What is the role of yoga in times like these? Who must we be as practitioners to experience its full potential and ours as well? How can we characterize the dance that yoga and modern science are currently engaged in, and what are the potential pitfalls and windfalls of this pairing? What does the world need from yoga teachers right now? These are just a few of the inquiries that shaped our conversation with Dr. Michael de Manincor - Director and senior lecturer at the Yoga Institute in Sydney Australia. It was a delightful connection with a few interesting surprises along the way!References & Resources:The Yoga Institute: https://yogainstitute.com.au/michael-de-manincor/The Yoga Foundation: https://www.theyogafoundation.org.au/Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram: https://www.kym.org/Michael de Manicoor on J Brown Yoga Podcast: https://www.jbrownyoga.com/yoga-talks-podcast/2018/12/michael-de-manincorAyurveda for Yoga Teachers with Chara Caruthers

Live Like You Love Yourself

EP34 - Michael de Manincor and the Yoga of being in community

A candid conversation with Maria and Chara about the challenges of living and how our yoga can serve us when aspects of life (like Covid and cancer) take us by surprise. The conversation started as an inquiry into what the world needs from yoga right now. Our answer came through the lens of our own current struggles and hopes for the future.Resources & MentionsYoga for Older Grown ups course ONLINE with Maria - http://www.yogaforgrownups.comElements of Yoga: Ayurveda for Yoga Teachers ONLINE course with Chara - https://bit.ly/ElementsofYoga

EP 33 - What does the world need from yoga (and yoga teachers) right now...?

What do you do when the physical and financial foundation you’ve been building all your life starts to crumble? What is the process for coming to terms with the reality that you’ll never be disease free? What goes through the mind of someone who has lost everything and gained themselves in the process? And what does it look like to discover your true gifts and share them? These are just a few of the questions that we’re asking and living on the podcast this week with Fleur Marks, wellbeing expert, coach, founder and curator of The Wellbeing Store in Byron Bay.References and Mentions:https://thewellbeingstore.com.au/https://www.linkedin.com/in/fleurmarkshttps://www.instagram.com/thewellbeingstore/The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown: https://brenebrown.com/thegifts-hub/Kristin Neff: Self Compassion: https://self-compassion.org/Ayurveda for Yoga Teachers Course with Chara - https://bit.ly/ElementsofYoga

EP32 - The Path to Wellbeing with Fleur Marks

What is meditation supposed to look like? How are meditation and yoga supposed to serve us in our lives? What happens when reality messes with our stories about how things are supposed to be? We dive into these questions and so much more with the amazing Caitlin Cady author of Heavily Meditated and self professed Meditation Junkie, who’s used the power of the “good sit” to turn her health, happiness and world around. And whose mission is to remind YOU of your magic!”Resources & MentionsDrop Chara an email about how your feel your truthCaitlins Website: www.caitlincady.comCaitlin’s Book: https://caitlincady.com/pages/heavilymeditatedYoga Teacher Training with Rod Stryker: https://www.parayoga.com/parayoga-master-training-online-curriculum-2/Tara Brach: https://www.tarabrach.com/Sally Kempton: meditation sit up: https://www.sallykempton.com/resources/life-questions/the-mentalogue/Danielle Laporte Core desired feelings is the way you set goals: daniellelaporte.comAyurveda for Yoga Teachers Training with Chara: https://www.blissbodyandsoul.com/ayurveda-for-yoga-teachers/

EP31 - Getting to the truth of life, yoga & meditation with Caitlin Cady

What are the key tools we need as individuals and groups moving through challenging moments of transition. What supports create opportunities for transitions to truly transform? Why is holding space a vitally important skill to cultivate at this point in our history? Chara & Maria explore these questions and more in this enlightening conversation with Heather Plett, author or The Art of Holding space: A practice of love, liberation and leadership.Resources:Heather's Website: https://heatherplett.com/Center for Holding Space: https://centreforholdingspace.com/the-art-of-holding-space/

