The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast

Natalie Eckdahl, MBA, is a business coach, professional facilitator, keynote speaker and host of the Biz Chix Podcast which iTunes featured as a top New Business Podcast in March 2014. She built a successful personal brand and platform from the ground up via her podcast (200+ episodes) and has been featured in Inc, Fast Company, Huffington Post and Entrepreneur. Natalie has an international coaching practice where she works with female entrepreneurs desiring to grow a profitable business. She is the busy mom of three children ranging in age from 2-14 and starts her day with a steaming cup of coffee! Connect with Natalie and/or join her Facebook group for women entrepreneurs here. ____________________ Set and Achieve Big Goals In this episode you get to hear Natalie coaching Shannon, the host of The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast, on how to set and achieve big goals. Shannon shares her notes from that coaching call here. 1. Set Quarterly Goals That are Measurable and Achievable Look at the next quarter (or next 90 days) and choose 2 - 4 goals. Half for your business and the others for your personal life. This might be a revenue goal, a list building goal or a goal to create something new. Set goals that are measurable, so that someone from the outside could literally check in to see if you hit your goals. Setting achievable goals, that seem possible is a critical step in this process. Shannon shares in this episode how she felt with having a goal that was reliant on others (booking consultations) versus goals she was 100% responsible for. Example: Shannon set 2 goals for her business. 1 - Have a bank of 5 episodes edited before podcast launch day. 2 - Book 9 new yoga teacher consultations before the end of March. 2. Create Weekly Goals What activities can you do that will help you to reach your goals? Count out the weeks ahead (for example April, May and June of 2017 has 13 weeks). Use your calendar to mark your weekly goals down and share them with an accountability partner. Example: Every Monday is The Connected Yoga Teacher Live Show - at 12:30pm EST. From 9am - 12pm on those days is time for preparing the show notes and website article to go along with the episode. 3. Marketing and Your Avatar Are you marketing to an avatar that is going to pay you? Does your current network know about the work that you do? Would you like to try Facebook live as a marketing tool? Facebook live is getting a lot of exposure right now. Is there a time when you can have a weekly live video? Do you have regular communication with your avatar, (like a weekly email)? See Shannon's weekly live show schedule here. 4. Create Daily Goals From Your Weekly Goals Block time off on your daily calendar that relate to your weekly goals. Account for the preparation time needed. What other revenue generating activities do you need to put on your calendar? When can you do follow up emails and communication related to your goal? Remember to block off family time (driving included). Plan for at least an hour of uninterrupted quiet for creating content. Example: Shannon needs to block off 4-6 hours per week to get an episode together for the podcast. Productivity Tips Shrink your to do list -- if there are 10 things on your list, choose 3 items to get done today. Realize that some days you can only get 1 thing done and that is okay. Turn off your notifications on your phone and your computer. Use a program to shut off distracting social media platforms (Shannon talked about the Freedom app that she uses). Stop checking email and turn off the notifications. Move your cell/home phone to a different room. Notice where you spend your time - remember to block off time for grocery shopping and coordinating schedules and personal appointments. Be easier on yourself. You can only get so much done in a day. When your to-do list is too large - we get paralyzed and we don't know where to begin.

