Sage Rountree's Blog, page 20

Vacation Homework for Movement Teachers

Traveling this summer? Go to take a class at a new studio with a new teacher! If nothing is available locally, choose an online class to enjoy.

Every teacher has something to offer you. Sometimes it’s a turn of phrase, or a new approach to a familiar shape. Sometimes it’s a lesson in what not to do. The teachers that most push your buttons may have the most to teach you about what you value in a class and in an instructor.

Every trip to a new place is a new opportunity to start afresh as a student. Find a local studio and observe how easy or difficult it is to navigate their website to choose a class. Watch the process as you park, walk in, pay for the class, and get centered. How does the teacher welcome you? How do their cues land? How is the transition out of class? In every experience, you’ll find a rose and some thorns, and taking careful note of the negatives will help you find ways to enhance your students’ experience. Keep a journal or a notes file and write down what you learn in each class you go to.

If you always only practice on your own, you are like a terminal pond: there is no incoming source of freshwater to refill you. Remaining a student keeps you from being a closed system. Regular infusion of fresh teaching, poses, transitions, language, and music will keep you developing as a teacher.

The Professional Yoga Teacher’s Handbook is full of advice like this, with timelines to keep you growing as a teacher at every stage of your career. You can buy it wherever books are sold, or order it from your library. If you’ve read and loved it, I’d appreciate a five-star review on your favorite online bookstore or on Goodreads! That helps get the book into the hands of others who will find it helpful. Thanks in advance!

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Think Beyond the Studio to Help More Students

While it may seem like the scene is saturated with yoga teachers and classes, there are still far more people not practicing yoga than those who are—even in your local market.

If you’re used to attending a studio and are teaching in one—or hope to—it’s tempting to focus only on bringing students to yoga. But there’s a rich opportunity in bringing yoga to the students, wherever they are! This is how we get more people doing yoga, benefiting from doing yoga, and using the strength, flexibility, and presence they learn doing yoga to help others.

While this is clearly great for the students, it’s also great for your career. As happens at the entry level of many professions, in yoga teaching, you may hit a catch-22: you need experience to teach, but you need to get in to gain experience.

While you may have your heart set on a studio position, sometimes gaining experience elsewhere is the real ticket in. Look at the wide range of places where you could be helping students: in gyms, at community centers, in nursing homes. Teaching wherever you can will refine your teaching skills, serve your students, and gain you some experience for when you do want to work at a studio. You may even find these gigs pay better and reward your soul more!

Think beyond the studio and you’ll be doing the world a service.

The Professional Yoga Teacher’s Handbook is full of advice like this, with action steps to follow to create a career helping others. You can buy it wherever books are sold, or order it from your library. If you’ve read and loved it, I’d appreciate a five-star review on your favorite online bookstore or on Goodreads!

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Whole Mama Yoga Book: Preorder Now

Now is the time to preorder a wonderful book by my frequent collaborator, Alexandra DeSiato, and my colleague Lauren Sacks.

Whole Mama Yoga walks readers through yoga to support the entire journey from preconception through parenting. It’s just lovely: the tone is accessible and friendly, the lessons are deep and meaningful, the stories offer a range of perspectives. And don’t get me started on the illustrations—they are beautifully done by my own (literally) in-house graphic designer Vivian Rountree, one half of the two daughters who made me a whole mama.

You can read all about this fantastic book at Whole Mama Yoga. That page also points you to all the places where you can preorder. Don’t forget your local library, too! When you request a book from the library, they often order not only the paperback but also the ebook and audiobook versions, which is a triple win for authors.

If you’re an Amazon power shopper, you can find the book right here. Alexandra and Lauren narrated the audiobook, so if you’re a listening kind of reader, that’s a fine choice.

While the book releases August 29, preorders are critical to its success, so please consider putting in your order today. This book will make a lovely gift for a baby shower, but it’s also salient for those trying to conceive, parents at home with a little one, and yoga teachers who want to support their pregnant students.

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New Rules for Yoga Teachers

In my experience over many years of teaching, virtually everything I once believed to be a clear-cut truth about yoga has proved to be more nuanced. Through years of study of yoga, anatomy, and exercise physiology while working to keep an open mind, here are my currently held beliefs.

1. Be clear on why you’re doing what you’re doing. Constantly ask why. To have an efficient and specific practice, you should be able to justify any movement, exercise, or technique you are doing. “For fun!” is a fine reason.

2. No movement is inherently bad or wrong. Doing any movement too much will lead to injury. Find the appropriate dose of any stress you choose. Too little and there won’t be change; too much and you will break down.

3. Students are responsible for caring for their needs. Everything I mention as a teacher is a suggestion; students must make their own choices about whether to take any shape or movement, and students must choose the right amount for their own bodies.

