Squawk Box with Alexandria Crow

* Another day, another Yoga Alliance upset* Not a governing body, not even the accreditor* Your teacher training is the accreditor (surprise)* The piece Yoga Alliance doesn’t give two hoots about* Why I built YST (years of surveying teachers)* Not a dharma talk, not 20 minutes of preaching* Gripping the poses, a.k.a. kleshas, karma, samskara, repeat* No amount of letters cures imposter syndrome* “I have to play the game” (no, you don’t)* Marketing is hard when you can’t explain the yoga* Plot twist, this whole episode was about dharma* Get up, ArjunaLINKS & SUCH:Links to all the courses and upcoming programs mentioned during the show. Come join us.YST Philosophy Course - click here to be the first to know about the Black Friday offers (YST starts again in January)Free Kleshas Lesson - click here to grab the free mini lesson This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit squawkbox.yogaphysics.com

* Back from summer hiatus (missed you)* “Yoga isn’t about flexibility” (posts the splits)* Search “yoga” on Instagram. Go ahead.* Poses, empty mats, schedule graphics, repeat* Seafoam green lovers, you’re safe here* Shouting into the void, again* Fire emojis, zero signups* Your teacher training skipped the philosophy* That pit in your stomach about dharma* Dreading the student who knows more* Empty mats say nobody’s coming (they’re right)* Nobody wants to be alone at the party* A frying pan is easier to sell* Words explain concepts, pose photos don’t* Likes vs. profile visits (you’ve never checked)* What’s missing from the class down the hall?* “Find your bliss” tells me nothing* A surprise bill and you spin out* The best teachers, the hardest to find* “Women over 40” isn’t an ideal client* Left on read, 57 follow-up texts* You don’t need to find your voice* AI picks the most predictable word (you don’t)* Beginning, middle, end, and a method* Likes went down, signups went up* “I’m bad at social media” (mind stuff)* Philosophy to the whole world from down the hall* Every one of them found her on Instagram* Stop posting bodies, solve the flexibility problem* 10 Slides to Sold Out, Friday, October 2nd* One real sale a year (Black Friday)LINKS & SUCH:Links to all the courses and upcoming programs mentioned during the show. Come join us.Ten Slides to Sold Out: A D2R Biz mini course - Click here to snag a ticketYoga Student Training (YST) - Philosophy Course - Click here to be the first to know about the Black Friday sale offers when the doors re-open.D2R The Business of Yoga - Business & Marketing Course - Click here to learn more about the course and enroll. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit squawkbox.yogaphysics.com

* The article everyone keeps sending me* A registry with zero teeth (and great salaries)* They don’t pay you, so why do you care what they pay themselves?* Another training will not up your rates* The $10 membership × 400 people = the math nobody does* “I keep it accessible” (the tidiest story your mind tells)* The wine study, again, because it’s that good* Discounting before anyone asks = telling them it’s worth less* My hairstylists raise rates every year and never explain why* Good vibes at the bank (spoiler: they don’t take them)* The Mercedes-Benz nobody could “afford”* Stop guessing what’s in other people’s bank accounts* The teacher with zero training and sold-out retreats* Chutzpah, audacity, and a steady nervous system* Freeze, flight, and your rates* $45 private you drive across town for (the math won’t math)* Reality on reality’s terms* Prosperity isn’t antithetical to yoga (a whole other episode)* The Shift, three little sessions, starts August 1LINKS & SUCH:Links to all the courses and upcoming programs mentioned during the show. Come join us.THE SHIFT: Money, Mindset & the Business of Yoga - click here to snag a ticketD2R The Business of Yoga - Business & Marketing Course - Click here to learn more This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit squawkbox.yogaphysics.com

* The yoga world’s dirty little secret* Chasing money to fill self worth holes (the Gita saw you coming)* Groceries covered, rent covered, that’s real contentment* Nobody capped your income but you* $20 an hour and a calculator walk into a bar* Running all over town, burning out anyway* That $32 drop-in rate is a mirage* Three to four dollars a head (sit with that)* Rent, insurance, front desk, marketing, math* $1,000 a week at $20 a class (good luck)* Memberships: cheap rates, needs a small army* Your brain would rather not look at this* Justifying your rate increase like a hostage negotiation* Sue across town (any of you Sues, not you)* Is she even going to sign up? No? Moving on.* Fear of being judged, wearing a spreadsheet costume* The hairstylist who just raises her rates. Period.* Wishy-washy pricing makes people question your marketing* Klesha cycles love a money story* The group’s reaction: relief, not judgment* Your money is none of their business (and vice versa)* Repelling the wrong people is the strategy* The class you’re afraid to quit, mathematically speaking* One spot sold covers four months of that gig* Pen to paper. Samskaras underneath. Dig.* A lifelong lifelong lifelong (lifelong) practice* Never been a better time to teach yoga* The whole internet is your studio now* “I don’t like teaching online” (converted every single one)* Income that runs while you’re on vacation* Charging enough IS the service* Dharma isn’t a job but it deserves funding* Rattled? Good. Me too.* Why do you believe spiritual and broke go together?* Journal prompts that might stingLINKS & SUCH:Interested in the podcast episodes and D2R Biz course mentioned during this episode?* D2R The Business of Yoga - Business & Marketing Course - Click here to learn more This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit squawkbox.yogaphysics.com

