Let's Talk Yoga

By Arundhati BaitmangalkarBusiness Entrepreneurship Alternative Health Health & Fitness

Let's Talk Yoga episodes

October 25Understanding Prana As A Practice of Body, Mind, and Breath with Prasad Rangnekar
What is prana beyond the breath? Aru welcomes yoga teacher and author Prasad Rangnekar back to Let’s Talk Yoga to explore his book, Prana: The Practice of Body, Mind, and Breath. They discuss prana as a lived experience rooted in Indian culture, the relationship between the individual and the cosmos, and how prana connects with the mind, sound, and everyday life. Prasad also explains Chitta Shuddhi, Prana Dharana, and the importance of cultivating aliveness before jumping into breathing techniques. Discover simple ways to connect with prana and bring a deeper, more experiential understanding to your yoga practice.
Episode Highlights:
Etic and Emic Approaches to Yoga
Prana as a Lived Cultural Tradition
Pinda Brahmanda Siddhanta and the Cosmos
The Indian Worldview of Space and Time
Connecting with Prana Beyond Breath
Developing a Relationship with Prana
Everyday Ways to Cultivate Prana
Sound, Chanting, and Pranic Energy
Chitta Shuddhi and Mental Purification
The Mind as a Mirror
Prana and Emotional Resolution
Pranayama and Cultivating Prana
Breath Communication Beyond Breathwork
Prana Dharana and Energy Flow
Prana, Apana, and Hatha Yoga
Aliveness as a Practice of Prana
Recognizing Energy Blocks Through Aliveness
Thriving in Prana Before Technique
Prana as a Sacred Relationship
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47 min
October 18A Confession and 5 Things That Make A Pose Truly Restorative
What makes a yoga pose truly restorative? Aru shares her journey from chasing challenging asanas to discovering the importance of deep rest. She explores the origins of restorative yoga, its roots in the Iyengar tradition, and the five qualities that make a pose restorative: support, stillness, warmth, silence, and darkness. Learn how these elements help the nervous system settle, why Mauna and sensory withdrawal matter, and how restorative yoga prepares us for unsupported Shavasana and a deeper experience of rest.
Episode Highlights:
Confessions of a Yogaholic
Movement and the Goal of Stillness
Understanding Restorative Yoga
Restorative Yoga’s Iyengar Roots
The Autonomic Nervous System
Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Responses
Support and Intelligent Prop Use
Stillness and Proprioception
Warmth and Nervous System Regulation
Mauna and the Practice of Silence
Pratyahara and Sensory Withdrawal
Darkness and the Oculocardiac Reflex
Restorative Yoga and the Five Koshas
The Goal of Unsupported Shavasana
From Doing Shavasana to Being in Shavasana
Restorative Yoga Teacher Training
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30 min
October 11Munch, Sangha and How Communities Support Your Yoga
What exactly is a Sangha, and why does community matter so much in yoga? Aru explores the meaning and origins of Sangha, its relationship to Satsang, and the many traditional forms of community that have supported yoga over time. She also looks at what makes a genuine Sangha, what it is not, the shadow side of spiritual communities, and the importance of boundaries, agency, accountability, and sustained relationships in modern yoga.
Episode Highlights:
Defining Sangha and its origins
Sangha, Satsang, and yoga
Characteristics and purpose of Sangha
Recognizing genuine Sangha
Traditional forms of yoga community
Guru Shishya Parampara and living transmission
Kula, ashrams, and Gurukula
Bhakti communities and spiritual practice
Accountability, belonging, and collective knowledge
What Sangha is not
The shadow side of spiritual communities
Teacher and student responsibilities
Boundaries, agency, and discernment
The Three Jewels and modern yoga
Rebuilding meaningful community in yoga
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38 min
September 27Prenatal Yoga: What’s Safe, What Changes and What Actually Helps with Aparna Ramesh
What actually changes during pregnancy, and how should yoga teachers adapt their teaching? Aru talks with Aparna Ramesh about prenatal yoga across all three trimesters, balancing effort and rest, modifications, props, pranayama, sound, visualization, and the tools that can support a healthy and empowering pregnancy practice.
