Abundant Yoga Teacher Podcast

In this episode, I’m exploring what happens when you’ve built a successful business, you’re earning enough and you have plenty of clients, but you still feel compelled to do more. Through three conversations with Yoga business owners and two stories from the Mahābhārata, we’ll look at the beliefs and habits that keep us striving long after the original need has passed, why an empty space in your calendar can feel surprisingly uncomfortable and what it might take to trust yourself to choose less. Because sometimes the next step in your business isn’t more growth. It’s learning how to live well with what you’ve already created. And if you’re curious about exploring these kinds of questions through the stories and teachings of the Bhagavad Gītā, come and join me for Gita Chat Club. We’ll spend six sessions over 12 weeks exploring the text, its mythology and philosophy in a relaxed, conversational way, without needing to be an expert. You can sign up for the full club or come along to a free taster session to see if it’s for you.

Check out the brand new Gita chat Club here: https://www.amymcdonald.com.au/gita

Support this show and access all the extra goodies on Patreon here: www.patreon.com/AmyMcDonald

Join the Returning Retreat here: https://www.amymcdonald.com.au/returning

Join the Business Breakthrough Day here: https://www.amymcdonald.com.au/breakthrough

REFERENCE:

Besant, Annie (1899) Mahabharata: The Story of the Great War, The Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar, Chennai.

Today I’m joined by Mark Breadner who has spent 45 years teaching yoga and more than 30 years educating teachers. His work has taken him from yoga rooms and teacher trainings to elite sport, corporate performance, Tibetan monasteries and online education. Through all of it, one question has remained: what does it actually mean to teach? Today, Mark's work explores Teaching in the New Room—helping experienced teachers translate decades of lived wisdom into a digital world without becoming influencers or content creators. His message is simple: the room has changed. Great teaching hasn't.

Check out Mark’s work here: https://vip.yogacoach.com/ And follow him on Instagram @mark.breadner

Support this show and access all the extra goodies on Patreon here: www.patreon.com/AmyMcDonald

Join the Returning Retreat here: https://www.amymcdonald.com.au/returning

Join the Business Breakthrough Day here: https://www.amymcdonald.com.au/breakthrough

Check out the brand new Gita chat Club here: https://www.amymcdonald.com.au/gita

Last month we kicked off the new Yoga Teacher Circle with some juicy questions about boundaries. Enjoy a teaser of that conversation. And over on Patreon I’ve got a bonus episode of the podcast all about a recent Shero I discovered. Enjoy!

Support this show and access all the extra goodies on Patreon here: www.patreon.com/AmyMcDonald

Join the Returning Retreat here: https://www.amymcdonald.com.au/returning

Join the Business Breakthrough Day here: https://www.amymcdonald.com.au/breakthrough

And if you’re interested in working with me individually around your own life, relationships or inner world, you can find out more about counselling here: https://www.amymcdonald.com.au/counselling

REFERENCE:

Rao, Kavitha (2021) Lady Doctors: The Untold Stories of India's First Women in Medicine, Westland, Chennai

There’s a strange point in personal growth where you can become very good at understanding your patterns without actually changing them. In this episode I’m looking at why insight isn’t always enough, how attachment and people-pleasing patterns can show up with students, studio owners and colleagues and what it takes to interrupt those automatic responses and choose something different.

Support this show on Patreon here: www.patreon.com/AmyMcDonald

And if you’re interested in working with me individually around your own life, relationships or inner world, you can find out more about counselling here: https://www.amymcdonald.com.au/counselling

I’m kicking off a brand new season with a special guest! Kiara Armstrong is the creator of Rubber Band Method®, a system for teaching hands-on yoga through anatomy-informed, consent-centered, and biomechanically precise techniques. She has been a full-time yogapreneur for nearly 15 years, building a sustainable business through hands-on-based classes, private clients, retreats, and teacher trainings. Her work is informed by her background as a massage therapist and anatomy educator, bridging the gap between technique and application. Kiara teaches instructors how to use hands-on work to enhance the student experience, differentiate their teaching, and build a thriving, sustainable career. She is also the author of Hands-On Yoga Assists.