EP 30 - Braving the in-between: The Art of Holding space withHeather Plett

What is it about conversation that changes us and the world around us? Is there a meditative quality to discussion that has the potential to shift aspects of our character and relationships that might not otherwise be noticed or moved? Our chat with Rane Bowen and Jo Stewart, hosts of The Flow Artists podcast shed some internal and external light on these questions! It was an opportunity to dive deeper into how it feels to speak out loud about the things that are important and sometimes unknown and how talking, like yoga, has the power to connect, inspire and enrich us in ways we might not always consider.Resources & MentionsGarden of Yoga https://gardenofyoga.com.au/:The Flow Artists Podcast: https://podcast.flowartists.com/Thrive Northside https://thrivenorthside.com/Rane’s response to being named one of the 20 Yogis of Color to watch in 2020 - https://www.gardenofyoga.com.au/videos/ranes-big-idea/https://www.gardenofyoga.com.au/videos/list/Guide for applying for grants https://thrivenorthside.com/tips/grant-writing-tips-and-strategiesMycelum Made https://thrivenorthside.com/stories/mycelium-madePandemic Portraits https://www.instagram.com/pandemicportraits_au/Alli Black https://www.alliblack.com/Accessible Yoga Training. https://www.accessibleyogatraining.com/Jivana Heyman: https://www.accessibleyogatraining.com/about-usChair Yoga with Claire Cuneen. https://www.getfitwhereyousit.com.au/teachertrainingMichelle Cassandra Johnson: Skill in Action book. https://www.michellecjohnson.com/skill-in-action-book20 Yoga Teachers of Color to Watch in 2020 list https://www.yogawallanyc.com/blog/2020/1/9/20-yoga-teachers-of-color-to-watch-in-2020Dr Gail Parker: Race Based trauma: https://podcast.flowartists.com/episodes/dr-gail-parker/

EP29 - Flowing through life with joy with Rane Bowen & Jo Stewart - The Flow Artists

2020 has been a challenging year for so many reasons, some of which we’ve talked about and a number of which we haven’t. In this bonus episode Maria and Chare dive into one of the biggest issues that we’ve been quiet about this year… Maria’s cancer diagnosis. Chara has a chance to ask the questions she’s avoided asking and Maria has an opportunity to share what it feels like to come face to face with your own mortality.

EP28 - BONUS Episode: A quiet chat about cancer - Talking about the things you don't talk about

Yoga is a practice that nearly everyone buys into. It’s promise of flexibility and adaptability are a powerful and enticing invitation to engage in the uncomfortable for a greater good. But what does it mean to LIVE your yoga? And how can yoga be a tool for changing not just our bodies but our world? Maria and Chara explore these ideas with Kristine Weber and Kiesha Battles, two courageous yoga teachers who have created a project aimed at offering yoga’s ancient principles for ethical living as a lens, and tools for transforming racism and the landscape of social justice from the inside out!Kristine and Keisha’s course: Yoga Ethics For Transforming Racism: https://go.subtleyoga.com/transformation-1Keisha Battles: https://www.kieshabattles.com/Kristine Weber: https://subtleyoga.com/kristine-kaoverii-weber/Mentions:Maya Breuer: http://www.mayabreuer.com/Course: https://kripalu.org/resources/finding-my-seat-circle-yoga-retreat-women-colorKriya Yoga: https://yogainternational.com/article/view/yoga-sutra-2-1-translation-and-commentaryDave Charlton and Ranju Roy: Embodying the Yoga Sutra: https://embodyingtheyogasutra.com/Yoga Alliance session on Ahimsa: https://www.yogaalliance.org/Get_Involved/COVID-19_Resources/Archived_COVID-19_Workshops_and_Events/CE_Workshop_Yoga_as_a_Living_Practice_AhimsaWhite Ally: by Sonia Roberts: https://www.awakenedlovewarrior.com/products/white-ally-a-guide-to-cultivating-a-deeply-spiritual-antiracism-practice-signed-copy-by-sonia-robertsKelley Palmer: “one of Keisha’s teachers of the yamas and niyamasWebsite: https://peacefilledmama.com/about/Course on Accessible yoga training site: https://www.accessibleyogatraining.com/race-equityBlack Teacher’s Yoga Alliance: https://blackyogateachersalliance.org/Desikachar’s book “The Heart of Yoga” :https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Yoga-Developing-Personal-Practice/dp/089281764X/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+heart+of+yoga&qid=1602275216&sr=8-1Debra Adele’s book: The Yamas and Niyamas https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/7057515-the-yamas-niyamas-exploring-yoga-s-ethical-practiceAmplify and Activate: Jasmine Hines. https://www.amplifyandactivate.com/about-usGeorge Floyd: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/george-floydBreonna Taylor: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/breonna-taylorState of the Union:https://stateofunionyoga.com/Race in America: https://otmtraining.offthematintotheworld.org/p/race-in-america-2020Georg Feurstein: https://www.traditionalyogastudies.com/Michelle Cassandra Johnson: https://www.michellecjohnson.com/