Episode Highlights:
Prenatal yoga intensity and effort
Balancing effort and rest, and teaching beyond “listen to your body”
The prenatal talk test
Normalizing breaks in practice
First trimester yoga practice
Trimester changes and teaching considerations
Second trimester strengthening
Third trimester physical changes
Heat and hot yoga risks
First trimester practice focus
Second trimester practice focus
Third trimester practice focus
Prenatal yoga in mixed classes
Strengthening for pregnancy and motherhood
Pelvic floor education and practice
Third trimester modifications
Props and creative modifications
Lying on the back during pregnancy
Prana and pregnancy
Prenatal pranayama practices
Prenatal chanting and sound
Visualization during pregnancy and labor
Yoga Nidra and sankalpa
Teaching prenatal yoga with confidence
Functional and non-ego-driven practice
Building sustainable self-practice
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54 min
September 20What Yin Yoga Is Really Doing to Your Body with Vinay Jesta
What exactly is Yin Yoga, and how is it different from restorative yoga? Aru gets nerdy with Vinay Jesta about sensation, stillness, connective tissue, the meridian system, emotional awareness, and finding the right balance between Yin and Yang. They also discuss common teaching mistakes, practicing Yin online, and what to look for in a good Yin Yoga training.
Episode Highlights:
What Yin Yoga is and its place in the yoga tradition
Yin Yoga vs. restorative yoga
Sensation, stillness, and finding the appropriate edge
Props, modifications, and working with different bodies
Yin practice length, sequencing, and connective tissue
Tension vs. compression and recognizing harmful sensations
The role of verbal guidance in Yin
The meridian system and Traditional Chinese Medicine
Meridians, nadis, emotions, and the psychological aspects of Yin
Stillness, self-observation, and meditation in Yin poses
Yin poses, gravity, and different ways to practice
Yin for injuries, pregnancy, and hypermobility
Balancing Yin with Yang-oriented practices
Common misconceptions and mistakes in teaching Yin
Music in Yin classes
Practicing Yin through online videos vs. with a teacher
What to look for in a Yin Yoga training
Balancing anatomy, skeletal variations, and energetic approaches in Yin
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48 min
September 13What Exactly Is Authentic Yoga? Here’s A Checklist
What does authentic yoga actually look like? Aru shares her personal checklist for examining the depth, roots, and transmission of your yoga practice and teaching. From lineage and Hinduism to pranic experience, sadhana, primary sources, and knowing what you don’t know, this episode explores why sincerity alone isn’t enough—and how we can move closer to authenticity.
Episode Highlights:
Feeling authentic versus being authentic
Westernization and cultural drift
Authenticity beyond Indian identity
Hinduism and yoga literacy
Origin versus transmission
Social media as a red flag
Platform size versus teaching depth
Reach versus depth in yoga
The content creator economy
When content becomes teaching
Churn in yoga offerings
Social media versus real knowledge
Adhikara and authentic transmission
Knowing and tracing your lineage
Guru Shishya Parampara and transmission
Lineage versus compiled yoga
Hinduism as working yoga literacy
Sanatana Dharma and yoga roots
Yoga texts and traditions
Experiencing the pranic body
Prana versus nervous system knowledge
Pranayama and pranic understanding
The pranic body in Hatha Yoga
Deep study with teachers
Having primary yoga teachers
Sadhana beyond asana
Personal practice beyond physical yoga
Yoga practice versus transactional teaching
Marketing culture and yoga communities
Learning from primary sources
Long-form study and contemplation
Knowing the limits of knowledge
Honesty about what you know
Relationship with the sacred
Non-instrumental spiritual practice
Sincerity versus authenticity
Closing the gap through practice
Earning the right to transmit
Self-reflection and authentic yoga
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44 min
September 06Lakshmi Maxxing: The Goddess of Wealth, Beauty & Abundance
A closer look at Lakshmi, Saraswati, Durga, Kali, and Parvati—and why these Hindu goddesses cannot be reduced to modern wellness trends, aesthetics, or manifestation tools. Aru explores cultural appropriation, Shakti, devotion, ritual, and what it means to engage with these traditions with greater depth and respect.
