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.
Yoga Teacher Confidential: Secrets of Becoming a Great Yoga Teacher
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 signs that you’ve reached this stage, from having loyal students and diversified income to teaching from intuition rather than fear. I also unpack how thriving doesn’t mean being overbooked or burned out—it means working with joy, confidence, and clarity.
You’ll hear stories from my own teaching career, including what it feels like to teach two classes at once to a football team, why setting boundaries is a hallmark of professional maturity, and how mentorship and legacy naturally emerge from years of consistent quality.
If you’re catching up on the Yoga Teacher Success Timeline, you can revisit:
- Episode 44: The Overview
- Episode 45: Phase One: The Post-YTT Overwhelm Zone
- Episode 50: Phase Two: The Identity Formation Zone
If you recognize yourself in this phase, now’s the time to refine your systems and deepen your influence. Inside Mastering the Art of Yoga Sequencing, we’ll work together to develop your signature sequences, strengthen your teaching voice, and help you mentor the next generation with confidence and grace.
Want to become (almost) everyone's favorite yoga teacher? Get in the Zone at Comfort Zone Yoga, my virtual studio focused on teacher development. I have a ton of Sage advice in there for you—let's chat there!
For more insights, subscribe to Yoga Teacher Confidential, check out my YouTube channel, and follow me on socials:
And come explore my mentorship program, my Yoga Class Prep Station membership, continuing education workshops and 300/500-hour teacher training programs, and my many books for yoga teachers. It's all at ...
Can I tell you something? There was a day, about 10 years into my teaching career when I walked into my regular Monday night class and I realized I hadn't planned anything. Not because I forgot or because I was unprepared, but because I knew exactly what my students needed just by looking at them. One person looked tired, another seemed stressed, a few looked like they'd had long days at their desks or been racing all weekend and without conscious thought. I started guiding them through exactly the sequence that would serve them best. It flowed naturally, it felt effortless, and afterward multiple students told me it was exactly what they needed. That's when I knew I had crossed into what I call phase four of the yoga teacher Success Timeline. Welcome to Yoga Teacher Confidential. I'm Sage Rountree, and today we are diving into phase four of the Yoga Teacher Success timeline, what I call the Thriving Teacher Zone. To catch up on the previous episodes of this series, look for the overview and episode 44, episode 45 covers phase one, episode 50, phase two, and we went over phase three in episode 54. I'll call them out for you in the show notes, or if you're watching the video podcast on YouTube, check the video description if students are seeking you out specifically for your teaching style. If planning has become intuitive, if you're finally experiencing the joy you thought teaching would bring, this episode is for you. Phase four is where the magic happens. This is what you probably imagine teaching would feel like when you first signed up for your 200 hour yoga teacher training. But here's the thing, you couldn't have jumped straight here to phase four every phase before. This was building toward this moment. Here are the signs that you are in Phase four students seek you out specifically for your teaching style. You're not just filling a time slot anymore. People are rearranging their schedules to come to your classes. They tell their friends about you. They follow you If you change studios. Your planning time is minimal. While your teaching quality is high, you might spend 15 or 20 minutes thinking about a class instead of hours. You know your materials so well that you can adapt on the fly while maintaining excellent structure and flow. You are able to confidently adapt to any group that shows up, whether it's five people or 50, whether they're beginners or advanced practitioners. You can read the room and adjust accordingly without losing your confidence. You have a diversified teaching portfolio. You're not just teaching weekly classes anymore. Maybe you're offering workshops, privates retreats, or even training other teachers. You have multiple income streams from your teaching. You have sustainable income from teaching. This might mean different things to different people, but you're able to support yourself doing work you love without constantly worrying about money. You have true enjoyment of the teaching process. You look forward to your classes. You leave feeling energized rather than drained. Teaching has become a source of joy and fulfillment, not just a job. You have an authentic teaching voice developed. You're not trying to sound like anyone else anymore. Your personality comes through in your teaching in a way that feels natural and genuine. The big theme of phase four is integration. All the skills you've been developing, sequencing, cueing, holding space, managing groups, adapting to different needs. These have all become so natural that you can access them without conscious effort. It's like learning to drive. Remember when you had to think about every single thing, checking your mirrors, signaling, steering, braking. Now you probably drive while having conversations, listening to music, even thinking about other things, or listening to this podcast