In today's episode, we have a very special guest, Anjali Rao (she/her). Anjali is a yoga teacher, writer, and podcast host who offers profound insights into the often obscured stories and histories of yoga. An Indian American immigrant and cancer survivor, Anjali beautifully integrates yoga philosophy and history with storytelling, imagery, and poetry.  Anjali and I had a thought-provoking conversation about the sociopolitical context of yoga and its historical beginnings. We delve into topics such as the caste system, the intersections of power and access to knowledge, and the erasure of South Asian teachers in modern yoga spaces.  In this episode you’ll hear:   all about Yoga's relationship with the caste system   a deep dive into Yoga's relationship with hinduism and other religions   how Anjali recommends we can teach and practice yoga with integrity   about the political nature of yoga and the connection between spiritual teachings and the pursuit of social change   a conversation on ahimsa and its active role in disrupting harm (rather than passive inaction)    the importance of self-reflection and understanding one's positionality as a yoga practitioner and teacher   Learn More From Anjali:   On Instagram   At her website   On her podcast “The Love of Yoga”    

124: Yoga and Dominant Culture with Anjali Rao

This podcast is for yoga teachers and explores the craft of teaching yoga, as its own practice. We love asking questions about why we teach something the way we do, how we could be more expansive and inclusive in our teaching, and how we can continue to grow and evolve in our teaching practice. Occasionally we veer into other topics that affect the yoga teaching profession more broadly like marketing, unionizing and vaccines.

We believe the depth that arises in teaching comes from inquiry and relationship. We want the yoga world to have higher standards for quality teaching AND better support networks for teachers, and we want this podcast to be at the forefront of those discussions.

We are here to offer you nourishing support to help you feel more confident in your teaching and realistic strategy to help you find more clarity on your career path.

Francesca Cervero (she/her)  is a full-time yoga teacher and yoga teacher's mentor. She has been teaching yoga in New York City and Washington, DC since 2005 and the foundation of her teaching practice comes from OM Yoga Center’s style of alignment-based vinyasa. Her teaching is also inspired by the years she spent in physical therapy, a constant curiosity about anatomy and biomechanics, and her love of Buddhist teachings.

Francesca maintains a thriving business teaching 15 private yoga clients a week, offers group classes as her virtual yoga studio Stillness + Movement and hosts the adjoining community to this podcast, The Mentor Sessions Sangha. Connect with Francesca at 15sequences.com

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In case you don’t know, Jivana is the founder and director of Accessible Yoga, an organization dedicated to increasing access to the yoga teachings and supporting yoga teachers. He’s the author of the books: Accessible Yoga: Poses and Practices for Every Body; Yoga Revolution: Building a Practice of Courage & Compassion; and a new book, The Teacher's Guide to Accessible Yoga: Best Practices for Sharing Yoga with Every Body. His books, classes, and trainings offer support to yoga teachers and yoga therapists in finding ways to bring creativity and collaboration into their teaching while still respecting the ancient yoga tradition. Check out the other two episodes with Jivana:    70: Yoga, Human Rights, and Accessibility with Jivana Heyman   105: Yoga And Social Justice with Jivana Heyman   In this episode you’ll hear:   how Jivana recommends we balance  tradition and innovation in asana   how teachers can innovate in a way that honors the roots of yoga   some thoughts on the abuse present in so many lineages and why ethics creates accessibility   the specific skills that yoga teachers can learn to make their offerings accessible to everyone   the inherent power imbalance between student and teacher   how we can use language to make the practice invitational AND clear   the kinds of support Jivana recommend yoga teachers find   the recurring teaching nightmare that both Jivana and I have!!   Learn More From Jivana:   Instagram   Facebook   Accessible Yoga School    The Teacher's Guide to Accessible Yoga Book  

129: Do THIS To Make Your Teaching Even Better with Jivana Heyman

The brain and the nervous system play a HUGE role in how we integrate sensory information, experience pain and create movement patterns but this topic is not often covered in foundational yoga teacher trainings. That is why I’m so excited to introduce you to Missy Bunch (she/her), a multi-certified movement therapist who has been educating and coaching for over 14 years. As a young professional dancer, she battled many injuries over her career and one day she found someone who studied neurology (the study of the brain and nervous system). After one session with this person, her 4-year knee pain was completely gone. She knew she wanted to teach this approach to the world. The importance of brain function and using the nervous system to rapidly “debug” movement patterns, decrease pain and increase performance, has led her to teach and create lightning-fast improvements with people from all walks of life. Her specialties include injury prevention, injury rehabilitation, joint mobility and decreasing pain, holistically.  In this episode you’ll hear:   a deep dive into assessments including how to cue them and what are we looking for when we reassess   what it mean to move into a shape “reflexively”   how can we work with the brain to decrease pain   the role of the nervous system in integrating inputs and creating motor output   all about the opposing joint theory and how to use it with 1x1 students   an overview of cranial nerves and how and why to stimulate them   Resources Mentioned:   Missy’s website   Missy on Instagram   The Science of the Private Lesson   The Mentor Sessions Sangha  

128: Neurology Is The Missing Link In Movement Education with Missy Bunch

Today I will answer a bunch of questions that you all have sent in about teaching private lessons! In this episode you’ll hear:   suggestions for helping a student establish a neutral pelvis in daily life   advice and guidance for hands-on work in private lessons   tips for finding private clients outside of the studio   tips for when you need to make some money fast   support in lightening up a teaching schedule   how (and why!) to raise your rates   help for a  private student who wants to learn to meditate, but always seems agitated when practicing    Resources Mentioned:    37: Q + A About Private Lessons with Francesca    62: Q + A About Private Lessons with Francesca #2    92: Planning And Progress In Private Lessons (Q+A!)    Teachprivateyoga.com   The Mentor Sessions Sangha    

127: Q+A Private Lesson: Body Stuff, Business Stuff And Dharma Teaching #4

Well, this is an unusual episode!! Since I released a podcast episode last year about my group class planning process I’ve been getting more and more questions about my unique teaching style.  It’s been described as Buddha Dharma Meets Corrective Exercise With A Little Vinyasa In The Middle For Some Fun. It’s a specific style that has been cultivated over almost 20 years of very full time teaching, and I especially love the way it lands online and in an audio format.  So this episode is a short explanation, and then a full length practice! You might find it interesting to listen to even if you can’t or don’t want to do the physical part of the practice. Resources Mentioned:   The Mentor Sessions Sangha   The Science of The Private Lesson Training   115: The Case For Teaching Leveled Classes   116: Integrating Buddha Dharma and Asana with Meredith Witte – Live Mentoring Session   118: My Group Class Planning Process  

126: Loving Kindness + Active Backbends (Practice with Francesca!)

I’m sure you’ve noticed that many stock images and illustrations of yoga practitioners show a very narrow representation of bodies and abilities. Harmony Willow Hansen is a freelance illustrator, graphic designer and yoga practitioner who creates beautiful images that represent the true diversity in the student body of yoga practitioners worldwide. She created a beautiful book called  You Are Strong And Worthy that showcases these images. Willow also has lots of resources available for yoga teachers and studios who want their images and branding to reflect the beautiful multifariousness of their students. In this episode you’ll hear:   what Willow saw in the bodies around her in class that inspired her to start making art   what she hopes people take away from seeing the images she created   all about the custom art and images she has created for yoga studios and teachers   Learn More From Harmony:  Website Instagram  You Are Strong and Worthy (Book)   

124: Yoga and Dominant Culture with Anjali Rao

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