Where The Lotus Grows: Recent Episodes
Tonya Drew & Kimberly Searl
As Integrative Sustainable Movement Educators and Health Advocates, our goal is to provide you with evidence based information gathered from research, experts in the field, and our personal and professional experience to help you advocate for your own health and wellness.Listen to Tonya and Kimberly as they take you on an intimate look into their lives and inspiring journey. Weekly episodes of storytelling, wisdom and talks sometimes with special guests as they dive into the grittiness of life as they find balance, trust, love, kindness and come out stronger for sharing their vulnerability with others.
Toxic positivity can be hard not to encounter and sometimes we're all guilty of urging others and even ourselves to "look on the bright side" instead of sitting with discomfort. At what point do "positive vibe" platitudes become toxic and how can we avoid falling into the toxic positivity trap? Kim and Tonya have a few ideas.
Support the show
Last time we caught up with Kim, she had great news - as her scans were all clear, BUT the next part of her journey had just begun. In todays episode, the ladies discuss Kim's upcoming surgery as a preventative measure and the new drug therapy regime that they're asking her to take. Spoiler - the list of pros and cons are lengthy and uncover a lot of discussion about being your own best advocate. Enjoy!
Support the show
Since her cancer diagnosis, Kim has learned a lot more about the medical marijuana industry and the use of cannabis in cancer care. The ladies dive deep into all of the new things she's learned from working with cannabis coaches and nurses specializing in the field, and Tonya shares her recent experience touring a Colorado growing facility.
Support the show
In the light of the SCOTUS decision over turning Roe V. Wade, the WTLG wanted to turn our grief into something that is (hopefully) constructive for the couragitarians. It was certainly cathartic for us. This episode contains fun facts about the progress women have made in the last 50 years, personal abortion stories, facts, statistics and above all support for the RADICAL notion that women, as humans, have the right to full body autonomy.
Warning: this episode discusses sexual assault, abusive relationships, traumatic experiences, and sex
Support the show
Kim shares the good news and LOTS of thoughts about what happens next and how the health care system could be improved. A vital episode if you've been following Kim's Journey - Enjoy!
Support the show
We are so excited to share our conversation with Dr. Gail Parker!
Gail Parker, Ph.D. CIAYT, E-RYT 500 is an author, psychologist, educator, certified yoga therapist and a lifelong practitioner of yoga. She became president of the Black Yoga Teachers Alliance (BYTA) Board of Directors in 2020. Dr. Parker is well known for her pioneering efforts to blend psychology, yoga, and meditation as effective self-care strategies that can enhance emotional balance, and contribute to the overall health and well-being of practitioners.
Dr. Parker has appeared as a psychologist expert on local and nationally
syndicated talk shows, including numerous appearances on the Oprah Show.
Her first book, Restorative Yoga for Ethnic and Race-Based Stress and Trauma, offers self-care strategies and invites everyone, not just those directly impacted, to explore the intersection of yoga, race and ethnicity, and to consider the psychological impact of race-based stress and trauma on all of us. The companion book, Transforming Ethnic and Race-Based Traumatic Stress With Yoga invites us to reimagine and engage in healing strategies for ethnic and racial stress and trauma that lead to post traumatic growth.
Support the show
The ladies discuss the idea of achieving "perfect heath," the marketing and capitalizing of health and wellness as an industry, and the dangers of health and wellness myths and stereotypes. They further discuss what ideal health now means to them in light of ongoing health issues.
Support the show
Kim shares her experience starting physical therapy, the pros and cons of being on the flip side of movement education, and the value of difficult teachers.
Support the show
Tonya and Kim talk about the practice of intentional grounding, why it should be a part of your regular self care routine and how, once practiced regularly, it can become a powerful tool in a variety of situations. Bonus: Kim shares an Intentional Grounding Meditation on social media and on our Patreon.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Let's fact it, stressful situations are a regular part of our day to day lives, and often the choices that we make regarding our own physical and mental health maintenance determine our overall state. What happens when we experience additional prolonged stressful situations such as a medical diagnosis, the care of a sick family member, that throw a wrench in our usual stress-management routine? Today the ladies talk about the difficulty of maintaining a healthy routine when facing additional stressors and how to work in healthy practices when we're hit with stressful situations that could throw us off track.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Kim walks us through the remainder of her radiation journey and while excited to be done with that intense and painful process, discovers there is still so much more in store for post radiation treatment. Additionally, she is confronted with having to piece together her own aftercare teams to maintain a solid prevention/early detection plan to stay on top of her genetic mutation.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Today the ladies discuss the process of aging, both from their personal experience in embracing getting older, to caring for our elderly and how to get the most out of life as you age.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Kim describes her radiation experience, the mindfulness and breathing tools she employs during her sessions and how her awareness and interception is received by the nurses and technicians in the radiology department. She also shares with Tonya how incredibly venerable the process is and how the after care has her building a new relationship with her changing/healing body.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
As we've followed Kim on her Cancer Journey, self-care has come up more than ever. Today the ladies discuss cooking as a form of self-care and nourishment for the body, the mind, and the soul.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Kim shares her experience preparing for radiation and all the fancy and not so fancy tech and devices related to this next phase of treatment. The process is highly venerable and the ladies discuss ways in which the medical community could be more mindful and trauma informed as treatment providers.
Warning: This episode briefly discusses sexual assault.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Post chemo, pre radiation, Kim went in for a prosthesis fitting. While there is still a lot to get used to in her new body, Kim's main concern after this experience is how mastectomy prosthesis and accessories should be more comfortable AND more physically appealing. Perhaps a new business venture is in the works for our ladies?
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Today, the ladies discuss the importance of rest and prioritizing real quiet time for yourself regularly. Rest is healing, revitalizing and a necessity in times when burnout seems inevitable. We hope you enjoy!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Kim shares how healing from her double mastectomy has impacted her everyday life. Learning to appreciate the simple things, take things slowly, and maintain a steady pace forward has been challenging but so rewarding. She also shares the next steps she anticipates in her continued treatment.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Circling back to our series getting to know Tonya, today's episode continues with the home birth of her daughter. Very different than the hospital birth and subsequent neonatal needs required during her first birth, birth two was a husband and wife DIY under the guidance of a a certified midwife. We hope you enjoy!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Who could have predicted that 2021 would throw us more curve balls than 2020? In today's episode the ladies reflect on the previous year and discuss how it might define 2022. As always, a few words were selected as gentle guides easing into the new year. Gratitude is number one for both, with Kim adding connection, love and miracles - Tonya connecting with peace, surrender, and joy. We encourage you, if you haven't already, to choose a few words to connect with and guide you into 2022.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Though far from the final stages of healing, the process begins as Kim shares the details of her double mastectomy including pre and post op procedures and the hopeful next steps.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Another holiday gift to you. Today’s episode contains a Tonya guided meditation for you to enjoy.
Another little disclaimer: if you usually listen to us while driving or working, this episode should probably be saved for when you have some quiet down time, when you can sit quietly, close your eyes, and truly enjoy. Happy Holidays to you and yours. We appreciate you so much. We’ll be back with our usual content in the new year.
- Added disclaimer: Our sound engineer was still out sick at the time of this recording (we wish him a speedy recovery) so the audio is a little rough. We hope you'll extend some grace and adjust your volume accordingly. Thank you so much.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
As a holiday gift to you, today’s episode contains a Kim guided meditation for you to enjoy.
I just wanted to add a little disclaimer, that if you usually listen to us while driving or working, this episode should probably be saved for when you have some quiet down time, when you can sit quietly, close your eyes, and truly enjoy. Happy Holidays to you and yours. We appreciate you so much. We’ll be back with our usual content in the new year.
- Added disclaimer: Our sound engineer is out sick (we wish him a speedy recovery) so the audio is a little rough. We hope you'll extend some grace and adjust your volume accordingly. Thank you so much.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
This time of year can be filled celebration and festivities. For may of us, this also means additional stress in an already stressful time. Here are a few tips to help bring you comfort and joy this season.
Please note: the next two episodes will be gifts of guided meditation, followed by two weeks off and a return in 2022 with some wonderful new content. We can't wait for you to join us!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Kim get's some much needed positive news and we pause for a mini celebration/ happy dance before taking a deep breath and embracing the next phase of this big journey. Note: This will be the last update on Kim until we return in the new year.
We still have a few more fun ones in store before our break, but we want to take a moment and extend our deepest gratitude to our couragitarians who have supported us through the last few years. You're listenership and participation means so much. We're thankful for YOU!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Birth stories are as unique as every individual - no two are alike. They can be beautiful, painful, joyful, difficult, traumatic and all of those simultaneously. This week, Kim talks to Tonya about her two very different birth experiences and the good, bad & ugly of giving birth.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Kim shares the results of her genetic screenings and get to the root of her specific type of cancer. This one is science heavy and tbh, pretty darn interesting!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Parents have a lot to think about when consciously raising their children. One of those things is perpetuating gender equality and trying to break gender based stereotypes. Today's discussion on gender equality in childrearing was fun and informative. We hope you enjoy!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
We're so excited to share our conversation with the Co-Editors of "Yoga Therapy Foundations, Tools, and Practice: A Comprehensive Textbook", Diane Finlayson and Laurie Hyland Robertson. We hope you enjoy this as much as we did.
