Yoga Room

While wildfires are now considered a "season" in many parts of the world, the people who fight wildfires and structure fires are often the first ones on the scenes of other natural and human-caused disasters, accidents, and other events that threaten human lives. While trained and well practiced in their mission, firefighters and first responders often face personal, physical, emotional, and mental tolls with little time and fewer resources to help them in coping, healing, and moving forward in healthy ways. Yoga teacher Shannon McQuaide grew up in a fire family with first-hand experience of the life and times of firefighters and first responders. With a strong background in education, an entrepreneurial spirit, and passion for doing good things in the world, she created FireFlex as a program for bringing the healing benefits of yoga into fire houses. Drawing from deep experience in yoga, trauma, and resiliency, her training of other teachers is making a difference in the lives of many who in turn make a difference in the lives of thousands. Highlights of this episode include: Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The idea of practicing or teaching yoga and meditation through digital devices can seem contrary to yoga as a living practice. We might think that human-machine-machine-human is far from the realm of the senses, of human connection, and can only disturb its purity or power. We want the real thing. Then came Covid. From the caves of our homes, we became grateful to have some semblance of visual connection with other people in a variety of experiences, including yoga, even if through a screen. Zoom became a household word, a verb of action. In recent years, advances in visual graphics, artificial intelligence, and haptics have set the stage for revolutionizing technology-assisted human interaction. These and related technologies are providing invaluable interactive tools for those with immobilizing health problems and other socially isolating conditions. The potential benefits to everyone are worth considering. Alex Haley is among the pioneers developing and connecting these technologies with mindfulness and wellness practices in extraordinarily creative ways. Highlights of this episode include: Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Racism, Incarceration, and Yoga with Ayla Benjamin Racism is deeply embedded in the histories of yoga even as it offers visions and practices of liberation. From delimiting caste systems in ancient-to-modern societies to contemporary racist ideologies and social and cultural forces, race matters, is a source of profound harm predicated upon fundamental lies about the nature of human beings. It is also highly correlated with incarceration, especially in the United States, which leads the world in imprisoning people, with one-fifth of the world's incarcerated population. Ayla Benjamin, executive director of Boundless Freedom, is a dynamic activist and social movement leader working to end mass incarceration while brining yoga, meditation, and other practices of liberation and empowerment into prisons. In this episode, Mark Stephens and Ayla Benjamin discuss racism in yoga and society, and what many people are doing about it. Highlights of the conversation include: Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tune in here for a conversation between Mark and Bernie Clark on science, myth, anatomy, fascia and yin yoga. Highlights of the conversation include: functional yoga Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sexuality and communication are as common as they are complex. While ancient-to-modern yoga texts and teachings provide various views on sex and morals, matters of sexual desire, power, transference, trauma, and communication are often as problematic in yoga classes as the are in the larger world. A generation of young people have grown up in confused cultures where "no means no" is all too often ignored, "yes means yes" can lead to unwanted interaction, and basic values of loving kindness and dignity get lost in questions of consent, which can obscure deeper feelings, desires, and needs for safety, joy, and well being. Tune in here to learn more about sexuality and communication in yoga and life. Episode Highlights: Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The breath is essential for life and at the heart of yoga practice. Yet breathing is often difficult or disturbed, and in yoga it more refined techniques are often said to be dangerous and kept secret unless one is "blessed" to receive the teachings. In this episode, Mark first discusses breathing and pranayama (for about 15 minutes), offering some historical and philosophical perspective. He then gives a guided practice – basically the same daily morning practice he's been doing for the past 18 years. Tune in here to learn more about breathing in life and yoga. Episode Highlights: Sources & Links Mentioned: Online 17-Hour Pranayama Course Starts May 5Mark's WebsiteMark's BooksThe UpanishadsYoga Sutra of PatanjaliHatha Yoga Pradipika Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We all experience yoga in ways that are unique to our individual nature, while at the same time we are all human common physiological conditions, such as brains, hearts, muscles, bones and other tissues, organs and systems. We also all live on planet Earth, even as our living conditions vary. Our unique experiences thus occur through and within a shared universe and environment. And as unique as our experience are in yoga, including how we feel doing it, there's much to discover about why yoga seems to "work" – to result in feeling better, getting clearer, having a better life. Tune in here for a conversation that asks about why yoga works and takes you on a tour through yoga practices, human physiology (including "vagal toning"), and living fully in the modern world. Episode Highlights: Links Mentioned: Allison's website BeYogi Insurance OfferingTree Complete list of the Show Notes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Practicing yoga since the early 1970s, internationally respected teacher Sally Durgananda Kempton is a master at transmitting meditation and at applying spiritual, yogic and tantric teachings to daily life situations. Sally spent 20 years as a swami in a Vedic tradition. A deep practitioner with profound knowledge of both the traditional and the contemporary aspects of inner life, she is the author of The Heart of Meditation, Awakening Shakti, and Doorways to the Infinite, and she wrote Yoga Journal's monthly Wisdom column for many years. Tune in here for a conversation between Sally and Mark about what living a spiritual life with yoga and tantra can mean in the modern world. Episode highlights: Links Mentioned: Sally Kempton's Website BeYogi Insurance OfferingTree Complete list of the Show Notes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode highlights: Links Mentioned: Online Pranayama Course OfferingTree Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the Yoga Room, a new podcast hosted by Mark Stephens. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.