In this conversation with activist and healer Reggie Hubbard, we discuss how to be real as a yoga teacher by using your true voice, sound bowls, gongs, and DJs. This truth (Satva) when the students experience it disrupts and creates real change which Reggie has termed “Active Peace”. Reggie illustrates this through his story and his actions. Tune into this episode to grow a deeper understanding of the chakra system and how it helps to express truth with love, how to find your community, get...

In this episode, author and clinician, Dr. Trudy Gilbert-Eliot, explains how exposure to other people's trauma can cause post-traumatic stress. She breaks down how that occurs in the brain of the person exposed, the signs one will experience, and what to do both to prevent against it and help heal it. We talk about the specific professions most likely to encounter that exposure and practices such as mindfulness and CBT for helping change the narrative of one exposed. Dr. Gilbert-Eliot is rich...

I discovered Katarina "Kato" Wittich in Gwyneth Paltrow's documentary series “Sex, Love and Goop” episode five, where she guides a client through a Family Constellation session which allows them to understand and process family trauma. It was and remains one of the most powerful moments of television I've ever witnessed, so I was deeply honored when Kato agreed to be in conversation. In doing my research for this interview, I learned much about Kato's dedication to healing through practices...

Amy B. Scher had a debilitating case of Lyme Disease that resulted in her being bedridden in her twenties. She tried every available solution from intravenous antibiotics to flying all the way to India. Though some of the medicines she tried helped, in the end, she only became completely healthy and relapse-free when she began looking at her traumas, thoughts, and beliefs and neutralizing them. In this conversation, Amy describes her core healing practices which she has taught countless...

Timothy Lewis walked into my yoga studio, Land Yoga on one New Year's Eve and never turned back. He became a regular and dedicated yoga practitioner, got his yoga teacher certification, and then did his Trauma-Informed Yoga Teacher Training with Three and a Half Acres Yoga where he now teaches classes for trauma survivors. Timothy is a born scientist, full of a curiosity which he allows to take him on the journey of life. He is featured in my book, The Essential Guide to Trauma Sensitive Yoga...

Not everyone can talk about neuroscience and make it make sense, but Rotem Brayer certainly can. During our time together he showed me why EMDR has become his number one go-to modality for helping his clients process trauma. In this episode, Rotem explains the neuroscience behind this practice and how it can help with trauma and sleep disorders. We also discuss the other elements that need to be in the room to make EMDR most impactful. Finally, Rotem also breaks down the reasons he feels we...

In this incredible conversation with Christiane Wolf, MD, PhD, we separate out different kinds of pain. Christiane shows us how by learning to differentiate between types of pain, we can plan an appropriate course of action. We discuss when the approaches of mindfulness and compassion may help and how to implement them to feel less stress and suffering when experiencing uncomfortable sensations. Christiane and I also talk about birthing pain, the differences in giving birth in Germany (her...

In this extraordinary conversation with Jacoby Ballard we cover a wide range of topics from black feminism to queer identity to parenthood and what each of these lenses can teach us about processing our feelings and finding our way to forgiveness. As you will no doubt witness through our very live and in real-time process together, Jacoby is a "calling in" centered person who has done his work to become the fearless, aware, forgiveness-based being he teaches others to be. In this episode, we...

In this episode, Dr. Jamie Marich discusses why the martial art Jiu-Jitsu is so specifically good for healing trauma. We discuss in detail the overlaps with yoga and where these practices differ. We offer some ideas for why all facilitators should have trauma sensitivity training and what that might look like. We talk about exposure to triggers, and breathwork, and finally get into some really clarifying discussions about disassociation. Dr. Jamie Marich (she/they) describes herself as a...

In this deeply touching and sensitive episode, I'm in conversation with a long-time friend and colleague, former Sergeant for Transit District One, Annie Labrada. In this conversation, we discuss Annie's time at the New York Police Department (NYPD) and the traumas she and her colleagues experienced. She shares her coping mechanisms, her journey to becoming a certified yoga teacher, and her and her colleagues' efforts to bring yoga to the NYPD through NYPD Blue Karma Yoga and NYPD Health and...

In this conversation, I interview my former teacher, Betsy Polatin who taught me Alexander Technique at Boston University as part of my theater studies. Those teachings had a profound impact on my life, helping me to recognize where I was making unuseful efforts both with my body and in my life. I began to understand personal responsibility in a new way and my relationships shifted. Twenty years later those lessons are still with me and resonate strongly as I prepare to release my first book....

In this deeply important conversation with Thenmozhi Soundararajan, we discuss the often overlooked, devastatingly real trauma of caste. Thenmozhi's eye-opening work exposes how the brutal creation of caste is still harming so many, both in South Asia and here in the states. Her personal story of surviving religious trauma and her insights into the ways caste-oppressive rituals are steeped in our yoga culture are a must for any yoga practitioner or teacher. Thenmozhi Soundarajan is a Dalit...

