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.

11/11/2025

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!

10/22/2025

Are your cues accidentally creating fear in your students? I get it. Talking about pain in class can feel tricky. You wanna to keep students safe, so you lean on all the “rules” you were taught in teacher training.
The truth is, many of those alignment rules are rooted in fear, not evidence.
When we tell students things like “don’t lpush your knee past your ankle” or “never, ever round your spine,” we unintentionally send the message that their bodies are fragile. Instead of helping, this can actually make them more afraid to move.
Here’s the good news… You can shift your language in a way that empowers your students. Supportive, choice-based cues create confidence and resilience instead of fear.

So let’s discuss in this week’s episode of the Essential Conversations for Yoga Teachers podcast Ep 95: How to Talk About Pain in Class Without Creating Fear.

If you’ve ever feel like you freeze in your tracks when a student mentioned pain, or if you’ve felt unsure how to cue without scaring them, this episode will give you the tools you need.

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

10/20/2025

Family > Instagram 💕
Removed myself from sm so I could be present and enjoy every. single. moment. with my family ♥️
If you’re new around here, I found my birth family in ‘21 At the same time my daughter decided she wanted to go to uni in the UK (which is where they live, whaaaaaaa?!?). 😍
Hosting my family & supporting my brother while he ran the Chicago marathon (and a 5k for fun lol) made me the happiest girl in the world.
Wouldn’t have it any other way.
Family > everything ♥️

10/03/2025

{CONVERSATION STARTER} In my conversations with teachers & when I look at teacher training materials this jumps out at me…
It’s the discrepancies in time dedicated to anatomy instruction. Some YTT’s don’t even have ANY anatomy lectures!!! 😱🤯
This is what continues to baffle me. The fact that we are teaching movement but are woefully unprepared to understand how our teaching affects the body.
So, how much anatomy did you get in your 200hr? If you’ve taken a 300hr did you get more? And, maybe the most important question: How much did you understand and learn to apply to help inform your sequencing, understand students with various body types, and students with pain & injuries.
Shouldn’t we be more equipped? I think so.

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?