Moved To Meditate Podcast

In this week's conversation, I'm continuing the "So You Think You Can't Meditate" series with a reflection on how to work with anxiety and other strong emotions in meditation practice. If you'd like to catch up with the previous discussions, the first episode in this series was Episode 23, which covered some of the common roadblocks in meditation, like expectations and misconceptions that hinder p...

Today's episode is about how we pay attention when we practice yoga or mindfulness meditation. Specifically, I'll be talking about working with "observation mode" and "enhancement mode." The idea of paying attention TO attention might sound kind of subtle at first, but it's really interesting when you see how attention and intention lead to actions and efforts in your practice. It starts to clarif...

This week on the podcast, we're talking embodiment! This is a thought-provoking conversation with my guest Amanda Hanna, whose work navigates the intersections between yoga and movement, mental health, and social justice. We talk about trauma-informed, human-centered perspectives on what it means to be embodied, and how yoga practices (including Yin Yoga) can be part of the toolkit we use to explo...

In today's episode, I'm introducing the next Deeper Dive theme, which will be Mudita for May. Mudita is the practice of joy and gratitude, and an important way to cultivate balance in the mind. I will describe how to cultivate gladness, joy, and celebration for others and their good fortunes, as well as gratitude for your own blessings. But, first you'll hear about why we need such a deliberate wa...

Mike and I are back with Part 2 of our conversation about our paths of practicing yoga and meditation! This is the continuation Episode 29, where we shared some of our stories of music school, stress, and early yoga experiences. In today's episode, you'll hear about how we connected with our first meditation teacher, and how he made the practice seem accessible and relevant for us. We also laugh a...

In this episode, we have a fascinating conversation with my friend, Peggy Burt. Peggy is a yoga teacher and labyrinth meditation facilitator, and here she'll be sharing her knowledge of this unique form of walking meditation. You'll hear how Peggy first experienced labyrinth meditation and had an unexpected "lightening bolt moment" with it. She talks about how the practice of walking the labyrinth...

I have a special guest for today's episode...my husband, Mike deHilster! We decided to sit down and interview each other, and share a little about our story. Mike is part of the MTM team, and he also has his own relationship with mindfulness and movement practice. We talk about some of our life experiences here - from music school to working in the non-profit world and living in different regions...

In today's episode, I'm introducing the next Deeper Dive theme, which is Compassion. We'll be focusing on compassion practices during the month of April, building on the Metta (loving-kindness) topic of March. Metta is the "baseline" of benevolence that we cultivate in practice, and compassion (Karuna) is how the benevolent heart opens when it comes into contact with suffering or struggle. Like wi...

Today's episode is the sequel to an earlier one called "So You Think You Can't Meditate, Part 1" (Episode 23), which covered some common obstacles to practice. Here in Part 2, I'm delving into the experience of pain and how it factors into meditation. Drawing from what I've learned from some of my meditation teachers who are more pain aware, and also from my yoga therapy training and experience wo...

Today's episode is a second look at this month's Deeper Dive theme of Metta, or loving-kindness practice. We'll go in more detail about the common practice of using Metta phrases, and cover some important nuances that can help you orient your intentions for the meditation. This builds on Episode 24, where we started with an overview of Metta practice - what it is, where it comes from, and some of...

My guest today is Jessica Patching-Bunch (or JPB), a stress resilience coach with a background in neurodevelopment research. In this episode, we have a lot of fun unpacking the concept of stress and how to navigate it better. You'll hear why JPB left a career in academics and research to bring neuroscience-backed tools to the public, and her tips for filtering through the huge amounts of health in...

Today I'm introducing our next Deeper Dive theme of Metta (or lovingkindness), so this is a preview of the MTM theme for March. Like Equanimity, Metta is one of the heart-based wisdom qualities taught within the Buddhist Mindfulness tradition and also in the Yoga tradition. Metta (or Maitri, in Sanskrit) is usually translated as "lovingkindness," but you can also think of it as friendliness, goodw...

In this episode, I talk about common roadblocks to starting a mindfulness practice, especially expectations of "what counts" as meditation. This isn't really me trying to convince you that you "should" meditate. Rather, I hope this episode might be helpful if you're interested in meditating, but haven't quite gained traction in your practice yet. We will cover some of the misconceptions about how...

