Yogaland Podcast

On this episode, I reflect on one of the most important reads of the year for me -- Kelly McGonigal's book, The Upside of Stress. A psychologist and yoga teacher, Kelly's book is filled with compelling research about how the way we think about stress may be more harmful for our health than stress itselfShownotes: yogalandpodcast.com/episode28/ Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/yogaland...

Before jetting off on his most recent trip to Hong Kong, I sat with Jason to answer more listener-submitted questions. This time we just happened to get questions that all centered around the lower body. So, we talk about:* How to best work with tight hamstrings?* How to best recover when your hamstring has been overstretched?* How to find stability and strengthen the low back, quadratus lomborum...

This week I chat with Kate Holcombe of The Healing Yoga Foundation in San Francisco. Kate has an amazing story to tell -- and I asked her to tell it in the top half of the interview -- about how a life-threatening accident while studying abroad in India during college set her on the path of becoming a student of TKV Desikachar. The second half of the interview focuses on a few of the sutras that h...

On this episode, Jason answers questions submitted by listeners:* What are your views on what it means to be a yoga student today?* What's the difference between a yoga student and a yoga consumer?* How do you deal with the yoga community where there is so much inconsistency and fakeness?* What do you think will be important for yoga teachers to focus on in the next decade?* What do you think abou...

This week's episode is like a shot of happy for your soul. I spoke to Dana Trixie Flynn, co-founder of Laughing Lotus about her new project: Dana is working on opening a donation-based yoga studio in the seventh ward of New Orleans. If you know Dana at all, you know how much she lives, breathes, and loves music -- so this new center will have live New Orleans jazz music. In this interview with Dan...

On this episode Jason answers three of our listener questions and it just so happens that they all focus on some aspect of shoulder anatomy. We also talk about cats a lot. Here are the questions:* Why do we flex the ankle in poses like Reclined Pigeon?* Is "pull the shoulder blades down" a "bad" alignment cue?* In Plank Pose, do you push strongly through the arms and upper back? Or soften the shou...

You might know Rachel Brathen as "Yoga Girl" on Instagram -- she's one of the original yoga insta-stars and has 2 million followers. Two million! That's crazay! And yet, despite this quick rise to fame, Rachel is incredibly down-to-earth and not afraid to say that the superficial side of social media can suck the life out of a person from time to time. I wanted to know what makes Rachel tick, so I...

On this episode Holly Whitaker of the Home Podcast talk about how yoga and meditation can be helpful tools for recovery. Holly is a life coach and spiritual teacher, kundalini and vinyasa yoga and meditation instructor, writer, and speaker. She's also the founder of Hip Sobriety, which aims to provide a modern, holistic, accessible and desirable path to sobriety, and to remove the stigma associate...

Seane Corn is an internationally celebrated yoga teacher known for her impassioned activism and inspirational style of teaching. She utilizes her national platform to bring awareness to humanitarian issues—in 2005, she was named “National Yoga Ambassador” for YouthAIDS, and in 2013 was given the Global Green International Environmental Leadership Award. Since 2007, she has been training leaders of...

This week my guest is holistic therapist and senior Prana Vinyasa Flow teacher Coral Brown. Coral and I talked about one of her passions -- the Hindu deity stories. She's deeply knowledgeable about them and she's also down-to-earth and practical in her approach, which I appreciate. She also (when appropriate) weaves them into her one-on-one therapy practice, which I find fascinating. Shownotes: yo...

We've gotten many questions recently about teacher training that we decided to do an episode that answers common questions. Doing a yoga teacher training is a huge investment -- both financially and in terms of your time. It can be a wonderfully transformative experience, but it's worth doing your research and thinking about what is going to best meet your needs. Jason and I talk about:* Whether y...

This week my guest is Ayurvedic practitioner Niika Quistgard. Niika is an internationally-recognized consultant, trainer and practitioner in Ayurveda and is the founder of AyurMama.com. For this episode, Niika offers specific self-care ideas for staying calm and grounded when we go out of balance. Whether you've never heard the words vata dosha uttered or you already know your prakruti, this episo...

