120: Karen Fabian on Sequencing, Anatomy, Confidence & Teaching Yoga Since 2002

<p>In this episode of the Yoga Teacher Training Podcast, Jeremy Devens welcomes Karen Fabian, founder of Bare Bones Yoga, for a straight-talking, deeply practical, and inspiring conversation for yoga teachers at any stage of their journey. Karen shares how her unique 10-step anatomy-based method helps teachers feel more confident, clear, and connected in their classes. With a background in rehabilitative medicine and over two decades of experience teaching yoga and anatomy, Karen breaks down what actually builds confidence for teachers—and it’s not what you think.</p><p>You’ll hear insights on:</p><ul><li><p>Why repeating sequences actually builds <em>more</em> confidence and connection with students</p></li><li><p>How perfectionism, childhood conditioning, and limiting beliefs show up in the teaching space</p></li><li><p>Why teachers who practice the whole class with their students are missing the opportunity to <em>actually</em> teach</p></li><li><p>How to “break up with your practice” so you can teach from embodied experience without needing to demonstrate</p></li><li><p>What it really means to walk into a room and lead from integrity, clarity, and vision</p></li></ul><p>Whether you’re just finishing your teacher training or feeling stuck years into your career, this episode will reignite your passion and clarify your purpose.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>5 Key Quotes:</strong></p><ol><li><p>“There is something triggering about teaching yoga. And I say that from personal experience and from the teachers I work with. There’s something about it that brings up our stuff. It’s not just, oh, I’m nervous. It’s more like, I want to get it right. I want to be liked. I want them to like me. I want to do it right. I don’t want to be embarrassed.”</p></li><li><p>“I call it: how to break up with your practice as the source of your teaching. Because that’s what a lot of teachers do. They practice at home and then they reverse-engineer that sequence and teach it in class. And then when they get into class, they teach it from their mat.”</p></li><li><p>“There was no big uprising on the fourth class when I taught the same sequence. Nobody cared. Nobody was like, I’m calling corporate. Nobody. It was just a reminder to me: this is something I’m creating in my own head, this idea that every class needs to be different.”</p></li><li><p>“I remember one time teaching and I looked around and I realized: I’m actually teaching. I’m not just cueing from the script in my head. I’m r