Diane Finlayson, MA, MFA, C-IAYT, is Department Chair for Yoga Therapy and Ayurveda at the Maryland University of Integrative Health (MUIH.)
Diane received her MFA in writing from Mississippi University for women and a master's degree from Johns Hopkins University for her thesis on "Ayurveda in America.Between MUIH and her own schools, Diane has trained Yoga Teachers, Yoga Therapists and Ayurvedic practitioners for more than two decades. Her private practice largely serves people in substance recovery.
Laurie has spent more than two decades in healthcare and business publishing and now combines her passions for science, yoga, and personal transformation as editor in chief of Yoga Therapy Today and managing editor of the International Journal of Yoga Therapy. She also contributes editorial services to a variety of yoga and wellness publications and directs communications for the International Association of Yoga Therapists. She and Diane are co-editors of Yoga Therapy Foundations, Tools, and Practice: A Comprehensive Textbook. Laurie also co-authored Understanding Yoga Therapy: Applied Philosophy and Science for Health and Well-Being and previously served as adjunct faculty and a clinic supervisor at Maryland University of Integrative Health. Laurie owns Whole Yoga & Pilates in the Baltimore-Washington area, where students and clients of diverse backgrounds and abilities find a home for accessible, empowering mind-body practices.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Kim is officially halfway through her chemotherapy and hopefully much closer to knowing what comes next. In this episode, our hosts dive deep into treatment; what Kim has experienced physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
As this season has been about sharing all of the big life adjustments we've had to make this last year or two and the feedback on Kim's health episodes have been positive and engaging, she really wanted to shift the spotlight for a few episodes on some of Tonya's unique experiences the last few years. The first episode in this "Getting to Know Tonya" series discusses the difficult decision to homeschool during the pandemic and navigating the pros and cons of homeschool life. We hope you enjoy!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
In the last 19 months we have seen prolific loss in our country and around the word. Our small circle is no different. Today, we've brought in Maggie McCuisten and Patricia Guillian to continue the conversation on grief, and living with the loss of those we whole dear.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
The feeling of grief is almost always associated with the loss of a life, but sadness and a sense of deep loss and grieving can be felt for many things. Today's episode looks at other things that have been lost the last year and a half as our lives have been turned upside down by Covid and cancer.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Kim shares a chemotherapy update. Inspired by the seemingly positive effects of the previous meds, this new one brings promise as well as anxiety.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Jeffrey Sargent, retired Major with the U.S. Army, MS Yoga Therapy, E-RYT, YACEP, has 20 years of military service, including combat tours in Iraq as a tactical intelligence officer and in Kuwait & Iraq as a Military Intelligence Company Commander. He is the recipient of The Defense Meritorious Service Medal, and numerous other awards including being selected as the #1 ROTC graduate in the United States in 1996. Jeff enlisted in the Army in 1986 and earned the rank of Staff Sergeant before entering officer training. After retiring from the Army in 2009 Jeff worked as a government contractor for five years training military personnel who were preparing to deploy to Iraq and Afghanistan. During this time Jeff discovered yoga and immediately recognized the potential physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual benefits. It has had tremendous impact on his life including helping him with his own battles with military service related PTSD and a 30 year struggle with eating disorders. Most recently Jeff stepped down as a full time yoga therapist for the Army in the Integrative Pain Management Center at Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Washington and now works with them as an independent consultant and sees clients in his own private practice. If you 're interested in working with Jeff, he can be found here:
www.jeffreysargent.com
https://www.facebook.com/jeffreysargentyoga/
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
We've all experienced loss. The last 18+ months of the pandemic have magnified many, if not all of those losses. It feels as though the current necessity of adapting and evolving so quickly is even changing how we grieve. Our newest series on grief will run in tandem with Kim's journey. We hope you'll join us.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
We've often found ourselves in the role of caregiver. Does the advice for other caregivers change when we find ourselves needing care?
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Kim shares the scary reality of chemotherapy treatments, rookie mistakes, and having to muster the strength to endure when things don't go as planned.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Thank you for joining us on this journey, Couragitarians. Today's episode is a challenging one. Kim meets with surgeons, oncologists, and an amazing supportive treatment team. Then, receives heartbreaking news.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Sometimes events in our lives can really make us feel as though our strength is being tested. Today we talk about Kim's official diagnosis, treatment plan and a second layer of devastating news.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Biopsies, ultrasounds, CT-scans, OH MY! Kim shares here experience; physically, mentally, and emotionally through testing and initial findings. Also a shift in her medical home is already beginning to show BIG differences.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
As Kim begins to seek medical attention, it's becoming clear that being her own medical advocate will become, at minimum, a part time job.
In today's episode we talk selfceare, preventive medicine and all the work we put into not needing medical care or to deal with insurance companies only to discover the nightmare that awaits once we do.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Welcome to Season 3! This season will include and ongoing series in which we'll be following Kim as she navigates the health care system and documents her medical journey.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Welcome back! We're so grateful and happy to be here. The last 18 months have brought many changes for ourselves and the world as a whole. This new season of WTLG is no exception. We're still be having honest, venerable, conversations but our format and series topics will follow a more personal journey. We hope you'll join us.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Today, Kimberly and Tonya have a conversation with Louse Goldberg.
Louise Goldberg, MA, ERYT-500, C-IAYT, is the author of Classroom Yoga Breaks (WW Norton, 2017), Yoga Therapy for Children with Autism and Special Needs (WW Norton, 2013), Creative Relaxation Yoga for Children DVD (2004), and co-author of S.T.O.P. and Relax, Your Special Needs Yoga Toolbox(2006). Sivananda certified in 1981, she has been a yoga teacher, yoga therapist, and educator for over 40 years. Louise is founder of Creative Relaxation® Yoga, and the owner/director of the Yoga Center of Deerfield Beach, FL, where she teaches classes for all ages and abilities and serves on the faculty of the Yoga Alliance Teacher Trainings at the RYT200 and RYT500 levels. In addition, she is lead trainer for the 95-Hour Registered Children’s Yoga Teacher training at her studio. She leads international yoga retreats and teaches workshops in Creative Relaxation® Yoga for Classrooms and Yoga for Autism and Special Needs internationally. She has been a presenter at numerous conferences, including National Kids Yoga Conference, Kripalu Yoga in Schools Symposium, Learning and the Brain (NYC and San Francisco), National Autism Society, and Symposium of Yoga Therapy and Research (Boston and Newport Beach). She holds an MA in Reading Education and has been an English teacher at the middle school, high school, and college levels in public schools. Teaching yoga is her greatest joy!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Continuing on our Yama and Niyama series, today’s topic is Satya - Truthfulness. We hope you enjoy discussing the importance of honesty and truthfulness, with our selves and with one another.
We hope all of our Couragitarians out there are staying safe and healthy during this difficult time.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Waiting and hoping for a perfect opportunity won’t get you any closer to the life you want.
How do you build a life that works for you?
Today the ladies discuss the concept of design and how it can be applied to everyday parts of your life as a functional way to align goals, passions & responsibilities.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Continuing on our series exploring the yamas and niyamas, today we’ll be discussing Santosha or contentment.
Practicing contentment consciously choosing to stay in the moment and let things be exactly what they are is a surprisingly difficult practice. And yet, it has been one of Tonya’s favorites and perhaps, for Kim, the most valuable because it has helped them both to practice many other aspects of yoga philosophy “better” - more deliberately.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Since last March, Tonya has been using a journaling technique created by Dr. Nicole LaPara called Future Self Journal. In todays episode, Tonya shares the practice with Kim and Kim shares fun facts regarding the known benefits of journaling in general. Enjoy this fun episode and follow the @holisitc.psychologist on Instagram, Facebook or YouTube - we hope you’ll love learning from her as much as we do!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Do you have trouble controlling your blood sugar level?
Did you know that having diabetes for more than 5 years can increase your likelihood of developing the cardiovascular disease?
Did you know that regular exercise could make you more sensitive to insulin, which can reduce medication dosages?
Kim and Tonya share personal stories and educational insights on yoga therapy for diabetes. You wont want to miss it!
The collective findings of controlled trials to date indicate that yoga may promote clinically significant improvements in several indices of central importance to type 2 diabetes management. These include glycemic control, lipid levels, and weight and body composition. More limited data suggest that yoga may also lower blood pressure and oxidative stress; reduce sympathetic activation and improve nervous system function; enhance mood, sleep, and quality of life; and decrease medication use in those with type 2 diabetes. These studies suggest that yoga could play an important role as a low-cost intervention to improve type 2 diabetes management. Given the methodological limitations of the existing research, however, additional rigorous investigates are clearly needed to confirm and further elucidate the potential therapeutic benefits of standardized yoga programs in populations with type 2 diabetes management.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
In addition to being a licensed and certified Vibrational Sound Therapy practitioner, Dawn Wallen describes herself as an artist, a sound junkie and a believer. She loves helping people and seeing them grow and thrive. She's been practicing Vibrational Sound Therapy for over a year and is excited about seeing it grow and become a mainstream modality. She sees herself as a facilitator of relaxation and says "When people are deeply relaxed,they heal. And as they heal they are better equipped to deal with whatever life throws at them. I'm excited to be a part of that process!"
