The Yoga Addiction

By Natalie Senger and Sandy Huen

Yoga is everywhere, and its diversity in practice has many people asking more specific questions about how this practice ‘works’. Join Natalie and Sandy as they explore the modern yoga practice as tea... more

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FAQs about The Yoga Addiction:

How many episodes does The Yoga Addiction have?

The podcast currently has 64 episodes available.

The Yoga Addiction episodes:

May 08, 2019 14: Lara Ederer - Cultivating a Sustainable Yoga Practice and Teaching Career
"Our students deserve to know there is yoga beyond the poses," says Seattle yoga teacher Lara Ederer. A firm believer in creating a long-lived yoga practice and teaching career, in this episode Lara discusses all the implications of cultivating sustainable yoga in the modern world. We dive deep into Lara's relationship with Instagram, her tips for teaching mixed-level and multi-generational classes and the importance of incorporating different movement practices as we age.

// IN THIS EPISODE //
Lara tells us about her background in addiction and yoga (7:45)
How Lara uses Instagram to engage people in the conversation of yoga, specifically beyond what the photos show (13:16)
How to maintain a spectrum in your yoga practice (17:47)
Lara talks about the struggle of teaching multi-level multi-age group classes and gives us some noteworthy tips (33:58)
Keys to creating a sustainable yoga career; moving away from the scarcity mentality and 'your' students is one of them (46:11)
We discuss what values and lessons we are implicitly passing on to our classes by tracking pose progression (52:13)
Lara's take on feeling threatened vs. creating abundance in the yoga industry (1:05:00)
Tips for a sustainable yoga teaching career: 1) Know modifications/variations so you know how to teach to your class2) Teach to something that inspires you3) Invest in your students, communicate with them, speak to their movement during class, notice shifts in their practice and how you might support them4) Refer your students to other classes if it's appropriate 5) As a teacher, take other people's classes
// RESOURCES AND LINKS //
Lara Ederer's Website
Lara on Instagram @laraliam
Tiffany Cruickshank's online courses
Carmen Aguilar on Vimeo
Rad Roller - The myofascial release tools we use every day
DISCOUNT - 10% off all Wanderlust Regular Admission Events for 2019
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Instagram: @natandsandyyoga
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1h 24min
May 01, 2019 13: Market Yourself for Corporate Yoga with these Research-based Facts
For a new yoga teacher, breaking into the corporate world to teach yoga is a great source of income and job satisfaction. So, how does a young teacher get into these corporations? In this episode, we'll go over 3 research articles that you can reference while developing your marketing materials. We also talk about positioning yourself as a specialized or generalized yoga teacher.

// IN THIS EPISODE //
First, stop talking like a yoga teacher. We go over some keywords to use in marketing materials (7:28)
Article 1: The effectiveness of yoga for the improvement of well-being and resilience to stress in the workplace (12:00)
Article 2: Yoga for reducing perceived stress and back pain at work (23:00)
Article 3: Effects of mindfulness meditation on occupational functioning and health care utilization in individuals with anxiety (28:54)
How to reference the articles you've mentioned (40:43)

// RESOURCES AND LINKS //
Corporate Yoga Marketing Fact Sheet
Article 1 - The effectiveness of yoga for the improvement of well-being and resilience to stress in the workplace
Article 2 - Yoga for reducing perceived stress and back pain at work
Article 3 - Effects of mindfulness meditation on occupational functioning and health care utilization in individuals with anxiety
Mindfulness meditation in the workplace training for teachers
Pubmed
Google Scholar
Rad Roller - The myofascial release tools we use every day
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Instagram: @natandsandyyoga
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49min
April 24, 2019 12: Understanding the Parasympathetic Nervous System
Whether you've studied the nervous system or not, as a yoga teacher or practitioner you have definitely dabbled within your own parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). In this episode we break down what exactly the PNS is, what it does, and why it's so incredibly important in our yoga practice. At the end of the episode, we give tips to help transition into the PNS, and link up our YouTube video on creating a PNS practice.

// IN THIS EPISODE //
What is the Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS) and what does it do? (4:49)
It's relationship to stress, overthinking, travel and being unable to poop (7:00)
How each person experiences stress differently and the nervous system balances is unique in everyone (9:15)
The simple process of having to think affects your stress level (14:15)
The Enteric Nervous System - almost has a mind of its own but is also sensitive to stress (19:55)
Can both PNS and SNS work at once? (24:20)
What happens to your nervous system when you sleep? (33:13)
We discuss a study on 26 healthy people, music, and PNS; As yoga teachers, what music do you play? How do you feel about silence? (34:58)
How you can structure a more physical style of yoga in the evening to give your students the physical work they need while supporting the nervous system (46:05)

