Yogaland Podcast

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 Boat Pose) and Ardha Navasna (Half Boat Pose) and which one is better for strengthening the core muscles * What to do when you can't breathe deeply in twists * What it means to be an advanced yoga practitioner Shownotes: yogalandpodcast.com/episode/ SHOUTOUT TO OUR SPONSORS 1. Zola is reinventing the wedding planning and registry experience. From engagement to wedding to decorating your first home, Zola is there, combining compassionate customer service with modern tools and technology. To sign up with Zola and receive a $50 credit towards your registry, go to zola.com/yogaland 2. RxBar are protein bars made from 100% whole foods. That means RxBars do not contain artificial flavors, colors, preservatives or fillers. They also do not contain added sugar. They’re also delicious! For 25% off your first order, visit RXBAR.com/yogaland and enter the promo code YOGALAND at checkout. 3. Freshly is the easiest and most convenient way to eat healthy no matter what life throws your way. Freshly’s chef create delicious gluten-free meals delivered fresh to your door. Every single meal comes with a detailed overview of each ingredient in the meal. Get $25 off your first order of 6 fresh-cooked dinners by going to freshly.com/yogaland 4. To my women listeners out there – have you tried Lola yet? LOLA is a female-founded company offering organic cotton tampons, pads, and liners. For 60% off your first order, visit mylola.com and enter the code YOGALAND when you subscribe. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/yogaland.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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 stretch your muscles - How to use tools like therapy balls, a yoga mat, or even a hard wood floor to create awareness from the skin to the deep fascia (Hint: Less is more) - Whether rolling on therapy balls is more effective before or after exercise Shownotes: yogalandpodcast.com/episode/ SHOUTOUT TO OUR SPONSORS 1. Zola is reinventing the wedding planning and registry experience. From engagement to wedding to decorating your first home, Zola is there, combining compassionate customer service with modern tools and technology. To sign up with Zola and receive a $50 credit towards your registry, go to zola.com/yogaland 2. RxBar are protein bars made from 100% whole foods. That means RxBars do not contain artificial flavors, colors, preservatives or fillers. They also do not contain added sugar. They’re also delicious! For 25% off your first order, visit RXBAR.com/yogaland and enter the promo code YOGALAND at checkout. 3. Freshly is the easiest and most convenient way to eat healthy no matter what life throws your way. Freshly’s chef create delicious gluten-free meals delivered fresh to your door. Every single meal comes with a detailed overview of each ingredient in the meal. Get $25 off your first order of 6 fresh-cooked dinners by going to freshly.com/yogaland 4. To my women listeners out there – have you tried Lola yet? LOLA is a female-founded company offering organic cotton tampons, pads, and liners. For 60% off your first order, visit mylola.com and enter the code YOGALAND when you subscribe.   Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/yogaland.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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 practice. By the end of Part II, I feel like Jill and I dug into all of these questions, so be patient! Fascia is complex and it took me a bit longer than usual for these interviews to land. We learn more about: * What exactly fascia is anyway? And why is there some controversy over the definition. * Why fascia is the "Cinderella story of human anatomy" * How to incorporate our understanding of fascia into our yoga practice * Why using a yoga ball to roll one part of your body can help to relieve tension in another part of the body * The nervous system's relationship to the fascia system Shownotes: yogalandpodcast.com/episode89/ SHOUTOUT TO OUR SPONSORS 1. Zola is reinventing the wedding planning and registry experience. From engagement to wedding to decorating your first home, Zola is there, combining compassionate customer service with modern tools and technology. To sign up with Zola and receive a $50 credit towards your registry, go to zola.com/yogaland 2. RxBar are protein bars made from 100% whole foods. That means RxBars do not contain artificial flavors, colors, preservatives or fillers. They also do not contain added sugar. They’re also delicious! For 25% off your first order, visit RXBAR.com/yogaland and enter the promo code YOGALAND at checkout. 3. Freshly is the easiest and most convenient way to eat healthy no matter what life throws your way. Freshly’s chef create delicious gluten-free meals delivered fresh to your door. Every single meal comes with a detailed overview of each ingredient in the meal. Get $25 off your first order of 6 fresh-cooked dinners by going to freshly.com/yogaland 4. To my women listeners out there – have you tried Lola yet? LOLA is a female-founded company offering organic cotton tampons, pads, and liners. For 60% off your first order, visit mylola.com and enter the code YOGALAND when you subscribe.   Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/yogaland.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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 Laboratory at the University of Colorado, Boulder. She explains how her research applies to yogis and offers practical ways to apply her findings to avoid yoga injuries and more. It's fascinating stuff. We explore: * How the nervous system works and informs movement * How the body responds to sensory input, and how it relates to yoga * How the SI joint differs from other joints in the body and what yogis can do to avoid SI joint pain * One simple thing you can do to engage the core more in Plank Pose * The science behind common beliefs like: Is it really unsafe to jump back from Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) to Plank Pose? * And gets to the bottom of why teachers instruct you to lift your toes in Utkatasana (Chair Pose) Shownotes: yogalandpodcast.com/episode88/ SHOUTOUT TO OUR SPONSORS!! 