And that’s it. Three rules!

Workbook Exercise: Your Rules

What do you consider the actual rules or cardinal rules of yoga, and in particular, of asana practice? List them.

Now to each item on the list, add a reason why you believe these. It’s OK to write, “I think your raised-arm palm should face forward in Triangle Pose. Why? Because my teacher said so.” Only by questioning the origin of your long-held beliefs can you make informed choices about whether they are true now.

Finally, do some research on whether they hold up. Are there peer-reviewed studies that support your beliefs? Do different styles take alternative approaches that contradict your rules? What would it be like to try these approaches? Be open.

This material comes straight out of The Professional Yoga Teacher’s Handbook. If you like it, please buy the book—available from your favorite bookseller in paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats—and check out the workbook file keyed to it at this resources page. And if you’ve already bought and loved the book, a review on your favorite bookstore’s site would be so appreciated, both by me and by future readers whom it would help! Start here.

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Registration Open: Kripalu Programs, October 2023

Registration is now open for these two programs for yoga teachers of any background and level of experience! Alexandra DeSiato and I are really excited to work with you to refill your cup and to learn to help your students even better. The Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health is a must-visit destination, and early October showcases the Berkshires at their most beautiful.

Join us for one or both!

Recharge: A Retreat for Yoga and Movement TeachersSunday–Friday, October 1–6, 2023

EXPAND YOUR TEACHING SKILLS

We help our students best when we feel deeply connected to the reasons why we teach.

Join authors and expert yoga teachers Sage Rountree and Alexandra DeSiato for an opportunity to collaborate with other movement teachers, learn ways to grow your teaching in fulfilling directions, and fill your own cup so you can pour for others. You will explore:

Ways to find your “Why” so you can teach from a centered place of purposeCommon classroom management problems teachers encounter and compassionate ways to address themHow to redefine your language and nonverbal communication to include everyoneWays to design sequences and lesson plans to balance consistency and varietyCreative approaches to find new opportunities to share yoga and movement with othersBest practices to level up your yoga teaching professionalism.

Along the way, we’ll practice and teach asana, revel in our shared experience, and learn from each other. Return home with a renewed sense of purpose, confidence, and a clear map for how to invigorate your students.

NOTE This program is appropriate for all yoga and movement teachers whether you’ve been teaching for years, are fresh out of yoga teacher training, teach full-time, or just occasionally.

Register HereTeaching Yoga Beyond the Poses: Create Inspiring Classes For All StudentsFriday–Monday, October 6–9, 2023

ELEVATE YOUR YOGA CLASS

A well-themed yoga class can uplift your students and show them the true connection the practice offers. Join authors and expert yoga teachers Sage Rountree and Alexandra DeSiato for a weekend program that promises to reinvigorate your teaching skills.Through yoga practice, journaling, and group exercises, you will

Explore mindful themes that will support your students in individually authentic waysLearn to integrate fresh themes and ideas that will take your classes to the next levelGenerate tools and techniques to keep you and your students inspired every day.

Whether you are a new instructor who is ready to weave more detail into your classes or an experienced teacher who feels like your classes could use a boost, this program is suitable for yoga teachers of any background and level of experience.

NOTE It’s recommended that participants read Teaching Yoga Beyond the Poses: A Practical Workbook for Integrating Themes, Ideas, and Inspiration into Your Class by Sage Rountree and Alexandra DeSiato.

Register Here

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Registration Open: Yoga Summer Camp in NC

Join us for our one-of-a-kind, first-ever Yoga Summer Camp, an in-studio retreat for grownups aged 16 to 99! We meet at beautiful Carrboro Yoga Company in central North Carolina.

This is for you if you:

Fondly remember the joy of shared experience at summer campAre eager to know more about yoga practices beyond the posesAre local and would love a retreat but can’t swing the time awayHave always wanted to spend a summer in the Southern Part of Heaven: Carrboro/Chapel Hill, NCWant to treat yourself to the ultimate staycation or vacationHave been intrigued by the fun and immersive parts of yoga teacher training without being sure you want to teachAre looking for a deeply meaningful experience to enjoy together with a family member or friend Dearly love your family and friends but want some YOU time with like-minded people so you can go home refreshed each dayLike to move but don’t need to win at yogaEnjoy luxuriating in final relaxation at the end of practice and wish you could extend that periodWant to develop personally meaningful rituals to enhance your self-care

Over the course of five special days, you’ll deepen your practice, make friends, find joy, and learn lots about yoga, its related practices, and yourself. We will explore various forms of meditation, get to know our Ayurvedic doshas, learn about mantras, yantras, and malas, and laugh a LOT.

Sign up today

Your camp counselors are studio co-owners Sage Rountree and Lies Sapp. Together, they will guide you in doable, active asana practices; activities designed to teach you more about the practice and yourself; meditations; art creation; and play.

