DJ Taz Rashid is a DJ and music producer creating music with a deeper mission to awaken, uplift, and empower humanity with music. His work lives in yoga, breathwork, dance and wellness spaces around the world, and you’ve likely already heard some of his tracks in a yoga class or added them to a playlist of your own. In this episode, we explore the power of music, how a carefully curated playlist can completely shift the energy of a yoga class, the practice of creating with intention, and more.

DJ Taz on Spotify

DJ Taz’s Website

Find DJ Taz on instagram @djtazrashid 

⁠⁠Shawna’s website⁠⁠

Find Shawna on instagram: ⁠@shawnakru ⁠

Try OfferingTree for free⁠ ⁠with my link here⁠⁠ (My sponsor) 

30-day trial: Join Yoga Trade Council & take workshops with me

(my sponsor) Get a job teaching yoga abroad? https://yogatrade.com/ 

⁠Ayurvedic consultation with Art, TEND ⁠(My sponsor) 

⁠Yoga Teacher Roundtable free community events & mailing list⁠

Time Stamps: 

00:00 intro

1:31 yoga trade

2:43 offering tree

4:00 TEND & mini-lesson from Art

08:20 starting to create music with intention

14:38 expectations in the creative process

16:43 music is energy and emotion

19:55 music is a powerful portal

24:17 the mission to awaken & empower humanity with music

26:49 study your own story

30:15 did you ever doubt your music path?

37:54 creating with intention

41:17 consistency & finding a focus

45:50 understanding music as a yoga teacher

48:21 tips for yoga teachers on making an intentional playlist

50:12 yoga classes without music

52:30 festivals

57:20 collaborating in art

01:01:17 current inspirations?

01:06:01 getting aligned then taking action

01:09:31 rapid fire questions

01:10:44 billboard question

Here’s me telling the truth about how stuck I’ve felt over the last 4 months and what finally set me free. Feeling stuck, living at home, my parents are selling the house that raised me, and all our excuses. We paint reasons in our minds about “why we are stuck” or “why now isn’t a time that I am capable of breaking a cycle.” Which is NOT TRUE. Today is the day you get UNSTUCK: motivation with a side of humor and funny stories. What’s the point if literally everything we do makes us stressed and negative? Let’s talk about how to experience true JOY. Being stuck is the grey area in which you are holding some part of yourself back, not fully allowing yourself to feel or see what is right in front of you. 

Find Shawna on instagram: ⁠@shawnakru ⁠

⁠Shawna’s website⁠

30-day trial: Join YogaTrade Council & take workshops with me

(March 13th - “Find Your Voice part 1” w/Shawna live, my sponsor) 

⁠Yoga Teacher Roundtable free community events & mailing list⁠

Substack I mention on feeling stuck by scarcity and lack

time stamps:

00:00 intro 

03:00 you cannot wait on anything external

05:50 indecisiveness 

07:00 revealing my earnings on substack

09:30 i woke up “paralyzed” physically 

12:20 slipping back into my old self

16:50 yoga trade!! find your voice workshop with

19:00 number 1: how much room for the unknown do you have?

21:00 toxic algae 

23:30 how i unstuck myself

25:30 joy, actual JOY. experience it. 

26:35 number 2: what are you not seeing?

28:30 a total fail

33:00 hoping and wishing implies that you DON’T have it

34:20 gratitude, what it means really

38:00 musical send off :)

In this conversation, Jarrett Green, lecturer in law at USC Law School and internationally recognized well-being, stress resilience, and peak performance consultant, shares how mindfulness and yoga extend far beyond the mat and into the world of leadership. Working with major law firms and Fortune 500 companies through NBK Consultancy, Jarrett helps individuals and organizations lead with intention. In this conversation, we explore his journey from practicing law to teaching the “yoga of the mind.” Whether you lead a team, a company, yoga classes, or yourself, this episode invites a reframing of yoga as an internal practice. This conversation offers an expansive view of both yoga and leadership.

⁠Jarrett’s Linkedin⁠

⁠Jarrett’s Website⁠

Jarrett’s book recommendation, ⁠“Loving What Is” by Byron Katie⁠

Find Shawna on instagram: ⁠@shawnakru ⁠

⁠Shawna’s website⁠

Try OfferingTree for free⁠ ⁠with my link here⁠⁠ (My sponsor) 

⁠Ayurvedic consultation with Art, TEND ⁠(My sponsor) 

⁠Yoga Teacher Roundtable free community events & mailing list⁠

Through breath, visualization, musical poetry and storytelling, I guide you through a meditation for personal transformation: the dragonfly’s dream. If you’re feeling called toward something new, questioning your direction, or experiencing a period of growth in your life, this immersive special / meditation episode is an invitation to reconnect with your energy. You are the dragonfly.

