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Handstand Vinyasa Sequence PDF

Yoga Class Sequence Toward Handstand

By Yoga Asana, Yoga Teachers

One of the greatest gifts of being a yoga teacher is being able to provide an experience that shifts someoneā€™s mindset and mood in a positive way.

Iā€™ve taught classes on some ā€œheavyā€ days over the years where emotions are high and you can feel that students are craving some type of relief from whatever it is theyā€™re carrying.

My favorite way to do that?

Teach a handstand class.

Thereā€™s honestly almost nothing more fun than leading a group of adults through a class that flips them upside down and has them acting like kids again. Itā€™s immediately uplifting to the spirit and it recharges the energy. Thatā€™s exactly what a handstand class does.

I definitely recommend practicing this at the wall. And, depending on the level of students you have, leading them through L-shaped handstand using the wall first is a great way to get everyone upside down, while still keeping your class accessible.

The key with this big post is to create a sequence that focuses on a lot of shoulder and side body opening while incorporating core integration and straight leg poses.

I keep a handstand class in my mental back pocket at all times so if I ever need to teach a fun class last minute, I always have one ready.

Have fun and let me know how it goes!

Puttering/Warm-Up:

  • High lunge with hooked thumbs
  • Low Lunge Twist
  • Modified Parsvottanasana (use blocks!)
  • Tadasana with Gomukhasana Arms

Sun Salutations:

  • 3-4 Rounds

Standing Poses:

  • Warrior 2
  • Triangle Pose
  • Extended Side Angle (with hand outside of the ankle)
  • Ardha Chandrasana
  • Warrior 1
  • Parsvotanasana

Balancing Poses:

  • Tree Pose
  • Standing Split

Twist Pose:

  • Revolved Triangle

Peak Pose:

  • Handstand

Wind Down Poses:

  • Wheel
  • Reclined Spinal Twist
  • Happy Baby

Savasana

If you enjoyed this sequence, enter your email below for a FREE starter kit on building vinyasa yoga classes!

Also, be sure to follow us on @yogarenewteachertraining + @kate.lombardo!

Athletic human stretching

3 Strength Yoga Poses

By Yoga

As movement practitioners who lead busy lives, sometimes we are faced with a decision to tend to our Yoga practice or our strength workouts. Now, I am a firm believer in that itā€™s beneficial to treat each modality as their own, but sometimes it works out to hit two birds with one stone. Certain styles of yoga inherently challenge oneā€™s strength when done with good alignment and attention to form. However, there are particular postures which are especially helpful in maintaining or building strength. When I refer to strength I am mostly referring to muscular endurance strength, as building pure muscle strength or size would require larger external loads after a certain point.

1. Plank (Sanskrit: Phalakasana)

Woman in plank pose

Plank is an excellent strength posture which works the full body. Typically when we refer to plank in Yoga itā€™s a high plank on the hands, but you can incorporate forearm planks which may be challenging in a different way.

How to:

  • Plank with proper form requires a spreading of the shoulder blades (different from a rounding of the shoulder blades), the front ribs moving towards the spine, the hips more or less in line with the shoulders, and active quads.
  • The heels of the feet should be stacked above the balls of the feet.
  • To make this more of a strength exercise as opposed to a transition pose, extend the hold time of your plank. You can start by getting a baseline for yourself by holding a plank till failure, and then incrementally build upon that time.

2. Side Plank (Sanskrit: Vasisthasana)

Woman in Side Plank

When youā€™re in side plank, the bottom hip lifts up and strengthens to support the rest of your frame. Like plank, traditional side plank is on the palm (and full vasisthasana has the top leg lifted with the top arm by yogi toe lock). Since we are focusing more on the strength aspect of this posture, I recommend coming down to the forearm to create more stability in the shoulder.

General side plank alignments points are as follows:

  • The shoulders stack one on top of the other with the collarbones broad.
  • Draw the front ribs towards the spine and the sacrum towards the pubis.
  • The thighs are firm and the feet are stacked with toes spread.

Holding side plank will absolutely challenge your strength and extending the hold times can increase the capacity with which your body can withstand the posture. To challenge yourself further, try lifting the top leg and either holding, or lifting and lowering the top leg for 5-8 repetitions.

3. Boat (Sanskrit: Navasana)

Woman in Boat Pose

Boat is a wonderful posture to work on oneā€™s strength as the ā€œlow boatā€ or ā€œhalf boatā€ is essentially a hollow hold. It should be emphasized that while holding poses or positions will not take you to the heights of your fitness capabilities done alone, extending hold times trains our bodies to expand its capacity to deal with stress.

Points of alignment:

  • For boat, the sit bones are grounded with the legs either fully extended or bent with the shins parallel to the ground
  • The toes are spread and the back is more or less straight (no arched lower back)
  • The arms are reaching forward (traditional boat connects the hands to the feet by yogi toe lock).

For low/half boat:

  • The legs are lowered and extended forward with the thighs firm and toes spread.
  • The back is lowered to the ground with the tops of the shoulders and the head lifted.
  • The arms are reaching forward. *To make it more challenging, you can take the arms straight up or over the head.

There are so many poses (and variations) which can challenge your strength. Holding poses is just one way to work on your strength in a super simple (not necessarily easy to do though) way. Another way to challenge your strength is by adding external load (sometimes even a block will do) or incorporating repetitions of a particular exercise, such as going from low boat to high boat or turning your lunges into split squats. Again, I think itā€™s necessary to emphasize that both modalities should be treated as their own if you wish to effectively build strength and practice Yoga, but there are absolutely ways in which the two intersect and ways to customize to work with your life.

