There is a myth that weight lifting makes you big and muscle-y. More than any time in history, medical doctors and fitness experts are recommending weight training as one of the best ways to improve your overall health because the results speak for themselves. From hormonal balance and bone strength, to joint stability and weight management, resistance training is very hard to beat—and it's not just for guys.

On this week's Yoga Talk Show, you'll meet body-positive, plant-based trainer, Lacy J. Davis, who is breaking stereotypes and helping women transform their lives.

------------

Listen & Learn:

• Why sarcopenia (muscle loss) affects almost everyone over the age of 30, and why we all need to focus on skeletal muscle maintenance and growth
• Why resistance training is a great way to encourage bone strength
• Why body image and eating disorders are propagated by the media, and how you can find balance in your life
• Why the 5 people you spend the most time with have a huge influence on your health and fitness goals

 Links & Resources:

• Lacy's Website
• Rise & Resist Podcast
• Liberation Barbell

ABOUT OUR GUEST
Lacy J. Davis is the founder of Super Strength Health. She is a health and wellness coach, personal trainer, public speaker, podcaster, writer, eating disorder recovery specialist, body love advocate, and artist located in Portland, OR. She is passionate about plant-based nutrition and body positivity.

Nutritional Tip:

• Weight Loss

Got Questions?

• Send me a voicemail here: http://www.YogaBody.com/AskLucas 
• Or write to us: podcast@yogabody.com  

Like the Show?

• Leave us a Review on iTunes   

Thanks to Our Sponsor:

• Hurts So Good Massage Balls

Hurts So Good Massage Balls allow you to release tension, break up sliding surface dysfunctions, and improve circulation in and around your muscles and tendons, ligaments, and fascia.

• Relieve tight muscles knots, aches and pains any time, on your own
• Improve blood flow to targeted areas for nourishment and elimination of waste
• Release and relieve compressed nerves such as carpel tunnel and sciatica
• Assist in scar tissue elasticity and correct healing

Learn More

Most people assume that a healthy heart is beating slowly and steadily. The truth is a healthy heart is agile, highly variable, and changing with every inhale and exhale.

The measurement of your real-time, beat-to-beat variance is called, Heart Rate Variability, and it's something every yoga student should learn. In a matter of minutes, you can "see" what's going on in terms of your nervous system and emotional self, and more importantly, you can breath and visualize to change it when needed. On this week's show, you'll meet, Howard Martin, a leading voice at HeartMath.
------------
What You’ll Learn:

• How a heart-based approach to daily living can create positive change to meet global challenges
• The importance of neuro-cardiology, the study of the heart's own nervous system
• How the heart is sending more signals to the brain than it receives
• Why the heart is an electrical organ, the strongest source of bio-electricity (40x's more than the brain) and projects its electromagnetic field 3-4 feet around you
• How emotional activity can impact your electromagnetic field
• Why "coherence" is a state of psycho-physiological balance, the goal of much of our mind-body wellness
• How heart rate variability (HRV) can tell you more about your nervous system status and emotional health
• 3 steps to heart-based breathing

Links & Resources:

• HeartMath site
• HeartMath Research

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Howard Martin is one of the original leaders who helped Doc Childre found HeartMath and has been with the organization since its inception in 1991 serving as a key spokesperson and executive.

In 1999 he co-authored with Doc Childre, The HeartMath Solution. Howard is also a contributing author of the new book, Heart Intelligence, Connecting with the Intuitive Guidance of the Heart. During his career with HeartMath and the Global Coherence Initiative, Howard has delivered educational programs to tens of thousands of people including: Fortune 100 companies, government agencies, all four branches of the U.S. military, and school systems in over 50 cities on four continents.

Nutritional Tip:

• Bulk Tea vs Bag Tea

Got Questions?

• Send me a voicemail here: http://www.YogaBody.com/AskLucas  
• Or write to us: podcast@yogabody.com  

Like the Show?

• Leave us a Review on iTunes: http://www.yogabody.com/reviews  

Thanks to Our Sponsor:

• Hurts So Good Massage Balls

Hurts So Good Massage Balls allow you to release tension, break up sliding surface dysfunctions, and improve circulation in and around your muscles and tendons, ligaments, and fascia.

