Episode 105: The Last One- Try Kind with Alana! 

Going out with a bang with this lovely episode about a wonderful project and mission: TRY KIND CLOTHING from Alana Redick. Again, we recorded this episode a while back (a year to be exact) but the mission remains the same. I met Alana at the World Yoga Festival in 2024 and we hit ot off staright away, i admire her love for India and supporting women and communities there, her incredible entrepreneurship and her beautiful heart. 

TRY KIND CLOTHING: 
DESIGNED BY WOMEN. MADE BY AND FOR WOMEN. TO EMPOWER WOMEN. 

In this episode we speak about: 

Alana's mission and vison for her business and owning a business. 
India and the different projects and charities Alana supports with her business. 
Ayurvastra- what is it? 
Sustainable fashion versus fast fashion. 


SHOW NOTES: 
Insta: trykind_clothing 
Website: https://trykindclothing.com/
https://www.sambhali.org/

Episode 104: Caring for and loving someone with dementia- Stevie B 

"You want quality of life, not quantity" 

This epsiode means a lot to me. One because it's with someone i love dearly but also because it's about being a fulltime carer for a parent with dementia, a situation many face, so i really felt it's such an important topic to share and hoping this will give others guidance, advice, tips and support with dealing this. We recorded this about a year ago and it's a perfect second last episode before ending the podcast end of this month. 

Stevie shares very openly and clearly how this time was for him, the ups and downs, what he would have done different, the good parts, the hard parts. What he learned about himself, what it's required to be someone's carer and his new found respect for carers. Learning to recognize when it's too much, having people around who can keep taps on you, creating a support network as such. Because carer burn out is a real thing. He also reminds us all that this journey of being a fulltime carer made him be fully present, in the moment and enjoy every moment fully and wholeheartedly. 

Please have a listen and share with anyone who needs to hear this! 


SHOWNOTES: 

Stevie B and i also recorded an epsiode on Numerology: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7G4KU8huqkvN0Ke2Ir5emF?si=14c5f5299763427d

Stevie B website. https://www.steviebee.id.au/

STILL ALICE (movie) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrXrZ5iiR0o

Episode 103:  JEDI Yoga with Binh Tschan 

JEDI YOGA -  JUSTICE  EQUITY  DIVERSITY  INCLUSION 

“All the systems that make us “other” is also actually something we can lean on. Use it as a SUPER POWER.” Binh Tschan    We recorded this episode nearly a year ago, on the 24th of November at Hrdayam Bern, the project is still on going though, so really happy to share this as the second last episode of the podcast!  Binh and I speak about her wonderful project JEDI Yoga Classes, which she teaches at Hrdayam Bern, with such passion and dedication, shifting and changing the narrative!   

Yoga as it is practiced in the west centers the idea that whiteness is normal, typical, right and expected in yoga spaces. This white centering of yoga also led to to the reduction of yoga to the physical. But yoga is so much more than the poses. It's something that we are and embody. Jedi Yoga Classes focus on transforming and changing the society we all live in and the way it's been told/narrated. Inviting especially the under represented and marginalized to start a healing justice journey through yoga. 
 
Binh draws deep inspiration from the teaching of her most beloved teacher Clare Nicholls and from the writings of Jivamukti Yoga Co Founders: Sharon Gannon and David Life, whose teachings on compassion and kindness gave her a sense of home. 

Off the mat, Binh is a human rights lawyer specialized in intersectional discrimination, a gender equality & LGBTIQ+ advocate, and a member of the Expert Commission on Migration and Racism Issues of the City of Bern. Her legal and advocacy work is deeply aligned with her yoga path, as both aim to dismantle harmful social constructs and to cultivate a more just, compassionate, and inclusive world. 

SHOWNOTES: 
https://hrdayam.ch/aboutbinh/
 
https://hrdayam.ch/jedi-yoga/
 
Episode with Clare:  https://open.spotify.com/episode/25QNG1xSs4VN69M4tRflup?si=XVcznKXrQNy8a377DZQSBA

Clare: https://thecolourandthechaos.com/

Episode 102: Peaceful Presence with Dina Ghandour 🍉 
 
“We are spiritual beings having a human experience. “ Dina 
 
This episode was recorded in July, but had to be aired today, while we will be marching in the streets of Amsterdam: FREE PALESTINE!  we can all listen to Dina’s wisdom and experiences as a Palestinian yoga teacher and wellness practitioner, navigating her way in the state of the world. 
She shares how she feels the situation we are in is asking us to bring our yoga teachings into practice. This is where it comes in. She mentions: how we are beings in this world. It’s not enough to just stay in the teachings or stay in the asana or stay in the abstract concepts, it’s literally about putting it into the world and into action. We talk about how in our method, the Jivamukti practice that’s a lot more talked about, there’s space for that.