Episode Highlights:
The viral Lakshmi Maxxing trend
Cultural appropriation in modern yoga
Hindu goddesses and their symbolism
Female goddesses and divine identity
Understanding Shakti beyond feminine energy
The goddess as divine reality
Lakshmi beyond abundance and beauty
The eight forms of Lakshmi
Lakshmi and auspiciousness
Lakshmi’s relationship with prosperity
Prosperity within a dharmic framework
Using wealth responsibly and ethically
Saraswati and true knowledge
Knowledge, discernment, and Viveka
Durga and extraordinary divine power
Durga beyond warrior woman stereotypes
The power of feminine strength
Kali, destruction, and transformation
Kali and the dissolution of ego
Kali, impermanence, and liberation
Parvati and sustained devotion
Parvati as practitioner and ascetic
Living with Hindu goddesses
Devotion versus transactional worship
Offerings, gratitude, surrender, and ritual
Everyday Hindu practices and reverence
When sacred traditions become aesthetics
Understanding cultural appropriation with discernment
Learning from authentic sources
What Lakshmi teaches beyond accumulation
What Saraswati teaches about discernment
Finding courage through Durga
Transformation through Kali
Embodying Parvati’s qualities
The divine feminine beyond manifestation
Approaching Hindu traditions with respect
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38 min
August 16Sankalpa: The Missing Piece in Your Yoga with Medha Bhaskar
What exactly is a sankalpa, and how is it different from an affirmation, intention, or goal? Medha Bhaskar joins me to explore the deeper meaning of sankalpa, how to discover one that truly resonates, and how it can become a guiding direction for our lives.
Episode Highlights:
Sankalpa’s meaning and place in yoga
Sankalpa versus affirmations and intentions
Sankalpa versus manifestation and goals
Understanding SMART goals
Discovering a deeper sankalpa
Having one or multiple sankalpas
Sharing a sankalpa publicly
Sankalpa as a personal mantra
Cultivating the feeling of sankalpa
Different types of sankalpas
Personal versus universal sankalpas
Choosing the right sankalpa focus
Moving beyond selfish sankalpas
Measuring sankalpa progress
Working through disappointment
Using sankalpa with difficult intentions
Finding and taking a sankalpa
Using self-inquiry to discover sankalpa
Writing, repeating, and wording sankalpa
Choosing the right sankalpa language
Using positive sankalpa statements
Sankalpa as a healing practice
Spiritual versus personal sankalpas
Recognizing fear-driven sankalpas
Do’s and don’ts of sankalpa
Avoiding control and obsession
Using universally applicable sankalpas
Allowing sankalpa to evolve
Using a single-word sankalpa
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55 min
August 09Bandhas 101 - What Yoga Teachers Need to Know with Sandra Anderson
What are the bandhas, and why do they play such an important role in Hatha Yoga? Sandra Anderson joins me to explore the physical, energetic, and meditative purpose of Mula Bandha, Uddiyana Bandha, Jalandhara Bandha, and Maha Bandha, along with practical guidance for yoga teachers.
Episode Highlights:
Meaning and purpose of bandhas
Bandhas in asana, pranayama, and meditation
Understanding Mula Bandha
Male and female differences in Mula Bandha
Contraindications for Mula Bandha
Understanding Uddiyana Bandha
Avoiding excessive muscular effort
Preparing the body for bandhas
Teaching bandhas without labels
Signs of effective bandha practice
Understanding Jalandhara Bandha
Jalandhara Bandha in pranayama
Understanding Maha Bandha
Yoga practice without bandhas
Presenting energetic practices responsibly
Teaching advice for yoga teachers
Sandra's courses and resources
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54 min
August 02Does Pronunciation Matter in Yoga? With Dr. Varun Khanna
Why does Sanskrit place so much importance on sound and pronunciation? I’m joined by Dr. Varun Khanna to explore the stories, philosophy, and history behind Sanskrit, and discuss what modern yoga teachers really need to know about the language.
Episode Highlights:
Meaning of the word guru
Sound and vibration in Sanskrit
Origins of Devanagari script
Sanskrit's role in Indian philosophy
Sound, vibration, and the subtle body
Pronunciation and mantra accuracy
Sanskrit in modern yoga teaching
Sanskrit as a tool for learning yoga
Om as the ultimate vibration
Sanskrit beyond power and hierarchy
Practical takeaways for yoga teachers
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1 hr 5 min