Today we have a heartfelt and inspiring conversation with Melissa Smith-Wilkinson, an expert Restorative Yoga teacher and the founder of Pranava Yoga Studio in Santa Fe, New Mexico. You'll hear how Melissa defines Restorative Yoga, and how this practice of rest and non-doing can refresh body and mind. Melissa weaves somatic movements into her teaching of Restorative Yoga, and we talk about how the...

In today's episode, I'm introducing our Deeper Dive theme for February, which is Equanimity. This capacity we call "equanimity" is steadiness of mind, and it's something we develop through mindfulness practice. My personal working definition of equanimity is "an empowering steadiness that allows us to be in relationship with circumstances." Despite turbulent situations, or uncertainty, or scenario...

In this episode, I talk with Cindy Beers, a veteran of the US Armed Forces, educator, and expert on yoga for mental health. You'll be inspired by her passion for self-applied healing modalities like yoga and meditation, rooted in her own journey of trauma recovery. **Towards the beginning of the interview Cindy briefly shares about two trauma incidents she experienced during her 18 years in the mi...

In today's episode I talk about some of the guiding principles for what I teach, and what we are doing here on the podcast! I call these pillars of Moved To Meditate "the 4 M's." The 4 M's are: Meaningful Mindful Movement that Meets you where you are. These are some of the main intentions behind what I want to offer, and they kind of help me organize the different aspects of that work (and explain...

In this week's podcast episode, I'm geeking out with Nyk Danu, a fellow yoga therapist and Yin Yoga teacher. Nyk has extensive training in Chinese Medicine and yoga therapy, so we go in-depth on how these modalities can enhance the Yin Yoga practice. Nyk talks about how learning anatomy from Paul Grilley - especially the reality of skeletal variation - totally changed her understanding of alignmen...

In this episode, I'm introducing our monthly "Deeper Dive." Starting with this new year, each month there will be a theme woven through different Moved To Meditate activities, and some different ways you can engage with it - through the podcast, written reflections, self-guided study, and more. Today, I'm going to talk about Patience and Persistence, which is our Deeper Dive topic for January. Pat...

Today we have a delightful conversation with Karen James, a creative teacher of accessible yoga, based in the UK. In this episode, you'll "discover the joy of sitting on a chair," as Karen puts it, and how chair yoga can be beneficial for just about anyone. You'll hear how Karen went from "power yoga" to feeling more empowered through gentle yoga, and how it helped her connect with her authentic s...

In today's episode, I'm talking about some different options for mindfulness practice, and how to choose among the variety of tools in your toolbox. Specifically, I'll be discussing Walking Meditation, which is a traditional form of practice in Buddhist Mindfulness - usually taught in combination with sitting meditation. You'll hear me talk about: A few types of Walking Meditation How Walking Medi...

In this week's podcast episode, we have a conversation with Erica Webb, a mindful movement coach who weaves together Somatic Exercise, Yoga, and Mat Pilates to support people to shift tension and reconnect with their body through a lens of self-kindness and curiosity. We talk about what exactly Somatic Exercise is, including the concept of pandiculation, and how it works with the nervous system to...

Today I'm sharing my answer to the question "Can my movement practice BE my meditation?" The short answer is (of course) you can do what you want! This isn't going to be a lecture about how you "should" be meditating. But, is there a difference between moving meditation and stillness meditation? What are the benefits of including each in your overall practice? In this episode, I talk about why I t...

In this week's podcast episode, I'm speaking with Shauna Fallihee, who is a classical soprano, voice teacher, and expert myofascial release practitioner. We cover lots of helpful tips for incorporating self-massage into your yoga or meditation practice. And, we also have a lot of fun talking about our shared musical backgrounds and how movement and embodiment practices helped us both mentally and...

Today's episode is a shorter one, where I talk about my recent adventures learning QiGong. I've been practicing lots of QiGong over the last few months, so I thought I would share a little bit about this movement practice and what I'm learning from it. If you aren't familiar, QiGong is a mindful movement and energy practice from China – it's considered a branch of Chinese Medicine. I'll cover some...