Program Ground Rules:

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Respect the Space

This is a shared space for growth, reflection, and learning.

Come with respect for yourself, for others, and for the process.

Allow others to speak, to explore, and to have their own experience without interruption or judgment.

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Holding Space

Holding space is a core part of this mentorship and how we support one another as teachers.

It is not about fixing, advising, or responding right away.

It is about being present.

Listening with intention.
Observing without judgment.
Allowing others to fully be in their experience.

When someone is speaking, your role is to be with them.

Not ahead of them.
Not solving for them.
Not relating it back to yourself.

Just present.

This is a practice.

And it directly translates into your teaching.

When you learn how to truly hold space, your students feel it.  They feel safer, more seen, and more supported in their own experience.

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Be Present

Arrive on time and stay for the full session whenever possible.

Your presence matters - not just for you, but for the group.

This work builds week by week.

Consistency supports your growth.

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Confidentiality

What is shared in this space stays in this space.

This allows everyone to show up honestly and safely.

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Open to "Feedforward" (Feedback)

This mentorship includes practice teaching and real-time feedforward.

Come willing to receive feedforward with openness, and to apply what you learn.

Feedforward is offered to support your growth - not to criticize.

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Stay in Your Experience

Speak from your own experience rather than giving advice or trying to fix others.

This keeps the space grounded, honest, and supportive.

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Take Responsibility for Your Growth

You will get out of this program what you put into it.

Engage with the practices, reflection work, and teaching opportunities.

This is your space to grow - step into it fully.

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Honor the Work

Move through the program at a steady pace.

There is no need to rush ahead.

Let each week land before moving on.

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A Final Note

This space is designed to support you in refining your voice and stepping more fully into your role as a teacher.

Stay honest, present, & open.  That is where the magic happens.

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Teaching Techniques:

 

 

• Connection: Eye contact, remembering their names, asking questions.

• Authentic voice: Always use your authentic voice while teaching.

• Simple words: Use simple, clear, effective language to guide your students. No elongated, sing song sounds.

• Commanding voice: Keep your voice, clear, commanding and allow for your voice to project when needed so everyone can hear your.

• Speak to all but teach to one: Do not call people out by name, as this may leave them feeling disempowered. If you see a student who needs further guidance teach to the group as a whole so not to point them out.

• Use “you” and “your”: When teaching instead of “the” or “that”. Example: Inhale reach your arms up - YES! Inhale reach the arms up - NO. This offers a personalized experience for your students.

• Safety in Alignment: Look for critical alignment to ensure your students are safe in their pose. Also observing pose from the ground up to see if there are any other areas that could be spoken to.

• Show: Demonstrate the asana when students are confused, need more clarity or to preview the next pose.

• Function: Ensure you know what the function of the pose is, myofacial groups and that each student can connect to it in some way or another.

• Refinement: offer a few refinement cues to help your student sink into their experience.

• Silence: Once you have called the pose, students have arrived safely, create silence for them to be present in their own experience.

• Space: Give your students space to explore their bodies and connect to their own experience.

•  Be aware of any words you unconsciously use or repeat often; “uh huh, great, good, awesome, amazing.” For example; Inhale reach up, good. Exhale, fold forward, good! Inhale half way lift, good!

• Try to use minimal yoga jargon. A student who knows very little Sanskrit or is not as familiar with anatomy will benefit from the intellectual stimulation but it must be met with explanation so it is understood. Briefly define and give a location of the potentially unfamiliar anatomical terms used. Try to empower your students as much as possible.

• Only teach what you know!

 

 

 

 

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PRANAYAMA PRACTICE + TEACHING DEVELOPMENT

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Pranayama is a powerful way to refine your voice as a teacher.  It asks you to slow down, be clear, and guide with intention.  Over the next month, you will begin working with pranayama not just as a personal practice, but as something you can confidently teach.

 

You will choose three pranayama techniques to explore more deeply.  These may be techniques that challenge you, feel unfamiliar, or that you want to understand more clearly.

