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The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast

Helping yoga teachers to stay connected to information, entrepreneur advice and a community of supportive yoga teachers and professionals.
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Now displaying: June, 2020
Jun 29, 2020

The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast

174: Time for a Break with Shannon Crow

 

Description:

Are you feeling overwhelmed, tired and uninspired right now? It may be a sign that you may need to take a break. If this feels like an impossible task, that’s exactly why you should take a break and, on this episode, Shannon walks us through this process.

 

Taking breaks is essential to us as business owners. We may feel like it is impossible because we are always thinking about our business, but there are many reasons why taking breaks is beneficial to your business, those you work with and you. 

 

Building breaks into our schedules can help us be more mindful about taking breaks, and are an effective way to ensure that you take regular breaks. Shannon shares more about how she usually organizes time in her business so that she can take breaks and not miss a beat, what she has learned from a recent unplanned break, and why we need to give ourselves grace when our plans for breaks don’t work out.

 

Whether you’re struggling with overwhelm, lack of motivation, or just feeling tired, this episode is a must-listen.

 

Key Takeaways:

[1:12] Shannon is talking about how she plans to take breaks in her business on this episode.

[4:11] Schedulicity has paused payments till September 1st, 2020!

[5:40] Do you feel like you need a break today? There are times when we feel like we are dragging our feet to do something, or putting off doing a certain task. These are signs that you may need a break.

[7:16] How long of a break do you need right now?

[10:38] Shannon shares why it might be a good idea to look at your own yoga practice if you are feeling uninspired or unmotivated to teach.

[12:20] Are you planning for a break? Sometimes, taking a break is an unexpected event. Shannon had to take an unplanned break recently, and shares some of the things she learned from it.

[16:22] If you do not have any vacation time blocked off in your calendar, Shannon challenges you to explore that.

[18:40] Shannon has been working on the break at the end of her day.

[20:23] A break that Shannon loves to take is with an app that reminds her to take breaks.

[22:09] What feels right for you in terms of taking a break?

 

Links:

 

Gratitude to our Sponsor Schedulicity

 

Quotes from this episode:

"Productivity-wise, we actually do better when we have these breaks." - Shannon

 

"Taking a break really serves your business. It serves the people that you work with, and it serves you. It's a win-win." - Shannon

 

"How can we plan ahead, and also, how can we have grace with ourselves when we don't plan ahead perfectly?" - Shannon

Jun 15, 2020

The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast

173: Social Justice, Politics & Yoga with Chara Caruthers and Maria Kirsten

 

Description:

What is the role that yoga plays in social justice and politics? As yoga teachers, we may shy away from such divisive and sensitive topics, but given the current global situation, we need to be engaged. Shannon shares the interview she did for the Live Like You Love Yourself Podcast, hosted by Chara Caruthers and Maria Kirsten, discussing how yoga is interwoven into social justice and politics.

 

Chara is a registered yoga teacher and certified yoga therapist who has been practicing yoga since 1993. She is also an ayurveda practitioner and  the founder of Bliss Body & Soul, where she offers ayurveda Courses, workshops, and an Ayurvedic living Community. Maria has been teaching accessible yoga to grownups and beginners since 2000. She is the founder of Yoga for Grownups, and is committed to principles of inclusion and to making yoga safe and accessible for everyone. Together, Chara and Maria host the Live Like You Love Yourself Podcast, where they discuss how to live, age, parent, and “grow up” in a way that feels balanced and authentic.

 

 This was a very open and vulnerable conversation about the connection between yoga and politics and social justice, as well as the challenge of knowing how to support communities of color and ALL communities through these challenging times. Shannon, Chara and Maria dig into what it means to hold “brave space” for the difficult conversation we are having, the role of the yoga community at this time, and how we can “do the work” necessary to be a part of the antiracism movement.

 

It’s time to do better.

 

Key Takeaways:

[1:19] Shannon introduces Chara Caruthers and Maria Kirsten, hosts of the Live Like You Love Yourself Podcast, where this episode was first aired.

