If you teach in any climate with real seasons, summer attendance has its own logic. The first beautiful spring day empties the studio. A July heat wave fills it back up. By August you're juggling subs, outdoor classes, your own travel, and a schedule that no longer makes sense.

After twenty-plus years of teaching and fifteen years of co-owning a studio in North Carolina, a state with four seasons including a warm summer, I no longer take this personally. Summer isn't a problem to solve. It's a season to work with. In this episode, I share four moves to summer-proof your teaching: build a small repertoire of go-to classes, sequence for the heat, lean into the gift of small classes, and take real time off without guilt.

Mentioned in this episode:

• The Zone, my free community for yoga teachers, where the Greatest Hits Lesson Plan (built on the 6–4–2 framework) is waiting for you: https://comfortzoneyoga.com
• The Prep Station, with a full month of summer-themed lesson plans, sequences, and tips in June, including the legs-up-the-wall sequence: https://www.comfortzoneyoga.com/prep
• Episode 24, "What If No One Shows Up?"—for more on teaching to small classes

A lighter summer is not a smaller career. It's the foundation for a steady fall. If this episode was useful, share it with a teacher friend who is staring down June with dread.

Join the Comfort Zone Yoga 200-hour yoga teacher training—curriculum is open now and our live cohort runs September through November 2026. Be sure to tell your students who are interested in teaching, too!

Read all about it here.

Want to become (almost) everyone's favorite yoga teacher? Join Comfort Zone Yoga, my virtual studio focused on teacher development. I have a ton of Sage advice in there for you!

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And come explore my mentorship program, Yoga Class Prep Station membership, continuing education and 200/300/500-hour teacher training programs, and my many books for yoga teachers. It's all at sagerountree.com.