// RESOURCES & LINKS //
Mushroom coffee and Hot Cacao from Four Sigmatic
Graphic to visualize the Autonomic Nervous System
2016 Study on Music and the Nervous System
Episode 9 - Cortisol
YOUTUBE - Activate The Parasympathetic NervousSystem - 5 Tips For At Home Practice
Rad Roller - The myofascial release tools we use every day
DISCOUNT - 10% off all Wanderlust Regular Admission Events for 2019
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Instagram: @natandsandyyoga
...more
1h 3min
April 17, 2019 11: Elena Cheung - The Power of NeuroKinetic Therapy In Private Yoga Classes
NeuroKinetic Therapy (NKT) is a sophisticated form of manual therapy that combines motor control theory and manual muscle testing. Our guest and colleague, Elena Cheung, shares her experience with this method of discovering mis-mapped mind-body connections in her private yoga classes. Elena combines this subtle but powerful practice with yoga to relieve chronic pain, rebuild the neurological connections, and uncover compensatory patterns that are just outside the box of what we learn in common anatomy lessons.
// IN THIS EPISODE //
Elena's background in rock climbing and yoga (7:40)
How Elena found NKT (10:30)
What is NKT and why does Elena use it? (10:53)
Why NKT doesn't work well with acute injuries (13:54)
Elena talks about the 2-day training and different levels of NKT (17:45)
How the NKT training differs from an advanced module yoga teacher training (19:18)
Elena doesn't advertise her NKT training but uses it as a tool in her back pocket for private yoga clients (22:20)
Elena talks about a case with biceps issues where conventional yoga thought didn't help; NKT shed some light on the real issue (25:05)
Elena talks about some of her "A-Ha!" moments during the NKT training; examples within her own body (26:58)
The subtlety of muscle firing during muscle tests (32:58)
How important the nervous system is in what we think is "tense" or "stuck" (39:20)
Our discussion on science vs. subjective experience (48:29)
Elena's opinion on the placebo effect (49:24)
// RESOURCES AND LINKS //
Elena Cheung's website
Elena's instagram @elenashapeshifts
NeuroKinetic Training website
NKT on instagram @neurokinetictherapy
Rad Roller - The myofascial release tools we use every day
DISCOUNT - 10% off all Wanderlust Regular Admission Events for 2019
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Instagram: @natandsandyyoga
...more
59min
April 10, 2019 10: Lordosis And Anterior Pelvic Tilt Explained
Low back anatomy is a complex subject that all yoga teachers are aware of, but few teachers dive deeply into all its intricacies. In this episode, we take a look at the general curve of the low back and its relationship to the pelvis, and what that means for the muscles around it, especially the iliopsoas. By the end of the episode, we break down several poses and discuss their relationship to the low back curve and pelvic orientation.
IN THIS EPISODE:
What is anterior pelvic tilt vs. posterior pelvic tilt, and how is it related to lordosis? (5:25)
What does weight bearing have to do with the curves of your spine? (11:44)
Should you try to get rid of anterior pelvic tilt during a backbend? (14:35)
What's the relationship of the iliopsoas, sitting posture and the curve of your low back? (22:11)
Can we perceive a chronically shortened iliopsoas in a yoga class? (33:05)
We chat about poses, Chair Pose and Warrior 2, and common things we see in the shape of the spine in these poses. (38:00)
RESOURCES & LINKS:
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Instagram: @natandsandyyoga
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48min
April 03, 2019 9: Yoga and Hormones - How To Use Yoga To Support Cortisol Regulation
Cortisol has gotten a bad reputation lately as a stress hormone that we should actively work to keep down. However, cortisol is essential for the regulation of so many of our bodily functions and has a natural day-night rhythm that we should learn to work with. In this podcast, we talk about how to use yoga and meditation to work with our cortisol rhythms, how to recognize when the rhythms may be off balance, and how to sequence a group yoga class with cortisol regulation in mind.
IN THIS EPISODE:
Nat's personal history with emotions, hormones and adrenal fatigue (2:04)
Stress and its relationship to cortisol (7:28)
We break down what the cortisol hormone does in the body, the good and the bad (8:25)
Nat explains how cortisol is regulated and produced - it's like a thermostat (14:00)
Yoga and meditation clearly changes the physical body by reducing mental stress - it's in the way our bodies work (22:17)
The Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS) and the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) are related to cortisol (22:43)
What are the main things cortisol does in the body, in relation to meals, with healing, blood pressure, sleep and wake cycles (29:30)
Cortisol levels depend on the time of day, especially the drop around 3-4 pm (45:51)
As yoga teachers, we can work with how cortisol's rise and fall when we sequence classes at various times of day (50:12)
Nat's experience with self guided meditation and listening to guided meditations when your brain can't shut off (64:05)
Cortisol is immunosuppressive to reduce inflammation; when chronically active, we lose sensitivity to it (72:12)
We try to see things from the perspective of a studio owner and the rationale behind paying teachers in different brackets (7:37)
RESOURCES & LINKS:
Cortisol infographic
Guided meditaion apps:
Calm App
Simple Habit
Insight Timer
Book: The Organized Mind - Daniel. J. Levitin
DISCOUNT - 10% off all Wanderlust Regular Admission Events for 2019
Structure Your Yoga Class To Regulate Cortisol - 5 Key Considerations
