Yogaland Podcast

This week, Coral Brown offers her take on the psychodynamics of the teacher-student relationship in yoga. Coral is both a respected Prana Vinyasa yoga teacher and licensed mental health counselor with great insight into this topic. There are obviously major differences in the therapist/patient relationship vs. the yoga teacher/student relationship. Yet, many of the same psychodynamics ar...

This is our first-ever live podcast recording! From Jason's training in San Francisco at Love Story Yoga, we dig deep into how yoga teachers can serve their students better through offering hands-on, or manual, adjustments. We talk about: * The value of hands-on adjustments in yoga postures for students, and which students might benefit most.  * Why Jason feels there should be a paradigm shif...

Sexual misconduct in the yoga community isn't new. But the evolving #metoo and #timesup movements have brought to light the magnitude of the problem for women from all walks of life -- including within the yoga world. (Rachel Brathen collected more than 300 of them last year). It's opened an important dialogue about how to put an end to sexual misconduct and other abuses of power within the yoga c...

Did you know that the fastest growing demographic of new yogis is the 55 and older set? Neither did I. I learned all sorts of fascinating facts, statistics, and new research from this week's guest, Baxter Bell. Together with his co-author, Nina Zolotow, Baxter has a new book, Yoga for Healthy Aging and that's the main focus of this episode. I can't think of two people better-positioned to write th...

Jason's back on the podcast this week answering some of the best questions we've gotten in about yoga postures. (Yogaland listeners are a smart, inquisitive bunch!) We dive into: * Why he rarely teaches Virabhadrasna I (Warrior I Pose) and how he feels about "squaring" the hips * What Jason teaches instead of Warrior I (and what a relief it is) * The differences between Paripurna Navasana (Full Bo...

This week, we continue our conversation with Jill Miller to learn even more about the mysterious (and amazing!) connective tissue that literally holds our bodies together: fascia. We talk more about: The three different layers of fascia, how each layer functions, and why each one is important Where in your own body you can feel the different textures of fascia What happens to the fascia when you s...

I've got a special two-part series this week Yoga Tune Up® founder Jill Miller about -- you guessed it -- fascia. There is more and more info. being shared about fascia. But I've found that it sometimes feels esoteric. My goal with these interviews is threefold: I wanted to offer clarity about what fascia is and then talk about why it is so important and how we can apply this info. to our yoga pra...

Yogis often talk about the nervous system in terms of how it responds to stress. But if you've ever wanted to learn more about the science of how the nervous system works, this episode is for you! (Spoiler alert: It controls almost everything related to movement!) This week, I talked with yoga therapist and PhD candidate Robyn Capobianco, who studies at the Neurophysiology of Movement Laborat...

We pick up where we left off last week with Jason answering more of your recent questions! This week, he answers: * How often should I change my sequences? * How do I sequence given the large influx of new students in January without alienating my established students? * If I let my pelvis rotate during twists, will it cause a hip impingement? Shownotes: yogalandpodcast.com/episode87/ SHOUTOUT TO...

Jason Crandell joins me this week to answer your questions. We cover a lot of ground in this short episode including: * Strategies for Down Dog -- How to make it easier to step forward, what to do when a student can't straighten their arms * Lower Rib Flare -- Why it's important to think of core length, not just core strength * The Cue to 'Tuck Your Tailbone Under -- Is it dangerous? Appropriate?...

This week’s podcast with author and yoga teacher Michelle Marchildon focuses on her formula for theming your yoga classes. The formula comes from her book, Themeweaver: Connect the Power of Inspiration to Teaching Yoga and is a clear, thorough approach to creating themes that are meaningful, not cheesy, and will help your students really deeply connect their physical practice to Michelle talks us...

I love the idea of starting of the New Year with healthy, nourishing routines. Over the past few years, I’ve done that with my skincare routine and I find it to be a great form of self care. When you think of self care, you don’t think of smearing petroleum, endocrine disruptors or other toxic chemicals on your face, right? In the process of researching the products I use, I’ve learned that there...