We’re feeling all these big feelings. But what are we’re going to do about it? 
 
“STRETCH YOUR COMPASSION: not from a bypassing way. But from a place of seeing all beings of deserving of freedom. “

When I thanked Dina for her time and this episode se said:  “Every raw and real conversation is another wave of healing, so thank you. “ Dina 
 
Have a listen and please share it amongst friends and family, this story needs to be heard! 
If you are in Amsterdam….. I hope to see you all there today! 1 pm! Museumplein. 🍉♥️


SHOW NOTES: 
Dina: https://www.dinaghandour.com/ https://www.instagram.com/wellnesswithdina/
Teachers and spaces resourcing Dina:
https://www.instagram.com/zeenanismail/ https://www.instagram.com/dr.rosalesmeza/ https://www.instagram.com/keri_l_jarvis/ https://www.instagram.com/join_the_portal/
Support for Gaza / Palestine:
https://www.instagram.com/gazasoupkitchen/ https://www.instagram.com/heal.palestine/

Episode 101: The Sparks Effect: Losing my best friend 

It has been three months since my sweet Jack Russell Sparky, the co-host of this podcast passed. It has been such a whirlwind of emotions, a rolldercoaster really and it has without a doubt been the hardest thing i ever had to deal with. So i really felt i wanted to help and support others who are going through this, have gone through this or are starting to think about what is coming for them. 

In this episode i share my journey dealing with this incredible loss, but also give practical tips and advice. And mostly it's to honor Sparky, who was by my side for 17 years and 3 months...... his bark forever remembered in many episodes of this podcast! 

For Sparky. 
For all who loved him. 
And for all dogs and dog lovers! 

Please share! 

The Big One Hundred! With WYKD! 

Westway Yoga Kolectiv Dana also..... WICKED! 

WYKD BELIEVES IN A UNIFIED COMMUNITY AND THE HEALING BENEFITS OF YOGA FOR EVERYONE! 

I am so thrilled that my Nmr 100 is with these beautiful people behind WYKD a wonderful community yoga and mindfulness project from London! I have been honoured and blessed to have played a small part as a teacher within this project and now i am able to share the wonderful work of WYKD with the world! In this episode i speak with founders Lauren and Keri, two soul sisters i hold close to my heart! 

We discuss: 

What is WYKD and where did it all begin? 

The importance of the project and projects alike. 

How to make yoga and mindfulness accessible to everyone. 

Designing a schedule which is accessible to all ages, bodies and backgrounds of the community.

The principles of DIVERSITY and INCLUSIVITY lie at the heart of this project, how to go about that. 

Music, a love for music and how music also CONNECTS different communities. 


Have a listen, share and SUPPORT them! https://www.wykd.uk/support



SHOWNOTES: 

https://www.wykd.uk/

INSTAGRAM: wykd_ldn 

Episode 99: FROM CRIME TO DIVINE with Simon Transparently 
 
“Your deepest wounds become your greatest gifts to the world.”
 
The last one for 2024! And we are going out with a BAM with this special one! 
Simon Paul Sutton author of BURGLAR TO BUDDHA, in which he takes us on a journey to his life and his own personal transformation from CRIME to DIVINE!
 
We speak about the whole process of the writing of his book and the importance of sharing his life story and how it also triggered some unhealed trauma and how to deal with that. He shares his personal journey from an unconscious life of crime and drugs to a conscious life of yoga, love and awareness. 
 
We also speak about: 
Forgiveness and grief 
Growing up without a father
Brotherhood 
Conditioning and programming 
“We must rewire our conditioning and programming, through self inquiry and transformational practices and inner work. It takes devotion, consistency, perseverance.” 

TRUST IS TRANSFORMATION! 

I feel blessed I have met Simon a few years ago and its an honour to be able to share his story this way, have a listen, read his book and SHARE! 


