Yes, AI meditation is a thing now.

So, in today’s episode, I’m taking a look at how the current rapid expansion of AI tech is reaching the meditation world…and why I don’t think human meditation teachers are going to be replaced by these tools anytime soon.

Like me, you may be immediately skeptical that AI can play a role in a deeply human activity like meditation. However, there are several ways that AI has entered the meditation scene already, including AI-generated meditation scripts, AI voiceovers for guided meditations, AI-based meditation apps, and more. There are even AI tools being used by online content creators (with little to no meditation experience) to churn out a high volume of guided meditation recordings for platforms like YouTube.

If you have a favorite meditation app that you use, have you checked to see what their AI policy is? Have you thought about whether this matters to you and how much AI you’re comfortable with in your practice? For example, maybe you’re ok with AI search tools that help you find content, but not sure about being led through a meditation that was created by generative AI.

AI itself isn’t inherently good or bad, and there may be many possibilities for innovation if AI is used responsibly. However, there are many ethical concerns to consider as this tech is rapidly becoming part of our everyday life. To name a few, there’s the issue of AI being built off the intellectual property of writers, teachers, authors, and artists without compensation or credit. There is the potential for AI to eliminate jobs and entire industries before society has a plan to mitigate the economic fallout. And, there is the increase of energy resources needed to sustain the massive amount of computing that AI requires, and a lack of meaningful discussion about how this is affecting our climate already.

Specifically within the field of meditation, there are questions of how AI meditation guidance could possibly be trauma-informed, culturally sensitive, or even effective without the benefits of human connection.

In this episode, we’ll contemplate:

• Issues of accuracy, reliability, quality, and authenticity
• Potential risks for beginners who may turn to an AI tool to try meditation
• The limitations of learning meditation from a tech that doesn’t share your human experience, stressors, emotions, or aches and pains
• The benefits of nervous system co-regulation that we receive when we practice meditation with other humans
• How human meditation teachers draw from their understanding, intuition, empathy, and training to offer nuanced and attuned guidance
• The vulnerability of being led through a meditation that can affect us mentally and emotionally, and who we trust to guide us.

As this new tech is being purposed for meditation, I hope you’ll find it useful to discuss the implications, and how we might talk to others about the importance of human connection, human experience, and human insight in this field.

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For more links and resources mentioned in this episode, find the show notes at movedtomeditate.yoga/podcast.

Feel free to reach out through my website with any episode requests, topics you'd like to hear about, or guest interview suggestions. You can also connect with me on Instagram or Threads at @addie_movedtomeditate (for mindfulness, movement, pictures of Pacific Northwest nature, crocheting projects, and my adorable kitty, Mustache).

In this podcast episode, we’re exploring Somatic Dance as a form of movement therapy. My guest, Anika Voy, is a trained psychotherapist who helps her clients and students find authentic self-expression and healing through dance.

Anika explains that “the dance floor is a microcosm of our life,” and describes how creative movement can be used as a tool of discovery, as well as self-expression. 

We talk about the differences between dance as a performance art vs. dance as a somatic therapy, or a form of personal practice or mindful movement. She also describes certain obstacles and misconceptions about dance related to religion, ideas about sexuality, being a “good” dancer, or associating dance with clubbing or substance use.

You’ll hear about:

• how movement reveals traits innate to a person’s physicality, as well as their conditioned habits
• dance as an opportunity to move with emotions and give them space
• using movement, footwork, and music to invoke certain energies like power, groundedness, lightness, or fluidity
• the balance between structured dance movements and the freedom to improvise.

And, Anika also shares some of her backstory, including how she discovered somatic dance therapy during a period of severe depression. After completing her studies to become a therapist, she took the inspiring leap (as a single mother!) to relocate from Berlin to Costa Rica, following the authentic calling she discovered through her healing dance practice.

