Dear Teacher, August has a different rhythm. For some, it's quieter. Classes are smaller, routines are interrupted, and people are away. For others, it's one of the busiest months of the year, juggling work, family, holidays, and everything in between. Whatever August looks like for you, I wonder if it's an invitation to notice one word: Connection. As teachers, we often think about helping our students connect; to their breath, their bodies, or the present moment. But before we can invite others into connection, we need to ask ourselves: What am I connected to? Am I connected to my own practice, or am I simply teaching everyone else's? Am I connected to why I started this journey, or have I become caught up in the mechanics of running classes? Am I connected to the people in front of me, or am I busy delivering the session I planned? Connection is something we return to, and I invite you this month, before each class, take one slow breath before you begin. Look around the room. Really see the people who have chosen to spend this next hour with you. They've come looking for guidance, encouragement, challenge, rest, or perhaps simply a place where they can feel like themselves for a while. Meet them there. And don't forget to meet yourself there too. Teaching is at its most powerful when it grows from genuine connection rather than performance. May August remind you that the smallest moments, a warm welcome, a pause, a kind word, a shared breath, often leave the deepest impression. Much love ... Ann-See xo

@Ann-See Yeoh Thank you for the recording for the first week of July. The course aligns beautifully to the monthly lesson plans, with an abundance of yoga life wisdom. Looking forward to developing skills around noticing energy expenditure this week 🤩

Jason Crandell (you may know him/or of him) posted last week about his new 5-day training, The Missing Half: Resistance Training for Yoga Teachers. And it made me think ... Partly because strength is having a real moment in the yoga world and rightly so. But also because I’ve been thinking about this from a slightly different angle. My own background sits in a rather unusual crossover: over 30 years in group fitness, an MMedSci in Sports & Exercise Science, many years training instructors, alongside my yoga studies through the Krishnamacharya–Desikachar tradition and Paul Harvey. And I keep coming back to this question: Could we be much more intelligent about how we build strength within the practices we already teach? Yes, Mona and I have carefully and respectfully, created KettleflowYOGA. We chose kettlebells for a specific reason. So, on top of that, could we build strength not necessarily by adding dumbbells and other equipment? Not turning yoga into HIIT. Not endless planks, chaturangas and “feel the burn”. But really understanding how to use: - bodyweight - repetition - range - leverage - tempo - holds - transitions - progressive overload - adaptation for different bodies …to help people build strength for life. The ability to get up from the floor. Get up from a chair. Support their own bodyweight. Balance and recover. Stay capable as you age. I’ve started sketching out a monthly teaching approach around this; keeping the same core lesson plan for several weeks, but progressively developing a particular human capacity. Now I’m wondering whether there might be interest in a paid practical upskilling workshop around it. This wouldn’t only be for “traditional” yoga teachers. I’m curious about those of you teaching BODYBALANCE, Pilates, group fitness and other movement practices too. Would this be useful to you? And more importantly: what would you actually want help with? I’m genuinely gauging interest before I build anything.

Dear Teacher, There are seasons when teaching sits comfortably in your life. And then there are seasons where everything feels full. Work. Family. Health. Transitions you didn’t plan for. In those seasons, teaching can start to feel like just one more thing to carry. If that’s where you are right now, know that your teaching doesn’t have to be perfect to be meaningful. Sometimes, the most honest classes come from teachers who are navigating real life and not performing above it. Let your teaching meet you where you are. Simplify your plans. Stay close to the breath. Allow pauses. Let your presence do more of the work. You don’t need to rise above your life to teach well; you just need to stay connected within it. Your students don’t need perfection. They need something real. Much love ... Ann-See xo

A recent randomized controlled trial investigated whether practising yoga in the morning or evening produces different outcomes for sleep, mood, wellbeing, and lifestyle habits in young adults. The study involved 156 postgraduate students who were assigned to: - Morning tele-yoga (6–7am) - Evening tele-yoga (6–7pm) - Waitlist control Participants practised a structured 60-minute yoga programme, 5 days a week for 4 weeks. What did they find? Both morning and evening yoga improved wellbeing compared to doing nothing. Participants in both yoga groups reported: - Better sleep quality - Lower stress, anxiety and depression - Improved quality of life - Reduced anger and restlessness - Healthier lifestyle behaviours overall However, there were some interesting differences. Morning yoga seemed to have the edge for: - Reducing sleep disturbances - Increasing energy and feelings of restfulness - Encouraging healthier food choices and less junk food - Developing more "morningness" (earlier body-clock tendencies) - Increasing "sattva" traits, described as greater clarity, harmony and positive mental health Evening yoga showed a unique benefit. Participants reported a greater reduction in feelings of sadness compared with the control group. What might this mean for yoga teachers? Different times of day invite different qualities of practice. Morning classes may lend themselves well to: - Breath-led movement - Energising pranayama - Establishing intention - Building positive daily habits Evening classes may lend themselves well to: - Down-regulation - Reflection - Longer exhalations - Restorative and meditative practices So should we stop assuming all yoga classes should look the same regardless of when they're taught? The authors themselves suggest that more dynamic practices may be better suited to mornings, while slower, more meditative practices may fit evenings. One of the most interesting findings was that participants began making healthier lifestyle choices, even though they were never given advice about diet, sleep, or behaviour change. This raises a question worth exploring in classes, teacher trainings, or communities of whether yoga change behaviour because it gives us information, or because it changes our relationship with ourselves?