“Yoga is not something that we do. Yoga is a state of consciousness, and yoga is either present or not. And, for us to be able to perceive the difference and to have the tools to be able to welcome this state of consciousness into space where it is not present. Because that unity consciousness is exactly what we need to heal the world.” Tracee Stanley is the author of the bestselling book Radiant Rest: Yoga Nidra for Deep Relaxation and Awakened Clarity and the forthcoming The Luminous Self:...

Michelle Cassandra Johnson is an author, activist, spiritual teacher and practitioner, racial equity consultant and trainer, and intuitive healer. She approaches her life and work from a place of knowing we are, can, and must heal individually and collectively. Michelle teaches workshops and immersions and leads retreats and transformative experiences nationwide. As a dismantling racism educator, she has worked with large corporations, non-profits, and community groups. Michelle was a Tedx...

“It should be enough to listen to Palestinian voices and Arabs voices, and we need to ask that question of why do we need a Western source to stand with us in order to be heard?” Leila Hegazy is an Egyptian-Italian-American singer-songwriter, social media creator, teacher, and activist in New York City. Using music to advocate for Palestine is one of her passions, and her adaptations of popular songs aim to help those in the pro-Palestine movement feel seen, as they battle the absurdity of...

Are there women and non binary practitioners and teachers in yoga history? And if they are a part of yoga history, why dont we know of them? And if they are not a part of history, why not? In this episode celebrating Women’s History Month, Anjali shares the complex history of women, femme and gender expansive folks in yoga history. This is a vast topic, so she delves into the following: Four big reasons why there is a paucity of information on ancient femme and women in yoga The necessity...

“Are we doing the things that we need to do to co-regulate and to self- regulate so that we can be as strategic as possible and so that we can also not take each other out in the process of getting free?” Erica Woodland (he/him) is a facilitator, consultant, psychotherapist and healing justice practitioner with more than 20 years of experience working at the intersections of movements for racial, gender, economic, trans & queer justice. Erica is a co-editor of the anthology ‘Healing...

“If we were able to just hold the multi- dimensional state of all things, I think we would just be more evolved. Because we are such binary thinkers that everything's this or that, and it's actually limiting. It's limiting us. It's limiting others. It's limiting society.” Fariha Róisín is a multidisciplinary artist, a Muslim queer Bangladeshi, who is interested in the margins, liminality, otherness, and the mercurial nature of being. Her work has pioneered a refreshing and renewed...

“We are at a crossroads as individuals and collectives in this moment to figure out how we're going to approach what is happening around us.” Deepa Iyer is a South Asian American writer, strategist, and lawyer. Her work is rooted in Asian American, South Asian, Muslim, and Arab communities where she spent fifteen years in policy advocacy and coalition building in the wake of the September 11th attacks and ensuing backlash. Currently, Deepa leads projects on solidarity and social movements at...

"Asking questions is renouncing a bloated sense of one’s ego, is an exercise in humility, not as an end in itself but as a springboard for authentic and skillful responses." In the last episode of 2023, Anjali shares about 5 lessons from the first chapter of the Bhagavad Gita:  The power and the essentiality of an intentional pause Talk to a friend/Listen to a friend: Connection and relationships are important for collective liberation Asking questions is important for skillful...

"All of the stories from the Bhagavad Gita, it's so clear to me. These are calls to action. We'll even start with ahimsa..." In this episode, Anjali Rao and Tysir Salih discuss the impact of witnessing multiple genocides and wars in real time and how Yoga practitioners can respond to the atrocities in the world. They also speak to how we can show up in solidarity and in alignment with the yogic teachings. Tai Salih (she/her) E-RYT® 500, YACEP®, came to Canada as a refugee in her youth. Today...

"What are some of the things that you do every day to kind of keep yourself grounded or receptive? Open?... I love this question. I'm going to give you three things that I do every day. One is my meditation practice, coming to stillness every day, coming to my breath, and turning inward." Tina Strawn (she/they) is a joy and liberation advocate, racial and social justice activist, author of "Are We Free Yet? The Black, Queer Guide to Divorcing America." Tina is also the owner and host of the...

"One thing that I like about teaching Yoga is that it's something that I give and receive at the same time, teaching Yoga supports me, it makes me feel connected to a deep sense of purpose." –Rodrigo Souza  Rodrigo Souza (he/him) is an Adaptive & Accessible Yoga teacher with experience in teaching yoga to folks who have gone through Trauma & Disability. He sustained a spinal cord injury after a fall accident. Through direct personal experience with traumatic injury and chronic pain he...

One of the objectives of this podcast is to shine a light on the work of compelling scholars, offer a multi-disciplinary approach to Yoga, and connect it to everyday Yoga practitioners.  Yoga history is vast and multi-dimensional, and can be intimidating for many. As a subject of study, it's barely given any space or thought outside of the academic realm. And yet there is an overwhelming need for many to know more and to contextualize the teachings of Yoga.  In this week's episode with Dr....