because the mechanics have become automatic. That's what happens with teaching in phase four. The technical skills become so integrated that you can focus on the art of teaching, the subtle art of reading, energy, creating connection, and facilitating transformation. Now I want to be really clear about what thriving actually looks like, because it might not match what you see on social media. Thriving doesn't mean you're booked solid every hour of every day. It doesn't mean you have thousands of Instagram followers or that you're leading retreats in Bali every month. Thriving means you are sustainably doing work you love with people who appreciate what you offer. It means you found your groove and you're operating from a place of confidence and joy rather than from a place of anxiety and scarcity. For me, thriving looked like having my regular classes full of students who came week after week, year after year. Some of my Monday night regulars have been with me for well over 15 years. That consistency, that deep relationship with students over time, that's thriving. Thriving means embracing the randomness that sometimes happen when you are in a niche like mine teaching yoga to athletes. Just yesterday I went to work with the UNC football team, and while we had
a session meant to start at 3:45, I had one player show up at 3:30 with a meeting he needed to attend at the top of the hour, but he was really eager to get in his practice before his meeting. Then another guy came along about five minutes after I had begun with the first, and we got him into the mix, but the two of them were really deep into an asymmetrical sequence of reclining twists down on their back when the actual 3:45 crew rolled up. So then I found myself teaching, quite literally, two yoga classes at the same time. One to the guys who had gotten the early start and one to the guys who were on time and instead of thinking, oh no, what do I do? I embraced the challenge. I thought it was pretty fun. I had the new guys go into some symmetrical reclining poses while we wrapped up the asymmetrical poses on the other side. Then we all made a position shift to prone and went together from there. I know I'm in phase four when I feel like this is a good time and not cause for an anxiety attack or shut down. Phase four also means being able to say yes to opportunities that excite you and no to ones that don't align with your values or energy.
If someone asks you to teach a 6:00 AM class across town for low pay, you can decline without feeling guilty because you have other options. One of the most important shifts in phase four is understanding that you have something unique to offer. Not better or worse than other teachers, but something that is uniquely yours. The rasa, the flavor, your special sauce. I remember the first time a student ever told me, I've been to lots of yoga classes, but there's something different about yours. I always leave feeling exactly how I need to feel. That's when I realized I wasn't just teaching people poses. I was creating an experience that only I could create. Phase four is also where the compound effect of consistent quality teaching over time really pays off all those years of showing up, even when you didn't feel confident, even when you were still figuring things out. That builds a reputation and a following that becomes self-sustaining. Students start recommending you to their friends. Studios start seeking you out instead of you always having to audition. Workshop organizers invite you to teach because they've heard good things about your work. But here's something crucial about phase four. With great power comes great responsibility. When your students trust you deeply, when they look to you for guidance, you have to be really clear about your scope of practice and your own boundaries. Over the 20 years I've been teaching, I have certainly had students who wanted me to be their therapist or their life coach, or their spiritual guru. And while it's flattering, it's not healthy for them or for me. Part of thriving is knowing what you are and what you're not, and being comfortable with those boundaries. Feeling at home in your own yoga teacher skin as it were. Phase four is also where you start to see the real impact of your work. Students don't just tell you that class felt good. They tell you how yoga has changed their relationship with their body or helped them through a difficult time or given them tools they use in other areas of their life. This is deeply rewarding, but it can also feel overwhelming Sometimes. You realize that your words and your presence have more impact than you anticipated. That's a lot of responsibility. The key is remembering that you aren't responsible for your students' transformation. You are just creating a safe container where they can do their own work towards self transformation. Another hallmark of phase four is that you start naturally mentoring newer teachers. Maybe it's formally through teacher training programs or mentorship offerings. Maybe it's informally just being the person other teachers come to with questions. This isn't about ego or superiority. It's about understanding that you have wisdom, knowledge, and experience that can help others avoid some of the struggles you went through. I started my mentorship program called Mastering the Art of Yoga Sequencing, a mentorship membership. You'll sometimes hear me refer to it as MM, MMM, both because it's food themed and because it's delicious, and I began it because I kept getting the same questions from newer