Yogaland Podcast

Kino MacGregor is an Ashtanga yogi in the lineage of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and is the co-owner of the Miami Life Center in Miami Beach, Florida. Kino also has a new book out called Yogi Assignment, where she shares 30 days of "assignments" to help you bring the philosophy of yoga into everyday life. Kino talked to me about the surprising story of meeting her teacher for the first time, what it's like to be trolled online, and how the yoga practice "ferments" with time. You can practice with Kino online on her new channel, Omstars.com. Yogalandstories question this week: What's one valuable way that your yoga practice has been of benefit to the people around you? Please submit your story on Instagram with a photo of yourself using the hashtag #yogalandstories and I'll pick one to feature on my feed. Shownotes: yogalandpodcast.com/episode63  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On this special bonus episode, Jason and I answer your questions that came up during the summer series. Thanks, as always, for sending in your questions. It helps us plan episodes! We talk about why the cue to keep the feet parallel in Wheel Pose came about (and is it really necessary?), I offer some help for hurting knees, ideas for strengthening the "pull muscles," and Locust Pose alternatives during pregnancy. Shownotes: yogalandpodast.com/epsiode62/  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

I first met Jaimal Yogis when he was a young, up-and-coming journalist, a long-time spiritual seeker, and a surfer. These days he can award-winning writer, three-time book author, and father of three boys under the age of five to his bio. He is such a wonderful writer and his new book, All Our Waves Are Water is one of the best examples of relating deep meditation practice to the pains and beauty of every day life I have ever read. I am in love with this book and I'm so happy to share this interview with you. Shownotes: yogalandpodcast.com/episode61/  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

I'm tired of the stale, depressing exercise and yoga advice for the "older set." It too often characterizes people over 50 as weak, unfit, and fragile. There are now plenty of yogis who have been practicing for decades and are approaching their 50s, 60s, & 70s. Do you think they're taking it easy? Nope. Neither do I. Desiree Rumbaugh and Michelle Marchildon confirm that I am right! (And who doesn't like to be right?) They're the co-authors of the book -- Fearless After Fifty: How to Thrive With Grace, Grit, and Yoga. Their book doesn't sugarcoat the aging process -- there are fears that come, there is loss. But it's equally practical about the strength and wisdom that come with years of experience being on this planet and in this practice. It's inspiring and fun to listen to them and hear their perspectives about the process that -- if we're lucky -- we will all get to experience. shownotes -- including videos from michelle & desiree's book! yogalandpodcast.com/episode60/  See acast.com/p

