Yoga Is Vegan: Recent Episodes

Yoga Is Vegan

Yoga Is Vegan is a podcast focused on raising awareness of the non-harm principles in the yoga community. Each episode, Yoga Is Vegan's founder Holly Skodis, interviews yogis who have chosen the vegan path.

As a corporate advisor for ethical start-ups, Margaux finds balance with her daily yoga and meditation practice. She is certified in holistic plant-based nutrition, with a focus on longevity, and has studied what the longest living people on earth have in common. Her upcoming virtual longevity summit will be a gift for mothers and families.

In this episode Yoga is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Margaux Khoury talk about Margaux's upcoming summit, Rising Mothers. They also discuss the differences between being plant-based and vegan, unschooling and eating a healthy diet.

Connect with Margaux:

LinkedIn: @ Margaux Khoury
Website: Rising Mothers Summit

Gayatri Sehgal is currently a graduate student at LMU's Yoga Studies program. They also create online content on Instagram and Youtube around intersectional anti-speciesism, Yoga philosophy, environmental justice, and their personal journey under the alias @goddessgaya. She is also on the board of the Compassion Consortium. Their spiritual practice consists of activism as an embodiment of dharma and yogic ethics, yogāsana and mindfulness, bhakti, mysticism, and of course, living the vegan lifestyle. She offers coaching for activists and aspiring vegans which can be found on the highest tier of their Patreon or by reaching out to their email: patreon.com/goddessgaya or gsehgal24@gmail.com .

In this episode Yoga is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Gayatri Sehgal discuss the following:

Bari Gratton, Meghan Maris, Courtney Ng, Gayatri Sehgal and Shuo Wang's Open letter to Yoga Alliance to Shape a Better Future for Yoga
Veganism and Caste Systems in India Brahmin Vegetarianism

Yoga Inc. Documentary
The differences between Yoga, yoga and yogasana
Modern Yoga Studies: Critical History, Anthropology and Methodology at Arihanta Academy
Connect with Gayatri Sehgal:

Instagram: @goddessgaya
Patreon:Goddessgaya
YouTube: Goddess Gaya

Lauryn Glass is a vegan animal rights activists, licensed mental health therapist and a 200 hour trained yoga teacher. She has a plant-based nutrition certification from ECornell and is raising two young healthy vegan kids (9 & 3) with her husband in the Midwest. Lauryn uses social media to share information, tips & recipes in favor of the vegan lifestyle. She hopes to provoke thought in others that will help them recognize that the desire for life, love and freedom is the same in all living beings.

Lauryn has been regularly practicing yoga since 2007 and found it to be extremely beneficial during many mental, physical & emotional personal life changes and experiences. This eventually led her to pursue her own teacher yoga training in 2018. As far as she can remember, during the years of practice in many states at many studios, with many teachers, veganism was mentioned one time - in teacher training briefly and that was it.

In December of 2019 Lauryn & her family began to shift to vegetarian eating and one afternoon in January 2021, Lauryn learned the whole truth about how animals are used and made into products and overnight, the house was vegan. Her meat loving husband came home from work and she told him he could do what he wanted but she would never be buying, eating, cooking or touching another animal product again! He has been happily vegan ever since as well.

Of course, Lauryn's own personal yoga practice was a huge part of her spiritual journey, evolution, unlearning speciesism and choice of new lifestyle, but it was not until reading the book "Yoga and Veganism," and really understanding the ins and outs of our food system, that Lauryn made the real connection that: YOGA IS VEGAN! She believes that it isn't just yoga though, it is everything that we say we are as people! We say we treat others how we want to be treated, we say we are kind, in favor of justice, equality, peace, freedom, love, a healthy planet, healthy minds, bodies & souls.

Lauryn shares tips, truths & her self-taught vegan recipes on her social media pages @veganyogamomma on Instagram and TikTok. She posts her recipes on a blog: www.veganyogamomma.com. You can currently hear her on weekly podcast episodes as a cohost of: "Vegan Sunday School" on the Vegan of Course podcast. She loves to inspire others to break themselves from the societal conditioning and reunite with their own true & inherent compassion for all living beings on or off of the yoga mat. Lauryn & her family love exploring the growing vegan scene in their city & checking out all of the new vegan items on the shelves at the market every week!

In this episode Yoga is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Lauryn Glass talk about her vegan/yoga journey and raising a family vegan in the midwest.
Connect with Lauryn:
Tik Tok: @veganyogamamma
Instagram: @veganyogamomma
Website: veganyogamamma.com
Podcast: Vegan Of Course "Vegan Sunday School"

Sarah Salluzzo confounded Lancaster Farm Sanctuary in 2017. She holds an MSW and MA in media studies and previously worked in substance abuse rehabilitation. She now works full-time at LFS as the Executive Director and is the board president.

Jonina Turzi cofounded Lancaster Farm Sanctuary in 2017. She is passionate about advancing the well-being of humans and animals. She holds a Doctorate of Physical Therapy as well as several certifications in healthcare and wellness. In addition to serving as Vice President on the board of LFS, she runs a private PT practice in Lancaster City.

In this episode Yoga is Vegan's Holly Skodis, Sarah Salluzzo and Jonina Turzi discuss the following;

Reproductive Injustice
Food Injustrice
Dairy farming practices
The Egg industry and backyard chickens
YIV Episode 29- Jonina Turzi: Social Transformation Through Yoga, Ahimsa and Veganism
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Universal Declaration of Sentient Rights
Connect with Lancaster Farm Sanctuary:

Website: lancasterfarmsanctuary.org

Christopher Jain Miller is the VP of Academic Affairs and Professor of Jain and Yoga Studies at Arihanta Academy. He completed his Ph.D. in the study of Religion at the University of California, Davis, and his current research focuses on applied Jain dharma and the ways by which Jain principles can be lived in daily life.

Christopher is the author of a number of articles and book chapters concerned with Jain dharma, Jain veganism, the history and practice of modern yoga, yoga and politics, and yoga philosophy and is a co-editor of the volume Beacons of Dharma: Spiritual Exemplars for the Modern Age (Lexington 2019). He lectures internationally on Jain and yoga topics and is a certified continuing education provider for the Yoga Alliance. He is the academic advisor for the global Jain Vegan Initiative to promote a vegan lifestyle in light of the Jain principles of non-violence, compassion, and karma.

In this episode Yoga is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Christopher Jain Miller discuss the following:

Ahimsa and its role in both Yoga and the Jain religion.
History of contemporary Jainism
Karma and its relationship to samskaras
Hatha Yoga Pradipika
Jain Vegan Initative
Arihanta Academy

Connect with Christopher Jain Miller:

Instagram: @theyogaprofessor
Facebook: @ChristopherJainMiller
Website: arihanta-academy.com

Fall 2022 Classes:
Ahimsa, Animal Advocacy, and Veganism with Hope Bohanec

Beyond Vegetarianism: Jain Veganism and the Promotion of Ahimsa - Nisha Mehta, Pratik Bhansali, Sunny Jain

Modern Yoga Studies: Critical History, Anthropology and Methodology- Professor Christopher Jain Miller, PhD

Legendary yoga teacher Sri Dharma Mittra first encountered yoga as a teenager before meeting his guru in 1964 and beginning his training in earnest. Sri Dharma founded one of the early independent schools of yoga in New York City in 1975 and has taught many tens of thousands the world over in the years since. Sri Dharma is the model and creator of The Master Yoga Chart of 908 Postures, the author of ASANAS: 608 Yoga Poses, the LOAY Teachers’ Manual and Yoga Wisdom, has released two DVDs to date – Maha Sadhana Levels I and II, and recently captured classes are available for streaming via alomoves.com, YogaJournal.com and Vimeo On Demand. Sri Dharma continues to disseminate the complete traditional science of yoga through daily classes, international workshops and his Life of a Yogi Teacher Trainings at the Dharma Yoga New York Center. For more information on all things Dharma Yoga, please visit: www.dharmayogacenter.com.

In this episode Holly Skodis interviews Sri Dharma Mittra about the role of the teacher, yogic practices and veganism for spiritual development.

Topics discussed in this episode:

Sri Dharma Mittra’s Guru Sri Swami Kailashananda a.k.a. Yogi Gupta
Ahimsa
The Sattvic Diet
The role of vegan foods in a spiritual practice
The condition of the soul
Reincarnation and the meaning of life
Raja Yoga
Yoga Nidra
Karma Yoga
Meditation
Yoga Postures

Stefanie Ignoffo is a Plant Interventionist, Lifestyle Medicine Coach and Food For LIfe Instructor with the Physicians Committee For Responsible Medicine. She is also the CEO & Founder of Plantspiration® NFP INC. After transitioning her family to plants in 2013, Stefanie lost 100 pounds. As a family, they lost a total of 250 pounds and reversed their chronic diseases. Stefanie has made it her mission to educate, motivate and inspire people all over the world to Eat Your Plants Off, prevent and reverse disease, lose weight and maintain this wonderful lifestyle.

In this episode Yoga is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Stefanie Ignoffo discuss the following:

Becoming a Food For Life Instructor through PCRM
Unprocessed: How to achieve vibrant health and your idea weight by Chef AJ
Transitioning Your Family to a Whole Foods Plantbased Vegan DIet
Weight loss and struggles
Stefanie's reversal of diverticulitis
Incorporating Yoga into the Plantspiration's Support Group
Dr. Brooke Goldner's Smoothie Shred

Hate something? Change something!

Born at the beginning of the 60s, Stewart experienced the hippy revolution, punk rock, new wave, two tone, reggae and much more in the diverse politicised atmosphere of Thatcherist Britain.

Leading a wild, nihilistic, and hedonostic lifestyle led him to a multitude of years and experiences with hallucinogenics, shamanism and ethnobotany both recreationally and spiritually.

The new age travellers and the second summer of love in the UK, where Rave and Ecstacy redefined alternative culture and reinvigorated the esoteric arts, which kindled an interest in buddhism and yoga in Stewart.

Following a severe back injury Stewart experienced an amazing recovery through intensive Astanga Vinyasa Mysore yoga practice.
Stewart’s sadhana led him toward an extensive yoga education with teachers from around the world who have had a profound effect on his style of teaching.

A devoted activist in a wide range of issues: the Arms trade and nuclear disarmament, human and animal rights, environmental and ecological issues, anti-racist/fascist, pro LGBTQ, anti capitalist and anti poverty.

He spent 10 years as a youth worker and teacher within the voluntary sector before training as a Lawyer in inner city London.

Stewart relates his radical traditionalist approach to Yoga to include these important modern issues and his experiences therein.

With great respect to the founders for their activism in animal rights he qualified as a Jivamukti teacher in 2003 and since has taught extensively in London and worldwide with annual retreats workshops in India and Sri Lanka.

Stewart is a Senior Registered Yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance. He founded East London School of Yoga and has been teaching Teacher Training for 8 years. He is currently studying at SOAS University toward an MA in Traditions of Yoga and Meditation with hopes of research toward a Phd.

Stewart is eternally grateful to Hamish Hendry (Astanga London), Sabel Thaim, Jennifer Dale,Sri K Patthabi Jois, Sri Shreshadree (Mysore), and David Life and Sharon Gannon (Jivamukti Yoga) who all contributed greatly to change his life. He is also very sorry to everyone and everything who he harmed before yoga.

In this episode Yoga Is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Stewart Gilchrist discuss the following:

Vegan Health and Fitness Magazine Yoga Edition
Kate Magic
Nature's First Law: The Raw-Food Diet by Stephen Arlin, David Wolfe, Fouad Dini, R.C. Dini, Marc Wolfe and Ken Seane
Stew's experience getting sick on a mono fruitarian diet in colder climates
Orthorexia
Forest Bathing: How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness by Dr. Qing Li Shinrin-yoku
Reclaim the Streets
Extinction Rebellion
GMOS
The Farm Tennessee
Sugar and bone char
Stew’s experience getting Covid
A Handbook for Yogasana Teachers by Mel Robin
Hooked on Raw: Rejuvenate Your Body and Should With Nature's Living Foods by Rhio
Raw: The Uncook Book: New Vegetarian Food for Life by Juliano Brotman and Erika Lenkert
Dr. Douglas N. Graham
Conscious Eating by Gabriel Cousens M.D.

Bobbi Paidel is a Hatha Yogi & Sadhak who spends most of her days traveling or living in northern India studying meditation & the wisdom of the vedas. Bobbi grew up on a second generation cattle ranch in southern Alberta, Canada, had a promising career in the global fashion industry and was continually struggling with addiction & mental health issues. That all changed when Bobbi met her Guru in India, devoted her life to Yoga, sadhana & sobriety, became a compassionate, animal loving vegan, and left her fashion career to found a charity for children living with HIV+ in India. She accredits her transformation to the way of ahimsa as demonstrated by her Guru and the power behind a daily, personal practice.

In this episode Yoga Is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Bobbi Paidel discuss the following:

The differences between Yoga in India and what's being taught to westerners
Yoga Alliance and it's disconnect with traditional Yoga
Bobbi's Guru Swami Shyam
The role of sobriety within the Yoga practice
Tribe of Lambs A charity co-founded by Bobbi that provides funding for children living with HIV in India.

Connect with Bobbi:

Instagram: @bobbipaidel
Podcast: A Curious Yogi
Website: bobbipaidel.com

Alfredo Meschi, is a theatre teacher, an author and a contemporary artist. In 2016 he chose to become a total manifesto, a permanent performance, covering his whole body with 40,000 "X" tattoos, representing the animals killed worldwide every second, just to satisfy our palate. Nowadays his artivisim involves hundreds of thousands of people all over the world, spreading through both institutional and informal contemporary art spaces.

In this episode Yoga Is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Alfredo Meschi talk about Alfredo’s artivism project In the Blink of An Eye. If you are unfamiliar with the term artivism, its the combination of the two words activism and artist where the body of work is decidedly linked to activism. We also talk about ahimsa and how it’s directly related to this project.

Connect with Alfredo:
Website: intheblink.org
Instagram: @alfredomeschix

Danielle’s passion for movement as medicine is firmly grounded in her personal struggle with scoliosis, and the lessons she has learned along the difficult path of living in a warped body. Through exploring various movement modalities over the past 20 years, Danielle has certified in various forms of yoga, aerial arts, Pilates, Gyrotonic ® Method, and her most recent interest has taken her down the path of Iyengar Yoga. Danielle seeks to change the way her students view their bodies, to inspire them to make positive lifestyle choices and to help guide the way toward total holistic health of mind and body. Called a ‘teacher’s teacher, her classes are detail oriented and require presence and curiosity from all who attend.

In this episode Yoga is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Danielle Lowy discuss the following:

Developing a 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training
Patanjali's Yoga sutra 2:26 and how it relates to veganism
Iyengar Yoga
Danielle's new pilates and Yoga Studio Alma.

Karo Tak is a vegan chef, food coach, yoga teacher and activist. She has traveled the world to teach yoga, talk about her activism, facilitate vegan cooking classes and compassionately spread the word for animals worldwide. She lives in Amsterdam where she facilitates yoga retreat catering and plant based food coaching/ consulting with my companyTHE PINK KITCHEN. She is currently studying in the UK to become an AYURVEDIC HEALTH COACH at DRU YOGA UK and she's doing a 500hr Yoga Teacher Training at EAST LONDON SCHOOL OF YOGA with her precious teacher, fellow activist and friend Stewart Gilchrist.

Karo graciouslly returns once again for a special reset of the Yoga is Vegan Podcast. In episode 124 YIV's Holly Skodis and Karo talk about losing and regaining faith in humanity. They discuss the importance of taking breaks allowing space for creative projects. They also talk about the state of Yoga today and what we can do as Vegans and Yogis to move forward in today's world with compassion.

Karo has previously been on the podcast on Ep 25- Food, Yoga & Activism and Ep 117- Karo Tak is in The Pink. Karo also wrote a beautiful piece as a Featured Yogi

Uma VaShi Devi Lescault devoted her life to Yoga, when she found her Gurus' at age 10.

Sat Manav Yoga Ashram, where Uma resides with her gurus, Sri Bhagavan VaShi Baba and Sri Mirabai Ishwari, and fellow yogis, is a place dedicated to practicing, living and sharing the classical teachings of Yoga.

Through practice and emanation, retreats, classes, monthly festivals, and many other offerings we illuminate the ultimate intention of Yoga, to embody our true purpose as human beings, so we can change the world!

In this episode Yoga is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Uma VaShi Devi Lescault talk about what it's like to be part of an Ashram. We talk about the sattvic diet and how it's related to prana. We also discuss their sister studio Sat Manav Tatoos & Talismans and their artist Bhagavan Das Shyam.

nico is an activist and a scholar. They completed their M.A. in Animal Studies from New York University, and have led grassroots animal rights and environmental protection campaigns in Colombia, Colorado, New York, and California. They focus on activism and scholarship that address Big Meat's devastating harms with the urgency they demand, and is currently working on a book, Ban Meat? A Not-So-Radical Policy Proposal. You can learn more and connect with nico here.

In this episode nico stubler and Yoga is Vegan's Holly Skodis discuss the following:

nico's chapter in the newly released book, Vegan Entanglements: Dismantiling Racial and Carceral Capitalism by Z. Zane McNeill (editor)
Durga Farms New Zealand
Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer
Yoga philosophy and where it intersects with veganism
Justin Marceau
Arturo Jose Garcia Yoga is Vegan Episode 105
No More Factory Farms
nico's upcoming book Ban Meat
Connect with nico:
Instagram: @nico.stubler

In this episode Yoga is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Andrew Sealy talk about activism and attractivism and how leading by example works to inspire others to go vegan. We talk about his recent trip to Egypt, And as per usual, we talk about Andrew's vegan and yoga journey.

Andrew Sealy is a connection catalyst, a yoga artist, and a movement creator. He is internationally recognized for his yoga teachings and wellness leadership. Andrew's teachings of Compassionate Self Love and Infinite Positive Potential inspire practitioners of all walks of life worldwide. Through the unique practice of Yoga and Mindful Living, Andrew embodies progressive knowledge while positively empowering his students with the tools needed for sustainable growth. Andrew’s teachings aim to answer the question: How can we adapt to create and evolve to sustain?

Connect with Andrew:

Website: andrew7sealy.com
Instagram: @andrew7sealy
Vegan 24 Day Challenge: https://www.24dayveganchallenge.com/
Glo Protein: https://gloveganprotein.com/
Imiloa Retreat 2022, Costa Rica Feb 16-21
https://imiloainstitute.com/retreat/empowered-embodiment/

In today’s episode, Yoga is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Lara Heimann talk about how common it is that yoga teachers complete Yoga Teacher Trainings without understanding how the body works. We discuss incorporating veganism into Yoga and we talk about Lara’s vegan journey.

The seeds of Lara's fascination with the brain-body connection were planted at the tender age of 18 as she laced up her running shoes for a marathon she had not trained for. Hitting the wall at mile 20, Lara learned that she could overcome physical fatigue with mental strength and powered herself across the finish line and into a lifelong quest to learn about the physical-mental relationship. She went on to get a BA from Duke University in Biological Anthropology and Anatomy, an MS from Duke University in Physical Therapy, and a Neurodevelopmental Training Certification through Stanford University.

In 1999, after several years of yoga practice and teaching, Lara took a 200-hour yoga teacher training and was shocked to learn that most yoga doesn’t inform about body awareness and mechanics. In the years to follow, Lara created her LYT Yoga Method®, combining physiology, kinesiology, neurology, and functional movement patterns to yield a more cohesive philosophy.

Lara Heimann is an international yoga pioneer and Physical Therapist focused on evolving the practice of yoga to empower movement and balance amidst a modern lifestyle of technology and sedentariness. She is redefining the modern practice of yoga through her comprehensive LYT Method®, emphasizing smart alignment, functional movement, and spiritual wellness.

Lara has taught her methodology to thousands of students in more than 50 countries and has led workshops worldwide to speak about and explore consciousness, anatomy and purposeful movement. She is a regular contributor to Women Fitness, and has been featured in outlets like NBC News, Today Show, Inside Edition, Yahoo, Shape, Scientific American, MSN, Nylon, Pop Sugar, Elite Daily, Well+Good and so many more. She has also partnered with the New York City Department of Transportation to lead a city-wide yoga class to nearly 400 participants during its Summer Streets initiative.

Through its holistic connection between body and mind, Lara’s methodology is a clear and influential roadmap to ignite the spirit to operate at its highest potential. Coined a “yoga mama” by students across the globe, and a teacher of teachers, Lara is also a certified Natural Food Chef (Natural Kitchen Cooking School) and Holistic Health Coach (Institute of Integrative Nutrition) who champions healthy habits beyond the mat and advocates for the environment and all species of animals.

In today’s episode, Yoga is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Lara Heimann talk about how common it is that yoga teachers complete Yoga Teacher Trainings without understanding how the body works. We discuss incorporating veganism into Yoga and we talk about Lara’s vegan journey.

Connect with Lara:

Website: lytyoga.com
Instagram: @lara.heimann

To you want to support this show? If you enjoy the Yoga is Vegan podcast a great way to show your support is by leaving a review on the Apple Podcasts app. This helps other find the podcast and hopefully find the connection between Yoga and Veganism. Following the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts helps also.

Dean Ornish, M.D., is the founder and president of the nonprofit Preventive Medicine Research Institute, clinical professor of medicine at the UCSF, and the author of six books, all national bestsellers. He received the Outstanding Young Alumnus Award from the University of Texas, Austin, and the National Public Health Hero Award from the University of California, Berkeley. He was recognized as a “TIME 100 Innovator;” by Life magazine as “one of the 50 most influential members of his generation;” by People magazine as “one of the most interesting people of the year;” and by Forbes magazine as “one of the world’s 7 most powerful teachers.”

In this episode Dr. Dean Ornish & Yoga is Vegan's Holly Skodis discuss the following:

•Swami Satchitananda's influence on Dr. Dean Ornish's life's work.
•UNDO IT! How Simple Lifestyle Changes Can Reverse Most Chronic Diseases. By Dean Ornish, M.D. and Anne Ornish
•Boosting our immune system
•Bringing more love into our lives during the pandemic.

Connect with Dr. Dean Ornish:

Website: deanornish.com
Instagram:@deanornishmd
Twitter: @deanornishmd

Austin K. Sanderson moved to NYC in 1998 to attend New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Design and Production Department. After graduating with his Masters degree in set and costume design, he spent the next twenty-two years working as a designer in the American theater. In 2008 he was introduced to Jivamukti Yoga in a yoga class at a local neighborhood gym in Jersey City New Jersey. As he continued to take Jivamukti classes both locally and at the Jivamukti Yoga School NYC. Austin wanted to learn more about yoga and share with others his life changing experience brought about while practicing the Jivamukti Yoga Method. In 2011, Austin attended the Jivamukti 300+ hour teacher training program at the Omega Institute. In 2012, he continued his studies and completed his 800-hour Jivamukti Teacher Certification at The Jivamukti Yoga School NYC. In 2013, Austin and his partner Bob opened a 3000 square foot Jivamukti Yoga Center in downtown Jersey City, two blocks away from where he took his first Jivamukti yoga class. Austin is extremely grateful to his teachers, Sharon Gannon and David Life. Austin views Gannon and Life as his upa-guru, a teacher who points you in the right direction. Without them Austin would have never had a full understanding of why veganism is so crucial to a yoga practice. While Austin ran the Jivamukti Center in Jersey City he continued to seek deeper teachings outside the Jivamukti method, ones that would offer a deeper understanding of the ancient teaching of yoga from its roots. It was at this point that Shri Yogishri Sudarshan Kannan came into Austin’s life as a teacher and Sat-Guru. In 2020, Austin founded the Urban Sadhu Yoga Method, “a method of applying ancient yogic wisdom in a contemporary context.” He and his partner Bob are the co-owners of Urban Sadhu Yoga Shala, formally Jivamukti Yoga Center Jersey City. Austin is also if the co-founder and co-producer of Yoga Fest Jersey City, a free public yoga, music and vegan food festival held in the heart of downtown Jersey City NJ during the summer equinox.

In this episode Austin Sanderson & Holly Skodis discuss the following:

Running a Yoga studio during a pandemic
Mindbody purchasing class pass
Austin's new book the Urban Sadhu Yoga Chant Book
The relationship between all oppression and animal oppression
Yoga is Vegan Featured Yogi Giveaway: To enter
please email me a few paragraphs about why you went vegan and how it relates to your yoga practice. Please also send me 2 nice pictures of you either in a yoga pose or you doing something vegan related. You can also see what others have done by visiting the Featured Yogi section of the Yoga is Vegan website.

Connect with Austin Sanderson:

Website: urbansadhuyoga.com
Instagram:@urbansadhujerseycity and @urban.sadhu
YouTube: @urbansadhuyogajerseycity

Karo focuses on 3 things. FOOD, YOGA AND ACTIVISM. She is a vegan chef, Jivamukti Yoga teacher and activist. For years now she has been bringing these elements together, traveling the world to teach Jivamukti Yoga, talk about animal rights, teach cooking classes and compassionately spreads the word for animals worldwide. She dedicates herself to several causes and projects and a huge part of her activism is her podcast called GO FOR YOUR LIFE.

She runs her own company called: IN THE PINK, with which she focuses on vegan cooking for workshops and retreats, food and life coaching and yoga teaching. She also runs the kitchen at a vegan lunchroom in Amsterdam called Lunchroom Bataat and is currently studying to become a vegan Ayurvedic health coach. Karo lives in Amsterdam with her sweet dog Sparky and her partner Miguel.

In this episode Yoga is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Karo Tak discuss activism burnout, some of Karo's most meaningful activism moments, yoga, and veganizing Ayurveda.

Links discussed in the intro:

Yoga For All featured Yogi piece by Karo Tak
YIV podcast Episode 25- Karo Tak: Food, Yoga & Activism
The Karo Special Edition Tank
To be featured on the Yoga is Vegan IG and Website
email your story about why you went vegan and how it relates to your yoga practice. Please also include 2 nice images of you, preferably in a yoga pose or with an animal. Make sure to include your IG handle and your name and state or country you live in. Submissions entered before October 31st will be entered into a drawing. The randomly selected lucky winner will receive an available Yoga is Vegan tank top of their choosing.