Access your special gift from Kiara here: https://www.rubberbandmethod.com/amy

Join the launch of the Yoga Teacher Circle and Support this show on Patreon here: www.patreon.com/AmyMcDonald

Join the Returning Retreat next month here: https://www.amymcdonald.com.au/returning

REFERENCE:

Gilani, Nadia (2022) The Yoga Manifesto: How Yoga Helped Me and Why It Needs to Save Itself, Bluebird, London

Are you spending way too much time answering questions from people who are interested in your Yoga business, but never actually buy?

In this episode, I’m talking about sales boundaries: how to stop turning enquiries into free coaching sessions, how to recognise when scarcity and people-pleasing are driving your sales conversations, and how to create a simple process that protects your time while still being warm and helpful.

Listen to the full episode on Patreon here: www.patreon.com/AmyMcDonald

And if you’re interested in working with me individually around your own life, relationships or inner world, you can find out more about counselling here: https://www.amymcdonald.com.au/counselling

What do you do when a Yoga student irritates you, pushes your buttons, crosses a boundary or simply makes you think, ‘Oh god, not this person again’? In this teaser episode, I’m exploring what our reactions to students can teach us about boundaries, projection, emotional labour and the difference between compassion and making ourselves endlessly available.

Listen to the full episode on Patreon here: www.patreon.com/AmyMcDonald

And if you’re interested in working with me individually around your own life, relationships or inner world, you can find out more about counselling here: https://www.amymcdonald.com.au/counselling

It's birthday week, which means it's time for my annual birthday sale.

From now until 6 August, I'm offering 20% off both my Returning Retreat and 1:1 Business Coaching.

If you've been thinking about working together, or joining me on retreat, this is a lovely opportunity.

1:1 Business Coaching

The birthday sale brings coaching from AUD $3,500 to AUD $2,800 (approximately £1,350 or US$1,800).

If you're wondering whether coaching is the right fit, I'd love to invite you to book a Clarity Call. It's a relaxed conversation where we can explore your goals, what's happening in your business, and whether we'd be a good fit to work together.

Learn more about coaching:
https://www.amymcdonald.com.au/coaching

Book a Clarity Call:
https://scheduler.zoom.us/amymcdonald/strategy

Returning Retreat

If what you're craving isn't another strategy or another online course, but a chance to step away, breathe, reflect and reconnect with yourself, Returning might be exactly what you need.

Three days. Two nights. Time to slow down, think clearly and remember what matters.

Learn more about Returning:
https://www.amymcdonald.com.au/returning

If you've got questions, please get in touch. And please don't not book a Clarity Call because you're worried you'll be wasting my time. You won't. I promise.

Have you accidentally built a business where everyone has direct access to your attention?

In this episode, I'm exploring the yogic concept of pratyāhāra and how it can help you create clearer communication systems, reduce unnecessary interruptions and reclaim your focus.

We'll look at practical ways to simplify your tech, your notifications and your client communication so your business supports your work instead of constantly distracting you from it.

If you'd like the space to step back and work on your business rather than just in it, I'll also tell you a little about the dedicated business day at this year's Returning Retreat.

Learn more here:
https://www.amymcdonald.com.au/returning

Support the show on Patreon. Here is the link: https://www.patreon.com/AmyMcDonald

This week I'm exploring something that's been quietly bothering me for a long time: somewhere along the way, we've become very good at teaching Yoga poses, but we've forgotten that Yoga has always been a tradition of stories.

In this episode, I share why stories have been central to the Yoga tradition for thousands of years, explore the extraordinary roles of Vyasa and Valmiki, and reflect on why the Ramayana and the Puranas continue to speak so powerfully to modern life. If you've ever wondered whether there was something deeper beneath the physical practice of Yoga, this conversation is for you.

If you'd like to experience more of these teachings, registrations are now open for my free three-part online series next week, where we'll explore three ancient stories from the Yoga tradition and what they still have to teach women today.

Sign up for the free training here: https://mailchi.mp/amymcdonald/story

Check out all the Returning Retreat details here: https://www.amymcdonald.com.au/returning

Support the show on Patreon. Here is the link: https://www.patreon.com/AmyMcDonald