Sage Rountree's Blog, page 22
September 6, 2022
I’d Love to Chat with Your YTT
I wrote The Professional Yoga Teacher’s Handbook to help teachers at every level—and to serve as a yoga teacher training manual.
If you’re using the book as your YTT textbook, I’d love to offer a free Zoom Q&A with your cohort to talk about what you are learning, answer any outstanding questions, and help you plan next steps for a career helping others with yoga.
For that matter, if you are using Teaching Yoga Beyond the Poses in YTT, I’d love to meet your students/colleagues—and I bet I can wrangle my coauthor, Alexandra DeSiato, too.
Send me a message and let’s get a chat on the books!
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August 17, 2022
Nouveau: YOGA AU-DELÀ DES POSTURES
Aujourd’hui, YOGA AU-DELÀ DES POSTURES (TEACHING YOGA BEYOND THE POSES) est disponible en français ! Nous remercions Clémentine Erpicum pour la traduction. Alexandra et moi avons écrit ce livre pour que vous puissiez intégrer les élements de la philosophie de yoga à vos cours et à votre propre répétition et benéficiez d’une expérience plus profonde. Nous espérons que vous l’appréciez ! Achetez le livre ici, ou à votre libraire préférée.
Si le livre vous plaît, vous pouvez nous joindre pour un atelier (en anglais) à Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health à Massachusetts, États-Unis, ce septembre.
¿Prefiere leer en español? La edición en español es ENSEÑAR YOGA MÁS ALLÁ DE LAS ASANAS, disponible aquí!
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August 16, 2022
Last Days for Early Bird Rates: Designing and Teaching Gentle Yoga Sequences and Classes
The $50 early bird savings for my upcoming continuing education program for movement teachers, Designing and Teaching Gentle Yoga Sequences and Classes, is good through August 23, so now is the time to sign up. In addition, the workshop includes a preassignment that you’ll want to spend a few hours on, so this is the perfect time to commit. We meet at Carrboro Yoga in Carrboro (Chapel Hill), NC, Saturday and Sunday, September 24 and 25.
Here’s our road map:
Come to the softer side! In this workshop, geared to teachers from any background, you’ll learn how to design and cue gentle yoga sequences and classes for all levels. Whether you use these sequences as warmups in a faster-paced class or teach exclusively gentle classes, your students—and your personal practice—will benefit.
This workshop includes a preassignment and follow-along classes to complete before we meet, so please budget at least five hours to prepare your homework in the weeks before the workshop.
Our in-person sessions will:
Create a clear definition of what constitutes gentle yoga—and what differentiates it from yin yoga and restorative yoga (NB: join us for yin yoga and restorative yoga modules in winter 2023!)Calibrate our understanding of what belongs in a gentle yoga class and what doesn’tWorkshop the student experience in gentle yoga classes, so we can serve our students betterPrompt you to design new sequences, freshening up your class planning; you’ll also get full class plans to use right awayBuild your confidence in leading students of every age and level of abilityGive you a warm, supportive environment in which to practice your newfound gentle yoga teaching skills and hone the abilities you already haveAfter we meet in person, you’ll design and submit gentle 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.
This is a module in Carolina Yoga Company’s advanced studies teacher training; it is also open to teachers from any movement modality.
Currently, proof of vaccination against COVID-19 is required to enter the studios.
18 CEUs
$399/$349 early (up to a month before)
There are other upcoming weekends along the same lines—join me for:
Designing and Teaching Core Strength Sequences and Classes, October 29–30, 2022Fundamentals of Teaching Yin Yoga, January 28–29, 2023Fundamentals of Teaching Restorative Yoga, February 18–19, 2023Designing and Teaching Balance Sequences and Classes, September 23–24, 2023Fundamentals of Teaching Yoga Nidra, October 28–29, 2023The post Last Days for Early Bird Rates: Designing and Teaching Gentle Yoga Sequences and Classes appeared first on Sage Rountree.
