Dear Yoga Teacher

If you’ve been waiting to feel “ready” before teaching your first class, trying hands-on adjustments, adding a theme to your class, or anything else that feels new, you’re not alone. A lot of yoga teachers assume confidence comes first and action comes second. But it usually works the other way around. In this episode, we talk about why clarity and confidence come from doing, and how small, concrete action steps can help you move forward in your teaching in a real way.

What We Cover

• Why just absorbing more information won’t give you confidence on its own
• Personal stories of how moving into action provided clarity and direction
• How taking action helped two teachers find confidence and a clear next step
• Why integrating new skills into your teaching only gets easier with practice
• Why we turn hills into mountains and get stuck overthinking
• Small, concrete action steps for wherever you are in your teaching journey

 Connect with Me:
·       Say Hi on Instagram: www.instagram.com/flowwithcaitlin/
·       Pop into my Inbox: [email protected]
·       Website: www.flowwithcaitlin.com 

If you've ever finished teaching a yoga class and thought, "Was that any good?" you're not alone. A lot of new teachers assume confidence comes from more certifications, more books, or consuming more information from Instagram. But as Alison Pounds discovered, information alone doesn't always create clarity. In this conversation, Alison shares how she moved from feeling a lot of anxiety and self-doubt to feeling confident and excited about teaching. Along the way, she shares why a simple sequencing framework, more structure, and support changed everything for her teaching. If you're a newer teacher, or you've ever wondered whether teaching is really for you, this episode will help you see a different path forward.

Guest Bio
Alison Pounds is a certified trauma-informed yoga teacher. She supports people with chronic stress, anxiety, depression, and trauma, helping them regulate their nervous systems and feel safe in their bodies.

What we cover:

• What the first months after yoga teacher training really felt like
• How sequencing and repetition gave her clarity without a rigid formula
• Moving from the mindset of "How am I doing?" to "What do my students need?"
• Why discovering what resonates for her turned out to be the most helpful thing in her teaching
• Her advice for new teachers who feel stuck or unsure

 
Connect with Alison
Alison Pounds Yoga
Website: alisonpoundsyoga.com
Instagram: @alisonpoundsyoga
 
 

Ready for support of your own?
Enrollment for Root to Rise, my 6-month mentorship for yoga teachers, is open now until October 15. If Alison's story resonated, this is your sign: https://www.flowwithcaitlin.com/yogateachermentorship

 Connect with Caitlin:
·       Say Hi on Instagram: www.instagram.com/flowwithcaitlin/
·       Pop into my Inbox: [email protected]
·       Website: www.flowwithcaitlin.com 

If you’ve ever taught a yoga class and felt so unsure of what came next that you couldn’t fully focus on your students and what was going on around you, you’re not alone. Sequencing creates a strong foundation for clearer cueing, better presence, more student connection, and more freedom to move around the space. In this episode, you’ll learn why sequencing matters so much for your growth as a teacher and what you can do to make it support you instead of distracting you.

What we cover:

• Why sequencing is not just a string of poses, but the base that supports everything else you do in the room
• Why unclear sequencing eats up the mental bandwidth you need for cueing, presence, and ability to respond to what students actually need
• Why new teachers stay glued to their mats (and what shifts that over time)
• The most common mistake keeping teachers stuck: building a brand-new sequence every class 

✅ Learn how to build a Peak Pose Sequence step-by-step during the free 5-day Peak Pose Sequencing Challenge, October 5 - 9. 
→ Sign up at www.flowwithcaitlin.com/challenge

 Connect with Caitlin:
·       Say Hi on Instagram: www.instagram.com/flowwithcaitlin/
·       Pop into my Inbox: [email protected]
·       Website: www.flowwithcaitlin.com
 
 

If you've ever thought of sequencing as simply putting poses together in the "right" order, this episode will expand how you think about putting your classes together. Sequencing does far more than make a yoga class flow – it builds trust. In this episode, we talk about why sequencing is a foundational teaching skill, how thoughtful sequencing prepares the body safely, creates structure for learning, and helps students build trust both with you and with themselves. 

