Every September I promise myself this will be the year I stay on top of my class planning. By week four, the notebook holds four lesson plans and a grocery list, and the fall shine has worn off—for me and for my students.

In this episode, I'm revisiting atha, the very first word of the Yoga Sutras and one my coauthor Alexandra DeSiato and I return to throughout our new book, Yoga Off the Mat. Atha means now, and it turns out to be exactly the word a mid-season teacher needs.

I walk through what atha actually means (it's not just an auspicious opener—it assumes the student arriving has already lived some life before showing up), why week four is when the syllabus meets reality, and three ways to teach with atha this month: building it into your opening minutes, using it as a mid-class reset, and giving your own fall schedule a midterm look without overhauling everything.

If the season's early shine has started to wear thin, in your own teaching or your students' attendance, this episode meets you exactly where you are.

Live online classes are back in the Prep Station this fall: one lesson plan a month, taught live by me on three Mondays, 6:00–7:00 p.m. Eastern, with 15 minutes afterward to talk teaching. Balance Play Trio in September, Yoga for All Athletes in October, Meet the Warriors in November. Every class posts as a recording. Membership is $39 a month.

Practice with me

The next cohort of Mastering the Art of Yoga Sequencing Mentorship Membership—MMM, my six-month group mentorship for yoga teachers—starts in January 2027, and the wait list is open now. Doors open to the wait list first, in December, before anyone else hears about it. MMM is also the required half of the Comfort Zone Yoga 300-hour yoga teacher training.

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