Locust Pose Sequence PDF

Yoga Class Sequence Building to Salabhasana

By Yoga Asana, Yoga Teachers

Salabhasana, aka Locust Pose, is a prone backbend meaning the pose is practiced lying flat on the belly. Generally speaking, backbends are energizing and uplifting. They tone and stretch the spine, shoulders, and upper back while opening the chest. Salabhasana is a great backbend to work on with beginners because it doesnā€™t require weight bearing on the hands and arms and there are multiple modifications available for practice.

A few of the essential actions in Salabhasana, which are the basic actions that are needed to perform the pose, include pressing the tailbone towards the floor and extending it towards the heels, lifting the inner thighs and stretching the legs, reaching the arms back and upwards, lengthening and lifting the abdomen, chest, and head. These actions are essential to maintain the integrity of the shape, but equally important when practicing this pose is to breathe deeply, relax the face and throat, and release unnecessary tension. This is the essence of Yoga Sutra 2.46 – Sthira Sukham Asanam – the pose should be a balance of effort and ease. Backbends, like Salabhasana, typically require a lot of physical effort to practice. With that effort could come strain, tension, or gripping. The work is to keep the effort while stripping away any undue gripping or tension that doesnā€™t assist the shape. Every pose has a different formula between effort and ease and when you find it there is a sense of peacefulness and equanimity that washes over the body and mind of the practitioner.

In this sequence, we start by preparing the body for backbends with poses that open the chest and back, increase shoulder mobility, and lengthen the psoas and fronts of the thighs. Standing Poses like Crescent Lunge, Warrior 1, and Warrior 3, shoulder openers like Parvartasana and Gomukhasana in Virasana, and psoas exercises are essential to this sequence in preparation for Salabhasana. We conclude with poses that help pacify the spine and quiet the mind leading us towards Savasana. Poses like Bharadvajasana, Childā€™s Pose, Supta Padangusthasana, and Halasana help wind us down.

We know that backbends are invigorating and exhilarating. Having a proper wind down after practicing backbends will ensure that our mind and body move from a Rajasic (active) state to a Sattvic (harmonious) state. After taking class you should feel vibrant and light.

Give it a try and let us know how it goes! To catch a few video clips of this sequence in action follow @patrickfrancojr and @yogarenewteachertraining on Instagram.

And, if you want more in-depth vinyasa sequences like this along with teaching notes + tips on how to cue them, enter your email below to grab our FREE guide:

Puttering/Warm-Up:

  • Virasana w/ Parvatasana
  • Virasana w/ Gomukhasana Arms
  • Downward Dog
  • Crescent Lunge

Sun Salutations:

  • 3-4 Rounds

Standing Poses:

  • Trikonasana
  • Extended Side Angle
  • Warrior 1
  • Utkatasana with Interlaced Palms Behind Back
  • Prasarita Padottanasana C

Balance Pose:

  • Warrior 3

Twist Pose:

  • Revolved Triangle

Prep Pose:

  • Supta Virasana

Peak Pose:

  • Salabhasana

Seated Poses:

  • Childā€™s Pose
  • Bharadvajasana

Wind Down Poses:

  • Supta Padangusthasana
  • Halasana

Savasana

 

4 Tips for Teaching Yin Yoga

By Yoga, Yoga Teachers

In this video, Kate Lombardo shares her personal introduction to the practice of yin yoga. After falling in love with it, she made it a point to develop a yin teacher training… but first she wants to shed light on some helpful tips she learned along the way.

Tip #1: Explain to your students what yin is

Many students may not be familiar with the practice yet ā€” and that’s okay! That’s what you’re there for; holding space for them and able to speak on why people practice yin yoga. Giving an explanation of what students can expect in a yin class is a great way to get them comfortable with the practice and hopefully returning.

One good point to focus on is that it mainly differs from other types of yoga classes in the sense that poses are held a bit longer. If you don’t explain what’s going to happen throughout class, students may be confused when there isn’t as much of a flow happening. On the inverse, students who are regularly familiar with yin but have never taken a class with you will probably also appreciate being debriefed on what to expect in your class specifically.

Key points about yin yoga:

  • Poses are held anywhere from 5-7 minutes
  • Targets the connective tissues (fascia) of the body
  • Is a practice designed to find stillness
  • Engages the body to quiet the mind

Tip #2: Find a balance between silence & guiding

Work on finding a balance between speaking and guiding students. It’s beneficial to any yoga practice to allow students the time and space to notice how the practice feels for them and how the poses feel for their personal body. Unlike a vinyasa class, during a yin yoga class silence can create comfort as students adjust and find a space comfortable for them while being in such deep postures.

Tip #3: Create a comfortable environment

Music, lighting, temperature… these are all things that matter when setting up an environment that feels inviting, safe and comfortable for students. Remember, they most likely came to a yin class to find the stillness, peace and stress relief a yin yoga class offers. If you’re not guiding students as to which props to use, how to use them, and aren’t focused on creating a calm environment for them, they may be turned off to the practice completely. If you notice the ambiance of the room, your students are noticing it, too.

Tip #4: Be a little ‘hands-off’

Let your students find the practice in their own way… meaning, let them determine their own experience with the practice. You are simply a facilitator. This not only empowers students and makes them feel like they accomplished squashing their stress and getting a good workout in, but it allows them to feel like they received a one-on-one experience. The more space you can give students to explore the practice on their own, the more intimate of a relationship they’ll have with the class.

If you’ve enjoyed Kate’s chat, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel with more content like this! As always, sign up for our newsletter if you are interested in becoming a yoga instructor yourself.

