The Yogapedia Podcast

Miller is the Founder, and Director of the iRest Institute. Miller is a clinical psychologist, author, researcher, yogic scholar and spiritual teacher. For over 40 years, Miller has devoted his life and work to integrating the nondual wisdom teachings of Yoga, Tantra, Advaita, Taoism and Buddhism with Western psychology. Miller is also the co-founder of The International Association of Yoga Therapy and founding editor of the professional Journal of IAYT. He is also a founding member and past president of the Institute for Spirituality and Psychology and a senior advisor for the Baumann Foundation for the study of Awareness and its impact on well-being. Author of Yoga Nidra: The Meditative Heart of Yoga, Miller serves as a research consultant studying the iRest Yoga Nidra protocol that he has developed. iRest stands for Integrative Restoration, a modern adaptation of the ancient nondual meditation practice of Yoga Nidra. Miller researches its efficacy on health, healing and well-being with diverse populations including active-duty soldiers, veterans, college students, children, seniors, the homeless, the incarcerated, and people experiencing issues, such as sleep disorders, PTSD, chemical dependency, chronic pain, and related disorders. In this episode, we talk with Miller about the difference between Eastern and Western practices, how yoga can help us understand the wholeness of ourselves and how we can train our minds to better handle everyday stress. Listen in as we discuss Yoga Nidra and the benefits it can provide.

Wegesin is a yogi, neuroscientist and dancer with a passion towards meditation and the healing arts. After moving to New York City, Wegesin worked for ten years as Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at Columbia University. Wegesin's research focused on neuroimaging of the aging brain, and how aging impacts memory and executive functions, such as attention. At the same time, Wegesin began his journey into yoga and was immediately hooked by the practice. Wegesin now works as a yoga teacher, mindfulness teacher and message therapist. He trains the brains and bodies of his yoga students, helping them wake up to their mental, emotional and physical experience in a way that cultivates awareness, acceptance and ease. In this episode, we talk with Wegesin about how aging affects our brains and how mindfulness and yoga can help us as we age. Listen in as we discuss the benefits yoga can have on our minds and our bodies.

Sparrowe is a writer, editor, speaker, and mentor in holistic healing, with a special emphasis on women’s health. She is the former editor-in-chief of Yoga International magazine and past managing editor of Yoga Journal, as such she has been instrumental in bringing the authentic voice of yoga to thousands of practitioners and teachers. Sparrowe is also on the advisory board of the Yoga and Body Image Coalition. Sparrowe co-leads the Courageous Women, Fearless Living retreats for women touched by cancer. She also gives talks and provides workshops for women who are facing any number of challenges, including body issues, pregnancy, anxiety, depression, menopause and more.In this episode, we talk with Sparrowe about the promise of yoga and how it can help us learn to love ourselves and our bodies. Listen in as we discuss the true benefits of yoga, and why you don't need to be a thin or flexible to do yoga.

Myers is a yoga therapist, a somatic experiencing practitioner, addictions recovery specialist, and a certified health coach. Myers is also the founder of Y12SR - Yoga of 12-Step Recovery. Y12SR is a 12-step recovery program designed to help address the physical, mental and spiritual disease of addiction. Myers founded Y12SR after her own struggles with addiction. Myers believed recovery programs needed to combine the cognitive approach of traditional 12-step programs with the somatic approach of yoga; this is the goal of Y12SR. In today's episode, we talk with Myers about yoga as a path to healing and how yoga has influenced her life. Listen in as we discuss how yoga helps us align with ourselves and embrace our true self.

Castillo has been teaching yoga in NYC and San Francisco for over 20 years. She has studied with many renowned master teachers and had the honor of studying Vedic chanting and yoga philosophy with T.K.V. Desikachar. These days she spreads her love and knowledge of Bhakti yoga to aspiring teachers around the Bay Area. Since 2012, Castillo has been leading her band the Cosmic Caravan locally, nationally and internationally. She passionately guides communities in the ancient art of kirtan - singing the names of the divine through call-and-response chanting. In this episode we talk with Castillo about the heritage of Bhakti yoga and the power of mantra. Listen in as we discuss why chanting can be such a powerful tool and what Bhakti means to her.

