The Mentor Sessions

In this solo episode, I'm zooming out from the quick, in-the-moment burnout strategies I shared in Episode 171 and looking at the bigger picture. I want to talk about why so many yoga teachers are burning out—and what I've seen actually work instead. My core premise is simple: the career model most of us were trained into doesn't work for most people anymore. If you're exhausted, underpaid, and questioning how sustainable this path really is, I want you to hear this clearly—it's not you. It's the model. I'll walk you through the structural issues I see over and over again, help you look honestly at the math of your teaching schedule, and introduce a shift that has made a huge difference for me and for so many teachers I've worked with: integrating private clients into your practice. In this episode, you'll hear: Why the traditional yoga career path isn't working The real reason so many teachers feel exhausted and why it's not your fault The importance of doing the math: I'll invite you to look at your actual hourly rate How private clients can change everything and what makes private teaching different The most common concerns I hear about teaching private clients The different skills you need, and why they are learnable skills! 🎉 You're Invited! If you want to build a thriving private yoga practice, you need a slightly different skill set than most teacher trainings cover. Teaching one-on-one requires you to think on your feet, build deep trust with students, hold strong professional boundaries, and manage the business side of your work with confidence. That's exactly what we focus on inside The Science of the Private Lesson™. 👉🏻 You missed the sale... You missed the sale but no worries! Email [email protected] for the coupon code. This episode is sponsored by OfferingTree! Sign up at www.offeringtree.com/mentor to get 50% off your first three months (or 15% off any annual plan). With OfferingTree, yoga teachers put their schedule on a personally branded website where students can book classes and even pay or donate online. All of this can be set up in 10 minutes or less. OfferingTree supports me with each sign-up.

If you are feeling stretched thin by endless group classes, long hours, and low pay you are not alone. In this episode, I share six simple, actionable things you can do this week to start shifting out of overwhelm. These are not big, life-changing plans—just small, powerful adjustments that can immediately help you feel calmer, clearer, and more grounded in your teaching life. Burnout doesn't always mean you need a total career overhaul. Sometimes, a few well-chosen shifts—better boundaries, a balanced schedule, and new ways of connecting with students—can bring back clarity, confidence, and joy in your teaching. If you try some of these steps, I would love to hear how it goes. Reach out with your reflections, questions, or feedback—I'm walking this path right beside you. In this episode, you'll hear: why burnout is so common among yoga teachers right now how to refresh your energy and focus using simple daily habits practical ways to plan smarter, promote your classes, and boost income—without hustling harder six realistic steps to feel better fast without overhauling your career including things like: why downloading a social media blocking app has to be your first step why you should set aside one hour to plan all your classes for the week how to start start planting seeds to connect with new private clients Also, a heads up!!! One of the best things you can do for your career is to learn the art of teaching private lessons. Private teaching can transform your income and impact—but it's a different skill set than teaching group classes. My online training, The Science of the Private Lesson, teaches you those skills and STAY TUNED for a 50% discount code releasing April 6 for one week only! Resources Mentioned: Screen Zen App Opal App Group Class Planning Method Episode Free Private Client Email Templates The Science of the Private Lesson Online Training OfferingTree is a proud sponsor of this episode and I am honored to be an affiliate. Visit OfferingTree at www.offeringtree.com/mentor and you'll get 50% off your first three months (or 15% off any annual plan). OfferingTree supports me with each sign-up and I'm proud to be supported by a public benefit company whose mission is to further wellness access and education for everyone.

