Teaching Mixed Abilities in Yoga Classes with Dr. Libby Hinsley

Teaching large groups can be intimidating! But it’s also fantastic for improving your teaching skills and boosting your confidence. This episode focuses on the unique challenges and opportunities involved in teaching large yoga groups. Learn to embrace the challenges of large-group instruction and develop your ability to offer high-quality instruction to groups of any size. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS: 00:00 The benefits of teaching larger groups 05:15 Why teaching large groups is so nerve-wracking 07:02 Why it’s important to keep your class plan simple in a larger group 09:33 How to encourage focus and engagement in a larger group 10:12 How to balance different personality types when it comes to student participation 12:04 How to manage student questions to avoid getting thrown off track 15:06 How to provide an intimate experience in a large group 17:14 Thoughts on physical touch in a large group 19:17 How to bring attention back to you after small group or partner work 21:06 The role of visual aids in a larger group 22:51 How to utilize assistants when teaching a larger group 24:54 How to learn your student’s names (even if you’re usually terrible with names) 26:52 How to facilitate connection between students in a larger group LINKS AND RESOURCES: Follow YTR on Instagram @yoga.teacher.resource  Join the Yoga Teacher Resource email list Join the Yoga Teacher Resource Facebook Group Learn more about the Impact Club Leave a review on iTunes Ask a question for the podcast on the Yoga Teacher Resource website or on SpeakPipe

Over the past decade, there has been a welcome push towards a more inclusive approach to yoga. But what does that look like on a practical level? Jivana Heyman has been at the center of the accessible yoga movement as the founder of the Accessible Yoga Project and the author of The Teacher's Guide to Accessible Yoga, Best Practices for Sharing Yoga with Every Body. In this episode, Jivana shares an anti-perfectionist approach to accessible yoga that centers the relationship between teacher and student. The conversation delves into insecurities and imposter syndrome, the interplay between teaching and personal growth, and the importance of ethics in guiding both personal and teaching practices.     EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS: 00:00 The philosophy of accessible yoga 01:48 Jivana’s early experiences with yoga 03:30 How yoga helps with emotional regulation 05:59 The impact of social media and information overload 08:43 How to deal with impostor syndrome 13:22 Teaching as a relationship 21:04 Inquiry on the ethics of teaching 27:50 The importance of meeting your students where they are and respecting their preferences 33:41 Perfectionism and people-pleasing 38:30 Kindness as a guiding principle for accessible yoga 42:15 Helping and fixing vs serving  EPISODE LINKS & RESOURCES: Accessible Yoga School Access all of Jivana’s books here Follow Jivana on Instagram @jivanaheyman LINKS AND RESOURCES: Follow YTR on Instagram @yoga.teacher.resource  Join the Yoga Teacher Resource email list Join the Yoga Teacher Resource Facebook Group Learn more about the Impact Club Leave a review on iTunes Ask a question for the podcast on the Yoga Teacher Resource website or on SpeakPipe

Series classes deepen your relationship with your students, helps them commit to their practice, and provides financial stability for you as the teacher. Nyk Danu, a certified yoga therapist and business mentor, shares her insights on creating a sustainable yoga teaching business through a registered series. Listen in to hear practical advice on setting up your series, handling logistics like space rental and insurance, and filling your series classes. Nyk also touches on considerations for yoga studio owners thinking about transitioning to a registered series. If you value teacher-student connections, consistency in practice, and control over your teaching environment, this episode is for you!   EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS: 00:52 Meet Nyk Danu: Yoga Misfit and Mentor 06:09 Why yoga classes shifted away from the registered series model 09:59 How to Start Your Own Registered Yoga Series 20:11 Finding the Perfect Space for Yoga Classes 22:04 Essential Tools for Running Yoga Series: Registration and Communication 24:40 Essential Policies for your Registered Series 28:21 Priority Registration for Existing Students 29:20 Starting Small with Class Registrations 30:15 Engaging Older Students with Simpler Technology 31:18 Handling Minimums and Cancellations 31:47 Leveraging Workshops to Fill Series 33:30 Setting Minimum Attendance Numbers 36:16 Choosing the Right Duration for Your Series 37:40 Make-up Classes and Free Sessions 40:09 Finding Your First Group of Students 46:02 Utilizing Email Lists for Growth 48:58 Transitioning Studios to Registered Series 50:14 The Benefits of Running Pre-registered Series 55:43 Concluding Thoughts and Resources EPISODE LINKS & RESOURCES: Nyk Danu Yoga Follow Nyk on Instagram @nykdanuyoga LINKS AND RESOURCES: Follow YTR on Instagram @yoga.teacher.resource  Join the Yoga Teacher Resource email list Join the Yoga Teacher Resource Facebook Group Learn more about the Impact Club Leave a review on iTunes Ask a question for the podcast on the Yoga Teacher Resource website or on SpeakPipe