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Guest Bio: Anika Voy left the urban jungle of Berlin six years ago to move to the tropical rainforests of Latin America. Her personal journey into self-discovery began with a severe episode of depression in her 20’s. She realized she was living someone else’s life and started searching for answers. That search led to dance therapy, where her lifelong love for movement and her growing passion for psychology merged. She first encountered dance therapy in 2011 as a patient in a psychosomatic rehabilitation clinic. It sparked a deeper interest in movement and its positive impact on our well-being, which led to Pilates, yoga, and mindfulness practices like MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction) and MBCT (Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy). In 2017, she became a certified Alternative Psychotherapist, and in 2019 she received her certification as a Systemic Dance Therapist. She also had the opportunity to lead a project at the Taller de Danza in San José, integrating dance therapy methodologies into performance at Costa Rica’s largest institution for dance and theater. Today she works independently, offering monthly Urban Somatic Dance sessions and 1:1 Somatic Dance Mentoring, using movement as a profound tool for self-discovery and growth.

To learn more about Anika’s work, visit her website at https://www.living-in-motion.com/, follow her on Instagram at @anikavoy_living_in_motion, or look her up on Spotify to find playlists for your own dance explorations.

------ In this episode, I also mentioned the Gentle Change Collective, which is a new offering from a previous podcast guest, Andrew Lang. (Check out Ep. 69 with Andrew, “Unmasking the Inner Critic.”) The Gentle Change Collective is a mentoring group for people who are interested in social change, but aren’t really sure how to take action in a way that feels like a fit. This program starts in February, and it could be a really good way to go from hopelessly scrolling to finding meaningful actions that make sense for you AND make a difference… https://www.andrewglang.com/gentlechange?affiliate_code=2bb37b 

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I also wanted to send some extra love to Los Angeles in this episode. The Foothills area of LA (near Altadena) was my home for many years. I still have a lot of friends there and so many fond memories of the place itself. It’s been about a week since the devastating wildfires began, and support is still very much needed. Rebuilding will be a long term process. So, I thought I would share a few of my favorite local organizations, informed by deep ties both my husband and I have from working in the non-profit sector there.

Pasadena Community Foundation https://pasadenacf.org/ - Community foundations are in an excellent position to provide long-term support (as well as quick emergency funding), due to their existing relationships to a variety of organizations serving the local area. PCF grants go to vetted organizations focused on social services, housing, senior programs, healthcare, education, animal welfare, the arts, and the environment.

For more immediate needs, there are many (many) GoFundMe pages raising funds for families and businesses who have lost their home and/or livelihood in the fires. Simply search under the “emergency” category on GoFundMe.com.

And, I also recommend the California Fire Foundation, which supports victims of fire, as well as the brave and tireless firefighters. Donations go towards cash cards that are distributed on the scene, in the moment of shock when someone loses their house to fire. (This helps people pay for essentials like hotel and food right away.) The California Fire Foundation also has a fund to support firefighters and their families, because this heroic job is extremely dangerous. Firefighters risk their lives and future health to help others, and we cannot thank or support them enough.

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Feel free to reach out through my website with any episode requests, topics you'd like to hear about, or guest interview suggestions. You can also connect with me on Instagram or Threads at @addie_movedtomeditate (for mindfulness, movement, pictures of Pacific Northwest nature, crocheting projects, and my adorable kitty, Mustache).

Happy All The Holidays! It’s almost the solstice and the end of the calendar year, so it felt like a natural time to pause and reflect.

In this short episode, I recap some of my favorite podcast moments from the past year. A few themes really stood out across multiple conversations:

• the symbiotic relationship of mindful movement and meditation practices
• what it looks like to integrate (or de-compartmentalize) practices like yoga and sitting meditation
• the reasons we practice and how we’ve found mindful movement and meditation beneficial
• the accessibility of movement and meditation practice for diverse bodies and neurodivergent minds.

I also pull back the curtain a bit to update you on some of my projects, including my work-in-progress book and new plans for the coming year. This includes some thoughts about how the elephant-in-the-room (aka political climate in the US) is shaping my intentions and what I want my work to look like going into 2025. 

