The Mentor Sessions

171: Six Things I Would Do This Week if I Were an Overworked, Underpaid Yoga Teacher on the Edge of Burnout

24 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

If you are feeling stretched thin by endless group classes, long hours, and low pay you are not alone. In this episode, I share six simple, actionable...

170: ​​A Yoga Nidra Deep Dive + Great Advice For Yoga Teachers with Indu Arora

10 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this expansive conversation, I got a chance to talk to yoga and Ayurveda teacher, mentor, and author Indu Aurora to explore what yoga truly is — ...

169: Yoga's Role In Navigating The World with Sarah Capua

24 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In today's podcast epsiode, I sat down with a yoga therapist, teacher, spiritual caregiver and a good friend of mine, Sarah Capua. We explored what it...

168: The Yoga Teacher's Guide To Fighting Fascism

03 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

American yoga teachers have a unique role in fighting fascism. We are deeply practiced in the tools that help us (and our students) feel clear, steady...

167: We Don't Want AI Yoga with Cyndi Lee

20 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

I am so honored to be joined on the podcast by my teacher Cyndi Lee. As a senior yoga teacher, author, and Buddhist chaplain—Cyndi talks to us about...

166: Do We Want AI in Yoga? with Lizzie Lasater

06 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of The Mentor Sessions, I'm joined by Lizzie Lasseter for a wide-ranging conversation about teaching yoga in a rapidly evolving world....

165: The Intended Benefit + How To Remove Linear Hierarchy

16 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, we dive into a concept that is absolutely transformative for yoga teachers: the idea that yoga cannot be both healing and performativ...

164: Taking Movement Patterns Down To The Studs with Geneva Jimreivat

02 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today's conversation is a deeply layered one. I'm joined by my friend, colleague, mentee, and private student Geneva Jimreivat for a nuanced explorati...

163: The Four Reminders (It's A Pep Talk!)

18 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of The Mentor Sessions, I share something a little different: a Dharma talk I recently offered in my monthly class for yoga teachers. ...

162: The Purpose of Asana Part Two With Cecily Milne

04 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Before this recent solo episode, The Purpose of Asana Ep 159, was even released my friend Cecily Milne reached out to say she was so excited to listen...

161: How The Legacy Of The Caste System Shows Up In Yoga Spaces with Anjali Rao

21 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Is yoga exclusively connected to Hinduism? What is the caste system and why would a western yoga teacher need to understand it? How much of yoga's com...

160: Having A Point of View Makes You A Better Teacher + Studio Owner with Michael Jay

07 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If you've ever dreamed of owning a yoga studio, or you are curious to hear what experts are saying about the yoga industry and its future-- this episo...

159: What Is The Purpose of Asana? (A Deep Inquiry)

23 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If I were to ask you what the purpose of asana is, what would you say? Would you say it was to feel better in the body? To build strength and flexibil...

158: The Yoga of Calling In with Janie Ganga (A Public Apology)

09 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is a vulnerable episode for me to share, but it was very important to me to record and release this episode because it highlights something I don...

157: The Business Support Every Yoga Teacher Needs with Jessica Gulley

19 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today we are going to talk about what it really takes to grow your business as a yoga teacher, what kind of support you need, the people you might hir...

156: Why and How to Find Virtual Private Yoga Clients

12 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

I started teaching one private yoga client virtually in 2019 when she left Washington, DC for California. But other than her I had absolutely NO exper...

155: Unexpected Private Client Hot Takes

05 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

I’ve been teaching yoga full time for 20 years, and most of that time I taught at least 15 private yoga sessions each week; for a decade that number...

154: How I Make Posting On Social Easier

29 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Social media can be a wonderful tool to help us connect with friends, communities or potential students. It can also be a black hole of despair and pa...

153: 12 Ways I Stay Engaged In The World, Protect My Nervous System And Uplevel My Teaching

22 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

My understanding of the spiritual teachings is that my liberation doesn’t mean anything unless everyone else is free too. The teachings of Buddhism ...

152: Advice For New Teachers PART TWO (The Business Stuff)

15 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In episode 148 I collected all my best advice for new teachers. The episode centered around the idea that the most important thing new teachers can do...

