You finished your 200-hour training, certificate in hand . . . but your class plan is blank and your brain is fried. Sound familiar?

In this episode, I walk you through Phase 1 of the Yoga Teacher Success Timeline: what I call post-training overwhelm. It’s that panicky season where you feel like you should be ready, but instead, you’re second-guessing every pose, bouncing between over-planning and winging it, and constantly reinventing sequences that never seem to stick.

I’ll share:

• The most common symptoms of Phase 1 (and why they’re totally normal)
• The one mistake that keeps new teachers stuck for years
• Why teaching the same sequence multiple times isn’t lazy—it’s liberating
• How the 6-4-2 Framework cuts your planning time in half
• What it really means to build confidence as a yoga teacher

If you’re tired of feeling like your training didn’t actually prepare you for real-life teaching, you’re not alone—and you’re not failing. You’re just in Phase 1. And this episode is here to help you move through it consciously and confidently.

For more support, check out Mastering the Art of Yoga Sequencing, my mentorship program where we turn the overwhelm into a steady, adaptable system you can grow with.

Want to become (almost) everyone's favorite yoga teacher? Get in the Zone at Comfort Zone Yoga, my virtual studio focused on teacher development. I have a ton of Sage advice in there for you—let's chat there!

For more insights, subscribe to Yoga Teacher Confidential, check out my YouTube channel, and follow me on socials:

• Instagram
• Facebook
• Threads
• Bluesky
• Pinterest

And come explore my mentorship program, continuing education workshops and 300/500-hour teacher training programs, and my many books for yoga teachers. It's all at sagerountree.com.

“I’ve been teaching for years and I still feel like I’m faking it.”

If that sounds familiar, I'm here to reassure you: you’re not alone, and you’re not behind.

In this episode, I share the Yoga Teacher Success Timeline, a five-phase framework that helps you name where you are in your growth as a yoga teacher—and understand what’s coming next.

Whether you’re fresh out of teacher training or you’ve been leading classes for years, this roadmap gives you language, perspective, and permission. You’ll learn:

• The five distinct phases yoga teachers move through
• Why it’s completely normal to revisit early phases again and again
• The most common mistake that keeps teachers stuck
• How to build a class around what you already know how to teach
• A free resource that helps you move forward with more ease and confidence

🎧 Plus, I’ll share one practical homework assignment to help you apply this right away.

Links from the episode:

→ Join the free mini course: Fundamentals of Confident Teaching

Want to become (almost) everyone's favorite yoga teacher? Get in the Zone at Comfort Zone Yoga, my virtual studio focused on teacher development. I have a ton of Sage advice in there for you—let's chat there!

For more insights, subscribe to Yoga Teacher Confidential, check out my YouTube channel, and follow me on socials:

• Instagram
• Facebook
• Threads
• Bluesky
• Pinterest

And come explore my mentorship program, continuing education workshops and 300/500-hour teacher training programs, and my many books for yoga teachers. It's all at sagerountree.com.

What if the secret to confidence wasn’t doing something new—but doing the same thing, over and over again?

In this episode, I talk with Nyisha Rylander, who teaches yoga in three very different contexts on the island of Kauai: at a local gym with regular students, at resorts with one-time guests, and online as part of her health coaching business. You’ll hear how she used one master sequence—what she calls her “resort yoga”—as a template that built her fluency and freed up her attention for her students.

We talk about how her planning process has evolved, how she overcame the impulse to change everything all the time, and what finally clicked to help her feel like a real teacher instead of just an instructor.

You’ll also hear how being part of my mentorship program, Mastering the Art of Yoga Sequencing (MMM), gave her structure, inspiration, and access to a community of fellow teachers walking the same path.

If you’re a new teacher, a part-time teacher, or someone transitioning between platforms, this conversation will remind you that confidence comes not from complexity—but from clarity and consistency.

In this episode:

• How Nyisha moved from cosmetology to yoga teaching in a pandemic pivot
• What changed when she taught the same class repeatedly to new students
• How she built a personal practice library and online video platform
• The value of vignettes, structure, and learning to trust your memory
• How MMM gave her tools and support for sustainable growth
• Why repetition isn’t just okay—it’s the path to creative, embodied teaching

Links:

• Mastering the Art of Yoga Sequencing (MMM): https://sagerountree.com/mentorship
• Nyisha’s website: https://nyishayogakauai.com
• Nyisha's podcast: Sacred Souls

Want to become (almost) everyone's favorite yoga teacher? Get in the Zone at Comfort Zone Yoga, my virtual studio focused on teacher development. I have a ton of Sage advice in there for you—let's chat there!

For more insights, subscribe to Yoga Teacher Confidential, check out my YouTube channel, and follow me on socials:

• Instagram
• Facebook
• Threads
• Bluesky
• Pinterest

And come explore my mentorship program, continuing education workshops and 300/500-hour teacher training programs, and my many books for yoga teachers. It's all at sagerountree.com.