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Vinyasa Yoga Sequence PDF download for Vashistasana (Side Plank)

Vashistasana (Side Plank) Sequence

By Yoga Teachers

Full Vashistasana, or side plank, is a pose that encapsulates the give and take of the yoga practice. It requires an embracing of strength and stretch and finding the balance in the pose comes from both effort and ease. With too much focus on strength and effort, it becomes difficult to lift the leg and open the heart. But, if all the focus is on the lengthening then holding the pose on one arm and one leg become impossible.

Creating a sequence for this class should focus on helping students to build familiarity with integrating the muscles of the body in towards the center line and also opening the shoulders and the hamstrings to allow for the lift of the leg.

The key is making sure that you visit side plank a few times in class while also not doing it so often that students become exhausted before you have a chance to teach your peak. Replacing chaturanga a few times with side plank in between your rounds of standing poses is a good way to achieve this.

As with any peak pose, itā€™s also important to offer steps along the wayā€“ staying with the top leg in a tree pose position in side plank or simply lifting the leg without reaching for the foot are great options for this.

The use of a strap can also be helpful ifā€“ and this is a big ifā€“ you are able to successfully demo how to use it. Sometimes that can get a little clunky and actually be more hurtful than helpful. In that case, staying with a tree pose leg is the way to go.

Puttering/Warm-Up:

  • Supta Padhagustasana
  • Supported Side Plank
  • Low Lunge Twist
  • Prasarita Padattonasana

Sun Salutations:

  • 3-4 Rounds

Standing Poses:

  • Warrior 2
  • Triangle Pose
  • Ardha Chandrasana
  • Warrior 3

Balance Pose:

  • Tree Pose
  • Padaghustasana B

Twist Pose:

Revolved Triangle Pose

Peak Pose: Vashisthasana (Side Plank)

Wind Down Poses:

  • Uppavistha Konasana
  • Paschimottanasana
  • Bridge
  • Recline Spinal Twist

Savasana

Give it a try and let us know how it goes! To catch a few video clips of this sequence in action follow @kate.lombardo and @yogarenewteachertraining on Instagram.

And, if you want more in-depth vinyasa sequences like this along with teaching notes + tips on how to cue them, enter your email below to grab our FREE guide:

Yin Yoga Teacher Training instructor, Kate Lombardo

Ever Hear of Fascia?

By Yoga

The more you study yoga and the more you inevitably study topics like anatomy, alignment, muscles, tissues, and all things body-related. During these studies, youā€™re bound to come across the topic of fascia tissue. When I did my first Yin Yoga Teacher Training, I was totally obsessed with learning about fascia tissue and wondered why I hadnā€™t studied it more in the past. Itā€™s often understood as the connective tissue in our bodies, but itā€™s so much more!

Like almost everything else in the practice of yoga, this fibrous network goes beyond being only about connection. As you dive into the deeper study of fascia, it relates to so many other concepts within the mind and body and hope you move through this world.

The first time a teacher described fascia to me, they compared it to ā€œthat white stuffā€ you see when you peel an orange. Itā€™s what keeps the fruit connected, but itā€™s not something everyone thinks about when they think of an orange. In your body, fascia is like the thread that interlaces through every fiber of muscle, every pivot of bone, every whisper of nerve, and every thrumming organ. With its fibrous collagen, its resilient elastin, and its nurturing gel-like matrix, fascia is the perfect blend of strength and vulnerability. It has a dual role of both supporter and facilitator within your body.

What exactly is fascia?

Fascia is an ongoing, continuous web of connective tissue that surrounds and supports every muscle, bone, nerve, blood vessel, and organ to the cellular level. Fascia is this super-thin, tough layer that wraps around all your muscles and bones. It helps keep everything in place and allows you to move, bend, and play without your insides getting all jumbled up. It’s really important because it serves as the connector to all the different parts inside of you and makes sure they work well together.

Why is fascia important in the yoga asana practice?

When you perform yoga asanas (postures), you’re not just stretching muscles; you’re also stretching and stimulating the fascia. Healthy fascia is elastic and resilient, so a regular yoga practice helps maintain its suppleness. This can lead to increased flexibility, improved range of motion, and a feeling of openness in the body. Doesnā€™t that sound amazing?

Yoga also encourages the mind-body connection through the practice. When you move mindfully, it may lead to a more nuanced perception of the bodyā€™s internal state. Since fascia is rich in nerve endings, it may play a role in proprioception (the sense of the relative position of one’s own parts of the body) and interoception (the sense of the internal state of the body). Yoga enhances this connection and awareness, which can, in turn, lead to better engagement and training of the fascial system.

What about trauma?

If you dig into the study of fascia, you are bound to come up with the connection it has to trauma. Yoga teaches us that every experience in life gets stored somewhere in the body. Fascia is thought to hold tension and trauma, both physically and emotionally. When fascial tension is released, it can sometimes help process and release emotional tension. Yin yoga specifically focuses on this concept and this practice.

What about flow?

In a vinyasa yoga class, there is more of a ā€œflowā€ component to the practice than in other styles of yoga. You move from asana to asana in a more fluid way and also connect more deeply to the breath syncing with the movement. The quality of flow in yoga movements is similar to the quality of a healthy fascial system. A well-maintained fascial network allows for smooth, gliding movements of muscles and joints, which is something that regular vinyasa yoga practice can enhance.

Injury and Recovery

Regular movement, like a regular yoga practice, can help maintain fascial health, which is essential for injury prevention. When fascia is not well-maintained, it becomes dehydrated, stiff, or sticky. This can lead to a higher risk of injury. Yoga, and overall movement, can help keep the fascia and the body less prone to injury. When the fascia is well-maintained, recovery time from injuries may be shorter.

