Yogaland Podcast

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...

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...