Yogaland Podcast

For almost three years, Jason has resisted addressing your questions about the sacroiliac joint (SI) -- mostly because it's such a complex topic for a podcast. But today! I wore him down. He addresses a listener question about the mysterious sacrum and the soreness that so often comes along with yoga practice. He talks about: *Why, why, why?? do we so often experience sacral pain in yoga *What is...

In this episode, Jason breaks down what he sees as some of the pros and cons of teaching full-time vs. teaching part-time. The bottom line is this: There's not one right choice, but no matter whichever direction you choose, there are some challenges to overcome. (And if you're considering becoming a yoga teacher because you think it would be an easy, relaxed lifestyle, well, you might want to reco...

Katie Brauer joins us this week for some straight talk. She shares about her background as a professional snowboarder turned yoga teacher, money mindset, and how she's using her insights to help other teachers bust through their money blocks and create sustainable businesses. Here are some highlights: * Katie talks about her time as a professional snowboarder, what she learned from her experiences...

In this last episode of our Begin Again series, Jason answers several listener questions about teaching yoga to beginning yoga students. We cover lots of ground, including: *When (or if) to encourage a student to leave a beginner level class for a more challenging one *How to teach Ujjayi breathing to beginners, and why it's important to do it separately from asanas *When to teach the nuances of p...

This week's episode is a special interview with public speaker and yogi Jason Freeman. Jason has a speech impediment due to cerebral palsy, which he was born with. He talks about how being different impacted him from an early age and how his yoga practice helped him to embrace his "imperfect best" as he puts it. Also on this episode is Jamie Martin, Jason's yoga teacher, who shares her insights ab...

My husband, Jason Crandell, is back this week, and he's sharing practical tips for teaching beginning students when they come to a mixed-level class. Here are a few things you'll learn: * How to keep a new student safe without making them feel singled out (and when to just let things go!) * Strategies for helping beginners (and everyone else, too!) through the Chaturanga/Up Dog/Down Dog transition...

We all start out as beginners. But that doesn't mean that teaching beginning yoga students is intuitive. In this episode in our Begin Again series, Jason tackles the specifics of teaching asana to beginning students. Jason shares: * Why it's important to help students pay attention to their whole experience in a particular pose, not just the muscle or muscle groups that they're stretching * How to...

Yoga and meditation teacher Tias Little returns to the podcast this week. (Tias joined me on episode 102 to talk about perfectionism). On today's episode, we talk about how our culture of speed affects us holistically and why it’s important--but also challenging--to slow down. We discuss: *The new book that Tias is working on and how it's different from other projects he's worked on *Why, from a s...

In this second episode of our Begin Again series, we talk about what keeps us motivated to practice when yoga is feeling stagnant and Jason offers useful tips for teachers who are faced with the difficult (but rewarding!) task of teaching yoga to beginners. He also talks about how to introduce philosophy to beginning students and how to motivate students to keep coming back to their mats.  He...

With a new year comes a flood of new students into yoga classes everywhere. Many of those students will be brand new to yoga, while others have re-committed to their yoga practice. In this first episode of our series on yoga beginners, Jason shares some tips for how to welcome these new students and make them feel "supported, but not hounded" in the yoga room. While the series will be geared towar...

For the last interview of 2018, I am so excited to share an interview with Insight Yoga founder Sarah Powers. Sarah has been a huge influence on my yoga practice, my meditation practice, and my life.  Here's what we talk about: * Yoga and parenting: How Sarah introduced her daughter to yoga and what impact she believes growing up in a yoga family had on her daughter   * How Sarah an...

This week, I talk with Ty Powers. You might know Ty as the husband an influential yoga teacher for me (and many others!) -- Sarah Powers. He's also an incredibly insightful teacher in his own right, a meditation teacher, and coach. Recently, he's also been leading workshops called Changes and Transitions in Midlife--something that is of particular interest to me now that I'm in my 40s. Here are so...

This week's guest, Melissa Townsend is the author of two beautiful books about the Yoga Sutras. Townsend, a long-time yoga student, artist, Sanskrit enthusiast, and psychic, wasn't always enthusiastic about the sutras. But in the same way that psychic visions come to her, so did the idea to use her art to share the Yoga Sutras. On this episode, I had the opportunity to ask her all about the creati...

