Cultivate Calm

Send us Fan Mail I must confess that I have a tendency to overwork. In the past, I wasn’t very good at rest and self-care, until a sudden breast cancer diagnosis forced me to listen to my body’s needs, say no, set boundaries and prioritise my wellbeing. In this episode, I’m opening up on a deeper level about my journey toward real self-care and sharing a guided practice to help you slow down and r...

Send us Fan Mail If you've ever found yourself fuming on your yoga mat or you’ve been experiencing a deeper set of emotions during practice lately, this episode is for you. Today I’m exploring why anger can unexpectedly surface during your yoga journey, why it's actually a sign of progress, and how embracing your emotions can reduce anxiety. Most people think of yogis as perpetually calm...

Send us Fan Mail Over the last decade at my yoga studio, I've witnessed thousands of clients go through menopause. Some of these women were overwhelmed with menopause symptoms, while others sailed through with minimal inconvenience. The key for the women who went through menopause with relative ease was that they learned how to manage their stress.  Menopause is a significant life transition...

Send us Fan Mail Yoga is often associated with physical flexibility, but I can say from personal experience that it is so much more than that. Physical poses are one beneficial aspect of yoga, but many more components help bring us into the realm of mental peace, stillness and happiness.  Yoga is like a ladder with multiple rungs, and more than half of these rungs are focused on the mental aspect...

Send us Fan Mail I’ve got something a little different for you today - a guided yoga and relaxation session designed to help you get a good night's sleep. This episode is one that you can come back to again and again whenever you need some help winding down before bed.  As you listen, I encourage you to find a quiet space where you won’t be disturbed. You’ll need a yoga mat, some space on the...

Send us Fan Mail Learning how to set boundaries is a skill that can profoundly impact our lives. Whether you struggle with saying "no," you feel overwhelmed by the demands of others, or simply want to enhance your relationships and personal well-being, this episode will empower you with the knowledge and tools you need to set boundaries as an act of self-care. Boundaries act as protectiv...

Send us Fan Mail If you find it hard to relax, you're not alone - relaxation doesn’t come naturally to everyone. It's a learned ability to shift into the parasympathetic state, the relaxation response, which requires practice and guidance. Today I’m sharing five challenges associated with relaxing and how to overcome them. So, take a moment to pause, breathe, and join me on this journey...

Send us Fan Mail One of the reasons why yoga is so good for relieving stress is because of the breathwork component, Pranayama. Even if you’re not moving your body, you can still harness your breath to calm your nervous system, relax your mind and body and manage stress, which is exactly what I’m talking about today.  In this episode, I uncover some of the secrets of breathwork and its profound im...

Send us Fan Mail If you’ve been having sleepless nights, you’re not alone. Many people struggle with insomnia so today I’m sharing some tools that can help. In this episode, I explore some of the causes of insomnia and how the practice of yoga can be the key to achieving that elusive restful sleep. We'll cover the science behind sleep, essential sleep hygiene practices, the role of stress, an...

Send us Fan Mail Anxiety is like that uninvited guest that sneaks into our lives, convincing us that we're the only ones wrestling with it. But the truth is, anxiety is far more common than we often realise, affecting even those who seem to have it all together. Many individuals with anxiety are high-functioning, expertly managing their jobs, social lives, and daily routines. It might seem li...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the Cultivate Calm podcast. I'm your host, Monica Rotman, and the founder of Cultivate Calm Yoga. This podcast will weave together ancient wisdom with modern science to share the best tools and techniques to cultivate calm in your life.  Armed with a degree in behavioural science and a decade of running a thriving yoga studio, I'm here to share my wealth of kn...