All Mats Taken | A Yoga Teachers Podcast

Is the yoga teaching industry dead? This is the hype that's trending on Instagram right now.

In today's solo episode I discuss:

• How algorithms create echo chambers that can either fuel our success or destroy our confidence
• The deeper shifts I've seen happening over the past couple of years that everyone is predicting now
• How I'm shifting how I view what other's perceive as failures into benefits, successes and hopeful potential in my business.
• Why the "yoga bubble bursting" narrative is actually about the end of superficial, overpriced trends, not the end of authentic teaching

Ready to build a sustainable yoga business focused on what truly matters? Listen to discover how to create your own protective bubble of possibility.

Links:

Want to support my work? Leave a tip: https://jerrettdigital.thrivecart.com/podcast-tip-jar/

Download the AI Prompt Workshop for Yoga Teachers and get more efficient output when working with AI: https://allmatstaken.com/resources

Connect with Adrianne on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allmatstaken/ 

Follow Adrianne on Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/allmatstaken/ 

Listen to the episode with Lucy from North Ayurveda (recorded in Febuary) where we discuss the shift in yoga teaching everyone's talking about today:

Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/26-ayurveda-101-for-yoga-teachers-with-lucy-found/id1747083899?i=1000702499405

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5MEtmQzOa4e2K4oTHvZwHf?si=731dce74b84c4b80 

About The Show:

All Mats Taken is the yoga business podcast helping yoga teachers grow sustainable teaching practices. Host Adrianne Jerrett explores yoga marketing strategies, business growth tactics, and how to build a yoga business aligned with your values and yogic philosophy...without the burnout. Whether you're struggling to fill classes, price your offerings, or create a teaching lifestyle you actually love, this podcast gives you actionable insights from experts who've been there. New episodes fortnightly.

Ever wonder why yoga poses have names like Hanumanasana or Garudasana, and what they actually mean? In this episode with guest Dr. Raj Balkaran we'll find out how asanas were named and how stories, from ancient mythology to cultural narratives, literally shape our consciousness, behaviors, and entire civilization. Plus discover how being aware of this can transform both your yoga teaching and your life.

As yoga teachers, we're familiar with the idea that our stories determine our actions and a large part of our practice is to quiet the mind so that we can get in touch with our true self or Ātman. But get ready to break this into a new level because today Dr. Raj Balkaran, Sanskrit scholar and spiritual teacher, is going deeper into how the mythology and stories that make up the fabric of our society influence us on deep personal, generational, and societal layers. These narratives, inherited from our cultural and civilizational backgrounds, unconsciously inform everything from our personal decisions to our scientific theories to how we treat the planet.

Dr. Raj explains how Western culture is unconsciously shaped by Genesis narratives of linear time and human dominion over nature, while Eastern traditions offer cyclical worldviews of endless creation and dissolution. Even our modern cosmology, for example, the Big Bang theory may be unconsciously influenced by these inherited "beginning, middle, end" story structures.

We'll also discuss how yoga teacher trainings often focus heavily on biomechanics and physical alignment, which makes sense for an industry often centered on fitness and physical relief. But by bringing the mythology into class, you can potentially help your students recognize patterns that no longer serve them, giving them the power to rewrite them.

By the end of this episode, you'll have a completely new understanding of how ancient stories influence modern life and practical tools to help your students rewrite limiting narratives through yoga.

In this episode, we explore:

• How inherited cultural stories unconsciously shape our worldview and behaviors
• Why Western linear thinking differs so dramatically from Eastern cyclical cosmology
• The profound difference between being a character in someone else's story vs. authoring your own
• How to recognize the subconscious narratives keeping you stuck in unwanted patterns
• Why yoga poses are named after mythological figures and what that means for consciousness
• Practical ways to incorporate meaningful storytelling into your yoga classes
• The concept of dharma as a guide for conscious living
• How detachment allows us to act from soul-level rather than ego-level caring

Meet Dr. Raj Balkaran

Dr. Raj is a scholar of Sanskrit literature, spiritual teacher, seasoned speaker, online educator and podcaster. He runs The Indian Wisdom School which provides students with the opportunity not only to learn about Indian Wisdom Traditions, but to learn from them. It integrates scholarship, storytelling, and profound spiritual teachings from ancient India to facilitate embodied online learning. Steering clear of over-intellectualization, reduction, delusion or dogma, the School leverages wisdom teachings from the mythological, philosophical, and spiritual traditions of ancient India to support meaningful living for modern student-seekers. 