Everything I’ve learned from Richard Rudd of the Gene Keys, Frederick Dodson of Levels of Energy and Parallel Universes of Self, and even some Dr. Joe Dispenza. And from endless hours of contemplating consciousness and who I am, really. 

Find Shawna on instagram: ⁠@shawnakru ⁠

⁠Shawna’s website⁠

30-day trial: Join Yoga Trade Council & take workshops with me

https://community.yogatrade.com/leadership 

(March 13th - “Find Your Voice part 1” w/Shawna live, my sponsor) 

⁠Yoga Teacher Roundtable free community events & mailing list⁠

time stamps:

00:00 intro

01:50 back story: from scribbles 

04:10 gene keys 55 (not 22!)

05:15 monkey story

07:05 yoga trade!!!! 

10:20 creating is a massive driver of joy

13:15 dharma style sun salutations and writing

16:37 it matters, even when you don’t feel like it does

19:00 the guided experience START

“Yoga doesn’t need governance, it needs leadership.” American Yoga Council is like LinkedIn for Yoga and Ancestry.com for lineage, an alternative to Yoga Alliance. We talk the whole yoga ecosystem: power, money, education, technology, ethics, and impact. Can we step away from 200 hour teacher trainings?? A yoga retirement plan? What does the future of yoga and teaching yoga look like? 

Find Shawna on instagram: ⁠@shawnakru ⁠

⁠Shawna’s website⁠

Try OfferingTree for free⁠ ⁠with my link here⁠⁠ (My sponsor) 

⁠Yoga Teacher Roundtable free community events & mailing list⁠

Join American Yoga Council FREE or Code “SHAWNA” for 15% off first year of premium & pro membership  

https://ayc.yoga/shawnakru 

Andrew’s Berkshire yoga festival:

https://www.berkshireyogafestival.com/

AYC on instagram: @americanyogacouncil

Andrew on instagram: @andrewtanneryoga

time stamps:

00:00 intro

01:20 OfferingTree

04:45 yoga ecosystem: power, money, education, technology, ethics, and impact

05:45 yoga teachers’ future is bright despite ai

09:15 the future of leadership is inner power, yoga in leadership

11:45 what is American Yoga Council

13:15 like LinkedIn for Yoga and Ancestry.com for lineage

17:45 why are so many teachers i know part of AYC?

19:15 wonderful people FIRST, first who, then what thing/money.

20:45 Andrew’s journey working at Yoga Alliance

26:45 no more 200 hour trainings?

29:35 Andrew’s story of power dynamics and experiencing a cult

30:35 how to know if you’re in a cult

39:15 putting out candles from across the room

43:15 leadership roles

48:45 money and greed in yoga

52:15 retirement fund for yoga teachers?

56:45 why can you tell me what i can and can’t teach?

1:02:45 how does AYC avoid falling in the same trap

1:06:15 anti yoga: instagram. yoga is attention.

1:09:15 a leader must have a mission

1:14:30 billboard message

My typical Friday bedside chat episode has a special guest today: Maria Mir! Maria is a long-time listener of the Leadership and Yoga podcast who joined my last retreat in Costa Rica. I was thrilled to discover her work, the Pensando Nada podcast many months ago, and to meet her in person. Maria teaches us about Reality Creation and is from Argentina. 

Today we talk about what is ACTUALLY possible for us, beyond what we may allow ourselves to believe. We talk imagination, manifestation, law of attraction, levels of energy, consciousness, creating our realities and bts of our time together in Costa Rica.

Find Maria on instagram - @pensando.nada

Maria's podcast - Pensando Nada

Maria’s website: https://30-dias.com/terapiaderedes 

Find Shawna on instagram: ⁠@shawnakru ⁠

⁠Shawna’s website⁠

GIVEAWAY: 1 YEAR OF OFFERINGTREE. Enter here by March 5th. 

