The Flow Artists Podcast by Garden of Yoga

In this episode, we speak with Jo Buick on the concept and practice of Trauma-Informed Yoga.

Jo Buick is a much loved and well-respected yoga teacher and the Co-Founder of State of Being, a Melbourne-based not-for-profit organisation that connects community organisations and groups with experienced yoga facilitators with the goal of making the tools of yoga, mindfulness and self-care practices available to and inclusive of everyone in our community.

Jo Buick is a teacher that Rane and Jo have both long admired and respected, so we were super excited to have the opportunity to record this conversation with her.

In this episode we hear:

* How Jo was introduced to yoga

* What is the definition of trauma-informed yoga?

* Why is trauma-informed yoga important?

* Are themes appropriate for a yoga class?

* How might be an appropriate and non-coercive way to introduce the theme of gratitude into a class?

* What is the effect of spinal health upon mental health?

* The importance of using language mindfully during a class

* How do we create safer spaces for teachers?

* Jo’s work teaching in the community sector

* Jo talks about the project she co-founded - State of Being

* Jo’s talks about her 3 main Self Care practices.

* How Jo became aware that her regime of self-care practices was actually enabling her to maintain an unhealthy workload, and her insights around the strength to say no to things.

* How walking away from something can take strength

* What can yoga teachers do to help prevent burn-out?

* How do we incorporate inclusivity and authenticity into our yoga classes and social media?

* How do we ensure studios follow through on the promises of trauma-informed, queer-friendly and body positivity?

Links:

Jo Buick - State of Being: https://www.stateofbeing.org.au/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jo.buick/

Picks of the Week

Jo - The Guilty feminist podcast - http://guiltyfeminist.com/

Rane - Coco - https://amzn.to/2rEN9Hh

Jo Buick - The Radiance Sutras - https://amzn.to/2IDRyoz

Jo's links

Spinal health and mental health

http://www.chiropractorsnsw.asn.au/why-is-a-healthy-spine-important

https://theconversation.com/mental-illness-more-common-in-those-with-back-problems-8538

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3123209/

Mirror neurons and empathy

https://kripalu.org/resources/hardwired-empathy-how-mirror-neurons-connect-us

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-mirror-neuron-revolut/

Vagus nerve and yoga

https://theconversation.com/how-yoga-makes-us-happy-according-to-science-77840

Trauma Centre Trauma Sensitive Yoga

http://www.traumacenter.org/clients/yoga_svcs.php

Yoga Body Image Coalition (Dianne Bondy)

http://ybicoalition.com/

In this episode, we (box) jump into the world of Crossfit!

Tom Gargiulo is the co-owner of Northside Fitness, a strength and conditioning/crossfit gym in Fairfield, Melbourne.

Crossfit has a bit of a reputation for being hard, competitive and perhaps intimidating. Tom takes the movements of Crossfit and creates a supportive environment where everyone feels welcome.

Tom doesn't fit the stereotype of what a Crossfitter might be (if there even is one) and he is an amazing athlete in his own right. He is an extremely down to earth guy, and I’ve bumped into him after a couple of yoga classes so I know he is a committed yogi.

Both Tom and his wife are vegans, which is relatively uncommon in the Crossfit community, so as you might be able to tell already, he is an interesting guy!

In this conversation, we learn all about Tom and his background as a competitive rower, including a stint at Twickenham rowing club, and we were both surprised to hear that he spent time working in the military!

We learn how he studied sports science as a mature student and realised that he had found his calling.

We hear about how Tom discovered Crossfit and what it is about Crossfit he loves so much.

Finally, we hear about Toms work in aged care - he even has a client who recently turned 100! So you can probably tell he is a compassionate guy who sets up a supportive and inclusive environment that really helps his clients feel good, stay safe and fit.

Links:

NthSide Fitness: https://www.nthside.fitness/

NthSide Fitness on Instagram: http://instagram.com/nthside.fitness

Picks of the Week

Tom: No time For Fear by Paul De Gelder - https://amzn.to/2r7keLP

Rane: Wild Wild Country on Netflix - https://www.netflix.com/au/title/80145240

Jo: Vegan Guide to Melbourne - http://veganguidemelbourne.com/

Kirrah Stewart is a doula, pregnancy masseuse, childbirth educator, placenta encapsulator and she also attends births and supports families during their postpartum.

