Five years into teaching, I realized I was sounding just like one of my mentors—same words, same tone, same everything. It made me wonder: who am I as a teacher when I’m not imitating someone else?

In this episode, we’re diving into Phase Two of the Yoga Teacher Success Timeline: the Identity Formation Zone. This is where you’ve moved past the overwhelm of Phase One and into regular teaching—but still feel like an imposter.

We’ll unpack:

• Why imposter syndrome can be a sign of growth.
• How to set clear boundaries with students.
• Ways to streamline your planning using the S.E.R.V.E. Method.
• Tips for building a niche and marketing yourself authentically.

Phase Two is all about finding your voice, teaching with confidence, and laying the foundation for a sustainable career. Let’s navigate it together.

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, continuing education workshops and 300/500-hour teacher training programs, and my many books for yoga teachers. It's all at sagerountree.com.

Teaching yoga in a big space with dozens of students can be daunting—how do you connect with everyone and keep the class flowing? In this episode, I share practical strategies for managing large rooms so every student feels included. You’ll learn how to set up your space, move with intention, project your voice, and adapt to challenges without losing your connection to the whole group. These tips will help you feel confident in any teaching setting, whether you’re leading a festival crowd, a sports team, or a packed studio class.

We’ll cover:

• Pre-class space setup for maximum flow and accessibility
• Using voice, movement, and visual cues to connect with the whole room
• Strategies for handling technical issues and distractions
• Creating a sense of intimacy in a large group
• Simple habits to refine your space management skills over time

If you’ve ever wished for a toolkit to make big classes feel intimate and connected, this episode is for you!

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, continuing education workshops and 300/500-hour teacher training programs, and my many books for yoga teachers. It's all at sagerountree.com.

If you’ve ever found yourself spending hours on Sunday night scrolling Instagram for yoga class ideas, this episode is for you. I share the real struggle teachers face with planning: the overwhelm, the blank-page anxiety, or the temptation to just wing it.

After 20+ years of teaching, I’ve discovered that the most successful teachers aren’t the most creative or the most flexible. They’re the ones who reliably deliver balanced classes week after week. That’s why I created the Yoga Class Prep Station: a resource designed to end the Sunday night scramble once and for all.

In this episode, I walk you through what the Prep Station offers—from the Movement Library to the monthly yoga snacks, theme seeds, and live calls—and how it follows the S.E.R.V.E. Method in bite-sized, practical ways.

You’ll also hear how the Prep Station differs from my deeper mentorship program, Mastering the Art of Yoga Sequencing, and why both exist to serve you at different points in your teaching journey.

By the end, you’ll see that great teaching isn’t about reinventing the wheel every week. It’s about being consistent, reliable, and nourished as a teacher. The Prep Station gives you the tools to do just that.

Pull up a seat at the counter: Join the Prep Station here!

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, continuing education workshops and 300/500-hour teacher training programs, and my many books for yoga teachers. It's all at sagerountree.com.

Teaching private yoga lessons can be one of the most rewarding parts of your teaching career—both financially and in the depth of connection you create. But finding clients who truly value your teaching can be a challenge.

In this episode, I share exactly how I’ve built a roster of private clients who commit to regular sessions, respect my expertise, and pay my full rate without constant negotiation. You’ll learn how to identify your ideal clients, where to find them, how to communicate your value, and how to turn first-time students into long-term teaching relationships.

Whether you’re just exploring private teaching or ready to upgrade your current client list, these strategies will help you create a sustainable, fulfilling private teaching practice that honors your expertise and supports your business.

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, continuing education workshops and 300/500-hour teacher training programs, and my many books for yoga teachers. It's all at sagerountree.com.

What makes students keep coming back to your classes? It’s not just your cueing or sequencing—it’s the sense of connection you cultivate.

In this episode, I break down the art of building community in your yoga classes—not in a forced, overly social way, but in a grounded, intentional way that supports all types of students. You’ll learn what to do before, during, and after class to foster belonging, how to navigate common challenges like oversharing or cliques, and how to hold strong boundaries while still creating connection.