Yoga is for everyone, but when people of varied physical abilities show up in the same class it can be difficult to meet all their needs at the same time. In this episode, Mado and Libby offer a framework for understanding why your students might struggle with a particular asana and how to offer variations that provide a similar experience to people with different physical abilities.   EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS: 00:00 Why teaching mixed ability yoga classes is harder than it needs to be 02:49 How to plan for an all levels class 03:35 Understanding progression and regression 04:46 Four reasons a pose might be challenging for a student 05:39 How to simplify yoga postures 07:14 Essential biomechanical principles for yoga 11:35 How gravity can impact asana 16:27 Why teaching simpler poses will help your students progress 21:50 How teaching one one-on-one will help you teach better group classes 23:16 A breakdown of Warrior 3 Pose 28:51 Moving vs static yoga postures 30:39 The role of creativity in yoga teaching 32:14 A breakdown of Triangle Pose 38:53 Why anatomy is a key skill for asana teachers   EPISODE LINKS & RESOURCES: Libby Hinsley Anatomy Bites Follow Libby on Instagram @libbyhinsleypt   LINKS AND RESOURCES: Follow YTR on Instagram @yoga.teacher.resource  Join the Yoga Teacher Resource email list Join the Yoga Teacher Resource Facebook Group Learn more about the Impact Club Leave a review on iTunes Ask a question for the podcast on the Yoga Teacher Resource website or on SpeakPipe

Laura reached out for help to increase enrollment in her online classes. Despite her success in drawing people to her global retreats, she struggles to fill her online series and workshops. In this conversation, we discuss strategies to improve sign-ups for online offerings. Some of the ideas we consider include positioning online classes as 'extensions' of the retreat experiences, frequency and timing of communication, incentives for retreat participants, and the importance of urgency in online sign-ups. We then created a plan to convert her current library membership into something that might appeal to retreat participants.   EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS: 01:14 Laura's background and how she started leading retreats 03:40 How Laura’s retreat business survived the pandemic 05:23 Why & how to learn what motivates your students 12:19 The importance of urgency in marketing 13:59 Helping students bridge the gap between retreats and online classes 17:41 An idea to repurpose Laura’s membership to support retreat participants 18:42 How to create consistency with a constantly changing schedule 22:11 How to leverage moments of inspiration 22:42 Final Thoughts and Future Plans   EPISODE LINKS & RESOURCES: Laura Lakshmi Follow Laura on Instagram @yogawithlauralakshmi   LINKS AND RESOURCES: Follow YTR on Instagram @yoga.teacher.resource  Join the Yoga Teacher Resource email list Join the Yoga Teacher Resource Facebook Group Learn more about the Impact Club Leave a review on iTunes Ask a question for the podcast on the Yoga Teacher Resource website or on SpeakPipe

Johanna is a new yoga teacher who struggles to lead her yoga class without physically practicing along with her students. Mado helps her unpack why she wants to develop this skill and provides simple strategies to build her ability to cue without practicing along with the class. Along the way, they explore internal vs external motivation and learning to trust your inner voice.   EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS: 02:17 Johanna's journey to becoming a yoga teacher 06:25 Why Johanna struggles to teach without practicing along 07:42 The conflict between internal and external motivation 12:22 How people pleasing harms and holds us back as yoga teachers 22:11 The paradox of being a beginner teacher 22:51 Why it’s important to embrace slow and steady growth 23:36 The danger of comparing yourself to people who are further along the path 25:56 What your students really want from you as a teacher 27:56 Helping your students vs pleasing them 28:19 The benefits of cueing without demonstrating 36:28 Comparison between yoga and fitness classes 38:10 Meeting your students where they are 39:11 Baby steps to develop your ability to cue without practicing 41:00 How & why to let your students peek behind the curtain   LINKS AND RESOURCES: Follow YTR on Instagram @yoga.teacher.resource  Join the Yoga Teacher Resource email list Join the Yoga Teacher Resource Facebook Group Learn more about the Impact Club Leave a review on iTunes Ask a question for the podcast on the Yoga Teacher Resource website or on SpeakPipe

