Feeling burnt out as a yoga teacher? You’re not alone. Teaching yoga is rewarding, but it can also be draining if we don’t care for ourselves. In this episode, I explore what burnout looks like, where it comes from, and, most importantly, how to manage it so you can find joy in teaching again.

Chapters:

1.[00:00:00] Introduction to Burnout

I explain why burnout is common among yoga teachers and how to identify its signs.

2.[00:00:33] Burnout vs. Nerves

Learn how to differentiate between healthy pre-class jitters and true burnout.

3.[00:02:03] What Stress and Rest Teach Us

Lessons from exercise physiology about balancing effort and recovery and how this applies to your teaching.

4.[00:05:56] Tips for Managing Burnout

Discover practical strategies for self-care, building consistency, and setting boundaries in your schedule.

5.[00:07:26] Structuring Your Teaching Schedule

Smart scheduling and optimizing your classes can help prevent burnout.

6.[00:11:03] Streamlining Systems for Longevity

Learn how simplifying your teaching process can help preserve energy and keep you inspired.

7.[00:18:13] Affirmation: I Refill My Well

Use this affirmation to remind yourself of the importance of self-care and balance.

👉 Ready to reclaim your energy and joy in teaching? Check out my books and mentorship program to support your teaching journey:

• The Art of Yoga Sequencing

• The Workshop Workbook

• The Athlete’s Guide to Recovery

• Mastering The Art of Yoga Sequencing Mentorship Membership

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

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Want to become (almost) everyone's favorite yoga teacher? Explore my continuing education workshops and 300/500-hour teacher training programs. It's all at sagerountree.com.

Your yoga class isn’t a monologue—it’s a conversation. While you only get to hear your side of it, your students hear both. Becoming a great yoga teacher means giving them the time and space to contribute their side of the conversation, even if it’s silent.

In this episode, I explain how teaching yoga is about fostering connection—even when you can’t hear the other side of the dialogue.

Chapters:

1.[00:00:00] Teaching Yoga Is a Conversation

I share why your yoga class is more than just you giving cues—it’s about fostering a two-way connection.

2.[00:01:26] Hearing Only One Side

Here’s how to understand and embrace the one-sided nature of teaching yoga.

3.[00:04:36] How to Be a Good Conversationalist

Practical ways to make your teaching feel more connected, even when students don’t speak aloud.

4.[00:06:45] Listening Before and After Class

Your students’ voices matter! I explain why listening to them outside of class is just as important as giving cues during it.

5.[00:07:33] Affirmation: I Am in a Healthy Relationship with My Students

Use this affirmation to remind yourself to prioritize connection and care in your teaching.

Resources Mentioned:

•Teaching Yoga Beyond the Poses, Volume 2 (coming March 2025—preorder now!)

•The Art of Yoga Sequencing

•Free Email Course on Workshops

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

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Want to become (almost) everyone's favorite yoga teacher? Explore my continuing education workshops and 300/500-hour teacher training programs. It's all at sagerountree.com.

What if your nerves are actually a good thing for your yoga teaching? When you shift your thinking to appreciate how much you care about yoga and your students, nerves can be a secret key to confident yoga teaching!

In this episode of Yoga Teacher Confidential, Sage Rountree shares how to reframe nerves as an ally, not an obstacle. She offers strategies for overcoming imposter syndrome, defining your role as a yoga teacher, and finding confidence in every class you teach. Listen for actionable tips to help you move from self-doubt to self-assurance in the yoga studio!

Chapters:

1. Welcome (0:00): Why imposter syndrome affects so many yoga teachers
2. Understanding Imposter Syndrome (2:15): What it is, why it happens, and how it might actually help you grow
3. Mindset Shifts (6:40): Actionable steps to overcome self-doubt and find your confidence
4. Practical Tips (11:20): Strategies to teach from authenticity and build trust with your students
5. Closing Thoughts (16:10): Recap and affirmation to help you grow as a confident yoga teacher

Links:

• Get Sage’s greatest-hits lesson plan

• Teaching Yoga to Athletes online course with private podcast

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

• Instagram
• Facebook
• Threads
• Bluesky
• Pinterest

Want to become (almost) everyone's favorite yoga teacher? Explore my continuing education workshops and 300/500-hour teacher training programs. It's all at sagerountree.com.