Connect with Karo:
Website: karotak.com
Instagram: @goforyourlife and @inthepink
Podcast: Go For Your Life

Dr. Sailesh Rao has over three decades of professional experience and is the Founder and Executive Director of Climate Healers, a non-profit dedicated towards healing the Earth’s climate. A systems specialist with a Ph. D. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University, Dr. Rao worked on the internet communications infrastructure for twenty years after graduation. During this period, he blazed the trail for high speed signal processing chips and technologies for High Definition Television, real-time video communications and the transformation of early analog internet connections to more robust digital connections, while accelerating their speeds ten-fold. Today, over a billion internet connections deploy the communications protocol that he designed. He received five Exceptional Contribution Awards from AT&T Bell Laboratories between 1985 and 1991, a Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff award in 1990, the Intel Principal Engineer Award in 2003, and the IIT Madras Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2013 for his technical contributions. He is the author of 22 peer-reviewed technical papers, 50 standards contributions, 10 US patents and 3 Canadian patents. He was the co-founder of Silicon Design Experts in 1991 which was acquired by Level One Communications in 1996 and which was later acquired by Intel Corporation in 1999 for $2.2 billion.

In 2006, he switched careers and became deeply immersed, full time, in solving the environmental crises affecting humanity. Dr. Rao is the author of two books, Carbon Dharma: The Occupation of Butterflies and Carbon Yoga: The Vegan Metamorphosis, and an Executive Producer of four documentaries, The Human Experiment (2013), Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret (2014), What The Health (2017), and A Prayer for Compassion (2019).

Dr. Rao is a Human, Earth and Animal Liberation (HEAL) activist, husband, dad and since 2010, a star-struck grandfather. He has promised his granddaughter, Kimaya Rainy Rao, that the world will be largely Vegan before she turns 16 in 2026, so that people will stop eating her relatives, the animals. He has faith that humanity will transform to keep his pinky promise to Kimaya, not just for ethical reasons, but also out of sheer ecological necessity. Along with Kimaya, Dr. Rao was the co-recipient of the inaugural Homo Ahimsa award from the Interfaith Vegan Coalition in 2021. He has formally taken the Ubuntu pledge to become Homo Ahimsa.

In this episode Yoga is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Climate Healers' Sailesh Rao discuss shifting towards a new phase of humanity (homo ahimsa) and becoming a Vegan World by 2026.

Connect with Sailesh Rao:

Website: climatehealers.org

Berenice Miles is a vegan yoga teacher and yoga therapist.
After living eight years abroad, she loves to call south of France home. She discovered yoga several years ago and hated her first yoga class. Yet, she embarked on the yoga journey by chance. Today, sharing yoga and helping human beings to get better with yoga is her greatest source of joy and gratitude. Yoga has been, and still is, a stepping stone in her recovery from anxiety, PTSD and eating disorders.

In this episode Yoga is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Berenice Miles discuss the following:

Berenice's eating disorder and the role of veganism
Yoga therapy for people with eating disorders
How to pick a yoga teacher
The Wisdom of Trauma. Can our Deepest Pain be a Doorway to Healing? Featuring Dr. Gabor Maté
When the Body Says No: Understanding the Stress Disease Connection by Gabor Maté
Connect with Berenice:
YouTube: Berenice Miles
Website: berenicemiles.com
Facebook: @bereniceMiles

Swamini Amma Niradhara is a Vedic Vegan, Agnihotri, Sannyasi, Spiritual Mother & Resident Managing Director of SwAr Ashram & its small grass-roots charity NGO located in an ancient heritage hermitage in rural India, along the banks of the most holy River Narmada. She is providing educational initiatives in English, Computers & Yoga, supporting girls with Moon Cycle educational Satsang as an integral part of monthly Yoga Camps, providing eco & bio-friendly cloth fem pads, empowering girls to attend school while caring for their sacred time of the month. Her breadth of experience as a Teacher bridges East & West, illuminating the deep waters that flow between culture, philosophy, lifestyle & ethics. E-RYT500 Experienced Yoga Teacher & CYT-300, Yoga Therapist, Certified Clinical Trauma Specialist, YACEP provider, Ordained Interfaith Minister (formerly a max security women's prison Minister).

In this episode Yoga is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Amma Niradhara discuss the following:

The Yamas and the Niyamas and how they relate to veganism
The Textbook of Yoga Psychology - The Definitive Translation and Interpretation of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras by Rammurti S. Mishra
The traditional Indian vegetarian diet
Ahimsa Dairies

Connect with Niradhara:

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/inneryajnya
Website: https://swarashram.com
Instagram: @swarashram
Facebook: @eyeSwArAsharam

Whitney Pérez-Wright (she/her) is cardiovascular/critical care RN who has served in COVID ICU and recently experienced the effects of the virus personally. She strives to employ the principles that she has learned from the ancient technology of yoga passed down to her by her teachers, to help her serve other people. She has a passion for helping the world come together and heal in every way. She currently resides in Colorado with her partner Sam along with her animal companions.

In this episode Yoga is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Whitney Pérez-Wright discuss our duty as Yogis to practice what we preach, especially during COVID. Topics discussed:

Spiritual bypassing
Masks
Vaccines
Finding compassion for each other
How to deal with COVID if you get it

Connect with WhitneyPérez-Wright

Instagram: @whitney__stark
Email: whitnery.koerper@gmail.com

Adriane Marie is an ethical consumerism advocate. She founded HEALabel, a website and app to help spread awareness about how our purchases impact health, the environment, animals and laborers. Adriane is also the author and illustrator of the kids book "The Roots Of Our Food". She enjoys studying and teaching all aspects of consumer mindfulness in order to help others in their lives in the name of personal and societal improvement and empowerment.

In this episode Yoga is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Adriane Marie discuss the following:

The EWG's Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen
Palm Oil Deforestation
Coconuts and Monkey Labor
Water consumption and food production
India and cotton production
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Connect with Adriane Marie:
Website: app.healable.com
Facebook: @HEALable
Instagram: @HEALable

John Smrtic, JD, Advanced Certification Jivamukti Yoga, teaches yoga and meditation internationally and believes in love as the divine reality, holding the power to unify and fully awaken the soul, the eternal connection to Source, in this lifetime, through devotional, compassionate, yogic living. He innovatively shares yoga as the technology to spark this Divine Re-membering, more recently focusing on the power of silence, stillness and devotional surrender through meditation to actualize the indwelling spirit soul. John leads an annual pilgrimage to India and teaches at premiere festivals including Bhakti Fest.

In this episode Yoga is Vegan's Holly Skodis and John Smrtic discuss the following:

Yoga is Vegan Podcast Episode 67 with Banka
Michael Franti Yoga
Jivamukti Yoga, Sharon Gannon and David Life
Animal husbandry and the manipulation of the sacred feminine
World Peace Diet by Will Tuttle
Parallels to the pandemic and the treatment of animals
Meditation
Miscreated I
Jane Unchained Lunch Break Live Mung Beans & Rice Quesadilla with Holly Skodis

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Connect with John Smrtic:
Instagram: @johnsmrtic
Website: bhaktigrooveyoga.com

Christina is a Conscious Vegan Lifestyle Coach, Yoga and Meditation teacher, and an Activist. She has been vegan for over 8 years and in that time has explored the depths of compassionate living through plant based foods, social justice, animal rights, and the environment. She creates space for others through cooking classes, lifestyle programs, and retreats, to explore what it means to live consciously and how to live life more from the heart.

It is through yoga that she found a path of sharing what it means to be a conscious vegan – understanding that it’s not just about what we eat but more about living life in alignment with our ethics and morals. These guiding compassionate principles are what can make this world a better place. The actions and choices we make are not just for animals, but equally as much as this planet and people, acknowledging the reciprocity between Mama Earth, communities, and our body, minds, and souls.

She is a native New Yorker and 1st generation to Greek immigrants from her motherland’s mountainous farmlands. She received her training from the Bhakti Center in NYC, in Bhakti Yoga and Meditation. Currently she is training with the Prison Yoga Project through the lens of Trauma and Incarceration and hopes to soon serve prisoners in New York State.

When she is not working on her Conscious Vegan business, she spends her time immersing herself in Mother Nature and spending time with her partner and newly adopted dog, Louka.

Subscribe & Listen:

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Connect with Christina:

Website: compassionatefilledlife.com
Instagram: @christina.ahimsa

Cinda is a former gymnast, dancer and diver, who easily connected to the physicality of the practice. Very soon after though, she realized that there was so much more to yoga. Cinda studied with Andrea von Behren for her 200 hour training. She continued her studies with Alan Haras at Hamsa Yoga and eventually went on to study with Sri Dharma Mittra for both the 500 and 800 hour Life of A Yogi teacher trainings.

Cinda is the owner of Evolve Yoga Studio and offers a 200 hour Yoga Alliance registered teacher training program.

In this episode Yoga is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Cinda Lark discuss the following:

Dharma yoga
Sri Dharma Mittra
Yogi Gupta
The Dharma Diet
Light on Yoga: the Bible of Modern Yoga by B.K.S. Iyengar
What's beyond the physical practice of Yoga
The connection to food and compassion
Teacher trainings and encouraging vegan diets
Evolve Go Vegan 21 day challenge
When is it appropriate to bring veganism into a yoga class

Connect with Cinda:

Instagram: @evolveyogalove
Website: evolveyogalove.com

Gabrielle has been teaching yoga since 2008 and has earned over 1200 hours of teacher training certifications in various styles and lineages including Dharma Yoga where she found her beloved teacher Dharma Mittra.

Gabrielle has been operating as the founder of her company and yoga school, Hatha Raja Yoga, since 2015. She leads yoga teacher trainings and retreats nationally and internationally. In addition, Gabrielle is a senior teacher and staff member in Dharma Yoga’s Life of a Yogi Teacher Training Program out of New York City where she serves as a teacher and mentor. She is also the lead facilitator in the non-profit VETOGA’s active duty and veteran yoga teacher training program- an organization founded to bring the physical, mental, and emotional healing aspects of yoga to the military community. Additionally, Gabrielle is certified as a holistic nutritionist and leads online courses in living a holistic lifestyle.

Recently, Gabrielle realized one of her visions and opened “Ojas Retreat Center” located in the Santa Rosa Plateau in Southern California, a retreat center welcoming groups of all kinds to recharge and reconnect with purpose.

In this episode Yoga is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Gabrielle Kali Om discuss the following:

Sri Dharma Mittra and the Dharma Yoga Center's Life of a Yogi Teacher Training
Tips for optimal sleep
The Ojas Retreat Center
Vetoga
Swami Kashi

Connect with Gabrielle Kali Om
Instagram: @yogini_kali
Website: yoginikali.com
Instagram: @ojasretreatcenter
Website: ojasretreatcenter.com

Erica Nicholson’s mission is to demystify living a holistic lifestyle for all - by uncovering limiting beliefs, cultivating sustainable healthy eating habits and igniting personal transformations from the inside out. As a certified yoga teacher, plantbased coach, author, and award-winning speaker, she leads clients to nurture their bodies, release weight, boost energy levels, and become their own wellness advocates. She’s an avid reader, a culture aficionado, world traveler, and plantbased-vegan foodie.

In this episode Yoga is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Erica Nicholson discuss the following:

Clubhouse
Intermittent fasting
Okra Yoga's teacher training with Brooke Carlson
Longevity
Atomic habits by James Clear
EFT- tapping
Irish moss
ho'oponopono prayer
vipasana meditation
Fasting increases health and lifespan in male mice

Jacque Tarlton, Certified Wellcoach® & Wellness Advocate, is passionate about improving health through fabulous, fun, and scientifically proven lifestyle changes. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition and Dietetics and she practiced as a Registered Dietitian (RD) early in her career. She is currently a Certified Wellcoach®, Complete Health Improvement Program (CHIP) Facilitator, & Corporate Wellness Trainer specializing in the power of plants to improve health & longevity for her clients, and ROI for corporations.

Jacque has studied nutrition, health, and fitness since 1986, and she was introduced to the power of plant-based nutrition in 1994. Jacque has always worked in the health field, and she has gone from deadly addictions to fabulously thriving! It is Jacque's mission to coach you through your unhealthy lifestyle habits to live your best, happiest, and most vibrant life. And the best part? It's never too late to start!

In this episode Yoga is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Jacque Tarlton discuss the following:

Dr. Dean Ornish and his program for Reversing Heart Disease
The Yoga Way: Food for Body, Mind & Spirit by Swami Satchidananada
Fitness Training with Marzia Prince
Complement Plus Multivitamin for vegans and Plant-based eaters.
Dr. Will Bulsiewicz and The Plant Fed Gut Masterclass

Connect with Jacque:

Instagram: @plantchics
Website: plantchics.com

Arturo Jose (AJ) is passionate about changing our food systems via a just transition to mitigate the climate crisis, health crisis, and the exploitation of human and non-human animals and the planet. He has fifteen years of international experience and ten years in senior management, public awareness campaigns, public relations, and undercover investigations. He has been a leader in the non-profit realm for the last decade, working with animal protection organizations such as CARE (동물권단체케어), Mercy for Animals, and Animal Recovery Mission. Currently, he is Head of Operations at 50by40 and serves on the Rights for Animal Rights Advocates (RARA) and Sinergia Animal advisory boards. In addition to his efforts in the non-profit realm, Arturo was head chef and general manager of Huggers, a plant-based restaurant in Seoul, South Korea. He is also a Clubhouse and podcast enthusiast, which led him to create and host the Woke Stutter Podcast to chat with leaders and change-makers about animal protection, social justice, food justice, and how we can do better internally as a movement.
Clubhouse
Kevin Lahey- Meet Former MFA Investigator Kevin Lahey
South Korea’s dog meat industry
Animal Liberation: The Definitive Classic of the Animal Liberation Movement by Peter Singer
Undercover investigations in factory farms
World Health Organization Origins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus
50by40's mission to reduce the dependency on animal agriculture by half by 2040
Slaughter house workers and their experiences
The intersectionality of food systems and food chains

Connect with Arturo:

Clubhouse: @ajgarcialive
Twitter: @ajgarcialive
Instagram: @ajgarcialive
Linkedin: @ajgarcialive

Marianna is the co-founder of Kind Living Yoga, a yoga teacher training school and studio that also works with mental health charities and offers counseling and clinical hypnotherapy.

Born in Italy, Marianna eventually moved to London where she began teaching Barre before making the move into Yoga and mental health. Her passion is to bring people together while helping them find space for healing so that they can ultimately lead a kinder, more consciously aware life. Marianna is a big animal lover, vegan and proud mum of a beautiful staffie, Alba and two troublemaker cats, Puck & Maya. She is married and they are expecting their first child in July.

Sarah Powers Insight Yoga Institute
yin yoga
hypnotherapy
101 Reasons to Go Vegan presented by Humane Educator, James Wildman
Jivamukti Yoga
Reiki
yoga nidra
Forrest Yoga and Ana Forrest
karma yoga

Connect with Marianna:
Instagram: @kindlivingyoga
Website: kindlivingyoga.com

Gopi Om (Nicole Sopko) first discovered yoga by chance and was instantly intrigued. She attended her first teacher training with the sole intention of learning more about the practice, but, despite being a lifelong introvert, found the teachings of yoga to be so transformational that she couldn't keep them to herself and began teaching in 2005. Shortly after, her practice grew immensely when she met her beloved Guru, Sri Dharma Mittra, who gave her the name Gopi.

Gopi practices and teaches yoga with a firm but gentle insistence on respect for the fullness of this indigenous tradition. Her classes are for anyone who wants to learn about yoga as a complete, traditional system. She welcomes people from all backgrounds to learn how these time tested practices and their philosophy can be integrated into a modern life.

Gopi has completed the advanced level (500, 800, & 1000 hour) Life of a Yogi teacher trainings at the Dharma Yoga Center in New York with Sri Dharma Mittra. She feels blessed to have received and to carry on the teachings of his lineage. She is also a newly-enrolled student at the Hindu University of America where she plans to pursue Hindu Studies and Sanskrit. She strives to live every moment as an offering to the divine and to pass on the teachings of yoga as they have been generously shared with her.

A vegan of over 20 years, Gopi works alongside her life partner, Dan, as Vice President of natural foods company, Upton's Naturals. She is the President of the Board of Directors at the Plant Based Foods Association and serves on the Associate Board for One Tail At a Time. Gopi was previously the owner of Nature Sanctuary and Yoga Trek Center in Chicago and Oak Park, IL. She shares her home (and her yoga mat) with a rescue dog named Greta and several aquatic pets including fish, snails, and shrimp.

In this episode Yoga is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Gopi Om (Nicole Sopko) discuss the following:
Punk Rock bank Earth Crisis
The Journey of Self Discovery by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
The Yoga Alliance
Sri Dharma Mittra
Upton's Naturals
The Hindi University of America
The Colonization of India
Connect with Gopi Om:

Website: gopiom.com
Instagram: @gopiom

In this episode Yoga is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Rishi Chidananda discuss the following:

Bhagavad Gita
Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananada and the Self Realization Fellowship ( Lake Shrine in Pacific Palisades)
Maha Kumbh Mela
Paramahamsa Sri Swami Vishwananda
Victoria Moran on Episode's 16 and Episode 94
Sanatana dharma
Ahimsa

Rishi Chidananda has spent the latter part of his life as a monk, studying the philosophical traditions of India and gaining deep insights into their hidden meaning and timeless practices that are particularly relevant in this day and age under the guidance of Paramahamsa Sri Swami Vishwananda.

Before entering the spiritual path, he was a successful investment banker and entrepreneur. Since then, philosophical teachings contained within ancient scriptures such as the Bhagavad Gita have had a significant impact on how he views the world and have changed the way he approaches life.

Now, Rishi Chidananda uses his experience as a former investment banker and entrepreneur to easily articulate the philosophical teachings of India in a meaningful way for those looking to bridge the gap between western and eastern philosophies.

Connect with Rishi:

Clubhouse: @RishiChidananda
Instagram: @rishi_chidananda

In this episode Yoga is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Rowdy Girl Sanctuary's Renee King-Sonnen discuss the following:

Renee's journey from former cattle ranger's wife to a vegan powerhouse
Renee's calf and greatest teacher, Rowdy Girl
Yoga & Spirituality
Richard Hittleman's Yoga: 28 Day Exercise Plan
International Yoga Studies Sandra Summerfiel Kozak
Satchidananda Ashram Yogaville

Renee, a native Houstonian, is the President and Founder of Rowdy Girl Sanctuary in Waelder, Texas. She remarried her husband Tommy Sonnen, a multi-generational cattle rancher in 2009 and moved to their former ranch in Angleton, Texas. She fell in love with farm animals, having no idea her life was about to transform. After witnessing time and again the baby calves going to the sale barn, she became extremely depressed. In October 2014, she went vegan as a result and began researching factory farming and the compassionate alternative, farm sanctuaries. She desperately consulted with leaders in the vegan movement, determined to do whatever she could to create sanctuary out of what was once a beef cattle operation in the heart of cattle country. As a result, the Rancher Advocacy Program was developed to give cattle ranchers and other animal farmers a way to transition into other ways of farming without animal cruelty. Transitioning out of animal agriculture requires a lot of skill, effort, and people to help. RAP is dedicated to finding the resources and the way to give farmers a way around farming animals. Renee speaks to farmers all the time and a few have converted to vegan, like 6th generation Texas cattle ranchers Cindy and Richard Traylor.

Renee King-Sonnen aka Sangita has studied yoga sciences and Ayurveda for 35 years. She is a teacher of hatha yoga and kundalini yoga. She has a dedicated yoga practice and meditates every day. Her guru is Swami Satchidananda

Connect with Renee:

Clubhouse: @rowdygirl
Website: rowdygirlsanctuary.org & rancheradvocacy.org
Instagram: @rowdygirlsanctuary & @rancheradvocacyprogram
Facebook: @rowdygirlsanctuary & rancheradvocacyprogram
YouTube: Rowdy Girl Sanctuary

What is our COVID Karma? Ray Ippolito, a long time Yoga practitioner, Kirtan wallah and Animal Liberation Activist has created an initiative that is committed to educate, inspire and remove our role from this most challenging virus and all others that are headed our way. How can we use our practice to make a difference in the COVID world we created and what are you willing to do about it?

In this episode Yoga Is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Ray Ippolito discuss the following:

International Pandemic Outreach Day- One World, One Day, One Action! May 1st, 2021.
Seaspiracy
Bob Woodward Interviews with Trump on the pandemic
How to Survive a Pandemic by Michael Greger
Vegan Food for first responders in Brookyn with Big Love Catering
Catch & release fishing method
Kaporos in Brooklyn
Ray Ippolito Episode 47
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Connect with Ray Ippolito & Eating Animals Causes Pandemics:
Facebook: @rayippolito
Instagram: @eatinganimals_causespandemics
Website: @eatinganimalscausespandemics.com

In this episode Yoga is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Achāryā Samitā Rāthor discuss the following:

Samita's experience studying with Yogi Sir Desikachar
Yoga as therapy
Vibrational energies as children
One on one versus group trainings
Traditional Yoga
Asana and the meaning of Yoga
Alkaline diet and sattvic diet
Prana
The importance of contolilng your tongue in Yoga
Tapas

Achāryā Samitā Rāthor is the founder of Yogarpanam which translated in English literally means Yoga Surrender. She is an advisory consultant, life mentor, Yoga & Vedic Scholar, Yoga Therapist, Traditional Diet Specialist & Guide.

Samita's life journey is dedicated to share these infinite teachings of her spiritual experiences with simplicity and love. Having had diversified exposure from a very young age, she is able to connect and understand the needs of people almost instantly. Samita is guided and has studied with her Yoga Teacher and spiritual masters since the age of 20. She uses her inner awakening experiences to help and inspire people who come to her. She teaches, applies and shares the principles of traditional Yoga and Vedic wisdom. She is a teacher and mentor to Yoga Teachers, Life Coaches and genuinely dedicated students who would like to go deeper into educating themselves about the subtler aspects of Yoga and its principles.

Her Unique Humane Approach has transformed the minds of many struggling. Her aim is to resolve the inner & outer struggles in the human mind-life, with compassion, empathy, intelligence and strength. She uses her profound knowledge with scientific psyche principles integrated with universal wisdom, to help people manage, streamline and overcome life challenges, worldwide.

With the fortune of Grace, Achāryā Samitā Rāthor came in contact with Yoga teachings through Yogi Sir Desikachar and her father at an early age, who hailed from a Yogic lineage. She studied one to one with Sir Desikachar and began teaching on his instructions only. In the traditional formal Yogic system, a student does not teach unless instructed by their teacher.

She also has Multiple Post Graduate Teachers Training Diploma/Degree Certifications. She has personally studied Yoga and its therapeutic benefits from Sir Desikachar and is also formally trained in Yoga Therapy. She has also done a formal study of Vedanta under strict Monastic Traditions in the abode of Himalayas. She has had the Blessings of studying and coming in contact with beautiful Spiritual Living Masters like the Dalai Lama, to continue further her quest for learning constantly.

"Coming in contact with my inner experiences was like a new birth suddenly. The purpose of existence of life took a turn into another space and direction altogether. From a glamorous and eminent existence at a young age, I got drawn towards things that I never ever thought I would be immersed in so much. Nothing about me remained the same except my sense of humor. My family and friends noticed the transformation in me. What exactly happened I don’t know, but a major shift took place in my mind. All things that I was inclined towards totally disintegrated. This happened after I came in contact with my Teacher. Outer and Inner. The important thing is to live consciously. Whether it is through what I teach (yogasanas/yoga postures, pranayama, philosophy, meditation & breath-work), what I eat (ethical vegan) or how I spend every moment of my life. Deeply grateful for the teachings and wisdom received from evolved masters who never forgot to see beauty, love & humor in all." Achāryā Samitā Rāthor.

Connect with Achāryā Samitā Rāthor:

Instagram: @yogarpanam
Website: yogarpanam.com
Email: yogarpanam@gmail.com

In this episode, Yoga is Vegan's Holly Skodis, Lili & Dr. Alex Charmoz discuss the following:

Optimal Performance with Yoga, nutrition and running
yoga
pottery
long distance running
The benefit of fasting mimicking fasts
Chi Running by Danny Dreyer
sacha inchi powder
Alex noted after the podcast to add that he also uses Cordyceps because it has been shown to increase VO2 max (capacity of the body to use oxygen)

Liliana (aka Lalitanand) Charmoz is an advanced 500-hr plus yoga teacher, Thai bodywork practitioner and certified continuing education provider under Yoga Alliance®.

Yoga gave her direction and purpose in a time of confusion; for her, yoga is a way of life, it teaches to be in harmony with all beings, to find strength and equanimity within and to simply be a better human.

She created Lalitanand yoga in the mountain town of Idyllwild where she currently lives with her husband and cats. She enjoys rock climbing, trail running, mountain biking and all things yoga. Her mission is to spread her love for nature, help students find their center in chaotic, stressful times and maybe to plant a seed for healthier lives.

Alex Charmoz is an Emergency Medicine Doctor in Southern California. Finding yoga as a way to heal from an injury sustained while rock climbing, he has found guidance through the 8 limb path of Ashtanga Yoga. While not a certified yoga teacher, he finds space to introduce yoga into his daily life and work. The ability to connect with other human beings in a vulnerable state and work towards bettering their quality of life is a direct manifestation of Yogic philosophy. Approaching 3 years of eating a vegan diet, which he attributes to his lovely and compassionate wife Liliana, he has seen direct results in his physical and mental abilities, and the link between diet and disease. As he took a vow to "First do no harm" he has realized that this extends to all sentient beings as well as the environment. A vegan lifestyle is the key to bringing these concepts together and is the future of attaining a sustainable and healthy planet.

Connect with Lili & Alex:

Website: Lalitanandyoga.com
Instagram: @lalitanand_yoga
Facebook @lili.skinner

Dr. Jyothi Rao, MD, ABAAHP, FAARFM, has been practicing medicine for over 20 years. She received her Doctorate of Medicine (MD) from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and completed her internship and residency at the prestigious New England Medical Center (Tufts) in Boston. Before opening Shakthi Health & Wellness Center, Dr. Rao practiced medicine in New York and Maryland.

A strong proponent of holistic medicine, Dr. Rao is certified in Medical Acupuncture from UCLA. She is also certified in Cardiopulmonary Stress Testing, which is a personalized assessment of cardiac and pulmonary disease, and certified in anti-aging and regenerative medicine.

Dr. Rao is the coauthor with Dr. Monica Aggarwal of BODY on FIRE: How Inflammation Triggers Chronic Illness and the Tools We Have to Fight It (2020), an updated revision of their self-published book Finding Balance (2016).

