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The Mentor Sessions — Fitness & Nutrition
The Mentor Sessions

With amazing guests or solo, I explore the craft of teaching yoga, as its own practice. I’m seeking answers to the questions about why we teach something the way we do, how we could be more expansive and inclusive in our teaching, and how we can continue to grow and evolve in our teaching practice.

I’m so glad you are here because I believe the depth that arises in teaching comes from inquiry and relationship. Join me as I offer nourishing support to help you feel more confident in your teaching and realistic strategy to help you find more clarity on your career path.

Francesca Cervero (she/her) has been a full-time yoga teacher since 2005. Her teaching is inspired by her foundational training with Cyndi Lee at OM Yoga Center, the years she spent as a dancer and the subsequent years she spent in physical therapy. Her teaching is also influenced by her love of Buddhist teachings and a constant curiosity about anatomy and biomechanics. She is in private practice teaching a full schedule of 1×1 clients, mentors yoga teachers in The Science of the Private Lesson™, hosts the podcast, The Mentor Sessions: Support & Strategy for Yoga Teachers and is the founder of the adjoining community, The Mentor Sessions Sangha.

Latest Episodes:

47: How To Hold Space with Octavia Raheem Apr 09, 2019

Show notes

Today I am THRILLED to introduce you to yoga teacher, writer, mama and studio owner, Octavia Raheem. This episode stands out as an all time favorite; the deep wisdom and beautiful words that Octavia shared felt like a salve for a wound I'd hardly even noticed was there.

This path of teaching yoga asks us to constantly look at ourselves in deeper and more curious ways, and to process that intense work with a fellow sister on the path offered a joyful relief. Listen in and enjoy our conversation!

Octavia Raheem leads a yoga and meditation teacher training called Be Still, Then Move at her home studio, Sacred Chill {West} in Atlanta, GA and offers ongoing continuing education and mentorship to yoga teachers.

In this episode you'll hear:

Octavia's advice for new teachers just starting on their path
A conversation about what it means to "hold space"
How Octavia recommends teachers deepen their ability to hold space for their students
How to create community with your fellow yoga teachers
What happens when yoga teachers are in purposeful, empowering inquiry together
And more!

Learn More From Octavia and Resources mentioned on the episode:

Octavia on Insta
Octavia's Website
Sacred Chill {West} Octavia's Yoga studio
Tracee Stanley
Dr. Gail Parker

46: Resistance Bands + Yoga with Giulia Pline and Laurel Beversdorf Mar 26, 2019

Show notes

More and more yoga teachers are incorporating resistance bands into their teaching because they can be a wonderful complement to the movements found in a traditional asana practice! We are super lucky to have TWO amazing teachers who are EXPERTS at this joining us on the podcast today for a roundtable discussion on incorporating resistance bands into asana classes.

Giulia Pline is a Threes Physiyoga Method teacher and she combines corrective exercise, functional mobility work, and knowledge from the physical therapy world with yoga. Giulia has developed a series of resistance band and yoga workshops that integrate resistance and mobility work for greater proprioception, strength, awareness, and spaciousness in the yoga practice.

Laurel Beversdorf is the creator of Yoga with Resistance Bands Classes and Trainings and Body of Knowledge™ Anatomy and Biomechanics workshops. A Yoga Tune Up® trainer and senior teacher and teacher trainer for YogaWorks, Laurel is an interdisciplinary movement educator specializing in anatomy, biomechanics and yoga teaching pedagogy.

In this episode you'll hear:

why Giulia and Laurel started incorporating resistance bands into their movement practice in the first place
some examples of the ways YOU might like to bring resistance bands into asana classes
the most interesting benefit resistance bands can offer a yoga practitioner
the most challenging part of incorporating resistance band work into your asana classes
the kinds of band brands that Laurel and Giulia love!

Learn More From Giulia:

Learn More From Laurel:

Giulia and Laurel's favorite Brands of Bands!:

45: Incorporating FRC Into Yoga Classes with Clayton Weakly Mar 19, 2019

Show notes

Have you been hearing yoga teacher friends talk about PAILs and RAILs and CARs and 90/90 and you're feeling a little left out because you have no idea what they're talking about? No worries... we're going to fix that today! Clayton Weakly is a friend of mine and while he started his teaching career as a Yoga Tune Up teacher he now works as a Functional Range Conditioning movement coach. We've got him on the podcast sharing tons of great ideas for incorporating FRC into yoga classes!

