In this last episode of our Begin Again series, Jason answers several listener questions about teaching yoga to beginning yoga students. We cover lots of ground, including: *When (or if) to encourage a student to leave a beginner level class for a more challenging one *How to teach Ujjayi breathing to beginners, and why it's important to do it separately from asanas *When to teach the nuances of poses like Downward Facing Dog -- specifically how to work skillfully with the shoulders when they're...
Feb 19, 2019•36 min•Ep. 141
This week's episode is a special interview with public speaker and yogi Jason Freeman. Jason has a speech impediment due to cerebral palsy, which he was born with. He talks about how being different impacted him from an early age and how his yoga practice helped him to embrace his "imperfect best" as he puts it. Also on this episode is Jamie Martin, Jason's yoga teacher, who shares her insights about how to create an inclusive environment in the yoga room. This episode is a must for anyone who's...
Feb 12, 2019•46 min•Ep. 140
My husband, Jason Crandell, is back this week, and he's sharing practical tips for teaching beginning students when they come to a mixed-level class. Here are a few things you'll learn: * How to keep a new student safe without making them feel singled out (and when to just let things go!) * Strategies for helping beginners (and everyone else, too!) through the Chaturanga/Up Dog/Down Dog transition and alternatives * Tips for helping students step from Down Dog to a Lunge in Sun Salutations * Tea...
Feb 06, 2019•50 min•Ep. 13
We all start out as beginners. But that doesn't mean that teaching beginning yoga students is intuitive. In this episode in our Begin Again series, Jason tackles the specifics of teaching asana to beginning students. Jason shares: * Why it's important to help students pay attention to their whole experience in a particular pose, not just the muscle or muscle groups that they're stretching * How to help students avoid comparing themselves to other students (or to what they were able to do in the ...
Jan 30, 2019•55 min•Ep. 138
Yoga and meditation teacher Tias Little returns to the podcast this week. (Tias joined me on episode 102 to talk about perfectionism). On today's episode, we talk about how our culture of speed affects us holistically and why it’s important--but also challenging--to slow down. We discuss: *The new book that Tias is working on and how it's different from other projects he's worked on *Why, from a spiritual perspective, moving fast and checking things off of a to-do list is the opposite of progres...
Jan 22, 2019•38 min•Ep. 137
In this second episode of our Begin Again series, we talk about what keeps us motivated to practice when yoga is feeling stagnant and Jason offers useful tips for teachers who are faced with the difficult (but rewarding!) task of teaching yoga to beginners. He also talks about how to introduce philosophy to beginning students and how to motivate students to keep coming back to their mats. Here’s an overview of the episode: * Why beginning again can be a great thing even for experienced yoga prac...
Jan 15, 2019•53 min•Ep. 136
With a new year comes a flood of new students into yoga classes everywhere. Many of those students will be brand new to yoga, while others have re-committed to their yoga practice. In this first episode of our series on yoga beginners, Jason shares some tips for how to welcome these new students and make them feel "supported, but not hounded" in the yoga room. While the series will be geared toward teachers, it's important info for those yoga students who will be seeing lots of new faces in thei...
Jan 08, 2019•48 min•Ep. 135
For the last interview of 2018, I am so excited to share an interview with Insight Yoga founder Sarah Powers. Sarah has been a huge influence on my yoga practice, my meditation practice, and my life. Here's what we talk about: * Yoga and parenting: How Sarah introduced her daughter to yoga and what impact she believes growing up in a yoga family had on her daughter * How Sarah and Ty came to the decision to home school their daughter and how that decision made Sarah a better yoga teacher * Why c...
Dec 18, 2018•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 134
This week, I talk with Ty Powers. You might know Ty as the husband an influential yoga teacher for me (and many others!) -- Sarah Powers. He's also an incredibly insightful teacher in his own right, a meditation teacher, and coach. Recently, he's also been leading workshops called Changes and Transitions in Midlife--something that is of particular interest to me now that I'm in my 40s. Here are some highlights from our conversation: *Ty talks briefly about parenting and race and how both of thos...
Dec 11, 2018•40 min•Ep. 133
This week's guest, Melissa Townsend is the author of two beautiful books about the Yoga Sutras. Townsend, a long-time yoga student, artist, Sanskrit enthusiast, and psychic, wasn't always enthusiastic about the sutras. But in the same way that psychic visions come to her, so did the idea to use her art to share the Yoga Sutras. On this episode, I had the opportunity to ask her all about the creative process of her Yoga Sutras art and translations. We're also joined by Stephanie Snyder, a popular...