The Subtle Body

Through the study of the subtle body in yoga, you learn about the existence of channels of energy, or nadis, within the body. Some teachers Iā€™ve had have suggested that fascia may correlate with these pathways because fascia penetrates all regions of the body. When you study the chakras, you also come to understand that some energetic blockages can cause physical blockages and vice versa. If the fascia tissue is healthy and well-maintained, it may be easier to move through blockages and create a better energetic flow throughout the body.

When the subtle body is in alignment, it may lead to more clarity, better decision making, deeper connections in relationships, and an overall healthier sense of self and feelings of wellbeing. As practitioners of yoga, weā€™re always learning how to connect the subtle body with the physical body and itā€™s so interesting how the fascia tissue can help support that connection.

Fascia as a Pathway to Awareness

As you aim to understand the landscape of your inner self, your perspective may shift from simply acknowledging the body’s mechanical nature to embracing its sentient capabilities. You may begin to notice the subtle cues of tightness or the signals of moving out of harmony and ease. When youā€™re aware that this fascia tissue is everywhere and that itā€™s one of the keys to healthy movement and awareness, it can help deepen your overall connection to yourself.

Itā€™s so elegant!

Fascia is kind of like your body’s clever designer. It intricately layers itself from the outermost sheath that entwines nerves and blood vessels to the deeper fibrous networks that support muscles and bones, down to the webbing that encompasses each organ. Each layer is elegant support structure that delicately supports you.

It helps you be more graceful ā€” The grace of our movement, the integrity of your posture, and your comfort within your own skin rely on the health of this connective tissue. Fascia isn’t just an observer in your bodily narrative; it’s an active participant in your ability to move through life gracefully. When cared for, it may feel like youā€™re moving with ease from place to place and with ease comes grace.

Itā€™s all connected!

Yoga is about connection. As you bring this understanding to your mat, you can engage not only in a sequence of asanas but in a deeper relationship with the essence of your physical being. This practice goes beyond the physical realm. It asks you to connect with your soul and it revitalizes the hidden strands of your vitality. Begin to see each and every movement as a delicate tribute to the fascia. Try to see each breath as a gentle nudge to awaken its potential. With every asana, with every mindful transition, you can communicate with this web within you.

Garudasana Sequence PDF

Garudasana (Eagle Pose) Sequence

By Yoga Asana, Yoga Teachers

Garudasana, or Eagle Pose, is a standing balance. This is such a great pose to work on for beginners and experienced practitioners alike because it requires concentration and coordination to maintain balance which further enhances the physical benefits of strength and flexibility in the pose. The intertwining of the arms removes stiffness in the upper back and shoulders. The intertwining of the legs tones the feet, ankles, calves, and thighs.

Teaching standing poses is a great way to work on foundational alignment principles and movements that will carry over to more complex poses later on in class. In fact, B.K.S. Iyengar has a famous quote that says ā€œyou need to learn to stand on your feet before standing on your head.ā€ This reinforces the importance of practicing standing poses in the overall arc of a student’s yoga journey.

Typically, we start with more open and spacious standing poses, like Warrior 2 or Triangle pose, before working our way to more compact and complex poses like Garudasana (Eagle Pose). Since Garudasana has intertwined legs and arms we work our way through many bent arm and leg poses that have similar actions to Eagle Pose. In addition, the rounding of the upper back with the shoulder blades moving away from the spine is also an important action of the pose that needs to be integrated throughout the sequence. Remember that even though the upper back is rounded, the rib-cage is still lifting up away from the pelvis and not sinking down.

Poses like Parvatasana, Gomukhasana Arms, and Garudasana Arms are great poses to weave into this sequence because they work on scapula mobility. Many of the bent leg poses like Virasana, Childā€™s Pose, and Extended Side Angle teach the action of the legs. Lastly, poses like Warrior 1 and Utkatasana were incorporated into this sequence because they have bent legs and lift the rib-cage away from the pelvis simultaneously. The wind down section of class takes the torso in the opposite of Garudasana bringing balance and harmony to the overall practice before Savasana.

Puttering/Warm-Up:

  1. Virasana w/ Parvatasana
  2. Virasana w/ Gomukhasana Arms
  3. Virasana w/ Eagle Arms
  4. Cat/Cow
  5. Childā€™s Pose
  6. Downward Dog

Sun Salutations:

  • 3-4 Rounds

Standing Poses:

  1. Warrior 2
  2. Extended Side Angle
  3. Warrior 1
  4. Utkatasana

Twist Pose:

  • Revolved Extended Side Angle Pose

Peak Pose: Garudasana (Eagle Pose)

Seated Poses:

  1. Gomukhasana
  2. Bharadvajasana

Wind Down Poses:

  1. Supported Fish Pose
  2. Bridge
  3. Reclined Spinal Twist

and finally… Savasana!

Give it a try and let us know how it goes! To catch a few video clips of this sequence in action follow @patrickfrancojr and @yogarenewteachertraining on Instagram, and if you want more in-depth vinyasa sequences like this along with teaching notes and tips on how to cue them, enter your email below to grab our FREE guide:

Blog Sequence Bird of Paradise

Bird of Paradise

By Yoga Asana

The first time I ever saw a teacher teach Bird of Paradise in a yoga class I almost thought it was a joke.

Wait, you want me to do a bind, hip opener, and hamstring stretch at the same time AND while standing on one foot?!

I had to apply a serious sense of humor to my practice when I first started working on this pose because there was a lot of falling and feeling more like a bird fall out of itā€™s nest than a bird in paradise.

