Group Classes: The Sweet Spot

I’ve spent a lot of time over the last 15 years developing my own business(es). I’ve coached a lot of other yoga teachers and studio owners on how they can develop their businesses too. My tips usually include things like diversify your revenue streams and solidify your vision as a teacher. I have always keep these tips in my head over the years as I’ve allowed my own business(es) to evolve.

Strangely, I feel as though I’ve come to a place where I’m ready to let a lot of that work go.

About a decade ago I started running my own workshops, online classes, trainings, retreats, and on-demand content for a number of reasons. Probably at the top of that list was my need for control. I have a pretty severe scarcity mentality. Teaching a dozen or more group yoga classes for my employer always left me feeling unsatisfied and, frankly, nervous. At any point I could have classes taken away by the studio manager and then I’d be scrambling to fill my schedule and make up for the lost income. By providing my own offerings I gained control over my income and how I was teaching. When I reduced my constant reliance on teaching lots of group classes, I experienced a new sense of creativity and freedom. Plus, I put my heart and soul into a lot of work that made me feel proud.

In the last few months something has seemed to shift. Perhaps the shift has been in the works for much longer and I’m just now allowing it to surface. I find myself really enjoying the group classes that I teach. I show up. I connect with students. I teach my classes. Then I leave. I go home and continue with my day.

There’s no frantic dash to get out my next newsletter. No pressure to sell my latest online series. There’s zero anxiety about posting something on social media. I just show up, do my job to the best of my ability, and then move on my with my life.

(I cannot express how freeing it felt to type that last sentence.)

I love being a small business owner, and it’s a really hard endeavor. Selling things to folks is exhausting and, when the things don’t get sold, it’s difficult to not take it personally. Although I am fully aware that things like finances, scheduling, and life circumstances play a huge role in how people choose to spend their money and time, I’ve always struggled with feeling like I had to do more and be better in order for people to consume what I was offering. It’s exhausting to live with that mentality.

As I inch into my late-30’s, I’m finding that group classes are currently my sweet spot. I am very lucky to teach at a studio that pays me well for group classes. It is incredibly rare for a teacher to make a decent income with a schedule full of group classes and I’m at a place where I’m eager to simmer in the hard work that got me to that point.

And perhaps what I appreciate the most about the group classes I teach, I can be relatively anonymous. It’s easier for my identity to be something beyond my job and the business I’m trying to run. All of my group classes are for a company with many locations and a lot of classes happening at all hours of the day. Students can show up for a class based on convenience. I don’t have to be the most popular teacher. I don’t have to be known as the teacher with the best music (that will never be me) or the teacher who gives an inspiring sermon at the beginning of class (that will also never be me). Erin J is simply listed on the schedule and students can choose to show up or not and their decision has no impact on my ego or paycheck.

It’s weird to put all of this out there in this blog post and have zero sense of sadness. When I started typing the first words I kind of thought I would. I think I’m just really proud of the work I’ve put into my career as a teacher. I know I’m not going to stop teaching. I know I’ll probably host another workshop or special class in the near future. It’s not like it’s all going away. It’s more like I’m pulling off the gas pedal a bit. I’m allowing myself to slow down and find a better work/life balance so that I can continue in this career for decades to come and reclaim my personal identity.

Your Yoga Mat is a Space for Self-Agency

Sometimes I receive criticism about how I facilitate my yoga classes. Typically the criticism is related to the number of options I provide for students. This is feedback I will respectfully listen to, however, this is not feedback that will change how I teach.

If you’ve taken one of my classes you know I teach with a very clear perspective. I always come with a plan and I often outline a learning objective at the top of class. And, although I come with my own teaching agenda, I always highlight that one’s time on their mat is their own time. As a yoga teacher I am simply there to provide structure, guidance, and suggestions. I hope to create a space where students can turn inward and investigate their own experience. Through that investigation students get to make choices. When I’m teaching outline various choices that a student might make based on what they’re experiencing in their own body and mind. It’s my invitation for students to consider what they’re feeling and, from there, they choose their own adventure based on a number of options I outline.

My classes have structure and my classes are all about personal choice.

Offering up a variety of options for a student to make can be tricky. I regularly have students tell me, “I am just here for you to tell me what to do.” I understand that! Many of us are constantly bombarded with choices that we have to make every single day. We just need someone to tell us what to do! The time when you roll out your yoga mat can also be a sweet opportunity for you to turn off the choices and simply do what the yoga teacher tells you to do.

On the flip side, some people might come to their yoga mat for the opportunity to choose their own adventure. They’re eager to tune into their own experience and choose variations of shapes that support them in that moment. Your yoga mat can be a space where you practice self-agency. And it might be one of the few times in your day, week, month, year when you truly get to express that self-agency.

Embrace the moments when you get to express your own personal choices. No one needs to know why you made a certain choice. You don’t have to give any explanations. The point is that you have the freedom to choose.

I feel like I have to give a bit of a cautionary statement with this blog post. I’d hate for you, dear reader and yoga practitioner, to attend a class that has very strict guidelines and you get scolded for taking a shape that is not being taught. Please use your yoga mat as a space to explore your personal choices in your practice. Also, please be mindful of the dynamic in group classes. Some group practices lend themselves well to a choice-based practice. Some group practices do not lend themselves well to a student doing something other than what the teacher is providing.

Does This Look Right?

Allow me to set the scene…

I’m teaching a yoga class and I’m guiding students into a specific shape. I’m giving students some time to ease into the shape to feel it in their bodies. Suddenly a student makes eye contact with me and asks, “Does this look right?”

I understand what the student is asking me. They want clarity. They want to know if they should make adjustments so that they’re landing in the exact shape. I, too, was once a student who desperately needed to know if the shape I was doing looked right.

Long ago, when the question came up from a student, I probably would’ve responded with something like, “Yeah! Your hips are exactly where they’re supposed to be!”

Now I tend to take a different approach.

If a student asks me if they’re doing a shape right or if a shape looks right, I respond with a question like, “How does it feel?” Or I’ll inquire with, “Tell me where you feel sensation.”

My hope is that the student understands that right is relative. Half Pigeon looks one way in your body and it looks another in my body. Dancer Pose might look a certain way in my body and it’ll probably look different in my neighbor’s body.

Long ago I had the privilege of taking an adaptive teacher training with Matthew Sanford. He said something that will live with me for the rest of my teaching career. While working with paraplegic and quadriplegic students he told all of us, “Know your shapes!” He wasn’t telling us to memorize the exact placement of the front foot in relationship to the back foot in Warrior II. He was expressing the importance of understanding the purpose, intention, and desired sensation in a shape.

In that training with Sanford we were told to teach someone who was unable to move their legs and arms how to do Triangle Pose. Sure, we could manually adjust the student’s body into the general shape of Triangle while they were lying in a bed, on the floor, or in a chair. But the purpose was to teach the feeling and sensations that live within Triangle Pose.

Now, when asked by a student if a shape looks right, it’s more important to me that they understand the intention rather than trying to duplicate the physical manifestation of a yoga shape. I commonly use Half Pigeon as an example because it frequently appears in modern yoga practices and it’s a shape that brings up a lot of questions.

Student: Does this look right? My front shin isn’t parallel to the front of my mat.

Me: Do feel any pain in your joints?

Student: No.

Me: If you feel a stretch, where do you feel it?

Student: My outer hip.

Me: Great! Then you’re doing it right for your body.