Podcast Links: Shannon's Website The Connected Yoga Teacher Facebook Group Art of Assists 50-hour Yoga Teacher Training with Shannon Assisting Yoga Students Without Touch A great hands-on assist can make all the difference to a yoga student. It can be a communication tool for the kinaesthetic learners, it can give a relaxation to held tension and it can help students to have more awareness of their proprioception and alignment. But what if we want to assist without touch? Some people don't want to be touched, for various reasons. For example if a student is home with a baby attached to her all day, hands-on touch might be the last thing she wants. Another student may feel that touch is distracting. Beginner students may feel strange about being in a new class. Sometimes students are ticklish or they just don't know the teacher well enough to feel comfortable with an assist. These are all great reasons to use consent cards, so that students can decide. There are also times when students would love to receive touch, but the teacher is not up for giving hands-on assists. For example a teacher can be feeling out of balance and low in energy due to illness or a full schedule. Sometimes a teacher is so busy watching the safety of an advanced pose that they don't have time to assist, or they are leading a quick flow class that has everyone moving so fast they find it hard to connect. Just like every yoga class we take is unique, every instructor has unique teaching experiences too. _____________________________________________ Other Reasons for Assisting Without Touch: Student feels resistant or uncomfortable Tension increases during assist, instead of student "sinking into a pose" Student indicates not wanting assists Any pain or discomfort for student or teacher New yoga student who is already sensitive about being new Teacher's attention is needed for the entire class Student or teacher feeling rushed, tense, or out of breath Recipient of assist moves out of a pose quickly Student had a previous assist that caused injury or discomfort Recent or triggered trauma When our intuition or our instincts tell us to assist without touch we still want our students to feel attended to. I have come up with a list of how I assist without touch. Feel free to add your points in the comments below. _____________________________________________ Assisting Yoga Students Without Touch 1. Breath Our audible breath offers an assist. Students hear teachers breathing and mimic us. When our breath is calm and lengthened, our students will feel the intention we are giving as we walk around the room. 2. Props Blocks, bolsters, and straps are the props we typically turn to. Don't forget the wall, chairs, cushions, blankets, balls, sandbags, and sometimes other students. These objects provide a type of feedback to the body. Partnering is especially helpful when we know our students, as some new yogis find partnering adds stress to the class experience. Partner yoga poses can give the benefits of hands-on assists in a situation where students are open to touch, but the instructor doesn't have enough time to get to everyone. 3. Demo We show yoga poses all the time, and this is a type of assist. We can show the entire class a pose at the front of the room or we can quietly move next to a student who looks puzzled and show the pose to bring clarity and understanding. 4. Verbal Cues The words that we use when describing a pose, or a feeling that we would like to convey in the pose can be very powerful. For example, in relaxation pose: "Relax your entire body, imagine you are on a warm beach and the sand is contouring to your body and giving you all the support you need". 5. Self-Directed Assists Hands-on assists that students can do for/to their own body in a pose. I've incorporated this into yoga from my Thai Yoga Massage trainings. We try out certain massage techniques on ourselves, so I started incorporating a similar approach into postural assists. It can be as simple as asking students to massage their hamstring muscles before a seated forward fold. "Touching ourselves" can bring up an awkward feeling for some students, but it's a wonderful way to encourage people out of their comfort zone, taking one more little action step toward self-love. Every yoga style approaches hands-on assists uniquely. No matter what the style, hands-on assists are intimate, so they can cause discomfort or bring up a lack of confidence for both new and experienced students or teachers. Whether offered with or without touch, assisting is an art form that all yoga teachers can learn with practice. _____________________________________________ What Is a Yoga Assist? A Yoga Assist Offers: Help to the student Enhancement Understanding Alignment awareness Relaxation Proprioception Increased confidence Safety within postures Deepening Muscle memory Attention of teacher Another form of communication Nurturing Support Hands-on assists are something that I now love to rec

______________________________________ Episode 2: Trauma Training For Every Yoga Teacher Margaret Howard is a licensed clinical social worker in the state of Missouri. She practices social work and psychotherapy, specializing in trauma and is an advocate for survivors of human trafficking. Margaret has a Master in Fine Arts, a degree in poetry, she is an organic gardener, yogi, mother and grandmother. Margaret advocates for being aware that we've all experienced trauma in one form or another should be a "basic human sensitivity". Shannon and Margaret discuss how being aware of trauma sensitivities through trauma training is a crucial aspect of teaching yoga, how to recognize it and how to help your students. ______________________________________ Trauma Training For Every Yoga Teacher Podcast Episode 3:00 Why trauma training should be part of yoga teacher training 3:28 Margaret's personal story of being triggered in yoga class 9:00 Do no harm in yoga class: "Let go of the idea that traumatized people are some kind of special population." 11:00 What to do when a student is modifying a pose- never call someone out in class 12:35 No touch policy until you have more trauma safety training 13:00 Why asking a student if they don't mind being touched may not be enough- discussion of disassociation 15:25 Yoga class is intimate- give your students the capacity to say no, space to leave no questions asked 16:28 Are yes/no to touch flip cards helpful? 18:10 David Emmerson's Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Training 19:25 Do we include trauma on student intake forms? 22:30: Examine expectation for students to "…have their hearts open at all times." Leave it up to the student as it may be an act of self-preservation to shut down. Come into class with no agenda 23:20 What trauma trigger looks like in yoga class- sympathetic arousal, disassociation 29:20 Have a referral list of trauma informed therapists that are trusted, websites, book resources ready to provide backup support to your students 32:30 The benefits of yoga for healing trauma Connect with Margaret: Website: http://www.thewildtherapist.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/margarethowardLCSW/ Twitter: @aWildTherapist Instagram: @theWildTherapist Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/margarethowardtherapist/ Links Margaret Howard's articles Trauma Training Should Be Mandatory for Yoga Teachers: Part I: Trauma Training Should Be Mandatory for Yoga Teacher Part II:Trauma Training Should Be Mandatory for Yoga Teacher Part III:Trauma Training Should Be Mandatory for Yoga Teacher Study Referenced In Margaret's Article: Effectiveness of an Extended Yoga Treatment for Women with Chronic Post Traumatic Stress Disorder David Emmerson's Trauma Sensitive Yoga Training Somatic Experience Training Overcoming Trauma Through Yoga by David Emerson and Elizabeth Hopper Shannon's student waiver form (printable and editable versions available). _____________________________ After the show Margaret wrote to me to clarify that while she was in the Army from age 19 to 21 and worked in electronics there (but not writing pilot manuals), she did get a pilot's license as soon as she got out of the military, while continuing to work in electronics. She then raised her children while slowly completing her undergraduate and graduate degrees (eventually getting the MFA in poetry) and working as a writer and editor, then as a college writing instructor for many years. Finally, tiring of the adjunct professor grind she moved to writing technical manuals for aircraft before returning to graduate school to become a clinical social worker, advocate, and trauma therapist. _____________________________ Summary of this episode was written by Laura Cameron, writer and yoga student