Expect a schedule like this as we meet at Carrboro Yoga Friday, July 28, through Monday, July 31:

10–10:30: opening circle, intention setting, meditation
10:30–12:30: doable yoga practice for all levels, with time for questions, answers, and exploration
12:30–1:45: locally catered lunch and restful siesta
1:45–3:00: art activity
3:00–4:15: gentle, yin, and restorative yoga, plus yoga nidra
4:15–5:00: meditation, journaling, closing circle

Before we meet and every day of camp, you’ll get prompts for reflection, reading, and yoga-related viewing, so you can extend your experience into the evening. Or go grab dinner with your new camp friends!

Camp culminates on Tuesday, August 1, in a final-day field trip to Hillsborough Spa and Day Retreat, where we will have the space all to ourselves for lounging, reflection, journaling, enjoying the amenities, and, if you choose, an optional add-on treatment at a steeply discounted rate.

Lunch is included; we’ll reach out closer to the start of camp to check in on your dietary needs.

If you are a yoga teacher who tracks Yoga Alliance CEUs, you’ll get 35 for this camp!

Because the cohesion of the group is integral to the experience, there will be no single-day drop-ins, and we won’t prorate if you need to miss a day. We need a minimum of five people enrolled by July 1, and will max out at 15, so sign up now to ensure your spot!

Book your spot

$800 for current unlimited members (this should autoapply at checkout, let us know if you run into trouble)
$900 for current 5x members (this should autoapply at checkout, let us know if you run into trouble)
$1008 for nonmembers
$750 for Black, Indigenous, and Non-White people, see our reparatory and gratitude discount info and contact us at info@carrboroyoga.com for a personal discount code

Register here!

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Yoga Teachers: Drop the Story

One of the first lessons I taught every 200-hour yoga teacher training group is to drop the story you’re trying to tell yourself about the experience your students are having in your class—and whether they like you. In this excerpt from The Professional Yoga Teacher’s Handbook, I explain.

You’ll never know what your students are thinking. Often it’s the student with the most inscrutable expression who is having the deepest experience. Don’t fear the resting bitch face! A slightly furrowed brow is often the sign of someone paying attention or concentrating. If you look out and see a room full of smiles and hear laughter at every quip you offer, your students are focusing on you, not the inner experience. At that point, you’re entertaining them, not facilitating their experience in self-discovery. 

While this is true of all age groups, it’s especially the case with tweens and teens. Don’t get caught up in trying to elicit smiles; don’t tell yourself stories about what the students are thinking. Just teach the yoga as authentically as you can. And be true to yourself: no one can smell a phony like a teenager. Use your own words, your own voice. Don’t simply parrot your favorite teacher, or put on airs.

I’ve mentioned to rooms of experienced teachers that I find the students who leave quickest after class often had the deepest experience. They always agree. More than once, I’ve gotten a note from the students with the most unreadable faces saying, “That was just what I needed today.” Here are a few stories that underscore how we can never know what people are thinking from their expressions.

First, I was leading a teachers’ intensive in a room with poor acoustics and I encouraged students to draw close to me so I wouldn’t have to yell to be heard. While many moved their mats, one remained outside the semicircle. I asked her by name to come near us, and she scooted forward on her mat only a foot or so. Figuring it was a lost cause, I continued and hoped she could hear me. At the end of the five-day workshop, she told me, “I know you wanted me to come closer that first day. But I’d just been in the hospital with my son, who had the flu, and the doctor said I might be contagious for 24 hours. I really wanted to be in the workshop, but I didn’t want to infect anyone—that’s why I did what I did.”

My colleague Alexandra was once teaching when a student packed up and left in the middle of class, gesturing that she was sorry. Alexandra had once taught a class where a woman had a stroke (happily, the student’s husband was with her, whisked her off to the hospital, and she recovered), so she worried that that this student may have been sick. After class, Alexandra sat down to send her a message. While she did, an email came in from the student. She’d had a creeping feeling that she left the kettle on the stove with the burner on, she said, and when she got home, she found it dry and glowing red.

To add one more story, this one from outside yoga: I was heading to my regular step aerobics class (this was 1996, the heyday of step) when my father called to tell me my grandmother had died. After hanging up, I continued what I was doing on autopilot and went to the gym. Only 15 minutes into the routine did it strike me: I did not want to be at step aerobics! I packed up my equipment and left, explaining it to the teacher at the next class. My leaving had absolutely zero to do with her.Finally, even though you’re striving to be a kind, accepting person, do you like every single being you come into contact with? Of course not. Sometimes the vibe just isn’t right. The same thing will go for your students. Don’t hold them to a standard you wouldn’t hold yourself to.

