What makes us spiritually awakened and self-aware? What is the difference between awake and woke? Once we’re woke, do we stay up? Or are we susceptible to falling back asleep? Haley Robertson and Jennifer Martin open the conversation of the great awakening as it pertains to the individual and collective consciousness. They define popular spiritual slang, diving deep into a few terms often heard in Western yoga classes. Both yoga teachers, Haley and Jenny share stories of the start of their...

Welcome to Yoga Brain   A community that’s normalizing meditation and a podcast that’s asking the question: What is yoga? Today on the show we have spiritual healer Chris Douglas, a yoga teacher and reiki master with a Pisces placement in his sun and moon. With such empathic, sensitive signs in his astrology, he has been able to navitage his emotions by utilizing the road map of his birth chart. Chris helps to explain characteristics of being a water sign and a feminine man. He describes...

Wren Quinn is a mother, an herbalist, a teacher of yoga therapy, and the creator of Trauma Alchemy, a trauma-informed somatic program. Wren’s latest offerings include Herbal Communion, a course exploring the intricacies of the herbal allies that can be used to support your health, helping clients to prepare and grow with their chosen medicine. So much of our conversation stems from trauma resolution: working through trauma, opposed to working past it. We talk about the importance of seeing...

Laura Lockton has been the Director of over 25 extensive events focused on holistic wellness, performing arts, sustainability, art, and yoga. She has also been a  yoga teacher, performer and lead coordinator for programs such as ReKinection, Sacred Circus and Green Earth Village, which are traveling groups that focus on enlightenment, education and entertainment.  Laura is the co-founder of Rekinection, a conscious event production company and aerial-fire-dance troupe, which offers classes,...

Paulina Nordhaus is a yoga teacher, a nature lover, a gluten-free chef and quite simply, a funny gal. Paulina shares her story of being diagnosed with Rhumetoid Arthritis from a young age, and how her relationship with her body shifted after her mom gave her a book about yoga. We chat about the price of authenticity in a world where individualism is praised - and sometimes required. But what we learn is that a big personality doesn't require audacious behavior. That sometimes "being...

Dr. Paul Berg, is a professor at the US Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth. He guides teachers on accommodating students with PTSD in military classrooms . He notes the effects of trauma and learning as studied in his dissertation and works to provide resources for veterans and first responders to tend to their mental and emotional well-being. By practicing yoga. Breathing techniques and meditation are an imperative asset to Paul's trainings - in calming the mind and...

Corbin Rowland is a pharmacist, a yoga teacher, a marathon runner, a plant-based vegan and when he's not rock climbing, is likely brewing kombucha or playing on his bass guitar. We sit down with Corbin to talk about his yoga journey and how coming to his mat has helped shape the world he sees today. We chat marathon motivation, self-perception and ask Corbin about his favorite drug (pharmaceuticals, of course). Our conversation covers a few favorite yogi celebrities and the desire to...

Crystle Lampitt is a former broadcaster and international model, spending her childhood in Indonesia and has since settled into her therapy practice in Kansas City. Jenny and Crystle first met on air during a KC morning show in 2019. As the show's host, Crystle held mental health segments and featured Jenny to ask about her recovery with eating disorders. Today on the podcast, Jenny inquires the former model about the fashion industry and how it takes a toll on body image. Crystle also...

Kayla Mason is an engineer turned Airbnb host, a teacher, an avid student, and the gal behind the mindfulness brand Breathe KC.  After leaving her career as an Engineer, Kayla finds herself processing and integrating into a fresh flow of life; what it means, what it looks like and how it feels. Kayla says that her new baseline has yet to be established, and she is still working through that surrender.  Today, she devotes much of her time to sharing Cacao practices that have become a huge part...

We speak with Kyra Weinberger Hall, a yoga teacher in Kansas City. Being raised by dancers, Kyra's upbringing was far from "traditional", and involved multiple moves across country during her formative years. As Kyra hit her teens, she started manipulating her food and dove into a variety of eating disorders. By 25, Kyra spent two months inpatient at a treatment center, and shares with us the transitions and internal shifts she has taken since. Kyra shares with us her journey from hardly...

Josh Solar is an Energy Guide, leading clients through breath work, reiki, and cold plunges. His latest favorite healing modality has been dipping into icy ponds during the depths of winter, allowing the power of the sun to warm him up and calm him down. Josh and Jenny talk about Josh's meditation music, teenage angst and how meditation is everything. We also speak with Jason Belz, the owner of AGY athletic center where we record the interview and utilize the ice bath. Josh leads Jenny...

Lauren Saks Merriman is the founder of The Nelle, an arts and social club located in the Kansas City Crossroads Arts district. We chat with Lauren about the hurdles of starting a club amid a pandemic, staying inclusive and diversifying The Nelle's members. We also talk about space and feng shui - the importance of creating an intentional environment for your work or home. As it's the balance of setting time aside for yourself and your community that can welcome more meaning and inspiration...

Like many of us, Emma Brown walked into a yoga class as a means to exercise, and did so for many years. That was until she injured herself as an aerial performer, forced to slow down.  Emma shares with us how she utilized movement for shifting stored energy and her yoga practice for building trust and awareness. Today, Emma is a massage therapist, a DJ, and a dancer as well as a yoga teacher in training. We ask Emma about her path from playing sports and staring in shows to a more feminine,...

Join us as we speak with Nicole Leth, an artist, teacher, and writer whose messages are casted for thousands to see every day. Affirmation Billboards is a project Nicole started to bring hope to the city by casting her inspirational artwork onto high trafficited billboards. In part with this mission, Nicole also sends out thousands of affirmation postcards each month, anonymously to anyone who signs up for the program. Nicole is such a gem of a person and a delight to talk to. We ask Nicole...

Holistic health coach Emily Cox is our second guest on the show, but was our first to record for an interview. We visited Emily in her lovely home (with plenty of plants, mind you) to talk about intuitive and disordered eating, body love and love itself, and the progression of Emily's career as a yoga teacher. Emily teaches, facilitates, and speaks all over Kansas City, including spots such as Crossroads Hotel, Paradise Garden Club, Woodside and Maya Yoga. Stay updated with Emily's class...

Philosopher Ojas Patel joins us on our first interview to talk all things culture and leadership. We tap into the various ways one can lead, and what it means to pave a path towards your highest self. Jenny and Ojas take it back to high school, comparing perceptions and paradigms between the two. We explore how language shapes culture, and how thoughts change culture. Let us know what you think of the episode and be sure to follow us along at @yogabrainkc and be sure to donate on our site...

Introducing Yoga Brain, a platform exploring the ancient practice of oneness, beyond what is done on the mat. Join Jenny Martin and Ojas Patel in this inaugural episode which helps to answer the loaded question: What is yoga?