1.   Did you know that you can save money on your life insurance just because you do yoga? Health IQ is an insurance company that helps yogis get lower rates on their life insurance. To see if you qualify, get your free quote today at healthiq.com/yogaland or mention the promo code YOGALAND when you talk to a Health IQ agent. 2.   RxBar are protein bars made from 100% whole foods. That means RxBars do not contain artificial flavors, colors, preservatives or fillers. They also do not contain added sugar. They’re also delicious!  For 25% off your first order, visit RXBAR.com/yogaland and enter the promo code YOGALAND at checkout. 3.  Freshly is the easiest and most convenient way to eat healthy no matter what life throws your way. Freshly’s chef create delicious gluten-free meals delivered fresh to your door. Every single meal comes with a detailed overview of each ingredient in the meal. Get $25 off your first order of 6 fresh-cooked dinners by going to freshly.com/yogaland 4.   To my women listeners out there – have you tried Lola yet? LOLA is a female-founded company offering organic cotton tampons, pads, and liners. For 60% off your first order, visit mylola.com and enter the code YOGALAND when you subscribe. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/yogaland.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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 OUR SPONSORS!! 1.   Did you know that you can save money on your life insurance just because you do yoga? Health IQ is an insurance company that helps yogis get lower rates on their life insurance. To see if you qualify, get your free quote today at healthiq.com/yogaland or mention the promo code YOGALAND when you talk to a Health IQ agent. 2.   RxBar are protein bars made from 100% whole foods. That means RxBars do not contain artificial flavors, colors, preservatives or fillers. They also do not contain added sugar. They’re also delicious!  For 25% off your first order, visit RXBAR.com/yogaland and enter the promo code YOGALAND at checkout. 3.  Freshly is the easiest and most convenient way to eat healthy no matter what life throws your way. Freshly’s chef create delicious gluten-free meals delivered fresh to your door. Every single meal comes with a detailed overview of each ingredient in the meal. Get $25 off your first order of 6 fresh-cooked dinners by going to freshly.com/yogaland 4.   To my women listeners out there – have you tried Lola yet? LOLA is a female-founded company offering organic cotton tampons, pads, and liners. For 60% off your first order, visit mylola.com and enter the code YOGALAND when you subscribe. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/yogaland.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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? What's the deal. Please. Shownotes: yogalandpodcast.com/episode86 SHOUTOUT TO OUR SPONSORS!! 1.   Did you know that you can save money on your life insurance just because you do yoga? Health IQ is an insurance company that helps yogis get lower rates on their life insurance. To see if you qualify, get your free quote today at healthiq.com/yogaland or mention the promo code YOGALAND when you talk to a Health IQ agent. 2.   RxBar are protein bars made from 100% whole foods. That means RxBars do not contain artificial flavors, colors, preservatives or fillers. They also do not contain added sugar. They’re also delicious!  For 25% off your first order, visit RXBAR.com/yogaland and enter the promo code YOGALAND at checkout. 3.  Freshly is the easiest and most convenient way to eat healthy no matter what life throws your way. Freshly’s chef create delicious gluten-free meals delivered fresh to your door. Every single meal comes with a detailed overview of each ingredient in the meal. Get $25 off your first order of 6 fresh-cooked dinners by going to freshly.com/yogaland 4.   To my women listeners out there – have you tried Lola yet? LOLA is a female-founded company offering organic cotton tampons, pads, and liners. For 60% off your first order, visit mylola.com and enter the code YOGALAND when you subscribe. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/yogaland.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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 through: • The three types of students who come to class • The four elements that make a good theme • Theming don’ts • Five rules for incorporating your themes into your classes • How to organize your themes so that you can edit them and reuse them in the future Shownotes: yogalandpodcast.com/episode85/ SHOUTOUT TO OUR SPONSORS: 1.   Did you know that you can save money on your life insurance just because you do yoga? Health IQ is an insurance company that helps yogis get lower rates on their life insurance. To see if you qualify, get your free quote today at healthiq.com/yogaland or mention the promo code YOGALAND when you talk to a Health IQ agent. 2.   RxBar are protein bars made from 100% whole foods. That means RxBars do not contain artificial flavors, colors, preservatives or fillers. They also do not contain added sugar. They’re also delicious!  For 25% off your first order, visit RXBAR.com/yogaland and enter the promo code YOGALAND at checkout. 3.  Freshly is the easiest and most convenient way to eat healthy no matter what life throws your way. Freshly’s chef create delicious gluten-free meals delivered fresh to your door. Every single meal comes with a detailed overview of each ingredient in the meal. Get $25 off your first order of 6 fresh-cooked dinners by going to freshly.com/yogaland Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/yogaland.