Essential Conversations for Yoga Teachers

Students with lower back pain is one of the most common complaints that yoga teachers encounter, yet most teachers feel completely unprepared to help students with back injuries. If you've ever felt like you're not sure how to respond when a student asks, "Will this pose hurt my back?" this episode is for you.

Learn the essential conversation framework for talking with students about lower back pain, the core principles that will help guide your teaching decisions, and specific modifications for forward folds, Downward Facing Dog, Cat/Cow explorations, and Plank variations. This episode will help you feel more confident teaching students with lower back pain instead of avoiding them, and it offers specific cueing language for each modification.

I'll also give you the exact questions to ask before class and discover how to create a collaborative relationship (between you and your student) instead of an anxious one.

You'll leave with a clear understanding of what's within your role and what's not. Learn why teaching students with back pain is absolutely within your scope, plus when you should refer students to medical professionals.

Download 10 Questions to Ask Injured Students (free) and get the exact framework for supportive conversations about pain. This tool removes guesswork and helps you approach injured students with confidence.

Related Episodes:

• EP 84: Sciatica: What Yoga Teachers Should Understand
• EP 80: Why Is The Psoas Muscle So Important?

Free Resources:

• Sequencing for Students with Injuries
• Half Pigeon Pose: Avoiding Pain & Injury

Want to Go Deeper?

• Within Your Scope Workshop
• The 1st Step to Teaching Students with Pain
• Teaching Students with Injuries 6-Month Mentorship

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.

Creating a new yoga sequence can feel overwhelming, especially when you are trying to account for student needs, your own teaching goals, and the realities of the world outside the studio. In this episode, we explore the key considerations to have when planning a sequence so the process feels intentional.

You will hear how anchoring a class around a simple concept or intention can bring clarity, and why familiarity, pacing, and repetition are powerful tools for supporting presence and awareness.

If you have ever felt unsure about how to start planning a sequence, or felt pressure to make every class new or impressive, this conversation will help you reconnect with sequencing as a relational skill. One that supports students, honors your capacity, and brings you back to what matters most in your teaching.

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

Support the show

Teaching Students w/ Injuries Mentorship

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.

Did you learn to sequence by linking individual poses together, focusing on flow, creativity, or what your sequence will look like visually? While this is movement, it doesn't always create clarity with you or your students. In this episode, we explore why thinking in pose families instead of isolated postures can completely change how you approach sequencing.

You will learn how grouping poses into families, such as backbends, hip openers, and spinal twists, helps you understand the function of a pose, prepare your students’ bodies more effectively, and set a clear tone for your class.

We discuss how this approach supports accessibility with students, reduces your feeling of overwhelm when it comes to sequencing, and allows you to offer meaningful variations without losing the intention of the practice you intend to teach.

This episode also highlights the vital role of neutral and symmetrical poses.

This conversation will help you return to a more grounded and sustainable approach to your sequencing. Pose families offer you a framework to work with and allow your yoga classes to feel purposeful, inclusive, and intentional.

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

Support the show

Teaching Students w/ Injuries Mentorship

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.