#PracticeWithClara Podcast

Welcome to the #PracticeWithClara Podcast where Clara and Stephanie discuss philosophy, yoga, and all things related to the practice. In this episode, we interview writer, yoga teacher, and founder of Girlvana Retreats, Alex Mazerolle, to talk about how we create and contribute to the community.

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More about our guest:

Ally Mazerolle Website: https://www.alexmazerolle.com/

Girlvana Yoga Website: https://www.alexmazerolle.com/girlvana

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More on this episode:

Ally Maz and Girlvana Yoga

Introducing our guest, Ally Maz, and her project, Girlvana Yoga. Ally is a yoga teacher, author, and entrepreneur; Girlvana is her project that provides yoga and retreats for teenage girls.

7:57

Getting to Know Ally Maz

Ally shares a few personal insights to help listeners get a feel for who she is, including her all-time favorite book, and the items she never leaves the house without.

12:00

What's Your Superpower?

Ally and Clara share their superpowers and what it is they offer their community.

15:45

Healing to Create Space for Community

Ally and Clara share their stories in how they've healed through hardship and what they learned through and with the communities they relied on.

26:00

Being with Community: Learning through Others

Ally and Clara share what they've learned through community and with others, that they may not have discovered had they been on their own.

31:06

Key Qualities of Being with Others

Ally and Clara share how they hold space for others and create the container for the community to flourish and people to feel safe as they enter.

41:11

How to Manage Overshares

Ally and Clara share how they manage overshares that occurs in practice, workshop, or retreats, with themselves if they overstep a boundary, or with others who are oversharing and making others uncomfortable.

48:00

The Four Agreements

Clara shares the four agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz and how she uses them in all teacher training (plus a fifth agreement she's added to the list) to create a safe space for all participants.

50:00

Active Listening and How we Receive

Ally and Clara share what makes a great listener, and the difference in how adults and youth learn, listen and engage.

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Join the conversation in our community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/PracticeWithClaraCommunity/

Watch the full episode: https://practice.clararobertsoss.com/programs/ally-mazerolle-girlvana-yoga-community

Visit Clara Roberts Oss website: http://clararobertsoss.com/podcasts/

Music by Pete Wonder: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2VrPlfk05gv9KwCCM5She5

Welcome to the #PracticeWithClara Podcast where Clara and Stephanie discuss philosophy, yoga, and all things related to the practice. In this episode, we interviewed Doula and TCM Therapist, Irene Sanchez, to talk about how we receive, shift, and play with energy.

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More about our guest:

More on this episode:

1:19

Introducing Irene Sanchez

Irene joined us today for a discussion on energy; here's more about Irene in terms of her experience, education, and healing practices.

10:12

Staying Open to the Energetic Realm

Clara and Irene share their experience working with energy, including what it is, how it feels, and how to direct and manage the energy that we receive from others and our environment.

22:04

How the Vayus  and Acupuncture Address Energy

Clara describes the vayus of Indian philosophy, and how they relate to energy, and Irene goes into how acupuncture affects the energy body and what channels are stimulated.

28:05

Preparing to Receive Energy

Clara and Irene share how they take care of themselves—including the mindfulness practices they use—to effectively receive and reciprocate to the energy they receive when they're working with students, and out in the world.

40:07

Visualization Practices to Work with Subtle Energy

Clara and Irene share the visualization practices that they use with students and clients to engage the energy body, including why they choose visualization practices in the effect on the body and mind.

50:04

The AdiShakti Method

AdiShakti is Irene's combination of practices, it bridges Western Medicine with Eastern practices and TCM, with body-mind therapy.

54:52

Who Are Your Teachers?

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Join the conversation in our community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/PracticeWithClaraCommunity/

Watch the full episode: https://practice.clararobertsoss.com/programs/irene-sanchez-expressing-energy-and-emotions

Visit Clara Roberts Oss website: https://www.clararobertsoss.com/practice-with-clara-podcasts/

Music by Pete Wonder: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2VrPlfk05gv9KwCCM5She5

Welcome to the #PracticeWithClara Podcast where Clara and Stephanie discuss philosophy, yoga, and all things related to the practice. In this episode, we interview writer, yoga teacher, and founder of Girlvana Retreats, Alex Mazerolle, to talk about how we come into and contribute to the community.

