Enhanced Body by Monica

Home
United States
Chicago, IL
Enhanced Body by Monica

Discover how to take your teaching career to the next level. Connect with a community of teachers on the same path.

Connect to your values, discover what's important to you, plus simple and easy to accomplish steps so you create a career you thrive in! I am an experienced registered E-RYT 500hr Yoga Alliance certified instructor and teaching my students how to move intelligently is one of my top priorities. As a life-long student I am committed to training exclusively with master teachers in the industries of yoga, biomechanics, functional movement, and physiotherapy. Thus, I am equipped to aid in the identification of warning signs of poor movement patterns, which, over time, leads to repetitive stress injuries. My overall intention is to awaken the importance of body awareness, proper postural alignment and functional movement patterns. I remain committed to leading Teacher Trainings, and through Enhanced Body I host yoga retreats in Mexico, and facilitate movement workshops all with the objective of educating clients about their bodies.

11/25/2025

If your 200hr training was anything like mine, you:
👉🏽learned an adjustment for every pose
👉🏽were encouraged to touch as much as possible (“students haven’t been touched in their personal life, so they need you to touch them”)
👉🏽were taught that you should help students get ‘deeper’ in a pose
🚫were NOT taught about pain and injuries & how to address them
Therefore, you naturally have some hesitation around whether your adjustment will make things worse or not. I totally get it.
But you don’t have to continue being hesitant. You CAN become confident!
You do that by getting more curious, asking more questions, and learning more about the experiences your students are having in class.
You got this! 💪🏽

11/24/2025

This milestone isn’t about me… it’s all about you!! We’ve all been there:
👉🏽doubted what you’re teaching
👉🏽felt uninspired, or
👉🏽questioned the impact you’re actually making.
I’ve been there too.
You contribute soooo much to the lives of your students, even if you haven’t heard it in a while.
The intent of this episode is to remind you that the work you do matters deeply, oftentimes more than you know!
You don’t have to have it all figured out. You don’t have to be the most creative or the most confident teacher ever. No one is 🤫
You just have to keep showing up willing to be curious, open, and desiring growth.
I’m so excited for the 100th episode of the Essential Conversations for Yoga Teachers podcast… out today 💕
Always remember, you’re doing incredible work, even if you don’t always see it, hear it, or feel it.

✨Comment - POD - and I’ll send you the episode!✨ No email sign-up necessary!

11/19/2025

Once you realize…
💯There are more students w injuries in your classes than you realize.
🎯You’re a teacher of movement, so yes, it’s your responsibility to understand injuries.
❤️‍🩹Hiding behind what’s not in your “Scope of practice” is keeping you small and less equipped to teach students w injuries.
‼️No, you’re not diagnosing. You’re working with the student and their healthcare provider.
Again, I’m here to make you aware of how you’re getting in your own way of growing & excelling in your teaching career! Sometimes it can sound harsh, the the reality is I’m just being a mirror 🪞
First things first, how often are you saying, “That’s not in my scope”? And do you really believe that?
You were never taught what your actual scope IS… so, let’s get into it.
Comment / DM me ✨Workshop✨ and let me help you get crystal clear on what your scope of practice actually is!

11/17/2025

You want to create classes that feel safe, supportive, and empowering for every student who comes to class, right?
But how confident are you that your sequences truly support students’ differing bodies, injuries, and physical limitations?
Episode 99 of the Essential Conversations for Yoga Teachers speaks directly to this question!
Let’s discuss the art of intentional sequencing. Sequencing that considers anatomy, the nervous system, and each student’s unique movement experience.
Rather than chasing creativity or perfection, this conversation invites you to slow down, reflect, and reconnect with why you teach.
You’ll learn how to approach sequencing from a place of compassion and understanding instead of pressure or fear, and how to reframe your role as a movement guide rather than a choreographer of poses.
Get your journals ready because I’ll give you questions to reflect on to help you identify blind spots in your teaching, explode your confidence, and deepen the connection you’re building with your students.
Whether you teach vinyasa, restorative, hatha… doesn’t matter. This episode will help you look at sequencing through a new lens, one that honors the diversity of your student’s bodies.
I’d love for you to have a listen 💕

✨Comment - POD - and I’ll send you the episode!✨ No email sign-up necessary!

11/15/2025

Do you realize just how many students in your classes ar e in pain or are recovering from an injury?
I bet the more you start asking, the more you’ll realize how common these atudents are.
And you know why many of them keep taking your classes? It’s because they want to feel a sense of normalcy. They’re hoing that ‘carrying on’ with life will distract them. And sometimes that happens. But the pain returns.
What if you could teach beyond modifications and teach them HOW to manage their pain while they move? This key insight… How do you think that might affect the relationship you have with your students?
You think they might trust you more?
Or maybe they see you as the “go-to” teacher who doesn’t avoid their issues.
Now, where do you start? A weekend workshop wher you dip your toe in? Or are you willing to dive right in and have all the pieces put together for you?! 🧩
Think about how this education will be a life-changing career move! 🤓

