Deepen Your Yoga Practice

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.

n this episode of Deepen Your Yoga Practice, Lauren Leduc explores the throat chakra (Vishuddha) — the energetic center of expression, authenticity, and refinement.

Rather than approaching the throat chakra as a mystical abstraction, Lauren presents it as a deeply practical bridge between the heart and the mind — where inner truth becomes outer speech.

You’ll learn:

The traditional symbolism of Vishuddha (ether element, blue color, seed mantra HAM)

How the throat chakra relates to the nervous system and vagus nerve

Signs of underactive and overactive expression

The connection between posture, neck tension, breath, and voice tone

The role of mantra, chanting, humming, and sound in regulation

Satya (truthfulness) and Right Speech in yogic philosophy

On- and off-the-mat practices to cultivate aligned communication

Shadow work prompts for authentic self-expression

How throat chakra work supports leadership and legacy

This episode is an invitation to refine how you speak — not to speak louder, but to speak clearly, kindly, and in alignment with your values.

In this episode of Deepen Your Yoga Practice, Lauren Leduc explores what it means to “spring clean” the energetic body — in a way that is philosophically grounded, nervous system informed, practical, and free from magical thinking.

Spring is traditionally associated with renewal, circulation, and momentum. In Ayurveda, it is kapha season — characterized by heaviness, dampness, and stagnation. In yoga philosophy, it is a time to invite renewed prana flow.

Lauren unpacks:

What the subtle or energetic body includes (prana, nadis, chakras, koshas)

A modern interpretation of energetic health (nervous system tone, emotional residue, digital overstimulation, thought loops)

Signs your energy body may need clearing

Five practical ways to “spring clean” your energy:

Clearing physical stagnation through movement

Breathwork for energetic reset (Kapalabhati, Bhastrika, Ujjayi, long exhale breathing)

Emotional composting (shadow work and integration)

Attention hygiene (digital and cognitive detox)

Ritual and intention reset (saucha and sankalpa)

You’ll also hear chakra-specific spring reset ideas for those following the chakra series.

Spring cleaning isn’t about becoming someone new.
It’s about removing what blocks who you already are.

In this episode of Deepen Your Yoga Practice, Lauren Leduc breaks down what it actually means to “engage your core” in yoga. Spoiler alert: it’s not just about abs or holding your breath.

Lauren walks you through:

What muscles make up the core (hint: it’s not just your six-pack)

The difference between bracing vs. hollowing

Breath-friendly strategies for core engagement

How and when to use Uddiyana and Mula Bandha

Why breath retention = strain, not yoga

Core cues for common yoga poses

Red flags for gripping, bracing, or over-cueing

Special considerations for pelvic floor, pregnancy, low back pain, and more

This is a must-listen for yoga teachers and curious students who want to move with more intention, stability, and breath. You’ll leave with clearer language, deeper understanding, and core strategies that support long-term practice.

In this solo episode of Deepen Your Yoga Practice, Lauren Leduc explores five of the most commonly repeated myths about yoga history—and offers a clearer, more honest perspective in their place. Drawing inspiration from Doug Keller’s Yoga History course, Lauren dives into the real roots of yoga, from Vedic texts and Śramaṇa traditions to modern postural yoga. She explains how yoga evolved over centuries as a diverse family of practices—not a single, unchanging system—and how understanding its historical complexity deepens our personal and teaching practices. If you’ve ever wondered where yoga really comes from, or questioned how modern vinyasa fits into an ancient lineage, this episode will challenge, inspire, and expand your view.

Mark Singleton, Yoga Body: The Origins of Modern Posture Practice (OUP). 

James Mallinson & Mark Singleton, Roots of Yoga (primary sourcebook). 

Geoffrey Samuel, The Origins of Yoga and Tantra (Cambridge). 

In this episode of Deepen Your Yoga Practice, Lauren Leduc breaks down the science of stretching—what it is, how it works, and how to make it safer and more effective within your yoga practice. Learn about the role of your nervous system, fascia, and five key types of stretching (static, dynamic, active, passive, and resistance/PNF), and walk away with tools to stretch mindfully and intelligently. Lauren also addresses common myths (like “more flexibility is always better”) and explores how strength supports long-term flexibility and joint stability. Whether you're a yoga teacher or curious practitioner, this episode offers valuable insight to support a sustainable, well-rounded practice.

What You’ll Learn:

The role of the nervous system in stretching

What fascia is and how to support it

Five major types of stretching (and how to use them)

How stretching helps (and doesn’t help) prevent injury

Why strength is essential for flexibility

Hypermobile bodies and how to support them

Why yoga is more than stretching

Reflection Questions:

Where might strength support your flexibility?

Where do you feel safe to soften?

Mentioned:

Yoga Sutra 2.46: Sthira Sukham Asanam

PNF (Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation)

Fascia hydration and load adaptation

Nervous system tools for safe mobility

Listen now: https://deepen-your-practice.castos.com

Explore More:

Learn about Lauren’s 300-hour YTT at True Love Yoga

Follow Lauren on Instagram: @laurenleduc

Check out Lauren’s book: Embody Your Inner Goddess