The Flow Artists Podcast - Yoga, activism and more

Robin Carnes is a yoga teacher and certified iRest® Yoga Nidra instructor who hails from the United States. She is well recognized as a pioneer and innovator in the field of mind-body therapies for trauma and related conditions. Her work has been featured in media outlets such as The Washington Post, Woman’s Day Magazine and Yoga Journal just to name a few! In her impressive career, she served as the lead instructor of the first Defense Department-funded feasibility study of Yoga Nidra meditation for PTSD symptoms, and also went on to co-found Warriors at Ease an organisation, which has trained over 800 certified yoga and meditation teachers to work safely and effectively in military communities affected by combat-related stress. Robin was also the author of "Sacred Circles: A Guide To Creating Your Own Women's Spirituality Group" and we learn about how this book came to be. We were lucky to catch up with her while she was in Melbourne for the Meditation Australia Conference, and we got to ask her our most burning questions on Yoga Nidra and iRest, how it works, and why it can help so many people with PTSD. Please note that there is mention of some imagery used in traditional Yoga Nidra that may be triggering for some listeners. Links: Robin's website: www.robincarnes.com iRest Australasia FB page: https://www.facebook.com/IRIAustralasia/ All iRest events : https://www.irest.us/Australasia/Events Warriors at Ease website: www.warriorsatease.org Picks of The Week: Rane - Rachel and Nic on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTt2IMqvqahaSqQa1TKWq3g Jo's pick: Straw vocal techniques https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COgiz4O4tRw http://www.voicecareaustralia.com.au/ Robin's Pick: A beginning resource to explain what White Privilege is and why White people should care The Invisible Backpack - https://nationalseedproject.org/white-privilege-unpacking-the-invisible-knapsack

Shannon Crow is a yoga teacher, a consultant for Yoga Teachers and the host of the Connected Yoga Teacher podcast. She became a yoga teacher in 2006 and continues to teach weekly group and private classes in Owen Sound, Ontario, with a specialty in Yoga for Pelvic Health. Shannon is dedicated to helping yoga teachers define their niche and thrive at marketing. In this episode we learn about Shannon's background growing up in Ontario Canada. We learn about how she discovered yoga, and came to become a Yoga Teacher. We learn about how Shannon came to start The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast. Shannon gives some excellent and usable advice such as how to keep a Facebook group friendly and helpful, how to build a community, both online and in the real world, and how to connect meaningfully with other Yoga Teachers in your local area. We also learn some great ways to find your Yoga niche, and Shannon shares some of her favourite self care techniques. Links: Shannon's Website: http://www.shannoncrow.com/ The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast: http://www.theconnectedyogateacher.com/ The Connected Yoga Teacher Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/connectedyogateacher/?ref=br_rs The Sickboy podcast: http://sickboypodcast.com/

Sarah Harry is a Psychotherapist, yoga teacher, researcher and university lecturer. Sarah Harry is one of Australia’s leading specialists in Body Image and Disordered Eating. She appears regularly in the news on TV and in print as both an expert and a fat yogi. She is also the author of the book Fat Yoga and teaches workshops on the subject of accessible yoga - teaching yoga to people in larger or differently abled bodies. In this episode, we learn how Sarah moved from the world of high fashion to becoming one of Australia’s leading experts in Eating Disorders and Body Image. We learn about the challenges that Sarah faced while training to become a yoga teacher. We also learn how we as Yoga teachers can make yoga classes a more welcoming space for people in larger bodies. We also have a signed copy of FAT YOGA by Sarah Harry to give away! Follow the link to enter the competition: https://podcast.flowartists.com/fat-yoga-competition/ Links: Sarah Harry - https://www.fatyoga.com.au/ This Girl Can - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiplV7r554M Body Peace - https://body-peace.teachable.com/ Body Positive Yoga in Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/bodypositiveyoga Picks of the Week: Sarah Harry - Body Peace cards - https://www.fatyoga.com.au/body-peace-cards-i/

