The Business Of Teaching Yoga

Wow. Ok. This episode was BIG for me personally. And from what I know of working with yoga teachers for many years, I have a feeling that there will be a lot of you out there who resonate with the topics I discuss with Jane Clapp.

Jane started her working life in the wellness industry as a personal trainer, but her career has spanned several decades & multiple modalities, including yoga. Today, Janes work centers around soma and the psyche, and the intersections between psychology, trauma, the nervous system and the body.

In this episode, Jane and I go deep into the fawn response, sometimes called the tend-and-befriend response, and how that pattern can play out in our relationships and life. I share my struggles with setting boundaries, cultivating a healthy fight response, and overall being a people-pleaser in recovery.

I have a feeling this episode might be a game changer for some of you - just like it was for me. I hope you enjoy the show!

PODCAST HIGHLIGHTS

• Jane’s non-linear career progression
• Is trauma trending in the wellness community?
• And what the implications of that are
• Is “trauma-informed” the new “mindfulness”?
• A definition of the fawn response
• Working with the fawn response during a movement class
• Why we might need to increase our capacity for conflict
• How & why to strengthen a healthy “fight” response
• Using your hands in the development of the fight response
• Jane’s article, “5 Good Reasons Why You Can’t Get Back To Your Yoga Practice”

FIND JANE CLAPP

• Jane’s website
• Jane’s Instagram
• Janes Movement For Trauma Training

FIND CORA

• Cora’s Instagram
• The Teachers Club Waitlist

For links & resources mentioned in this episode go to www.corageroux.com/podcastepisodes/episode49

For many years, it’s clear that something has been off with how we work as yoga teachers. In the 10 years that I was a full time yoga teacher, I had countless conversations with fellow teachers who were being bullied by their employer, had their classes cut unfairly, or have simply not been paid for the classes they taught. However, late last year, the world's first union for yoga teachers was created in New York for the teachers who were employees of the YogaWorks studios there. Many yoga teachers, though, are not employees.

Then, last week (early October 2020) something groundbreaking happened. A small group of committed yoga teachers in the UK (Normal Blair, Laura Hancock, Julie Pons and today’s guest, Kallie Schut) created the world’s second union for yoga teachers, and the first for those of us who are independent contractors!

Kallie Schut shares a great deal about the formation of the union (which you can read more about below) However, Kallie also does a great deal of work around decolonising yoga & antiracism training that we didn’t get into in this episode. We’ll be sure to have Kallie back to discuss those topics in the future.
PODCAST HIGHLIGHTS

• How the Yoga Teachers Union in the UK began
• Organising as independent contractors / gig workers
• The benefits of joining a union for yoga teachers
• How unions rebalance power in working relationships for yoga teachers
• How unions can help create more opportunity for folks who have been traditionally marginalised in the yoga community
• Tips for how you can organise in your yoga community

FIND KALLIE SCHUT

• Kallie’s Website
• Kallie’s Instagram

FIND THE UNION

• Yoga Teachers Union UK on Instagram
• Yoga Teachers Union UK Website

FIND CORA

Cora’s Instagram

For links & resources mentioned in this episode go to www.corageroux.com/podcastepisodes/episode47

Teaching private clients as a yoga teacher is not only a much better financial decision as a yoga teacher, but it also allows you to create deep, fulfilling relationships with your students in a way that teaching group classes can’t. However most of us get a few hours (if that) of instruction on how to teach a great private yoga lesson in our 200 HR YTT.

So if you’re anything like me, and struggled with enjoying, growing and maintaining a private yoga practice, then this episode is for you!

Francesca Cervero literally wrote the book (ok, teacher training) on how to build and grow a thriving private practice as a yoga teacher. Her insights in this episode will teach you how to keep your private clients coming back, the key differences between teaching a great group yoga class, and an excellent private session, what you need to know in your first private client intake session and so much more!

PODCAST HIGHLIGHTS

• The biggest mindset shift we need to be great at teaching privates
• The power of word of mouth referrals
• Why teaching privately is a co-creative process
• The incredible power of the student-teacher relationship
• Why you don’t need all the answers to be a great private teacher
• The anatomy of a great private yoga intake session + the exact questions Francesca uses
• The benefits of teaching privately from a teacher's perspective
• Why having clear and strong boundaries with your private clients is crucial + the two most important boundaries every private teacher needs
• What Francesca thinks about “niching down” as a yoga teacher

FIND FRANCESCA CERVERO

• Francesca’s Instagram
• Francesca’s Website
• Francesca’s Podcast
• Teach Private Yoga

FIND CORA

• Cora’s Instagram
• Cora’s Website

For links & resources mentioned in this episode go to www.corageroux.com/podcastepisodes/episode46

Over the last few months of recording this podcast, I have received so many questions from you (my incredible listeners) about teaching yoga in a workplace setting, or bringing wellness into your corporate community. And since this is something that I know almost nothing about, I wanted to bring you an interview with someone who had found success in this arena.

And when a friend shared the work of Anusha Wijeyakumar with me, I knew I had found the perfect person to do just that. In this interview Anusha and I speak largely about applying the principles of yoga philosophy to running your own business, self confidence and “putting your practice to work” in your career life. However, Anusha filled me in that if you’re looking for a more step-by-step, “how did you do it” guide, she shares that information in her upcoming book, Meditation With Intention.

PODCAST HIGHLIGHTS

• Understanding Dharma
• How to know if you’re in alignment with your Dharma
• How Anusha transitioned from a corporate career to starting her own wellness business
• Brining trust, faith and divine connection into business
• Managing self doubt
• Building self confidence through meditation

FIND ANUSHA WIJEYAKUMAR

• Anusha’s Instagram
• Womxn Of Colour + Wellness Instagram
• Anusha’s Website
• Pre-order Anusha’s Book

FIND CORA

• Cora’s Instagram
• The Teachers Club Waitlist

For links & resources mentioned in this episode go to www.corageroux.com/podcastepisodes/episode48