Jason Nemer is the co-founder of AcroYoga and has spent the past decade on the road spreading the practice around the world. Acro is a beautiful, vibrant, playful practice and it's an amazing practice for developing trust, confidence, and communication. Check out the gorgeous AcroYoga flash mob on the shownotes page: yogalandpodcast.com/episode59/  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A bonus episode for you this week! Jason and I talk about his new online course on yogaglo.com, The Ultimate Guide to Teaching Arm Balances & Inversions. There's a lot packed into this episode: Jason shares his system for teaching these poses, how he sees both arm balances and inversions as "clusters of poses" -- so that you're learning a whole family of poses -- e.g., the Bakasana Family -- instead of just one pose. He also talks about how the course can help teachers feel more confident and skillful teaching these poses.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The core is an often-obsessed about part of the body, and yogis are no exception. In this episode, Jason breaks down the component parts that make up the core. He also offers three ideas for tapping into those parts we ignore -- from paying attention to rotation, to the paraspinal muscles to learning to, at least once in a while, let your core go and let it all hang out.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On the last two episodes, Jason offered some tips for working with your hips and shoulders. On this installment, we're moving to the central axis -- the spine. Jason shows off his superior maths skills by sharing that we for every 10 Sun Salutations we do 50 forward bends to every 10 backbends!! He also offers ideas for strengthening the muscles that help you rotate, and talks about everybody's (least favorite) pose -- you guessed it, Locust Pose.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Did you know that your shoulder complex has four joints on each side? This dynamic engineering allows us to do all of the things we do with our arms and hands. But it can leave the shoulder joints vulnerable if we don't balance them with strength. In vinyasa yoga we ask the shoulders to do a lot early on in the practice (because Chaturanga). So, on this episode Jason talks ideas for offsetting this, the best ways to create balanced shoulder strength, plus proper alignment while lifting your arms overhead. Shownotes: yogalandpodcast.com/episode55/  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We love, love, love to stretch our hips in yoga. Pigeon Pose -- oh yeah. Lizard -- yep. Thread the Needle -- mmmhmmm. But sometimes we focus on how good opening the outer hips feels to the exclusion of creating strength and stability in the support muscles. Similarly, we focus on the part of our hips that screams the loudest (outer hips) while neglecting another tight area that's quieter (hip flexors). On this episode, Jason maps out three ways to create balance in the complex network of the hips. After recording this episode, I realized that it's a metaphor for life: We want to stay open and flexible. And this requires time and attention. But we also need to focus on stability, strength, and grounding. When we find the right subtle balance, we feel happier and more free. Shownotes: yogalandpodcast.com/episode54/  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Summer can actually make it harder to practice -- schedules change, kids are home, we spend more time doing outdoor sports -- so Jason and I thought we'd offer 10 ideas for staying inspired to do yoga this summer! Plus, Andrea shares a tip from Susan Cain about how solitude inspires creativity. For a full blog post of this episode, check out the shownotes: jasonyoga.com/podcast/episode53/  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Gina Caputo has so much to offer to Yogaland: In addition to practicing and teaching yoga for nearly two decades, she's been on the ground floor of opening and managing three different yoga schools -- Sacred Movement in Venice, California, Kansas Siddhi Yoga Studio, and and The Colorado School of Yoga in Boulder, Colorado. Gina also has a FANTASTIC sense of humor. One of my favorite things she says in this interview is, "Be sincere, not serious." On this episode, I asked Gina to share her thoughts and stories about self-awareness practice, specifically her recent experience of doing a 10-day silent meditation course. Spoiler alert: She made it through 10 days of silence! But not without some support from a banana or two. Shownotes: yogalandpodcast.com/episode52/  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Susan Cain is the reason the word "introvert" came back into everyday conversation. Her book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking" spent more than four years on The New York Times Best Seller List, her Ted Talk on the topic has been viewed more than 16 million times, and she's the co-founder of the organization Quiet Revolution. She also loves yoga! We talk about why yoga is so appealing for introverts, the reasons introverts make great leaders, and ideas for when to push yourself out of your comfort zone and act more extroverted for a spell. Shownotes: yogalandpodcast.com/episode51/  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On this episode Jason answers listener Kat's question, "How do I make sure I'm not leaving anyone out as I teach my mixed level classes?" The solutions include acknowledging that the reality for modern yogis is that we all learn together regardless of our level, using humor to diffuse tension in the class, and encouraging students to engage in the learning process even if they can't do the final shape of the pose. Shownotes: yogalandpodcast.com/episode50  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On this little bonus episode, I offer my own story of the panic attacks and depression that plagued me in my twenties and the subsequent shame I felt about being a yogi and making the choice to take anti-depressants. If you're suffering, I created this podcast to let you know that you're not alone. And if you're feeling guilty about taking the meds, I want to help you clear that guilt, to help you NOT put another layer of pain on top of the suffering.  Shownotes: yogalandpodcast.com/episode49/  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Richard Rosen returns to the podcast and answers some common questions about hatha yoga, including who the "original yogis" were, the meaning of the word "hatha," plus he opens up about Parkinson's Disease and shares his love for pranayama (breathing practice).  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Two-time Brazilian Jiu Jitsu world-champion and yoga teacher Sebastian Brosche joins Jason on the podcast this week. AS a competitor in his twenties, Sebastian was in a cycle of chronic injury that was so uncomfortable, he couldn't put on his socks. He had no intention of trying yoga until he saw a beautiful woman teaching class -- who is now his wife. Hear him tell the story of how yoga healed his body and how he founded an online training program that helps other BJJ practitioners stay healthy and as Sebastian puts it, able to keep rolling and grappling for the rest of their lives.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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/  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/  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/  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.