A vivid dream about teaching Spinning brought me face to face with something I've known for years but never quite articulated: teaching yoga is fundamentally different from every other kind of teaching I've done.

In this episode, I'm drawing on my background in Spinning instruction, university English literature, and public radio to show exactly where those skills help in the yoga room—and where they actively work against your students' experience. From the constant monologuing of radio to the performance energy of Spinning, I had to unlearn a lot to become an effective yoga teacher.

I'm also sharing the surprising overlaps—like helping students find comfort in their setup, using breath as an anchor, and navigating students' desire for intensity. These are transferable skills that serve you beautifully when you know how to adapt them.

If you've come to yoga teaching from fitness, academics, broadcasting, or any profession where you were trained to fill space and hold attention, this episode will help you identify the habits you're carrying and give you concrete steps to shift from performing to witnessing.

Listen now!

Want to become (almost) everyone's favorite yoga teacher? Get in the Zone at Comfort Zone Yoga, my virtual studio focused on teacher development. I have a ton of Sage advice in there for you—let's chat there!

For more insights, subscribe to Yoga Teacher Confidential, check out my YouTube channel, and follow me on socials:

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And come explore my mentorship program, my Yoga Class Prep Station membership, continuing education workshops and 300/500-hour teacher training programs, and my many books for yoga teachers. It's all at ...

Classes end in a variety of ways. Last episode, we talked about choosing to drop a class on your own terms. But what happens when the decision isn't yours?

Maybe the studio cut your class. Maybe an illness or injury forced you to step away. Maybe life circumstances made it impossible to keep showing up. This is a different kind of loss—and it deserves its own conversation.

I'm coming at this from both sides: over 20 years as a yoga teacher and 15 years as a yoga studio owner. I've had classes that didn't work out, and I've been on the other side of that conversation too. Studio ownership is hard, y'all.

In this episode, I'm walking through the different scenarios, validating the emotions that come with each one, offering reframes that might help, and sharing practical steps for moving forward. I'm also getting honest about what studio ownership looks like from the inside—because understanding the other perspective can take some of the sting away.

Listen now!

Want to become (almost) everyone's favorite yoga teacher? Get in the Zone at Comfort Zone Yoga, my virtual studio focused on teacher development. I have a ton of Sage advice in there for you—let's chat there!

For more insights, subscribe to Yoga Teacher Confidential, check out my YouTube channel, and follow me on socials:

• Instagram
• Facebook
• Threads
• Bluesky
• Pinterest

And come explore my mentorship program, my Yoga Class Prep Station membership, continuing education workshops and 300/500-hour teacher training programs, and my many books for yoga teachers. It's all at ...

I recently dropped a class I'd been teaching for nearly 23 years. Monday nights at 6 p.m.—since the literal day when the studio opened in 2004. Walking away from that class was one of the most bittersweet decisions I've ever made.

In this episode, I'm sharing the full story of how I came to that decision, along with the signs that it might be time for you to let go of a class: declining numbers, a gut sense that the chapter is complete, burnout, the math not adding up, or a change in your life circumstances.

I'm also sharing practical advice for walking away with grace—how to calculate your real hourly rate, how and when to tell your students (including the approach my friend Lisa recommended that worked beautifully), and what to do about the class after you leave.

Whether you've been teaching a class for two months or two decades, the process is the same: pay attention to the signs, trust your gut, and give yourself permission to make a change.

Listen now!

Want to become (almost) everyone's favorite yoga teacher? Get in the Zone at Comfort Zone Yoga, my virtual studio focused on teacher development. I have a ton of Sage advice in there for you—let's chat there!

For more insights, subscribe to Yoga Teacher Confidential, check out my YouTube channel, and follow me on socials:

• Instagram
• Facebook
• Threads
• Bluesky
• Pinterest

And come explore my mentorship program, my Yoga Class Prep Station membership, continuing education workshops and 300/500-hour teacher training programs, and my many books for yoga teachers. It's all at ...