In this episode you'll hear:

what Functional Range Conditioning, or FRC®, is and how it is different from other mobility systems
an explanation of the basic principles of FRC like:
- CARs-- Controlled Articular Rotations
- PAILs -- progressive angular isometric loading
- RAILs -- regressive angular isometric loading
how FRC is different from PNF Stretching
why mobility training, body control and joint strength are ideas yoga teachers should be thinking about
some simple ways that yoga teachers could start to incorporate these principles into their teaching

44: Taxes for Yoga Teachers with Michelle Linane Mar 05, 2019

Show notes

Tax time is coming up here in the States and I know how stressful the process of filing and paying our taxes can be for yoga teachers! Did you know that every year yoga teachers around the U.S. overpay in taxes due to a lack of knowledge around beneficial tax deductions they can take as independent contractors? To helps us all understand everything we need to know to prepare and file our taxes we have Michelle Linane joining us on the podcast today.

Michelle is the host of the Love Teaching Yoga Podcast and the creator of the Love Teaching Yoga website, a growing library of online resources to help yoga teachers refine their skills and build their careers. She's written an e-book called THE YOGA TEACHERS' GUIDEBOOK TO INCOME TAXES.

In this episode you'll hear:

the differences between being an independent contractor and employee when it comes to filing our taxes
an explanation of basic tax forms that need to be filled out like 1040, SE, and Schedule C
advice about record keeping and saving to pay our taxes
an explanation of self employment taxes and 1099s
some of the expenses we are able to deduct as yoga teachers

There's some false and inaccurate tax advice circulating the teaching community, but you can trust this guidebook, THE YOGA TEACHERS' GUIDEBOOK TO INCOME TAXES. Written by a yoga teacher and based on years of experience, this guidebook combines expert advice from a licensed EA tax professional with proof directly from the IRS. Nowhere else will you find such a comprehensive and reliable source of tax advice specifically for yoga teachers. This is truly a one-of-a-kind resource.

43: Practicing and Teaching Meditation with Cyndi Lee Feb 26, 2019

Show notes

Many yoga teachers want to have a meditation practice, or feel like they should have a meditation practice but don't for some reason. Other yoga teachers practice meditation but feel shy or uncertain about how to incorporate meditation into their teaching. We are very lucky to have Cyndi Lee (!) on the podcast today, talking us through everything that is important about practicing and teaching meditation in her Classic Cyndi Way: clear, steady, gentle and warm.

In this episode you'll hear:

the benefits of a meditation practice and why all yoga teachers should have a meditation practice
how to go about building a home meditation practice
Cyndi's advice for teachers who want to commit to their meditation practice, but struggle to show up regularly for it
guidelines for sharing meditation in an asana class
advice for teachers who want to incorporate dharma teachings into their yoga classes

You can also check out our previous interview to get to know more about Cyndi and her incredible contribution to the yoga world in Episode #13: Obstacle As Path.

Check out all of Cyndi's offerings:

Meditation Teacher Trainings (online and in-person)
Very Special Yoga Teacher's Retreat
Traveling Workshop Schedule
Website
Instagram

42: How Side Gigs and Great Referrals Can Build Your Private Yoga Practice with Janie Ganga Feb 05, 2019

Show notes

Janie Ganga Fronek is a teacher of the Integrated Amrit Method of Yoga. Janie Ganga began practicing Amrit yoga in 2002 as a weekly student – until shifts in her life led her to Amrit Level I (RYT 200) certification in 2013. She believes in Health at Every Size - the simple premise that the best way to improve health is to honor your body – and offers Size-Affirming yoga workshops and Chair Yoga. Janie Ganga teaches private yoga & weekly group classes in Providence Rhode Island and she loves helping to make the ancient teachings of yoga accessible to ALL.

In this episode you'll hear:

how a side gig at Whole Foods has helped grow her yoga business
stories of some of the most meaningful transformations Janie has been able to support in her students
how finding a deep trust in herself changed Janie's teaching more than anything
why she was reluctant to take the online version of The Science of the Private Lesson™, and why she is so happy she did
how to best build community in a small town

Learn More From Janie, and other resources mentioned in the episode:

41: Deep Dive Teaching in Luzerne, Switzerland with Karen Kurzmeyer Jan 26, 2019

Show notes

Over the next few weeks we're doing something new here on The Mentor Sessions. I'm going to introduce you to five amazing yoga teachers all of whom are engaged in active teaching practices in different parts of the country, and world! These five teachers also happen to be alumni from my teacher training, The Science of the Private Lesson™, and you'll get to hear directly from them what has happened in their teaching and business since our time together. Today you get to meet Karen!