Of course I don’t want to just throw away the concept of technique and discipline in a yoga practice. Especially when working with beginner students, teachers just have to get students into the general shape of a pose in an efficient and concise manner. Regardless of how experienced a student might be, there’s a general outline for every yoga shape for a reason. The sensations experienced in Half Pigeon and something like Cow Faced Pose might be similar, but they aren’t the same shape. Each has their own purpose and intention. The expression of those shapes in our own bodies just might differ from person to person.

Plus, I think it’s worth it to remember that nothing is hard and true in yoga. We, the people practicing the yoga, change and it’s important that our practice changes too. What might feel or seem right today may not be what’s right for us in 10 days or 10 years.

Hire the Professional

Three important things to know about me:

• I am a terrible student.

• I feel defeated when something doesn’t click for me quickly.

• I am very stubborn

Learning a new skill is incredibly uncomfortable for me. Part of me believes I’ve landed in the roles of yoga teacher, personal trainer, and dog trainer because they’re all skills that come easily for me. I love to linger when I’m confident in what I’m doing.

A couple years ago I tried to learn a new skill. Initially I was pretty good at the skill. After my first attempt I thought, That was a lot easier than I thought it would be! A couple months later I went back to practice the new skill and I had a very different experience. I was terrible! I couldn’t figure out what I was doing wrong and I left feeling totally defeated.

It took me a while to go back and revisit the skill. Again, I was very bad at the skill. After multiple tries at this new skill I could never duplicate how well I performed the skill the first time. Beginners luck, I suppose.

After consistently performing very badly at this new skill, I decided it was time to get some help from a professional. It was brought to my attention that a professional coach was going to be in the Twin Cities offering group lessons. As I was scrolling through the registration page for the group lessons I noticed the coach was also offering private lessons while they were in town. I was conflicted. I could spend less money and get some help on in a group setting. Or I could spend more money and get personalized attention.

I went with the personalized attention.

Last month I spent two hours with a professional coach and I can wholeheartedly tell you I made the right decision by scheduling that private lesson. It was worth every penny! It was so empowering to have an experienced professional see me do the skill, adjust my technique, and breakdown my challenges in a way that landed for me. I left our lesson feeling like I actually understood what I was doing and I was excited to try the skill on my own.

I’m intentionally choosing to leave the specifics of the skill out of this blog post for a number of reasons. I’m mainly leaving out the details because the skill I’m working on could easily be replaced with a new skill you’re exploring. There’s an abundance of professionals, like the one I worked with, who have endless knowledge on a subject and they’re ready to share their expertise with you!

Just the other week a friend told me she was having a hard time planning her meals. She’s been struggling with low energy and she’s not prioritizing her nutrition. In order to turn things around she’s decided to work with a nutritionist because she needed some education and support from a professional.

Need nutrition advice? Want to learn how to garden? Curious about how to do a pull-up? Want to brush up on your Spanish skills because 10th grade Spanish class just isn’t going to cut it on your next vacation in Mexico?

Hire the professional!

If you truly want to learn something, seriously, hire the professional. I promise you won’t regret it.

Recommendations & Resources

In last week I have been approached by three yoga students who regularly take my group classes about pain they have been experiencing. This is an incredibly common occurrence in my professional life.

Erin, I’m experiencing pain in my shoulder.

Erin, my hip feels weird when I’m in Half Pigeon.

I am always happy to discuss these matters with a student before or after a class. Especially if pain or discomfort appears or is increased during a specific yoga shape, I appreciate when a student takes the time to experiment with me to find ways to do the shape with less discomfort.

However, the time I spend with a student when it comes to pain or discomfort is only through my lens as a yoga teacher and personal trainer. I am not a physical therapist. I am not a medical doctor or nurse. I am not an occupational therapist. My final class in a formal education setting probably involved me rolling around on the floor to some film soundtrack as a part of my final piece of choreography in college.

Sure, I see a lot of bodies move through space every day at work. Sure, I have a pretty decent understanding of anatomy, physiology, and kinesiology. But I also came very close to flunking the one anatomy class I took in college. My role as a yoga teacher and personal trainer provides me with a relatively narrow scrope to work from. Even though I have developed trust and rapport with countless students throughout the years, it’s important that I stand firm in what I can and cannot do offer my students.

When a student seeks support that goes beyond my role as a yoga teacher or personal trainer I instantly respond with “I don’t know” or “That’s outside my scope of practice”. Plus, depending on the situation, I often tack on “I might have an external recommendation or resource if you’re interested”.

Here’s some examples:

• Scenario: A student comes to me with a nagging knee issue.

• Guidance: I invite them to see their primary health care provider and ask about physical therapy. I then recommend one or two physical therapists in the area.

• Scenario: A student wants to learn more Kriya Yoga (or insert any style of yoga that I don’t teach).

• Guidance: I encourage them to seek out classes, workshops, and seminars on that style of yoga. And, if I’m unfamiliar with teachers from a certain style of yoga, I’ll ask around and do my own research to provide the student with details at a later time.

• Scenario: A student is having a hard time managing their emotions during their practice and wants to express their personal challenges with me after a class.

• Guidance: I offer a friendly ear while keeping the conversation short and invite the student to seek out a therapist or counselor. I encourage them to seek out resources that might be available through their school or employer.

Of course my role and job as a yoga teacher and personal trainer does not mean I have to turn into an alternative for Google or the Yellow Pages (this reference is definitely dating me). However, because I have developed a trust with a large community of yoga and fitness students, I do feel a responsibility to have recommendations and resources available for those who are seeking such information.

I cannot provide my students with answers to all their questions. I should not be expected to do so! And, because the role of the yoga teacher can oddly carry so much weight and value for some students, I encourage all yoga teachers to have a just a few resources in their back pocket for when a student is looking for answers for something that is outside your scope of practice.

Lastly, and most importantly, empower yourself with these three beautiful words:

I DON’T KNOW!

Moving With Pain

In late December I noticed a new pain in my left hip. It was the worst when I went from a sitting to a standing position. As someone who literally moves for a living, I was concerned. So I decided to do what most of us are told - or at least were historically told - to do when experiencing pain: I rested.

I stopped running. I stopped lifting weights. I would still walk on the treadmill most days, but I took it slow. I tried to demonstrate less in my yoga classes and I hit pause on my own personal yoga practice. Two weeks off would do the trick, right?

Nope.

It almost seemed like resting made my pain worse, so I decided to go back to my usual routine of running and weight training. The pain was still present, but it was manageable. I kept telling myself to see a physical therapist, but I’m stubborn and continued to brush aside making an appointment.

In March I had my annual check up with my regular doctor. We discussed the usual talking points and as we started to wrap up my appointment my doctor asked, “Is there anything else you want to discuss?” I wasn’t planning to share my hip pain with her. I am a movement professional! I know what’s up!

I caved. “Well, I’ve had this weird hip pain for a couple months.” She laughed. She knew I wasn’t planning to share the information with her. After doing some movement assessments of my hip she determined it was a soft tissue issue and it would be best if it was addressed by a physical therapist. Fine. I guess I’ll make a PT appointment.

Before making an appointment I did a lot of research on physical therapists. It was important for me to find someone who spoke my language as someone who moves for a living and for enjoyment. I landed on an incredible PT who gave me everything I was looking for and more.

She assessed my pain, watched me move, and determined the issue. She gave me a handful of exercises and we scheduled a follow up appointment. I asked her if I should rest and hold off on running. Her answer surprised me. She said, “Do the exercises I gave you and go back to short runs. Stop running if you feel consistent pain, but don’t completely stop moving. Sitting still won’t make it better.”