Life as a yoga teacher can feel like a grind, but workshops can change that.

Whether you’re a fresh graduate of your 200-hour training or a seasoned teacher, a workshop is a smart next choice for your yoga career. Leading a yoga workshop can elevate your teaching, solve your students’ problems, and build your confidence.

Listen to hear:

• Why workshops are essential for building confidence and teaching your niche
• How workshops can deepen your students’ yoga practice and loyalty
• The difference between workshops and weekly classes
• How to use feedback to improve future workshops

Introduction (0:00): Why workshops are the perfect next step for yoga teachers.

Workshops Build Confidence (1:00): How leading workshops can help you hone your niche and feel secure in your teaching.

Workshops Test Ideas (3:00): Experimenting with low-commitment content to solve specific problems.

Workshops Can Happen Online (4:43): Expanding the definition of workshops beyond in-person formats.

Workshops Are Like Movies (5:02): Delivering deep, impactful experiences compared to weekly yoga classes.

Stories: Good and Bad (7:30): Lessons I learned from teaching workshops early in my career.

Collect Feedback (12:58): Why gathering feedback is key to improving and iterating workshops.

Give Clear Takeaways (14:24): The importance of providing actionable solutions for your students.

Help Your Students Better (15:43): How workshops support students’ growth and problem-solving.

Scaling Your Career (17:00): Using workshops to diversify your income and teaching impact.

How to Get Started: Resources (17:13): Free and paid tools to help you plan and promote workshops.

Affirmation (18:46): “I help students solve problems with yoga.”

Mentioned resources:

📧 Free 5-Lesson Email Course: Learn how to design and lead your first workshop

📘 Workshop Workbook: The ultimate guide to creating, marketing, and improving yoga workshops

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

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• Threads
• Bluesky
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Want to become (almost) everyone's favorite yoga teacher? Explore my continuing education workshops and 300/500-hour teacher training programs. It's all at sagerountree.com.

Life is hard—but how we show up for our students in difficult times can make all the difference. In this episode, I talk about ways to create a consistent, supportive space for yoga students during tough times—for them, or for us as teachers.

Chapters:

Introduction (0:00): Welcome to today’s episode, exploring how yoga teachers can support students during difficult times.

Challenges of Showing Up in Hard Times (0:49): Teaching during national and global tragedies and navigating collective grief.

Consistency and Ritual for Students in Grief (2:03): The stabilizing power of ritual and how to create a dependable class structure.

Maintaining Clean Energy and Showing Up (5:26): Holding space with care and consistency, even in challenging circumstances.

Personal Story: Teaching During a Family Crisis (7:52): I share experiences balancing personal grief and professional responsibilities.

Nothing Lets Go Unless It Feels Supported (14:01): The importance of support in creating space for emotional release.

The Importance of a Go-To Class Plan (18:45): Why every yoga teacher needs a reliable, adaptable lesson plan for tough days.

Conclusion and Affirmation (21:10): Centering students’ agency with the affirmation: “I hold the space with sympathy and clean energy.”

Additional Resources

Get my go-to lesson plan for challenging days: Greatest Hits Back-Pocket Lesson Plan

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

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Want to become (almost) everyone's favorite yoga teacher? Explore my continuing education workshops and 300/500-hour teacher training programs. It's all at sagerountree.com.

Ever looked out during a yoga class and thought, “Why do my students look so disengaged? They must be hating this!” Good news: those blank faces are often a sign of deep connection—not disinterest.

Let's have a frank conversation about the often misunderstood signals yoga teachers receive from their students during class. You'll hear why blank expressions, furrowed brows, and even sleepy faces could be indicators of a truly engaged, introspective practice—signs that you are doing your job right.

I'll help you embrace the quiet, counterintuitive signs of a successful yoga class, freeing yourself from the need to entertain or seek outward validation. Learn to recognize that true connection in yoga is often subtle and inward.

You’ll hear how:

• Students’ expressions in yoga often don’t reflect disengagement; they signal deep personal connection.

• In yoga, unlike in academic or high-intensity fitness classes, students don’t need to actively respond or engage with the instructor.

