Yoga Medicine

It is a new year—the perfect time to commit to a new path or project. Each year, for some, that means diving into yoga teacher training. In this episode, returning guest and lead teacher of the Yoga Medicine 200hr teacher training, Dana Diament, sits down with host Rachel Land to explore all your 200hr teacher training questions. We explain how you know if you are ready to take that journey and what to consider before signing up. We also unpack the realities of fitting the training schedule into your life and what hurdles you can face transitioning to teaching afterward. Listen to this episode to learn if yoga teacher training is right for you, and to hear about the upcoming Yoga Medicine 200hr Online Teacher Training, kicking off between February and June.

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Show Notes:

• How do I know I'm ready? [2:10]
• Do I have to want to teach? [7:48]
• Which yoga teacher training should I choose? [11:09]
• In-person locally, retreat/ immersion format, or online? [14:14]
• Considering the style of yoga [23:43]
• Is Yoga Alliance registration important? [29:18]
• Recap: considerations discussed so far [31:32]
• Prerequisites for YTT: your own practice [32:42]
• Prerequisites for YTT: sufficient time [35:20]
• Prerequisites for YTT: passion for learning [36:57]
• Things that aren't required before YTT [39:58]
• How should I prepare? [41:02]
• Will I be ready to teach right after YTT? [45:36]
• Will I be taught to craft my own sequences? [47:28]
• Recap: major takeaways [54:15]
• Yoga Medicine 200hr Teacher Training for 2025 (& early bird rate!) [56:39]

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Links Mentioned:

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Yoga Medicine® 200hr Yoga Teacher Training
• Other podcast episodes:
• Episode 103 Teacher Training Myths
• Episode 56 Controversial Yoga Cues
• Episode 71 More Controversial Yoga Cues

You can learn more about this episode, and see the full show notes at YogaMedicine.com/podcast-127.

And you can find out more about insider tips, online classes or information on our teacher trainings at YogaMedicine.com.

To support our work, please leave us a 5 star review with your feedback on iTunes/Apple Podcasts.

In this special best-of episode for 2024, we feature clips from some of our favorite episodes, highlight common threads that weave different guests and topics together, and feature some of the gems you might have missed during the year.

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Show Notes:

• Fascia science behind the benefits of movement [1:17]
• Reframing tension: moderation over extremes [4:03]
• How yoga helps regulate the nervous system [7:12]
• Are we handling stress as well as we think? [9:38]
• Safe practice spaces as a refuge from overwhelm [12:21]
• The causes, components, and symptoms of burnout [14:11]
• Perpetual optimization of physical health at the expense of mental health [16:29]
• The "new stigma" of menopause [22:07]
• Yoga as self-discovery for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence [26:49]
• Body awareness and self-agency for persistent pain care [31:15]
• How yoga teachers help keep students "safe" [35:46]
• Is there one perfect breath rhythm or duration? [38:33]
• Answering student questions [42:22]
• Human complexity; we are more than machines [44:35]
• The power of truly listening [46:47]
• How to integrate new approaches, tools & techniques [51:33]
• Cultural relevance and appropriation [55:12]
• Can we separate yoga from its historical, philosophical, and religious influences? [59:28]
• Who is yoga for and who should be teaching it? [1:04:02]
• Is it less about what we do, and more about how we do it? [1:07:10]

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Links Mentioned:

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Find all the episodes mentioned at https://yogamedicine.com/podcast/

You can learn more about this episode, and see the full show notes at YogaMedicine.com/podcast-126.

And you can find out more about insider tips, online classes or information on our teacher trainings at YogaMedicine.com.

To support our work, please leave us a 5 star review with your feedback on iTunes/Apple Podcasts.

Change is constant and inevitable, but the sheer speed of recent changes in the yoga world leaves many of us confused about what it actually looks like and means to be a yoga teacher right now.

Today hosts Rachel and Tiffany look back over the massive changes that have occurred in the yoga world over the past few decades, and what they might signal for the years ahead. We debate the pros and cons of boom times, the rise of social media, and the ever-evolving needs of students.

Listen to this episode to learn how yoga teachers can continue to adapt to better serve our communities.