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Instagram: @natandsandyyoga
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0min
March 27, 2019 8: What Are Our Responsibilities as Yoga Teachers?
As yoga evolves with our modern lives, the typical yoga class is becoming part physical therapy, emotional therapy, mindfulness, and a kick-ass workout. To balance all of these expectations, yoga teachers need to wear many different hats, from recommending exercises to providing emotional support. In this episode, we examine the appropriateness of the responsibilities of a modern yoga teacher.
IN THIS EPISODE:
What are some day-to-day tasks outside of teaching yoga that Nat and Sandy have been asked to do in a yoga studio (1:44)
We try to see things from the perspective of a studio owner and the rationale behind paying teachers in different brackets (7:37)
How the music you play in class can affect a student's yoga experience (14:19)
How to give advice to students when they are asking you about advanced postures (24:19)
Dealing with the fine line of giving students emotional support and opening up in class (35:53)
RESOURCES & LINKS:
DISCOUNT - 10% off all Wanderlust Regular Admission Events for 2019
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Instagram: @natandsandyyoga
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0min
March 20, 2019 7: Allie Geer - How Cadaver Dissections Have Impacted How We Teach
In 2017, Nat and Sandy took an interesting "walk in nature"; a cadaver dissection for yoga teachers via Yoga Medicine and the Laboratory of Anatomical Enlightenment. There, they were reunited with Allie Geer, now a Yoga Medicine senior teacher who has completed four cadaver dissections to date. She is a wellspring of information, inspiration and insight. In this episode we talk all things cadaver and why all yoga teachers could benefit from their own walk in nature.
IN THIS EPISODE:
Allie's connection with Yoga Medicine and what it means to be a Yoga Medicine teacher (4:29)
We talk about what effects advanced training has had on us as teachers (6:50)
Allie gets into the nitty gritty details of participating in an untreated cadaver dissection (15:47)
We talk about the other factors of a cadaver dissection, the heaviness of dealing with a dead person as well as appreciation and purpose (31:22)
How does doing all these labs change the way you teach or move? (36:53)
Are there any poses you've stopped teaching over the years of doing more advanced training? (45:03)
Allie talks about how the cadaver training modules have affected her as a parent (51:10)
Allie's final message to anyone looking to do a cadaver dissection (58:00)
RESOURCES & LINKS:
Book: Anatomy Trains by Tom Myers
Anatomy Trains Cadaver Course with Tom Myers
Laboratory of Anatomical Enlightenment
LofAE videos - trailers and full videos for ~ $3 USD
Yoga Medicine website
Allie Geer's website
Allie Geer's instagram
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Instagram: @natandsandyyoga
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0min
March 13, 2019 6: The Mobility Movement and its Relationship to Yoga
As yogis, we have an innate interest in movement and mobility in the human body. However, what characterizes a yoga class vs. a mobility or movement class? In this episode, we dissect the differences we see and how it applies to modern yoga.
IN THIS EPISODE:
What is a movement / mobility / functional movement class? (4:40)
What advantage yoga has over a movement class (6:40)
How you receive information and move affects your nervous system (11:23)
The blurry line between a yoga class and a fitness class (15:42)
As a teacher getting wrapped up on peak pose sequencing (25:42)
We talk about transitions in yoga as a way to teach yoga mobility (28:03)
We give examples of making yoga poses into mobility exercises as another way of "advancing" the pose (31:40)
RESOURCES & LINKS:
YouTube video: How to Practice Active Range of Motion in Three Static Yoga Poses
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0min
March 06, 2019 5: What is SAID and How Can We Use it in Asana
We can learn a lot by studying principles from different training modalities, and considering how they might apply to the general yoga class. In this episode, we dissect the principle of SAID: specific adaptation to imposed demands. A term often used in the sports world, we show you how SAID is important in many real-life scenarios and in the yoga class.
IN THIS EPISODE:
The definition of SAID and some examples in yoga and sports (4:30)
Nat: "Our nervous system is lazy." She explains more (15:06)
What are some applications of the SAID principle in our every day life, in our sports, in our activities? (17:07)
The cumulative injury cycle and its relationship to SAID, and why this is of utmost important for yoga teachers who demo (21:22)
What is the carryover effect in SAID and how can we use it? (25:33)
How can yoga, using what we know of the SAID principle, be of greatest service to athletes? (32:58)
What is progressive overload? Sandy explains her stance on joints and fragility in yoga, cues like "keep your knee behind your toes" (35:32)
RESOURCES & LINKS:
Cha's Organic Coconut Milk
Youtube video of Cristiano Ronaldo
Power Yoga by Baron Baptiste
SAID Progression from Wikipedia
FREE DOWNLOAD: How to Use SAID Principles to a Build Yoga Class or Series
How To Teach A Yoga Pose Progression Using SAID Principles
DISCOUNT - 10% off all Wanderlust Regular Admission Events for 2019
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Instagram: @natandsandyyoga
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0min

FAQs about The Yoga Addiction:

How many episodes does The Yoga Addiction have?

The podcast currently has 64 episodes available.