11/13/2025

The injury that changed everything. A hamstring tear.
That was my wake-up call. I’d been teaching yoga for years, teaching students complex sequences, cueing poses I’d learned in training . But I didn’t actually understand what was happening in the tissues, joints, and nervous systems of the studentsI was teaching.
And MY body made me pay attention.
The pain forced me to ask uncomfortable questions:
• Why did this happen?
• What was I doing in my own practice that I should revisit?
• How was I inadvertently teaching patterns that might hurt students?
• What was I missing?
So I did something about it: I became obsessed with anatomy, biomechanics, and pain science. Not weekend workshops, deep study of how bodies actually work, how pain manifests, how injuries develop, and most importantly, how to work intelligently with them.
And here’s what I discovered… the “this isn’t in my scope” excuse we yoga teachers hide behind… It’s not protecting our students. It’s protecting us from admitting we don’t know enough.
If we teach movement, understanding the body IS our scope. My injuries were the break for me. The education became my gold.
And now? Working with injured students is the most beautiful, fulfilling part of my teaching practice.
It’s completely transformed how I teach, how I work with private clients, and what I offer other teachers. You don’t need to get injured to learn this. But you do need to commit to learning it. Because your students are counting on you to know more than pose names. 💕
Save this if you’ve ever felt unprepared when a student mentions an injury, and just know, you are not alone. But first, you gotta realize this work IS in your scope of practice!

11/12/2025

You can teach fancy poses AND teach students to become “friends” with their bodies.
Especially, students with persistent pain as they sometimes feel as though their bodies are turning against them.
It’s done through the:
✨words you use in class
✨the way you ask students to return to themselves, and
✨how you help them notice & acknowledge their present situation, without harsh judgment
But it takes patience & a willingness to slow down.
If you teach restorative, I’m willing to bet that it has affected the way you teach students in other formats too. Slowing down, breathing, present-moment awareness, and thoughtfulness around movment.
I could teach handstands all day long. But I’d rather teach a student to recognize themselves & build autonomy as they decide what to do and what not to do in class. 💕

11/11/2025

Just in case you can’t tell… I’m obsessed with injuries in yoga.
Why? Well,
✨I don’t think we talk about them enough
✨we don’t realize how many students actually have them, and
✨ YTT told us to avoid them at all cost, so now you might feel afraid to even touch the subject.
But here’s the thing… pain and injuries don’t have to be scary. And you can actually be a super helpful resource for your students who are experiencing them.
Learning how to help students is what I’ve centered my entire career around & I want to help you get a little more excited about injuries too!

11/08/2025

I used a ‘cue formula’ for longer than I’m proud to admit.
But as soon as I just simply started talking ‘with’ students in class, something shifted.
They felt seen.
If you were taught a formula for using your words in class… yes, it can be hard to shift.
✨Try cueing one pose differently
✨Cue based on what you see one student doing
✨ Ask students to go internal and feel their bodies from the inside.
Changing the language I use in class is the #1 reason why when I’m teaching, students can close their eyes and practice just listening to my voice.
Try it!

11/06/2025

Personally I detest when yoga classes are labeled “all levels.” Because what does that even really mean?
I taught at a “high class” club in downtown Chicago in a room that could hold well over 80+ students. Many classes included teenage boys, young & middle-aged women, and older students with hip and knee replacements. It was eye-opening to say the least.
But you know what else? It stretched my ‘observation’ & ‘thinking’ muscles and I continued to learn HOW to teach different students with different needs in one group class.
My most favorite students are not the able-bodied who can practice every chaturanga, every arm balance, every bonded-balancing pose with precision. It’s the student who has shoulder pain, an injury they’re recovering from, movement limitation in their ankles.
Why? It makes me think! Think more about how they will receive my teaching, how they connect to their bodies in class, and how they feel afterwards.
Tbh, classes titled “all levels” is a lazy way to market a class so that it appeals to everyone and pack the room. Sorry, not sorry 😏

11/05/2025

Many of the “advanced” yoga teachers I know don’t teach flashy, super complicated sequences. They teach presence, adaptability, and awareness. The ability to teach theses skills come intentional study, trial and error, conversations with students, learning their experience, and deep understanding of the body.
When you teach a student with pain or injury, your ability to simplify, modify, and create safety isn’t a sign of limitation… ✨It’s a sign of mastery✨

Maybe it’s time we redefine what “advanced” teaching really means.

💭 What does being an advanced teacher mean to you? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

10/29/2025

For many teachers, it can feel overwhelming to know how to help students with hip pain without thinking you might make things worse.
In this episode, I discuss how hip pain appears in different yoga class formats, from vinyasa, to restorative.
Listen as I explain why all hip pain isn’t the same, how anatomy of the hip joint (the femoral head and acetabulum) influences a student’s range of motion, and how nervous system regulation is just as important as physical modification.
This conversation will help you shift away from “one-size-fits-all” cues and give you confidence to support students with hip sensitivity while keeping your whole class engaged.
Whether you’ve ever worried about offering the wrong pose, struggled with creating inclusive sequences, or wanted more tools to support students with hip pain, this episode offers practical strategies and empowering perspectives to transform how you teach.
So let’s discuss in this week’s episode of the Essential Conversations for Yoga Teachers podcast! It’s episode 96: Got Students with Hip Pain in Your Classes?

✨Comment - POD - and I’ll send you the episode!✨ No email sign-up necessary!

Address

Chicago, IL

Website

http://enhanced-body.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Enhanced Body by Monica posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Enhanced Body by Monica:

Shortcuts

Want your practice to be the top-listed Clinic in Chicago?