by Sage Rountree

The ultimate guide to the yoga profession—at every stage of your teaching career

Yoga has helped you, and now you want to share what you’ve learned. Maybe you’ve just graduated from yoga teacher training, and you’re wondering how to take your next steps. Or perhaps you’ve been teaching for a while, but you feel unsure about how to get a studio job, develop a workshop, establish clear boundaries with your students, or level up in your career.

Wherever you are, The Professional Yoga Teacher’s Handbook will help you choose a wise path toward where you want to be. Sage Rountree mines her decades of experience as a yoga teacher, teacher trainer, and studio owner to offer guidance at every turn:

• Land your first job, and smartly manage your schedule, money, and energy
• Prepare outside the classroom to ensure that each class is a good one
• Keep pace with changing Yoga Alliance standards and the expanding world of online teaching
• React in real time to students’ needs (and gently teach studio etiquette)
• Figure out whether you want to become a full-time teacher, own a studio, take private clients, lead yoga teacher trainings—or all of the above.

Throughout, thoughtful prompts encourage you to articulate your principles, vision, and plans. Instead of telling you what to teach, this book will guide you to your own answers—first and foremost, by asking: How can my teaching be of greatest service to my students?

Especially if you purchased the eBook, please click to download a printable PDF of the activities and resources from the book.“This clear-cut guide will help readers approach yoga teaching with professionalism and passion.”—Publishers Weekly

“In The Professional Yoga Teacher’s Handbook, Sage Rountree gives movement teachers of any background the tools they need to succeed. This comprehensive book covers everything from choosing a teacher training to opening a studio. In her warm voice, Rountree offers advice on everything a yoga teacher needs to know. It’s all here: from planning a class to getting a job to dealing with students to creating videos and other online content—valuable information for the post-pandemic landscape. It is a must-have resource for every yoga teacher and every teacher in training!”—Tiffany Cruikshank, founder of Yoga Medicine

"This incredibly useful handbook from industry leader Sage Rountree covers every facet of yoga teaching, from landing your first teaching job to creating and managing online content, to refining your yoga teaching language. Whether you're an aspiring yoga teacher or have years of experience behind you, this guide will help you level-up your teaching craft and career within the current landscape of the modern yoga world."—Jenni Rawlings, pioneer of science-based yoga, movement & instruction

“In The Professional Yoga Teacher’s Handbook, Dr. Rountree incorporates her wide-ranging experience as a dedicated yogi, author, business owner, athlete, and master teacher to enhance and support the careers of yoga instructors at any stage of their professional journey. Her eloquent storytelling incorporates experiences from her personal journey to establish herself as a renowned yoga expert, while seamlessly integrating well-researched statistics. Sage offers advice within a practical, workbook style framework that allows the reader to ask thoughtful, self-reflective questions that will yield important revelations to expand any yoga career. An incredibly comprehensive and thoughtful review of the salient points, The Professional Yoga Teacher’s Handbook will be an invaluable addition to any yoga teacher’s library.”—Ingrid Yang, MD, JD, E-RYT500, C-IAYT, author of Hatha Yoga Asanas and Adaptive Yoga

“No one can predict how the pandemic will continue to impact local yoga communities and the yoga industry at large. Yet Sage's book is the business of yoga book that every 200-hour training program needs to have as required reading. Clear, practical, well-informed, and an honest ‘peek behind the curtain’ of being a yoga professional, this book is a game changer for yoga teachers who want to teach in an impactful, purposed, and far-reaching way, and do it for the long haul and as a career path.”—Octavia Raheem, co-owner of Sacred Chill West, author of Gather, and yoga teacher
 
"How I wish I had this book when I first began teaching! Trenchant and practical, Sage Rountree offers a holistic map and guidebook for the aspiring or professional yoga teacher. Asana knowledge and yogic philosophy will only get you so far. The Professional Yoga Teacher points the way to 'next level' of your aspiration to teach, walking you through a truly integral strategy for the business and management of teaching yoga. A teacher training without the insights of this book is like buying a new car but forgetting to install a GPS or failing to fill up the tank. There is a code to becoming a successful yoga teacher, and Sage Rountree has generously made clear all the vital elements of that code."—Josh Summers, Yin Yoga Trainer and host, Everyday Sublime podcast

“Whether you’re embarking on your first teacher training program or you’ve been teaching for a decade, this book strikes every essential chord while providing a dose of ‘real talk’—vital for any yoga professional. Sage reminds the reader that ‘learning is a lifelong process,’ and her helpful prompts throughout the book, designed to distill ones intention and gain clarity, are invaluable exercises for all teachers at any juncture in their career. Relevant to today’s yoga culture, this book is an indispensable companion for anyone on the path of teaching yoga.”—Terry Cockburn, owner and director, Freeport Yoga Company

“The Professional Yoga Teachers Handbook is an excellent guide to teaching yoga successfully without having to make many common mistakes. It includes sage advice on offering the best quality instruction in today’s climate, while setting up healthy boundaries to enjoy the rest of your life.”—Michael Johnson, founder, Clearlight Yoga