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The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast

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Now displaying: July, 2022
Jul 25, 2022

The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast

282: What's Missing? Yoga Class Notes with Kathryn Anne Flynn

 

Description:

Have you ever been to a yoga class and noticed that something is missing? Perhaps it was the cues given, or the postures practices, or even the sequence of the class. There are certain key elements that we need to have to make a well-rounded yoga class and we might be missing some of them! Kathryn Anne Flynn shares her expertise on this topic and how we can make our classes more accessible to all.

 

Kathryn Anne Flynn is a teacher and student of yoga, meditation, Ayurveda, and psychotherapy in Ottawa, Canada. She is known for weaving together her fields of study and practice tools to meet life with a compassionate presence. Students of many generations call her their teacher and they are drawn to her inclusivity and authenticity. Kathryn is also the host of the Intelligent Edge Yoga Podcast, author of Teach Kind, Clear Yoga, and offers online practices as well as trainings, workshops, and retreats.

 

Kathryn shares her insights about some of the key elements missing from yoga classes (especially with newer teachers) such as silence, little joint care, and music and playlists, and gives us tips on how we can effectively incorporate these into our yoga classes to become better teachers and create a better environment for our yoga students. This is a really motivating episode to get inspiration about how to improve on your classes and create a better environment for our yoga students.

 

Key Takeaways:

[0:00] Shannon addresses the recent US Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v Wade.

[1:45] This episode is also sponsored by the Accessible Yoga Continuing Education Program.

[8:33] Shannon introduces her guest for this episode - Kathryn Anne Flynn.

[11:55] You can win one of Kathryn's books simply by leaving a comment in the show notes!

[13:04] What does Kathryn do and who does she do it for?

[14:37] What got Kathryn interested in her work around psychotherapy and trauma therapy, from being a yoga educator?

[17:29] Kathryn is the author of Teach Kind, Clear Yoga. What was her motivation for writing the book and what feedback has she received about it?

[19:31] There are often trends in things that are missing from new yoga teachers' classes. Kathryn reflects on how she made this observation.

[22:14] A reminder for people going through their yoga teacher training: Teaching yoga is never going to be as hard as it is in your training.

[24:01] Something that is often missing even from experienced teachers' classes is silence.

[26:09] Another element often missing in yoga classes is little joint care.

[28:53] There is value in simplicity and repetition.

[32:33] A tip for new teachers - if you are nervous when teaching yoga, you can use music to support your teaching and create atmosphere in your classes.

[33:54] Shannon pops in to share a conversation she had with Sara Villamil about OfferingTree.

[36:11] Is music essential to a yoga class or can we teach without it? Shannon and Kathyrn share their perspectives.

[43:07] Kathryn shares some tips around what to consider when sequencing your yoga class.

[48:33] You can bring creativity into sequencing your yoga classes.

[50:16] Kathryn developed her own personal style of yoga because of the communities she worked with and paying attention to their needs.

[53:05] Kathryn highlights two types of postures that are often missing from yoga classes.

[59:30] What are some final thoughts Kathryn has for a yoga teacher who is feeling like something is missing from their class?

[60:39] Get Kathryn's book and connect with her via her website and social media.

[62:24] Shannon shares her key takeaways from this interview with Kathryn.



Links:

 

Gratitude to our Sponsors, OfferingTree and Accessible Yoga Continuing Education Program.



Quotes from this episode:

"Teaching yoga is never going to be as hard as it is in your training."

 

"Reviewing your teaching can remain uncomfortable and it's worth it."

 

"If you design your classes in a way that folks are safe doing the practice, you can have faith in the resilience of the human body - which means you can have faith in the potency of silence and restrain yourself to offer more space because people need silence so badly if their lives are super busy and loud."

 

"I think it's important to be able to teach and practice both with and without [music]. It's just another tool that you need to know how and when to apply it."

 

Jul 18, 2022

The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast

281: Yoga Teaching Tips with Gabrielle Harris

 

Description:

Whether you’re fresh out of a yoga teacher training or have been teaching yoga for years, there is always something new to learn about becoming a better teacher. Gabrielle Harris shares actionable tips for yoga teachers that you can start implementing in your classes and using right away.

 

Gabrielle describes herself as a writer at heart and a yogi in mind and body. Her aim is to inspire students and teachers from all disciplines to keep falling in love with yoga each new day. Gabrielle has over 1000 hours of training in various disciplines and traditions, and through her written work and yoga classes reminds us to start living a full life through the toolbox of yoga. She is also the author of The Language of Yin and The Inspired Yoga Teacher.

