Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:11] Speaker B: I'm Lauren Leduc, the owner and founder of True Love Yoga in Kansas City, Missouri and today I'm joined by Analysis Broderson. Analysis completed her 200 hour yoga teacher training with True Love Yoga in 2020 and is currently about 2/3 of the way through our 300 hour advanced yoga teacher training. And this is its inaugural year 2026. She has a background in social work, mindfulness and therapeutic practice and brings such a thoughtful, compassionate approach to teaching. And beginning this month, she'll also be joining our teaching team, leading Friday afternoon hatha flow classes here at the studio. And Alyssa, thank you so much for being here.
[00:00:49] Speaker A: Yeah, of course. I'm happy to be here.
[00:00:50] Speaker B: Well, I'm so happy you're here. And I love asking this question first, always, which is how did you fall in love with yoga?
[00:00:56] Speaker A: Oh my gosh.
So I fell in love with yoga, like very slowly. I was a runner in graduate school and I had a colleague who I guess she wasn't a colleague. I call her a colleague now. Colleagues in yoga and colleagues in, like, other PhD programs. She was getting her PhD in English and she was a runner. She was teaching yoga. And I went to her cycle classes and she would always say, come to my cycle yoga class. Come to my cycle yoga class. It's so good for people who run, for people who are exercising. And so that was sort of my gateway into one day. I finally went and I remember just sitting in Shavasana being like, this is terrible. Like, why does anyone do this? I was so uncomfortable. Like, we're just supposed to lay here. And then of course, being research minded, I started to do research into mindfulness and all of these things. It's like, okay, this is, this is probably something helpful for me, so I'm going to stick with it.
And then just started going a lot more. I ended up going probably three or four times a week throughout my graduate program. And yeah, in 2020, decided to do my own training. So it was a really, it was a slow, a slow burn, a slow warmup process. And I'm really grateful that I did find it though.
[00:02:11] Speaker B: Yeah, thanks for explaining that. Before I ask another question, I really want to know what a cycle yoga class is. Like cycling and yoga.
[00:02:18] Speaker A: Yeah. So it's, it's sci, yo. For fun. Okay. And we would cycle for like 20, 30 minutes and then do yoga for like 20, 30 minutes afterward. So we would kind of do the cycle, then move to the yoga studio and do the yoga after.
[00:02:35] Speaker B: That actually sounds really fun.
[00:02:37] Speaker A: It was great. It was the Best gateway into it. I'm not sure. I mean, even that was a hard sell for me at the time. I was like, I don't have time to lay on a mat. What are you saying?
[00:02:47] Speaker B: I love that. So it started out with this movement and I was looking at your bio and it says that yoga became at some point more than movement to you. It's this way of cultivating curiosity and self trust and compassion.
Do you remember a particular moment where that shift happened?
[00:03:05] Speaker A: I feel like for me it was somewhere between, somewhere in 2020. I had just had my first baby and that was a really intense experience for a lot of reasons. And we were doing yoga teacher training. Covid happened. It was crazy.
And I, I was having this like, a lot of struggles with like, well, I have to do a daily practice, I have to do this, I have to do this. And I was really holding myself to this sort of perfectionistic standard of how to like perform it correctly. And I really wanted to do a good job. And I would say throughout the process of that training, especially toward the end, I was also doing therapy on the side, my own individual therap and kind of got to the place where I surrendering more, allowing more. And I think that I didn't realize that I was really opening up to the philosophical curiosity, expansive side of yoga until this training. Like I went through, I became a therapist myself. I went through all these other trainings and through the 300 hour training, I've been like these things that I believe now, are, are yo are yoga okay? So that's been really cool to like kind of conn back have having had that experience where I was really uncomfortable a lot of the time during 200 hour and like, gosh, what's happening? What's going on? Like, I don't understand. There's this like tension here. And what is that to like this other layer of understanding that I kind of came back around to.
