Peaceful Power Podcast

The Right Pairing | Hallmark Mysteries & More

Have you ever had a song hit you at exactly the right moment and completely undo you? That's where this episode starts — with a beautiful, tear-worthy moment in Season 4 of The Way Home — and it takes us somewhere much deeper.

In this episode Andrea explores the Ayurvedic concept of the gunas — the three fundamental qualities of tamas, rajas, and sattva — and how they show up in everything around us. The music paired with a scene. The chemistry between actors. The food on your plate. The yoga class you choose on a Tuesday morning. Once you start seeing the gunas, you can't unsee them.

The big idea? The right pairing changes everything. And when you understand your own Ayurvedic framework, you stop following everyone else's wellness rules and start finding what actually works for you.

Whether you're a The Way Home fan, an Ayurveda curious beginner, or somewhere in between — this episode will leave you seeing the qualities around you in a whole new way.

Work With Andrea Ready to find your own perfect pairings? The 1:1 eight-week Yoga and Ayurveda program was made for exactly this. You'll learn your constitution, understand the gunas in your daily life, and build a framework that's uniquely yours. Virtual and in-person options available. 👉 Click here to learn more

Connect With Andrea 🌐 Website: www.andreaclaassen.com

If you watched The Way Home this season drop a comment and let Andrea know how it landed for you — and which season is your favorite!

I'll be honest — I don't use AI a lot. But this summer I did something unexpected with it, and I genuinely loved the result. In this episode I'm sharing how I used AI to build a personal Yoga Sutras morning devotional practice — something I searched for everywhere and couldn't find. I walk you through what I asked for, what it's given me, and why I've been showing up for it every single morning since mid-May. I'm also sharing where I'm still skeptical. Because I will stop reading mid-sentence if something feels hollow and AI-generated — and I think a lot of you feel the same way. This one is honest, a little unexpected, and very much from the heart. In this episode:

• Why I wanted a Yoga Sutras devotional practice this summer
• How I used AI as a creative collaborator — not a replacement
• The AI cadence that makes me stop reading (and why it matters)
• Where I've landed on the question of AI in wellness spaces
• The distinction that changed how I think about it: who's driving?

Links & Resources mentioned:

• 🌿 Join the Free Cool Down in 3 Days Challenge → Join Here
• 📖 Read the full blog post → www.andreaclaassen.com/blog

The Peaceful Power Podcast with Andrea Claassen helps women slow down, tune in, and live with more intention through Ayurveda, yoga, and mindful movement.

Episode Summary: Andrea shares her love of reading — from a lifelong passion to her current goal of 50 pages a day — along with her favorite books from the last few months. She also opens up about her intentional Instagram break starting May 19th, her heartwarming daily reading ritual with her boys, and gives a sneak peek at an upcoming Ayurvedic Book Club launching at Green Lotus this fall. Books Mentioned:

• Finlay Donovan Series — Elle Cosimano (6 books)
• Frozen River — Ariel Lawhon
• My Name is Emilia Del Valle — Isabel Allende
• When We Had Wings — Ariel Lawhon, Kristina McMorris & Susan Meissner
• The Power of the Pause — Jillian Pransky

Highlights:

• Andrea's lifelong love of reading & the connection to Sphinx pose in yoga
• Her 50-pages-a-day goal and how reducing social media created the space for it
• The 4:30 family reading ritual with her boys (and her 3-year-old's picture books 🥹)
• Her oldest reading 100 books at school this year
• Instagram break starting May 20th- staying connected via newsletter & podcast
• Sneak peek: Ayurvedic Book Club at Green Lotus — in October

Stay Connected:

• 📬 Subscribe to the newsletter
• 🎙️ Follow the Peaceful Power Podcast
• 🌿 Watch for Ayurvedic Book Club details coming soon!

Episode Description

If you've been feeling edgy, overheated, or like you just can't slow down this episode is your sign. Pitta season is here, and the practice that carried you through winter may be the very thing throwing you off balance now.