You don’t need to be an extrovert to lead a welcoming, connected class. Whether you’re teaching regulars, athletes, or a one-off workshop, these techniques will help your students feel like they belong—and help you feel more confident and fulfilled as a teacher.

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, continuing education workshops and 300/500-hour teacher training programs, and my many books for yoga teachers. It's all at sagerountree.com.

You finished your 200-hour training, certificate in hand . . . but your class plan is blank and your brain is fried. Sound familiar?

In this episode, I walk you through Phase 1 of the Yoga Teacher Success Timeline: what I call post-training overwhelm. It’s that panicky season where you feel like you should be ready, but instead, you’re second-guessing every pose, bouncing between over-planning and winging it, and constantly reinventing sequences that never seem to stick.

I’ll share:

• The most common symptoms of Phase 1 (and why they’re totally normal)
• The one mistake that keeps new teachers stuck for years
• Why teaching the same sequence multiple times isn’t lazy—it’s liberating
• How the 6-4-2 Framework cuts your planning time in half
• What it really means to build confidence as a yoga teacher

If you’re tired of feeling like your training didn’t actually prepare you for real-life teaching, you’re not alone—and you’re not failing. You’re just in Phase 1. And this episode is here to help you move through it consciously and confidently.

For more support, check out Mastering the Art of Yoga Sequencing, my mentorship program where we turn the overwhelm into a steady, adaptable system you can grow with.

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, continuing education workshops and 300/500-hour teacher training programs, and my many books for yoga teachers. It's all at sagerountree.com.

“I’ve been teaching for years and I still feel like I’m faking it.”

If that sounds familiar, I'm here to reassure you: you’re not alone, and you’re not behind.

In this episode, I share the Yoga Teacher Success Timeline, a five-phase framework that helps you name where you are in your growth as a yoga teacher—and understand what’s coming next.

Whether you’re fresh out of teacher training or you’ve been leading classes for years, this roadmap gives you language, perspective, and permission. You’ll learn:

• The five distinct phases yoga teachers move through
• Why it’s completely normal to revisit early phases again and again
• The most common mistake that keeps teachers stuck
• How to build a class around what you already know how to teach
• A free resource that helps you move forward with more ease and confidence

🎧 Plus, I’ll share one practical homework assignment to help you apply this right away.

Links from the episode:

→ Join the free mini course: Fundamentals of Confident Teaching

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, continuing education workshops and 300/500-hour teacher training programs, and my many books for yoga teachers. It's all at sagerountree.com.

What if the secret to confidence wasn’t doing something new—but doing the same thing, over and over again?

In this episode, I talk with Nyisha Rylander, who teaches yoga in three very different contexts on the island of Kauai: at a local gym with regular students, at resorts with one-time guests, and online as part of her health coaching business. You’ll hear how she used one master sequence—what she calls her “resort yoga”—as a template that built her fluency and freed up her attention for her students.

We talk about how her planning process has evolved, how she overcame the impulse to change everything all the time, and what finally clicked to help her feel like a real teacher instead of just an instructor.

You’ll also hear how being part of my mentorship program, Mastering the Art of Yoga Sequencing (MMM), gave her structure, inspiration, and access to a community of fellow teachers walking the same path.

If you’re a new teacher, a part-time teacher, or someone transitioning between platforms, this conversation will remind you that confidence comes not from complexity—but from clarity and consistency.

In this episode:

• How Nyisha moved from cosmetology to yoga teaching in a pandemic pivot
• What changed when she taught the same class repeatedly to new students
• How she built a personal practice library and online video platform
• The value of vignettes, structure, and learning to trust your memory
• How MMM gave her tools and support for sustainable growth
• Why repetition isn’t just okay—it’s the path to creative, embodied teaching

Links:

• Mastering the Art of Yoga Sequencing (MMM): https://sagerountree.com/mentorship
• Nyisha’s website: https://nyishayogakauai.com
• Nyisha's podcast: Sacred Souls

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, continuing education workshops and 300/500-hour teacher training programs, and my many books for yoga teachers. It's all at sagerountree.com.