In this expansive conversation, I got a chance to talk to yoga and Ayurveda teacher, mentor, and author Indu Aurora to explore what yoga truly is — and what it is not. We started by unpacking one of Indu's powerful statements: "The goal of yoga is yoga. Everything else is a side benefit." This conversation invites teachers to look beyond flexibility, strength, and stress relief — and into yoga as a state of realization. Indu draws from classical teachings and the commentary on the Yoga Sutras to clarify that yoga is not simply a practice — it is a state of samadhi, a realization of the unchanging self beneath the ever-changing body, mind, and emotions. We take a deep dive into one of Indu's main areas of wisdom, Yoga Nidra and then finish the conversation with some salient pieces of wisdom for all yoga teachers. In this episode you'll hear: why modern practitioners and teachers get stuck focusing on the "fix" why Yoga Nidra is both powerful and accessible how to keep Yoga Nidra from becoming robotic why you should make nature your guru the power of unlearning how to choose a teacher why we both love confusion and doubt Learn More From Indu www.yogsadhna.com https://www.instagram.com/induaroraofficial/ This episode is brought to you by OfferingTree, an easy-to-use, all-in-one online platform for yoga teachers that provides a personal website, booking, payment, blogging, and many other great features. If you sign up at www.offeringtree.com/mentor, you'll get 50% off your first three months (or 15% off any annual plan)! OfferingTree supports me with each sign-up. I'm proud to be supported by a public benefit company whose mission is to further wellness access and education for everyone.

In today's podcast epsiode, I sat down with a yoga therapist, teacher, spiritual caregiver and a good friend of mine, Sarah Capua. We explored what it means to practice—and teach—yoga in a time of political upheaval, climate crisis, and cultural fragmentation. In this conversation, we reflect on power, misperception, collective responsibility, spiritual bypassing, and the role of yoga teachers in supporting students who feel overwhelmed or powerless. As she always does, my friend Sarah brings deep wisdom on the topics of agency, ethics, community, and the radical nourishment of staying awake. Sarah Capua (she/her) is a dedicated student, teacher, Yoga Therapist, and spiritual caregiver. Her work is rooted in the tradition of T.Krishnamacharya and TKV Desikachar, Zen Buddhist contemplative practice and caregiving, and her experience as a chaplain for people in trauma and end of life. Her hope is to be a compassionate and curious support for others on the path, to bear witness and make meaning, and to hold a mirror up to our embodied wisdom which can be a companion no matter where life takes us. In this episode, you'll hear: why studying the ethical foundations of yoga deeply is the most important thing you can do why you shouldn't assume your students want avoidance how to create space for conversation and integration why you should take care of your own energy and support system first how to practice expanding your heart rather than narrowing it Sarah hosted a Yoga Sūtra-s workshop inside The Mentor Sessions Sangha on Friday, March 6, 2026. To listen and watch the recording of the workshop, join the Sangha for one month right here. Introduction to the Yoga Sūtra-s: What is Yoga? To understand yoga as more than just a set of tools, we must go to the heart of its teachings. The Yoga Sūtra-s of Patanjali, teachings compiled in Sanskrit nearly 1,700 years ago, is a manual for understanding the mind and its role in our lives, and is as relevant today as ever. In this workshop we will explore the first four sūtra-s, essential teachings for understanding what yoga is, what it involves, and why we practice. Learn More From Sarah Visit Sarah's online home Follow Sarah on Instagram This episode is brought to you by OfferingTree, an easy-to-use, all-in-one online platform for yoga teachers that provides a personal website, booking, payment, blogging, and many other great features. The best thing about OfferingTree is you can get up and running in 10 minutes with no tech skills needed. As an added bonus, If you sign up at www.offeringtree.com/mentor, you'll get 50% off your first three months (or 15% off any annual plan)! OfferingTree supports me with each sign-up. I'm proud to be supported by a public benefit company whose mission is to further wellness access and education for everyone.