[00:04:36] Speaker B: Yeah, you joined our 200 hour at such an interesting time. Obviously 2020 was an interesting time for everyone in the whole world. But for us, our cohort started in person and we used to do nine live weekends throughout the year. Nothing was online. And then things closed down. We had no idea when they were going to come back up. So as if 200 hour isn't life changing enough for people. Yours also happened to fall on a year where you became a mother and where the entire world shut down. I was pregnant during that whole time too, so I think it was a whole lot harder that year for most of us. But Also really rewarding.
So glad to hear years later that it changed your life in that particular trajectory. And it's so fun to reconvene with you now, you know, six years later, you're a mom, you have this education under your belt, a whole new career. And to know that that time period sparked that in a lot of ways, you know, makes things make sense a little bit more in hindsight.
So given that your 200 hour was in such an interesting year and hopefully we won't have another one like that again, what advice would you give someone who's consider considering the 200 hour yoga teacher training?
[00:05:52] Speaker A: I think just to be open, to be open and try to approach anything, anything that's coming up with a sense of curiosity and just like gentleness with yourself and knowing that like showing up and deciding to do the training is the practice. Showing up to the training is the practice. And that some of the other noise that comes in is so helpful to notice and also isn't like the point exactly.
[00:06:21] Speaker B: That makes so much sense. So I'd love to talk a bit more about the 300 hour. So a lot of times people finish a 200 hour and feel complete in their training. They deepen their practice. They have maybe more of a sense of embodiment in their personal practice and they teach or don't teach. But what made you decide to continue and take it a step further?
[00:06:40] Speaker A: Yeah, I think a lot of things kind of culminated together. I am, I am a therapist in private practice now and I work primarily with people who either struggle with disordered eating and body image or have diagnosed eating disorders. And movement comes up a lot in my sessions. And I had spent some time sort of not away from yoga. It's always philosophically part of my day to day and how I experience life. But as far as like an asana practice, I maybe was doing that in my. On my own or in person like once or twice a month probably. And so movement being part of so many conversations I was having professionally and then with friends and day to day. Movement's been a part of my life for a long time. But building a new relationship with that. I really wanted to like come kind of come back to myself and come back to these, like, these interests that I had. I felt like I was really far away from it. I think I kind of wanted to refresh myself on the physical aspects of asana and then also really like integrate and combine all of the things that were coming up for me professionally and personally into like a more cohesive like, okay, this is how I want to move forward. This is how I want to teach. This is the kind of service I want to offer and get more clarity on how I wanted to do that and more confidence around each, like each limb of yoga essentially to sort of bring them all back together.
[00:08:13] Speaker B: That makes a lot of sense. I think that's one of the major things we do in this training is integrate. We integrate the philosophy and the asana and energy body and teaching philosophy all into these modules. Before you enroll, did you feel nervous to do so or did it just feel right? I remember you messaging me when I announced it.
[00:08:34] Speaker A: Yeah. So I think both. So I had been looking like, okay, I feel like it's time for me to expand myself professionally or, or, or in some way expand myself in some way and kind of looking at different trainings here and there in the therapy world and in other places and kind of was just like, no, not that, not that. And then when you, when you posted, I was like, oh, this is perfect. So I was very much instantly all in and like, this is what I'm going to be doing. And then there was kind of like a large time delay between like when, when I signed up and when we started. But I had parts of myself starting to come up and be like, like, you don't probably need to do that. That seems unnecessary.
No, no, like you, you could do these things on your own, you can integrate on your own, which is probably some percentage. There's truth to that. And also it's very different to do it in community. So I remember having conversations with friends and just kind of being like, well like I think I'm going to do this, but I don't know, I feel unsure. Can you help talk me through, like ask me some questions so I can work through this. And I was very on the fence until like the final day. I think it was like, okay, this, I'm going to trust my yes that I had when I first heard about it and I don't know where it's going to go and I don't know what's going to happen and I'm just
[00:09:54] Speaker B: going to trust that I can identify so much with that because I feel like I get these full body yeses for things or like every part of me is just like, yes, that's the thing I need to do and then maybe I'll sign up for it or you know, make the decision and then I have the time to be like, man, is that the right decision?