August 1, 2022
Watch: Six Moves of the Spine, Supine, One Leg
One of my favorite sequences can work as a warmup, as an end-of-practice sequence, and as yoga to do in bed. Here’s a run-through; when you are practicing this on your own, take your time with each move, so that the whole sequence takes 15 minutes or more.
Want to learn more gentle sequences?Join me in person at Carrboro Yoga September 24–25 for Designing and Teaching Gentle Yoga Sequences and Classes. We will discuss, workshop, and practice all sorts of gentle sequences while covering what belongs in a gentle yoga class—and what doesn’t. Read more and register here.
Want to learn more sequences in general?My video sequence library has all sorts of ideas for you, presented like the video above. As a gift to you, I’ve made the whole warmup unit free as a sample, so you can add these routines as new arrows in your quiver.
Everyday Yoga is chock-full of sequences to follow along with, too. It’s spiral-bound, so you can lay it flat on your mat and use either the photos or the short verbal prompts to guide your practice. It’s available in German and Spanish, too.
And—burying the lede deep here, for those who care enough to read this far!—my next book will present a unified theory of sequencing, so that your yoga and movement classes can contain a balanced set of routines to help all of your students better. More on this in the months to come.
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July 19, 2022
Register Now: Continuing Education on Gentle Yoga and More
Have you found yourself subbing a gentle yoga class—or, at the other end of the spectrum, a Pilates or core-strengthening class—and unsure about just what and how to teach?
If so, I’m offering two workshops this fall in North Carolina that are here to help!
In Designing and Teaching Gentle Yoga Sequences and Classes (9/24–25), teachers from any background will learn how to design and cue gentle yoga sequences and classes for all levels.
And in Designing and Teaching Core Strength Sequences and Classes (10/29–30), we’ll build your confidence in sequencing and cuing core-strengthening classes.
Either way, there WILL be savasana involved.
These are part of Carolina Yoga Company’s 500-hour yoga teacher training. These are all open to any movement teacher, as well! They will meet at our Carrboro Yoga Co. location in Carrboro/Chapel Hill, NC. Each has some work for you to do before and after our in-person meetings, which are designed to be travel-friendly while using the power of the group to give you a chance to practice and refine your teaching skills. You’ll earn 18 Yoga Alliance CEUs in each one.
These workshops will expand your ability to help more students, whether you lead sweet or spicy classes. I hope you’ll join me for one or more of these:
Designing and Teaching Gentle Yoga Sequences and Classes, September 24–25, 2022Designing and Teaching Core Strength Sequences and Classes, October 29–30, 2022Fundamentals of Teaching Yin Yoga, January 28–29, 2023Fundamentals of Teaching Restorative Yoga, February 25–26, 2023Designing and Teaching Balance-Focused Sequences and Classes, September 23–24, 2023Fundamentals of Teaching Yoga Nidra, October 28–29, 2023You can read full details and register here. Use “view all” by the date filter at top to see all the workshops.
These have a minimum number of students to run, so please sign up soon!
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July 8, 2022
Listen: On and Off Your Mat Podcast
I had a great conversation with Erika Bélanger for her On and Off Your Mat Podcast. We talked all things balance, from why and how to do balance poses to how yoga teaches us balance on every level.
In this clip (pardon the thumbnail shot!), we talk about how yoga lets us see our habits.
You can hear the full episode, number 134, by looking for On and Off Your Mat in your podcast app. Or listen online right here! https://erikabelanger.com/134
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June 30, 2022
Registration Open: Kripalu in September and October
For over a decade, teaching at the magical Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Lenox, Massachusetts, has been the highlight of my work travel schedule. The last time I was there was in late January 2020; I clearly remember the ongoing news coverage of the outbreak in Wuhan, China.
After two and a half very long years, I am so excited to return to Kripalu to teach! Registration is open for these two programs—I hope you’ll join for one or, better yet, both. There’s a discount when you do both of them!
Teaching Yoga Beyond the Poses: Create Inspiring Classes for All StudentsSeptember 30–October 2, 2022with Alexandra DeSiato
Alexandra at Kripalu, November 2019A 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.
