The yoga teacher training industry has a pipeline problem. You pay two to ten thousand dollars, the school gets a new graduate, a new ambassador, and someone who will keep buying more certifications — optimized for volume and profit, not for producing teachers who are actually ready to hold the lineage.

In this episode, I dive into why yoga went from the Guru-Shishya parampara — a years-long, fully immersive tradition of passing down knowledge — to a QR code certificate. What that costs the practice, the teachers, and the students who walk into classes taught by people who were never ready to be there.I also share what actually goes into vetting a program worth your time — the questions to ask yourself before you spend a dollar, what a serious curriculum looks like, and the red flags that should make you walk away.

If you're considering a yoga teacher training, already in one, or teaching and questioning how you got there, this episode is for you.

Yoga Off The Mat is a podcast by Divya Balakrishnan.

Follow: @yogaoffthematpodcast | @divyabala

Support the show: patreon.com/divyabala

According to Ayurveda, summer is pitta season. If you've been pushing harder, running hotter, and arriving at the end of August exhausted, this episode is for you :)In this episode, you'll learn what summer actually asks of us according to Ayurvedic philosophy: why a hot yoga class might be working against you right now, which pranayama technique cools the body, what seasonal foods can do for you, and when your digestive fire naturally decreases, and why uniquely in summer, a short afternoon rest is not laziness.This is part 2 of an ongoing seasonal series using yoga philosophy and Ayurveda to help you build routines that move with nature rather than against it! The yoga way. Yoga Off The Mat is a podcast by Divya Balakrishnan.Follow: @yogaoffthematpodcast | @divyabala

Support the show: patreon.com/divyabala

Work with me! www.divyabala.comDisclaimer: This video is for entertainment purposes only and Divya Balakrishnan does not assume any resulting liability.

Most early yoga teachers share the same quiet belief: that going full time is the goal. That teaching as your sole livelihood is what makes the practice legitimate. This episode is a direct response to that and to the cultural script that keeps selling it.

This episode covers karma yoga (the yoga of action in ordinary life), aparigraha (non-grasping), and svadhyaya (self-study), and makes the case that the unglamorous moments of a full working life are not obstacles to the practice. They are the practice.

For early teachers feeling the pressure to go full time. For practitioners who think their regular life disqualifies them. For anyone who's been sold the idea that yoga requires a lifestyle overhaul to count.

Yoga Off The Mat is a podcast by Divya Balakrishnan.

Follow: @yogaoffthematpodcast | @divyabalaSupport the show: patreon.com/divyabala

Work with me: www.divyabala.com

What if your morning skincare routine, your clean apartment, the flowers on your coffee table — what if all of that was actually yoga? Not metaphorically. Philosophically.

In this episode, Divya makes the case that beauty and ritual are not in tension with serious yoga practice but rather, they're an expression of it. Drawing on saucha (purity and creating nourishing conditions), santosha (contentment as embodied delight), and the Ayurvedic practice of abhyanga (warm oil self-massage), this episode reframes self-care as something the philosophy has always pointed toward.

This one is for the practitioners who love beautiful spaces and sensory rituals but quietly wondered if that made them less serious. It doesn't. It might make you more present than most.

Yoga Off The Mat is a podcast by Divya Balakrishnan.Follow: @yogaoffthematpodcast | @divyabalaSupport the show: patreon.com/divyabala

My first episode of 2025 was a message to help you all, especially in the states, prepare for major societal transition using yoga as your toolkit. Unfortunately, a year later the horrors have not let up but only intensified. Humanity has always undergone cycles of destruction and rebirth, suffering and renewal. That doesn't mean we can look away from what's happening not just in America but around the world. How can we moderate our energy output in support of our communities and loved ones while also sustaining enough energy to care for ourselves? Yoga again has a number of solutions for how we methodically approach societal breakage through a lens of compassion, discipline, and duty. I hope this short podcast episode empowers you, equips you and inspires you into aligned action that upholds humanity.

Sending love and power.

Fundraiser for Keith Porter's daughter: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-franceolas-granddaughters-future

Resources to support Minnesotans: www.standwithminnesota.com

Script to ask your senators to not fund violence against immigrants: https://indivisible.org/actions/ice-out-senate/

Podcast & Host LinksWebsite:www.divyabala.comInstagram:Host: @divyabalaPodcast: @yogaoffthematpodcastYoutube:Youtube.com/divyabalaPatreon:Patreon.com/divyabala

What a whirlwind 2025 has been. Whether you're reflecting on the past year or planning for the year ahead, it's always worth thinking about how much you have grown. 2025 taught me many things but I wouldn't have gotten through it without my yoga practice. Here are a few lessons I learned - maybe they'll resonate with you.Stay til the end for 3 reflection prompts :)

Podcast & Host LinksWebsite:www.divyabala.comInstagram:Host: @divyabalaPodcast: @yogaoffthematpodcastYoutube:Youtube.com/divyabalaPatreon:Patreon.com/divyabala

Allow me to *re*introduce myself! A lot of you have been curious to get to know my journey with yoga, what my practice looks like, my thoughts on the industry, the business of yoga, how to decolonize yoga in the wild...and I got you. This is a short and sweet episode to help you get to know me a bit better, and there are some great tips sprinkled in as well.

Timestamps:

01:03 My journey with yoga

02:56 My current yoga practice

06:12 My thoughts on modern yoga

08:06 How to start a yoga practice

09:20 Considerations when practicing asana

12:19 Posture tutorial

12:50 Decolonizing yoga

14:52 Yoga retreats

16:02 Books on yoga

16:44 Becoming a yoga teacher

19:10 Starting a yoga business

Podcast & Host Links

www.divyabala.com

Youtube.com/divyabala

Patreon.com/divyabala

Instagram: @divyabala @yogaoffthematpodcast

Ashton Hall and Mel Robbins may be trending right now for their...intense...morning routines. But your morning doesn't have to look like that for you to start your day on the best foot. This episode is the first in a seasonal series about how to use the principles of yoga philosophy and its sister science Ayurveda to customize your morning routine - both for your unique needs and for the season.

Podcast & Host Links

Website: www.divyabala.com

Instagram: @divyabala @yogaoffthematpodcast

Youtube.com/divyabala

Patreon.com/divyabala

Whether or not we like it -- change is in the air. Socially, politically, spiritually. You may not realize it but yoga has prepared you with the mental resilience to face it head on. Here's how.

In this episode, I share 5 simple yogic tactics to fortify yourself ahead of major change.

Podcast & Host Links

Website: www.divyabala.com

Instagram:

• Host: @divyabala

• Podcast: @yogaoffthematpodcast

Youtube: Youtube.com/divyabala

Patreon: Patreon.com/divyabala

Some people think it's unethical. Some people think it's essential.

You'll also get a framework of inquiry to understand your intentions and whether YTT is right for you, PLUS a checklist to help you choose the right training program.

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