Am I contributing to the cultural appropriation of yoga? As a white yoga student and teacher, how can I do better? These are questions that I’ve been wrestling with over the past two decades of practicing and teaching yoga, and so I’m delighted to be speaking to Susanna Barkataki about them in this podcast episode. Susanna (she/her) is a teacher, coach, inclusivity promoter, yoga culture advocate, the founder of the Ignite Yoga and Wellness Institute and the author of Embrace Yoga’s...

What does it mean to truly make yoga accessible? Accessible yoga is more than simply using yoga props in your classes or reminding your students that Child’s Pose is always an option. In today’s podcast episode, I’m joined by yoga teacher Jivana Heyman (he/him) from Accessible Yoga and we talk about how we can truly make our yoga classes accessible. Listen in as we explore accessible yoga as seeing ourselves and our students as whole and not in need of fixing, as diversity and...

Want to meditate, but don’t have the time? This episode is for you! In today’s podcast episode, I sat down with Ann Swanson (she/her) to talk about all things meditation. Ann is a yoga therapist and the author of the internationally bestselling book the Science of Yoga and the brand new book Meditation for the Real World. Listen in to hear us talk about the science of meditation, how Ann’s own mental health struggles led her to the physical aspect of yoga, and then eventually to meditation,...

In today’s podcast episode, I had intended to ask J. Brown about topics that I know him for, like ‘gentle is the new advanced’ and ‘slower is stronger’. But in this interview we ended up talking about how as a 16 year old he grappled with his mother’s cancer diagnosis, the promise he made to her before she died, what it means to receive a message or a download that guides your life, and where that message actually comes from. We talk about God, Christianity, the abuse in both Christianity...

Sixteen months ago, one of our beloved Mental Health Aware Yoga mentors, Sandra Palmer (she/her) was diagnosed with stage four cancer, and was told that it was likely that she had less than two years to live. In today’s episode, Sandra talks about what it was like when she was first given this diagnosis totally out of the blue, how she has navigated the landscape of grieving, treatment, the medical system, communicating to others about her diagnosis, learning to listen to her own needs, and...

Have you ever wondered why you tend to get sick after a busy or stressful period, and wished you could do something about it? I certainly do! If you joined me for the Mental Health and Yoga Summits that we held in 2022, you might have noticed towards the end of each of the week-long Summits that my voice was getting pretty scratchy. After each Summit I came down with a cold, and spent a few days in bed afterwards recovering. My guest today, Dr Kaitlin Harkess (she/her) researched yoga,...

How can yoga help us to dissolve our addictive patterns? Today I’m joined by Lissie Turner (she/her), CEO of the The Prana Project, to talk about addiction recovery and yoga. In this moving interview, Lissie shares her own journey with transforming what she describes as a 22-year drinking career during her time as a presenter on Triple J Radio, into a thirst for a profoundly calmer and more humble life. We also explore a yoga therapy perspective on overcoming addiction and what we can all...

Have you ever gone through a time that feels impossibly difficult? When you just can’t find a way out? I know I have. In today’s episode, I sit down with Anneke Sips, a psychiatric nurse and yoga therapist in the Netherlands, to talk about the dark night of the soul. In this episode Anneke guides us on how to prepare for a dark night of the soul, how to tell when you’re experiencing one, and some powerful ways to move through a dark night of the soul experience, when you’re right in the...

Join Dr Lauren Tober (she/her) and Anand Mehrotra (he/him) for this intimate conversation, recorded live in a yurt at the Sattva Sanctuary on Bundjalung country in Australia. Hear Anand speak about his journey in becoming a yoga teacher and spiritual leader, the role that he sees yoga playing in mental health and how we can live a life of meaning and purpose. If you listen right to the end of the interview, you will also hear Anand’s answer to Lauren’s question about cultural appropriation...

In this enlightening episode, I sit down with Fuyuko Sawamura-Toyota (she/her), a renowned expert in iRest Meditation, to explore the profound impact of yoga on mental health and delve into the transformative philosophy behind iRest. Fuyuko's vast knowledge and experience offer a unique perspective on how iRest can support healing and empower individuals from all walks of life. We begin by delving into Fuyuko's personal journey of how yoga has played a pivotal role in transforming her own...

Dr Lauren Tober sits down with Kate Pippos, the Head of Yoga at Virgin Active, to talk about all things yoga, mental health, parenting, boundaries and consent. Kate is also a Mental Health Aware Yoga graduate, and you will hear her talk a little about what stood out for her most from the training, and how she’s bringing this into her teaching and leadership at Virgin Active. The online Mental Health Aware Yoga training is opening for registration on Monday 26th of June 2023, so if you are a...