EP27 - Yoga ethics for transforming racism with Kristine Weber and Kiesha Battles

How does who we are and where we come from live in our bodies and in our yoga? What does the story of how and where we move tell us about who we can be? Maria and Chara speak with cultural anthropologist and yoga and meditation instructor Alma Duran to explore the landscape of the intersection of yoga and cultures and how they uniquely inform the way we carry our past, present and future in the moment and in life.Highlights:“I didn’t come to yoga because there was something wrong with me. I came to yoga because I saw happy people.”“We carry the story of our culture in our bodies.”“My yoga training and my mindfulness training have helped me enormously to deal with uncertainty and know that it is okay”"The price that I have had to pay was to disintegrate my previous lives. I had to shed my skin as a snake does when it grows……It has been a process of simplifying, deeply simplifying my external life and of letting go of a lot."Resources & Mentions:Viniyoga: https://viniyoga.com/Gary Kraftsow “We practice yoga because it prepares us for death.”Maty Ezraty: https://matyezraty.com/Fred L Miller; http://fredlmiller.com/Meet_Fred.htmlSivananda yoga: https://sivananda.org/Larry Payne: Yoga Rx:on J Brown’s Podcast: https://www.jbrownyoga.com/yoga-talks-podcast/2018/9/larry-payneOn Yoga International: https://yogainternational.com/profile/larry-payneDesikachar: The Heart of Yoga https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/The_Heart_of_Yoga/vV0oDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcoverDave Charlton and Ranju Roy: our interview https://www.blissbodyandsoul.com/podcast/“Ishvara pranidhana: faith that the universe is supporting you”Emma Balnaves: our conversation https://www.blissbodyandsoul.com/podcast/

EP26 - Alma Duran - Embodying our culture through yoga

Chara and Maria reconnect with Maria’s former student Shonali Sabherwal, now a nutritionist who’s been leading the macrobiotic eating charge in India with three books and a long list of Bollywood star clients. Shonali talks about what it took to get there as a single woman in India, what her work means to her and what the future holds for her work and the health of her country!Resources & MentionsWebsite: www.soulfoodshonali comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShonaliSabherwalSoulFood/community/?ref=page_internalSoul food Conversations Podcast on AudibleShonali’s books: The Detox Diet, The Love Diet, The Beauty DietDr. K.G. RaveendranGary Vaynerchuk - Crushing it.

EP25 - Dispatches from the Wellness world of India a chat with Shonali Sabherwal

Description: What is the role of conscious communication in our living and healing? What is the value of communication to the vital responsibility we have as teachers of yoga to hold space for our students? How can we as individuals become more aware and effective at knowing and sharing what’s in our hearts for the good of our relationships and the world? We explore these questions and more in this heartfelt and enlightening conversation with yoga teacher and communication expert Lucy Karnani.Episode Highlights:Lucy talks about her recent transformation and new found love for cookingWhy she started teaching yoga and what keeps her coming backThe keys to connecting with students… and yourselfThe power of the mentoring relationship and how mentoring has impacted her lifeWhat it means to hold space and how holding space relates to communicationThe role of communication in healingHow she’s changed her mind about AyurvedaLucy KarnaniWebsite: https://www.yogacommunication.org/lucy-karnaniBook: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/0648260119/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_dp_QRofBb6AAY9ZZMentionsThe Yoga Institute: https://yogainstitute.com.au/lucy-karnani/Michael de Manicor: https://yogainstitute.com.au/michael-de-manincor/Richard Miller: https://www.irest.org/about-irest-instituteHeather Plett: https://heatherplett.com/holdingspaceresources/Ayurvedic cleanse links:4 signs that you need an Ayurvedic cleanse quiz: https://www.doyou.com/4-signs-that-you-need-an-ayurvedic-cleanse/Chara’s website: https://www.blissbodyandsoul.com/7 day cleanse with Chara

