Yoga Matters Podcast

Thoughts? Questions? Feel free to get in touch - we'd love to hear from you :-) In this week’s episode, we explore the fascinating story of Ganesh, the beloved Hindu deity with the body of a man and the head of an elephant. We delve into the dramatic family incident that led to his unique appearance, uncover the reasons behind his enduring popularity, and examine the rich symbolism woven throu...

Thoughts? Questions? Feel free to get in touch - we'd love to hear from you :-) In this episode, we discuss the Sutras - one of the most important texts in yoga philosophy. We introduce what the Sutras are, where they come from, and why they still matter. We look at how the text is structured across its four 'books', and what Patanjali (it's author) actually meant by 'yoga&...

Thoughts? Questions? Feel free to get in touch - we'd love to hear from you :-) This episode looks at the principle of the "four seasons" as a way of understanding every aspect of your life... A series of repeating cycles we move through in every aspect of our existence. Spring is where ideas take shape and seeds get planted, summer is growth, autumn is where we either reap the rewar...

Thoughts? Questions? Feel free to get in touch - we'd love to hear from you :-) In this episode, we explore Ojas — the subtle essence of vitality in Ayurvedic practices, said to govern immunity, resilience, and clarity of mind. We look at what Ojas actually is, how it's said to be cultivated or depleted, and why it's considered the foundation of both physical health and a settled sta...

Thoughts? Questions? Feel free to get in touch - we'd love to hear from you :-) In this episode we take our first steps into the world of Ayurveda, one of the oldest systems of health and wellbeing on the planet... We discuss what are called the three doshas: kapha, pitta, and vata, which according to Ayurveda philosophy are the elemental constitutions that shape everything from how you digest...

Thoughts? Questions? Feel free to get in touch - we'd love to hear from you :-) So this is a complete departure from our normal format... In this episode, Emma takes us on a gentle walking journey with a woman navigating the quiet chaos of a busy life — and what she discovers along the way about letting go, slowing down, and finding stillness in the most unexpected places. Written and told as...

Thoughts? Questions? Feel free to get in touch - we'd love to hear from you :-) In this episode we discuss the five vayus, the directions of energy (or ‘winds’) that yogic philosophy says influence everything from your digestion to your sense of direction in life. We take a brief look at all five — prana, apana, samana, udana, and vyana — what each one governs, where it lives in the body, and...

Thoughts? Questions? Feel free to get in touch - we'd love to hear from you :-) In this episode, we tackle abhinivesha — the deepest and most primal of the five kleshas — and it might well be the one that hits hardest. This is the klesha of clinging to life (or the existence of something), the white-knuckle grip we have on things staying exactly as they are. From the mild discomfort of ageing...

Thoughts? Questions? Feel free to get in touch - we'd love to hear from you :-) In this episode, we wade into the fourth of the five kleshas — dvesha - or aversion... From the emails you don't want to open to the people you silently avoid, you realise dvesha is everywhere once you start looking for it. We unpack what the yogic tradition actually says about this deep-rooted tendency to pus...

Thoughts? Questions? Feel free to get in touch - we'd love to hear from you :-) This is the third of our five-part series on the kleshas — the afflictions Patanjali identified in the Yoga Sutras as the root causes of human suffering. Today we're looking at Raga — often translated as 'attachment', but also craving or grasping. That magnetic pull toward the things that have given...

Thoughts? Questions? Feel free to get in touch - we'd love to hear from you :-) In this week's podcast we discuss Asmita, the second of the five Kleshas. Often translated as ego, and arguably the subtlest troublemaker of the bunch, it's the deeply human habit of confusing who we truly are with the roles, labels and stories we've collected along the way — the job title, the perso...

Thoughts? Questions? Feel free to get in touch - we'd love to hear from you :-) This is the first of our five-part series on the kleshas — the afflictions that Patanjali identified in the Yoga Sutras as the root causes of human suffering. We're starting with avidya — often translated as ignorance, but more precisely: wrong knowing. Not simply an absence of information, but a fundamental m...

Thoughts? Questions? Feel free to get in touch - we'd love to hear from you :-) This is the final stop on our tour of the three Gunas, and we've saved the best until last... Sattva is the quality of clarity, lightness, and calm — think fresh air, a clear mind, and that rare feeling where everything just flows. But as with everything 'yoga' it's far more than that too. In th...

