Explore the five koshas, or layers of being in this meditation. The five sheaths include: Annamaya kosha (physical body) Pranamaya kosha (energy body) Manomaya kosha (mental body) Vijnanamaya kosha (wisdom body) Anandamaya kosha (bliss body). Each layer takes you deeper into your true inner Self as you rest in a state of joy and pure bliss. This episode wraps us season #5. Thank you for exploring a variety of yoga and wellness topics and meditation practices with me on this podcast. As I prepare...
Aug 14, 2022•14 min•Season 5Ep. 70
One of the main benefits o meditation and turning the mind inward is the ability to mindfully witness thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Tara Brach calls this our superpower. Mindful witnessing is having the ability to know you are aware of being aware. You become a neutral observer of your own life. The witness place inside you is simple awareness, the part of you that is aware of everything. Our gateway to a deeper sense of peace, freedom, and joy is understanding that you are more than your th...
Jul 31, 2022•11 min•Season 5Ep. 69
In this meditation, you will expand your awareness and notice physical sensations, thoughts, and feelings in the present moment. Witnessing the present moment is our superpower as humans. This practice helps us remember that we are more than our sensations, thoughts, or feelings. We also practice noticing without judgment and living a more mindful life. To learn more and practice present-moment awareness, join Mary in her online studio to access a comprehensive library of yoga classes. Visit stu...
Jul 17, 2022•9 min
While yoga studios are often relaxing, quiet, climate-controlled Zen environments, nothing can beat warm sunshine on your face, a gentle breeze on your skin, and the smell of cut grass and its coolness under the soles of your feet. In this episode, Mary shares 5 benefits of practicing yoga outside the studio or home. Heightens your connection to nature. Strengthens your balance skills. Deepens your meditation practice. Enhances your ability to soak in the view. Transports your yoga practice. The...
Jun 26, 2022•10 min•Season 5Ep. 67
Body scan meditation is a good way to release the physical tension you might not realize you're experiencing. It is a mindfulness-based intervention and involves paying attention to parts of the body and bodily sensations in a gradual sequence from your feet to your head. You are invited to lie down on a comfortable surface or sit in a chair with your legs uncrossed and feet flat on the ground. Subscribe to my newsletter and stay current with upcoming special events, blog posts, and resources at...
Jun 12, 2022•14 min•Season 5Ep. 66
Did you know yin yoga and restorative yoga are not the same things? From the outside, the practices look similar because they both include long holds, utilize props, are slow and introverted practice, and focus on opening the body over time instead of through dynamic movement. If you are wanting a restful yoga practice to help you decompress and relax, do you know which one to choose? As a yoga teacher of both styles, I get asked this question often. From the outside, restorative and yin look ve...
May 29, 2022•18 min•Season 5Ep. 65
Release tension from the body and mind as you turn toward clarity and inner joy. Cultivate tranquillity and bliss as you let go of your thoughts about the future and the past and lean into your innate joy. Mary McCarthy is a Certified Health and Fitness Instructor with The American College of Sports Medicine and a n E-RYT 500 yoga instructor with Yoga Alliance. You can schedule a FREE consultation with Mary and learn more about what offerings may be best for you. Visit her website www.mary-mccar...
May 15, 2022•11 min•Season 5Ep. 64
WELCOME to season #5! I am kicking off this season with a very important topic that is near and dear to my heart, anxiety and mental health. May is National Mental Health Awareness month and I am sharing my journey with anxiety. Yoga and meditation are wonderful tools to help someone manage their stress and anxiety and in this episode, I will share with you specific practices that help me when I am not teaching on my mat. Here are a few additional resources you may find helpful: 1. Yoga Nidra fo...
May 01, 2022•22 min•Season 5Ep. 63
According to the yoga tradition, the heart is the doorway to the sacred. It is the fountainhead of lasting peace and grace. This meditation is dedicated to guiding you to it. The luminosity of the light of the heart gathers in the center of the mind and this light is guided from the midbrain to the cave of the heart. As your body breathes in, you feel the light expand, and as the body breathes out, it contracts back to the heart center. In the final stage of the practice, you rest in the heart, ...
