Yogaland Podcast

Whether you're yoga teacher or a student, you've witnessed:⁠ ⁠ ** The Moaner -- The student who seems to be enjoying class a leetle too much.⁠ ** The Rebel -- The student who's just gotta do their own thannnng (and ignore what the rest of the class is doing)⁠ ** The Savasana Protester -- So what if everyone's in Savasana? She's kicking into Handstand and no one's gonna stop her.⁠ ⁠ We talk about a...

For decades Yoga Alliance has been the main credentialing body for yoga teachers and schools. But the organization has been widely criticized for being nothing more than a list service that teachers feel required to pay for. Over the past few years, the leadership at Yoga Alliance has changed and current CEO, Shannon Roche, is my guest this week. My goal for this interview was to get a full pictur...

One of the more polarizing topics in modern yoga is the merits (and potential dangers) of attending yoga in a heated room. (To be clear, we're not talking about Bikram or Bikram-derived sequences in this ep; but vinyasa in a heated room.) So, this week Jason and I share what we believe are the pros and cons: How can you assess whether it's better for you physically? Does it encourage mental steadi...

The scent of lavender wafting from every local yoga studio’s doors may be a relatively recent phenomenon, but essential oils have been used to bolster health and well being for thousands of years, says this week’s guest Elena Brower, who is a New York yoga teacher and Doterra wellness advocate. If you’re curious about how essential oils work, which ones are best for certain situations, and how to...

It's October. Which means it's Breast Awareness Month. It's not an easy month for breast cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, or for those who have lost loved ones to the disease. So, for this episode I spoke to Susanna Harwood Rubin, a yoga teacher who has been raw and real about her own struggle with breast cancer this past year. Susanna shares specific ways that her practice supported her th...

You want to leave your yoga audition with a big fist pumped saying, "Nailed it," right? This week's episode can help -- Jason gets real about how to ride the waves of the modern yoga job audition, where you get a very short amount of time to showcase your skills, your approach, and your personality. ⁠He offers his thoughts as well as some commiseration. Here’s an overview of what we cover: * The o...

This week, I’m talking to Lara Benusis, a longtime yoga teacher and yoga therapist who has taught yoga in a healthcare setting for years. (She was the first full-time yoga teacher at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.)  She’s also on the PhD track at Columbia University studying applied physiology. Her focus is exploring the efficacy and mechanisms of exercise and yoga on the surviv...

Being a yoga teacher takes skill, knowledge, dedication, and often, perseverance. But you can have all of those things in spades and never quite earn enough money teaching group classes to be financially secure. Not to mention, racing from one studio to the next teaching group classes can be draining—both physically and mentally. One way to avoid this kind of burnout and bolster a your income is t...

I am so excited to share this new season of Yogaland with you! This week, we kick off the season with a live episode that Jason and I recorded at triyoga in London during Jason’s recent teacher training. If you’re a long-time listener, you might know that both Jason and I identify as introverts. So, we understand why some students tend to shy away from speaking up or asking questions in a large gr...

For our season two finale episode, we’re talking to Las Vegas-based yoga teacher and author Jules Mitchell. We dive deep into the biomechanics of yoga in this episode and talk about Jules’ new book, which is a comprehensive look at the science of stretching.  We can’t cover the whole book in this short format, but I think you’ll find the highlights are fascinating, thought provoking, and rele...

If there’s one topic that eludes yoga teachers most, it’s not the correct angle of the front knee in Anjaneyasana. It’s how to teach yoga and make a livable wage. We recorded this week's episode live at Jason’s 300-hour training at Lovestory Yoga in San Francisco and answered student questions creating content that's authentic and sustainable. We talk about: * Why quality is so much more impo...

Today’s guest is Nicole Cardoza, founder of Yoga Foster. I couldn't be more excited about Nicole's mission to bring more movement into classrooms across the country. Her approach is innovative, too -- Nicole's background in tech inspired her to create a platform that offers yoga curriculum and teacher trainings to classroom teachers. It's a scalable idea and one that empowers classroom teachers to...

I've talked a lot on the podcast about how motherhood has changed my yoga practice. I know first-hand how easy it can be to fall into the trap of mom guilt and feeling like you just can't keep up with your practice and the demands of your family life. So, I'm so excited to share this episode with Anne Cushman with you. Anne writes beautifully about motherhood as a spiritual practice in her new boo...

