Essential Conversations for Yoga Teachers

Monica Bright
  • 5.0 (4)
  • HEALTH & FITNESS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

The podcast for yoga teachers centered around important conversations for yoga teachers to discuss, reflect, and implement. From class planning to business strategy, these conversations help yoga teachers build the business that will help keep them teaching long-term and with a sustainable income. 

  1. Ep 115: Mindset, Impostor Syndrome, and Your Scope of Practice

    3D AGO

    Ep 115: Mindset, Impostor Syndrome, and Your Scope of Practice

    Yoga teacher impostor syndrome keeps qualified teachers from working with students who have pain and injuries. If you've ever avoided a student with an injury because you thought "I'm not a physical therapist" or "I don't know enough anatomy," this episode addresses the real barrier: not your scope of practice, but the belief that you're not enough. Learn why the thoughts keeping you stuck are impostor syndrome, not the truth. Discover the unique value you bring that no physical therapist can replicate, and understand why you don't need the expertise you think you need. This episode is for yoga teachers who care about accessibility and inclusion but feel paralyzed by fear and comparison when students with pain want to take their classes. Understand why "is this within my scope?" is often not really a scope question at all, it's impostor syndrome disguised as professional caution. Learn to recognize the thoughts that keep you stuck: comparing yourself to physical therapists, believing you need to know everything about anatomy, fearing you'll make things worse, and thinking everyone else is more confident than you. These beliefs aren't protecting your students; they're keeping you from serving the ones who need you. Discover the fundamental difference between clinical expertise (what PTs have) and teaching expertise (what you have). Learn why you can't build confidence by taking more courses or waiting to feel ready; you build it through practice with real students.Understand what students with pain are really seeking when they come to your class.Address the fear that paralyzes more yoga teachers than anything else: "What if I hurt someone?"Understand the critical mindset shift from trying to be an expert who fixes people to being a skilled facilitator who creates safe environments for exploration.  Related Episodes: Ep 114: How to Teach Yoga to Students with Lower Back PainEp 66: Staying Within Your Scope of PracticeFree Resources: 10 Questions to Ask Injured Students Sequencing for Students with InjurieClick HERE to send me a text & let me know your thoughts on this episode! Support the show YouTube: Yoga with Monica Bright Freebie: Yoga Sequencing for Different Injuries Let's connect: Check out my website: Enhanced Body Connect with me on Instagram Wanna work together? Book a Discovery Call Practice yoga in my online studio The Alliance (7-day free trial) Join my Newsletter for teachers below! Want me to discuss a topic? Click HERE to submit it! Become a supporter of the Essential Conversations for Yoga Teachers Podcast! Starting at $3/ month.

    33 min
  2. Ep 114: How to Teach Yoga to Students with Lower Back Pain

    MAR 2

    Ep 114: How to Teach Yoga to Students with Lower Back Pain

    Students with lower back pain is one of the most common complaints that yoga teachers encounter, yet most teachers feel completely unprepared to help students with back injuries. If you've ever felt like you're not sure how to respond when a student asks, "Will this pose hurt my back?" this episode is for you.  Learn the essential conversation framework for talking with students about lower back pain, the core principles that will help guide your teaching decisions, and specific modifications for forward folds, Downward Facing Dog, Cat/Cow explorations, and Plank variations. This episode will help you feel more confident teaching students with lower back pain instead of avoiding them, and it offers specific cueing language for each modification. I'll also give you the exact questions to ask before class and discover how to create a collaborative relationship (between you and your student) instead of an anxious one. You'll leave with a clear understanding of what's within your role and what's not. Learn why teaching students with back pain is absolutely within your scope, plus when you should refer students to medical professionals. Download 10 Questions to Ask Injured Students (free) and get the exact framework for supportive conversations about pain. This tool removes guesswork and helps you approach injured students with confidence. Related Episodes: EP 84: Sciatica: What Yoga Teachers Should UnderstandEP 80: Why Is The Psoas Muscle So Important?Free Resources: Sequencing for Students with InjuriesHalf Pigeon Pose: Avoiding Pain & InjuryWant to Go Deeper? Within Your Scope WorkshopThe 1st Step to Teaching Students with PainTeaching Students with Injuries 6-Month MentorshipClick HERE to send me a text & let me know your thoughts on this episode! Support the show YouTube: Yoga with Monica Bright Freebie: Yoga Sequencing for Different Injuries Let's connect: Check out my website: Enhanced Body Connect with me on Instagram Wanna work together? Book a Discovery Call Practice yoga in my online studio The Alliance (7-day free trial) Join my Newsletter for teachers below! Want me to discuss a topic? Click HERE to submit it! Become a supporter of the Essential Conversations for Yoga Teachers Podcast! Starting at $3/ month.

