You’ve cued it a thousand times: “Find the balance between effort and ease.” In this episode I take Patanjali’s sthira sukham asanam (Yoga Sutra 2.46) off the mat and show you how it runs underneath every cue you give, every class you plan, and every decision you make about your teaching career.

You’ll learn what sthira (steady, firm, structured) and sukha (literally “good axle space”—smooth, well-fitted, easeful) really mean, and how to spot when you’re gripping or collapsing on the mat, in your planning, and in your career as a yoga teacher. I name two common defaults—the teacher who over-plans and over-grips, and the teacher who under-plans and coasts—and offer a One-Degree Practice for moving toward the middle in whichever area needs it most this week.

This episode is drawn from Chapter 32 of Yoga Off the Mat, my new book with Alexandra DeSiato. Yoga Off the Mat is a book about taking what yoga does to your attention on the mat and letting it shape the rest of your life—work, relationships, parenting, hard conversations, the inside of your own head on a Sunday afternoon. Pre-order links are below.

If class planning is where your sthira-sukha ratio feels most out of balance, that’s the work of Mastering the Art of Yoga Sequencing. The next cohort runs July through December, and enrollment opens Monday, June 22nd. The waitlist is open now—get on it before Monday and you’ll hear from me first.

Resources mentioned

• Yoga Off the Mat (book) — https://sagerountree.com/yotm
• Mastering the Art of Yoga Sequencing — https://sagerountree.com/mentorship
• the Zone (free community for yoga teachers, 2,400+ members) — https://www.comfortzoneyoga.com/c/the-zone/
• Yoga Teacher Confidential podcast — https://open.spotify.com/show/3yjW83dcCGFShIZuFPA001

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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