel more confident in your teaching and realistic strategy to help you find more clarity...
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Sep 29, 2026 · 40:41
In this episode of The Mentor Sessions, I'm revisiting an idea I first explored many years ago: that teaching yoga asana primarily with words rather than relying on the body to…
Sep 15, 2026 · 38:15
There is no cookie-cutter approach to private yoga teaching. The most effective private teachers learn to listen carefully, think critically, stay curious, and trust their…
Aug 18, 2026 · 1:02:45
In this episode of The Mentor Sessions, Francesca talks with Andrew Tanner, founder and CEO of the American Yoga Council (AYC), about his vision for creating a healthier, more…
Aug 4, 2026 · 27:23
If you've ever felt like building a successful yoga career means becoming an influencer, constantly creating content, or perfecting your personal brand, this episode is for you.…
Jul 21, 2026 · 26:02
Many yoga teachers are intrigued by the idea of teaching private clients but feel held back by self-doubt, uncertainty, or the practical realities of self-employment. In this…
Jul 7, 2026 · 44:47
Teaching yoga involves far more than the hours we spend with our yoga students. Behind every yoga class we teach there is a significant amount of planning, relationship-building,…
Jun 23, 2026 · 24:16
As yoga teachers, we spend a lot of time talking about teaching techniques, sequencing, cueing, and professional growth. But there's another side of this work that often goes…
Jun 9, 2026 · 45:15
Have you ever been in a yoga class where the yoga teacher gives a long dharma talk about ahimsa, and then when the movement practice begins the teaching style feels very…
May 26, 2026 · 39:03
In this solo episode of The Mentor Sessions, I'm sharing a more personal, behind-the-scenes look at my life right now and the things that are genuinely helping me stay grounded,…
May 12, 2026 · 40:09
You may not have known it, but if you teach public yoga classes you have taught someone who's life has been touched by cancer. In this episode, I'm joined by Tari Prinster, a…
Apr 21, 2026 · 39:33
Yess Yoga is a yoga studio in Minneapolis one block from where Alex Pretti was murdered by Border Patrol agents in January of this year. In this episode, I'm joined by…
Apr 7, 2026 · 25:37
In this solo episode, I'm zooming out from the quick, in-the-moment burnout strategies I shared in Episode 171 and looking at the bigger picture. I want to talk about why so many…
Mar 24, 2026 · 21:22
If you are feeling stretched thin by endless group classes, long hours, and low pay you are not alone. In this episode, I share six simple, actionable things you can do this week…
Mar 10, 2026 · 41:44
In this expansive conversation, I got a chance to talk to yoga and Ayurveda teacher, mentor, and author Indu Aurora to explore what yoga truly is — and what it is not. We started…
Feb 24, 2026 · 57:11
In today's podcast epsiode, I sat down with a yoga therapist, teacher, spiritual caregiver and a good friend of mine, Sarah Capua. We explored what it means to practice—and…
Feb 3, 2026 · 46:25
American yoga teachers have a unique role in fighting fascism. We are deeply practiced in the tools that help us (and our students) feel clear, steady, focused, calm and…
Jan 20, 2026 · 53:33
I am so honored to be joined on the podcast by my teacher Cyndi Lee. As a senior yoga teacher, author, and Buddhist chaplain—Cyndi talks to us about what's being gained, lost,…
Jan 6, 2026 · 1:08:24
In this episode of The Mentor Sessions, I'm joined by Lizzie Lasseter for a wide-ranging conversation about teaching yoga in a rapidly evolving world. Lizzie is a designer,…
Dec 16, 2025 · 33:13
In this episode, we dive into a concept that is absolutely transformative for yoga teachers: the idea that yoga cannot be both healing and performative at the same time. If we're…
Dec 2, 2025 · 53:58
Today's conversation is a deeply layered one. I'm joined by my friend, colleague, mentee, and private student Geneva Jimreivat for a nuanced exploration of how I work with…
Nov 18, 2025 · 37:20
In this episode of The Mentor Sessions , I share something a little different: a Dharma talk I recently offered in my monthly class for yoga teachers. These monthly gatherings…
Nov 4, 2025 · 57:44
Before this recent solo episode, The Purpose of Asana Ep 159 , was even released my friend Cecily Milne reached out to say she was so excited to listen to it and chat about it!…
Oct 21, 2025 · 33:32
Is yoga exclusively connected to Hinduism? What is the caste system and why would a western yoga teacher need to understand it? How much of yoga's complex history do modern yoga…
