About this episode

Francesca Cervero discusses the disconnect between yoga marketed as a healing practice and its performative teaching style, advocating for a more healing-centered approach.

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…

More episodes of The Mentor Sessions

• 179: Building The Confidence To Teach Private Clients · July 21, 2026 · 26 min
• 178: The Systems You Need to Make Yoga Teaching Sustainable · July 7, 2026 · 45 min
• 177: The Hidden Emotional and Physical Labor of Yoga Teaching · June 23, 2026 · 24 min
• 175: What's Saving My Life Right Now · May 26, 2026 · 39 min
• 174: Yoga For Cancer with Tari Prinster · May 12, 2026 · 40 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Mentor Sessions podcast page.