As a driven and overworked business owner, Karen began her yoga practice to help relieve stress and regain strength and flexibility. She eventually sold her language travel agency so she could dedicate her career to inspiring others to prioritize their health, wellbeing and stress relief through yoga. She lives in Luzerne, Switzerland and completed her yoga teacher training in Thailand in 2014. She specializes in teaching private clients and continues to work closely with a private yoga teacher mentor.

In this episode you'll hear:

an offer that Karen came up with for brand new students that I now give as homework to everyone who takes The Science of the Private Lesson™!
the kind of shift that is necessary when our personal practice isn't reflected in our teaching
the small shift Karen made in her language that made all the difference for her students
how Karen developed a Deep Dive 8 week program that offers her group class and private students a more in-depth yoga (not just asana) experience

Learn More From Karen and other links mentioned in the episode:

40: Full Time Teaching in Greenville, North Carolina with Samantha Harrison Jan 21, 2019

Show notes

Over the next few weeks we're doing something new here on The Mentor Sessions. I'm going to introduce you to five amazing yoga teachers all of whom are engaged in active and full teaching practices in very different parts of the world! These five teachers also happen to be alumni from my teacher training, The Science of the Private Lesson™, and you'll get to hear directly from them what has happened in their teaching and business since our time together. Today you get to meet Samantha!

Samantha Harrison teaches alignment-based vinyasa and gentle yoga in Greenville, North Carolina, where she also is the manager of YogiVibes Studio. She teaches students in a variety of settings including health centers, corporate settings and private and group yoga classes at YogiVibes Studio. Samantha has been practicing yoga since 2008 and teaching full- time since 2014. She received her initial 200-hour training from the Wilmington Yoga Center and completed her 500-hour RYT training with yoga teacher Cyndi Lee.

In this episode you'll hear:

what is takes to be a successful full time yoga teacher in a small town
a story of how it is possible to be a yoga teacher AND the main breadwinner in the family
how working at Starbucks helped get her yoga teaching career off the ground
some of the funny places Samantha met potential students (like at the grocery store and the bank!)
lots of practical ideas for creating corporate relationships and bringing yoga into offices
best practices for teaching corporate yoga (including how to set up a contract and how to adjust your teaching to be appropriate for an office setting)

39: Expansive Teaching Within Our Scope of Practice with Megan Spears Jan 15, 2019

Show notes

Megan Spears is a yoga teacher based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Megan teaches publicly, privately, and is also a lead teacher for EveryOne Yoga School 200 hour yoga teacher training. Megan has been practicing yoga since 2005 and teaching professionally since 2014. Megan has passionately pursued additional education with many teachers and mentors in areas of Trauma-Informed Yoga, Prenatal Yoga, Functional Anatomy and Sequencing, Private Yoga Teaching, and Mediation. She is a candidate for the Bachelor's degree of Science in Health Education and Promotion with an emphasis on Exercise Science from Oklahoma State University. Her personal practice, experience, and education informs her ability to effectively meet and teach each student based on where they are on their path.

In this episode you'll hear:

how defining and working within her scope of practice helped her teaching feel MORE expansive, not less
why Megan writes proposals for the studio owners she works with when she wants to change something about her classes
what helped Megan understand how to "read between the lines" with her private clients
how a deep study into self-inquiry was the most surprising and special part of SPL

Learn More From Megan:

38: Full Time Teaching in San Francisco with Raquel Scalon Jan 08, 2019

Show notes

Over the next few weeks we're doing something really special here on The Mentor Sessions. I'm going to introduce you to five amazing yoga teachers all of whom are engaged in active and full teaching practices in very different parts of the world! These five teachers also happen to be alumni from my teacher training, The Science of the Private Lesson™, and you'll get to hear directly from them what has happened in their teaching and business since our time together. First up is Raquel!

Raquel Scalon is a full-time private yoga teacher in San Francisco. She specializes in delivering therapeutic and goal-oriented private yoga lessons to busy professionals, people healing from injuries, athletes and working mamas. She's been teaching since 2010 and has an extensive background in therapeutics, functional movement and fascial release. Raquel's teaching style is straightforward, lighthearted and informative.

A great place to find Raquel online is on her YouTube channel Raquel SF Yoga, which focuses on developing a strong yoga foundation peppered with alignment and practices anyone can follow.

In this episode you'll hear:

the complete breakdown of Raquel's teaching schedule
how Raquel defines "floating clients" and how she makes them work in her schedule
why she decided to create a YouTube channel
how Raquel decides and stays focused on and themes for each month, PLUS what she is teaching right now!
why Raquel has taken The Science of the Private lesson twice

Learn More From Raquel:

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