I feel like the idea of rest in the context of an injury is a bit confusing. We are told to rest and we might take that as an invitation to put on our favorite reality television show and lounge on the couch for hours. But in reality, for some injuries, just sitting still might make the situation worse. Our bodies are not fragile. They’re designed to move. If we are managing an injury and we have the ability to move, there’s value in continuing to move in order to rehabilitate an injury. The type of movement is probably the key to recovery.

For my injury I assumed I needed to do exercises that helped me engage my glutes. I wasn’t wrong in this assumption, but I was wrong in my approach. My PT gave me very specific exercises and movement patterns to target my glutes in a way that would create relief from the hip pain I was experiencing. After only a few days it felt like I had a brand new hip! Plus, I had a better understanding of what movement was helpful and what movement was harmful in my process of recovery.

Of course if your doctor or medical professional is telling you that zero movement is the only way for you to recover from an injury or ailment, then please listen to them! I’m just a movement and fitness professional with big opinions. But if you’re living with pain, consider moving with your pain rather than completely eliminating movement. Perhaps there’s some form of movement - whether it be strength training, stretching, yoga, foam rolling, cardiorespiratory training, etc. - that will help you get to the other side where you’ll be moving without pain.

Things I Once Said as a Yoga Teacher: A Series

I regularly think about my early days as a yoga teacher. I was bright-eyed and so eager to teach any and every class I could. I’m glad I put myself out there. I had a lot of opportunities to teach in various spaces and connect with people from all over the Twin Cities. Not that I’d necessarily recommend it to everyone, but it was a bit of a baptism by fire scenario.

In my early days of teaching I had to be humble and open to feedback. For instance, I will never forget the day a student corrected me on my pronunciation of Adho Mukha Svanasana (Sanskrit for Downward Facing Dog). Turns out Svanasana and Savasana are pronounced very differently! I was green and it was clear to those in my classes that I was really only playing the part of the yoga teacher.

Although I stumbled a bit in my first few years of teaching, I’m grateful I didn’t settle for just playing the part of the yoga teacher. I started to take my practice and career more seriously. I traveled when I could to study with other teachers. In 2012 I participated in the Yoga Journal Conference in NYC and was introduced to the person who would eventually become my go-to teacher and mentor.

Change is hard and change is necessary.

Through my many years of teaching and studying yoga, I have learned a lot and, more importantly, have had my thoughts and beliefs challenged. It can be a hard pill to swallow when you learn that instructions you’ve been giving students for years aren’t biomechanically sound. And rather than getting defensive, I found myself being open minded and eager to just keep learning more.

So that’s where this blog series comes into play.

I’m a sucker for nostalgia and decided to use my past experience as a yoga teacher to highlight areas of the yoga practice where many yoga teachers (myself included) have been misguided or straight up incorrect.

I have zero intentions of shaming anyone. I’m choosing to share this information because change, evolution, and the drive to continue to learn is essential. And I’ll be sharing things that I once said and taught myself! Some of it I shared for over a decade!

Because research and data about the moving body is constantly changing, who knows. I just might find that things I share and teach currently are inaccurate. And that’s great! As an open minded student there’s value in acknowledging our errors and misunderstandings and then examining new information that is available.

I’d love for you to join me in this series and I hope you get some entertainment out of the things a slightly misguided Erin shared in her yoga classes.

If you’re on Instagram, be sure to give me a follow. I’ll be creating Reels that accompany my blog posts.

Celebrating Novelty

I have proudly dubbed myself as the Routine Queen.

I love a good routine!

Perhaps I crave routine because I lack a conventional 9-5 job and having such a varied schedule requires me to find balance via establishing routines. Or maybe it’s because I’m a control freak.

Most likely the latter.

Regardless of when my workday or first obligation begins, I like to wake up around the same time every day. I prefer to kick off my mornings with a big glass of water, some type of movement, and an overly fussy coffee. A glitch in the routine often causes my whole day to feel off.

The older I get the more I get stuck in my ways. Although challenging, I’m doing my best to accept spontaneity and acknowledge that not everyone or everything is keyed into my personal routines. Again, I’m doing my best.

Recently I was traveling. Also known as My Routine Was Disrupted. Then, upon returning home from my travels, I tested positive for COVID. Also known as My Routine Was Disrupted Beyond Belief.

Once recovered from COVID I was so eager to hop back into my routine. Unfortunately, the lingering fatigue prevented me from going into routine-mode at full force. For about three weeks I felt ungrounded.

Now, after fully recovered from COVID, I’m back at it. I’m running and lifting weights and it feels great! I might have my routines back and my days of no routine may have lit a little spark in me. The routine-free three weeks inspired me to maybe shake things up a bit. Sure, I may have felt a bit off without my routine, but it provided me with a lesson on being adaptable. I figured maybe this was a time for me to embrace something new.

If you have been around me for a while, you might know I am not always a fan of new. I like what I like and I find comfort in what I know. I seriously own the same sweater in three different colors. Again, Routine Queen. But I know this isn’t always the greatest characteristic in a human. I don’t want to be the crabby old lady who refuses to try new things simply because I’m stubborn and stuck in my ways. All the comforts in my life were once new and my willingness to try them allowed for me to love them!

So, here I am, trying new things and embracing novelty. Or at least I’m trying a few new things.

The following weren’t all magicially added to my life after I recovered from COVID, but they might give you an idea of the power of novelty and give you (probably too deep of) a look at my inner workings:

Novelty #1: Lifting a Barbell

Now this new thing is relatively new. Earlier this year my husband and I added a barbell and squat rack to our home gym. I spent the first couple of months just staring at the thing and cursing how much space it took up in our basement.

Historically, I’ve really only lifted dumbbells and kettlebells. They are my weightlifting comfort items. The barbell felt intimidating and awkward.

Why does it have to be so long and challenging to balance?

Why does the bar alone have to be 45 pounds?

After embracing the new gym equipment and experimenting a bit with familiar movement patterns, I realized I actually love the barbell! It is now my absolute favorite piece of gym equipment and I get so excited every time I hit a new personal record on my back squat.

Take that, fear of trying new things!

Novelty #2: Being a Personal Trainer

Some might think being a personal trainer is just like a being a yoga teacher. Sure, that is kind of correct. Both professions require the professional to support people through movement patterns. However, teaching a group yoga class is very, very different from working with private personal training clients.

Although I was excited to take on this new role as a personal trainer earlier this summer, I was very nervous about creating programs that were specific to one client and catered to their goals. It’s one thing to teach a room full of people where to place their feet in Warrior II. It’s a completely different thing to help educate one person on the optimal weight and body positioning for their one rep max deadlift.

When teaching a group class it’s pretty easy to almost hide and disappear in the crowd even when you’re the one guiding the class. Private sessions require me to fully see the one client in front of me and speak specifically to what I see in that one person. Now I do have a fair amount of experience teaching private yoga sessions, but guiding a person through complex, loaded movements is a brand new and sometimes uncomfortable experience.

Luckily, it’s an experience I am very much enjoying. I am loving the journey of supporting folks through resistance training. And better yet, I feel as though my experience as a personal trainer has made me an even better yoga teacher.

Novelty #3: Trail Running

Routine might cause me to get in my own way, but it has seemed to pay off in my running. Especially when training for a race, I am very regimented in when I run, how far I run, how often I’m lifting to support my running, and how often I’m resting and doing my recovery practices. Getting a personal record in my last half marathon definitely drilled me deeper into my “routines are everything!” mentality.

