The Lucas Rockwood Show (yoga)

Exploring the Hathapradipika
Dr. Jim Mallinson

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Most yoga teachers cite the Yoga Sutras as the original source of modern practices, but the Hathapradipika is a much more relevant text that is rarely read or referenced. Written by Svatmarama in the 1400s, this is one of the first writings that codified the practices of Hatha Yoga: yoga poses, breathing exercises, kriyas, and mudras. For anyone interested in the roots of modern practice, this is a fascinating historical exploration. Dr. James Mallinson leads the discussion. 

Listen and learn: 

  • How the practices of hatha yoga differ from the philosophical tradition of yoga that predates it
  • How yogis used poses, breath, cleansing exercises, and mudra
  • Yoga then vs. now
  • Nonsectarian practices used in sectarian context

Links & Resources:

Jim’s Online Course
Roots of Yoga Book

ABOUT OUR GUEST

James Mallinson is a Senior Lecturer in Sanskrit and Classical and Indian Studies at SOAS, University of London. He has published eight books, all of which are editions and translations of Sanskrit yoga texts, epic tales and poetry. His recent work has used philological study of Sanskrit texts, ethnography and art history to explore the history of yoga and yogis. He also wrote a book in collaboration with Dr Mark Singleton called, Roots of Yoga.

Nutritional Tip of the Week:

  • Black Pepper

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Direct download: LRS_469_-_Exploring_the_Hathapradipika_with_Dr._Jim_Mallinson.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 12:18pm CET

I feel I’ve let you down. I’ve hosted pretty much every renowned breathing expert in the world on this podcast, and yet most of my listeners are still not sure exactly how yoga breathing works. On this week’s show, my goal is to break down the fundamentals of yoga breathing in a way that you can easily remember and apply to your practice.

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Listen & Learn:

  • How all breathing practices are either water, whiskey, or coffee
  • Why it’s easy to get confused with gurus and brand names
  • Why most of us over-breathe (and what to do about it)
  • Why the most popular breathing techniques tend to be too extreme
  • How to incorporate all three breathing patterns into your life

ABOUT THE HOST

Lucas Rockwood is a yoga teacher trainer, digital nomad, green food junkie, and serial entrepreneur.

With a formal yoga training background in Hot Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga, Gravity Yoga, and the Yoga Trapeze, Lucas has studied with some of the most well-respected teachers on the planet. His most influential teachers (all of whom he studied with personally) include Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, Paul Dallaghan, Alex Medin, Gabriel Cousens MD, and SN Goenka.

Lucas founded Absolute Yoga Academy in 2006, one of the top 10 yoga teacher training schools in the world with 2,000 certified teachers (and counting) and courses in Thailand, Holland, United Kingdom, and The Philippines.

In search of nutritional products designed specifically for achy yoga students’ bodies, Rockwood worked with senior nutritional formulator, Paul Gaylon, and founded, YOGABODY Naturals, in the back of his yoga studio in 2007. The company has gone from strength-to-strength and is now an internationally-renowned nutrition, education, and publishing organization serving 81 countries.

In 2013, Lucas founded YOGABODY Fitness, a revolutionary new yoga studio business model that pays teachers a living wage and demystifies yoga by making the mind-body healing benefits of the practice accessible to everyone.

A foodie at heart, Lucas was a vegan chef, and owned and operated health food restaurants prior to diving deep into the yoga world. Lucas is also a highly-acclaimed writer, radio show host, TV personality, business consultant, weight loss expert, and health coach.

Nutritional Tip of the Week:

  • Marshmallow

Links & References from the Show:

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  • Yoga International, a community of 300,000 students learning about yoga, meditation, and mindful living from hundreds of expert teachers. It has more than 1,000 classes, the most popular of which are 30 Classes in 30 Days Challenge, The Busy Yogi Challenge, and Yoga to Soothe Sciatica with Doug Keller.

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Direct download: 318_-_Yoga_Breathing_Lesson_Water_Whiskey__Coffee_with_Lucas_Rockwood.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 12:52am CET

Back in 2002, when I couldn’t make it to a studio, I would play an old cassette tape and practice to that in my bedroom, hotel room, or even outdoors wherever I was. At-home practice has always been part of my yoga experience, but I’m the type of introvert that gets energy and inspiration from being alone. I’m naturally driven, and I’m harder on myself than any teacher has ever been; so when people asked me how to develop an at-home practice, I always struggled to answer until recently when I’ve compiled my thoughts and observations.  

Over the years, I’ve learned some very specific things from my students that make at-home practice success more probable, and I’ll share them all with you on this week’s Yoga Talk Show.

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Listen & Learn:

  • Why practicing in an old, ragged t-shirt might be hurting your motivation
  • Why the advice to “just do what feels good” is a flawed approach
  • How to setup a home practice room
  • How to keep your practicing going on the road
  • Audio/video classes: do they work?
  • Why social support is key

ABOUT THE HOST

Lucas Rockwood is a yoga teacher trainer, digital nomad, green food junkie, and serial entrepreneur.

With a formal yoga training background in Hot Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga, Gravity Yoga, and the Yoga Trapeze, Lucas has studied with some of the most well-respected teachers on the planet. His most influential teachers (all of whom he studied with personally) include Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, Paul Dallaghan, Alex Medin, Gabriel Cousens MD, and SN Goenka.

Lucas founded Absolute Yoga Academy in 2006, one of the top 10 yoga teacher training schools in the world with 2,000 certified teachers (and counting) and courses in Thailand, Holland, United Kingdom, and The Philippines.

In search of nutritional products designed specifically for achy yoga students’ bodies, Rockwood worked with senior nutritional formulator, Paul Gaylon, and founded, YOGABODY Naturals, in the back of his yoga studio in 2007. The company has gone from strength-to-strength and is now an internationally-renowned nutrition, education, and publishing organization serving 81 countries.

In 2013, Lucas founded YOGABODY Fitness, a revolutionary new yoga studio business model that pays teachers a living wage and demystifies yoga by making the mind-body healing benefits of the practice accessible to everyone.

A foodie at heart, Lucas was a vegan chef, and owned and operated health food restaurants prior to diving deep into the yoga world. Lucas is also a highly-acclaimed writer, radio show host, TV personality, business consultant, weight loss expert, and health coach.

Nutritional Tip of the Week:

  • Quorn

Links & References from the Show:

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Direct download: 309_-_How_to_Develop_an_At-Home_Practice_with_Lucas_Rockwood.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 5:38pm CET

Why do so many yoga and meditation teachers talk in the third person, add in huge pauses between words, and hold awkward eye contact while teaching? Where did this caricature of a "spiritual person" come from, and is there really any point? As a career yoga teacher, I've fallen into just about every trap there is, including adopting "yoga speak," appropriating Eastern cultures (disrespectfully), and role playing a yogi. Unfortunately, this behaviour pushes more people away than it attracts, and I've done my best in recent years just to be myself.

Our guest on this week's Yoga Talk Show has built a huge online following basically making fun of people like me—and his jokes are so true, you can't ignore him. Beyond comedy, JP Sears is really a satirist, and his knowledge and true messages are worth listening too. He's a smart guy.

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Listen & Learn:

  • How comedy can be a great teaching tool
  • Why self-awareness is so important on any path of personal or spiritual growth
  • Why there is so much role playing in yoga communities
  • Why it's important to laugh at yourself (sometimes)

ABOUT OUR GUEST

JP Sears is an emotional healing coach, international teacher, author and Youtube creator. He is a Holistic Coach Advanced Practitioner through the Holistic Coaching Institute and was a faculty member for the C.H.E.K. Institute from 2006-2013. Youtube channel has: 500K subscribers and 50 million views

Nutritional Tip of the Week:

  • Cheap Salt vs Expensive Stuff

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  • Health I.Q. — Yoga Podcast is sponsored by Health IQ, an insurance company that helps health conscious people like runners, cyclist, weightlifters and vegetarians get lower rates on their life insurance. To see if you qualify, get your free quote today at healthiq.com/yogabody or mention the promo code YOGA when you talk to a Health IQ agent.