Links:

Want to support my work? Leave a tip: https://jerrettdigital.thrivecart.com/podcast-tip-jar/

Get better results with AI and save time, learn prompt engineering 101 for yoga teachers: https://allmatstaken.com/resources

Connect with Adrianne on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allmatstaken/ 

Follow Adrianne on Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/allmatstaken/ 

Watch the episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Twy2ekpXrNM?si=UVTfQ8METE4wGaj5 

Check out the book: The Stories Behind the Poses: The Indian mythology that inspired 50 yoga postures by Dr. Raj Balkaran*: https://amzn.to/4mdU7gc

Learn more about Indian Wisdom School: https://www.indianwisdomschool.com/ 

Use code 'PUNYA' at checkout to claim any Indian Wisdom School course for free!

Learn more about Dr. Raj Balkaran: https://rajbalkaran.com/ 

Connect with Raj on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/indianwisdomschool 

About The Show:

All Mats Taken is the yoga business podcast helping yoga teachers grow sustainable teaching practices. Host Adrianne Jerrett explores yoga marketing strategies, business growth tactics, and how to build a yoga business aligned with your values and yogic philosophy...without the burnout. Whether you're struggling to fill classes, price your offerings, or create a teaching lifestyle you actually love, this podcast gives you actionable insights from experts who've been there. New episodes fortnightly.

*I receive a small affiliate commission if you buy using these links. It doesn't cost you anything extra but helps support the show. Thank you 🙏

Have you been reading content online lately and thought, "Is this AI-generated?" or have you been editing AI content and wondered if you've infused enough of yourself into it to make it you? Today, I'm going to turn you into a human AI-detector.

By the end of this episode, you're going to be able to sniff out unedited AI content from a mile away and impress your friends at a dinner party by knowing the definition of fancy AI terms like perplexity and burstiness. 

Now, this isn't a let's bash AI content and never use it in your business episode. We want to learn the red flags so we can discern what content we consume AND we know how to avoid letting them seep through into our own copy when we use AI, so we're making sure that during the editing process, we are sufficiently adding our authentic humanness back in. 

Based on these seven AI indicators, I've also created a prompt you can download to add to your workflows to help your first AI draft avoid some of these classic pitfalls and produce higher-quality first drafts the first time so you don't have to re-work the entire thing manually to make it sound less like a robot.

Links:

Want to support my work? Leave a tip: https://jerrettdigital.thrivecart.com/podcast-tip-jar/

Download the AI Avoidance Prompt: https://allmatstaken.com/resources

Connect with Adrianne on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allmatstaken/ 

Follow Adrianne on Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/allmatstaken/ 

My current fave AI tools for content creation: 

Claude for writing*: https://claude.ai/referral/Sgwj2B0Aug

Descript for video recording & editing*: https://get.descript.com/jnyf5js3gisq 

About The Show:

All Mats Taken is the yoga business podcast helping yoga teachers grow sustainable teaching practices. Host Adrianne Jerrett explores yoga marketing strategies, business growth tactics, and how to build a yoga business aligned with your values and yogic philosophy...without the burnout. Whether you're struggling to fill classes, price your offerings, or create a teaching lifestyle you actually love, this podcast gives you actionable insights from experts who've been there. New episodes fortnightly.

*I receive a small affiliate commission if you buy using these links. It doesn't cost you anything extra but helps support the show. Thank you 🙏

In this episode with MaKenzie Fly host of the Master Your Yoga Teaching Podcast we talk about how she created the layers of her multi-passionate business that includes in-person classes, online memberships, retreats, mentoring, and more. She shares her journey creating a multi-revenue stream yoga business, from messiness to refinement. We explore the importance of focusing on high-return endeavors and the key to marketing yoga classes that often gets overlooked.

We also touch on how yoga philosophy aligns with monetizing the practice and offer advice for new yoga teachers on investing in business training vs further yoga teacher training. This conversation is for anyone wanting to expand their revenue streams beyond teaching in-person classes.

Meet MaKenzie:

MaKenzie Fly is a Las Vegas showgirl turned podcast host, international retreat leader, and yoga teacher mentor . Yoga found her when she was only 15 years old and helped her overcome overwhelming anxiety and crippling panic attacks due to a very painful and public scandal that nearly tore her family apart. She often says yoga ruined her life, and then saved her life. MaKenzie loves teaching yoga, but she really loves teaching other people how to teach yoga and has been for the last twelve years. She's currently fascinated with figuring out what it means to flourish as a yogipreneur and interested in helping other like-minded yoga teachers expand their offers outside the studio. She's a sagittarius straight shooter, prefers coffee over tea, cats over dogs, and baths over showers. Her greatest wealth is the relationship she has with her husband of seven years, and her luckiest blessing is her baby boy, Finnian, who was born recently 11/11/2023. Praise God!

