Many yoga teachers are intrigued by the idea of teaching private clients but feel held back by self-doubt, uncertainty, or the practical realities of self-employment. In this episode, I unpack the most common concerns I hear from teachers who want to teach one-on-one but don't yet feel confident enough to begin.

Drawing from more than two decades of experience teaching private yoga clients, I explore why confidence isn't something you achieve before you start—it's something you build through experience, observation, relationships, systems, and practice. We talk about the difference between technical knowledge and relational skill, how vulnerability shows up in private teaching, and why teaching one-on-one can actually accelerate your growth as a teacher.

I also address concerns about safety, imposter syndrome, and the administrative side of running a private yoga practice. Throughout the episode, I offer practical strategies and mindset shifts that can help you move from hesitation to action.

If you've been waiting until you feel "ready" to teach private clients, this conversation is for you.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

The difference between knowledge, expertise, and teaching capacity
How vulnerability shows up in private yoga teaching
Why relational skills matter more than having all the answers
Why more certifications don't automatically lead to better private teaching
Practical safety systems for working with new private clients
How consultation calls help establish trust and assess fit
The realities of self-employment and administrative labor
Financial systems that simplify private yoga teaching
Boundaries and communication practices that reduce overwhelm

Resources Mentioned:

OfferingTree is a proud sponsor of this episode and I am honored to be an affiliate. Visit OfferingTree at www.offeringtree.com/mentor and you’ll get 50% off your first three months (or 15% off any annual plan).

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179: Building The Confidence To Teach Private Clients

Many yoga teachers are intrigued by the idea of teaching private clients but feel held back by self-doubt, uncertainty, or the practical realities of self-employment. In this episode, I unpack the most common concerns I hear from teachers who want to teach one-on-one but don't yet feel confident enough to begin.

178: The Systems You Need to Make Yoga Teaching Sustainable

Teaching yoga involves far more than the hours we spend with our yoga students. Behind every yoga class we teach there is a significant amount of planning, relationship-building, scheduling, administration, marketing, and financial management. In this episode, I share the practical systems that have helped me build a sustainable yoga teaching career over the last two decades.

Following up on our recent conversation about the hidden labor of yoga teaching, this episode focuses on solutions. While we absolutely need collective action and systemic change to better support yoga teachers (and other freelance workers), there are also concrete systems we can put in place right now to make our work feel more manageable, organized, and sustainable.

177: The Hidden Emotional and Physical Labor of Yoga Teaching

As yoga teachers, we spend a lot of time talking about teaching techniques, sequencing, cueing, and professional growth. But there’s another side of this work that often goes unnamed: the hidden labor of teaching yoga.

In this episode, I explore the physical, emotional, mental, and administrative work that happens behind the scenes of a yoga teaching career. From building a business one class at a time to managing finances, marketing, commuting, continuing education, and emotional boundaries, much of the work that sustains a teaching career is invisible to students—and often unacknowledged within the industry itself.

179: Building The Confidence To Teach Private Clients

In this episode, you’ll hear:

Resources Mentioned:

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