Deepen Your Yoga Practice

Why does yoga work?

Not in the sense of magical claims or wellness hype—but genuinely, why do so many people feel better when they practice consistently?

In this episode, Lauren explores the deeper mechanisms behind yoga’s transformative power through the lenses of nervous system regulation, breath, embodiment, ritual, movement variability, interoception, community, and spirituality.

This conversation bridges modern physiology with ancient yogic wisdom and asks a larger question:

What is it about yoga that continues to resonate so deeply across thousands of years and countless evolving forms?

Lauren reflects on how yoga transformed her own life—not just physically, but emotionally, mentally, relationally, and spiritually—and unpacks why the practice continues to help so many people reconnect with themselves.

Lauren discusses:

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What makes a yoga class truly transformational?

Why do some classes stay with us for years—even when we can’t remember the exact sequence?

In this episode, Lauren explores the deeper elements that create meaningful, lasting experiences in yoga spaces. Beyond advanced postures or perfectly designed sequences, transformational classes are often built through nervous system safety, authentic teacher presence, intentional pacing, ritual, music, philosophy, and community.

Lauren unpacks the psychology and energetics behind impactful classes and reflects on how yoga teachers can create spaces where students feel safe enough to soften, connect, and grow.

This episode is especially valuable for yoga teachers, yoga teacher trainees, and anyone curious about why yoga can feel profoundly healing and connective.

Lauren discusses:

If this conversation resonates, True Love Yoga offers:

For aspiring teachers and dedicated students wanting to deepen their understanding of yoga, sequencing, anatomy, philosophy, and teaching methodology.

For certified yoga teachers ready to refine their voice, deepen their knowledge, and create more impactful and transformational class experiences.

Learn more:
True Love Yoga Teacher Training

Reflection questions from this episode:

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In this episode of Deepen Your Yoga Practice, Lauren Leduc explores some of the most common physiological claims made in yoga spaces and asks: Are they actually true?

From detox claims to inversions, immunity, lymphatic flow, and the pineal gland, this episode takes a thoughtful, evidence-based look at what yoga does and does not do for the body.

Inspired by The Physiology of Yoga by Andrew McGonigle and Matthew Huy, Lauren unpacks several common yoga myths with curiosity, nuance, and respect for both yogic tradition and modern science.

In this episode, she explores:

Whether inversions really send more blood to the brain

If inversions or shoulder stand stimulate the pineal gland or thyroid

Whether Kapalabhati or breath of fire detoxifies the body

If sweating in hot yoga removes toxins

Whether yoga improves lymphatic drainage

If yoga “boosts” the immune system

Why truthfulness and precision matter when we teach and practice yoga

Lauren also emphasizes that dispelling these myths does not make yoga less powerful. Instead, it helps us practice and teach with more honesty, precision, and trustworthiness.

Yoga still offers profound benefits — including nervous system regulation, improved circulation, greater awareness, and support for overall wellbeing — but we do not need to exaggerate those benefits in order to appreciate them.

The Physiology of Yoga by Andrew McGonigle and Matthew Huy

Understanding the body more clearly does not take away the magic of yoga. It makes the practice more intelligent, skillful, and grounded in truth.

trueloveyogakc.com

In this episode, Lauren sits down with True Love Yoga Teacher Training graduate Kayla Hower to explore her journey into yoga, her experience in teacher training, and her upcoming workshop centered around creativity and self-connection.

Kayla shares how yoga evolved from an occasional workout into a grounding, life-supporting practice—especially through motherhood and her work in community-based social services. Together, Lauren and Kayla discuss imposter syndrome, personal growth, and how yoga becomes something we live, not just something we do.

They also dive into Kayla’s upcoming workshop, A Creative Practice, which blends gentle yoga, meditation, and accessible creative expression through neurographic drawing.

This episode is an invitation to:

A Creative Practice
June 20 | 12:00–1:30 PM
True Love Yoga

A cozy, accessible workshop blending:

Use code WORKSHOP for $5 off (members)

Learn more + sign up:
https://www.trueloveyogakc.com/

Follow Kayla on Instagram:
instagram.com/mindbodycreative.kayla

If you’re feeling inspired by Kayla’s journey, this is exactly the kind of growth and exploration we cultivate inside our Yoga Teacher Trainings at True Love Yoga.