American yoga teachers have a unique role in fighting fascism. We are deeply practiced in the tools that help us (and our students) feel clear, steady, focused, calm and resilient. And if you read the teachings the way I do, we have a powerful directive to engage in direct social action. Lovingkindness meditation says, "May All Beings Be Safe And Free" and that is not just a nice idea, but a mandate to work for change. As you can plainly see with your eyes, all beings are not safe. But there is so much we can do! There is incredible work being done and all we have to do is plug into it. In this episode, you'll hear: the dharma teachings I am depending on and teaching how I recommend you address current events in your yoga classes all the organizations I am following and working with how I balance activism work with full time working parenting Lots of Resources! Episode 143: Should You Talk About Current Events In Yoga Classes?? Episode 163: The Four Reminders (It's A Pep Talk!) A sharable google doc with my list of orgs to follow The 5Calls App Website (with links to app store) Instagram Follow for: an extremely user friendly app to help you choose topics, get phone numbers for your reps and suggested call scripts Indivisible Website Instagram There are lots of local chapters in cities and small towns across the country. Follow for: clear directions on small but impactful actions (cancel Dsiney and Spotify) Information on big, peaceful protests Electoral directions (what member of congress to call when about what) Sunrise Movement Website Instagram Follow for: A more radical approach as it is run by young people Less electoral focus, more direct action 50501 National Website National Instagram There are local chapters in most states! Follow for: Large scale protests (they work closely with Indivisable) Local actions (this one is important this week!!) https://www.standwithminnesota.com/ Follow For: Tons of on the ground, grassroots orgs to support in MN Refuse Fascism Website Instagram Follow For: Daily protests to attend in DC This episode is sponsored by OfferingTree! Sign up at www.offeringtree.com/mentor to get 50% off your first three months (or 15% off any annual plan). With OfferingTree, yoga teachers put their schedule on a personally branded website where students can book classes and even pay or donate online. All of this can be set up in 10 minutes or less. OfferingTree supports me with each sign-up.

I am so honored to be joined on the podcast by my teacher Cyndi Lee. As a senior yoga teacher, author, and Buddhist chaplain—Cyndi talks to us about what's being gained, lost, and misunderstood as artificial intelligence enters yoga, writing, and teaching spaces. Cyndi reflects on her five decades of practice and teaching. As the founder of Om Yoga Center in New York City, a global hub for yogis from 1998 to 2012, she has witnessed firsthand how yoga has shifted under the pressures of capitalism, scalability, and speed. In this episode, you'll hear: a discussion of two growing trends: students using AI as a "yoga teacher" and yoga teachers using AI for emails, sequencing, and social media why Cyndi chooses not to use AI in her writing or teaching why lineage is vital—not as rigidity or hierarchy, but as continuity, care, and accountability a hopeful message for yoga teachers about the fast changes in our word Learn More From Cyndi: Follow Cyndi on Instagram Visit Cyndi's online home Follow Cyndi on Substack: Drip, Drip, Drip OfferingTree is a proud sponsor of this episode, and I am honored to be an affiliate. Visit OfferingTree at www.offeringtree.com/mentor and you'll get 50% off your first three months (or 15% off any annual plan). OfferingTree supports me with each sign-up and I'm proud to be supported by a public benefit company whose mission is to further wellness access and education for everyone.

In this episode of The Mentor Sessions, I'm joined by Lizzie Lasseter for a wide-ranging conversation about teaching yoga in a rapidly evolving world. Lizzie is a designer, educator, and second-generation yoga teacher with over 20 years of experience. As the daughter of Judith Hanson Lasseter, Lizzie grew up immersed in the Iyengar lineage, while also carving out her own path as a teacher, business owner, and working parent of six-year-old twins. Together, we explore lineage, embodiment, and the increasingly complex role AI is playing in the yoga world. In this episode, you'll hear: how Lizzie's work is intentionally structured around the rhythms of family life and nervous system regulation the realities of parenting young children while teaching yoga our discussion of hypermobility, joint stability, and the ways dogmatic alignment language can contribute to pain rather than healing all about Lizzie's use of AI in her business including how AI supports her writing process and assists with course notes and student learning a discussion of what gets lost when editing is outsourced, the difference between processing ideas and producing content and the risk of generic, "flattened" language some concerns about the future of AI and yoga Learn More From Lizzie Visit Lizzie's website Follow Lizzie on Instagram Enjoy Lizzie's YouTube Channel This episode is brought to you by OfferingTree, an easy-to-use, all-in-one online platform for yoga teachers that provides a personal website, booking, payment, blogging, and many other great features. If you sign up at www.offeringtree.com/mentor, you'll get 50% off your first three months (or 15% off any annual plan)! OfferingTree supports me with each sign-up.