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More about our guest:

More on this episode: 

Ally Maz and Girlvana Yoga

Introducing our guest, Ally Maz, and her project, Girlvana Yoga. Ally is a yoga teacher, author, and entrepreneur; Girlvana is her project that provides yoga and retreats for teenage girls.

7:57

Getting to Know Ally Maz

Ally shares a few personal insights to help listeners get a feel for who she is, including her all-time favorite book, and the items she never leaves the house without.

12:00

What's Your Superpower?

Ally and Clara share their superpowers and what it is they offer their community.

15:45

Healing to Create Space for Community

Ally and Clara share their stories in how they've healed through hardship and what they learned through and with the communities they relied on.

26:00

Being with Community: Learning through Others

Ally and Clara share what they've learned through community and with others, that they may not have discovered had they been on their own.

31:06

Key Qualities of Being with Others

Ally and Clara share how they hold space for others and create the container for the community to flourish and people to feel safe as they enter.

41:11

How to Manage Overshares

Ally and Clara share how they manage overshares that occurs in practice, workshop, or retreats, with themselves if they overstep a boundary, or with others who are oversharing and making others uncomfortable.

48:00

The Four Agreements

Clara shares the four agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz and how she uses them in all teacher training (plus a fifth agreement she's added to the list) to create a safe space for all participants.

50:00

Active Listening and How we Receive

Ally and Clara share what makes a great listener, and the difference in how adults and youth learn, listen and engage.

***

Join the conversation in our community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/PracticeWithClaraCommunity/

Watch the full episode:

Visit Clara Roberts Oss Website:

Music by Pete Wonder: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2VrPlfk05gv9KwCCM5She5

Welcome to the #PracticeWithClara Podcast where Clara and Stephanie discuss philosophy, yoga, and all things related to the practice. In this episode, we interviewed Reiki Master, Alexis Anderson, to talk about the beauty of setting boundaries.

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More about our guest, Alexis Anderson: https://www.reikiwithlex.com/

Follow Alexis on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reikiwithlex/

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Here's more on this episode:

0:45

Introducing Alexis Anderson

Meet Alexis Anderson of Reiki with Lex in how she hopes to inspire and work with others and the experience that shaped who she is today.

4:44

A Definition of Boundaries

Clara and Alexis share their definition of boundaries and how boundaries are presented in their lives through an understanding of codependency and saying no without feeling guilty or ashamed.

8:27

Energy Vampires: Lessons in Setting Boundaries

Clara and Alexis share what they've learned through setting boundaries, confronting energy vampires, and what shifted as a result.

19:30

We're all Bozos on the Bus: Teaching Teachers

How to create space and set boundaries when hosting teacher training, workshops, and other professional events, where the attendees have an elevated knowledge of the material and may ask questions or challenge the ego.

30:42

Students Who Show Up: Passing on the Knowledge

Clara and Alexis share what soft skills and implicit learnings they hope to give students who show up for teacher training, inclusive of friendships that may last a lifetime!

37:35

Holy Fire Reiki: Alexis's Practice and Teaching

Alexis shares what Holy Fire Reiki is, where it comes from, and how the community has transformed and shifted given the current landscape of moving clients and teacher training online.

44:26

Observing Stuck or Blocked Energy: What To Do?

Clara and Alexis share how they respond to energy blockages that they discover in the students and clients who show up, and tactics that have served them to ground and connect to themselves in the midst of the chaos.

51:43

Boundaries to Attain Clarity and Groundedness

The types of boundaries Clara and Alexis set for themselves so they can enter spaces and teach others with a sense of clarity, groundedness, and control over their reactions.

59:59

Focus on Yourself

Clara and Alexis share what they're currently focusing on, as this is the ultimate practice of setting boundaries; focusing on yourself.

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Watch the full episode: https://practice.clararobertsoss.com/programs/alexis-anderson-setting-boundaries

Clara's Website: https://www.clararobertsoss.com/podcast/alexis-anderson-the-beauty-of-setting-boundaries

Join the conversation in our community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/PracticeWithClaraCommunity/

Welcome to the #PracticeWithClara Podcast where Clara and Stephanie discuss philosophy, yoga, and all things related to the practice. In this episode, we interview yoga teacher and holistic nutritionist, Susanne Mueller, on how to rediscover the body's wisdom.

