Today I’m speaking with the O.G of Ashtanga podcasting. The woman who started “Ashtanga Dispatch,” the first podcast dedicated to Ashtanga yoga teaching, (long before most of us even knew what a podcast was, let alone had a library of them stored on our phones). That’s right. I’m sitting down with the lovely Peg Mulqueen to talk about the benefits of having a mentor and how it’s different than being in a student-teacher relationship. We offer some simple exercises to help you become more...

“Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, There is a field. I'll meet you there. When the soul lies down in that grass, The world is too full to talk about... Ideas, language, even the phrase each other doesn't make any sense.” - Rumi This is the metaphorical field where we join our dear Irish friend, Luke Jordan, in conversation today. This conversation is delicious. It left us craving for more. There’s simply is no good place to stop when souls join and dance together out beyond...

Did you know that how you breathe can help to regulate blood sugar levels, improve insulin sensitivity, and reduce the risk of complications from diabetes? But that’s only a fraction of what a conscious slow breathing practice can do for you! Today, we dive into the fascinating world of breathwork and its profound impact on managing diabetes, reducing stress, and enhancing our overall health and well-being, whether you’re a diabetic or not! Nick Heath, famously known as The Breathing...

Today we explore the epic yoga battle between the Iyengar school and the Ashtanga school, as we sit down with author, yoga practitioner, three-time Fullbright fellow to India, researcher, editor, and Professor of English and Creative Writing at Penn State University, Elizabeth Kadetsky! Elizabeth’s took up the study of yoga when she was a teenager (back in 1984, but who’s counting?) and she continues to practice yoga today. After twelve years studying in Iyengar studios, she finally met BKS...

When Tina Turner, often dubbed the “Queen of Rock ‘N’ Roll,” died at her home in Küsnacht, Switzerland, on May 24, 2023, what many did not know is that Ms. Turner had practiced Soka Gakkai International Nichiren Buddhism for the last 50 years. Nichiren taught that chanting the title of this scripture in the form of the mantralike phrase “Nam-myoho-renge-kyo” was the way for all people to reveal their inherent potential for awakening and attain buddhahood. Turner explained: “As I began...

Today we’re diving deep into the secret feelings of guilt and shame we often carry -- but don’t dare to speak about or admit… not even to ourselves. We're sitting down with Anna Surrey, an Intuitive Eating & Positive Body Image Coach to openly explore some of the very deep patterns we carry around eating, dieting, and food. Anna grew up in Germany and moved to Australia at the age of 20, where she taught Pilates and was seemingly a beacon of healthy eating, with the body to show for it....

Helena first stepped onto the Ashtanga mat when she was 19 years old. Coming out of her rebellious teen years, filled with drug abusing and running away from home. She was instantly bewitched by the method and has been practicing asana along with self-inquiry, ever since. In 2008, after 6 years of daily practice and studying Ayurveda to become a therapist, Helena made her first trip to KPJAYI in Mysore, India, and also spent time in Kerala to further her studies in Ayurveda. In 2010,...

If you've ever felt overwhelmed by having to come up with yet another idea for dinner… Feeling a lack of time and physically exhausted at the end of a long day; But, you still want to eat delicious, healthy food… This episode is for you! We're going to discuss a few practical strategies to help you overcome some of the common obstacles we face when we think about how to feed ourselves in a nourishing way. Lia Huber is with us today! She’s inspiring us to find joy in preparing simple foods...

If you've ever felt overwhelmed by a lack of time or physical fatigue, this episode is for you. We're going to discuss a few practical strategies to help you overcome some of these obstacles and create a sustainable spiritual wellness practice. Whether you're feeling pressed for time, exhausted, or over committed, I'm giving you some helpful ways to slow down and create a practice that both nourishes your spirit and gives you energy! If you enjoyed this episode, don't miss out on my...

The Buddha counsels a grieving mother unable to come to terms with her son’s death to visit her neighbors door-to-door, and to collect a mustard seed from each household untouched by death. By the evening, her empty hands and new understanding enable the grieving mother to bury her son and become a disciple of the Buddha. The Lily Pad Sutra We’ll cherish this interview with our dear friend, the lovely Scott Johnson. We do try to find parallels with our guests, of course, as a regular...

“What I have come to know in my personal life and the lives of all the people I've worked with is that every trauma, challenge, and wound comes bearing a gift and some wisdom our soul needs. Once I opened up to finding the wisdom (and lesson) of my very traumatic childhood that made me the strong, loving, compassionate and capable woman, wife, and mother that I am today, I began to live the life of my dreams.” - Jana Wilson The real gift that comes from having your own podcast is sitting...

You might know David Garrigues as a Certified Ashtanga yoga teacher, but today you’ll hear all about what spurred him into the Seattle punk scene, and how music pulled him out of a very difficult time in his life, where he was homeless and starting to sink into a very dark place. How did he go from a homeless young punk rocker to practicing yoga in Mysore, India, with Pattabhi Jois? You’ll find out in this episode. David has a deep dedication to the practice, music, poetry, and art. We...

Meeting up with Kari Hohne in Lake Tahoe was a true joy! As we dive into a fun-filled conversation about how she left her glamorous position in the high-fashion industry to follow a deeper soul calling. She’s talking with us today about Taoism, the I Ching, and dream interpretations. These are just a few of the areas she’s passionate about. It’s her mission to keep this ancient wisdom relevant during our modern times and we’re diving into not only her personal story but also asking her to...

