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.

trueloveyogakc.com

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.

trueloveyogakc.com

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.

In this episode of Deepen Your Yoga Practice, Lauren Leduc continues her chakra series with the third eye chakra, also known as Ajna — the chakra of intuition, insight, discernment, and perception.

Located between the eyebrows, the third eye is often associated with inner wisdom and clear seeing. But in this episode, Lauren approaches it not as mystical abstraction, but as a grounded and practical center of awareness — a bridge between logic and intuition, intellect and inner knowing.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

What the third eye chakra is and where it is located

The meaning of Ajna in Sanskrit

The symbolism of the third eye, including the two-petaled lotus

Historical and philosophical roots of this chakra in tantric and Hatha yoga traditions

How Ajna relates to viveka (discernment), svadhyaya (self-study), dhyana (meditation), and jnana (wisdom)

Modern interpretations of the third eye through the lens of awareness, emotional intelligence, and perspective

Signs of a balanced, overactive, or underactive third eye chakra

Yoga, breathwork, meditation, and lifestyle practices to support clarity and intuition

The difference between intuition and impulsivity

Why the third eye is less about mystical powers and more about seeing clearly and living wisely

Lauren also shares practical reflection questions and a short closing contemplation to help you connect with your own inner wisdom.

This episode is part of a larger chakra series, and Lauren recommends going back to the intro chakra episode and the lower chakra episodes for deeper context if you’d like.

In this episode of Deepen Your Yoga Practice, Lauren Leduc breaks down the shoulder in a way that is practical, accessible, and grounded in sustainable movement. This is Shoulders 101 — an anatomy-forward conversation about mobility, stability, pain patterns, and how to care for your shoulders in yoga and daily life.

Lauren explains that the shoulder is not just one joint, but a complex system of joints, bones, muscles, fascia, and ligaments that work together to create both range of motion and support. She explores how yoga places many different demands on the shoulders through poses like Downward Dog, Plank, Chaturanga, arm balances, binds, and backbends — and how better understanding this area can help create longevity and ease in practice.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

Why the shoulder is a complex, not a single joint

The 4 key joints of the shoulder system

The role of the scapula, humerus, clavicle, rib cage, and thoracic spine

How the rotator cuff, serratus anterior, traps, rhomboids, pecs, lats, and deltoids affect movement

Common pain patterns and restrictions in yoga

Why the shoulder wants mobility, but demands stability

How to approach Downward Dog, Plank, Chaturanga, overhead shapes, and binds more skillfully

Why shoulder health is about capacity, coordination, and awareness, not perfect alignment

Foam rolling the upper back / thoracic spine

Dynamic Thread the Needle

Open Book twists

Doorframe pec stretch

Downward Dog at the wall / melting the chest with the breath

Overhead lat stretch with side bend

Child’s Pose with hands walked to each side

Cross-body posterior shoulder stretch

Scapular push-ups

Wall slides

Banded external rotation

Side-lying external rotation

Y raises / banded Ys

Incline tricep push-ups / Chaturanga prep at the wall or on a bench

Arms overhead test

Wall slide test

Plank tolerance test

Choose one mobility drill and one strength drill to practice 3 times a week for a month and notice how it changes your Downward Dog, Plank, and daily posture.

If you enjoyed this episode and want more anatomy deep dives, let Lauren know at [email protected]

In this tender and nuanced episode of Deepen Your Yoga Practice, Lauren Leduc explores the structure of spiritual leadership — and what happens when charismatic teachers fall from grace.

Every few years (or lately, every few days), a spiritual teacher, wellness figure, or thought leader becomes entangled in allegations of misconduct, abuse of power, or ethical breach. When their work has meant something to us, that moment can feel disorienting.

This episode is not about amplifying headlines. It’s about examining something deeper and more enduring:

Where did the guru–student model originate?

How did ancient lineage-based mentorship evolve into modern celebrity spirituality?

Why does spiritual authority feel regulating to our nervous systems?

What is projection, and how does it distort teacher–student dynamics?

What are common red flags in hierarchical spiritual communities?

How can non-dual language be weaponized to bypass accountability?

What does healthy spiritual leadership actually look like?

How do we practice devotion without dependence?

Lauren explores the psychology of projection, the risks of pedestal dynamics, and how both teachers and students can become distorted within unchecked hierarchy.

She offers six ways to practice yoga without slipping into unhealthy guru culture:

Keep your agency

Diversify your teachers

Trust your nervous system

Value community over charisma

Separate teachings from personality

Maintain critical thinking

Yoga has always been about liberation. Mature spiritual practice does not require blind faith — it requires discernment, humility, and the willingness to stay human.

In this episode of Deepen Your Yoga Practice, Lauren Leduc explores two often-overlooked senses that transform yoga from movement into embodiment: interoception and proprioception.

Interoception is your ability to sense what’s happening inside your body — breath, heartbeat, hunger, emotional sensations, effort versus strain.

Proprioception is your ability to sense where your body is in space — balance, alignment, movement, orientation.

Lauren breaks down:

The neuroscience of interoception (insula, emotional awareness, nervous system regulation)

How proprioceptors in muscles, fascia, and joints act as your body’s internal GPS

Why trauma, stress, and digital overload can disrupt these senses

How yoga retrains embodied awareness

Why these skills matter for safety, longevity, emotional regulation, and aging well

Practical ways to build interoception and proprioception on and off the mat

Teaching tips for cueing sensation over shape

This episode invites you to pause and ask two simple but profound questions:

How do I feel?

Where am I?

Because yoga is not just about movement. It’s about awareness.

In this episode of Deepen Your Yoga Practice, Lauren Leduc explores the five kleshas — the root causes of suffering described in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (Book II, Sutras 3–9).

These ancient psychological insights, compiled around 400 CE and influenced by Samkhya philosophy, offer a powerful framework for understanding why we repeat patterns, cling to identities, avoid discomfort, and fear change.

Lauren unpacks:

What the kleshas are historically and where they appear in the sutras

The five kleshas: Avidya (misperception), Asmita (ego-identification), Raga (attachment), Dvesha (aversion), and Abhinivesha (fear/clinging to life)

How they show up in modern life — social media, productivity culture, politics, parenting, wellness culture, and relationships

Why the kleshas are not sins, but universal human tendencies

How meditation, self-study (svadhyaya), non-attachment (vairagya), and conscious pause help loosen their grip

This episode is not about self-judgment. It’s about compassionate awareness. The kleshas are proof you are human — not failing at yoga.

Freedom, Lauren reminds us, is not removing suffering from the world. It’s loosening the grip suffering has on your perception.