Tiffany Cruikshank is the founder of Yoga Medicine®, a community of teachers focused on fusing anatomy and western medicine with traditional yoga practices to serve the medical communities. Cruikshank has trained thousands of teachers around the world, graced the cover of over 15 magazines, been featured regularly in major media outlets, authored two books, and released over 150 classes on various topics on YogaGlo.com. With a background in Acupuncture and Sports Medicine, Cruikshank has worked with celebrities, athletes, and corporate professionals alike in her own private clinics and Nike World Headquarters. Cruikshank also founded and continues to run two nonprofits — one conducting research on yoga’s therapeutic benefits and the other supporting to end human trafficking in India. In this episode, we talk with Cruikshank about what inspired her to start Yoga Medicine®, how Traditional Chinese Medicine and yoga complement each other, and how yoga affects the different systems in our body. Listen in as we discuss how yoga can help us become observers with non-judgemental attentions. If you wish to support the Yoga Medicine® Seva Foundation and help empower impoverished communities through education and entrepreneurship, please visit the Yoga Medicine® Seva Foundation website to learn how you can help.

For over 20 years, Bossart was the private student of T.K.V. Desikachar studying Viniyoga. Bossart is a certified International Association of Yoga Therapist (C-IAYT) and E-RYT 500 yoga teacher. Bossart is also the Director of the Yoga Well Institute and Co-Director of Yoga as Therapy North America (YATNA). Today, Bossart travels around the world to present workshops and trainings on yoga and yoga therapy. Bossart also regularly develops yoga interventions for scientific research, and he formerly served as the Director of Therapy and Education at the Healing Yoga Foundation in San Francisco. In this episode, we talk with Bossart about how yoga influences our physical bodies and what the true meaning of yoga really is. Listen in as we discuss how yoga was brought to the west and how it influences our prana.

Twenty years ago, Pransky left the corporate world and transformed her passion for yoga into a full-time career. Pransky is a registered Yoga Alliance teacher (E-RYT 500), certified Yoga Therapist recognized by the International Association of Yoga Therapy and the director of Restorative Therapeutic Yoga teacher training for YogaWorks. Pransky is also the author of Deep Listening, which presents her 'Calm Body, Clear Mind, Open Heart' program. Pranksy also created and leads Yoga Journal's Restorative Yoga 101 and is a featured yoga expert for Prevention Magazine. In this episode, we talk with Pransky about her own personal journey into yoga. We discuss how restorative yoga can help us combat stress and anxiety in our modern world and how we can learn to truly relax. Listen in as Pransky shares her knowledge on how we can build our own conscious relaxation.

Albert Flynn DeSilver is an American poet, novelist and meditation teacher. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Colorado and his Master of Fine Arts from the San Francisco Art Institute. His writing has been published in hundreds of literary journals across the world. DeSilver is also the founder of Writing as a Path to Awakening, which is an embodied approach to creativity and writing. DeSilver runs workshops and retreats that aim to rekindle one's writing process by bringing more joy and spontaneity in the practice of writing. DeSilver has been practicing meditation for over 20 years and was trained as a meditation teach at the Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California. DeSilver believes merging the art of writing with mindfulness meditation, which he discusses in his book "Writing as a Path to Awakening," based off his workshops of the same name. Listen with us as we discuss how writing can assist in reaching an awakening and the benefits of meditation when it comes to nurturing a writing practice.

Judith Blackstone is an experienced teacher in the fields of nondual realization and spiritual, relational and somatic psychotherapy. Blackstone is the creator of The Realization Process, which is an integrated approach to embodiment for psychological, relational, physical and spiritual healing. Blackstone has a Ph.D. in Psychology, Embodiment and Eastern Religion. Blackstone is a clinical psychologist, a meditation practitioner and student of contemplative traditions with more than 40 years of experience. In addition, she is the author of several books, including Belonging Here and The Enlightenment Process. Blackstone and her husband, Zoran Josipovic, founded the Nonduality Institute, which is dedicated to the science and practice of nonduality. In our interview, Blackstone talks about The Realization Process and the radical openness that comes with nondual realization. Blackstone discusses methods for releasing tension and constriction, as well as the difference between awareness of the body and inhabiting it. Blackstone also leads listeners in a core breath practice for settling into the body and attuning to the fundamental consciousness that is always available to us.

