It's fascinating to explore the topic of gurus in yoga and the meaning behind the word. In this episode, we delve into the characteristics of a guru, when you might need one, whether it's possible to practice yoga without a teacher, and so much more. Our guest today is Dr. Manasa Rao, who has been on the show before.

Episode Highlights:

• What is the role of a guru in yoga?
• What traits or characteristics to look for in a guru?
• The different levels of teachers and the different types of students
• The difference between a regular teacher and a guru
• Is guru a title
• Do gurus impact more deeply than teachers?
• The caliber of the student
• The responsibilities of a guru and a student
• Discerning a fake guru from a competent teacher
• When is a student ready for a guru?
• Insights for seeking a guru

Prana & Presence: An Immersive Week of Yoga, Stillness & Soulful Study in Southern Italy

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In this episode, I’m doing a deep dive into what type of asana will help during perimenopause. I'll share some tips on how to approach your practice, which pranayamas are useful, which restoration techniques will leave you feeling rejuvenated, what will really add value to your practice, and what yoga principles in living yoga are we going to really pull from.

Episode Highlights:

• The difference between perimenopause and menopause
• Asana practice in younger years
• The practice of asana during the four weeks of menstrual cycle
• We have to let our asanas evolve as we age
• Three things that yoga teachers would want to do:
  • Poses to stretch and lengthen the lower abdomen, upper thigh region
  • Poses for gentle pressure on the abdomen
  • Poses to soothe the mind
• The three rules of perimenopausal practice
• Three main things to keep in mind when it comes to pranayama practices.
  • Three cooling Pranayamas
  • Balancing Pranayama
  • Bhramari
• Resting is priority
• Fixing your body will not fix all your problems
• Manomaya Kosh

Prana & Presence: An Immersive Week of Yoga, Stillness & Soulful Study in Southern Italy

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The topic of women yogis in India is often overlooked and not widely discussed due to its complexity and nuances. It involves many layers of cultural factors. Popular yoga often includes discussions about yogis, but there is a mysterious aspect to it. To shed some light on this topic, I decided to invite Prasad Rangnekar back, one of our favorite guests, to discuss the history of women practitioners, specifically yogis and yoginis in India.

Episode Highlights:

• Was yoga a man's practice?
• The distinction between saying women yogis and yoginis
• Defining yoga in context
• The role of women in society and their impact
• The link between the feminine divinity and the goddesses in India and women yogis
• The Vedic period
• The privacy of women in their practice of sadhana
• Women yogis at the end of BC Period to the Common Era
• What are yoginis?
• Things to consider as a modern-day practitioner about the topic of yoginis

Prana & Presence: An Immersive Week of Yoga, Stillness & Soulful Study in Southern Italy

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I know that some of you have been requesting an episode about mudras. When it comes to mudras, I couldn't think of a better person to have this conversation with than our favorite guest, Indu Arora. We delve into the concept of namaste as a mudra and explore mudras that extend beyond the hands. Indu defines what mudras are, their origin, and how to practice them. Additionally, she provides advice for those who are new to the idea of mudras and how they can explore it further.

Episode Highlights:

• Mudras and their relevance to today's yoga
• The origins of mudra
• Relationship between mudras and the Sukshma Sharira and prana
• Beginner's guide to mudras
• The context between Namaste and Anjali Mudra
• The significance of elements between mudra and namaste
• Hasta mudra: the use of the right hand versus the left hand
• Is Drishti a mudra?
• The mind mudras
• Advice for beginners in mudras

Prana & Presence: An Immersive Week of Yoga, Stillness & Soulful Study in Southern Italy

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Today, I have the pleasure of hosting Prashant J, a yoga teacher from India, on my show. He is the proud owner of a yoga school in Rishikesh and is known for his expertise as an international yoga teacher and content creator. Our discussion today will focus on pranayama, where we dive deep into topics like prana, Kundalini Shakti, and Kumbhakas.

Episode Highlights:

• The link between yoga and pranayama
• The definition of prana and pranayama
• Can pranayama alone help one move towards higher states of consciousness and enlightenment or get into much deeper practices?
• The relationship between the Kundalini Shakti and the practice of pranayama
• What should be the goal for a modern-day practitioner of pranayama?
• Is pranayama and meditation the same thing?
• How much pranayama does the average person need?
• Pranayama history overview
• The significance of the Kumbhaka stage of Nadi Shodhana
• Antar vs Bahir Kumbhaka
• Is Bahir Kumbhaka the same as Kevala Kumbhaka?
• Kumbhaka practice for men vs women
• Should women do Kumbhaka during menstruation?