There’s lots more advice like this in The Professional Yoga Teacher’s Handbook! If you have enjoyed the book, please be sure to tell your colleagues and your yoga teacher trainings. I’d also be super grateful for a five-star rating and a review on whatever bookstore sites you like—this helps the book help more people. Thank you!

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Recommended Books: Chakras for Creativity and Wild Yoga

Two excellent books I had the pleasure of blurbing: Chakras for Creativity by Jilly Shipway and Wild Yoga by Rebecca Wildbear.

Just because my teaching is grounded in the practical doesn’t mean I disavow the more metaphysical and mystical elements of yoga! Each of these books will guide you toward better connection with yourself and the planet and universe.

Jilly’s book includes not only prompts for creativity but also ideas for walking meditation, which delighted me. Similarly, Rebecca’s book will encourage you to observe the natural world as a tool for self-knowledge.

Pick them up at your favorite local bookseller or through the affiliate links below—or best of all, order them at your local library! When you love them, be sure to review them on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Goodreads. These reviews mean the world to authors.

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Lighting and the Student Experience

Just as it does in a dinner party or a restaurant, lighting plays an important role in setting a mood and making your guests comfortable in yoga and movement classes. While we all have personal preferences, here are some general guidelines for creating the best lighting for class.

If your studio space has natural light, such as sun shining through a window, do not set up directly in front of it or you will be backlit, which means your students will have the sun shining in their eyes. Instead, orient the room so you are well lit and the students won’t have to squint to watch you demonstrate.

It’s nice to teach in a space where the lights are on dimmers. You can adjust as needed to suit the time of day and mood of the section you’re teaching. Turn the lights up gently at the end of class—don’t slam them on all at once. If your lights are not dimmable, be aware of when the students need light to see and when the light is an annoyance pulling them out of inner experience. I’ve handled this issue when traveling to teach by keeping the overhead lights on for the first half of the mat sequence, then turning them off—and sometimes propping open a door for light—for the second half. If you need to do the same, when students turn to one side on the way out of savasana, ask them to cover their eyes with a forearm, then turn the lights on. That way, they’ll still have their eyes closed for several moments, allowing for adjustment.

Sometimes, rooms are lit in regions—front, middle, and back—and it makes sense to keep light on your mat while darkening the students’ mats. You’ll have to see what works best, and don’t be shy about asking your students whether they can see or would like the lights adjusted.

With some foresight, you can work around problems with lighting by bringing your own lights. This could be a string of LED fairy lights—you can get 100 yards for $30 or so online—or a spotlight (even just a desk lamp) to light your mat.

Or enhance the mood with candles. Before you use real candles, check with the management of the space where you’re teaching. They may be forbidden. Either way, consider using LED-lit faux candles. They avoid any risk of fire or wax spills, are odorless and smoke-free, and cast a very sweet light.

The Professional Yoga Teacher’s Handbook is full of advice like this. You can buy it from me here, on Amazon here, pick it up from your local indie bookstore, or best of all, order at your library.

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Register Now: Fundamentals of Teaching Restorative Yoga

Now’s the time to sign up for Fundamentals of Teaching Restorative Yoga, which will meet in person at Carrboro Yoga in Carrboro/Chapel Hill, NC, February 18 and 19. This is a module in Carolina Yoga Company’s advanced studies teacher training; it is also open to teachers from any movement modality. It offers 18 YA CEUs.

I’m leading this workshop! Join me to learn how to design and lead restorative yoga classes, and get to practice, too!

This workshop includes a preassignment and follow-along classes (lucky you!) to complete before we meet, so please budget at least five hours to prepare your homework—that’s why it’s a good idea to sign up now.

Our in-person sessions will:

+ Create a clear definition of what constitutes restorative yoga—and what differentiates it from gentle yoga and yin yoga
+ Take a bird’s-eye view of the nervous system and its experience in restorative yoga
+ Workshop the student experience in restorative yoga classes, so we can empathize with and serve our students better
+ Prompt you to design restorative sequences; you’ll also get full class plans to use right away
+ Experiment with perfect prop placement for every body
+ Build your confidence in leading students of every age and level of ability
+ Give you a warm, supportive environment in which to practice your newfound restorative yoga teaching skills and prop expertise

After we meet in person, you’ll design and submit restorative yoga class plans for Sage’s review and have some back-and-forth mentorship; budget four hours for this work. You’ll also get full access to a sequence library to help you plan classes for every student.

We meet Saturday, 10 a.m.–1 p.m. and 2–5 p.m., and again Sunday, 10 a.m.–1 p.m. (There is no Sunday afternoon session, freeing you to travel.) If you’re coming from out of town, our Travel Accommodations page has suggestions.

18 CEUs

Register here!

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