In this episode, we dive into a concept that is absolutely transformative for yoga teachers: the idea that yoga cannot be both healing and performative at the same time. If we're still teaching from a linear, hierarchical, aesthetic-based model of asana, we're unintentionally blocking the very healing we hope to support. This conversation focuses on how teachers can shift toward a non-linear, person-centered approach grounded in the intended benefit of each pose. Francesca offers a co-creative teaching model where the teacher brings clarity, knowledge, and intention — without assuming universal "right" shapes. In this episode, you'll hear: the foundational framework that helps teachers move away from aesthetic evaluation and toward meaningful, individualized movement experiences pose case studies including child's pose, downward facing dog, plank and warrior two a deep dive into the idea that each pose is a container of possible movement nutrients how to incorporate all these ideas into your teaching right away an invitation to get some feedback from Francesca Resources Mentioned: 15 Downward Dog Prep Sequences: 15sequences.com The Science Of The Private Lesson The Mentor Sessions Sangha Episode 164: Taking Movement Patterns Down To The Studs with Geneva Jimreivat This episode is brought to you by OfferingTree, an easy-to-use, all-in-one online platform for yoga teachers that provides a personal website, booking, payment, blogging, and many other great features. The best thing about OfferingTree is you can get up and running in 10 minutes with no tech skills needed. As an added bonus, If you sign up at www.offeringtree.com/mentor, you'll get 50% off your first three months (or 15% off any annual plan)!

Today's conversation is a deeply layered one. I'm joined by my friend, colleague, mentee, and private student Geneva Jimreivat for a nuanced exploration of how I work with private clients who experience persistent, subclinical pain and hard-to-pinpoint movement challenges. Geneva is truly a multi-hyphenate in the movement world—she's been practicing yoga since childhood, completed her 200-hour training in 2019, taught in my studio, mentored with me, coached CrossFit and private strength clients, and is currently completing her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree. Her background in yoga, strength training, biomechanics, and manual therapy gives her a uniquely rich perspective on the kind of work we dive into together. We also get into the big question Geneva brought from her PT clinic experiences: How do you know when someone needs very specific, movement-pattern reconstruction versus when general strength and conditioning is enough? This conversation is such a real look at the messy, subtle, deeply personal work of helping people move and feel better in their bodies—especially when the answers aren't straightforward. In this episode, you'll hear: how years of yoga, strength training, CrossFit, and manual therapy shaped Geneva's movement identity the chronic discomfort that led her to reach out to me—especially neck, pec, elbow, and wrist pain that didn't resolve with typical PT approaches why highly trained movers sometimes perform their way around dysfunctional patterns for years—until the body finally says "no more." the emotional experience of being a movement professional who is also navigating pain that won't go away why pathoanatomy can be empowering for some students—and anxiety-producing for others—and how to share information responsibly without fear-mongering what Geneva and I are actually doing in her sessions now: slowing everything down, locating deep core support, identifying compensations, and rebuilding foundational patterns Learn More From Geneva: Visit Geneva's website Follow Geneva on Instagram OfferingTree is a proud sponsor of this episode and I am honored to be an affiliate. Visit OfferingTree at www.offeringtree.com/mentor and you'll get 50% off your first three months (or 15% off any annual plan). OfferingTree supports me with each sign-up and I'm proud to be supported by a public benefit company whose mission is to further wellness access and education for everyone. Click here for the Studio Success Checklist.