In this episode Yoga is Vegan's Holy Skodis & Jyothi Rao discuss the following:

Yoga in India
Dr. Monica Aggarwal's issues with dairy and inflammation
Microbiome, fiber and the effects of COVID
Parasympathic vs sympathetic nervous system
Clove oil and dental pain
The endothelium and its role in health
The Game Changers Documentary
Dr. Rao's functional medicine practice Shakthi Health & Wellness Center
Coconut oil
Yoga and balancing hormones
Yoga and cardio
Calcium and the vegan diet
Sleep and yoga nidra
Intermittent fasting

Connect with Dr. Jyothi Rao:
Website: raowellness.com
Book:BODY on FIRE: How Inflammation Triggers Chronic Illness and the Tools We Have to Fight It (2020)

Exavier Pope is a media personality, serial entrepreneur, lawyer and owner of The Pope Law Firm. He's a certified yoga instructor, owner of Zen & Juice Yoga Studio and vegan chef and owner of Pope's Vegan Kitchen, a vegan chef brand of cookbooks, social media influencing, restaurant concept, and merchandising.

Pope became a strict vegan in 2017 after as an extension of his yoga and mindfulness practice. More in tune with his body, he cut out animal-based ingredients as well as gluten to feel healthier and have more mental clarity.

In this episode Yoga is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Exavier Pope discuss the following:
Zen & Juice Yoga Studio
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle
Bare Feet Power Yoga Exavier's teacher Robin French
What the Health Documentary
Sri Dharma Mittra
Yoga Food Concepts: A Rejuvenating Talk by Yogi Gupta
Effective activism
Intermittent Fasting
Hip Hop Yoga
Cannibus
Clubhouse
Byphasic sleeping
Pope's Vegan Kitchen
Today Article Black and Vegan: Why so many Black Americans are embracing the plant-based life

Connect with Exavier:
Instagram: @exavierpope
Twitter: @exavierpope & @zenxjuiceyoga
Facebook: Zen & Juice: A Hip Hop Yoga Tribe

Kiko Ellsworth is an Emmy award winning actor, producer and director who took a hiatus from the entertainment industry to work on his spiritual path. He’s now a Kundalini Yoga teacher and men’s evolutionary life coach. Kiko is the founder of Ma’at University, an online learning platform that provides transformational learning for under-resourced communities, relationship empowerment and soul-success. His work is now largely dedicated to supporting men in becoming happy, healthy and whole men through his group and private coaching programs.

In this episode Yoga Is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Kiko Ellsworth discuss the following:

Balancing masculine and feminine energies
The Book of Life: Ascension and the Divine World Order

Kundalini Yoga
The programs at Ma'at University
Making the switch to a plant-based diet and meat consciousness

Subscribe & Listen:

Listen & Subscribe on Spotify

Connect with Kiko:
Instagram: @kikoellsworth

Victoria Moran has been a Main Street Vegan® for 37 years and she held the title of Peta’s Sexiest Vegan Over 50, alongside the male winner, Joel Kahn, MD, in 2016/17. She is the bestselling author of thirteen books, including Creating a Charmed Life (in 30 languages around the world); the gentle weight loss classic, The Love-Powered Diet, reflecting the author’s own struggle with and recovery from compulsive eating; The Good Karma Diet, celebrating a high-green, high-raw, high-energy food style; the iconic Main Street Vegan; and her latest, The Main Street Vegan Academy Cookbook, coauthored with JL Fields. Victoria’s college thesis became Compassion the Ultimate Ethic: An Exploration of Veganism, originally published in 1985 and the first work on vegan philosophy and practice to come from a major publisher.

Victoria is also an inspirational speaker, corporate spokesperson, certified holistic health counselor (HHC, AADP), and founder and director of Main Street Vegan Academy, training and certifying vegan lifestyle coaches. A graduate of the T. Colin Campbell Foundation/eCornell program in plant-based nutrition and a certified Holistic Health Coach (HHC, AADP), she hosts the Main Street Vegan radio show/podcast, awarded the Outstanding Vegan Media Outlet award in 2015 and noted by Feedspot in January 2019 among #3 in the Top 25 Vegan Podcasts. If interested in our academy, click here to apply. And she is lead producer of Thomas Wade Jackson’s exquisite documentary, A Prayer for Compassion, to introduce vegan living to people of faith.

Cited by VegNews among the Top 10 Contemporary Vegetarian Authors, Victoria appeared twice on The Oprah Winfrey Show and her articles have appeared in Yoga Journal, Mothering, Natural Health, Woman’s Day, Martha Stewart’s Whole Living, VegNews, and Vegetarian Times. Her work has been noted in USA Today, the Chicago Tribune, the Washington Post, Self, Elle, Glamour, Allure, and O, the Oprah Magazine.

Moran lives with her husband, writer and musician, William Melton, in a LEED-certified green condominium in New York City’s thriving Harlem neighborhood. They’re co-humans to a rescue-dog, Forbes, and rescue pigeon, Thunder.

Chandra/Jo Sgammato is a certified Integral Yoga instructor and has served in a variety of capacities, including General Manager, Executive Director and Board Member at Integral Yoga Institute of New York for more than 20 years. A former book publishing executive and bestselling author, she is also the founder of Yoga At School, a program that brings Integral Yoga into schools throughout the five boroughs. She has produced numerous programs on the wide array of Yoga's gifts to the world.

In this episode Yoga Is Vegan's Holly Skodis, Victoria Moran and Chandra discuss the following:

Yoga Goes Vegan
The six branches of Integral Yoga; Hatha Yoga, Raja Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga, & Japa Yoga
Listen to Victoria Moran's episode 16 on the yoga is vegan podcast
Bhakti Center NYC
Manu Dawson Yoga is Vegan Episode 11
Transcendental Meditation
Meat out Day - created by the founder of the Farm Animal Rights Movement Dr. Alex Hershaft
Swami Satchidananda
Dr. Dean Ornish
Yoga Goes Vegan: An All-Day Gathering and Retreat If you are financially in need, you can apply for a grant by emailing Chandra to request one.
Nutiva Organic Vegan Ghee
Join Holly Skodis and Co-host John Caldwell Saturdays 12pm EST in the Plantbased Club on Clubhouse. Download the Clubhouse app and reserve your handle. Once you are in follow @hollyskodis and @vegsurfer and click the bell in the bio for notifications.

Subscribe & Listen:

Listen & Subscribe on Spotify

Connect with Victoria:
Website: mainstreetvegan.net
Connect with Chandra:
Website: iyiny.org

Jess Gumkowski is a mindset coach, podcast host, Vegan Lifestyle Coach, and Educator, and co-founder of YogiTriathlete. She is a long-time endurance athlete, ultrarunner, and triathlete. In her essence, she is a yogi committed to living a life of ahimsa as she pursues mastery of the mind. She is the author of the YogiTriathlete Cookbook: High Vibe Recipes for the Athlete Appetite and High Vibe Pie: Pizza Night Finally Done Right. She has been featured in Triathlete Magazine, Men’s Journal, Elephant Journal, Massage Magazine, and TriZone, as well as many blogs and podcasts for her knowledge in living a holistic lifestyle.

In this episode Yoga is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Jess Gumkowski discuss the following:

Victoria Moran and the Main Street Vegan Academy
Joshua Katcher and his clothing line Brave GentleMan
Transitioning to a minimalist lifestyle
Endurance sports and it's relationship to the mind
Yoga Goes Vegan: An All-Day Gathering and Retreat, March 20th 2021
Connect with Jess Gumkowski:
Website: yogitriathlete.com
Instagram: @yogitriathlete and @jessgumkowski
Facebook: @yogitriathlete
Twitter: @yogitriathlete
Podcast: Awake Athlete and Yogitriathlete

John Caldwell manages the Beran Island Resort. He organizing retreats and plays the role of a surf guide around the various spots in the atoll (atalwl)in the Marshall Islands. He is has been vegan for 18 years and is passionate about using his technical skills to share veganism, yogic teachings, recovery and peace to all beings.

Siddha Yoga
Ashtanga and John's teacher Petra Gordon
Surfing in the martial islands
Animal Liberation Front
Direct action and veganism
What the Health
Catskill Animal Sanctuary
Catskill Animal Sanctuary
Earthlings
Dominion
Gail A. Eisnitz Slaughterhouse: The Shocking Story of Greed, Neglect, And Inhumane Treatment Inside the U.S. Meat Industry
Meet Your Meat
V-Dog Kind Kibble
Honest Kitchen- Dehydrated Whole Gran Fruit & Veggie Base Mix
Canine Dilated Cardiomyopathy

Connect with John:

Instagram: @vegsurfer
Clubhouse: @vegsurfer

Dr. Sumeet Bahl is an Interventional Radiologist at the Brooklyn Hospital Center in Brooklyn, NY. He completed his internship in General Surgery at Rutgers University-New Jersey Medical School and his Radiology residency and Vascular and Interventional Radiology fellowship at the Mount Sinai Health System in New York City. He performs minimally invasive image-guided procedures for uterine fibroids, venous disease, kidney failure, pulmonary embolism, and cancer.

Dr. Bahl has 20+ years of meditation experience, including clinical research at the Emory Mind-Body Program under the Emory-Tibet partnership. His greatest passion is sharing the science and practicality of a daily meditation practice. He has led meditations on social media, at Yelp, Doonya fitness studio, and New York City hospitals. He combines his love of health and music as the physician representative for NYC Hip Hop is Green, promoting health and wellness in hip hop culture and beyond via a plant-based lifestyle. Dr. Bahl resides in Brooklyn with his wife and 7-month-old son. Find him on Instagram @sumeetbahlmd.

In this episode YIV's Holly Skodis and Dr. Sumeet Bahl discuss the following:

Kriya Yoga & Kriya Yoga Meditation
Mindfulness and the aum technique
Isha Yoga
Paramahansa Yogananda and his book The Autobiography of a Yogi
Setting habits and Atomic Habits by James Clear
Dr. Gabriel Cousens (Yoga Is Vegan Episode 15)
What the Health Documentary
Covid and the Phizer and Moderna Covid Vaccines
Protein the work of Dr. Garth Davis. See his book Proteinaholic

Plantbased Clubhouse Room Yoga is Vegan! w/ Holly Skodis Sunday Feb 21, 1pm EST -

Yoga Goes Vegan All-Day Retreat Saturday March 20th. For tickets and info visit the Integral Yoga Institute

Connect with Dr. Sumeet Bahl:

Instagram:@sumeetbahlmd
Website: sumeethbahl.com

Andry Sophocleous is a 500hr Dharma Yoga teacher who teaches in her studio Dharma Yoga in Cyprus. Andry is also the founder of Jacinthe Natural Skincare an indie brand that strives for purity and transparency in natural skincare. She makes use of green biotechnology hence bringing science and plants together in all of her Jacinthe products.

In this episode Yoga Is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Andry Sophocleous discuss the following:

Sri Dharma Mittra and The Life of a Yogi Teacher Trainings. You can also hear Sri Dharma Mittra on Yoga Is Vegan Podcast Episode 28
The quality of ingredients in skin care
Why what you put into your body and on your skin effects your health
Glycation and it's role with skin and aging
Oxidation and packaging
Connect with Andry:
Website: Jacinthenaturals.com
Instagram: @jacinthe_naturals and @dharmayogacyp
Facebook:

Plantbased Clubhouse Room Yoga is Vegan! w/ Holly Skodis Saturday Feb 13 1pm EST -
https://www.joinclubhouse.com/event/xnaZ3jYz

Yoga Goes Vegan All-Day Retreat Saturday March 20th. For tickets and info https://iyiny.org/workshops-and-events/calendar/yoga-goes-vegan-12739/

Dr. Dipak Patel is a board certified family medicine physician and has practiced full spectrum family medicine, including pediatrics and women’s health. For the past 10 years, he has worked at the Community Health Center in Meriden as a family medicine physician and onsite medical director. Additionally, he is certified and experienced in addiction medicine and mental health conditions working as a hospital physician at the Midstate Medical Center.

In 2017, Dr. Patel earned his most precious board certification – from the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine.

Catherine O’Rourke has been a nurse since 2005,. She has extensive experience as an ICU nurse and in other acute care areas. As she’s worked with the acutely sick patient population, she realized the growing need and importance for prevention of disease. She has a Certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies and has completed studies on Diet and Lifestyle Intervention from Wellness Forum Health

With the understanding that the vast majority of diseases that people suffer from can be prevented, treated or reversed with lifestyle medicine In 2019 Dr. Patel and Catherine O’Rourke along with their colleague and friend Dr. Anne Bingham, opened the doors at Connecticut Lifestyle Medicine. A practice dedicated to decreasing the amount of chronic disease and its effects in their community.

In this episode, Yoga Is Vegan's Holly Skodis, Dr. Dipak Patel and Catherine O'Rourke discuss the following:

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
Plant-based Doctors
Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn
Dr. Dean Ornish
Dr. David L. Katz's LinkedIn article COVID, Vaccines, and The Nature of Engineering
Alcohol
Centenarians and the role of a whole food plant-based dominant diet
COVID 19 Vaccine
Connect with Connecticut Lifestyle Medicine:
Website: ctlifemed.com
Instagram: @ctlifemed
Facebook: @ctlifemed

Jeremy Gray, better known in the community as Mr. EYG for continuous service to elevate his community and those around him, is an African American politician, entrepreneur, and philanthropist.
Rep. Gray is currently in the role of Alabama State Representative of the 83rd District, where he serves on the Commerce and Small Business, Health, and Public Safety and Homeland Security committees. He was voted in by his peers as the Democratic Minority Whip in the House of Representatives. He was also appointed to the Alabama Statewide Health Coordinating Council and Innovate Alabama Commission by Governor Kay Ivey.
Witty and innovative at heart, Rep. Gray is also the founder of Elevate Your Grind, Inc., a motivational and clothing brand as well The Curtis House, a nonprofit organization which serves as a resource hub in one of the most vulnerable neighborhoods in his hometown of Opelika, AL.
Rep. Gray has received numerous accolades for his community service and leadership. When asked what his ultimate goal is in life, he simply stated “to inspire and hire.”
In this episode Yoga Is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Jeremy Gray discuss the following:

Jeremy Gray's bill to over turn the ban on yoga in Alabama Public Schools
Helping individuals transition from poverty to productivity at his family's service facility, The Curtis House
Elevate Your Grind Jeremy's brand dedicated to empowerment, sports, yoga, cooking and enlightenment and apparel
Deepok Chopra Meditation App
Leading by example to inspire others to go vegan.
Connect with Rep. Jeremy Gray:

Facebook:@repjeremygray
Instagram: @repjeremygray

Whitney discovered yoga in 2008 while in nursing school. A lifelong athlete, she was looking for increased flexibility and strength to supplement her triathlon training. As her high-stress career as a cardiovascular RN developed, she learned to rely on her yoga practice as a way to process the experiences she had at work, keep her body healthy, and stay calm under pressure.

Throughout the years, Whitney’s yoga practice has helped her recover from eating disorders, sexual abuse, physically and emotionally abusive relationships, physical injuries, and addiction. This ultimately led her to become a yoga teacher and owner of the Indigo Yoga Studio, and embrace veganism.

She first stopped eating animals at the age of 16. A lifelong animal lover, she grew up with pets of all sorts, from snakes and rats to birds, horses, goats, and pigs... and of course cats and dogs. She connected deeply with horses, working with them from a young age. One year, her 4-H pig won a prize and was sold at auction. Very distressed at the thought of her friend being turned into bacon, that was it until age 18, when she started eating meat as a way to attempt to lose weight on a diet. Once she stopped drinking alcohol and deepened her yoga practice, she gravitated naturally towards a plant-based diet, and became vegan completely in 2019. The transition to veganism was natural and driven by deep shadow work and spiritual searching during a dark time in life, particularly sparked by the teachings of Sri Dharma Mittra and practice of Dharma and Kundalini Yoga.

She is an E-RYT® 200, YACEP® and practices/teaches a variety of styles of yoga, including Hot Yoga, Vinyasa, Yin, Ashtanga, Rocket, and is currently in the process of obtaining her Kundalini Yoga Level 1 certification. Her daily practice is Kundalini meditation and sometimes Kriya, and some sort of asana (mostly Ashtanga primary and rocket).

In August 2018, she was blessed with an unexpected opportunity to become owner/operator of Indigo Yoga, a beautiful little hot yoga studio in Las Cruces, NM. She currently continues to operate the studio while working in a COVID ICU in a rural hospital an hour away from her home in Las Cruces.

She is married to a man she’s loved since age 14, Sam. They live in Las Cruces with their companions Isis, an aging pitbull, and Elliot, a psychic teenage boy cat.

In this episode Whitney Pérez-Wright and Holly Skodis discuss the following:

Sri Dharma Mittra and his book Life of a Yogi
Patrick McCleaf & Sara Gruss
Recovering from food and alcohol addictions with yoga and veganism
Ram Dass
Wearing a masking times of Covid
Kundalini Aquarian Sadhana
Under Armor Mask
Switching towards a whole food plant-based diet
Join Whitney and Holly on @yogaisvegan Instagram Live, Saturday January 23, 4pm EST
Connect with Whitney
Instagram: @Whitney__stark
Instagram: @indigo__yoga
Website: indigolascruces.com

Katie Rose (formerly Manitsas) is an inspirational powerhouse, making ancient yogic and ayurvedic wisdom accessible for busy modern-day women. Her solid grounding in mindfulness and spirituality, along with her authentic ‘say it as it is’ approach and impressive business savvy has earnt her an enthusiastic following amongst yogis in Sydney and Australia.

As a published author, advanced level Jivamukti Yoga and Kundalini Yoga teacher, Ayurveda consultant and doula, women’s health and wellbeing are Katie’s specialty. She holds the highest possible accreditations with both Yoga Alliance and Yoga Australia and over 20 years, has trained hundreds of yoga teachers. She started her yogic career at age 19 as a volunteer cleaner at the prestigious TriYoga in London. By 24 Katie was managing the Primrose Hill TriYoga flagship location after which she moved to Australia in 2004 and founded her own yoga studio ‘Samadhi Yoga’ in Newtown. In 2007 Katie co-founded Jivamukti Yoga Sydney which at its peak was a four location Sydney based business and is still a community that continues to thrive today.

Her passion is in empowering women through yogic philosophy and bringing devotion and a sense of sacredness to everyday life. She has a deep compassion for animals and reverence for nature. Her most recent book (released by Rockpool Publishing in Australia, USA, and the UK), ‘Mindful Living’, was published in 2019 and the journal and inspiration cards to follow on its success will be available soon.

Current projects for Katie include writing (she is working on a new book ‘Mindful Healing’), a plant-medicine business Bhakti Botanicals (ayurvedic teas and oils), in-person teaching at various locations and the development of a substantial online offering including her signature trainings Ayurveda Goddess and Yoga of Birth.

Katie is the mother of four boys and lives in Sydney’s super-hip Inner West. Ranging in age from 4 to 13, they are a joyful, rambunctious, loving, and sometimes slightly crazy bunch. It is with a generous sprinkling of intention setting, affirmations and diligent, disciplined practice that Katie is attempting to practice what she teaches; creating a life that is focused, happy, elegant, and robustly sustainable.

In this episode YIV's Holly Skodis and Katie Rose discuss the following:

Journaling and self reflection

Social accountability

Redefining self care

The importance of selfless service in your yoga practice

Living Journal Sweepstakes: bhaktirose.com.au/yogaisvegan

Katie is a returning guest on the Yoga is Vegan podcast. Listen to her preview conversation on episode 68
Connect with Katie:

Website:bhaktirose.com.au
Instagram: @bhaktirose

The greatest changes in my life have always come out of the darkest moments. It feels awful going through it but with time and reflection, life’s adversities are necessary for personal growth.

If any year is going to be a catalyst for global change in my lifetime, I’m guessing it’s going to be 2020. We have suffered collectively and yet each one of us have had vastly different experiences. 2021 is our opportunity to make great change. It’s our duty as yogis to not only live by example, but to recognize each one of our talents and use them to help guide others on their search for enlightenment. My hope is that through the alignment of ahimsa and veganism we can teach others that the unnecessary suffering and slaughter of other beings is at the root of our own suffering.

This episode includes some of the most influential yogi and animal activists that I interviewed in 2020. I hope their words inspire others to begin their vegan journey,

The following are excerpts from these episodes:

Episode 62- Boho Beautiful’s Juliana and Mark Spiculok
Episode 41- Seane Corn
Episode 39- Mathieu Boldron
Episode 71- John Joseph
Episode 60- James Aspey
Episode 47- Ray Ippolito
Episode 36- Ana Forrest & Jose Calarco
Episode 55- Tabay Atkins & Sahel Anvarinejad

Elsa Lagache is kind of a New Yorker. She has been living in the city for 7 years, biking every day no matter the weather conditions and practicing yoga as much as needed.

Elsa’s original plan was to bike from NYC to San Francisco. She wanted to stay along the way in ashrams and practice yoga in very diverse yoga studios across the United States. With covid shutting down most places, she decided to bike nonstop to Denver. When she arrived in San Francisco, she continued and went to San Diego.

Elsa embarked on this crazy adventure of 3,772 miles to show that we can always go further. We don’t have to take a plane to discover amazing places and being vegan doesn’t stop you from discovering local food. During this solo cross-country trip biking, she wanted to prove that it was easy to be vegan everywhere in the US.

Elsa is an environmental activist, trying her best to make this planet a better place for everyone. During her cycling adventure she raised funds for the non profit organizations, Keeping a Child Alive, Oceanic Global and World Bicycle Relief.

In this episode YIV's Holly Skodis and Elsa Lagache discuss the following:

Acro Bike
Warm Showers Bike Tour Hosting
Anonymous for the Voiceless
Living a zero waste lifestyle and steps to getting there
*To enter the Yoga Is Vegan Giveaway see below
Connect with Elsa:
Website: healmyplanet.com
Instagram: @healmyplanet

Yoga is Vegan Giveaway Rules:
Leave a rating and a review. Go to ratethispodcast.com/yogaisvegan You must leave a review to be entered into the giveaway. (If you have already left a review, skip to step 2) See the link in bio for where to do it.
For an additional entry, share your favorite Yoga Is Vegan podcast episode on IG and tag 1 or more friends you think would like the podcast. Use the tag #YIVGiveawayJan2021 (you may do this as much as you like to increase your chances).

If you would like to enter and haven’t listened to the podcast, give it a listen and then go to step 1 above.

You have until January 1st to enter. In the meantime, I will read some of the reviews on the podcast! January 3rd, one lucky winner will be randomly selected. The winner will receive their choice of an available Yoga Is Vegan t-shirt or tank top.

Good luck! Together we can help inspire others to go vegan. 💚🙏🐮

Jay Mac, the founder and chef of the Kind Kitchen in Cape Town has proudly lived a vegan lifestyle since 2010. His yoga journey and the understanding that change in the world can only happen from within, inspired him to embark on his culinary journey. He studied at the Natural Epicurean School of Culinary Arts in Austin Texas in 2013, under the tutelage of fellow South African Inge Bothma. Jay is also the writer and director of the documentary, What is Real? The Story of Jivamukti Yoga.

In this episode, Yoga Vegan's Holly Skodis and Jay Mac discuss the following:

Fallen Gurus & Yogis
Karo Tak YIV Podcast Episode 25
Earthlings Documentary
Jivamukti Yoga
Vegan comfort food
What is Real? The Story of Jivamukti Yoga
Satsang Yoga with Andrea Boyd and Jeffrey Cohen
Kip Anderson and Cowspiracy
Keegan Kuhn
Teacher trainings and opportunities for growth
Filming What Is Real with Sharon Gannon and David Life
Lady Ruth and Russell Simmons
Austin Sanderson YIV episode 77
Alan Watts
Connect with Jay:

Instagram @thekindkitchen
Facebook: @tkkwoodstock
Website: thekindtichen.co.za
Film: What is Real? The Story of Jivamukti Yoga

Jake Conroy is a long-time activist, designer, and writer currently residing in Seattle, WA USA. He helped organize and participated in successful local, regional, national and international pressure campaigns. He also helped build the foundation of SHAC USA, considered one of the most successful grassroots animal rights campaigns in history. He and his co-organizers were subsequently arrested by the US government for their roles and dubbed the SHAC7. Jake and his codefendants were found guilty after a lengthy trial and he was sentenced to 4 years in federal prison. In 2019, the Joaquin Phoenix produced documentary, The Animal People, was released detailing the campaign and the controversial court case.
Currently, Jake works at the Rainforest Action Network, an international organization using pressure campaigns to stop rainforest deforestation, fossil fuel extraction, and support human rights. He can be found pontificating online as the Cranky Vegan, where he irritates everyone with his thoughts on the tactics, strategies and optics of the grassroots animal rights movement.
In this episode Yoga Is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Jake Conroy discuss the following:
The Animal People Documentary
SHAC Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty
Pressure Campaigns
The grassroots Animal Rights Movement
Animal Enterprise Protection Act
Eating in prison as a vegan
The prison black market
Taking and teaching yoga in prisons
The Rainforest Action Network
Effective Activism
Connect with Jake:

YouTube: @thecrankyvegan
Instagram: @thecrankyvegan
Facebook: @thecranklyvegan
Email: jake@jakeconroy.com

Helen Wilson turned to yoga in her mid-twenties, towards the end of a high-pressure career in the news media, as a way to help cope with stress, anxiety and depression. What followed was a 12 year journey of self-discovery and personal development at which yoga is at the heart.

She began yoga teacher training under Indian yoga master Yogacharya Jnandev at Yoga Satsanga Ashram, West Wales, in 2013. After attaining her 200hr certificate, Helen went on to be awarded her 500hr YTT certificate in 2016 alongside 80hr certification in Pregnancy Yoga. Helen has undertaken a further 150hr training with Yoga Elder, Sama Fabian at The Green House School of Yoga. As Womankind Yoga, she now runs the UK's largest Beach Yoga Class which takes place every summer on the South Coast of Wales and she also teaches Paddleboard Yoga. Helen has a weekly online yoga class that broadcasts from Facebook every Tuesday.

An animal lover from childhood - Helen turned vegetarian at the age of 10 and went on to become vegan in 2007 when she started work at UK vegan charity, Viva! She has spent the last 12 years promoting, teaching and creating vegan food and has delivered dozens of talks and cookery demonstrations across the UK and online. As a self-taught vegan chef, her recipes have appeared in many major food magazines, books and websites. Her current project is the opening of a new plant-based coffee shop in her home city of Swansea.