Dec 04, 2018•53 min•Ep. 132
Historically, during times of political and cultural strife, people become more interested in self-care. That means that right now, self-care is an incredibly important and popular topic (to the tune of 9 million hashtags on Instagram!). Self-care means different things to different people. It's not all bubble baths and mani/pedis (although, there's certainly nothing wrong with those!) I think of yoga as a radical form of self-care because yoga builds self-awareness -- of your unique constitutio...
Nov 27, 2018•39 min•Ep. 131
One out of three people will face a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime. While a regular yoga practice might not prevent cancer, it can certainly help ease the fear, anxiety, and emotional anguish that can come with it. Today's guest, Dr. Timothy McCall, is a medical doctor and yoga teacher, who talks with us this week about his road to recovery from throat cancer. His story is an inspiring testimony to the power of a yoga and meditation during hard times. Timothy shares how he discovered his can...
Nov 20, 2018•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 130
This week's episode focuses on adaptogenic herbs and nootropics, which are herbs and supplements that are thought to help us adapt to stress, improve cognitive function, and memory. They're everywhere these days -- in our smoothies, on the shelves of Whole Foods, in teas. And as with all trends, I both want to embrace anything and everything that's said to improve health while simultaneously feeling completely skeptical. So, I thought I'd have Ayurvedic practitioner, Niika Quistgard on the show ...
Nov 13, 2018•58 min•Ep. 129
This is the sixth year Jason led his week-long retreat on Maui, but the FIRST year we did a live Yogaland podcast! We did not humble brag about the beautiful setting, the food, the roosters, or the camaraderie of the students -- we just full on brag bragged. But we also answered student questions, which happened to mainly focus on backbending. Here's an overview: * We talk about the benefits of immersing yourself in yoga on retreat and how Jason thinks of it as a mini-training * Jason shares his...
Nov 07, 2018•44 min•Ep. 128
Jason and I celebrated our 10th anniversary in early October -- that's a whole DECADE of wedded bliss, you guys!. In an unusual moment of sentimentality, we decided to share a bit more about our relationship in this episode. We reflect on - How we went from colleagues to dating to married - How we moved from student-teacher relationship (and editor-writer relationship) to romantic partnership - How we balance our work relationship with our home life - The huge role that yoga has played in our re...
Oct 30, 2018•56 min•Ep. 127
Most people consider arm balances and inversions challenging poses, but we think they're worth the effort. This week, I talk to Jason about his approach to teaching these popular poses, and how he breaks them down to make them more accessible for every student. We also share our newest mini-course (it's free!) , which goes deep into one of the most foundational arm balances, Bakasana (also known as Crane Pose or Crow Pose). We talk about: * Why practice arm balances and inversions in the first p...
Oct 23, 2018•34 min•Ep. 126
It was such a pleasure to talk to yoga teacher and astrologer Susannah Freedman for this very special episode. Susannah has been teaching yoga and doing astrology readings since 2010 and has a Masters in Philosophy and Religion, but both her yoga and astrology journeys started during her self-described "hippie childhood." In this interview, Susannah explains how she sees someone's chart as their "karmic blueprint." Unlike some who approach astrology from a prescriptive point of view, Susannah se...
Oct 16, 2018•49 min•Ep. 125
Today's guest is Melanie Klein, a professor of Sociology and Women's Studies, co-founder of the Yoga and Body Image Coalition, and author of the new book, Yoga Rising: 30 Empowering Stories from Yoga Renegades for Every Body. Her work has made her a respected leader in the conversation around yoga and body image. In this interview, we talk about how she came to be such an advocate for the positive body image movement. Plus, since I am a former editor for Yoga Journal , we have a candid conversat...
Oct 09, 2018•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 124
I'm so excited to share this interview with Dr. Will Cole! Dr. Cole is a functional medicine doc whose new book, Ketotarian , offers a mostly plant-based approach to the ketogenic diet that's much healthier than the traditional bacon and bunless burgers regimen. I've been on the ketogenic diet for a few years and I value Dr. Cole's approach -- it's compassionate, research-driven,and balanced. Plus, it was a real treat for me to bounce all of my keto questions off of someone! I got to ask Dr. Col...
Oct 02, 2018•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 123
There are so many interpretations of the seminal yoga text, Patanjali's Yoga Sutra. This week, I talk to two women who've written one that is refreshingly different. Kelly DiNardo and Amy Pearce-Hayden join me to talk about their book new book, Living the Sutras: A Guide to Yoga Wisdom Beyond the Mat . Their book is not a formal, scholarly translation of the Yoga Sutra. Instead, DiNardo and Pearce-Hayden have created a guide that can help you take the sutras, reflect on them, and then apply them...