My guest this week is Katherine Priore Ghannam. Katherine is the founder of Headstand, a nonprofit organization that teaches yoga and mindfulness to kids attending low income schools. Headstand is a program that is integrated into the school's curriculum and a large part of its focus is to help children combat "toxic stress." Here's a summary of what we talk about on the episode:* The definition o...

On this episode I interview chef and nutritionist Rebecca Katz. Weeding through information about food can be overwhelming and even disheartening. This episode distills Rebecca's four-pillar approach to a cancer-fighting diet. And, if you take this approach, you have a shot at preventing other diseases, too (think diabetes and heart disease). On the episode we talk about:* Rebecca's background as...

This week Jason Crandell talks all about home practice. We get straight to the point and talk about:* Where to start if you don't know how to practice on your own* Why it's vital for yoga teachers to have a consistent home practice* How your relationship to yoga practice changes when you become a yoga teacher* His thoughts on pushing yourself to practice your least favorite poses* The ways that yo...

My guest on this episode is London-based teacher, Claire Missingham. Claire has over 16 years teaching experience and and runs a successful yoga teacher training program having trained over 125 teachers in the UK in the past few years. She is a Senior Teacher at triyoga, Europe's leading yoga studio and teaches worldwide. Claire is also a triathlete, competing regularly in Sprint Distance Triathlo...

Chrissy Carter is an alignment-based flow teacher who teaches in New York City. She's been teaching for YogaWorks for 10 years and has 25 teacher trainings under her belt! Yes, 25. You read that correctly. Given that, and given the attentive, caring way Chrissy has about her, we talked about:* Her former job as a Wall Street trader * Why she loves a great Iyengar Yoga class and how it helps her se...

Often when we hit a plateau in our life, we feel like we're failing -- we're not progressing or growing. On this episode, I'm share the reasons I think that hitting a plateau in yoga is positive and can lead to inner growth. A plateau is not a reason to give up or walk away. This episode offers ideas for making a plateau an opportunity to do some deep work, to practice compassion and gratitude --...

On the cusp of opening her own brand new studio, LoveStory, in San Francisco, Stephanie Snyder and I chat about the happiness that comes from serving your local community, how she incorporates yoga philosophy into her daily classes and the beautiful, essential combo that is yoga + motherhood. Shownotes: yogalandpodcast.com/episode10/ Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/yogaland . Hosted o...

If you have a body and you do yoga, chances are you will sustain an injury at some point. On this episode I ask Jason all about injuries. We talk about:* How to discern between stretching sensations and pain that's injurious* The benefit of pushing to your edge on the yoga mat* Whether or not hands-on adjustments are really necessary in the yoga room* How Jason addresses students' injuries before...

This week I talk to Alexandria Crow, one of the most physically adept yoga practitioners I've ever personally known and yet here's what she wants you to know: Yoga is not one-size-fits-all and doing fancy poses doesn't really matter. Alex is a straightforward, no BS advocate of learn what works for your body and your mind so that you can get the benefits you need from this practice. Shownotes: yog...

Warm and bendy with an infectious charm, Taylor Harkness is a young millenial with a wise and heartful approach to yoga. We discuss how yoga helped him find balance after the intensity and trauma of being paramedic, how he built his social media following to 35K followers (and how he's since changed his approach), what he thinks his generation will contribute to the future of yoga, and more. Shown...

Kathryn Budig is an internationally celebrated yoga teacher and author known for her accessibility, humor, and ability to empower her students through her message, “aim true.” She is a warrior for self-acceptance, honesty, and helping her students and readers find true balance. I've known Kathryn for about a decade and she's the real deal -- a gem in the yoga world. She's hard-working, a deeply kn...

A five-minute episode that explains my intention behind the podcast -- and why it's vital that we focus on self-acceptance rather than self-achievement in yoga. Shownotes: yogalandpodcast.com/episode5/ Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/yogaland . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sally Kempton spent twenty years as a teaching monk in the Saraswati lineage and yet she is keenly in touch with the problems that everyday people face. On this episode, Sally and I talk about using yoga and meditation to help you cope with fear. She offers practical, helpful ideas and self-inquiry practices for working with and moving through fear so that you can reach resolution and not be at th...