What does yoga represent to you? Why did you take that first step onto the yoga mat? I’ve been practicing yoga because I was looking for a more peaceful life. Now, more than twenty years later, I can confidently say that when I walk off my mat after practice I’m a little bit more peaceful, a little bit kinder. Yoga practice has the power to bring a little bit more love and peace into your life by changing the way you treat others and the way you treat yourself. One can even argue that this quest...
Feb 25, 2021•1 hr 17 min
The important thing to understand on this spiritual journey we’re on is knowing the difference between what is real and what is imaginary. If we only live in the imaginary, then we risk the spiritual practice becoming a way for us to ignore reality. On the other hand, some of us can get attached to difficult realities, which can lock us into those negative cycles of thinking. Luckily, yoga practice and meditation teach us that we are not helpless victims of the life experience. We have the power...
Feb 18, 2021•41 min
For this meditation I want you to choose something you want to manifest. I always recommend having this idea in mind before you sit down for practice so you don’t interrupt the spiritual journey, but don’t hold it so tightly that you can’t relax your mind. Remember - your mind needs an anchor. Just as your body needs a seat in order to settle into this moment, so does your mind. And just as in previous practices, this anchor will be your inflowing and outgoing breath. As you focus on your breath...
Feb 18, 2021•44 min
Practicing meditation is a practice in doing nothing. That may sound like a riddle, but it’s the truth! And it’s why meditation is so difficult for some of us. My yoga teacher always used to say that meditation was very difficult. Asana yoga is almost easier because as we practice the poses, we are giving our minds a distraction from the sheer weight of nothingness. I’m here to tell you that the key to meditation lies in embracing this nothingness, this intangibility of the practice. Meditation ...
Feb 11, 2021•38 min
Please prepare for a long sit if you’re joining me for this meditation. These guided meditations are important to the spiritual practice, but the longer we practice you may find that certain positions aren’t as comfortable as they used to be. So get comfortable and settle into this moment. Feel free to use a chair. Feel free to lay down. As long as we settle into this moment and are aware of our bodies and our breath releasing and relaxing, the meditation can begin. When we meditate, we are doin...
Feb 11, 2021•39 min
Every one of us must ask ourselves, sometimes more than once: what is yoga? By definition, yoga means unity - but what do you want unity with? More specifically - are you seeking this unity consciously or unconsciously? To clarify, it’s not important whether you are conscious or unconscious of your spiritual journey. Rather, it’s important to recognize your spiritual quest as just that - a journey. The unconscious seeker may take longer to reach a revelation, but the conscious seeker risks the e...
Feb 04, 2021•1 hr 3 min
What are you thinking about right now? If you think too hard about it, you’ll realize our minds are always distracted. We are always focused on the business of daily life, which is why so many of us avoid the silence. I’m here to tell you that these moments of silence are important. It is in this silence that we come to truly know ourselves, and through this silence is how we fight the battles within ourselves. You just have to get comfortable with it. Meditation can help you do that. Meditation...
Jan 28, 2021•27 min
This is a practice in meditation and mindfulness and how to integrate a sitting practice into your yoga practice. If you’re intimidated by meditation - or just afraid you’re going to fall asleep in practice! - I invite you to tune in for this guided meditation. I will begin by drawing your attention to your senses and the inner experience. Our senses are normally directed to the external world and our day-to-day lives, but while meditating we have the chance to consciously direct our senses inwa...
Jan 28, 2021•40 min
The secret to yoga practice is in the asanas. These poses we twist our bodies into are not just for our physical health and strength. Yoga practice has the power to lead you on a path of liberation from the mind and body. In this episode of the Yoga Inspiration Podcast, I get a little theoretical and discuss how yoga gets into our subconsciousness. While our subconscious minds are made up of the habitual reactions of our thoughts, bodies, and emotions, yoga can tap into and disrupt even the most...
Jan 21, 2021•1 hr 6 min
You are such an inspiration to me, and it inspires me to continue practicing when I see all of you taking to your mats every day. I created this forum to help you and all my listeners find a safe space in your lives for yoga practice. This is YOUR practice where I send you that same inspirational energy! No matter where or when you’re joining this primary series practice - it is meant for you to relax and appreciate the spiritual journey. I welcome rest. I welcome modifications. All I expect is ...
