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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:

07: Anatomy Informed Yoga with Guest Teacher Dr. Ariele Foster Nov 20, 2017

Show notes

Anatomy studies can be a powerful tool in the yoga teacher's utility belt, but I know many of us don't know where to start or how to apply it to a teaching practice. There is so much to learn and it can feel overwhelming! Today I'm excited to introduce you to my friend Dr. Ariele Foster, a yoga instructor for 16 years and a Doctor of Physical Therapy. Dr. Foster is passionate about making yoga anatomy accessible to everyone, which is why she started the Yoga Anatomy Academy.

Ariele's deep understanding of the human body enables her to integrate movement and medicine into one practice and she offers us all some nuggets of wisdom we can take into our teaching right away. In general, I think we all hope to support our clients and students with compassion and discernment. Supporting your teaching with knowledge of anatomy is an important part of that equation.

Also in this episode:

Ariele shares her unusual journey to yoga teaching and why the practice supports physical therapy so well.
Placing a priority on strengthening over flexibility.
Learn the 10 Principles of Anatomy Informed Yoga.
Should yoga teachers be learning anatomy? Ariele and I discuss what is helpful for instructors to know.
Teaching discernment to our students is difficult but worthwhile.
We break down yoga poses and how to take some of the weight off of your overworked joints.

Website and Social Media Links Yoga Anatomy Academy Website Yoga Anatomy Academy on Facebook Yoga Anatomy Academy on Instagram

Giveaways! 10 Principles of Anatomy Informed Yoga Download Smart Sequencing for Naginyasana Download

06: How To Teach Better Private Yoga Lessons Nov 02, 2017

Show notes

In our initial yoga teacher trainings we learn how to teach safe and effective group classes, but what do we do when only one person shows up to class?? Or how do we teach a new student who requests a 1x1 lesson?

The truth is, teaching yoga in a 1×1 setting in a way that is both accessible and meaningful for the student AND sustainable for you, the teacher, requires a unique skill set that is not taught in regular yoga teacher trainings

Luckily, there is a simple set of tools that, combined with your teacher's intuition, will make your private sessions enjoyable for you and useful for your client.

In this episode I'll share my four step process to help you teach better private lessons. In addition, I'll share with you concrete examples from my own teaching to help you troubleshoot with some of your trickier clients. It's an info-packed episode today, so go ahead and dive in.

Also in this episode:

I share what I think are the biggest differences between a group class and a private class.
We talk about how to help a private client self-assess their needs.
We'll talk about why it is important to know the intended benefits of each pose, and how to teach that discernment to your client.

Questions? Ideas? Join the conversation in my Facebook Group!

05: Mindful Strength with Guest Teacher Kathryn Bruni-Young Oct 27, 2017

Show notes

Kathryn Bruni-Young is the founder of the Mindful Strength method of teaching and one of my favorite teaching inspirations. Kathryn has been teaching for 11 years, and while her roots are in traditional yoga practices and teaching, more recently she has become a proponent of incorporating strength training into her movement practice. She also wants to empower and equip teachers to begin to move into more strength training in a way that feels authentic and refreshing. I am so excited for you to learn about this unique way of teaching movement, and I know you will be ready to unlock your own inner strength once we are done!

More to learn in this episode:

Kathryn shares her teaching lineage and how it has evolved over the past 11 years.
What happens when you move away from teaching strict old-school asana and into more types of varied movement.
How strength training fuels our confidence.
Why well rounded mobility increases your stability.
Kathryn's advice to teachers who want to begin introducing strength training into their practice.
Incorporating pushing and pulling motion in your yoga mat practice.

Important Links:

For exercises, inspiration, and teacher resources, follow Kathryn on Instagram and Facebook.
Check out Kathryn's online home at her website here.
Kathryn's teacher Ida Portal can be found here.

04: How To Deal With Schedule Drama And Chronic Re-Schedulers Oct 19, 2017

Show notes

Do you have Schedule Drama? I certainly do sometimes! As yoga teachers most of us are freelancers, which means we run our own small business whether we realize it or not.

We piece together a teaching schedule and a business and a life one random class at a time. If you feel like your schedule is overwhelming or disorganized or changing all the time, I'll tell ya…I think most of us feel like that.

There is a cyclical nature to this work, so there are busy seasons and slow seasons, and change is a constant possibility when you teach at many locations or work with several private clients. Impermanence is the only constant for EVERYONE, but in our work, the unsteadiness is heightened and exaggerated.

And in a field of work that REQUIRES we are well rested & well fed, grounded & focused, AND have time for our own spiritual practice, an unpredictable schedule can be a real detriment to doing good work. Having a relatively consistent schedule is an absolute blessing, but it is HARD to create for ourselves, right?

Today, I want to give you some of my tools to help you organize your teaching schedule and face some of the more difficult challenges of working with inconsistent private clients. Let's dive into the details!