[7:33] Chara shares a little about the current climate that is creating a lot of discomfort, and how yoga prepares us to deal with it.

[8:27] Chara introduces Shannon and the content they will be discussing in the interview.

[12:06] How did Shannon decide to create a community for yoga teachers?

[15:50] What has Shannon observed about the conversations in The Connected Yoga Teacher Facebook group through the pandemic situation?

[20:46] How has Shannon felt about holding "brave space" for the difficult conversations that need to be happening now?

[23:07] Talking about politics is always scary because of the divided opinions everyone holds.

[26:22] Maria and Chara discuss who should be responsible for the learning and education around these issues.

[29:07] Shannon reflects on some of her key takeaways from a training she attended.

[34:08] Shannon shares some of her struggles of wanting to showcase more diversity on her podcast but not wanting to be accused of tokenism.

[39:00] What are some ways in which we can all work to share the work of people of color who might not otherwise be heard or seen?

[43:22] What is the role of the yoga community right now?

[50:09] Shannon decided not to promote her launch during this period. Chara and Shannon discuss what "doing the work" as a part of the antiracism movement and as an ally means.

[55:40] What is equal parts powerful and dangerous about social media that it requires very little time or involvement to share a post. Maria highlights why that isn't the real work of yoga, and what is.

[1:02:58] How are we approaching conversations with our children about this topic?

[1:07:59] How do yoga and politics fit together?

[1:15:39] Chara sums up the conversation calling attention to the importance of having a safe community and holding brave space to tackle the issues we face today.

[1:18:50] Chara and Maria will be sharing more about yoga and politics with The Connected Yoga Teacher community soon.

[1:21:03] What are your thoughts about this interview and the issues raised? Share them with Shannon.



Links:

 

Gratitude to our Sponsor Schedulicity and Pelvic Health Professionals

 

Quotes from this episode:

"You have to do your inner work, and I think it should be uncomfortable, and we should lean into the discomfort." - Maria

 

"Don't be defensive, just do better." - Shannon

 

"The more people of color that you engage with and that you hear from and that you look into and that you feature and talk with, the more, for lack of a better term, normal it will become." - Chara

 

"If we're moving towards a society that is more fair, that is more unbiased, then we do have to be willing to hear and process and integrate all of these different voices." - Chara

 

"Really what we're all doing is trying to offer space for healing, and it looks a lot of different ways." - Chara

 

"If no one is willing to step a toe outside of their comfort zone, then we'll never get to a place where we can start to even understand each other." - Chara

 

"It's very easy when you're in a position of privilege to think that everyone has an equal chance." - Chara

Jun 10, 2020

The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast

172: Checking In with the Team During COVID-19

 

Description:

This is a special check-in episode with the team behind The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast and community during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

 

The Connected Yoga Teacher team is based in different parts of the world, and Shannon checks in with the main team members: podcast editor SuZen Marie, community managers Nyk Danu and Sinead O’Connor, and show notes writer Crunch Ranjani. She also shares updates from Michael from Schedulicity, Shelly Aaron who helps with video production, and Kelly Christian who helps with accounting. 

 

This series of interviews was recorded back at the end of April 2020, a few weeks after the global pandemic was first declared. We get a glimpse into the lives of the people who make The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast and community possible, the situation where they are based, and some of the challenges they are facing right now.

 

Key Takeaways:

[:39] Shannon introduces SuZen Marie, the editor of the podcast.

[1:41] SuZen explains why she had to opt out of doing a live chat with Shannon.

[2:20] SuZen shares how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted her and her family.

[6:19] Shannon shares some context around when these interviews were recorded.

[6:46] Shannon checks in with Nyk Danu, who shares more about how she has transitioned to sharing yoga online.

[9:11] How has life changed for Nyk since the coronavirus hit?

[11:28] Nyk and Shannon discuss how her community might be reopening soon.

[13:22] What looks different in Nyk's day-to-day life?

[17:21] What does Nyk foresee for yoga teachers and studios?