EP24 - Lucy Karnani - Holding space for consicous communication

What does the process of owning your yoga look like? What is the role of a yoga teacher in helping you to get there? And what is the ultimate value (or the point) to doing the work to create yoga that is uniquely yours? These are some of the things we talked about in this juicy conversation with yoga therapist and physiotherapist, Libby Hinsley. We go deep into the heart of teaching and practicing yoga guided by Libby’s wide-ranging wisdom, experience and passion. A fabulous discussion about many concepts that are dear to our hearts and our practice!We talked about...Cultivating an internal practice rather seeking to master external alignment cues - the yoga of knowing yourselfInteroceptive cues and the overlap of hyper mobility and agingShould we teach our students anatomy?Is it up to us as teachers to set the goal for the practice?Why having the perspective of anatomical variability will put a lot of people at ease.What messages we send with the language that we useWorking with chronic painHow yoga can help you answer the question, ‘what matters to me?’How yoga creates a vital space for community that is key to “heart happiness.”Anatomy bites: http://www.anatomybites.com/cuesResources & Mentions:Libby Hinsley: https://www.libbyhinsley.com/Paul Grilley’s bone gallery: https://paulgrilley.com/bone-photos/Krishnamacharya Yoga MandiramHypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome

EP23 - The Path to owning your yoga with Libby Hinsley

How does it feel to hold space while moving through a powerful change? So many of us are working through this as teachers, parents, siblings, partners and friends. What is the role of yoga in helping us not just to weather the storm, but to be fully present and learn through it? We explore these questions and so much more with our guest Kelley Palmer, yoga teacher, activist, coach and creator of Race & Equity in Yoga: Disruption As a Practice, an online training course for yogis and yoga teachers in the principles and practices of dismantling white supremacy in yoga and the world.Episode highlights...Kelley shares how feeling hopeful and deeply sad coexist in her life and work.The history of Kelley’s activism and work in over turning racismHow different generations agree and differ on the issues of black lives matterKelley’s work to make sure other people, people of colour have access to yoga practiceWhy yoga and social justice go togetherKelly’s dismantling racism course: https://www.accessibleyogatraining.com/race-equityThe complexity of integration in America.What black people should be doing right nowPerceptions of safety and of the police for black mothers and white mothersRESOURCESKelley’s websiteInstagram: @peacefilledmamaKelley’s Dismantling Racism courseThe story of Mansa Musa, the 14th Century West African ruler who was so rich his generous handouts wrecked an entire country's economy.Sanctuary in the City; the history of creating a yoga space for black and brown people outside of white gaze. Daily online classes, meditation and panel discussions.Dr. Gail Parker - inspired Kelley and guided the set up of Sanctuary in the CityJivana HeymanOur podcast episode with Jivana HeymanAccessible Yoga TrainingCoretta Scott King: “Every generation has a responsibility to liberty and liberation.” https://www.bustle.com/p/8-coretta-scott-king-quotes-the-resistance-needs-to-read-54043Reverend angel Kyodo WilliamsMichelle Cassandra JohnsonOur podcast episode with Michelle Cassandra JohnsonOctavia RaheemIlya Parker Decolonising FitnessMaria’s Yoga for Mental Health Course