• Relieve tight muscles knots, aches and pains any time, on your own
• Improve blood flow to targeted areas for nourishment and elimination of waste
• Release and relieve compressed nerves such as carpel tunnel and sciatica
• Assist in scar tissue elasticity and correct healing

Learn More

Almost every style of meditation I've learned has been presented as "secular," but very quickly there is a Hindu chant, a photo of some old guru with a beard, or some other paraphernalia that looks and feels a lot like organized religion to me. I'm very interested in all world religions, but when I'm learning to meditate, I'd rather do that on its own.

If you feel the same, you'll enjoy this week's Yoga Talk Show with author and meditator, Rick Heller.
------------
What You´ll Learn:

• How problems with Rick's vision problem and chronic pain spurred his initial interest in meditation
• How "mindfulness" can be defined as paying attention to what is going on in the present moment with an attitude that is welcoming and non-judgmental
• Why "loving kindness" meditation can be a great starting point for people who struggle to calm their mind
• How to differentiate meditative activities like gardening or walking from meditation practices and meditation as a skill
• Why meditation classes are often empty while yoga asana (pose-based) classes are usually full

Links & Resources:

• Rick's Site
• Rick's Book
• Vipassana Meditation International

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Freelance journalist and meditation instructor Rick Heller has reported for the Lowell Sun and other New England newspapers and has been published in Buddhadharma, UUWorld, Tikkun, Free Inquiry, Faith Street, The Humanist, and Boston magazines. He has contributed short stories to Fantasy and Science Fiction.

Rick is the facilitator of the Humanist Mindfulness Group and has led meditations sponsored by the Humanist Community at Harvard since 2009. He has also attended workshops and retreats at the Cambridge Insight Meditation Center, the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, and the Insight Meditation Society.

He holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from MIT, a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University, and a master's degree in journalism from Boston University.

His book, Secular Meditation, is available on Amazon.

Learn more at: www.rickheller.com 

Nutritional Tip:

• Mushroom Prep

Got Questions?

• Send me a voicemail here: http://www.YogaBody.com/AskLucas  
• Or write to us: podcast@yogabody.com  

Like the Show?

• Leave us a Review on iTunes: http://www.yogabody.com/reviews  

Thanks to Our Sponsor:

• YOGABODY Gymnastic Rings

Ultra-Smooth Birch with Adjustable Long Straps & Rock-Solid Clips for Muscle Ups, Pull Ups, Yoga & CrossFit Training

Designed for yoga students, CrossFit fans, gymnasts, and fitness buffs who want to learn pull-ups, muscle-ups, develop their core, and build functional upper-body strength. Backed by YOGABODY’s iron-clad, 1-year satisfaction guarantee and 10-year warranty, purchase with confidence knowing that you’re buying from a trusted brand since 2007.

Learn More

Marijuana is being decriminalized and even legalized in North America, Europe, and other parts of the world very quickly—and for good reason. The law enforcement costs are many billions of dollars annually and the social impact of criminalizing this plant seem far worse than potential abuse (which is surprisingly low).

On this week's Yoga Talk Show, we'll talk about the top medical uses for Marijuana, how to use it without getting high, and why legalization might actually reduce (not increase) drug use since marijuana provides an alternative to harmful pharmaceutical drugs.
------------
What You´ll Learn:

• Top treated conditions: anxiety, pain, and insomnia
• The difference between THC and CBD
• Why most people are using way too much and getting scared away
• How cannabis can help with seizure disorders
• How to get started safely with edibles

Links & Resources:

• Dr. Patel´s Site

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Dr. Patel is a Osteopathic Doctor in the state of California. She has been practicing in the area of Medical Marijuana (Cannabis) since 2012 and has treated thousands of patients. She is in private practice in Walnut Creek, CA, and has lots of great resources on her site: www.DrRachnaPatel.com 

Nutritional Tip:

• K2

Got Questions?

• Send me a voicemail here: http://www.YogaBody.com/AskLucas  
• Or write to us: podcast@yogabody.com  

Like the Show?

• Leave us a Review on iTunes: http://www.yogabody.com/reviews  

Thanks to Our Sponsor:

• Yoga Trapeze Teacher Training

The Yoga Trapeze is the #1 most popular yoga inversion sling in the world, and both our January and April teacher training courses are completely sold out. Good news! We’ve just opened up September 2017 for applications, and so this is an opportunity for you to gain the professional skills and confidence needed to teach professionally this exciting new style of yoga.
Learn More