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More about our guest, Susanne Mueller

Website: https://www.undrgrndyoga.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/undrgrnd.yoga/

Music featured in the podcast by Pete Wonder

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2VrPlfk05gv9KwCCM5She5

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Highlights from this episode:

1:10

Introducing Susanne Mueller of Undrgrnd Yoga

Meet our guest, Susanne Mueller; holistic nutritionist and yoga teacher, living in North Vancouver, BC, who uses food, movement, and psychology to reconnect to the body's innate wisdom.

6:55

The Relationship Between Our Body and Emotions

Connecting how we feel to what we eat; how to identify why we're eating what we choose to eat, be it emotional, physical, or mental, and how to shift our patterns and relationship to food.

11:34

Examining All the Ways We Feed Ourselves

When we tune-in to our bodies and how we feel, we can start seeing all the ways we can care for ourselves and our bodies. Food is just one way we nourish ourselves and usually becomes an emotional crutch to fill a void where we don't feel properly cared for.

15:15

Food Psychology: Examining Diet and Disease

How the current perspective of how we relate to food doesn't serve in creating a paradigm for wellness, and what Susanne offers clients who join her program.

18:53

Healing Through How We Feel

If we make decisions based on how we feel, the body will innately heal and come back to a harmonious state; sometimes the mind is what gets in the way. How to come back to how we feel, and ask, how do I want to feel in what I eat and how I treat my body?

22:50

The Koshas of Vedic Philosophy

Clara explains the five koshas that represent the five bodies or layers, of each individual which are the physical body, the energy body, the intellectual body, the intuitive body, and the bliss body.

27:50

Lessons From the Body: Are You Listening?

Clara and Susanne share their stories of when they've neglected the messages sent by their bodies, and what occurs when they don't listen to how they feel.

31:40

Body Awareness and Wisdom: What We Hope to Teach

Clara and Susanne share what they hope to impart on their daughters in terms of body awareness and accepting the emotions as they arise.

36:02

Appearance Versus Sensation

A discussion around how mirrors and visuals provide a distraction and take us out of the experience; the divide in how we feel versus what we see.

40:35

Yummy Treatments for the Body

Clara and Susanne share some of the ways they're treating their body, including abhyanga, dancing, and deep breath.

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Join the conversation on Facebook in the Practice with Clara Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/PracticeWithClaraCommunity

Watch the full episode: https://practice.clararobertsoss.com/programs/rediscover-the-wisdom-of-the-body-susanne-mueller

Clara's Website: https://www.clararobertsoss.com/podcast/rediscover-the-wisdom-of-the-body-interview-with-susanne-mueller/

Welcome to the #PracticeWithClara Podcast where Clara and Stephanie discuss philosophy, yoga, and all things related to the practice. In this episode, we interview fellow yogi and Kundalini teacher, Sara Jade or SJ, to talk about all the ways we celebrate the cycles, create sacred space and ceremony, and let go with grace.

Sara Jade is a Kundalini Yoga teacher from Vancouver, BC, and co-founder of The Dharma Temple. "My life is a Spiritual practice. My breath, body, emotions,  and environment create my sacred space." - Sara Jade. 

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3:07

We ask our guest  3 questions to help listeners get to know SJ; how do you fill your physical/spiritual garden, what's a problem you're currently sitting with, and how do you prefer to celebrate?

6:10

Embracing the Cycles

SJ discusses her latest online offering, the Autumn Equinox Inner Harmony Workshop, which explores honoring the cycles of the seasons and embracing the elements.

9:14 Simple Practices to Honour Autumn

SJ shares a few of her current practices as we shift into fall, including a recommendation to slow down and breath-balancing pranayama.

10:45

Stepping into Ceremony with Self

SJ shares how to create a ceremony of self by making time to acknowledge any growth or change that's occurred, and how self-reflection serves as a tool to align with where you want to be.

13:50

Living with Reverence for Life

How we express reverence in our day-to-day lives, with an emphasis on simplicity, living with intention, and appreciating the cycles of life and death; joy and grief.

17:23

How the Hindu Deities Express the Cycles of Life

Clara shares how and which deities of the Hindu Pantheon, the Tridevi and Trimurti, express the cycles of life: creation, preservation, and destruction, and how this cycle affects the practice.