Can you guess which podcast was the most popular of the year? I give you a glimpse into my analytics on this episode (spoiler alert: the #1 episode is not one of Jason's), plus we talk 2017 highlights (hello, creativity!) and lowlights (puffy eyes), what we're looking forward to in 2018, and how I aspire to channel both Maria Bamford and Oprah. (PS: Iyengar Yoga "belt" vs. "strap" question still n...

Judith Hanson Lasater and her daughter, Lizzie Lasater, have been on the podcast separately before. On episodes 64 & 65 I focused on their backgrounds and on the mother-daughter connection. This time, I wanted back up and simply ask the question, "Why restorative yoga?" Why now? And why isn't "regular" hatha yoga restorative enough? One response, in particular, surprised me -- seeing restorati...

Niika Quistgard, Ayurvedic practitioner extraordinaire -- is back! (She joined me on episode 17 for a great vata-calming episode. If you haven't heard it, go back and listen to it. It's a great foundation and complement to this one!) On this episode Niika explains the Ayurvedic approach to nourishing ojas -- thought to be our vital essence -- during the winter and the holiday season. When ojas is...

You've probably heard people say that a short yoga practice is better than no yoga practice. Jason and I heartily agree -- but it can still be hard to carve out the time. I think the root problem is that it's hard to step on your mat solo and know what to do. This episode will help you get over the avoidance. We talk strategy and Jason offers three concrete, easy approaches to creating a home prac...

When you're grieving, the holidays--with its equal share of memories and new situations--can intensify all of your feelings. The holidays can even surprise you with feelings that you might have considered long resolved. On this episode, Washington, DC, yoga teacher and studio owner Faith Hunter generously shares the story of losing her older brother, Michael, to complications from HIV. Faith and I...

How can you get the most from your restorative poses? That's a question that Roger Cole and I explore on this episode.  Roger Cole is an internationally recognized, certified Iyengar Yoga teacher who has been teaching since 1975. He is also an accomplished scientist educated at Stanford University and the University of California, with specialties in the science of relaxation, sleep, and circ...

Happy gratitude week folks! This week, Gina Caputo returns to talk about her Yoga Off the Mat/Let's Stay Together Challenge. I love the idea of infusing our holidays with meaning and with practice. This challenge does exactly that with small, actionable ideas for us to do together each week leading up to the holidays. Imagine the ripple effect it would have if everyone listening to this podcast to...

Jason and Andrea sit down to review some of the themes discussed in episode 74 with Jill Miller and to delve more deeply into the topic of yoga injuries. How do we stop overpraising flexibility and "going further" in a pose without becoming afraid to fully use and inhabit our bodies? Shownotes: yogalandpodcast.com/episode76/ Shoutout to our sponsors : 1. To my women listeners out there – have you...

We've all been there -- in that yoga class where the person next to us is not doing any of the poses the teacher calls out, or in teacher training when someone asks question after question after question after...you get the picture. Do these people drive you crazy? Or, if you're teaching, do you wonder how you can make that rebellious person follow your lead or satisfy the questioner's endless que...

Jill Miller is the creator of Yoga Tuneup and The Roll Model Method -- a self care method that utilizes specific poses, sequences, and self massage tools to help you tune into your body's "blind spots." Jill's method can help ease and pains, it can soothe your nervous system, and increase proprioception -- that important ability to feel where your body is in space. Just before this interview, Jill...

According to psychologist and author, Kelly McGonigal, listening to someone else's story of resilience and overcoming adversity can have a positive effect. Listening to someone's "restorative narrative" can inspire strength and courage in you. In addition, if you're the person doing the storytelling about your own traumatic event, and you both acknowledge the difficulty as well as the how it trans...

Last week, I talked about the science of self-compassion and how self-compassion practice has more favorable outcomes than boosting self-esteem. On this episode, I offer a way to put self-compassion into practice by sharing a 10-minute guided Lovingkindness meditation. This type of meditation involves silently repeating a mantra and extending love and compassion toward yourself, then toward someon...

High self-esteem used to be regarded as a vital component to happiness. But it's fallen out of favor in the past decade. Research -- much of it led by Dr. Kristin Neff -- has shown that self-compassion is a more effective way to increase optimism, happiness, curiosity, and connectedness. This episode talks you through the research and offers three very practical ways to incorporate self-compassion...