Yoga Medicine

In a time of what feels like unprecedented change, the yoga landscape is shifting profoundly. It's a great opportunity for host Rachel Land to connect with other full-time yoga teachers—returning guests Caroline Wybar, Elena Cheung and Kylie Rook—to hear their thoughts.
In this wide-reaching and philosophical discussion, we share what life as a teacher looks like right now, what has changed in the recent past, and what challenges and opportunities might lie ahead.
Listen in to hear about online fatigue, chasing the hustle, the challenge of work-life balance, diversification for long-term sustainability, and our advice for new teachers.
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Show Notes:
Current teaching schedules [3:35]
Why to diversify your offerings [7:41]
Post-pandemic changes for yoga teachers [8:38]
Myriad options: for better and for worse [12:35]
Making a good living versus making a good life [16:13]
Challenges: online fatigue, cultural stress, changing markets and demographics [23:33]
Future opportunities [32:02]
Closing thoughts for other teachers [43:50]
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Links Mentioned:
Watch this episode on YouTube
Connect with Caroline Wybar: Facebook | Instagram | Caroline Wybar Yoga | YMO Guest Teacher
LIVE Online Yoga Nidra Teacher Training
Yoga Medicine® Podcast Episode 68: Approaches for Anxiety

Yoga Medicine® Podcast Episode 136: Yoga Nidra


Connect with Elena Cheung: Instagram | Elena Shapeshifts | YMO Guest Teacher The Art of Teaching Impactful Group Classes Online Course
Yoga Medicine® Podcast Episode 74: Yoga for All
Yoga Medicine® Podcast Episode 141: Pitfalls of Private Yoga (And How to Avoid Them)
Yoga Medicine® Podcast Episode 153: Integrity Beyond the Metrics

Connect with Kylie Rook: Facebook | Instagram | Into Being | YMO Guest Teacher Yoga Medicine® Podcast Episode 66: Beginner's Mind

You can learn more about this episode and see the full show notes at YogaMedicine.com/podcast-157.
And you can find out more about insider tips, online classes or information on our teacher trainings at YogaMedicine.com.
To support our work, please leave us a 5 star review with your feedback on iTunes/Apple Podcasts.

Do you need teaching experience, extreme flexibility, or deep knowledge of philosophy and anatomy to get the most out of yoga teacher training?
In this short clip from Episode 127: Your Teacher Training Questions Answered, host Rachel and fellow teacher trainer Dana Diament share what they do—and just as crucially, don't—consider to be key prerequisites for yoga teacher training. They also share details of the Yoga Medicine Online 200-hour Teacher Training 2026 intake, which is open for registration right now.
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Show Notes:
The importance of personal practice [02:29]
Time to commit to yoga teacher training [04:59]
A deep interest in yoga is key [06:34]
What skills and qualities AREN'T required before teacher training? [09:34]
How to prepare for YTT [10:39]
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Links Mentioned:
Watch this episode on YouTube
Yoga Medicine® 200HR Yoga Teacher Training
Listen to the full Yoga Medicine® Podcast Episode 127: Your 200hr TT Questions Answered: Community Conversations with Dana Diament
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Learn More:
You can learn more about this episode and see the full show notes at YogaMedicine.com/podcast-156.
And you can find out more about insider tips, online classes, or information on our teacher trainings at YogaMedicine.com.
To support our work, please leave us a 5 star review with your feedback on iTunes/Apple Podcasts.

For us to know where we are headed, it is crucial to understand where we came from and how we got here today. To that end, host Rachel Land and returning guest Firdose Moonda MA, spend today's episode discussing yoga's history, examining aspects of that history that are often overlooked.
They dive into the challenge of balancing respect for the ancient traditions of yoga with the techniques that are most relevant to modern students, and debate whether teachers need to reference yoga's history in every class they teach.
Listen in to learn why yoga history matters, what might be missing from your understanding of it, and what questions to ponder as we all take part in creating the yoga history of the future.
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Show Notes:
Does yoga's history matter? [2:15]
Pros and cons of teaching ancient yoga history [7:38]
What is missing from the yoga history commonly taught? [12:05]
Western influence on yoga [14:54]
The delicate balance of respect and relevance [19:58]
Critical missing components of yoga history [25:54]
The modern intermingling of yoga and wellness [30:31]
Should we always incorporate yoga history in teaching? [35:48]
Wrap up and questions to ponder [37:33]
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Links Mentioned:
Watch this episode on YouTube
LIVE Online The History of Yoga Teacher Training

Previous Yoga Medicine® Podcast Episodes: 100: Yoga, Politics & History: Expert Insights with Firdose Moonda MA
114: Yoga & Religion: Expert Insights with Firdose Moonda MA

Yoga Medicine® Book Club
Connect with Firdose Moonda, MA: Firdose Moonda | Instagram | YMO Guest Teacher
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Learn more:
You can learn more about this episode and see the full show notes at YogaMedicine.com/podcast-155.
And you can find out more about insider tips, online classes, or information on our teacher trainings at YogaMedicine.com.
To support our work, please leave us a 5-star review with your feedback on iTunes/Apple Podcasts.