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Once you have chosen your three techniques you will practice them regularly on your own.  Get familiar with how they feel in your body.   Notice what shifts in your breath, your mind, and your energy.  

 

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Each week, you will practice teaching one of your chosen pranayama techniques.  Keep it simple and clear - follow the teaching techniques provided above.  Focus on how you guide, not how much you say.  Remember silence and space is powerful!  Over time, you may notice more confidence in your voice, more clarity in your instructions, and hopefully less overthinking.

 

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This is not about teaching perfectly.  It’s about learning through repetition, refining how you communicate, and building trust in yourself.  

 

 

Pranayama Techniques to Explore

Choose three - you will teach just one each month to refine:

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• 3-Part Breath (Dirga Pranayama)

• Box Breathing

• Equal Breath (Sama Vritti)

• Extended Exhale - Dirga Rechak

• Extended Inhale - Dirga Purak

• Nadi Shodhana - Alternate Nostril Breathing 

• Ujjayi Breath

• Bhramari - Humming Breath

• Kapalabhati - Skull Shining Breath

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Your Reflection Practice:

• Which three am I choosing and why?

• How do these feel in my body during my personl practice with them?

• What feels clear when I teach them?

• What feels unclear or unsteady when I teach them?

• Where do I overthink or hesitate?

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Week 1: Limiting Beliefs

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Why This Matters:

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Most teachers don’t struggle because they don’t know enough.  They struggle because their mind is busy while they’re teaching - second guessing, overthinking, and trying to get it “right.”  This week is about becoming aware of the thoughts that shape how you teach.  Not to fix them, and not to push them away, but to begin to see them clearly.

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Understanding Limiting Beliefs:

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Limiting beliefs are patterns of thought that shape how you see yourself, your abilities, and the way you show up in your life and your teaching.  Most of these beliefs were not consciously chosen.  They were formed early in life, often between the ages of 3–8, during a time when you were observing, absorbing, and trying to understand the world around you.

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During this time, you were influenced by the people closest to you - parents, grandparents, teachers, caregivers, and authority figures.  You took in their words, their reactions, their expectations, and the environments you were in.  From those experiences, you began to form beliefs about who you are.

Over time, these beliefs became familiar.  They started to feel true.  And without realizing it, they began to shape how you show up - including how you teach.

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In your teaching, this can look like second guessing your words, overthinking your cues, holding back from saying what you really want to say, or trying to land on the “right” thing.  There is nothing wrong with this, It simply means something has been learned and repeated.  This work is about becoming aware of those patterns.  Not to judge them, but to understand them.  As you begin to see them clearly, you create space - space to pause, space to choose, and space to respond differently.  Your voice isn’t missing.  It has simply been layered with noise over time.  This work begins to gently clear that.

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Notice Your Thoughts

Take a moment to reflect on your experience teaching, or even thinking about teaching.

 

What thoughts come up before you teach?

What thoughts come up while you’re teaching?

What thoughts come up after you teach?

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Where Do You Hold Back?

Be honest with yourself as you move through this.

 

Where do you tend to second guess yourself?

What are you afraid of getting wrong?

Where do you hold back?

When do you feel most in your head while teaching?

 

Name the Beliefs

Complete the sentences below. Let the words come naturally—there is no need to overthink this.

You may not resonate with all of them. Choose the ones that feel relevant, or use them as a starting point.

Examples:

“I’m not good enough…”
“I’m scared of…”
“I don’t know what to say…”
“I might get it wrong…”
“I need to prove myself…”
“I don’t feel confident…”
“I shouldn’t speak up…”
“I’m not experienced enough…”
“I’m not ready…”

Now write your own:

“I’m not a good teacher because…”​

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Take a moment to read what you wrote.

What patterns do you notice?

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Bring Awareness

Choose 2–3 beliefs that feel the strongest or most present for you right now.​  Gently reflect on each one.

 

Is this absolutely true?

Where might this belief have come from?

What else could also be true?

