Yoga teachers often feel responsible to protect their students from injury during their classes. This is a big reason why many focus on guiding proper alignment during practice. But how much does alignment really protect students from injury? And are misunderstandings about safety, pain, and discomfort actually causing more harm to our students than good? In this must-listen episode, my guest Dr. Libby Hinsley sheds light on the relationship between alignment and safety. 
 
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:
Why yoga teachers tend to be so worried about safety
Is practicing yoga actually risky for the average student?
Which risks are real and which tend to be overblown
Discomfort vs tissue damage
Scope of practice and the yoga teachers’ responsibility
Types of pain
How our narratives around pain affect our experience of it
Alignment vs progressive adaptation
 
EPISODE LINKS & RESOURCES:
Libby Hinsley
Anatomy Bites
Follow Libby on Instagram @libbyhinsleypt
 
LINKS AND RESOURCES:
Follow YTR on Instagram @yoga.teacher.resource 
Join the Yoga Teacher Resource email list
Join the Yoga Teacher Resource Facebook Group
Learn more about the Impact Club
Leave a review on iTunes
Ask a question for the podcast on the Yoga Teacher Resource website or on SpeakPipe

Does alignment make your classes safer? with Dr. Libby Hinsley

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Teaching large groups can be intimidating! But it’s also fantastic for improving your teaching skills and boosting your confidence. This episode focuses on the unique challenges and opportunities involved in teaching large yoga groups. Learn to embrace the challenges of large-group instruction and develop your ability to offer high-quality instruction to groups of any size.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:
00:00 The benefits of teaching larger groups
05:15 Why teaching large groups is so nerve-wracking
07:02 Why it’s important to keep your class plan simple in a larger group
09:33 How to encourage focus and engagement in a larger group
10:12 How to balance different personality types when it comes to student participation
12:04 How to manage student questions to avoid getting thrown off track
15:06 How to provide an intimate experience in a large group
17:14 Thoughts on physical touch in a large group
19:17 How to bring attention back to you after small group or partner work
21:06 The role of visual aids in a larger group
22:51 How to utilize assistants when teaching a larger group
24:54 How to learn your student’s names (even if you’re usually terrible with names)
26:52 How to facilitate connection between students in a larger group

LINKS AND RESOURCES:
Follow YTR on Instagram @yoga.teacher.resource 
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12 Tips for Teaching Large(r) Groups

Over the past decade, there has been a welcome push towards a more inclusive approach to yoga. But what does that look like on a practical level? Jivana Heyman has been at the center of the accessible yoga movement as the founder of the Accessible Yoga Project and the author of The Teacher's Guide to Accessible Yoga, Best Practices for Sharing Yoga with Every Body. In this episode, Jivana shares an anti-perfectionist approach to accessible yoga that centers the relationship between teacher and student. The conversation delves into insecurities and imposter syndrome, the interplay between teaching and personal growth, and the importance of ethics in guiding both personal and teaching practices.
 
 
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:
00:00 The philosophy of accessible yoga
01:48 Jivana’s early experiences with yoga
03:30 How yoga helps with emotional regulation
05:59 The impact of social media and information overload
08:43 How to deal with impostor syndrome
13:22 Teaching as a relationship
21:04 Inquiry on the ethics of teaching
27:50 The importance of meeting your students where they are and respecting their preferences
33:41 Perfectionism and people-pleasing
38:30 Kindness as a guiding principle for accessible yoga
42:15 Helping and fixing vs serving 

EPISODE LINKS & RESOURCES:
Accessible Yoga School
Access all of Jivana’s books here
Follow Jivana on Instagram @jivanaheyman

LINKS AND RESOURCES:
Follow YTR on Instagram @yoga.teacher.resource 
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An Anti-Perfectionist Approach to Accessible Yoga with Jivana Heyman

Series classes deepen your relationship with your students, helps them commit to their practice, and provides financial stability for you as the teacher. Nyk Danu, a certified yoga therapist and business mentor, shares her insights on creating a sustainable yoga teaching business through a registered series. Listen in to hear practical advice on setting up your series, handling logistics like space rental and insurance, and filling your series classes. Nyk also touches on considerations for yoga studio owners thinking about transitioning to a registered series. If you value teacher-student connections, consistency in practice, and control over your teaching environment, this episode is for you!
 
