Yoga Medicine

It can be a challenge to maintain a regular yoga practice in the busyness and distraction of daily life. In this short excerpt from Episode 5, Sustainability and Yoga, Rachel and Tiffany talk about what keeps us coming back to our mats year after year. We share the most important question to ask yourself on the mat, and highlight the underrated skill of finding what you need even within a led grou...

How we phrase things is so important, especially in a personal, experiential practice like yoga. Today, hosts Rachel and Tiffany talk about the power of the language we use when teaching. What does it mean to use open and invitational language versus commanding? How can our words help students to feel strong and resilient instead of fearful on the mat? What problems can arise for students when we...

Welcome to our new series of "Shorts"—gems from previous podcast conversations that deserve a second look (or listen). This excerpt is drawn from episode 54: Love Those Hips! All About the Hip Labrum. In discussing yoga practices to embrace and avoid during hip labrum injury, hosts Tiffany and Rachel also highlighted how all of us can strengthen, support, and mobilize these crucial joints to maxim...

Today, hosts Tiffany and Katja discuss current research on female hormones, the immune system, and exercise. Both the female hormones as well as the immune function are intricate systems – bringing them together adds even more complexity! In this episode, we try to boil down the immune system and inflammatory response and explore recent research that sheds light on the relationship between the men...

Teaching private yoga can be enormously fulfilling, but it also has the potential to create a whole new set of challenges for teachers. In this episode, host Rachel Land speaks with returning guest Elena Cheung about the pitfalls of private yoga sessions and some potential ways to avoid them. We discuss how to set student expectations early, manage anxiety regarding that first session, and offer t...

Today hosts Tiffany and Rachel dive into the muddy waters of hands-on assists. We discuss their complicated history, the different types of hands-on assists, and debate their pros and cons. We also talk about the importance of clear communication and consent, and alternatives you could employ instead. Listen in to hear how truly game-changing assists might be the ones that students find their way...

There are still plenty of questions about the experience of the transitional phases of our lives. Today, hosts Tiffany and Katja discuss recent research that seeks to shed light on the menopausal transition. Experience of menopause is highly variable from person to person, so in this episode, we explore common symptom clusters identified in the research as well as the phenomenon of "not feeling li...

Today's episode dives into the vital topic of yoga during pregnancy and beyond. Host Rachel connects with Allie Geer, a Yoga Medicine Therapeutic Specialist and Biodynamic Cranial Sacral Therapist whose specialties include pre- and post-natal yoga. In this episode, we discuss what it looks like to create space for both mother and baby in yoga classes, plus the impact of changes in circulation, cen...

An estimated 50 million Americans live with an autoimmune disorder, and women are twice as likely to be affected as men. Yet diagnosis and treatment can be challenging when taking a solely Western medical approach. Today's guest is The Functional Nutritionist, Erin Holt. She has dedicated her life to helping those with autoimmune disorders find their way back to full health, taking a research-base...

Most of us have heard of, and even practiced, Yoga Nidra. But it holds a certain mystique that means we might not know as much about it as we think. Today, host Rachel dives into this topic with returning guest and 1000-hr Yoga Medicine Therapeutic Specialist Caroline Wybar. Caroline unpacks some of the misconceptions around Yoga Nidra and offers her tips for both students and teachers of this gui...

As both yoga teachers and practitioners, it is important to understand how to take general instruction and use it to cater to your personal needs. In this episode, hosts Tiffany and Katja talk about recent research on personalized medicine and training, discuss how wearables and data collection play into individualized training programs, and relate current research findings to personalized yoga ap...

What is it about yoga that makes such a significant difference in well-being for people with ADHD? Today, host Rachel invites guest Emily Mariola to help answer that question. Emily is a Yoga Medicine Therapeutic Specialist and studio owner who recently completed her 1000-hr research project on Yoga for ADHD.  In this episode, Emily shares yoga practices that help those with ADHD learn to self-reg...

