The Art of Listening

What happens when a yoga practice starts to change the way you see yourself and your life?

In this conversation, I sit down in with Rowena Johnson, an incredible Jivamukti yoga teacher and mentor. We dive into her her journey from advertising to practicing and teaching yoga, and how following her curiosity gradually led her in a different direction.

We further explore yoga philosophy, how familiar teachings reveal new layers over time, and what it means to bring yoga into our lives today. We also talk about connection, and how changing our relationship with ourselves can change how we relate to others and the world around us.

Overall, Rowena shares why she sees yoga as something that goes far beyond what happens on the mat. It's an ongoing practice of paying attention, questioning, and discovering what it means to live with greater awareness.

It was gift to sit down with Rowena and I hope this conversation inspires you!

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CONNECT WITH ROWENA

https://www.thedharmatribe.com

Instagram: @thedharmatribe

I am very excited to welcome Amanda Norgaard back to The Art of Listening. She was my very first guest on the podcast, and this time we dive into poetry, writing and the creative process.

Amanda is the founder of ILLUMINATION and the Mother of the Muses, a poet, writer and Kundalini Yoga teacher.

We talk about what it means to feel deeply and to pay attention to life, and how the things we move through can become creative fuel. Amanda shares about writing through grief, love, movement and change, where her words come from, and how walking, music, Kundalini Yoga and simply being present can open the door to inspiration.

We talk about the writers and books that have shaped her, creative blocks and perfectionism, and the moment when writing becomes less about trying to create something “good” and more about surrendering to what wants to come through.

We also speak about the vulnerability of sharing your work, finding your own voice and letting go of the need for it to perform.

I loved Amanda's advice: write what you want to read!

May this conversation inspire and move you. I am always happy to read your takeaways <3

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The next season of THE MUSES starts on September 7th, it's a heart recommendation of mine.

Amanda's Substack: WHAT MOVED ME

A little taste of the Daily Return app.

I recorded this heart connection meditation for the app to get in touch with our heart and create the space to listen to it. Personally, listening to my heart is a daily meeting and intentionally bringing my awareness back into the heart.

On some days, the voice might be louder than on others. It’s about sitting with the changes and attuning ourselves to the whisper that is full of guidance.

Enjoy the practice, and if you like to journal afterwards, feel free.

And if you want to explore more practices like this, the Daily Return App is now live.

The app is your space to reconnect to yourself on a daily basis through yoga, meditation, reflection, poetry and little daily rituals. Over the years, I’ve created many different courses, taught many classes and collected practices that have supported me in coming back to myself. I wanted to bring all of my favorite tools into one space, together with live classes and new practices to explore.

If you have enjoyed this meditation, please pass it on to your community. Thank you for being here!

What if you're changing more than you realise?

Sometimes we can be so focused on where we want to go that we forget to pause and acknowledge how far we've already come.

In this solo episode, I share a reflection after returning to the same retreat I attended a year ago and how being back in the same place reminded me that the biggest transformations are often the quiet ones. We explore presence, patience, trusting the process, softening instead of constantly striving, and learning to witness every part of ourselves with a little more compassion.

I hope this conversation invites you to pause, celebrate the small shifts that are already happening within you, and trust that even when you can't see it, you're growing.

I am also excited to launch of The Daily Return App, which was born from these reflections and from my own desire to create a space to come back to myself each day. It's a personalised practice with yoga, meditation, breathwork, journaling, poetry, and an AI guide trained on my own writings and teachings.

To celebrate the launch, you can currently join with 20% off, and we'll also be meeting live each month for yoga, meditation, and Q&A. Just click here.

Thank you for being here.

Love,

Marina

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https://www.marinalukoschat.com

What happens when you leave behind the rhythm of a big city like Berlin and move to the Sacred Valley of Peru?

In this episode, I am excited sit down with an incredible Yoga teacher of mine who has inspired my path. Juan Sierra is a Jivamukti teacher and shares what his move to the sacred valley has taught him about yoga, nature, patience, family, and slowing down.

We talk about why nature is one of our greatest teachers, how yoga extends far beyond the physical practice, building community through being yourself and learning to trust that. Remembering that just like a tree or a plant, everything takes time.

One of my favourite reminders from this conversation:

"When you can bear your own silence, you are free." And "Nature is an example none of us can deny."

Juan shared three books at the end:

- The Life of Plants by Emanuele Coccia

- This: Prose and Poetry of Dancing Emptiness by H.W.L Poonja

- White Fire by Mooji

May this conversation inspires you! Thank you for being here.