Dec 20, 2021•16 min•Season 4Ep. 62
Practicing grace creates a balance between masculine and feminine energies. It is the yin to the yang. I chose "Grace" to be a part of my brand to remind myself and others that grace is something offered unconditionally. We do not have to earn it. Grace helps us remember we are love. We belong. In this episode, I share five tips on how you can open your heart and discover grace. See your to-do list and "deadlines" as fluid. Take breaks. Become mindful of your mindset and beliefs. Ask for help an...
Dec 06, 2021•14 min•Season 4Ep. 61
In episode #60, Mary shares one of her favorite yoga nidra practices called "Restful Nurturance." You will move through the different stages of this practice drawing yourself deeper into a state of rest. Yoga nidra offers many benefits including time to rest and recharge, detach from negative emotions, move into transformation and expansion, and enhance sensitivity to prana or energy. You can read a short blog post about yoga nidra benefits. Read more. Next month I will share the importance of p...
Nov 15, 2021•21 min•Season 4Ep. 60
In episode #59, Mary shares her experience of how resilience has been a part of her journey, helping her continue to show up and persevere. She explains why cultivating resilience may be more beneficial than searching for happiness. Resilience is your ability to withstand or recover quickly from setbacks or difficult conditions. Resilience is a skill. Benefits of Resilience: Increases your chances of success Gives a sense of independence, self-efficacy, and self-worth Positively correlates with ...
Nov 01, 2021•16 min•Season 4Ep. 59
In episode #58, Mary shares a meditation from Kristen Neff's book, Fierce Self-Compassion. The meditation is titled, Breathing Yin & Yang. In Ancient Chinese philosophy, yin and yang is a concept of dualism, describing how opposite forces may actually be complementary, interconnected, and interdependent in the natural world. Yin represents grounded Earth energy: It is receptive, cool, dark, and tied to the moon, the oceans, and the shade. It is usually associated with feminine energy. Yang r...
Oct 18, 2021•14 min•Season 4Ep. 58
Yoga is a journey. It invites us to explore our heart's desire while connecting our mind, body, and spirit. It inspires us to be present with where we are in life right now. Your yoga practice can last a lifetime. Mary shares the many benefits of yoga in this podcast episode. Listen to the variety of physical, mental, and spiritual benefits experienced once you roll out your yoga mat or sit down to meditate and breathe. You can practice yoga online with Mary. She offers weekly mixed-level, gentl...
Oct 04, 2021•11 min•Season 4Ep. 57
There are many ways to meditate. Bringing your awareness to the center of the mind, also known as the 3rd eye center, can help bring stillness to the mind and break the distractions or thoughts racing through your consciousness. Take a moment to pause and feel light radiate from the center of the mind. You will leave this meditation feeling a deeper sense of peace and ease. To learn more about my offerings, please go to my website www.mary-mccarthy.com or follow me on social media @mmresiliencea...
Sep 20, 2021•10 min•Season 4Ep. 56
Welcome to season #4! I am kicking off a new season at the start of a new season, fall. Fall brings the start of many shifting seasonal transitions. First, it is back to school, then comes weather changes and shorter daylight hours, and finally, we begin to move into the fall and winter holidays. My business is also going through a transition. Over the past few months, I have been working with a team of professionals to help me create a new website and online studio. Running Robots will host my ...
Sep 06, 2021•12 min•Season 4Ep. 55
A term known as "languishing" has been coined by a sociologist named Corey Keyes. Languishing is a sense of stagnation and emptiness. It is the neglected middle child of mental health. An antidote to this "meh" attitude is a concept called, "flow." We can move from languishing to flourishing when we give ourselves blocks of uninterrupted time inviting ourselves to be present in the moment. A regular yoga and meditation practice can give us opportunities to practice present-moment awareness. Clic...
Apr 28, 2021•11 min•Season 3Ep. 54
This yoga nidra practice is based on the ancient technique called, Shitali Karana. You will be moving awareness on the effortless flow of your breath. The benefits of this yoga nidra practice provide an energetic rest, enhancing sensitivity to prana and the pranamaya kosha. A feeling of transformation and expansion can happen and detachment from negative emotions. You will deepen your relaxation and surrender to each breath. Emptying and letting go with each exhale and filling or renewing with e...