The challenge with routine, especially when it comes to something like running, is that it can cause one (ME!) to become incredibly competitive with oneself. I would have been devastated if I hadn’t gotten a personal record at my half marathon in June. I was working my butt off and my stats were all pointing to that race being my fastest yet. Once I finished the race I, of course, instantly thought, “Next year I have to go faster.” Sure, I want to better myself with each race. Inevitably one of these years I won’t go faster than the previous year. How will I manage that? I’m actually a little nervous to find out.

Here’s where trail running makes its appearance.

For years a lot of my yoga students have been encouraging me to try trail running. I clearly enjoy running. I clearly enjoy exploring the woods and local parks. Why not put the two together?

Because I was getting a little too competitive with myself in my running, I decided to need to switch things up a bit. Look at me nudging myself to try something new!

I got some new trail running shoes (new, fun gear is often a good way to entice me to embrace something new) and I scoped out some trails via the All Trails app and away I went. And let me tell you, I have not had that much fun running in a long time!

I slipped and fell within the first five minutes of my first trail run and got a sweet souvenir in the form of a bruise on my arm and a big scratch on my back. I saw countless deer and birds. Plus, I got to gallop through a beautiful field full of tall wildflowers.

And here’s perhaps the best part: Not once was I concerned with my time. I knew there was no way I was going to be able to jog up some of the hills so I slowed down and walked. Historically slowing down and walking is not something I do when I’m running on the road or on my treadmill. Plus, I didn’t exactly know where I was going so I let the trails guide me. I was never exactly lost, but I never had an exact route that I was trying to follow. It was great! This new running environment allowed me to set aside all my expectations and just enjoy my surroundings.

I’m excited to take this newfound mentality into my road running and other movement endeavors.

Moral of the Story

In an incredibly long-winded way, I invited you to celebrate novelty.

Try a different meal at your favorite restaurant where you’ve ordered the same thing for the last decade.

Take a yoga class from a teacher you’ve never met before.

Explore a different route on your walk or run this week.

Invite someone you just met to a have coffee or join your book club.

New things will most likely never feel comfortable right away. Keep in mind that the comfortable things in your life were all once new to you.

And, perhaps the best part, you will always have your routine and all your favorite familiar items and experiences to rest on when you need them.

Heal & Harm in Yoga Spaces

Have you taken a yoga class that made me think, “That was magical! I now feel like all my physical and emotional ailments are gone!”?

Have you taken a yoga class and afterwards thought, “I don’t feel so awesome. I may have done something to my back.”?

There’s a good chance these opposing feelings could be experienced by two students who took the exact same yoga class. No two people will walk away from a yoga practice feeling identical. It just doesn’t work that way.

With the above in mind, it’s important to acknowledge that it isn’t exactly helpful to make grand statements about how a yoga practice (or really anything) will impact someone.

Can yoga heal someone?

I’ve heard it many times:

“This shape will heal [insert injury here] if practiced consistently.”

Shoot, I know I’ve been guilty of saying such things when teaching! Especially teachers who are newer in their teaching journey, we just say the things we were told in our teacher trainings or mindlessly repeat what our teacher(s) say without thinking about our statements critically.

Is there any real harm in telling students that standing on your hands in Hands to Feet Pose will heal carpal tunnel syndrome? Not really. But these broad, probably unvetted claims about a yoga shape aren’t necessarily supporting students in their practice.

Imagine being someone who suffers from carpal tunnel syndrome. Because you were informed of its healing properties, you do Hands to Feet Pose for five minutes every day for a full month and you find zero relief. Your trusted yoga teacher told you that the shape would heal your ailment but nothing has changed. There’s potential for you to feel frustrated and defeated.

Of course the promise that the practice of yoga heals goes beyond the physical. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been told that certain breath practices will heal (and even cure!) a practitioner’s anxiety. Again, imagine being diagnosed by a medical professional with anxiety. Your trusted yoga teacher tells you time and time again that the breathwork they’ve been guiding in class will relieve you of your anxious feelings. After a few months of consistent practice nothing changes. Now what?

Yoga teachers have a duty to support their yoga students to the best of their abilities. Yoga teachers don’t have a board or true governing body to keep certain behaviors and misgivings in check. (I could insert some thoughts about Yoga Alliance here but that might be saved for a later blog post. Plus, I have conflicting beliefs on whether or not yoga teachers should even have an overarching organization that handles such things. Again, thoughts for another post.) Ultimately, it’s up to the teacher, and maybe the studio(s) that employ them, to set clear moral and ethical standards.

From my perspective, it is highly unethical to make blanket statements about how a yoga shape or meditation practice will heal or fix a student’s body and/or mind. But, again, those ethical standards are up to the individual teacher to set for themselves.

At the same time, yoga does have the potential to help people feel better. I know that yoga, meditation, and breathing exercises have helped me manage my anxiety. I also know that simply moving my body - yoga or other physical movement practices - help me feel better in my body and mind. However, my experience is my own and it’s not my place as a yoga and fitness teacher to assume all people will have the exact same experience.

Can yoga harm someone?

“Don’t press your knee beyond your toes or you’ll harm your knee.”

“Engage your core so that you don’t hurt your back.”

Have you ever heard these statements in a yoga class? If you took my classes in the first few years of my teaching career then you most definitely heard ME say those things! I was full of uninformed cues in my early teaching days.

For a while, at least in my yoga circles, there seemed to be this trend where yoga teachers discouraged students from doing just about anything in order to keep them safe. For instance, in 2017 I took a workshop class with a well known yoga teacher who was visiting the Twin Cities. I was so excited to take their class because I heard some really great things! However, I was quickly disappointed. The two-hour workshop that was advertised as a practice on fun transitions turned into a lecture on why we shouldn’t do certain shapes because there was a high likelihood that we would injure ourselves. The entire workshop - again, it was two hours long - involved participants doing one yoga shape. The teacher guided us through Bow Pose, but we could only do it with our abdomen supported by a bolster as that was the only way to protect our knees.

This type of teaching, in my opinion, has created a false belief that the human body is fragile. Unintentionally the constant reminder to not do something or to avoid something has created a culture of yoga students who are fearful of their bodies.

Now it is absolutely true that there’s potential for one to hurt themselves in a yoga class. I have countless overuse injuries from my yoga practice. But humans can get injured and hurt themselves doing just about anything! Currently I’m dealing with an elbow injury from walking my dogs. Am I now afraid of walking my dogs? No! I just need to be more mindful of how I’m holding their leashes when we walk.

Harm can come in many forms, especially in spaces where there’s a group or individual in a position of power. Without going down a much larger rabbit hole, it’s worth noting that harm within yoga spaces goes well beyond a practitioner hurting their neck in Shoulder Stand. Yoga and similar practices have the potential to harm a practitioner when the teacher or guide is using their position to prey upon and/or negatively influence those in their classes. Yoga teachers, always be mindful of the influence you have over those in your classes. Take it seriously and don’t take advantage of that influence.

Can all of it be true in some way?

And now the dreaded moment where I point out that there’s no clear black and white - there is only gray.

Can yoga heal someone of an ailment?

Maybe.

Can yoga hurt someone physically, emotionally, or mentally?

Maybe.

Yoga has the potential to do so much good for a practitioner. Yoga also has the potential to do harm towards a practitioner. The practice, regardless of how you approach it, is going to impact everyone differently and we can’t make promises that everyone will be impacted in the exact some way. It’s important that all yoga practitioners and teachers approach the practice with a critical lens. Never be afraid of asking questions and be weary of those who discourage discussion.

What Are You Training For?