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Direct download: 285_-_Laughing_for_Healing_with_JP_Sears.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 5:43pm CET

There are two types of people who say that flexibility doesn't matter. The first group is stiff as a board and want an excuse for their lack of mobility. The second group consists of people who have always been flexible, the dancers and gymnasts who flop into the splits like it's nothing.

For the rest of us, flexibility absolutely matters. It impacts our posture, our walking and running gates, and even our potential for injury.

On this week's Yoga Talk Show, you'll meet a yoga teacher working with professional athletes to improve their mobility—and the stakes couldn't be higher. These are people whose body is their business. They need to train hard, recover fast, and injury prevention is a top priority.

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Listen & Learn:

  • How mobility training gets integrated into professional sports training
  • How yoga teachers can add value to athletes, adapting their teaching and language to meet students where they're at
  • Why flexibility training should be done after (not before) strength or conditioning
  • How flexibility training can temporarily reduce power and joint stability, but why that doesn't mean you should avoid it

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Dana Santas, also known as the "Mobility Maker," is a mind-body coach for professional sports teams. She is the yoga expert for CNN Health, and an international speaker helping people breathe, move and feel better.

Dana is currently the yoga, mobility & breathing coach for the Orlando Magic, Tampa Bay Rays, Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, Toronto Blue Jays, Houston Texans, Tampa Bay Lightning & World Wrestling Entertainment.

Nutritional Tip of the Week:

  • Best Meat to Choose

Links & References from the Show:

Got Questions?

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  • Leave us a Review on iTunes

Thanks to our sponsor:

  • The Yoga Teachers College offers master-level training for those looking to build a career as yoga professionals. Our trainees benefit from the best of modern learning technology combined with old school apprenticeship. Graduates walk away with the skills, confidence and experience needed to become not just teachers, but community and business leaders as well.

    Whether your goal is to teach part time locally, travel and lead workshops internationally, or to open your own studios, The Yoga Teachers College will support your career every step of the way.

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Direct download: 280_-_Mobility_Training_with_Dana_Santas.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 3:36pm CET

Children around the world are suffering from learning, development, and behavioral problems at record rates. Mindfulness can be taught as a secular way to train the mind and body to assist our youth.

Mind-body wellness is typically something we explore as adults, but it's never too early to start, and the sooner and the better. Our guest this week is an expert on teaching mindfulness to young people, and for any parent, educator, or soon-to-be caregiver, this is a must-listen.

Listen & Learn:

  • How mindfulness can be described as a quality of intention, balance and compassion as we navigate through life
  • Or as a stance of attention where we not where our intention and state-of-mind is in real time
  • Why social and emotional learning in schools can be a great help in working through some of the bigger problems with developing children
  • How secular mindful practices can be quickly and openly adopted in school systems
  • Why it's important to take a few deliberate breaths before you leave the house, say goodbye, start or end your day
  • How to have kids identify the eye color of friends, teachers, and you so that it acts as a forcing function for concentration

ABOUT OUR GUEST

She was a co-investigator in a multi-year, multi-site research study at UCLA's Mindful Awareness Research Center/Semel Institute on the impact of mindfulness in education. She has spoken at the Mind & Life Institute; the University of California at Los Angeles; the University of Massachusetts; the University of Kansas; Columbia University; Cedars-Sinai Medical Center; San Diego Children's Hospital; the Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California; the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies in Barre, Massachusetts; the National University of Singapore; Mahidol University, in Bangkok; Casa Tibet, in Mexico, and many other prestigious institutes in the United States and abroad.

Her work has been covered by The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, USA Today, National Public Radio, various yoga journals, and CBS Morning News.

Links & Resources

Nutritional Tip:

  • Caffeinated Tea

Got Questions?

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This training is for:

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  • Passionate yoga practitioners
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Direct download: 246_-_Can_Kids_Learn_Mindfulness.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 4:56pm CET

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.
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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:

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

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Direct download: 241_-_Secular_Meditation.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 3:41pm CET

Addiction take many different forms and affects just about everyone either directly or with one degree of separation. While "addict" conjures up images of heroin and cocaine, the reality is that people are addicted to social media, pornography, marijuana, and alcohol at much higher rates. So the question is: Can yoga help?

Our guest on this week's show, Taylor Hunt, used yoga as an integral part of his healing from substance addiction, and he now helps others do the same. Hopefully, his story of personal transformation and dedication to yoga will help you or someone you care about to find a healthy focus for addictions that haunt us.
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What You´ll Learn:

  • How Taylor's addiction started at age 15 fueled by a challenging home life
  • How yoga combined with a traditional 12-step program led him to recovery
  • What traditional Ashtanga Yoga is, and its influence on modern practice
  • How to think about the behaviors in your life that might be leading you down a dark path

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Taylor Hunt is an Ashtanga yoga student as taught by the late, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois in Mysore, India. Taylor was the first Ashtanga teacher in Ohio granted Level II Authorization to teach from the Sri K. Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute (KPJAYI). He teaches daily Mysore classes at Ashtanga Yoga Columbus and offers workshops around the country.

He is also the author of the recently published book, A Way From Darkness, and director of the Trini Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to sharing the life-changing practice of Ashtanga with those suffering from addiction.

Links & Resources:

Nutritional Tip:

  • Sea Veggies

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Direct download: 236_-_Addiction.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 11:53am CET

The World Health Organization estimates that traumatic brain injuries will be the 3rd leading cause of death and disability by 2020, but many people are still unaware of this condition impacting millions every year.

On this week's Yoga Talk Show, you'll meet, Kyla Pearce, a teacher that uses the mind-body healing power of yoga to help people with traumatic brain injuries rewire neuromuscular connections, improve concentration and focus, and find a supportive community for growth.
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What You´ll Learn:

  • Why any blow or jolt to the head that leads to some disruption of brain function is technically a TBI
  • 2.5 million people per year in the U.S. have reported TBI's
  • World Health Organization predicts TBI will be 3rd leading cause of death and disability by 2020
  • How yoga can work on strength and coordination
  • How you can rebuild neuromuscular connection, improve concentration & focus
  • How it can provide emotional support, social integration & community
  • Why poses that impact blood pressure and poses that put weight on the head and neck might be contraindicated and should be taught with care

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Love Your Brain is a non-profit organization founded after professional snowboarder, Kevin Pearce, suffered a near fatal traumatic brain injury while training for the 2010 winter Olympics. Kevin’s story of healing inspired millions through the HBO documentary, The Crash Reel. This experience brought to light the significance and prevalence of TBI on a global scale. Love Your Brain is a non-profit that aims to improve the quality of life of people affected by TBI—everything from concussion to severe injury—through programs that build community... including yoga.

Links & Resources:

Nutritional Tip:

  • Dried Fruit

Got Questions?

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San Diego Yoga Festival: over 100 classes led by 65 powerful healers and teachers featuring one of the oldest (92) and youngest (8) yoga teachers in the world!

Classes are held throughout Ocean Beach, San Diego, in the ironic hippy town right on the coast. There will be 1000 people doing yoga or learning how to do yoga this weekend, join us to make a movement for health and peace: beach Bonfires, surf and skate lessons, yoga with your dog, a huge wedding ceremony to yourself, body paint yoga, sound healing, reiki..the list is epic.

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Jan 27-30, 2017

Classes are held indoors at the coolest venues and outdoors on the beach, pier and sunset cliffs!