The key to teaching this is building each of the components ā€“ the hip opening, binding, and balance ā€“ throughout your class, and making sure that you offer instruction on a step-by-step entrance into the pose so students can stop along the way. A strap is also hugely helpful!

Puttering/Warm-Up:

  • Sukhasana w/ forward fold hip stretch
  • Lizard lunge w/ back knee down
  • Supported Parsvottanasana (using blocks + back heel up)
  • Wide Squat
  • Uttanasana (with clasped hand behind the back)

Standing Poses:

  • Warrior 2
  • Triangle Pose (built from the ground up)
  • Extended Side Angle (with hand inside of the ankle)
  • Ardha Chandrasana (with half bind in top arm)

Balance Pose:

  • Tree Pose (enter from the ground up)

Twist Pose:

  • Anjenyasansa twist

Peak Pose: Bird of Paradise

Wind Down Poses:

  • Seated Twist
  • Baddha Konasana
  • Happy Baby

Savasana

Give it a try and let us know how it goes! To catch a few video clips of this sequence in action follow @kate.lombardo and @yogarenewteachertraining on Instagram.

Also, if you want more in-depth vinyasa sequences like this along with teaching notes + tips on how to cue them, enter your email below to grab our FREE guide:

Melanie Rodriguez in camel pose with her arm up, looking at the camera excitedly

The Time I Stopped Questioning Myself and It Shifted My Whole Yoga Career

By Lifestyle & Wellness, Yoga

When I was in my early twenties I was plagued with the questions of what I wish to do for the rest of my life. This wracked me with overwhelm and anxiety as I wanted a career that was fulfilling in all aspects of my life – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. I may have not had this exact vocabulary at the time, but essentially I wanted to have a career that I truly loved.

Mel in Wheel Pose

One of my first yoga photos in 2015. This was pre-teacher training and only a couple months after college graduation. Much questioning going on.

Explore Your Curiosities and Notice Your Intuition

Rewind a couple of years to college where the question of ā€œwhat do I want to do with my lifeā€ really took root. At first I considered majors like communications or journalism, but I quickly realized I was interested in Exercise Science. Initially I opted to work towards Physical Therapy school, which was a common pathway for students within the major, but at the last minute I decided to pursue a career in Fitness and Wellness. I didnā€™t really know what that meant but I knew I had a curiosity for teaching, training, and fitness programming. Teaching wise, I was specifically interested in group fitness and yoga. By this point, I had years of experience in my own body within both modalities.

What followed graduation was doubt and uncertainty. What felt like a freeing decision while I was in school, turned into overwhelm when I was out of school and living at home. I saw a bunch of my friends move onto full-time salaried positions or further schooling which led to a clear career pathway. I felt lost and like I was getting left behind. I tried going to job interviews in various fields, but nothing felt right. I felt stuck between my heartsā€™ longing to teach [and to become a fitness/yoga professional] and the financial pressures/societal standards of life. I was constantly stuck worrying about the future, which led to high amounts of stress and anxiety.

Mel Rodriguez in child's pose on a yoga mat in her 200 hour yoga teacher training

This is a MacBook photo taken during the time I was in my 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training (2016). I took many photos and videos during this time. And I practicedā€¦a lot.

Take Any Step Forward (Action, Action, Action!)

As I explored other job opportunities and repeatedly either got rejected or turned them down, I decided to take any step forward that I could as it came to building a career in fitness, wellness, and yoga. I completed a Group Fitness Instructor certification, a 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training, and applied to and got accepted into a Masterā€™s Degree program for Exercise Physiology. By this point, I had decided to commit myself to this path and still had no idea what lay ahead.

I started teaching yoga in 2017 and it started by subbing classes here and there. I was probably subbing anywhere from 1-2 classes a week, and after doing this for a couple of months I was offered a class on Saturday morning at 9AM, which is a prime time spot. After this class, other offerings for classes started coming in. My confidence was building. I was making mistakes, but I was also learning and growing. I was teaching steadily for 2 years, completed my Masterā€™s Degree, and even decided to begin a 300 Hour Advanced Yoga Teacher Certification to improve my teaching skills. At this point, you would think I was all in. I mean, I was on my way to making a full on career in the field I had so desired.

This was taken in 2019 during an event called Headstands for Hunger. I had been teaching for about 2 years and was starting to gain traction in the yoga community.

Commit to Yourself

Yet, I kept doubting myself. I kept thinking that I would never make enough money to support myself by doing what I loved. I looked into potential other roles and even considered going back to school for physical therapy despite my dreams of leading teacher trainings, developing programs to further othersā€™ teaching skills, and hosting retreats.

During this time I had also been working part-time at a college within the Physical Education Department. I had been working 12-20 hours per week teaching and running the campus fitness center. A full-time teaching position had opened up and I was slated for the role. An opportunity literally fell into my lap, and yet I still continued to question if this was the right path for me.

After much back and forth in my head between applying to PT school or taking the teaching job, I remember making the firm decision to take the teaching position. I considered my strengths and my skills and at this point something switched in me. I told myself ā€œwhy not go all out? Why not fully commit myself to this career path that I love and that I have been working so hard towards?ā€

And so that is what Iā€™ve done.

Bhakti immersion in a 300 hour yoga teacher training

This photo was taken during the Bhakti immersion during my 300 Hour Yoga Teacher Training (2020). This weekend was a defining weekend in trusting that I was on the right path.

This photo was taken during the Bhakti immersion during my 300 Hour Yoga Teacher Training (2020). This weekend was a defining weekend in trusting that I was on the right path.