Today host Rachel dives deep into Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) with returning guest Dr. Nikki Tugnet FRACP. We discuss common symptoms, what distinguishes RA from other inflammatory and auto-immune conditions, the role Western medicine can play, and – most importantly – how yoga can help. Listen in to learn how yoga teachers best serve students with RA, how to sneak more mindfulness and body awarenes...

Today host Rachel and returning guest and Yoga Medicine Teacher Valerie Knopik PhD explore a recent research paper on the topic of interoception (Voss et al: Mind-body practices, interoception and pain: a scoping review of behavioral and neural correlates).  In this episode, we discuss the many ways yoga teachers can guide students to becoming more informed inhabitants of their body, and how honin...

Female health is something we are passionate about at Yoga Medicine — exactly why we have dedicated several episodes to the topic. Today we are distilling the best tidbits of information and advice from multiple episodes into this one. — Show Notes: The female hormonal cycle, starting with menstruation [1:28] The follicular phase and ovulation [6:33] The luteal phase [14:20] Major effects of estro...

Conversations on how to secure opportunities to teach yoga are much more common than those on when we should NOT teach, so today hosts Tiffany and Rachel explore a handful of scenarios where you may need to step back from the role of teacher—whether that is just for today or over the longer term.  In this episode, we discuss whether it's ever ok for a teacher to simply "go through the motions" and...

Usually, this podcast features seasoned yoga instructors, so today we are doing something different: exploring the perspectives of those early in the experience of holding the role of a teacher.  In this episode, we connect with three guests who completed 200-hour teacher training at the end of 2023. We discuss their expectations of the training, which areas of study best prepared them for the wor...

Many of us kick off the new year ready to commit (or recommit) to a dedicated personal yoga practice. But as the days and weeks pass, this commitment can start to run out of steam. So today hosts Tiffany and Rachel share their personal practice tips as well as things that have been particularly helpful in keeping their practice going over the years. We emphasize the importance of flexibility of mi...

It is a new year—the perfect time to commit to a new path or project. Each year, for some, that means diving into yoga teacher training.   In this episode, returning guest and lead teacher of the Yoga Medicine 200hr teacher training, Dana Diament, sits down with host Rachel Land to explore all your 200hr teacher training questions. We explain how you know if you are ready to take that journey and...

In this special best-of episode for 2024, we feature clips from some of our favorite episodes, highlight common threads that weave different guests and topics together, and feature some of the gems you might have missed during the year. — Show Notes: Fascia science behind the benefits of movement [1:17] Reframing tension: moderation over extremes [4:03] How yoga helps regulate the nervous system [...

Change is constant and inevitable, but the sheer speed of recent changes in the yoga world leaves many of us confused about what it actually looks like and means to be a yoga teacher right now. Today hosts Rachel and Tiffany look back over the massive changes that have occurred in the yoga world over the past few decades, and what they might signal for the years ahead. We debate the pros and cons...

Despite several years of upheaval and uncertainty, grassroots yoga studios are still the beating heart of many communities world-wide, so today Rachel hosts a panel of yoga studio owners to discuss the current state of studio life across the globe. In this episode, we explore what has changed over the past few years, what studios are struggling with today, and what seems to be working well. Common...

Today's topic is one of our favorites. Hosts Tiffany and Rachel dive deep into sequencing to unpack common pitfalls for yoga teachers and how they can be avoided. Is there such a thing as too much of a good thing? How can we choose a class focal point or theme that resonates with students? Are we teaching from a place of thinking rather than feeling? In this episode, we talk about the most importa...

Today hosts Tiffany and Katja discuss recent research on estrogen's effects on muscle. This is a hot topic at the moment, so in this episode, we share the importance of understanding the background of our hormones and the effect of estrogen on areas like muscle mass, neuromuscular activation, and recovery. Listen in to learn how the effects of estrogen are being studied in research and the differe...

We all know that yoga is much more than a physical practice; it is underpinned by a framework of philosophy that is centuries old. But as a yoga teacher, you may or may not have incorporated this theoretical understanding into daily action - or helped your students do so.  So today we talk about the practical application of some key yoga sutras with returning guest Diane Malaspina PhD. In this epi...