In this episode, we're diving into the Ayurvedic wisdom of Pitta season: what it is, how summer changes your body and your yoga practice, and exactly what to do right now to stay cool, grounded, and powerfully at ease. This is your guide to seasonal strength the peaceful way.

In This Episode You'll Learn

• What Pitta season is and why it matters for your body and mind
• The signs of Pitta imbalance (on and off the mat) you might be ignoring
• Why seasonal strength in summer means cooling down, not pushing harder
• How to shift your yoga practice for summer poses, pacing, and breath
• Two cooling pranayama practices to try today: Sitali & Chandra Bhedana
• The Ayurvedic foods that pacify fire (and what to dial back)
• How the Niyama of Santosha (contentment) is your greatest summer practice

Key Concepts Mentioned

• Pitta Dosha — the Ayurvedic mind-body type governed by fire and water
• Pitta Season — late spring through summer; a time of heat, intensity & transformation
• Chandra Namaskar — Moon Salutations; a cooling alternative to Sun Salutations
• Sitali Pranayama — cooling breath practice; inhale through a curled tongue
• Chandra Bhedana — left nostril breathing; calming and cooling for the nervous system
• Santosha — the Niyama of contentment; the spiritual antidote to Pitta overdrive
• Viparita Karani — Legs Up the Wall pose; deeply restorative and cooling

Cooling Poses Mentioned

• Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Fold)
• Supine Twist
• Viparita Karani (Legs Up the Wall)
• Chandra Namaskar (Moon Salutation sequence)

Pitta-Pacifying Foods to Explore

Favor: cucumber, coconut, mint, cilantro, fennel, fresh fruits, leafy greens, ghee Reduce: spicy foods, fermented foods, excess salt, alcohol, caffeine

Reflection Questions for Your Journal

1. Where in my life am I running too hot right now physically, emotionally, or mentally?
2. What would it look and feel like to bring more cooling into my daily routine?
3. Where can I practice Santosha contentment this week?

Connect & Continue the Conversation

• Follow the Peaceful Power Podcast: @seasonalandrea
• Website & offerings: www.andreaclaassen.com
• Email the show: [email protected]
• Leave a review: Spotify link

Loved this episode? Share it with someone who might be running a little hot this summer. 🌿

Resources & Further Reading

• Yoga by Indu Arora
• The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali — for a deeper dive into the Niyamas (my favorite translation)
• Seasonal Strength

Peaceful Power Podcast is produced with love and released weekly. If this show has supported your practice, please subscribe and leave a review it helps more people find their way here.

© Peaceful Power Podcast | www.andreaclaassen.com

In this episode, we sit down with Annie Au- trauma-informed somatic Yin yoga educator, nervous system guide, and creator of the 50-Hour Trauma-Informed Somatic Yin Yoga Online Teacher Training. Annie shares her deeply personal journey from panic attacks and a decade of professional dance, to heartbreak and burnout, and how the sacred sound of Om led her to a practice that would change everything. We explore how somatic Yin yoga can support trauma healing and nervous system regulation, what it truly means to hold safe space for others, and why so many of us feel like strangers in our own bodies. Whether you're a yoga teacher, therapist, coach, or simply someone on a healing journey, this conversation will leave you feeling seen, inspired, and reconnected to yourself. Connect with Annie Au:

• 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annie_au_yoga/
• ▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@YinYogaWithAnnie/
• 🎁 Free 2-Day Mini Training: https://annieauyoga.com/2-day-mini-training/
• 🌐 Website: [email protected]
• 📚 50-Hour Trauma-Informed Somatic Yin Yoga Online Teacher Training- find the link at her website or in her Instagram bio!