Oct 7, 2025 · 1:03:33
If you've ever dreamed of owning a yoga studio, or you are curious to hear what experts are saying about the yoga industry and its future-- this episode is for you! In my first…
Sep 23, 2025 · 30:44
If I were to ask you what the purpose of asana is, what would you say? Would you say it was to feel better in the body? To build strength and flexibility? To prepare the body for…
Sep 9, 2025 · 1:10:02
This is a vulnerable episode for me to share, but it was very important to me to record and release this episode because it highlights something I don't think we see enough:…
Aug 19, 2025 · 40:23
Today we are going to talk about what it really takes to grow your business as a yoga teacher, what kind of support you need, the people you might hire to help, and how I suggest…
Aug 12, 2025 · 31:22
I started teaching one private yoga client virtually in 2019 when she left Washington, DC for California. But other than her I had absolutely NO experience teaching online when…
Aug 5, 2025 · 27:30
I've been teaching yoga full time for 20 years, and most of that time I taught at least 15 private yoga sessions each week; for a decade that number was closer to 25 per week! I…
Jul 29, 2025 · 26:55
Social media can be a wonderful tool to help us connect with friends, communities or potential students. It can also be a black hole of despair and panic. Some people say it is…
Jul 22, 2025 · 30:26
My understanding of the spiritual teachings is that my liberation doesn't mean anything unless everyone else is free too. The teachings of Buddhism say over and over again that a…
Jul 15, 2025 · 26:47
In episode 148 I collected all my best advice for new teachers. The episode centered around the idea that the most important thing new teachers can do is start teaching and…
Jul 8, 2025 · 26:02
How do we pour into ourselves so we have enough energy, time and focus for all the people who need us? How do we stay connected to our practice, since it should be the foundation…
Jul 1, 2025 · 32:03
Being a yoga teacher, heck being a PERSON, is TOUGH right now. But having a job that requires presence and vulnerability and groundedness all the time requires we pour into…
Jun 24, 2025 · 31:45
Teaching yoga, and maybe especially teaching private clients is, to be candid, an unstable way to make a living. But I have done it successfully for twenty years, so it can be…
Jun 17, 2025 · 27:37
Anytime I connect with a new-ish yoga teacher I end up giving a lot of the same advice, so I collected all of it in one place, right here in today's podcast episode! Whether you…
Jun 3, 2025 · 44:02
You all know that I am only minimally interested in business-- I'd much rather talk about the actual craft of teaching yoga. But we do need to make money, and if we have chosen…
May 20, 2025 · 51:56
More than ever our work as yoga teachers is challenging and important. We don't want to be like this lady, right? Trying to sell people something they don't need while their…
May 13, 2025 · 49:15
You don't me to tell you that the world as we know it is burning to the ground. This makes teaching yoga hard, important and strange. A few episodes back I answered the question,…
May 12, 2025 · 4:29
Solo or with guests, I explore the craft of teaching yoga, as its own practice. I'm seeking answers to the questions about why we teach something the way we do, how we could be…
Apr 29, 2025 · 52:49
Even if you first learned yoga from your parents and your grandparents, the path to truly embodying the philosophical yogic teachings can be long and winding. Today we have a…
Mar 25, 2025 · 38:16
You don't need me to tell you what a wild and scary time we are living through. We know that the tools of yoga can be incredibly supportive in difficult times and also have…
Feb 4, 2025 · 55:01
As I sit down to write these show notes, RFK Jr is currently in his senate confirmation hearing. By the time you read these words it is my assumption that he will be the new head…
Jan 21, 2025 · 33:34
Building a career as a yoga teacher is challenging because unlike many other kinds of jobs, you have to build out a career in one hour blocks, working to get and then manage each…
Dec 17, 2024 · 53:49
Octavia Raheem first wrote a book called Gather where she talked about gathering ancestors, gathering courage and gathering rest. Then she wrote a book, Pause Rest Be, about how…
Nov 26, 2024 · 47:27
I have been an active participant in the yoga industry since the early 2000s, and I have never really understood how brick and mortar yoga studios, especially locally owned ones…
Nov 12, 2024 · 33:47
