Yoga Teacher Confidential: Secrets of Becoming a Great Yoga Teacher
Yoga Teacher Confidential is your backstage pass to the unspoken truths of being a yoga teacher. Sage Rountree, PhD, E-RYT500, dives into the real challenges and rewards of teaching yoga, offering expert advice and secrets to help you build confidence, connect with your students, and teach with authenticity. Sage draws on her two decades of experience teaching yoga, running a studio, and training teachers to share practical insights you can use right away. You'll also hear advice from her books, including Teaching Yoga Beyond the Poses, The Art of Yoga Sequencing, and The Professional Yoga Teacher's Handbook. Whether you’re navigating imposter syndrome, mastering classroom presence, or refining your skills to teach specialized niches like athletes, this podcast empowers you to lead your classes with clarity, grace, and ease.
Episodes
58 episodes
57. The Call to Teach: What Happens Before You Even Know You Want to Be a Yoga Teacher
There's a phase that happens before yoga teacher training even begins—a liminal space where you're no longer just a student, but you're not yet ready to call yourself a teacher. I call it Phase Zero.Maybe you find yourself mentally teach...
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Episode 57
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12:45
56. What Teaching Yin and Restorative Contributes to ALL Your Class Formats
I used to think teaching yin and restorative yoga were niche skills—nice to have if you wanted to teach those specific classes, but not essential to your development as a yoga teacher. I was completely wrong.After 20+ years of teaching a...
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Episode 56
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23:50
55. Phase 4: How to Thrive as a Yoga Teacher—Confidence, Boundaries, and Legacy
In this episode, I explore what it really means to thrive as a yoga teacher. Phase Four of the Yoga Teacher Success Timeline—the Thriving Teacher Zone—is where teaching becomes intuitive, fulfilling, and sustainable.I share the si...
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Episode 55
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16:39
54. Phase 3 of the Yoga Teacher Success Timeline: Moving Beyond Teaching Plateaus and Building Your Yoga Career
Have you ever felt like your teaching has hit a plateau? In this episode of Yoga Teacher Confidential, I dive into Phase Three of the Yoga Teacher Success Timeline: the Professional Development Zone.This is the stage where teach...
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Episode 54
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12:33
53. The Mindset Shift That Transforms Your Teaching
After 52 weekly episodes—a full year of this show!—one truth has emerged: the teachers who struggle most are still practicing yoga while trying to teach it. In this anniversary episode, I explore the irony at the core of our profession: yoga is...
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Episode 53
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13:27
52. Medical Emergencies in Class, Part 3: When the Emergency Is Yours
Emergencies happen in yoga class—and sometimes the emergency is mine. In this third installment of the series, I share practical steps for handling sudden illness, a coughing fit or lost voice, migraines, or a panic spike while I’m teaching. Yo...
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Episode 52
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8:53
51. The Truth About Leading Yoga Retreats with Amy Boerner
Leading a yoga retreat isn’t just a vacation with yoga—it’s a business, a service, and a deep commitment to your students. In this episode of Yoga Teacher Confidential, I talk with retreat leader Amy Boerner about what really goes into...
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Episode 51
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39:35
50. Phase Two of the Yoga Teacher Success Timeline: Finding Your Teaching Identity and Confidence
Five years into teaching, I realized I was sounding just like one of my mentors—same words, same tone, same everything. It made me wonder: who am I as a teacher when I’m not imitating someone else?In this episode, we’re diving into Phase...
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Episode 50
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13:54
49. Space Management Secrets for Large Yoga Classes
Teaching yoga in a big space with dozens of students can be daunting—how do you connect with everyone and keep the class flowing? In this episode, I share practical strategies for managing large rooms so every student feels included. You’ll lea...
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Episode 49
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15:04
48. How to Plan Your Yoga Class Quickly and Easily with the Prep Station
If you’ve ever found yourself spending hours on Sunday night scrolling Instagram for yoga class ideas, this episode is for you. I share the real struggle teachers face with planning: the overwhelm, the blank-page anxiety, or the temptation to j...
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Episode 48
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14:59
47. How to Find Private Clients Who Value Your Teaching
Teaching private yoga lessons can be one of the most rewarding parts of your teaching career—both financially and in the depth of connection you create. But finding clients who truly value your teaching can be a challenge.In this episode...