Historically, during times of political and cultural strife, people become more interested in self-care. That means that right now, self-care is an incredibly important and popular topic (to the tune of 9 million hashtags on Instagram!). Self-care means different things to different people. It's not all bubble baths and mani/pedis (although, there's certainly nothing wrong with those!) I think of...

One out of three people will face a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime. While a regular yoga practice might not prevent cancer, it can certainly help ease the fear, anxiety, and emotional anguish that can come with it. Today's guest, Dr. Timothy McCall, is a medical doctor and yoga teacher, who talks with us this week about his road to recovery from throat cancer. His story is an inspiring te...

This week's episode focuses on adaptogenic herbs and nootropics, which are herbs and supplements that are thought to help us adapt to stress, improve cognitive function, and memory. They're everywhere these days -- in our smoothies, on the shelves of Whole Foods, in teas. And as with all trends, I both want to embrace anything and everything that's said to improve health while simultaneously feeli...

This is the sixth year Jason led his week-long retreat on Maui, but the FIRST year we did a live Yogaland podcast! We did not humble brag about the beautiful setting, the food, the roosters, or the camaraderie of the students -- we just full on brag bragged. But we also answered student questions, which happened to mainly focus on backbending. Here's an overview: * We talk about the benefits of im...

Jason and I celebrated our 10th anniversary in early October -- that's a whole DECADE of wedded bliss, you guys!. In an unusual moment of sentimentality, we decided to share a bit more about our relationship in this episode. We reflect on - How we went from colleagues to dating to married - How we moved from student-teacher relationship (and editor-writer relationship) to romantic partnership - Ho...

Most people consider arm balances and inversions challenging poses, but we think they're worth the effort. This week, I talk to Jason about his approach to teaching these popular poses, and how he breaks them down to make them more accessible for every student. We also share our newest mini-course (it's free!) , which goes deep into one of the most foundational arm balances, Bakasana (also known a...

It was such a pleasure to talk to yoga teacher and astrologer Susannah Freedman for this very special episode. Susannah has been teaching yoga and doing astrology readings since 2010 and has a Masters in Philosophy and Religion, but both her yoga and astrology journeys started during her self-described "hippie childhood." In this interview, Susannah explains how she sees someone's chart as their "...

Today's guest is Melanie Klein, a professor of Sociology and Women's Studies, co-founder of the Yoga and Body Image Coalition, and author of the new book, Yoga Rising: 30 Empowering Stories from Yoga Renegades for Every Body. Her work has made her a respected leader in the conversation around yoga and body image.   In this interview, we talk about how she came to be such an advocate for the p...

I'm so excited to share this interview with Dr. Will Cole! Dr. Cole is a functional medicine doc whose new book, Ketotarian , offers a mostly plant-based approach to the ketogenic diet that's much healthier than the traditional bacon and bunless burgers regimen. I've been on the ketogenic diet for a few years and I value Dr. Cole's approach -- it's compassionate, research-driven,and balanced. Plus...

There are so many interpretations of the seminal yoga text, Patanjali's Yoga Sutra. This week, I talk to two women who've written one that is refreshingly different. Kelly DiNardo and Amy Pearce-Hayden join me to talk about their book new book, Living the Sutras: A Guide to Yoga Wisdom Beyond the Mat . Their book is not a formal, scholarly translation of the Yoga Sutra. Instead, DiNardo and Pearce...

I got a great question from a listener recently in response to episode 119, so I decided to start this episode with Jason's response. The listener, Neil, asks, "If we're creating a practice that's sustainable, does it really makes sense to repeat the same sequence over and over again?" And what's the best way to handle pressure from studio and gym owners to "freshen things up?" We also answer a co...

Today's guest, Nikki Myers, a yoga therapist and the founder of Y12SR (Yoga of 12-Step Recovery), shares how yoga has helped with her personal struggles with addiction and helped thousands of people through Y12SR. Even if you've never been touched personally by addiction, her insights and advice apply to anyone who's had to overcome a challenge in life.  We talk about: * Nikki's personal...