Yogaland Podcast

A bonus episode for you this week! Jason and I talk about his new online course on yogaglo.com, The Ultimate Guide to Teaching Arm Balances & Inversions. There's a lot packed into this episode: Jason shares his system for teaching these poses, how he sees both arm balances and inversions as "clusters of poses" -- so that you're learning a whole family of poses -- e.g., the Bakasana Family -- instead of just one pose. He also talks about how the course can help teachers feel more confident and skillful teaching these poses. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The core is an often-obsessed about part of the body, and yogis are no exception. In this episode, Jason breaks down the component parts that make up the core. He also offers three ideas for tapping into those parts we ignore -- from paying attention to rotation, to the paraspinal muscles to learning to, at least once in a while, let your core go and let it all hang out. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the last two episodes, Jason offered some tips for working with your hips and shoulders. On this installment, we're moving to the central axis -- the spine. Jason shows off his superior maths skills by sharing that we for every 10 Sun Salutations we do 50 forward bends to every 10 backbends!! He also offers ideas for strengthening the muscles that help you rotate, and talks about everybody's (least favorite) pose -- you guessed it, Locust Pose. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Did you know that your shoulder complex has four joints on each side? This dynamic engineering allows us to do all of the things we do with our arms and hands. But it can leave the shoulder joints vulnerable if we don't balance them with strength. In vinyasa yoga we ask the shoulders to do a lot early on in the practice (because Chaturanga). So, on this episode Jason talks ideas for offsetting this, the best ways to create balanced shoulder strength, plus proper alignment while lifting your arms overhead.Shownotes: yogalandpodcast.com/episode55/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We love, love, love to stretch our hips in yoga. Pigeon Pose -- oh yeah. Lizard -- yep. Thread the Needle -- mmmhmmm. But sometimes we focus on how good opening the outer hips feels to the exclusion of creating strength and stability in the support muscles. Similarly, we focus on the part of our hips that screams the loudest (outer hips) while neglecting another tight area that's quieter (hip flexors). On this episode, Jason maps out three ways to create balance in the complex network of the hips. After recording this episode, I realized that it's a metaphor for life: We want to stay open and flexible. And this requires time and attention. But we also need to focus on stability, strength, and grounding. When we find the right subtle balance, we feel happier and more free. Shownotes: yogalandpodcast.com/episode54/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Summer can actually make it harder to practice -- schedules change, kids are home, we spend more time doing outdoor sports -- so Jason and I thought we'd offer 10 ideas for staying inspired to do yoga this summer! Plus, Andrea shares a tip from Susan Cain about how solitude inspires creativity.For a full blog post of this episode, check out the shownotes: jasonyoga.com/podcast/episode53/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gina Caputo has so much to offer to Yogaland: In addition to practicing and teaching yoga for nearly two decades, she's been on the ground floor of opening and managing three different yoga schools -- Sacred Movement in Venice, California, Kansas Siddhi Yoga Studio, and and The Colorado School of Yoga in Boulder, Colorado. Gina also has a FANTASTIC sense of humor. One of my favorite things she says in this interview is, "Be sincere, not serious." On this episode, I asked Gina to share her thoughts and stories about self-awareness practice, specifically her recent experience of doing a 10-day silent meditation course. Spoiler alert: She made it through 10 days of silence! But not without some support from a banana or two.Shownotes: yogalandpodcast.com/episode52/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Susan Cain is the reason the word "introvert" came back into everyday conversation. Her book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking" spent more than four years on The New York Times Best Seller List, her Ted Talk on the topic has been viewed more than 16 million times, and she's the co-founder of the organization Quiet Revolution. She also loves yoga! We talk about why yoga is so appealing for introverts, the reasons introverts make great leaders, and ideas for when to push yourself out of your comfort zone and act more extroverted for a spell.Shownotes: yogalandpodcast.com/episode51/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode Jason answers listener Kat's question, "How do I make sure I'm not leaving anyone out as I teach my mixed level classes?" The solutions include acknowledging that the reality for modern yogis is that we all learn together regardless of our level, using humor to diffuse tension in the class, and encouraging students to engage in the learning process even if they can't do the final shape of the pose. Shownotes: yogalandpodcast.com/episode50 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this little bonus episode, I offer my own story of the panic attacks and depression that plagued me in my twenties and the subsequent shame I felt about being a yogi and making the choice to take anti-depressants. If you're suffering, I created this podcast to let you know that you're not alone. And if you're feeling guilty about taking the meds, I want to help you clear that guilt, to help you NOT put another layer of pain on top of the suffering. Shownotes: yogalandpodcast.com/episode49/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.