Movement Logic: Strong Opinions, Loosely Held

Welcome to Episode 33 of the Movement Logic podcast! Today, Sarah is flying solo - good thing she’s spent a lot of time working on her balance. We tend to think of balance as a precision activity to strive for, but in this episode, Sarah flips the script and shows you why balance is a non-falling event. You will learn: The 3 systems in the body that contribute to balance The difference between sta...

Welcome to Season 2 and Episode 32 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Laurel discusses a topic that is important but poorly understood—training volume. Too much too soon leads to pain, injury, and burnout. Too little too late leads to frustrating plateaus and boredom. It’s important to understand volume, as well as its relationship to load, progressive loading, and changing up our str...

Welcome to Season 2 and Episode 31 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Laurel and Sarah discuss three types of cues movement teachers like yoga teachers and strength coaches use—verbal, visual, and tactile cues. Namely, we look at the differences between these three ways of cueing, and the plusses and minuses of all three types. We also discuss: What deeper understanding we need to hav...

Mastering Physical Literacy with Dr. Chris Raynor, MD Welcome to Episode 30 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Sarah is joined by Dr. Chris Raynor, orthopedic surgeon, sports medicine specialist, and founder of Human 2.0, an integrated healthcare and fitness facility in Ottawa that holds a “Movement Is Medicine” philosophy. Sarah and Chris discuss how he managed to avoid surgeon stere...

Welcome to Season 2 and Episode 29 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Laurel and Sarah discuss the cues movement teachers like yoga teachers and strength coaches use, and then what research has to say about them. Namely, we look at the difference between internal and external cues, and what both types of cues are good for. We also discuss: What motor learning is and how it’s different...

Welcome to Season 2 and Episode 28 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Laurel and Sarah discuss how women have been hoodwinked into believing that strength training is not for them - when in fact it’s the most protective and valuable training for women to do, in particular for bone density for women post-menopause. The history of weightlifting and bodybuilding in the US, including the...

Welcome to Episode 27 of the Movement Logic Podcast! This is our last episode of the season! In this episode, Laurel and Sarah reflect on their top three takeaways from season 1 of the Movement Logic Podcast. You’ll have to listen to the episode to hear what they are! We also discuss: How podcasting for the first time went for both of us, what was challenging, specifically. How science asks us to...

Welcome to Episode 26 of the Movement Logic Podcast! In this episode, Sarah discusses her experience with cancer treatment, and the guidance (or lack thereof) around how and when to exercise. She covers: The current exercise recommendations for people going through cancer treatment The most recent research around strength training and cancer treatment, specifically chemotherapy What going through...

Welcome to Episode 25 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this solo episode, Laurel shares her history with yoga butt, or, proximal hamstring tendinopathy (high hamstring pain.) This episode is packed with tendon and muscle physiology. It also busts the big myth that yoga butt (and any yoga-related injury) is because we’re all woefully “overstretched”. At the end, Laurel shares a 3-step approach to...

Welcome to Episode 24 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Laurel is joined by her friend and colleague, Jesal Parikh. Together, Laurel and Jesal discuss the topics of cultural appropriation, biodiversity, and accessibility. Jesal offers clear examples and anecdotes to help listeners relate to and understand these topics within the context of everyday practice and teaching. She offers s...

Welcome to Episode 23 of the Movement Logic Podcast! In this episode, Sarah outlines five practical steps you can take as a movement teacher when you have a client or student who is injured. She discusses: Whether “just don’t do this pose” is a valid and useful answer for some teachers Why memorizing a billion modifications can work, but there’s an easier way What to do with a student when you don...

Welcome to Episode 22 of the Movement Logic Podcast! In this episode, Laurel and Sarah ask where the 10,000 step benchmark came from (you might be super surprised!), and if every person needs the same number of steps to receive the same amount of health benefits. We also discuss: What are the parameters that change your number of steps How do you “get your steps in” without becoming totally obsess...