    29 min
  3. Ep 113: Sequencing Considerations

    FEB 23

    Ep 113: Sequencing Considerations

    Creating a new yoga sequence can feel overwhelming, especially when you are trying to account for student needs, your own teaching goals, and the realities of the world outside the studio. In this episode, we explore the key considerations to have when planning a sequence so the process feels intentional. You will hear how anchoring a class around a simple concept or intention can bring clarity, and why familiarity, pacing, and repetition are powerful tools for supporting presence and awareness. If you have ever felt unsure about how to start planning a sequence, or felt pressure to make every class new or impressive, this conversation will help you reconnect with sequencing as a relational skill. One that supports students, honors your capacity, and brings you back to what matters most in your teaching. Click HERE to send me a text & let me know your thoughts on this episode! Support the show YouTube: Yoga with Monica Bright Freebie: Yoga Sequencing for Different Injuries Let's connect: Check out my website: Enhanced Body Connect with me on Instagram Wanna work together? Book a Discovery Call Practice yoga in my online studio The Alliance (7-day free trial) Join my Newsletter for teachers below! Want me to discuss a topic? Click HERE to submit it! Become a supporter of the Essential Conversations for Yoga Teachers Podcast! Starting at $3/ month.

    13 min
  4. Ep 112: What Changes When You Sequence Based on the Idea That Poses Belong Together?

    FEB 16

    Ep 112: What Changes When You Sequence Based on the Idea That Poses Belong Together?

    Did you learn to sequence by linking individual poses together, focusing on flow, creativity, or what your sequence will look like visually? While this is movement, it doesn't always create clarity with you or your students. In this episode, we explore why thinking in pose families instead of isolated postures can completely change how you approach sequencing. You will learn how grouping poses into families, such as backbends, hip openers, and spinal twists, helps you understand the function of a pose, prepare your students’ bodies more effectively, and set a clear tone for your class.  We discuss how this approach supports accessibility with students, reduces your feeling of overwhelm when it comes to sequencing, and allows you to offer meaningful variations without losing the intention of the practice you intend to teach. This episode also highlights the vital role of neutral and symmetrical poses.  This conversation will help you return to a more grounded and sustainable approach to your sequencing. Pose families offer you a framework to work with and allow your yoga classes to feel purposeful, inclusive, and intentional. Click HERE to send me a text & let me know your thoughts on this episode! Support the show YouTube: Yoga with Monica Bright Freebie: Yoga Sequencing for Different Injuries Let's connect: Check out my website: Enhanced Body Connect with me on Instagram Wanna work together? Book a Discovery Call Practice yoga in my online studio The Alliance (7-day free trial) Join my Newsletter for teachers below! Want me to discuss a topic? Click HERE to submit it! Become a supporter of the Essential Conversations for Yoga Teachers Podcast! Starting at $3/ month.

    14 min
  5. Ep 111: The Missing Link Between Anatomy Knowledge and Sequencing

    FEB 9

    Ep 111: The Missing Link Between Anatomy Knowledge and Sequencing

    Have you spent years studying anatomy, yet still feel uncertain when it comes to sequencing classes that truly support your students? Do you know the muscles, the actions, and the terminology, but something feels disconnected when you teach real bodies through real movement? This episode explores why that gap exists and how to bridge it. In this conversation, we unpack the difference between knowing anatomy and understanding function. You will learn how shifting your perspective from individual muscles to movement patterns changes how you design classes, prepare students for poses, and adapt when things don't go as planned. We also explore how functional sequencing supports students with pain, injuries, and diverse movement histories. I'll explain functional Warrior 2, and help you understand what this pose is asking of the student's body, which (once you spot it) can reshape the entire intention behind the sequencing of your classes. This episode is for you if you want to stop second-guessing your sequences and start trusting your ability to respond to the students in front of you. If you have ever felt like you know the anatomy but struggle to apply it, this conversation will help you connect the dots and teach with greater clarity and understanding. Click HERE to send me a text & let me know your thoughts on this episode! Support the show YouTube: Yoga with Monica Bright Freebie: Yoga Sequencing for Different Injuries Let's connect: Check out my website: Enhanced Body Connect with me on Instagram Wanna work together? Book a Discovery Call Practice yoga in my online studio The Alliance (7-day free trial) Join my Newsletter for teachers below! Want me to discuss a topic? Click HERE to submit it! Become a supporter of the Essential Conversations for Yoga Teachers Podcast! Starting at $3/ month.