Keep Making the Conscious Choice

I have made the very conscious choice of stepping into my dreams. And let me tell you, it doesnā€™t always feel like a dream. There have been moments where I was doubting myself, moments where other people were doubting me or questioning my choices, extended time periods of hustling, and plenty of times where I lost sight of myself. And overall, I can with certainty say that I am beyond grateful for sticking with myself. While there are tough moments, I can say that I am in a place of joy, content, and deep gratitude for what I do and where I am. One time, someone asked me ā€œwhat would you say is your biggest accomplishment?ā€ And I said, ā€œmaking a career out of something I absolutely love.ā€ And as I answered, I felt it within every fiber of my being.

You must make the conscious choice, not once, but every single day to build and shift your yoga career towards that of your dreams. On a micro-level, I tend to my own asana practice, meditation practice, and write in my journal pretty much every day. On a macro level, I see a life coach every other week, participate and complete trainings and workshops, and take on opportunities such as leading teacher trainings and retreats. This level of commitment has shifted my career in ways I could never have predicted.

What I have learned and what I always share with others is that you have much more power than you believe. You have the ability to shift your life and your career in ways you cannot even fathom. This does require you to take action, reflect, and repeat. You might have to take some risks, choose to trust yourself, make mistakes, and course correct. And at the end of the day, if you donā€™t choose this pathā€¦it is okay, but in my experience the pros have far outweighed the cons. So why not go for it?

This was taken in 2021. This was right around the time I was attempting to launch my first yoga retreat. That retreat didnā€™t end up happening. My first retreat was done in 2023 with a co-teacher and was a major success.

Journal Prompts for Focusing on your Yoga Career

These are some helpful journaling prompts for you to begin to shift your yoga career (or really any career you’re trying to focus on):

  • What are you curious about and what do you wish to explore? If youā€™re reading this blog post and got this far, I am assuming you are interested in exploring shifting your yoga career. What is it about this that excites you? Where do your curiosities lie within the practice and the sharing of it? Why is this important to you?
  • What are you currently committing to in your life? This is anything that you put energy and effort towards. Relationships, children, your current job, projects, hobbies are all examples of commitments. Some commitments must stay a priority, such as your children. Is there something else you would like to commit yourself to? Do you want to commit yourself to building/shifting your yoga career? Is there something youā€™d like to commit less to in order to make space for something new?
  • What doubts come up for you when you think about committing yourself to a career in yoga (or fitness, wellness, etc.)? What is the dialogue in your head? Does it have to do with finances, other peoplesā€™ perceptions, confidence, self-esteem, logistical matters? Write down whatever comes to mind.
  • What if everything were to go right? What would your dream career look like, or if youā€™re already teaching what would it look like for you to commit to it more fully? How would you feel and what would you be doing? You can even include what you want to make financially, where you want to live, and what other things youā€™re doing in your life. Paint the picture for yourself in as much detail as possible.
  • What are some micro-level and macro-level things you can do within your life that will contribute to shifting your yoga career? Think about activities, events, and practices that you can do to help you step into you, be present, expand your perspective/skill set, and open up possibilities.

*You can use these prompts to shift anything in your life! It doesnā€™t have to be a yoga career. It could be a different career path or anything else that you would like to shift in order to live your most aligned life.

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Three people doing handstand against the wall

Building Your Dream Career as a Yoga Professional

By Yoga

So youā€™ve finished your 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training and now youā€™re ready to get out there and start teaching. But not only start teaching. You are looking to build a long-lasting career that will not only support you in all areas of your life from mental and emotional aspects to physical and financial.

Below are some ways in which you can build your career in terms of clients, the relationships you create, and your marketing/branding. You can read through all of these or you can skip to the sections that are most relevant for you at this time.

Building Your Clientele

In order to build clientele, you must put in the time to teach classes. This means subbing classes when you can (especially when you are a new teacher), teaching multiple classes throughout the week, building relationships with your clients, and sharing from an authentic space. Itā€™s important to remember that people will not know youā€™re teaching unless you actually teach. You have to give people the opportunity to get to know you and your style. Even as an experienced yoga teacher, if I teach a class at a brand new studio where no one knows me, attendance may not be very high! This doesnā€™t mean I donā€™t have the skills to teach, or that people donā€™t like me, but it simply means that people do not know me or trust me.

There is a very special relationship between teacher and students, and whether or not it is consciously acknowledged, students/clients return to those teachers whom they trust and whose teaching styles resonate with them most. This is why preparation is so important. Your ability to put together a sound class, while remaining authentic is what will create long-lasting client relationships. Your students will grow with you, so long as they have the ability to connect with you. This is what will lead to clients following you from class to class, asking for privates, or taking your workshops/going on your retreats.

The Art of Subbing/Finding a Sub

Subbing is a big topic when it comes to teaching. As a Yoga Instructor, for the most part you have a pretty flexible schedule. However, once you are on the schedule you are scheduled to teach on the same days every week. Yoga teachers typically donā€™t get paid time off, or a certain amount of classes that they can sub out in a year. When you take on a class, it is assumed that you want to teach that class every week. Of course, things will come up. You get sick, life happens and this means that you are going to need a sub every once in a while.

A reliable teacher subbing for another yoga teacher and assisting a student in downward facing dog

Finding a reliable sub with someone whose style of teaching class is similar to yours will help your students feel comfortable.