Kirrah has been a doula for over 10 years and is based in the Rainbow region of Northern New South Wales. Kirrah was recently in Melbourne for a Doula conference, so we thought we would take the opportunity to learn more about what she does.

Pregnant women and their partners often find it difficult to sift through all the information out there but Kirrah helps them understand their options so they can feel more relaxed and positive in their pregnancy and really look forward to birth and becoming a parent.

In this conversation, we learn what lead to Kirrah becoming a doula, and what a doula does! We will learn some of what Kirrah does to assist in the childbirth of her clients, including a quick meditation that you can practice at home.

We also learn some of the things that Kirrah does to organise and run her own business, and how she uses social media to help offer her services.

Even if you aren’t expecting a child, there is a lot of valuable information in this episode on this very important part of life.

Links:

Kirrah's Website: www.doulawisdom.com

Doula Wisdom on Instagram: www.instagram.com/doulawisdom/

Pick of the week:

Jo: The Connected Yoga Teacher - A New Perspective on Diastasis Recti with Dr Sinead Dufour (Pelvic floor expert) hosted by Shannon Crow. - http://www.theconnectedyogateacher.com/

Rane - Andrew Huang on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdcemy56JtVTrsFIOoqvV8g

Kirrah - Chapter one Daniel Flynn - https://amzn.to/2H4BCYB

Conor O’Shea is a Personal Trainer, Nutrition coach, and Yoga teacher from Ireland, currently based in Melbourne, Australia.

Conor is also a certified GMB trainer - which is one aspect of his work which particularly interested us.

GMB is a training method that incorporates yoga, martial arts, physiotherapy, gymnastics and mindful movement. As we will hear in the podcast Rane has a personal interest in this methodology!

In this conversation, we learn how Conor discovered yoga, and how a trip to India changed his perspective on movement, physical exercise, meditation and life. We hear about his approach to nutrition and coaching, and how he cultivates positive habits in his clients, helping them build an awareness of where they might be at a particular point in time. This leads into his personal philosophy on living a happy and healthy life, and he shares some wisdom he learned on his life journey.

This is another fascinating episode, and we just love Conor and his laidback, realistic and holistic style of yoga, movement and nutrition.

Links:

Conor’s Website: http://conorosheafitness.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/feelgoodhacks/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/conorosheafit/

GMB:

https://gmb.io/

https://www.instagram.com/gmbfitness/

Pick of the Week:

Conor’s Focused Flexibility Workshop: https://www.facebook.com/events/424695947973464

GMB’s 2 Day Seminar Brisbane: https://www.facebook.com/events/411133415992783/

Rane: Women's AFL http://womens.afl

Finally join Jo and Rane for their Yoga for Digestive Ease workshop at Pinnacle Wellness in Upwey, Melbourne:

http://pinnaclewellness.com.au/

https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/classic/mainclass

Go to 8/04/2018 in mindbody online to book.

Theme song is Baby Robots by Ghostsoul, music is available at http://ghostsoul.bandcamp.com/ Check it out!

David Packman is a prominent Melbourne based Meditation guide and Mindset coach. As well as teaching, guiding and speaking around town regularly, he runs regular classes from his own studio The Fifth Direction in Albert Park, Melbourne. David is the current president of Meditation Australia, the national peak body that represents meditation and meditation teachers.

I became aware that David was holding a Meditations on Death workshop at A-space studio in Collingwood recently and as you will hear in this episode I have a personal interest in the topic, so I attended. It was a deeply moving experience, and I just knew I had to have David on the Podcast.

In this episode, we talk about David’s incredible life journey and we end up in a deep discussion on death, how we deny death as individuals and as a culture, and how incredibly unhealthy this is.

We talk about how he uses the Wim Hof method to help manage the symptoms of his cancer, and how he incorporates Heartmath and NLP into his work.

We also talk about David's role as President of Meditation Australia.