151: What To Look For In A Retreat (And What To Expect At Mine)

08 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How do we pour into ourselves so we have enough energy, time and focus for all the people who need us? How do we stay connected to our practice, since...

150: Daily, Weekly + Monthly Routines That Make Me The Teacher I Want To Be

01 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Being a yoga teacher, heck being a PERSON, is TOUGH right now. But having a job that requires presence and vulnerability and groundedness all the time...

149: What I’m Doing to Keep My Private Teaching Calendar Full

24 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Teaching yoga, and maybe especially teaching private clients is, to be candid, an unstable way to make a living. But I have done it successfully for t...

148: My Advice For New Yoga Teachers

17 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Anytime I connect with a new-ish yoga teacher I end up giving a lot of the same advice, so I collected all of it in one place, right here in today’s...

147: Foundational Business Practices Every Yoga Teacher Needs with Lauren Schoenfeld

03 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You all know that I am only minimally interested in business-- I’d much rather talk about the actual craft of teaching yoga. But we do need to make ...

146: What The Teachings Say About Current Events with Hari-kirtana Das (PART 2)

20 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

More than ever our work as yoga teachers is challenging and important. We don’t want to be like this lady, right? Trying to sell people something th...

145: How To Give a Dharma Talk When The World Is On Fire with Hari-kirtana das (PART 1)

13 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You don’t me to tell you that the world as we know it is burning to the ground. This makes teaching yoga hard, important and strange. A few episodes...

UPDATE: More Content, What Do You Want To Hear?

12 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Solo or with guests,  I explore the craft of teaching yoga, as its own practice. I’m seeking answers to the questions about why we teach something ...

144: We Don’t Practice for Ourselves with Reema Datta

29 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Even if you first learned yoga from your parents and your grandparents, the path to truly embodying the philosophical yogic teachings can be long and ...

143: Should You Talk About Current Events In Yoga Classes??

25 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You don’t need me to tell you what a wild and scary time we are living through. We know that the tools of yoga can be incredibly supportive in diffi...

142: What Makes Americans Unhealthy with Dr. Jessica Knurick

04 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As I sit down to write these show notes, RFK Jr is currently in his senate confirmation hearing. By the time you read these words it is my assumption ...

141: The Best Way To Find Private Yoga Students

21 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Building a career as a yoga teacher is challenging because unlike many other kinds of jobs, you have to build out a career in one hour blocks, working...

140: Rest Is Sacred with Octavia Raheem

17 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Octavia Raheem first wrote a book called Gather where she talked about gathering ancestors, gathering courage and gathering rest. Then she wrote a boo...

139: What It Takes For a Locally Owned Yoga Studio to Survive with Deb Flashenberg

26 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

I have been an active participant in the yoga industry since the early 2000s, and I have never really understood how brick and mortar yoga studios, es...

138: A Business Strategy Pep Talk with Jackie Murphy

12 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If you are a yoga teacher trying to make anything close to a full time income with your work, then you are an entrepreneur. Many of us resist that tru...

137: Yoga For Hypermobility with Libby Hinsley

22 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The learning journey I’ve been on regarding hypermobility is incredibly personal. I was plagued with nearly constant minor and serious injuries most...

136: Holding Our Seat with Ethan Nichtern

08 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Holding grounded space as a teacher is one of the most important and most hard to teach skills for new yoga teachers. How can you be confident doing s...

135: Moving Forward After Our Teachers Let Us Down with Karin Carlson

17 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

I had a profound conversation with yoga teacher and writer Karin Lynn Carlson (she/her) and I can’t wait for you to listen.  Karin is a thoughtful ...

134: Reckoning With Abuse Of Power In Our Lineage With Trauma Expert Jenn Turner

03 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How to teach yoga in a trauma sensitive way is a conversation that floods mainstream yoga spaces these days. And with good reason; almost everyperson ...

133: How To Make The Teaching Of Yoga Accessible with Katie Blecker

06 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is one of the most important interviews I’ve ever recorded. Our guest, Katie Blecker (she/her) is here to talk about two of my favorite...

