07/11/2025
I can still feel the knot in my stomach when I think about it.
A training I was leading was. Not. Landing.
Sideways glances. Whispers. That sinking feeling: this isn’t working.
It would’ve been easy to blame the room, the vibe, the studio culture (and believe me, some of that was real). But with time, and way more reflection than I wanted, I realized I had things to learn.
I wrote a Substack about one of my hardest teaching days ever. And what it taught me about presence, connection, and what to do when you can feel a class slipping away.
If you’ve ever walked out of a class thinking, What just happened?, this one’s for you.
Drop a LEARN in the comments for the link or find it in my profile.
07/10/2025
Talking about fear, anger, or other difficult emotions in class can be meaningful, but it comes with responsibility.
One quick note: A relatively short yoga class in the middle of the work week isn't ideal for exploring heavy emotional themes. I bring this topic up because some teachers are already doing it, perhaps without considering the potential impact, so let's talk about it. I'm not encouraging you to go there, but offering some things to consider if you already are.
Yoga teachers aren't mental health professionals (unless you are and you weave it into your teaching). Your role is to help students sit with an emotion, not dissect or resolve it. If you're going to invite people into emotionally charged territory, you need to help them leave feeling supported, not undone.
Ask yourself honestly: Can I hold the energy this will bring into the room for the entire class? It's going to feel heavy and murky. If the answer is no or not yet, it's okay to wait.
Don't bring up something raw you haven't processed. Your words should create steadiness, not pull students into your story.
Use structure. If you introduce a tough topic, plan the arc of class thoughtfully: grounding at the start, emotional exploration in the middle, and regulation at the end, so students leave feeling more resourced, not depleted.
Introduce the intention with care. Instead of prompting students to relive a painful memory ("remember a time you felt fear…"), speak to the feeling in broader terms.
Use somatic anchors. Pair heavier themes with grounding breath, steady movement, or rhythm to help regulate energy in the room.
Learn about trauma-informed language. The way you speak matters. Use choice-based cues and avoid assumptions about what students are feeling or needing.
(Note: While my teaching was real, we staged a mock class with the consent of the students to create these images.)