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Integration

As you move through this week, begin to notice when these beliefs show up.  You don’t need to change them.  Simply catch them in the moment.  When you notice one, pause, take a breath, and bring your attention back into your body.

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Awareness is the first step!  As you begin to see these patterns more clearly, they start to lose their grip.  Your voice isn’t something you need to find.  It’s already there.  This work is about learning how to hear it more clearly and trust it.

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What is your greatest insight from your limting beliefs work?

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Week 2: Personal Values

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Why This Matters

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Your values shape how you live, how you make decisions, and how you show up in your relationships and your teaching.  When your values are clear, your voice becomes more steady.  You don’t have to search for what to say.  You begin to speak from what matters to you.  This week is about getting honest with yourself - about what you truly value, not what you think you should value.

 

 

Understanding Personal Values

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Your values are the things that feel important to you at your core.  They are not ideas you’ve been taught.  They are what you naturally come back to.

 

You may notice your values in:

• what matters most to you in your life

• what frustrates you or feels out of alignment

• what you respect in others

• what you consistently return to, even when things feel uncertain

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Your values often show up in both clarity and discomfort.  When you are living in alignment with them, things feel steady and grounded.  When you are not, you may feel tension, frustration, or disconnection.  Both are useful.

 

 

How to Recognize Your Values

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You don’t need to search for them. They are already present.

 

Take a moment to reflect:

What matters most to me in my life right now?

What qualities do I respect or admire in others?

When do I feel most like myself?

When do I feel out of alignment or frustrated? What feels off?

What do I naturally come back to, even when things feel uncertain?

 

Examples of Values

 

Take your time reading through this list.  Notice which words stand out to you - not because you think they should, but because they feel true:

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Honesty
Integrity
Authenticity
Truth
Clarity
Simplicity
Presence
Awareness
Mindfulness

Growth
Learning
Curiosity
Expansion
Self-reflection
Wisdom

Freedom
Independence
Choice
Adventure
Exploration

Compassion
Kindness
Empathy
Love
Connection
Community
Support
Service

Courage
Bravery
Confidence
Self-trust
Resilience
Strength

Discipline
Commitment
Consistency
Focus
Dedication
Responsibility

Balance
Stability
Grounding
Peace
Calm
Ease

Joy
Playfulness
Gratitude
Contentment
Fulfillment

Creativity
Expression
Inspiration
Innovation

Respect
Boundaries
Fairness
Equality
Accountability

Patience
Acceptance
Surrender
Trust (in self / in life)
Letting go

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Identify Your Values

Write down 5–7 values that feel true for you.

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Refine

Now narrow this down to your top 3 core values.

These are the values that feel most steady and important to you right now.

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Clarity + Alignment

Take your time here and be honest.

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Where in my life do I feel aligned with these values?

Where do I feel out of alignment?

What shifts when I am living in alignment with them?

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Connection to Your Voice + Teaching

Your values directly shape your voice.

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They influence:

• what you choose to speak about

• how you guide your students

• how you hold space

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Reflect:

How do these values already show up in my teaching?

Where are they not showing up?

If I fully trusted these values, how would I teach differently?

What would I say more clearly?

What would I stop holding back?

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Integration

Complete this sentence a few times. Let it evolve naturally.

“As a teacher, I value __________, and I guide my students toward __________.”

 

 

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Your values are not something you need to create.  They are already there.  This work is about becoming clear on them, trusting them, and allowing them to shape how you live and how you teach.  When your values are clear, your voice becomes more grounded.  From there, your teaching begins to feel more steady, more honest, and more aligned.

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Week 3: Yamas (Outer World)

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At some point in your teaching, you realize it’s not about having more to say.  It’s about saying something that actually lands.  That comes from understanding how you move through your life - how you think, how you react, how you relate to others, and how you respond when things don’t go the way you expected.

 

The Yamas give you a clear way to see that.  Not as theory, but as something you are already living.