Nicole Lee is a teacher of Qi Gong and meditation and the owner of Chi Space - a Qi Gong and meditation studio in Balaclava, Melbourne. We are fans of Qi Gong ourselves - we love the gentle movements, and we feel that they can be easily be integrated into a yoga or meditation class. As Nicole mentions in this conversation, it is a practice that is accessible for nearly everyone, so it’s a useful tool to have in your yoga and meditation toolbelt. In this conversation we learn about how Nicole went from living a busy life working in real estate in Dubai, to find her true calling running a Qi Gong studio back home in Melbourne. We learn what Qi Gong is, and the differences between Traditional and Integrative Qi Gong. We learn about the sensory and sound meditation workshops that Nicole facilitates, and Nicole tells us a few of her self-care and strategies, that help her run her studio as effectively as possible. We also announce the winner of the book CONNECTING Conscious Communication for Yoga Teachers and Therapists! Links: Chi Space: http://chispace.com.au Picks of the Week: Rane - Childish Gambino - This is America Jo - Vegetable slicing Mandolin. Nicole’s Spring workshop - Sunday September 16th - https://chispace.punchpass.com/classes/1812822

Lucy has been a yoga teacher for many years, having studied at the Kripalu Center in Massachusetts, USA, and has trained with many yoga luminaries such as Michael de Manincor, Indira and A.G. Mohan; Amy Weintraub, Leslie Kaminoff and Richard Miller. As we will hear in this episode, she has had many interesting occupations over her life, including teaching scuba diving, managing sales teams for radio stations and eventually becoming the CEO of Rogen, North America, a global training and consulting firm specializing in face-to-face communication. You may have noticed a constant theme in her line of work, it is that of communication - the subject of this episode. Lucy and her co-writer Jill Danks have recently released their book “CONNECTING Conscious Communication for Yoga Teachers and Therapists”. It's a fantastic book which we believe will be an invaluable resource for Yoga Teachers and Yoga Therapists. In fact, Kaye Tribe, who we interviewed in our last episode as said that she will be making this book a prescribed reading in her course at the Academy of Yoga and Mindbody Education. We have a copy of the book 'Connecting' to giveaway to one lucky listener! To find out more, visit https://podcast.flowartists.com/connecting-book-giveaway/ Links: Yoga Communication: https://www.yogacommunication.org/ Yoga Communication on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yoga_communication/ Picks of The Week: Jo – Wild Japan on Netflix Rane – J Brown Podcast – Tara Stiles - https://www.jbrownyoga.com/yoga-talks-podcast/2018/4/tara-stiles Lucy – Brene Brown – Braving the Wilderness - https://amzn.to/2xYTSlN On Being Podcast - https://onbeing.org/

Kaye Tribe is a Melbourne based yoga teacher and teacher of teachers. She is a Yoga Australia registered Yoga Therapist and member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists. Kaye is the co-director of the Academy of Yoga and MindBody Education (AYME), and has taught a wide range of students over many years. With her background as a qualified myotherapist and lecturer in a range of Health Science subjects including functional anatomy, she has a deep knowledge of functional anatomy and how it can be useful to yoga teachers and yoga therapists. In this episode, we learn about Kaye’s background and how she discovered yoga through the Gita school. We learn about how she started in myotherapy, and how it influences her understanding and teaching of anatomy. We also have some anatomy questions from our audience that Kaye was kind enough to answer, and we finish off with an in-depth discussion on hypermobility and how to most effectively work with hypermobile students. Kaye knows this subject inside and out, so it was an absolute privilege to have this conversation. Links: Academy of Yoga and Mindbody Education https://www.ayme.com.au Video: Awakening the Gluteal Muscles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFq0rldiVFM Video: Are you hyper or hypo mobile? http://www.yogajournal.com.au/2018/03/05/are-you-hyper-or-hypo-mobile/ Rane’s Pick of the week - Die Wise by Stephen Jenkinson - https://amzn.to/2IR37cI