Over the last few years a new word took center stage in my life:

TRAINING

In the late 2000’s and early 2010’s the word, for me, typically corresponded with some type of yoga teacher training. As in “I’m leading a teacher training” or “I’m spending all sorts of time in San Francisco to complete my 500-hour teacher training.” That was all the training I knew.

Then, some time in 2018, the word took on new meaning. I had started to invest more in my physical fitness and was inspired to try my first triathlon. I spend a lot of time training so that I could complete the swim, bike, and run. I found that I enjoyed the actual triathlon event, but there was something about the training that brought me so much happiness.

In 2020 the word added another meaning. I took on a new role as a dog trainer and the word became synonymous with training humans and their dogs and helping them develop strong relationships.

In 2022 training became all about running. I trained for a couple 10 mile races and my first half marathon event.

That brings us to now. If 2023 had a personal word counter, training would be at the very top of my list.

I’ve got training for yoga teachers, dog training classes, half marathon race training, and my latest endeavor - training to become a personal trainer. Although the areas are quite different, they all require tremendous focus and discipline. And I think that’s what I like about the idea of training. In order to reach my goals and support others reach their goals, there has to be a good plan and consistency. I am always down for a good, detailed plan!

But training doesn’t have to be about reaching some specific goal like getting a personal record in a race or successfully holding a challenging yoga shape. Training could be a mindfulness practice that trains your mind to stay calm and focused during mentally challenging moments. Training could be learning to do a deadlift and increasing your load over time so that you can continue to feel good while picking up your kids/grandkids/pets/groceries as you age.

Training can look and feel different for everyone. So, what are you training for?

Start Asking Different Questions

Regularly students ask me:

⁠"Am I doing this right?"⁠

⁠It's a tricky question to tackle as I don't necessarily see a right or wrong version of shapes. Sure, I have strong opinions about how I'd like for folks to try a shape and there's a wide spectrum of how someone might explore a shape. ⁠

Early in my teaching career I felt like I needed to have all the answers. I don’t know was a scary phrase to utter to a student. But now, after almost 14 years of teaching yoga, it’s freeing to look at a student who has asked a question and respond with, “It depends.”

So if you’re a student who wonders if they’re doing something “right” or if the response of “it depends” doesn’t satisfy you, here's some questions you might consider beyond asking if something is "right":⁠

• Can I breathe well in this shape? - If your breath is labored, consider changing something about the shape. Your version of "right" might allow you to breathe more fully without too much effort. ⁠

• Do I feel stable? - Sometimes questions about a shape arise because a student feels like they're going to topple over. Experiment with your foundation. Can you create a base that allows you to feel more stable?⁠

• What's the intention of the shape? - Step away from the shape itself and think about the concepts that live within the shape. Rather than trying to match the look of the shape, focus on the sensations that might arise in the shape. ⁠

• Where do I feel limited? - Similar to your breath, if there's areas of your body that feel crunchy, constricted, or just plain gross, change something. Make adaptations that move you away from feeling stuck.⁠

• How does the shape feel for me? - Set aside how you think the shape "should" look and consider how it feels. No two people will have the exact same experience in a shape. Turn into your experience and feel how the shape feels for you.⁠

Start asking different questions. You just might start receiving different answers. ⁠

Hamstrings Helpers

My hamstrings are so tight!

I truly wish I had a nickel for every time I heard a yoga student say that phrase to me. I would be an incredibly wealthy human.

When did we become so obsessed with our hamstrings? And when did we, as a society, feel like the hamstrings were the cause of all our bodily issues?

(I actually believe the hip flexors have taken over as the body part most obsessed about in yoga spaces, but I’ll keep this post contained to the backsides of the legs.)

Although I don’t like to dwell on stretching the hamstrings all that much in my group yoga classes, I do see value in providing folks with resources to support their practice and goals. Below I give you three of my favorite Hamstrings Helpers to potentially provide you with more ease and range of motion in your forward folding shapes.

1 - Reclined Hamstrings Stretch

I find that most folks are only trying to stretch their hamstrings from a seated or standing position. However, most people with “tight” hamstrings tend to round their lower back while seated and standing which actually doesn’t do much for the hamstrings.

1. Lay on your back and find a strap or strap-like object.

2. Place the strap around the ball of your lifted foot.

3. Lengthen your lifted leg as much as you can without causing the lower or upper back to lift away from the floor. If your lower back really wants to lift away from the floor be sure to keep the leg that’s on the floor bent and the foot grounded.

4. Work to get your lifted leg perpendicular to the floor.

5. Actively pull down with the strap while simultaneously pressing the heel of the lifted foot toward the ceiling.

6. Energetically draw the thigh of the lifted leg down toward the pelvis to keep the muscles around the hips active. (Back off on this action if it is accompanied by pain… which I hope is always your approach in all shapes.)

7. Hold for 5-10 breaths and switch sides.

2 - Seated Hip Flexor Engagement

When it comes to our bodies, the problem usually isn’t caused by one, individual muscle or muscle groups. “Tight” hamstrings can sometimes be a result of weak hip flexors. In forward folding shapes the hamstrings and hip flexors are a team that need to be ready to work together.

1. Sit with both legs extended in Dandasana - Staff Pose. Feel free to place your hands on the floor next to your pelvis or on blocks to maintain a long, lifted spine. Throughout the exercise continue to sit tall without rounding the spine.

2. Lift one leg at a time straight up off the floor for a few breaths and then set it down. Your foot might barely lift off the floor and that’s okay!

3. Switch, and try it with the other leg.

4. To add on: Lift your leg up, take it out to the side, set it down, and then reverse the action.

5. To make things even spicier: Place a block or similar object next to your leg as a hurdle to mindfully lift your leg over.

I’m fairly certain I make enemies with my students when I teach this drill in my classes. I teach it because it’s effective!

3 - Standing Inner Hip Stretch

As mentioned above, the body doesn’t really work in isolation. Your body is this fascinating intermingling of many, many parts and units. Sometimes tightness in the hamstrings is related to tight adductors, or inner hip muscles.

1. Stand in a wide stance with your heels turned in and your toes turned out - similar to Horse Pose.

2. Bend your knees deeply.

3. Hinge forward from your hips and place your hands on the floor or blocks. Think of your spine in a Halfway Lift during this entire shape.

4. If you want more sensation in the shape: Place your elbows against your inner knees or thigh bones. Press your elbows into your legs while simultaneously drawing the elbows away from each other like you’re tractioning your legs apart.

5. To make things even spicier: With your hands, hold onto your ankles or shin bones while continuing to traction the elbows apart.

Are you more of an audio and visual learner? You’re in luck! Check out this short video featuring all three of the above stretches and exercises!

The Value of "I Don't Know"

If you haven’t heard the story before, my first paid yoga teaching gig was comically heartbreaking.

In 2009 I was hired to teach a vinyasa yoga class at a family-owned gym in a Twin Cities suburb. I met with the group fitness coordinator and after looking over my resumé she gave me the job. No audition. No real conversation about my teaching experience. I was maybe one month out from completing my first 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training and was hired on the spot.

At the time I was delighted! Now, as a I reflect upon the experience, I am horrified.

I was hired because I had checked the box of receiving a certification. I wasn’t hired for my knowledge. I wasn’t hired for my ability to effectively teach a group class. Maybe I was hired because I came off as kind and professional, but it still didn’t say much about my teaching skills.

On my first day on the job I was all set to teach a vinyasa class filled with chaturanga and tricky one-legged balancing shapes to whoever showed up that day. As my students filed into the yoga space I was met with looks of confusion. Students looked at me, looked around the space, and finally someone asked, “Where are the chairs?”