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Direct download: 234_-_Love_Your_Brain_Yoga.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 11:36am CET

Over 1 million people have listened to the Yoga Talk Show since its inception, and it's you the listeners I have to thank for all the support and growth over the years. To say "thanks" and deep-dive into a random smattering of topics, I've dedicated this show to answering your voice mails. Some of these questions we've covered in previous shows, but many are completely new, so I hope you find them helpful in your own practice.
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Listen & Learn:

  • Can you help with Plantar Fasciitis?
  • Can some in their 90's use the Yoga Trapeze?
  • How can I use yoga to heal my rotator cuff?
  • Why 1:2 ratio breathing nose-to-mouth in Gravity Yoga?
  • Will yoga therapy be the "next big thing?"
  • How should I train for the full splits?
  • Is Hot Yoga dangerous for my SI Joint?

Got Questions?

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This training is for:

  • Serious students who want to teach
  • Passionate yoga practitioners
  • Students who want to share hot yoga with the world

Extremely small class sizes, huge teaching team, dedicated training facility!

Next course starts in February!

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Direct download: 227_-_QA_w_Lucas.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 12:14pm CET

Almost everyone who practices yoga has experienced and emotional release or even a breakthrough in class—it just happens. But what if there were a way to actively encourage that type of release with more predictability? What if there were a way to created a safe, simple, and controlled stress release response at the end of each class?

On this week's Yoga Talk Show, you'll meet yoga trainer, Maria Alfaro, who integrates Trauma and Tension Releasing Exercises (TRE) with traditional yoga classes to create something called, Neurogenic Yoga. For yoga students looking for a new and unique way to release long-held tension, this is a remarkable practice that can be learned quickly and practiced nearly anywhere.
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Listen & Learn:

  • How self-induced therapeutic tremors can cause massive breakthroughs in your practice and your life
  • How trauma can get stored in the brain stem (not cortex)
  • Why you could never by physically in pain during practice
  • Why emotionally, you should always feel "in control"
  • How tremors can access and sooth the brain stem

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Maria Alfaro is from Italy and lives Santa Cruz, California. She has over 26 years yoga experience in Iyengar, Ashtanga and Forrest Yoga and has been teaching since 1997. Maria was trained in TRE™ by its founder, Dr. David Berceli, in 2004 and she has been teaching his method ever since. She also has a background in martial arts, reiki, massage, and meditation.

Nutritional Tip of the Week:

  • Fruit Juice

Links & References from the Show:

Got Questions?

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Your Best Year Ever!

This is a total immersion yoga retreat set in Barcelona. Your days will be filled with yoga practice, nutrition lectures, breathing workshops, posture clinics and outdoor adventures; and you’ll also have plenty of time each day to explore the beautiful city of Barcelona on your own or with your fellow students.

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Direct download: 226_-_Neurogenic_Yoga_for_Stress_Trauma__Tension_Release.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 11:06am CET

Advanced yoga students come in all shapes and sizes around the world, but the one thing they all share in common is a commitment to self-practice. In order to achieve mastery at any skill whether yoga or chess, at-home study is a must; but the problem is that most students struggle with motivation and follow-through. There are more video classes, practice tips and tools than ever before in history, and yet at-home practice is just as challenging as ever.

So what do you do?

In this week’s Yoga Talk Show, Lucas shares his personal tips and tricks for taking yoga from a “here and there” practice to a total lifestyle shift. He’ll give you simple strategies for integrating your practice in all aspects of your life, from morning to night.
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Listen & Learn:

  • Why morning or evening are usually the best “practice times”
  • Why 30-minutes per day might make more sense than an hour
  • How to bookend your day with breathing
  • Simple online tools for accountability, community and support

Nutritional Tip of the Week:

  • Intermittent Fasting - should you give it a go?

Links & References from the Show:

Got Questions?


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The Yoga Teachers College combines new technology and age-old apprenticeship to deliver a level of education previously unavailable anywhere. We train students not just teach, but to become local business leaders in the mind-body wellness industry

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Direct download: 222_-_Developing_an_At-Home_Practice.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 12:00pm CET

Many yoga teachers will tell you that their class is for everyone - all sizes, ages, backgrounds, and genders - and yet the actual students that turn up to class tell a different story. They tend to be a very similar group of people. In most parts of the world, women represent 70-90% of the yoga communities, and this puts off some men from staring, and it's frustrating to some men who love the practice.

Where are all the guys in yoga?

In this week's Yoga Talk Show we address the somewhat controversial topic of gender and fitness preferences.
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About the Guest

Dean Pohlman founded Man Flow Yoga in college in order to promote yoga with guys. After experiencing huge benefits himself from yoga, he wanted to make the practice more accessible to men, athletes, and physical fitness-minded individuals. Dean took out the Sanskrit and the meditation and inserted terminology that is familiar to people with sports backgrounds. Instead of focusing on the more spiritual side of yoga, he focuses entirely on the physical aspects.
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Listen & Learn:

  • How masculine people often prefer solo practice and feminine people often prefer group classes
  • Why removing religious and spiritual undertones from yoga classes might be the best way to show respect for diversity
  • How athletes can benefit from yoga and how yoga students can benefit from athleticism
  • Why the future of yoga needs to be more inclusive

Nutritional Tip of the Week:

  • Eating Essential Oils?

Links & References from the Show:

Got Questions?


Thanks to our sponsor:

“Teach Hot Yoga, Inspire Students, Change Lives!”

TAKE THE NEXT STEP! Join Absolute Yoga’s 200-Hour Hot Yoga Alliance accredited course in beautiful Koh Samui, Thailand.

This training is for:

  • Serious students who want to teach
  • Passionate yoga practitioners
  • Students who want to share hot yoga with the world

Extremely small class sizes, huge teaching team, dedicated training facility!

Next course starts in October!

Learn More

Direct download: 215_-_Where_are_all_the_guys_in_yoga.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 11:06am CET

You might think of yoga and the military as polar opposites, but the rigor of military training and a dedicated yoga practice actually have a lot in common. According to former Seal Commander, Mark Divine, the Seals training is a type of yoga training itself. As a former Seal, a lifelong student of Martial Arts, and an accomplished yoga student, Mark has created a warrior-based style of yoga he calls, Kokoro Yoga, whose principals he’ll share with you on this week’s show.

Mark Divine is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Amazon best-selling author of five books including Kokoro Yoga: Maximize Your Human Potential and Develop the Spirit of a Warrior--the SEALfit Way. Mark finished as the #1 trainee of his SEAL BUDS class, served 9 years on active duty, and completed 11 years as a Reserve Seal retiring as Commander in 2011.
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Listen & Learn:

  • Why you need to “embrace the suck” of practice to get benefits
  • How yoga can (and should) be adapted to your personal needs that change as you age
  • Why personal practice can appeal to more masculine-oriented people
  • The strengths and weaknesses of Ashtanga Yoga
  • Why recovery and rest can be the most-challenging to learn

Nutritional Tip of the Week:

  • What is the best sweetener to keep in the kitchen?

Links & References from the Show:

Got Questions?


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The solution? Self-massage.

Direct download: 212_-_Warior_Style_Yoga_with_Former_Navy_Seal.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 12:10pm CET

When it comes to flexibility, most people fall into 3 main categories: those who have always been flexible and think it's no big deal (dancers, gymnasts, random outliers); those who have always been stiff and assume they can't change; and lastly, those rare individuals who have truly transformed their bodies.

On this week's Yoga Talk Show, we debunk the myths around flexibility so you can address your stiff hips, hamstrings and spine in an intelligent way and have a simple roadmap to practice .
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Listen & Learn:

  • Why flexibility training should supplement (not replace) whatever movement or exercise you're doing now
  • Why flexibility training should happen after (not before) all other forms of training
  • How to use nose-to-mouth breathing to down-regulated your nervous system and improve results
  • Why passive stretches are most effective for training flexibility
  • How your nervous system plays a key role in mobility

Yoga Practice Tip of the Week:

  • How to: Reverse Prayer

Links & References from the Show:

Got Questions?

Write to us podcast@yogabody.com


Thanks to our sponsor:

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. In our modern lives, our movement patterns tend to be very habitual. We sit, stand, drive, and walk; but we often lack the dynamic range of motion that our bodies are designed for.