I don’t always adopt a “word of the year,” but right now, it feels like a little extra compass to navigate the unknown. So, listen and hear what I’ve chosen as my 2025 word – and let me know if you have one, too!

And, thanks for listening to the podcast this year - I so appreciate knowing that there are others out there interested in these heartful, mindful, bodyful practices. 

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For more links and resources mentioned in this episode, find the show notes at movedtomeditate.yoga/podcast.

Holiday Sale: Use discount code HOLIDAY24 before December 24th to take 24% off the 8-hour Yin Yoga Poses + Props Training (normally $149)!

Or the Ease In To Meditation course (normally $98), currently 24% off with the HOLIDAY24 discount code!

And, info on the Inner Stillness, Outer Flow retreat in September 2025! I’m teaming up with Francine Ang to teach this 5-day mindful movement and meditation (and so much more) retreat in Los Angeles. Learn more and reserve a spot here: https://www.francineang.com/2025retreat

As always...feel free to reach out through my website with any episode requests, topics you'd like to hear about, or guest interview suggestions. You can also connect with me on Instagram or Threads at @addie_movedtomeditate (for mindfulness, movement, pictures of Pacific Northwest nature, crocheting projects, and my adorable kitty, Mustache).

This episode is an EPIC conversation with my friend Nyk Danu about the question of if, when, how, and why we use yoga props in Yin Yoga.

Nyk is the host of A Yin Yoga Podcast, and she reached out to propose this crossover episode to share on both of our shows, because the no-props-in-Yin myth is a topic near and dear to both of our hearts. So what you’ll hear here is less of an interview and more of a back and forth, or “fireside chat” (as Nyk calls it) where we really unpack this sometimes-controversial Yin subject.

As you’ll hear, the question of whether (or how) to use props in Yin Yoga touches on issues like accessibility, able-ism, trauma-informed teaching, and all kinds of cultural conditioning that sneaks into our practice. We talk about what it means to be true to a style or lineage, and how we align with the principles that make a Yin practice “yin.” 

As we explore where the anti-props misnomer comes from, Nyk and I also reflect on our experiences training with the founders of the Yin Yoga style, and how the functional approach to yoga requires that we adapt poses to individual bodies. We also give several specific examples of how props have helped our students get more from the practice, and debunk the assumption that you’ll outgrow using props as your practice advances. 

There are also some practical suggestions for situations where minimal props are available, or where propping is too complicated or unable to solve a student's challenge with a pose.

So, pull up your favorite blankets and bolsters, get comfy, and enjoy this fun and informative Yin Yoga conversation!

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Guest Bio: Nyk Danu is a certified Yoga Therapist, Yin Yoga Teacher Trainer, and Yoga business mentor. She’s a fiercely independent sagittarius, misfit, introvert, bookworm, cat charmer, crow whisperer, Buddhist, seeker of truth, and long term pro-activist who’s not-so-secretly out to save the world. In 2007 she fell madly in love with Yin Yoga and has since done 500+ hours of Yin Yoga training with Paul Grilley. Her passion for Yin Yoga sparked a deep resonance and curiosity for Traditional Chinese Medicine. This then drew her to study 2300 hours of Traditional Chinese Medicine at Pacific Rim College. Nyk has since combined her Yoga Therapy Training, Yin Yoga training and Traditional Chinese Medicine knowledge to create a unique Therapeutic Yin Yoga teacher training program, and she is also the host of A Yin Yoga Podcast.

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For more links and resources mentioned in this episode, find the show notes at movedtomeditate.yoga/podcast.

Holiday Sale: Use discount code HOLIDAY24 before December 24th to take 24% off the 8-hour Yin Yoga Poses + Props Training (normally $149)!

To learn more about Nyk’s work, visit her website at nykdanu.com, or check out her Yin Yoga Podcast! 

Follow Nyk on Instagram at @nykdanuyoga 

Feel free to reach out through my website with any episode requests, topics you'd like to hear about, or guest interview suggestions. You can also connect with me on Instagram or Threads at @addie_movedtomeditate (for mindfulness, movement, pictures of Pacific Northwest nature, crocheting projects, and my adorable kitty, Mustache).

