The Uplifted Yoga Podcast

Presence, mindfulness, these are words we hear a lot, but what does it really mean to be present and mindful? Are there ways to cultivate a more active engaged presence in life? Join us with Thomas. M. Sterner, author, musician and athlete, as we explore what it means to be fully engaged in every aspect of your life. Thomas M. Sterner is the author of multiple books, including The Practicing Mind and Fully Engaged., and speaks around the world on developing focus and discipline. Special Guest: Thomas M. Sterner www.tomsterner.com Host: Ashton Szabo www.anatomyofliving.com Sound Engineer: Zach Cooper Producer: Benn Mendelson www.sivanaspirit.com  

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Ayurveda have both been around since antiquity. While the two grew in their own separate ways, their nearby cultural connections meant that they likely influenced each another. What similarities are there between these two holistic sciences? What are their big differences? Join us with Dr. Prana Gogia, Acupuncturist and Ayurvedic Practitioner, as we discuss these two fascinating forms of medicine and learn more about how they can benefit us in our daily lives. Special Guest: Dr. Prana Gogia www.pranajiacupuncture.com Host: Ashton Szabo www.anatomyofliving.com Sound Engineer: Zach Cooper Producer: Benn Mendelson www.sivanapodcast.com  

Join us with Katie Brauer, as we dive into how yoga can empower people in their lives and explore what it's like being a yoga teacher today. Most yoga classes are being taught by newer teachers with limited education. When do we start to expect a higher standard in how yoga teachers are trained? What might that look like for teachers and students? How is the scenery of how yoga is taught in the West already changing? We'll explore these topics and more! Originally from Sydney Australia, a former Professional Snowboarder, International Yoga Teacher, Inspirational Speaker and Creative Leader, Katie Brauer is a trail blazer with a modern and empowering approach to self inquiry, personal development and transformation. Combining two decades of experience, Katie is known as a teacher of teachers and is a featured teacher on Gaiam TV as well as a regular speaker and teacher at large festivals. In her classes, workshops and trainings, she works with Olympians, professional athletes, celebrities and everyone in between. She is committed to helping people reach their highest potential and best version of themselves. Special Guest: Katie Brauer www.katiebrauer.com Host: Ashton Szabo www.antomyofliving.com Sound Engineer: Zach Cooper Producer: Benn Mendelson www.sivanaspirit.com    

Join us with our guest, Russill Paul, spiritual teacher, musician, and author of The Yoga of Sound, as we discuss the power of sound, vibration and mantra to affect every aspect of our lives. If you are interested in incorporating mantra into your life, you'll enjoy Russill's insights and understandings of this incredible and ancient practice. In this episode, we'll also explore the four streams of sonic mysticism, explain what a sonic community is, and much more!    Special Guest: Russill Paul www.russillpaul.com Host: Ashton Szabo www.anatomyofliving.com Sound Engineer: Zach Cooper Producer: Benn Mendelson www.sivanaspirit.com  

Join us with Jeffrey Armstrong, author, mystical poet, motivational speaker and spiritual teacher, as we discuss how yoga can inspire a new generation of thought leaders living and participating in the every day world. How can we work to effect positive change in the world around us and within us? We ask how to integrate yoga into our daily lives, and explore important questions about life, divine intelligence and the challenges of living a conscious life in the modern world. Award-winning poet and best-selling author of numerous books, Jeffrey is a relationship expert, philosopher, practitioner and teacher of the Vedas for over 40 years. Prior to his teaching he had a successful career as an executive in Silicon Valley and spent five years in an ashram as a brahmacharya (monk). He also holds degrees in Psychology, History & Comparative Religion and English Literature. For the past 40+ years and currently as the Media and Communications Director for both the Vedic Friends Association (VFA) and the Hindu Collective Initiative for North America (HCI-NA), he’s been a global advocate for the Hindu Sanatan Dharma culture and has spoken at some of the most prestigious universities, conferences and corporations around the world. Special Guest: Jeffrey Armstrong www.jeffreyarmstrong.com Host: Ashton Szabo www.anatomyofliving.com Sound Engineer: Zach Cooper Producer: Benn Mendelson www.sivanaspirit.com    

While we can agree that yoga is about a lot more than stretching, that doesn't change the fact that the majority of people coming to yoga in the west, come because of a perceived benefit of stretching. So what is actually happening to the body when we stretch and move in a postural yoga practice? Has what we know about the body changed in recent years because of developments in western medical science?  Join us as we chat with Jules Mitchell MS, CMT, RYT, a Los Angeles based yoga teacher, manual therapist and educator. She combines the tradition of yoga with her background in biomechanics to create yoga programs designed to help people move better and achieve individually defined physical success. As adjunct faculty at Arizona State University, Jules serves as the yoga consultant on various research studies (including a recent grant from NIH) to quantify the effects of yoga therapy on special populations – including pregnant women, women with depressive symptoms associated with perinatal loss, and cancer patients. The author of a popular science blog, Jules writes on yoga biomechanics and references the exercise science literature on topics (such as stretching) where the yoga research is lacking. She is a regular contributor to yoga teacher training programs worldwide, providing yoga schools with the most current research in biomechanics, even when it invokes a discerning analysis of tradition Special Guest: Jules Mitchell www.julesmitchell.com Host: Ashton Szabo www.anatomyofliving.com Sound Engineer: Zach Cooper Producer: Benn Mendelson www.sivanaspirit.com  