• Quiet faces, even sleepy ones, often mean students are having an inward experience, processing their practice.

• Focusing on your students’ journey rather than outward engagement frees you from the need to entertain and reinforces your role as a guide rather than the center of attention.

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

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• Bluesky
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Want to become (almost) everyone's favorite yoga teacher? Explore my continuing education workshops and 300/500-hour teacher training programs. It's all at sagerountree.com.

Are you spending too much time planning each yoga class? Changing your approach could benefit both you and your students! You’ll feel more relaxed, your students will grow better, and the entire experience will be more fun for everyone involved.

In this episode we explore the importance of consistency over variety when planning yoga classes. I'll walk you through some basics of exercise physiology to demonstrate how consistent sequencing not only enhances learning but also deepens students’ connection to the practice. Plus, I share practical ways to simplify class planning, keeping it fresh without losing the grounding benefits of a consistent container.

You'll Learn:

• Why too much variety can hinder student growth and engagement

• How exercise physiology principles, like specificity and progressive overload, apply to yoga teaching

• Ways to shift focus from your own performance to student-centered teaching, so you feel more confident in your yoga class and your students feel more consistent

• Practical strategies to build consistency while reducing class prep time

• Benefits of a more consistent class structure for students’ nervous systems and learning

Tune in to learn how a few small adjustments can elevate your teaching, build your students’ confidence, and save you time.

Resources Mentioned:

• The Art of Yoga Sequencing

• The Athlete’s Guide to Recovery (2nd edition)

• Yoga Journal article on common yoga teaching mistakes: https://www.yogajournal.com/teach/yoga-sequences/

• Download Sage’s Greatest Hits Lesson Plan

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

• Instagram
• Facebook
• Threads
• Bluesky
• Pinterest

Want to become (almost) everyone's favorite yoga teacher? Explore my continuing education workshops and 300/500-hour teacher training programs. It's all at sagerountree.com.

Did you know confidence as a yoga teacher is a skill you can build? It’s true—confidence isn’t an innate trait; it’s a skill developed over time, through practice, and by addressing the self-limiting beliefs that hold us back. In this episode I welcome Karen Fabian, an expert in helping yoga teachers identify and overcome the mental barriers that impact their teaching presence. If you’ve ever struggled with imposter syndrome or worried about “getting it right” in front of your students, this conversation offers practical strategies to empower you as a teacher.

What You’ll Learn:

1. Confidence-Building Practices: Karen shares insights into how yoga teachers can cultivate genuine confidence in the classroom, focusing on mindset shifts rather than just memorizing sequences.
2. Recognizing and Addressing Imposter Syndrome: Imposter syndrome is a common experience for yoga teachers, and Karen explains how to recognize when it arises and how to reframe those limiting beliefs.
3. Teaching from What You Know vs. What You’re Told: Teaching authentically from what you know rather than repeating what others have said can significantly boost confidence and resonate better with your students.
4. Simple Techniques to Cultivate Growth: From creating a “signature sequence” to practicing small mindset shifts, Karen offers specific techniques for developing a growth mindset in yoga teaching.

Key Takeaways:

• Confidence is a mindset that you can train through self-reflection, practice, and reframing negative beliefs.
• Mindset affects everything—from how you sequence your classes to how you respond when things don’t go as planned.
• Teach from what you know rather than trying to replicate someone else’s style; this authenticity connects more deeply with students. (Remember: as we covered in S1E2, you’re not Bryan!)
• Reflecting on imposter syndrome and self-doubt can be the first step to transforming these beliefs into sources of strength.

Listen to this episode to develop authentic confidence as a yoga teacher. Karen Fabian brings over 20 years of experience cultivating confidence in the classroom. Her suggestions will help you shed limiting beliefs and teach from a place of authenticity and presence.

Resources:

• Karen’s podcast, Conversations for Yoga Teachers
• Karen’s website, Bare Bones Yoga
• Karen on Instagram: @barebonesyoga

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

• Instagram
• Facebook
• Threads
• Bluesky
• Pinterest

Want to become (almost) everyone's favorite yoga teacher? Explore my continuing education workshops and 300/500-hour teacher training programs. It's all at sagerountree.com.