 

Gabrielle talks about her journey in writing these two books, how to teach yoga to beginners, and why language is so important and powerful in yoga. Gabrielle also shares her thoughts on what makes a good yoga teacher and why our job is to watch, listen and observe, rather than centering ourselves in our teaching. She offers some tips on the different types of cues we might use, how to practice nonviolent communication, and encourages us to reflect on our responsibility as yoga teachers.

 

Key Takeaways:

[0:00] Shannon addresses the recent US Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v Wade.

[2:30] This episode is also sponsored by the Accessible Yoga Continuing Education Program.

[5:58] Shannon shares one of the resources she has been learning from - Buffy on CBC.

[9:06] Shannon introduces her guest for this episode - Gabrielle Harris.

[12:31] What does Gabrielle do and who does she do it for?

[13:11] Gabrielle shares more about the two books she has written.

[14:24] What has helped Gabrielle get through the long process of writing books and teaching yoga?

[15:26] Gabrielle has teaching experience outside of yoga. She explains how that has shaped how she teaches yoga.

[18:07] How can yoga teachers cut out the fluff and get to the very essential parts of yoga when teaching beginners?

[19:53] How does Gabrielle apply what she learned in teaching a language to a yoga teacher training?

[23:15] It can be tempting to try to fill space with words, but it is important to be intentional instead.

[25:14] How can we practice self-editing?

[27:05] Why do we often feel the need to fill silence with words?

[30:02] As yoga teachers, sharing parts of your life can be very powerful, but only under certain circumstances. It can be useful to become the listener instead.

[33:22] What are some things that can help improve our teaching technique?

[35:43] Timing and pace are also very important for a yoga class.

[38:37] Shannon pops in with an update about OfferingTree, sponsor of the podcast.

[41:30] How can yoga teachers manage the timing of their flow and sequence?

[44:03] Gabrielle shares some tips around different types of cues you can give in a yoga class and examples of what that may look like.

[49:44] Using questions in teaching is a great technique to center the students instead of the teacher.

[52:15] How does Gabrielle handle questions from students who ask where they should be feeling a pose or how to be experiencing a movement?

[56:21] Gabrielle shares some thoughts around the responsibility we have as yoga teachers.

[59:58] What does Gabrielle wish she had known as a newer teacher?

[61:04] Find out more about Gabrielle and her work by checking out her work and the links below.

[62:46] You can win a copy of one of Gabrielle's books!

[65:27] Shannon shares her biggest takeaways from this interview with Gabrielle.



Links:

 

Gratitude to our Sponsors, OfferingTree and Accessible Yoga Continuing Education Program.



Quotes from this episode:

"It is much more difficult to be precise and concise and essential." - Gabrielle

 

"If you want to know what the essence of what you're trying to teach is, you need to go back to what your intention is for that class." - Gabrielle

 

"There's different types of cueing and there's a place for all of them." - Gabrielle

 

"I want the teachers out there to assume that everything that we're saying, everything that we do in a yoga class has a propensity to change or to harm or to heal." - Gabrielle

 

Jul 11, 2022

The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast

280: Get Paid as a Yoga Teacher with Shannon Simmons

 

Description:

As yoga business owners, we may feel conflicted around making money and getting paid for sharing yoga and helping others. However, being able to get paid for the work that you do ensures that you will be able to continue serving others with your yoga. So how do you make sure that you can pay yourself a consistent salary? Shannon Simmons shares how to organize your finances and get paid consistently as a yoga teacher.

 

Shannon is the founder and CEO of Fit For Profit. Her goal is to remove the stress that wellness business owners often feel around finances, by helping them implement simple systems around money management. By helping them create financial systems in their business that allow them to pay themselves a consistent salary, Shannon enables them to worry less about paying bills and focus on building a sustainable business.

 

In this episode, Shannon S. addresses some of the concerns yoga entrepreneurs have around making money and getting paid, and encourages us to shift our mindset and thinking about our businesses. She explains how the Profit First system helps yoga teachers make a profit in their business and build a more sustainable business that is able to deal with emergency expenses and taxes while paying yourself a consistent salary. If you are ready to start making profits in your yoga business, this episode is for you.

 

Key Takeaways:

[0:00] Shannon addresses the recent US Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v Wade.

[3:54] Shannon shares some of the resources she has been learning from.

[6:09] Shannon introduces her guest for this episode - Shannon Simmons.

[12:12] What does Shannon S. do and who does she do it for?

[13:19] What is the Profit First system of accounting?

[15:15] Setting up multiple bank accounts can be a challenge! What are Shannon S's thoughts around that?

[16:07] Shannon S. has a list of banks she recommends for people wanting to implement Profit First.

[16:31] How does Profit First differ from the typical way of managing finances in a business?

[20:04] Apart from the account for profit, what are the other accounts we should have in this system?