Finally, we discuss how we can make the most of every moment of this precious life.

Links

David Packman’s website http://thefifthdirection.com.au/

David on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidpackman/

Some of the books that David refers to:

Die Wise by Stephen Jenkinson http://amzn.to/2DAfjqP

Michael Barbato https://www.deathletterprojects.com/michael-barbato/

Timothy Leary - Design for Dying - http://amzn.to/2HJUxaH

Frank Ostaseski - The Five Invitations http://amzn.to/2HHZbWS

Pick of the Week:

David - Music and the mind - http://thefifthdirection.com.au/ (Under Events)

Jo - Hoop Away retreat - http://www.hoopsparx.com/hoopaway

Rane - Why Buddhism is True by Robert Wright - http://amzn.to/2GEgadn

Theme song is Baby Robots by Ghostsoul and is used with permission - https://ghostsoul.bandcamp.com/

Ashton Szabo is a yoga teacher, a self-described anatomy geek and host of the Anatomy of Living Podcast. Ashton is based in Encinitas California, so we were very lucky to have the opportunity to record a conversation with him online.

I’m a huge fan of Ashton's work as a podcaster and he is one of my inspirations for starting this podcast, so we are super excited to be able to share this episode with you!

In this conversation, we talk about Ashton’s story growing up, and how he found yoga through an interest in martial arts. We hear how he packed up his life in the US and moved to a small island in Thailand, and what his life was like there.

We learn how Ashton’s interest in thinkers like Joseph Campbell and Alan Watts, and the influence of teacher Douglas Brooks lead to him becoming the inspirational storyteller he is.

We also learn how Ashton uses his extensive knowledge of both eastern philosophy and anatomy in the classes he teaches. As well as that, there is plenty more good stuff in this interview.

Now normally we release our podcasts on a fortnightly schedule, but we were getting too far ahead with our interviews, so this week we have an extra special bonus episode!

We have entered the Australian Podcast Awards! Now we know it’s a longshot, as we are up against some pretty big competition, but if you could vote for us, that would be amazing - you can vote here: https://australianpodcastawards.submittable.com/gallery/2829f195-1021-4d7c-853f-f0ce775f4fa4/9573623/

Links:

Ashton - Hanuman: The Devotion and Power of the Monkey God by Vanamali, and Sri Krishna Das http://amzn.to/2DkrYOw

The Shiva Sutras translation by Swami Lakshmanjoo - http://amzn.to/2p7NQI6

Rane - One Simple Thing by Mitch Horowitz - http://amzn.to/2GlUXVD

Jo - Square Credit Card processing - https://squareup.com/

Janet Lowndes is a Melbourne based psychologist with over 25 years professional experience which includes psychological counselling, teaching, meditation training, and yoga therapy.

Her studies in yoga also go back 25 years - including time in the Swami Vivekananda Ashram in India. She is a registered senior teacher with Yoga Australia and is the director of the Australian Institute of Yoga Therapy.

In this conversation, we talk about her background in psychology, how yoga evolved her approach and understanding of the mind, and how she marries the two worlds together.

We also talk about her important work with eating disorders and body image and how to thoughtfully use language in our yoga classes to help shape a culture of self-love and acceptance. Finally, we discuss how the body focused aspect of yoga that is presented in social media could potentially be damaging.

This was an amazing conversation, and as usual I am honored to have been part of it!

Links:

Janet's website: https://www.mindbodywell.com.au/

Yoga Psychology Training: https://www.yogapsychology.com.au/

Picks of the week:

Janet: Connecting - Conscious Communication for Yoga Teachers and Therapists by Lucy Karnani and Jill Danks - http://www.yogacommunication.org/

Jo - Phillipa Stanton - https://www.instagram.com/5ftinf/

Kara-Leah Grant is probably one of New Zealand’s most well-known yoga teachers. As well as being a phenomenal teacher and guide, she is the creator and prolific contributor to New Zealand’s most popular yoga website, The Yoga Lunchbox. She is also the author of two books - 40 days of yoga, and The No-Excuses Guide to Yoga.