Helen is also a freelance writer for vegan charity Viva! and host and producer of The Viva! Vegan Podcast.
In this episode Yoga Is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Helen Wilson discuss the following:

Viva! UK’s leading vegan campaigning charity, specialising in undercover investigations and high-profile animal campaigns
Helen’a vegan/yoga journey
Why eggs are cruel
Helen's experience at the Yoga Satsanga Ashram Wales teacher training and her karma work in the kitchen
Helen's new vegan coffee shop the Great Green Kitchen
Cooking demos as vegan activism
Woman Kind Yoga

Paul Rodney Turner, the “Food Yogi” is the international director of Food for Life and the co-founder of Food for Life Global, the world headquarters for the charity. Food for Life is the largest plant-based food relief in the world with 211 projects in 60 countries that serve up to 2 million meals daily.

Paul spent 14 years as a Hare Krishna monk. During that time he took a vow of celibacy and studied the ancient teachings of the Vedas as taught by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami. In the years of Paul’s life as a monk, he learned gourmet vegetarian cooking and was soon cooking the Sunday feasts for the Sunday Hare Krishna temple. His desire to focus exclusively on India’s Vedic culture of hospitality inspired him to start his own outreach project.

Over the last 33 years, Paul has traveled to 70 countries throughout Europe, Asia, and the Americas, helping to inspire and set up new Food for Life projects and train volunteers. He has raised millions of dollars in funds: gave hundreds of public lectures, appeared on television and radio and met with numerous government officials.

Paul is the author of FOOD YOGA and SOUL POWER, Five Noble Truths for a Successful Life.

In this episode Yoga Is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Paul Rodney Turner discuss the following:

Food for Life Global
Food Yoga, Nourishing Body, Mind & Soul by Paul Rodney Turner
Hare Krisha & Krishna Consciousness
Krishna devotees and the relationship to milk
Life Comes from Life: Morning Walks with A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Paul's experiences as a monk
The role of food in raising your awareness and consciousness
Conscious Eating by Gabriel Cousens M.D.
Bhagavad Gita
The Ayurvedic Diet
Connect with Paul Rodney Turner

Blog: paulrodneyturner.com
Linkedin
Food For Life Global
The Om Guarantee
Julianas Animal Sanctuary

Meg and Komie Vora- are ecopreneurs, the co-founders and designers behind Delikate Rayne (DR)- an award-winning, ethical, eco-friendly, cruelty-free women's label that produces in made to order/limited quantities to ensure zero waste whenever possible. The Vora sisters are disturbing the fashion industry by being a voice for the voiceless, empowering other females to go after their passion and pushing boundaries as brown creatives. The Vora sisters are first generation born and raised in the USA. They are going against the grain- forgoing their traditional cultural and gender expectations, by using their upbringing (Jain + Hindi roots plus born & raised vegetarian- now vegan) alongside their adoration of animals, to create green luxury- definitive and progressive vegan designs with a purpose into existence. DR also serves as a platform to bring awareness to the many overlooked issues in fashion including sustainability, cruelty and ethics. Plus making compassion cool by redefining luxury through changing the preconceived notions of what "lux" is. They also curate a conscious sanctuary through DR Diary which focuses on and educates about vegan/sustainable fashion, beauty, food, travel, wellness, mindfulness & more for your higher self.

The Vora sisters had no formal industry experience or contacts, but their willingness not to conform to others expectations outweighed their fears and obstacles. Through their unstoppable drive and determinism to follow their desires, they set out to do whatever they could to make their dream a reality. What's particularly interesting about the Vora sisters is turning the things that they were once alienated and made fun of for while growing up resulted into making a remarkable impact later in their life. As a result, the sisters have become one of the pioneers of the kind fashion movement and are leading examples of how their unconventional upbringing and values led them to discover their passion which ultimately led to uncovering their purpose which is now channeled through the creation of Delikate Rayne. To date, the sisters and their company were on the front page in both digital and print of Colombia based Be Vegan Magazine and India West. Other notable interviews/features include: Forbes, NBC, Miss Bish, Galore, The Zoe Report, WWD, E! Online, The Los Angeles Times, StyleCaster, BuzzFeed, VegNews, Sakara, The Hindustan Times, Cheddar, Business Rockstars, The Orange County Register and many more. In addition, the Vora sisters have been guests on several podcasts, TV shows, radio segments and conferences/panels. The sisters have also conceptualized and served as creative directors for multiple fashion for good projects including PETA USA, NYLON magazine, PETA India, The Animal Hope and Wellness Center and others. They are also guest writers/features for 3 books on vegan style, living, and green business acumen. Today, Meg and Komie have built Delikate Rayne into a leading platform of bringing awareness all while paving the way for other compassionate companies.
In this episode Yoga Is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Meg and Komie Vora discuss the following:
Growing up in a Hindi and Jain household and how Ahimsa entered into their lives.
Meg & Komie's vegan story
Building their ethical, eco-friendly, cruelty-free women's label, Delikate Rayne.
The impacts of fast fashion on the environment
Connect with Meg & Komie Vora:

Website: Delikaterayne.com
Twitter: @delikaterayne
Facebook: @Delikaterayne
Pinterest: @delikaterayne
Instagram: @delikaterayne

Mary Farrell was one of the first Candians certified in the Jivamukti Yoga lineage in 2003. Jivamukti Yoga, rooted in ethical vegetarianism, veganism, has inspired every aspect of Mary's life. She founded Blossoming Lotus Yoga is 2011, where she introduced people to the authentic practices of Yoga. She was a founding member of Windsor's Vegfest, which hosted such notable speakers as Dr, Neal Barnard and Peta's own Ingrid Newkirk, and she is part owner of Windsor's first fully vegan comfort food restaurant, Nooch. She hopes to encourage people to embrace veganism through the delicious food she serves or the inspirational classes she teaches.

In this episode Yoga Is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Mary Farrell discuss the following:
Running her restaurant, Nooch during a pandemic
Finding compassion for people who fall during their vegan journey
Resistance or acceptance of the word GOD
Closing her studio, Blossoming Lotus Yoga due to COVID
Connect with Mary:

Instagram @maryfarrellyoga
Facebook: @maryfarrellyoga

Nooch Restaurant
Instagram: @noochwindsor
Facebook: @noochwindsor

Austin K. Sanderson moved to NYC in 1998 to attend New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Design and Production Department. After graduating with his Masters degree in set and costume design, he spent the next twenty-two years working as a designer in the American theater. In 2008 he was introduced to Jivamukti Yoga in a yoga class at a local neighborhood gym in Jersey City New Jersey. As he continued to take Jivamukti classes both locally and at the Jivamukti Yoga School NYC. Austin wanted to learn more about yoga and share with others his life changing experience brought about while practicing the Jivamukti Yoga Method. In 2011, Austin attended the Jivamukti 300+ hour teacher training program at the Omega Institute. In 2012, he continued his studies and completed his 800-hour Jivamukti Teacher Certification at The Jivamukti Yoga School NYC. In 2013, Austin and his partner Bob opened a 3000 square foot Jivamukti Yoga Center in downtown Jersey City, two blocks away from where he took his first Jivamukti yoga class. Austin is extremely grateful to his teachers, Sharon Gannon and David Life. Austin views Gannon and Life as his upa-guru, a teacher who points you in the right direction. Without them Austin would have never had a full understanding of why veganism is so crucial to a yoga practice. While Austin ran the Jivamukti Center in Jersey City he continued to seek deeper teachings outside the Jivamukti method, ones that would offer a deeper understanding of the ancient teaching of yoga from its roots. It was at this point that Shri Yogishri Sudarshan Kannan came into Austin’s life as a teacher and Sat-Guru. In 2020, Austin founded the Urban Sadhu Yoga Method, “a method of applying ancient yogic wisdom in a contemporary context.” He and his partner Bob are the co-owners of Urban Sadhu Yoga Shala, formally Jivamukti Yoga Center Jersey City. Austin is also if the co-founder and co-producer of Yoga Fest Jersey City, a free public yoga, music and vegan food festival held in the heart of downtown Jersey City NJ during the summer equinox.

In this episode Austin Sanderson & Holly Skodis discuss the following:

The business of yoga
Jivamukti Yoga
Leather for sexual pleasure
Yoga and Politics
Yoga and Capitalism
Paramahansa Yogananda
The sale of Jivamukti Yoga
Will Tuttle author of the World Peace Diet
Urban Sadhu Yoga
Connect with Austin Sanderson:

Website: urbansadhuyoga.com
Instagram:@urbansadhujerseycity and @urban.sadhu
Facebook: @UrbanSadhuJerseyCity

Erika Mitchener is a personal trainer and founder of Plant Power Boot Camp. She coaches both men and women, from beginners to seasoned athletes with a focus on following a plant-based diet. Erika draws from her martial arts background, mindfulness and plant-based nutrition with her clients. After being introduced to martial arts in 1992, she has gone on to study, karate, jiu jjitsu, judo, weapons, and tai chi. In 2007 she became certified as a personal trainer. As a passionate vegan, in 2012 Erika went on to study nutrition and become certified through T. Colin Campbell's Center for Nutrition Studies, Plant-based Nutrition Course. In March of 2020 Plant Power Boot Camp released their signature program, VeganFit Challenge, a 6 week program focussed on strength training and vegan nutrition that incorporates mindfulness and meditation.

In this episode, Yoga Is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Erika Michener discuss the following:

Why yoga is vegan and how to relate to yogis who are not.
Erika's decision to only work with people interested in a plant-based diet.
Buddhist Food Meditation
Connect with Erika:
Website: plantpowerbootcamp.com
Instagram: @erika.plantpowerbootcamp

Alan Twigg is the author of “Why Go Vegan” and the creator of the recently finished “Plant-Based Heroes” online course.

He was born and raised in the former industrial city of Sheffield in the north of England and dropped out of school at a young age to become a lorry driver. Unable to afford the mortgage, he started his first successful business at the age of 24. Just 5 years later he gave it all up to move to Germany after meeting and falling in love with his wife of many years, Susanne.

He’s been a dish washer, petrol-pump attendant, lorry driver and the founder of several businesses in the UK and Germany including an employment agency, translation agency, marketing company and event company.

He currently lives in Tenerife in the Canary Islands where he organises international Argentine tango events in the north and south of the island.

He has four children and four grandchildren.

After lots of encouragement from his daughter, Alan took up a vegan lifestyle nearly 5 years ago. Only shortly afterwards he stumbled accidently into Yoga, got completely hooked, went to lesson after lesson and now has a regular morning routine that includes meditation, breathing and lots of stretching.

He’s passionate about encouraging and motivating others to consider a vegan and more mindful lifestyle, especially those from a working-class background like his own.

In this episode Yoga Is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Alan Twigg discuss the following:

Alan's approach to teaching others why to go vegan through storytelling
Alan's online course Plant-Based Heroes
How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease by Michael Gregor
How to Survive a Pandemic by Michael Gregor
Hong Kong Flu
The Best Speech You Will Ever Hear by Gary Yourofsky
Connect with Alan Twigg:
Website: alantwigg.org

As the Founder and CEO of Foodnerd, Sharon Cryan’s personal mission is to shape the future of food by harnessing the power of sprouting and plant-based ingredients. She is committed to crafting products that boost health, wellness, and encourage self-love.

Having grown up in Buffalo, NY in a large family, Cryan saw first-hand the chronic health challenges that faced her loved ones and set out to make a change through nutrition. Initially, Cryan put herself through law school, earning a Juris Doctor (J.D) from Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center in NYC. While taking on both law school and several part-time jobs, she turned to her diet to provide her with the energy to tackle her busy schedule. Her friends and classmates took notice, and she began preparing meals for them through a careful selection of nutrient-dense foods.

After a brief stint practicing law, Cryan returned to Buffalo to start Foodnerd, a company dedicated to creating positively processed food with a purpose. Under her leadership, the company recently launched its first superfood product, OverNights - the first raw & sprouted overnight breakfast product available to consumers. Foodnerd is working alongside researchers and food scientists to understand and develop processes and foods that pack nutrients into tasty, convenient snacks and meals.

In this episode Yoga Is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Foodnerd's Sharon Cryan discuss the following:

Nutrient dense food
Government cheese and growing up in a low income household
Eating organic vegan food on a low income
Emotional eating
The benefits of eating sprouting foods
In Search of the Wild Tofurky: How a business Misfit Pioneered Plant-Based Foods Before They Were Cool by Seth Tibbott
The benefits of sprouted foods
Get the latest nutritional science at nutritionfacts.org
Dr. Neil Barnard and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
2020 Virtual Cincy VegFest October 24 12 pm- 5 pm EST. For more information visit www.cincyvegfest.com and follow @cvegfest on IG and Facebook for updates
Raw Conversations Episode 4: Emotional Eating with Yoga Instructor, Holly Skodis Listen on Anchor or watch on YouTube
Connect with Sharon Cryan:

Website: @foodnerdinc.com
Social Media: @foodnerd

Hate something? Change something!

Born at the beginning of the 60s, Stewart experienced the hippy revolution, punk rock, new wave, two tone, reggae and much more in the diverse politicised atmosphere of Thatcherist Britain.

Leading a wild, nihilistic, and hedonostic lifestyle led him to a multitude of years and experiences with hallucinogenics, shamanism and ethnobotany both recreationally and spiritually.

The new age travellers and the second summer of love in the UK, where Rave and Ecstacy redefined alternative culture and reinvigorated the esoteric arts, which kindled an interest in buddhism and yoga in Stewart.

Following a severe back injury Stewart experienced an amazing recovery through intensive Astanga Vinyasa Mysore yoga practice.
Stewart’s sadhana led him toward an extensive yoga education with teachers from around the world who have had a profound effect on his style of teaching.

A devoted activist in a wide range of issues: the Arms trade and nuclear disarmament, human and animal rights, environmental and ecological issues, anti-racist/fascist, pro LGBTQ, anti capitalist and anti poverty.

He spent 10 years as a youth worker and teacher within the voluntary sector before training as a Lawyer in inner city London.

Stewart relates his radical traditionalist approach to Yoga to include these important modern issues and his experiences therein.

With great respect to the founders for their activism in animal rights he qualified as a Jivamukti teacher in 2003 and since has taught extensively in London and worldwide with annual retreats workshops in India and Sri Lanka.

Stewart is a Senior Registered Yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance. He founded East London School of Yoga and has been teaching Teacher Training for 8 years. He is currently studying at SOAS University toward an MA in Traditions of Yoga and Meditation with hopes of research toward a Phd.

Stewart is eternally grateful to Hamish Hendry (Astanga London), Sabel Thaim, Jennifer Dale,Sri K Patthabi Jois, Sri Shreshadree (Mysore), and David Life and Sharon Gannon (Jivamukti Yoga) who all contributed greatly to change his life. He is also very sorry to everyone and everything who he harmed before yoga.

In this episode Yoga Is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Stewart Gilchrist discuss the following:

Vegan Health and Fitness Magazine Yoga Edition
Kate Magic
Nature's First Law: The Raw-Food Diet by Stephen Arlin, David Wolfe, Fouad Dini, R.C. Dini, Marc Wolfe and Ken Seane
Stew's experience getting sick on a mono fruitarian diet in colder climates
Orthorexia
Forest Bathing: How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness by Dr. Qing Li Shinrin-yoku
Reclaim the Streets
Extinction Rebellion
GMOS
The Farm Tennessee
Sugar and bone char
Stew’s experience getting Covid
A Handbook for Yogasana Teachers by Mel Robin
Hooked on Raw: Rejuvenate Your Body and Should With Nature's Living Foods by Rhio
Raw: The Uncook Book: New Vegetarian Food for Life by Juliano Brotman and Erika Lenkert
Dr. Douglas N. Graham
Conscious Eating by Gabriel Cousens M.D.

Subscribe & Listen:

Listen & Subscribe on Spotify

Connect with Stewart Gilchrist:

Website: eastlondonschoolofyoga.com
Instagram: @eastlondonschoolofyoga

Brenda Carey is the host of Kindness Magazine, which is a new YouTube and podcast show. This project is the latest incarnation of what was just formerly Vegan Health & Fitness magazine, which was a print publication available in stores since 2012, that became primarily electronic in 2019. As Kindness Magazine, Brenda and her staff are seeking to expand the conversation of compassion and well-being to all. Brenda has been doing yoga for over 20 years, and has completed several teacher trainings, the first of which was in Ashtanga through Yoga Hawaii. Brenda has been vegan since 1991. She credits her vibrant energy, mental health and clarity, and inner peacefulness to the two pervasive forces of yoga and veganism in her life. Brenda is also an immigration attorney in Northern California and an activist for many causes from animal rights, to environmentalism, to civil rights. You can catch her show and find her magazines in print, digital, podcast, and video at Kindnessmag.com.

In this episode YIV's Holly Skodis and Brenda Carey discuss the following:

Vegan Health & Fitness Magazine. You can order the 2020 January Yoga Edition at Amazon.
Kindness Magazine's podcast interview and YouTube with Holly Skodis
CHAZ Seattle
The development of Vegan Health and Fitness Magazine and why Brenda has transitioned it to Kindness Magazine
Connect with Brenda Carey:

Website: kindnessmag.com and veganhealthandfitnessmag.com

Instagram: @kindnessmag
Facebook: @kindnessmag
Youtube: Kindness Magazine

John Joseph is a musician, author, triathlete, and Bhakti Yogi. He was the lead singer of the punk band, Cro-Mags, and later authored the book, Evolution of a Cro-Magnon. Since 2010, Joseph has competed in many Ironman competitions, as well as released the book, Meat is for Pussies, on vegan nutrition and living a healthy lifestyle. His most recent work is a book titled, The P.M.A. Effect, about keeping a positive mental attitude.

In this episode YIV's Holly Skodis and John Joseph discuss the following:

The Science of Self-Realization by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
John Joseph's Guru, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Kali Yuja cycle
The upcoming documentary 30 to Life by Kip Andersen
Meat (1976) Directed by Frederick Wiseman
Integral Yoga founded by Sri Swami Satchidananda
Hare Krishna
Big Pharma and Covid
The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
Radhastami

LANGUAGE ADVISORY: This episode contains a fair amount of f-bombs. If you are sensitive to language or don't want the kids to hear them be mindful of where you play it.

Connect with John Joseph:

YouTube: Hard Truth with John Joseph
Instagram: @johnjosephcrowmag
Twitter: @jjcromag
Books: Download The PMA Effect and The Evolution of a Cro-Magnon on johnjoseph.merchnow.com

Michaela Kascak is a Certified Culinary Nutrition Expert, hatha/vinyasa/ecstatic yoga teacher, and holistic health coach with a focus on nutrition for the mind, mental health, and kids' health education. She offers health coaching services, online courses, yoga classes, workshops, and more through her online platform, Barefood&Barefoot (http://barefoodandbarefoot.com).

Michaela’s desire to heal feelings of discomfort, both mentally and physically, led her on her own personal health journey where she discovered the healing power of yoga and following a whole, plant-based foods diet. Her passion for health and wellness continues to lead her down many new paths spiritually and in the world of holistic health and wellness.

Currently, Michaela lives between both Hawaii and Connecticut, continuing to expand her online platform and aid others on their own journey to achieving optimal health, mentally and physically, through dietary and lifestyle habits, mindfulness practices, and more. She focuses on mental health, recognizing that it is one of the leading causes of many health complications and chronic illnesses and diseases. She works closely with clients to evaluate not only their diet but also their lifestyle to aid them in creating new habits that will help to build a happy and healthy mind and achieve overall optimal health.

Michaela recently released her first online course, Pranidhanat Parinama: Surrender & Transform, that focuses on the power of a healthy diet, positive lifestyle choices, intentional work with the elements, and other mindfulness practices in order to heal, let go and grow.

In this episode YIV's Holly Skodis and MIchaela Kascak discuss the following:

@organic_olivia and food cravings while suffering from Covid-19
Coronavirus
Fiber Fueled: The Plant-Based Gut Health Program for Losing Weight, Restoring Your Health, and Optimizing Your Microbiome by Will Bulsiewicz MD
The gut and our mental health

Yoga Nidra: The Art of Transformational Sleep by Kamini Desai

The Academy of Culinary Nutrition

Working with the 4 elements with nutrition

Zinc and quercetin supplements for immunity support

Pranidhanat Parinama: Surrender & Transform Online Course

Connect with Michaela:
Website: http://www.barefoodandbarefoot.com
Instagram: @barefoodandbarefoot
Contact: info@barefoodandbarefoot.com

Prem Dass Rohan (aka PD), MA (Secondary Science Education), BA (Mathematics), CA Clear Teaching Credential K-8, CA Clear Teaching Credential HS (Mathematics); Montessori EarlyChildhood Education Credential, Montessori Early Childhood Education Director, combines his love of science and mathematics in the classroom with his love of yoga practice, teaching students mindfulness, breath awareness exercises, precepts for living a virtuous life based on non-violence, and postures to calm the mind. Prem Dass has taught all ages of students from 2 1/2 years to the elderly. Premdas studied Ashtanga Yoga with Baba Hari Dass from 1975 until his passing in 2018, starting in Miami, Florida. He is a senior teacher at Mount Madonna Center having taught there continuously from 1980 to the present. He is one of several ‘pujaris’ at the Hanuman Temple at Mount Madonna Center and has been instrumental in opening up ritual performance to women, a traditionally male-dominated service. He offers morning ‘arati’ at least two times a week and has done so since the temple was founded in 2003. He periodically conducted fire ceremonies and began offering vegan versions of fire ceremonies in 2017.

In this episode YIV's Holly Skodis and Prem Dass Rohan discuss the following;

Sri Swami Satchidananda
Baba Hari Dass
Hare Krisha
Paramahansa Yogananda and his book Autobiography of a Yogi
Ayurvedic substitutions for onions are leeks and for garlic it's asafoetida.
Veganizing yajñas, the ancient Vedic Fire Ceremonies
Connect with Prem Dass

Website: www.jamesrohan.org

Katie Rose (formerly Manitsas) is an inspirational powerhouse, making ancient yogic and ayurvedic wisdom accessible for busy modern-day women. Her solid grounding in mindfulness and spirituality, along with her authentic ‘say it as it is’ approach and impressive business savvy has earnt her an enthusiastic following amongst yogis in Sydney and Australia.

As a published author, advanced level Jivamukti Yoga and Kundalini Yoga teacher, Ayurveda consultant and doula, women’s health and wellbeing are Katie’s specialty. She holds the highest possible accreditations with both Yoga Alliance and Yoga Australia and over 20 years, has trained hundreds of yoga teachers. She started her yogic career at age 19 as a volunteer cleaner at the prestigious TriYoga in London. By 24 Katie was managing the Primrose Hill TriYoga flagship location after which she moved to Australia in 2004 and founded her own yoga studio ‘Samadhi Yoga’ in Newtown. In 2007 Katie co-founded Jivamukti Yoga Sydney which at its peak was a four location Sydney based business and is still a community that continues to thrive today.

Her passion is in empowering women through yogic philosophy and bringing devotion and a sense of sacredness to everyday life. She has a deep compassion for animals and reverence for nature. Her most recent book (released by Rockpool Publishing in Australia, USA, and the UK), ‘Mindful Living’, was published in 2019 and the journal and inspiration cards to follow on its success will be available soon.

Current projects for Katie include writing (she is working on a new book ‘Mindful Healing’), a plant-medicine business Bhakti Botanicals (ayurvedic teas and oils), in-person teaching at various locations and the development of a substantial online offering including her signature trainings Ayurveda Goddess and Yoga of Birth.

Katie is the mother of four boys and lives in Sydney’s super-hip Inner West. Ranging in age from 4 to 13, they are a joyful, rambunctious, loving, and sometimes slightly crazy bunch. It is with a generous sprinkling of intention setting, affirmations and diligent, disciplined practice that Katie is attempting to practice what she teaches; creating a life that is focused, happy, elegant, and robustly sustainable.

In this episode YIV's Holly Skodis and Katie Rose discuss the following:

Boxing day
Subsidizing education with the meat and dairy industries
Jivamukti Yoga, Sharon Gannon & David Life
Yoga & Veganism: The DIet of Enlightenment by Sharon Gannon
Jivamukti Yoga's Focus of the Month archives and Katie's article What is a Person? (The World in Which the Kestrel Moves)
Cultivating empathy and understanding for those with opposing views to find a middle ground
Raising children with vegan ideas
Pitta, Kapha and Vata Doshas. Katie's free Ayurvedic quiz

Connect with Katie:

Website:bhaktirose.com.au
Ayurvedic Goddess Training : 20% Discount at checkout code: GODDESS20

Bhakti Blends Ayurvedic Teas receive a discount at checkout by using the code: BHAKTI

Banka learned meditation from her mother, Sheila, teaching her white light meditation when she was 13.

She came to yoga through Buddhism. She lived at Tassajara Monastery and Green Dragon Temple where she practiced a strict discipline of Zen Buddhist meditation, chanting, and silence.

She received ordination (Jukai) in 1994 from her teacher Reb Tenshin Anderson and she went to France to study with Thich Nhat Hanh where she received the 5 Precepts Ordination in 1995.

Banka went on pilgrimage to India and studied with his Holiness the Dalai Lama and received White Tara Empowerment in 1997.

In 2003 Banka completed her ﬁrst teacher training at Kalani with Kathy Elder, in 2007 her second teacher training in Sivananda Yoga, and her third teacher training in Jivamukti Yoga, and in 2015 she completed her fourth teacher training in Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan. In 2015 Banka became an Advanced Certified Jivamukti Yoga Teacher.

Banka has spent every August since 2010 serving her beloved teachers, Shri Sharon Gannon and Shri David Life.

Banka has also been Certified in The Kushi Macrobiotic Lifestyle and she has spent time studying & learning the Living Foods Lifestyle at The Ann Wigmore Institute & The Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center. All Vegan.

Banka has also spent long periods of her life devoted to direct action campaigns: liberate animals, forest defense, anti-nuke, and indigenous rights.

Banka created a LIBA degree in Animal Rights and did her internship with PETA in 1989.

Banka was involved in North Coast Earth First! for Headwaters, trying to protect the last privately owned ancient old-growth redwood forest. A 7-year legal battle ensued- nopepperspray.org

Banka was involved in the SHAC campaign, The Buffalo Field Campaign, Big Mountain Black Mesa, hung a banner from Stone mountain in Atlanta on World Week to Liberate Laboratory Animals, was part of The Primate Freedom Tour, and numerous other campaigns for animal & earth liberation.