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CONNECT WITH JUAN

Instagram: @juanji_sierra

www.wildchildyogaretreats.com

In this episode of The Art of Listening, I sit down with astrologer and somatic healer Ali Ofstedal for a conversation about astrology as a tool for self-understanding, healing, and personal evolution.

We explore Ali's journey into astrology and somatic work, how our birth chart can act as a soul blueprint, and why the North and South Nodes offer such incredible insights into our growth and life path.

We also speak about the connection between astrology and the nervous system, the importance of returning to the body, and how ancient practices can support us in times of rapid change.

Together we explore:

• Astrology as a roadmap back to your authentic self
• The wisdom of the North and South Nodes
• Soul purpose, karma, and personal growth
• Somatic healing and nervous system regulation
• Navigating change with greater trust and resilience
• The energetic themes of the summer months ahead
• Simple practices to stay grounded in an increasingly fast-paced world

I loved talking to Ali. I hope this episode inspires and reconnects you with the wisdom that already lives within you.

You can find Ali through her podcast Soul Archaeology, her Substack Along the Spiral, and on Instagram Aliofstedal.

A gentle 9-minute guided meditation to calm the nervous system and invite a moment to pause. Through left nostril breathing, awareness and a short period of silence, you will be guided into a more calm and grounded state.

May it serve you well!

With love,

Marina

P.S. Leave a love note below if you enjoyed this meditation.

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https://www.marinalukoschat.com/

I am excited to welcome Alixe Van Ogtrop to The Art of Listening Podcast. Last year, I took part in her Open Heart retreat, which was a very special experience for me. Alixe is a psychotherapist, space holder, retreat facilitator, mother, and overall an inspiring woman.

We talk about the voice of the heart, true desire, somatic healing, the untamed woman, and what it means to live from an open heart.

Alixe shares her own journey through PTSD, spirituality, motherhood, and the shift from living mostly in the spiritual realms to coming back into the body, the earth, and everyday life.

We speak about:
— the different voices inside of us
— learning to hear the voice of the heart
— somatic practices & nervous system healing
— manifestation & external validation
— the spiritual ego
— pleasure, presence & embodiment
— boundaries & uncomfortable conversations
— the untamed woman
— open-hearted living & devotion
— the upcoming Open Heart retreat this June

A conversation about becoming more true to yourself and learning to listen to what your heart already knows.

The Open Heart retreat is a heartfelt recommendation of mine.

June 25–29th in Tuscany, Italy.

If you feel the pull, you can find all details here.

Connect with Alixe:
Instagram: @alixevanogtrop
Podcast: Untamed One

In this episode, I sit down with Mona Esser Pennock, modern mystic, intuitive, and founder of Be-Shen.

Mona shares her personal journey, what brought her into the work she does today, and the key initiations along the way, from growing up between cultures to moving through the fashion world and into her spiritual path.

We speak about embodied sovereignty, allowing people to be held by their own body, and what it really means to know yourself. Mona shares how the body is the portal of truth and why the only way is inward.

We talk about slowing down, softening, devotion over discipline, and trusting your own rhythm, even when it feels uncomfortable. This is a conversation about feeling instead of thinking and staying connected to your essence.

An invitation to stop rushing, to listen inward, and to come home to yourself.

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Mona’s new KNOW THYSELF course is open now 🌹

More of mehr beautiful work: Be-Shen

Instagram: Be-Shen & Minettenvogue

If you have any questions feel free to comment or message one of us.

Thank you for being here! 

In this episode , I’m speaking with Eddie Stern, Yoga teacher, author, and researcher based in New York.

We spoke a few years ago, and I’m very grateful to have him back for this conversation.

Eddie shares his path, from a more spiritual beginning into years of physical practice, and then coming back to something more simple and internal.

We speak about yoga beyond the physical, the nervous system, and how this shapes the way we think and feel. And how calmness is not something we force, but something that comes when we begin to pay attention.

We also touch on simplicity, staying open, and listening to the signals from your body instead of holding on to things that don’t feel true anymore.

Towards the end, Eddie shares simple breathing practices that you can bring into your everyday life.

May this conversation inspire you.

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I am excited to have Eddie in Europe.

Here is an overview of this upcoming workshops and trainings.

The Breathing App

Eddie's book is called "One Simple Thing: A New Look at the Science of Yoga and How It Can Transform Your Life"

Thank you for listening and being here!