Susan Klein-Holmen is a multi-passionate entrepreneur. The Founder and Creative Director STELLdesign, and Yoga Teacher and Mentor at her own school: Kosha Yoga Shala. She grew up in the prairies of the mid-west. Her Scandanavian heritage continued to call her soul back to her native land. So in 2004, she moved to Norway with her Norwegian husband. She started an interior architecture company, working with clients in two languages, both Norwegian and English, all while raising 3 children,...

This conversation with Meghan had all of us laughing about something that's no laughing matter! Maybe it's Meghan's dry Canadian sense of humor, but Russell kept throwing her little balls of wonderful wit and she just kept catching them and throwing them right back. For nearly 20 years, Ashtanga has sustained Meghan through life's ups and downs and she's been teaching for over fifteen of those years. She's had quite the journey from her humble introduction to the practice in Montreal,...

"Come, come, whoever you are, a pagan, an idol worshiper or an infidel. Come, even if you have broken your vows a thousand times. Ours is not a caravan of despair. Come." - Rumi Delara Tiv grew up with Sufi traditions throughout her family. However, it wasn't until she turned 22 that she became drunk with love and fell headfirst into the Sufi Mystic path as a disciple of Sufi Master Javad Nurbakhsh. Her spiritual practice is graced by his guidance and this Mystic teaching is a parallel...

It is with great pleasure that we introduce our esteemed and most honorable guest: the beautiful, humble, and one might say, divinely inspired human, Nina Rao! What Nina enchants us with is an opportunity to reflect more deeply on what it means to cultivate a spiritual practice. And, the shadow side, which is to examine just how often we fail at this noble endeavor. As she reminds us, this too is OK -- even part of the path. We all have families, obligations, children, and the whole point...

Spiritual practice is about welcoming all of you. It's touching life exactly where life is touching you. It is allowing everything and everyone to be exactly as they are in this moment, without trying to change or manipulate our experience or theirs. In a way it is to give up trying to become anything other than you are. It's lovingly embracing that part of you that doesn't want to be embraced and meeting that part of yourself exactly where it is at. Meditation is a practice of becoming...

"¡Hala Madrid! ...y nada más" means "Go Madrid and nothing more!" During the course of this interview a smile started to slowly etch itself into our very souls. Some people are built different. Some people hide themselves away, only revealing who they are little by little. Then, over the desert course, possibly after uncorking another bottle of wine, they mention the unmentionable and blow your f*****g mind. That’s our guest today, Carmen Yagüe. You could say Russell sort of circled her,...

Our guest today was born in Germany, growing up on her family’s farm in Bavaria. *side note BMW stands for Bayerische Motoren Werke or Bavarian Auto Works... and that's where Harmony will be teaching this week, in Munich! When Ashtanga yoga found Viviane Simon she was going through a difficult period of depression, ending a seriously toxic relationship, and struggling with her weight, being 130kg (286 pounds). She enrolled in a “rebirthing training” course (which used a type of breathwork)...

What a beautiful podcast to kick off Pride month! This is an important month to celebrate our common humanity, diversity, and unconditional love and acceptance of one another. Jivana coined the phrase, “Accessible Yoga,” over ten years ago, and it has now become the standard appellation for a large cross section of the immense yoga world. He brought the Accessible Yoga community together for the first time in 2015 for the Accessible Yoga Conference, which has gone on to become a focal...

We start off this episode with a cautionary tale about what happens when you experience debilitating back pain and don’t listen to your body, but try to work through the pain. Our guest Sally Parkes, began her journey in the health and fitness industry in 1998 after qualifying as a personal trainer and gaining a bachelor in Sport Science in the year 2001. Soon after, she experienced a deep calling to explore a more holistic approach to movement and breath, which led to Sally certifying as...

We have an incredible conversation to share with you today! Introducing our new friend, the eminent Dr. Emma Bragdon. Emma has been a pioneer in body-mind-spirit wellness for 50 years. She has written 7 books and co-produced two documentary films on topics related to mental health and healing. In fact, she’s been a teacher in experiential learning for adults since 1985.  Dr. Bragdon is the Founder and Executive Director of the Foundation for Energy Therapies, Inc (FET), a not for profit...

Well… we certainly didn’t expect that. We didn’t expect to be talking to Peter Gabriel’s niece. We didn’t expect her to actually be living beside Solsbury Hill. We didn’t think we’d be talking about all that much about Ben Folgle and the Animal Park show broadcast from her hometown of Bath. We didn’t think we we’d be talking that much about drugs and co-dependency and “good enough” mums and adult children of alcoholics. Well… maybe that’s not such a surprise, as Russell does like to...

Kyra tells us, “All good things in my life are because of my parents.” Her parents were dancers, they’re liberal, kind-hearted humans, who found Ashtanga yoga first. They brought Kyra to her first class. However, at that time, Kyra was deeply struggling with bulimia and anorexia. And although the class made an imprint, a spark was lit. It wasn’t until after she left treatment that she was fully able to return to it. Diving headfirst with an openness to receiving it's healing...