Yogaland Podcast

The scent of lavender wafting from every local yoga studio’s doors may be a relatively recent phenomenon, but essential oils have been used to bolster health and well being for thousands of years, says this week’s guest Elena Brower, who is a New York yoga teacher and Doterra wellness advocate. If you’re curious about how essential oils work, which ones are best for certain situations, and how to use them to help keep you and your family at optimal health, this episode is for you.Here’s what we talk about:* Essential oil basics: Their history, how they’re made, how to tell the difference between a quality oil and a synthetic one, how to use a carrier oil, etc.* Three ways to use essential oils: Aromatically, topically, and internally. (Plus, Elena shares her reservations about people using essential oils internally.)* The qualities and uses of the most popular essential oils. Elena talks about her favorite oils for relaxation, meditation, public speaking, grounding, uplifting, skin issues, and muscle aches, as well as which oils are best to help you stay healthy during the cooler fall and winter months.* Other ways she uses oils for emotional health, skincare, and around her house everyday to keep things smelling fresh and to ward off potentially harmful bacteria.* More about the multilevel marketing business model that several popular essential oils companies use—including DoTerra. , Elena responds to criticisms about that business model and explains why she’s an advocate for MLMs with integrity.Show notes: http://www.jasonyoga.com/podcast/episode166SHOUT-OUT TO OUR SPONSORSStitchfix makes it possible for you to have a professional stylist curate your everyday look.When you complete your style profile, an expert stylist will pick out 5 items and send them to you based on your style and preferences. Choose between automatic shipments or get a box on demand. For an extra 25% off when you purchase all the pieces in your box, visit Stitchfix.com/yogaland today.Cirkul is a water bottle and flavor cartridge system that lets you can choose how much or little flavor you want added to your water. So, you’re getting hydrated without added sugar, artificial flavors or colors. There are 30 flavors, and each flavor cartridge is good for six full sized bottles of water. Right now you can get your own Cirkul water bottle plus two flavor cartridges for $5 by going to drinkcirkul.com/yogaland and entering promo code YOGALAND.AUrate is a fine jewelry company made in New York City that was founded by women for women. They sell jewelry directly to the consumer, which keeps the quality high and the prices reasonable. For 15 % off your first purchase, go to AUratenewyork.com/yogaland and use promo code YOGALANDWe Love You (And So Can You) is a new podcast by Stitcher, a spin off on the show By the Book On the show, they send listeners on their own self help journey and they bring us around for the ride. Tune in at the end of this episode for a bonus episode of We Love You (And So Can You) or subscribe now on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, or anywhere you get your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's October. Which means it's Breast Awareness Month. It's not an easy month for breast cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, or for those who have lost loved ones to the disease. So, for this episode I spoke to Susanna Harwood Rubin, a yoga teacher who has been raw and real about her own struggle with breast cancer this past year. Susanna shares specific ways that her practice supported her through her cancer experience, what you can do to support a loved one with cancer and more. I both hope this episode helps anyone who has been touched by breast cancer -- and even those who haven't. (That said, this episode could be triggering, so please take care of yourself and only listen if it is helpful to you.) Show notes: http://www.jasonyoga.com/podcast/episode165SHOUT-OUT TO OUR SPONSORSStitchfix makes it possible for you to have a professional stylist curate your everyday look.When you complete your style profile, an expert stylist will pick out 5 items and send them to you based on your style and preferences. Choose between automatic shipments or get a box on demand. For an extra 25% off when you purchase all the pieces in your box, visit Stitchfix.com/yogaland today.Cirkul is a water bottle and flavor cartridge system that lets you can choose how much or little flavor you want added to your water. So, you’re getting hydrated without added sugar, artificial flavors or colors. There are 30 flavors, and each flavor cartridge is good for six full sized bottles of water. Right now you can get your own Cirkul water bottle plus two flavor cartridges for $5 by going to drinkcirkul.com/yogaland and entering promo code YOGALAND.AUrate is a fine jewelry company made in New York City that was founded by women for women. They sell jewelry directly to the consumer, which keeps the quality high and the prices reasonable. For 15 % off your first purchase, go to AUratenewyork.com/yogaland and use promo code YOGALANDWe Love You (And So Can You) is a new podcast by Stitcher, a spin off on the show By the Book On the show, they send listeners on their own self help journey and they bring us around for the ride. Tune in at the end of this episode for a bonus episode of We Love You (And So Can You) or subscribe now on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, or anywhere you get your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You want to leave your yoga audition with a big fist pumped saying, "Nailed it," right? This week's episode can help -- Jason gets real about how to ride the waves of the modern yoga job audition, where you get a very short amount of time to showcase your skills, your approach, and your personality. ⁠He offers his thoughts as well as some commiseration.Here’s an overview of what we cover:* The one thing that the yoga teacher hiring manager is likely looking for from yoga teacher auditions* Keep it simple. Give a few solid instructions for each pose, take your time, and make contact with the students.