Dr Lauren Tober sits down with Dr Elise Bialylew from Mindful in May to hear about her journey from working in a psychiatric hospital setting to running a global mindfulness campaign, as well as how much meditation we actually have to do to start feeling the benefits. Dr Elise Bialylew is the author of the #1 bestselling meditation book, The Happiness Plan and founder of Mindful in May, the world’s largest online global mindfulness fundraising campaign that teaches thousands of people each...

Dr Lauren Tober sits down with Lissa Rankin to talk about sacred medicine and healing. Lissa Rankin, MD, is a mind-body medicine physician, author of 7 books, founder of the Whole Health Medicine Institute, and mystic who researches radical remission, trauma-informed medicine, and spiritual healing. Her TEDx talks have been viewed over 5 million times, and she starred in two National Public Television specials- Heal Yourself: Mind Over Medicine and The Fear Cure. Lissa’s interest in the link...

Dr Lauren Tober is going solo on the podcast for this episode, talking about how to listen well. We’ve all been through SO much over the past few years. And sometimes it just feels like it just keeps coming! We all have a real human desire to be seen and heard, and to share our stories, our experiences, our grief, our heartache and our joy. But how do we listen to others when they’re sharing with us? How do we get out of our own heads and into the world of another, so they feel like we...

Dr Lauren Tober sits down with Stephen Cope to talk about dharma and living a life of meaning and purpose. Stephen is a best-selling author & scholar specialising in the relationship between Eastern contemplative traditions & Western depth psychology. A Scholar-in-Residence at the Kripalu Center for 30 years, Stephen is the Founder & former director of the Kripalu Institute for Extraordinary Living, and named as one of the most influential thinkers, writers & teachers on the...

Dr Lauren Tober sits down with Anneke Sips. Anneke is a psychiatric nurse, a yoga teacher, yoga therapist and the founder of Network Yoga Therapy in Amsterdam. In this episode they speak about Anneke’s less than straight-forward journey marrying yoga with psychiatry, how we seek health and get lost in cures, the challenges with the mental health system, the role of the so-called ‘expert’ and the importance of digital health and wellness.

Dr Lauren Tober sits down with Kate Reed to talk about sister circles, her journey from a mainstream education to working the spiritual realm, why it’s so important for women together with intention and the important ingredients of a women circle, in case you would like to hold one yourself.

Dr Lauren Tober sits down with herbalist and nutritionist Erin Lovell Verinder. Erin is the author of some truly wonderful books on plant medicine, including Plants for the People and The Plant Clinic. In this episode you’ll hear about Erin’s own journey and recovery from burnout, her Six Pillars to Thrive, Erin’s go-to suggestions for plants to support with healing from exhaustion, as well as anxiety, and some practical tips on dried vs fresh plants, and just how many times you can pour...

Dr Lauren Tober sits down with Psychologist Dr Renee Cachia to talk about her new book, Parenting Freedom. They explore why it’s more important to nurture parents than it is to provide them with parenting advice, and dive into a discussion around meditation, intuition, self compassion and co-regulation.

Dr Lauren Tober sits down with Psychologist and author Robin Grille, to talk about the relationship between gut health and mental health, the evolution of parenting, how the way we parent our children changes the world, what needs to happen on a society and policy level to really make changes for children and families, and the ecological benefits of parenting well.

Dr Lauren Tober sits down with KC Baker to talk about how public speaking helped her to rediscover her self confidence after she lost it as a young women, why it’s so important that women’s voices are heard in the world, and KC shares some very practical, and fun strategies for speaking up, whether it’s in the workplace, on stage or having a difficult conversation with a loved one.

Dr Lauren Tober sits down with Edo Kahn to talk about music, depression, life, death and spirituality.

Dr Lauren Tober sits down with Dr Arne Rubenstein to talk about rites of passage. Arne is a father, medical doctor, the CEO of the Rites of Passage Institute and the author of ‘The Making of Men’. In this episode, we talk not only about the importance of rites of passage for young people in our communities, but also about rites of passage at all ages, the three key elements in rites of passage, the stages we move through from youth, adult to elder, and what to do if your adult partner is...

Dr Lauren Tober sits down with Dr Deb Roberts, a writer, speaker and yoga teacher who is committed to normalising mental health challenges. Deb is an Adjunct Faculty member at Monash University in Australia and an ambassador, writer and speaker for Beyond Blue, an Australian mental health service. In the interview, Deb speaks about about her journey with depression and anxiety during her teenage years and into adulthood, how yoga has been supportive for her in overcoming mental health...