In this episode, we speak with Jo Buick on the concept and practice of Trauma-Informed Yoga. Jo Buick is a much loved and well-respected yoga teacher and the Co-Founder of State of Being, a Melbourne-based not-for-profit organisation that connects community organisations and groups with experienced yoga facilitators with the goal of making the tools of yoga, mindfulness and self-care practices available to and inclusive of everyone in our community. Jo Buick is a teacher that Rane and Jo have both long admired and respected, so we were super excited to have the opportunity to record this conversation with her. In this episode we hear: * How Jo was introduced to yoga * What is the definition of trauma-informed yoga? * Why is trauma-informed yoga important? * Are themes appropriate for a yoga class? * How might be an appropriate and non-coercive way to introduce the theme of gratitude into a class? * What is the effect of spinal health upon mental health? * The importance of using language mindfully during a class * How do we create safer spaces for teachers? * Jo’s work teaching in the community sector * Jo talks about the project she co-founded - State of Being * Jo’s talks about her 3 main Self Care practices. * How Jo became aware that her regime of self-care practices was actually enabling her to maintain an unhealthy workload, and her insights around the strength to say no to things. * How walking away from something can take strength * What can yoga teachers do to help prevent burn-out? * How do we incorporate inclusivity and authenticity into our yoga classes and social media? * How do we ensure studios follow through on the promises of trauma-informed, queer-friendly and body positivity? Links: Jo Buick - State of Being: https://www.stateofbeing.org.au/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jo.buick/ Picks of the Week Jo - The Guilty feminist podcast - http://guiltyfeminist.com/ Rane - Coco - https://amzn.to/2rEN9Hh Jo Buick - The Radiance Sutras - https://amzn.to/2IDRyoz Jo's links Spinal health and mental health http://www.chiropractorsnsw.asn.au/why-is-a-healthy-spine-important https://theconversation.com/mental-illness-more-common-in-those-with-back-problems-8538 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3123209/ Mirror neurons and empathy https://kripalu.org/resources/hardwired-empathy-how-mirror-neurons-connect-us https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-mirror-neuron-revolut/ Vagus nerve and yoga https://theconversation.com/how-yoga-makes-us-happy-according-to-science-77840 Trauma Centre Trauma Sensitive Yoga http://www.traumacenter.org/clients/yoga_svcs.php Yoga Body Image Coalition (Dianne Bondy) http://ybicoalition.com/

In this episode, we (box) jump into the world of Crossfit! Tom Gargiulo is the co-owner of Northside Fitness, a strength and conditioning/crossfit gym in Fairfield, Melbourne. Crossfit has a bit of a reputation for being hard, competitive and perhaps intimidating. Tom takes the movements of Crossfit and creates a supportive environment where everyone feels welcome. Tom doesn't fit the stereotype of what a Crossfitter might be (if there even is one) and he is an amazing athlete in his own right. He is an extremely down to earth guy, and I’ve bumped into him after a couple of yoga classes so I know he is a committed yogi. Both Tom and his wife are vegans, which is relatively uncommon in the Crossfit community, so as you might be able to tell already, he is an interesting guy! In this conversation, we learn all about Tom and his background as a competitive rower, including a stint at Twickenham rowing club, and we were both surprised to hear that he spent time working in the military! We learn how he studied sports science as a mature student and realised that he had found his calling. We hear about how Tom discovered Crossfit and what it is about Crossfit he loves so much. Finally, we hear about Toms work in aged care - he even has a client who recently turned 100! So you can probably tell he is a compassionate guy who sets up a supportive and inclusive environment that really helps his clients feel good, stay safe and fit. Links: NthSide Fitness: https://www.nthside.fitness/ NthSide Fitness on Instagram: http://instagram.com/nthside.fitness Picks of the Week Tom: No time For Fear by Paul De Gelder - https://amzn.to/2r7keLP Rane: Wild Wild Country on Netflix - https://www.netflix.com/au/title/80145240 Jo: Vegan Guide to Melbourne - http://veganguidemelbourne.com/

Kirrah Stewart is a doula, pregnancy masseuse, childbirth educator, placenta encapsulator and she also attends births and supports families during their postpartum. Kirrah has been a doula for over 10 years and is based in the Rainbow region of Northern New South Wales. Kirrah was recently in Melbourne for a Doula conference, so we thought we would take the opportunity to learn more about what she does. Pregnant women and their partners often find it difficult to sift through all the information out there but Kirrah helps them understand their options so they can feel more relaxed and positive in their pregnancy and really look forward to birth and becoming a parent. In this conversation, we learn what lead to Kirrah becoming a doula, and what a doula does! We will learn some of what Kirrah does to assist in the childbirth of her clients, including a quick meditation that you can practice at home. We also learn some of the things that Kirrah does to organise and run her own business, and how she uses social media to help offer her services. Even if you aren’t expecting a child, there is a lot of valuable information in this episode on this very important part of life. Links: Kirrah's Website: www.doulawisdom.com Doula Wisdom on Instagram: www.instagram.com/doulawisdom/ Pick of the week: Jo: The Connected Yoga Teacher - A New Perspective on Diastasis Recti with Dr Sinead Dufour (Pelvic floor expert) hosted by Shannon Crow. - http://www.theconnectedyogateacher.com/ Rane - Andrew Huang on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdcemy56JtVTrsFIOoqvV8g Kirrah - Chapter one Daniel Flynn - https://amzn.to/2H4BCYB