This week, we're talking to Erica Rodefer Winters, a yoga teacher in Charleston, SC who specializes in teaching prenatal yoga and postnatal yoga. When the magical, "natural" birth of her first daughter didn't go to plan, Erica reflected and changed her approach the second time around. Instead of magical thinking, she leaned into her intuition and used her yogic tools to go deeply inward and trust...

This week I talk to Sarah Kucera, author of The Ayurvedic Self-Care Handbook: Holistic Healing Rituals for Every Day and Season, all about her book and what Ayurveda can teach us about taking care of ourselves. If you’ve followed this podcast for a while, you know that I think self-care is vitally important in order to live a happy, healthy life. (I even created an online course about self care!)...

The thoughtful and articulate Bernie Clark joins us on the show this week! Bernie is perhaps best known for his influential Yin yoga teachings as well as his books, The Complete Guide to Yin Yoga , and Your Body, Your Yoga. When Jason and I shared our thoughts about Yin Yoga at the end of season 1 (episode 147), we hadn't expected it to be so polarizing. After seeing Bernie's response to the episo...

This week, I talk to Bay Area yoga teacher Quamay Sams. Quamay grew up in New York, where he was a dancer before he enrolled in a yoga teacher training program (without ever having set foot in a yoga studio). He now considers teaching yoga a calling -- and a big responsibility.  We talk about: * Why Quamay felt like a misfit (his word) growing up and how that impacted the course of his life....

Today, we're talking to Cyndi Lee, who was the first Western female yoga teacher to combine Tibetan Buddhism and yoga.  Cyndi and I worked together many times when I was an editor at Yoga Journal and I have so much respect for her. You'll see why in this candid, down-to-earth interview. Cyndi is is not only inspiring, but she's a living testament to how practicing yoga and meditation for many...

Like it or not, if you want to be a full-time yoga teacher today, digital marketing is a part of the job. It doesn’t come easily to everyone, but through the years Jason and I have figured out what works for us. In this episode, which was recorded at one of Jason’s yoga teacher trainings at LoveStoryYoga in San Francisco, we share our best advice for yoga teachers who are trying to build a followi...

Robyn Capobianco, PhD, is back on the podcast this week to talk about the findings of two related studies she and her team conducted about the science of flexibility. The big takeaway from both studies is the same: Doing self-massage with Yoga Tune Up Balls before stretching increases flexibility and creates less of a temporary strength deficit. Translation: On those days when you just want to lie...

This week’s episode is a continuation of last week’s discussion on how to cope with changes to your yoga practice and teaching style. Jason shares his practical tips on how to change up your teaching style with grace -- something that is particularly challenging when your livelihood depends on an earlier approach. We talk about: * How Jason got his start teaching in the Ashtanga tradition, and why...

We’re so happy to be back for Season 2! There's that old adage, "Change is the only certainty in life." And it applies to your yoga practice and teaching, too. This week, Jason and I are talking about the internal challenges, doubts, and insecurities that come up when we're managing change in our practice. We talk about: * How Jason has changed as a student and a teacher throughout the years. He s...

Since Jason so often emphasizes the importance of building strength -- especially along the posterior chain (back side) of the body, I get asked all the time, "What does Jason think about Yin yoga?" For the Season 1 Finale, we decided to take on this topic. Yin is a popular style of yoga that emphasizes long, passive holds of various (mostly floor-based) poses. In that light, Jason and I talk abou...

This week, I talk to Katherine Priore Ghannam all about yoga for kids and her innovative program Headstand, which offered yoga to low-income K-12 schools around San Francisco. We cover some of the lessons Katherine learned from starting her passion project from scratch, and why it's oh-so-beneficial to introduce yoga and mindfulness in schools. Whether you're interested in sharing yoga with kids o...

The recent episode where Jason and I discuss teaching yoga part-time vs. making it a full-time career really struck a chord. I was surprised by the number of emails, direct messages, and comments that listeners sent my way. As usual, you were full of insights. So for this week's episode, I decided to share some of those comments as inspiration, motivation, and support for others who are fulfilling...