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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:

17: Why Yoga Research Matters with Ariana Rabinovitch Mar 19, 2018

Show notes

Today you get to meet my friend Ariana Rabinovitch. She is the host of he Yoga & Beyond Podcast, co-authored the Exposing Yoga Myths book series and founded the Yoga Research and Beyond membership site. This membership site offers yoga teachers easy access to published research on yoga and movement. They explain the research in plain English and show us how to translate that research into our teaching practice. It's an amazing resource for teachers and I can't wait for you to hear all about it!

In today's episode you'll hear:

Why Ariana feels passionate about yoga and movement based research.
All about the research studies and the super smart team of people translating the studies into actionable teaching ideas.
Why should research matter to yoga teachers?
How diving into the research has changed Ariana's teaching.
The most surprising research they have some across so far!

Check out The Yoga Research and Beyond membership site right here!

16: Creating Truly Inclusive Yoga Spaces with Guest Teacher Amber Karnes Mar 05, 2018

Show notes

I am so excited to share this powerful conversation with you. While many yoga studios proclaim that "Everyone is Welcome!" in their classes, in today's episode we ask, " Are we actually teaching our classes in a way that supports that message?". My friend Amber Karnes is whip smart, a powerful advocate and a seasoned yoga teacher. We didn't hold back on any difficult or taboo topics in this episode on Creating Truly Inclusive Yoga Spaces.

In this episode:

The difference between saying "everyone is welcome" and actually creating an accommodating space.
How to modify foundational poses to make them more accessible.
Examples of specific language Amber recommends teachers avoid in their group classes and what you can say instead.

What to expect when teaching larger bodies.
The best ways to level and name classes and the problem we see with All Levels classes.
How we can disrupt the cycle of a non-diverse pool teachers.
How I realized I could be contributing more to the diverse yoga culture I want to support.

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

Amber's Website
Pose breakdowns and modifications
Yoga For All training For Teachers
Body Positive Clubhouse - yoga & self-acceptance membership site
Body Positive Rebellion - free 7-day crash course in kicking diet culture to the curb and embracing your body
Amber on Facebook
Amber on Instagram
Amber on YouTube
Amber on Yoga International

15: A Week In the Life (A Peek Inside My Daily Schedule and Rituals) Feb 19, 2018

Show notes

This is a very special, unusual episode! While most of the episodes you'll find here at The Mentor Sessions are either interviews with friends and teachers of mine, or short teachings that I offer myself, today we're doing something different. I'm going to take you on a trip with me for an intimate, inside view of my life and teaching for an entire week!

It certainly feels vulnerable to share myself in this way, but I've learned so much from the mentors that I've been able to observe up close, both in their teaching and personal lives, and I want to pay that kind of offering forward.

So while you can't be in the room with me while I teach {although this limited time video series is pretty darn close} in this episode I'll give you all the intimate details of my teaching life, and you'll hear...

all about my daily habits and routines that help me keep up my energy AND stay grounded with a busy teaching schedule
what I'm excited to teach in my group classes right now
the parts of my life and schedule I struggle with the most
all about how I met each of my private clients and a bit about what I do with each of them

Come on over to my Facebook group, let me know how this episode landed with you and what questions it brings up!

14: How To Support + Inspire a Student's Home Practice Feb 12, 2018

Show notes

Today I am going to answer one of the questions other teachers ask me most frequently: How do you encourage your students to commit to a home yoga practice?

I have tried almost every option out there, and I've landed on a way that I think works best. It must be working because every single one of my private clients has a home yoga practice they do most days AND (huge bonus) it requires ZERO extra work on my part!

In today's episode my co-host Serena and I will share some success stories and talk about all the ways we like support and inspire a student's home practice without making it feeling like one more thing on their to do list.

