Ep 53: 2024 Yearly Recap - Top 5 Episodes!

This year, I have loved covering different topics from yoga’s roots and history to tips on building your business. As well as anatomy info to episodes mapping out your nervous system & injury information. And it feels like I’ve just touched on the tip of the iceberg! A few of my favorite episodes have been answering YOUR questions, because honestly where do we go to get answers? There aren’t a lot of places, and I have loved reading your questions and helping to enrich your teaching by offering you ideas to work through some of the issues you’ve struggled with. 

In this special end-of-the-year episode I want to highlight the top 5 most downloaded and listened to episodes, just in case you missed them or you want to go back and listen again. I've linked them below so you can easily jump to them!

Episode Links: 

Ep 4: How to Find Your Passion

Ep 20: Somatic Yoga Principles - How To Incorporate Them in Your Classes 

Ep 21: Teaching Yoga and How It Affects Family Dynamics

Ep 27: The Hyper-sexualization of Yoga

Ep 46: What is Functional Freeze?

Transcript

Monica: 0:00

We are almost at the end of the year, what happened to 2024? For me, it felt like it flew by, but I have had some really wonderful moments this year. Honestly, it was a fantastic year for me. And guess what? Today is my youngest daughter's birthday. I can't believe I have an 18 year old. I mean, talk about time flying. How has your year, wait before you answer that, I want you to think about all the positives, the good times, the affirmations that came to light. I am a huge believer in your thoughts, creating your reality. So which path in the fork on the road are you going to take? Will you dwell on what didn't happen or didn't go your way. Or will you highlight the good? I want the good. So take a moment maybe after you listened to this episode and think about the good smile about the positives and feel the goodness in your heart. And what about the negatives? Well, we can learn from those too.

1:07

Welcome to the Essential Conversations for Yoga Teachers podcast with me. I'm Monica Bright, and I've been teaching yoga and running my yoga business for over a decade. This is the podcast for you if you're a yoga teacher, you're looking for support, you love to be in conversation, and you're a lifelong student. In this podcast, I'll share with you My life as a yoga teacher, the lessons I've learned, my process for building my business, and helpful ideas, tools, strategies, and systems I use and you can use so that your business thrives. We'll cover a diverse range of topics that will help you whether you're just starting out or you've got years under your belt and you want to dive deep and set yourself up for success. I'm so glad you're here. Listen, I don't take myself too seriously, so expect to hear some laughs along the way. Now, let's do this together.