In this episode of The Mentor Sessions, I share something a little different: a Dharma talk I recently offered in my monthly class for yoga teachers. These monthly gatherings are one of my favorite places to teach—intimate, thoughtful, and deeply rooted in practice—and this particular talk felt important to bring to the podcast. Over the last several months, as the political situation in the United States has become more extreme and more frightening, I've been turning again and again to a Buddhist teaching known as The Four Reminders. These contemplations come from the Tibetan Buddhist lineage, and while they are simple, they cut right to the heart of what matters most. They have become the anchor of my own personal practice during this time of rising fascism, fear, and widespread suffering. In this episode, I share how I came back to these teachings—interestingly, prompted not by the worst harm being done in this country, but by the moment Jimmy Fallon was taken off the air for criticizing the administration. Watching someone with so much privilege get silenced instantly made me realize that we weren't sliding toward fascism. We were already living inside it. And from that moment, I knew I didn't want to get stuck in despair. I wanted to stay awake, engaged, loving, and grounded. The Four Reminders helped me do that. In this episode, you'll hear: Why these four contemplations feel so powerful and clarifying How reflecting on the preciousness of human life expands our compassion for ourselves, each other, and the planet The truth of impermanence — and how it can become a liberatory force rather than a source of fear The reality of karma and interdependence, and why even the smallest actions matter The universality of suffering, and why it is not inevitable How these teachings help me hold a vision of a world where every being is safe, free, and fed Why joy is not a luxury but an essential part of practice—especially in oppressive times The role of protest, collective action, and tiny daily choices in shaping the world we believe is possible After the Dharma talk, I share some of the reflections and questions that came up in conversation with the teachers in class. One theme that surfaced again and again was how grounding it feels to hold a positive vision—not in a naïve or spiritually bypassing way, but as a guiding truth that helps us stay resourced, energized, and committed. I talk about the small actions I take to stay connected to this vision, like calling my representatives or supporting my local food bank, and why these seemingly insignificant acts matter. We may not see the fruits of our labor in our lifetime, but as the Gita reminds us, that doesn't mean the work isn't ours to do. If you're feeling overwhelmed right now… I hope this episode reminds you that your life is precious, your presence matters, and your choices—however small—ripple outward. I hope it gives you permission to feel your grief and to feel joy. And I hope it encourages you to stay rooted in your own vision of what is possible for humanity. Thank you for being on this path with me. Resources Mentioned: Studio Success Checklist OfferingTree is a proud sponsor of this episode and I am honored to be an affiliate. Visit OfferingTree at www.offeringtree.com/mentor and you'll get 50% off your first three months (or 15% off any annual plan). OfferingTree supports me with each sign-up and I'm proud to be supported by a public benefit company whose mission is to further wellness access and education for everyone.

Before this recent solo episode, The Purpose of Asana Ep 159, was even released my friend Cecily Milne reached out to say she was so excited to listen to it and chat about it! We decided to record our conversation for all of you, so today we have Part Two! In this episode Cecily and I dive into what makes asana unique compared to other movement practices, we discuss the nuances of teaching with specificity, and tackle the evolving role of the yoga teacher in today's landscape. We also unpack how our approaches to asana practice and teaching have transformed over time, the importance of intentionality versus invitation in cueing, and how to empower both educators and students to understand their why for every cue and pose. In this episode you'll hear: how Cecily defines specificity not as rigid alignment but as purposeful decision-making how safety and empowerment come not from removing structure, but from offering clear, intentional containers within which students have agency and choice the importance of movement education — understanding anatomy, joint actions, and functional progression the dangers of both overly dogmatic cueing and "anything goes" teaching styles practical tips for teachers on knowing the "why" behind each pose and cue Cecily Milne (she/her) has been teaching yoga and movement since 2009. When teaching became her full-time job, the lack of variety in her practice resulted in repetitive strain injuries. These injuries led Cecily to seek guidance from outside the yoga community. She dove headfirst into education, becoming a FRCms and Functional Range Assessment provider. Cecily spent a year studying with Dr. Guy Voyer DO to complete his Somatraining program and become certified in ELDOA levels 1-3. She has also trained with Ido Portal and Gymnastic Bodies, and credits her strength training approach to the years spent learning from coach Lovedeep Dhunna, whose primary influences included Paul Chek and Charles Poliquin. In 2015, Cecily created Yoga Detour—a bridge between yoga and the other movement modalities our bodies need. She shares Yoga Detour with a global audience through online courses, a virtual studio, and in-person events that have taken place all over the world. Learn More From Cecily: Cecily's website, Yoga Detour Follow Cecily on Instagram This episode is brought to you by OfferingTree, an easy-to-use, all-in-one online platform for yoga teachers that provides a personal website, booking, payment, blogging, and many other great features. If you sign up at www.offeringtree.com/mentor, you'll get 50% off your first three months (or 15% off any annual plan)!