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Show Notes:

• Looking back can help us move forward with more clarity [1:18]
• Early days of yoga in the West: underground, no-frills, "anti-influencer" [3:53]
• Big changes in the early 2000s [11:00]
• The first commercial teacher trainings and new yoga brands [15:35]
• Yoga celebrities, yoga fashion, and growing competition [16:46]
• Credibility from yoga lineage overtaken by social media following? [21:45]
• Yoga Medicine and explosive growth in YTT [27:38]
• The 2010s: The yoga boom and growing pains [31:35]
• Covid challenges and opportunities: meeting people where they're at [33:56]
• Post-COVID era: options versus overwhelm [37:35]
• Takeaways: find your niche with patience, persistence, and presence [40:03]
• Takeaways: What feeds you changes over time [48:04]
• Takeaways: Know what you bring to the table [53:55]
• Takeaways: Be purpose-driven [58:45]
• Final thoughts [1:02:33]

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Links Mentioned:

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Listen to Episode 82: Building a Healthy Relationship with Social Media
• Listen to Episode 5: Sustainability & Yoga

You can learn more about this episode, and see the full show notes at YogaMedicine.com/podcast-125.

And you can find out more about insider tips, online classes or information on our teacher trainings at YogaMedicine.com.

To support our work, please leave us a 5 star review with your feedback on iTunes/Apple Podcasts.

Despite several years of upheaval and uncertainty, grassroots yoga studios are still the beating heart of many communities world-wide, so today Rachel hosts a panel of yoga studio owners to discuss the current state of studio life across the globe.

In this episode, we explore what has changed over the past few years, what studios are struggling with today, and what seems to be working well. Common themes emerge around the difficulty of finding a class schedule and pricing strategy that work for everyone, maximizing teacher fulfillment and consistency, balancing regular classes with special events, and building lasting relationships with the wider community.

Listen in to this episode to hear what has changed in yoga studios since the pandemic, and what to look forward to in the future. Things don't have to be the way they were before.

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Show Notes:

• How things have changed: online vs in-person, classes vs other offerings [2:46]
• Biggest struggles: teacher consistency, scheduling, managing special events [10:38]
• What's working well: variety & choice, price packages, community relationships [19:19]
• Looking to the future: things don't have to be the way they were before [42:41]
• Final thoughts [51:49]

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Links Mentioned:

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Connect with the yoga studio owners:
  • Anne Eberhardt:

Instagram | Facebook | Bubble Yoga

• • Ashley Gudknecht:

Instagram | Facebook | Gud Yoga

• • Dana Diament:

Instagram | Facebook | Lennox Yoga

• • Lisa Hamre:

Instagram | Facebook | My Yoga Room

• • Rachel Workman:

Instagram | Facebook | Longview Yoga Wellness

• • Shannon Stephens:

Instagram | Facebook | This Land Yoga

You can learn more about this episode, and see the full show notes at YogaMedicine.com/podcast-124.

And you can find out more about insider tips, online classes or information on our teacher trainings at YogaMedicine.com.

To support our work, please leave us a 5 star review with your feedback on iTunes/Apple Podcasts.

Today's topic is one of our favorites. Hosts Tiffany and Rachel dive deep into sequencing to unpack common pitfalls for yoga teachers and how they can be avoided.

Is there such a thing as too much of a good thing? How can we choose a class focal point or theme that resonates with students? Are we teaching from a place of thinking rather than feeling? In this episode, we talk about the most important aspects of sequencing, what to add to or trim out of your class, and how to shorten or elongate students' perception of time.

Listen in to learn how to create a balanced and intention-based yoga class sequence.

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Show Notes:

• The pressure of the "perfect" sequence [1:26]
• Pitfall #1: Timing, timing, timing [5:09]
• Pitfall #2: No central theme to create clarity & cohesion [15:30]
• Pitfall #3: Too much of a good thing [21:18]
• Pitfall #4: Picking the wrong theme for your students [26:32]
• Pitfall #5: Unintentional overload [30:15]
• Pitfall #6: Sequencing purely for novelty or complexity [36:03]
• More rapid-fire sequencing tips [41:00]
• Yoga Medicine® Sequencing with Purpose online training [49:12]

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Links Mentioned:

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Sequencing with Purpose Online Yoga Teacher Training
• Yoga Medicine® Podcast Episode 95: Smarter Not Harder: Creative Sequencing
• 5 Most Common Sequencing Mistakes That (Even Experienced) Yoga Teachers Make
• Yoga Teachers: Here's How to Get 5 Completely Different Classes Out of the Same Exact Sequence of Poses

You can learn more about this episode, and see the full show notes at YogaMedicine.com/podcast-123.

And you can find out more about insider tips, online classes or information on our teacher trainings at YogaMedicine.com.

To support our work, please leave us a 5 star review with your feedback on iTunes/Apple Podcasts.

Today hosts Tiffany and Katja discuss recent research on estrogen's effects on muscle. This is a hot topic at the moment, so in this episode, we share the importance of understanding the background of our hormones and the effect of estrogen on areas like muscle mass, neuromuscular activation, and recovery.

Listen in to learn how the effects of estrogen are being studied in research and the different ways that estrogen impacts our muscular tissues.

