Working in Yoga

Rebecca Sebastian
  • 5.0 (6)
  • CAREERS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Join yoga studio owner, yoga teacher, yoga therapist, and yoga non-profit founder Rebecca Sebastian for a water cooler discussion of what it is to work in the yoga world. We will talk about our experiences, good & bad, connect with each other, share tips freely, and tell our stories. Many years ago a yoga-teacher friend of mine said to me “the one things I don’t like about being a yoga teacher is there’s no water cooler”. And he was right. (thanks James). So let’s use this podcast as our water cooler. This past year, especially, has been so hard for us. Let’s talk about it. Share our stories, our unique jobs, and a sense of community that we all need. Want in? Take a listen.

  1. 4D AGO

    Why Yoga Has No Career Ladder (and Why That’s Not Your Fault)

    Yoga has no career ladder. And for many mid-career yoga professionals, that realization arrives quietly—through burnout, confusion, or the feeling that the work should make more sense by now. In this solo episode, Rebecca explores why yoga careers are structurally non-linear, how training and personal branding have been positioned as substitutes for real professional pathways, and why so many skilled teachers and therapists end up blaming themselves for systemic gaps. This is not an episode about hustling harder, pivoting faster, or waiting for the industry to be rescued. It’s a conversation about clarity: Why yoga offers inspiration without infrastructure How burnout is often grief, not failure What happens when careers are built without shared support or advocacy And how to redefine progress in care-based work without chasing legitimacy This episode also introduces The Back Room, a private professional space for yoga workers who want reflection, strategy, and sustainability—without high-ticket coaching or industry drama. A guided reflection sheet accompanies this episode inside The Back Room for listeners who want to sit with these questions more deeply. RESOURCES 2026 Industry Forecast Working In Yoga Website Working In Yoga Newsletter The Back Room Sponsorship Opportunities

    21 min

  2. FEB 5

    Community, Standards, and the Future of Yoga with Rebel Tucker

    In this episode of Working In Yoga, we take the conversation global with Rebel Tucker, Vice President of Yoga Australia. Rebel shares how Yoga Australia actively incorporates member feedback, supports both teachers and students, and maintains “common sense standards” that protect practitioners and the public alike. We explore what it looks like when a professional organization truly represents its community, why connection among yoga professionals is essential, and what the U.S. yoga industry can learn from international models. We also dive into big-picture questions about yoga’s place in wellness vs. healthcare systems, training standards around the world, and whether the future of the industry lies in one major organization or many niche ones. This episode is an invitation to think beyond borders — and imagine what’s possible when yoga professionals are heard, supported, and connected. RESOURCES 2026 Industry Forecast Working In Yoga Website Working In Yoga Newsletter The Back Room Sponsorship Opportunities GUEST LINKS Rebel Tucker

    51 min

  3. JAN 29

    Let’s Get Weird: Neuroqueering Yoga, Teaching, and the Art of Doing Things Differently

    In this final conversation with Becky Aten and Theo Wildcroft, we dive into the concept of neuroqueering—the practice of disrupting what’s considered “normal” in both neurotypical and heteronormative culture. Through laughter, curiosity, and deep reflection, we explore how yoga spaces can move away from rigid, productivity-driven ideals and instead celebrate unusual bodies, brains, and ways of being. We talk about queerness as a refusal of capitalist productivity, the deep intersections between neurodiversity and trauma, and why morality has quietly shaped how yoga is supposed to look and feel. This episode invites yoga professionals to embrace experimentation, question the “why” behind their teaching choices, and allow a little more weirdness—because that’s often where freedom, healing, and creativity live. RESOURCES 2026 Industry Forecast Working In Yoga Website Working In Yoga Newsletter The Back Room Sponsorship Opportunities GUEST LINKS Theo Wildcroft Becky Aten

    1h 8m

  4. JAN 22

    Designing for Everyone: Neurodivergence, Experience, and How We Build Yoga Spaces (Part Two)

    In this follow-up conversation, we go deeper into what inclusive design actually looks like in yoga spaces. From sound engineering and sensory considerations to universal design principles and the social model of disability, this episode explores how centering neurodivergent people from the beginning—not as an afterthought—can radically change how yoga is taught, experienced, and shared. We also reflect on how trauma-informed practices translate, why lived experience must guide decision-making, and how training future teachers needs to evolve. RESOURCES 2026 Industry Forecast Working In Yoga Website Working In Yoga Newsletter The Back Room Sponsorship Opportunities GUEST LINKS Theo Wildcroft Jess Glenny Becky Aten