When you start to recognize them in your own experience, your teaching shifts.  You’re no longer trying to come up with something to say - you’re speaking from something you know.  That’s where your voice becomes more steady, and your teaching becomes more real.

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Understanding the Yamas 

The Yamas are most likely already present in how you live.   They show up in how you speak to yourself, how you communicate with others, how you manage your energy, and how you respond when things feel uncomfortable or uncertain.  This is not about trying to “practice” the Yamas perfectly.  It’s about being honest about where they are already showing up for you - and where they’re not.  Because that’s where your teaching comes from.  Not from memorizing concepts, but from recognizing patterns in your own life and learning how to speak to them in a clear, grounded way.  When you understand them like this, they stop being something abstract.  They become something you can actually teach.

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The Five Yamas 

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Ahimsa - Non-harming/Interrupting Harmful Patterns

How you speak to yourself and others.  Where you are gentle vs where you are critical.

 

Reflect:

• Where am I hard on myself?

• How do I respond when something doesn’t go as planned?

 

In your teaching:

• How might you invite your students to soften or be less critical of themselves?

• What would it sound like to guide someone toward kindness in their body or mind?

 

Satya - Truthfulness

Your honesty.  Where you speak clearly vs where you hold back.

 

Reflect:

• Where do I hold back from saying what’s true for me?

• When do I feel most honest and clear?

 

In your teaching:

• How would you guide students to notice what is true for them in their practice?

• What does it sound like when you speak honestly, without overthinking?

 

 

Asteya - Non-stealing/Holding Space

Where you take more than you need or hold back your energy. This can show up as comparison or self-doubt.

 

Reflect:

• Where do I compare myself to others?

• Where do I feel like I’m not enough or need to prove something?

 

In your teaching:

• How might you guide students to stay in their own experience instead of comparing?

• What could you say to remind them they are enough where they are?

 

Brahmacharya - Management of Energy + Balance

How you use your energy.  Where you overextend vs where you stay grounded.

 

Reflect:

• Where do I give too much or feel depleted?

• Where do I feel balanced and steady?

 

In your teaching:

• How might you guide students to notice their energy and not push past their limits?

• What would it sound like to encourage balance instead of effort alone?

 

Aparigraha - Letting Go/Releasing Your Grip

Where you hold on tightly.  Control, expectations, needing things to go a certain way.

 

Reflect:

• Where do I try to control outcomes?

• What is hard for me to let go of?

 

In your teaching:

• How might you guide students to release expectations in their practice?

• What would it sound like to invite letting go, rather than striving?

 

 

From Life Into Teaching

These are not separate from your teaching.  They show up when you hesitate to speak, when you overthink, when you compare yourself, when you over-give, or when you try to control how your class is received.  Teaching doesn’t create these patterns - it reveals them.

 

 

Personal Reflection

Take a moment to reflect honestly.

 

Which of these feels most present in your life right now?

Where do you notice tension, resistance, or challenge?

Which one feels most natural or steady for you?

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Connect to Your Experience

Choose 1–2 Yamas that feel relevant.

 

Reflect:

How does this show up in my life?

How does this show up in my teaching?

What have I learned through this experience?

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Bridge to Teaching

This is where your message begins to take shape.

“Through my experience with ________, I guide my students toward ________.”

 

 

Simple Practice

Create a short teaching moment (5–10 minutes).

 

It can be:

• a class theme

• a short introduction

• a few cues during movement

Keep it simple.

 

Focus on:

• one idea

• one message

• clear, grounded language

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The Yamas are something you begin to recognize in what you’ve already lived.  This is where your teaching becomes more real.  More grounded.  More connected.

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WEEK 4: NIYAMAS (INNER WORLD)

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The Yamas helped you look at how you relate to the world around you.  The Niyamas bring that same awareness inward.  This is where your teaching deepens.  Because how you relate to yourself directly shapes how you lead others.  When your inner world feels scattered, your teaching often reflects that.  When your inner world becomes more steady, your teaching follows.  The Niyamas give you a way to understand that relationship.  Not as something to perfect - but as something to become aware of.