Is yoga exclusively connected to Hinduism? What is the caste system and why would a western yoga teacher need to understand it? How much of yoga's complex history do modern yoga practitioners and teachers really understand? In this powerful and thought-provoking conversation, I welcome back Anjali Rao — yoga educator, activist, and author — to unpack the intertwined histories of yoga, caste, patriarchy, and colonization. Drawing from her new book Yoga as Embodied Resistance, Anjali challenges us to explore how caste hierarchies and colonial legacies still shape modern yoga spaces, language, and access to practice today. Anjali brings a decolonial and feminist lens to the history of yoga, asking practitioners and teachers alike to hold space for complexity, discomfort, and nuance rather than rushing toward easy answers. In this episode, you'll hear: the origins, structure, and enduring legacy of the South Asian caste system and the material and spiritual inequalities it has perpetuated. a discussion on how caste hierarchies and Brahminical dominance are reflected in today's yoga spaces—often unconsciously a nuanced look at the relationship between yoga and Hinduism how colonialism and capitalism have "flattened" diverse traditions into rigid categories, leading to oversimplification and erasure of nuance in both yoga's history and present-day understanding practical advice for teachers and practitioners on recognizing signs of exclusivity, and steps teachers can take toward expanding inclusivity and embracing discomfort an introduction to the work of caste abolitionists Learn More From Anjali: Anjali's website The Love of Yoga Podcast Follow Anjali on Instagram Yoga as Embodied Resistance — Anjali Rao Yoga As Embodied Resistance: Reading Circle Trauma of Caste — Thenmozhi Soundararajan Annihilation of Caste — Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Accessible Yoga Association This episode is brought to you by OfferingTree, an easy-to-use, all-in-one online platform for yoga teachers that provides a personal website, booking, payment, blogging, and many other great features. If you sign up at www.offeringtree.com/mentor, you'll get 50% off your first three months (or 15% off any annual plan)! OfferingTree supports me with each sign-up.

If you've ever dreamed of owning a yoga studio, or you are curious to hear what experts are saying about the yoga industry and its future-- this episode is for you! In my first "podcast swap" I had an awesome conversation with Michael Jay, a long-time teacher and yoga studio consultant who is also known as @YogaBizChamp. Michael is a Certified Business Consultant who helps yoga studios open with impact and grow with intention. With 13 years of studio ownership under his belt—including surviving two recessions and eventually selling his profitable business—he now coaches studio owners across the globe through every stage of their journey. Whether you're launching your first space or trying to regain control of a growing studio, Michael brings real-world strategy, a marketing mind, and "in the trenches" support that meets you where you are. He also hosts the Yoga Biz Champ Podcast, the go-to resource for studio owners who want honest talk, real advice, and a solid game plan. Together, we explore the evolving yoga industry, the role of studio owners in elevating their teachers, and why having a clear point of view is more powerful (and sustainable) than trying to be everything to everyone. In this episode, you'll hear: how yoga studios have shifted from community-led to franchise-driven — and back again why teachers fresh out of training aren't always ready for studio life (and how to mentor them well) the difference between "niching down" and developing a true teaching point of view why your yoga studio is only as strong as the teachers who represent it how community studios today can compete with franchise studios real talk about industry changes, competition, and what makes studios sustainable in 2025 and beyond Learn More From Michael: Visit Michael online Follow Michael on Instagram Yoga Biz Champ Podcast This episode is sponsored by OfferingTree! Sign up at www.offeringtree.com/mentor to get 50% off your first three months (or 15% off any annual plan). With OfferingTree, yoga teachers put their schedule on a personally branded website where students can book classes and even pay or donate online.