    13 min
  6. Ep 110: Teaching Yoga As A Personal Relationship

    FEB 2

    Ep 110: Teaching Yoga As A Personal Relationship

    Yoga has evolved into a practice of performance. It's become more about the depth of a pose, the complexity of a sequence, or how much a student can practice asana. Yoga was never meant to be a performance. It has always been intended to cultivate a relationship between one's body, mind, and awareness. In this episode, we explore how you can shift from helping students “do” yoga to helping them experience it. You’ll learn how to reframe your language so that your cues foster curiosity instead of achievement, and how to encourage students to learn to trust their own bodies through choice, awareness, and adaptability. This episode will help you see teaching as presence, where awareness replaces perfection, and growth happens through exploration, not execution. If you’ve ever felt the pressure to keep your classes exciting, impressive, or “Social media-worthy,” this conversation will help you return to the teachings of yoga that truly matter: connection, awareness, and trust. Click HERE to send me a text & let me know your thoughts on this episode! Support the show YouTube: Yoga with Monica Bright Freebie: Yoga Sequencing for Different Injuries Let's connect: Check out my website: Enhanced Body Connect with me on Instagram Wanna work together? Book a Discovery Call Practice yoga in my online studio The Alliance (7-day free trial) Join my Newsletter for teachers below! Want me to discuss a topic? Click HERE to submit it! Become a supporter of the Essential Conversations for Yoga Teachers Podcast! Starting at $3/ month.

    13 min
  7. Ep 109: Teaching: Shift from Authority to Curiosity-Based

    JAN 26

    Ep 109: Teaching: Shift from Authority to Curiosity-Based

    When you first start teaching yoga, you’re told to "own the room!" To have a plan, know your sequence, and be the authority at the front of the room. But what happens when your sense of authority starts to feel restrictive? When your carefully crafted sequence doesn’t match the energy or needs of the students in class that day? In this episode, we explore what it means to shift from teaching with authority to teaching with curiosity. You’ll learn how curiosity will allow you to stay flexible, responsive, and deeply connected to your students’ experience.  I’ll talk about what it really looks like to “read the room,” how to adjust your sequence in real time without wavering in your confidence, and why this ability to adapt is one of the most valuable (and learnable) skills you can develop.  You’ll also learn how curiosity fosters empathy, supports nervous system regulation, and builds trust between you and your students, and with yourself as a teacher. This conversation is for you if you've ever felt torn between sticking to your sequence and responding to students' needs in the moment.  Teaching with curiosity doesn’t mean you know less; it means you’re paying attention to your students more. It’s what turns good instruction into an authentic connection and response. Ep 107: Why Warrior 2 Looks and Feels Different for Every Student Click HERE to send me a text & let me know your thoughts on this episode! Support the show YouTube: Yoga with Monica Bright Freebie: Yoga Sequencing for Different Injuries Let's connect: Check out my website: Enhanced Body Connect with me on Instagram Wanna work together? Book a Discovery Call Practice yoga in my online studio The Alliance (7-day free trial) Join my Newsletter for teachers below! Want me to discuss a topic? Click HERE to submit it! Become a supporter of the Essential Conversations for Yoga Teachers Podcast! Starting at $3/ month.

    16 min
  8. Ep 108: Why Your Verbal Cues Aren’t Always Enough

    JAN 19

    Ep 108: Why Your Verbal Cues Aren’t Always Enough

    We've all been there... we cue something that makes perfect sense in our own minds… but a student doesn’t quite understand. Maybe your students look confused, or move in completely different directions. It’s not that your cue was bad; it’s that language doesn’t always translate directly into movement. In this episode, we’re unpacking why verbal cues alone aren’t enough and how different learning styles, nervous system states, and physical experiences shape how students receive your instructions. You’ll learn why some students need to see or feel what you’re describing, how nervous system regulation impacts comprehension, and how to diversify your teaching beyond words. We’ll talk about the importance of demoing poses and transitions, the power of silence, and why your tone and pacing matter more than you realize. You’ll leave this episode with practical strategies to communicate more clearly, reach every student in the room, and teach with a deeper sense of presence and adaptability. Whether you teach flow, restorative, or therapeutic yoga, this conversation will help you see cueing as more than words. It'll help you realize that your teaching is a form of communication that connects you more deeply with your students. Click HERE to send me a text & let me know your thoughts on this episode! Support the show YouTube: Yoga with Monica Bright Freebie: Yoga Sequencing for Different Injuries Let's connect: Check out my website: Enhanced Body Connect with me on Instagram Wanna work together? Book a Discovery Call Practice yoga in my online studio The Alliance (7-day free trial) Join my Newsletter for teachers below! Want me to discuss a topic? Click HERE to submit it! Become a supporter of the Essential Conversations for Yoga Teachers Podcast! Starting at $3/ month.

    17 min
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5
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About

The podcast for yoga teachers centered around important conversations for yoga teachers to discuss, reflect, and implement. From class planning to business strategy, these conversations help yoga teachers build the business that will help keep them teaching long-term and with a sustainable income. 

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