* How to handle nerves and step into the role of the teacher, even when you don't feel confident* What to do if you don’t get the job + some encouragement for yoga teachers who are in the process of establishing themselves  Show notes: http://jasonyoga.com/podcast/episode164SHOUT-OUT TO OUR SPONSORSStitchfix makes it possible for you to have a professional stylist curate your everyday look.When you complete your style profile, an expert stylist will pick out 5 items and send them to you based on your style and preferences. Choose between automatic shipments or get a box on demand. For an extra 25% off when you purchase all the pieces in your box, visit Stitchfix.com/yogaland today.Cirkul is a water bottle and flavor cartridge system that lets you can choose how much or little flavor you want added to your water. So, you’re getting hydrated without added sugar, artificial flavors or colors. There are 30 flavors, and each flavor cartridge is good for six full sized bottles of water. Right now you can get your own Cirkul water bottle plus two flavor cartridges for $5 by going to drinkcirkul.com/yogaland and entering promo code YOGALAND.AUrate is a fine jewelry company made in New York City that was founded by women for women. They sell jewelry directly to the consumer, which keeps the quality high and the prices reasonable. For 15 % off your first purchase, go to AUratenewyork.com/yogaland and use promo code YOGALANDWe Love You (And So Can You) is a new podcast by Stitcher, a spin off on the show By the Book On the show, they send listeners on their own self help journey and they bring us around for the ride. Tune in at the end of this episode for a bonus episode of We Love You (And So Can You) or subscribe now on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, or anywhere you get your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, I’m talking to Lara Benusis, a longtime yoga teacher and yoga therapist who has taught yoga in a healthcare setting for years. (She was the first full-time yoga teacher at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.) She’s also on the PhD track at Columbia University studying applied physiology. Her focus is exploring the efficacy and mechanisms of exercise and yoga on the survivorship of cancer.  Lara is a wealth of knowledge and a critical thinker. I love what he has to say about yoga research and her ideas for how yoga can be betterintegrated into the healthcare system.Some of the things we talk about are:* Why it’s important to study yoga from a scientific perspective, the challenges of defining yoga in a clinical setting, and the challenges of using human research subjects in studies* The research pyramid - and why some types of research or more reliable than others* What she thinks of Yo science and how to separate the good, research-backed data from unsubstantiated claims* How her role as a researcher has changed her approach to teaching yoga* Her advice for yoga teachers who are interested in working within healthcareShow notes: http://jasonyoga.com/podcast/episode63SHOUT-OUT TO OUR SPONSORSAUrate is a fine jewelry company made in New York City that was founded by women for women. They sell jewelry directly to the consumer, which keeps the quality high and the prices reasonable. For 15 % off your first purchase, go to AUratenewyork.com/yogaland and use promo code YOGALANDWe Love You (And So Can You) is a new podcast by Stitcher, a spin off on the show By the Book On the show, they send listeners on their own self help journey and they bring us around for the ride. Tune in at the end of this episode for a bonus episode of We Love You (And So Can You) or subscribe now on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, or anywhere you get your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Being a yoga teacher takes skill, knowledge, dedication, and often, perseverance. But you can have all of those things in spades and never quite earn enough money teaching group classes to be financially secure. Not to mention, racing from one studio to the next teaching group classes can be draining—both physically and mentally. One way to avoid this kind of burnout and bolster a your income is to find a few regular private yoga clients—something Jason enjoyed doing for many years.In this episode, Jason shares his best advice for both the business and methodology of teaching yoga privates.You’ll learn:* Why it’s important to diversify the ways that you teach, both for business reasons and to help you avoid burn-out* How teaching private yoga sessions can build your skill set as a yoga teacher* How to start finding private students and how to price those sessions* How to help students set goals and structure sessions around that* A few ground rules to put into place before you take on a new private clientShow notes: http://www.jasonyoga.com/podcast/episode162SHOUT-OUT TO OUR SPONSORSWomen shouldn’t have to compromise when it comes to feminine products. And, with Lola, there are no compromises. Lola products are 100 percent natural, made of 100 percent organic cotton with no added chemicals, fragrances, synthetics, or dyes. Plus, they now offer new hypoallergenic cleansing wipes. Their online subscription service is fully customizable, so