In this conversation, we talk about writing and her process. We discuss how yoga is a practice for waking up, and what that even means.

We talk about her process of delivering transformational retreat experiences, and how she takes care of herself during that time.

We also explore the subject of her upcoming book on Kundalini awakening.

We were really keen to talk to Kara-Leah about this, as we know several people personally who have gone through this intense, and sometimes shattering type of experience.

Links:

Kara Leah Grant's website - http://karaleah.com/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/karaleahgrant/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/karaleahgrant/

The Yoga Lunchbox - https://theyogalunchbox.co.nz/

The Yoga Lunchbox on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheYogaLunchbox/

The Hoop Away Retreat:

http://www.hoopsparx.com/hoopaway

Picks of the Week:

Rane - Sinepearl - https://sinepearl.bandcamp.com/

Jo - Peter McKinnon on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3DkFux8Iv-aYnTRWzwaiBA

Kara-Leah - Breaking the habit of Being Yourself by Joe Dispenza - http://amzn.to/2HnzRpE

This episode is a recorded conversation between myself, Jo Stewart, and Mark Pheely.

Mark Pheely is a Melbourne based yoga teacher who runs his own studio Westside Yoga, based in the western suburb of Seddon. He also runs retreats and teacher trainings.

When you attend one of Mark’s classes, you feel you are in safe knowledgeable hands, and yet given the freedom to fully inhabit your own body and practice. He manages to impart a lot with very few words.

Now, in this podcast we have heard many of our guests offer the advice “Teach what you know”, so why did we pick it for this episode’s title? The reason is that I feel that Mark genuinely embodies his teachings. As an example, when I was diagnosed with stomach cancer, Mark very generously provided me with 6 months of free yoga at the studio he was running in Northcote at the time. As you’ll hear in this episode, he is continually practicing self-inquiry and living his life according to the yogic principles he teaches in his classes.

In this conversation, we will hear about Mark’s background in exercise physiology, his time in the corporate world, and how a secret crush helped fuel his love of yoga.

We will also hear about Marks love of surfing, and its relationship with his yoga practice.

Finally, Mark shares advice for new yoga teachers, and people thinking of starting their own yoga studios!

This episode was recorded at West Side Yoga - there was a little bit of background noise, so I apologise for the slightly diminished sound quality.

It’s a great conversation with a man I deeply respect and admire, so lets get on with it!

Links -

West Side Yoga - http://westsideyoga.com.au/

West Side Yoga on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/westsideyogaschool/

Mark’s Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mark.pheely/

Picks of the Week

Rane - The Recognition Sutras - By Christopher Wallis - http://amzn.to/2E4OnR2

Jo - Eastern Body Western Mind - By Anodea Judith

http://amzn.to/2EHpJqX

Mark - Fasting the Mind By Jason Gregory

http://amzn.to/2EfLa4A

Louise Taube is a much loved and well respected Melbourne Pilates teacher, studio owner and teacher trainer. Her passion for pilates as a healing modality and the joy of movement is clear - in this episode she shares her experiences as a dancer who used Pilates to train and rehabilitate her own body and how she discovered her talent for teaching, and eventually training teachers.

Louise also tells us of some of her areas of speciality - Pilates for Active Ageing, Pre and Post Natal Pilates and her passion for translating Pilates movements into film and youtube videos. She has some great advice for movement teachers from all modalities - and listening to Louise will make you want to get up and move - her energy is infectious!

https://www.taubepilates.com/

https://www.facebook.com/taubepilates/

https://www.instagram.com/taubepilatestraining/

Louise's Youtube

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUk3ahKzaikGpJHl_YlTcJQ

Other Youtubers she likes

Wendy Huber

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXg8aBbHjN4f6McqP0f5t4g

Kirk Smith

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8kDl5htpGV5z549z_KJX9w

Louise's Pick of the week - the Butterfly Tree

https://www.facebook.com/ButterflyTreeFilm/

Jo's pick of the week - the oov

http://www.oov.com.au/

Rane's pick of the week - Cutting through Spiritual Materialism by Chogyam Trumpa

http://amzn.to/2n0HHfI