28:29

Tea Ceremony and Tea as the Teacher

SJ shares her current practice of sitting with tea and tea ceremony, specifically, how tea is the teacher in how to slow down and be more receptive.

35:13

How Pranayama Influences Our Mood

Clara shares some of the pranayama she's been doing to calm and create space, and the pranayama she does with Karmen to bond and play.

38:12

A Definition for Sacred Space and Ceremony

SJ and Clara share their definition for sacred space and how they step into ceremony, with a brief guide for listeners on how to create markers for sacred moments through ritual to transcend the mundane.

44:44

Letting Go with Grace

A conversation around how we let go and when we know it's time to let go, specifically, in how SJ let go of the Dharma Temple this year, and how to do so with a sense of surrender to trust the process.

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Watch the full episode:

Clara's Website: https://www.clararobertsoss.com/podcast/celebrating-the-cycles-interview-with-sara-jade/

Welcome to the #PracticeWithClara Podcast where Clara and Stephanie discuss philosophy, yoga, and all things related to the practice. In this episode, we interviewed fellow yogi and meditation teacher, Carolyn Anne Budgell, to talk about the practice of self-inquiry. Clara and Carolyn share the questions they’re currently sitting with, how self-reflection impacts the mind and nervous system, and what kind of questions they pose for students. 

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More about our guest, Carolyn Anne Budgell 

Visit Carolyn's website: https://www.carolynannebudgell.com/  

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Here's more about this episode:

1:10

Introducing Carolyn Anne Budgell

Five questions that help listeners get to know our guest, plus, a brief history of Clara and Carolyn's relationship as friends and hosting yoga retreats, workshops, and teacher training, together for the past decade.

9:15

The Business of Yoga: Clara and Carolyn's Relationship

The history of Clara and Carolyn's teaching relationship; how they work together, their communication process, and what students receive when they attend one of the experiences, specifically around the process of self-inquiry.

17:38

The Process for Self-Inquiry

Clara and Carolyn talk about their process of self-inquiry, what questions they're asking themselves, how they're dealing with fear, and what they're arriving and sitting with in their practice.

25:45

How Internal Work Affects  Communities

Clara and Carolyn share how their internal work influences their communities in what they share and bring to the practice, specifically, in what they offer to students and the questions they ask.

32:23

Why Meditation? Why Mantra? Why Sanskrit?

Inquiring into the why of what we teach; Clara and Carolyn go into why they gravitated toward and offer students mantra and meditation, and discuss the inclusion of Sanskrit—specifically, saying Namaste at the end of class—in whether or not it serves.

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Join the conversation in our community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/PracticeWithClaraCommunity

Watch the full episode: https://practice.clararobertsoss.com/programs/meditation-mantra-interview-carolyn-budgell

Clara's Website: https://www.clararobertsoss.com/podcast/a-practice-for-self-inquiry-interview-with-carolyn-anne-budgell/

Welcome to the #PracticeWithClara Podcast where Clara and Stephanie discuss philosophy, yoga, and all things related to the practice. In this episode, we interviewed fellow yogi and anatomy teacher, Erin Moon, to talk about the practices and tools to assist in deregulation and the role of the parasympathetic nervous system in managing stress.

Resources Mentioned

The Body Keeps the Score by Dr. Bessel Van der Kolk and Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers by Dr. Sapolsky.

Five Questions: Introducing Erin Moon

We ask guests five questions to help us and our listeners get to know them and some of the more subtle aspects of their lives.

5:20

Aligning with the Chakras

Clara, Erin, and Stephanie share which chakra they feel most connected to and why that specific part on the body resonates most.

8:00

Stressors of Online Environments

Erin and Clara share their experience leading yoga teacher training online with stressors that arose, how they handled issues, and how to trust in the process of the experience.

17:28

Anatomy of Sensory Experience

How we're affected in the shift to online spaces to learn and engage with others, in terms of our anatomy, somatic experience, and how we take in and process information via the body.

22:55

Downregulation: Restorative Poses and Practices

Clara shares some of the yoga poses and practices to downregulate and create a state of calm in the body and mind.