132: The Journey From Student To Thriving Teacher with Emily Anderson

09 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The yoga world has changed so much in the last 5 years, and more and more yoga teachers are finding they need to build and create their own opportunit...

131: What Practice Looks Like During Heartbreak with Sara Avant Stover

11 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today on the podcast I am introducing you to someone very special to me: one of my most important teachers, Sara Avant Stover. I started studying with...

130: Coming Home To Ourselves with Miles Borrero

14 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

I believe the invitation of life is to become ourselves, live fully and freely, and then, if you are a student of yoga, to extend that full, free, saf...

129: Do THIS To Make Your Teaching Even Better with Jivana Heyman

30 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In case you don’t know, Jivana is the founder and director of Accessible Yoga, an organization dedicated to increasing access to the yoga teachings ...

128: Neurology Is The Missing Link In Movement Education with Missy Bunch

19 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The brain and the nervous system play a HUGE role in how we integrate sensory information, experience pain and create movement patterns but this topic...

127: Q+A Private Lesson: Body Stuff, Business Stuff And Dharma Teaching #4

28 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Today I will answer a bunch of questions that you all have sent in about teaching private lessons! In this episode you’ll hear: suggestions for he...

126: Loving Kindness + Active Backbends (Practice with Francesca!)

30 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Well, this is an unusual episode!! Since I released a podcast episode last year about my group class planning process I’ve been getting more and mor...

BONUS: Inclusive Yoga Illustrations with Harmony Willow Hansen

22 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

I’m sure you’ve noticed that many stock images and illustrations of yoga practitioners show a very narrow representation of bodies and abilities. ...

125: How To Create And Lead Your Own Teacher Training with Cyndi Lee

18 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Teaching teachers how to teach yoga is a massive responsibility. (How many times am I going to write the word “teach” in this intro???)  Many peo...

124: Yoga and Dominant Culture with Anjali Rao

28 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In today's episode, we have a very special guest, Anjali Rao (she/her). Anjali is a yoga teacher, writer, and podcast host who offers profound insight...

123: The Yoga Sutras with Vikram Jeet Singh

31 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

I have wanted to have a teacher on the podcast to talk to us about The Yoga Sutras for years, and I finally found the teacher we needed! Vikram Jeet S...

122: A Week In My Life (Updated for 2023!)

29 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Back in February of 2018 I shared an intimate view of a full week in my teaching and work life. I shared my daily habits and routines, the things I wa...

121: How To Teach When You're Not Feeling Inspired

29 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today I’m here to share a vulnerable update of my life lately, and some tools I’m using to teach great yoga classes even though I’m in a very ch...

120: Poses We're Not Teaching Anymore (A Sangha Convo!)

27 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Are there poses you used to love and teach, but have recently stopped teaching for some reason?? It turns out we all have a long list of poses that we...

119: All About My Morning Routine (And Suggestions For Yours!)

27 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

I feel a little shy sharing this intimate view of my morning practice, but when I asked y’all if this topic was of interest I heard a resounding YES...

118: My Group Class Planning Process

16 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In January I started sharing my group class planning process in short videos on Instagram and y’all had questions! The more I shared, the more ques...

117: Yoga for Seniors with Chintamani Kansas

25 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Many yoga teachers in our community either already specialize in teaching seniors, or would like to. Yoga can be a wonderful practice for older people...

116: Integrating Buddha Dharma and Asana with Meredith Witte- Live Mentoring Session

28 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Many of the yoga teachers I’ve worked with feel more comfortable and confident teaching asana than they do teaching the other seven limbs of yoga. T...

115: The Case For Teaching Leveled Classes

14 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The thinking behind this episode has been a long time in the making. I haven't talked about this much publicly, but If you've done 1x1 mentoring with ...

114: Pelvic Health in Yoga Classes with Shannon Crow

24 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Our students' movement patterns directly impact their pelvic health, and their pelvic floor impacts their movement patterns! With those two aspects of...