And self doubt and all different, as you say, parts of, of oneself pop up. But I think it's all part of the process and it's part of growth too. We talked about the 200 hour being an uncomfortable time, and there we have to lean into that discomfort sometimes to get to wherever that next step is that we want to be. I'd love to know, now that you're in the training and about 2/3 of the way through, how has it been different than your 200 hour experience?
[00:10:41] Speaker A: Gosh, it's been totally different. I think one of the main ways it feels different is just this. I think I said this before, but like, this really deep integration, like, it feels kind of like almost reminding myself of the words and the philosophies and how the things all link together in a way that allows it to, like, flow. Instead of getting stuck in different places, I feel a lot more open to the flow. So that's part of it. Another part has been, I just remember in the 2200 hour, I was in this place in my life where I really had this sense of wanting to control outcomes, not understanding how I could do a good job without being very, very rigid. And so those things were really linked for like six years of decoupling that. And then coming to this training with that decoupled has felt like those parts of myself still come up from like, you have to be doing, like you're, you're two weeks behind, like, what do you think you're doing? You gotta catch up, like, what's going on? And I'm able to kind of be like, ah, more of the practice has arrived. Like, this is okay. There's no, like really such thing as behind. It's happening as it needs to happen, when it needs to happen, and it will become complete when it's supposed to be complete. And like, it reminds me of the Lord of the Rings. Like, a wizard is never really, it's never late. He arrives precisely when he means to. I'm like, that's what we're doing with life, I guess.
I love that that's felt really true in this training. Yeah, definitely.
[00:12:22] Speaker B: Yeah. There's something interesting in the 300 hour where it's, you know, a massive amount of content. I'll own up to that right now. And it's a lot to learn and integrate. And at the same time, it feels so much more relaxed and easeful than the 200 hour training because I think a lot of people are going through a similar process as to what you talked about in the 200 hour training. And it's just part of the transformation that comes with it in, you know, trying maybe trying to get things right. We're deconstructing things, we're learning the philosophy maybe for the first time. But when we come to the 300 hour, it's by choice. No one has to do it right. To become a yoga teacher. It's something that people only do if they want to go deeper or level up their professionalism or integrate more, as you've said. And we've talked about the weekends. We're all together. It is like sleepover vibes. Like, we get to giggle and have fun. We're all colleagues there together. And there's just something like. Even though it's massive, there's something way more relaxed about it, which I think is a lot of fun.
[00:13:24] Speaker A: Yeah, I agree.
I totally agree with that. And I think, yeah, there's an easefulness about it. And I feel really good about.
Just in the back of my head is the idea, like, if. If something doesn't feel relevant to me right now, I can listen and I can like, clock in my head. You know, you have everything organized so well that if at some point in the future I'm like, oh, what was that? What was that thing that we talked about? Like, oh, that was, you know, in. In the section about this chakra. I'm going to go back in there and I can refresh myself.
That feels really good too, to know that, like, I don't have to learn all of this right now in this exact order. Like, this is going to continue to develop. And I think I have that trust because I saw the 200 hour do that. Like, I saw that it developed. Yeah, yeah.
[00:14:13] Speaker B: Just let go and go through the experience.
Has there been any particular topic or module that stayed with you?
[00:14:20] Speaker A: I think that. Oh, that's a really good question. I think so far I've really. The sacral chakra, entire section, there's something about moving through, like building on top of each other that feels like building from the root all the way to the crown that is feeling really like. Like a blooming. And I think that the fact that I have been behind a lot has actually helped me slow down and integrate a little bit more than I normally would. And so there's this, like, stepping stone sort of. Like I can feel my nervous system, like, rev up and be like, oh, this is a little bit scary. Oh, no, I know. I actually am okay. Like, oh, this is a little bit scary. And so there's like this expand, contract kind of happening. So, yeah, I think that for me, probably the most, like, challenging and rewarding has been like, actively thinking through how do I want to think of myself as a teacher, how do I want other people to see me as a teacher? What is the thing that I want to be doing? Like, what are the services that I want to be offering and what meaning do I find in that? And then just kind of coming back to that in different ways, whether it's social media or like a flyer or a connection with somebody. I've noticed that when I am having conversations, I think prior to starting the 300 hour, I'd be like, well, like, I don't really teach. I don't really. I don't really do. I don't know yoga, which is so funny to me. I don't know her and I don't. Yeah, I don't know who that is. And now I feel very confident. Like I've. I've separated out my businesses. I have my therapy practice and then I have Wild Ember, which is anything else that I'm doing is yoga, ecstatic dance, movement, all kinds of things, sound. And so that I'm. That has come out of the 300 hour training and just this reflection, reflective process of being able to remember my discernment and be like, okay, in this realm. What are the steps I feel embodied that feel like, like full yeses, like step steps forward that I want to even. Maybe they're tentatively taken, but they're still taken. And this container has felt really supportive for that.