Where to connect with Andrea

• Website: https://andreaclaassen.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/seasonalandrea
• 5 Day Stillness Challenge https://andreaclaassen.com/sacred-stillness-challenge
• Seasonal Strength https://andreaclaassen.com/seasonal-strength

Andrea Claassen Bio Andrea Claassen is an Ayurvedic Wellness Counselor, RYT 500 hour yoga teacher, and personal trainer who has been in the wellness space since 2007. She specializes in helping women both on and off their yoga mats, find their inner strength. Her mission is to help women learn how to slow down, tune in and connect to their inner wisdom. The three pillars she focuses on are movement, mindfulness & mother nature through an Ayurvedic lens. You can hear more from Andrea on her Peaceful Power Podcast where she aims to deliver actionable takeaways for you to live a more holistic lifestyle. Connect with Andrea on her website at www.andreaclaassen.com

If you've ever cycled through meditation apps, techniques, and challenges without feeling like anything is actually sticking, this episode is for you. We're talking about what it really means to go deep in your practice, and why your nervous system craves repetition and return far more than variety. You'll learn why boredom in meditation is usually a sign you're right at the edge of a breakthrough, not a signal to switch things up. By the end, you'll have a simple framework for choosing one anchor practice and a reason to actually stay with it. This one might change the way you think about your entire relationship to practice.

A shout-out to what would have been my grandmothers 100th birthday today, she died 6 months shy of her big day.

Where to connect with Andrea

• Website: https://andreaclaassen.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/seasonalandrea
• 5 Day Stillness Challenge https://andreaclaassen.com/sacred-stillness-challenge
• Seasonal Strength https://andreaclaassen.com/seasonal-strength

Andrea Claassen Bio Andrea Claassen is an Ayurvedic Wellness Counselor, RYT 500 hour yoga teacher, and personal trainer who has been in the wellness space since 2007. She specializes in helping women both on and off their yoga mats, find their inner strength. Her mission is to help women learn how to slow down, tune in and connect to their inner wisdom. The three pillars she focuses on are movement, mindfulness & mother nature through an Ayurvedic lens. You can hear more from Andrea on her Peaceful Power Podcast where she aims to deliver actionable takeaways for you to live a more holistic lifestyle. Connect with Andrea on her website at www.andreaclaassen.com

I'm delighted to share a fellow local Minneapolis teacher and someone I respect deeply, Pam Grosman. I took a mini training with Pam all about Acu Meridi-Yin Yoga training and fell in love with this practice. I look forward to taking her next full weekend training coming October 16-18th, 2026 at her studio in Two Rivers in Inver Grove Heights, MN. About Pamela Grosam: Pamela is an intuitive healer, yoga teacher, and sound practitioner with nearly 30 years of experience in the healing arts. With a foundation in Shiatsu, acupressure, and traditional Chinese medicine, she created Acu Meridi-Yin Yoga — a unique fusion of Yin Yoga and meridian-based healing designed to support deep restoration and energetic balance. 🌐 tworiversflow.com 📸 Instagram: @pamela_grosam Where to connect with Andrea

• Website: https://andreaclaassen.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/seasonalandrea
• 5 Day Stillness Challenge https://andreaclaassen.com/sacred-stillness-challenge
• Seasonal Strength https://andreaclaassen.com/seasonal-strength

Andrea Claassen Bio Andrea Claassen is an Ayurvedic Wellness Counselor, RYT 500 hour yoga teacher, and personal trainer who has been in the wellness space since 2007. She specializes in helping women both on and off their yoga mats, find their inner strength. Her mission is to help women learn how to slow down, tune in and connect to their inner wisdom.

The last few weeks I've taught a one day retreat and an Ayurvedic spring workshop. The theme I really tried to nail down for both groups. Gunas or qualities of the season. Noticing what is happening outside the body is happening within. If you understand the gunas it makes Ayurveda much easier to understand why we make the decisions to avoid salads in the winter, avoid overly heavy foods in the spring, or have hot tea in the summer months.

Today I break down the gunas of the spring season.