EP22 - Holding space for change with Kelley Palmer

What is yoga and how does it support our dharmic path? These are some of the questions that Emma Balnaves from Shadow Yoga set out to answer in the process of bringing her first ever film, AgniYogana to the screen. Maria and Chara talked with Emma about the journey and meaning of the film and its impact on her life, her yoga and her understanding of who we are... and who we can be!Highlights from the episode include...The key requirements for practicing Hatha Yoga according to the Shiva SamhitaShould we teach yoga in a secular way?How to teach and access the universal aspects of yoga without losing the essence.The roles that yoga and Ayurveda play in a balanced lifeClassical practices of Hatha yoga that you don’t typically see in yoga classesThe significance of AgniThe four times a day to do sadhanaThe importance of the seasons to yogaCleansing practices in yoga and ayurvedaResources and Mentions: Shadow YogaAgniyogana: Lower the head and invoke the fire filmOn SBSAgniyogana Study GuideFilm Press KitPashupatinath TempleSadhanaDr Robert SvobodaSeasonal Mandala for WomenWhat is yoga and how does it support our dharmic path? These are some of the questions that Emma Balnaves from Shadow Yoga set out to answer in the process of bringing her first ever film, AgniYogana to the screen. Maria and Chara talked with Emma about the journey and meaning of the film and its impact on her life, her yoga and her understanding of who she is… and can be!Highlights from the episode include...The key requirements for practicing Hatha Yoga according to the Shiva SamhitaShould we teach yoga in a secular way?How to teach and access the universal aspects of yoga without losing the essence.The roles that yoga and Ayurveda play in a balanced lifeClassical practices of Hatha yoga that you don’t typically see in yoga classesThe significance of AgniThe four times a day to do sadhanaThe importance of the seasons to yogaCleansing practices in yoga and ayurvedaResources and Mentions: Shadow YogaAgniyogana: Lower the head and invoke the fire filmOn SBSAgniyogana Study GuideFilm Press KitPashupatinath TempleSadhanaDr Robert SvobodaSeasonal Mandala for WomenWhat is yoga and how does it support our dharmic path? These are some of the questions that Emma Balnaves from Shadow Yoga set out to answer in the process of bringing her first ever film, AgniYogana to the screen. Maria and Chara talked with Emma about the journey and meaning of the film and its impact on her life, her yoga and her understanding of who she is… and can be!Highlights from the episode include...The key requirements for practicing Hatha Yoga according to the Shiva SamhitaShould we teach yoga in a secular way?How to teach and access the universal aspects of yoga without losing the essence.The roles that yoga and Ayurveda play in a balanced lifeClassical practices of Hatha yoga that you don’t typically see in yoga classesThe significance of AgniThe four times a day to do sadhanaThe importance of the seasons to yogaCleansing practices in yoga and ayurvedaResources and Mentions: Shadow YogaAgniyogana: Lower the head and invoke the fire filmOn SBSAgniyogana Study GuideFilm Press KitPashupatinath TempleSadhanaDr Robert SvobodaSeasonal Mandala for WomenElements of Yoga: Ayurveda for Yoga Teachers & Students w/Chara Caruthers

EP21 - Invoking the inner fire with Emma Balnaves of Shadow Yoga

If you’ve ever thought that accessible yoga was all about tailoring the practice for older or less “able bodied” folks, you’re gonna wanna listen to this one. Maria and Chara talk with Jivana Heyman, teacher, activist and founder of Accessible Yoga. And in this conversation we learn why all yoga teachers have a responsibility to make yoga accessible and what that means we need to do both on the mat and off. Jivana shares what decades as an activist have taught him about people and pandemics and he leaves us with some deep questions that have changed how we think about and share the practice of yoga.We talked aboutHow online teaching supports accessibility.The overlap of epidemics, accessibility and social justice movementsHow can we take the philosophical teachings of yoga out of the academic realm and make them more practical and accessible.When social justice feels overwhelming, how yoga helps us identify what we can do.What is the practice of service?How yoga teachers can help their students to come into a place of safety and belonging to access the practices of yogaWhat it means to create safety and accessibility as yoga teachersWhy svadhyaya is how we make anything into yogaHow you can tell you are doing your practice.Why self care is service to yourselfRESOURCESThe first online version of the Accessible Yoga Training: https://www.accessibleyogatraining.com/coursesJivana’s book Accessible YogaEmbodying the Yoga Sutras Book by David Charlton and Ranju Roy Here's the podcast we did with themMichelle Cassandra Johnson. Her book Skill in Action. The podcast we did with her.Elements of Yoga: Ayurveda for Yoga Teachers & Students w/Chara Caruthers

EP20 - Jivana Heyman - Shaking the world in a gentle way

Tools for modern yogis and folks just looking to live better! Yoga Teachers Chara Caruthers and Maria Kirsten talk about the beauty and the challenges of teaching, parenting, ageing, relating and just living in a way that feels... good!

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Live Like You Love Yourself

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