SHOW NOTES:  https://simontransparently.com/
BOOK both hardcopy and audio:  https://simontransparently.com/burglar-to-buddha/
MENTIONS:  https://drjoedispenza.com/

Episode 98: Where is the money going? - taking back (financial) power to yoga teachers-fighting the system! With Clare Nicholls, Hrdayam Bern 

“My livelihood is completely depended upon my capacity to share authentically and to share with this deep love and compassion. If i don't do my job, i don't get paid. “ Clare 

This epsiode is a very important one and so close to the heart for me. Clare is my biggest inspiration on so many levels, specifically in fighting the capatalist system within the yoga industry. Last week i started my own classes, completely run on my own, renting a space, doing my thing. In this episode Clare explains why it's so important to do just that, she shares her journey with running her own space in Bern and her passion and love for this thing called YOGA. 

"I wasn’t just going to open another yoga studio in Bern, one because there are so many, two, because I have very strong feelings about capitalism and commercialising yoga. So I wanted to create another system, where I just rent a space and sublet that space to other teachers.  Moving away from a commercial model can only be good. Collectives are so much more useful than studios. When places become too big, they become unsustainable. My dream is to have something that lasts." 

We also speak about: 

• The battle with the current climate….. 3 words bios on an apps, picking and choosing teachers, classes etc. And then there’s us, senior teachers, with a few decades of experience, how do we stand stand out? 
• Yoga is not something that works well in a space that has a commercial interest. There’s a different kind of energy exchange with these two models of payment, when a teacher gets paid by the studio, doen’t even know the student names, just rocks up an teaches or when the teacher gets paid directly by the student, builds a relationship with them, that’s a fully different experience. 
• WHAT IS YOGA? Asana is NOT yoga. 
• ...... and so much more! 

SHOWNOTES: 

https://hrdayam.ch/

INSTA: @hrdayambern 

HRDAYAM: means heart or heart space.  

GURU DAKSHINA: The Guru Dakshina is a very ancient concept belonging to the Indian origin. It is unique because no other country has this tradition. It is the tradition to repay one’s ‘guru’ or the ‘teacher’ after the whole process of education is complete. This is done out of respect and acknowledgment by the student towards the teacher or the guru.

Episode 97: Bobbi Paidel/ POSITIVE LAMB FOUNDATION and a Curious Yogi Podcast 

"Innner contentment unfolds supreme happiness" 

In this episode (which we recorded in February this year) my dear friend and fellow yogini Bobbi Paidel and i are talking about all things yoga, being curious, our love for India, living in ashrams, our teacher Stewart Gilchrist, SIMPLICITY AND CONTENTMENT, being less busy, redirecting language and the many transformations/incarnations Bobbi has been through, like depression and addiction and her sobriety journey. We also speak about Bobbi's foundation: POSITIVE LAMB and all the good work she is doing for children living with HIV in India. 

Please support Postive Lamb Foundation: 

TREKKING FOR THE CHILDREN! On June 15th I'm trekking in London to raise money for children living with HIV in India. Helping to send 75 children to school for a year, along with everything they need! This is my second time fundraising for POSITIVE LAMB FOUNDATION a cause i am extremely passionate about, please help me help them and sponsor me to reach my 500 euro goal! 
DONATE:  https://trek.positivelamb.com/karo-tak

Bobbi's other episode


SHOW NOTES: 
https://www.positivelamb.com/

https://bobbipaidel.com/

Bobbi's guru: SWAMI SHYAM
https://swamishyam.com/swami-shyam/

Yoga and the 12 steps: 
https://collectiveresilienceyoga.com/nikkimyers



INSTA: 
A curious yogi 

Positive Lamb Foundation 

Episode 96: Blowing the whistle with Thysia Huisman

WARNING! This episode talks about sexual abuse, rape and victim blaming, please be aware before listening to the episode.

Thysia was only 18 years old when she became the victim of sexual abuse at the very early start of her modelling career, she recently wrote a book about the whole experience called: CLOSE UP (only available in Dutch) Thysia is a student and friend of mine who i highly respect and adore, it was a truly special exercise to sit with her one on one here in Amsterdam and speak about all she has been through and how she became the whistle blower which sparked a lot more women to come forward.

Thysia is just a powerhouse of a woman. She is a writer, mother, producer, creative and a spokesperson for women who have delat or are dealing with sexual abuse, specifically in the entertainment industry.

So have a listen and share!

Check a short interview with Thysia here

Find Thysia on instagram @thysia.huisman