teachers over and over again. Questions about sequencing, questions about confidence, questions about professional development. I realized I had developed systems and frameworks that could help, and it felt like a natural evolution of my teaching to welcome people in as mentees and make it fully half of the 300 hour advanced studies yoga teacher training that I offer at Comfort Zone Yoga. My virtual studio focused on yoga teacher development. Phase four is also where you might start thinking about legacy, not in a grandiose way, but in terms of the ripple effects of your work. The students you've influenced who become teachers themselves, the students you have trained who become yoga teacher trainer leaders themselves, the workshop attendees who take what they've learned and share it with their communities. So what do you do if you're in phase four or if you're working toward it and see it on the near horizon? First develop signature sequences and approaches. You've been teaching long enough to know what works consistently well for your students. Start identifying and refining these signature elements. What makes your classes distinctly yours? You might develop a database or a recipe box, maybe even literally a recipe box that holds your unique sequences. This is something we work on together in mastering the art of yoga sequencing. Second, create higher ticket offerings like retreats or teacher mentorship. You have the expertise and reputation to charge premium prices for premium experiences. Don't undervalue what you've built. Third, refine your niche and become known for your specialty. Maybe you're the go-to teacher for athletes in your area, or maybe you are the one everyone recommends for trauma sensitive yoga or restorative yoga or yoga. Nira. Lean into what makes you unique. Fourth, maintain professional growth through continuing education just because you're thriving doesn't mean you stop learning, but now you can be more strategic about your education, choosing trainings that genuinely interest you or fill specific gaps in your knowledge. Fifth, establish passive income streams. Maybe that's online courses, books, video content, or licensing your workshop materials to other teachers. Create ways to share your knowledge that don't require your physical presence and a direct one-to-one trade of your time for money. Okay. Sixth, remember your why and stay connected to your foundation. Success can sometimes distance you from what drew you to teaching yoga in the first place regularly reconnect with your original motivation. Seventh, maintain your personal practice as the source of your inspiration. Your own practice probably looks different now than it did when you first started teaching and different still from how it looked when you first started practicing, but it's still essential. You can't pour from an empty cup. If you're looking for resources to keep your own practice alive, come join me in the Yoga Class Prep Station. It's my $39 a month membership where I give you full access to the over 120 videos. In my movement library so you can nourish your own practice and also get ideas to bring back to your class. I'd love to see you there. You can find a link in the show notes or come to comfort zone yoga.com/prep. If you're ready to share your knowledge with other teachers, consider how you might contribute to teacher training or mentorship programs. Mastering the Art of Yoga sequencing includes opportunities for experienced teachers to support newer ones in our community, both within the mentorship program and by joining me for a live call in Comfort Zone Yoga. Maybe you've attended some of those. I offer them for free monthly in the Zone at Comfort Zone. If you're interested in developing signature offerings for specific populations, teaching yoga to athletes shows you how deep specialization can create premium opportunities. You'll be able to charge a lot more than you probably currently are. For those looking to complete advanced certifications that match your level of experience. My 300 hour program allows you to customize your path while deepening your expertise. And if you want to contribute to the broader yoga teaching community, the Zone at Comfort Zone Yoga, my Free Space offers opportunities for you to share your knowledge and support newer teachers through monthly calls and discussions. I love to see the amazing conversations that people are having with each other in the zone. It's been my dream to get the ball rolling and then be able to step back and let it become a peer supported space, and it is thriving in the best way. Now the most important thing about zone four is recognizing that you have earned the right to be here. You have put in the work, you've developed the skills, and you are making a real difference in people's lives. Don't let imposter syndrome make you think you got lucky or that you don't deserve the success you have created. You do deserve it. And remember that with the success comes an opportunity and maybe even an obligation to help the next generation of teachers find their way. You've moved beyond surviving, beyond struggling, beyond just getting by. You're thriving, and that is something to celebrate. Thanks for being here. In our next timeline episodes, we will explore phase zero when you first feel the call to teach, and at the other end of the success timeline, phase five, what happens when you become a master teacher with the opportunity to leave a lasting legacy? I'm Sage Rountree. This is Yoga Teacher Confidential. I'll see you next time.
