Saying you're not a physical therapist is one of the most limiting beliefs among yoga teachers, and it keeps you from working with students who have injuries. Believing this creates an environment where you're unnecessarily apologizing and using disclaimers, and diminishes the incredible value you offer. It's true, you're not a physical therapist, and that's exactly why your students need you. Physical therapy and yoga teaching are different roles with different scopes, and both are equally valuable and necessary. Understanding this distinction empowers you to confidently serve your students. In this episode, I'll dismantle the limiting belief, reframe your role, and show you why your classes are exactly what students recovering from injuries or living with chronic pain desperately need. I'll cover:

• What Physical Therapy Is and Is Not
• What Yoga Teachers Offer That PTs Don't
• How The Roles Are Different and Both Matter
• Why Yoga Serves Students With Chronic Pain
• Why Collaboration with PTs Matters
• What Is Actually in Your Scope
• Reframing How You Respond to Students with Injuries

I want you to start owning that you're a yoga teacher, and here's the value I can bring to students with pain and recovering from injuries.

Click HERE to send me a text & let me know your thoughts on this episode!

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YouTube: Yoga with Monica Bright

Freebie: Yoga Sequencing for Different Injuries

Let's connect:

• Check out my website: Enhanced Body
• Connect with me on Instagram
• Wanna work together? Book a Discovery Call
• Practice yoga in my online studio The Alliance (7-day free trial)
• Join my Newsletter for teachers below!

Want me to discuss a topic? Click HERE to submit it!

Become a supporter of the Essential Conversations for Yoga Teachers Podcast! Starting at $3/ month.

Ever had a student tell you they have a herniated disc? They sound serious and can make you feel fearful that you might do something to "make it worse." But students with disc issues can practice yoga safely when you understand what herniated discs actually are, which movements require your thoughtful consideration, and how different styles of yoga can help to support healing. This episode breaks down how to teach students with herniated discs, from the initial conversation (gathering important information) through practical modifications to understanding when slower, more restorative practices might be exactly what these students need.

I'll cover:

• Understanding Herniated Discs from an Anatomy & Pain Science Perspective
• What Questions to Ask Which Will Inform Your Teaching
• Movement Considerations
• Different Yoga Styles as Therapeutic Options
• Practical Modifications for Common Poses
• Using Language That Reduces Nervous System Threat
• When to Refer to Medical Professionals

Teaching students with herniated discs requires understanding pain science, thoughtful modification, awareness of different practice styles, and clear scope boundaries, but it's completely within your capacity as a yoga teacher.

Resources Mentioned:

Sequencing for Different Injuries (FREE) - How to structure classes for students with different injuries

Teaching Students with Injuries Mentorship - Six-month program with real students, real-time application, ongoing support covering anatomy, pain science, injuries, nervous system, recovery strategies, and sequencing

Click HERE to send me a text & let me know your thoughts on this episode!

Support the show

YouTube: Yoga with Monica Bright

Freebie: Yoga Sequencing for Different Injuries

Let's connect:

• Check out my website: Enhanced Body
• Connect with me on Instagram
• Wanna work together? Book a Discovery Call
• Practice yoga in my online studio The Alliance (7-day free trial)
• Join my Newsletter for teachers below!

Want me to discuss a topic? Click HERE to submit it!

Become a supporter of the Essential Conversations for Yoga Teachers Podcast! Starting at $3/ month.

The continuing education landscape for yoga teachers can be overwhelming. There are countless trainings promising to teach you about a subject that you're interested in. However, the problem isn't that you haven't taken enough of them, it's that most continuing education focuses on giving you more information instead of helping you apply what you already know and what you're learning in the training. Information accumulation doesn't create confidence; applying that information does. This episode breaks down what actually matters when investing in continuing education (using working with injured students as an example), what to look for when evaluating trainings you're interested in, and how to invest your time and money wisely.

• Information Overload in Continuing Education
• What Actually Matters in Continuing Education for Injuries
• What Actually Transforms Your Teaching
• Red Flags in Continuing Education Offerings
• Investing Wisely in Continuing Education
• Recommendations Based on Where You Are

The best continuing education doesn't just add to your knowledge base; it transforms what you can actually do when you take that learning back to your classes.

Resources Mentioned:

Teaching Students with Injuries Mentorship - Six-month program with real students, real-time application, ongoing support covering anatomy, pain science, injuries, nervous system, recovery strategies, and sequencing

Designing Transformative Workshops - Learn to structure workshops, create transformative educational content, and deliver workshops by planning for them effectively.

Click HERE to send me a text & let me know your thoughts on this episode!

Support the show

YouTube: Yoga with Monica Bright

Freebie: Yoga Sequencing for Different Injuries

Let's connect:

• Check out my website: Enhanced Body
• Connect with me on Instagram
• Wanna work together? Book a Discovery Call
• Practice yoga in my online studio The Alliance (7-day free trial)
• Join my Newsletter for teachers below!

Want me to discuss a topic? Click HERE to submit it!

Become a supporter of the Essential Conversations for Yoga Teachers Podcast! Starting at $3/ month.