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  • Relieve tight muscles knots, aches and pains any time, on your own
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Direct download: 209_-_Flexibility_Training_Demystified.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 11:20am CET

Breathing has never been more popular in yoga, fitness, and mindfulness circles—but unfortunately, most people lump all breathing into one category assuming that it's all good. The reality is that different breathing practices have dramatically different effects on your body and nervous system.


So before you breathe yourself into a frenzy, hold your breath for 3 minutes, or slow your respiration down to a stupor, it's worth digging into the science of what's really going on.
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What You’ll Learn:

  • How breath can either up-regulate, down regulate, or balance your nervous system
  • Why many schools of breathing mistakenly teach one method as "the" method when the right breath practice depends on you and your situation
  • The dangers of using extreme breathing practices while bathing, swimming or even while driving
  • The differences between Wim Hof breath, Buteyko, most yogic breathing, and HRV balancing breath

Yoga Practice Tip of the Week:

  • Strength vs Flexibility - how do you find balance?

Got Questions?

Thanks to our sponsor:

First Ever Yoga Trapeze Teachers Training Course in Barcelona!

Here is what you get:

  • A 50 hour course delivered in two forms - virtual e-learning and in person practice/teaching
  • 25 hours are virtual e-learning, where you learn anatomy, physiology, everything you need to know as a Yoga Teacher
  • 25 hours are in person - practice, teaching, setup and class organization everything you need to lead a 60 min Yoga Trapeze Class
  • Groups of up to 20 people

Now accepting applications: www.YogaTeachersCollege.com

Direct download: 203_-_The_Dangers__Benefits_of_Breathing.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 11:39am CET

Meditation has been shown to reduce stress, increase focus, and lower blood pressure, but when there are so many different types of meditation techniques, how do you decide which one is right for you? After having a nationally broadcasted panic attack on Good Morning America in 2004, news anchor, Dan Harris, turned to meditation.

On this week’s Yoga Talk Show, you’ll learn which styles of meditation helped Dan overcome substance abuse, PTSD, anxiety and stress.

Dan Harris is a correspondent for ABC News and the co-anchor for the weekend edition of Good Morning America. Previously, he was the anchor of the Sunday edition of World News. He regularly contributes stories for shows such as Nightline, 20/20, World News with Diane Sawyer and GMA.

Harris has reported from all over the planet, covering wars in Afghanistan, Israel/Palestine and Iraq, and producing investigative reports in Haiti, Cambodia, and the Congo. Dan is the author of the book, 10% Happier and the co-founder of a new app by the same name.

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

What You'll Learn:

  • How a successful news anchor had an anxiety attack on national TV
  • Why most self-help and personal development information is B.S.
  • How 10% happier can compound and grow into something truly life changing
  • Why "clearing your mind" is not possible nor the goal of meditation—the goal is to start

Nutritional Tip of the Week:

  • Goats Milk: is there such a thing as eating dairy healthfully?

Links & References from the Show:

Got questions?

Thanks to our sponsor:

Yoga Trapeze

The Yoga Trapeze is the most powerful, at-home yoga inversion tool ever created. Hang from inside from a doorway; or outside from a beam, bar or swing set. Setup is fast and simple, results are immediate.

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Direct download: 193_-_10_Happier.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 1:21pm CET

Discover this little-known, Russian breathing technique for regulating stress, combating asthma, balancing your nervous system, and improving sleep. Yoga teachers often treat carbon dioxide like it’s a toxic enemy to be eliminated as a waste product - but nothing could be further from the truth. C02 is extremely important for vascular dilation, oxygen absorption, and even metabolic health.

On this week’s Yoga Talk Show, you’ll meet, Sasha Yakovlev, an expert in Buteyko-style breathing practices. Sasha founded The Inner Path Newsletter in 1991, the first Russian publication dealing with the topics of healthy lifestyle, self-development, and spirituality. Within a few years, Inward Path Magazine became a national publication with more than one hundred thousand readers. Sasha also opened the first health food store in the country, along with a holistic seminar center. Today, she is the Executive Director of the Breathing Center based in the United States.

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Listen and Learn:

  • Why over-breathing can cause a myriad of health problems  
  • Why CO2 might actually be your friend
  • How C02 works as a bronchial and vascular dilator
  • Why reduced breath is actually the goal for most people to find balance

Nutritional Tip of the Week:

  • Teas - why you should go back to basics

Links & References from the Show:

Got questions?

Thanks to our sponsor:

Kuli Kuli Foods

Have you heard of moringa? NPR just called it the new kale. Our friends over at Kuli Kuli Foods gave us some moringa and we're totally obsessed with putting it in our green smoothies every morning. It's more nutritious than kale and provides a complete protein like quinoa - a true SUPERfood! Not to mention that every product Kuli Kuli Foods sells plants moringa trees and supports women farmers in West Africa.

Find out more.

Direct download: 192_-_Buteyko_Breathing.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 12:53pm CET

Believe it or not, lifting weights and throwing kettlebells around can help improve your yoga practice (yup, you read that correctly). On this week’s Yoga Talk Show, Lucas Rockwood and fitness professional, Steve Kamb, unpack why “lifting heavy things” makes sense for yoga students, nerds, athletes - and everyone in between.

Steve Kamb is a fitness professional, author, speaker and the creator of Nerd Fitness, an online portal to empower people to level up their lives.

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What You'll Learn:

  • How to gamify your fitness to make it more fun
  • Why anyone, particularly nerdy, non-fitness type can (and should) get in shape
  • How to never go to the gym and still get great workouts
  • Why traditional fitness images are flawed

Nutritional Tip of the Week:

  • What's the deal with peanuts?

Links & References from the Show:

Got questions?

 

Thanks to our sponsor:

Awesome Toes!

Yoga Toe Spreaders & Separators for Nighttime, Yoga Practice & Running

Awesome Toes! naturally stretch your feet after a long day of work. Loved by anyone who wears high-heeled shoes, work boots, or spends all day on their feet. They also help stretch the shortened connective tissues of your feet so they regain their natural shape and range of motion.

Awesome Toes! can be used at night, while watching TV, while practicing yoga, and even in wide-toed athletic shoes for running. Most toe separators on the market fall off or break during activities, but Awesome Toes! are designed for durability and comfort during yoga practice, dance rehearsals and while engaging in sports.

Find out more.

Direct download: 191_-_Nerd_Fitness.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 3:47pm CET

Both “meditation” and “yoga” are buzz words in pop health circles, but both are actually categories of mind-body practices - not specific practices. Not all mind-body practices are the same, and the specifics are what make all the difference.

The way in which you practice yoga or meditation can lead to profoundly different neurological states, biochemical reactions, and physiological responses. Lucas Rockwood meets with medical doctor, Mithu Storoni, to dive into the science of yoga and stress, and their effects on the brain.  

Mithu Storoni MD, PhD is a medical doctor, science nerd, writer, yoga teacher, blogger and all round brain enthusiast dedicated to defeating stress from everyone’s lives. She earned her medical degree from the University of Cambridge and also holds a PhD in Neuro-ophthalmology.

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Listen and Learn:

  • The difference between open monitoring and focused attention meditation
  • What Brain Derived Neural Factor (BDNF) is and how yoga can increase production
  • How yogic breathing can encourage respiratory neural coupling
  • Mental health dangers of rumination during some forms of meditation
  • What happens with your stress signals during deliberate yoga practice

Nutritional Tip of the Week:

  • How to wash strawberries

Links & References from the Show:

Got questions?

