As we begin a new year, I’m reflecting on a question that quietly shapes every yoga teacher’s journey: why do you teach? In this episode, I share personal insights from my own path, the lessons that only time and experience reveal, and why certifications alone don’t create longevity in teaching. I also share details about the upcoming 300-hour online teacher training, live Q&A session, and important dates if you’re considering taking the next step in your practice or teaching.

Episode Highlights:

• Why certifications and accumulated hours don’t guarantee confidence or sustainability
• The difference between loving yoga and being able to teach it long-term
• How burnout, injury, and doubt reveal the importance of a deeper “why”
• Why purpose in teaching is personal, evolving, and not meant for performance
• The connection between discipline, consistency, and Sutra 1.14
• 5 Important things about your why
• Key updates on the upcoming 300-hour online teacher training and live Q&A

Waitlist for the Online 300-Hour Yoga Teacher Training (launching January)Sequence Smarter – The Living Body of Asana
For teachers living in India, reach out to Janessa at admin@ahamyoga.com for special local pricing
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This episode feels like a full-circle moment as I wrap up the final episode of 2025. Before we step into a new year, I take some time to share what’s coming up in 2026 for the Let’s Talk Yoga and Aham Yoga community. There’s a lot unfolding, from a brand-new 300-hour online yoga teacher training to in-person study and international travel, and I wanted to lay it all out clearly so you know what’s ahead and how to be part of it.

After the updates, I’m joined by Rebecca from the Working in Yoga podcast for a thoughtful, wide-ranging conversation on creativity in yoga teaching. We explore how teachers can stay innovative without crossing into performance, why reverence still matters, and how professionalism, boundaries, and self-inquiry shape longevity in this work. It’s a reflective conversation about teaching, aging, motivation, and remembering why we came to yoga in the first place.

Episode Highlights:

• Exciting Announcements for 2026
• 300 Hour Online Yoga Teacher Training
• 200 Hour In-Person Training
• International Yoga Retreat in Italy
• Time-Sensitive Updates Recap
• Creativity in Yoga Teaching
• Balancing Tradition and Creativity
• Engagement vs. Entertainment in Yoga
• Evolving Yoga Teaching Methods
• Student Agency and Teacher Guidance
• Learning and Teaching Yoga
• Exploring Cultural Appropriation in Yoga
• Finding Your 'Why' in Teaching Yoga
• Markers of Success in Yoga Practice
• Personal Motivations and Aging Gracefully
• The Importance of Professional Boundaries
• Reverence and Cultural Differences in Yoga
• Navigating Marketing and Authenticity in Yoga
• Final Thoughts and Upcoming Trainings

Waitlist for the Online 300-Hour Yoga Teacher Training (launching January)Sequence Smarter – The Living Body of Asana
For teachers living in India, reach out to Janessa at admin@ahamyoga.com for special local pricing
Join our mailing list
Find all the resources mentioned in this episode
Connect with us on Instagram

Inversions don’t have to be intimidating, flashy, or reserved for advanced students. In this episode, I break down the three pillars of teaching inversions and share how to approach being upside down with structure, progression, and nervous system awareness. If you’ve ever felt unsure about when, how, or why to teach inversions, this framework will bring clarity and confidence to your teaching.

Episode Highlights:

• Why inversions were traditionally practiced as tools for regulation, not performance.
• How modern yoga culture has distorted our understanding of being upside down.
• What actually qualifies as an inversion, beyond handstands and headstands.
• The difference between mild, moderate, and intermediate inversions.
• Personal reflections on unlearning unsafe inversion habits.
• Pillar One: Structure before shape
• Pillar Two: Progression before performance
• Pillar Three: Nervous system literacy
• Situations where inversions may not be appropriate to teach.
• Where inversions fit best within a well-sequenced class.
• How inversions cultivate humility, discernment, and emotional awareness.
• Why the deepest impact of inversions is internal, not physical.

Waitlist for the Online 300-Hour Yoga Teacher Training (launching January)Sequence Smarter – The Living Body of Asana
For teachers living in India, reach out to Janessa at admin@ahamyoga.com for special local pricing
Join our mailing list
Find all the resources mentioned in this episode
Connect with us on Instagram