Don't Forget Yoga Podcast

Do you ever get confused by all of the Sanskrit names of yoga poses? In this episode our guest, Victoria Moran , gives us some fun mnemonics to help remember some of the most common poses. You will also find out about the free space on your Sanskrit Bingo card! I first met Victoria Moran in NYC around 2013, through our many connections in the vegan community. I had just begun working my new job as...

In this episode we explore the world of kids yoga with guest Deven Sisler, including * Ways to teach kids yoga and incorporate lessons from yoga philosophy * How she got into teaching kids yoga, including her experience working with children after the tsunami in Indonesia * The importance of authenticity and listening in teaching yoga to kids * Teaching yoga to families and the importance of meeti...

In this episode, we're going to explore ways to simplify our approach to teaching yoga by recognizing the core practices that will help us connect with yoga students and become better yoga teachers over time. This episode features guest Jeffrey Cohen , who shares with us: * How to keep it simple with the breath * Three powerful elements of VInyasa: Dristi, Pranayama & Mulabhanda * Three Niyamas th...

In today's episode, Christine Furler lets us in on her main method for offering a successful yoga class (hint: its in the title of this episode), and then shares 4 Self Care Tips for Yoga Teachers . 1. Set your Intention: know your "why"2. Breathe3. Bring it in4. Be your own parent That last one might not be apparent ... but its a really good one! You will have to listen for context, but I guarant...

This episode features a song to help you remember the Kleśas , as described by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras. Song begins:  05:40 I have struggled a bit with remembering the kleśas , the five poisons or mental afflictions that keep us from yoga. I was inspired by the talk with Austin Sanderson about Patanjali and the Kleshas, so I grabbed some soundbites and make a beautiful little song to help you...

If you have taken a yoga teacher training in the Western world, you probably learned a little bit about Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. You might even get the impression that most of the yogic tradition comes out of that text. In this episode, I share the second part of my interview with Austin Sanderson (The first part is in Episode 3, Don't Forget the Vedas). In it he gives us some historical context f...

Have you ever wondered how important it is to pronounce a Sanskrit mantra correctly? This episode will provide you with an answer, and give you a little insight into the importance of Sanskrit in yoga.  I met our guest Manorama in 2011 when she came to teach the Sanskrit module at the Jivamukti Yoga Teacher Training. I also got to work with her while I was the web editor for Jivamukti from 2012-20...

Have you ever noticed that a really great yoga class feels like a song? The breathing creates a rhythm, the teacher's voice moves like a melody, and the emotion rises and falls until we land gently in Shavasana.  My guest Juju Stulbach was a dancer before she became a yoga teacher. Juju grew up in Brazil and moved to NYC in her late teens. On her first New Year's Eve in the city, she had an auspic...

  Vasisthasana (वसिष्ठासन vasiṣṭhāsana) is the Sanskrit name for side plank pose, and it turns out lots of us yoga teachers mispronounce it.  Today's guest is Frances Vicente, an advanced certified Jivamukti Yoga teacher who lives and teaches in Montreal. Derek met Frances at the 2011 Jivamukti Yoga Teacher Training, and they have been friends ever since. Frances most recently completed a Sanskrit...

One way to remember yoga is to learn about the timelines of the spiritual traditions and cultures that yoga emerged from. Yoga was first mentioned in the Vedas , the oldest scriptures of Hinduism, which were passed on orally for centuries before being written down (mantras and mnemonics!). They are filled with rituals, ceremonies, sacrifices, mantras and benedictions. As time went on, spiritual di...

Om Namah Shivaya is an ancient mantra, considered to be the king of all mantras in the Siddha yoga lineage from which it comes. While it is a mantra to honor Shiva, the five syllables NA MA SHI VA YA each have their own meaning. This episodes's guest is Libby Love, who was influencial in Derek's path to becoming a yoga teacher. In 2010 she was teaching at Swan River studio in New Orleans, where De...

This is a podcast is about yoga and memory, and it is created with new yoga teachers in mind. It contains music, mantras, and mnemonics to help yoga teachers remember... yoga.  In this episode, host Derek Pashupa Goodwin shares his origin story of becoming a yoga teacher; a tale that begins in Western Massachusetts then continues through New Orleans, NYC, and Colorado. Derek talks about his lifelo...

The Don't Forget Yoga Podcast helps new yoga teachers absorb yogic wisdom with music, mantras, and mnemonics. Are you a new yoga teacher working on building your following?  If you're anything like I was, you're probably feeling a little overwhelmed at the amount of information you're expected to know. Anatomy, yoga philosophy, Sanskrit class themes, asana sequences, pranayama , and of course the...