Join Tonya and Kim as they learn more from Dawn about the exciting healing modality of Vibrational Sound Therapy.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Ahimsa is respect for all living things and avoidance of violence towards others and yourself. It is a Yama and part of restraints.
Join Kim and Tonya in a discussion about the practice of nonviolence toward the self and others and it’s impact on day to day life. This is the second in their 10 part series of Yamas and Niyamas.
We learn compassion as we dissolve our personal version of the world, and grow gentle eyes that are not afraid to see reality as it is.
And when we think about the bigger acts of violence, the violence of crime and war - its constantly in our faces, on the news, in the paper; it's really important that we still soften into peace and try to project that peace into the world. Choose love over worry. Courage over fear.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Money mapping offers a mindful way forward. A money map is like a litmus test of a budget and whether it’s leading you toward a happy life. And only you can determine what a happy life looks like for you and what steps you are willing to take toward it. Money mapping is about discerning what is important to you in life and understanding there are rhythms and cycles to this and then a reverse-engineering a lifestyle that supports your versions of happiness.
Today Tonya and Kim discuss mindful money management and share the trick and tips that have worked for them.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Last season we did a few series episodes that discussed a general topic related to yoga/yoga therapy and dropped them in about every six weeks. This season, we wanted to do something similar but go into a little more of the philosophical foundation of the practice of yoga beginning with the yamas and niyamas. These precepts or ethical guides are basic tenants (yamas 5 internal - self-regulating and niyamas 5 external - personal practices) on the 8 fold path of yoga.
Saucha is about purity/cleanliness and invites us to purify our bodies, our thoughts, and our words. Join Tonya and Kim in a frank discussion about what the practice means to them and how they incorporate it into their everyday life.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Today Kim & Tonya Discuss breathing techniques that help to invigorate or improve focus for those times when a natural “pick me up” is needed.
While many yoga styles use the “skull shining breath” kapalabhati, Kundalini’s aim when practicing this technique is to let the energy of your lower chakras, your energy centers, flow to your high chakras. The lower chakras represent the more earthly and selfish desires, while the higher ones stand for love and connection. In yoga, you hear about the kundalini energy rising. The kundalini energy is stored in your first chakra, close to your coccyx, and is often pictured as a curled-up sleeping stance. When the snake wakes up- it represents your awareness- it moves up along the chakras to bring you to a higher state of being. This breathing technique is one way to wake up the so-called snake: it fans the flames of your kundalini energy so it can flow through your whole body.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
What is Pain?
Pain occurs when something hurts, causing an uncomfortable unpleasant feeling. The presence of pain often means something is wrong. Each individual is the best judge of his or her pain.
What is the difference between acute and chronic pain?
Acute pain usually comes on suddenly and is caused by something specific. It is sharp in quality. Acute pain usually does not last longer than six months. It goes away when there is no longer an underlying cause of pain. Causes of acute pain include: Surgery, Broken Bones, Dental Work, Burns or Cuts, Labor and Childbirth
Chronic Pain is pain that is ongoing and usually lasts longer than six months. This type of pain can continue even after the injury or illness that caused it has healed or gone away. Pain signals remain active in the nervous system for weeks, months or years. Some people suffer chronic pain even when there is no past injury or apparent body damage. Chronic pain is linked to conditions including Headache, Arthritis, Cancer, Nerve Pain, Back Pain, and Fibromyalgia Pain.
While yoga therapy isn’t a magic cure-all for pain, We find it interesting that regular practice only increases its efficacy - you are likely to get stronger, more flexible, healthier and happier the more you practice. Additionally, its been shown to make other treatments more effective ... for example, regular practice is likely to have a pretty profound effect on your nervous system, stress response, and overall well being which may reduce the need for pharmaceuticals.
Join Tonya & Kimberly as they discuss yoga therapy’s role in the treatment of chronic pain conditions.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Today, Kim and Tonya share an insightful conversation with Marlysa Sullivan, MPT, C-IAYT, about her contribution to the latest research on the role of yoga in pain care, relevant yoga research, poly-vagal theory and so much more!
Marlysa, is a physiotherapist and yoga therapist with over 15 years of experience working with people suffering with chronic pain conditions. She is an Assistant Professor in Yoga Therapy and Integrative Health Sciences at Maryland University of Integrative Health and holds an adjunct position at Emory University, where she teaches the integration of yoga and mindfulness into physical therapy practice in the DPT program. She is the co-editor of Yoga and Science in Pain Care: Treating the Person in Pain as well as several peer-reviewed articles. She also has an upcoming book titled Understanding Yoga Therapy: Applied Philosophy and Science for Well-being. Marlysa has been involved in the professionalization of the field of yoga therapy through the educational standards committee of IAYT, which helped to define the competencies for the field, and in characterizing the yoga therapy workforce through research. Her research interests focus on defining the framework and explanatory model for yoga therapy based on philosophical and neurophysiological perspectives.
Form more information, check out the following links:
http://integrativeyogastudies.com/workshops/
https://smile.amazon.com/s?k=Yoga+therapy+in+pain+care&ref=nb_sb_noss
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Failure sucks. Failure feels terrible. Failure is a blow to the ego. And nobody wants to be a failure. As a matter of fact, the whole concept of failure is what keeps most people from trying in the first place. But what is a failure?
Failure is the state or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective and may be viewed as the opposite of success. Ranges from failure to sell the product to fractured relationships to personal injury. In life, it’s necessary to fail. Failure is a stepping stone. Failure teaches us experience, knowledge, resilience, growth, value. So why is so f*cking hard? Why is it hard to tune out the naysayers, to understand that it is okay to fail, to use failure as leverage and to revisit our life goal and purpose?
Today Kim & Tonya Discuss the concept of failure and share personal failure stories.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Modern life is stressful. We often get so wrapped up in that stress that our poor coping mechanisms turn into bad habits. Today, Kim and Tonya discuss simple tips to stay mindful, release poor patterns and start healthy ones.
Habits help us survive, but they can also cause us to crave what’s unhealthy. Can mindful awareness help us break free?
A perfect episode to wrap up 2019. Happy Holidays, Couragitarians!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Empathy is the ability to experience or embody the feelings of another person. Empathy goes beyond sympathy, which is defined as caring and understanding for the suffering of others. This is not to say that sympathy is not an important emotion. Often times these words are used similarly and even interchangeably (incorrectly so) but, as you can see, differ subtly in their emotional meaning. Do you have your own definition or way of delineating between empathy and sympathy?
Today the ladies look at Empathy and Sympathy, why its important for your own self care to understand the subtle differences between the two, and some of the many ways to utilize both appropriately.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Last season we dedicated an entire episode (#40) to living Under the Moon Cycle and during that episode, Tonya vowed to try some intention setting, manifesting and just basic emotional tracking according to the cycle of the moon. In this weeks episode the ladies revisit the moon cycle and go over Tonya’s personal findings to try and answer the question: “Does it work?”
Connecting with nature is so important and connecting with the moon cycle is just one of the many ways in which we sync with nature in profound ways.
Self-study, connecting with nature, and setting conscious intentions and goals is what this episode is about. Give us a listen and leave a review.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Chronic Pelvic Pain (CPP) is a pain in the area below the belly button and between the hips lasting six months or longer. CPP can be its own condition or symptoms of another disease. Treatment is symptomatic abortive therapy to reduce acute exacerbation. CPP is a problem for health care providers because it is misunderstood and poorly managed. CPP has an unclear etiology, complex natural history and inadequate response to treatment plans of care. There is currently little research on yoga therapy and CPP. CPP has an unclear etiology, complex natural history and poor response to treatment plans of care.
Today Kim and Tonya discuss the many facets of Chronic Pelvic Pain and how Yoga Therapy can help.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Today Kim and Tonya chat with Katie Valley, Certified Holistic Nutritionist and Registered Health & Nutrition Practitioner about Intuitive Eating, breaking away from a diet culture that promotes disordered eating habits and developing a healthy relationship with food. Katie is based in Ann Arbor, MI but works with individuals everywhere, creating personalized, realistic and achievable plans for implementing real change and achieving health and lifestyle goals that last.
For more information about Katie, please visit:
https://www.katievalleywellness.com
Social Media:
IG: https://www.instagram.com/katievalleywellness/
FB:https://www.facebook.com/katievalleywellness1/
Check out her current courses and free content:
30 Day Group Program: https://www.katievalleywellness.com/nourish30
Free Healthy Habits Challenge: https://www.katievalleywellness.com/healthy-habits-challenge
Free Fall Recipe Book: https://www.katievalleywellness.com/subscribe
Or Schedule a Free Call: https://katievalleywellness.practicebetter.io/#/5b6f1d5d67c6b91a74c72981/bookings?s=5c1e384d627d79123850215c&step=date
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Hippie is a term synonymous with the 1960s. In Europe Amsterdam was the hippie capital. The Netherlands had a reputation of a country with widespread tolerance and openness. The United States had Woodstock.