[22:04] Paying yourself as the owner is separate from your profit! Shannon S. explains further.

[24:09] How does Shannon S. respond to wellness professionals or yoga teachers who think that they shouldn't be making their business about profit?

[25:48] What are some of Shannon S.'s tips to implement the Profit First system?

[27:29] Shannon S. recommends raising your rates annually.

[31:15] Get your bank statement and start looking at all your expenses. Which ones can you reduce?

[33:09] Shannon C. and Shannon S. discuss how useful it can be to have someone on your team to have eyes on your finances.

[33:59] If you only have one account for income and expenses, Shannon S. recommends making the transfers every time you get a deposit. How often should you pay yourself profits?

[36:20] What happens to the other half of the profits that you don't pay to yourself?

[37:29] Shannon C. pops in with tip about using OfferingTree for memberships.

[40:27] Many yoga teachers and entrepreneurs don't have a separate business bank account and they aren't paying attention to their finances! Shannon S. shares some tips on that.

[43:45] Don't wait till it's time to do your taxes to figure out if you made a profit or not!

[44:52] What are some of the roadblocks that come up for entrepreneurs? 

[47:10] Shannon S. shares some percentages that people can start off at to implement Profit First in their business.

[50:42] What are some tips to get to being able to pay ourselves a salary of 50% of revenue?

[53:45] Get support from Shannon S. in setting up Profit First for your business. Connect with her via her website.

[58:17] What is your biggest takeaway? What action step will you be taking from this interview? Shannon C. shares how she's applying insights from this interview to her business.

 

Links:

 

Gratitude to our Sponsor, OfferingTree and Pelvic Health Professionals.

 

Quotes from this episode:

"You are your own best employees. So you need to be paying yourself as if you were an employee." - Shannon S.

 

"The only way to help people is to be profitable and the only way that you can truly be profitable is if you're really helping people." - Shannon S.

 

"If you have any resistance to five [bank accounts], you don't have to do five. Just start with one. That's the very basic process to get started." - Shannon S.

 

"Most people aren't profitable before they implement Profit First. That's the dirty little secret." - Shannon S.

Jul 4, 2022

The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast

279: Bowel Health and Yoga with Shannon Crow 

 

Description:

Bowel health and function is an essential part of our lives, yet something we don’t discuss often. We all (hopefully) have bowel movements regularly and if we are not, it can impact our pelvic organs, pelvic floor and overall health. Yet, conversations about pooping are not normalized and we avoid talking about this topic! Why?

 

In this episode, Shannon Crow, host of The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast and founder of Pelvic Health Professionals explores the topic of bowel health. She explains how yoga and bowel health are connected and some of the common things that can go wrong with our bowel health and function. Shannon also shares snippets of a live call from the Pelvic Health Professionals membership with Michelle Lyons, a physiotherapist, yoga, pilates and mindfulness teacher, and nutrition and health coach specializing in pelvic health with a whole-person approach.

 

This episode is a must-listen for everyone - because bowel health and function affects us all!

 

Key Takeaways:

[4:38] Shannon's getting personal on this episode to talk about a topic not many people are comfortable with - poop!

[5:52] How are yoga and bowel health connected? Shannon shares a clip from an interview with Michelle Lyons who spoke about bowel health in Pelvic Health Professionals.

[11:01] Shannon invites you to bring your awareness to your bowel health in your next yoga session. She walks us through a couple of yoga poses to help with that.

[13:32] The kind of toilet you use may impact your bowel health. Shannon shares some tips on how to bring ease to pooping.

[15:13] Shannon pops in with a conversation with a fellow connected yoga teacher about OfferingTree.

[17:56] The breath can have a huge impact on bowel health!

[19:00] Hormonal changes can impact bowel health and bowel function as well.

[22:59] Yoga helps with stress management and brings people into a state of rest and digest. This can impact bowel health positively.

[23:54] Michelle covered a lot of different aspects of bowel health and function inside Pelvic Health Professionals!

[26:34] Shannon highlights some of the upcoming topics for calls in Pelvic Health Professionals.

[28:52] We need to normalize talking about bowel health!

 

Links:

 

Gratitude to our Sponsor, OfferingTree and Pelvic Health Professionals.

 

Quotes from this episode:

"One of the ways that yoga can really help is by bringing attention to the breath. And we know that breathing is absolutely essential for good pelvic floor muscle function." - Michelle

 

"Yoga and breathing and mindfulness and gentle movement in general, all of these have the ability to tone the vagus nerve." - Michelle

 

"Good bowel health is really when you don't have to think about it." - Michelle

 

"Generally bowel dysfunction, we can break down into three categories: either you can't keep stuff in, you can't get stuff out, or it hurts." - Michelle

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