The chairs?

Little did I know, the time slot I had been hired for was previously a SilverSneakers chair yoga class. (I think we can all agree the name SilverSneakers could use a bit of an upgrade.) At the time, I didn’t know what SilverSneakers was and I definitely had no clue how to teach chair yoga.

Unsurprisingly, the hour was miserable for everyone in that space.

I reflect upon that experience a lot. I regularly think, I wish I could work with the students from that chair yoga class now. I actually (kind of) know what I’m doing now! I promise I’m more than a teacher who only memorizes a set sequence of shapes!

Especially after such a brutal first class, I had to build myself up in order to stick with the gig. I decided that if I came in with confidence then everyone would think I knew what I was doing. Of course I was just a naive, brand new yoga teacher who would crumble anytime a student asked me a question. I’m fairly certain I made things up when I was met with a question. I was too afraid they would think I was a fraud!

I just wasn’t prepared. Not that my first Teacher Training was bad. I was too new in my own practice and probably should not have entered my first training when I did. My understanding of the practice was so tiny. The students in that space deserved so much more.

If I could give myself some advice in my early days of teaching it would be this: It’s okay to say I don’t know.

You don’t have to have all the answers. You shouldn’t expect to have all the answers. It’s one thing to be confident. It’s another to BS your way through things because you feel like that’s what you’re supposed to do.

In my first Teacher Training I was often told “fake it until you make it”. I understand why that advice is valuable. When learning a new skill sometimes you just have to cruise through the bumps and get to the other side in order to build confidence and understanding. Perhaps, in my early years of teaching, I took that advice too far.

It wasn’t until my Advance Teacher Training that I learned the value of I don’t know.

As a yoga teacher, sometimes we’re expected to know everything. A student has an injury and we’re expected to know all the things that person should and shouldn’t do with their body. A student has an emotional reaction to a shape and we’re expected to explain to them why. A student feels nauseated when they’re in a certain orientation and they want to know all the ways to get through it.

Does the expectation come from students? Most likely no.

The expectation to know all the things is most likely coming from us, the yoga teachers. We tell ourselves stories about being an expert when in all reality we’re just sharing something we know a little bit about and will spend our whole lives continuing to study.

Saying I don’t know doesn’t make you a bad teacher. It probably makes you a better teacher! Understanding your scope of practice and knowing when to admit your limited knowledge is powerful.

I wish more Yoga Teacher Trainings discussed scope of practice and the importance of I don’t know. We can’t expect anyone to know absolutely everything there is to know about the practice of yoga, especially when we consider that the conventional Yoga Teacher Training only consists of 200 hours of study and practice. (I could go on about that arbitrary amount of time, but I might save that for another blog post.)

After 1200+ hours of formal Teacher Training, my number one takeaway is that I don’t know everything about the practice of yoga, I’ll never know everything about the practice of yoga, and I’m very much okay with not know everything about the practice of yoga.

Feel free to come at me with your questions. Just don’t be surprised if I respond with I don’t know.

In Defense of Resistance Training

Yoga will always be one of my favorite movement modalities. Nothing will match the comfort of moving my body through shapes on my yoga mat and sitting with my breath.

However, as I age, I find myself focusing more on intentional strength and resistance training. At one point in my life I would lift heavy weights and push myself through various cardio exercises because I wanted my body to look a certain way. Now I lift heavy weights and run because I want to be able to move well as I age.

I don’t care about having six-pack abs, I’m not interested in toning my arms for esthetic reasons, and I’ve come to terms with the cellulite on my legs.

Now I’m focused on creating a future where I carry my own groceries into my house, walk my dogs in the winter, recover and get myself off the ground when I fall, and continue to enjoy all the things I enjoy in life as I age without assistance from something or someone else.

Sure, my yoga practice will absolutely support me as I get older and the body requires load and resistance in order to maintain muscle mass which is essential to moving well.

According to the National Institute of Health, Muscle mass decreases approximately 3–8% per decade after the age of 30 and this rate of decline is even higher after the age of 60. This involuntary loss of muscle mass, strength, and function is a fundamental cause of and contributor to disability in older people. If that doesn’t inspire you to pick up a dumbbell or resistance band then I don’t know what will.

As a kid, I remember watching a nationally televised afternoon talk show. The hosts were working out with a celebrity fitness trainer and she said something along the lines of, “Women should not lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk.” I, along with many female viewers, became entrenched in the theory that women should not lift heavy weights and should focus on lifting light weights in order to tone our bodies. At a young age I was using small hand weights and following exercise videos that were all about slimming down, tightening my abs, and getting buns of steel.

Of course, I now know better.

Although I will cheer on anyone who lifts any amount of weight, I will enthusiastically nudge people - especially women - to lift heavy weight. Lifting heavy weights is a good thing! Heavy weights can:

• increase bone density

• improve mobility

• increase metabolism

• support balance and coordination

• and so much more!

After years of practicing yoga, I realized I was developing a lot of injuries from my practice. My hamstrings were always in pain and I’d periodically experience limitations in my shoulder range of motion. Turns out my emphasis on flexibility was doing a number on my body. Initially I thought I just needed to rest in order to heal my injuries, but even after taking many weeks off from my practice I found that I was still in pain. Some very smart teachers and coaches helped me realize something important was missing in my movement practice: Heavy weights!

I’m definitely not saying that weight and resistance training is going to cure all ailments. And I’m not saying it’s the key to staying young forever. But I am saying that most people can benefit from some type of intentional resistance training.

Many people are drawn to the practice of yoga because of how it makes them feel physically. Why not add in some weights to your weekly routine and see how it makes you feel?

Because I always want folks to receive smart guidance from trained professionals: If you’re new to weight and resistance training, please seek out a reliable personal trainer. Reach out if you’re looking for resources! 🙂

The Importance of Setting Boundaries Within Your Practice

For the last few weeks I’ve been dealing with a minor hip injury. It’s most likely an overuse injury from running. As much as I hate resting, I know my hip needs rest from my usual activities.

The injury has shifted my yoga practice and how I move my body. Prior to my injury I spent most mornings running on my treadmill and/or lifting weights. Now I spend most mornings doing very intentional activations for my hips, lengthening and massaging my outer hips and thighs, and I sprinkle in a little bit of strength training and walking on my treadmill.

Although my stubborn side has not loved the shift in routine, it’s been really great for me to consider new boundaries for my movement practice.

Not that being injured is awesome. But setting new boundaries has inspired me and my approach to movement.

In college, when I was studying dance, I loved my improvisation and choreography classes. I would spend hours in the dance studio exploring movement. However, sometimes the huge, open prompts of creating a dance piece felt overwhelming. I needed guidelines to give me structure and direction.

My yoga practice and the way I approach teaching is very much the same.

Although I can’t (shouldn’t) move my body in my usual ways for the time being, the boundary of being mindful of my injury has given me fuel to investigate new ways of moving my body.

Sometimes I bring a kettlebell into my yoga practice.

Sometimes I move through small, isolated movements for my hips and outer thighs to create strength around the injured area.

And sometimes I just sit and breathe because it just feels good.

When I discuss the development of a home practice with students, I regularly hear from students that it feels like an overwhelming, daunting task. I have this open opportunity to move my body and connect with my breath, but I just don’t know what to do! I get it. I’ve been there too. If you’re feeling overwhelmed with the blank canvas of a home practice, I’d encourage you to create some boundaries for yourself. Think of it as a super low-stress assignment.