If you are a yoga teacher trying to make anything close to a full time income with your work, then you are an entrepreneur. Many of us resist that truth, or we at least resist…
Oct 22, 2024 · 54:12
The learning journey I've been on regarding hypermobility is incredibly personal. I was plagued with nearly constant minor and serious injuries most of my life. As a dancer that…
Oct 8, 2024 · 55:21
Holding grounded space as a teacher is one of the most important and most hard to teach skills for new yoga teachers. How can you be confident doing something you are new at? Do…
Sep 17, 2024 · 49:21
I had a profound conversation with yoga teacher and writer Karin Lynn Carlson (she/her) and I can't wait for you to listen. Karin is a thoughtful teacher and a beautiful writer…
Sep 3, 2024 · 56:57
How to teach yoga in a trauma sensitive way is a conversation that floods mainstream yoga spaces these days. And with good reason; almost everyperson in the world has had some…
Aug 6, 2024 · 45:51
This episode is one of the most important interviews I've ever recorded. Our guest, Katie Blecker (she/her) is here to talk about two of my favorite things, accessible yoga and…
Jul 9, 2024 · 52:15
The yoga world has changed so much in the last 5 years, and more and more yoga teachers are finding they need to build and create their own opportunities to teach. Even before…
Jun 11, 2024 · 45:49
Today on the podcast I am introducing you to someone very special to me: one of my most important teachers, Sara Avant Stover. I started studying with Sara privately in the fall…
May 14, 2024 · 49:50
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…
Apr 30, 2024 · 1:08:12
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.…
Mar 19, 2024 · 57:55
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…
Feb 28, 2024 · 37:55
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…
Jan 30, 2024 · 1:24:28
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…
Dec 22, 2023 · 19:35
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…
Dec 18, 2023 · 50:58
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…
Nov 28, 2023 · 52:36
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…
Oct 31, 2023 · 52:43
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…
Sep 29, 2023 · 57:48
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…
Aug 29, 2023 · 33:32
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,…
Jul 27, 2023 · 19:18
Are there poses you used to love and teach, but have recently stopped teaching for some reason?? It turns out we all have a long list of poses that we find ourselves leaving out…
Jun 27, 2023 · 30:16
I feel a little shy sharing this intimate view of my morning practice, but when I asked y'all if this topic was of interest I heard a resounding YES. As yoga teachers I think it…
May 16, 2023 · 37:49
In January I started sharing my group class planning process in short videos on Instagram and y'all had questions! The more I shared, the more questions I got! So today we've got…
Apr 25, 2023 · 1:04:40
Many yoga teachers in our community either already specialize in teaching seniors, or would like to. Yoga can be a wonderful practice for older people and it is important that…
Mar 28, 2023 · 54:32
Many of the yoga teachers I've worked with feel more comfortable and confident teaching asana than they do teaching the other seven limbs of yoga. This was true of me as a new…
Feb 14, 2023 · 29:04
The thinking behind this episode has been a long time in the making. I haven't talked about this much publicly, but If you've done 1x1 mentoring with me, if you've taken my group…
Jan 24, 2023 · 51:09
Our students' movement patterns directly impact their pelvic health, and their pelvic floor impacts their movement patterns! With those two aspects of our students' health so…
Dec 13, 2022 · 49:45
Ariele Foster is a doctor of physical therapy and the founder of Yoga Anatomy Academy, a no-nonsense, evidence-based resource for learning yoga anatomy and movement science. She…
Nov 15, 2022 · 58:42
Mary Reddinger is joining us on the show today to share how she built her full-time private yoga practice just recently! Mary and her family moved in the middle of the pandemic,…
Oct 25, 2022 · 54:37
Over the last few years more and more yoga teachers have worked to create their own teaching offerings outside of a studio setting, and I think this is a great thing! While I…
Sep 27, 2022 · 34:49
I've been collecting your questions over the last few weeks, and I'm so happy to share this Q+A episode with you today! (It's an off the cuff, casual vibe. I think you'll like…
Sep 16, 2022 · 34:43
Hello! After a long maternity leave I'm back in front of the podcasting mic and so excited to be here. This episode is quite a departure from our usual conversations about the…