Thanks to our sponsor:

Yoga Teachers College

The YOGABODY Teachers College combines new technology and age-old apprenticeship to deliver a level of education previously The YOGABODY Teachers College combines new technology and age-old apprenticeship to deliver a level of education previously unavailable anywhere. We train students not just teach, but to become local business leaders in the mind-body wellness industry

Join the Early Notification List for First Application Preference:

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Direct download: 190_-_Science_of_stress.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 12:27pm CET

How many people are lucky enough to turn what they love most in life into their career? On this week’s Yoga Talk Show, you’ll meet career rock climber, Conrad Anker, who has done just that. Anker has completed an amazing number of summits including climbing Everest three times and many first ascents internationally including conquering the famed Shark’s Fin route of the peak, Meru, in the Indian Himalayas.

He is the captain of the North Face Athletic Team and serves on the boards of the Montana State University Leadership Institute, Protect Our Winters, Bozeman Ice Tower Foundation, Gallatin County Fair Board and the Alex Lowe Charitable Foundation.

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

What You'll Learn:

  • How he climbed Everest 3x’s (once in search of a dead body)
  • How the love of nature can drive you to the most amazing places
  • Why climate change is something we must look at
  • How your geography can make you happy

Nutritional Tip of the Week:

  • What’s the deal with frozen food?

Links & References from the Show:

 

Got questions?

 

Thanks to our sponsor:

Hot Yoga Teacher Training

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Extremely small class sizes, huge teaching team, dedicated training facility!

 

Next course starts in June!

Learn more.

Direct download: 189_-_Life_of_Adventure.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 12:21pm CET

Have you ever found yourself in the middle of an important meeting or speaking engagement paralyzed with anxiety or nervousness? If so, you’re not alone. Social Psychologist, Amy Cuddy, discovered that you can often overcome crippling fears by accessing your personal power through posture. Yoga students: this is called, “Posing for Confidence.”

You might know Amy from her extremely popular TED talk, Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are. She is a professor and researcher at Harvard Business School and studies how nonverbal behavior and snap judgments influence people.

Her research has been published in top academic journals and covered by NPR, The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Wired, Fast Company, and more. Cuddy has been named a "Game Changer" by Time, a "Rising Star" by the Association for Psychological Science, one of "50 Women Who Are Changing the World" by Business Insider, and a "Young Global Leader" by the World Economic Forum.

Her new book, Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges, is getting great reviews and is available on Amazon at all major booksellers.

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

What You'll Learn:

  • How your body language can actually increase testosterone and lower cortisol
  • How there is an on-going, body-mind conversation, always
  • How to take a “power pose” to change your mood
  • Why New Year's Resolutions might be too long term and abstract

Nutritional Tip of the Week:

  • Is oatmeal is healthy as they say?

Links & References from the Show:

Got questions?

Thanks to our sponsor:

Bryce Yoga Teacher Training

Bryce Yoga is rooted in traditional yoga while simultaneously informed by gymnastics, hand balancing and acrobatics. The Bryce approach to teaching was developed for the modern instructor who teaches in a variety of different setting including: yoga studios, fitness centers,festivals, workshops, on social media, and with private clients. Sequences are adaptable by design so teachers can mold their classes to challenge their students of all levels and abilities. If you’re new to Bryce Yoga, don’t worry. Students come to the course from all different yoga backgrounds, and the most important thing is that you’re excited and eager to learn.

Next course starts in July!

Learn more.

Direct download: 188_-_Power_Pose_for_Confidence.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 11:58am CET

Whether you’ve hurt your shoulder doing yoga or perhaps you’ve come to yoga to heal, Dr. Ariele Foster shares her knowledge about how the practice can help you recover from rotator cuff injuries and other shoulder issues. Listen in and learn which poses help and which exercises you should be avoiding altogether.

Dr. Ariele Foster is a physical therapist, interdisciplinary yoga teacher, and anatomy teacher. She has a passion for creative, intelligent yoga instruction and for making yoga anatomy accessible. Her teaching is grounded in both the compassionate approach of Kripalu Yoga and her deep understanding of musculoskeletal well-being from working with thousands of patients. Ariele has completed more than 700 hours of yoga teacher training in Kripalu, Anusara, Therapeutics, Hatha Yoga and the tradition of Maty Ezraty / YogaWorks.

In this show, you'll learn:

  • Why as many as 30%+ of people have rotator cuff tears
  • Rotator cuff: 4 small muscles supporting ball + "saucer" joint
  • Why "shoulder pathology" often includes tendons and/or muscles
  • How dolphin pose and forearm stand can be helpful for healing

Nutritional Tip of the Week:

  • Black Pepper - superfood or flavour enhancer?

Links & References from the Show:

 

 

Got questions?

Thanks to our sponsor: The OM Collection

The OM Collection’s mission is to provide functional fashion that enables people to look as fabulous as they feel. Whether you are leaving a yoga class, going to a concert, sight seeing in a far land, or going to dinner at a nice restaurant, these clothes will move you from one moment of your life to the next.

All of their pieces are made in limited quantities, so if you're looking for unique, eco-friendly yoga clothes, we invite you to check them out.

Direct download: 178_-_Heal_Your_Shoulders.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 4:46pm CET

On this week’s Yoga Talk Show, you’ll meet biohacker, Ben Greenfield, who teaches you how functional exercise, nutrition, and the balance between performance and health can help you improve your yoga practice, achieve your fitness goals, and improve your quality of life.

In 2008, Ben was nominated by the NSCA as America's top personal trainer, and in 2013 and 2014, Ben was voted as one of the top 100 most influential individuals in health and fitness. Ben writes for numerous health and wellness publications and is a highly sought-after speaker. Ben is the author of the NY Times best-seller, Beyond Training, and his goal is to make healthy living inspiring, entertaining and educational.

In this Show, You'll Learn:

  • How to get your poop tested for yeast, bacteria and parasites
  • Why it might not be a great idea to have Bluetooth and Wifi signals around you all the time
  • How non-psychoactive cannabis oil (CBD) might be one of the least-known supplements to reduce inflammation, improve sleep and relax
  • Tips for hacking your work station

Nutritional Tip of the Week:

  • Are eggs a yoga-friendly food?

Links & References from the Show:

Got questions?


Thanks to our sponsor: YOGABODY Naturals

Direct download: 176_-_Yoga_Student_Measure_Theyself.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 4:05pm CET

When we practice yogic breathing, we can either up-regulate, down-regulate or balance our nervous system. In different situations, all three can be valuable, but for whatever reason, balanced breathing practices are not taught or practiced as often as they should be—and they are extremely useful.

In this mini-bonus class, you'll learn the simple practice of 4x4 breathing as Lucas leads you through a shorted, seated practice.

You'll Learn:

  • How to use a 1-to-1 ratio for balancing your nervous system
  • How to reduce your breathing rate by 1/2 or even 1/4 to find balance
  • How to reduce your heart rate and increate your heart rate variability in a matter of minutes
  • How to dramatically shift your outlook on the day with 10 rounds of breath

 

NOTE: this practice is 100% safe and accessible to people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds at any time of the day—except while driving.

Nutritional Tip:

  • The power of ginger

Sponsored by:

YOGABODY Naturals

Direct download: 175_-_4x4_Balanced_Breathing.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 3:47pm CET

If you’re excited about inversions, and handstands in particular, than you’re going to love this week’s Yoga Talk Show. Ryan Hurst, Program Director and co-founder of GMB Fitness, shares his tips for how you can get started with handstand and what kind of training program you should follow if you want to advance.Hurst holds black belts in Kendo, Judo, and Shorinji Kempo and practiced 10 years as a competitive gymnast. He has extensive experience and a personal passion for arm balancing.

What you'll learn:

  • How a "Cuban Rotation" can help strengthen and stabilize your shoulders for inversions
  • Why "wall facing" handstand can be superior to kicking up with your back to the wall
  • Why "hollow body" can be very helpful for building your core strength in handstands
  • How much and how often to practice

Nutritional Tip of the Week:

  • The medicinal power of mushrooms!

Links & References from the Show:
GMB Fitness

Got questions?
Write to us: podcast@yogabody.com

Thanks to our sponsor!

