Yoga Teacher Confidential: Secrets of Becoming a Great Yoga Teacher

66. How We Can Work Together in 2026: Programs for Every Stage of Your Teaching Journey

• Sage Rountree • Episode 66

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I've spent twenty years watching yoga teachers struggle with the same pattern. They finish their training, start teaching, and then something happens. They're standing in front of three students wondering what they're doing wrong. They're scrambling every Sunday night to plan Monday's class. Or they never start teaching at all because the imposter syndrome is too loud.

Here's what most teacher trainings won't tell you: more knowledge doesn't cure imposter syndrome. Clear, confident teaching cures imposter syndrome. That comes from having practical systems you can actually use.

In this episode, I'm walking through how we can work together in 2026—not what trainings you should collect, but how working together could actually transform your teaching. Whether you're the teacher staring at a blank page every Sunday night, ready to master core sequencing skills, drawn to specialization, or not even a teacher yet—there's a pathway designed for exactly where you are right now.

You'll learn about the Yoga Class Prep Station for immediate help, Mastering the Art of Yoga Sequencing mentorship, specialization programs that build toward your 300-hour advanced training, and the 200-hour training I'm co-teaching with Amy Boerner in Dominica this May.

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:

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

Can I tell you something? I have spent 20 years watching yoga teachers struggle with the same patterns. They graduate from their 200 hour training full of knowledge and excitement, start teaching, and then something happens. They're standing in front of a class of three students or sometimes just one student. Wondering what they're doing wrong. They're scrambling every Sunday night to plan Monday's class. They're watching teachers down the hall teach to packed rooms while their own classes stay stubbornly small. And here's what breaks my heart. These are not bad teachers. They're often really talented teachers. They just don't have the practical tools to translate what they learned in training into classes that students actually want to come back to. Some of them stop teaching altogether. Others never start. They finish their 200 hour training and then nothing. The imposter syndrome is too loud, and they get locked down with a crisis of confidence. And the ones who do keep teaching, many of them spend years feeling like frauds convinced they're one question away from being exposed as not knowing enough. I am Sage Rountree, and this is Yoga Teacher

Confidential:

