The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast
088: Creating Professional Yoga Videos with Kira Sloane
Description:
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could connect with your yoga students in the comfort of their own home? With Yoga Anytime, Kira Sloane not only teaches yoga online but also helps other yoga teachers share their yoga online.
Kira was drawn to teaching yoga from her very first savasana. After being diagnosed with endometriosis in 1995, she turned to yoga to find relief for her pain and immediately wanted to share the sense of well-being she experienced with others. Today, Kira works for yoga to spread the healing she has experienced in her own practice by making videos and offering online yoga courses.
Videos are a great tool for reaching a large audience, but all that can backfire if your videos are not professional and well done. Kira reveals what she has learned from creating over 2000 yoga videos - from what kind of clothing works for the camera, to how to focus on your viewer beyond the lens, and why doing yoga on videos is ultimately all about connection and relationships, both with your audience and yourself.
Whether you’re already a veteran at making yoga videos, or a newbie to the scene, you’re sure to get some great tips and insights about what it takes to make a truly great, professional yoga video.
To see all of the links and notes for this episode (including timestamps)
- visit https://www.theconnectedyogateacher.com/88
The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast
Ep 087: Yoga for Fertility with Beth Heller
The journey of infertility is a difficult one. Beth Heller joins Shannon on this episode to share her own story and experiences with infertility, and how that led her to become the co-founder and co-director of Pulling Down the Moon.
Beth is a mother and a yoga teacher whose niche and passion is yoga for fertility. She has a degree in human nutrition and spent 4 years working as a nutrition researcher. She found her way to yoga while going through high stress, infertility, a miscarriage, and the stillbirth of her daughter at 38 weeks. In these experiences, she found the true value of yoga and wanted to share how yoga helped her regain her period and get pregnant, and how it held and supported her through loss.
In 2002, Beth founded Pulling Down the Moon with Tami Quinn, where she now teaches yoga in classes and one-on-one instruction, with a focus on yoga for fertility, prenatal yoga, and yoga to people at the age and stage of pregnancy. She is also a member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.
Beth shares her insight about how yoga helps improve fertility, and how she has helped women through their fertility journey in her practice, particularly by creating a supportive space in her studio. Shannon and Beth also discuss the benefits of online classes in breaking down barriers for some people, and how yoga teachers can fully support women or couples going through loss, miscarriage or fertility difficulties.
An open, honest and heartfelt conversation, this episode great for any yoga teacher working with people dealing with fertility, and pregnancy, and interested in finding out more about discovering your niche in yoga.
To see all of the links and notes for this episode (including timestamps)
- visit https://www.theconnectedyogateacher.com/87
Live video is taking the online world by storm, and it’s not a trend is going away soon. How can yoga teachers get on board and harness the power of video? Ian Gray of Seriously Social has tips, strategies, and advice on how you can use live video as a yoga teacher to share video content.
Ian is a man of many talents. Not only is he an international speaker, trainer, teacher, web developer and consultant who specializes in live video, he is also a husband, father of two, professional singer and self-professed geek. Through his company Seriously Social, and his weekly Facebook Live video show, The Free Range Social Show, Ian helps business owners and entrepreneurs use live video to build and expand their businesses.
Doing a live video can seem incredibly scary, but feeling nervous is a very natural response. Ian shares some of his own personal experiences getting started with live video, and his strategies to get over your fear. He also reveals the three main barriers people have when it comes to doing live video, and how you can break through them. He explains why consistency and having a group to lean on for support can make all the difference in getting on board with live video. Ian also breaks down the different live video platforms, and how they can be used to reach your target audience.
If you’re interested in sharing video content but aren’t sure how to get started, this episode is just for you.
To see all of the links and notes for this episode (including timestamps) - visit theconnectedyogateacher.com/86
085: A Discussion About Hands-On Assists with Amanda Kingsmith and Shannon Crow
Do you offer your students hands-on assists or adjustments or do you steer clear of touch in a yoga class?
Amanda Kingsmith invited Shannon back on the M.B.OM podcast to talk about hands-on assists (sometimes called adjustments).
Amanda is a yoga teacher with a business studies background. She works 1:1 with yoga teachers and hosts two podcasts - one about travel and the other for yoga teachers. She is an enthusiastic world traveler when she is not at home in Alberta, Canada.
