Yogaland Podcast

Jessamyn Stanley is a world-traveling yoga teacher and self-proclaimed body positive advocate with a new book, Every Body Yoga. Several years ago she decided to document her yoga practice on a brand new app called Instagram, having no idea that she would garner nearly 300,000 followers, many of whom begged her to become a yoga teacher. We talk about the evolution of her yoga practice from her early days as a Bikram yogi to a vinyasa teacher, how yoga studios can make efforts toward being more inclusive of different body types and capabilities, and her quest to stay grounded as she spreads her message that, indeed, yoga is for everyone. Shownotes: yogalandpodcast.com/episode46/ Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/yogaland.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A hike in the Ajanta Caves in India several years ago sparked a massive creative project for artist and yoga teacher Amanda Giacomini: To put 10,000 Buddhas out into the world. Her work has appeared on murals, canvases, and prayer wheels in cities from Washington DC to Los Angeles to Panama. Amanda tells the story of what inspired the project, her creative process, and how it feeds her own life and yoga practice. Shownotes: yogalandpodcast.com/episode45/ Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/yogaland.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Tiffany is a renowned yoga teacher and the founder of Yoga Medicine. She's also a doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine and ran an acupuncture clinic at Nike headquarters for years. Tiffany offers her unique perspective on how to modify our diet, asana, breathwork, and meditation for spring. She also (very patiently) answers my questions about the ways that Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine overlap. This is a great ep for all the complementary medicine geeks in the crowd (like myself). Shownotes: yogalandpodcast.com/episode44/ Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/yogaland.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Jason comes back to Yogaland to answer your questions, specifically: - Is the cue 'flatten your tailbone' correct or outdated? - Why do yoga teachers tell us to flex the foot in Pigeon Pose? How does it protect the knee? - Why is sacroiliac pain such a pain in the a$$? Thank you to all of you who have sent in questions! We have a sequence on the blog for low back pain. Link on the shownotes page: yogalandpodcast.com/episode43/ Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/yogaland.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/yogaland.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this age of insta-celebrity and everyone chasing their 15 minutes of fame, it's refreshing to talk to a long-term, successful yoga teacher. Deborah Burkman is one of these people. She's been teaching for 17 years, in many settings, and loves her job. She's not famous and, at this point in her life and career, she's grateful for that. Her message to all of us: Find your purpose and come back to that. And know that who you are is enough. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/yogaland.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Alexandria Crow grew up in a fundamentalist Christian family and her grandfather was a traveling preacher. These days she travels the country teaching yoga -- and it recently dawned on her that there are parallels between the two. Because of this, she's careful about not cultivating a guru persona -- her hope is to teach her students to use the tools that she presents to investigate on their own and think for themselves. We talk about this idea of being "transparent" as a teacher, the role of charisma in teaching yoga, and the vulnerable place that students can unconsciously find themselves in if they have a teacher who isn't clear about their role and their boundaries. Shownotes: yogalandpodcast.com/episode40/ Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/yogaland.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Richard Rosen is a yoga scholar and teacher who has authored five yoga books that are well worth reading. I talked to him about his most recent, "Yoga FAQ, Almost Everything You Need to Know about Yoga -- from Asanas to Yamas." This book is rich with tons of historical info and yet, Richard is refreshingly honest about how traditions change and evolve. We focus mostly on his Patanjali's Yoga Sutra -- who was Patanjali? Who was Vyasa? And why is this text a seminal part of modern Western yoga? Shownotes: yogalandpodcast.com/episode39/ Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/yogaland.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week, I talk to Nikki Estrada about the first two ethical guidelines in the Yoga Sutra: ahimsa (nonharming) and satya (truth). Nikki has more than 20 years teaching experience and has been leading 200 and 300-hour teaching trainings for more than 12 years. She was Director of Trainer Development for YogaWorks for more than 7 years where she supported and mentored teacher trainers. She leads intensives, immersions and workshop series in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. She contributes to Yoga International where you can find her articles and videos. Nikki is an Athleta Ambassador for embodying the Power of She, is sponsored by Zobha, has presented at Yoga Journal conferences and was voted best yoga teacher by Marin Magazine 2016. You can find shownotes for this episode at: yogalandpodcast.com/episode38/ Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/yogaland.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Jason takes on questions that surround yoga teaching this week including: - To use Sanskrit while teaching or not? - How to care for yourself during an injury? - How do you help individuals find their unique pose in the midst of a group class? You can find shownotes for this episode, with lots of blog posts from Jason about teaching at yogalandpodcast.com/episode38/ Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/yogaland.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Q&As with Jason are back! On this episode we talk about hopping back to Plank Pose, what happens when your wrists won't cooperate in arm balances, and tips for Triangle Pose. The BIG TAKEAWAY is this: Not all poses work for all bodies. Take that in. Let it bum you out. Then listen to the episode and let that truth set you free. Shownotes: yogalandpodcast.com/episode36/ Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/yogaland.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On this episode, I talk to Kelsey Crowe, the co-author of the book, "There is No Good Card for This: What to Say and Do When Life is Scary, Awful, and Unfair to People You Love." The book is funny, it's written without judgment, and it's filled with helpful and achievable ideas to help us connect to and support each other when life gets tough. It's also designed by the fabulous Emily McDowell. Shownotes: yogalandpodcast.com/episode35/ Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/yogaland.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

I bet you can conjure it up pretty easily: The image of the calm, benevolent yoga teacher who NEVER GETS ANGRY. You might wish that you were that person. And perhaps such people exist. But the rest of us mere mortals get pissed sometimes. And sometimes getting pissed is OK and warranted. The question is, how do you take your anger and channel in ways that are positive? And how do you learn and grow from your anger? What's beneath the subtext and how do you cope? I'm happy to have Sally Kempton back on this episode to answer all of my burning, raging rage questions. This is one of my favorite episodes to date! I'd love to know if you found it helpful. Shownotes: yogalandpodcast.com/episode34/ Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/yogaland.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Bex Urban joins me on this episode to share her many years of navigating the challenges of putting together a successful retreat. We talk risks, rewards, coping with busted septic tanks, and more. My hope is that this episode will inspire retreat newbies -- both students and teachers. Shownotes: yogalandpodcast.com/episode33/ Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/yogaland.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Among her other great qualities, I like to think of Stephanie Snyder as the queen of the playlist. On this ep, she offers her intention behind including music in class, her thoughts on the tradition of sound in yoga, plus mistakes she's made over the years. BONUS: One of Steph's favorite bands, Young Moon, create the soundtrack for this episode. For more shownotes go to: yogalandpodcast.com/episode32/ Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/yogaland.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.