Try OfferingTree for free⁠ ⁠with my link here⁠⁠ (My sponsor) 

⁠Ayurvedic consultation with Art, TEND ⁠(My sponsor) 

⁠Yoga Teacher Roundtable free community events & mailing list⁠

00:00 intro

01:24 free year giveaway!! OfferingTree

03:05 my trusted guide: TEND

04:30 animation 

07:00 your podcast was a reflection of what was possible for me

10:00 Maria’s story

14:45 dopamine & creative consistency

16:30 Maria’s creative process

17:45 creating content for social media growth journey

20:30 how to step into new realities of ourselves & manifestation

25:00 finding your true mission

27:30 stability is an illusion

29:45 jealousy and worry from friends when you step into a new version of yourself

33:00 imagination 

38:30 exceptional leader

40:00 billboard message: you are so powerful that if you think you’re not, you’re not

Lana Wedmore tells us that yoga and nature are more alike than we realize. She has hosted presidents of Costa Rica in her lodge, and fights for systemic change, but she also teaches yoga and helps heal individuals. She speaks to the animals and teaches us how to see the subtle realms of nature we may be missing, and what happens when we are reconnected with them. “The longest journey you will ever take is the six inches: from your head to your heart.” This episode is a powerful reminder that when you do the thing you’re called to do, you don’t just change your own life, you help change the world.

Lana’s Whitehawk Foundation:

https://www.whitehawkfoundation.org/ 

Visit Luna Lodge

https://lunalodge.com/ 

Join Lana and Tommy’s retreat: https://www.wetravel.com/trips/we-are-rising-lana-and-tommy-7812198380 

Find Lana on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lana_wedmore/ 

Find Shawna on instagram: ⁠@shawnakru ⁠

⁠Shawna’s website⁠

GIVEAWAY: 1 YEAR OF OFFERINGTREE. Enter here by March 5th. 

Try OfferingTree for free⁠ ⁠with my link here⁠⁠ (My sponsor) 

⁠Ayurvedic consultation with Art, TEND ⁠(My sponsor) 

⁠Yoga Teacher Roundtable free community events & mailing list⁠

Time stamps:

00:00 tour of Lana’s house

01:34 my sponsors, check them out! 

04:18 who is Lana?

09:13 cacao toast

11:15 yoga & nature have in common

15:00 fear of spiders: universe doesn’t understand “no”

18:00 46 years earlier… Costa Rica story

23:00 responsibility is freedom

25:40 ashtanga yoga, yoga saved Lana

28:40 do the thing, and you will have the power

31:15 how to breathe

34:30 mother earth wants to give you something

37:50 triumph is try with umph

43:00 gratitude and feeling enough - really. 

44:30 everything is reaching for the light

47:00 plant meditation 

49:40 humans, what are we really?

51:30 the world is changing, consciousness is changing 

53:00 shaking hands with presidents

59:20 president of costa rica coming to luna lodge, Lana’s lodge

1:06:00 political leaders - getting through to them

1:08:00 leaders: look people in the eye

1:10:00 feel good in your body

1:13:50 “buy this land” whitehawk foundation

1:16:00 are you sure? yes I am. 

1:18:00 a Lana in every town?

1:19:00 billboard message: ongest journey is 6 inches from your head to your heart

So you want to host a yoga retreat. Behind every beautiful retreat is a human like you. A yoga teacher navigating money, nerves, imposter syndrome, leadership decisions, and pivots... so I have some yoga retreat planning tips for ya.

In this episode, I’m sharing the real story of hosting my last retreat, the shaky anxiety before it began, the moments where the experience didn’t match my expectations, the double-booked shala, the breakfast pivot, the unexpected abundance, and the leadership lessons that no one talks about.

This is more than “how to host a yoga retreat.” This is about the energetics of hosting, and some stories that will keep you company. :)

Find Shawna on instagram: ⁠@shawnakru ⁠

⁠Shawna’s website⁠

GIVEAWAY: 1 YEAR OF OFFERINGTREE. Enter here by March 5th. 

Try OfferingTree for free⁠ ⁠with my link here⁠⁠ (My sponsor) 

⁠Join Yoga Teacher Roundtable free community events & mailing list⁠

Time stamps

00:00 intro

03:00 bold! year of the firehorse 

04:30 7 steps to getting ready to host your retreat

08:30 backstory 

13:50 giveaway!! 1 year free of offeringtree

15:50 number 1 nothing to hide, nothing to prove

20:55 taxi driver wisdom, don’t fixate on pain

24:30 number 2 carving from edge to edge

31:00 100 points allocation theory 

33:00 number 3 leading is recognizing talent in others

36:40 number 4 abundance and budgeting

38:50 money as appreciation 

43:40 number 5 see the people

45:30 notes advice

48:20 scholarship programs

50:00 number 6 how to be decisive 

51:00 my first time driving in latin america

54:50 number 7 on the other side of that dream

57:00 regret & the magic gardener

In this episode, Carling Harps shares her journey through 15 years of teaching yoga and how her practice has evolved over time. She reflects on cueing, identity, accessibility, and learning to trust the different seasons of practice. Carling speaks to the importance of yoga community, joy and play in a movement practice, and why there is no self-liberation without collective liberation. 