The subbing protocol is different from studio to studio. Some studios have a texting thread, some studios use platforms such as Sub It Up or Instrukt, and other studios ask that you submit your sub requests through a manager. When taking on a class, itā€™s important to know what that studioā€™s subbing policy is. How would you go about an emergency? How many classes are you allowed to sub out in a month? Is it easy to sub out the class that you are being asked to take on? Everyoneā€™s lives are different. You may travel a lot or you may experience situations where emergencies (or last minute events) are common. Itā€™s important to take into account your life and how that gels with every aspect of the studio you are intending to teach at.

Building a Website

There comes a certain point in your career where you find it would be easier to have all your classes, events, and information in one place. You may be getting a lot of inquiries about how people can work with you privately, or perhaps you have people asking where and when you are teaching.

  • Building a website does not have to be the first thing you do once you complete your first teacher training. In fact, I would not worry about creating a website until youā€™ve been teaching for a bit. When you are done with your teacher training and if you are intending to teach, I would recommend that is your main focus. But once youā€™ve gotten traction and maybe youā€™re planning retreats, special classes, and the like and you have a consistent followingā€¦building a website might be the next step.
  • There are various sites you can use to build free websites on your own. Sites such as Squarespace, Wix, and ShowIt are some popular websites where you can create your website from start to finish without the help of a website or branding specialist. Creating a website on your own is definitely the most cost effective. These websites usually have different options for a monthly fee or an annual fee with the interface being rather user friendly. Of course, if youā€™re not so familiar with website development and/or branding, creating a website with all the bells and whistles may be a bit daunting. When I say ā€œbells and whistlesā€ I mean creating a button which connects to your email for prospective clients to connect with you, or linking different pages to one another, or linking a payment method to your website so clients can pay for sessions, events, or classes right from your page. If this feels at all overwhelming, the good news is that you can still create a website.
  • You can always outsource help. This is more costly, however, you donā€™t have to go through the hassle or frustration of trying to figure everything out on your own, especially if you consider yourself to be less than tech-savvy. Word of mouth is a great way to find a website or brand developer (a website developer is someone who just does website creation while a brand developer is someone who helps you develop your marketing and branding along with website creation). A good resource to find someone to help you with your website is Fiverr. This website helps connect business owners with freelance workers (across all budgets) in aspects from website design to content creation to video production and more. So if there is something you are interested in outsourcing, check out this resource.

Mastering Social Media

When it comes to mastering social media, it might be beneficial for you to reflect on what your current relationship to social media is. How do you view social media? Do you see it as something that is beneficial? Social media is a wonderful tool for marketing and branding. Itā€™s an instrumental tool in connecting with others (this means potential clients), sharing what you do (how will people know that youā€™re a coach, teacher, or trainer if you donā€™t share it?), and general self expression (storytelling, perspective sharing, and educational content).

Sometimes sharing things on social media can feel daunting. It might feel overwhelming or scary because when you put things out there for others to see, you are making yourself vulnerable. But vulnerability, I believe, and authenticity is one of the best ways to genuinely connect with others. When you share your heart in an authentic manner, others pick up on that even if itā€™s through a screen or phone.

Mel's Instagram grid to represent her active presence on social media as a yoga teacher

Melanie’s Instagram grid to represent her active presence on social media as a yoga teacher.

Feeling called to begin mastering social media? Follow these tips below:

  1. Post frequently ā€” Posting on social media is a habit like anything else. The more you do it and the more you ā€œpractice,ā€ the easier it will become. If youā€™re looking to gain a lot of traction on social media, posting every day is important to drive traffic to your page. In addition, the more content you have, the more points people might have to connect with you on.
  2. Donā€™t second guess yourself ā€” This is important. Sometimes we get in our heads way too much about what weā€™re sharing on social media. It can be paralyzing to the point that we curate what we say so much that itā€™s not authentic, or we donā€™t post at all. Remember, your viewpoints can change. What you share now does not necessarily have to hold true tomorrow or next year. Essentially, what youā€™re sharing is not set in stone even if itā€™s out there for other people to consume. Actually, I enjoy looking back on previous posts and seeing how I have grown in my own perspective, mindset, and values.
  3. Keep one account ā€” Oftentimes when people are interested in using social media as a marketing/branding tool, the first instinct might be to create a new profile. One profile for personal use and one profile for business use. My tip here is to not do that. You already have followers on your personal page. People who already follow you are potential clients and are generally people who might be interested in learning from you! Why start from scratch when you already have a wonderful foundation? Another note is that who you are in your personal life should hopefully not be different from who you are as a teacher or yoga/wellness professional. Your personal experiences are what fuel your teachings, so why create separation? Letā€™s go for integration.
  4. Plan ahead of time ā€” Planning what you are going to share ahead of time will help with creating consistency in your posting. When you plan ahead of time, you are no longer creating content on the spot nor are you under pressure to create something every single day. You can batch content, where you take a day to create multiple posts that you can share throughout the week. You can also preemptively take videos and photos that you know would be great for content. As an example, I love to snap 10-20s scenery videos that would be a great background for reels. This has made it extremely easy to create content that contains words, phrases, or quotes.
  5. Just do it ā€” If youā€™re wondering when to start, stop thinking about it and just do it. You definitely have a photo or video in your camera reel that is appropriate to share on social media. It doesnā€™t have to be the most jaw-dropping content, nor does it have to be perfect, or does it have to be liked by hundreds of people. But as long as you feel inspired, put yourself out there and just do it. Share and see what happens. Our fear of judgment holds us back, but often I find that when we choose to be vulnerable we are met with love. Even if itā€™s only by a few people.