Sep 25, 2018•55 min•Ep. 122
I got a great question from a listener recently in response to episode 119, so I decided to start this episode with Jason's response. The listener, Neil, asks, "If we're creating a practice that's sustainable, does it really makes sense to repeat the same sequence over and over again?" And what's the best way to handle pressure from studio and gym owners to "freshen things up?" We also answer a couple of other questions that come in often, in many different forms, essentially: * What's the best ...
Sep 18, 2018•49 min•Ep. 121
Today's guest, Nikki Myers, a yoga therapist and the founder of Y12SR (Yoga of 12-Step Recovery), shares how yoga has helped with her personal struggles with addiction and helped thousands of people through Y12SR. Even if you've never been touched personally by addiction, her insights and advice apply to anyone who's had to overcome a challenge in life. We talk about: * Nikki's personal road to recovery, what she learned along the way, and how yoga helped her heal * Why an important part of prac...
Sep 11, 2018•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 120
Jason is back this week to answer a few questions that came up about our Summer Series. The questions came from students in Jason's advanced yoga teacher training class, but they are applicable to any serious practitioners. We address: * His sequencing philosophy + the one biggest mistake he thinks yoga teachers make when they're planning their yoga class sequences. * How to help students find a slow, steady breath during vinyasa classes -- including how to breathe for backbends like Urdhva Dhan...
Sep 04, 2018•46 min•Ep. 119
J. Brown is a yoga teacher, former yoga center owner, blogger, and the host of the popular podcast J. Brown Yoga Talks. On this episode, I ask J. about his yoga origin story as well as the current iteration of his yoga life -- both online and off. J. also shares how the powerful words he said to his mother toward the end of her life have had a lasting impact on who he is today and helped lead him to yoga. J.'s mother died before he graduated from high school, and what he once saw as a wound he n...
Aug 28, 2018•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 118
When I have Jason on the show, we talk a lot about postures and technique, so I thought it would be interesting to talk yoga philosophy on the podcast this week. I asked Jason to share his favorite yoga books (that are not focused on the physical practice). These are just a few of his favorites, spanning yoga philosophy, Buddhist philosophy, and neuroscience. You can find links to all of the books mentioned in the episode on the show notes page: http://www.jasonyoga.com/podcast/episode117 SHOUT-...
Aug 21, 2018•50 min•Ep. 117
Claire Missingham is back on the podcast this week, and we're talking about how she's been using yoga and other natural healing modalities to manage a recent diagnosis of an autoimmune disease. She tells us: *How the grief of losing a yoga teacher in her community to suicide led her to start running, learn to swim (as an adult), and compete in marathons and triathalons *How she became diagnosed with Lupus, and how she manages it through food, adaptogenic herbs, and other natural methods of heali...
Aug 14, 2018•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 116
On this episode, I'm joined by yoga teacher and holistic health coach Rosie Acosta. Rosie shares her personal story of growing up in East L.A. in the 90s where chaos and violence surrounded her daily. By the time she was a teen, she'd been arrested, she was physically unhealthy, and she didn't see much of a future for herself. And yet, here she is now, living a bright, fulfilled life. Her story is inspiring and speaks to the power of the human spirit and the power of a dedicated yoga practice. ✨...
Aug 07, 2018•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 115
I've been thinking a lot about ego lately. I've been talking to Jason's teacher trainees about social media strategy and putting yourself out there. And yet, I personally feel like social media brings out the most immature aspects of my ego. I thought it would be a good refresher for all of us to think about what yoga teaches us about the ego. This week, Sally Kempton and I talk about the purpose of the ego, misunderstandings around it (no, you don't ever annihilate your ego -- if you did, you p...
Jul 31, 2018•43 min•Ep. 114
A lot of people come to yoga to help them balance some of the activities they do on a daily basis. After all, yoga is a great antidote to sitting in a chair, looking at a computer or iPhone screen, and other things sedentary people do. But you might not realize that if you're an avid yogi who practices daily, it can be helpful to add other types of movement into your routine to counterbalance the effects of the yoga asanas. That's what today's guest, longtime vinyasa yoga teacher and CrossFit tr...
Jul 24, 2018•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 113
This week on the podcast, we talk to our favorite Ayurvedic expert, Niika Quistgard, all about how to use principles from Ayurveda to bring our bodies back into balance in the heat of summer. She shares: * How to adapt your lifestyle during pitta season--we get into how to approach your yoga practice, meditation, breathing techniques, and which foods to eat (and avoid) during Pitta season * A few specific poses and practices that are calming for Pitta * The one thing that's even more important t...
Jul 17, 2018•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 112