Heather Wertheimer is a singer, songwriter and guitarist, who draws on her special love of both music and yoga to lead devotional chanting for yoga workshops and spiritual gatherings. Wertheimer has toured in the U.S. and abroad with her husband, Benjy Wertheimer. As the duo Shantala, Heather and Benjy, lead kirtan (sacred chanting) worldwide, bringing sacred lyrics, soul-stirring vocals and exotic instrumentation to audiences. In addition to her musical career, Wertheimer is also a Neelakantha Meditation teacher and has been studying Neelakantha Meditation since 2009. Furthermore, Wertheimer received her Master's in Psychology with a focus on mind-body connection and yoga. Wertheimer also worked as a therapist for 20 years and a yoga teacher for 10 years. Listen with us as Wertheimer shares her personal story about recovery from addiction and the deep empowerment she discovered through yoga, chanting and meditation.

Benjy Wertheimer is an award-winning musician, composer, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist. He is equally accomplished on tabla, congas, percussion, esraj, guitar, and keyboards. Wertheimer has performed and recorded with such artists as Krishna Das, Deva Premal, Jai Uttal, Michael Mandrell, tabla master Zakir Hussain, and renowned bamboo flute master G. S. Sachdev. He has also opened for Carlos Santana, Paul Winter and Narada Michael Walden.Benjy and his wife, Heather Wertheimer, as Shantala, have been leading kirtan across the world since 2001. Shantala mixes their voices and instruments of India and the West to create a memorable and loving experience for their audience. To date, Heather and Benjy have released five albums of sacred chant music. Listen with us as Wertheimer shares about the power of sacred music and his life-transforming experiences as he studied with some of the most renowned Indian musicians.

Dr. Aparna Dandekar is a board certified family physician trained in three medical sciences: western (Allopathic) medicine, osteopathy, and Ayurveda. After receiving both her Bachelor's of Art in Sanskrit and her Bachelor's of Science in Zoology from the University of Washington, Dr. Dandekar completed her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine at the Western University of Health Sciences. She then completed her residency in Family Medicine at the University of Southern California and the Los Angeles County Medical Center. Dr. Dandekar has a special clinical interest in osteopathy, Ayurveda, and alternative medicine. She describes her philosophy as "nature knows best." She believes in the self-regulating wisdom of nature that she has experienced in her career as an Ayurveda practitioner and osteopathic physician. On the other hand, her work as an Allopathic physician has also provided her with respect and admiration for modern science and technology. Dr. Dandekar believes the best course of treatment involves both of these worlds: ancient wisdom and modern science and technology.

In today’s episode, we're talking with a try gold mine of knowledge in regards to the biological aspects of yoga. Dr. Timothy McCall is a medical doctor, yoga therapist and author of Yoga as Medicine and Saving My Neck: A Doctor’s East/West Journey Through Cancer. Dr. McCall practiced medicine for more than 10 years in the Boston area before devoting himself full-time to investigating and teaching yoga therapy. He has travelled around the world to study with some of the top yoga teachers and therapists, including B.K.S. Iyengar and T.K.V. Desikachar. Through personal anecdote, Dr. McCall shares his perspective on the changing landscape of yoga as medicine. He talks about research studies and the shift in awareness in the United States. Dr. McCall shares his recent road to recovery from throat cancer – an inspiring testimony to the power of practice during challenging times. He also explains how yoga and preventative medicine of Ayurveda supported him in his recovery.

Welcome to Episode Ten of The Yogapedia Podcast! In today's episode, we're talking with yoga teacher and co-founder of the School of Embodied Flow, Tara Judelle! Tara Judelle has spent 27 years of her life experimenting with movement. Starting out in dance, she moved into Tai Chi, movement improvisation, and finally, into yoga. Judelle has been teaching around the world as a certified Ansusara yoga teacher for the past 15 years. In 2014, Judelle and Dr. Scott Lyons, created the School of Embodied Flow. Embodied Flow is a yoga school and therapy practice, which aims to reconnect the body, spirit and mind using a combination of hatha yoga, moving meditations, tantric philosophy, somatics and transpersonal psychology. In this episode, we talk with Judelle about her steps into the yoga world and how it has positively impacted different areas of her life. Judelle also explains how yoga and movement can help our bodies, minds, and souls. Listen as we discuss the 'goal of yoga' and how we can all take one step towards self-realization.