YOGABODY Business

Results-Driven Business Education for Yoga Professionals

 

Direct download: 172_-_Build_up_the_Handstand.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 3:19pm CET

Jackson MacKenzie is the co-founder of PsychopathFree.com, an online support community that reaches millions of abuse survivors each month. Driven by personal experience, his mission is to spread awareness and give survivors a safe place to validate their experiences, so that every empathetic person can find happiness and love after abuse. The expanded edition of his book, Psychopath Free, is now available on Amazon or his website.

 

You can learn more about his work at PsychopathFree.com

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

In this Show, You´ll learn:

  What are the "Cluster B" disorders, and how to look out for them

  As must a 4% of the population doesn't feel empathy, remorse, or have a conscious in the way you do

How to deal with family members, intimate partners and co-workers who are psychopaths or sociopaths

 

Nutritional Tip of the Week:

Buy Dirty Salt!

 

Links & References from the Show:

https://www.psychopathfree.com/

 

Got questions?

Write to us podcast@yogabody.com 

 

Thanks to our sponsors!

 

www.yogabodynetwork.com

 

If you need recommendations on books, nutritional products, and even techy stuff like websites and design services, YOGABODY Network is there to help. Check out the different resources and helpful information available!

 

Direct download: 167_-_Psychopath_Free.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 5:25pm CET

For some strange reason, many yoga students overlook the importance of diet on their yoga practice—and this is a huge mistake. "You are what you eat," is a phrase everyone has heard, but in yoga, it's even more true than in other activities. Certain foods digest quickly, nourish your soft tissues, and simply make practice easier. Other foods fry your nervous system, slow digestion, and add unnecessary roadblocks to your practice. 

In this Show, You'll learn:

  • Why micronutrients are so important
  • Which foods nourish your body's connective tissues
  • Natural plant foods that turn off inflammation
  • Nervous system balancing foods to eat and avoid

 

Nutritional Tip of the Week:

trade in your refined white sugar for coconut palm sugar!

 

Links & References from the Show:

http://www.YogaBody.com

 

Got questions?

Write to us: podcast@yogabody.com

 

Thanks to our sponsors!

Absolute Yoga Academy

Absolute Yoga Academy is one of the most-respected and rigorous teacher training schools in the world. It’s a place where students go to become teachers, and where teachers go to become industry transformers. Join the movement!

Direct download: 166_-_Food__Flexibility_.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 11:23am CET

Can breathing unlock your inner power, strengthen your body, and boost your immune system? Wim Hof (aka the “Ice Man”) on this week’s Yoga Talk Show says, yes. Wim also says you’ll sleep better, improve your energy and boost your immune system if you practice his method regularly. 

Wim Hof (aka the "Iceman") holds 20 world records including longest ice bath. He has summited Mount Kilimanjaro in nothing but shorts and nearly made it to the top of Mount Everest in shorts as well. His longest ice bath to date is 1 hour and 44 minutes. He's the author of Becoming the Iceman and the creator of an online program called, Wim Hof Method. 

In this Show, You'll learn:

  • The Wim Hof Method pillars of: cold therapy, breathing, and commitment
  • How breathing, meditation and mind control can increase your health and wellbeing
  • The impact of cold therapy on your body
  • Why breathing techniques work 

Nutritional Tip of the Week:

Olive Oil: should you cook with it? 

 

Links & References from the Show:

http://www.wimhofmethod.com

 

Got questions?

Write to us: podcast@yogabody.com

 

Thanks to our sponsors!

www.YogaBody.com

Direct download: Show_Final_163.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 11:01am CET

Some people seem to be naturally flexible while others struggle with even the most basic poses—but this need not be. In this bonus episode, Lucas explains the difference between flexibility training and stretching warm-ups, two very different practices that are often confused and delivery completely different benefits. 

In this Show, You'll learn:

  • Why you should do stretching warm-ups before exercise, but should not do flexibility training
  • Why stretching exercises before exercise will never lead to increases in flexibility, they simply maintain your current level
  • How long-hold, passive stretching is most effective for nervous system and soft tissue change
  • How to “hack” your nervous system with PNF techniques 

Nutritional Tip of the Week:

  • Dehydrated foods!

Links & References from the Show:

http://www.YogaTalkShow.com

 

Got questions?

Write to us: podcast@yogabody.com

 

Thanks to our sponsors!

www.YogaTalkShow.com

 

Direct download: SHOW_FINAL_162.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 4:14pm CET

Modern footwear leaves most people’s feet deformed by the time they reach adulthood, and these abnormalities lead to all kinds of movement problems, pain and cascading injuries. 

For yoga students, stiff and deformed feet are synonymous with impaired balance and stability, and even though this is such a common problem, it’s something we rarely talk about. On this week’s talk show, Lucas is joined by, Dr. Ray McClanahan, to learn how to naturally fixing your feet and toes, as well as how to go about restoring the full function of your feet without resorting to corrective surgery. 

Dr. Ray McClanahan is a podiatrist, runner and athlete.  He's the founder of Northwest Foot & Ankle in Portland, Oregon. In his 17 years as a podiatrist, he has learned that most foot problems can be corrected by restoring natural foot function.

 

Ray is the inventor of Correct Toes, silicone toe spacers. His professional goal is to provide quality natural foot health services with an emphasis on sports medicine, preventative and conservative options as well as education on proper footwear.

 

In this Show, You'll learn:

  • Why elevated heels and arch support are usually a terrible idea in footwear 
  • How you can restore the flexibility and mobility in your feet
  • Why so many athletes get injured every year
  • Medical/surgical foot correction vs. self-care and natural medicine
  • What footwear you should be wearing

 

Nutritional Tip of the Week:

Low carb diets: are they really all that?

 

Links & References from the Show:

www.correcttoes.com

 

Got questions?

Write to us: podcast@yogabody.com

 

Thanks to our sponsors!

www.YogaTrapeze.com

 

Direct download: 159_-_How_to_Heal_Your_Feet.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 4:54pm CET

Modern Hot Yoga practice originated from a teacher named, Bishnu Gosh, in Calcutta, India, though it’s probably best-known today from one of Gosh’s most influential (and notorious) students, Bikram Choudhury in Los Angeles. 

The Hot Yoga world is changing very quickly, and while 20 years ago, Bikram studios were the only game in town, there are now dozens of new and alternative Hot Yoga styles and studio groups popping up.  

In Canada, Moksha Yoga is a really great school founded by Ted Grand. In Asia and Europe, Absolute Yoga Academy is a leader, and in Mexico, there's Tony Sanchez (just to name a few). It’s truly amazing how Hot Yoga has spread to all corners of the world since it’s such an impactful style of yoga. 

In this week’s Yoga Talk Show, we deep dive into the real history of Hot Yoga, not just the “creative” history that has informed pop yoga culture up until now. Hot Yoga historian and researcher, Jerome Armstrong, joins us to talk about his republishing of some previously lost manuscripts including one by Gosh’s star student, Buddha Bose.

In this Show, You'll learn:

  • The real origins of Hot Yoga
  • Hot Yoga vs. Bikram Yoga
  • All about Buddha Bose and his “lost manuscript”
  • What the “84 advanced poses” sequence is all about 

Nutritional Tip of the Week:

  • Matcha - what it is, how it is grown, and the difference between matcha and regular green tea.

 

Links & References from the Show:

www.buddhabose.com

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/242455566/84-yoga-asanas-by-buddha-bose

 

Got questions?

Write to us: podcast@yogabody.com

 

Thanks to our sponsors!

www.ecovessel.com

Direct download: 157_-_Peoples_History_of_Hot_Yoga.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 11:17am CET

As a yoga student, you’ve no-doubt heard of pranayama (yogic breathing practices), but you’ve probably had very little experience practicing it. Yoga breath work is mostly a “lost art” today partly due to the fears and myths that surround the practice. The typical advice from teachers is that pranayama can only be learned after years of asana practice and then you must learn from a master - but is there any truth to that? Probably not. 