[00:16:33] Speaker B: I love that. And I want to say there's no behind, really. Of course there's, you know, you want to get it done within a certain timetable. But this content is something you can come back to over and over again. And, you know, there's a lesson on how to do a podcast, right? And that's not going to be something every single person wants to do, but you can bookmark it and look back on it later if it becomes something of interest.
It sounds like to me that the business lessons have really struck a chord with you. And I like in this training how the business is very much integrated into everything else. And it is also still very built on the philosophy and energetics and on really exploring your own authenticity and what makes you and your teaching different, unique, special, and how to communicate that in a way that feels authentic and good to other people and to the right people as well, who are going to benefit the most from your work. And I like stripping things down in that way because business can seem really scary. It can be very much tied into so many evil and corrupt things in this world. But in the end, it's really just about knowing who you are and how to communicate that with others and sometimes in really creative and fun ways. So I'm really, really glad that it's helped you in that way. Has anything surprised you about yourself during this program?
[00:17:58] Speaker A: I think I feel like I'm entering this phase in my life where I'm noticing that, like, you know, how. I don't know if this, this probably connects to yoga philosophy somewhere, but like, you're spiraling and not in like, oh, you're downward spiraling, but like, you're coming back to the same lessons over and over again just with a little bit more insight or a little bit different perspective. And this has been that for me, in a very, like, lighthearted, surrender, comical way of like, okay, that lesson's still there. Whether it's, yeah, just. Yeah, it's been like sometimes those questions of like, gosh, what do I want to say? Is that. Is that important enough to say? Should I be saying it? And then kind of being like, okay, well, I'll try to say it.
And then doing that and then coming back like that process, I didn't realize I had just stopped that process. I started teaching online classes in 2021 and I kind of pivoted away from it and very much like a few people here and there had said some things about things I posted and I was like, and never posting again, ever. That was a terrible idea. Not consciously. And so it's funny, I've sort of been like, oh, I don't know why I feel stuck or I don't understand why I feel stuck. And yeah, I do. So it's helped sort of, yeah, bring, bring that circle kind of back around again and with different, with a lighter vibe, I guess.
[00:19:27] Speaker B: I love that. And it's, it really goes back to, I think something that many of us say, which is growth isn't linear and it's not. It will bend and curve and spiral upward, if you will. And oftentimes we face the same things over and over again, but from a different perspective. And I think especially if you're a lifelong learner and you're interested and invested in growing, that's always going to be the case. And you know, we do one on one mentoring meetings in the 300 hour, and I was talking to one of our students about imposter syndrome the other day about that coming up and really all this evidence toward them not being an imposter, but I was telling them, I still face it all the time because I'm invested in my growth and every time I hit a new edge, some of those things are going to come up again. And I'm a little bit more used to it now and kind of know that it comes with the territory but at the same time it never quite quite goes away. But I am handling it from a different perspective and with a little bit more fuller vision of it just being a part of the process. Which makes it a lot easier to accept, I think and laugh through at times as well. Yeah. So you are teaching now at our studio as well. It's a Friday noon hatha flow class which we're really excited about. Can you talk a bit about your teaching style and what students might expect in your class?