Jun 28, 2022 · 53:35
Avita Bansee (she/they) is here today to talk to us about what Anti Capitalist, Anti Racist Yoga looks like. Avita is a graduate of Yogaworks 200 hour RYTT and their life…
May 10, 2022 · 1:15:32
One of the most downloaded episodes of this podcast is Episode 59: ROM, Neuroscience + Yoga with Garrett Neill . In that episode we talked about the difference between Active…
Apr 19, 2022 · 49:37
Much of a yoga practice can, from the outside, look like very little is happening. In a meditation practice it might look like we are just sitting there, but as we all know, that…
Mar 22, 2022 · 55:52
The historical teachings of yoga have incredible lessons for our modern world. Understanding and unpacking the ancient teachings is a lifelong process, and those of us lucky…
Feb 15, 2022 · 57:53
Deb Flashenberg (she/her) is the founder and director of the Prenatal Yoga Center which she founded in NYC in 2002. Along with being a prenatal yoga teacher, she is also a labor…
Jan 11, 2022 · 59:22
I know that questioning whether the practices of yoga have a political aspect to them is a popular conversation, even controversy. But from my reading and study of the yogic and…
Dec 14, 2021 · 46:33
I imagine by now you've probably heard that over 65% of COVID misinformation is spread by just 12 people , and those 12 people are almost all from the wellness community. As yoga…
Nov 30, 2021 · 43:02
In teaching yoga and asana we end up working with bodies quite a lot. Many, if not most, of our students will likely be dealing with some kind of discomfort, whether it be the…
Nov 23, 2021 · 10:04
I'm excited to share this quick bonus + important announcement episode with you. In the episode, I share the updated description of the podcast, why I'm releasing one episode per…
Oct 26, 2021 · 44:57
Today is our 100th episode and to celebrate we have two very special guests! Joining us on the podcast are two nationally renowned professors who are experts in online learning…
Oct 12, 2021 · 1:06:04
In The Mentor Sessions Sangha we have been having a robust conversation about online yoga class library memberships. These are very popular now, and can be a great way to…
Sep 28, 2021 · 59:22
When you think of teaching a trauma-informed yoga class, what comes to mind? Do you think of teaching a special class for a specific population, like veterans recovering from…
Sep 8, 2021 · 1:05:06
As you are well aware, we are living through a devastating public health crisis and masks and vaccines are our most important wellness tools right now (BY FAR). We know from our…
Aug 17, 2021 · 51:49
The "BEST" way to teach twisting movements! What kind of rules have you been taught about the safest way to twist? What do you teach your students about the best way to rotate…
Jul 20, 2021 · 1:10:13
Kearsten Lyon (she/her) is the founder and owner of an extended health care clinic called Total Movement Therapy based in Toronto, ON and sees clients virtually all over the…
Jul 6, 2021 · 1:02:36
I often feel like marketing is hard, and the things the "experts" tell us to do are slimy and also don't work. You feel me? That's why I'm so excited to have Mado Hesselink…
Jun 22, 2021 · 1:02:16
Teaching yoga to kids has the potential to be incredibly impactful for kids and their communities, but there are many challenges that arise when we try to take the deep and…
Jun 8, 2021 · 44:16
Teaching yoga in 1x1 settings is such a wonderful way to inspire and support meaningful change in our student's lives. But the possibilities for what and how you could teach a…
May 25, 2021 · 44:52
As yoga teachers most of us are legally and financially out on our own; we are small business owners and independent contractors cobbling together enough work to make a living.…
May 11, 2021 · 53:19
The yoga world has changed so much since I started teaching 16 years ago. Back then I didn't have a website, use social media or have any fancy tech equipment, and I didn't know…
Apr 27, 2021 · 58:56
It has been just over one year since I shifted from teaching yoga full time in-person, to teaching full time online. It has been a huge change (obviously) in my approach to…
Apr 13, 2021 · 1:04:59
Do you know Tori Lunden (she/her)? She is known as Bad At Yoga on social media and if you haven't come across her work yet I'm SO excited I get to introduce you to her today. If…
Mar 30, 2021 · 48:43
Trauma-informed practice is a popular topic in the yoga world, and with good reason. Most people have experienced some kind of trauma and if yoga is to be a healing practice, as…
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