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Show Notes:

• Background on estrogen's relationship with fascia and tissue [1:59]
• How is the effect of estrogen on muscle being studied [3:31]
• Different types of estrogen [8:38]
• Impact of estrogen on muscles specifically [9:43]
• Importance of individuality when working with women's bodies [16:29]
• Impact of estrogen on strength on a molecular level [19:03]
• Ways that estrogen impacts recovery [24:26]
• Takeaways [33:41]

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Links Mentioned:

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Traditional Chinese Medicine Yoga Teacher Training
• Female Health Yoga Teacher Training
• Traditional Chinese Medicine + Female Health Yoga Teacher Training | Tulum, Mexico – March 23-30, 2025
• Yoga for Athletes Yoga Teacher Training
• Connect with Katja Bartsch:

Facebook | Instagram | Kalamana Yoga | Yoga Medicine® Online Guest Teacher

You can learn more about this episode, and see the full show notes at YogaMedicine.com/podcast-122.

And you can find out more about insider tips, online classes or information on our teacher trainings at YogaMedicine.com.

To support our work, please leave us a 5 star review with your feedback on iTunes/Apple Podcasts.

We all know that yoga is much more than a physical practice; it is underpinned by a framework of philosophy that is centuries old. But as a yoga teacher, you may or may not have incorporated this theoretical understanding into daily action - or helped your students do so.

So today we talk about the practical application of some key yoga sutras with returning guest Diane Malaspina PhD. In this episode, Diane helps host Rachel appreciate how three of Patanjali's sutras apply to the challenges we face in daily modern life.

Listen in as we discuss the balancing act we must manage to realize any important long term goals, and how self-compassion can be a powerful tool for connection.

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Show Notes:

• Defining the yoga sutras [3:16]
• What yoga philosophy teaches us about the nature of life [6:58]
• Committed practice (abhyasa) & non-attachment (vairagya) [10:54]
• Rolf Gates' definition of abhyasa [14:35]
• Another definition of sutras 1:12-1:16 – "Trust the Process" [19:42]
• Ahimsa as a counter to fear & polarization [30:36]
• The change begins with us; self-compassion leads to connection [35:07]
• Boundaries as a sustainable balance to Ahimsa [48:15]
• More resources & Diane's Yoga Medicine courses [51:02]

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Links Mentioned:

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Inside the Yoga Sutras – The Path to Freedom Online Course
• Exploring the Yamas through Meditation & Practice Online Course
• Join Diane LIVE & IN-PERSON for the Yoga Medicine® Resilience Retreat from Nov 2nd – 3rd in Santa Rosa, CA
• Suggested reading:
  • Meditations from the Mat, Rolf Gates
  • The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Chip Hartranft
  • The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Swami Satchidananda
  • Inside the Yoga Sutras, Jaganath Carrera
  • Kristin Neff, Self Compassion Journaling
• Previous Yoga Medicine® Podcast Episodes with Diane Malaspina PhD:
  • 04: Find Ease in Uncertainty
  • 31: The Power of Intention
  • 57: Drishti, the Potency of Our Focus – Research Roundup
• Connect with Diane Malaspina:

Facebook | Instagram | Diane Malaspina

You can learn more about this episode, and see the full show notes at YogaMedicine.com/podcast-121.

And you can find out more about insider tips, online classes or information on our teacher trainings at YogaMedicine.com.

To support our work, please leave us a 5 star review with your feedback on iTunes/Apple Podcasts.

Today hosts Tiffany and Rachel talk about the all-too-common complaint of neck pain and its hidden contributors.

We discuss local sources of neck tension, explain the importance of the thoracic spine and shoulder complex, and dive into more subtle influences like posture, the nervous system, and even breath mechanics.

Listen in to learn a well-rounded approach for generalized neck pain relief.

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Show Notes:

• Myriad potential reasons for generalized neck issues [00:47]
• A good starting place: stretches or strengthening for the neck itself [2:36]
• Differentiate between neighboring muscles in neck tension [3:44]
• Mixed signals around the cue "shoulders back and down" [6:39]
• Shoulder mechanics as a solution for neck pain [11:06]
• Posture and neck pain [12:53]
• More subtle influences on neck pain: stress, living in the future [15:37]
• MFR favorites for stress relief [18:37]
• Addressing the posterior shoulder and chest opening [21:56]
• Core and hip stability as a hidden influence on the neck [23:54]
• The place for targeted neck strengthening work [26:46
• The role of thoracic mobility, respiratory function, and the jaw [30:55]
• Summing up: Start gently and work indirectly [33:46]
• Relevant Yoga Medicine Online classes [39:19]
• Relevant Yoga Medicine Teacher Training options [41:14]