Prana & Presence: An Immersive Week of Yoga, Stillness & Soulful Study in Southern Italy

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Fertility, pregnancy, and postpartum are three phases in life that Ayurveda provides a lot of wisdom about. I can't think of anybody specializing in this field other than our past guest, Nidhi Pandya. She uses her generational Ayurvedic wisdom to help us understand it in a simplified and relatable manner where we can find ways to apply Ayurvedic wisdom in our daily lives.

Episode Highlights:

• What Ayurveda says about fertility
• Healthy practices one can do
• Advice to women who choose to be childfree
• Ayurveda for men
• How to nourish the body post-partum
• How to nourish the body after a miscarriage
• Three to-go practices for pregnant women
• Protocol for fertility treatments

Prana & Presence: An Immersive Week of Yoga, Stillness & Soulful Study in Southern Italy

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Ayurvedic self-care is taking care of ourselves from within. Indu's book SOMA: 100 Heritage Recipes for Self-Care is filled with recipes, rituals & remedies. Looking after ourselves is especially important these times, so if you’re like me who loves anything DIY and self-care, you'll enjoy this conversation.

Episode Highlights:

• What is SOMA?
• What is at stake if we don’t talk about ourselves?
• How important is a self-care routine?
• Indu’s favorite morning ritual
• Indu’s nighttime practice
• Oiling the soles of the feet
• What is oil pulling and its benefits?
• Tongue scraping and the difference between steel and copper tongue scrapers
• What to do to keep our ears healthy
• Indu suggests a simple way to practice mouna
• Indu’s favorite eye-care ritual
• Mudras and it's part in self-care
• Indu shares the value of self-care

Prana & Presence: An Immersive Week of Yoga, Stillness & Soulful Study in Southern Italy

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In this episode, we're going to do a deep dive to figuring out the answers to these two important questions. I'm going to give you very clear markers to work with. I want this episode to be a reminder that preparing yourself for pranayama is very important. That way, you resonate with it deeply as you explore the practice. Because there is nothing imaginary in pranayama. It is an exact science and a precise system that has been handed over by Yogis for centuries with care and caution.

Episode Highlights:

• Part 1: How do you know you are ready to do a deep dive into pranayama study?
  • Step 1: Understand where pranayama begins
  • Step 2: Understand the role of time and the maturation of practice
  • Step 3: The importance of understanding the role of your source for pranayama
  • Step 4: Replace the "I want more" mindset with more refinement
  • Step 5: Find more Ananda within you in this practice
• Part 2: When do you know you are ready to teach pranayama?
  • You have a deeply established asana practice
  • You are prepared to lead others
  • Okay with not teaching pranayama

Prana & Presence: An Immersive Week of Yoga, Stillness & Soulful Study in Southern Italy

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On this episode, I invited a very special guest, Dr. Abha Rajbhandari, who's going to dive into the intersection of science and spirituality. We’re going to explore the definition of science and spirituality, where they intersect, the nature of our consciousness, what yoga does to our brains, the goal for emotional regulation, and so much more.

Episode Highlights:

• The definition of spirituality
• What makes up something to be called spiritual
• The definition of science
• Scientific parts of yoga
• What yoga does to the brain
• The impact of meditation on Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases
• The nature or origin of consciousness
• Connecting with our consciousness through meditation
• The type of meditation to use in connecting with our consciousness
• The goal of emotional regulation
• What happens to the ego in the pursuit of consciousness
• Layers to consciousness to know about
• Practices or rituals to help both physically and spiritually
• Neurochemicals and the effects of screen time on our brains
• What chemical imbalance causes depression?
• An invitation to become open-minded both in scientific and spiritual aspects of life

Prana & Presence: An Immersive Week of Yoga, Stillness & Soulful Study in Southern Italy

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Surya Namaskar, also known as sun salutations, is such a simple yet daunting topic for a lot of yoga teachers and we as modern practitioners only know it from the lens of it being very physical. So on the show today, I invited Pradeep Sattwamaya to help us trace the origins of Surya Namaskar and its uses in our modern-day yoga.

Episode Highlights:

• How old is the practice of Surya Namaskar?
• The importance of Hatha yoga
• What is Chandra Namaskar?
• Breath practices
• Supplemental elements in yoga
• The Origins of Surya Namaskar
• Classical Surya Namaskar as a physical practice and Vinyasa
• What type of Surya Namaskar and how many rounds is recommended a day
• Is Surya Namaskar a moving meditation?

Prana & Presence: An Immersive Week of Yoga, Stillness & Soulful Study in Southern Italy

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