Do you want to feel more comfortable in your backbends? You might move in ways that help you open the front of your body and strengthen the backside.

Are you interested in working towards Handstand in your home practice? Move your body in ways that help you reach your arms overhead, strengthen your core, and establish mental focus.

I use the same process when teaching. What are my objectives for a specific class? What am I hoping students learn from my class?

These are all boundaries I regularly work with when it comes to teaching. I’m just now realizing how important they are for my own personal practice too. Although I understand that creating boundaries can feel stifling for some, you might just find that boundaries give you even more freedom and inspiration.

The Power of Language

Teaching yoga unlocked a love for language within me. Over the last 10+ years I have enjoyed seeing how certain words or phrases land (or don’t land) for students in a yoga class.

What’s the best way to describe this shape?

How can I explain this transition without using too many words?

Although physically demonstrating a class is a perfectly fine way to facilitate a yoga practice. My preferred method has been to use my words. It gives students a chance to interpret my cues in their own manner and feel shapes in their body without trying to copy what's happening in my body.

Language and words are powerful. Especially within yoga spaces, I have found that the words a teacher use can deeply impact a student’s experience.

In early 2020 I completed a trauma-informed training with Yoga Behind Bars. I learned a lot from that experience. My biggest takeaway: Use language that is more invitational and less commanding when guiding a yoga practice.

Invitational language isn’t reserved just for classes that are labeled trauma-informed or classes that specifically support folks impacted by the justice system. Invitational language is important for all populations. Rathan telling folks exactly how to place their body or exactly how they should feel in a shape, invitational language provides people in a yoga class to receive direction while opening the space for them to have their own experience.

I recently posted a question on my Instagram Story asking what words or phrases people would like to have reconsidered within yoga spaces. I was amazed by the flood of responses! Here’s some of the common answers:

If you need to…

An instructor might say something like “If you need to, put your hand on a block in Triangle Pose.” To be more invitational, rather than using the word need, an instructor could use the word want. “If you want to, put your hand on a block in Triangle Pose.”

Or, since I’m a huge fan of using a block in Triangle, “Today you might use a block under your bottom hand in Triangle to give you something to push against.” There’s value in sharing with students why they might use a block or take a certain variation.

You should…

As in “You should be able to reach your arms all the way overhead.” Or “You should feel this in your lower back.” Especially in a group setting, everyone in that space has different abilities, limitations, and lived experiences. No two shapes will look identical. No one will have the same feelings or sensations within a shape.

I lean more on the word might as in “You might reach your arms as high as you can.” Or “You might feel this stretch in your lower back.”

Do _____ to protect your _____.

This is my own pet peeve in yoga spaces. You can read a whole blog post about my thoughts on the word protect if you really want.

And lastly, the most common response I received from my Instagram Story question…

This shape will help you detox.

Y’all the word detox has no place in yoga spaces. That’s my opinion, of course. Your body is incredible! It’s smart, resilient, and is designed to do all sorts of stuff on its own. Like detoxification. For instance, your kidneys are brilliant organs that remove byproducts from the digestive process and create urine so all those toxins can be flushed from your body. The natural process of detoxification does not require twisting yoga shapes or a sauna-like yoga room in order for it to be effective.

Although a yoga teacher who uses the word detox may not intend for it to have a strong, lasting impact, encouraging folks to detox their body in yoga spaces can easily trickle into toxic (absolutely unintentional pun) diet culture. Sure, yoga students might find that they become more fit through their yoga practice, however, that shouldn’t be the primary focus of ones practice. Body-shaming and food-shaming have no place in yoga spaces. You never need to earn your food, you never have to work off the food you consume, and you most definitely do not have to have 6-pack abs in order to be embraced by a yoga community.

Yoga teachers, consider the words you’re using with your students. I’ve cannot even tell you how many dumb things I’ve said while guiding classes throughout the years that I do not stand by now. All we can do is learn from each other, grow, and continue to do better.

If you find language, especially language in yoga and wellness spaces, to be fascinating, I recommend Amanda Montell’s book Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism.

Are there words or phrases you hear in yoga spaces that you wish would be reconsidered? Drop them in the comments!

Your Body is Smart & Resilient

Raise your hand if you’ve heard one of the following phrases in a yoga class:

Bend your knees to protect your back.

Draw your shoulder blades down to protect your neck.

Stack your joints to protect your knees.

Tuck your pelvis under to protect your lumbar spine.

You all have your hands raised, yes?

What do all of these commonly heard phrases have in common?

They all use the word protect.

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First, let me say that any guidance you’re given in a yoga class is hopefully coming from a kind, well-meaning place. Yoga teachers have all sorts of reasons to use certain words, phrases, or cues in their yoga classes. At the same time, the words we use have power and can leave a lasting impression on those around us.

I am 1000% guilty of saying things like “engage your abs to protect your lower back” in yoga classes. There’s plenty of things that I once said regularly in yoga classes years ago that I will not even consider mentioning in my current classes. There’s value in learning, growing, and constantly questioning the reasons behind the words we choose.

Let’s take a shape like Cobra. For the longest time I recall my teachers telling me to not use my hands in Cobra. Cobras don’t have hands. Don’t use your hands in this posture to protect your spine. So there I was. Trying my best to be a cobra and not use my nonexistent hands in order to reduce the risk of injury to my spine.

Eventually I started practicing with a teacher who encouraged me to use my hands in Cobra. Well that changed the shape entirely! I was able to engage my middle back more and experience a bigger lift in my chest. More importantly, I used my hands in Cobra and did not experience a devastating spinal cord injury.

Is there anything problematic about lifting your hands in Cobra? Of course not!

Is the shape wrong if you do/do not use your hands? Nope!

Are there many ways to explore Cobra (and all yoga shapes)? You better believe it!

So where’s the issue?

The idea that I am protecting my spine by not using my hands in a shape like Cobra is misguided. In my baby yoga teacher days I definitely said something about lifting the hands in Cobra. I was doing what a lot of new yoga teachers do - I was a simple parrot of my teachers because that’s all I knew!

So what’s the issue with the word protect in a yoga class? It’s important to keep our bodies safe, right?

Yes! In a perfect world no one would get injured in their yoga practice. Unfortunately, it does happen and there’s plenty of trolls who want to make others think that everyone ends up injured on their yoga mat.

Yes, some yoga classes have a no pain, no ego approach and that elevates the chance for injury.

No, not all yoga classes are oozing with the push yourself to your absolute edge rhetoric.

As yoga teachers we have an obligation to keep up with our own studies and practice critical thinking. And, as yoga teachers, it is our obligation to support those who show up for our classes through clear, informed language. Just because you completed some training and guide people through shapes in a yoga studio doesn’t mean your studies have ended. Let it be your encouragement to study even more!

By using words like protect or phrases like to keep your body safe in a yoga class, I believe yoga teachers (like me) have created a sense of fear for some students. People are afraid they’ll hurt themselves if their shoulders lift when they reach their arms overhead. Folks in a yoga room have become terrified to let their knees push beyond their ankles in fears that something will combust. And don’t even get me started on the placement of the lifted foot in Tree Pose.

We’ve created a narrative that the physical body is fragile. We’ve created a community that is afraid of their bodies.

If you take away only one thing from this obnoxious rant let it be this:

Your body is smart. Your body is resilient.

If we go back to the example of Cobra and the suggestion to lift your hands in the shape, one might consider moving away from the world protect and try something like:

Today in your Cobra hover your hands a few inches from your mat to remove the option for leverage. You might feel more engagement through your upper back.