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The Niyamas reflect your internal experience.  They show up in your thoughts, your habits, your discipline, your self-awareness, and your ability to let go.   You are already living them every day.  This work is about recognizing where they are present, and where they feel challenged.  This is where your voice becomes more honest.  Because you are no longer speaking from ideas.  You are speaking from your own experience.

 

 

The Five Niyamas 

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Saucha - Clarity / Cleanliness

Physical, mental, emotional, and energetic cleanliness.

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Saucha is about creating space - internally and externally - so things feel more clear and less cluttered.

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Reflect:

• Physical:  What supports my body feeling clear and taken care of?   Where do I feel tension or neglect?

• Mental:  What does my mind feel like most of the time - clear or busy?   What contributes to that?

• Emotional:  Are there emotions I’m holding onto or avoiding?   What feels unresolved?

• Energetic:  Where do I feel drained vs steady?   What or who impacts my energy most?

 

In your teaching:

• How might you guide your students toward simplicity instead of overwhelm?

• What does it sound like to offer fewer cues, but with more clarity?

• How can you create space in your class - for breath, for pauses, for experience?

 

Santosha (Contentment)

A steady sense of being/having enough.  Choosing to be with what is, without needing it to be different.

 

Santosha doesn’t mean everything feels perfect.  It means you are not constantly reaching for something else in order to feel okay.  Gratitude becomes the pathway here.  A way to bring your attention back to what is already here.

 

Reflect:

• Physical:  Can I appreciate my body as it is today, without needing it to be different?  What feels supportive or steady?

• Mental:  Where does my mind go - toward what’s missing, or what’s here, now?  What shifts when I notice something I’m grateful for?

• Emotional:  Can I allow what I’m feeling without needing to change it?  Where do I resist my emotions?

• Energetic:  When do I feel at ease or settled in my energy? What brings me back to that?

• Spiritual:  Where do I feel a sense of trust or connection to something greater than myself?

 

In your teaching:

• How might you guide your students to be where they are, instead of pushing past it?

• What would it sound like to invite appreciation for their body, their breath, or their effort?

• How can you weave in simple moments of gratitude without over explaining?

 

Santosha is subtle.  It’s not something you force - it’s something you return to.  And when you begin to feel it, even briefly, your teaching softens.  Your practice becomes less about doing more, and more about being present with what is.

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Tapas - Discipline / Effort / Inner Fire

Steady effort.  The willingness to stay with something, even when it’s uncomfortable.

 

Tapas is not about pushing or forcing, it’s about commitment.  Showing up and staying with the work.  Returning again and again.  It’s the quiet discipline that builds over time.  Tapas shows up in different ways through the body, mind, and how you speak.

 

From the Bhagavad Gita, tapas can be understood as:

• Tapas of the Body:  how you show up physically, your actions, your consistency

• Tapas of Speech:  how you communicate, the intention and clarity behind your words

• Tapas of the Mind:  your focus, your thoughts, and your ability to stay present

 

It also moves through the five bodies:

• Physical: showing up for your practice, even when it feels hard

• Energetic: working with your breath and energy without forcing

• Mental: staying focused instead of distracted

• Emotional: being willing to sit with discomfort instead of avoiding it

• Spiritual: staying connected to something deeper than immediate results

 

Reflect:

• Where in my life do I show up consistently, even when it’s challenging?

• Where do I avoid effort or step away when things feel uncomfortable?

• Physical:  Where do I show up for myself?  Where do I fall off?

• Mental:  Where does my focus drift?  What pulls me away?

• Emotional:  What feels uncomfortable for me to stay with?

• Energetic:  When do I feel steady vs depleted?

• Spiritual:  What keeps me connected to this work when it gets difficult?

 

In your teaching:

Body:

• Where in your class do you feel effort naturally arise - and how do you stay with it without pushing it further?

• Can you sense when the body is working steadily versus being pushed beyond its edge?

Speech:

• When you guide from a steady place, what do you notice in your tone, your pacing, and the way your words land?