Conor O’Shea is a Personal Trainer, Nutrition coach, and Yoga teacher from Ireland, currently based in Melbourne, Australia. Conor is also a certified GMB trainer - which is one aspect of his work which particularly interested us. GMB is a training method that incorporates yoga, martial arts, physiotherapy, gymnastics and mindful movement. As we will hear in the podcast Rane has a personal interest in this methodology! In this conversation, we learn how Conor discovered yoga, and how a trip to India changed his perspective on movement, physical exercise, meditation and life. We hear about his approach to nutrition and coaching, and how he cultivates positive habits in his clients, helping them build an awareness of where they might be at a particular point in time. This leads into his personal philosophy on living a happy and healthy life, and he shares some wisdom he learned on his life journey. This is another fascinating episode, and we just love Conor and his laidback, realistic and holistic style of yoga, movement and nutrition. Links: Conor’s Website: http://conorosheafitness.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/feelgoodhacks/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/conorosheafit/ GMB: https://gmb.io/ https://www.instagram.com/gmbfitness/ Pick of the Week: Conor’s Focused Flexibility Workshop: https://www.facebook.com/events/424695947973464 GMB’s 2 Day Seminar Brisbane: https://www.facebook.com/events/411133415992783/ Rane: Women's AFL http://womens.afl Finally join Jo and Rane for their Yoga for Digestive Ease workshop at Pinnacle Wellness in Upwey, Melbourne: http://pinnaclewellness.com.au/ https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/classic/mainclass Go to 8/04/2018 in mindbody online to book. Theme song is Baby Robots by Ghostsoul, music is available at http://ghostsoul.bandcamp.com/ Check it out!

David Packman is a prominent Melbourne based Meditation guide and Mindset coach. As well as teaching, guiding and speaking around town regularly, he runs regular classes from his own studio The Fifth Direction in Albert Park, Melbourne. David is the current president of Meditation Australia, the national peak body that represents meditation and meditation teachers. I became aware that David was holding a Meditations on Death workshop at A-space studio in Collingwood recently and as you will hear in this episode I have a personal interest in the topic, so I attended. It was a deeply moving experience, and I just knew I had to have David on the Podcast. In this episode, we talk about David’s incredible life journey and we end up in a deep discussion on death, how we deny death as individuals and as a culture, and how incredibly unhealthy this is. We talk about how he uses the Wim Hof method to help manage the symptoms of his cancer, and how he incorporates Heartmath and NLP into his work. We also talk about David's role as President of Meditation Australia. Finally, we discuss how we can make the most of every moment of this precious life. Links David Packman’s website http://thefifthdirection.com.au/ David on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidpackman/ Some of the books that David refers to: Die Wise by Stephen Jenkinson http://amzn.to/2DAfjqP Michael Barbato https://www.deathletterprojects.com/michael-barbato/ Timothy Leary - Design for Dying - http://amzn.to/2HJUxaH Frank Ostaseski - The Five Invitations http://amzn.to/2HHZbWS Pick of the Week: David - Music and the mind - http://thefifthdirection.com.au/ (Under Events) Jo - Hoop Away retreat - http://www.hoopsparx.com/hoopaway Rane - Why Buddhism is True by Robert Wright - http://amzn.to/2GEgadn Theme song is Baby Robots by Ghostsoul and is used with permission - https://ghostsoul.bandcamp.com/

Ashton Szabo is a yoga teacher, a self-described anatomy geek and host of the Anatomy of Living Podcast. Ashton is based in Encinitas California, so we were very lucky to have the opportunity to record a conversation with him online. I’m a huge fan of Ashton's work as a podcaster and he is one of my inspirations for starting this podcast, so we are super excited to be able to share this episode with you! In this conversation, we talk about Ashton’s story growing up, and how he found yoga through an interest in martial arts. We hear how he packed up his life in the US and moved to a small island in Thailand, and what his life was like there. We learn how Ashton’s interest in thinkers like Joseph Campbell and Alan Watts, and the influence of teacher Douglas Brooks lead to him becoming the inspirational storyteller he is. We also learn how Ashton uses his extensive knowledge of both eastern philosophy and anatomy in the classes he teaches. As well as that, there is plenty more good stuff in this interview. Now normally we release our podcasts on a fortnightly schedule, but we were getting too far ahead with our interviews, so this week we have an extra special bonus episode! We have entered the Australian Podcast Awards! Now we know it’s a longshot, as we are up against some pretty big competition, but if you could vote for us, that would be amazing - you can vote here: https://australianpodcastawards.submittable.com/gallery/2829f195-1021-4d7c-853f-f0ce775f4fa4/9573623/ Links: Ashton - Hanuman: The Devotion and Power of the Monkey God by Vanamali, and Sri Krishna Das http://amzn.to/2DkrYOw The Shiva Sutras translation by Swami Lakshmanjoo - http://amzn.to/2p7NQI6 Rane - One Simple Thing by Mitch Horowitz - http://amzn.to/2GlUXVD Jo - Square Credit Card processing - https://squareup.com/