Developing Online Courses

Online courses are a great way to share a topic in depth that you feel passionate about and/or that youā€™ve mastered. This is similar to a workshop, except this is something that can live on forever and can be far-reaching beyond the studio you teach at. You can create an online course about anything. Of course, there has to be an interest in what youā€™re seeking to share. Within yoga, there are certain topics that masses of people like to consume such as ayurveda, asana (especially specific subsets of poses like arm balances or inversions), meditation & mindfulness, philosophy, sequencing, etc… and itā€™s not limited to these topics.

When developing an online course you have to consider the following:

Ā āœ… Is there interest?

  • Like a workshop, you want to ensure that the topic youā€™re interested in sharing is something that people are interested to consume. Online courses are a ton of work. When youā€™re teaching live, you have the ability to work off the cuff and bounce off peoplesā€™ energy. This is not the case when youā€™re filming. Filming usually requires you have a script, thereā€™s typically more than one take, and if youā€™re doing something physical this means youā€™re most likely doing the physical practice as you film, which is another level of effort. So all in all, itā€™s important to try and ensure that what youā€™re creating and putting your time towards is ultimately something that people will be excited about.

Ā āœ… What is your intention behind the online course?

  • Defining your intention behind an online course is important for you to know your WHY. Knowing your why will help you to share from an authentic space. Why is this topic important to you? Why have you felt so interested in this topic to the point that you feel youā€™ve mastered it? What is driving you in sharing this information? Connecting to your intention helps you to connect to your audience. Itā€™s similar to social media, the more authentic you can be, the more others will be able to detect and receive that.

Ā āœ… How are you planning to progress your students through the course?

  • When it comes to planning, you have to really think about how you are going to structure your course. You also have to share with your audience how you want them to progress through the course. Because you are not teaching in-person to your students, you canā€™t give them feedback in real-time. So you want to do your best in delivering the information in a scaffolding manner. This allows your students to consistently build upon previous knowledge to ultimately gain the skills or information that is intended for them throughout your course. It may not be perfect, but if youā€™re looking to create a successful course you have to think about setting your students up for success.

Online Workshops with YogaRenew

I jumped in on the opportunity to publish an online yoga course as soon as I could. It was important to me to be able to have a reach in the online community to extend my offerings, especially during unpredicted times. If your curious as to what an online yoga workshop looks like, check out some of my courses offered here at YogaRenew.

Building Trusting Relationships

Building trusting relationships is probably the best part of being a yoga/wellness professional. When you are able to meet with like-minded individuals who are interested in a similar journey, it is the most gratifying and self-affirming experience. Relationships to your students, other teachers, and studio owners/managers are all important to build and maintain.

A group photo of YogaRenew's lead teachers conversing in a semi-circle

There is always room to grow in when conversing and learning alongside fellow yoga teachers and students.

Relationships to Students

Your relationship to the students that take your class is paramount in building your clientele, maintaining steady income, and supporting your overall fulfillment of your job. You donā€™t have to be best friends with everyone who walks through the door to take your class, but getting to know peoplesā€™ names and taking genuine interest in the students who repeatedly take your class will go a long way in setting yourself up to have a solid group of students.

There is something to be said about also maintaining a comfortable distance from your students. Within the context of the student-teacher relationship, itā€™s important to remember that while teaching you are at the front of the classroom. This means managing the class, setting boundaries, and also respecting other peoplesā€™ boundaries and space.

Another point to remember here is that all of your students can leave at any given time. The students who take your class may move, they may find another teacher, and they may leave the studio. You can love your students as you would love anyone else in your life, and with that remembering that you have no ownership over the students who take your class.

Relationships to Other Teachers

Your relationship to other teachers is an important factor when it comes to building trusting relationships. Having friends who are yoga teachers, particularly close friends, is extremely helpful when it comes to finding a sub, leaning on someone for support, and creating a community where you really feel a part of something larger than yourself. Thereā€™s also the benefit of knowing and connecting with others who are walking a similar path to you with a similar mindset.

A bit earlier on in this blog post, we talked about the art of finding a sub and the overall importance of ā€œsubbing cultureā€ at whatever studio you are interested to teach at. It isnā€™t that you must be best friends with all the other teachers on staff for you to find a sub for your classes, but having relationships with the other teachers on staff can certainly help. When your sub request goes up, if your friend sees it they may be more likely to help out. It could also be the case where you perhaps ask one another to sub should one be needed, making it that much easier to take time off. Of course, you donā€™t want to rely or assume that your friends will pick up your classes but having people on staff who you know have your back can certainly help.

Teaching class is like making a presentation. You are required to stand at the front of the room and not only talk for a full hour (or more), but lead people through movements in a safe and effective manner, hold space for others, and do your best to share authentically. Some classes will go better than others. Some classes, the energy will be off, or you might make a mistake. I have gone to my trusted friends who also teach yoga when this happens. Sometimes itā€™s a venting session, sometimes itā€™s asking for feedback. But to have others who are in the same arena and can relate has been helpful in staying confident while growing my career.

Relationships to Studio Owners/Managers

The relationship that you have with the studio owners or managers that you work for is important for your overall experience of where you teach! The owners/managers are really the people who set the vibe, rules, and overall expectations of the studio. Different people have different communication styles and different ways of handling conflict, amongst other things. Itā€™s less about being friends with the owner/manager and more so about having a solid ground of respect for the owner/manager. If respect is a two-way street for both parties, communication becomes much easier. If you have an issue that you need to discuss, being able to speak about that in an open way makes everything feel a lot easier and safer.

The last point to touch on here was brought up earlier, and that is creating a community where you feel a part of something larger than yourself. When you create trusting relationships with students, teachers, and the studio owners/managers you are creating a wide web of community members for you to converse with and potentially create long-lasting relationships.

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