In this episode, host Rachel Land revisits topics as varied as managing our behavior during the holidays, how much to depend on technology when it comes to our health, the underestimated power of interoception, signs of undiagnosed autoimmune disorder, common symptoms pre- peri- and post-menopause, practicing in support of Rheumatoid Arthritis pain flare-ups, ADHD or recovery from Traumatic Brain Injury, and key challenges facing yoga teachers today. 
Listen in to this episode to hear some of the gems you might have missed during the year.
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Show Notes:
Changing deep-seated patterns around the holidays [01:07]
Recent research: female sex hormones and inflammation [5:42]
Common symptom clusters during pre- peri- and post-menopause [12:15]
Red flags suggesting undiagnosed autoimmune disorder [17:28]
Is wellness a personal responsibility? [21:28]
Navigating new wellness technology [25:33]
Yoga practice during Rheumatoid Arthritis pain flare-ups [30:39]
Interoception as a learned skill [36:11]
Rebuilding body awareness after Traumatic Brain Injury [42:12]
Teaching cues: balancing clarity with personal choice [44:46]
Repeated and predictable movement for ADHD [50:25]
Creating a sustainable teaching schedule [54:10]
Shifting cultural and commercial pressures for yoga teachers [1:00:32]
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Links Mentioned:
Watch this episode on YouTube
Episode 130: When Should You NOT Teach? Teacher's Series 
Episode 132: Interoception Research & Yoga: Expert Insights with Valerie Knopik, PhD 
Episode 133: Yoga & Rheumatoid Arthritis: Expert Insights with Dr. Nikki Tugnet, FRACP 
Episode 134: ADHD & Yoga: Community Conversations with Emily Mariola
Episode 135: Yoga as Personalized Medicine 
Episode 137: Funk'tional Nutrition with Erin Holt 
Episode 139: Experiencing Menopause: Research Roundup 
Episode 142: Female Hormones, Immune System, & Exercise: Research Roundup
Episode 144: The Power of Language: Teachers' Series 
Episode 146: Hustle Culture Meets Wellness Sphere 
Episode 147: LoveYourBrain: Expert Insights on TBI with Kyla Pearce, MPH, PhD, CBIS, E-RYT 
You can learn more about this episode and see the full show notes at YogaMedicine.com/podcast-154.
And you can find out more about insider tips, online classes or information on our teacher trainings at YogaMedicine.com.
To support our work, please leave us a 5 star review with your feedback on iTunes/Apple Podcasts.

As we close out the year, how do we, as yoga teachers, gauge our progress? How can we assess our success?
Today, host Rachel and returning guest Elena Cheung share their answers to these questions. We discuss why one-dimensional metrics like ratings, reviews, student numbers, online likes, and follows are so appealing, as well as the complexities of teaching that they fail to capture.
Listen to this episode to learn how to balance your interests and values with the needs of your students, and how to meaningfully reflect on your work as a yoga teacher.
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Show Notes:
Complexities that ratings & reviews don't express [3:32]
From "teacher knows best" to "the customer is always right"? [10:20]
Navigating changing student tastes with integrity [13:06]
The space that teaching experience creates around feedback [21:46]
Why "objective" metrics appeal, and what they miss [26:12]
How to gauge success as a yoga teacher [33:05]
Final takeaways [47:27]
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Links Mentioned:
Watch this episode on YouTube
Previous Yoga Medicine® Podcast Episodes: 74: Yoga for All
141: Pitfalls of Private Yoga (and How to Avoid Them)

The Art of Teaching Impactful Group Classes Online Course
Connect with Elena Cheung:
Instagram | Elena Shapeshifts | The Way Softness Moves | Yoga Medicine® Online Guest Teacher
You can learn more about this episode and see the full show notes at YogaMedicine.com/podcast-153.
And you can find out more about insider tips, online classes or information on our teacher trainings at YogaMedicine.com.
To support our work, please leave us a 5 star review with your feedback on iTunes/Apple Podcasts.