• Can you feel when your words are supporting the experience versus adding pressure or urgency?

Mind:

• Can you feel the difference between encouraging effort and pushing for more?  Where does that shift happen for you internally?

• What helps you stay aware and present while guiding effort, instead of getting caught in doing more?

 

Tapas builds trust from consistency.  When you begin to live this, your teaching becomes more steady. Your students feel that you are not just guiding them, you are practicing it yourself.

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Svadhyaya - Self-Study / Self Reflection

Awareness of self through observation, reflection, and honesty.

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Svadhyaya is the practice of turning your attention inward.  Not to analyze or judge yourself - but to begin to see clearly.  Your thoughts, patterns, reactions, and your habits.  This is about noticing what is already there.  Svadhyaya shows up in the moments where you pause and ask:  Why did I respond that way?  What am I avoiding?  What keeps repeating for me?  Over time, this builds awareness.

That awareness begins to shape how you live and how you teach.

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Reflect:

• Where in my life am I already aware of my patterns?

• Where do I tend to avoid looking more closely?

• What keeps repeating for me?

• What am I beginning to notice more clearly?

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In your teaching:

Body:

• Where can you invite students to pause and notice what they are feeling in their body?

• Can you allow space for sensation without needing to explain it?  What would that sounds like from you?

Speech:

• How can your language invite awareness instead of giving answers?

• What does it sound like when you guide through questions instead of direction?

• How comfortable are you with holding silence and space?  What feels challenging if anything at all?

Mind:

• Can you stay present with what is unfolding instead of trying to define it, speak too much about it or fill the silence?

• What helps you trust the process of observation without needing to control it?

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Practice

Create a short teaching moment (5–10 minutes).

 

Focus on:

• inviting awareness

• allowing space

• asking less, but more meaningful questions

 

Ishvara Pranidhana - Surrender / Trust

Letting go of control and trusting something greater.

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Ishvara Pranidhana is not about giving up.  It is about releasing the need to control every outcome.  Doing what you can and allowing space for what you cannot control.  There is effort, and then there is letting go.  Both are part of the practice.

 

Reflect:

• Physical:  Where do I hold tension or try to control the experience in my body?

• Energetic:  Where does my breath feel restricted vs open and steady?

• Mental:  What thoughts try to predict, plan, or control outcomes?

• Emotional:  What feels hard to release or allow?

• Spiritual:  Where can I trust something beyond my own effort?

 

Reflect:

• Where in my life do I try to control how things unfold?

• What feels difficult for me to let go of?

• What happens when things don’t go the way I expect?

• Where might I be holding on more tightly than I need to?

 

In your teaching:

Body:

• Where can you feel yourself trying to control the pace or outcome of the class?

• Can you allow moments to unfold without adjusting or adding more?

Speech:

• When you speak from trust, how does your tone and pacing shift?

• Can your words create space instead of directing an outcome?

Mind:

• What happens when you let go of needing the class to go a certain way?

• Can you stay present with what is happening instead of managing it?

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Practice for You

From your own experience with letting go, create 1-2 simple invitations you could offer your students.

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Personal Reflection

Which Niyama feels most present for you right now?

 

Which feels most challenging?

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Connect to Your Experience

Choose 1–2 Niyamas.

 

How do these show up in my life?

 

How do they show up in my teaching?

 

What have I learned through this experience?

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Bridge to Teaching

“Through my experience with ________, I guide my students toward ________.”

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Practice

Create a short teaching moment (5–10 minutes).

Focus on:

• one idea

• simple language

• a clear message

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​You did it!  This first month was about awareness and seeing more clearly what has been shaping your voice, both in your life and in your teaching.  You’ve looked at your beliefs.  You’ve connected to your values.  You’ve begun to understand how yoga philosophy reflects your lived experience.  This is the foundation.  This is real, honest work that begins to shift how you show up.  Take a moment to pause and recognize that. 

 

Cant wait to step into month two with you!  

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