Carling’s Instagram: ⁠@carlingnicole⁠

⁠Carling’s Website⁠

Find Shawna on instagram: ⁠@shawnakru ⁠

⁠Shawna’s website⁠

GIVEAWAY: 1 YEAR OF OFFERINGTREE. Enter here by March 5th. 

Try OfferingTree for free⁠ ⁠with my link here⁠⁠ (My sponsor) 

⁠Ayurvedic consultation with Art, TEND ⁠(My sponsor) 

⁠Yoga Teacher Roundtable free community events & mailing list⁠

Time Stamps:

00:00 intro

01:10 offering tree 

04:02 when you think about yoga, what do you see?

06:25 consistency in yoga practice 

08:00 trusting the different seasons of your practice

11:00 identity in yoga

12:25 the misconception that yoga will heal you

14:41 hyper-individualism in yoga

16:51 self-realization vs self-obsession

18:00 “there is no self-liberation without collective-liberation”

20:14 fostering yoga community 

26:00 walking alongside your students

28:55 cueing, alignment, & injuries 

36:38 diversifying your movement practice 

40:36 weightlifting & energy

46:23 play & joy in movement as an adult

48:37 as yoga teachers, what is our responsibility to address what’s going on in the world?

52:27 do you think yoga can change the world?

56:10 both systemic change and individual change

01:00:00 yoga is political

01:02:22 expand your yoga worldview

01:08:00 billboard question

It’s here!! The 2 hour special with Victoria Hutchins, aka the daily victorian, to ask her everything about life, creating, writing, poetry, fears, breakthroughs and her new book. Victoria is a handstanding poet. She is the woman behind the iconic poetry and yoga flow that feels like a dose of big sister reassurance mixed with a level of depth that reminds us what it means to be human. She brings us a sincere reminder to have hope. Her words are raw, moving, ironic at times, and hard to feel the same after hearing. Victoria is the author of Make Believe, host of the Soul Gum podcast, a yoga instructor, and a corporate lawyer turned content creator.

If you enjoyed this episode with Victoria, please drop me a rating and subscribe. THANK YOU. :) 

Join YOGA TEACHER ROUNDTABLE free community podcast recording event:

https://www.shawnakru.com/yoga-teacher-roundtable

Get a copy of MAKE BELIEVE

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/755776/make-believe-by-victoria-hutchins/ 

Find Victoria on instagram:

@thedailyvictorian 

Find Shawna on instagram:

@shawnakru

Victoria’s podcast, Soul Gum

Try OfferingTree for free with my link ⁠here⁠ (My sponsor)

Ayurvedic consultation with Art, TEND ⁠https://www.tend.eco/collections/consultations⁠ 

Time stamps

00:00 Intro

06:00 Victoria’s process of believing any of this was possible.

14:00 Roots of childhood creation.

15:30 Writing poetry.

20:15 Understanding her own personality.

23:49 Pressure to know who we are and how things turn out is exhausting.

28:50 Thinking about your audience first as a creator. Rick Rubin?

32:10 Starting route to Taco Bell!!

37:30 Being able to process before creating.

41:00 Victoria’s routine vs. being fully consumed by one thing.

43:00 Feeling like you’re on an island can be a good thing.

47:50 Where does confidence come from?

53:00 How Victoria finds her words. A courtship.

56:30 (Creative) Fire just needs room to breathe.

1:00:00 How to follow a massive success.

1:06:00 Abundance mindset.

1:10:00 Jealousy: the people you are most jealous of show you it’s possible for you. 

1:12:00 God, spirituality, death, heaven, Trust.

1:19:00 Questions to ponder with friends that you can’t answer. 

1:21:00 Make Believe and after life.

1:24:00 Being taught that parts of us are “bad”

1:29:30 After you take the purity ring off. 

1:36:00 Vulnerable, holy shit moments.

1:40:39 Let me let you go.

1:42:12 The process of writing a book. 

1:43:30 Publishing a book

1:49:20 Victoria’s hope for all who read. 

1:55:00 Weekday morning routine and structure.

1:57:45 An exceptional leader. 

2:00:00 Victoria’s Billboard Message