This week’s episode of the podcast is a short post-election reflection - just me sharing some of what’s currently on my mind and what’s sustaining me right now.

This one is a little different, because I don’t really hide my political views, but I also don’t usually make them a focal point of my teaching. While I certainly have opinions and I care deeply about the issues, I also respect my students' autonomy and I try not to make too many assumptions about the views they may hold. I want to hope that we can all practice together and find common ground more often than not.

The thoughts I’m sharing today are for others like me who are upset about the election, and who are feeling confused, discouraged, and shaky. And I especially want to speak to my fellow movement, yoga, and meditation teachers out there, who are holding space for others during challenging times.

So, if you’re usually a fan of this podcast but realizing your politics is different than mine, you can listen to this and try to understand my perspective, or you can skip this episode and move on.

I promise it’s not going to be an angry rant or recitation of fearful possibilities, and it’s not going to be an artificial ‘look on the bright side message’ either. I’ll be sharing a few quotes and ideas that are helping me to orient to this moment, as well as a story about how I’m finding connection and light in my local community. 

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For more links and resources mentioned in this episode, find the show notes at movedtomeditate.yoga/podcast.

The class for a nervous system Freeze Response (mentioned in this episode) is available in the Moved To Meditate Class Library. Sign up for your “Free Library Card” to access a rotating selection of 5 classes each month, plus this bonus session.

Feel free to reach out through my website with any episode requests, topics you'd like to hear about, or guest interview suggestions. You can also connect with me on Instagram or Threads at @addie_movedtomeditate (for mindfulness, movement, pictures of Pacific Northwest nature, crocheting projects, and my adorable kitty, Mustache).

This episode of the podcast is a conversation about overcoming Imposter Syndrome. I’m speaking with meditation teacher Lou Redmond, and together we explore this very common fear that often holds good people back from truly expressing their creativity, leadership, and potential in the world.

Imposter Syndrome is a form of self-doubt that causes us to worry about being enough, knowing enough, or having someone expose us as a fraud. We talk about how Imposter Syndrome often comes up when we are trying something new, stepping into a leadership role, or pioneering in an area that others haven’t developed yet. This secretly-not-good-enough feeling arises in our professional lives, but can also be present in more personal domains like relationships, parenting, spirituality, etc.

Lou and I each share examples of when we’ve dealt with Imposter Syndrome in our work, and how we moved through those doubts.

You'll hear about:

• leaning into action and gaining experience to grow your confidence
• working with a mentor, coach, or therapist to unpack beliefs about your worthiness
• recognizing your integrity and that imposter syndrome may be arising because you care and don’t want to cause harm.

We also touch on the topic of self-improvement, and how (like Imposter Syndrome) it can be driven by a sense of lack or inadequacy. This conversation highlights how inner work and meditation practices can help us recognize our inherent wholeness and trust ourselves more fully.

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Guest Bio: Lou Redmond is a meditation teacher, life coach, and inspirational speaker. His meditations have been listened to over 1 million times and his online courses have enrolled over 60,000 students. Lou is the host of The Art & Business of Meditation podcast, where he helps people make an impact and income using meditation. Lou is also the author of Find Your Truth: A Modern Day Story About Letting Go of Addiction and Finding Life's Purpose.

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For more links and resources mentioned in this episode, find the show notes at movedtomeditate.yoga/podcast.

To learn more about Lou’s work, visit his website at louredmond.com, and sign up for his free Meditation Script Mastery Course here.

Feel free to reach out through my website with any episode requests, topics you'd like to hear about, or guest interview suggestions. You can also connect with me on Instagram or Threads at @addie_movedtomeditate (for mindfulness, movement, pictures of Pacific Northwest nature, crocheting projects, and my adorable kitty, Mustache).

In this episode of the podcast, we’re exploring the idea of Mindful Movement as a form of “cross-training” for your awareness. It’s a fun metaphor for how Mindful Movement and meditation can fit together and enhance each other, and it might just inspire you to try something new!