Also in this episode:

why I let the student guide me to the point where I offer support in their home practice
the ways I personally enjoy practicing at home
our best guided relaxation tips
why presenting these practices as soft place to land is what makes the biggest difference

13: Obstacle As Path with Guest Teacher Cyndi Lee Feb 05, 2018

Show notes

I am so excited about today's episode because I get to bring you the wisdom of the founder of my own teaching lineage (OM Yoga) , Cyndi Lee! Cyndi is the first female Western yoga teacher to fully integrate yoga asana and Tibetan Buddhism in her practice and teaching. In 1998, she founded OM Yoga Center in NYC, and that is where I took my first YTT in 2005.

In this interview we talk about what makes a good teacher, how to continue to evolve as teachers and what we can learn from the Buddhist principle of Threefold Logic: working with the ground, the path and the fruition.

Cyndi recently became a formally trained Buddhist Chaplain under the guidance of Roshi Joan Halifax and much of her work there centers around using yoga and meditation as resiliency practices. We talked about what it's like to find refuge in our bodies, no matter the circumstances, and how we can offer that kind of teaching to our students.

In this episode we also talked about:

how some teaching principles are universal, no matter what you are teaching
Cyndi gives some advice for teachers who want to deepen their teaching skills
what it takes to have confidence in your teaching
having a growth mindset vs a fixed mindset
taking refuge in a body that has a lot of pain

Trainings, Retreats and Online Workshops with Cyndi:

Cyndi's Website Very Special Teachers Retreat in New Mexico Online Restorative Teacher TrainingMeditation Teacher Training coming summer 2018

12: Creating a Sustainable Movement Practice Jan 31, 2018

Show notes

If you don't already know her, I am so excited to introduce you to my friend Brea Johnson from Heart + Bones Yoga. Brea has been a yoga teacher for over 15 years and is also a certified Restorative Exercise teacher. She has the wisdom of someone who has been teaching for many many years and a friendliness that makes her teachings super accessible. :)

Brea feels that integrating functional movement is essential for a life long yoga practice for both you and your students and in this episode we'll give you lots of ways to make your movement practice sustainable for the long term.

More in this episode:

CrossFit and yoga? Can they coexist?
The 4 Pillars of the Sustainable Yoga Practice
How Brea puts together her sequences {Hint: It's less about sequence and more about intention}
How we both feel about interweaving spiritual practice with a movement practice
Why adaptability is important
How to integrate new things into your teaching without getting overwhelmed
Tools for teachers who want to add sustainability practices to their classes

Check out Brea's website here and find her on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube!

Also, Brea has just launched a brand new online Sustainable Yoga Studio! With monthly or yearly memberships you can take yoga classes with Brea from anywhere in the world and experience a progressive approach to yoga that focuses on kind movements, supportive sequences, and playful yet challenging ways of moving. It is a great resource for teachers if you need a little sustainable movement inspiration!

Also, make sure to check out teachprivateyoga.com to get a 3 part video series that will help you teach better private lessons!

11: The Yoga of Discernment—What It Is And How To Teach It Jan 15, 2018

Show notes

Is all discomfort good? Is all discomfort bad? What is the "right" way to teach any given asana? How do we offer the version of a pose or practice that will be most beneficial to our students right now? Being able to answer these questions with confidence comes from a depth of understanding of what I call The Yoga of Discernment.

I don't think there is any magic in an "ideal form" of asana, and I think that every person will find benefit in a slightly different variation of a pose. As teachers we are charged with helping our students find the version of the pose that is ideal for them right now. How the heck do we do that?? There are so many physical and emotional benefits possible for every single pose and in my opinion, there is no resource that could explain them all! I know that is overwhelming to think about....

But! There is hope, I promise.

It is possible have something useful + helpful to offer your students, even if it isn't hard and fast rules about the most "ideal" alignment.

Listen to this episode to learn:

What is The Yoga of Discernment? Why is this important for us?
What is important to teach our students, if it isn't a very specific set of alignment principles.
The problems I see with the "do whatever feels good" mentality.
What I'm doing with a current student in chronic pain.
Why studying anatomy is like putting up elfa shelving in your closet.
How to start teaching the Yoga of Discernment right away.