[00:20:52] Speaker A: Yeah, so I. My teaching style is very choice based. I know most classes at the studio are that way, but I really strongly value that more than anything. And as well along with that I really value. My hope is to create experiences and containers where people feel safe, to kind of explore how they are actually feeling in their body. To be able to start to notice maybe something they hadn't noticed before about like a sensation in part of their body that maybe they felt too scary before or felt like not important before but are realizing, oh gosh, like that does actually feel important today.
And then also I, I do a lot of cueing around just the like internal experience interoception. And a lot of times I recall myself being in classes with cues like that kind of getting like frustrated and like what, what? Like I'm just trying to stretch here what's going on. And so I really hold a lot of like care and space and value around the like any experience that anyone is having in response to that while recognizing that yeah, sometimes you don't even, sometimes you don't have interoception. Sometimes there's days where even I still come to a class and I'm like, I don't know what's going on in my body. That is my home at all. Good thing I'm practicing today. Maybe I'll know a little bit more when I leave. And so yeah, so I, I focus a lot more on breath, on kind of cueing an internal experience, holding space for whatever is happening that day for each person as much as possible.
And we'll do some asana in the process.
[00:22:37] Speaker B: I love that. And we are so excited to have you at the studio on a regular basis again as a teacher and as a leader. Circling back now to 300 hour, what are you most excited about now that you're in the final stretch, I think
[00:22:53] Speaker A: just, I think just integrating even more. I feel like we have this like two thirds of the way through foundation and that the rest is going to be like really just like clinking into place. Anything else that sort of feels like it's trailed off. I can't think of anything specific that I'm like really excited for. I know we're going to be doing hosting workshops for everyone and I'm very excited about our workshop that we'll be hosting. So that's, that's one thing I'm excited for too.
[00:23:22] Speaker B: I'm excited too. I can't wait to see what you guys do. And our 200 hour, our practicum is teaching a class, so a 60 minute class. And in our 300 hour it is co teaching a workshop. So I'm really excited to see what everybody comes up with because I was watching you all brainstorming your initial ideas and there was a lot of excitement in the room. So I'm like, yes, I can't wait to take these. So I've enjoyed working with you so much and Alyssa, and also having this conversation and, and listening to how, you know, these last few years have changed you and what you've gained from that and what you now confidently bring to the table. I'd love to ask you, as I love to ask everybody, how can our listeners deepen their yoga practices, whether or not they're teachers?
[00:24:06] Speaker A: I think, oh my gosh. My favorite thing for this is checking in with yourself every day. Whether that's one minute or 60 minutes, whether that's just some breaths with yourself or a full yoga class with others. Any spectrum of the spiritual, philosophical, mindful experience. Any spectrum of that of just valuing that time with yourself and allowing whatever is present to be there and intentionally doing that every day.
[00:24:37] Speaker B: Yeah, I love that. And I like how you mention as well that it can look a lot different on different days. Can be a variety of practices. You might have a minute, you might have 60. But it's just important to do that check in. So great advice. Thank you so much for sharing. Also, is there a way that our listeners can connect with you besides. Yeah, Fridays at noon.
[00:24:59] Speaker A: Fridays at noon. And then also my Instagram is wild Ember kc and that will be slowly ramping up a little bit more over the next few months so you can find me there. And I also once a month do ecstatic dance at home holistic in park.
[00:25:18] Speaker B: That is so awesome. Well, please follow analysis and analysis. Thank you so much for sharing your journey. I think one of the most encouraging things about conversations like this is realizing that yoga is truly a lifelong practice that continually evolves, and there's always another layer to explore, another question to ask, and another opportunity to check in and grow. And I'll add for our listeners that if today's conversation resonated with you, and if you found yourself thinking that, I'd love to explore yoga on a deeper level. Our next 300 hour yoga teacher training opens for enrollment on September 1st and the program begins January 1st, 2027. We'll be sharing lots more information over the coming weeks and you can visit our website to download our free guide. Is a 300 hour training right for you? You can join our interest list and be the first to know when applications open September 1st. And we'll also be offering a thousand dollars off tuition through November 11th with our early enrollment pricing. So thank you so much Annalissa for sharing with us today. We can't wait to have you around at the studio more.
And thank you everyone so much for listening. Om Shanti Om Peace. Till next time.