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:
00:52 Meet Nyk Danu: Yoga Misfit and Mentor
06:09 Why yoga classes shifted away from the registered series model
09:59 How to Start Your Own Registered Yoga Series
20:11 Finding the Perfect Space for Yoga Classes
22:04 Essential Tools for Running Yoga Series: Registration and Communication
24:40 Essential Policies for your Registered Series
28:21 Priority Registration for Existing Students
29:20 Starting Small with Class Registrations
30:15 Engaging Older Students with Simpler Technology
31:18 Handling Minimums and Cancellations
31:47 Leveraging Workshops to Fill Series
33:30 Setting Minimum Attendance Numbers
36:16 Choosing the Right Duration for Your Series
37:40 Make-up Classes and Free Sessions
40:09 Finding Your First Group of Students
46:02 Utilizing Email Lists for Growth
48:58 Transitioning Studios to Registered Series
50:14 The Benefits of Running Pre-registered Series
55:43 Concluding Thoughts and Resources

EPISODE LINKS & RESOURCES:
Nyk Danu Yoga
Follow Nyk on Instagram @nykdanuyoga

LINKS AND RESOURCES:
Follow YTR on Instagram @yoga.teacher.resource 
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How to Run a Registered Yoga Series with Nyk Danu

Yoga is for everyone, but when people of varied physical abilities show up in the same class it can be difficult to meet all their needs at the same time. In this episode, Mado and Libby offer a framework for understanding why your students might struggle with a particular asana and how to offer variations that provide a similar experience to people with different physical abilities.
 
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:
00:00 Why teaching mixed ability yoga classes is harder than it needs to be
02:49 How to plan for an all levels class
03:35 Understanding progression and regression
04:46 Four reasons a pose might be challenging for a student
05:39 How to simplify yoga postures
07:14 Essential biomechanical principles for yoga
11:35 How gravity can impact asana
16:27 Why teaching simpler poses will help your students progress
21:50 How teaching one one-on-one will help you teach better group classes
23:16 A breakdown of Warrior 3 Pose
28:51 Moving vs static yoga postures
30:39 The role of creativity in yoga teaching
32:14 A breakdown of Triangle Pose
38:53 Why anatomy is a key skill for asana teachers
 
EPISODE LINKS & RESOURCES:
Libby Hinsley
Anatomy Bites
Follow Libby on Instagram @libbyhinsleypt
 
LINKS AND RESOURCES:
Follow YTR on Instagram @yoga.teacher.resource 
Join the Yoga Teacher Resource email list
Join the Yoga Teacher Resource Facebook Group
Learn more about the Impact Club
Leave a review on iTunes
Ask a question for the podcast on the Yoga Teacher Resource website or on SpeakPipe

Teaching Mixed Abilities in Yoga Classes with Dr. Libby Hinsley

Laura reached out for help to increase enrollment in her online classes. Despite her success in drawing people to her global retreats, she struggles to fill her online series and workshops. In this conversation, we discuss strategies to improve sign-ups for online offerings. Some of the ideas we consider include positioning online classes as 'extensions' of the retreat experiences, frequency and timing of communication, incentives for retreat participants, and the importance of urgency in online sign-ups. We then created a plan to convert her current library membership into something that might appeal to retreat participants.
 
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:
01:14 Laura's background and how she started leading retreats
03:40 How Laura’s retreat business survived the pandemic
05:23 Why & how to learn what motivates your students
12:19 The importance of urgency in marketing
13:59 Helping students bridge the gap between retreats and online classes
17:41 An idea to repurpose Laura’s membership to support retreat participants
18:42 How to create consistency with a constantly changing schedule
22:11 How to leverage moments of inspiration
22:42 Final Thoughts and Future Plans
 
EPISODE LINKS & RESOURCES:
Laura Lakshmi
Follow Laura on Instagram @yogawithlauralakshmi
 
LINKS AND RESOURCES:
Follow YTR on Instagram @yoga.teacher.resource 
Join the Yoga Teacher Resource email list
Join the Yoga Teacher Resource Facebook Group
Learn more about the Impact Club
Leave a review on iTunes
Ask a question for the podcast on the Yoga Teacher Resource website or on SpeakPipe

Does alignment make your classes safer? with Dr. Libby Hinsley

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