#206 After 32 Yoga Teacher Trainings...I am Finally Doing Things Sustainably
"If mom takes care of herself, everyone learns to take care of themselves."
The very first 200 Hour YTT at Mindful Bali has just graduated and wrapped up. We had the most incredible evening together tonight. Wayan set up the house BEAUTIFULLY with flowers. Karunika, who is a cacao ceremony facilitator in the community, led us through song and dance and certificates. Then Komang and Dayu prepared an epic meal.
I said to the students that this is one of the first YTTs where I don’t feel completely exhausted at the end.
One of the students asked me if I had reflections as to why.
(She also asked me how many 200 Hour YTTs I’ve done - and I wasn’t sure, so I added them up. Between Mindful Life Practice, Sky Yoga and Inner Yoga, I have led THIRTY-TWO 200 Hour & 300 Hour YTTS since 2021, which just blows my mind! This number does not include any of the many 50 hour and 100 hour YTTs I have taught on and led, or any of the retreats I have led in that time.)
After leading 32 trainings, I’ve learned from some of my past mistakes (it’s taken me thirty-two times to learn some of these lessons!)
Here’s what I’ve learned — and how it’s changed not just my experience, but the experience for the students as well.
1. Teamwork makes the dream work.
On my first 200 Hour YTTs I was teaching EVERY hour of the 200 Hour YTT. That idea to me is just absolutely unbelievable now. Now, I have a solid faculty of teachers living in Bali working with me.
On this YTT:
ID taught yin asana labs, pranayama, mudras, and bandhas, which was many afternoons.
Marlen taught asana labs and anatomy every day at 11:00am.
Both Marlen and ID took on one of the 6:30am sunrise classes a week. I typically joined them for the first hour and then zipped off to the gym or pilates to get a workout in.
Vanoosheh (a grad from 2 years ago!) taught one 6:30am class a week. It was awesome for the students to see someone in the newer teacher role leading. (Someone said earlier today it was kind of like the CITS at summer camp, Counsellours-in-Training, and I couldn’t agree with it more!)
Plus multiple guest teachers.
This meant students were exposed to many different voices, styles, and areas of expertise - which is something I never had in my early trainings. And it meant that when I was teaching, I could be more present, more grounded, and more impactful.
It also meant I had time every day to take care of myself - to go to recovery meetings, Pilates, train, socialize, rest.
And I truly believe that a regulated, supported teacher creates a more regulated, supported container for students.
2. I’m no longer in charge of accommodation.
This is the first time I didn’t book a retreat center for everyone for a 200 Hour YTT. Students stayed in their own places. Many chose the hotel beside my house (literally a 1 minute walk). Some chose nearby guesthouses which were more basic but much more cheaper. Either option worked for different needs.
Previously, I was the point of contact for everything - room issues, complaints, logistics. Now, all of this is handled directly with the accommodation.
And what I noticed is this:
Students naturally began taking more ownership over their own experience - communicating their needs, navigating challenges, and finding what worked best for them.
Instead of me holding everything, they got to step into more independence - which is such an important part of becoming a teacher.
3. I’m no longer managing travel logistics.
I used to collect everyone’s flight itineraries and arrange their airport transfers.
This used to stress me out so much I literally wouldn’t sleep if someone was arriving in the middle of the night.
Now, I greet students when the event begins. I encourage them to contact their accommodation about a transfer.
And what this creates is a clear energetic boundary:
When we begin, we begin together, fully present.
It allows me to show up as a teacher, not as a travel coordinator, which ultimately serves the depth of the training.
4. No roommates.
21 days is a long time to share a room. While I had amazing experiences with roommates on my 300 hour YTT in 2017 in Bali (we were the three best friends!) I know not everyone has that experience.
When I had roommates or even villa-mates on my yoga teacher trainings, I was often the first contact point to help mediate conflicts.
Now, students choose their own accommodation, and if they share a room, it’s something they have organized independently.
This has removed an entire layer of tension and allowed the group dynamic to feel lighter, more spacious, and more intentional.
5. Less shared meals.
Previously I ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner with students every day.
Now we only serve lunch at Mindful Bali, plus a few special dinners (kirtan nights, welcome, farewell). The students eat breakfast and dinner either in the restaurant in the hotel next door, or at their own accommodation.
And what I’ve noticed is this:
Space is important.
In 21 days together, integration matters just as much as connection.
Many students chose to eat together - and many chose to eat alone.
Both are valuable.
Rest, reflection, and solitude are part of the training too.
6. Better boundaries.
All students now sign a code of conduct on the first night. This sets expectations from the beginning.
Game changer.
Not just for me, but for everyone.
Clear boundaries create a safe, respectful, and professional learning environment, where everyone knows what’s expected and can relax into the container.
7. Taking care of myself is non-negotiable.
Weekly craniosacral therapy
Full Sundays off
No organizing activities out of guilt
Even despite everything I’d put in place, during this training I noticed I was in full sympathetic nervous system activation by week two. My healer and I made a plan, and I went to Sanur for 24 hours.
That reset me completely. Previously I used to just keep going when stuff like that occurred.
Going forward: full Saturdays and Sundays off during trainings. No exceptions.
And here’s what I’ve come to understand (which took me almost twelve years of teaching yoga to realize!)
Taking care of myself is not separate from the work.
It is the work.
One of my students said something tonight that really stayed with me:
“If mom takes care of herself, everyone learns to take care of themselves.”
Yes.
And that’s the kind of teacher I want to be now.
Not a teacher who overextends and burns out.
But a teacher who models sustainability, self-trust, and balance.
My teacher Everett who led my 300 Hour YTT once told me that running teacher trainings is an education in itself.
I couldn’t agree more.
I can’t even explain what it’s taken to get here.
When people heard I was running trainings out of my villa, they wondered how I would manage my energy with the training group in my home all the time. I honestly believe this model made this the best it’s ever been - for all the above reasons.
32 trainings later, I have beautiful manuals, organized content, and I feel finally like I’ve found a sustainable way to do this work. And I’m so excited for the June 200 Hour YTT.
And in the meantime, I’ll begin updating my 300 Hour YTT manuals for July!
And maybe this is what my recovery is asking me right now - to step back from the pattern of over giving, over identifying, over doing. Learning how to step back without disconnecting. Learning how to care without carrying everything. Learning how to lead without losing myself.
Studying Online?
Next week I start 2 new Courses.
Resting With the Sutras is a yin, mantra & meditation based class.
10 Weeks
90 Minute a Class
One sutra a week
Integration, practice, rest, ease
Yoga Sutra Study is a philosophy based class
6 months
2 Hours a Class
Study all 196 Sutras
More discussion based
Coming to Bali?
I teach drop in yoga at my home yoga shala, Mindful Bali. The current schedule is here.
I teach at Radiantly Alive, one of the bigger studios in town. Find me here.
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