Banka has been arrested for civil disobedience:

Vandenburg Air Force Base, CA

Yerkes Primate Ctr, Atlanta, GA

NIH Primate Drug Addiction Lab, MD

Multiple Hunt Sabs in NJ, PA & MD

Department of Livestock Headquarters, Helena, MT

Office takeovers & Home Demos in CA

University of Penn Animal Lab,PA

Neiman Marcus, CA

Hegins Pigeon Shoot, PA

In this episode YIV's Holly Skodis and Banka discuss the following:

Mediation
Activism
Jivamukti Yoga, Shri David Life and Shri Sharon Gannon
Veganism in prison
Mumia Abu Jamal, Death Blossoms: Reflections from A Prisoner of Conscience
Working through the ego
Hawaii Cow Rescue by HLFARN
Dolphins and pigs being used for entertainment in Hawaii
Hawaii sovereignty
Introducing veganism to yoga classes
The Burger King Story by Andrei Codrescu
Okja Movie
Animal Liberation by Peter Singer
Diet for a New America: How Your Food Choices Affect Your Health, Happiness and the Future Life on Earth by John Robbins
Speciesism
Shantideva quote in the book: Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life: How To Enjoy a Life of Great Meaning and Altruism
Connect with Banka:
Instagram: @bankalish
Email: chongaboolie@hotmail.com

Joy Stone is a professional speaker, a mindset and spiritual life coach, a best-selling author, and a positive psychology and yoga therapy practitioner educated in yoga psychology. Known for her ability to deliver profound spiritual teachings in a practical and modern way, Joy works closely with spiritual seekers to solve of their anxiety, when nothing else has worked for them.

Joy's Soul School Coaching Program blends eastern and western psychology and philosophy and has helped countless spiritual seekers move from information overload to lasting inner transformation. With more than two decades of personal anxiety experience, and wisdom, Joy shares her professional experience with the world through workshops, retreats, books, and speaking engagements.

Joy received her positive psychology education at the Whole-Being Institute under Harvard Professor Tal Ben-Shahar, and her yoga teaching certification under the Anusara style - a therapeutic application of yoga philosophy and practice.

Joy lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband, Eric, and son, Jack.

In this episode, Yoga Is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Joy Stone discuss the following:

Gerson Therapy and The Gerson Miracle Documentary
Joy's new book, If I’m So Spiritual Why Am I So Anxious?
The kleshas
Overcoming anxiety
Connect with Joy:
Website: www.joystonecoaching.com
Free Book Download: If I'm So Spiritual, Why Am I Still So Anxious?
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joystonecoaching/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joystonecoaching/

Alex Charmoz is an Emergency Medicine Doctor in Southern California. Finding yoga as a way to heal from an injury sustained while rock climbing, he has found guidance through the 8 limb path of Ashtanga Yoga. While not a certified yoga teacher, he finds space to introduce yoga into his daily life and work. The ability to connect with other human beings in a vulnerable state and work towards bettering their quality of life is a direct manifestation of Yogic philosophy. Approaching 3 years of eating a vegan diet, which he attributes to his lovely and compassionate wife Liliana, he has seen direct results in his physical and mental abilities, and the link between diet and disease. As he took a vow to "First do no harm" he has realized that this extends to all sentient beings as well as the environment. A vegan lifestyle is the key to bringing these concepts together and is the future of attaining a sustainable and healthy planet.

In this episode, Dr. Alex Charmoz returns for a second time to discuss with Yoga Is Vegan's Holly Skodis what we can all do to improve our immune system and make ourselves as healthy and strong as possible to get through this pandemic.

The following topics are discussed:

Alex Charmoz- The Vegan Yogi Doctor Episode 37
How to Survive a Pandemic by Michael Gregor, M.D. FACLM
Nutritionfacts.org
2009 Swine Flu
Dotsie Bausch's non-profit Switch4Good's commercial on NBC
Newsweek article Eating Foods like Bread and Pasta Linked to Lower Risk of Death
Strengthening our immune system with a whole food vegan diet
Probiotics. Dr. Alex Charmoz recommends Seed, Absorb Biotics, and Blue Biology
antioxidants
mushrooms
Four Sigmatic Mushroom Coffee
Healing Mushrooms: A Practical and Culinary Guide to Using Mushrooms for Whole Body Health by Tero Isokauppila
Barukas Nuts
Sacha Inchi Protein Powder
Sprouting- great supplies and seeds can be found at sproutman.com

Doug Evans is an early pioneer in the health food movement. After losing his mother to cancer and his father to heart disease and watching his brother suffer through diabetes and three strokes, he invested in and co-founded (with Denise Mari) Organic Avenue. Organic Avenue was the one the first organic cold-pressed juice and raw food retailer in the United States. He was the inventor and founder of Juicero, the first at-home cold-pressed juicing system. In a 3 year period, Doug led the company from conception to production launch and sold over 1 million Juicero Pack before it was composted.

Doug lives off the water grid and food grid on his land with private hot springs east of Joshua Tree, California at Wonder Valley Hot Springs where he created a sprout lab, wrote The Sprout Book, and has a daily practice of sitting, soaking and ashtanga primary series.

In this episode, Yoga Is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Doug Evans discuss the following:

Sri Dharma Mittra (Podcast Episode 28)
Yogi Gupta’s Lecture Yoga Food Concepts
Recording Rich Roll's Podcast Episode 524
Living on 50% of calories on sprouts
The benefits of eating sprouts
Sulforaphane found in cruciferous vegetables and it’s anti-cancer properties
Broccoli sprouts and treating autism
Increasing lung function and broccoli
Organic Avenue
Juicero
Ashtanga yoga and practicing in Mysore India
Connect with Doug Evans:

Instagram: @dougevans
The Sprout Book by Doug Evans

Milo Runkle is the founder, former president, and board chair of Mercy For Animals—the world’s largest organization dedicated to protecting farm animals and promoting plant-based eating. MFA’s programs improve the lives of over one billion animals each year. He founded the organization at age 15, after an animal abuse case in his local farming community in rural Ohio.

Milo is also the co-founder of The Good Food Institute, an international organization that works to build a healthy and sustainable food system by supporting the development and adoption of plant and cell-based proteins.

Milo has worked alongside elected officials, corporate executives, farmers, and celebrities to pass legislation, raise public awareness about veganism, and implement animal welfare policy changes. Through his work with Mercy For Animals, Milo has been featured by hundreds of news outlets, including ABC World News Tonight, Nightline, 20/20, CNN, USA Today, and the New York Times.

He is the author of the 2017 bestselling book Mercy For Animals: One Man’s Quest to Inspire Compassion and Improve the Lives of Farm Animals.

A certified yoga teacher, daily meditator, and self-declared mycophilic, Milo’s happiest moments are found walking barefoot in nature alongside his rescued mutt, Shiva.

In this episode Yoga Is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Milo Runkle discuss the following:
Escaping the energy of infighting and judgement to become a joyful vegan.
Milo’s upbringing on a farm and how it lead him to found Mercy For Animals.
Conditions of slaughterhouse workers and Mercy For Animals undercover investigations
Perpetration induced PTSD
Clean meat and its future as the 2nd domestication of animals
COVID
Climate Change
The upcoming documentary Meat the Future featuring Memphis Meats
Inner Yoga Teacher Training in Bali
After the Ecstasy, the Laundry: How the Heart Grows Wise on the Spiritual Path by Jack Kornfield
Gaining confidence as a new yoga teacher
The inner saboteur
Power vs. Force David by David Hawkins M.D. Ph.D

Boho Beautiful is a yoga lifestyle brand created by Juliana Spicoluk and Mark Spicoluk that focuses on bringing forward positive content for your body, mind, and the Earth. Their content is centered around Yoga, Travel, Fitness, Vegan Food, Self-Awareness, Conscious Living, and Guided Meditations. Since Boho Beautiful's launch, the brand has grown to over 1.5 million subscribers on Youtube, sold tens of thousands of books & programs online, and have inspired and been inspired by so many wonderful people from all over this beautiful planet.

In this episode Juliana, Mark Spicoluk & Yoga Is Vegan's Holly Skodis discuss the following:

Photojournalist, animal rights activist and author Jo-Anne McArthur and the documentary The Ghosts in Our Machine
Anita Krajnc and the Animal Save Movement after the recording of this episode, beloved pig save activist, Regan Russell was struck and killed by a pig transport truck in front of Fearmans slaughterhouse on Friday, June 19, 2020. Regan attending the vigil to oppose Ontario ag gag Bill 156, which had passed two days prior. Take action to help Regan Russell.
Buddhism and cognitive dissonance
Boosting your immunity with food and juice cleansing
Yoga and daily life during the Coronavirus pandemic in Vancouver Island, Canada
Sound healing and meditation with Mei-lan Maurits on YouTube
Connect with Juliana and Mark Spicoluk

YouTube: Boho Beautiful
Instagram:@bohobeautifullife
Website: www.bohobeautiful.life

In 2011, disenchanted by her fashion career, Beth Crivelli decided to swap luxury rags for sweaty shorts to become a Bikram yoga teacher. Throughout her years of teaching and practicing different styles of yoga, she realized the magnitude of
what yoga truly is, a physical, spiritual and ethical practice.

She has since trained in Yoga Therapy, Jivamukti Yoga, Vinyasa flow, Pre- Post
natal yoga, Yin , Mat Pilates and taken a number of anatomy and other
courses. As well as teaching Yoga to the general public, Beth specializes in
bespoke yoga for the individual. Throughout her years of teaching, she has
come to realize the extent to which we all have different bodies and different
life experiences and these create a unique life story for each of us.

Beth assists her students through movement, breath, meditation and awareness in adapting the practice to their own individual needs- physical, emotional and
mental. Beth’s public classes are versatile and adaptable but still challenging; She believes there is a pose in each pose for everyone. Beth provides options and layering so that students are encouraged to use their inner teacher and meet their boundaries while respecting their own limits. Through acceptance, we can find growth.

Whilst leading the teacher trainings (Hot 26/2, Vinyasa and Yin) for Sadhana
Yoga & Wellbeing Beth encourages trainees to find their own voice and respect the core values of yoga. She teaches the trainings from a place that believes yoga is for everyone and has nothing to with performance and all to do with introspection and working to the best version of ourselves we can be.

Yoga has stretched, healed, and strengthened her body, belief system, mind, and soul, in unexpected and amazing ways. Yoga continuously challenges
changes and shapes you. The practice of yoga is a harmonizing self-study,
which helps to align one with inner and outer peace, as well as the earth and
all its earthlings.

In this episode, Beth Crivelli and Yoga Is Vegan's Holly Skodis discuss the following;

Bikram Yoga and the fall of Bikram Choudhury
Bikram, Yogi, Guru, Predator Documentary
Yoga Inc. Documentary
Henry Winslow YIV episode 30
Light on Yoga: The Bible of Modern Yoga by B.K.S. Iyengar and claims of health remedies
Coconut oil and the abuse of monkeys
Find ethical brands at www.ethicalconsumer.org
Canada Goose and their fur usage
Anonymous for the Voiceless
Weaving veganism into yoga classes
The Game Changers Movie
Black Fish Movie
Long Gone Wild Documentary
Earthlings Documentary

Connect with Beth Crivelli:
Instagram: @bethcrivelli
Facebook: @bethcrivelli.9
Sadhana Yoga & Well Being

Motivated to raise greater awareness for the planet’s forgotten victims, in 2014 this passionate, Australian animal rights activist took a 365-day vow of silence.

After an entire year without uttering a single word, he ended it on Australian national television in an iconic interview that reached millions and inspired countless people to make more conscious and compassionate lifestyle choices.Ranked #3 among the “Top 25 Most Influential Vegans” by Plant Based News, James has gone on to cycle 5000kms across Australia to prove that vegans can be fit & healthy. He got tattooed for 25 hours straight to raise $20,000 for charity.

He’s been featured in a multitude of prominent mainstream media outlets; given free speeches at countless schools, universities, and conferences; and attended local activism events, slaughterhouse vigils, and street outreach events all across the world.He transparently shares his life and campaigns online to a massive tribe of global followers.

His speeches have been viewed tens of millions of times and his most popular speech, "This Speech Is Your Wake Up Call", has been viewed over 13 million times. Enthusiastic, relatable and highly skilled behind a podium, James is inspiring a new generation to change how we eat and live in communion with the animals that share this Earth with us.

In this episode James Aspey and Yoga Is Vegan's Holly Skodis discuss the following:

James Aspey's journey towards veganism and vipasana meditation
Slaughterhouse: The Shocking Story of Greed, Neglect, and Inhumane Treatment Inside the U.S. Meat Industry by Gail Eisnitz
The treatment of animals in slaughterhouses
Earthlings Documentary
Dominion Documentary
Connect with James:
Instagram: @Jamesaspey
Facebook: @Jamesaspeyactivism
YouTube: James Aspey

At a very young age, Mary learned that the food on her plate was actually the body of a dead animal. She refused to eat it and declared herself a vegetarian. She grew up never knowing another vegetarian and thinking that she was weird. When she grew older and learned that animals were hurt to produce dairy products and eggs, she went Vegan.

Yoga showed up many years later. As her practice developed she felt the call to teach but even louder was the call to teach veganism. During her 500-hour teacher training, she was given the task of presenting to the class an aspect of yoga that was “in her pocket." She knew that she had to do a talk on Veganism but in the past any time she started to talk about the animals she’d get a huge lump in her throat and shut down.

She had just started working with a teacher named Ramana who helped her find her voice. For her talk, she used Sharon Gannon’s book ”Yoga and Vegetarianism” as the blueprint.

She started teaching for a studio, Breathe Yoga as well as being hired by Dr. Ted Barnett to teach at Rochester Lifestyle Medicine, where she learned the health benefits of a vegan diet from some of the best doctors in the world. She also had the opportunity to teach for Dr. Thomas Campbell in his lifestyle medicine practice.

Mary was elected Vice President of a local animal rights nonprofit for three years, co-founded Rochester’s wildly popular VegFest, and founded our local chapter of Anonymous for the Voiceless, a nonprofit that brings the terrible truth of animal suffering to people on the street.

One fateful day, Mary came across a news story about a cow who had escaped a slaughterhouse who was now living at a sanctuary in New Jersey. A few months later she traveled to NJ to meet that cow, Freddie and Mike Stura, the man who rescued him.

Freddie inspired her to design a T-shirt with his image. When she opened the Rochester Vegan Community Center his handsome face was their logo. A couple of years ago Mike asked her to move to Skylands. She did and now helps take care of Freddie and the other kids that live at the sanctuary.

In this episode, Mary Barletta and Yoga Is Vegan's Holly Skodis discuss the following:

Skylands Animal Sanctuary and Rescue
Rescuing dairy cows and the darkness inherent to the industry
Jaime Surya Episode 46
Jivamulti Yoga and Sharon Gannon
Rochester Assisi Institute
Ramana Maharshi
Yukio Ramana Radical Healing
Dr. Ted Barnett & Rochester Lifestyle Medicine
How to introduce veganism to a yoga class
Connect with Mary:
Instagram: @veganarmy269

Raise the Barn's Virtual Yogafest was New Jersey Yoga Collective's virtual yoga event in May that was offered to help Goats of Anarchy build a new barn. Goats of Anarchy is an award-winning, vegan sanctuary for special needs baby goats (along with other animal friends that they just have to help).

New Jersey Yoga Collective's Bridget Riepl, organizer extraordinaire raised a total of $8,530 to go towards the $10,000 needed for the barn.

Vanessa Van Noy and Yoga Is Vegan's creator Holly Skodis had the pleasure to host "What's Next" for a segment of Raise The Barn. Our conversation is about what we have learned from our experiences locking down with Coronavirus and how we can move forward as yogis to create change. Episode 58 is a recording of our conversation.

Please consider offering a donation to Goats of Anarchy. To donate visit www.goatsofanarchy.com

Vanessa Van Noy has been both a Featured Yogi and podcast guest for Yoga Is Vegan.

Pablo Narayana was born in Mexico City in 1985. He studied International Business at Universidad Panamericana, as he was afraid to follow his heart and study a humanistic career which was what he really wanted. He thought it was his duty to make money and wear a tie and jacket every single day. In 2008 he finished university and a big change in his life made his approach to photography as a career.

In 2011 he took a Yoga class and his life started to change (again), never thinking he would become a yoga teacher he went to a Sivananda Ashram to deepen his own practice. He spent over 3 years in Ashrams to learn from his great teachers. Part of his practice is sharing what he has learned. He has been sober since 2010 and puts all the possible time into working with other addicts.

Pablo's recent project is Sadhana Now. Sadhana now offers spiritual yoga courses from Advanced Yoga Teachers in both Spanish and English.

In this episode, Yoga Is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Pablo Narayana discuss the following:

Pablo's new yoga offering Sadhana Now
Sadhana Now's upcoming workshop Yoga Is Vegan https://www.sadhananow.com/yoga-is-vegan.html
Pablo Herrerias (YIV podcast episode 8)
Leaving college to study photography
Sivananda Yoga
Dharma Yoga
Hanaman Chalisa chant
Being accountable for our actions
Connect with Pablo Narayana:

Instagram:@sadhananow and @pablo.narayana
Website: www.sadhananow

Sina is a senior Dharma Yoga teacher and a direct disciple of the Yoga master Sri Dharma Mittra. Although he does pull from many lineages and teachers, his goal is One. He is dedicated to exploration so he may share the Universal Teachings that lie in the hearts of all beings. He is the co-founder of Dharma Temple, a destination yoga, meditation, conscious events, and boutique in Vancouver, British Columbia. where he shares the high vibe yogic lifestyle to his community. He is also the founder of the Temple Yoga Teacher Training programs. A father to his daughter Berlin and an avid animal lover. Sina has recently moved to Salt Spring Island with his family to create an eco-center where plants, animals, and humans can live harmoniously. For more information about Sina, visit www.thedharmatemple.com.

In this episode, Yoga Is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Sina Shalbaf discuss the following:

Dharma Mittra's teaching and the permission he gives students to make yoga your own
Veganism and what it means to be an activist
Developing a consistent practice to harness your energy for change
The Sattvic Diet
Adopting and caring for male baby goats. (GoFundMe link below)
Sina's teacher training with Fabio Filippi
Connect with Sina:

Website: thedharmatemple.com
Instagram: @yogasina
GofundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/giving-baby-male-goats-a-chance-to-live

For information on Sina's Online Teacher Training Mentorship visit sinashalbaf.com

Tabay is the youngest certified yoga teacher in America and a vegan chef. He has been in the kitchen with his mom helping her cook since he was 5 years old. He has graduated from High School (3.5 years early), with a 4.0 GPA (all A’s and A+’s), and is now focusing on his yoga and vegan cooking career.

At just 6 years old, when Tabay saw how much yoga helped heal his mom from the effects of chemo & cancer, he decided he wanted to become a yoga teacher so he could help other people heal through the practice of yoga, the way he say it help his mom. He has 7 specialty yoga certifications and is now working on his 8th, becoming an RYT-500.

He has donated 100% of all the money he has made to help people who have cancer. His passion and mission is to spread yoga and veganism to as many people as he can. He teaches yoga and cooking classes all over the world and also teaches on his website, tabayatkins.com.

He is a Kashi ambassador and has helped co-create their new cereals and snacks. He is on the cover of this year's March/April issue of the Yoga Journal Magazine.
He lives part-time in Maui and part-time OC, Cali with his mom, Sahel Anvarinejad.

Sahel is Tabay Atkins’ mom. She is a non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma cancer survivor, a chef, and a yoga studio owner & yoga teacher. Sahel has 16 specialty yoga certifications & specializes in teaching kids yoga. She opened up the first kid's yoga studio in Orange County, California called CARE4YOGA.
Since she first became certified in 2012, she made a policy that anyone that has cancer, had cancer, or had a family member going through it, she would never charge them. She has kept that policy and helped many people in need.

Topics discussed in this episode:

Sahel & Tabay's experience finding yoga during Sahel's recovery from cancer.
Tabay & Sahel's vegan journey
What the Health Documentary
The Game Changers
Jason Crandell's teacher training
Shana Meyerson teacher training
Gentle World Vegan Community
Tabay and Sahel's Cooking Classes
Connect with Tabay:
Website: tabayatkins.com
Instagram: @tabayatkins

Connect with Sahel:
Website: care4yoga.com

Pam was born and raised in London. In the midst of completing an MA at The Royal College of Art and feeling very lost in the crazy world of fashion was the beginning of a journey, the search for meaning. She took her first yoga class at Jivamutki London and having been trained as a dancer in her early years, she loved the physicality of yoga but soon realized there was so much more. On a fortuitous day in 2007 she walked into a small studio in New York City and found her Guru Sri Dharma Mittra. A few months later, she moved to NYC to study with him and has never looked back since. In 2013 she met her future husband Andrew who was also studying under Sri Dharma Mitta. He initially came to New York to work for the advertising world and after several years felt something was missing. He too, fortuitously walked into the Dharma Yoga Center and after meeting Sri Dharma Mittra felt he found somebody that had Real answers. They have practiced together for many years at the Dharma Yoga Center and have served Sri Dharma Mittra as faculty in many ‘Life of a Yogi’ teacher trainings.

One of the key foundations of yoga is compassion, to see yourself in others. That is why they are so honored to be part of the Yoga is Vegan podcast.

Pam is also a Vegan chef and has led many vegan food workshops across the globe. She believes that diet has a huge impact on how we think, move and feel. A daily yoga practice together with a healthy Vegan diet creates a strong mind and body so we can be a service to others. She hopes her workshops will inspire people to be creative in their own kitchen so they can share with their loved ones and continue a peaceful path for our bodies, the earth and all the animals. Andrew is very happy to be her guinea pig to taste all her vegan creations before they go public!

In part 1 of this 2 part conversation Dharma Yoga Center's Andrew and Pam Jones discuss the following with Yoga Is Vegan's Holly Skodis:

Pam’s vegan cheese and dessert workshops
Psychic development
The mantra for purification and mantra for unification
800-hour LIfe Of a Yogi Teacher Training
The art of learning to let go of achieving poses
Teaching with Sri Dharma MIttra on the road Teaching to just one person is as important as a large group Don’t get caught up in the numbers.
Psychic experiences with Sri Dharma Mittra
Connect with Pam & Andrew Jones:

Website: www.karmacoco.com
Instagram: @karmacoco

Pam was born and raised in London. In the midst of completing an MA at The Royal College of Art and feeling very lost in the crazy world of fashion was the beginning of a journey, the search for meaning. She took her first yoga class at Jivamutki London and having been trained as a dancer in her early years, she loved the physicality of yoga but soon realized there was so much more. On a fortuitous day in 2007 she walked into a small studio in New York City and found her Guru Sri Dharma Mittra. A few months later, she moved to NYC to study with him and has never looked back since. In 2013 she met her future husband Andrew who was also studying under Sri Dharma Mitta. He initially came to New York to work for the advertising world and after several years felt something was missing. He too, fortuitously walked into the Dharma Yoga Center and after meeting Sri Dharma Mittra felt he found somebody that had Real answers. They have practiced together for many years at the Dharma Yoga Center and have served Sri Dharma Mittra as faculty in many ‘Life of a Yogi’ teacher trainings.

One of the key foundations of yoga is compassion, to see yourself in others. That is why they are so honored to be part of the Yoga is Vegan podcast.

Pam is also a Vegan chef and has led many vegan food workshops across the globe. She believes that diet has a huge impact on how we think, move and feel. A daily yoga practice together with a healthy Vegan diet creates a strong mind and body so we can be a service to others. She hopes her workshops will inspire people to be creative in their own kitchen so they can share with their loved ones and continue a peaceful path for our bodies, the earth and all the animals. Andrew is very happy to be her guinea pig to taste all her vegan creations before they go public!

In part 1 of this 2 part conversation Dharma Yoga Center's Andrew and Pam Jones discuss the following with Yoga Is Vegan's Holly Skodis:

Andrew's experience getting sick and recovering from what most likely was COVID-19
Living in New York during Coranavirus lockdown
Pam & Andrew's experience finding yoga and meeting Sri Dharma Mittra
Dharma Yoga Center's Life of a Yogi (LOAY) Teacher Trainings and their role as mentors
Pam & Andrew's experiences going vegan.
Connect with Pam & Andrew Jones:

Website: www.karmacoco.com
Instagram: @karmacoco

Pass the Om Fundraiser: Legendary Yogi Sri Dharma Mittra will post a beautiful OM on FB/IG/twitter at 2.15pm Wed May 6th Eastern US time to help raise funds for the Covid 19 Response Fund.

Please create your own OM and pass it on to your community and ask them to do the same. Before you pass the OM donate a $ or more to Carers in need.
Donate to https://covid19responsefund.org/
Help us create an eternal OM around the entire planet to send positive vibrations and love to all those affected by the Covid 19.
Please add the below tags:

OMThanks

oneworldtogetherathome

worldhealthorganization

nato

@dharmayoganyc
@glbctzn
@world.health.organization_
Virtual VEGAN TREATS Workshop🍰 with Pam Jones

Saturday 9th May 12:30-1:30pm est

Get your apron on and Learn how to make Quick and Simple delicious vegan treats including Raspberry frangipane tarts, Halva, snickers bar, Key lime pie and more! You are welcome you to join me in making at least one of them. I’ll will be demoing step by step. You will be able to ask questions through the chat. A 60 min workshop that will help you and you’re family create quick, fun scrumptious vegan treats. $15 via zoom. To sign up please email pam@karmacoco.com

Patrick DeNicola is a sleep efficiency, functional movement and breathwork coach. He works with his clients in a four-fold method using awareness, intention, internalization, and connection.

Patrick’s journey to holistic wellness living started under the guidance of his father who through practices of nutrition, meditation, karate, tai chi, and knowledge of ancient history and philosophy helped him lay a foundation towards self-realization. Though hidden underneath, this foundation grounded him after a health scare and pushed him towards transformation.