More to learn in this episode:

Shifting into a consistent schedule is difficult, but not impossible.
Having an ideal teaching schedule gives you a goal to work towards.
My formula to help you decide when to keep classes and when to drop them.
A pep talk to inspire you to keep that class you love that doesn't have that many students in it.
Diving into the case of the "chronic rescheduler."
Meeting your student where they are to elevate their commitment to the practice.

A "Keep This Class" Formula - each class must meet 4 out of the 8 criteria below:

This class is incredibly challenging to teach and I am learning so much.
I love the students in this class.
This class pays well.
I love the material I get to teach in this class.
I am making good contacts for potential private clients and workshop participants.
I love the studio space and owners of the studio.
This class is a seva offering that fills my heart.
This class is in a place and at a time that is easy and not draining to get to.

03: Yoga Deconstructed with Guest Teacher Trina Altman Oct 10, 2017

Show notes

Welcome back, everyone! Today, I am excited to bring to you the wisdom, experience, and enthusiasm of my friend Trina Altman. Trina is a certified Yoga and Pilates instructor who is passionate about varied movement. Rather than rigidly adhering to one school of movement, Trina was unable to unlock the potential of her own body by combining the tenets of both Yoga and Pilates, and she brings an embodied and wise awareness to movement of all kinds. She has taken her years of experience and transformed them into online courses that you can take at home, called Yoga Deconstructed and Pilates Deconstructed.

As we chat this week, Trina and I will discuss her journey to finding a mode of movement that worked for her body, and how she turned that into a teaching practice for private clients and group classes. Trina will also explain the types of movement that she tries to incorporate into her classes, and why static poses are not your friend! I think her perspective is great for teachers who feel a little confined by one type of yoga, and are ready to explore the wide world of varied movement. You'll leave with more than a little bit of wisdom, I assure you!

More from this info-packed episode:

Trina shares the studio and the teachers that shaped her own teaching practice.
From Yoga to Pilates—how Trina decided to pursue her second certification.
Varied movement and mindful movement classes that Trina really enjoys.
Breaking down the little pieces of movement to teach the skills we need to move better.
Common pitfalls to combat as a teacher.
Diving into sensory feedback methods.
A breakdown of movement deconstruction.
Ways that you can experience a class with Trina, even if you aren't in L.A.

Resources:Follow Trina on Social Media—you won't be disappointed! Instagram: @TrinaAltman Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trina.altman https://trinaaltman.com/

Please join us for a post episode hangout in my online community for yoga teachers!

02: No Right & No Wrong? Why Teaching Yoga Is So Scary! Oct 10, 2017

Show notes

Welcome to the second episode of The Mentor Sessions Podcast. Today's show is going to address why teaching yoga can feel so scary. {!!} As a teacher, it can often feel like there is a great deal of pressure to know everything. And while in-depth study is incredibly important, I also want to release you from some of the know everything pressure that can make it impossible to be present for your teaching. I will share some of my own experiences and guiding principles so that you might go into your next class a brighter and more confident version of yourself!

Also in this episode:

Why a lack of confidence can come from a dependence on our learned knowledge.
I share the maps that I have studied that inform my practice.
Some advice for coming to a settled place in the midst of big, unanswerable questions.
The benefits of holding a space for inquiry with your students.
Common teacher responses to the all the Shades of Grey that is at the heart of teaching yoga.
The kinds of cues I give in my yoga classes that teach discernment, presence and awareness.

Join the Post-Episode hangout on Elevate, my facebook community for yoga teachers!

01: Introducing the Mentor Sessions: A Conversation with Francesca Cervero + Rachael Cook Oct 09, 2017

Show notes

Hello and welcome to The Mentor Sessions! I'm your host, Francesca Cervero and I'm here to offer my fellow yoga teachers two things:

Nourishing support to help you feel more confident in your teaching
Realistic strategy to help you find more clarity on your career path

I am excited today to be interviewed by my friend and business coach, Rachel Cook. Rachel is the founder of RachelCook.com, and she was instrumental in helping my teaching practice grow into what it is today. I cannot think of a better person to help me kick off this podcast!

In this interview, I'll share a little bit about myself, my business, and the work that I do every day. I approach my teaching and business with a sense of openness and curiosity and nothing brings me more fulfillment than sharing what I have learned with other teachers. This podcast serves to share what I know, encourage all my fellow yoga teachers, and build confidence in one another as we go on our yoga teaching journeys together. I am excited to begin with you!

Also in this episode:

I share the story of my early teaching life and my transition to private teaching.
I talk about what private teaching yoga teaching is really about {hint: it's always about looking at the whole person}
An inside look into how I organize my days.
I'll share the nitty gritty of how I take care of myself in the midst of growing a thriving business.
Why I started my podcast, and what I am planning to share!

Please join us for a post episode hangout in my online community for yoga teachers!

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