Breathing practices can serve as a very comfy bridge between asana practice and seated meditation, and for aspiring students, it’s a shame to to miss this bridge. On this week’s Yoga Talk Show, record-holding free diver, Sara Campbell, joins us to share her experiences with breath-holding, breathing techniques and benefits.

Sara Campbell is the founder of, Discover Your Depths, a training program and philosophy that uses yoga, meditation and freediving to help people achieve personal transformation in all areas of their lives.

Sara discovered yoga and meditation over a decade ago when her own health was suffering, and just a few years later achieved a record of 90 meter free dive on just one breath of air.

Sara teaches yoga, meditation, breath-work and free diving.

In this Show, You'll learn:

  • What the “dive reflex” is and how it impacts our breath & body 
  • How safe and/or dangerous is it to reduce breathing?
  • The real vs perceived risks of pranayama (on land) 
  • How breathing can lead to personal and even spiritual experiences 

 

Links & References from the Show:

www.discoveryourdepths.com

 

Got questions?

Write to us: podcast@yogabody.com

Thanks to our sponsors: www.Onzie.com 

 

Direct download: 155_-_One_Breath_30_Meters.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 4:49pm CET

Yoga teaching was dominated by men until Russian-born, Indra Devi, came to Los Angeles in 1947 and quietly changed the direction of modern yoga forever. Devi was not only the first woman to break through the gender barrier, she was also the first western woman to study and teach in India with Krishnamacharya, a modern master whose students spread yoga throughout the world.

On this week’s Yoga Talk Show, writer and researcher, Michelle Goldberg, shares highlights from her newest book all about the exceptional life of Indra Devi who is affectionately referred to as the grandmother of modern yoga. 

Michelle Goldberg is an author and senior contributing writer for The Nation and her work has appeared in Salon.com, The New Yorker, The New York Times Book Review, Glamour, Rolling Stone,  New York, The Guardian (UK) and The New Republic.

 Her books include: Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism, The Means of Reproduction: Sex, Power and the Future of the World, and her newest title, The Goddess Pose: The Audacious Life of Indra Devi, the Woman Who Helped Bring Yoga to the West

 

In this Show, You'll learn:

  • How a Russian-born woman became a leading voice for yoga in the West during a time when Indian men were considered the authorities on yoga
  • The peculiar India-Los Angeles connection in most modern yoga
  • What it meant to be a yoga teacher over 50 years ago
  • Why modern yoga is much “younger” than most people believe

 

Links & References from the Show:

www.MichelleGoldberg.net  

 

Got questions?

Write to us: podcast@yogabody.com

Direct download: 154_-_Indra_Devi.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 3:24pm CET

The Yoga Talk Show had over 200,000 listeners in 2014, and we’ve had the pleasure of hosting a number of amazing experts. From best-selling authors and medical doctors to yoga misfits and mind-body researchers, The Yoga Talk Show continues to attract thought leaders around the world. In this special episode, we compiled “best of” soundbites to highlight interviews you may have missed. We hope you enjoy these little gems of knowledge.

 

In this Show, You'll learn:

  • The challenges faced by our food system, agriculture and sustainability

  • The impact of stress and anxiety in our lives - and how to deal with it

  • The benefits of a healthy, raw food diet

  • Yoga, handstands, practice, meditation, teaching children, and more!

 

Links & References from the Show:

http://www.yogabody.com/yoga-talk-show/

 

Got questions?

 

Write to us: podcast@yogabody.com

💻  http://YogaBody.com

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Direct download: SHOW_FINAL_Best_of.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 3:22pm CET

Back pain is pandemic, and it’s one of the top reasons people come to yoga class. In this week’s Yoga Talk Show episode, Lucas Rockwood and Esther Gokhale discuss how primal posture can help with chronic back pain. Esther Gokhale (Go-clay) has been involved in integrative therapies all her life. She studied biochemistry at Harvard and Princeton and, later, acupuncture at the San Francisco School of Oriental Medicine. After experiencing crippling back pain during her first pregnancy and unsuccessful back surgery, Gokhale began her lifelong crusade to vanquish back pain.

 

She is the founder and creator of, The Gokhale Method®, a unique, systematic approach to help people find their bodies’ way back to pain-free living.

 

Gokhale's book, 8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back, has sold over 100,000 copies and has been translated into eight languages. In 2010, Gokhale hosted the nationally televised program Back Pain: The Primal Posture Solution (available on DVD).

 

In this Show, You'll learn:

  • how primal posture can help with back pain

  • the benefits of "tucking in your tailbone" and other exercises for the back

  • Esther’s thoughts on ergonomic chairs, body-forming mattresses and lumbar spine pillows

 

Links & References from the Show:

 

http://gokhalemethod.com

 

Got questions?

 

Write to us: podcast@yogabody.com

💻  http://YogaBody.com

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Direct download: SHOW_FINAL_140.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 11:03am CET

Do you have an irregular spinal curve? This week, Lucas Rockwood and Deborah Wolk talk about holistic healing and yoga. Deborah Wolk has been teaching students with scoliosis and other back conditions since 2000. She was the co-founder and co-director of the successful Yoga Union Center for Backcare and Scoliosis, and is founding member and manager of Samamkāya Yoga Back Care & Scoliosis Collective in New York City.

 

In this Show, You'll learn:

 

  • To what extent yoga can help with back pain

  • Which poses are helpful or harmful if you suffer from scoliosis

  • How much yoga you should be committing to on a daily basis to see results

  • More about Deborah’s work and her success stories

💻  http://YogaBody.com

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Direct download: SHOW_FINAL_139.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 10:56am CET

If you hang out on social media, it’s easy to get caught up in the seeming importance of the outward appearance of yoga. It’s easy to develop ideals of what a yoga body should look like when in reality, you don’t need a skinny, perfectly-toned body to be a great yoga student - and as most yoga teachers will tell you, it’s irrelevant. Join Lucas Rockwood and Anat Geiger as they demystify the stereotypical notions of body image and yoga.

 

Anat Geiger teaches Taoistic principles of Yin and Yang in her classes. Anat has a background in dance, performance, and theater. She is certified at the 500hr level and has studied with Teresa Caldas, Dona Holleman, Paul and Suzee Grilley. She lives in Amsterdam and her "home studio" is called, YogaGarden.

 

In this Show, You'll learn:

  • That yoga is open to all, regardless of body shape

  • Anat’s view on the topic of yoga for yoga people vs yoga for everyone

  • More about the trend of “Big-bodied” yoga classes

  • Mainstream yoga: the good and the bad

 

Links & References from the Show

www.Anat.nl

 

Got questions?

 

Write to us: podcast@yogabody.com

💻  http://YogaBody.com

💻  https://www.facebook.com/Yogabody.Naturals

 

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Direct download: SHOW_FINAL_136.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 11:28am CET

Want to learn more about functional anatomy, yoga, movement, and how all this impacts your range of motion and flexibility? Join Lucas Rockwood & Dr. Andreo Spina as they dive deep into soft tissue work, stretching vs flexibility, the nervous system, and much more.


Dr. Spina holds a Bachelor of Kinesiology from McMaster University. He later graduated with summa cum laude and clinic honors from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College as a Doctor of Chiropractic and completed a two-year post-graduate fellowship in sports sciences.

 

In addition to being both the creator and head instructor of Functional Anatomic Palpation Systems (F.A.P.™), Functional Range Release (F.R.®) Techniques, and Functional Range Conditioning (FRC)™, Dr. Spina has also authored chapters in various sports medicine textbooks, is a published researcher, and internationally renowned speaker on the topics of manual therapy, soft tissue assessment and treatment, mobility/flexibility training, and physical conditioning.

 

In this Show, You'll learn:

  • How we can maximize the efficiency of our anatomy so that we can improve movement and maintain health.