Do these ideas of love, freedom, and joy still hold true today?
Early in Kim’s career of starting Mind-Body Balance, she had a young vibrant creative photographer say you’re a sophisticated hippie. Not sure what that was she seemed to embrace it and agree with her.
Some criteria that seem to be a common thread among the modern-day hippie are;
-that all living organisms have a spirit
-connection with nature
-finding peace with consumerism and capitalism
-reducing exposure to media
-living sustainably
-prioritize living over financial wealth
-schooling alternatives
-flexible schedules
-barefoot footwear
-sit on the floor more because sitting in a chair for long periods of time doesn’t feel good in the body
-when they learn something they tend to travel to the source and learn it experiential
-take vacations off the grid and in silence
-a slower pace of life
-they see opportunities and possibilities everywhere and understand they have choices
-they follow their hearts and understand there is no prescribed path
-the tendency toward LAT- Living Apart Together -relationships
-approach everyone with a smile and as a friend
-looking for freedom to move whichever way they want
-in an age of segregation, they enjoy meeting people of like-minded souls.
-a universal goal of love and peace
Are we so disconnected from our environments that we no longer care about nature, eating poison for food, are we all in burnout, are we only surviving?
Today the ladies have a fun chat about the hopes and values of what was once considered the “counter culture” and what those might mean today.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
While many, many women have been mentors, teachers, role models, and supportive advisories and we gratefully honor them all, this episode takes a peak at a few of those that stand out as non family members who helped to influence and shape the women we’ve become.
Reflecting back on people who made a difference in your life is a nice gratitude practice. Taking time for reflection, in general, can be healing, inspiring, and refreshing. When was the last time that you just held the thought of someone fondly in your mind and appreciated what their relationship (no matter how brief) meant to you? Kim and Tonya share just a few of there stories.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Kim has heard elders in her family say this “If at first you don’t succeed, try doing it the way your wife told you!” We laugh at this statement, but she wonders - What are we really saying here? That men are a bit incompetent? That they’re overgrown children that still need women to channel them into being men and functional adults? That woman aren't satisfied until we have someone to nag? That we’ll end up weary but at least the job will get done? In reality, this attitude is one where neither gender wins.
Today Tonya and Kim discuss emotional labor, gender expectations, and mindfulness in relationships of all types.
Gemma Hartly, Fed Up https://www.amazon.com/Fed-Up-Emotional-Labor-Forward/dp/0062855980/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=fed+up+book&qid=1571695635&sr=8-1
https://www.calmmoment.com/wellbeing/how-to-avoid-mental-overload-and-share-out-chores-equally/
Waechter, R. L., & Wekerle, C. (2015). Promoting resilience among maltreated youth using meditation, yoga, tai chi and qigong: A scoping review of the literature. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 32(1), 17-31.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
It’s time for a fun one guys! Looking back on past episodes, the word “power” shows up a lot and when we took a good look around, that word is VERY common in our lexicon.
Is the word power just a current buzzword in our zygest?
Is it just a marketing term that gets thrown around to “sell” something?
Is it just in the health and wellness community that this word is seemingly overused?
Or has the word power always been used so often and in so many ways?
Tune in this week and see how Kim and Tonya answered these questions.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
As defined by Leo Kanner back in 1943, children with autism have an innate inability to form the usual biologically provided affective contact with people. He suggested that individuals with autism have difficulty reacting to the input of new stimuli encountered on a daily basis and that they live in a world of sameness and aloneness, which if disturbed, causes them to fall into a major panic that does not cease until removal of the perturbation agent. These days, it is well known that a dysfunction of the GABAnergic signaling early in a child's development leads to a server excitation/inhibition imbalance in neuronal circuits, which may be responsible for some of the behavioral deficits observed in individuals on the autism disorder spectrum.
Today Kim and Tonya discuss the benefits of yoga therapy for Autism Spectrum Disorder as Kim shares her personal experience working with ASD clients and on on her 2017 research proposal on the topic presented at the annual MUIH research symposium and a recent Symposium for Yoga Research (SYR) at Kripalu.
ASD is associated with behavioral deficits and anxiety. Increasing tolerance in reacting to and managing the input of new stimuli encountered daily are essential components to improve function in everyday life. Abnormal sensory processing deficits may contribute to the lack of socialization and connection with others and is proposed to have correlated with low vagal tone. Yoga interventions have been found to help with vagal tone, anxiety, in ASD and to have benefits in self-regulation for Psychological health. However, no studies have addressed yoga’s effects on tolerance, resilience, regulation of sensory processing, socialization and connection in those with ASD.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Welcome back to season 2! WTLG has undergone a great deal of growth and change in the last year and we feel so privileged to be building this community of Couragitarians.
Today we revisit season one, sharing clips from some of our top downloaded and most favorite episodes. We've also made a few formatting changes and reintroduce our Patreon page as a place for our listeners to support the show. This was such a fun episode to record and prepare for you and we hope you enjoy this little trip down memory lane.
Featuring clips from:
Episode 46: Dr. Timothy McCall
Episode 1: A Small Step
Episode: 49 This is Your Brain on Drugs
Episode 37: Ann Swanson
Episode 19: Steffany Moonaz
Episode 59: Bravery and Facing Fear
Episode 32: Coming Home to Yourself
Episode 16: Musculoskeletal Conditions part 3 - Shoulders
Episode 44: Stress and Disease part 5 - the Immune and Nervous Systems
https://www.patreon.com/wherethelotusgrows
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Part of the human experience is finding balance between our relationships and our personal passions. One way to find balance is to identify and hold boundaries. Additionally, find grace and acceptance in the present moment of your situation because it is likely to be temporary. Self study and finding your “enough” to know and ask for what you want and need in your closest relationships and accepting the boundaries of others can facilitate that sense of balance we’re all searching for.
Today the discuss the balance dilemma and ways in which to find a healthy ground for loving your relationships and growing your passions.
This is the final episode of Season1! Thank you to all of our #Couragitarians for listening and supporting. We hope you continue to enjoy our content in Season 2 coming soon!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
So, every once in a while, Tonya and Kim like to have a purely anecdotal episode to just chat and share some personal stories. This is one of those episodes. We hope you enjoying.
In this episode the ladies share few personal stories in which they faced a life change head-on despite fear, acted bravely and how it shaped them. Tonya talks about learning that her first pregnancy would result in having a child that would need certain accommodations for the rest of his life. Kim shares a story of dealing with an eating disorder throughout her teen’s and 20’s as a result of controlling something in her life when life was out of control.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Grief and loss aren’t always associated with death. Grieving can occur anytime something is lost, given up or walked away from. Sometimes loss comes out of nowhere and sometimes we find unexpected grief even though we walked away from an experience or person with confidence it was the best possible choice.
Today Kim and Tonya talk about the process of grief and the different types of losses we all experience.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Treating chronic disease and injury is never as straightforward as treating a bacterial infection. It requires close evaluation of setups, compensations and consequences. Healing involves more than waiting for tissues to repair themselves and often requires tremendous mental and emotional stamina and resilience as well.
Today Kim and Tonya talk about the lesser discussed components of healing from illness or injury from a whole person prospective.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Today Kim and Tonya are so excited to share this discussion with Amy Wheeler, PhD! This "getting dirty & growing strong" interview covers, stepping up and speaking truth, the role of diversity in leadership, and some very exciting advancements in the Optimal State Programs and the future of Yoga Therapy.
Amy Wheeler, Ph.D. is a Professor of Kinesiology at California State University, San Bernardino for 20+ years. Amy's degrees include a B.A. and M.A. in Health Promotion and a Ph.D. in Education and Psychology. Amy has travelled to India many times and was certified to teach Yoga/ Yoga Therapy in the Tradition of T. Krishnamacharya. Before that, she was certified by several other internationally recognized Yoga and Yoga Therapy Training Programs. Amy also helped the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA) set standards for Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy. Amy is the Founder and Director of Optimal State of Living Programs, which provides both Yoga and Yoga Therapy Training Programs. She served as the President of the Board of Directors for the International Association of Yoga Therapist (2018-2020). See www.AmyWheeler.com for details.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
We’ve all been shaped by people before us, generations and individuals whose paved the way for us to become who we are/define ourselves, and hopefully, in turn allow us to do the same for others. In today’s episode we want to discuss mentor-ships, inspirational figures, and talks about why it's important to routinely reflect, and give credit to people who helped us become us.
Today Tonya and Kim discuss needing and being mentors, and the women who have guided them most.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Why are you afraid to shine your light? Fear of success? Fear of your power? Jesus said in his sermon on the mount “Let your light shine before all men, that they may see your good works. Do not put your light under a bushel” Don’t lie afraid that you’ll overshadow other people with our light, because if you have the courage to shine, you subconsciously give others in your environment permission to do the same thing. As we do the work to grow we liberate ourselves from our own fears and that presence naturally liberates others to do the same.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
What is a ritual? From the late 16th century used as an adjective from the word rite a body of customary observances characteristics of a social custom, practice or conventional act. Rituals allow for connection with self or others, a time to catch up, to share wisdom stories, take off your armor for a moment, confirms your existence. The real meditation is how you live your life!