[21:13] Shannon checks in with Sinead O'Connor.

[26:10] Sinead shares more about the switch of going from pre-coronavirus to everything being shut down.

[27:56] Sinead gives an update on her family and the COVID situation.

[31:40] What is the biggest difference for Sinead? She shares how she has been managing life at home with her children.

[35:24] Shannon and Sinead discuss the transition to virtual classes for studios and students.

[38:44] Shannon introduces Crunch Ranjani, who writes the show notes for the podcast.

[40:50] Crunch shares what it's like to be in one place after being used to traveling.

[42:20] Shannon gives an update on her situation.

[44:32] Crunch gives some insight into the day-to-day situation in Singapore, and what happened when the coronavirus was first detected in Singapore.

[48:17] Crunch shares her routines and tips to help with working from home.

[55:30] Shannon gives a quick update from Schedulicity.

[57:01] Shannon introduces Shelly Aaron, who does some video editing for Pelvic Health Professionals.

[1:02:56] Shannon gets an update from Kelly Christian, who handles the accounting and books of the business.

[1:08:13] Shannon gives some final shout outs.

 

Links:

 

Gratitude to our Sponsor Schedulicity

 

 

Jun 1, 2020

The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast

171: Pelvic Health & Movement Goals with Antony Lo

 

Description:

When people are experiencing pelvic health issues, they may be told to give up exercise or that certain movements are not appropriate or suitable for them to do. However, exercise may be important to clients beyond pelvic health issues, and there may be social and emotional impacts that restricting access to their usual exercise regime might have. This episode features a section of the interview with guest expert for the Pelvic Health Professionals membership site, Anthony Lo, which explores this topic.

 

Antony Lo is a physiotherapist from Australia who runs The Physio Detective, and has been in practice for over 21 years. His specialty is Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy, and he is a certified CrossFit Trainer and Football Coach/Consultant, who has been involved with treating CrossFit athletes for 7 years. Through his participation in CrossFit and his work as a Physiotherapist, he has developed a model of treatment that provides a realistic, holistic model of care.

 

Pelvic health and movement and exercise are the focus of this episode. Anthony shares his approach to treating clients with pelvic health issues who want to get back into movement and exercise, as well as how he helps people he's working 1:1 with as a physiotherapist. He also has some tips to help clients make necessary changes, and how we can empower them to continue their exercises outside their sessions with us. Shannon and Anthony also discuss why it’s important to have the connections to refer clients to the right professionals who can help them in a more specific and personalized way.

 

* This episode features a section of an interview from the Pelvic Health Professionals Membership site.  If you would like access to the full interview, doors are open from now till June 12 2020 for the membership site where you can access this interview and others with other guest experts.

 

Key Takeaways:

[5:32] Shannon introduces her guest for this episode - Anthony.

[6:59] What does Anthony do and who does he do it for?

[8:12] Anthony shares his thoughts on how people with pelvic health concerns should approach movement and exercise.

[13:31] Shannon and Anthony discuss some options when helping a client who has certain symptoms of a pelvic health issue.

[17:29] What are some considerations to keep in mind for someone getting back to the gym postpartum?

[21:29] How does Anthony think about approaching clients with very specific concerns e.g. someone with pelvic health issues who wants to get back into running?

[28:01] What is Anthony's advice for dealing with clients who don't do their "homework"?

[34:31] What was your key takeaway?

[34:59] Shannon explains a little more about how calls are set up in the Pelvic Health Professionals membership.

 

Links:

 

Gratitude to our Sponsor Schedulicity and Pelvic Health Professionals

 

Quotes from this episode:

"When we think of pelvic health, why are we only thinking about the pelvis?" - Antony

 

"My default answer will be 'Yes, you can go back to the gym. But it's going to look different to what you might expect straight away.'" - Antony

 

"If you want them to have a sustainable, long-term result, where you keep them safe and healthy and happy, then learn how to ask questions so that they can come up with those answers." - Antony

 

"It really isn't about us. It's about helping other people achieve their goals." - Antony

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