In this episode, Sabrina Vedete Elmaliah and I discuss the power of intention especially as it applies to healing generational trauma. Sabrina shares her family's trauma history and how this informs who she is and how she works on herself. We explore group healing and the power of combining crystals, yoga, chanting, nature, and group work to heal. Sabrina's Jeweled Womb Membership starts January 20th in divine timing with the New Year. Learn more at:...

In this conversation, I speak with prosocial entrepreneur, Rachel Aiden about what we know about the use of psychedelics on healing the impacts of trauma. We discuss what steps and precautions one should talk before embarking on the world of plant medicine, what one can expect if one decides to go on a journey with her company Synthesis and the roles of the guides, group work and integration in the process. Rachel Aiden is a prosocial entrepreneur with 20+ years of experience working on...

Chris Wilson had a normal childhood with a loving and nurturing mom who gave him many of the lessons and skill sets he uses today, but when gun violence started showing up in his neighborhood everything changed for Chris. In this podcast, we discuss the traumatic stress young Chris had to go through surrounded by so much violence both from kids on the streets and the folks who were supposed to be protecting him, how that landed him with a life sentence, and how he got free both literally and...

In this wonderful conversation with my long-time friend and yoga service comrade, Pamela Stokes Eggleston, we discuss her experience with secondary trauma which she faced after taking care of her husband who returned from service with PTSD. We talk about the signs of trauma and how she's been able to take what she's learned to heal herself with yoga practice and help war veterans and their families. We also explore the importance of sleep and Pamela's core work helping folks to sleep better...

In this episode with Michelle Casandra Johnson, we cover the importance of the grieving process and having practices that support it. We discuss how our practices have shifted since Covid-19 and the things we hope will not go back. Michelle talks about working with our ancestors and learning from their traumas and resistance as well as her special connection to her honey bees. Michelle wrote the foreward for my forthcoming book, The Essential Guide to Trauma Sensitive Yoga out with Shambhala...

In this conversation, Zahabiyah Yamasaki and I talk about how trauma-informed yoga can help survivors of sexual trauma, the power of the fully accepting, non-judgemental relationship, and tips for yoga teachers including trauma-informed language and the energy trauma-informed yoga teachers should bring into the classroom. Zabie shares why a survivor might choose yoga over talk therapy, the limitations on resources for survivors on college campuses and how she has been able to launch her...

In this special BONUS episode, I share a bit about the writing of my forthcoming book, The Essential Guide to Trauma Sensitive Yoga: How to Create Safer Spaces for All due out this May for Shambhala Publications. I also detail what you can expect to find inside the book and how you can get a first look at the cover and a chance to WIN a free copy! Make sure to listen to find out how! Follow me at laralandyoga for more updates!

In this bravely vulnerable interview, D'Angela Alberty shares what it was like to grow up in an abusive family. Her story helps us understand how abuse follows an individual and just what it takes to disrupt that cycle. D'Angela's story is a gift for both folks going through abuse and for those who care enough to understand and look out for it. She details the people, resources, and questions that helped her escape and the practices she uses now to stay in tune with her self-worth and inner...

In this deep episode with Lama Rod Owens, we discuss the what it means to face the reality of life and do the hard work of coming to know and love ourselves. We discuss the difference between practicing for comfort verses freedom, the wise message in anger, and how becoming more expansive actually leads to better boundaries. Plus, the roles of the teacher, the student and the teachings along this path. Lama Rod Owens is an author, activist, and authorized Lama (Buddhist Teacher) in the Kagyu...

Micah Mortali and I discuss how nature immersion, rewilding, survival, ancestral skills can support our circadian rhythms, and proper release of melatonin, regulate our nervous systems and ease the impacts of trauma. We talk about the impact of technology on our psychies and that of our children, especially teens, the minimum unnegotiable outdoor time a human needs each week (so start tracking) and I share my personal experiences learning from Micah and how they helped me through some tough...

Seane Corn is an internationally-acclaimed yoga teacher, author, and public speaker who has been at the forefront of yoga, activism, and community service for 28 years. In this episode we delve into the significance of the tension we carry in our bodies, our addiction to holding onto it, and what happens when we begin to release it. We examine the specific medicine that yoga offers in allowing us to release past trauma, how it works, and the awakening to true self and to love that lies on the...

In this solo episode of the Beyond Trauma Podcast, I take a look back at the wisdom our guests shared with us in Season 1 as well as drop some hints about Season 2 and who is to come...(hint... some MEGA stars) I also make some announcements about what I have been working on and how we might work together! Join me as usual for our next guest episode in two weeks! Lara Land is a deeply compassionate coach, consultant and yoga teacher trainer specializing in trauma sensitivity. Her work is in...

In this conversation with community organizer, wellness activist and author, Kerri Kelly, we talk about the perpetual and often unspoken trauma present in our country due to the systems in place that have created and sustain a health, education, wealth, and wellness gap where some are able to seemingly thrive and others are given so little. We also talk about about what it does to us to be on the privileged side of that chasm and the ways it trains us to be isolated, numbed out, scarcity...