Today Kim and Tonya discuss rituals, particularly in the form of self care, and how this form of mindfulness can turn the mundane into meaningful, contemplative practices.
Loving rituals put you back in the present. Are you simply moving through your day, without fully living?Today is prepping for tomorrow, today is the main event.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Equanimity is when we have mental calmness, composure and evenness of temper, especially in a difficult situation. In Latin it means even mind/soul. Aequanimatas aequus=even and animus = mind/soul as a psychological stability and composure which is undisturbed by experience of or exposure to emotions, pain, or other phenomena that may cause others to lose the balance of their mind.
In episode 51, the ladies discuss the how’s and why’s to finding balance in life; practice not perfection in seeking mind/body harmony.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
As you grew up do you remember being around women who modeled true sisterhood for you? Do you have a woman who ended up being a lifelong mentor for you?
Usually these woman model ways for you to feel beautiful and powerful, to challenge you to stop playing small and hold space for you to blossom into the fullest expression of yourself. What if instead of doing things alone, we came together in a sisterhood with many incredible women by your side? Women supporting women, and lifting one another up.
Today Kim and Tonya discuss the importance of female friendships, why the catty, jealous female trope is often perpetuated and what it could mean for our future if we were more supportive of our sisters.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Kim and Tonya have had many conversations about drugs. Much of this particular conversation started over discussions about cannabis, differentiation between CBD and THC and the legalization of marijuana (MJ) for recreational use in their state of Michigan. Then Tonya started reading a book....
Today the ladies discuss the different uses for marijuana & psychedelics including medicinal and spiritual purposes. As practioners that work with populations seeking relief from mental and physical pain, they share in the general excitement of the health and wellness community regarding the uses of these drugs, particularly the ones derived from nature, as options to replace pharmaceuticals for anxiety, depression, and opioid pain medication.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Ayurvedic medicine says that the body is held together by sound and that the presence of disease means that a body is not in harmony. Sound healing is the therapeutic application of sound vibration with the intention of creating a state of health and harmony.
Today the ladies discuss the singing bowl and the healing powers of sound.
A sound bath is designed to flood the bather in the harmonious sound of the singing bowl vibrations. A sound bath is like a water massage. Considering our bodies are 70% water and that vibrations travel faster though water, the vibrations created by at least 3 bowls or more massage the body creating resonance in all of the cells.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
It is now common knowledge that there are various types of trauma and various sources of PTSD or Developmental Trauma Disorder (DTD). Childhood trauma/War trauma/Isolated traumatic event (car accident, witnessing death/shooting, violent crime, etc.)
About 7.7 million Americans 18+ suffer from PTSD and about 3 million children.
Because trauma affects the body physically, a bottom up treatment is a more effective approach to PTSD and trauma. A carefully designed trauma sensitive yoga therapy session can provide a safe environment for someone who is traumatized/ has heightened sympathetic response. By experiencing bodily sensations and learning to release tension, one can begin to cultivate new response patterns.
Today, the ladies finish their series on stress and disease by discussing the role of trauma and PTSD on the whole person, and how embodied treatment modalities influence treatment.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Today Kimberly and Tonya talk with Dr. Timothy McCall about his latest book, Saving My Neck: A Doctor’s East/West Journey through Cancer.
Timothy McCall, MD is a board-certified internist, Yoga Journal's medical editor since 2002 and the author of the Amazon #1 bestseller Yoga as Medicine: The Yogic Prescription for Health and Healing. He practiced medicine in the Boston area for a dozen years before devoting himself full-time in the late 1990s to yoga therapy. He has studied with many of the world's leading yoga teachers including BKS Iyengar and TKV Desikachar. In 2005, Timothy began his studies with a traditional Ayurvedic doctor, Chandukutty Vaidyar, and spent more than a year at his clinic in Kerala, India.
DrMcCall.com
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
The divisiveness of current popular culture suggests hard lines are dividing humans around the world but reality is so much more complex.
Today, Tonya and Kim get vulnerable about some things they feel very passionate about; inclusion, acceptance, equality, the desire to learn about others and share what they have learned. The ladies talk: finding compassion during difficult conversations, acknowledging privilege, speaking their truth, REALLY listening, and why its more important to do the work and participate in dialogue than it is to be "polite" and stay quiet.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Autoimmune disorders are often mysterious conditions in which the body’s immune system “misfires” and begins to attack its own tissues. There are scores of autoimmune diseases out there. Some of the most well-known include rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, multiple sclerosis, lupus, and type 1 diabetes. Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue are included in this category as well because research indicates their root cause is a nervous system dis-regulation specifically, in the HPA-axis causing widespread, unexplained pain and sensitivity along with a variety of other symptoms.
Many of these diseases/ dysfunctions are exacerbated by stress, and some research even indicates a strong correlation between childhood trauma or prolonged stress and autoimmune/nervous system dysfunctions.
Today the Ladies discuss the ways in which Yoga Therapy and other mind body practices can help reduce stress and help serve those with immune/nervous system conditions.
Yoga therapy uses the Pancamaya Model of healing and can assist healing at multiple layers of a potions being and to outline clinical division making and rationale of the proposed treatment plan.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
All gemstones have one thing in common: they originated from the hot magma, which the inside of the earth is composed of. Thousands of years, heating, cooling, gradual movement and displacement have formed stones, rocks and even high mountains. The continuous process of geologic change causes rocks and minerals of various kinds to come into being.
Today the Kim and Tonya dig deep into the word of healing stones and crystals.
A stone’s healing power depends upon a number of factors: how it is recovered, whether it comes into contact with acids or liquids in which crystals can grow. The therapeutic use of gems is not a new or alternative healing method. The art of healing with stones is thousands of years hold. Crystals respond to the natural electrical vibrations of the cells in the body physically, helping to harmonize stimulate, or relax as required to restore homeostasis, the body’s innate equilibrium to which it constantly seeks to return.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Today the ladies share another conversation about business and entrepreneurship in the field of Wellness, Bodywork, and fitness. This time a closer look at what these types of jobs may look like. The differences between being an independent contractor and owning your own facility. There are definitely pros and cons to both styles of business and it will really depend on your stage of life and what level of time and money you are able to commit to its growth. We’ve just scraped the surface on this topic.
What does money look like for you? What is your enough? How are these fields changing? Fitness and health based business are growing and thriving. More and more people are seeking to be proactive in their health, fitness, stress reduction because our lifestyles are requiring it more and more.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Who are your true soulmates? With some people you feel such a profound connection that you wonder if you have known each other in previous lives. Can it be true? What is a soul mate, and is it compatible with having a kindred spirit or a twin soul? Can you have only one, or are there more soulmates out there for you?
Today the ladies discuss the idea of soulmates and what it means to be profoundly connected to others.
All people and animals are each other’s soulmates so in short, everyone is your soulmate, all 7 billion people on the plant plus the countless billions that once lived and will live in the future. You are a kindred spirit to everything that lives, the entire universe and all the stars and planets. When you feel this you feel complete and you have united the masculine and feminine in your own souls and you value all relationships.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Despite it's modest appearance, the moon has a rhythm and that rhythm has a great influence on us, mentally and physically. A proper balance between solar and lunar energy makes the whole body more balanced. The sun isn’t two complex, it is either on or off and you can get burnt if you stay out in it too long. Pretty straight forward. The moon has a different face everyday, it waxes, wanes, shines or hides. You may feel the moon's energy consciously or unconsciously. What exactly is it that the moon does to us?
Today Kimberly and Tonya discuss the phases of the moon, and the many ways it impacts our daily lives.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Today's episode was inspired by story about Forest Bathing boosting the immune system and the evidence a greener childhood is associated with a happier adult hood. There is more and more scientific evidence backing up the importance of getting out into nature to improve the parasympathetic (relaxation) response, reduce stress hormones, and encourages healthy movement in ways that going to the gym just can't.
Tonya and Kim have fun discussing all the ways they like to get out into nature, farm life, survival skills, and the meditative quality of learning to do things "from scratch." They encourage listeners to share their hobbies and bucket lists related to the whys and hows of learning and doing things the old fashioned way.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
The stress response itself begins in the brain. When we sense danger or dread the information is processed and the distress signal is sent via the autonomic nervous system to the hormone centers of the body resulting in a cascade of stress related hormones throughout. Under prolonged/chronic stress, these hormones affect our overall health and can contribute to weight gain and disease like diabetes. Yoga Therapy and other mind/body modalities can improve parasympathetic response, reduce stress and improve health.
Today the ladies talk about stress and the endocrine system; the different effects stress hormones can have on our health, including weight gain and diabetes, and the many ways in which we can reduce stress.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Ann is a yoga therapist, mind-body science educator, and author of Science of Yoga. She is part science nerd and part heart-based spiritual nerd. Ann supports people living in living healthier, more joyful lives by making wellness non-intimidating and accessible to everybody.
Today the ladies talk to Ann about her “getting dirty, growing strong” story, and the challenges, triumphs, and serendipity of becoming an author. Her book, Science of Yoga is available now!
