Yoga Teacher Training Podcast: Learn Anatomy, Philosophy, Business and More

Whenever people ask me what studio to check out in Austin, Texas, I always recommend Practice Yoga on the East side.

Rey Cardenas is the co-founder of Practice which recently celebrated it's 10 year anniversary.

If you follow Rey or Practice on Instagram, you'll see he shares a lot about a unique take on philosophy from Rudolf Steiner, that I haven't seen from other yoga teachers.

We talk about:

- Rey's journey of co-founding a yoga studio in Austin, Texas, after facing challenges with his previous teaching position. Rey shared his experience of transitioning from being a professional poker player to becoming a yoga teacher and the process of finding a location for his studio.

- The process of opening a yoga studio, including finding a vacant building, partnering with someone who had complementary skills, utilizing social media marketing, creating memes(!) and choosing a donation-based model.

- Rey's process of finding a more balanced approach to yoga philosophy, moving away from an indulgent sort of philosophy towards a more grounded perspective that Rey found in Rudolf Steiner's work.

- How to integrate different perspectives and practices into yoga teachings. They also explored the connection between Western and Eastern spirituality and the importance of awakening the chakras.

- Rey gives a great introduction to the teachings of Rudolf Steiner, including his embodiment system, and the importance of the thought realm in human freedom. They also discussed how these concepts can be integrated into yoga and are integrated into the teacher trainings at Practice Yoga in Austin.

Diana Hernandez is an international actress, TV host, and content creator with a highly successful and engaged Instagram audience. I met Diana while she was traveling through Oaxaca, Mexico and thought she would be a great guest to have on the podcast to talk about social media marketing and building an authentic online business. In this episode we talk about:

• Diana's decision to create a free masterclass on teaching influencers to make money online after receiving numerous inquiries from friends and followers about how to get brand deals and travel for free.
• Diana shares her journey of transitioning from a TV host to building her own social media presence and becoming her own boss. She emphasizes the importance of defining a niche, creating a media kit, collaborating with influencers, and the misconception that a large number of followers is necessary to make a full-time income on social media.
• How Diana was able to create high-quality content for her YouTube channel using just her iPhone. Diana discusses her Instagram page and the editing programs she uses, as well as her free masterclass where she teaches people how to make $10,000 a month online.
• Diana discusses camera confidence, storytelling, creating a home studio, monetization, and technology needed to run an online business. She also emphasizes the importance of authenticity, consistency, engagement, and careful selection of brand deals for influencers.
• The importance of authenticity in yoga teaching and content creation. They also talk about the need to choose sponsorships and partnerships that align with one's values and interests to maintain authenticity and avoid losing followers.
• How Diana manages her time and energy as an influencer and content creator. Diana shared that she stopped saying yes to events and collaborations that didn't align with her brand, set boundaries, and prioritized her career, while still allowing herself to have fun on the weekends.

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Kate Lombardo's influence as a yoga instructor spans the globe, touching tens of thousands of students internationally. For almost a decade, Kate has been teaching and leading training programs through her award-winning yoga studios before expanding virtually through YogaRenew-- the world's leading online yoga teacher training program. She is an expert in vinyasa yoga sequencing and balances that with teaching yin classes, plus she can talk about the business of yoga all day long. She answers to many titles-- Yoga Director, CEO, CMO, Speak, Leader, Writer-- but most importantly... Mama. Kate primarily teaches online and in Hoboken, NJ where she lives with her husband and two children.

0:00 Kate and Jeremy had a conversation about Kate's role as the Yoga Director and CMO of Yoga Renew, an online Yoga Teacher training program. They discussed Kate's expertise in sequencing and helping yoga teachers with their business, as well as the opportunities and shifts in the yoga industry due to the pandemic.

5:03: Kate and Jeremy discussed the growth and reimagining of yoga teacher training and teaching, with Kate expressing her opinion that there is still room for more yoga teachers and trainings worldwide, especially in areas where yoga is not yet accessible. They also talked about the evolution of the path for new teachers, highlighting the importance of social media and online platforms in connecting with potential students and growing as a teacher.

9:46 Kate and Jeremy discuss the importance of using social media, specifically Instagram, to connect with people and build relationships in the yoga community. They emphasize the value of authenticity, serving others, and focusing on relationship building rather than solely on follower count or algorithm tricks.

14:21 Jeremy and Kate discussed the importance of authenticity and real connections on social media and in online courses. They also advised starting with organic marketing before investing in paid advertising to ensure that the audience is interested and engaged.

19:27 Kate and Jeremy discuss the effectiveness of running ads for free offerings rather than paid products. They emphasize the importance of building relationships through email marketing and learning about business in order to create a successful career as a yoga teacher.

23:52 Kate and Jeremy discussed the process of transitioning to full-time yoga teaching. They emphasized the importance of having a realistic understanding of financial needs, starting with a side job, gradually building up teaching opportunities, and acquiring business skills to eventually make the shift to teaching yoga full-time.

28:09 Kate and Jeremy discuss the importance of finding one's area of expertise as a yoga teacher and the value of deepening knowledge and experience in that specific area. They emphasize the need to teach what one has personally embodied and caution against teaching topics or poses that one has not fully experienced or understood.

36:26 Jeremy and Kate discussed the importance of being knowledgeable in certain areas as yoga teachers, while also acknowledging their limitations and being willing to seek help and resources when needed. They also expressed their interest in exploring new topics such as sequencing and sound healing, and the potential for collaboration and teamwork in their yoga businesses.

Kristine Weber, MA, C-IAYT, eRYT500 is a leading world authority on the neuroscientific benefits of slow, mindful movement and an advocate for the use of these practices as a solution to the healthcare crisis. She is leading the charge to get slow, mindful practices to people who desperately need them through her Subtle® Yoga Revolution series of online courses and trainings for yoga teachers – which have been praised by thousands all over the world.

She recently wrote a great article in response to Dr Andrew Huberman and his Huberman Labs podcast. I invited her on to chat about it.

Here's how her blog starts:

“Dr. Huberman I’d love to talk to you about this [breathing] as a yoga therapist and armchair neuroscience geek who has spent more than a decade curating the research.

I love your work and I realize scientific inquiry is by its very nature reductive.

But you have taken an intricate and sophisticated ancient system that confers self-regulation – ethics + asana + pranayama + meditation – and reduced it to “box breathing” here.

This is deeply problematic for a number of reasons.

Self-regulation via yoga practices is basically achieved in four steps..."

Thank you for supporting 4 years and 100 episodes of the Yoga Teacher Training podcast!

In this episode I share some of my most popular lessons from episodes 1 - 100 including;

• How I've seen yoga classes change and evolve in recent years
• The most essential lessons about yoga anatomy
• How to work with imposter syndrome
• How to build a consistent practice and avoid burnout as a teacher
• How to apply the yamas & niyamas to your life
• Why cueing is the most essential skill in modern online yoga

Have a favorite episode? Let me know in the comments on Instagram @quietmind.yoga

So grateful to all the amazing people I've met through this podcast and excited for the next 100 episodes!

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