Links: 

Like the show? Support the show! Leave a tip & help fund my kombucha addiction (the fuel behind everything I create) --> https://jerrettdigital.thrivecart.com/podcast-tip-jar/ 

AMT recommended resources: https://allmatstaken.com/resources 

Connect with Adrianne on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allmatstaken/ 

Follow Adrianne on Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/allmatstaken/ 

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/7kCo_EN4G5c?si=NDHrmgKtdKGGdyI0 

Grab MaKenzie's free business podcast collection: https://yogipreneurmastermind.com/ 

Connect with MaKenzie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/masteryouryogateaching/ 

Learn more from MaKenzie & get links to her podcast: https://makenzieflyyoga.com/ 

About The Show:

All Mats Taken is the yoga business podcast helping yoga teachers grow sustainable teaching practices. Host Adrianne Jerrett explores yoga marketing strategies, business growth tactics, and how to build a yoga business aligned with your values and yogic philosophy...without the burnout. Whether you're struggling to fill classes, price your offerings, or create a teaching lifestyle you actually love, this podcast gives you actionable insights from experts who've been there. New episodes fortnightly.

Perfectionism holding you back from creating? In this solo episode, I tackle a common trap that holds so many yoga teachers (including myself) stuck—waiting until everything is "perfect" before putting themselves out there.

I'll discuss how:

• Embracing your "sucky" phase as a teacher and business owner is one of your greatest assets. I got out of my own way to get out of your way and start becoming a creator.

If you're a new yoga teacher, returning after a break, or battling impostor syndrome, this episode is for you. This is your permission to start before you're ready. Whether you're hesitating to create content, teach your first workshop, or teach a new style, this episode will help you reframe your learning curve as a valuable part of your journey. 

Links Mentioned: 

Like the show? Support the show! Leave a tip & help fund my kombucha addiction (the fuel behind everything I create) --> https://jerrettdigital.thrivecart.com/podcast-tip-jar/

AMT recommended resources: https://allmatstaken.com/resources 

Connect with Adrianne on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allmatstaken/ 

Follow Adrianne on Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/allmatstaken/ 

About The Show:

All Mats Taken is the yoga business podcast helping yoga teachers grow sustainable teaching practices. Host Adrianne Jerrett explores yoga marketing strategies, business growth tactics, and how to build a yoga business aligned with your values and yogic philosophy...without the burnout. Whether you're struggling to fill classes, price your offerings, or create a teaching lifestyle you actually love, this podcast gives you actionable insights from experts who've been there. New episodes fortnightly.

In this solo episode, I'm asking you to take a step back and really reflect on what you want your yoga or wellness business to look like—beyond the polished promises of social media. From building a six-figure brand to teaching one deeply fulfilling class a week, there's no one-size-fits-all approach.

We'll explore how your energy, lifestyle, skills, and goals all shape what a sustainable business actually means for you right now. Whether you're dreaming of retreats, dabbling in tech, or simply trying to grow something meaningful on your own terms, I hope this episode helps you find more clarity and confidence in your direction.

In this episode, I discuss

• Redefining success to match your values

• The difference between scaling up and keeping it aligned with your lifestyle

• The realities of running an online business 

• Creating something sustainable instead of stressful

• My "sustainable business sweet spot" framework

Mentions:

Colynn Cespedes from Frik Shuhn Yoga: https://www.instagram.com/frikshuhnyogauniversity/

Claudia Spahr from HolyMama: https://www.instagram.com/_holymama_/ 

Links Mentioned: 

Like the show? Support the show! Leave a tip & help fund my kombucha addiction (the fuel behind everything I create) --> https://jerrettdigital.thrivecart.com/podcast-tip-jar/

AMT recommended resources: https://allmatstaken.com/resources 

Connect with Adrianne on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allmatstaken/ 

Follow Adrianne on Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/allmatstaken/ 

About The Show:

All Mats Taken is the yoga business podcast helping yoga teachers grow sustainable teaching practices. Host Adrianne Jerrett explores yoga marketing strategies, business growth tactics, and how to build a yoga business aligned with your values and yogic philosophy...without the burnout. Whether you're struggling to fill classes, price your offerings, or create a teaching lifestyle you actually love, this podcast gives you actionable insights from experts who've been there. New episodes fortnightly.