If I were to ask you what the purpose of asana is, what would you say? Would you say it was to feel better in the body? To build strength and flexibility? To prepare the body for meditation practice? To help people connect more deeply to their breath and themselves? These are all beautiful answers!! But if you gave a very specific movement cue or alignment principle when teaching asana, and I asked you what the purpose of that was, what would you say? I think many of us value clarity and specificity in our teaching, but because of the way we were trained to teach movement, we fall into highly dogmatic or aesthetic based cueing even when that doesn't honor our values. Today's podcast episode is a deep inquiry into the purpose of asana, especially as it applies to teaching movement in a specific and precise way. In this episode, you'll hear: a long list of priorities to choose from in your asana teaching why it is so problematic that yoga is sold as a healing practice and taught as a performative practice how this question shows up differently in group classes and private lessons what true co-creation with your students looks like what I prioritize in my movement teaching and why how I recommend you move forward in this inquiry Download The Ultimate Marketing Checklist for yoga teachers from our friends at OfferingTree. OfferingTree is a proud sponsor of this episode and I am honored to be an affiliate. Visit OfferingTree at www.offeringtree.com/mentor and you'll get 50% off your first three months (or 15% off any annual plan).

This is a vulnerable episode for me to share, but it was very important to me to record and release this episode because it highlights something I don't think we see enough: people in positions of power, privilege or leadership openly receiving feedback. Janie Ganga is a yoga teacher I deeply admire and have worked closely with for nearly a decade. In May of this year, they reached out to tell me something I had posted on social media had upset and hurt them. (Here is the reel that started it all.) We've had several conversations about the situation since, and this episode is the culmination and public sharing of how we worked through that. Please listen, share it widely, and let us know how it lands with you. Janie Ganga (she/they) is an E-RYT 500 Yoga Teacher, social justice activist, and co-owner of Santosha Yoga, an online studio rooted in the Providence, RI community. Certified in I AM Yoga since 2013, Ganga specializes in Private Yoga, Yoga Nidra, and Let Your Yoga Dance, and is completing certification as a Yoga Therapist. Beyond the mat, Janie has organized queer community events for years – creating queer friendly femme-centered spaces in Boston with madFemmePride and co-leading the 2006 Transcending Boundaries Conference, which brought together activists for Transgender, Bisexual, Intersex, Polyamorous, and Kink Rights. As a Professional Member of ASDAH (Association for Size Diversity and Health), Janie is guided by Health at Every Size and is passionate about making yoga accessible to all bodies and identities. Learn More about: Janie Ganga Santosha Yoga Let Your Yoga Dance Association for Size Diversity and Health (ASDAH) Health at Every Size Resources: Loretta Ross TED talk - Don't call people out – call them in Original idea of "calling in" - 2013 Blog by Ngọc Loan Trần Loretta J. Ross book - Calling In: How to Start Making Change with Those You'd Rather Cancel Renu Diane Zagoria, creator of I AM Yoga Nidra for Kids Chandrakant - Yogacharya in the Lineage of I AM Yoga & former resident of Kripalu Center Swami Kripalu - who followed the Path of Love Deana Tavares - MultiDisciplinary Artist & Poet who is always Finding Hope Jacoby Ballard - his talk "Flux & Fracture: an Invitation to Deepen" and his direct encouragement to Ganga to dive into Loretta Ross's whole amazing book Johnny Blazes - Malden Pride speech Martin Luther King, Jr. and The King Center - "Hate is too great a burden to bear" Other examples of "calling in" that shaped Ganga's perspective include: Man Changes His Mind on Trans People - a reminder sent over by Deana about the power of listening and shifting perspective. Anne Lamott's son "called on" his mom after a transphobic tweet - Janie stumbled on this story after she questioned a colleague about sharing a Lamott's quote. Ganga discovered Lamott had publicly apologized, though the apology received little attention compared to the initial harm. Public Enemies, Private Friends - recommended by Janie's friend Marshall Miller, this documentary highlights dialogue between pro-choice and pro-life leaders in 1990s Boston. Accessible Yoga Podcast - hearing Jivana Heyman speak about his own activism and yoga inspired Janie to share her own perspective more openly. Ganga is deeply grateful to the colleagues and friends who supported their growth, including Stacy, Jyotika, Padma, Megha, her Anti-Racism for White Yoga Teachers book club, and all her students. OfferingTree is a proud sponsor of this episode and I am honored to be an affiliate. Visit OfferingTree at www.offeringtree.com/mentor and you'll get 50% off your first three months (or 15% off any annual plan).