Secrets of Becoming a Great Yoga Teacher. And here's the thing, most teacher trainings will not tell you. More knowledge doesn't cure imposter syndrome. Clear confident teaching is what cures imposter syndrome, and that comes from having practical systems you can actually use and getting in the reps. That's what I want to talk about today, not which trainings you should take in 2026, but how working together with me this year could actually transform your teaching.'cause transformation isn't about knowing more. It's about going from that teacher with three students or no students because you were too scared to start into becoming the teacher whose classes are so full. You have got a wait list. Let's talk about what that transformation actually looks like. I'm thinking about a teacher named Kandice who joined my mastering the Art of Yoga Sequencing mentorship. Last year when she started, she was that Sunday night scramble teacher. Every week she would sit down to plan her classes, feeling this low grade panic. She would pull sequences from different sources. She'd try to remember what her favorite teachers did, and she would second guess every single transition. I know her classes were not terrible, but I think they weren't consistent either. One week she would teach something really complex the next week, something super basic, and students never quite knew what they were walking into. Some students loved the variety. Most students stopped coming. Then the 6 4 2 framework clicked for her. Suddenly she could plan a balanced class in 15 minutes instead of two hours or longer. More importantly, Candace's students started to notice the difference. She told me. I have gotten amazing feedback since beginning this journey, and I have seen an uptick in students who are returning. That's the transformation we're talking about. Not, I know more Sanskrit terms, but my classes are full and my students keep coming back. Why does this matter for you? Well, because I have built an entire ecosystem of programs all designed to meet you exactly where you are right now, and then to take you where you actually want to go. As a yoga teacher, if you are sitting down on a Sunday night staring at a blank pager screen. Wondering what to teach tomorrow. You may not need a six month intensive right now. You might need immediate help. That's why I created the yoga class prep station, which I invite you to join for only $39 a month. In the prep station, you'll get a movement library with over 100 and. 40 sequences and counting that you could teach tomorrow, you'll get a custom GPT assistant that checks your sequencing for balance, and we'll get together on monthly snack and chat calls. It's the third Saturday of every month at 2:00 PM Eastern where you can bring your actual real life teaching questions and get support from me and your peers. Plus, you'll earn three CEUs every single month. Think of the prep station like a dinette, a luncheonette, or a lunch counter. You can grab what you need without committing to the full restaurant experience. It's for the teacher who needs help right now today without a big financial commitment. But here's what I've noticed. After 20 years, grabbing sequences from a library will help you get through the week. Learning to create your own sequences will transform your entire teaching career. It's the whole give a man a fish, teach a man a fish arc. That's where my program mastering the Art of Yoga sequencing a mentorship membership, which I often call UMM three M'S, because it's delicious. That's where UMM comes in. This is my six month mentorship program built around giving you two things. Every yoga teacher needs proven frameworks and ongoing support. The frameworks are the Serve method and the 6 4 2 system. You can learn more about them across various episodes of this podcast, and on my YouTube channel at Sage Rountree with no letter D. Now these frameworks are not complicated. In fact, they are intentionally simple, but they give you the structure to plan balanced, effective classes without needing to reinvent the wheel. Every single time you sit down to plan your class, you'll start with done for you sequences so you can experience how they work. I will write your lesson plan for the month. I will present it in a way so you can follow along as a student. Then you'll learn how to adapt these recipes for your unique students, and eventually you'll learn how to create your own with my support. The support comes from monthly live calls to a month, an active community of teachers all working on the same skills. They'll be your tasters group. You can ask your peers for support and get really, really helpful feedback, and they'll come from access to me for questions throughout the six months you're in the program. This program costs 1800 US dollars and accounts as 150 hours towards your 300 hour advanced yoga teacher training if you decide to go that route, it's also hyper valuable on its own, and here's what makes it so valuable. In, um, you're not just collecting information, you are developing the skill that determines whether you succeed as a yoga teacher, the ability to plan and teach classes that your students actually want to attend. Now some of you are listening and thinking, okay, but I know I want to specialize. I want to work with athletes, or I want to teach y yoga, or I'm interested in restorative work, or helping students develop better balance. Great. This is where the pathway gets really interesting because specialization makes sense. Once you have your core teaching skills solid. My signature program since 2012, teaching Yoga to athletes is comprehensive. It's $2,500 and it includes everything you need to confidently serve athletic populations, and even more broadly to assess how your students are using their bodies and minds. The patterns that these habits develop and how you can bring them better balance using yoga. In teaching yoga to athletes, you'll get the complete curriculum workbook, lesson plans two, one-on-one strategy calls with me and a full year of monthly office hours for support. It's not just about learning yoga for athletes, it's about developing a niche that will genuinely increase your income. Or maybe something like yin yoga is calling to you. Fundamentals of teaching Yin yoga gives you 20 CEUs and teaches you how to create safe, effective yin classes that actually serve your students' nervous systems. I also have fundamentals of teaching restorative yoga, the same model that teaches you how to design and deliver restorative yoga classes that feel really useful instead of just being fancy nap time. And here's where it gets exciting. All of these programs can count toward your 300 hour advanced yoga teacher training. With me, the 300 hour I offer is modular and customizable. You will choose the pathway that makes sense for the students you teach, and, um, mastering the art of yoga sequencing, the mentorship membership is the core. That's half of your 300. You get to choose the other half. Maybe