Learn more:
https://www.trueloveyogakc.com/yoga-teacher-training/

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What does it mean to return—not just to a place, but to yourself?

In this episode, Lauren explores the practice of returning through the lens of yoga, ritual, and retreat. She shares her personal journey of leading retreats on the Greek island of Amorgos and why she continues to go back—not for novelty, but for depth, connection, and remembrance.

This conversation weaves together:

Lauren also shares details about her upcoming 2027 retreat and extends an invitation for listeners to experience this practice of returning for themselves.

Amorgos
Aegialis Hotel & Spa
July 31 – August 7, 2027

Join Lauren for a 7-night retreat experience designed to help you reconnect, reset, and return to what matters.

What’s included:

✨ Early Bird: $400 off for a limited time

Details + registration

https://www.laurenleduc.com/retreat-2

If this episode resonates, consider:

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In this episode of Deepen Your Yoga Practice, Lauren Leduc closes out the chakra series with an exploration of the Crown Chakra (Sahasrara)—the center of awareness, unity, and connection to universal consciousness.

Unlike the lower chakras, which focus on building safety, identity, expression, and agency, the crown chakra invites us to soften our grip on all of it. It is not about becoming something new, but about remembering what has always been true.

Located at the top of the head, Sahasrara is associated with:

Unity and non-separation

Awareness and witnessing

Consciousness and transcendence

Connection to something larger than the individual self

Lauren explores how the crown chakra connects to key yogic philosophical concepts, including:

Advaita Vedanta (non-duality)

The relationship between Atman (self) and Brahman (universal consciousness)

Moksha (liberation) as realization rather than attainment

Teachings from the Bhagavad Gita, including non-attachment (vairagya), devotion (bhakti), and equal seeing (samadarshana)

The episode also explores what balance and imbalance can look like in this chakra:

Balanced:

Sense of connection and unity

Inner peace independent of circumstances

Humility, curiosity, and presence

Ability to witness thoughts without attachment

Imbalanced:

Disconnection, cynicism, or lack of meaning

Spiritual bypassing or dissociation

Avoidance of real-world responsibility

Feeling “above” or disconnected from life

Lauren emphasizes that true connection to the crown chakra is not about escaping life—but about engaging more fully with clarity, compassion, and awareness.

Meditation and witnessing awareness

Breath awareness and gentle pranayama

Self-inquiry and contemplation

Mantra and sound (including Om)

Time in stillness and nature

Seva (selfless service)

Where do I feel most connected in my life right now?

Where do I feel separate or disconnected?

What am I holding onto that could soften?

Who am I beyond my roles, titles, and identities?

This episode is an invitation to remember that you are already whole, already connected, and already part of something much greater than the individual self.

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In this episode of Deepen Your Yoga Practice, Lauren Leduc explores one of yoga’s most foundational teachings: Ahimsa, or non-harming.

While Ahimsa is often translated simply as “be kind” or “do no harm,” the reality is far more complex—especially in modern life.

What does non-harming mean in a world where participation itself creates impact?
How do we live ethically when harm is, at times, unavoidable?

This episode offers a thoughtful and nuanced exploration of Ahimsa as an ongoing practice of awareness, discernment, and responsibility, rather than a rigid rule or moral ideal.

Lauren explores:

Lauren also emphasizes that Ahimsa is not about perfection, purity, or passivity. Instead, it is about cultivating awareness, making thoughtful choices, and taking responsibility when harm occurs.

This episode invites listeners to move away from overwhelm or guilt and toward sustainable, grounded, and compassionate action.

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In this episode of Deepen Your Yoga Practice, Lauren Leduc takes a deep dive into one of the most talked-about areas in yoga: the hips.

Many yoga students describe their hips as “tight” or believe they need to “open” them more. But hip health is far more complex than simply stretching deeper.

The hips are powerful load-bearing joints that influence posture, low back health, knee alignment, balance, walking, running, and stability. Rather than focusing only on flexibility, healthy hips require a balance of mobility, strength, and neuromuscular control.