Welcome to Episode 21 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this solo episode, Laurel shares her history with sacroiliac joint (SIJ) pain, and how no less than shifting her identity as a teacher, the way she thought of her SIJ, and the way she moved her body on a regular basis is what was required of her to get herself out of pain. The SIJ is an area of the body that is surrounded by misinformation an...

Welcome to Episode 20 of the Movement Logic Podcast! In this episode, Sarah interviews Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist Stephanie Predergast, co-founder of the Pelvic Health and Rehabilitation Center, about everything and anything pelvic floor related. Stephanie also answers your questions from Instagram! Here’s what we cover: Understanding the mechanics and function of the pelvic floor and how it’...

Welcome to Episode 19 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode,Sarah discusses nose breathing, mouth breathing, taping your mouth shut (only at night), and best practices for breathing while exercising, sleeping, and every time in between.  What’s the difference impact on our physiology between nose breathing and mouth breathing - and why it might be really important to try and nose bre...

Welcome to Episode 18 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Laurel and Sarah discuss teaching privates, why we didn’t use to like teaching privates, and why we like it now. This episode is full of awkward, funny, and frustrating stories from our past as private yoga teachers. We end with helpful tips that will help you enjoy teaching privates more. Where to meet with one-on-one clients/p...

Modern postural yoga utilizes bodyweight as a form of resistance, but within the context of modern postural yoga, is bodyweight sufficient load for building strength? If not, does adding resistance bands to the practice mean we can build strength? Welcome to Episode 17 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Laurel discusses the best kept yoga prop secret—resistance bands and unpacks what...

Welcome to Episode 16 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Laurel is joined by multidisciplinary movement teacher, Rosalyn Mayse aka Roz the Diva. Laurel talks with Roz about how she went from always being picked last in gym class to building a successful career as both a personal triner and a pole dance instructor, and the often exclusionary industries both pole dancing and strength tr...

Welcome to Episode 15 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Sarah discusses the lima beans of learning: research. But guess what? Reading research doesn’t have to feel like a chore, and the more you understand what different aspects of research mean, the more interesting it becomes. Three easy rules to follow for quoting research as if it’s facts Why we get so excited about some studies...

Welcome to Episode 14 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Laurel and Sarah discuss burnout: what is burnout, how do we avoid it, what do we do when it happens, and why do we see so much of it in the yoga and movement world.  Does everyone experience burnout in the same way What does it mean to be emotionally labile Why do so many yoga and movement teachers go through burnout Can a...

In this episode, Laurel answers a listener’s question of whether or not it’s within a movement teacher’s scope of practice to help people with their posture. Her answer is yes and no depending. Here’s what else this episode gets into: How Laurel formerly identified as an alignment-based teacher and why she no longer does. The difference between “default-mode” alignment versus deliberate alignment....

Welcome to Episode 12 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Sarah is joined by the one and only Jules Mitchell, to talk about myths and misbeliefs around strength, stretching, and how to really understand how research applies to our teaching. What are other models for movement beyond soft tissue - and can they coexist Does it matter if your teaching still “looks like yoga”? Should you ca...

Welcome to Episode 11 of the Movement Logic Podcast! In this episode, Sarah debunks the commonly held beliefs around aging, strength loss, and frailty, where these beliefs come from, and what we should be doing for people 65+ instead (spoiler: once again, strength training FTW). What is the narrative around falling and why do people become so afraid of it How the fear of falling creates a self-ful...

Welcome to Episode 10 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Sarah and Laurel tackle the question of whether there is a right or wrong way to breathe, whether or not someone needs help with their breathing, how to help various populations explore their breathing, and whether it’s always bad if our clients and students have pain.  The problem with belly breathing What the respiratory...

Welcome to Episode 9 of the Movement Logic podcast! In this episode, Laurel tells you what the best exercises are for strength (for busy people). Here’s what this episode digs into:   Exercise prescription versus program design Training muscles versus training movements 8 different types of movements you can train strength within A simplified list of 4 movements to train strength within Why m...