Jan 21, 2021•1 hr 43 min
The two practices of sati, or mindfulness, and metta, love and kindness, are distinctly different, but you cannot practice one without the other. It’s important to understand their differences in order to make the most out of your yoga practice. To start with, you cannot practice metta without sati. Sati is the mindfulness and awareness of what is. There is no imagination or visualization - what is simply is, and we must stay grounded in this practice in order to achieve mindfulness. Achieving t...
Jan 14, 2021•29 min
There is a transformation that happens with each practice. Your heart expands and you are better able to tap into that vibration of love, peace, and harmony. But, as with all things in this life, practice is not always easy. We require sustenance to stay on the mat, and I bring this meditation to you today to inspire you and sustain you as we continue our yoga journey together. Meditation is a practice. You don’t need to be perfect the first time you do it, or even the second or third! Your mind...
Jan 14, 2021•37 min
Training the mind is hard work. Any of us who have spent time on a yoga mat can attest to that. But what if I told you there was a secret to training your mind? That secret is meditation. Meditation allows us to gaze at the inner plane, and it’s through this self-observation that we can effectively calm and train the mind. Now, the practice of meditation can mean many things to many different people. Perhaps you already include it as part of your yoga routine, or maybe you even practiced meditat...
Jan 07, 2021•49 min
Meditation is an essential component of the spiritual path of yoga. Before you tune in to another episode of the Yoga Inspiration Podcast, I invite you to join me in this meditative practice. It’s easy to have theoretical conversations about meditation, but engaging in the act of meditating is the only way to truly grow on this yoga journey. Try it with me now! I will guide you through this meditative practice and share some of the benefits of meditation with you. To start, come to a comfortable...
Jan 07, 2021•22 min
I’m taking a little inspiration from my Chat & Chai classes at the Miami Life Center for this special episode. Please tune in now for a special chat and a meditation that will help you reconnect with the innocence of your mind. Remember when you first started yoga? That beginner’s mindset is what we’re trying to get back to today. The longer you practice, the more important it is to check back in with yourself and your beginner’s mind. Too often we come to the mat with an agenda - sometimes ...
Dec 31, 2020•46 min
Yoga is here to change the very foundation of the way you think. But that can only start when you change the way you inhabit your body. Join me in this episode for a special dose of daily yoga inspiration. This special meditative practice will open your heart and change the way you look at yourself. The society we live in teaches us to toughen up and put on a happy face. But the longer we live in society, the more we become hardened to the ways of society, and it’s hard to let go of that, even a...
Dec 24, 2020•29 min
On this episode of The Yoga Inspiration Podcast, I’m sharing the inside scoop on what yoga means to a lifelong athlete. Dusty is a professional gymnast and yoga student in Las Vegas who didn’t take his first yoga class until he was in his 60s! Now it’s been five years since he started and his experience is bound to inspire yoga beginners and expert yoga students both to get on the mat. Because you don’t have to be an athlete to practice yoga. Sure, being a lifelong gymnast has its perks when it ...
Dec 17, 2020•46 min
This episode of Yoga Inspiration is a special one! Not only am I interviewing two of my favorite fellow yogis - Henry and Veronica - but it’s also our first ever LIVE podcast episode. I took the podcast to Omstars to share some inspiration in real-time and give people a chance to ask their own questions. And there are some very important questions discussed in this episode. Veronica shares her experiences battling with mental health on the mat. For her, it wasn’t necessarily about attaining phys...
Dec 10, 2020•1 hr 11 min
Cultivating gratitude is almost always on our minds during this time of year, but the concept of gratitude is multifaceted. There are so many different ways we can be grateful! How do you express your gratitude? There are no right or wrong answers here. I just want to encourage you to look at gratitude from a different perspective in this daily dose of Yoga Inspiration. We are all grateful for those positive moments in our life, those big events and loved ones we’ve waited for. Unfortunately, ou...
Dec 03, 2020•57 min
This episode is a Dharma talk I shared with my students here in Miami. I discuss the intersection between neuroscience and yoga, and I hope you are inspired to break some of your bad habits after listening to this special episode of The Yoga Inspiration Podcast. I may not be a scientist, but I love yoga, and I’m interested in the elements of yoga that can be studied and verified by rational, scientific means. Yoga has the power to retrain our brains and our bodies, giving you the power to lay th...