In this episode I welcome my co-host for the 2025 All Mats Taken Yoga Business Summit, Colynn Cespedes. In today's pre-summit chat we'll be exploring how your nervous system regulation impacts your business and what you can do to set yourself up for success.

We'll also talk about the summit which is coming up this week! During the summit Colynn will be starting the day with morning meditations to help you get grounded and set intentions before diving into all of the information we have coming your way. She'll then have daily presentations that set the stage for each days theme;

• Day 1: Community building 101
• Day 2: Philosophy in business
• Day 3: Your membership as a launching point to your offers suite
• Day 4: Digital marketing for yoga teachers

Meet Colynn:

Colynn Cespedes is a highly respected yoga educator, business mentor, and functional anatomy expert with over 25 years in the yoga community and 11 years of teaching experience. A former emergency nurse who attended medical school, Colynn seamlessly blends Eastern philosophy with Western medical science, making her approach to yoga both deeply spiritual and scientifically grounded.  
As the founder of Frik-Shuhn Yoga & Coaching, Colynn has trained over 20,000 yoga teachers worldwide, leading 200-hour, 300-hour, and 500-hour yoga teacher trainings, along with specialty certifications in Restorative Yoga, Chakra Alignment, and Nervous System Regulation. She is deeply committed to inclusive, trauma-informed, and body-friendly yoga education, ensuring that yoga is accessible to all bodies and backgrounds.  

Beyond teacher training, Colynn is a yoga business strategist, empowering teachers to build sustainable careers through the Modern Yoga Teacher Mastermind and other mentorship programs. Her expertise in yoga philosophy, anatomy, and business development makes her a sought-after speaker, mentor, and retreat leader.  

Colynn's mission is to support teachers in deepening their knowledge, refining their teaching, and stepping confidently into their leadership roles—whether on the mat, in the classroom, or in the business of yoga.

Links: 

Like the show? Support the show! Leave a tip & help fund my kombucha addiction (the fuel behind everything I create) --> https://jerrettdigital.thrivecart.com/podcast-tip-jar/

Get better results with AI and save time, learn prompt engineering 101 for yoga teachers: https://allmatstaken.com/resources

Connect with Adrianne on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allmatstaken/ 

Follow Adrianne on Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/allmatstaken/ 

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Lf6udmggRV8?si=gEV3UtDVbo8DmqJH 

Connect with Colynn on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frikshuhnyogauniversity 

Learn more from Colynn: https://frikshuhn.com/ 

About The Show:

All Mats Taken is the yoga business podcast helping yoga teachers grow sustainable teaching practices. Host Adrianne Jerrett explores yoga marketing strategies, business growth tactics, and how to build a yoga business aligned with your values and yogic philosophy...without the burnout. Whether you're struggling to fill classes, price your offerings, or create a teaching lifestyle you actually love, this podcast gives you actionable insights from experts who've been there. New episodes fortnightly.

In this episode, Amanda Paz shares how AI has revolutionized her business operations and creativity. We discuss the importance of AI tools in managing the administrative and creative aspects of a yoga business, such as content creation, marketing, and class planning. We also delve into practical ways AI can be harnessed to improve efficiency and provide inspiration, allowing yoga teachers to focus more on personal connections and in-person teachings.

Amanda offers insights into how she uses AI to enhance her mentoring of other yoga teachers and her own online programs. We also explore the ongoing need for human touch in yoga and wellness, despite technological advancements.

Meet Amanda:

Amanda Paz's journey to wellness began when she left her marketing and PR career to explore the power of movement, meditation, and nutrition in improving quality of life and performance. Her passion for sports led her to work with top NBA, NFL, and MLB athletes for a decade, using breathwork and yoga to boost their performance and recovery. Over the years, she developed strategies that turned her business into a sustainable six-figure model, granting her the freedom to work from anywhere in the world. In 2021, she launched Yoga Biz Academy, offering coaching programs, courses, and a podcast to help other yoga teachers build aligned and profitable businesses that helped them reach students from all over the world. Her mission is clear: empower wellness professionals to build thriving businesses that help them reclaim their time, increase their income, and amplify their impact.