    41 min

  5. JAN 15

    Making Room for Everyone: Neurodivergence, Grace, and Inclusion in Yoga

    What does it actually mean to create inclusive yoga spaces for neurodivergent people? In this episode, we explore the intersection of trauma-informed yoga and neurodivergent safety—while also modeling what it looks like to learn in real time. You’ll hear moments of curiosity, missteps, and grace as language evolves in the conversation, offering a powerful reminder that inclusion isn’t about perfection. It’s about willingness, reflection, and designing spaces that welcome everyone from the very beginning. RESOURCES 2026 Industry Forecast Working In Yoga Website Working In Yoga Newsletter The Back Room Sponsorship Opportunities GUEST LINKS Theo Wildcroft Jess Glenny Becky Aten

    43 min

  6. JAN 8

    Why Yoga Professionals Need Better Spaces for Reflection, Strategy, and Career Clarity

    What happens when an industry grows faster than its infrastructure? In this solo episode, Rebecca explores how yoga professionals ended up navigating public discourse, expensive coaching, and deeply personal career decisions all at once—and why we desperately need quieter, more intentional spaces to think, reflect, and build what comes next. 🧠 KEY TAKEAWAYS We recreated the student model for professionals—without questioning it. Yoga pros now have public “group class” spaces for discourse and expensive, often misaligned “containers” for depth. What’s missing is the middle ground. Business coaching in yoga often lacks lived experience. Much of the business advice in yoga is taught by people who haven’t actually built sustainable careers as yoga teachers or yoga therapists—creating a gap between theory and reality. Burnout isn’t just financial—it’s existential. Many yoga professionals feel untethered, unclear, and small within a massive industry that expanded without building infrastructure to support careers. Careers in yoga are bespoke, not linear. Our paths aren’t ladders or portfolios—they’re custom-built lives. But the expectation to figure this out alone creates isolation and pressure. Public spaces are good for discourse, not discernment. Social media excels at connection and organizing, but it cannot support slow thinking, reflection, or personal strategy. Clarity comes from space, not hustle. What yoga professionals need most right now isn’t more information—it’s time, reflection, translation, and collective thinking. Not every conversation should be public. Industry conversations and personal career decisions serve different purposes—and they require different rooms. RESOURCES 2026 Industry Forecast Working In Yoga Website Working In Yoga Newsletter The Back Room

    12 min

  7. JAN 1

    The Shape of Yoga Work Right Now

    As 2025 comes to a close, this solo episode of Working In Yoga offers a pause rather than a prediction. Instead of recapping highlights or forecasting the future, Rebecca reflects on what this year quietly revealed about working in yoga—shifts in stability, authority, sustainability, and how the work itself is changing shape. Drawing from conversations across nearly 100 podcast episodes and countless off-mic discussions, this episode explores why so many yoga professionals feel unsettled right now—and why that feeling may be a rational response to changing structures, not a personal failure. This episode is an invitation to orient, not to optimize. To notice what’s holding, what’s straining, and what’s emerging—without rushing to name or fix it. RESOURCES 2026 Industry Forecast Working In Yoga Website Working In Yoga Newsletter

    21 min

  8. 12/18/2025

    Structure, Skill, and Soul: Rethinking Creativity in Yoga Teaching w/ Arundhati Baitmangalkar

    What if creativity in yoga isn’t about novelty—but about depth, structure, and purpose? In this episode, we unpack the difference between engagement and entertainment, why foundations matter, and how knowing your “why” shapes sustainable, skillful teaching. Key Takeaways • Creativity needs structure. Creative work thrives when supported by systems. Whether you create within set hours or follow inspiration when it strikes, structure doesn’t limit creativity—it sustains it. • Creativity is not the same as variety. Variety leans toward entertainment. Teaching yoga is about clarity, transmission, and guidance—not constant novelty. • Engagement ≠ entertainment. Our role as yoga teachers is to engage students intellectually, physically, and emotionally—not to perform or entertain for retention’s sake. The yoga itself is enough. • Foundation before innovation. Creative expression works best when built on strong fundamentals. A solid understanding of yoga principles allows for skillful adaptation without losing integrity. • Know your “why.” Understanding why you show up to teach—calling, service, curiosity, devotion—grounds your creativity and keeps your work aligned and sustainable. RESOURCES 2026 Industry Forecast Working In Yoga Website Working In Yoga Newsletter Arundhati’s Website

    1h 6m
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5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

Join yoga studio owner, yoga teacher, yoga therapist, and yoga non-profit founder Rebecca Sebastian for a water cooler discussion of what it is to work in the yoga world. We will talk about our experiences, good & bad, connect with each other, share tips freely, and tell our stories. Many years ago a yoga-teacher friend of mine said to me “the one things I don’t like about being a yoga teacher is there’s no water cooler”. And he was right. (thanks James). So let’s use this podcast as our water cooler. This past year, especially, has been so hard for us. Let’s talk about it. Share our stories, our unique jobs, and a sense of community that we all need. Want in? Take a listen.

Information

  • Creator
    Rebecca Sebastian
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright Sunlight Yoga Center, 2019
  • Show Website
    Working in Yoga

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