With a Master of Science in yoga therapy and roots studying yoga in India and qi gong China, Ann uniquely applies cutting-edge research to mind-body practices while maintaining the heart of the traditions. She internationally speaks and teaches on the science supporting yoga’s benefits to both the public and yoga professionals. In her private practice, Ann specializes in helping busy people worldwide relieve pain (like from back pain and arthritis), manage stress, and find ease through one-on-one online yoga therapy online.
Specialties: Yoga for Arthritis + Chronic Pain Relief • Research Science Supporting Yoga • Neuroplasticity + Mindfulness • Accessible Yoga • Office Yoga
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Remaining aware of our speech is difficult. It is difficult to stay in the moment. We have thoughts, which are the brain's movement. They are manifestation of our being but are not necessarily who we are .
Today the ladies discuss the concept of watching your words, speaking from truth but attempting to do so in a non violent way. As our culture becomes more and more hyperbolic, we can decide to choose our words more carefully.
We are always communicating our words, speech, writing, body language, facial expressions, tone of voice, physical actions, our thoughts are all part of communication. We have a choice to create beautiful thoughts, speech and actions. Communication is what we put into the world and it remains after we have left it. You can say that communication bears our signature. By using compassionate speech today it can help you heal the past, enjoy the present, and prepare the ground for a good future.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
The stories we tell ourselves are most often ego and desire driven, often from a place of lack, and usually subconscious which means we don't even think about them as stories. These stories can be both good (when derived from a healthy belief or open/flexible mindset) or bad (when self limiting and rigid) but when we get stuck in story, it can be truly ugly.
Join Kim and Tonya as they discuss the power of story, how not to get too caught up in it, and the potential to rewrite it.
Practices to shift our stories, recognize when they are destructive, limiting, even false/delusional - negative/ bad & ugly.
When we can recognize our narratives as “stories” we have a tremendous power to heal.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Mantras have a profound, healing power, it is an exchange of energy that feels like you are floating in a spiritual river. Music today talks about emotions and events. Mantras are a time to allow your cells to have a language of energy that provides connection to something larger. It is the vibration that is different.
Join Tonya and Kim today as they discuss the many different ways in which mantra and sound can be helpful, motivating, and healing.
“Mantra, literally meaning ‘saving the mind,’ a mantra is a creative sound considered expressive of the deepest essence of things and understanding, so its repetition can evoke in a formulaic or even magical way a state of enlightenment or positive energy.” Robert Thurman
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
STRESS! It's an all too familiar term. Today Kim and Today introduces a new series on Stress and Disease. Every few weeks they will take a deeper dive into the effects of stress on the different systems of the body.
This week's episode kicks off with the cardiovascular system, as prolonged stress is commonly linked to heart disease. The stress hormones (discussed in detail in the next stress and disease episode), particularly the pituitary and adrenal cortical hormones are also responsible for mediating damaging cardiovascular stress. Not only can this stress can accelerate atherosclerosis and coronary occlusion, we often find seek to soothe our stress in ways that negatively effect our cardiovascular health, such as overeating, drinking, or smoking. Learn how self care and yoga therapy techniques can help to reduce stress and make a positive impact on cardiovascular health. For more resources visit wherethelotusgrows.com
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
It is hard to do inner work when the mind is frazzled from the days activities. Stop, Be still, Take a deep breath, Check in.
Coming home to yourself is stopping the outwardly attention and turning inwardly to your thoughts, feelings, physical sensations (jaw, chest, belly, hips, etc.). It is about taking a personal interested in what matters to you. Today the ladies revisit self care and talk about slowing down and checking in with the self.
Take some time to be where your feet are.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Closer to your true self - in yoga therapy we teach people to breath, to walk, to move and unintentionally the client turns it into a spiritual journey. Actually we brought them closer to their true selves by slowing them down to hear their own inner wisdom.
When you sit down to mediate it is not a compulsory routine it is a visit with the invite universe the essence of your existence and to let the love flow through you. When you have daily routines it allows you to learn to listen more and more to your inner voice. Letting go is the hardest thing but if you dare to leap the light will shine again.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
More and more it seems people are branching out on to their own to work for themselves, taking their side hustle mainstream or deciding to take their passion project to the next level. With the availability of low cost internet marketing it seems easier than ever to launch a business from your home. For many of us, pursuing our passion means seeking something more intentional and meaningful than working for others. Additionally, the outdated road map to success, high school + college = job/career for life, doesn't really fit the modern model. Currently, the average American will work twelve different jobs in their lifetime and it's pretty safe to assume not all of these jobs are ones we’re passionate about, or even related to our field of interest. How many of us stopped or stalled pursuing passions to follow the “safe/secure” job, the career path our parents suggested we follow, or just fell into something that paid just enough to keep up with the Jones’s.
Today Kim and Tonya discuss the movement of Mindful Entrepreneurship and the idea of seeking success through passion, respect, and being of service.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Heather Glidden is a holistic fitness provider, bodyworker, meditation, life and business coach, studio owner and author of How to Thrive in Your Healing Business. Today the ladies talk to Heather about the connection between movement and healing, some of her personal struggles and triumphs on the journey to becoming a healing entrepreneur, and the importance of listening to your body and caring your yourself in order to really be of service to others. If you’re in the business of healing or caretaking, today's episode is a MUST listen!
Heather is continually amazed by the transformative power of movement in her own body and the bodies of others. This potential for transformation has been the driving force behind her work since she began teaching in 2004, and it is the primary inspiration for this studio.
Her training has taken her around the world, studying with top instructors including Gyrotonic Method creator Juliu Horvath. She believes that true health is multi-dimensional, and she works with each client to discover how their movement training can best serve their overall wellness.
Her extensive training and detailed knowledge of anatomy, combined with years of experience, allow her to work with a wide variety of clients. Her experience includes work with athletes and dancers as well as those with shoulder and neck pain, scoliosis, spine issues of many varieties, hip replacement, foot and ankle issues, knee pain, and stroke recovery.
Each client has unique needs, and Heather creatively combines her full range of skills in every session. Heather’s sessions use the Gyrotonic methodology as their framework but may also incorporate elements of massage, Pilates, or life coaching as indicated.
Heather is also a licensed Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis pre-trainer under master trainer Lisa Lansing. She is honored to have this opportunity to share the joy of the Gyrotonic method with new instructors.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Have you ever slipped up and having it cost you everything? It is humbling to remember that we are human beings after all. A conversation about hard lessons goes with any life story. The essence of yoga is connectedness to the self and others. When you live yoga you feel loved, supported and fell a sense of purpose. Having a yoga community and friends that have stumbled onto a similar path can be incredibly helpful in maintaining resilience through difficult times. Perhaps the practice of yoga’s precepts, a greater willingness to share in vulnerability and a desire understand the nature of human suffering, makes many yogi’s tremendous friends and allies.
Join Kim and Tonya in today's discussion about yoga friendships, community and being a perfectly flawed human in a field where some people want to put you on the guru pedestal.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Commitment is defined as the state or quality of being dedicated to a cause, activity, relationship to be loyal to someone or something, a promise to do or give something
In order to accomplish anything in life it requires that you make a commitment whether that is to yourself, someone else, a business, a project etc. The only way to build a strong social network is your ability to make a commitment. You can look at it in three areas Relationships : who you spend your time with; Places : where you spend your time; and Activity : What you do with your time. It is a struggle to manage all three of these areas well. Why is making a commitment easier for some and harder for others? If you are struggling in one area or perhaps all areas how do you start to affect change and move forward with commitment?
Join Tonya and Kim in their discussion on all forms of commitment, the relationship between commitment and fear and how commitment can drive your goals as well as your relationships.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Are you tripping or stripping? Do you strive to be a life-long-learner? Mastery is a fluid and consistent practice. Listen to this honest account on how Tonya and Kim came face to face with their ego while creating this podcast.
Bonus material - this episode is extra long because it's actually TWO episodes in one.
Stick around because the whole second half is audio from a session this summer when Tonya and Kim discovered they didn’t have as much information as they thought. Sharing both episodes provides a little behind the scenes footage and illustrates the process of “getting dirty” through growth. Additionally, it's been a meditation on their own ego work to release both recordings. Turns out, it wasn't terrible.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
How is your neck feeling right now?
Are you plagued by neck pains that you would like to alleviate?
Would you like to discover their root?
A quick google search shows that the masses are suffering from neck pain, neck strain, neck and upper back, neck alignment, neck pain and headache. Neck pain is a common grievance. Aside from local pain, it can be responsible for nausea, migraine, and headaches. Most neck pain can be alleviated with the help of learning improved posture, improved flexibility and become aware of relevant psychological factors. Fear, mental inflexibility, stubbornness, anger and discontent reside in the neck.
Today the ladies discuss the anatomy and physiology of the neck, physical and emotional components to neck pain and a few tips to find relief.
Please visit our blog for references and resources mentioned on this episode.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Hippocrates, Ancient Greek physician and the “Father of Medicine,” is often quoted as stating, “let thy food be thy medicine.” However, changes to our way of eating over the last 60+ years has contributed more to the cause of many diseases and health conditions than prevention. Today Tonya and Kim look at diet related conditions and discuss how even small changes in diet and nutrition could contribute to overall improved health. For some, food/diet is a hot button issue. For the ladies, making whole food choices and striving for balance is the primary goal.