Thoughts? Questions? Feel free to get in touch - we'd love to hear from you :-) In this episode, we discuss Rajas, the second of the Gunas (the three fundamental qualities that, according to yoga philosophy, make up all of nature). Rajas is the quality of motion, drive, restlessness, passion and energy. If you ever find yourself rushing from one thing to the next, mind racing, unable to switch...

Thoughts? Questions? Feel free to get in touch - we'd love to hear from you :-) Ever feel stuck, foggy, or like you just can't get moving? That might be Tamas at work. The Gunas are the three fundamental qualities that, according to yoga philosophy, make up all of nature — including our bodies, minds, and moods. In the first of three episodes on the Gunas, we explore Tamas — the quality o...

Thoughts? Questions? Feel free to get in touch - we'd love to hear from you :-) This week we've reached the fifth and innermost layer: Anandamaya Kosha, the bliss body. This is pure joy, deep contentment, and connection to something bigger - and no, this isn't airy-fairy nonsense. This is what you touch in rare moments when everything feels absolutely right: holding your newborn, a p...

Thoughts? Questions? Feel free to get in touch - we'd love to hear from you :-) We're into the fourth layer of the 5 Koshas: Vijnanamaya Kosha, the wisdom mind (or body). This is intuition, deeper knowing, and that quiet inner voice that knows the answer before your thinking mind finishes arguing with itself. While Manomaya Kosha is noisy and reactive, Vijnanamaya Kosha is the calm observ...

Thoughts? Questions? Feel free to get in touch - we'd love to hear from you :-) This week we're diving into the third Kosha layer: Manomaya Kosha, the mental and emotional body (sometimes also referred to as the Monkey mind or Puppy mind). This layer represents your thoughts, feelings, memories, and that constant internal chatter that rarely shuts up. If Annamaya Kosha is the car and Pran...

Thoughts? Questions? Feel free to get in touch - we'd love to hear from you :-) This week we're peeling back the second layer of the Koshas: Pranamaya - This is your vital energy layer, the invisible life force that animates your body (if your physical body (Annamaya Kosha) is the lightbulb, the Pranamaya Kosha is the electricity flowing through it). We'll be discussing what prana ac...

Thoughts? Questions? Feel free to get in touch - we'd love to hear from you :-) Over the next five podcasts, we're diving deeper into the five Koshas - the five layers of being that yoga philosophy says make up who we are. This week we're starting with the outermost layer: Annamaya Kosha, the physical body. This is everything you can see and touch - flesh, bone, blood, all the molecu...

Thoughts? Questions? Feel free to get in touch - we'd love to hear from you :-) Breaking from our normal format for this one! Recorded live at our Costa Rica retreat, this episode features two retreat attendees sharing their personal journeys to discovering yoga. We explore how they found their practice, what kept them coming back, and how yoga has become part of their everyday lives. If you&a...

Thoughts? Questions? Feel free to get in touch - we'd love to hear from you :-) In this episode we explore Sahasrara, the crown centre, which represents our sense of purpose, meaning, and connection to something greater than ourselves. From a psychological perspective, this is about how we find meaning in life, experience moments of flow or transcendence, and connect with our highest values, b...

Thoughts? Questions? Feel free to get in touch - we'd love to hear from you :-) In this episode, we discuss Ajna, the third eye chakra, which is thought to be your centre of intuition, wisdom, inner knowing... and your sixth sense. Whether you view this as a spiritual concept or simply as your capacity for insight and self-awareness, we dive into how you access your inner guidance and see beyo...

Thoughts? Questions? Feel free to get in touch - we'd love to hear from you :-) In this episode, we explore the throat chakra, Vishuddha, which is thought to be the energy centre of communication and self-expression. We dive into how this area of psychology governs not just how we speak, but how we listen and connect with others. Whether your throat chakra is balanced, blocked, or overactive,...

Thoughts? Questions? Feel free to get in touch - we'd love to hear from you :-) In this episode, we explore the fourth chakra – Anahata, or the heart chakra. We discuss what happens when this energy center is overactive or underactive, from excessive self-sacrifice to emotional withdrawal, and what a well-balanced heart chakra actually looks like in practice. As always, we aim to make the cont...