Dr. Tria Blu Wakpa is a scholar and practitioner of Indigenous contemporary dance, North American Hand Talk (Indigenous sign language), martial arts, and yoga. Professor Blu Wakpa has taught a wide range of interdisciplinary and community-engaged courses at public, private, tribal, and carceral institutions.  In 2020, she was the first Assistant Professor at UCLA to receive a Chancellor’s Award for Community-Engaged Scholars. Professor Blu Wakpa is a co-founder and Co-Editor-in-Chief of Race...

What does it mean to be in right relationship to the practices and teachings of yoga as a white-bodied yoga practitioner? What does it mean to teach and offer these practices when we ourselves have no direct ties to this ancient spiritual lineage? This is some of what Tristan and guest Emily Dalsfoist discuss in this winding conversation about privilege, yoga, solidarity, parenting, and so much more. Emily (she/her) is a mother, trauma sensitive yoga teacher, and musician based on the land...

Marketing doesn’t have to be spooky, and visibility as a yoga teacher or entrepreneur doesn’t require “perfection.” This conversation with Riss Giammalva explores all of this and more. Riss is a storyteller, communications and marketing specialist, joyful movement enthusiast, and future skeleton living on land stolen from Peoria, Anishinabewaki, and Waawiyatanong peoples, now known as Detroit-ish, Michigan. In the digital management realm, Riss works to support folks in confidently...

"When I talk about pleasure and embodiment, I'm talking about your unique individual moment that feels true for you in your body. Not what you're being sold. And so I think that, you know, when we're talking about oppression and social justice, and I say something like, I believe pleasure is the antidote, I actually mean it.”  —Terra Anderson In so many yoga spaces and in the wellness world in general, we talk a lot about embodiment. But what does it actually mean to “be embodied”?  Terra...

“We have to get to the root of the root of the root and actually heal that if we wanna create something different, and if we want to create conditions for us all to be free, that's the conversation…I think the core is the same in every book I've written thus far: Are we gonna do what we need to do to get free?” —Michelle C. Johnson In this episode, Michelle joins Tristan Katz as Tristan begins a summer podcast takeover for Anjali Rao! Michelle Cassandra Johnson is an activist, social justice...

As she transitions into a brief summer hiatus, in this episode Anjali: Revisits the vision and intention of the podcast, and reflects on the past 6 episodes Weaves together the different threads of the teachings of Yoga Illuminates Yoga's the connection to social change Discusses creating avenues of connection to Yoga scholars Introduces the new guest host for the summer podcast episodes   Want to share feedback or suggestions? We'd love to hear from you! Share your thoughts here. If...

Saira Rao is an activist, producer of the provocative documentary, Deconstructing Karen, co- author of White Women: Everything You Already Know about Your Own Racism and How to Do Better, and host of radically honest conversations at Race2Dinner. Since our last conversation on this podcast, Saira has embarked on a new movement effort, called Here 4 the Kids, to push “unexplored and unprecedented action to end gun violence”. During this conversation, Saira and Anjali discuss: • Saira and...

This conversation with Dr. Sravana Borkataky Varma demystifies Tantra. Sravana is a historian, educator and social entrepreneur, currently working as a Lecturer at Harvard University and at University of North Carolina-Wilmington, where she teaches introductory courses on World Religion and higher level courses on Hinduism, Buddhism, Religion and Film and the History of Yoga. She is also the co-founder of the non-profit, Lumen Tree Portal. Sravana invests in building communities with...

The Dalai Lama is a symbol of hope and peace for millions of people all over the world, and has given the world much, so generously for decades. The world saw an edited clip of the Dalai Lama and a child that went viral a few weeks ago. Many non-Tibetans were numb, outraged, shocked and dismayed at an interaction that brought up much discomfort based on personal and collective history of harm and abuse by religious leaders and Yoga teachers who have misused and abused their power. Since...

Born and raised in rural India, Prachi Patankar was raised by a freedom-fighter grandmother and parents deeply involved in anti-caste, feminist, and peasant movements. Over two decades in New York City, she has been an activist, educator, grantmaker, and writer involved in social movements which link the local and the global, police brutality and war, migration and militarization, race and caste, women of color feminism and global gender justice. Through her work, Prachi has been involved in...

rüdrāksh chand is an organizer, anti-carceral practitioner of abolition, lifelong student of Yoga, an artist at large. Tristan Katz is a trans-queer equity inclusion facilitator and consultant/teacher/space holder, and creator of courses on Conscious Marketing. They are also on the Board of Accessible Yoga and are working on their first book! In this episode Anjali, rüdrāksh, and Tristan discuss: • rüdrāksh and Tristan’s introductions into the teachings and practice of Yoga • The ways in...

Indu Arora is a Yoga and Ayurveda teacher, mentor, and author, based out of the USA. She considers herself a student for a lifetime. Indu has been sharing about Yoga philosophy, Yoga Therapy, and Ayurveda for the last two decades across more than 50 cities worldwide. Her unique gift is making Yoga and Ayurveda a practice, which is equally useful and accessible for a beginner as for a sincere seeker who has made Yoga a lifelong journey. She is inspired by and taught under Kriya Yoga, Himalayan...