What we cover:

• Why sequencing is a foundational teaching skill that will help other aspects of your teaching
• Why clear sequencing builds trust and why that matters
• Why random or unprepared sequencing quietly erodes student trust
• How structure and repetition help students learn and retain more
• How good sequencing helps students go deeper into their practice and become more present 

🌟 Learn how to build a Peak Pose Sequence step-by-step during the FREE 5-day Peak Pose Sequencing Challenge, October 5 - 9. 
→ Sign up at www.flowwithcaitlin.com/challenge

 Connect with Caitlin:
·       Say Hi on Instagram: www.instagram.com/flowwithcaitlin/
·       Pop into my Inbox: [email protected]
·       Website: www.flowwithcaitlin.com

It can be a struggle to get students to show up to class. Some weeks you have eight students, other weeks nobody shows up, and it can feel like your class size is just based on luck. While some things are beyond your control when it comes to your class size, in this episode, we talk about five concrete things you can do as a yoga teacher, to build your classes over time and get the students who do show up to come back again and again.

What we cover:

• Why consistency in you showing up is so important to build your class
• How style consistency through your classes will make students want to return
• Building community is a main key to student retention
• Why teaching to the room you have goes a long way
• How actually teaching your students and giving them something to take away from class sets you apart and creates demand

🌟 Join the waitlist for the Yoga Teacher Mentorship Program:  www.flowwithcaitlin.com/mentorwaitlist

🌟 Learn how to build a Peak Pose Sequence step-by-step during the FREE 5-day Peak Pose Sequencing Challenge, October 5 - 9. 
→ Sign up at www.flowwithcaitlin.com/challenge

 Connect with Caitlin:
·       Say Hi on Instagram: www.instagram.com/flowwithcaitlin/
·       Pop into my Inbox: [email protected]
·       Website: www.flowwithcaitlin.com
 

If teaching yoga has started to feel more like a grind than something that fuels you, this episode is for you. We talk about what it feels like when your energy dips, motivation drops, and when showing up for class starts to feel harder than it should. In this episode, Caitlin gets honest about her own experience feeling burned out from teaching and shares 5 practical ways to find your way back to your energy and passion. 

What we cover:

• Why feeling burned out is normal and doesn't mean you're failing as a teacher
• When to know you need a break from teaching
• Setting boundaries and saying no 
• Why being a student again can reconnect you to your passion
• Acknowledging your actual capacity and bandwidth
• Getting your support system in place

 Connect with Caitlin:
·       Say Hi on Instagram: www.instagram.com/flowwithcaitlin/
·       Pop into my Inbox: [email protected]
·       Website: www.flowwithcaitlin.com
 
 

🌟 Learn how to build a Peak Pose Sequence step-by-step during the FREE 5-day Peak Pose Sequencing Challenge, October 5 - 9. 
→ Sign up at www.flowwithcaitlin.com/challenge

Many yoga teachers feel the pressure to endlessly adjust their teaching style, class content, pace, and even voice, thinking it’ll make everyone happy. But the reality is that you can’t please every student and trying to do so will flatten your teaching. In this episode, we dive into why chasing everyone's approval backfires, and why teaching from your authentic style is what actually creates connection.

 What we cover:

• Why trying to please everyone in a yoga class is counterproductive to your teaching
• What "yoga is for everybody" really means 
• What happens when you try to teach like someone else to please people (Caitlin's personal lesson learned) 
• How to handle negative student feedback without losing your confidence
• How to identify your ideal student and teach with more clarity and focus

 Connect with Caitlin:
·       Say Hi on Instagram: www.instagram.com/flowwithcaitlin/
·       Pop into my Inbox: [email protected]
·       Website: www.flowwithcaitlin.com

🌟 Learn how to build a Peak Pose Sequence step-by-step during the FREE 5-day Peak Pose Sequencing Challenge, October 5 - 9. 
→ Sign up at www.flowwithcaitlin.com/challenge

There will be moments throughout the year when your class numbers drop, but a dip in class numbers is not always a reflection on your teaching. In this episode we talk about why teaching smaller classes can be a good thing and how they can actually make you a better yoga teacher.