Check out the show notes at wherethelotusgrows.com for more information and references discussed in this episode.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Kim and Tonya journey through the senses through the bounties of Mother Earth. Discussion ranges from aromatherapy to getting out into nature.
Aromatherapy is a concentrated energy in the shape of a scent. Essential or ethereal oils consist of the concentrate of hundreds of petals, plant parts or tree resins obtained by steam distillation or a pressed then bottled. The olfactory nerve is in direct contact with the brain. The mucus membrane in our noses can discern tens of thousands of different scent molecules. Our emotional memory is particularly sensitive to scent.
Breathing in the mildness of nature and breathe out stress.
The word natural calls up visions of green for Kim. But as an acquaintance once said to her plants, mushrooms and animals come in all colors of the rainbow let children paint and draw in all colors. The earliest proof of the use of natural colors are cave paintings in ochre and charcoal from 40,000 years ago.
Unadulterated nature is the best provider, herbs, mood enhancers, scents, colors, healing, warming and comfort all of these resources are treasures.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
History of Mudra: Hand gestures have been in every culture and can be seen with a quick trip to the DIA. Civilizations such as Ancient Egyptians, Romans, Greeks, Persians, Aborigines in Australia, Ancient Indians and Chinese, Africans, Turks, Fijians, Mayan Cultures, Inuit, Native American all used hand gestures.
Today, the handshake, the peace sign, applause, the index finger shake, a raised flat hand to single to stop and so it goes are highly common ways in which the hands are used to communicate. There are many takes on hand gestures, for example: reflexology points in the hand, communication such as sign language, many gestures are universal and date back thousands of years. In the yoga realm we call them mudras.
Today Kim and Tonya discuss the philosophy and science behind mudra and the may ways in which they can be used.
It is important to remember that when using holistic tools and a means to support your physical and emotional being that it takes consistent practice over a bombers of weeks, months and years.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
What have you dragged into your life? Objections, collections, boxes, regret, impeding thoughts, fabrication......
Today the ladies discuss letting go and starting again! Life is a winding road we are human beings, we have bodies, thoughts, habitual thought patterns, worries and letting go and moving on is part of a road that takes two steps forward and sometimes a step back. Life isn’t a straight line and once you accept this life become simpler.
-How do you define clutter? Clutter isn’t Powell’s of objects alone. When you do a creative project you need clutter for the mind to work freely, to play in like a kid plays in a sandbox. Clutter is more than objects, it is your thoughts and emotions that keep you from living your best self.
-When you have a pile of stuff and it is limiting your view then you need to do something about it whether it is a pile of limiting beliefs or a pile of objects.
Clutter is not your enemy it is your teacher!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Common conditions knee pain, knees, knee arthritis, replacement, bursitis, injury, deformity, and lack of blood flow. Additionally hyper-extension, tight muscles, and pronation/supination in the feet.
Anatomy of the knee and surrounding muscle groups.
Emotional and spiritual components related to knees and knee pain. The knees enable movement and allow us to stand tall in the world. Knees align with pride self righteous, arrogance, ego but also associated with grace and surrender. Bended knees represent humility, or released and expresses emotions.
Yoga and other movement based therapies help by stretching and strengthening the tissue around the joint and help support, as injury prevention, preparation for surgery, etc.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
We are very excited to share our recent conversation with Dr. Steffany Moonaz, author of Yoga Therapy for Arthritis, a whole person approach to movement and lifestyle. In addition to promoting her book (available for pre-order now at yogaforarthritis.com and on amazon), Steffany discusses her own #gettingdirtyandgrowingstrong story about the auto accident and subsequent after effects, (including a TBI) that continue to shape her life and work.
Steffany Moonaz, PhD, C-IAYT is a yoga researcher and yoga therapist serving as the Director of Clinical and Academic Research at the Maryland University of Integrative Health. Based on her years of practice and research, she founded Yoga for Arthritis, an organization that trains yoga professionals to work safely and effectively with arthritic populations.
As always, we love to hear from you #couragitarians!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Have you struggled with the phrase “Patience is a virtue”?
Is Patience an innate quality? Why is it important? Is it a skill that can be learned?
-Patience is the opposite of annoyance, complaint, loss of temper, irritation, willingness to suppress restlessness.
-Patience is an important tool in overcoming frustration and allows us to suspend judgement long enough to make informed decisions, thus paving the path to a happy and peaceful life.
Have you ever worked for a patient leader and one with a short fuse. Patience is a virtue you work on but as such it is not just a skill that can be learned. You can however learn what triggers your impatience and mange this reaction so you have an option to respond and to honor your intention.
-Patience is a state of being that occurs between experience and reaction. It is learning tools that help you deal with delays and obstacles.
-Practicing patience with yourself! What does it mean to be patient with myself? What benefits would I experience by being patient with myself? What can I do to become more patient with myself?
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Let's look at the idea that you can manifest your dreams through intentions and positive thinking.
- A technique most recently brought to pop culture by Rhonda Byrne's The Secret, although Abraham and Esther Hicks teach similar techniques with the Law of Attraction. (Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich)
-Other common phrases are “Act as if”, “Raise your vibration”, “Embrace quantum physics”
-Optimism and clear goals can go a long way for achieving your wildest dreams, the piece that perhaps maybe missing is action.
-Stepping out of your comfort zone and doing what it takes to achieve the goal.
-Jim Carrey, JK Rowling, Oprah are all examples of people who have worked hard to "manifest" their dreams.
-It is important to project, accept, not think from a place of scarcity or lack, but to also take proactive steps toward your goals.
-A conscious movement despite failures/ setbacks is what drives success, not magical thinking.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Tension is misinterpreted movement.
A narrow definition of tension is a place in the body that feels tight, hard, hurts is knotted or cramped. Think of it as being an emotional root causes not being addressed and the portion of the body where movement should be however there isn’t proper circulation getting there and it is becoming stagnate and tension is occurring.
Tension can become a habit. You may also pick tension up from your environment absorbing other people’s tension, we are tired, stressed out, etc. It is important to insure your own relaxation is deep enough so that nothing in your environment disturbs it. Shoulders are where we carry the weight of the world, our relatives, the work we are doing.The shoulders get tense and rigid when you are not expressing your real needs, when you are doing something you would rather not be doing, when you feel you have too much to do, when you feel scared or reaching out and wanting to pull back into the safety of doing nothing.
In this episode the ladies discuss the anatomy and physiology of the shoulder, the tension we often hold there and ways to find relief from shoulder pain.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Seva is most often defined as selfless service.
When we engage in selfless service we may experience reduction of emotional disturbance, greater longevity, stress reduction, improved morale, increased self-confidence and self-esteem, better health and pain reduction and a greater sense of overall happiness.
Kim and Tonya discuss ways in which we can be of service to others when time, money or other resources are limited and encourage listeners to think outside of the box when it comes to being of service to fellow man.
Coincidentally, this episode is released the day before Thanksgiving. Serving and gratitude go hand in hand. We wish all of you a happy Thanksgiving and hope you know how truly appreciative we are of your listener-ship.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Today the ladies talk about meta meditation, cultivating compassion and Kim introduces Kwan Yin.
Meta is a Buddhist concept that stands for loving kindness and goes along with the yoga word samsara which is the cycle of ignorance and suffering.
Kwan Yin is probably 2500 years ago and originated before Buddhism but is known as a goddess in China. She is a metaphorical figure that is about mercy and solace, charity and friendship, compassion and empathy these are all characteristics used to describe her and a meta meditation.
Samsara is a thinking error it is informative and forever going around in circles. Have you ever pined for one thing and resented another. Reality collides with our desires and expectations and we run into the same walls time and again. This is where the meta or compassion is found where the flowers of mercy, solace, charity, friendship, compassion and empathy can bloom in our souls. Compassion is like a muscle you train it needs training in order to grow strong.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Living by our to do lists going from one task to another makes it even difficult to focus on only one type of energy.
This week Kim and Tonya discuss finding balance and connecting to your core energy as it helps you balance the yin and yang of life.
-Are you quick to handle things on your own vs asking for support?
-Are you caring for others and not allowing enough space to allow them to return the favor?
-If you have no boundaries or goal setting strategies you end up working in circles and all efforts are futile. It is important to plug into life’s energy and unplug from everything else.
-Getting in touch with your energy gives you a place to ground and restore your being.
-Self-care gives you balance and the ability to keep going. Each day ask yourself “Have I done one thing for myself today?”
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
The ladies look a some of the most common reasons individuals come to yoga for hip and pelvic floor related conditions. Specifically looking at common searches revealing hip pain, bursitis, flexors, flexibility, hip replacement, back pain and arthritis. For the pelvis there is pain the pelvic floor, pain, tilt, inflammatory disease, during after pregnancy pain. Discussions include:
-Hip is a ball and socket joint. It is the strongest joint in the body and only out mobilized by the shoulder. The hip is made for stability and weight bearing.
-Male vs. Female pelvis: The sciatic notch is widener in the female pelvis, which is more oval, thinner, shorter and denser. The male pelvis has a long narrow sacrum and is more heart shaped, heavier, taller and thicker. The male coccyx or tailbone is curved in while the female coccyx is almost straight. All the differences of course are to facilitate childbirth.