Monica: 2:16

Well, welcome back to the high caste. I feel so grateful for you being here and listening to these episodes that I publish for you. You know, you are a big reason why I started this podcast. And last year, this time I was in the final planning stages of putting it. Out into the world. And here we are a whole year later. I have to say, I have loved covering different topics from yoga's roots and history to tips on building your business. Then anatomy info to episodes, mapping out your nervous system and injury information. And it feels like I've just touched on the tip of the iceberg. A few of my favorite episodes have been answering your questions because honestly, Where do we go to get answers? There aren't a lot of places. So I've loved reading your questions and helping to enrich your teaching by giving you ideas to work through some of the issues you've struggled with. And this special end of the year episode, I want to highlight the top five most downloaded and listened episodes just in case you miss them. Or you want to go back and have a listen again. I'll add all of their links in the show notes, so you can easily jump to them. Alright, here we go. One of my first episodes continues to get downloads. Each and every week and that's episode number four, how to find. Your passion. And this episode, I walked you through a conversation that I have with a yoga teacher who was struggling to continue teaching yoga. Her exact words were. I really don't enjoy what I'm doing every day. I feel like I'm on a hamster wheel and I'm just going along with the program whose program? I don't know. I don't even know if it's mine. I just feel like it just. Is, and I want to change that. I want to be teaching what I love and I know everything I'm doing is making me feel excited. Denise is the name that I used for this teacher, because at the time of recording, I hadn't gotten permission to use her actual name. But the conversation was powerful. And I think that that's why this episode is one of the most listened to. When you listen to this episode, you'll hear that I had a number of questions for her. To think about and help her get back on the path of teaching that made her come alive. It's important for her to define what excites her. What experiences did she enjoy as a student? And what types of experiences does she want to cultivate for her students? As I go through each question, you too can rediscover your true passions by exploring your interests and bracing curiosity And reflecting on what truly excites and motivates you. And you can also help define your life's purpose. This episode is perfect. If you're feeling stuck or needing a fresh sense of direction. And trust me, I've been there too. Okay. The next is episode 20 somatic yoga principles. How to incorporate them in your yoga classes. Somatic yoga has really come into the mainstream lately, but it's been around for quite some time. I was introduced to somatic yoga about six or seven years ago when I was in an advanced teacher training. I realized I was already teaching some of the principles of somatics. But was eager to incorporate more. This episode explores the essence of somatic yoga, emphasizing mindfulness, body awareness, and the connection between movement and sensation. In it, I provide insights into how to integrate these principles into your teaching, to create a more intuitive and transformative experience for your students. Some of the tips include fostering slow deliberate movements and encouraging self-awareness to deepen the mind body connection. Sematic yoga also helps you regulate your nervous system by calming down an overactive nervous system. And by activating the relaxation response. Through slow deliberate movements and deep breathing. You activate the parasympathetic nervous system and help reduce the levels of stress hormones, and promote a sense of calm. This episode is ideal for you. If you're looking to enrich your classes with some somatic practices. You can sequence your life away, but when you begin to add in different modalities into your classes, They become interesting. Educational. And layered. The next episode is probably my favorite it's episode 21, teaching yoga and how it affects family dynamics. And the reason why is because I invited my oldest daughter to be a guest. Because I wanted her to talk about how our family dynamics changed from her perspective. One of my greatest joys in life is being a mother. So I don't take that role lightly. I think as parents and as mothers specifically, it can be difficult to balance. parenthood. Career. Relationships and self care. Each as important as the other, but often we're conditioned to place ourselves and our decisions. Last on the list. I've learned to be adamant about what I want from my life as well. In this episode, we talked about the shift in our family dynamics, because if you don't know, I used to work in education. So my work schedule aligned with school schedules, but when I switched to teaching yoga, All of that changed. My classes were at night. And on the weekends. And it was not easy. I'm not going to lie. So anyway, I invited her to come share her experience and we discuss the challenges. The growth. And the lessons that we learned during this life changing transition for our family. And together we shared our personal experiences and reflected on how switching careers. Influenced family roles. Perspectives and our communication. This episode is a must. Listen, if you're navigating career shifts while balancing family life. One thing I know for sure is no one talks about family dynamics and how teaching yoga can have a drastic effect on your personal life and relationships. Okay. Episode number 27, the hyper sexualization of yoga. In this. thought provoking episode, I tackle the sensitive and complex topic of yoga's. Hyper-sexualization the discussion delves into how cultural shifts. Uh, social media and media portrayal have shaped perceptions of yoga. If you're on social media, you know how Asana and flexibility often overshadow it's deeper. Spiritual and holistic roots. I explore the impact of this trend on students, current new and interested students. Teachers and the yoga community at large, and I offer insights on how to reclaim yoga's authentic essence, a powerful episode for you. If you're seeking to engage in meaningful dialogue about preserving the integrity. Of this ancient practice. And finally rounding out the top five is episode number 46. What is functional freeze? I have a few episodes on understanding your nervous system and this episode unpacks the concept of functional freeze. It's a survival response where you may appear functional, but are internally stuck in a state of immobilization or overwhelm. The times that we're in now have unfortunately landed more people. In a state of functional freeze. It's a response of the autonomic nervous system that happens when you perceive a threat, but feel powerless to act. Unlike the fight or flight response, which prompts action. Uh, functional freeze and mobilizes your body causing a sense of paralysis or stuckness. You might feel disconnected from your surroundings. I have a reduced ability to make decisions or feel numb. Both emotionally and physically. This response can be triggered by overwhelming stress or trauma. And while it's intended to be protective, it can become problematic in non-threatening situations, which can lead to chronic issues in coping and functioning in daily life. In this episode, I explained what happens in functional freeze, common causes that make you find yourself in the state. Ways to work through it, some misconceptions about it. And if there are ways to address it in your yoga classes, This episode is perfect. If you're interested in mental health or trauma informed practices. All right. I'll link all of these episodes in the show notes below. And again, I just want to thank you for being here in 2024. I cannot wait to lean into all of the topics that we will discuss in 2025. As always you can send me a text and share your ideas on topics for the show or any questions that you have that you'd love to hear my answers and my advice on. And I would just love to say happy new year, Happy 2025. Go out and celebrate. I hope that if you haven't listened to these episodes, you give them a listen. I might be a little biased when I say that I've loved each and every episode. This has been the most fun and rewarding business decision that I've made. And you are a huge part of that. Like I mentioned before, I've added a link in the show notes for you to send me a quick text message about your thoughts on this episode or any topics you'd like me to consider for 2025. I will know your phone number. It's just a neat addition to the platform that I use. That allows for this new and super easy way for you to communicate with me. Once you click on it, it will take you to your messages, but don't delete that code. That's how your message will get to me. And I would love to know your thoughts on this topic. If you can't tell already, I love diving into these conversations because there are so many important discussions to be had in the teaching world. You know that my goal is for you to love the yoga teaching life and allow it to be fulfilling and rewarding and sustainable And if you've loved this episode, Let me know, subscribe to the podcast. So you're always in the know when a new episode drops and share it with another yoga teacher. Who you think would love to be in on these conversations? Thank you for helping to spread the word about this podcast. And if you've been taking notes in your journal, as you listened to these episodes, I'm so glad you are. And I would love to hear about it. Don't forget to download the ebook sequencing for different injuries. The link is in the show notes. I promise you, it will help you form a foundation. For teaching students with injuries and it'll be a great resource for you to return to again and again. When you download the ebook, you'll be joining my newsletter. That's just for yoga teachers. I've got more exciting teachings coming in 2025. So I want to tell you all about them. The link is in the show notes below, and I would love you to join it so we can always stay connected. All right, that's it for now? Bye.

15:11

Mhm.