Then the next week you might try a different approach:

Today in your Cobra press your hands into your mat and actively pull your chest forward. You might feel a bigger lift in your chest.

Same shape. Different approaches and most likely different physical experiences. And neither sent a yoga student to the ER. (Or at least I don’t think they did.)

There’s probably a larger risk of injury by not moving your body than actually moving your body. (I say probably because I’m currently too lazy to seek out a study about physical injuries to those who live sedentary lives vs those who practice yoga or other movement modalities.) For folks who do move their body through a yoga practice, running, weight lifting, bowling, gardening, whatever, there will always be some risk of injury. And your smart, resilient body is designed to adapt, heal, and inform you of when you’ve gone too far.

Please keep in mind that yoga teachers are not doctors or physical therapists. Your body is smart and resilient, and if you do get injured in your yoga practice, or injured by anything, please go visit a medical professional.

As yoga teachers, let’s be better about giving our students space to actually listen to their smart, resilient bodies without creating unnecessary fear of their bodies.

Unless the whole yoga room is flailing their bodies into Chinstand. In that case, y’all are definitely going to injure your necks. (Sarcasm doesn’t read well via text. The Chinstand remark was 98% sarcastic.) 😉

How Are You Resting?

I don’t know about you, but I feel best when I’m being productive. My day is more likely to go well when I start right away with exercise, work, and/or cleaning the house. I thrive on busyness.

However, I’m not very good at intentionally resting to balance out all the busyness.

Sure, I’ll lounge on the couch and mindlessly watch an episode of The Office for the 36th time, but am I actually resting? No. I’m filling my brain with mindless busyness. That’s not to say that being a couch potato is a bad thing! I love some good couch time! But I don’t feel rested after binging the latest Netflix series.

I recently started teaching a CoreRestore class at CorePower and it’s reminded me of the power of intentional rest. For the practice we stay low to the floor, use lots of blocks to prop up the shapes, and wrap up with some breath work and a long Savasana. Selfishly I love teaching this class because I do most of the practice with the students. More importantly, I am so excited that students are showing up for 60 minutes of intentional rest.

No matter your occupation, marital status, or if you care for children or not, we are all busy! We’re constantly bombarded with information from television, social media, podcasts, and those around us. We’re constantly bouncing from one thing to the next. If you’re like me, you feel so fulfilled when your calendar is full. But is that busyness sustainable?

Maybe a good night’s sleep helps you feel refreshed. Maybe a long walk outside helps you regroup. Or perhaps reading a book is what you need to reset. It’s important to find ways to intentionally slow the busyness. For me a 30-60 minute restorative-like yoga practice let’s me get in touch with the sensations in my physical body and slow the mental chatter in a way that other yoga practices don’t always do.

When I take time to intentionally rest I’m generally a more pleasant human! I am more patient. I am less likely to instantly react to a challenging interaction. I even find that I am much kinder to myself.

While you’re scheduling in all of your tasks, assignments, and to-do lists in the coming weeks, consider scheduling in time to intentionally rest. Turn off the phone, set aside the computer, and give yourself space to slow down. And perhaps that means hoping into a restorative class with me soon!

I've Missed This

Yesterday I took my first group, in-person yoga class in almost one full year.

And it felt awesome.

For the last six or so years, I’ve been a solo practitioner. I roll out my mat in my home to do a self-guided class or an online practice with my teacher. I like my alone time and being alone during my yoga practice feels so right.

When I was new to practicing yoga I lived for group classes. I loved moving in unison with the folks around me to a set soundtrack like we were in an infomercial for some cool, new fitness video. I loved the semi-awkward post-class smiles shared with other students I didn’t really know and also kind of knew because we were always in the same yoga classes.

There’s something about moving and breathing with other people that is so uplifting. Here we are. Doing this thing together. Our shapes might not look the same and our breathing cadence might differ, but we’re doing this together.

My reintroduction to the group, in-person practice was an ambitious one: Hot Yoga. I voluntarily went from my air conditioned home where I do a little bit of slow flow and mobility work for my hips and shoulders to 60 minutes of holding shapes I rarely do in a very hot, humid studio. I suppose I don’t fully understand the concept of easing back into things.

Although it has a gross and tarnished history (Google Bikram Choudhury if you’re unfamiliar), I’ve always been a fan of a Hot Yoga practice. I appreciate that the practice includes breathing exercises and the moments of stillness work well for my busy brain.

In yesterday’s practice, about 30 minutes in, my brain was filled with Wow. I’ve really missed this.

Of course 15 minutes later my brain was filled with I have made a terrible mistake! That heat and humidity is no joke, folks!

In my home practice I typically don’t have those moments of highs and lows. To be clear, I don’t think a yoga practice - however you approach it - needs to have extreme elements. I love my home practice because it’s dependable. I love my home practice because I meet my body and mind where they’re at in that moment. I choose to dabble into extremes with other movement modalities like long-distance running and weight lifting.

It felt so good to be a yoga student in a physical space with other students knowing that we were all doing our own practice while having our own experiences and we were doing it together.

So, Twin Cities folks, where and when are you practicing these days? Maybe I’ll roll out my mat next to yours. Perhaps in an upcoming Hot Yoga class?

What Am I Even Doing?

For the last two years I’ve been hosting small group mentor calls for my teacher’s online 500-Hour Advanced Teacher Training. With COVID the demand for online teacher trainings has risen and I’ve been fortune to work with a teacher who wants to include me in his trainings to support teachers on their journey.

With these mentor calls I’ve had the opportunity to connect with teachers from all over the US and Canada. Some are brand new teachers fresh from their first 200-Hour Teacher Training. Others have been teaching group classes and guiding private clients for longer than I have. Although we all come from different places and have different teaching backgrounds, it seems as though almost every conversation has included the same question: What am I even doing?

Teaching yoga can come with a lot of baggage. Like many fields and occupations, there tends to be a lot of imposter syndrome and insecurities.

Am I even qualified to be teaching yoga?

Do I have enough knowledge and experience to consider myself a teacher?

What am I even doing?

Early on in my yoga teaching career I was generally quite confident. At that point I had been teaching dance classes for a few years and teaching dance and yoga were pretty much the same thing, right? (Full transparency, 2022 Erin is rolling her eyes at that thought.) I knew, or at least I thought I knew, exactly what I was doing. I showed up, came prepared with a sequence that involved some tricky transitions, bumping music, and everyone seemed to leave class pretty satisfied with that I had to offer.

To be clear, there is nothing wrong with how I was teaching early on in my career. I was probably a pretty solid teacher. I cared about the students that showed up for my classes and I showed up to the best of my ability. However, a few years into my teaching career, my approach shifted. I started to take myself and my yoga studies more seriously. And with that shift popped up this recurring question that sticks with me to this day, “What am I even doing?”

I’m coming up on 13 years of teaching yoga and I still wonder if I even know what I’m doing. And I don’t see that as a bad thing.

In the mentor calls that I’ve been hosting there’s a sense of defeat that simmers up when a fellow teacher questions themselves. After teaching yoga for so many years I should feel like I know what I’m doing, right? I often remind teachers that it’s okay to not know what you’re doing. Perhaps that’s part of the process.

I see the process of reflection and questioning as a huge positive. Whether you’re teaching yoga, practicing yoga, or doing something unrelated to yoga, when you stop questioning you ultimately stop growing and evolving. Yoga, in its many forms, is all about awareness and self-inquiry. It’s important for yoga teachers to give themselves space to constantly question themselves for their own growth. At the end of the day their students are just going to benefit from the never-ending process.

What am I even doing?

Always growing.