{"podcast":{"title":"The Mentor Sessions","slug":"the-mentor-sessions-743367","podcast_index_feed_id":743367,"rss_url":"https://francescacervero.libsyn.com/rss","website_url":"https://www.francescacervero.com/category/podcast/","image_url":"https://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/7/4/c/5/74c55dc4da9d7c5ee55e3c100dce7605/FINAL_1.jpg","author":"Francesca Cervero","episode_count":181,"summary":"With amazing guests or solo, I explore the craft of teaching yoga, as its own practice. I'm seeking answers to the questions about why we teach something the way we do, how we could be more expansive and inclusive in our teaching, and how we can continue to grow and evolve in our teaching practice. I'm so glad you are here because I believe the depth that arises in teaching comes from inquiry and relationship. Join me as I offer nourishing support to help you feel more confident in your teaching and realistic strategy to help you find more clarity on your career path. Francesca Cervero (she/her) has been a full-time yoga teacher since 2005. Her teaching is inspired by her foundational training with Cyndi Lee at OM Yoga Center, the years she spent as a dancer and the subsequent years she spent in physical therapy. Her teaching is also influenced by her love of Buddhist teachings and a constant curiosity about anatomy and biomechanics. She is in private practice teaching a full schedule of 1x1 clients, mentors yoga teachers in The Science of the Private Lesson™, hosts the podcast, The Mentor Sessions: Support & Strategy for Yoga Teachers and is the founder of the adjoining community…","last_synced_at":"2026-07-07T18:22:18.234401+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-mentor-sessions-743367"},"episode":{"title":"176: Yoga Is Sold As Healing and Taught As Performance: What we need to move away from this paradigm","slug":"176-yoga-is-sold-as-healing-and-taught-as-performance-what-we-need-to-move-away-from-this-paradigm","published_at":"2026-06-09T09:28:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-mentor-sessions-743367/176-yoga-is-sold-as-healing-and-taught-as-performance-what-we-need-to-move-away-from-this-paradigm","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-mentor-sessions-743367","url":"https://www.francescacervero.com/podcast","audio_url":"https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/francescacervero/EDITED_MS_176_Yoga_Is_Sold_As_Healing_and_Taught_As_Performance.mp3?dest-id=539043","summary":"Have you ever been in a yoga class where the yoga teacher gives a long dharma talk about ahimsa, and then when the movement practice begins the teaching style feels very aggressive? Or maybe you have been that teacher yourself. I know I have! I think there are really subtle and beautiful ways to teach the movement part of yoga in a way that has the deeper philosophical teachings embedded within it, but most of us were not taught to do that, and it is more challenging to do than you might think! Also, many of us claim that yoga movement can be healing, but a performative style of teaching doesn't allow for that. In this episode, I explore an idea that has become central to my work as a yoga teacher and educator: the disconnect between how yoga is often marketed as a healing practice and how it is frequently taught as a performative one. I dive into the ways traditional teaching frameworks—especially the language of \"regressions,\" \"progressions,\" \"safe,\" \"unsafe,\" \"full expression,\" \"modifcation\"—can unintentionally reinforce hierarchy, competition, and performance-based thinking. If our goal is to help students feel better in their bodies, develop agency, and cultivate discernment, I believe we need a different approach. Throughout the episode, I share practical tools for teaching movement in a way that aligns more closely with healing-centered values. We explore how to move beyond visual ideals, teach from intended benefit rather than aesthetic outcomes, and help students make informed choices based on their unique experiences rather than universal standards. I also discuss the role of teacher authority, student agency, movement literacy, and why teaching in a more nuanced, non-hierarchical way is both more challenging and ultimately more effective. In this episode, yo…","meta_description":"Have you ever been in a yoga class where the yoga teacher gives a long dharma talk about ahimsa, and then when the movement practice begins the teaching s…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2715,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-mentor-sessions-743367/episodes/176-yoga-is-sold-as-healing-and-taught-as-performance-what-we-need-to-move-away-from-this-paradigm/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-mentor-sessions-743367/176-yoga-is-sold-as-healing-and-taught-as-performance-what-we-need-to-move-away-from-this-paradigm.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}