Where to connect with Andrea

• Website: https://andreaclaassen.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/seasonalandrea
• 5 Day Stillness Challenge https://andreaclaassen.com/sacred-stillness-challenge
• Seasonal Strength https://andreaclaassen.com/seasonal-strength

Andrea Claassen Bio Andrea Claassen is an Ayurvedic Wellness Counselor, RYT 500 hour yoga teacher, and personal trainer who has been in the wellness space since 2007. Her mission is to help women learn how to slow down, tune in and connect to their inner wisdom. The three pillars she focuses on are movement, mindfulness & mother nature through an Ayurvedic lens. You can hear more from Andrea on her Peaceful Power Podcast where she aims to deliver actionable takeaways for you to live a more holistic lifestyle. Connect with Andrea on her website at www.andreaclaassen.com

In this episode, we challenge the popular notion that more weight equals more progress. With nearly two decades of coaching experience, I explore why "lifting heavy every workout" can leave you stiff, sore, and spread thin across the activities you love, things like tennis, yoga, and daily life. I'm sharing a practical, seasonally aware approach to strength that combines science with lived experience, emphasizing blocks, smart loading, and purposeful tapering. If you're tired of burnout and want strength that supports your lifestyle, this episode is for you. And for listeners ready to try it, Seasonal Strength offers a season-tailored 12-week program, with the first week free and a total price of $147.

Seasonal Strength

Get your free week here

Where to connect with Andrea

• Website: https://andreaclaassen.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/seasonalandrea
• 5 Day Stillness Challenge https://andreaclaassen.com/sacred-stillness-challenge

Andrea Claassen Bio Andrea Claassen is an Ayurvedic Wellness Counselor, RYT 500 hour yoga teacher, and personal trainer who has been in the wellness space since 2007. She specializes in perimenopause. Her mission is to help women learn how to slow down, tune in and connect to their inner wisdom. The three pillars she focuses on are movement, mindfulness & mother nature through an Ayurvedic lens. You can hear more from Andrea on her Peaceful Power Podcast where she aims to deliver actionable takeaways for you to live a more holistic lifestyle. Connect with Andrea on her website at www.andreaclaassen.com

Have you been told your iron is low and handed a supplement? Before you reach for that pill, this episode might just change everything you thought you knew about iron and your body.

Today on the Peaceful Power Podcast, I'm sitting down with Samantha Chandler — also known as Wellness & Womb — a Women's Wellness Coach who is flipping the script on iron and women's health. Samantha coaches women, health providers, and even doctors on iron's movement, and the results she sees with her clients are nothing short of transformative.

Here's what might surprise you — low iron in the blood doesn't mean iron is low in your body. And the supplements, prenatals, multivitamins, iron infusions, and fortified foods we've been told to rely on? They may actually be getting in the way of your body's natural wisdom.

We also dive deep into something so many of us have been conditioned to believe — that our menstrual cycles are burdens. Samantha flips that narrative completely and shares why our cycles are actually one of our greatest gifts and a key piece of the iron puzzle.

About Samantha Chandler

Samantha Chandler, known as Wellness & Womb, is a Women's Wellness Coach specializing in iron's movement. She has worked with 100+ women and also coaches health providers and doctors to help get to the root of the issues women are experiencing in their health. Her approach does not involve iron supplements or iron infusions — and the results speak for themselves.

Connect With Samantha:

• Instagram: @wellnesswomb_
• Website: https://wellnessandwomb.com/

Where to connect with Andrea Website: https://andreaclaassen.com/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/seasonalandrea 5 Day Stillness Challenge https://andreaclaassen.com/sacred-stillness-challenge Andrea Claassen Bio Andrea Claassen is an Ayurvedic Wellness Counselor, RYT 500 hour yoga teacher, and personal trainer who has been in the wellness space since 2007. She specializes in perimenopause. Her mission is to help women learn how to slow down, tune in and connect to their inner wisdom. The three pillars she focuses on are movement, mindfulness & mother nature through an Ayurvedic lens. You can hear more from Andrea on her Peaceful Power Podcast where she aims to deliver actionable takeaways for you to live a more holistic lifestyle. Connect with Andrea on her website at www.andreaclaassen.com