Recommended reading Sage Rountree and Alexandra DeSiato, Teaching Yoga Beyond the Poses
Teaching Yoga to Athletes
October 2–7, 2022EXPAND YOUR TEACHING SKILLS
More and more athletes are crediting yoga with taking their performance to the next level—which means there’s an increasing demand for yoga teachers who specialize in this field.
Join author and expert yoga teacher Sage Rountree as she teaches you the many ways to modify your yoga classes for athletes of various sports and levels of experience. Sage has multifaceted experience as a coach, athlete, and teacher working with endurance-sports athletes and collegiate teams. In this intensive training, you will learn about
The needs, abilities, and limitations that athletes bring to yoga practiceHow to develop sequences appropriate for a variety of needs in the training cycleA survey of exercise physiology relevant to yoga The pedagogy and business of working with athletesThe parallels between yoga and sports training.Return home with the confidence and skills you need to share yoga’s benefits with athletes.
Note This program is suitable for yoga teachers, coaches, PE teachers, and personal trainers.
Recommended reading Sage Rountree, The Athlete’s Guide to Yoga and Everyday Yoga
I guarantee you will have a wonderful time! There is nothing like being in a special place, learning, in the company of like-minded colleagues. Plus: the fall foliage will be gorgeous, the food is amazing (and you will have no dishes to wash), and you’ll have access to wonderful yoga classes, healing arts treatments, and hiking!
If you can’t make it, both of these courses are available here in an online format. But I hope to see you in September or October!
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June 27, 2022
Imposter Syndrome Is Normal
Our yoga teacher trainees at Carolina Yoga Company and in my continuing education courses often ask me, “When did you stop feeling like a fraud?” The question makes me smile, because it presumes that I’ve ever stopped. Some days, I still feel like I’m not experienced enough, or perky enough, or whatever enough to lead my students. And I do it anyway. If I taught only when I was in the perfect mood to teach, I wouldn’t teach at all.
Imposter syndrome is real, particularly for women. My best advice is to fake it until you make it. With luck, you’ll feel more authoritative over time. But recognize that some days you won’t. On those days, do it anyway. It can help to imagine you are playing a role—because, in a way, you are. Don’t expect to feel perfectly authentic; do focus on what your students need: a teacher to guide them in breath and movement.
You don’t need to know it all, you just need to have a plan and guide your students. Teaching yoga isn’t brain surgery or landing a jet plane. Keep it simple, smile, and leave lots of time for students to go inward. Don’t fill every moment with the sound of your voice out of a desire to prove your worth! Instead, issue a clear direction, then be quiet and let the students enjoy their practice.
The Professional Yoga Teacher’s Handbook is here with advice to help teachers at every level. Pick up a copy in paperback, ebook, or audiobook format and I promise you’ll find new ways to help your students better!
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June 13, 2022
New Video: Split Squat Flow
Surrendering shrimp, aggressive chicken: there’s a new flow up in my Sequence Library! This standing sequence uses a split squat, lateral lunge, and eagle pose to challenge your legs and balance while you move your spine through side bending, twisting, and, as you see here, flexion and extension.
This clip gives you a taste of surrendering shrimp—a cat back with W arms from a split squat—and aggressive chicken—a lunge with a cow back and M arms.
The Sequence Library is full of creative ideas for your practice or class planning. There’s a full-featured free sample unit comprising all my favorite warmups for you to enjoy. (Put them all together for a gentle yoga practice!)
You can buy it on its own for only $49 or get it as part of my full-length course Sequencing Yoga Classes from Welcome to Namaste.
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June 6, 2022
Listen: Run with Fitpage Podcast
I had a wonderful conversation with Vikas Singh of the Fitpage website and podcast in India about yoga for runners, breathing techniques, and lots more. This featured an especially wonderful listener question!
Listen on your favorite platform:
Fitpage site: bit.ly/3NetXJdApple Podcast: apple.co/3GP9c4sSpotify: https://spoti.fi/3PUWfKoAmazon Music: amzn.to/38K8ngEGoogle Podcast: bit.ly/3xauyWFThe post Listen: Run with Fitpage Podcast appeared first on Sage Rountree.