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Episode 47
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24:50
46. How to Build Community in Yoga Class—Before, During, and After
What makes students keep coming back to your classes? It’s not just your cueing or sequencing—it’s the sense of connection you cultivate.In this episode, I break down the art of building community in your yoga classes—not in a forced, ov...
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Episode 46
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22:56
45. How to Move Past YTT Overwhelm and Actually Feel Ready to Teach
You finished your 200-hour training, certificate in hand . . . but your class plan is blank and your brain is fried. Sound familiar?In this episode, I walk you through Phase 1 of the Yoga Teacher Success Timeline: what I call post-tra...
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Episode 45
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11:53
44. The Yoga Teacher Success Timeline: Where You Are, What’s Next, and How to Move Forward
“I’ve been teaching for years and I still feel like I’m faking it.”If that sounds familiar, I'm here to reassure you: you’re not alone, and you’re not behind.In this episode, I share the Yoga Teacher Success Timeline, a five-phase...
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Episode 44
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10:56
43. Repetition Builds Confidence: Nyisha Rylander’s Journey Teaching Yoga on Kauai
What if the secret to confidence wasn’t doing something new—but doing the same thing, over and over again?In this episode, I talk with Nyisha Rylander, who teaches yoga in three very different contexts on the island of Kauai: at a local ...
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Episode 43
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29:16
42. How to Use Music in Yoga Classes: Legal, Practical, and Energetic Tips
Whether you love crafting playlists or prefer teaching in silence, this episode helps you make thoughtful, legally sound, and energetically aware choices about music in yoga classes. I walk you through:the legal requirements most te...
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Episode 42
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27:39
41. How to Teach Corporate Yoga Classes That Pay Well and Feel Great
Corporate yoga might just be the hidden gem of your teaching business. In this episode, I share everything you need to know to succeed in this unique environment—from landing gigs to crafting office-friendly sequences.You’ll learn how to...
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Episode 41
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28:38
40. Handling Nosebleeds, Cramps, and Dizziness in Yoga Class: Minor Medical Emergencies with Grace
As yoga teachers, we’re often prepared for the flow—but what about the unexpected? From nosebleeds and nausea to cramps and emotional releases, minor medical situations happen more often than we expect. In this episode, I share practical, profe...
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Episode 40
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22:05
39. Teaching Yoga in Small Spaces: Maximize Every Inch
NB: I fixed the audio glitch—thanks for listening to this better version!Tight rooms, big challenges—and even bigger opportunities!In this episode, I share lessons from years of teaching yoga in spaces that may have seemed ...
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Episode 39
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23:11
38. How to Sub Yoga Classes Without Apologizing or Losing Your Style
My second-ever yoga class as a teacher is one I showed up to take but wound up subbing unexpectedly. I learned a lesson I’ve carried ever since: you don’t have to be the regular teacher, you just have to be you.In this episode of Yoga Te...
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Episode 38
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17:11
37. Why Boundaries Make You a Better Yoga Teacher
In Episode 37, I dive deep into the essential yet often uncomfortable topic of boundaries in yoga teaching. I share insights from over two decades of experience, covering:the teacher-student dynamicethical considerations
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Episode 37
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17:36
36. Navigating Private Yoga Lessons: Personalized Teaching, Lasting Impact
The most transformative yoga moments I’ve had didn’t come in packed studios—they happened one-on-one. In this episode, we dive deep into how to craft meaningful, student-centered private yoga sessions. I walk you through welcoming students, pro...
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Episode 36
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15:02
35. How to Prepare for a Private Yoga Lesson (Even If You’re Nervous)
If you feel overwhelmed or intimidated by the idea of teaching a private yoga lesson, you’re not alone. In this episode, I walk you through the exact steps to prepare for a private session that’s safe, professional, and deeply personalized—whet...
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Episode 35
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12:32
34. How to Handle Medical Emergencies in Yoga Class: Life-Saving Preparation Every Teacher Needs
The longer you teach, the more likely you’ll face a medical emergency in class. In this episode, we explore how to recognize and respond to serious situations like diabetic shock, cardiac events, and seizures—those rare but real class-stopping ...
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Episode 34
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12:19
33. Managing Difficult Students Without Losing Your Cool
Every yoga teacher encounters students whose behavior challenges their calm—talking during class, arriving late, doing their own thing, or just radiating resistance. In this episode, I share real-life stories from my two decades of teaching and...
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Episode 33
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14:06