When you first start teaching yoga, you’re told to "own the room!" To have a plan, know your sequence, and be the authority at the front of the room. But what happens when your sense of authority starts to feel restrictive? When your carefully crafted sequence doesn’t match the energy or needs of the students in class that day?

In this episode, we explore what it means to shift from teaching with authority to teaching with curiosity. You’ll learn how curiosity will allow you to stay flexible, responsive, and deeply connected to your students’ experience.

I’ll talk about what it really looks like to “read the room,” how to adjust your sequence in real time without wavering in your confidence, and why this ability to adapt is one of the most valuable (and learnable) skills you can develop.

You’ll also learn how curiosity fosters empathy, supports nervous system regulation, and builds trust between you and your students, and with yourself as a teacher.

This conversation is for you if you've ever felt torn between sticking to your sequence and responding to students' needs in the moment.

Teaching with curiosity doesn’t mean you know less; it means you’re paying attention to your students more. It’s what turns good instruction into an authentic connection and response.

Ep 107: Why Warrior 2 Looks and Feels Different for Every Student

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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!

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We've all been there... we cue something that makes perfect sense in our own minds… but a student doesn’t quite understand. Maybe your students look confused, or move in completely different directions. It’s not that your cue was bad; it’s that language doesn’t always translate directly into movement.

In this episode, we’re unpacking why verbal cues alone aren’t enough and how different learning styles, nervous system states, and physical experiences shape how students receive your instructions. You’ll learn why some students need to see or feel what you’re describing, how nervous system regulation impacts comprehension, and how to diversify your teaching beyond words.

We’ll talk about the importance of demoing poses and transitions, the power of silence, and why your tone and pacing matter more than you realize. You’ll leave this episode with practical strategies to communicate more clearly, reach every student in the room, and teach with a deeper sense of presence and adaptability.

Whether you teach flow, restorative, or therapeutic yoga, this conversation will help you see cueing as more than words. It'll help you realize that your teaching is a form of communication that connects you more deeply with your students.

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

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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.

Warrior 2 is one of the most recognizable poses in yoga, but it’s also one of the most misunderstood. In this episode, we take a deeper look at why this seemingly simple posture can feel so different from one student to the next. From hip structure and ankle mobility to past injuries, nervous system responses, and trust in the body, we uncover the many factors that shape a student’s experience in this foundational pose.

We'll cover how skeletal variations influence alignment, why flexibility isn’t the only factor, and how nervous system regulation can change how a pose feels in the moment. We’ll also explore how teaching Warrior 2 through an individualized point of view can help students move with more awareness and confidence, rather than forcing them into a single “correct” alignment of the pose.

Whether you’re a new teacher or a seasoned instructor, this conversation will help you see Warrior II through a more compassionate and anatomically-informed lens.

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.

In this episode, we’re talking about one of yoga’s most persistent myths: that there’s such a thing as perfect alignment. Many of us were taught that safety and skill are determined by how closely a student’s alignment matches the positioning that you saw in a picture. However, modern understanding of anatomy, pain science, and the nervous system tells us a very different story.

Alignment looks and feels different for every student. Their structure, past injuries, and proprioceptive awareness all influence how a student experiences movement.

I’ll talk about how & if you should pause your class when your cues aren’t landing, how to communicate function rather than shape, and how to help students explore alignment through curiosity instead of correction. You'll understand how nervous system regulation plays into physical expression and how fostering safety can change the way your students move and learn.

By the end of this episode, you’ll have a more modern perspective on alignment and practical ways to bring individualized, inclusive, and evidence-informed teaching into your classes.

If you want to evolve past outdated alignment rules and start teaching from a place of understanding, compassion, and adaptability, this is the episode.

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.

Every yoga teacher knows this feeling, I know I do from time to time... It's the moment you prepare to teach and realize you don’t feel fully prepared. Maybe the energy of the room is different than you expected, a student comes with an injury you weren’t planning for, or the sequence you created suddenly doesn’t feel right for the students in the yoga room. In this episode, we explore what to do when you feel uncertain and how to handle it with confidence and authenticity.

You’ll learn how to regulate your nervous system before and during class, why flexibility in your teaching matters more than sticking to a rigid plan, and how moments of uncertainty can actually be signs of growth.

Whether you’ve been teaching for years or you’re just starting, this episode offers grounded guidance for how to stay centered and confident, even when your plan seems to fall apart.

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.

Working smarter is not about “doing more.” Thinking this way is the mentality that keeps so many yoga teachers right on the edge of burnout. Instead of adding more classes or constantly creating brand new sequences every week, we’ll explore how to design a sustainable teaching ecosystem for 2026. One that supports your energy, honors your nervous system, and deepens your impact with students.

Discover how to plan your teaching year intentionally, build workshops and offerings that align with your students’ needs, and choose continuing education based on how it will transform your teaching. I'll offer you a few reflection questions and practical strategies for structuring your year around purpose, so you feel less pressure.

If you’re a yoga teacher ready to stop hustling and start teaching with more clarity and confidence, this episode will help you create a year that truly supports you and gets you excited about teaching in the year ahead!

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.

Feeling drained or uninspired in your teaching? You’re not alone. In this episode, we explore why burnout happens for yoga teachers, how nervous system dysregulation contributes to it, and what you can do to reconnect to your practice, your students, and your purpose. Learn how to recognize the signs of burnout, set boundaries without guilt, and restore your energy through nervous system care. Whether you’re feeling depleted or just need a gentle reminder to slow down, this episode will help you return to teaching from a place of authenticity and alignment.

You'll realize how chronic sympathetic activation can quietly lead to feeling burnout, why rest is not a luxury but a biological need, and how small, consistent nervous system care practices can help you regulate, reset, and reconnect with yourself, and why you started teaching in the first place.

Get your journals because I'll also weave in a few reflection questions throughout the episode to help you reconnect to yourself.

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.

In this episode, let's explore how to identify your class’s true purpose. Including the physical, functional, and nervous system outcomes you intend for your students to experience. We’ll discuss how to move from creativity-based sequencing to need-based sequencing, how to plan for injuries and limitations, and why simplicity and clarity often make the most powerful classes.

This episode will help you stop doubting your choices as a teacher, gain confidence through clarity, and start sequencing in a way that supports the real-life students in your classes.

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.