it’s one less thing to worry about. For 40 percent off all subscriptions, visit Mylola.com and enter code YOGALAND40 when you subscribe.Betabrand is an innovative brand of pants based right up the road from me in San Francisco. These dress yoga pants are made of a thicker, wrinkle-resistant fabric than yoga pants, so they are dressy enough for work, but are comfortable and stretchy enough for yoga class. They come in several different styles and colors so you’re sure to find a pair that suits your lifestyle and look. For get 20% off your dress pant yoga pants visit betabrand.com/yogaland today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I am so excited to share this new season of Yogaland with you! This week, we kick off the season with a live episode that Jason and I recorded at triyoga in London during Jason’s recent teacher training.If you’re a long-time listener, you might know that both Jason and I identify as introverts. So, we understand why some students tend to shy away from speaking up or asking questions in a large group settings. Jason encourages engagement by asking students in his trainings to split into smaller groups and share what they love about the practice.Today, we’re answering those questions ourselves, so you can get to know us a little bit better, too.You’ll learn:* Our yoga origin stories (why we went to our first yoga class, what it was like, and what kept us coming back!)* What teachers have been most influential for us through the years and how different approaches to the practice have helped us become the yoga practitioners we are today* How and why we decided to make the leap from student to teacher* How we feel that podcasting is similar and different from teaching yogaShow notes: http://www.jasonyoga.com/podcast/episode161SHOUT OUT TO OUR SPONSORSWomen shouldn’t have to compromise when it comes to feminine products. And, with Lola, there are no compromises. Lola products are 100 percent natural, made of 100 percent organic cotton with no added chemicals, fragrances, synthetics, or dyes. Plus, they now offer new hypoallergenic cleansing wipes. Their online subscription service is fully customizable, so it’s one less thing to worry about. For 40 percent off all subscriptions, visit Mylola.com and enter code YOGALAND40 when you subscribe.Betabrand is an innovative brand of pants based right up the road from me in San Francisco. These dress yoga pants are made of a thicker, wrinkle-resistant fabric than yoga pants, so they are dressy enough for work, but are comfortable and stretchy enough for yoga class. They come in several different styles and colors so you’re sure to find a pair that suits your lifestyle and look. For get 20% off your dress pant yoga pants visit betabrand.com/yogaland today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For our season two finale episode, we’re talking to Las Vegas-based yoga teacher and author Jules Mitchell. We dive deep into the biomechanics of yoga in this episode and talk about Jules’ new book, which is a comprehensive look at the science of stretching. We can’t cover the whole book in this short format, but I think you’ll find the highlights are fascinating, thought provoking, and relevant to the broader discussions we’re having in the yoga community today.We talk about: * Why it was so important to Jules to define the anatomy terminology in her book (and why Jason tries to do the same thing in his trainings) + Why language is so important in the yoga room!* She explains what compressive load and tensile load means for listeners* Hypermobility, the pros and cons of passive stretching, and her recommendations for students who are really flexible. Plus, Jules shares why she cautions teachers against diagnosing students with hypermobility (what to do instead).* The long-held myth that strong and flexible are opposite concepts * Her thoughts on yoga as a lifelong practice and whether yogis should incorporate other types of movement and exercise into their routinesShow notes: http://www.jasonyoga.com/podcast/episode160 SHOUT-OUT TO OUR SPONSORSSweaty Betty is a woman-owned activewear company based in the U.K. Their clothing is made of great fabrics and are always a phenomenal fit. Plus, their original styles are really different from what you can get in the U.S. For 20% off your purchase of full priced items go to SweatyBetty.com/podcast and enter promo code YOGALAND now.Women shouldn’t have to compromise when it comes to feminine products. And, with Lola, there are no compromises. Lola products are 100 percent natural, made of 100 percent organic cotton with no added chemicals, fragrances, synthetics, or dyes. Plus, they now offer new hypoallergenic cleansing wipes. Their online subscription service is fully customizable, so it’s one less thing to worry about. For 40 percent off all subscriptions, visit Mylola.com and enter code YOGALAND40 when you subscribe.Offering Tree makes it easy to build your own yoga website in about 30 minutes. It includes class scheduling, appointment booking, online payments, email marketing, website analytics, and more. It’s fully customizable and all services are included so it’s easy to get your business up and running. For 20% off your first 6 months, visit OfferingTree.com/YOGALAND now.Betabrand is an innovative brand of pants based right up the road from me in San Francisco. These dress yoga pants are made of a thicker, wrinkle-resistant fabric than yoga pants, so they are dressy enough for work, but are comfortable and stretchy enough for yoga class. They come in several different styles and colors so you’re sure to find a pair that suits your lifestyle and look. For get 20% off your dress pant yoga pants