084: Yoga for Scoliosis with Christine Jaureguiberry
Christine Jaureguiberry has niched down over the years as a yoga teacher. She now works mostly with individuals who have scoliosis. This is fueled by her own love of yoga. At the age of five, Christine was diagnosed with structural scoliosis. Her parents first put her in ballet. As she grew, she stayed active, but in her teen years, her pain started to increase.
Christine spent a lot of time visiting physiotherapists, osteopaths and chiropractors. She wanted them to “fix” her, but instead found that the effects from the treatments wouldn’t last long
After Christine’s first yoga class (a Sivananda class in 2004), she noticed that she felt much better. Yoga made Christine feel better and she finally felt like she was in control of her own well-being.
It was after becoming a mother of two that Christine decided the timing was right to take her yoga teacher training.
Now Christine works mainly with individuals who are experiencing back pain, scoliosis or other back-related conditions. She loves to empower people so they can live pain-free. She teaches alignment and posture, bearing in mind the unique bodies and shapes. Christine makes yoga accessible to everyone.
5:34 - Meet Christine Jaureguiberry, who was diagnosed with structural scoliosis at the age of five. Christine shares her journey to yoga and how that motivated her to become a yoga teacher.
11:03 - What might a yoga student with scoliosis look like in a yoga class? Adam’s Forward Bend: a technique to determine if someone has scoliosis
12:20 - Definition of scoliosis: Scoliosis is a lateral (side-to-side) curve in the spine, usually combined with a rotation of the vertebrae.
14:18 - Difference between structural scoliosis versus functional scoliosis
“80 - 90% of people have some sort of functional scoliosis” - Christine Jaureguiberry
16:08 - Christine shares how she is one of the 70% of individuals with an idiopathic cause (meaning the cause of her scoliosis is not known).
17:16 - Why it is important to diagnose scoliosis in children and teens. In most countries, it is rare to have scoliosis screening, but Christine was lucky to be living in Germany where screening was done.
18:48 - As yoga teachers, diagnosing scoliosis (or anything) is out of our scope of practice, but Christine shares how if we are teaching children’s yoga - we can tell parents if we notice something that could be checked by their healthcare provider
20:09 - How diagnosis before puberty can actually correct scoliosis
21:15 - Yoga poses, considerations, and cues that Christine offers to students who are dealing with scoliosis. She talks about how she gradually works with a framework that offers poses involve:
24:30 - Study by Dr. Loren Fishman on side plank for scoliosis and how you may get students in your classes referring to this study
25:44 - Christine shares how she feels about adjustments (hands-on assists) when working with students with scoliosis and how she sustained an injury from one in her yoga teacher training.
32:38 - How a yoga teacher can guide students with scoliosis, who may not know what is “straight”, “centre” or “balanced” in their body
33:10 - Poses that Christine has removed to her own yoga practice (shoulder stand)
34:50 - Things to consider when someone has spinal fusion or Herrington rods (*Herrington rods are not done now, but students over 35 years old may have them)
36:36 - Why lying on the back may not be comfortable for those who have scoliosis and how to modify for comfort
“Go with the sensations that your student is feeling, rather than what you think looks straight or even.” - Christine Jaureguiberry
38:45 - How Christine feels about 1:1 versus group classes and how she prefers to work with individuals with scoliosis
40:03 - What Christine wishes all yoga teachers knew when working with yoga students who have scoliosis
“It’s not about the pose, it’s about how you practice the pose.” - Christine Jaureguiberry
41:55 - How to work 1:1 with Christine (yoga students and teachers)
Christine’s Facebook Group: Yoga for Scoliosis Community (for both students with scoliosis and yoga teachers working with students who have scoliosis)
Christine’s website - Work 1:1 with Christine - online or in-person (yoga or mentorship)
If you would like to offer a birthday gift to Shannon:
Christine’s online course for yoga teachers -- Introduction to Teaching Yoga for Scoliosis: How to teach yoga safely for students with scoliosis
10% discount code for Christine's course (for our podcast listeners)
Episode 29: Creating Your About Me Page with Trevor Parks [Consultation Call]
The Connected Teacher Facebook Group
Apply for the Online Group Program for Yoga Teachers
Book a Consultation Call with Shannon
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