* Moving through life like there’s an infinite supply* Suddenly feeling how finite everything is* The realization you might never see the thing you’re waiting for* Joy, grief, and wonder arriving all at once* Your brain is being trained toward lack and fear all day* Toxic positivity vs. actually choosing potential on purpose* One shot at moving through this life through your lens* You won’t know which one is the last chocolate cake* Why defeat yourself before you even start* One good thing today, even the tiniest oneLINKS & SUCH:Interested in the podcast episodes and D2R Biz course mentioned during this episode?* D2R The Business of Yoga - Business & Marketing Course - Click here to learn more This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit squawkbox.yogaphysics.com

* “I should be able to figure this out myself” (the thought that’s costing you years)* Hospital bed, contract renewal, said yes anyway* Best business year ever, while she couldn’t physically work* Feast and famine income isn’t a yoga tax, it’s a structure problem* $5 masterminds and YouTube videos that gave you pieces, never the whole thing* “I’ll invest when I have enough saved up” (the excuse that keeps moving)* Hired support, still tried to implement everything alone* Thinking investment has an end date instead of being ongoing* Prices went up every year, said yes every year anyway* You don’t hire a mentor once you’ve already succeeded, that’s backwards* “It only takes me 10 minutes” (the math that’s keeping you small)* Reframing cost to investment until it actually clicks* A client panicking two days before a launch, certain it was failing* Same launch, day of, oversold past goal* “You don’t know how it ends until it ends”* Decades of experience, still pays for outside eyes* Dancers don’t outgrow dance teachers, you won’t eitherLINKS & SUCH:Interested in the podcast episodes and D2R Biz course mentioned during this episode?* D2R The Business of Yoga - Business & Marketing Course - Click here to learn more + save your spot* Listen to the episode about my stroke - Click here to listen This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit squawkbox.yogaphysics.com

* Do you actually know how your work helps people?* Elevator pitch. Two minutes. No buzzwords.* The yoga world’s dirty little secret (it’s not the splits)* More than poses! But also... only poses in every photo* Vedic Jeopardy vs. knowing what karma looks like on a Tuesday* Traffic. Late. Honking. Dragging it into your evening.* The little wave that ends the whole spiral* Accessibility doesn’t mean anything without a story* Your secret magic sauce (currently invisible to everyone)* Inspirational quote. Date. Time. Cricket sounds.* The 6pm class nobody signed up for and why* “Yoga is restraint of the fluctuations of the mind” (lands on nobody)* Learning philosophy isn’t just respectful to yoga, it’s good for business* Chemistry teacher. Periodic table. Vague gesture. Sound familiar?* Rant complete. Hard? Good. Come find me. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit squawkbox.yogaphysics.com

* Smartest teachers in the room, too scared to say anything* The fictitious mob waiting to pounce* (They’re not real. Probably.)* Meanwhile: confident, factually wrong, thriving* More certifications won’t fix this, sorry* Two hours on a caption, still not posted* Plato’s cave but make it social media* Sand the edges off enough to end up saying nothing* Your nervous system genuinely thinks you’re about to die* Not trying to make everyone happy, not even a little* Unsubs happen. Unfollows happen. So do the right people.* Yoga practice: not for the mat apparently* D2R Biz people always say this is the hardest yoga they’ve ever done* Arjuna had to act anyway too* Something’s coming (the art of giving zero f*cks, basically)* Big following does not mean big knowledge (she said it plainly)* Write down what you actually know. Read it back. Then go.* This week’s homework: name the bear, check if it’s real This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit squawkbox.yogaphysics.com

* Famous podcast host: two glasses of wine, three days of suffering* Sir, that’s called being human* Checking sleep score at 6am (irony, thy name is data)* Optimization culture or extremely expensive anxiety* Have the diet coke or cookie. I’m begging you.* Rogue student post goes viral, comment section tells on itself* “You’re missing nuance” (I assure you, I’m not missing nuance)* Bill doing chaturangas nobody asked for, somehow not the emergency* Conformity with good playlists is still conformity* Yoga world: more perfectionists per square foot than anywhere* The trap where you optimize so hard you recreate the prison you left* Arjuna also wanted a guarantee before getting up (Krishna was not impressed)* Cookie eaten, workout skipped, world still spinning* Running a business is just yoga with spreadsheets apparently* Getting good at not being in control (hardest pose in the syllabus)* Expectations meet reality: that gap is the whole practice* Still on the journey, just further along and slightly less annoying about itLINKS & SUCH:* The Rogue Episode - Click here to listen to the episode mentioned about going rogue. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit squawkbox.yogaphysics.com

We did something a little different this week…I went live with two YST alumni who are amazing, you’re going to love them.Nina (@ninastarr 1111) is a yoga student and teacher and Jeremy (@full_panther_music) doesn’t teach and has no problem admitting he isn’t much for a vinyasa class, but both of them are deeply into these teachings and always bring something thought provoking and insightful to the YST discussions they’ve been a part of twice over now.I asked them three questions.Where were you before YST and what made you invest twice?What shifted?What do you want someone on the fence to know?Their answers were exactly why I do this work and why you’ll adore the course too.If you’re ready to understand these texts so deeply that you can live them when life feels like a complete shit show you can’t control, and you’re done with even a single ounce of impostor syndrome when a student asks you a philosophy question because you know this stuff well enough to riff on it for hours, don’t take my word for it. Give this a listen.LINKS & SUCH:Interested in the upcoming YST course mentioned during this episode?* Yoga Student Training (YST) - Philosophy Course - Doors open now - Click here to learn more + enroll - doors close April 30 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit squawkbox.yogaphysics.com