visit betabrand.com/yogaland today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If there’s one topic that eludes yoga teachers most, it’s not the correct angle of the front knee in Anjaneyasana. It’s how to teach yoga and make a livable wage. We recorded this week's episode live at Jason’s 300-hour training at Lovestory Yoga in San Francisco and answered student questions creating content that's authentic and sustainable.We talk about:* Why quality is so much more important than quantity when it comes to content--even in the fast-paced world of social media* A few ideas for diversifying your streams of income so you’re not relying solely on public yoga classes to pay your bills* How to decide how much content to give away* How to get beyond the daily grind to create a teaching curriculum* When to hire others to help you scale your business (and what to contract out)Show notes: http://www.jasonyoga.com/podcast/episode159SHOUT-OUT TO OUR SPONSORSSweaty Betty is a woman-owned activewear company based in the U.K. Their clothing is made of great fabrics and are always a phenomenal fit. Plus, their original styles are really different from what you can get in the U.S. For 20% off your purchase of full priced items go to SweatyBetty.com/podcast and enter promo code YOGALAND Women shouldn’t have to compromise when it comes to feminine products. And, with Lola, there are no compromises. Lola products are 100 percent natural, made of 100 percent organic cotton with no added chemicals, fragrances, synthetics, or dyes. Plus, they now offer new hypoallergenic cleansing wipes. Their online subscription service is fully customizable, so it’s one less thing to worry about. For 40 percent off all subscriptions, visit Mylola.com and enter code YOGALAND40 when you subscribe.Offering Tree makes it easy to build your own yoga website in about 30 minutes. It includes class scheduling, appointment booking, online payments, email marketing, website analytics, and more. It’s fully customizable and all services are included so it’s easy to get your business up and running. For 20% off your first 6 months, visit OfferingTree.com/YOGALAND Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s guest is Nicole Cardoza, founder of Yoga Foster. I couldn't be more excited about Nicole's mission to bring more movement into classrooms across the country. Her approach is innovative, too -- Nicole's background in tech inspired her to create a platform that offers yoga curriculum and teacher trainings to classroom teachers. It's a scalable idea and one that empowers classroom teachers to bring mindfulness breaks into their classrooms throughout the day. I love the idea of yoga being incorporated into the school day in a seamless way. Nicole also opens up about her recent experience doing a cover shoot with Yoga Journal and how important it was for her to speak out about a surprise cover survey they did after the fact. I ask her how she handled a situation that was shaming, ignorant, and racist and turned it into an opportunity to help others.Show notes: http://www.jasonyoga.com/podcast/episode158SHOUT-OUT TO OUR SPONSORSSweaty Betty is a woman-owned activewear clothing company based in the U.K. that has great fabrics with phenomenal fit. Plus, their original styles are really different from what you can get in the U.S. For 20% off your purchase of full priced items go to SweatyBetty.com/podcast and enter promo code YOGALAND now.Women shouldn’t have to compromise when it comes to feminine products. And, with Lola, there are no compromises. Lola products are 100 percent natural, made of 100 percent organic cotton with no added chemicals, fragrances, synthetics, or dyes. Plus, they now offer new hypoallergenic cleansing wipes. Their online subscription service is fully customizable, so it’s one less thing to worry about. For 40 percent off all subscriptions, visit Mylola.com and enter code YOGALAND40 when you subscribe.Offering Tree makes it easy to build your own yoga website in about 30 minutes. It includes class scheduling, appointment booking, online payments, email marketing, website analytics, and more. It’s fully customizable and all services are included so it’s easy to get your business up and running. For 20% off your first 6 months, visit OfferingTree.com/YOGALAND now.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I've talked a lot on the podcast about how motherhood has changed my yoga practice. I know first-hand how easy it can be to fall into the trap of mom guilt and feeling like you just can't keep up with your practice and the demands of your family life.So, I'm so excited to share this episode with Anne Cushman with you. Anne writes beautifully about motherhood as a spiritual practice in her new book, The Mama Sutra: A Story of Love, Loss, and the Path of Motherhood.Anne shares:* The creative process of writing a book, why it took her until her son went off to college to finish her latest book, and how her yoga and meditation practice helped her to be kind to herself through the whole process* How, in many ways, motherhood is such a good way to experience spirituality. Plus, how it differs from the types of spirituality practices that have been traditionally passed down by men.* Anne shares some profound insights for people who feel that they "should" be spending more time on their yoga mats or meditation cushions* Her retelling of the birth of Siddhartha, the Buddha, from his mother's perspective* How she coped with experiencing a full-term stillbirth and the anxieties that come with getting pregnant again after a tragic lossShow notes: http://www.jasonyoga.com/podcast/episode157 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.