In fitness, cross-training is the idea that it's healthy to round out your routine with different forms of exercise like cardio, strength, endurance, mobility and flexibility so you get maximum physical benefits.

So, what if we apply this idea to Mindfulness? Just like there are different aspects of physical fitness, there also are (many) different aspects of Mindfulness. For starters, the full spectrum of Mindfulness practices would include: connection to the body, balancing our emotions, steadying our focus, observing our thought patterns, and cultivating positive qualities like compassion and equanimity.

Traditional meditation certainly develops all of those Mindfulness muscles, but we can also "exercise" them through Mindful Movement! And I would suggest that cross training with both movement and stillness practices gives us a wider palette to explore all of the ways we can be present with our moment-to-moment experience.

I’ll speak specifically about Yin Yoga, Somatics, and Qigong, sharing what each of these movement styles has brought to my own deepening and expanding of awareness over time.

I’ve often talked about Mindful Movement as a great alternative practice for those who struggle with the stillness and silence of meditation. But in this episode, I’m also highlighting how Mindful Movement can really benefit people who DO enjoy traditional sitting meditation.

Movement practices can challenge you to apply your meditative skills in action and to be aware amidst more stimulation and complexity. Think of it as a way of cross-training your mindfulness skills in preparation for the distractions and complications of daily life!

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For more links and resources mentioned in this episode, find the show notes at movedtomeditate.yoga/podcast.

And, to try “cross-training” your awareness with some Mindful Movement practices, check out the Moved To Meditate Class Library! There are full memberships, and there is a FREE tier where you can sample a new selection of classes each month. Details at movedtomeditate.yoga/classlibrary

This year’s Mindful Movement Teacher Training is starting in October! Learn more and apply now at movedtomeditate.yoga/mmtt.

Feel free to reach out through my website with any episode requests, topics you'd like to hear about, or guest interview suggestions. You can also connect with me on Instagram or Threads at @addie_movedtomeditate (for mindfulness, movement, pictures of Pacific Northwest nature, crocheting projects, and my adorable kitty, Mustache).

Today’s podcast is an exploration of life as a Highly Sensitive Person (or HSP), with my friend and colleague Erica Webb.

Erica and I sat down for a deep dive into our shared experience of high sensitivity, and how we work with these traits in ourselves.

This is something I’ve been looking at more closely over the last several months, and I knew that Erica had been speaking about HSP more, as well. So, I reached out and asked if she’d like to do a joint episode that we would each share on our podcasts, and this conversation is the result!

You’ll hear our stories of living life as a Highly Sensitive Person, and how we’ve learned to embrace our HSP traits and honor our HSP needs. We cover some basic definitions, and quite a few nuances of being highly sensitive.

We touch on:

• how HSP relates to being introverted or an empath
• differences in how our brains and nervous systems process sensory stimuli
• why understanding our HSP needs helps us release self-criticism and be kinder to ourselves
• how honoring our sensitivity doesn’t mean making our lives smaller or living in a bubble.

Erica and I also share our favorite movement and meditation practices (as well as life strategies and communication skills!) for regulating our sensitive nervous systems and building more capacity to engage with the world.

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To learn more about Erica Webb’s work, visit her website, listen to her podcast SelfKind with Erica Webb, or follow her on Instagram @ericawebb_selfkind.

For more links and resources mentioned in this episode, find the show notes at movedtomeditate.yoga/podcast.

The Mindful Movement Teacher Training is returning this Fall, and applications are now open! Learn more about this unique program at movedtomeditate.yoga/mmtt.

Feel free to reach out through my website with any episode requests, topics you'd like to hear about, or guest interview suggestions. You can also connect with me on Instagram or Threads at @addie_movedtomeditate (for mindfulness, movement, pictures of Pacific Northwest nature, crocheting projects, and my adorable kitty, Mustache).

It’s our 100th episode! To celebrate this podcast milestone, we have a special episode this week, featuring the voices of the Moved To Meditate Podcast community.