26:40

Applying the Polyvagal Brake

The role of the vagus nerve in stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system, otherwise known as rest and digest, to create a sense of calm.

31:20

How to Strengthen the Vagus Tone

Strengthening the vagal tone allows the person to enter a state of downregulation more efficiently; we do this through pranayama in yoga in ways that are excitatory or grounding.

34:47

Vinyasa Yoga and Responding To Stress

How vinyasa yoga teaches the practitioner to react to events as they arise and practice coming back to neutral; this process strengthens our choice-making capabilities while being highly stimulated.

39:11

The Belly and Brain Relationship

Polyvagal theory shows a direct link between the brain and the digestive system proving that it really does matter what we put into our bodies and our environment.

43:04

The Body Keeps The Score

A book by Bessel van der Kolk, on how your mind's job is to take care of the body, and your body's job is to tell the mind how it's doing.

46:35

Practices to Alleviate Stress

Clara and Erin's practices—including mudra, mantra, and pranayama— to alleviate the stress that they use themselves and provide students.

56:23

All the Ways We Cheer Ourselves Up

Small things we do for ourselves or people we reach out to, to give ourselves a positive boost and endorphin rush to brighten the day.

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Website: https://practice.clararobertsoss.com/programs/anxiety-and-stress-interview-erin-moon

Welcome to the #PracticeWithClara Podcast where Clara and Stephanie discuss philosophy, yoga, and all things related to the practice. In this episode, we discussed the benefits and reasons for practicing in the morning,  the four pillars of Indian philosophy, and insights from practicing online versus in shared physical space. 

Here's more on what we talk about in this episode:

1:03

Why Practice in the Morning

Cultivating a morning practice with Surya Namaskars to connect to the spirit of the sun, the potential of the day, and the light we carry within.

5:08

Poses & Pranayama to Do in the Morning

The poses and pranayama to include in a morning practice with insight into Clara's morning yoga intensives and what she provides students.

10:30

Breakdown of Clara's Morning Intensive

What's involved in one of Clara's morning intensive practices; a well-rounded practice anchored with a text and questions to explore yogic philosophy.

14:55

The Four Aspects of Life of Indian Philosophy

Understanding the four pillars of Indian Philosophy; Kama (pleasure), Artha (money), Moksha (spiritual liberation), and Dharma (contribute to the community), and how they relate to the practice.

18:24

Yoga Teacher Training, Online vs. Offline

Clara and Stephanie share their experience of being in YTT on Zoom versus in-person and the pros and cons of being online versus offline.

25:18

Activities to Include if You're Leading a Training Online

Insights and tips on the types of activities to include in your online YTT or workshops to engage with students and keep people inspired and connected to the material.

27:47

The Repercussions of Online Learning

What happens when we spend too much time in front of the screen, including Zoom fatigue and anxiety, and how to be more mindful of how we spend our time.

33:22

Key Learnings from Online YTT

Clara shares her key learnings from leading a 300-hour YTT on Zoom, including how to appreciate moments of silence, technical tips, and using breakout rooms.

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Watch the full episode: https://practice.clararobertsoss.com/programs/morning-series-yoga

Visit Clara's Website: https://www.clararobertsoss.com/podcast/morning-series/

Welcome to the #PracticeWithClara Podcast where Clara and Stephanie discuss philosophy, yoga, and all things related to the practice.

In this episode, we went into the travel series and discussed our travel hacks, with the top 5 things we always carry with us, the poses to do after a long day of travel, and the benefit of travel in shifting perspective.

Here's more on what we talk about in this episode:

0:52 - Travel and Perspective

Adapting to our current landscape/lack of travel, and how we might shake up our routine.

4:00 - Shifting the Assemblage Point

10:45 - Top 5 Travel Hacks

16:19 - Poses Post Travel

20:06 - Travel Plans: Routine or Ride the Wave?

You can watch the full version on the #PracticeWithClara App (TV, Mobile, Tablet) Download on your favourite App Store:

https://practice.clararobertsoss.com/programs/travel-series-hacks-yoga-poses-and-perspective

Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify or wherever you like to listen :)

Clara's Website: https://www.clararobertsoss.com/podcast/travel-series/

Join the conversation on our facebook group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/practicewithclaracommunity

#philosophy #yogatalk #yogapodcast #travel #yogaposes