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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 is basically no federal regulation on our personal care products (or on most industrial chemicals in the U.S.) That was my inspiration behind this episode and I’m so excited to share it with you. This week on the podcast I speak to two women from AnnMarie Skincare and they answer all of my questions (and more) including: ·     Do products made with botanicals really work as well as our familiar “tried and true” formulations? ·     How to start purging your skincare products ·     Red flag ingredients too look for ·     Nutrient-rich ingredients to look for ·     How you know you’re getting a truly organic product (since there are FDA loopholes) ·     Web sites and certifications to help you navigate which products are safe, healthy, and don’t test on animals ·     Where are we with trying to improve FDA regulations? Shownotes: yogalandpodcast.com/episode84/ Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/yogaland.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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 not solved!!) Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/yogaland.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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 restorative yoga as a radical act of self care in a society that's so filled with aggression and violence. Shownotes: yogalandpodcast.com/episode82 1.   Did you know that you can save money on your life insurance just because you do yoga? Health IQ is an insurance company that helps yogis get lower rates on their life insurance. To see if you qualify, get your free quote today at healthiq.com/yogaland or mention the promo code YOGALAND when you talk to a Health IQ agent. 2.   We all go through busy times where it can feel like a challenge to eat well. One thing that’s helped me is Sunbasket meal delivery service. Go to sunbasket.com/yogaland to get $35 off your first order. 3.   Care/Of is a new, online vitamin company that is devoted to personalization and authenticity in its sourcing. Set your health goals, take their quiz, and they'll give you vitamin, mineral, and adaptogen recommendations. They also include sourcing information and studies to give you background on your choices. I've had fun trying them out!  Visit takecareof.com and use offer code YOGALAND at checkout for 50% off your first month of vitamins.  4.   To my women listeners out there – have you tried Lola yet? LOLA is a female-founded company offering organic cotton tampons, pads, and liners. For 60% off your first order, visit mylola.com and enter the code YOGALAND when you subscribe. 5.   Storyworth makes it easy and fun for loved ones to tell their stories. Simply purchase a subscription for someone you love and each week Storyworth will send them a question about their life. After a year, stories are bound in a beautiful book. For $20 off, visit storyworth.com/yogaland when you subscribe.   Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/yogaland.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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 strong, we feel content, stable, and grounded. When it gets depleted, our immunity goes down the tubes (my parlance, not hers :) We got super-fancy and cross-cultural on this episode, because it turns out that the way to cultivate ojas is very similar to the Danish concept of hygge (think cozy socks, candlelight, and delicious spiced drinks). Niika also shares her approach to asana and pranayama for keep ojas tip top. Go to the shownotes page for an ojas-nourishing chai recipe from Niika and a link to her ojas assessment: yogalandpodcast.com/podcast/episode81/ 1. We all go through busy times where it can feel like a challenge to eat well. One thing that’s helped me is Sunbasket meal delivery service. Go to sunbasket.com/yogaland to get $35 off your first order. 2. Care/Of is a new, online vitamin company that is devoted to personalization and authenticity in its sourcing. Set your health goals, take their quiz, and they'll give you vitamin, mineral, and adaptogen recommendations. They also include sourcing information and studies to give you background on your choices. I've had fun trying them out! Visit takecareof.com and use offer code YOGALAND at checkout for 50% off your first month of vitamins. 3. To my women listeners out there – have you tried Lola yet? LOLA is a female-founded company offering organic cotton tampons, pads, and liners. For 60% off your first order, visit mylola.com and enter the code YOGALAND when you subscribe. 4. Treehut is a team of inspired designers and creators building unique wooden watches with personalized engravings. For 15% off your first order, visit treehutwatches.com/yogaland and enter the promo code YOGALAND at checkout. Offer expires December 31st. 5. Storyworth makes it easy and fun for loved ones to tell their stories. Simply purchase a subscription for someone you love and each week Storyworth will send them a question about their life. After a year, stories are bound in a beautiful book. For $20 off, visit storyworth.com/yogaland when you subscribe. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/yogaland.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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 practice sequence that suits your mood, your energy level, and your time crunch. If you still need help, I put lots of sequences here, on the shownotes page: yogalandpodcast.com/episode80/ 1. We all go through busy times where it can feel like a challenge to eat well. One thing that’s helped me is Sunbasket meal delivery service. Go to sunbasket.com/yogaland to get $35 off your first order. 