The Yogapedia Podcast

Wegesin is a yogi, neuroscientist and dancer with a passion towards meditation and the healing arts. After moving to New York City, Wegesin worked for ten years as Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at Columbia University. Wegesin's research focused on neuroimaging of the aging brain, and how aging impacts memory and executive functions, such as attention. At the same time, Wegesin began his journey into yoga and was immediately hooked by the practice.

Wegesin now works as a yoga teacher, mindfulness teacher and message therapist. He trains the brains and bodies of his yoga students, helping them wake up to their mental, emotional and physical experience in a way that cultivates awareness, acceptance and ease.

In this episode, we talk with Wegesin about how aging affects our brains and how mindfulness and yoga can help us as we age. Listen in as we discuss the benefits yoga can have on our minds and our bodies.

Yoga and Body Image CoalitionSparrowe co-leads the

Myers is a yoga therapist, a somatic experiencing practitioner, addictions recovery specialist, and a certified health coach. Myers is also the founder of Y12SR - Yoga of 12-Step Recovery. Y12SR is a 12-step recovery program designed to help address the physical, mental and spiritual disease of addiction. Myers founded Y12SR after her own struggles with addiction. Myers believed recovery programs needed to combine the cognitive approach of traditional 12-step programs with the somatic approach of yoga; this is the goal of Y12SR.

In today's episode, we talk with Myers about yoga as a path to healing and how yoga has influenced her life. Listen in as we discuss how yoga helps us align with ourselves and embrace our true self.

Castillo has been teaching yoga in NYC and San Francisco for over 20 years. She has studied with many renowned master teachers and had the honor of studying Vedic chanting and yoga philosophy with T.K.V. Desikachar. These days she spreads her love and knowledge of Bhakti yoga to aspiring teachers around the Bay Area.

Since 2012, Castillo has been leading her band the Cosmic Caravan locally, nationally and internationally. She passionately guides communities in the ancient art of kirtan - singing the names of the divine through call-and-response chanting.

In this episode we talk with Castillo about the heritage of Bhakti yoga and the power of mantra. Listen in as we discuss why chanting can be such a powerful tool and what Bhakti means to her.

Tiffany Cruikshank is the founder of Yoga Medicine

For over 20 years, Bossart was the private student of T.K.V. Desikachar studying Viniyoga

Twenty years ago, Pransky left the corporate world and transformed her passion for yoga into a full-time career. Pransky is a registered Yoga Alliance teacher (E-RYT 500), certified Yoga Therapist recognized by the International Association of Yoga Therapy and the director of Restorative Therapeutic Yoga teacher training for YogaWorks.

Pransky is also the author of

Albert Flynn DeSilver is an American poet, novelist and meditation teacher. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Colorado and his Master of Fine Arts from the San Francisco Art Institute. His writing has been published in hundreds of literary journals across the world.

DeSilver is also the founder of Writing as a Path to Awakening (https://www.albertflynndesilver.com/about/?utm_source=yogapedia&utm_medium=podcast-article), which is an embodied approach to creativity and writing. DeSilver runs workshops and retreats that aim to rekindle one's writing process by bringing more joy and spontaneity in the practice of writing.

DeSilver has been practicing meditation for over 20 years and was trained as a meditation teach at the Spirit Rock Meditation Center (https://www.spiritrock.org/homepage) in California. DeSilver believes merging the art of writing with mindfulness meditation, which he discusses in his book "Writing as a Path to Awakening (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34303826-writing-as-a-path-to-awakening)," based off his workshops of the same name.

Listen with us as we discuss how writing can assist in reaching an awakening and the benefits of meditation when it comes to nurturing a writing practice.

Judith Blackstone is an experienced teacher in the fields of nondual realization and spiritual, relational and somatic psychotherapy. Blackstone is the creator of The Realization Process (https://realizationprocess.org/), which is an integrated approach to embodiment for psychological, relational, physical and spiritual healing.

Blackstone has a Ph.D. in Psychology, Embodiment and Eastern Religion. Blackstone is a clinical psychologist, a meditation practitioner and student of contemplative traditions with more than 40 years of experience. In addition, she is the author of several books, including Belonging Here (https://realizationprocess.org/books-and-cds/) and The Enlightenment Process (https://realizationprocess.org/books-and-cds/). Blackstone and her husband, Zoran Josipovic, founded the Nonduality Institute (http://www.nondualityinstitute.org/), which is dedicated to the science and practice of nonduality.

In our interview, Blackstone talks about The Realization Process and the radical openness that comes with nondual realization. Blackstone discusses methods for releasing tension and constriction, as well as the difference between awareness of the body and inhabiting it.

Blackstone also leads listeners in a core breath practice for settling into the body and attuning to the fundamental consciousness that is always available to us.