Through yoga, meditation, and self-inquiry he was able to heal. Now Patrick guides others into similar studies of the self, helping them along their path

In this episode, Yoga Is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Patrick DeNicola discuss the following:

Sleep optimization
Southwest Institute of Healing Arts
Epstein Barr Syndrome & the role of inflammation
The Medical Medium
Uforia Science- At-home kit to discover your nutrient deficiencies through DNA swabs
Yoga Nidra
Kamini Desai Yoga Nidra: The Art of Transformational Sleep
Dharma Mittra For more information on his Yoga Nidra classes please visit the Dharma Yoga Center
Connect with Patrick:

Instagram: @patzensleep
Website liveplena.com
Email: Lifeadventures@patrickd@gmail.com

Dolly Vyas-Ahuja is an Ahimsa animal activist and a voice for the voiceless. Her mission is to spread awareness and education about the cruelty of the Dairy Industry. She comes from a Gandhian family and is the granddaughter of a Freedom Fighter for social justice in India. One of her main objectives is to have Indian temples pledge to be cruelty-free and ban the use of dairy products. She also frequently speaks at Jain temples and various vegan events to stress the importance of switching to a plant-based diet for animals, the environment, and human health. She was honored to speak at the World Vegan Conference in New Delhi, India. Her goal is to create a world where everyone lives their essential nature of practicing compassion. She hopes her upcoming film, The Land of Ahimsa will inspire those to incorporate pure Ahimsa into their daily lives.

In this episode YIV's Holly Skodis & Dolly Vyas-Ahuja discuss the following:

Taoist meditation
Gary Yourofsky- The Most Important Speech You Will Ever Hear
Victoria Moran Yoga Is Vegan Episode 16
Thomas Wade Jackson Yoga Is Vegan Episode 33
Dr. Will Tuttle World Peace Diet Episode 7
Jainism
Dolly’s mission to get Indian temples to get rid of dairy

Dolly's documentary The Land of Ahimsa
Robin Singh Yoga Is Vegan Episode 18
Rowdy Girl Sanctuary
Dolly’s life growing up with her Freedom Fighter grandfather and his experience with Mahatma Gandhi

Connect with Dolly:

Facebook:@thelandofahimsa
Gofundme: The Land Of Ahimsa Documentary
Website: www.landofahimsa.com

Steve's practices of Yoga started much before he knew anything about, or had even ever seen any examples of Yoga poses. As a young teen with an extremely busy (and difficult to manage) mind, he was interested in gaining clarity of mind or accessing a space of his inner silence. Through being in nature (mostly skiing & snowboarding), and through music he was able to find some states of cohesion where the wildness of his mind was stilled momentarily and the body and mind could work together in unison; these forms of active meditation were a relief from the seemingly nonstop battle with the fluctuations of the mind.

Seeking for a greater understanding of this inner space, he began studying Eastern philosophy at the age of 13 in the form of Buddhist teachings. When Yoga started to come into his life, he was drawn back to his early years reading Buddhist scriptures. He saw the same essence in the teachings of Yoga as he did in the Buddhist teachings. He continued his journey into Yoga but was inspired to make this his life path when he met his teacher, Dharma Mittra. Steve has completed Advanced- and Senior-level training with the living master Sri Dharma Mittra (500- and 800-hour trainings), as well as assisted at his teacher’s side. Since completion of his formal training, Steve has continued to study with his teacher, receiving countless hours of private instruction. Much like Dharma, he has been drawn towards being a teacher of teachers, having led over 20 Yoga Teacher Trainings and a number of continuing education programs in Yoga Nidra.

In this episode, Yoga Is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Steve Fazarri discuss the following:

Our relationship with social media and becoming mindful with technology
Our collective experiences with Sri Dharma Mittra. Listen to Sri Dharma Mittra on the YIV podcast episode 28
Transmitting yoga psychically
Yoga & Yogic Powers by Yogi Gupta
exploring the balance between when it’s necessary for in person yoga versus online
Siddhis (yogic powers)

Eastern versus Western philosophy

Bhagavad Gita and the 3 realms of yoga or experience.
Jnana, Karma and Bhakti yoga
Auras
Transitioning to a vegan diet and the sattvic diet
Connect with Steve:

Website: http://www.stevefazzari.com
Instagram: @stevefazzari
Online Classes with Steve: villageyogapemberton.com

villageyogapemberton.com online classes with steve

Obi Ndefo is an actor, writer, and yoga teacher. You may recognize him from his recurring roles in Dawson’s creek as Bodie Wells or Rak’ror in the science fiction series “Stargate” among many other roles on TV. Currently, he’s in the development of the television series entitled “Juice Bar” which is centered around the world of the global health moment, the organic food movement, and our planet’s movement towards consciousness and inclusivity.

Obi came on the podcast last October to talk about moving through tragedy. He was struck by a hIt-and-run DUI driver moving full speed while putting groceries into his car at his local health food store. Miraculously, he survived the impact, but his right leg was severed instantly, just above the knee, and his shattered left leg had to be amputated 30 minutes later at the hospital to save his life.

Obi used his vast knowledge of the raw vegan diet to help expedite his healing. Remarkably just after 10 days after his 2nd surgery he was back at the gym. I among many of my listeners were left in awe wanting to know exactly what he eats.

In this episode, Yoga Is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Obi Ndefo talk about building your immunity during coronavirus.

Topics discussed:

Mount Shasta natural spring water.
probiotics
Tonix Fermented Coconut Water Kefir
Water Kefir Grains Starter Kit
Gut microbiome
Seed probiotics
Misfits Market Produce delivery box
Pickled Planet Fermented Foods
Yoga & Yogic Powers by Yogi Gupta
Yoga Food Concepts CD Lecture by Yogi Gupta
Sprouting Foods
Conscious Eating by Dr. Gabriel Cousens
Raw Cane Super Juice
Atomic Habits by James Clear

Gofundme: Obi Ndefo Lifeline - Organized by his Family
Instagram: @ndefoobi

Stacie Dooreck is the author of Sunlight Chair Yoga: Yoga for Everyone! and Yoga for Everyone! She's been a certified Sivananda Yoga instructor since 1995. She was born into a vegetarian family and taken to ashrams since birth, Stacie lives the yogic lifestyle and shares its benefits with others throughout the world.

Stacie has never tried fish, chicken or meat in her life. Four years ago she made the shift to becoming vegan. Stacy loves teaching yoga and believes the practice has the potential to encourage students to become more compassionate towards animals, care more about their health and become an entry point to the plant-based lifestyle.

Stacie teaches yoga at companies in the Bay Area, CA. She is a Stress Management Specialist for the Ornish Heart Disease Reversal Program in N. CA and an Alzheimer's Research Study at the Preventative Medicine Research Institute by Dr. Dean Ornish. Additionally, Stacie offers Chair yoga teacher trainings and other self-paced yoga courses online.

Stacie has been featured teaching yoga at offices and for seniors on: KQED/NPR CA Report Radio, CBS Miami Healthwatch 5 pm News and Yogiviews Cable TV. You can catch her show Yoga and Chair Yoga on cable TV with episodes also available to view anytime on her website www.sunlightyoga.com .
Topics discussed in this episode:

Dharma Mittra ( YIV Episode 28)
Bikram Choudhury, Pattabhi Jois, and Sivananda Sexual Misconduct Allegations
The OMD Plan: The Simple, Plant-Based Program to Save Your Health, Save Your Waistline, and Save the Planet by Suzy Amis Cameron
Can a Meat-eating Yoga Teacher Call Themselves a Yoga Teacher? Elephant Journal article

The Fundamental Ethics of Yoga & Food Elephant Journal article
Finding your own way to veganism
Diet for a New America by John Robbins
Dr. Melanie Joy Beyond Carnism
Whole food plant-based vegan diet health benefits versus vegan transition and junk foods
Ornish Heart Disease Reversal Program
Alzheimer's Research Study at the Preventative Medicine Research Institute by Dr. Dean Ornish
Dr. Will Tuttle (YIV Episode 7)
Dr. Michael Gregor: Nutritionfact.org, How Not To Die, How Not to Diet, Cholesterol & Lower Back Pain Video
The Vegan Society
Connect with Stacie:
Website: sunlightyoga.com
Instagram: @sunlightyoga
Facebook: @yogainchairs

Ray Ippolito has been working in the Animal Liberation movement since 2004 and, as an educator for the past 25 years, has found a powerful way to connect, educate and inspire people of all ages. Ray’s journey in Animal Liberation began by participating and co-creating countless protests/demonstrations/leafletting actions opposing international circuses, slaughterhouses, fur stores, breeding facilities, pet stores, aquariums, zoos, parades, and other mediums that exploit and normalize the suffering of animals. Ray has served on the Board of Directors and been the Director of Strategic Partnerships and Advocacy for Catskill Animal Sanctuary, has spoken to countless schools/universities/colleges as NYU/Hunter College/Fairleigh Dickinson University, has been an invited speaker to the Peoples Climate March, Ethical Culture Society, Omega Institute, many Veg Fests and other notable institutions. In an effort to empower other animal liberation organizations, Ray has created countless fund raisers, high end film/panel discussions, Vegan festivals, large scale volunteer events and many high level corporate/philanthropic partnerships to benefit the mission of many Animal Liberation organizations.

Simultaneously, as a multi-instrumentalist versed in many styles and cultures, Ray Ippolito has traveled the world as performer, producer, music director, composer, film scorer, and instructor in the US as well as the UK, Japan, Brasil, Nepal, Venezuela, India, Canada and more. He has shared the stage and/or recorded with such notable artists as Krishna Das, Jai Uttal, Donna Delory, Wah!, the Mayapuris, Gaura Vani, Mickey Hart(Grateful Dead), Mike Gordon(Phish), the Spin Doctors, Baba Maal, Alex Grey and many others and has worked with internationally recognized Healers/Shaman/Yogis/Psychic Mediums and Hypnotists such as Radhanath Swami, Shiva Rea, Sharon Gannon, Daniel Pinchbeck, Karen Noe, Raghunath Capo, program producer for the monks of the Gaden Shartse Monastery and many others.

Topics discussed in this episode:

Coronavirus and the role that animal agriculture and animal exploitation has played in the development of this and other diseases.

Vegan Documentaries:
The Game Changers
What The Health
Cowspiracy
Speciesism
A Prayer for Compassion

Thomas Wade Jackson (Yoga Is Vegan Episode 33)
Victoria Moran (Yoga Is Vegan Episode 16)

Speaking from your authentic voice for effective activism

Escaped cow slaughtered in Home Depot Connecticut parking lot.

The ways in which the consumption of animal products breaks each one the Yamas in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

Hari Krishas and Ahimsa Farms

The Million Dollar Vegan Challenge to Pope Francis

The environmental, ethical, and health benefits of adopting a vegan lifestyle

The three-year-old Luiz Antonio's reaction to being served octopus for dinner.

Dr. Masaru Emoto's water studies
Connect with Ray Ippolito:
Website: www.rayippolito.com
Facebook: @Ray Ippolito

Jamie Surya (she/her/hers) began her journey of Yoga as a teenager looking for a way to ease the pain that inevitably comes with life. Initially drawn to meditation and yogic philosophy, her asana and pranayama practice soon followed. In 2012 at the age of 20 she opened up the Jamie Surya Yoga Studio in Sparkill, NY to share the teachings that had so strongly influenced her.

She soon realized the importance of gentle and adaptive yoga but was surprised how infrequently it was offered and discussed. This led Jamie to further her studies in anatomy, physiology, injuries, and alignment with the support of Andres Alves, PT, DPT, RYT. Jamie and Andres were the first to bring the LoveYourBrain Yoga Program to New York State, where they facilitate group discussions and adapt asana, pranayama, and meditation for individuals who have experienced traumatic brain injuries and their caregivers. In working with licensed mental health counselor Hayley O’Brien, M.A, LPC, RYT, Jamie deepened her studies further and learned how to adapt elements of the practice and studio space to be trauma sensitive and suitable for individuals who are experiencing depression, anxiety, substance abuse, eating disorders, PTSD, and other sources of trauma.

As a lululemon Athletica alumni ambassador, Jamie creates and facilitates community events raising awareness and support for multiple organizations both locally and globally. In 2015, she was nominated and selected from ambassadors around the world to attend the Annual Ambassador Summit in Whistler, BC.

As an animal lover and justice seeker her whole life, human and non-human animal rights are at the forefront of Jamie’s community work. After learning of the animal abuse, environmental damage, and health impacts that result from using animals as food, clothing, and products, she set her lifelong habits and traditions aside and became vegan. Her inner yoga practice bloomed as a result of finally aligning her actions with her values and she continues to use her voice and her heart when advocating for all animals and humans alike.

Jamie co-created the community organization Together Vegan Change, a support system for local vegans and a resource for those interested in veganism. TVC organizes various community events, workshops, and forms of activism in the New York/New Jersey area. A proud supporter of her community’s local non-profits The Rockland County Pride Center and Center for Safety and Change, Jamie believes in the freedom and equality of all races, orientations, genders, and species, and will forever fight for the end of oppression for all.

Topics discussed in this episode:

Catering the Jaime Surya Yoga Studio to meet the needs of the community. Offering inclusive yoga by offering gentle, beginner and injury friendly classes.

Teaching an adaptive yoga practice for people with brain injuries and their caregivers.

Trauma sensitive yoga

The Love Your Brain Foundation:
Teaching mediation, breathing, and yoga to those with traumatic brain injuries including concussions

Hayley O’Brien, M.A, LPC, RYT, Yoga and Counseling
Adapting the yoga practice to be suitable for all mental health aspects.

Introducing veganism to yoga classes and teacher trainings.

Skylands Animal Sanctuary

Effective ways to talk to people about going vegan

Together Vegan Change Organization

Building a vegan community
The Center for Safety and Change
The Rockland County Pride Center
Connect with Jaime Surya:
Instagram: @jamie_surya_yoga_studio and @the.vegan.jamie.surya
Website: https://www.jamiesuryayoga.com

Due to the expanding outbreak of the coronavirus COVID-19 fear, anxiety and stress is at an all-time high. Yoga Is Vegan Founder Holly Skodis takes you through a guided active relaxation meditation to help reduce stress and increase inner healing.

This is a different format than the usual podcast. This mediation is intended to be done lying down or in a seated position with your eyes closed. Please do not attempt to do this mediation while driving.

Next week's release will return to the usual podcast interview format.

This week's episode is a slightly different format than some of our others. Brighde Reed and I were talking prior to the coming on the podcast about her vegan travel company. I had asked her if they ever did yoga on their vacations. While it wasn't in the original itinerary a spontaneous yoga class did occur. One of their longtime clients, Paula Tharp is a yoga teacher and vegan activist. This conversation is about community, Rwanda, yoga and vegan activism.

Brighde Reed is one of the co-founders of World Vegan Travel. She's a passionate vegan and activist with extensive travel, education, cooking and tour leading experience. Brighde (alongside her partner Seb) have mixed all these skills and experience together to create a travel company that takes vegans (and the vegan-curious) on incredible tours in specially selected locations around the world. World Vegan Travel is a little different than other vegan tour companies. Our tours are about doing it in style! We want our travelers to have an unforgettable luxury experience and not to be short-changed in terms of food and the activities they participate in. We work tirelessly with local operators, hotels, and restaurants to make sure that the food and experiences we have are not only vegan but unforgettable... In a good way. When not traveling, Brighde likes to learn languages, work out, hike and do activism!

Connect with Brighde:
Website: worldvegantravel.com
Facebook: @worldvegantravel
YouTube: @worldvegantravel
Instagram: @worldvegantravel

Paula Tharp is a Seattle-based vegan, yoga practitioner & teacher, who finds purpose in connecting

people with resources to create social change for a more compassionate world. Currently, Paula is Chief of Staff at Rebellyous Foods, a plant-based food start-up. Previously, she was a Major Gifts Officer at Farm Sanctuary, a leading farm animal protection and rescue organization in the US. In her spare time, Paula volunteers at ArtsWest Playhouse and Gallery and was previously on the board of Yoga Behind Bars. Paula is passionate about art and travel as a means to open people's hearts & minds to new experiences and cultivate empathy. Her dream job would be to combine her love for art, yoga, and travel to effect social change.
Connect with Paula:
Instagram: @herbivorepaula
Website: rebellyousfoods.com

Doug Swenson is a world-renowned yoga teacher, philosopher, and dedicated health advocate. He is revered as a true trail-blazing pioneer of yoga practice in the United States, and around the world. Doug has inspired yoga practice since 1969 when it was yet to become vastly popular. He is the author of four published books on yoga, and 23 yoga videos on (Gaia/Amazon). Doug is a writer, athlete, surfer and poet who inspires healthy lifestyle and creative thinking. You will enjoy his clarity of presentation, and very informative message subtly laced into all his work. Doug is truly a living example of his teachings and has encouraged many around the world, to adopt a better way of life.

In this episode YIV's Holly Skodis and Doug Swenson discuss the following:

Anna Ferguson (Episode 4)
Doug's journey into yoga and veganism
Ernest Wood
Steps to take towards going vegan
Making Yoga Your Own
Dharma Mittra (Episode 28)
Kriyas: neti, trataka, dhauti and kapalabhati
Organic and GMO crops
Doug's latest book, Pioneering Vinyasa Yoga
Doug's Yoga Videos on Gaia
Connect with Doug:
Website: www.dougswenson.net

Lyndsay became a vegetarian at age 16 after researching the meat industry for a high school assignment. Shortly after completing her first year in College she read “ Diet for a New America” and also took her first yoga class. Both changed her perspective on eating and living and she became a vegan with a faithful yoga practice.

Lyndsay completed her 200/hr and 500hr Teacher Trainings with Coral Brown 500eRYT and senior teacher trainer for Shiva Rea’s Prana Flow Energetic Vinyasa Yoga and then went on to complete the first level of Thai Yoga Bodywork certification with Ed Cardinal and became a Yoga for Scoliosis Trainer under Elise Browning Miller. She owned and operated an art and wellness studio for 17yrs where she taught pottery and yoga classes and played host to a myriad of other teachers and workshops.

Today, you can find Lyndsay, aka The Vegan Potter in her studio and retail shop, Glaze Handmade in Stonington, CT where she works full time making functional pottery that often sparks conversations about her plant-based lifestyle.

In this episode YIV's Holly Skodis and Lyndsay Meiklem Dean discuss the following topics:

Compassionfest: Tabitha Logan
Almond Cow: Plant Milk Making Machine
Firefly Chocolate: Ceremonial Cacao use code VEGAN at checkout
A Billion Veg: Vegan reviews app for dishes and products
Yoga teacher burnout
Healthy versus transitional vegan foods
The environmental impacts of packaged produce
Connect with Lyndsay:
Website: theveganpotter.com
Instagram: @theveganpotter
Facebook: @theveganpotter

SEANE CORN is an internationally acclaimed yoga teacher and public speaker known for her social activism, impassioned style of teaching, and raw, honest and inspired self-expression. Over her 25-year teaching career, Seane has created many instructional DVDs, including her groundbreaking series The Yoga of Awakening with Sounds True. Featured on over 40 magazine covers and countless media outlets, Seane has chosen to use her platform to bring awareness to global issues including social justice, sex trafficking, HIV/AIDS awareness, generational poverty, and animal rights. In 2005, she was named “National Yoga Ambassador” for YouthAIDS, and in 2013 received both the Global Green International Environmental Leadership Award and the Humanitarian Award by the Smithsonian Institute. Since 2007, she has been training leaders of activism through her co-founded organization Off the Mat, Into the World®. Seane also co-founded the Global Seva Challenge, which has raised over $3.5 million by activating communities of yoga and wellness in fund and awareness raising efforts. Her first book Revolution of the Soul was published in Fall 2019.

In this episode YIV's Holly Skodis and Seane Corn discuss the following:

Seane's new book, Revolution of the Soul
Seane's vegan journey
Sharon Gannon & David Life
White Privilege & accountability
The Shadow Self
Off the Mat, Into the World®
Skylands Animal Sanctuary & Rescue
Approaches for weaving veganism into yoga classes
Connect with Seane:
www.seanecorn.com
Off the Mat, Into the World®

Photo Credit: Norman Seeff

Danielle started her career as a prosecuting attorney in Southern California (Riverside County) where she headed up the animal cruelty division. During this time she was practicing yoga regularly to help address her severe scoliosis. She was so inspired by the practice that she pursued her 200hr training. After her training, she connected with the truth and unity of ahimsa and became vegan overnight.

Danielle has also headed up the animal rights conference at Loyola Law School and has served on several animal rights boards including currently sitting as President of the Board at Switch4Good, founded by Dotsie Bausch.

After completing her teacher training she decided to switch careers and pursue further training in Aerial arts, Pilates and the Gyrotonic® Method to compliment her first love, yoga.

She currently lives in New Zealand where she has opened her new studio, Moove Studio. She offers Yoga, the Gyrotonic® Method, Pilates, Barre, Aerial and meditation to keep the body and mind optimally tuned. She lives with her husband, 5 rescued sheep, and 2 rescued chihuahuas and continues to carry on her vegan leadership despite living in deep farm country.

In this episode, YIV's Holly Skodis & Danielle Lowy discuss the following:

Melanie Joy's work and her website Beyond Carnism
Planting Vegan Seeds
The Gyrotonic® Method
Effective methods for introducing veganism to non-vegans
Teaching your truth
Switch4Good Live Better, Do More, Dairy-Free
Dotsie Bausch (episode 27) and her Ted Talk Olympic Level Compassion
Danielle's experience as a prosecutor
Danielle's Sheep Sanctuary
Different ways of becoming a vegan activist and how to lean into your Dharma
Connect with Danielle:

Website:moovestudio.co.nz
Intagram: @Moovestudionz

Mathieu is an international yoga teacher born and raised in Paris, France. He discovered yoga while singing and acting in the Broadway musical, The Lion King. His practice became a way to root down, express himself, and find balance in his life. Today, he is best known for his lighthearted and holistic approach to Hatha yoga. His flows are a blend of a functional approach and dynamic Yang sequencing to create an intelligent fusion that brings deeper movement and stronger mind-body connection. Not only are Mathieu’s classes fun, profound, and challenging, they also allow students to experience a feeling of unity that brings lightness, awareness, and clarity to their life.

In this episode YIV's Holly Skodis and Mathieu Boldron discuss the following:

Studying with Sri Dharma Mittra (YIV episode 28)
Mathieu's experience as a cast member on the Broadway Musical, The Lion King and how it led him to yoga.
Ido Portal
Mathieu's Change Perspective Mentoring Program
Integrating contemporary knowledge and technology with traditional yoga practices.
Introducing veganism during yoga teacher trainings
Jaja Restaurant, Paris
Breathe Restaurant, Paris
Delice & Serrasin, NYC
The Game Changers Movie
Dotsie Bausch (YIV episode 27) and her non-profit Switch4Good
Connect with Matthieu

Website:https://www.mathieuboldron.com/
Email: mathieuboldron@gmail.com
Instagram: @mathieuboldronyoga

Kriti Sachdeva is the founder of Yogific, a community organization headquartered in London, UK, that organizes vegan-themed Yoga festivals across the UK and other cities in Europe.

Born and raised in the birthplace of Yoga, India, Kriti attended her first yoga class at the age of six and was born a vegetarian. She turned vegan eight years ago and that was her moment of epiphany; She realized how yoga and veganism are related – if the yogic concept of ‘Ahimsa’ (non-violence) applies to humans, shouldn’t it also apply to animals, too? This gave Kriti her mission in life: to create a community of vegan yogis and to spread awareness about yoga and veganism.
Yogific began in 2016 with a series of very small events. She realized that she could reach far more people if she organized a bigger event that brought together yogis, yoga teachers, vegan traders and vegan activists under the same roof – from there, the Yogific Yoga and Vegan Festival was born. So far, they've hosted 30 events in five countries and have collaborated with over 200 teachers and 300 ethical businesses. They have a network of 150 volunteers who help us organize events. They have collaborated with the UK's largest vegan festival, VegfestUK, to create a Yoga zone. Yogific has also inspired several other vegan festivals in the UK to include Yoga classes as part of the event.

While Yogific is Kriti's labor of love, she has a thriving career in the field of marketing and communications. She currently heads marketing for a foundation that supports tech startups in Krakow, Poland. She is involved with many tech events as a part of her job.

YIV's Holly Skodis and Kriti Sachdeva discuss the following in this episode:
The meat and dairy industry in India
PETA
A Prayer For Compassion's Thomas Wade Jackson (episode 33)
Robin Singh: Karm Yoga, Suffering Footprint & Veganism in India (Episode 18)
Yogific
Why onions & garlic are not considered a sattvic food
Ana Forrest & Jose Calarco (Episode 36)
Bhagavad Gita & the 3 gunas
"Vegans deserve same legal protection as religious people, UK judge rules" By Amy Woodyatt, Rob Picheta and Robert Iddiols, CNN
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
Iyengar's Light on Yoga
Connect with Kriti:
Website: yogific.org
Facebook: @yogific
Instagram: @yogific

Alex Charmoz is an Emergency Medicine Doctor in Southern California. Finding yoga as a way to heal from an injury sustained while rock climbing, he has found guidance through the 8 limb path of Ashtanga Yoga. While not a certified yoga teacher, he finds space to introduce yoga into his daily life and work. The ability to connect with other human beings in a vulnerable state and work towards bettering their quality of life is a direct manifestation of Yogic philosophy. Approaching 3 years of eating a vegan diet, which he attributes to his lovely and compassionate wife Liliana, he has seen direct results in his physical and mental abilities, and the link between diet and disease. As he took a vow to "First do no harm" he has realized that this extends to all sentient beings as well as the environment. A vegan lifestyle is the key to bringing these concepts together and is the future of attaining a sustainable and healthy planet.

In this episode YIV's Holly Skodis and Alex Charmoz discuss:

Ashtanga yoga & Alex's journey with teacher Stan Woodman (episode 2)
Alex's vegan journey
Alex's experience working as an ER doctor in a low-income area hospital.
Eating Vegan on $1.50 a day
Health benefits of eating a whole foods plant-based diet
Alex's journey to yoga after a rock climbing injury
Alex's Vegan Facts of Life PDF
Download Alex's Facts of Life PDF
Supporting online resources:

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/list-all/
https://www.pcrm.org/good-nutrition/nutrition-for-clinicians
https://www.veganhealth.org
https://www.nutritionfacts.org
https://www.pcrm.org/yourbodyinbalance
https://www.ornish.com/proven-program/nutrition/

Connect with Alex:
Email: ajcharmoz@gmail.com
Facebook: @Alexjacques

Ana Forrest is an inspiration and has been changing people's lives for over 45 years. She is an internationally-recognized pioneer in yoga and emotional healing. She is the Creatrix of Forrest Yoga, a mystic, visionary, philanthropist, author, and Medicine Woman. Ana crafted Forrest Yoga while working through healing from her own life's traumas - abuse and addictions, the helplessness around the addictions, and the ongoing suffering from chronic injuries & illnesses. The process of healing herself inspired her to teach others about what really works to heal themselves physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Jose Calarco joined forces with Ana in 2014 and brings a long history of aboriginal shamanism and healing into Forrest Yoga events. Jose’s experience as a faith healer and medicine man spans more than 30 years and Forrest Yoga now incorporates ceremony, music, dance, ancient healing techniques, Veganism, and First Nation Philosophies. Students leave this training as teachers, bringing their personal discoveries and growth with them to share with the world.