_______________________________________________________________________________________________ Episode 2: On-Air Consultation Call With Nina Andic Nina started practicing yoga in 2000 and has studied various traditions, including Hatha, Ashtanga and Anusara. She became a yoga teacher a few years ago. Nina teaches yoga and lives in Lion's Head, Ontario with her husband and son. In the on-air consultation call, Nina shares how she has been feeling really fulfilled on the yoga teacher side of things, but she is also feeling stuck with her own yoga practice. Shannon takes Nina through a series of questions and offers some strategies for reconnecting to a morning yoga practice. They discuss the importance of mentorship and self-care. To take a class with Nina or to connect - visit her Facebook page - Bruce Peninsula Yoga. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ After our episode -- Nina connected with Rosslyn and here is what Nina posted on The Connected Yoga Teacher page. "I am manifesting significant change in my life. With the help of Rosslyn Kemerer, I started my 40-day Sadhana last week and it is incredible how much I've already learned about myself and about what I need to do next. I felt compelled to share with this group my intentions. I am awake and present. My heart is open to give and receive. I am my own inspiration and light. I am confident and trust myself. I express myself clearly, openly and honestly to myself and others. I have unlimited potential. Thank you Shannon Crow for helping me connect with Rosslyn." Also Rosslyn shared a yoga practice in The Connected Yoga Teacher private Facebook group, specific for yoga teachers -- to be in the seat of the student and to recharge. If you are a yoga teacher -- you are welcome to join that group and the video is there for you to enjoy. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Links From Today's Show: Rosslyn Kemerer - Teaches online private yoga classes Art of Assists for Yoga Teachers in Owen Sound, ON with Shannon Crow Erin Aquin's Retreat for Yoga Teachers - Erin spoke to us in Episode 1 on Yoga Teacher Burnout _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Shannon's Mentors: Barb Elias - Certified Integral Coach Natalie Eckdahl of BizChix - MBA, podcaster and business coach

Welcome to the very first episode of The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast. In this episode we hear from Erin Aquin on the topic of yoga teacher burnout. Erin is a a certified hatha, vinyasa and prenatal yoga teacher, author and new mother. She wrote The A-Z of Being a Successful Yoga Teacher and just recently published Elemental Yin Yang Yoga. Erin completed one of the most comprehensive programs in Canada currently available for Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine. You can hear her expertise on yoga and Chinese medicine in her podcast called Elemental Yin Yang Podcast. As a yoga teacher entrepreneur it is important that self-care is part of our routine or we will see our business and/or personal life suffer. In this episode Erin shares the symptoms of both yoga teacher brownout and yoga teacher burnout along with the steps we can take to recognize and avoid both. Listen to the end of the episode for your chance to win a free copy of Erin's - A-Z of Being a Successful Yoga Teacher. Some great questions that came out of this Episode to ask yourself are: 1. Do you feel exhausted or energized after teaching a yoga class? 2. Are you craving sleep or unable to sleep? 3. Are you craving carbs, sugar and/or caffeine to keep you going or are you going the entire day not worried about the food that fuels you? 4. Do you have a daily practice that includes physical movement as well as meditation? ___________ Links for this Episode: Shannon's Mentors: Barb Elias - Certified Integral Coach Natalie Eckdahl of BizChix- MBA, podcaster and business coach Erin's Mentors: Rebecca Mullen of Altared Spaces - Author Allison Evans - Life Coach and Author Erin has shared two related articles for our Connected Yoga Teacher listeners - click here to read those and to find out more about her yoga teacher trainings. ___________ Connect with other yoga teachers in our private Facebook Group - The Connected Yoga Teacher to share your thoughts, questions and comments about this episode or about your yoga teaching journey. ___________ How do you nurture yourself to avoid yoga teacher burnout? We would love to see your posts on social media with the hashtag #nurturedyogateacher - be sure to tag us - Erin Aquin and Shannon Crow. __________ Work with Shannon - visit ShannonCrow.com to find out about the consulting work she does with yoga teachers and studios and to read articles for yoga teachers and students.