Apr 13, 2021•23 min•Season 3Ep. 53
Many of our daily routines have been restricted or modified over the past year during the coronavirus pandemic. It can be difficult to find the motivation and the time to exercise. It is no longer just the "Freshman 15" but now many are experiencing the "Quarantine 15" which grew to the “COVID 19." Finding time to exercise or maintaining an exercise routine at home can seem more like a chore than something we want to do. However, exercise is one of the most powerful tools we have for staying phy...
Mar 29, 2021•12 min•Season 3Ep. 52
The Manipura Chakra is located in the navel center. This special gem is our center for insight, intuition, and inner illumination. Hold your attention in the abdomen as you simply observe the belly expand and contract increasing energy and life force to the navel center.
Mar 16, 2021•11 min•Season 3Ep. 51
Give yourself permission to rest. Our brains need more downtime to process and manage all of the information we are bringing in. Downtime is as important to the brain as Vitamin D is to the body. Mary shares 10 "mini rest breaks," a way you can relax in all of the in-between moments of your day. Mary will continue to create and publish episodes monthly. You will receive a new episode in two weeks. Mary is moving from a weekly to a bi-monthly schedule. Enjoy! Connect with Mary online at www.mary-...
Mar 01, 2021•10 min•Season 3Ep. 50
In episode #49, Mary speaks from her heart sharing the projects she is working on and a special Koshas training she is currently taking with Yogarupa Rod Stryker in the Parayoga system. Mary will begin to offer new podcast episodes bi-monthly (instead of weekly) starting in March 2021. She will share teachings and practices filled with resilience & grace.
Feb 23, 2021•14 min•Season 3Ep. 49
In Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, the eightfold path includes the niyamas. The second niyama is Santosha. Santosha means complete acceptance or contentment. You can practice santosha on and off your yoga mat. Mary shares tips how to add more contentment into your daily life. Read her October 2020 blog on santosha .
Feb 16, 2021•13 min•Season 3Ep. 48
Transform your thoughts into ease and contentment. Follow your breath as a wave of vitality and renewal flood the body while letting go of thought and effort.
Feb 08, 2021•5 min•Season 3Ep. 47
"Because I have a choice, I choose love." Deepak Chopra Our heart space is where our light comes from. Our entire world is lit by the heart. Mary shares ways you can bring more compassion, love, and joy into your life and thrive. Nourishing ideas: Go outside Rest Breathe Eat nourishing food Hydrate Move your body Create Connect Practice gratitude and lovingkindness Blue Zone Recipes for nourishing meals. To learn more about Mary McCarthy and read this blog post on her website, visit mary-mccarth...
Feb 01, 2021•12 min•Season 3Ep. 46
Relax in a yoga nidra meditation at the heart, welcoming love into your mind and body. Awaken from this meditation feeling relaxed and renewed with a sense of hope and love. Mary will guide you through a 61-point rotation of consciousness and a visualization experiencing a deep sense of peace. The love you are searching for is already within you. You are love. You can rest in the loving energy that fills your heart and your whole body.
Jan 25, 2021•29 min•Season 3Ep. 45
Wintering by Katherine May is a beautiful book to pick up right now. She shares her personal experiences with winter and the many ways we can come to terms with it and find a way to live with it so we can endure it a lot better. Mary truly loves the season of winter and this year she has tried snowshoeing, took her family downhill snow skiing, and found herself sledding down hills with other kids laughing the entire way down. You can listen to Katherine May's interview from December 2021 on NPR....
Jan 19, 2021•19 min•Season 3Ep. 44
In this meditation, you will connect deeply to your breath. Your breath fills you with vitality and light. Visualize a golden egg shape seated at the center of your heart. This golden egg radiates healing light around your body. You can plant the seed of your Sankalpa at the heart resting in the golden refuge.
Jan 12, 2021•13 min•Season 3Ep. 43
Mary shares the steps in creating a Sankalpa, a sacred intention from the heart. Learn the ancient teachings inviting you to pause, listen, and create your own sankalpa.
Jan 05, 2021•12 min•Season 3Ep. 42
Mary led this special meditation on Election night 2020. It begins with a letting go meditation bringing ease throughout the body and transitioning into a Metta meditation of lovingkindness. You can practice this meditation again and again when you are feeling anxious and want to calm the mind and body welcoming in positive energy and lovingkindness.
Nov 04, 2020•23 min•Season 2Ep. 41