113: How To Respond To Students Who Want "Correct" Alignment with Ariele Foster

13 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ariele Foster is a doctor of physical therapy and the founder of Yoga Anatomy Academy, a no-nonsense, evidence-based resource for learning yoga anatom...

112: How To Find New Private Clients with Mary Reddinger

15 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Mary Reddinger is joining us on the show today to share how she built her full-time private yoga practice just recently! Mary and her family moved in ...

111: Planning A Beginner’s Series with Dara Madigan

25 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Over the last few years more and more yoga teachers have worked to create their own teaching offerings outside of a studio setting, and I think this i...

110: Q+A, Taking Time Off, Hamstrings, Continuing Ed + More!

27 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

I’ve been collecting your questions over the last few weeks, and I’m so happy to share this Q+A episode with you today! (It’s an off the cuff, c...

Ep. 109: The Ten Things Saving My Life Right Now

16 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Hello! After a long maternity leave I’m back in front of the podcasting mic and so excited to be here. This episode is quite a departure from our us...

108: Anti Capitalist, Anti Racist Yoga with Avita Bansee

28 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Avita Bansee (she/they)  is here today to talk to us about what Anti Capitalist, Anti Racist Yoga looks like. Avita is a graduate of Yogaworks 200 ho...

107: The Science of Tissue Adaptation + Motor Control with Dr. Garrett Neill

10 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

One of the most downloaded episodes of this podcast is Episode 59: ROM, Neuroscience + Yoga with Garrett Neill. In that episode we talked about the d...

106: The Power of Rest with Octavia Raheem

19 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Much of a yoga practice can, from the outside, look like very little is happening. In a meditation practice it might look like we are just sitting the...

105: Yoga And Social Justice with Jivana Heyman

22 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The historical teachings of yoga have incredible lessons for our modern world. Understanding and unpacking the ancient teachings is a lifelong process...

104: Postnatal Considerations in Asana with Deb Flashenberg

15 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Deb Flashenberg (she/her) is the founder and director of the Prenatal Yoga Center which she founded in NYC in 2002.  Along with being a prenatal yoga...

103: The Yoga Teachings Are Inherently Political with Jacoby Ballard

11 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

I know that questioning whether the practices of yoga have a political aspect to them is a popular conversation, even controversy. But from my reading...

102: Decolonizing The Wellness Publishing Industry with Rebekah Borucki

14 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

I imagine by now you’ve probably heard that over 65% of COVID misinformation is spread by just 12 people, and those 12 people are almost all from ...

101: Working With Injuries (A Solo Episode)

30 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In teaching yoga and asana we end up working with bodies quite a lot. Many, if not most, of our students will likely  be dealing with some kind of di...

An Important Announcement + A Request

23 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

I'm excited to share this quick bonus + important announcement episode with you. In the episode, I share the updated description of the podcast, why I...

100: What Good Quality Teaching Looks Like with Dr. Janna Dresden + Dr. Ronald Cervero

26 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today is our 100th episode and to celebrate we have two very special guests! Joining us on the podcast are two nationally renowned professors who are ...

99: A Collaborative Yoga Membership Model with Catherine la O'

12 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In The Mentor Sessions Sangha we have been having a robust conversation about online yoga class library memberships. These are very popular now, and c...

98: Trauma-Conscious Yoga Is A Philosophy, Not A Specialty Class with Hannah Davis

28 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When you think of teaching a trauma-informed yoga class, what comes to mind? Do you think of teaching a special class for a specific population, like ...

97: Masks, Vaccines + Polarization In The Yoga Community with Wolf Terry

08 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As you are well aware, we are living through a devastating public health crisis and masks and vaccines are our most important wellness tools right now...

96: The "BEST" way to teach twisting movements!

17 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The "BEST" way to teach twisting movements!  What kind of rules have you been taught about the safest way to twist? What do you teach your students a...

95: How To Use Fascial Slings and Whole Body Cueing In Your Teaching (PLUS: The Biopsychosocial Model!) with Kearsten Lyon

20 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Kearsten Lyon (she/her) is the founder and owner of an extended health care clinic called Total Movement Therapy based in Toronto, ON and sees clients...