2. Care/Of is a new, online vitamin company that is devoted to personalization and authenticity in its sourcing. Set your health goals, take their quiz, and they'll give you vitamin, mineral, and adaptogen recommendations. Visit takecareof.com and use offer code YOGALAND at checkout for 50% off your first month of vitamins.  3. To my women listeners out there – have you tried Lola yet? LOLA is a female-founded company offering organic cotton tampons, pads, and liners. For 60% off your first order, visit mylola.com and enter the code YOGALAND when you subscribe. 4. Treehut is a team of inspired designers and creators building unique wooden watches with personalized engravings. For 15% off your first order, visit treehutwatches.com/yogaland and enter the promo code YOGALAND at checkout. Offer expires December 31st. 5. Storyworth makes it easy and fun for loved ones to tell their stories. Simply purchase a subscription for someone you love and each week Storyworth will send them a question about their life. After a year, stories are bound in a beautiful book. For $20 off, visit storyworth.com/yogaland when you subscribe. 6. Zola is a new online wedding company that’s reinventing wedding planning and the registry process. Plus, there’s an app for your Ipad, iphone and AppleWatch – check and update your registry in real-time. For a $50 credit toward your registry zola.com/yogaland Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/yogaland.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Faith Hunter is a yoga and meditation teacher based in Washington, DC. Faith is the founder of a yoga studio in DC called Embrace Yoga and she's also the founder of her philosophy, Spiritually Fly. For the third episode of my Holiday Series, I thought it would be helpful to talk about grief. G For those of you grieving right now, I know that the holidays can intensify all the feelings, so I thought it would be helpful to do an episode that centers around grief. I hope this podcast helps you feel a little bit less alone in the world.  Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/yogaland.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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 circadian rhythms. In this interview, Roger explains how to use the Baro Reflex to maximize relaxation in restorative yoga poses. As he puts it, there is not one single system that is responsible for relaxation -- in yoga classes, we often focus on the nervous system. But, if you "gang up a lot of factors that promote relaxation," you're more likely to go deeper and feel more restored afterward. We also talk about that time he took B.K.S. Iyengar to a lab and tested his breathing (with interesting, if imperfect results), and a possible reason that inversions promote relaxation. Shownotes: yogalandpodcast.com/episode78/ Shout-Out to Sponsors: 1. We all go through busy times where it can feel like a challenge to eat well. One thing that’s helped me is Sunbasket meal delivery service. Go to sunbasket.com/yogaland to get $35 off your first order. 2. Care/Of is a new, online vitamin company that is devoted to personalization and authenticity in its sourcing. Set your health goals, take their quiz, and they'll give you vitamin, mineral, and adaptogen recommendations. They also include sourcing information and studies to give you background on your choices. I've had fun trying them out!  Visit takecareof.com and use offer code YOGALAND at checkout for 50% off your first month of vitamins.  3. To my women listeners out there – have you tried Lola yet? LOLA is a female-founded company offering organic cotton tampons, pads, and liners. For 60% off your first order, visit mylola.com and enter the code YOGALAND when you subscribe.   4. Burrow is a new online company that creates modern, CHEMICAL-FREE sofas that ship to you within a week! For $50 off your purchase, go to burrow.com and use the promo code YOGALAND. 5. Zola is a new online wedding company that’s reinventing wedding planning and the registry process. Plus, there’s an app for your Ipad, iphone and AppleWatch – check and update your registry in real-time. For $50 credit toward your registry, visit zola.com/yogaland Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/yogaland.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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 took part. Makes my heart full just thinking about it! Use the hashtags #yogaoffthemat and #letsstaytogether so we can find each other and support each other in the challenge. Shownotes: yogalandpodcast.com/episode77/ Shout-Out to 1. We all go through busy times where it can feel like a challenge to eat well. One thing that’s helped me is Sunbasket meal delivery service. Go to sunbasket.com/yogaland to get $35 off your first order. 2. Care/Of is a new, online vitamin company that is devoted to personalization and authenticity in its sourcing. Set your health goals, take their quiz, and they'll give you vitamin, mineral, and adaptogen recommendations. They also include sourcing information and studies to give you background on your choices. I've had fun trying them out!  Visit takecareof.com and use offer code YOGALAND at checkout for 50% off your first month of vitamins.  3. To my women listeners out there – have you tried Lola yet? LOLA is a female-founded company offering organic cotton tampons, pads, and liners. For 60% off your first order, visit mylola.com and enter the code YOGALAND when you subscribe.   4. Burrow is a new online company that creates modern, CHEMICAL-FREE sofas that ship to you within a week! For $50 off your purchase, go to burrow.com and use the promo code YOGALAND. 5. Zola is a new online wedding company that’s reinventing wedding planning and the registry process. Plus, there’s an app for your Ipad, iphone and AppleWatch – check and update your registry in real-time. For a$50 credit toward your registry zola.com/yogaland Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/yogaland.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.