  • All about functional range release and functional range conditioning, and why they are relevant for yoga students and athletes

  • Why our actual soft tissue length and elasticity play such an important role when it comes to range of motion

 

Links & References from the Show

http://www.functionalanatomyseminars.com

 

Got questions?

 

Write to us: podcast@yogabodynaturals.com

💻  http://YogaBody.com

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Direct download: SHOW_FINAL_134.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 10:47am CET

Listen and learn all about acrobatics, inversions, hand-balancing and flexibility. This week’s guest, Andralyn Zayn, grew up as a competitive gymnast worked and trained with, The Underground Circus, in Vancouver before heading to circus school, where she specialized in hand-balancing and flexibility.

During her studies, Andralyn created a new specialty that combined acrobatics and hand-balancing, and later developed a class that focused on increasing people’s ranges of motion and flexibility. She is now a PICP Level 1 and 2 Certified Personal Trainer, Agatsu Certified Kettlebell Instructor, and Certified Gymnastics Coach.

 

In this Show, You'll learn:

 

  • Flexibility “training” vs. stretching (they’re not the same!)

  • Basic hand, shoulder positioning for yoga vs gymnastics

  • Use of the wall, props, and strength training

  • Passive, dynamic, PNF & balistic stretching - who wins? g

 

Links & References from the Show

http://deflyingfitness.com/

 

Got questions?

 

Write to us: podcast@yogabodynaturals.com

 

💻  http://YogaBody.com

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Direct download: SHOW_FINAL_129.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 12:38pm CET

Learn the importance of functional anatomy, correctives exercises and self-treating your body. Jill Miller is the co-founder of TuneUp Fitness Worldwide and creator of the corrective exercise format Yoga Tune Up®. With more than 28 years of study in fitness, yoga therapy and anatomy, she is a pioneer in forging relevant links between the worlds of fitness, yoga, massage, and pain-management. She trains teachers and high level athletes as well as average working people who simply want to learn how to move and live better in their bodies. Jill has also created various practice, self-care and fitness programs, and is the author of The Roll Model- A Step-by-Step Guide to Erase Pain and Live Better in your Body.

 

In this Show, You'll learn:

 

  • All about the Roll Model Method

  • Anatomical basics that yoga students should know

  • Stretches and poses to heal & rehab shoulders

  • How to beat chronic lower back pain

 

Links & References from the Show

https://www.yogatuneup.com/

 

Got questions?

 

Write to us: podcast@yogabodynaturals.com

💻  http://YogaBody.com

💻  https://www.facebook.com/Yogabody.Naturals

 

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Direct download: SHOW_FINAL_128.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 3:23pm CET

Rich Goldstein has been practicing yoga since 1981 and teaching Kundalini yoga since 2001. In 2000 Rich partnered with the founders of Yoga Yoga and has overseen the growth of the business from one yoga studio to five, building out the yoga wellness spa and initiating the development of Yoga Yoga Now, an online yoga studio.

Rich received his Masters in Public Health at the University of Texas, and is a leader in providing programs that support lifestyle health in collaboration with traditional healthcare.

 

In this Show, You'll learn:

  • What Kundalini and Ayurveda yoga are and why they are beneficial

  • The importance of vegetarianism in your yoga practice

  • Rich’s findings in the importance of ancient Indian medicine

  • Why the average yogi’s diet is actually bad for you

  • How to make your diet more healthy with four simple changes

 

Links & References from the Show

http://www.YogaYoga.com

http://www.naturalepicurean.com

 

Got questions?

 

Write to us: podcast@yogabodynaturals.com

 

💻 http://YogaBody.com

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Direct download: SHOW_FINAL_126.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 3:43pm CET

Suzanne Bryant is a former journalist from New York City and became a certified yoga teacher in 2000 with Alan Finger of Ista Yoga. Suzanne has a Masters in Spiritual Psychology and Nutrition, and is the creator of the film YOGA IS, a modern yoga journey featuring celebrities such as Russell Simmons, Christy Turlington, Michael Franti and Buddhist scholar, Robert Thurman. The film in many ways captures the modern yoga experience so I’ve invited Suzanne on the show today to share her experience, her story, and role of yoga as she sees it through her lens.

In this Show, You’ll learn:

  • How yoga can help with emotional understanding and breakthroughs
  • The influence of the guru system of yoga and its path for the future
  • The importance of focusing on more than the physical aspects of yoga
  • How yoga has changed in the past decade or so and where it is going in the future


Links & References from the Show
http://suzannebryant.com/
http://www.yogais.com/


Got questions?

Write to us podcast@yogabodynaturals.com

 

www.YogaBody.com

www.facebook.com/Yogabody.Naturals

 

www.instagram.com/yogabodyfitness

Direct download: SHOW_FINAL_124.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 12:52pm CET


Van is the founder of Mind-Body Fitness, Inc., a Canadian company that has been teaching advanced health and fitness techniques to clients like the Canadian National Snowboard Team, Olympic athletes and coaches, and corporations like VISA and Intrawest since 1996.

In this Show, You'll learn:

✓ How yoga keeps runners injury-free

 

✓ How shorter practices can be better for runners

✓ The power of consistency (and the dangers of “weekend warrior” training

✓ Real yoga plans for real runners

YOGABODY Naturals

💻 www.YogaBodyNaturals.com

 

Direct download: SHOW_FINAL_118.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 3:29pm CET

Rolf is certified by David Swenson to teach Ashtanga Yoga. He’s also certified at the 500hr level witih Embodyoga. Rolf has studied also studied with Ana Forrest, Dharma Mettra, Beryl Bender Birch, Tias Little, Pattabhi Jois, Richard Freeman, and Rodney Yee.


In this Show, You'll learn:

The importance of the vagus nerve for relaxation and life balance

How yoga, breathing, and mind-body practices stimulate your nervous system—in a good way!

The often-overlooked science of yoga

The physiology of emotional dysfunction and how yoga can help

Direct download: SHOW_FINAL_114.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 3:41pm CET

Peggy Kwisuk Hong has been teaching Iyengar Yoga since 2001 and is certified as an Intermediate Junior II teacher by the Iyengar Yoga National Association. She lives in Detroit where she founded, taught, and directed a nonprofit Iyengar Yoga center, Riverwest Yogashala, from 2003-2012.

Peggy has done very interesting work with Karma yoga, or yoga of service, and with my company, we're always trying to find new and effective ways to donate our time and funds, so this is why I've invited Peggy on the show today.  


In this Show, You'll learn:

How Peggy is democratizing yoga so it’s available to everyone.

What makes Iyengar Yoga special and why you should practice it.

What “Community Gift Yoga” is and how it’ll change the world.


Direct download: 109_SHOW_FINAL.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 6:07pm CET

Paul Rodney Turner, the “Food Yogi” is the international director of Food for Life and the co-founder of Food for Life Global, the world headquarters for the charity.

Food for Life is the largest plant-based food relief project in the world with helping people in over 50 countries and serving up to 2 million meals daily.


In this Show, You'll learn:

Why Paul is called the “food yogi” and what it means to him.

How Food for Life is serving millions of meals to people in need.

The easy and hard things of having been a monk for 14 years.

How food can be meditative and spiritual.

Direct download: 108_SHOW_FINAL.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 1:08pm CET

David Kyle has developed a wonderful yoga practice and will teach you all he knows about handstands and inversions. David is a professional yoga teacher and trainer who lives and works in Puerto Rico. He evolved from break-dancer to yogi and learned that it was much more complicated to stand still in a handstand than to jump around in it.

In this Show, You'll learn:

The truth about strength, size and yoga (a.k.a. do you need huge muscles?)

Overcoming the “fear of falling” and how to take it step-by-step when learning to be upside down

The “mental game” of inversions and the importance of concentration and visualization

Direct download: 105_SHOW_FINAL.mp3
Category:yoga -- posted at: 11:06am CET

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