Topic's discussed in this episode:

The bush fires in Australia
Suzy & James Cameron
The Game Changers
9 Steps to Conscious Eating
Dr. Gabriel Cousens (episode 15)
To help the wildlife in danger from Australia's brush fires consider donating to the Wildlife Emergency Fund

Connect with Ana Forrest & Jose Calarco:
Website: www.forrestyoga.com

This is the second half of the Best of 2019. In this episode, the compilation of excerpts focus on personal development, healing, spiritual growth and being effective vegan activists and teachers.

Obi Ndefo: As an actor of Nigerian and American heritage, onscreen and onstage, Obi Ndefo’s relationship with his body has been crucial for his life’s work and self-expression. Trained at the Yale School of Drama, Obi subsequently progressed to playing pivotal roles in film and television. For 3 seasons, he recurred as Bodie Wells on the television series “Dawson’s Creek,” and for 4 seasons he recurred as Rak’nor in the adventure science fiction series “Stargate.” As a physically transformative actor, extensively trained in yoga and multidimensional fitness, Mr. Ndefo took on a wide variety of physical roles in “Star Trek - Deep Space Nine” as the Klingon Drex, “Star Trek - Voyager” as Kelamane, along with roles in “The West Wing,” “NYPD Blue,” “The Jamie Foxx Show,” “Angel,” and “Third Rock from the Sun.”

As a writer, Obi had been 5 years into the development of a groundbreaking new multicultural television series entitled “Juice Bar,” which is centered around the world of the global health movement, the organic food movement, and our planet’s movement towards consciousness and inclusivity. The deeply uplifting series is in its pilot phase. Obi is the lead writer for the character-driven scripted series.

8 weeks ago, on the evening of August 17th, after shopping at Erewhon Natural Foods Market in Los Angeles, Obi’s body was struck by a hIt-and-run DUI driver moving full speed. Miraculously, Obi survived the impact, but his right leg was severed instantly, just above the knee, and his shattered left leg had to be amputated 30 minutes later at the hospital to save his life.

Through dramatic self-will and determination, Obi used his yoga abilities, commitment to vibrant organic vegan food, and his positive mindset, to not only heal and recover from the very violent incident, but to recently return to his life’s work of acting and writing.

Ironically, Obi’s new television series “Juice Bar” sought to offer transformative portrayals of diversity on television, with several characters who happen to be amputees! With an even deeper mission now to tell the stories of these “other abled” characters, staggeringly, Obi will now be playing one of the roles he originally wrote to be played by an actual double amputee.
In an emotionally moving turn of events from the universe, the above-the-knee double amputee is now Obi.

Obi’s family, community, and co-workers in the entertainment field are coming together to support both his survival, and his physical ability to portray these roles, and maintain his position as co-show creator and writer of this and other television series. Obi would like the exposure of his story and his work within media to be a vehicle/vessel for positive portrayals of diversity, multiculturalism, and inclusion.

Listen to Episode 26- Obi Ndefo: Triumph Through Tragedy

Kathleen Kastner has a master’s degree in Exercise Physiology and has been practicing and teaching Ashtanga Yoga since 1997.

She was a yoga studio owner in Kansas City for 16 years and now lives in Encinitas, CA where she practices with Tim Miller daily.
She’s been vegan since 2002 and is certified in plant-based nutrition with the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine.
Her main focus in life is spreading ahimsa through animal and vegan activism and her youtube cooking show, Vegan Vitality.
Kathleen is Vegan Coach, specializing in weight loss and is the author of two books. She hosts yoga workshops and international retreats.
Listen to Episode 12- Kathleen Kastner: Becoming a Vegan Yogi Activist

Christopher August and Sara Oakley: After a series of synchronistic events, husband and wife, Christopher and Sara met while serving as Peace Corps volunteers in Tanzania, Africa. While living and working in small rural villages, they experienced both the pains and joys of the world, which led them to making a commitment to devote their lives to the evolution of humanity, animal liberation, and the betterment of the planet.

Amplified by their compassionate vegan lifestyle and years of professional training in a variety of fields including life coaching, herbal medicine, detoxification, energy healing, and leadership, Christopher and Sara founded the Vegan Warrior Academy in 2018. The academy is a digital platform aimed at supporting vegans in their personal and spiritual growth so they can reach their highest potential in and out of the movement.

The duo resides in Buffalo, NY and are the hosts of the Soul in Wonder Podcast. Their work has been featured in various publications including Plant Based News, Collective Evolution, Elephant Journal, and more.

Listen to Episode 14- Vegan Warrior Academy's Christopher August & Sarah Oakley

Talia Sutra: Born in Israel, Talia, along with her family relocated to New York early in her life. Curious by both nature and nurture, Talia was brought up by soulful, caring parents. She was first introduced to yoga and meditation at age 6, when her mom integrated these practices into her lifestyle to beat lymphoma.

Love has always been the flame lighting the way.

Talia sees nothing as external to her studies: She has learned impeccable skill and technique from masters of ballet, yoga and art. Equally, she finds sensitivity, intuition and insight are to be found through stillness, silence and connection with the seemingly ordinary world around us and that ultimately no teacher is greater than the one within.

Talia has recently relocated to Tel Aviv where she lives with her husband Ezra and their son Akiva.

She is excited, humbled and honored to spread her love of yoga worldwide and is grateful for all her teachers and students.

Listen to Episode 31- Talia Sutra: Finding Love Through Veganism and Yoga

Henry Winslow is a dedicated yoga practitioner of nine years, whose teaching is rooted in the Ghosh, Ashtanga, and Dharma Yoga traditions. In 2018, Henry took first place in the International Yoga Sport Federation's world championships, and in 2019, he launched the Henry Yoga app, a 40-day program for anyone looking to get serious about yoga, no matter their budget or schedule. To Henry, yoga is above all else a tool for cultivating clarity. He credits his practice for attuning him to his own values and for lending him the courage to leave a safe yet emotionally draining job in pharmaceutical advertising and blaze a new path in yoga and entrepreneurship. Through live classes and workshops, the Henry Yoga app, and his podcast Dharma Talk, Henry empowers students worldwide to connect to their innermost selves, where our natural resilience, unlimited power, and universal compassion reside.

Listen to Episode 30- Henry Winslow On Teaching, Yoga & Veganism

Vanessa Van Noy has been teaching in the NY metro area for nearly 20 years. She has worked with pro and collegiate athletes , people with physical limitations, and everyone in between. She specializes in creating practices that are fluid, functional and fun. She encourages humor&compassion, perseverance & perception , love &laughter. Her training as a Certified Thai Yoga Massage Therapist allows her to be very hands on in her classes, using touch as a way to deepen a posture or just show a little love.

Vanessa's classes are always a little bit different from the last. With music that motivates the body and lifts the spirit. Her class environment is conducive to laughing one moment, or discovering your true inner-self the next. It is always a flowing style, intelligently formulated to move toward some fabulous postures with comfort and ease. She will sprinkle some breath work, sometimes some Kundalini, being mindful of alignment and modifications to keep everyone safe while digging deep. Vanessa travels teaching workshops and retreats nationally, and world-wide. She also was selected for the Wanderlust festival in 2015.

Vanessa is the founder of “Headstands for Hunger“ a annual yoga-based community event that feeds hungry people and homeless pets in Monmouth County NJ. Taking yoga off the mat is where it's really at.

Robin's an Entrepreneur, working for doing good. Starting his career
as a hacker in 1998, he then founded Ejunkie in 2003, a service to
remove technology barrier for artists and authors wanting to sell
their digital content directly to buyers. Later that year, he moved to
Tucson, Arizona and continued to build Ejunkie.

Robin Singh: After successfully exiting in 2011, Robin started working to help
animals in February, 2013 starting in Auroville, India and then
Delhi. Realizing that the nature of welfare projects in India being
such that they can't be scaled by scaling the infrastructure, he
changed the strategy from just "doing" to involving and inspiring. In
December 2014 along with two other co-founders he started Peepal Farm
- a place for animals to heal, and be heard. He's been building it,
running it, and living there since.

Listen to Episode 18- Robin Singh: Karma Yoga, Suffering Footprint and Vegnism in India

May 2019 marked the beginning year of the Yoga Is Vegan Podcast. In The Best Of: Part 1, Holly Skodis features excerpts from some of her favorite interviews this year. This is a great episode to listen to if you are new to the show or haven't quite yet listened to them all. Clearly there wasn't enough time to share as many as she would have liked. Stay tuned next week, for Part 2.

Episodes featured in this episode:

Joy Pierson and Bart Potenza are pioneers in the vegan restaurant business. They have been New York's staple for fine dining for over 16 years and their restaurants have included Candle 79, Candle Cafe West and Candle Cafe. Unfortunately, their episode was corrupted while editing and the full episode never aired. What remains is golden non-the-less. For more information on the Candle Cafe's visit http://www.candlecafe.com

Sri Dharma Mittra: Legendary yoga teacher Sri Dharma Mittra first encountered yoga as a teenager before meeting his guru in 1964 and beginning his training in earnest. Sri Dharma founded one of the early independent schools of yoga in New York City in 1975 and has taught many tens of thousands the world over in the years since. Sri Dharma is the model and creator of The Master Yoga Chart of 908 Postures, the author of ASANAS: 608 Yoga Poses, the LOAY Teachers’ Manual and Yoga Wisdom, has released two DVDs to date – Maha Sadhana Levels I and II, and recently captured classes are available for streaming via alomoves.com, YogaJournal.com and Vimeo On Demand. Sri Dharma continues to disseminate the complete traditional science of yoga through daily classes, international workshops and his Life of a Yogi Teacher Trainings at the Dharma Yoga New York Center. For more information on all things Dharma Yoga, please visit: www.dharmayogacenter.com.

Listen to Episode 28- Sri Dharma Mittra

Victoria Moran is a vegan of over three decades, a yoga practitioner of half a century, and was voted “Peta’s Sexiest Vegan Over 50” in 2016. Listed by VegNews among the Top 10 Living Vegetarian Authors, Victoria made her reputation in the self-help and spirituality genre with books including the international bestseller, Creating a Charmed Life. In the vegan space, she’s written books including The Love-Powered Diet, The Good Karma Diet, and the iconic Main Street Vegan.

Moran is founder and director of Main Street Vegan Academy, an in-person program in New York City that trains vegan lifestyle coaches, educators, and entrepreneurs. The Academy has over 400 alumni in twenty-eight countries, who are engaged in vegan enterprises ranging from counseling to cooking to cowboy boots.

Featured twice on Oprah and regularly appearing on television and radio, Victoria is an internationally celebrated speaker and host of the award-winning Main Street Vegan podcast. She is also lead producer of A Prayer for Compassion, the 2019 documentary from Student Academy Award winner, Thomas Jackson, that explores the intersection of food choices and spirituality. She lives with her husband, writer and musician William Melton, their rescue-dog, Forbes, and a handicapped pigeon named Thunder, in a “green” building in New York City.

Listen to Episode 16- Victoria Moran

Dotsie Bausch- After concluding a prolific professional cycling career that produced a medal at the 2012 London Olympic Games, eight US national championships, two Pan American gold medals and a world record, Dotsie Bausch has become a powerful influencer for plant-based eating for athletes and non-athletes alike. Named by VegNews in 2019 as one of the top 20 most influential vegans in the world, she utilizes her degree in plant-based nutrition to inform her impassioned messages as an advocate on behalf of humans, planet earth and animals.

Never one to shy away from facing staggering odds – just like she did in the Olympics while riding for Team USA, whose unlikely and triumphant story is chronicled in the Netflix documentary “Personal Gold” – her latest initiative is founding the non-profit Switch4Good. Switch4Good launched in early 2018 with a television commercial featuring six Olympians from four different countries and proves that cow’s milk is not part of a high-performance diet. The ground-breaking commercial aired on NBC during the 2018 Winter Olympic Games closing ceremonies and on ABC during the Academy Awards broadcast. View the commercial at: https://Switch4Good.org. Bausch is also one of the stars of the film The Game Changers (http://gamechangersmovie.com), which chronicles the story of the world’s most dangerous myth. Directed by Academy Award winner Louie Psihoyos and executive produced by Oscar winner James Cameron, The Game Changers released to worldwide audiences in October of 2019 and in just one week, became the #1 downloaded film of all time on iTunes.

Long before embodying radiant health and becoming an influential game changer, Bausch struggled for years with severe eating disorders and a recreational drug habit, that combined, led to a suicide attempt. It was during her recovery that she discovered her gift and love for the bike.

Bausch speaks passionately around the world, spreading her message about the numerous benefits – humane, nutritional and environmental – of plant-based eating. Her popular TEDx Talk, “Olympic Level Compassion,” has garnered over 275,000 views and has been a catalyst of change for thousands of people.

Listen to Episode 27- Switch4Good & The Game Changers Dotsie Bausch

Anna Ferguson is the author of World Peace Yoga: Yoga for People Who Breathe, a companion book to Dr. Will Tuttle’s book, The World Peace Diet. In addition to being co-creator of World Peace Yoga studio in Cincinnati, Anna is engaged in several evolving paradigms as a co-founder of Heärt Montessori, a school where empathy and compassion are taught as part of core academics, the Jubilee Animal Sanctuary, providing a glimpse of what a peaceful world looks like, and the Cincy VegFest, an annual one-day vegan festival.

Listen to Episode 4- Anna Ferguson: Yoga For People Who Breathe

Dr. Will Tuttle, visionary educator, has presented widely throughout North America and worldwide. A 39-year vegan, he is the author of the #1 Amazon best-selling book The World Peace Diet and is a recipient of the Courage of Conscience Award and the Empty Cages Prize. He is also author of the recent book, Your Inner Islands: The Keys to Intuitive Living, as well as editor of Circles of Compassion: Essays Connecting Issues of Justice and the newly-released Buddhism and Veganism: Essays Connecting Spiritual Awakening and Animal Liberation.

Devoted to cultural healing and awakening, he is a former Zen monk and Dharma Master in the Zen tradition, and his Ph.D. degree from the University of California, Berkeley, focused on educating intuition and altruism in adults. He has taught college courses in creativity, humanities, religion, and philosophy, and is also a composer and concert pianist. He is noted for his clear and inspiring presentations, and is featured in many documentary films, including Cowspiracy; A Prayer for Compassion; Vegan: Everyday Stories; and HOPE: What You Eat Matters.

Listen to Episode 7- Dr. Will Tuttle

Gabriel Cousens, the “liberated vegan from Eden”, is the author of thirteen internationally acclaimed books including Spiritual Nutrition and Creating Peace by Being Peace. Known worldwide as a spiritual teacher and the leading expert in live, plant-source nutrition, Dr. Cousens functions as a holistic physician, psychiatrist, family therapist, and cutting-edge researcher on healing diabetes naturally. He holds an M.D. from Columbia Medical School, a doctorate in homeopathy, and diplomas in Ayurveda, and holistic medicine. His multicultural background as an ordained rabbi, an acknowledged yogi, and a four-year Native American Sundancer, adds insight to his “whole-person enlightenment” teachings. Dr. Cousens is the founder and director of the Tree of Life Foundation.

Dr. Gabriel Cousens will recommend raw honey and bee pollen with vegan alternatives in his books. While this is not discussed in this episode, I do want to acknowledge that this is in conflict with strict veganism. He addresses this topic in http://treeoflifecenterus.com/the-art-of-live-food-preparation/

Tiffany Paultauf and her husband Joe Bonitatebus started the Sleepy Pig Farm Animal Sanctuary where they have rescued over a dozen farmed animals from slaughter. Their goal for the future is to grow the sanctuary and to rescue more animals, as well as educate the community about obtaining a vegan lifestyle. At the the moment they are in the process of becoming a non profit.

Listen to Episode 19- Tiffany Paltauf: Rescuing Animals and Starting an Animal Farm Sanctuary

In this episode, Yoga Is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Thomas Wade Jackson discuss:

Finding Your Dharma
Cowspiracy The Sustainability Secret
Raising a vegan child
Sailesh Rao the Founder and Executive Director of Climate Healers.
Embracing Vulnerability
Meditation
Dr. Melanie Joy
Vegan Psychologist Clare Mann
Dr. Will Tuttle (For more information listen to his interview on Episode 7)
Victoria Moran (For more, listen to her interview on Episode 16)
Effective Activism
Dr. Michael Gregor's Nutritionfacts.org
The Game Changers
Jainism
Jerome Flynn
The Animal Product Black Market in India
Vegetarianism

Thomas Wade Jackson received his Masters from Florida State University's College of Motion Picture Arts, where his thesis film, Slow Dancin’ Down the Aisles of the QuickCheck, won both the Student Academy Award and the Student Emmy Award, as well as 20 other awards and honors. He is the founder of The Compassion Project, a multi-media production company, and director of the award-winning, feature-length documentary, A Prayer for Compassion. Thomas is a vegan and animal rights activist and lives in the woods of North Florida with his daughter and their cat friend Obi Wan.

Connect with Thomas Wade Jackson:
Website: www.aprayerforcompassion.com
Facebook: @compassionmovie
Instagram:@compassionmovie

Yoga Is Vegan's Holly Skodis interviews psychedelic artist & yoga teacher, Madi Moon.

Topics discussed in this episode:

Ahimsa

Main Street Vegan Academy https://mainstreetvegan.net/academy/

New Milford Hospital Connecticut Guided Imagery & Hypnotherapy for Minimizing Anxiety and Pain and Promoting Healing. Alexandra Chalif MS, MP.

The Law of Attraction

Yoga Union Teacher Training in Bali www.yogaunionbali.com

The van & bus life movement.

Julia Butterfly Hill Episode 24

Madi’s journey as an artist. Learning to express visions from her meditations and dreams with painting. nan

Activism

Anonymous for the Voiceless

Philly VegFest

Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself: How to Lose Your Mind and Create a New One by Dr. Joe Dispenza

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/chakra-meditation-balancing-healing-meditation-music/id886156937

Madi Smedley is a self-love enthusiast who helps women with healing the heart and mindset. She is a psychedelic artist, yogi, and vegan. Her next step is spreading love and art in her self converted bus tiny home, healing women along the way.

Connect with Madi:
Instagram: @madisunmoon
E-Book: Guide To A Goddess Mindset
Etsy Shop: madisunmoon
YouTube: Madi Moon

Born in Israel, Talia, along with her family relocated to New York early in her life. Curious by both nature and nurture, Talia was brought up by soulful, caring parents. She was first introduced to yoga and meditation at age 6, when her mom integrated these practices into her lifestyle to beat lymphoma.

Love has always been the flame lighting the way.

Talia sees nothing as external to her studies: She has learned impeccable skill and technique from masters of ballet, yoga and art. Equally, she finds sensitivity, intuition and insight are to be found through stillness, silence and connection with the seemingly ordinary world around us and that ultimately no teacher is greater than the one within.

Talia has recently relocated to Tel Aviv where she lives with her husband Ezra and their son Akiva.

She is excited, humbled and honored to spread her love of yoga worldwide and is grateful for all her teachers and students.

Holly Skodis & Talia Sutra discuss in this episode:

Julia Planine-Troiani (YIV podcast episode 22)
Talia's first introduction to yoga with her mother.
Dr. Will Tuttle (YIV podcast episode 7)
Yoga To The People
Dance and the relationship to the Self
Asana and its role in the system of yoga
Body image, eating disorders and how they have been changing in the past 10 years
Sisterhood and the Divine feminine
Tel Aviv and the vegan community
Effective forms of activism & best practices
Regenerative farming
Raising children vegan
Asana & bringing deep consciousness to the body
Removing blocks in the body & using poses as a reflection of you.
Alo Moves
Connect with Talia:
Website: taliasutrayoga,com
Instagram: @talia_sutra
Ellen Ruben x Talia Sutra Vegan Shoes & Bags www.ellenruben.com

Henry Winslow is a dedicated yoga practitioner of nine years, whose teaching is rooted in the Ghosh, Ashtanga, and Dharma Yoga traditions. In 2018, Henry took first place in the International Yoga Sport Federation's world championships, and in 2019, he launched the Henry Yoga app, a 40-day program for anyone looking to get serious about yoga, no matter their budget or schedule. To Henry, yoga is above all else a tool for cultivating clarity. He credits his practice for attuning him to his own values and for lending him the courage to leave a safe yet emotionally draining job in pharmaceutical advertising and blaze a new path in yoga and entrepreneurship. Through live classes and workshops, the Henry Yoga app, and his podcast Dharma Talk, Henry empowers students worldwide to connect to their innermost selves, where our natural resilience, unlimited power, and universal compassion reside.

In this episode Holly Skodis and Henry Winslow discuss:

Henry Winslow's podcast Dharma Talk
Yoga teacher and photographer Fabio Filipi (Fabio is on Yoga Is vegan podcast 5)
Maha dharma and unique dharma
Dharma Mittra (for more listen to Dharma Mittra on Yoga Is Vegan podcast episode 28)
Screamers Pizzeria
Documentaries Forks Over Knives, Cowspiracy & What The Health
Dr. Melanie Joy "Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs and Wear Cows: An Introduction to Carnism"
"Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
Ghosh Yoga
International Yoga Sport Federation's World Championships
Rajashree & Bikram Choudhury
Yoga Inc Documentary
Rose Erin Vaughan Science of Self Yoga & MYT Workshops & Certifications
Information on the recent Bikram downfall in the documentary, Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator.

In this episode YIV's Holly Skodis and Jonina Turzi discuss:
Ahimsa
The concept of herdism as coined by Dr. Will Tuttle in his book The World Peace Diet. For more on Dr. Tuttle listen to YIV's podcast episode 7.
Approaches to addressing Thanksgiving and other family and friend invitations as a vegan.
Yoga and Vegetarianism by Sharon Gannon
Yoga professor Jonathan Dickstein
Anna Ferguson. For more on Anna Ferguson listen to YIV's podcast episode 4.
Lancaster Farm Sanctuary
Genetic manipulation of farm animals. Why it hurts to just exist.
Why eating eggs is unnatural and cruel to egg-laying hens.
How to spot animals being transported to slaughter and factory farms.
Supporting farmers by helping them transition towards plant-based
Neil Barnard's medical group PCRM submitted a petition with the FDA to change the labeling on cheese to include a cancer warning. Read the article,
"Doctors Group Petition FDA to Put Cancer Warning on Cheese" on VegNews
Michael Gregor's Nutritionfacts.org
The Last Pig Documentary
Osteopathic manual therapy and cranial sacral and visceral manipulation. Vagus nerve tension, adhesions and blockages and how they relate to the chakras.
Somato-Emotional Release
Guru Singh on Consciousness Rich Roll Podcast Episode 468
Chakras
West End Yoga Studio

Jonina Turzi is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and a Yoga Educator who teaches group classes, private sessions, and leads yoga teacher trainings in Lancaster, PA. She is the owner of West End Yoga Studio in downtown Lancaster and is a co-founder and resident of Lancaster Farm Sanctuary, a nonprofit farmed animal rescue, education, and advocacy center that is home to 40 liberated beings including cows, pigs, sheep, goats, turkeys, ducks, and chickens.
Jonina got her start in animal activism by becoming a District Leader for the Humane Society of the United States with her partner Sarah Salluzzo. After reading The World Peace Diet by Dr. Will Tuttle she realized she wanted to expand her activism from a focus on legislative progress in animal welfare to include the ethical and spiritual stance of freedom for all beings inherent in the yoga tradition as realized through veganism and animal rights activism.
In her private physical therapy practice, Jonina sees clients daily to provide Functional Manual Therapy, and a variety of postural and osteopathic interventions for chronic and complex pain including visceral and craniosacral therapies.
Through her yoga training called Yoga Sanctuary School, and in all her yoga class offerings, Jonina encourages yoga teachers and students to yoke the benefits of their personal practice to the benefit of all beings.

Connect with Jonina:

Website: www.joninaturzi.com
Website: www.lancasterfarmsanctuary.org
Website: www.westendyogastudio.com
Website: yogasanctuaryschool.com

In this episode YIV's Holly Skodis interviews Sri Dharma Mittra about the role of the teacher, yogic practices and veganism for spiritual development.

Topics discussed in this episode:

Sri Dharma Mittra’s Guru Sri Swami Kailashananda a.k.a. Yogi Gupta
Ahimsa
The Sattvic Diet
The role of vegan foods in a spiritual practice
The condition of the soul
Reincarnation and the meaning of life
Raja Yoga
Yoga Nidra
Karma Yoga
Meditation
Yoga Postures

Legendary yoga teacher Sri Dharma Mittra first encountered yoga as a teenager before meeting his guru in 1964 and beginning his training in earnest. Sri Dharma founded one of the early independent schools of yoga in New York City in 1975 and has taught many tens of thousands the world over in the years since. Sri Dharma is the model and creator of The Master Yoga Chart of 908 Postures, the author of ASANAS: 608 Yoga Poses, the LOAY Teachers’ Manual and Yoga Wisdom, has released two DVDs to date – Maha Sadhana Levels I and II, and recently captured classes are available for streaming via alomoves.com, YogaJournal.com and Vimeo On Demand. Sri Dharma continues to disseminate the complete traditional science of yoga through daily classes, international workshops and his Life of a Yogi Teacher Trainings at the Dharma Yoga New York Center. For more information on all things Dharma Yoga, please visit: www.dharmayogacenter.com.

YIV's Holly Skodis interviews Dotsie Bausch about her road to becoming vegan and self discovery along the way.

After concluding a prolific professional cycling career that produced a medal at the 2012 London Olympic Games, eight US national championships, two Pan American gold medals and a world record, Dotsie Bausch has become a powerful influencer for plant-based eating for athletes and non-athletes alike. Named by VegNews in 2019 as one of the top 20 most influential vegans in the world, she utilizes her degree in plant-based nutrition to inform her impassioned messages as an advocate on behalf of humans, planet earth and animals.