Janet Lowndes is a Melbourne based psychologist with over 25 years professional experience which includes psychological counselling, teaching, meditation training, and yoga therapy. Her studies in yoga also go back 25 years - including time in the Swami Vivekananda Ashram in India. She is a registered senior teacher with Yoga Australia and is the director of the Australian Institute of Yoga Therapy. In this conversation, we talk about her background in psychology, how yoga evolved her approach and understanding of the mind, and how she marries the two worlds together. We also talk about her important work with eating disorders and body image and how to thoughtfully use language in our yoga classes to help shape a culture of self-love and acceptance. Finally, we discuss how the body focused aspect of yoga that is presented in social media could potentially be damaging. This was an amazing conversation, and as usual I am honored to have been part of it! Links: Janet's website: https://www.mindbodywell.com.au/ Yoga Psychology Training: https://www.yogapsychology.com.au/ Picks of the week: Janet: Connecting - Conscious Communication for Yoga Teachers and Therapists by Lucy Karnani and Jill Danks - http://www.yogacommunication.org/ Jo - Phillipa Stanton - https://www.instagram.com/5ftinf/

Kara-Leah Grant is probably one of New Zealand’s most well-known yoga teachers. As well as being a phenomenal teacher and guide, she is the creator and prolific contributor to New Zealand’s most popular yoga website, The Yoga Lunchbox. She is also the author of two books - 40 days of yoga, and The No-Excuses Guide to Yoga. In this conversation, we talk about writing and her process. We discuss how yoga is a practice for waking up, and what that even means. We talk about her process of delivering transformational retreat experiences, and how she takes care of herself during that time. We also explore the subject of her upcoming book on Kundalini awakening. We were really keen to talk to Kara-Leah about this, as we know several people personally who have gone through this intense, and sometimes shattering type of experience. Links: Kara Leah Grant's website - http://karaleah.com/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/karaleahgrant/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/karaleahgrant/ The Yoga Lunchbox - https://theyogalunchbox.co.nz/ The Yoga Lunchbox on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheYogaLunchbox/ The Hoop Away Retreat: http://www.hoopsparx.com/hoopaway Picks of the Week: Rane - Sinepearl - https://sinepearl.bandcamp.com/ Jo - Peter McKinnon on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3DkFux8Iv-aYnTRWzwaiBA Kara-Leah - Breaking the habit of Being Yourself by Joe Dispenza - http://amzn.to/2HnzRpE

This episode is a recorded conversation between myself, Jo Stewart, and Mark Pheely. Mark Pheely is a Melbourne based yoga teacher who runs his own studio Westside Yoga, based in the western suburb of Seddon. He also runs retreats and teacher trainings. When you attend one of Mark’s classes, you feel you are in safe knowledgeable hands, and yet given the freedom to fully inhabit your own body and practice. He manages to impart a lot with very few words. Now, in this podcast we have heard many of our guests offer the advice “Teach what you know”, so why did we pick it for this episode’s title? The reason is that I feel that Mark genuinely embodies his teachings. As an example, when I was diagnosed with stomach cancer, Mark very generously provided me with 6 months of free yoga at the studio he was running in Northcote at the time. As you’ll hear in this episode, he is continually practicing self-inquiry and living his life according to the yogic principles he teaches in his classes. In this conversation, we will hear about Mark’s background in exercise physiology, his time in the corporate world, and how a secret crush helped fuel his love of yoga. We will also hear about Marks love of surfing, and its relationship with his yoga practice. Finally, Mark shares advice for new yoga teachers, and people thinking of starting their own yoga studios! This episode was recorded at West Side Yoga - there was a little bit of background noise, so I apologise for the slightly diminished sound quality. It’s a great conversation with a man I deeply respect and admire, so lets get on with it! Links - West Side Yoga - http://westsideyoga.com.au/ West Side Yoga on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/westsideyogaschool/ Mark’s Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mark.pheely/ Picks of the Week Rane - The Recognition Sutras - By Christopher Wallis - http://amzn.to/2E4OnR2 Jo - Eastern Body Western Mind - By Anodea Judith http://amzn.to/2EHpJqX Mark - Fasting the Mind By Jason Gregory http://amzn.to/2EfLa4A