What we cover:

• Why yoga class attendance naturally ebbs and flows throughout the year 
• Why low attendance isn't a reflection of your worth or your ability as a teacher 
• A personal story about how teaching a class of 2 was one of the best classes I ever taught
• How smaller classes create space for more personalized attention, deeper connection, and room for you to experiment  

 Connect with Caitlin:
·       Say Hi on Instagram: www.instagram.com/flowwithcaitlin/
·       Pop into my Inbox: [email protected]
·       Website: www.flowwithcaitlin.com


🌟 Learn how to build a Peak Pose Sequence step-by-step during the FREE 5-day Peak Pose Sequencing Challenge, October 5 - 9. 
→ Sign up at www.flowwithcaitlin.com/challenge

If your students tell you they loved class every week, that's lovely. But it's probably not making you a better teacher.

In this episode, we’re talking about feedback and why most yoga teachers aren't getting enough of it after they graduate. We go into why "great class!" doesn't count as feedback, and how to get REAL feedback instead. Whether you've been teaching for six months or six years, this episode will help you become a better teacher. 

What we cover:

• Why the feedback loop you had in teacher training disappears once you graduate and why that can become an issue
• The difference between student appreciation and actionable feedback (they’re not the same thing) 
• Why the learning curve flattens over time and how feedback is what keeps you moving forward 
• Three practical ways to start getting real, useful feedback on your teaching which you can start ASAP
  
  

Want more structured feedback on your teaching?
That's exactly what my 6-Month Yoga Teacher Mentorship Program is built around. The next round starts October 2026. If you're a yoga teacher who's ready to stop guessing about your teaching and get a clear plan to improve and grow, this program is for you.

→ Join the waitlist for the Yoga Teacher Mentorship Program:  www.flowwithcaitlin.com/mentorwaitlist

A special shout-out to all my supporters who helped support the launch of this podcast:

1.     Yoka
2.     Alison: www.alisonpoundsyoga.com
3.     Anne
4.     Tanya: www.movebreathegrow.com
5.     Stefani
6.     Birgit
7.     Mary Lynne
8.     Deniz
 
Thanks again!

 Connect with Caitlin:
·       Say Hi on Instagram: www.instagram.com/flowwithcaitlin/
·       Pop into my Inbox: [email protected] 

🌟 Learn how to build a Peak Pose Sequence step-by-step during the FREE 5-day Peak Pose Sequencing Challenge, October 5 - 9. 
→ Sign up at www.flowwithcaitlin.com/challenge

You finished your 200-hour yoga teacher training and earned your certification. You graduated full of excitement and enthusiasm, but then somehow that started to shift into overwhelm, you don’t actually know how to start, and you got stuck wondering if you're truly ready to teach. And somehow, weeks turned into months without stepping in front of a class.

If this sounds familiar, you're not alone—many new yoga teachers face this exact challenge after graduation.

In this episode, we walk through the mindset shifts and practical steps that actually help new teachers move from stuck to teaching. 

Spoiler alert: This isn't about waiting until you feel ready. 

What we cover:
·       Why the safe, supported bubble of teacher training sets you up for a difficult landing — and how to bridge that gap
·       The most common mental blocks new teachers face like self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and anxiety and why this happens
·       Why waiting to feel ready is the wrong strategy and what to do instead
·       One small, actionable step you can take this week to get moving

 Connect with Caitlin:
·       Say Hi on Instagram: www.instagram.com/flowwithcaitlin/
·       Pop into my Inbox: [email protected]
·       Website: www.flowwithcaitlin.com
 
 
→ Grab your free “How to find your Voice as a Yoga Teacher”  workbook:  www.flowwithcaitlin.com/voice

🌟 Learn how to build a Peak Pose Sequence step-by-step during the FREE 5-day Peak Pose Sequencing Challenge, October 5 - 9. 
→ Sign up at www.flowwithcaitlin.com/challenge