And after you've listened to the episode, pop over here and let me know how it landed with you!

10: How Anatomy Studies Changes Our Teaching with Guest Teacher Jason Ray Brown Jan 08, 2018

Show notes

A deep study of anatomy will change the way you teach. It is empowering, clarifying and facicating! For example, let's talk about Warrior 2 alignment. :)

Specifically, I want to talk about that front knee and how on many of our students it drifts towards, and sometimes past, the big toe. What do you suggest your students do when you see that? Do you have a sense of why that might be happening?

Whether you have a few ideas, but you'd like some more suggestions about what to doORYou are 100% sure you know the one reason that happens and exactly what to do about itOR You have no idea why someone's knee might be doing that in Warrior 2

...then I've got something for you. In today's episode I'm chatting with my friend and teacher Jason Ray Brown. Jason is a long time yoga teacher and the creator of Anatomy Studies for Yoga Teachers. It is a year long anatomy course that I took in 2010 and it had a HUGE impact on my teaching!

In this episode you'll hear:

All about warrior two leg architecture, several reasons why a student's knee might drift toward the midline and what to do about it
What to look for in tadasana to get an idea of imbalances in strength
Many options for shifting alignment and sequencing to best help our students
What Jason sees at the traditional benefits of vinyasa yoga practice

A discussion of pushing and pulling motions and how to incorporate both in an asana class
The online version of the Anatomy Studies for Yoga Teachers training starts very soon, and if you use my name {francesca] as a discount code you get 10% off the whole training!

Resources

Anatomy Studies for Yoga Teachers Jason Ray Brown

09: Useful Language + Our Scope of Practice with Guest Teacher Jules Mitchell Dec 18, 2017

Show notes

The practice and study of yoga is so vast that the more we all continue to study and teach, the more this question seems to loom taller and taller: what exactly is the job of a yoga instructor? To process this out loud with me, I invited my friend Jules Mitchell for a chat.

Jules has been teaching yoga for a decade, but her knowledge base doesn't end there. Jules holds a Masters in Biomechanics, is a certified massage therapist, and is currently writing a book about it all. Through carefully chosen language, a deep understand of body mechanics, and a patience and wisdom that only comes from experience, Jules shows us how a roadmap for how we might continue to evolve as teachers.

Today, Jules and I will tackle the tough questions, ask plenty of our own, and talk a little shop. If you are feeling stuck in your teaching, or ready for some fresh inspiration, this episode is for you.

More in this episode:

Jules talks about her initial training, and what brought her to study biomechanics and other disciplines.
What her movement practice looks like when she's on the road.
We talk all about Jules' book, Yoga Biomechanics: Redefining Stretching.
Jules gives us a definition of biomechanics and we talk about how it should impact our yoga teaching.
Jules and I dig into the importance of the specificity of language and offering open-ended questions.
We breakdown the distinctions between yoga therapists and yoga teachers.

Connect with Jules online here.

08: The Case for Teaching Without Demonstrating Dec 04, 2017

Show notes

When you teach yoga classes {group or private} how much are you demonstrating poses? If you have been hanging out in my world for a while you may know that I mostly advocate for a style of teaching that relies on language to convey important information, including subtle movements, instead of relying on the use of our body to teach.

Do I think demonstrating a physical concept is always bad? Of course not!

Are there sometimes totally valid reasons to use your own body, or another student's body, to clarify a movement concept. Absolutely!

I also think that teaching without demonstrating is an extremely important skill to cultivate and I want to tell you why!

In this episode I'll cover:

Some of the reasons, both conscious and unconscious, that teachers prefer to demonstrate when they teach asana.
The many benefits for you and your students of teaching without demonstrating.
Why teaching our students to connect language and movement is a worthwhile endeavor.
Tools and practices to help you use your voice more often in your yoga teaching and your body less.
In the spirit of Shades of Grey, some of the good reasons I see TO demonstrate or practice with our students.

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