Transitioning from in-person classes to online can shake up every aspect of your teaching. When Lily Dwyer Begg dove headfirst into this process, she found greater clarity in her voice and a blossoming creative potential in her teaching. In this episode, Lily shares advice for the art of teaching yoga online including demonstration, verbal cues, class planning, and how to substitute direct touch. She also reveals some of the challenges and opportunities that arose when she stopped teaching at studios and started running her own platform.   EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS: 00:00 Introduction 00:53 A comparison between teaching in person and online 08:35 The unexpected benefits of teaching online 10:29 The benefits of livestream classes (vs on-demand) 18:11 The business of teaching online 22:31 Things that don’t work well in online classes 29:37 Why it’s best to start with a single class vs a full schedule 31:24 The types of classes that tend to do well online 33:18 Different approaches to demonstrating in online classes 35:28 The art of verbal cueing and how to improve your cues 41:20 The role of touch in yoga and how to substitute touch online 49:15 Lily’s class planning process 54:35 Why the limits of teaching online are also the benefits   EPISODE LINKS & RESOURCES: Lily Dwyer Begg Yoga Follow Lily on Instagram @lilydwyernbegg   LINKS AND RESOURCES: Follow YTR on Instagram @yoga.teacher.resource  Join the Yoga Teacher Resource email list Join the Yoga Teacher Resource Facebook Group Learn more about the Impact Club Leave a review on iTunes Ask a question for the podcast on the Yoga Teacher Resource website or on SpeakPipe

Learn the nuts and bolts of setting up an online yoga studio. Despite describing herself as a 'Luddite', Lily started teaching online when in-person classes shut down during COVID. She found that online teaching allowed her to teach fewer classes, increase her income, and boost her creativity. In this episode, she shares practical advice on optimizing audio and visual quality, choosing clothing for online classes, and using editing tools to refine recorded classes.   EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS: 00:00 Introduction to online teaching 01:02 How Lily transitioned to teaching online during COVID 03:19 How to adapt your teaching style for online classes 08:30 The business side of teaching online 11:13 How to set up for high-quality online classes 21:23 Why clothing matters when teaching online 25:14 Interactive vs passive teaching platforms 25:23 Audio setup for live streaming 27:36 The benefits of a multi-camera setup 32:26 How to get quality video with your phone. 40:34 Why you should tag your videos and add thumbnails 41:23 How to keep your editing simple 45:38 Unexpected gifts from online teaching   EPISODE LINKS & RESOURCES: Lily Dwyer Begg Yoga Follow Lily on Instagram @lilydwyernbegg Get a list of all the tech that Lily mentions in this episode   LINKS AND RESOURCES: Follow YTR on Instagram @yoga.teacher.resource  Join the Yoga Teacher Resource email list Join the Yoga Teacher Resource Facebook Group Learn more about the Impact Club Leave a review on iTunes Ask a question for the podcast on the Yoga Teacher Resource website or on SpeakPipe

Ever been told that hypermobile people shouldn’t practice yoga? Yoga is not bad for bendy people, but there are different considerations for people with hypermobile joints. Dr. Libby Hinsley, author of Yoga for Bendy People joins us to debunk some myths and talk about the ways that yoga is amazing for bendy people.   EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:  Hypermobility basics - what does it actually mean to be bendy? Unique needs for bendy people in Asana practice Alternatives to passive stretching that work better for bendy people What yoga practice injuries are telling us Libby’s new book, Yoga for Bendy People   EPISODE LINKS & RESOURCES: Libby Hinsley Anatomy Bites Follow Libby on Instagram @libbyhinsleypt   LINKS AND RESOURCES: Follow YTR on Instagram @yoga.teacher.resource  Join the Yoga Teacher Resource email list Join the Yoga Teacher Resource Facebook Group Learn more about the Impact Club Leave a review on iTunes Ask a question for the podcast on the Yoga Teacher Resource website or on SpeakPipe

Have you heard of “nocebic” language? Learn the way our brains react to expectations, why it’s important to notice fear based language and how to transform your words to empower your students.   Episode Highlights:  How to help your students feel confident and inspired to be in charge of their bodies The importance of looking for what’s right instead of what’s wrong Scope of practice and boundaries in the yoga class setting Psychological and physiological power of messaging in yoga What you can do to nip fear based language in the bud How learning anatomy helps yoga teachers evaluate their cues and language   EPISODE LINKS & RESOURCES: Libby Hinsley Anatomy Bites Follow Libby on Instagram @libbyhinsleypt   LINKS AND RESOURCES: Follow YTR on Instagram @yoga.teacher.resource  Join the Yoga Teacher Resource email list Join the Yoga Teacher Resource Facebook Group Learn more about the Impact Club Leave a review on iTunes Ask a question for the podcast on the Yoga Teacher Resource website or on SpeakPipe