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Links Mentioned:

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Yoga Medicine® Teacher Trainings:
  • Spine Anatomy, Dysfunction & Application
  • Shoulder Anatomy, Dysfunction & Application
  • Myofascial Release
  • Nervous System & Restorative
  • Pranayama
• Yoga Medicine® Online Classes mentioned:
  • Neck Fix
  • Regulate Neck Pain
  • Neck Resilience, Isometrics & Headstand
  • Fast-Track to Zen
  • Neck, Shoulder & Upper-Back Favorites
  • Mobilize Your Shoulders, Release Your Neck
  • Spine Series 3: Head & Neck Awareness

You can learn more about this episode, and see the full show notes at YogaMedicine.com/podcast-120.

And you can find out more about insider tips, online classes or information on our teacher trainings at YogaMedicine.com.

To support our work, please leave us a 5 star review with your feedback on iTunes/Apple Podcasts.

We all deserve to feel good in our bodies, but when we have negative perceptions of how our body looks, feels, or functions that experience can seem impossible.

Today host Rachel talks with returning guest Alison Heilig about the sometimes sneaky ways body image manifests in yoga. In this episode, we discuss how body image forms and the different ways negative body image can show up - including the perpetual optimization of health and demonization of the aging process. We also touch on implications for gender conformity and advocate normalizing diversity in ability and appearance in yoga classes. We share our tips on how yoga teachers can provide positive embodiment experiences, ensuring that body image isn't what stops our students practicing.

Listen in as we talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly of body image.

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Show Notes:

• Defining body image, and why it matters more in yoga than you think [3:05]
• How does body image form [7:33]
• Personal experiences of poor body image [8:58}
• The added impacts of social media, photoshop, filters & AI [12:50]
• Body image challenges through life; perceptions of aging [14:39]
• The surprising ways poor body image can manifest [16:40]
• Orthorexia, perpetual optimization & the medicalization of body image [20:00]
• Implications in yoga [24:59]
• How yoga teachers can foster more positive body awareness [30:58]
• Tips on teaching groups [39:45]
• Advice for individuals & the slow journey to positive body image [53:33]
• The conversation continues: Fit Bottomed Girls [1:02:26]
• Final thoughts & key takeaways [1:08:04]

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Links Mentioned:

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Previous Yoga Medicine® Podcast Episodes:
  • 32: Yoga for Athletes
  • 96: Creating Change
  • 116: Yoga for Menopause & Beyond
• Yoga Journal articles:
  • Are the Poses You Hate The Ones You Need Most?
  • The One Cue I Never Use When I Teach
• Yoga for Athletes Teacher Training
• Connect with Alison Heilig:

Facebook | Instagram | Alison Heilig | Yoga Medicine Online Guest Teacher

You can learn more about this episode, and see the full show notes at YogaMedicine.com/podcast-119.

And you can find out more about insider tips, online classes or information on our teacher trainings at YogaMedicine.com.

To support our work, please leave us a 5 star review with your feedback on iTunes/Apple Podcasts.

Today hosts Tiffany and Katja dive into the common misconceptions around breath work and Pranayama. Is breathwork really the new Pranayama? Is deep breathing indeed always better? Does breathwork really need to be intense to work? In this episode, we unpack these and other common misconceptions about Pranayama and breathwork.

Listen in to find ways to feel better in your life through a better understanding of Pranayama.

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Show Notes:

• Myth 1: Breathwork is the new pranayama [3:07]
• Myth 2: The ultimate goal of pranayama is to fully control the breath [9:02]
• Myth 3: Pranayama must be practiced over long periods of time to see benefits [16:31]
• Myth 4: Ujjayi and/or deep breathing is a superior technique [22:29]
• Myth 5: Breathwork involving hyperventilation is life-changing, always [30:36]
• Myth 6: Only advanced practitioners should do Pranayama [37:31]
• Myth 7: Pranayama has one magic rhythm/ pattern [41:17]

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Links Mentioned:

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Pranayama Yoga Teacher Training
• Previous Yoga Medicine® Podcast Episodes:
  • 85: Research Roundup: A Stroll Through the Breathwork Landscape
  • 87: The Science of Breathing Less: Research Roundup
• Connect with Katja Bartsch:

Facebook | Instagram | Kalamana Yoga | Yoga Medicine® Online Guest Teacher

You can learn more about this episode, and see the full show notes at YogaMedicine.com/podcast-118.

And you can find out more about insider tips, online classes or information on our teacher trainings at YogaMedicine.com.

To support our work, please leave us a 5 star review with your feedback on iTunes/Apple Podcasts.