Even though I love Thanksgiving for its abundance of stuffed tofurkey, candied yams, and cranberry sauce, my favorite Thanksgiving memories all involve the true spirit of the holiday: Giving Thanks.

As a yogi I try to practice karma yoga, the practice of serving others, as often as I can, but I have to admit that sometimes I lose site of helping others as I get caught up in my daily life. Thanksgiving is always that brilliant reminder to refocus, give thanks, and give back.

In my classes this past week I have tried to inspire my students to think of ways they can give thanks or give back this holiday. Some of my favorites from Thanksgivings-past are volunteering at a soup kitchen to give back to the community, teaching a free yoga class to give back to your students, going to a donation yoga class and giving back to the charity of choice, and simply telling all the people that you love why you are so thankful that they are in your lives.

Now I hope that you can inspire each other with your own favorite stories. What is your favorite way to give thanks for Thanksgiving?

Friends often ask me if it's possible to make a living as a full-time yoga teacher. I always say absolutely! But at times it can be a hard road to venture down.

As a newer teacher (under the five year mark), I feel much more secure maintaining a full-time job outside the yoga studio and teaching on the side. (I'm also lucky enough to work for Yoga Journal where I can continue feeding my yoga passion every day in a different format.)

I have other teacher friends who I can barely drag out of the studio. They teach ten to twenty classes a week and sometimes more, if the opportunity arises. They work hard and make enough to make ends meet through sheer number of classes. And they love what they do. But I'm not so sure this excess outpour of teaching energy is sustainable. I've seen it lead to burn out more than once.

And then there's the Uber-Teachers. You know the ones -- they teach four classes a week and pull in enough people to fill a stadium. They're doing well and so they should. They're great teachers, well loved, and they are getting compensated for what they do.

So my question is -- how do teachers make the jump from teaching as many classes as they CAN to make ends meet to teaching as many classes as they WANT instead? At what point and in what way does yoga teaching transform into a job that is just as monetarily sustainable as being a banker or a web designer or a school teacher for that matter?

There appears to be an unspoken debate about using music in yoga class. Sometimes classes are accompanied by soothing melodies, devotional chanting, or even all out of rock. Other classes lean towards no music at all. It's gotten me to wondering -- is there a version that's best? Or, like most things in yoga, does it simply come down to what feels right for you?

In my own teaching I have covered all sides of the spectrum. When I started teaching, music always accompanied my words. I found that music helped to calm my new-to-teaching-nerves. It created an anchor that I could draw inspiration from to structure a class and inspire my students. Plus, some of my favorite teachers use music woven masterfully into their classes so I thought it seemed like a great idea to follow suit.

And yet, after a few years of teaching and, frankly, listening to my small selection of mixes over and over and over, I decided I needed a bit of a musical break. I'd like to say I was inspired by the desire to move towards stillness but, really, I was just tired of all my songs. I'm not a DJ and I didn't want to be one. So I turned the iPod off and just taught.

And then an interesting thing happened.

I found that, for me, turning off the music helped me to focus on the energy of the room and the rhythm of my students' breath. It allowed me to feel more in sync with my students and it felt like they were able to reach a depth of stillness that I hadn't seen before. And so it stuck.

Has this experience caused me to swear off all music in yoga? Definitely not. Sometimes it feels like the room (or maybe me) could use a bit of a musical lift and so I pull my iPod out. I also love live chanting so I weave that into the beginning and end of class as often as I can. I love going to yoga classes with music and without. So I guess I would say I am firmly planted somewhere... in the middle.

For those days that you lean more towards the musical side, visit our monthly playlists for inspiration or check out this Jivamukti sequence set to a downloadable musical track.

If you are anything like me then when you practice yoga you focus on the asana -- poses that stretch the body (and often the mind). You know that meditation is an important part of the practice and you might sneak in a minute or two of stillness at the beginning or end of your asana fiesta.

Or maybe you sit and meditate for five, ten, twenty minutes a day.

Or maybe you think you should. And you don't.

At one time or another I have fallen into all of these categories. When I began yoga it was hard for me to sit for ten seconds. I was so used to moving and doing and multi-tasking that I'd completely forgotten how to get still. As I became more involved with my asana practice I gradually started to unravel and could proudly hit the ten second mark without even a flinch. From there my endurance grew so that now, ten years later, I can sit for ten minutes straight and not run screaming from my zafu.

Doesn't sound like much, does it? Well, for me, ten minutes feels like a huge victory. (Even then, I go in and out of my meditation practice more often than I would like to admit.) But I know that every time I meditate I feel like I want (need) to do it more.

Where do you sit on meditation? Or do you sit at all?

Looking to learn more about meditation? Check out our collection of meditation articles.

I was recently watching Yoga Journal's latest DVD: Yoga For Strength and Toning with Flow teacher Stephanie Snyder. (Full disclosure: Stephanie is my main teacher so I am thrilled that she just released this brand new DVD.) Strength and toning seems like a great reason to do yoga but it got me thinking: I wonder how many different reasons there are that people practice yoga?

Some super-busy students of mine do yoga to de-stress; others to stay in shape. Some sporty students do yoga to stretch out after their workout.  I do yoga for different reasons on different days but mostly because it makes me feel good: mind, body, and soul. (And sometimes I joke that I do yoga because it makes me a little bit less crazy.)

I know my students do yoga for some many reasons. What are those reasons for you? What brings you to the mat?

Recently I came across An Offering of Leaves by Jivamukti yoga teacher Ruth Lauer-Manenti. This new book is a collection of "'dharma talks' -- stories from her life that accompany her classes and represent the yogic commitments to ahimsa (non-violence), compassion, and service."

