Well this was unexpected. This week, Kim talks through some observations and lessons from her second time breaking her left foot. She's no stranger to broken bones and injuries - this episode brings some reflections on how this time is different thanks to practicing yoga.

Today on the podcast, our guest is Willis Johnston. He's the owner of Flying Heart Yoga in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and he is an expert at crafting intentional, immersive retreats. He's hosted over 30 retreats and tells us about his process for choosing where to go, what to do, and how to create a container for attendees during the trip.

LINKS

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Willis Johnston Yoga - Website

Flying Heart Yoga - Website

Follow on Instagram:

Willis - @flyingheartflow

Flying Heart Yoga - @flyingheartyogapuertovallarta

Kim - @kimstruglinski

Heart of Wisdom Yoga - @heartofwisdomyoga

Maybe this podcast is the first time you've ever heard of it. Maybe you've taken class with Kim (or another Katonah Yoga® teacher) and heard us talk about it. But what is this magic square thing? Why should you care about it? And how can you use it? Plus, Kim talks about a business decision she made last year through the lens of the magic square.

Magic Square Image Library - from the Katonah Yoga Center

Magic Square Workshop with Kim - November 23 in Nashville

2026 Calendar Workshop with Kim - December 14 in Nashville

This week's episode is a bit of a ramble on the topic of compensation. Kim talks about a rise in "pay to play" events where teachers and students are both paying to participate, ethics and strategies around free classes, and the recent uptick in studios leaving ClassPass. We close out with tips and takeaways for both teachers and students.

Where does the definition of yoga come from? How do we know what yoga is and how to practice it? One way we learn about the history of yoga is from the foundational texts of yoga, and in this episode Kim will give you a brief overview of three of them: the Yogasutra, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. This is a brief overview of three VERY complex texts, but we hope you'll get a sense for what each text communicates and where you might want to dive deeper in the future.

This week, Kim is joined by Annie Diomedes to talk about the life of a career yoga teacher. It's a life with lots of zigs and zags! Topics covered include:

• Where Annie started teaching
• The variety of roles Annie - aka Annie of all trades - has had and the types of yoga she’s taught
• Kids yoga
• A realistic depiction of what it looks like to teach yoga full time
• Her side career as an accounting nerd
• The journey to and from teaching full time
• How it’s changed her relationship with yoga
• Different class times and the types of people we see in them
• Advice for teachers
• Owning your style and your ability

You can find Annie on instagram at @anniediomedes and she teaches at Yoga Six in La Quinta and Palm Desert, California.

Request future podcast episodes at howyoga.co/podcast, rate, review, and share this episode with a friend!

What does it mean to have an "advanced" yoga practice? Is it just the shapes you can do? In this episode we'll talk about crowd sourced definitions for advanced yoga and talk through how Kim defines an advanced yoga practice. Spoiler alert: it's a nuanced topic!

ClassPass is a HOT topic in the fitness industry these days. In this episode, Kim will share some real talk about what it's like to be a yoga studio on ClassPass: what it is, why studios join ClassPass, what compensation looks like for studios, and why both students and studios seem to be unhappy with ClassPass right now. We'll dive into the logistics for studios and some things you may not know as a consumer on ClassPass.

Then, we'll get to the action items: Why should you purchase directly from your favorite studios if you can? If you love using ClassPass, how can you be a great ClassPass user? What would Kim do to "fix" ClassPass if she was given control tomorrow?

As always, share your topic requests and questions at howyoga.co/podcast.