“Don’t turn your feet out.” “Never drink water during practice.” “Flex your foot to protect your knee.” “Don’t invert when you’re menstruating.” I love it when a teacher tells me what to do. When a teachers sounds confident (or even better – arrogant!), some deep doggy pack instinct in me goes, “Follow this alpha. They […]
When to say “no” to a yoga job
Still from “Office Space,” very funny movie involving spectacularly bad management. I recently received an email from a former student. As a newer teacher, we are obviously excited about teaching and eager to take advantage of opportunities when they arrive. However, they may not always be the right opportunities! Here’s what she wrote: “I do […]
How to choose your perfect mentor
In my role as the Director of the YYoga Teachers’ College, I have frequently been asked by recent training graduates, “Now, how do I choose my mentor?” For yoga students, this is akin to asking the question, “How do I choose my teacher?” First, it’s important define exactly a mentor is. From Greek mythology, “Mentor” […]
How to Audition for a Yoga Studio. Includes: the worst piece of advice you’ll get.
The yoga industry has finally made it. Auditioning has arrived. The very word “audition” conjures up the image of nervous and leotard-clad showgirls warming for A Chorus Line while singing, “Got I hope I get it/ I hope I get it/ Please God I need this job.” But whether we call it a “practical interview” […]
Are we teaching yoga?
The Times recently wrote an article about the 2012 yoga competition held in New York City. Yoga competition? As in prizes? Seriously? Founded by Rajashree Choudary, the wife of the famous Bikram Choudary, the competition is open to all asana practitioners but is primarily attended by those who practice the Bikram style. Competitions like this […]
When the muse stops talking: how to teach when inspiration doesn’t strike
A yoga teacher and galpal of mine recently emailed me about the proverbial drying of the creative yoga well. “Last Wed I feel like I taught the WORST yoga class of my life: it was so vanilla, last minute sequencing on my feet (which sometimes I’m good at, but this time I lost the muse), […]
“How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body”: A Response
The New York Times recently ran an article, “How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body,”that has a rather sensational and silly title and a fairly simple point: doing yoga can cause injuries. The article, citing the musings of yoga teacher Glenn Black, references the medley of yoga injuries that have been developing through the West over […]
Why everyone should do a yoga teacher training
By Rachel Scott From YYoga’s blog You catch sight of it out of the corner of your eye. There’s a perky little splash of red on one of the YYoga Events Boards. You look closer. It’s the announcement for an information session for the upcoming 200-hour teacher training. Something inside of you starts buzzing. Teacher […]