In this special best-of episode for 2024, we feature clips from some of our favorite episodes, highlight common threads that weave different guests and topics together, and feature some of the gems you might have missed during the year.

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• Fascia science behind the benefits of movement [1:17]
• Reframing tension: moderation over extremes [4:03]
• How yoga helps regulate the nervous system [7:12]
• Are we handling stress as well as we think? [9:38]
• Safe practice spaces as a refuge from overwhelm [12:21]
• The causes, components, and symptoms of burnout [14:11]
• Perpetual optimization of physical health at the expense of mental health [16:29]
• The “new stigma” of menopause [22:07]
• Yoga as self-discovery for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence [26:49]
• Body awareness and self-agency for persistent pain care [31:15]
• How yoga teachers help keep students “safe” [35:46]
• Is there one perfect breath rhythm or duration? [38:33]
• Answering student questions [42:22]
• Human complexity; we are more than machines [44:35]
• The power of truly listening [46:47]
• How to integrate new approaches, tools & techniques [51:33]
• Cultural relevance and appropriation [55:12]
• Can we separate yoga from its historical, philosophical, and religious influences? [59:28]
• Who is yoga for and who should be teaching it? [1:04:02]
• Is it less about what we do, and more about how we do it? [1:07:10]

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• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Find all the episodes mentioned at https://yogamedicine.com/podcast/

You can learn more about this episode, and see the full show notes at YogaMedicine.com/podcast-126.

And you can find out more about insider tips, online classes or information on our teacher trainings at YogaMedicine.com.

To support our work, please leave us a 5 star review with your feedback on iTunes/Apple Podcasts.

Change is constant and inevitable, but the sheer speed of recent changes in the yoga world leaves many of us confused about what it actually looks like and means to be a yoga teacher right now.

Today hosts Rachel and Tiffany look back over the massive changes that have occurred in the yoga world over the past few decades, and what they might signal for the years ahead. We debate the pros and cons of boom times, the rise of social media, and the ever-evolving needs of students.

Listen to this episode to learn how yoga teachers can continue to adapt to better serve our communities.

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Show Notes:

• Looking back can help us move forward with more clarity [1:18]
• Early days of yoga in the West: underground, no-frills, “anti-influencer” [3:53]
• Big changes in the early 2000s [11:00]
• The first commercial teacher trainings and new yoga brands [15:35]
• Yoga celebrities, yoga fashion, and growing competition [16:46]
• Credibility from yoga lineage overtaken by social media following? [21:45]
• Yoga Medicine and explosive growth in YTT [27:38]
• The 2010s: The yoga boom and growing pains [31:35]
• Covid challenges and opportunities: meeting people where they’re at [33:56]
• Post-COVID era: options versus overwhelm [37:35]
• Takeaways: find your niche with patience, persistence, and presence [40:03]
• Takeaways: What feeds you changes over time [48:04]
• Takeaways: Know what you bring to the table [53:55]
• Takeaways: Be purpose-driven [58:45]
• Final thoughts [1:02:33]

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Links Mentioned:

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Listen to Episode 82: Building a Healthy Relationship with Social Media
• Listen to Episode 5: Sustainability & Yoga

You can learn more about this episode, and see the full show notes at YogaMedicine.com/podcast-125.

And you can find out more about insider tips, online classes or information on our teacher trainings at YogaMedicine.com.

To support our work, please leave us a 5 star review with your feedback on iTunes/Apple Podcasts.