In this episode, Lauren explores:

The anatomy of the hips, including bones, joints, muscles, ligaments, and fascia

How the ball-and-socket hip joint is designed for both stability and movement

The major muscle groups that influence hip movement

Why anatomical variation affects range of motion between individuals

The difference between mobility and flexibility

Why extreme hip stretching is not always beneficial

Common hip patterns and issues seen in yoga students

The role of strength training and stabilization in hip health

How yoga can support functional hips through both strength and mobility

Practical tips for improving hip health in a sustainable way

Lauren also discusses the relationship between hip sensations and the nervous system, explaining why hip work can sometimes feel intense and why intensity does not always equal effectiveness.

For yoga teachers, the episode includes important teaching considerations such as:

Avoiding forced alignment

Offering non-hierarchical options for students

Watching for compensations in the knees and lower back

Encouraging functional movement rather than chasing extreme shapes

The goal of hip work in yoga is not extreme flexibility, but balanced, resilient movement that supports the body for life.

In this episode of Deepen Your Yoga Practice, Lauren Leduc explores one of the most important and often misunderstood questions in yoga philosophy:

Does yoga teach that we are separate from the world, or that we are one with it?

This conversation dives into two foundational philosophical frameworks that shape the way yoga has been understood for thousands of years: dualism and non-dualism.

Lauren explores the historical roots of these ideas, how they show up in classical yogic texts, and why modern yoga often blends them together. She also discusses how these philosophies influence the way we relate to our thoughts, our identities, our relationships, and the world around us.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

What dualism and non-dualism actually mean

The role of Samkhya philosophy in the Yoga Sutras

The distinction between Purusha (consciousness) and Prakriti (material reality)

The philosophy of Advaita Vedanta and the teaching that Atman and Brahman are one

How teachers like Swami Vivekananda shaped the way yoga philosophy was introduced to the West

Why modern yoga often blends different philosophical traditions

The strengths and limitations of both dualist and non-dualist approaches

How these philosophies show up in meditation, relationships, activism, and asana practice

Rather than asking practitioners to choose between separation and unity, this episode explores how both perspectives can serve our growth and help reduce suffering.

Dualist practices can help us create space between ourselves and our thoughts, emotions, and identities.

Non-dualist perspectives can cultivate compassion, connection, and a sense of shared humanity.

Yoga philosophy invites us not to choose one rigid framework, but to continue asking deeper questions about the nature of reality and the self.

Where do I cling most strongly to identity?

Where do I need stronger boundaries?

Where do I feel deeply interconnected?

Which philosophy resonates more with my temperament: dualism or non-dualism?

Can I hold both perspectives at once?

Ultimately, yoga is not a single unified philosophy but a family of traditions responding to human suffering across time. The inquiry itself may be more important than the answer.

In this episode of Deepen Your Yoga Practice, Lauren Leduc explores the koshas, the five layers or sheaths of the self in yogic philosophy.

If you have ever felt physically fine but emotionally drained, mentally overwhelmed but spiritually clear, or energized but disconnected, this episode offers a framework for understanding those layered experiences. Yoga has long taught that we are not just a physical body — we are layered beings with physical, energetic, mental, emotional, intuitive, and spiritual dimensions.

Lauren explores:

The historical origins of the kosha model in the Taittiriya Upanishad

How the koshas were originally used in Vedantic philosophy

The difference between the traditional and modern interpretation of the koshas

The five koshas and how they function:

Annamaya Kosha — the physical body

Pranamaya Kosha — the energy or breath body

Manomaya Kosha — the mental and emotional body

Vijnanamaya Kosha — the wisdom or intuitive body

Anandamaya Kosha — the bliss body

How these layers show up in modern life through work stress, social media, relationships, and everyday overwhelm

Practical ways to support and care for each kosha

Reflection questions to help identify which layer feels loudest, neglected, or most peaceful

This episode reminds us that yoga is not just about caring for the body. It is also about learning to listen inwardly, tending to the deeper layers of the self, and remembering that we are not one-dimensional.

Which kosha do I live in most often?

Which kosha do I neglect?

When do I feel most whole?

What practices nourish my deeper layers?

What does bliss actually feel like to me?

Listen and explore the many layers of your being through the lens of yoga philosophy.