Welcome to Season Two of The Yogapedia Podcast! In this interview, we're talking with Dr. Scott Lyons. Dr. Scott Lyons lives and works in the world of yoga. He is a clinical psychologist, osteopath, mind-body medicine practitioner, reiki master, and yoga teacher, just to list a few of his many credentials. Dr. Lyons is also the co-creator of Embodied Flow, a yoga school and therapy practice. Embodied Flow aims to reconnect the body, spirit and mind using a combination of hatha yoga, moving meditations, tantric philosophy, somatics and transpersonal psychology. He is also the developer of Somatic Stress Release, which helps us to naturally relax and restore our biological systems. Dr. Lyons is a firm believer that we can use holistic methods to expand our capacity to be seen, heard and felt, even on a cellular level. In this episode, we discuss how the the mind-body connection influences our lives and our sadhana, and how we can utilize our practice and therapy to help foster a stronger connection. Listen as we discuss how the energy in our bodies effects our mind-body connection and how yoga can help us prepare to face difficult life situations.

In the final episode of season one, Janet Stone tells us how yoga has shaped her life as a woman, mother, artist, environmental advocate and a yoga teacher. Stone shares how her yoga journey has led through deep, personal transformation on many levels. Listen as we discuss how the alchemy of Stone's own yoga journey through bhakti yoga and the eight-limbed path. Stone has been a dedicated yoga practitioner since 1996, when she traveled to India, the birthplace of her grandfather. Stone blends the alchemy of her own practice with decades of studentship. She aspires not to teach, but to allow the practice to emanate from her, letting awareness blend with movement and breath. Based in San Francisco, Janet leads immersions, retreats, and workshops. Janet grew up on a wonderful, slightly crazy hippie farm in Northern California, a childhood spent rescuing orphaned animals of every shape and size, eating a lot of tofu and homemade everything, cleaning rabbit cages, bailing hay, working hard, swimming naked, dancing around freely and feeling naturally connected to the planet, a feeling that continues to inform her life and teaching these days.

In todays episode, we’ll be hearing from Anodea Judith, one of the country's foremost experts on the chakra system and its therapeutic use. She is author of several books on the chakras, yoga, healing, psychology and social change. Her award-wining book Wheels of Life has sold over 250,000 copies in the US with translations in 25 languages. She holds Masters and Doctoral degrees in psychology and human health. Anodea travels the world teaching workshops and trainings for therapists, yoga teachers, and leaders, with transformative techniques. Anodea is a globally recognized teacher, speaker, healer, and writer on the intersection of personal and collective awakening, her passion for the realization of our potential matches her concern for humanity’s impending crises—her fervent wish that we “wake up in time.” Anodea is a therapist with lifelong studies in somatic psychology, mythology, history, sociology, systems theory, and mystic spirituality. She is best known for her groundbreaking work reviving the chakra system of ancient yoga, and its profound correlation to human psychology, cultural evolution, and the downward process of manifestation. Her best-selling books have gained worldwide recognition with over a million books in print in 25 languages, and won several awards.

In our episode today, we’ll hear from Barrie Risman, who is one of Canada’s most skilled yoga educators and teacher trainers. Barrie immersed herself in yoga practices while studying at the Siddha Yoga Ashrams in India and New York. She talks about the deep inner shift she experienced through daily practices of asana, meditation, kirtan, mantra and study of the wisdom teachings. Risman has been teaching for over 20 years and is well known for her ability to convey the essence of the teachings of yoga with exceptional clarity and insight. Take a read through her articles for Yogapedia and you'll understand why; she has a unique ability to explain complicated yoga philosophy and concepts with ease and simplicity. She has taught at yoga conferences and festivals and has led retreats and teacher trainings around the world. Risman also created an online mentoring program for yoga teachers called The Skillful Yogi. Her new book Evolving Your Yoga: Ten Principles for Enlightened Practice was recently released and is a great resource for any yogi looking to deepen their practice.

Kia Miller is a devoted yogini and yoga teacher. As model and filmmaker, Miller spent a lot of her life travelling around the world. Yoga is what helped keep her centred. She is a certified Ashtanga and Vinyasa Flow teacher, as well as a Kundalini Yoga teacher, and has trained with world-renowned teachers in India, Europe and the US. Miller's teaching style pulls from her vast knowledge and experience of multiple yogic disciplines. In this episode, we talk with Miller about how yoga influenced her as a young adult. She shares how the yoga guided her, centred her and helped nourish her throughout her careers as a model and a filmmaker. She also talks about her relationship with various types of yoga and how she connects with them all. This conversation explores not only how yoga can influence our physical body, but our mind and spirit as well. Listen as we discuss how yoga is not only a path to explore our inner selves, but also a way to elevate our consciousness.