Never one to shy away from facing staggering odds – just like she did in the Olympics while riding for Team USA, whose unlikely and triumphant story is chronicled in the Netflix documentary “Personal Gold” – her latest initiative is founding the non-profit Switch4Good. Switch4Good launched in early 2018 with a television commercial featuring six Olympians from four different countries and proves that cow’s milk is not part of a high-performance diet. The ground-breaking commercial aired on NBC during the 2018 Winter Olympic Games closing ceremonies and on ABC during the Academy Awards broadcast. View the commercial at: https://Switch4Good.org. Bausch is also one of the stars of the film The Game Changers (http://gamechangersmovie.com), which chronicles the story of the world’s most dangerous myth. Directed by Academy Award winner Louie Psihoyos and executive produced by Oscar winner James Cameron, The Game Changers released to worldwide audiences in October of 2019 and in just one week, became the #1 downloaded film of all time on iTunes.

Long before embodying radiant health and becoming an influential game changer, Bausch struggled for years with severe eating disorders and a recreational drug habit, that combined, led to a suicide attempt. It was during her recovery that she discovered her gift and love for the bike.

Bausch speaks passionately around the world, spreading her message about the numerous benefits – humane, nutritional and environmental – of plant-based eating. Her popular TEDx Talk, “Olympic Level Compassion,” has garnered over 275,000 views and has been a catalyst of change for thousands of people.

In this episode Holly & Dotsie discuss:
Karma yoga
The Switch4Good
Navigating veganism on her road to the Olympics
The Game Changers Movie
Effective activism

Connect with Dotsie:
Website: Switch4Good.org
Instagram: @Switch4Good
Instagram: @VeganOlympian

In this episode YIV's Holly Skodis & Obi Ndefo discuss:

The hit & run accident that left Obi an above-the-knee double amputee and his road to recovery
Healing with an organic, raw vegan diet
The power of plants
Obi's new television series "Juice Bar"
Yoga & yogic philosophy
As an actor of Nigerian and American heritage, onscreen and onstage, Obi Ndefo’s relationship with his body has been crucial for his life’s work and self-expression. Trained at the Yale School of Drama, Obi subsequently progressed to playing pivotal roles in film and television. For 3 seasons, he recurred as Bodie Wells on the television series “Dawson’s Creek,” and for 4 seasons he recurred as Rak’nor in the adventure science fiction series “Stargate.” As a physically transformative actor, extensively trained in yoga and multidimensional fitness, Mr. Ndefo took on a wide variety of physical roles in “Star Trek - Deep Space Nine” as the Klingon Drex, “Star Trek - Voyager” as Kelamane, along with roles in “The West Wing,” “NYPD Blue,” “The Jamie Foxx Show,” “Angel,” and “Third Rock from the Sun.”

As a writer, Obi had been 5 years into the development of a groundbreaking new multicultural television series entitled “Juice Bar,” which is centered around the world of the global health movement, the organic food movement, and our planet’s movement towards consciousness and inclusivity. The deeply uplifting series is in its pilot phase. Obi is the lead writer for the character-driven scripted series.

8 weeks ago, on the evening of August 17th, after shopping at Erewhon Natural Foods Market in Los Angeles, Obi’s body was struck by a hIt-and-run DUI driver moving full speed. Miraculously, Obi survived the impact, but his right leg was severed instantly, just above the knee, and his shattered left leg had to be amputated 30 minutes later at the hospital to save his life.

Through dramatic self-will and determination, Obi used his yoga abilities, commitment to vibrant organic vegan food, and his positive mindset, to not only heal and recover from the very violent incident, but to recently return to his life’s work of acting and writing.

Ironically, Obi’s new television series “Juice Bar” sought to offer transformative portrayals of diversity on television, with several characters who happen to be amputees! With an even deeper mission now to tell the stories of these “other abled” characters, staggeringly, Obi will now be playing one of the roles he originally wrote to be played by an actual double amputee.
In an emotionally moving turn of events from the universe, the above-the-knee double amputee is now Obi.

Obi’s family, community, and co-workers in the entertainment field are coming together to support both his survival, and his physical ability to portray these roles, and maintain his position as co-show creator and writer of this and other television series. Obi would like the exposure of his story and his work within media to be a vehicle/vessel for positive portrayals of diversity, multiculturalism, and inclusion.
Please watch the NBC news clip on Obi Ndefo’s miraculous recent recovery, and his efforts to serve his community. https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Actor-Lost-Legs-in-Crash-Recovering-560636501.html

Connect with Obi:
gofundme: https://www.gofundme.com/f/obi-ndefo-lifeline-organized-by-his-family
Instagram: @ndefoobi
Facebook: Obi Ndefo

In this episode Holly Skodis interviews Karo Tak about her life as a vegan activist, yoga teacher and chef.

Karo focuses on 3 main components in her life: FOOD, YOGA & ACTIVISM. She is a very active travelling vegan chef, yoga teacher and activist. She travels the world to teach Jivamukti Yoga, talks about animal rights, facilitates cooking classes and compassionately spreads the word for animals worldwide. She runs her own vegan cheese company: GOPAL VEGAN CHEESE & yoga apparel: SHAKTEE. She facilitates her own vegan cooking workshops, events, talks and seminars all for the betterment of the world. She is just about to start her food, yoga and activism tour travelling to Holland, Germany, Luxembourg and Switzerland.

Topics discussed:
Jivamukti Yoga - Jiva means individual soul and mukti means liberation. The practice of Jivamukti is very strong and liberating. The Jivamukti Yoga method emphasises asana, scriptural study, devotion, prayer, music, chanting and meditation as well as veganism, environmentalism and political activism. Karo’s classes are dynamic and energetic with a smashing play-list, teachings drawn from her own life experience and work as an animal rights activist.
Effective approaches to talking about veganism
Going undercover on slaughterhouses
Extinction Rebellion: an international movement that uses non-violent civil disobedience in an attempt to halt mass extinction and minimize the risk of social collapse.
Vanessa Van Noy Episode 10
Queer Eye's Jonathan Van Ness' podcast Getting Curious
Karo's vegan cheese company Gopal Vegan Cheese
Gopal Mantra on Spotify by Krishna Das
Karo's Raw Hazelnut Vegan Brownies.
So the other day I made these yummy hazelnut brownies kind of by accident as I just tried to blend a few things together hoping it would work and it did indeed work. I tried to remember amounts as much as I could, so try for yourself and just add anything else you think might work well in the recipe, the sky is the limit, my friends.
Ingredients:
2 cups hazelnuts
1/2 cup cacao Powder
3/4 cup coconut Sugar
1 cup coconut Oil (liquid form, so it works well to let the oil sit in warm water for a while so it becomes really liquid)
1 tsp Himalayan salt
Optional: 10 soaked dates (check that there is no pit inside)
Method:
Start by blending the hazelnuts and the sugar together. You really want the hazelnuts to be like meal, powder form nearly, so really well blended. Then add the cacao. Blend again. Then you add the coconut oil and salt. Blend well together. So if you have the dates then keep the blender going while you add the dates one by one to the mixtures. The dates are like the glue which will create a perfect consistency and make the setting process a little quicker in my opinion BUT last time I made this I had no dates and it still set perfectly, so if you don’t have dates, no problem!
Then place the mixture in a cake form, line the cake form with vegetable paper, cling wrap or foil. Let it set for at least 24 hours in the fridge. And voila you’re in business. Enjoy!
*Optional you can save a few hazelnuts and crush them a little or blend them just a tiny bit and sprinkle them on the top. Looks great and taste delicious.
Connect with Karo:
Instagram: food: @karoveganator
yoga: @jivamuktikaro
Website: www.karotak.com
Youtube Channel: https://youtu.be/JKZQC3m_5qI
Podcast: https://www.facebook.com/goforyourlifenow/

In this episode YIV's Holly Skodis interviews Julia Butterfly Hill about how living in a tree for 2 years inspired her to teach others that each and every one of us makes a difference.

Julia Butterfly Hill is an activist, author, motivational speaker, and life coach. She is best known for having lived in a 200 foot tall, over 1,000-year-old California redwood tree for 738 days without ever touching the ground from December 10, 1997 to December 18, 1999. Hill lived in the tree, known as Luna, to prevent Maxxam Corporation controlled Pacific Lumber Company from cutting it down and logging the surrounding grove. She is the author of Legacy of Luna and Becoming and co-author of One Makes the Difference. Julia spent over 15 years being in service to the planet and all her beings. Julia also has been a joyous vegan for over 20 years.

Connect with Julia:
Website: juliabutterflyhill.com

Melissa Eliyahoo is a conscious momma of two little girl, and on a mission to spread positivity out into the world. She is co-founder of H2life a company that creates positive intention products. These products are being used worldwide and in schools on kids reusable water bottles. In addition to the products they offer, H2life has a student run program where they spread positivity in schools.

Topics discussed on this episode:
Vipasana Meditation
Healing with foods
Superfoods
Raising a family when you are the sole vegan
Manifestiation techniquess
Sadhguru https://isha.sadhguru.org/us/en
H2Life

Connect with Melissa:
Website: loveh2life.com discount code VEGAN
Instagram: @loveh2life

In this episode Holly Skodis interviews Julia about how she found Veganism through yoga.

Julia has studied deeply with dance, yoga, meditation, movement practices, and integral anatomy for over twenty years. She has had the privilege of teaching in New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, Israel, Italy and currently in Los Angeles. She found Mysore style Ashtanga yoga five years ago, and gratefully went vegan shortly after. Her intention with all of her endeavors is to rediscover our innate curiosity and compassion, so that we may each continue our journey inward and onward with faith, steadiness and ease. She bows down to the teacher within for eternal guidance and understands that true love will free us all.

Topics discussed this episode:
What it means to be vegan
Channeling anger
Effective vegan activism

In this episode YIV's Holly Skodis interviews Sande Nosonowitz about how her yoga journey led her to becoming a vegan activist.

Sande is a master-certified vegan coach, writer and educator. For three years, she penned a column for Living & Being Magazine (part of the USA TODAY network) called ‘Living & Being Vegan,’ and has just published her new book, “OBLIVIOUS; A Vegan Memoir.” This comes after her first compilation book, “Living & Being Vegan; How Veganism Heals Your Body, Mind and Spirit.” Her multi-media presentation, “How Veganism Heals,” has been enjoyed by groups at venues such as The Mid-Hudson Regional Hospital, Dutchess Community College, The Omega Institute Staff Program, The DrawDown National Environmental Program, The Fountains at Millbrook Community Education Series, and coming this fall, The Vassar College Lifelong Learning Institute.

She’s a proud co-founder of the Hudson Valley Vegfest held annually in New York State. Sande is also a certified yoga & meditation instructor who designs a line of yoga & vegan-inspired jewelry that she lovingly calls, “Hip & Holy Bling.”

Sande teaches a full transition to veganism, including online modules, cooking classes, field trips to the grocery store and trips to the animal sanctuaries. An activist, teacher, student and animal lover, Sande lives in upstate New York with her vegan husband and plant-based yellow lab, Henry.

OBLIVIOUS; A Vegan Memoir is available on Amazon, and you can learn more about all of Sande’s offerings on her website; www.sundaravegan.com

*Sundara is the Sanskrit word for beautiful, interpreted as inner beauty, flowing from grace and wisdom.

Connect with Sandee:
Instagram: @sundarajewel
Facebook: @sande.nosonowitz
Website: sundaravegan.com

YIV's Holly Skodis interviews yoga teacher Danae Bocabarteille about her journey to veganism through Ayurvedic yoga.

Danae is a french designer who specializes in sustainable design in Paris. A few years ago she started teaching yoga and ayurvedic cooking. She's now practicing these two activities at the same time. She believes that building bridges between yoga and ayurveda is the key to health and happiness. The practice is adapted according to your dosha, the season and your pathologies. Practicing yoga led her to a non-violent lifestyle of veganism.
What is traditional Ayurvedic yoga?

Ayurvedic yoga is based on the knowledge of Ayurveda and dosha balancing (Pita, Kapha, Vata).
When our body, mind and spirit is balance we do not get sick, we are happy and full of energy. At the beginning there was no separation between yoga and ayurveda, then one started to develop as a spiritual practice as the other develop as a medicine.

The yoga I teach comes from Sri Aurobindo’s vision on integral yoga.
The goal of yoga is to reach the state of "union" with oneself and the world around us, cultivating joy and energy into our everyday lives.

Integral Yoga combines different styles of yoga, Hatha Yoga, Pranayama (Breath Yoga), Yoga Nidra (Dream Yoga), Meditation (Spirit Yoga), Kundalini Yoga (Life Energy Yoga), Mantra and Song to balance our dosha.

Danae's Green Agni Balancing Hummus

Green Agni Balancing Hummus
300 gr of raw edamame beans (or peas)
1 clove of garlic
1 cif of cumin
1 garam massala (or 5 spices, ra salt hanout)
a handful of fresh coriander
juice of a whole lemon
salt and pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sesame or tahini seeds

Mix everything and add a little water for the texture and that’s it!

The edemame and the green peas tend to balance Kapha and Pita but they are very charged in air element when they are raw.
To avoid a Vata imbalance in the recipe you can first cook the beans, which will make the hummus sweeter and replace the olive oil with sesame oil.

Kapha may feel lighter using sunflower oil and without sesame seeds.
Danae also offers workshops on ayurvedic cooking, and how to use spices and food to come back to our true nature.

Connect with Danae:
Instagram: @danae_yoga_ayurveda
Facebook: @Danae Bocabarteille

In this episode YIV's Holly Skodis and Tiffany Paultauf talk about how rescuing a pig started her journey to veganism, yoga and eventually starting her own farm animal sanctuary.

Tiffany Paultauf and her husband Joe Bonitatebus started the Sleepy Pig Farm Animal Sanctuary where they have rescued over a dozen farmed animals from slaughter. Their goal for the future is to grow the sanctuary and to rescue more animals, as well as educate the community about obtaining a vegan lifestyle. At the the moment they are in the process of becoming a non profit.

In this episode YIV's Holly Skodis & Robin Singh discuss:
• The Peepalfarm, a stray animal rescue, vegan organic farm, low impact farmstead and a small scale social enterprise in India
• Karma yoga & other yogic practices
• Consumption and it's suffering footprint

Robin's an Entrepreneur, working for doing good. Starting his career
as a hacker in 1998, he then founded Ejunkie in 2003, a service to
remove technology barrier for artists and authors wanting to sell
their digital content directly to buyers. Later that year, he moved to
Tucson, Arizona and continued to build Ejunkie.

After successfully exiting in 2011, Robin started working to help
animals in February, 2013 starting in Auroville, India and then
Delhi. Realizing that the nature of welfare projects in India being
such that they can't be scaled by scaling the infrastructure, he
changed the strategy from just "doing" to involving and inspiring. In
December 2014 along with two other co-founders he started Peepal Farm
- a place for animals to heal, and be heard. He's been building it,
running it, and living there since.

Connect with Robin:
Website: https://peepalfarm.org/
Suffering Footprint: TedX Talk

In this episode YIV's Holly Skodis & Julie Kirkpatrick discuss:
• Jivamukti Yoga and it's inclusion of veganism
• Insights that Julie has learned from Sharon Gannon & David Life
• How to approach veganism with yoga students

Are you intrigued by yoga? Are you interested not only in the physical practices of yoga, but also by the philosophy and history? Do you want to learn more and go to a deeper level with your yoga practice? Perhaps you have been a practitioner for many years, but never seem to quench your “yoga thirst”? If any of those statements apply to you, then you share something in common with Advanced Certified Jivamukti Yoga Teacher, Julie Kirkpatrick, who is also searching for deeper meaning of life through a deeper understanding of yoga and how it can help modern people live a meaningful life in troubling times.

The founders of the Jivamukti Yoga method, Sharon Gannon and David Life, granted Julie the Advanced Jivamukti Yoga Teacher certification in 2005. David Life is Julie's brother, so the method has been accessible to her since its inception in 1986. Julie has been and continues to be a student of the method and a seeker of understanding of yoga, since that time. She completed her 300 hr. training in 2003, and her 800 hr. training in 2004. Her association with Jivamukti Yoga has allowed her to teach classes, workshops, and retreats abroad in Germany, Italy, Czech Republic, Spain, Turkey, Canada, and Vietnam, as well as in the United States in New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Michigan, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Alabama, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Ohio.

Julie brings to her yoga classes a wide range of experience, having taught a variety of class styles including open, basic, vinyasa, prenatal, children’s yoga, and restorative classes. She strives to bring together practitioners through a sense of community with each other, for really, there is nothing more valuable in yoga then coming together as a community of spiritually minded truth seekers, which happens every time we gather together to practice yoga. Julie strives to uphold this vision.

Before focusing full time on teaching yoga, Julie worked in public education, visual arts, and community gardening. She was an activist for fair housing and community garden preservation on the Lower East Side of New York City, where she has lived with her children Jules and Alex Febre since 1981.

Connect with Julie:
Facebook: @julie.kirkpatrick.58
Instagram: @juliefrancine1

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Victoria Moran is a vegan of over three decades, a yoga practitioner of half a century, and was voted “Peta’s Sexiest Vegan Over 50” in 2016. Listed by VegNews among the Top 10 Living Vegetarian Authors, Victoria made her reputation in the self-help and spirituality genre with books including the international bestseller, Creating a Charmed Life. In the vegan space, she’s written books including The Love-Powered Diet, The Good Karma Diet, and the iconic Main Street Vegan.

Moran is founder and director of Main Street Vegan Academy, an in-person program in New York City that trains vegan lifestyle coaches, educators, and entrepreneurs. The Academy has over 400 alumni in twenty-eight countries, who are engaged in vegan enterprises ranging from counseling to cooking to cowboy boots.

Featured twice on Oprah and regularly appearing on television and radio, Victoria is an internationally celebrated speaker and host of the award-winning Main Street Vegan podcast. She is also lead producer of A Prayer for Compassion, the 2019 documentary from Student Academy Award winner, Thomas Jackson, that explores the intersection of food choices and spirituality. She lives with her husband, writer and musician William Melton, their rescue-dog, Forbes, and a handicapped pigeon named Thunder, in a “green” building in New York City.

In this episode YIV's Holly Skodis & Victoria Moran discuss:
• Yoga, spirituality and Ahimsa
• Superfoods
• The Vegan Documentary "Game Changers"
• The Main Street Vegan Academy
• Activism

To learn more about Victoria visit www.mainstreetvegan.net

Listen & Subscribe

In this episode Holly Skodis interviews Christopher & Sara about how vegans can find their unique gifts and talents so they can effectively contribute to the vegan movement . They explore how pain can be a great teacher and share different modalities for self-discovery. Chris and Sara each share their stories behind why they are vegan and how their own pain inspired led them to a life dedicated to elavating the collective consciousness.

In this episode, Holly Skodis interviews Adam Sobel about the Cinnamon Snail, spirituality and the connection to food. Adam Sobel (aka Acutyananda Das) is a student of Mahayogi Gokulacandra Das. Adam and his wife Joey (Daya Devi Dasi) have been offering free yoga classes in Red Bank NJ for the last 12 years.

Adam is also the chef and owner of The Cinnamon Snail, an award winning vegan restaurant and food truck serving NYC and NJ. He has cooked at the James Beard House, won the Vendy Awards (the oscars of Street food) and represented the United States in the World Street Food Congress in the Philippines. His cookbook Street Vegan is available in bookstores everywhere.

In Episode 12 Holly Skodis interviews Astanga Yoga Teacher and Vegan Activist Kathleen Kastner about how yogis can become effective vegan activists.

Kathleen Kastner has a master’s degree in Exercise Physiology and has been practicing and teaching Ashtanga Yoga since 1997.
She was a yoga studio owner in Kansas City for 16 years and now lives in Encinitas, CA where she practices with Tim Miller daily.
She’s been vegan since 2002 and is certified in plant-based nutrition with the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine.
Her main focus in life is spreading ahimsa through animal and vegan activism and her youtube cooking show, Vegan Vitality.
Kathleen is Vegan Coach, specializing in weight loss and is the author of two books. She hosts yoga workshops and international retreats.

In Episode 11, Holly Skodis interviews Certified Yoga Nutrition Therapist and 36 year vegan Manu Dawson about his wisdom in his field.

In episode 10 Holly Skodis and Vanessa Van Noy talk about approaches to becoming vegan and understanding the connection through yoga. Vanessa shares what has worked for her in the past and tips for planting the vegan seeds for the future.

Vanessa Van Noy has been teaching in the NY metro area for nearly 20 years. She has worked with pro and collegiate athletes , people with physical limitations, and everyone in between. She specializes in creating practices that are fluid, functional and fun. She encourages humor&compassion, perseverance & perception , love &laughter. Her training as a Certified Thai Yoga Massage Therapist allows her to be very hands on in her classes, using touch as a way to deepen a posture or just show a little love.

Vanessa's classes are always a little bit different from the last. With music that motivates the body and lifts the spirit. Her class environment is conducive to laughing one moment, or discovering your true inner-self the next. It is always a flowing style, intelligently formulated to move toward some fabulous postures with comfort and ease. She will sprinkle some breath work, sometimes some Kundalini, being mindful of alignment and modifications to keep everyone safe while digging deep. Vanessa travels teaching workshops and retreats nationally, and world-wide. She also was selected for the Wanderlust festival in 2015.

Vanessa is the founder of “Headstands for Hunger“ a annual yoga-based community event that feeds hungry people and homeless pets in Monmouth County NJ. Taking yoga off the mat is where it's really at.

In this episode, Holly Skodis interviews Dakota Mays about his journey to yoga and veganism. This episode covers a lot of topics including:
Increasing strength and flexibility in your yoga practice by reducing inflammation in the body.
Resources for helping you understand the health benefits of a vegan diet.

While studying at University in Mexico, Pablo Herrerias was in a car accident that changed his life as he knew it. After losing a substantial portion of his foot and spending a year in bed unable to walk, he began a journey to heal his body. This led him to both the healing effects of yoga and veganism.

Holly Skodis interviews Pablo about his journey to yoga and veganism. In this episode they talk about his accident and discuss permaculture and sustainability in Mexico.

Pablo is a Mexican Industrial Engineer with interest in permaculture and sustainability. He has been a Dharma Yoga student and teacher since 2015. He is also an amateur vegan cook.

In this episode, Holly Skodis interview's Will Tuttle about how being vegan plays a role in the spiritual realm of yoga. Will Tuttle explains how we can all live in a more conscious society based on understanding the consequences of animal agriculture.. He explains how the herding culture manifests in today's materialistic world and the greater spiritual journey of life.

Dr. Will Tuttle, visionary educator, has presented widely throughout North America and worldwide. A 39-year vegan, he is the author of the #1 Amazon best-selling book The World Peace Diet and is a recipient of the Courage of Conscience Award and the Empty Cages Prize. He is also author of the recent book, Your Inner Islands: The Keys to Intuitive Living, as well as editor of Circles of Compassion: Essays Connecting Issues of Justice and the newly-released Buddhism and Veganism: Essays Connecting Spiritual Awakening and Animal Liberation.

Devoted to cultural healing and awakening, he is a former Zen monk and Dharma Master in the Zen tradition, and his Ph.D. degree from the University of California, Berkeley, focused on educating intuition and altruism in adults. He has taught college courses in creativity, humanities, religion, and philosophy, and is also a composer and concert pianist. He is noted for his clear and inspiring presentations, and is featured in many documentary films, including Cowspiracy; A Prayer for Compassion; Vegan: Everyday Stories; and HOPE: What You Eat Matters.

In this Episode Yoga Is Vegan's Founder Holly Skodis interviews Beryl about all things yoga and her vegan journey. They discuss her experiences with Yogi Bhajan and Yogi Pattabhi Jois. Beryl shares why she eventually broke away from the traditional Ashtanga sequence and created Power Yoga.

The discussion moves on to veganism. Beryl breaks down why she went vegan after being a long time vegetarian and her experience with a whole food plantbased diet.

Beryl Bender Birch graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in English and Philosophy. She has been an avid student of classical yoga since l971 and traveled to India in l974 to further her studies. She is the founder/director of The Hard & The Soft Yoga Institute and co-founder and board chair of the Give Back Yoga Foundation. She has been teaching yoga and training yoga teachers as “spiritual revolutionaries” for 45 years and is the best selling author of many books on yoga, including Power Yoga and Yoga for Warriors.

Fabio's curiosity drove him to travel extensively to remote regions of the world, to find inspiration from people and cultures, while continuously maturing his inner awareness and enriching him with a multitude of experiences. With his backpack and camera always ready, Fabio seeks to seize the unique moments of life as it happens – cultures, religions, people, and countries – reinforcing his belief that exploring the world is the school of life ‘par excellent’, and traveling the best conduit to learning.

During his stay in Nepal, spending most of his time learning from Buddhist monks, he perceived to have lived there before. His experience in the Himalayas deepened his understanding of samsara, which changed his way of thinking and looking at the world.

A devoted disciple of Sri Dharma Mittra, Fabio’s journey of enrichment continues through Dharma's spiritual guidance, practicing daily, sharing classes workshops and teacher trainings of Hatha Raja Yoga. Always enthusiastic and fond of visual communication, Fabio continues working as a photographer and visual designer.

Anna Ferguson is this week's guest. Anna and Holly talk about all things yoga and vegan with an emphasis on building a vegan community.

Anna Ferguson is the author of World Peace Yoga: Yoga for People Who Breathe, a companion book to Dr. Will Tuttle’s book, The World Peace Diet. In addition to being co-creator of World Peace Yoga studio in Cincinnati, Anna is engaged in several evolving paradigms as a co-founder of Heärt Montessori, a school where empathy and compassion are taught as part of core academics, the Jubilee Animal Sanctuary, providing a glimpse of what a peaceful world looks like, and the Cincy VegFest, an annual one-day vegan festival.

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In this episode Holly Skodis interviews Lizz Defeo about the connection between yoga and veganism. Lizz is a Yoga Teacher and Marketing & Communications Manager at Woodstock Farm Sanctuary in High Falls, NY.

In this episode Holly Skodis interviews Stan Woodman, Level 2 Authorized Ashtanga Yoga teacher for the K. Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute (KPJAYI), about his journey with yoga and why he became vegan.

Episode 1 is an introduction to the podcast. Holly Skodis talks about the connection between yoga and veganism and her path towards this discovery.