Usually when I pick up books based on yoga philosophy, all full of enthusiasm to absorb some yogic wisdom, I get lost after three pages and end up abandoning ship. Thankfully, this book was a very welcome exception.

Ruth writes with such simplicity, humor and authenticity that I was immediately drawn into each story. It was easy to see the connection to the Sanskrit verse with which the story began. By the end I felt like I had delved into the ancient texts of The Yoga Sutras and The Bhagavad Gita in a way I never had before and in a way that made sense to me. I'm hoping I can bring this new-found knowledge into my days and to my students.

What other books have helped you deepen your understanding of yoga philosophy in an easy and accessible way?

This weekend I had the pleasure of teaching an Intro to Yoga workshop to a shiny, new crop of yogis. Some of them had never done yoga. Others had done yoga a bit but had never gotten the basics. And yet they all had one thing in common: they were super-eager to learn.

It was as if just by signing up for a workshop called "Intro" they had taken on the "Beginner's Mind" and embraced it. And oh what a wonderful thing that was.

In case you're not familiar, we often refer to a "Beginner's Mind" in yoga as that space where you examine everything as if it were new. By opening ourselves up to the possibility that there is always something new to learn (even when you have done the "same" downward facing dog a thousand times) all kinds of things can shift and change and evolve.

I found myself inspired by my beginners. Not only were they discovering yoga with all of its possibilities but they were so open and receptive to everything I (and yoga) had to offer. I found myself wanting to give as much of myself as I possibly could. I wanted to learn more and absorb with the same openness and fearlessness that they were exhibiting.

And so, my beginners, for this I thank you. And I ask you, my readers, where could you benefit from applying your Beginner's Mind?

Since I began teaching I've been on a quest to learn the secret to adjusting. Until last weekend, it hadn't gone so well.

I've been down many avenues on this quest: I learned a bit in teacher training ("adjusting basics", which I then promptly forgot in favor of pose names and sequences); I've bought "adjusting" books (its hard to learn hands-on from a sheet of paper); I've attended short "adjusting" trainings (they didn't quite get into what I was seeking); I've assisted other teachers (I was free to give all the adjustments I wanted but I was never quite sure what those should be). None of them measured up to what I was hoping to learn.

And then last weekend I had the pleasure of attending a Thai Yoga Massage workshop led by Jonas Westring, (Anusara Yoga Instructor, Therapeutic Bodyworker, and owner of Shantaya Yoga and Bodywork School).

I have to admit, when I signed up I thought the workshop would be informative but have very little to do with my yoga teaching. It was obvious from the first sequence that I was dead wrong. Turns out I had discovered the secret to all of those fantastic, deep, yummy adjustments that I have been longing to learn.

After just one day with Jonas I left equipped with clear insight into how to adjust the body, be sensitive to what is going on with my students' bodies, and to take care of myself while I'm adjusting. It was an invaluable experience that left me feeling like I had finally found a practice that could deeply change not only the way I adjust but how I interact with my students and their practice. I can't wait to learn more.

To get a taste of some Thai Yoga Massage adjustments check out Saul David Raye's article: Get in Touch.

Recently a friend and newly anointed yoga teacher asked me for advice on how to pick a yoga studio to teach at. I thought it was a great question from a newbie since I see so many new teachers salivate over ANY class they can call their own, even if it's at 4:30am AND 20 miles outside of town AND they have to pay for cleaning AND the list goes on...

After several years of trial and error I think the best way to ensure success is to make sure you consider all aspects of any teaching opportunity:

Do you like the studio & its students? A studio you teach at should be a place you feel at home in and you would want to practice there yourself. Every studio has a very different personality so some will fit and some just won't.

Do you like the owner? The owner/management has so much influence on a studio and your experience in it. Make sure your personalities mesh before committing to a class

Do people like working there? Talk to other teachers and get their experience.

Are you going to get a time slot that works well? While it can be good experience when you're starting out to get any slot (especially at a studio you really want to teach at), it can also be a real bummer to show up and have just a few students (or none at all some days). Figure out what attendance that slot currently gets and what you are willing to live with.

What don't you know yet? Do you get paid per student or a flat-fee? Is there a minimum you will be paid or if you show up and no-one else does do you go home empty-handed? Do they take anything out of your pay per month (like insurance or a cleaning fee)? Are you required to have liability insurance on your own? How often are you paid? Do they have front desk people working or do you have to sign people in? How early are you expected to be there for your class? Are you responsible for getting your own subs? Is there a sub list or can you get anyone to sub? What is the process? Are there any other things you will be expected to do?

For those more seasoned teachers out there—what else do you consider before committing to a new studio or new class?

Need ideas on how to get your chosen studio to notice you? Learn how to catch a studio's attention.

I've been noticing lately that a lot of my yogis are falling asleep in Savasana. Even snoring sometimes. Whereas in most other "classrooms" I'd be slightly offended if my students fell asleep on me, I am choosing to take this as a compliment.

But it's got me thinking: is sending your students into blissful slumber a desired effect of savasana? Have I helped them to get a snippet of deserved rest that they most clearly need? Or have I pushed them over the edge from mindfulness to unconsciousness?

It reminds me of a friend asking a similar question in our teacher training program: "What do I do if a student falls asleep?" Our teacher Stephanie Snyder had a response that I loved: "God bless them—they're tired! Let them sleep."

And so let them sleep I do. Hopefully my students will thank me for it... when they wake up that is.