Are we taking yoga somewhere, or is it taking us? And where are we headed? Join us as we talk with J. Brown, yoga teacher, writer and host the Yoga Talks Podcast. His writing has been featured in Yoga Therapy Today, the International Journal of Yoga Therapy, Elephant Journal, and Yogadork. In this episode, J. shares his personal story of how yoga helped him process his mother's death and how his practice has changed over the years. As we discuss the power of yoga to support and transform people's lives, we ask what direction we see yoga heading here in the West and explore ways in which technology is impacting how yoga is taught and shared throughout the world. Special Guest: J. Brown www.jbrownyoga.com Host: Ashton Szabo www.anatomyofliving.com Sound Engineer: Zach Cooper Producer: Benn Mendelson www.sivanaspirit.com  

In Part II of our conversation with yogi and sanskrit scholar, Christopher Tompkins, he expands on his amazing findings that include an important missing link between the modern popular postures and ancient tantric traditions! Were early yogi masters who brought yoga to the west teaching everything they knew or was something intentionally left out? Where does this leave the modern practice, so popular today? Where do we go next? Join us for the conclusion of our conversation about the true origins of modern yoga. -- The true origins of the modern practice of Hatha Yoga, practiced by so many in the world today, is hotly disputed by many scholars. Some people believe most of the postures practiced today were invented by a great yogi and sage, Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, in the early 20th century. Others say the postures are much older,  but how much older? If the postures did exist hundreds or thousands of years ago, were they practiced the same way? Are we missing anything in our modern practice? We explore these and other questions in this two part series (Episode 56 and Episode 57). Christopher P. Tompkins, MTS, MA is a Yoga practitioner and Sanskrit scholar specializing in the tradition of Tantric Shaivism. He has three degrees in Religion and Sanskrit, including Masters Degrees from Harvard and UC Berkeley. His research focuses on the ritualized practices of Hatha Yoga as originally presented in the earliest surviving Tantras. He founded the Kashmir Shaivism Preservation Project, which seeks to preserve and share the literal legacy of Kashmir Shaivism. To date, he's acquired over 24,000 pages of manuscripts spanning the vast range of Philosophy, Ritual and Yoga representing the medieval Tantric tradition, most of which have never been seen in the West. Christopher lectures around the world in universities and Yoga centers on the history, philosophy and practices of Indian Yoga.  Special Guest: Christopher Tompkins www.shaivayoga.com www.yogavidhi.org Host: Ashton Szabo www.anatomyofliving.com Sound Engineer: Zach Cooper Producer: Benn Mendelson www.sivanaspirit.com

The true origins of the modern practice of Hatha Yoga, practiced by so many in the world today, is hotly disputed by many scholars. Some people believe most of the postures practiced today were invented by a great yogi and sage, Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, in the early 20th century. Others say the postures are much older,  but how much older? If the postures did exist hundreds or thousands of years ago, were they practiced the same way? Are we missing anything in our modern practice?  In Part I of our conversation with yogi and sanskrit scholar, Christopher Tompkins, he tells us the story of how he came into yoga and what him led him to these mysterious ancient sanskrit texts.  He goes on to explain the discoveries he has made and speaks of the true origins of modern postural yoga. Has he found a missing key to unlock the postures so commonly practiced in the world today? Join us in this exciting conversation about the roots and origins of modern yoga! Christopher P. Tompkins, MTS, MA is a Yoga practitioner and Sanskrit scholar specializing in the tradition of Tantric Shaivism. He has three degrees in Religion and Sanskrit, including Masters Degrees from Harvard and UC Berkeley. His research focuses on the ritualized practices of Hatha Yoga as originally presented in the earliest surviving Tantras. He founded the Kashmir Shaivism Preservation Project, which seeks to preserve and share the literal legacy of Kashmir Shaivism. To date, he's acquired over 24,000 pages of manuscripts spanning the vast range of Philosophy, Ritual and Yoga representing the medieval Tantric tradition, most of which have never been seen in the West. Christopher lectures around the world in universities and Yoga centers on the history, philosophy and practices of Indian Yoga.  Special Guest: Christopher Tompkins www.shaivayoga.com www.yogavidhi.org Host: Ashton Szabo www.anatomyofliving.com Sound Engineer: Zach Cooper Producer: Benn Mendelson www.sivanaspirit.com  

In this episode, we dive into a story of Hanuman that warns us not to get too comfortable on the spiritual journey. Even after Hanuman realizes his divine nature, there is still work to be done and obstacles to overcome. With strength, wit, and a commitment to explore the depths of the subconscious, Hanuman shows us how to overcome the challenges of the spiritual path. The story serves as a reminder to stay vigilant in your quest, no matter how far you've come. Host: Ashton Szabo www.anatomyofliving.com Sound Engineer: Zach Cooper Producer: Benn Mendelson www.sivanaspirit.com