Today we are going to talk about what it really takes to grow your business as a yoga teacher, what kind of support you need, the people you might hire to help, and how I suggest you go about doing that. And to help us out with this conversation, I have the Operations Manager of my own business, Jessica Gulley! Jessica Gulley is the founder of Juggling Logistics and a logistics wizard for service-based solopreneurs who are overwhelmed with the details in their business. In this episode, you'll hear: why I hired Jess and what the beginning of our partnership was like the difference between a virtual assistant and an online business manager how to know when it is time to hire help the kinds of projects a virtual assistant could help with how the right support can help a yoga teacher grow their business Jess is offering Francesca's listeners a discounted 1-hour Clarity Call OR a 3 Clarity Call package that isn't available to anyone else but you. To learn more, visit www.jugglinglogistics.com/francesca This episode is brought to you by OfferingTree, an easy-to-use, all-in-one online platform for yoga teachers that provides a personal website, booking, payment, class scheduling, and many other great features. If you sign up at www.offeringtree.com/mentor, you'll get 50% off your first three months or 15% off any annual plan!

I started teaching one private yoga client virtually in 2019 when she left Washington, DC for California. But other than her I had absolutely NO experience teaching online when everything changed on March 13th, 2020. I was slightly ahead of the curve in understanding that the pandemic would be a life alternating experience and that we wouldn't be teaching yoga in-person for many many months. I made really quick work of getting all my in-person private students on board to pivot to virtual private lessons and by Monday March 16th I had everyone set up for the virtual lessons in their normal standing scheduled spot. I did not miss a single day of work, or single private lesson in that transition and that is something I am really proud of. Then, at the beginning of 2022 I moved to a new area and had a baby. I kept all my clients virtual through that transition and 95% of my teaching is still virtual. And I LOVE it. Today on the podcast I'm making the case for virtual private lessons! I'll tell you: why AND how to find virtual private clients why they are great for your students how they can help support your business who they are a good fit for (both student and teacher) how to get started in offering virtual private lessons Resources mentioned in the episode: 3 Steps to Teach Better Private Lessons Video Series two effective strategies for booking private clients TEMPLATES The Science of the Private Lesson online course Discounted mentoring sessions Camera set up This episode is brought to you by OfferingTree, an easy-to-use, all-in-one online platform for yoga teachers that provides a personal website, booking, payment, blogging, and many other great features. If you sign up at www.offeringtree.com/mentor, you'll get 50% off your first three months (or 15% off any annual plan)! OfferingTree supports me with each sign-up. I'm proud to be supported by a public benefit company whose mission is to further wellness access and education for everyone.

I've been teaching yoga full time for 20 years, and most of that time I taught at least 15 private yoga sessions each week; for a decade that number was closer to 25 per week! I have a lot of experience in teaching private sessions! And when you've been doing something that often for that long, you start to develop some specific opinions... or, I certainly did! Today we are diving into some unexpected hot takes about teaching private clients! In this episode, you'll hear: why seeing a student multiple times a week is not great for business how encouraging commitment is beneficial for your student AND your business why every student should feel like a "difficult" student Resources mentioned in this episode: 3 Steps to Teach Better Private Lessons Video Series two effective strategies for booking private clients TEMPLATES The Science of the Private Lesson online course