you choose, um, and teaching yoga to athletes, that is the complete 300 hours. I will be excited to issue your diploma. Maybe it's, um, plus other trainings in yin and restorative. Maybe it's something that you've taken in person that I will give you elective credits for, maybe it's, um, plus in-person intensive modules at my brick and mortar studio, carbo Yoga company in North Carolina. My colleagues Alexandra and Alexis are leading a training on hands-on assist there quite soon. The point is this, you aren't collecting random continuing education credits. You are building towards something. You are becoming the kind of teacher who can confidently serve your students at every level, and who has the credentials to prove it if you ever need them, say if you ever wanted to offer a yoga teacher training of your own. Now I'm going to say something that might surprise you. Not everyone needs to start with these programs. Some of you listening right now, you're not even yoga teachers yet. You're thinking about becoming a yoga teacher. You're wondering what it would take if the investment is worth it. You're looking at 200 hour programs and feeling overwhelmed by the options. I have something for you too. This year I am co-teaching a 200 hour yoga teacher training with Amy Borner, and we've designed it specifically for people who want deep, rigorous pedagogical training without having to choose between education and adventure. Here's how it works. Starting January 1st, you can begin your self-paced online coursework through Comfort Zone Yoga, my virtual studio. I will be your guide through all the pedagogy, philosophy, anatomy, physiology, sequencing, ethics, teaching skills. You can move through the material at your own perfect pace with video lectures, a private podcast, downloadable resources, and a supportive online community. Then in May, May 12th through 26th to be exact, you will join Amy Borner in Dominica for 14 days of hands-on immersive training at Jungle Bay Eco Resort. Dominica is an island toward the end of the Caribbean chain. And this is where it gets really special. Amy is a wonderful teacher with over 20 years experience, a massage therapist, a global retreat leader, and someone I deeply trust. She's also a lot of fun to hang out with. She will guide you through daily asana, meditation practicum sessions. You'll teach your first classes in a really supportive environment. While you're on the island, you'll participate in Save a A Service project supporting the local community. You'll explore Dominic's Blue Zones, their trails, They're herbal traditions and their culture. This isn't a vacation with some yoga thrown in. This is a thoughtfully designed practicum where you will put everything you learn online into practice. The best part you get world class faculty. If I do say so myself. Me teaching the pedagogy online and Amy teaching the hands-on practicum, and you'll get it in an eco luxury setting that really aligns with the values. Yoga is actually supposed to teach us tuition for this 200 hour yoga teacher. Training ranges from $2,800 to $3,500 depending on when you register, and room and board ranges from $3,500 to a little over $7,000 depending on your accommodation choice. I do offer a 25% need blind discount on the tuition part of the program for Bipoc and South Asian teachers. Because yoga needs more diverse voices teaching it. If you enroll in this 200 by February 15th, you'll receive on one-on-one pre-training mentor Call with me, a yoga teacher's starter kit, and access to a post-training peer circle at Comfort Zone Yoga to keep you connected and supported after graduation. This is the training for students who want to become teachers and who want to start with the right foundation from day one. So here's what I'm wondering. Where are you right now? Are you the teacher staring at a blank page every Sunday night? Start with prep Station. Get immediate help. Give yourself permission to use proven sequences while you develop your own skills. When you're ready to master this. Core skill of yoga, teaching sequencing that actually serves your students. Then you'll join mastering the Art of Yoga sequencing. Six months from now, you could be that teacher whose classes are full, whose students keep coming back, who finally feels like the teacher you always wanted to be. Are you drawn to a specialty? Teaching yoga to athletes? Fundamentals of teaching in yoga, restorative yoga, fundamentals of teaching balance, and teaching trauma sensitive yoga. These specializations will make you stand out. They give you a niche and they can all count towards your 300 hour advanced training if you want them to. Are you not even a teacher yet, but you're thinking about it? Or did you finish your 200 hour training with more questions than answers? The 200 hour training with Amy and me is now open for enrollment. You could start or continue your teaching journey with solid pedagogy and a transformative practicum in Paradise. And if you are anywhere on this path and you want to meet me in person, I'll be teaching at the Berkshire Yoga Festival June 11th through June 14th, 2026 at Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort in Hancock, Massachusetts. Come take a class with me. Come say hello. Come see if my teaching resonates with you before you commit to anything bigger, or join the Prep station today and take classes with me right now for only $39 a month. Here's what I want you to understand. This isn't about collecting more trainings. This is about transformation. It's about going from the teacher with three students to the teacher with a wait list. It's about going from Sunday night panic to 15 minute class planning for your entire teaching month. It's about finally starting to teach because you have a clear system. It is about feeling like a success, not because you know everything, but because you are genuinely serving your students and they keep showing up. That's what working together in 2026 could look like. Okay. All the programs we talked about today, live@comfortzoneyoga.com. The Zone, my free community for yoga teachers is there too. In the zone, you will find monthly calls, resources, real teachers, real sweet teachers working through real challenges together. The 200 hour training with Amy Boerner. That's at carrboroyoga.com/destination200ytt and in the show notes. And information about the Berkshire Yoga Festival is at berkshireyogafestival.com, June 11th through 14th. I would love to see you there. However you choose to work with me in 2026, or even if you choose not to work with me at all, I hope you will remember this. Your students don't need you to be perfect. They need you to be clear, confident, and consistent. Everything I offer is designed to help you become exactly that. This is Yoga Teacher Confidential. I'm Sage Rountree. Thank you so much for listening. I'll see you next time.

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Sage Rountree

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