Yoga Teacher Confidential: Secrets of Becoming a Great Yoga Teacher

I was teaching my regular Monday night balance class when I realized something: the centering I've been guiding for years—body, breath, mind, intention—is a walkthrough of the koshas. I just never called it that.
In this episode, I break down the five koshas (body, breath, brain, belly, bliss—the five B's) and show you how this ancient model from the Taittiriya Upanishad is already woven into every class you teach. From your opening centering to your final savasana, you've been guiding students through these layers all along.
I also walk through how the koshas come alive in yoga nidra, why understanding them gives you a teaching tool no app or NSDR clip can replicate, and how to use the "specific to general" dial to guide deeper relaxation. Plus, the one thing you absolutely cannot do: force your students to relax.
Whether you teach vinyasa, restorative, or anything in between, this episode will change the way you think about centering, savasana, and everything that happens between them. I share a personal practice example, a practical challenge you can try this week, and resources for going deeper—including my forthcoming book Yoga Off the Mat and my 20-CEU course Teaching Yoga Nidra at Comfort Zone Yoga.
Want to become (almost) everyone's favorite yoga teacher? Get in the Zone at Comfort Zone Yoga, my virtual studio focused on teacher development. I have a ton of Sage advice in there for you—let's chat there!
For more insights, subscribe to Yoga Teacher Confidential, check out my YouTube channel, and follow me on socials:
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And come explore my mentorship program, my Yoga Class Prep Station membership, continuing education workshops and 300/500-hour teacher training programs, and my many books for yoga teachers. It's all at sagerou...

Website copywriter Sara Joelle joins me to talk about something every yoga teacher needs—storytelling. Whether you're theming a class, writing a newsletter, or trying to tell people about your workshop without cringing, Sara has practical methods to make it easier.
We dig into the mindset around selling and why the voice in your head telling you you're annoying is one you made up. Sara shares her approach to breaking the fourth wall during a launch and why believing in what you're offering makes everything else click.
Sara walks through two storytelling methods—starting with the point and working backward to a story, or starting with a story and connecting it to a message. Her Cards Against Humanity game night example is worth the listen on its own.
We also talk about what actually belongs on a yoga teacher's website (hint: logistics first, credentials last) and why conversational copy beats esoteric language every time. Sara closes with a powerful reminder to stop blocking your own blessings.
Listen now!
Want to become (almost) everyone's favorite yoga teacher? Get in the Zone at Comfort Zone Yoga, my virtual studio focused on teacher development. I have a ton of Sage advice in there for you—let's chat there!
For more insights, subscribe to Yoga Teacher Confidential, check out my YouTube channel, and follow me on socials:
Instagram
Facebook
Threads
Bluesky
Pinterest
And come explore my mentorship program, my Yoga Class Prep Station membership, continuing education workshops and 300/500-hour teacher training programs, and my many books for yoga teachers. It's all at ...

Have you ever noticed how even your most loyal yoga students eventually drift away? Life happens—schedules change, people move—and without a way to stay in touch between classes, those connections fade.
In this episode of Yoga Teacher Confidential, Sage Rountree breaks down why a newsletter is one of the simplest, most ethical tools yoga teachers have for building lasting relationships with students. You'll learn what permission-based marketing actually means (and why it should make you feel good, not guilty), how often to send your newsletter, and what to offer as a lead magnet to grow your list—using things you're probably already creating.
Sage also covers the ethics of collecting email addresses, including how to get explicit consent and why unsubscribes are a feature, not a failure. Plus, she tackles the often-overlooked topic of studio non-solicitation policies and how to navigate them professionally.
Ready to get started? Join Sage on March 19 at 2 p.m. Eastern for the Newsletter Launch Pad—a free live call inside Comfort Zone Conversations where you'll walk through choosing a platform, collecting addresses, and planning content without the overwhelm. RSVP at the link in the episode, and if you can't make it live, you'll get the recording.
Next week on Yoga Teacher Confidential: copywriter Sara Joelle joins Sage to talk about storytelling for yoga teachers—because once you have a newsletter, you need to know what to put in it.
Want to become (almost) everyone's favorite yoga teacher? Get in the Zone at Comfort Zone Yoga, my virtual studio focused on teacher development. I have a ton of Sage advice in there for you—let's chat there!
For more insights, subscribe to Yoga Teacher Confidential, check out my YouTube channel, and follow me on socials:
Instagram
Facebook
Threads
Bluesky
Pinterest
And come explore my mentorship program, my Yoga Class Prep Station membership, continuing education workshops and 300/500-hour teacher training programs, and my many books for yoga teachers. It's all at sagerou...

A vivid dream about teaching Spinning brought me face to face with something I've known for years but never quite articulated: teaching yoga is fundamentally different from every other kind of teaching I've done.
In this episode, I'm drawing on my background in Spinning instruction, university English literature, and public radio to show exactly where those skills help in the yoga room—and where they actively work against your students' experience. From the constant monologuing of radio to the performance energy of Spinning, I had to unlearn a lot to become an effective yoga teacher.
I'm also sharing the surprising overlaps—like helping students find comfort in their setup, using breath as an anchor, and navigating students' desire for intensity. These are transferable skills that serve you beautifully when you know how to adapt them.
If you've come to yoga teaching from fitness, academics, broadcasting, or any profession where you were trained to fill space and hold attention, this episode will help you identify the habits you're carrying and give you concrete steps to shift from performing to witnessing.
Listen now!
Want to become (almost) everyone's favorite yoga teacher? Get in the Zone at Comfort Zone Yoga, my virtual studio focused on teacher development. I have a ton of Sage advice in there for you—let's chat there!
For more insights, subscribe to Yoga Teacher Confidential, check out my YouTube channel, and follow me on socials:
Instagram
Facebook
Threads
Bluesky
Pinterest
And come explore my mentorship program, my Yoga Class Prep Station membership, continuing education workshops and 300/500-hour teacher training programs, and my many books for yoga teachers. It's all at sagerou...

Classes end in a variety of ways. Last episode, we talked about choosing to drop a class on your own terms. But what happens when the decision isn't yours?
Maybe the studio cut your class. Maybe an illness or injury forced you to step away. Maybe life circumstances made it impossible to keep showing up. This is a different kind of loss—and it deserves its own conversation.
I'm coming at this from both sides: over 20 years as a yoga teacher and 15 years as a yoga studio owner. I've had classes that didn't work out, and I've been on the other side of that conversation too. Studio ownership is hard, y'all.
In this episode, I'm walking through the different scenarios, validating the emotions that come with each one, offering reframes that might help, and sharing practical steps for moving forward. I'm also getting honest about what studio ownership looks like from the inside—because understanding the other perspective can take some of the sting away.
Listen now!
Want to become (almost) everyone's favorite yoga teacher? Get in the Zone at Comfort Zone Yoga, my virtual studio focused on teacher development. I have a ton of Sage advice in there for you—let's chat there!
For more insights, subscribe to Yoga Teacher Confidential, check out my YouTube channel, and follow me on socials:
Instagram
Facebook
Threads
Bluesky
Pinterest
And come explore my mentorship program, my Yoga Class Prep Station membership, continuing education workshops and 300/500-hour teacher training programs, and my many books for yoga teachers. It's all at sagerou...