Ep 100: Yoga Teachers, I'm Celebrating You!

This 100th episode isn’t about me, milestones, or fancy numbers. It’s about you, the teacher who continues to show up, learn, and support your students in your classes, even on the days when it feels challenging. In this episode, I'll reflect on what it really means to hold space as the yoga teacher: the courage it takes, the doubts that often arise, and the quiet impact you make in the lives of your students.

Let's revisit the reasons you may have chosen to teach in the first place and explore how your purpose has evolved along the way. If you’ve ever questioned your direction, felt uninspired, or wondered if what you’re doing makes a difference, this episode is here to remind you: it absolutely does.

This episode intends to help you celebrate yourself and remember that your presence is your most powerful teaching tool.

Transcript

Monica: 0:00

I didn't want this 100th episode to be about me, milestones or numbers. I want it to be a celebration of you because you continue to show up, learn, and. Teach your students even when it feels challenging. In this episode, let's reflect on what it really means to walk the path of a yoga teacher. The courage it takes, the doubts that creep up, the quiet impact you make on the lives of your students. If you've ever questioned your direction, felt uninspired or wondered. If what you're doing really makes a difference, this episode is here to remind you. It absolutely does. So welcome. Let's reconnect with your teaching. Why realign with your teaching values and tap into gratitude for the growth you've already achieved? I intend to help you celebrate yourself and remember that your presence is your most powerful teaching tool. 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 are 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 wanna dive deep and set yourself up for success. I am 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. welcome back to the podcast. I'm Monica, and I'm so glad you're here. Here we talk about the anatomy, the injuries, the nervous system insights, plus all the real life knowledge you wish had been included in your yoga teacher training. Today's episode is a very. Special one. It's the 100th episode of this podcast. And while I could make it about me, my journey and what I've learned through these conversations, I don't want to, I want this milestone to be about you. The teacher who listens, reflects, learns, and continues showing up for your students even when it feels hard. This episode is a celebration of you, your commitment, and the quiet impact you are making in the world. Teaching yoga isn't always easy behind the calm, voice and thoughtful sequencing. Is a person who's managing a lot, the self-doubt, the planning, the continuing education, the effort it takes to hold space for others while still tending to your own body and mind. And yet here you are. You keep showing up. You continue to teach, to guide, to listen to your students. You continue to create space for others to feel safe, to heal, to breathe, and to connect. That deserves to be celebrated. When you first decided to become a yoga teacher, you probably had a reason, right? Or maybe it was several reasons. Maybe it was because yoga helped you through something challenging, and you wanted to share that same sense of peace or clarity with others. Maybe you were fascinated by movement or anatomy or the power of breath. Maybe you wanted to create community or offer something meaningful in a world that often feels chaotic. Whatever your reason was, I want you to take a moment to remember it now. And then ask yourself, how has that reason evolved? Because the truth is your why may have changed over time. The teacher you were in your first class is not the teacher you are today. You've experienced more. You learned more and have likely been humbled by the realization that teaching yoga is about so much more than poses and sequences. It's about connection, curiosity, and the courage to keep learning. If you've been feeling uninspired lately or wondering what direction you want your teaching to take next, I want to offer you a few questions to sit with, not to find immediate answers, but to spark some reflection. First, what initially drew you to yoga and how does that reason show up in your teaching today? When do you feel most alive while you're teaching? What moments make you feel connected, present and fulfilled? Are there areas of your teaching that no longer align with the kind of teacher that you wanna be? And finally, what do you want your students to remember about their time in your classes? Not just what they learned, but how they felt. These questions can help you reconnect to your purpose and remind you that growth is a natural part of this path. Teaching yoga is a lifelong practice, just like yoga itself. There's no arrival or end point. There's no final mastery, only continued curiosity and refinement. I also want to acknowledge something that often goes unsaid. There is an emotional weight that comes with being a yoga teacher. You witness people's vulnerability, their stories, their struggles, and sometimes you carry that with you even after class is over. You might wonder if you're doing enough or if your words are helping, but I want you to know that your presence alone, your willingness to hold space, to keep learning and to show up with integrity is what? Makes the difference in a world that's loud, fast, and often disconnected, you are offering something rare. You are creating pockets of stillness and self-awareness that ripple far beyond the map. You are helping people reconnect to themselves in ways they may not even realize. And if you don't see the results immediately, your teaching is planting seeds that will grow long after class ends. So today as I celebrate this 100th episode, I also am going to celebrate you. Every teacher who has tuned in, reflected and taken these ideas that I've offered you back into your classes. Every teacher who continues to learn about anatomy, pain and the nervous system, Not because you have to, but because you care deeply about helping your students feel safe and supported. Every teacher who admits when they don't know something and seeks guidance rather than giving up. You are the reason that this work matters so much. If you're at a point in your journey where you wanna deepen your understanding, maybe you wanna feel more confident in sequencing or learn how to support students with injuries or persistent pain, know that those next steps don't have to feel overwhelming. Growth happens one layer at a time. You don't have to have all the answers today. You just have to stay open, curious, and compassionate with yourself. I want to encourage you to take some time after listening to this episode to write down what you're proud of as a teacher. Not what you still wanna learn or improve, but what you've already accomplished. Maybe it's that you taught your first full class without your written sequence right next to you. Maybe it's that you helped a student find comfort in a pose that they used to dread. Or maybe it's that you finally understand how to rest when you need it. These are all milestones worth celebrating this journey you're on. This commitment to guiding others through yoga is an act of service, creativity, and courage. You're doing something meaningful, and even on the days when it feels like no one notices, I promise you it matters. So to every teacher listening. Thank you. Thank you for showing up, for learning, for Caring, and for continuing to evolve. Thank you for being part of this community and for trusting me to walk alongside you in this process. Here's to a hundred episodes. I'm so excited and to everything that's still ahead. Now do something to go celebrate yourself and how far you've come in your teaching career. No matter how long you've been teaching. Understanding anatomy, biomechanics, and the effects yoga Asana have on the body helps you help your students. If you've been enjoying these episodes on this podcast, I know that you are a yoga teacher who's ready to teach with more intention and less fear around injuries. Let's continue to raise the bar for how yoga supports real bodies in real life. It's so important for us to have this conversation so that you remember that students of all shapes, sizes, alignment, and abilities come to your classes and you can serve all of them. You know that my goal is for you to love the yoga teaching life. It's important to understand movement and the issues students come to your classes with. 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. And finally, thank you for helping to spread the word about this podcast. Alright, thank you for listening. Go out be great, teach your most fabulous class, and I'll see you in the next episode. That's it for now. Bye.