-Yoga and other movement based therapies are great for understanding your anatomical needs and educating yourself, preventative medicine, self-compassion with injury recover and childbirth and acceptance of changes associated with these.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Kim and Tonya look at the current stereotypes of their generation vs. the millennial generations, explore entitlement vs. empowerment, changes in schools of thought of how to raise children, trying to be conscious and intentional parent and what it is like to raise children that are generations apart.
-Are you assuming and making generalizations in your leadership style?
-Entitlement is the belief that one is inherently deserving of privileges or special treatment.
-Empowerment is the process of becoming stronger and more confident, especially in controlling one’s life and claiming one’s rights.
-Does entitlement trigger you because you feel like it is coming from that person's ego?
-We all stand on someone else’s shoulders throughout life. Here is an example of the difference between empowered and entitled. Empowered people ask “How can I help you?” Entitled people ask “Why do I have to help?” Which do you prefer?
-Are we losing educational foundations because schools are having to become the village?
-Tips on how to develop a growth mindset
-Looking at your grit resilience
-Grit is basically your courage, resolve and character. Leadership can be lonely at times especially when you are taking a team on a new adventure or find yourself in troubled waters because let’s face it your competition can’t always swim too.
-Accountability can fuel empowerment.
-Empowerment comes from autonomy, motivation and mastery.
-Empathy is about having the sense of others emotions doubled with the ability to imagine what the other person may be thinking or feeling.
-Sympathy is feeling compassion, sorrow or pity for hardships that the another person encounters while empathy is putting yourself in their shoes.
-To flex your empathy muscle considering challenging yourself to undertake a challenging experience which pushes you out of your comfort zone, ask for feedback, examine your biases, cultivate a sense of curiosity, explore your heart instead of your head, get feedback from others, and learn to ask better questions.
-Older generations need younger generations and vice versa. Millennials need to be mentored by the older leaders to learn about grit, being uncomfortable, autonomy, and seasoned leaders need Millennials to learn about honoring the balance of global/cultural acumen, interpersonal skills and leadership impact.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
We would like to live “in the moment” but what is that moment actually?
Kim grew up on a farm and has learned to look to nature for life wisdom. The trees grow ring by ring as time shows itself in circles. We try to control time, and yet it slips through our fingers. Today the ladies ask, how can you be happy in the now?
- The busier we are the faster time seems to disappear, yet we want to hold on to time and savor it.
- There are three ways to experience the now: 1)Open your senses. What do you feel, smell, hear, see and taste? 2)Focus your attention. When you listen to someone, truly listen 3)Try to regard the now as space instead of time the space inside of you in which everything happens. You are the now!
- Is spiritual time our solution to the enigma of time?
- Life is always in the now.
- When you talk about your life or think about it, where is it exactly? Did you start pursuing your mind looking for archives that you think are your life so you can build a story around them?
- Simply be- stop aiming for enlightenment in he future and feel right now that you are in awareness that perceives things.
- Grant yourself the time to be happy! You have got this!
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
- Let’s face it, shit happens! Shit happens all the time to each and everyone of us and yet we are so often drawn toward: a)pretending you’ve got it all figured out b) thinking everyone else but us has it figured out c) curating our public image to appear as though we do have it together while we’re secretly falling apart d) stick our heads in the sand and try to ignore it all
- How can we be more authentically open about our shit as we’re handling it?
- How can we be more accepting of ourselves and others when copping isn’t as easy or graceful as we’d like it to be?
- What about when you don’t react/respond with grace/kindness?
- What do you do after you lose your shit?
- Look at losing your shit as an opportunity to grow and area of darkness to uncover and shine light into it. It is important to identify that we aren’t supposed to be this even keel of happy, comfort, and grace all the time.
- We are human beings that feel a range of emotions and life is really about finding a way to let them all in and hold space for all of them.
- Practice being as compassionate with yourself as you are with those closest to you.
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Join Kim and Tonya as they discuss slowing down, taking a breath and finding your JOY! Breath is our life force and our anchor.Cheerful is not happiness. Happiness is an emotion in which we experience feelings ranging from contentment and satisfaction.Sitting in stillness with your breath can allow you to hear the quietest voice within it is often simple things like the sun shining, breakfast, meditating, someone smiling at you, seeing a butterfly, mediation, gifts to yourself.Set a joy reminder on your phone and spark joy in yourself in the present moment.Focus on the breath- are you breathing up high, in your chest or deeper, in your stomach? Allow the breath to grow with each cycle and imagine a big smile on your belly that grows with each breath until they hole body is smiling.You are responsible for your own happiness- What are you doing to bring yourself joy? Remember happiness is an experience and not found in stuff.Daring to be happy takes guts!Happiness is a choice and you are responsible for your own emotions (no blaming) -When you allow someone else to determine your happiness you are being depends on them and giving away your power. Sometimes our ideas on what happiness should be, get in the way of happiness.Deeper inner contentment comes from the inside and in order to feel it, you have to allow yourself to open your heart and soul.Life is not perfect, it is not in our control, life is difficult and uncomfortable when you learn to accept light and dark we can learn to embrace life the way it is, and allow sour energy to be lighterSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Today, Kim & Tonya discuss Low Back Pain.LBP (Low Back Pain) is the most common pain related issue for individuals seeking movement therapies. Common causes and conditions include week core, improper use of lower back, disc herniation, disc rupture, scar tissue buildup, and stenosis, to name a few. We look at Basic Back anatomy/ function, 3 natural curves (cervical, thoracic, lumbar) - specifically, lower back pain typically concerns the lumbar and sacral spine. After the age of 25 the intervertebral discus no longer receive direct blood supply and the lumbar region has lots of space between the spinous processes and thick juicy disks that we want to keep them juicy through movement. The lumbar spine is designed to function best as weight bearing structure when the lumbar spine is in its neutral position.Yoga and other exercise therapies strengthen muscles for support, increase flexibility, re-education posture/ movement techniques, increased body awareness, decreased pain/increased understanding when working with pain.The lower back carries all the weight and responsibility of being human. It supports the weight from above and just as as we care the weight of responsibility of our world. This area also has to do with survival, security and self-support.Have you tried asking for help? Do you want to curl up and hide?Do you doubt your ability to support yourself?Yoga is a terrific tool for low back pain, understanding your anatomical needs and moving accordingly can change your life. It is also valuable preventative medicine.Find more detailed notes and resources at our website: www.wherethelotusgrows.comSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Kim and Tonya discuss different types alternative medicine, mind/bodywork and how different forms tie into current forms of integrative medicine and the allopathic model. They discuss various experiences with modalities including: Yoga Therapy, massage, myofascial release, trigger point therapy, muscle activation therapy, Thai massage, Rolfing, Hellerwork, reflexology, nutrition, acupuncture, Chinese medicine, nutrition, intuitive eating, holistic dentistry, reiki, past life regression, NLP, naturopathic doctors, cranial sacral work, hypnotherapy, herbal medicine and essential oils. There is a diverse complexity to yoga therapy and alternative modalities, Kim and Tonya tease out layers throughout their podcast progression. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Life moves so fast, yet time is a luxury and it is enough ?Back to our essence; allowing our massive egos to become a little smaller.Daily gratitude for visceral change.Basic human needs (food, shelter, clothing, education, sanitation, healthcare) and what is YOUR enough? The Heodonic Treadmill/ Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
What is it?How Can we better live with age related frailty, serious illness and approaching death?Why do we resist our lifecycle?Why not enjoy it?Rooted in Vedic Literature and developed in UpanishadsMonier Williams Describes it as “To go around, revolve, pass through a succession of states, to go towards or obtain, moving in a circuit.”Why is Savasana so hard?Can you see samsara in your own life?Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Kim and Tonya discuss the energy body; specifically the breath, its purpose outside of respiration, enhancing breath efficiency, and pranayama (breathing techniques) for a variety of situations. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
A small step may be the beginning of a great journey. Where did our journey begin?An introduction of your hosts: Kimberly Searl MS, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500, YACEP and Tonya Drew, MS, C-IAYT, ERYT 500 • What is Yoga Therapy?/What is its role in health care? • Why does it work?• How is yoga therapy different from a yoga class?• Where does yoga therapy fit in the allopathic treatment model?• What are the Kosha’s and why do yoga therapists use them?• Panchamaya Healing model relates back to the bio-psycho-social-spiritual model: What is this and what does it mean?Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)
Yoga Therapy can support a variety of disease conditions, while we cannot diagnose or fix/reverse a disease condition.• Staying with body sensations rather than shutting them off or numbing out is the first step to creating healing. Learning to honor this natural system is key to reducing suffering.• According tho American Psychological Association (APA) 75% of disease is a chronic illness and stress is the cause of chronic illness. Stress seems to worsen or increase the risk of conditions like obesity, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, depression, gastrointestinal problems and asthma.• Harvard Health’s website notes the two most common physical conditions to benefit from yoga to be back pan and arthritis. This same article notes the growing research suggesting yoga benefits those with migraines, balance and mobility issues, MS, IBD, fibromyalgia, osteoporosis and more.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=13598261)