Nov 26, 2020•57 min
Tune in now to this special episode of The Yoga Inspiration Podcast and learn how to use yoga as a life hack. If you’ve ever heard of jailbreaking a phone, then you know what I mean by life hack. Yoga practice can open you up to a new life of infinite growth and inner peace by teaching your brain (and your body) new ways of thinking. Your tendencies toward self-hatred and negative thinking are not permanent states of being. The operating system of your brain can be updated, and you can become a ...
Nov 19, 2020•39 min
If you’ve been following me on YouTube then you know that I love to teach strength poses in yoga. It might surprise you, but when I first started yoga I wasn’t naturally strong. That’s why these strength poses are so important to me and my personal yoga journey. In this episode, I’m taking you on my journey of strength to inspire you with you some of the most important lessons I learned on my yoga mat. Remember back to my first episode - my very first impression of yoga was the headstand. I want...
Nov 12, 2020•39 min
We’re all on a quest for truth. If you practice yoga, then you’ll recognize the term Satya , which means true essence or truthfulness. It is the goal of yoga to cultivate Satya, and I’m discussing this philosophy in order to bring some clarity to the modern concept of Universal Truth. Satya is the ethical concept of the value of truthfulness. It’s considered a virtue of the yoga practice and it guides us on our everlong quest for truth. More importantly, Satya is the opposite of falsehood and de...
Nov 05, 2020•32 min
This podcast episode will air the week before the United States Presidential Election, and I’m dedicating this discussion to the importance of civic engagement. I was inspired to do so by my yoga students and fellow practitioners, whom I keep hearing say that they believe their vote doesn’t matter, or that it doesn’t count. So many American citizens sat out of the 2016 election for that reason, and that disenfranchisement still lingers. It seems like this time around, more and more people are gi...
Oct 29, 2020•22 min
This special episode of the Yoga Inspiration Podcast is going to feel like a conversation between friends. I have a lot of things on my mind since publishing my brand new book, Get Your Yoga On , and I feel like it’s getting harder and harder for us to talk to one another with compassion. Studies show that bad news travels faster than good news. And, unfortunately, the algorithms in our social media accounts are designed to capture our attention and draw us in. This is why the bad news shows up ...
Oct 22, 2020•30 min
What does it mean to be a lifelong practitioner of yoga? If you’re a new student of yoga, meeting these seasoned and talented yoga practitioners is so intimidating. Especially if you have that feeling of unworthiness. Maybe you found yoga on Instagram or YouTube and you see other yogis and their gurus, and suddenly you think to yourself - “wow, maybe I’m not a real yoga student?” But there is nothing further from the truth. On this episode of The Yoga Inspiration Podcast, Susanna Barkataki is he...
Oct 15, 2020•1 hr 17 min
It’s so important to understand that we all come to yoga with different perspectives. I’m blessed to travel the world and teach yoga classes to people of all cultures and backgrounds, and guess what I’ve learned? I learned that yoga is a universal language that transcends any cultural differences we might have. On this episode of The Yoga Inspiration, you will hear how one yoga student’s journey inspired him to connect with one of the most inclusive communities in fitness - the yoga community. S...
Oct 08, 2020•36 min
If you’re feeling anxious, please listen to this episode of The Yoga Inspiration Podcast. Yoga gives you the power to step outside of yourself and watch your emotions from a different perspective, and I hope to inspire you to find happiness again through a lesson in post-traumatic growth. Yoga never promises to be an easy spiritual journey. The practice of yoga is a hard and arduous one, and it’s the purpose of our yoga practice to prepare us for the cycle of suffering and growth we experience t...
Oct 01, 2020•59 min
Thanks so much for sitting with me and sharing this space with me. Sharing my practice and my podcast with you is an opportunity for all of us to share and really feel our collective energies even if we aren’t in the same room. The non-local quality of consciousness is so important during times like these where we can’t always be together or attend the yoga classes we’re missing right now. I truly believe this connection and this anchoring of our energy through metta will positively impact our l...
Sep 24, 2020•54 min
Your yoga journey brings a sense of balance in your life. The practice awakens the spirituality within us, and we carry that sense of transcendent knowledge with us on and off the yoga mat. For Edyn, from the Edyn Loves Life YouTube channel, she says that something special happens after that first savasana washes over us. Edyn is my guest on this episode of the Yoga Inspiration Podcast. I’m in love with her YouTube channel, and I’m inspired by her pioneering sense of inclusivity within the yoga ...
Sep 17, 2020•50 min