I wanted to do something different for our 100th episode, as a way of saying thanks to all who have been part of the podcast so far. So, I asked podcast listeners and guests to call in with messages about what they practice and why.  

If you need a little boost of inspiration, be sure to tune in, because the messages were amazing! You are going to hear quite a range of different movement, yoga, and meditation practices represented here, and so many unique ways of describing what these practices mean to us. I hope this episode feels like a warm, inspiring hug that reminds you that your practice matters - and you’re not doing it alone.

Expect some inspiration, a lot of warm fuzzies, and a little bit of silliness.

And, thanks for listening!

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For more links and resources mentioned in this episode, find the show notes at movedtomeditate.yoga/podcast.

The Mindful Movement Teacher Training is returning this Fall, and applications are now open! Learn more about this unique program at movedtomeditate.yoga/mmtt.

Feel free to reach out through my website with any episode requests, topics you'd like to hear about, or guest interview suggestions. You can also connect with me on Instagram or Threads at @addie_movedtomeditate (for mindfulness, movement, pictures of Pacific Northwest nature, crocheting projects, and my adorable kitty, Mustache).

This week on the podcast, Amanda Hanna joins me for a juicy discussion about what trauma-informed yoga is (and is not). We give examples of the questionable trends and marketing messages we’ve seen lately, related to trauma healing, Somatics, Yin Yoga and other movement practices.

Amanda Hanna is a seasoned Yin Yoga Teacher Trainer and leader of Trauma-Informed Facilitator trainings, with an academic background in psychology. After comparing notes on a few social media posts and ads we’d seen, Amanda and I decided to sit down and record an episode exploring the topic of trauma-informed yoga. It’s wonderful that awareness of this has increased in the yoga community, but there is now the issue of terms like “trauma-informed” and “somatic” becoming buzzwords for products that actually don’t align with ethical human-centered practices.

So, we’ll dig into what we’re seeing and share some examples that brought up red flags for us. We will also talk about what we DO look for in a genuine trauma-informed offering.

You’ll hear our thoughts on:

• the ethics of programs that promise to “release trauma and stored emotions,” while also curing a host of medical conditions (usually in a short amount of time)
• how quick fixes and big somatic releases go against trauma-informed principles like titration
• the risk of re-traumatization when a foundation of safety, nervous system regulation, capacity-building, and therapeutic support has not been built.

We also spend some time discussing the role of a trauma-informed yoga or movement teacher, and how we can skillfully hold space for our students. We both feel there is great value in creating a classroom “container” where students can simply practice feeling safe and learn to be with themselves exactly as they are. And, while emotions do come up naturally in class sometimes, it is not a teacher’s job to evoke a strong emotional response from their students.

Drawing from our own classes (and from my running a studio), we discuss the complexities of practicing in community. We highlight the importance of encouraging choice and self-agency in our students, rather than dismissing their feedback as coming from their fight/flight response (as we’ve seen suggested online). 

We cover a LOT of ground here, so I hope you’ll find this episode interesting and thought-provoking…and more than anything that you’ll feel supported to embrace your wholeness and reject the quick fix gimmicks.

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To learn more about Amanda Hanna’s work, visit somapsych.org or follow her on Instagram at @soma.psych.

For more links and resources mentioned in this episode, find the show notes at movedtomeditate.yoga/podcast.

The 100th Episode of the podcast is coming up, and I want to hear YOUR voice! Send me a short message about why you practice, and I will include it in this special episode. Go here to record your message, or email it to me at [email protected].

The Mindful Movement Teacher Training is returning this Fall, and applications are now open! Learn more about this unique program at movedtomeditate.yoga/mmtt.

Feel free to reach out through my website with any episode requests, topics you'd like to hear about, or guest interview suggestions. You can also connect with me on Instagram or Threads at @addie_movedtomeditate (for mindfulness, movement, pictures of Pacific Northwest nature, crocheting projects, and my adorable kitty, Mustache).