Links: 

Like the show? Support the show! Leave a tip & help fund my kombucha addiction (the fuel behind everything I create) --> https://jerrettdigital.thrivecart.com/podcast-tip-jar/

Get better results with AI and save time, learn prompt engineering 101 for yoga teachers: https://allmatstaken.com/resources

Connect with Adrianne on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allmatstaken/ 

Follow Adrianne on Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/allmatstaken/ 

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/27upntn6Wyo?si=yj36w6H5pyofd8kU 

Connect with Amanda on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yogabizacademy/ 

Learn more from Amanda: https://www.amandapaz.com/jointhelist 

AI for presentations mentioned by Amanda: https://www.beautiful.ai/ 

About The Show:

All Mats Taken is the yoga business podcast helping yoga teachers grow sustainable teaching practices. Host Adrianne Jerrett explores yoga marketing strategies, business growth tactics, and how to build a yoga business aligned with your values and yogic philosophy...without the burnout. Whether you're struggling to fill classes, price your offerings, or create a teaching lifestyle you actually love, this podcast gives you actionable insights from experts who've been there. New episodes fortnightly.

Yes, you can show up online without becoming a yoga influencer or selling your soul.

Let's be real—most of the marketing advice out there wasn't made for yoga teachers.

It was made by business bros who've never whimpered through a toe squat in Vajrasana.

If you've ever opened Instagram to "do your marketing" and suddenly found yourself deep-cleaning your bathroom instead… this episode is for you.

In this solo episode, I'm sharing:

• Three 'aha' moments I've had from watching the 2025 All Mats Taken Yoga Business Summit presentations

• How to use marketing as an invitation, not a persuasion tactic

• Why your voice is your brand (and perfection is not the goal)

• How to create sustainable visibility without dancing on Reels

Links: 

Like the show? Support the show! Leave a tip & help fund my kombucha addiction (the fuel behind everything I create) --> https://jerrettdigital.thrivecart.com/podcast-tip-jar/

AMT recommended resources: https://allmatstaken.com/resources 

Connect with Adrianne on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allmatstaken/ 

Follow Adrianne on Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/allmatstaken/ 

About The Show:

All Mats Taken is the yoga business podcast helping yoga teachers grow sustainable teaching practices. Host Adrianne Jerrett explores yoga marketing strategies, business growth tactics, and how to build a yoga business aligned with your values and yogic philosophy...without the burnout. Whether you're struggling to fill classes, price your offerings, or create a teaching lifestyle you actually love, this podcast gives you actionable insights from experts who've been there. New episodes fortnightly.

In this episode, we dive into the joyful world of Ayurveda with Lucy, an Āyurvedic practitioner who shares how this ancient science can bring balance, connection, and deeper insight into a modern yoga practice and life. We explore how to make Ayurveda feel approachable, aligned, and even a little bit fun.

About Lucy:
Lucy is an Āyurvedic practitioner dedicated to bringing the teachings of the elements to all curious hearts. Following the insights of nature, Lucy leans into the healing arts with a deep trust in the innate wisdom each being holds. Through touch and tenderness Lucy shares the medicine of this time-tested science in fun and relatable ways. Lucy graduated from the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico USA in 2018 where under the guidance of Dr. Vasant Lad and the most loving of teachers, she found a place in a community devoted to the wisdom of Nature.

In this episode, we cover:

• What Ayurveda actually is (and why it's not just tongue scraping and porridge)

• The biggest misconceptions around Ayurveda, especially in wellness spaces

• How yoga and Ayurveda complement each other

• How yoga teachers can start weaving Ayurveda into their classes

This one's especially for yoga teachers who want to learn how Ayurveda can support their students, deepen their offerings, and expand their own connection to self and healing.

Links: 

Like the show? Support the show! Leave a tip & help fund my kombucha addiction (the fuel behind everything I create) --> https://jerrettdigital.thrivecart.com/podcast-tip-jar/

Get better results with AI and save time, learn prompt engineering 101 for yoga teachers: https://allmatstaken.com/resources

Connect with Adrianne on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allmatstaken/ 

Follow Adrianne on Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/allmatstaken/ 

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/00HkMpS9f_g?si=shwsatri3f5L9yRQ 

Connect with Lucy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/north.ayurveda/ 

Check out Lucy's website: https://www.northayurveda.com.au/ 

Learn more about Lucy's 50-hour Ayurveda for Yoga Teachers Course: https://www.northayurveda.com.au/the-yoga-of-ayurveda 

About The Show:

All Mats Taken is the yoga business podcast helping yoga teachers grow sustainable teaching practices. Host Adrianne Jerrett explores yoga marketing strategies, business growth tactics, and how to build a yoga business aligned with your values and yogic philosophy...without the burnout. Whether you're struggling to fill classes, price your offerings, or create a teaching lifestyle you actually love, this podcast gives you actionable insights from experts who've been there. New episodes fortnightly.