94: What Compelling Marketing Looks Like with Mado Hesselink

06 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

I often feel like marketing is hard, and the things the “experts” tell us to do are slimy and also don’t work. You feel me? That’s why I’m s...

93: Teaching Kids Yoga Has Lessons For Us All with Crystal McCreary

22 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Teaching yoga to kids has the potential to be incredibly impactful for kids and their communities, but there are many challenges that arise when we tr...

92: Q+A Planning And Progress In Private Lessons #3

08 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Teaching yoga in 1x1 settings is such a wonderful way to inspire and support meaningful change in our student’s lives. But the possibilities for wha...

91: Legal Protections For Yoga Teachers with Cory Sterling

25 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As yoga teachers most of us are legally and financially out on our own; we are small business owners and independent contractors cobbling together eno...

90: Super Practical Answers To All Your Yoga-Tech Questions with Alex Haley

11 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The yoga world has changed so much since I started teaching 16 years ago. Back then I didn’t have a website, use social media or have any fancy tech...

89: An Update On Online Teaching + A Deep Dive Into The Camera On/Camera Off Debate

27 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It has been just over one year since I shifted from teaching yoga full time in-person, to teaching full time online. It has been a huge change (obviou...

88: How Not To Teach Yoga with Tori Lunden

13 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Do you know Tori Lunden (she/her)? She is known as Bad At Yoga on social media and if you haven’t come across her work yet I’m SO excited I get to...

87: The Nuances Of Trauma-Informed Yoga with Sangeeta Vallabhan

30 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Trauma-informed practice is a popular topic in the yoga world, and with good reason. Most people have experienced some kind of trauma and if yoga is t...

86: What It REALLY Looks Like to Regress or Progress Movement with Trina Altman

16 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

There are two things I’m really passionate about in my teaching: One is dismantling the notion of linear, hierarchical, universal progress, especial...

85: The Trans* Yoga Project with M Camellia + River Redwood

09 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Trans* Yoga Project is doing incredibly important work in the yoga and wellness spaces and I’m honored to introduce you to two of the founding m...

84: The Power of Pranayama with Mirabelle D'cunha

23 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Pranayama is incredibly rich practice because breath is a powerful vehicle to explore our most intimate relationship, the one we have with ourselves. ...

83: A Teacher Owned Co-Op with Shamina Rao + Elizabeth Barnett of The Connective

09 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Connective is a virtual movement studio that is cooperatively owned and powered by teachers. They provide a sustainable livelihood for yoga and mo...

82: The 12 Routines That Saved Me Last Year

26 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

You don’t need me to tell you that The Year of Our Lord 2020 was (and this is the official designation, I’m pretty sure) A Hot Steaming Pile of Ga...

81: Yoga In India + Yoga In The West with Arundhati Baitmangalkar

12 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The differences between the way yoga is taught and practiced in India and the West are significant, and important for western yoga teachers to be awar...

80: An Evidence-Based Approach to Mindful Movement with Jenn Pilotti

22 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The human body is a beautiful and complex system, and people who teach movement always have more to learn! When the scientific concepts of motor contr...

79: Embracing Yoga’s Roots, Studentship and Anti-Racism Work with Susanna Barkataki

08 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

My friend Susanna Barkataki has written a book called Embrace Yoga’s Roots: Courageous Ways to Deepen Your Yoga Practice and it is excellent. It is ...

78: Injuries + Teaching Yoga with Monica Bright

10 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

If you’re a yoga teacher who’s had to teach while working with an injury, this podcast episode is for you! Or if you see the same injuries over an...

77: Letting Go of Alignment (And What To Teach Instead) with Derek Cook

27 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

I think many of us would agree that a strict, dogmatic focus on alignment in asana doesn’t really serve our students, but the question you may be as...

76: I Opened A Virtual Studio!

13 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

I am so excited to announce that my virtual yoga studio Stillness + Movement is officially open! This episode will take a deep dive into how I ended u...

75: Where Do We Go From Here? with Amber Karnes + Susanna Barkataki

29 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Creating and connecting with community has been one of my most important practices this year. I have a weekly Sunday night Zoom hang out with my best ...