Unbalanced AF

In this episode of Unbalanced AF, Jenna and Kait are serving up the real talk on navigating the teen world—and spoiler alert: it’s messy, chaotic, and occasionally hilarious. And sometimes, it requires your fort-making skills using whatever props you’ve got lying around. They spill the tea on how they found their shared passion for connecting with teens and how it’s turned into something powerful at BPY.

They’ll give you the lowdown on BPY’s Teen Summer Retreat Program—designed to help teens (and honestly, who doesn’t need help?) tap into mindfulness, breathe, and find their way through the hormonal hurricane of growing up.

And if you’re wondering, “If mindfulness were a dance move, what would it be?”—trust, you’ll get the answer you never knew you needed.

Oh, and mark your calendars: we’re hosting a FREE Zoom session on May 4th for students and teachers—helping them power through exam season with mindfulness tricks that are way more effective than chugging coffee or pulling an all-nighter. (Seriously, leave the stress at the door. We’ve got this.)

Tune in for a conversation that’s as real and raw as the teen experience itself—served up with just the right amount of snark and a dose of practical wisdom.

Show links:

May 4th FREE Zoom Session for Students + Teachers | The Mindfulness Lab - Exam Edition: https://app.arketa.co/balancedplanetyogallc/checkout/kRk0flfRjjXTFCZnfNom

BPY Teen Retreat Info [Two Sessions, July + August 2025}: https://app.arketa.co/balancedplanetyogallc/checkout/E9D1kHddpOSelkUIf5YE

Ever stood on one leg in yoga and wondered why your body suddenly has the coordination of a toddler? Spoiler alert: it’s not just your abs slacking off. In this episode, Cheryl and Jenna dive deep into the real reasons behind your mat-top wobbles, from inner ear shenanigans and the subtle art of proprioception, to that last lonely nerve in your big toe desperately trying to keep up. But balance is more than physical—it's a spotlight on your ego and reactivity. How do you respond when things (inevitably) don’t go as planned? Fall out, breathe in, and step back up. It’s about resilience, humility, and remembering that falling doesn’t mean failing—on or off the mat. Sarcasm included, enlightenment optional.

This one is for the part of you that’s tired of performing—tired of fixing, improving, striving. In this short guided meditation, we practice the radical act of being with ourselves, just as we are.
No pressure.
No proving.
Just breath.
Just presence.

Together, we’ll explore how the smallest moments—how you breathe when no one’s watching, how you listen when the world feels full—are shaping who you’re becoming. This is not a detour. It is the practice. Let your breath remind you: you don’t have to do more to be enough. You only have to remember that how you move through the world...matters.

What if every quiet moment was silently shaping who you're becoming? In this episode, Cheryl guides you through a meditation designed to awaken your awareness to the invisible ways you train for life—through the gentle rhythm of breath, the stillness of inquiry, and the grace of presence. There's nowhere else you need to be, nothing else you need to fix. Just witness your breath as a mirror, revealing your unfolding story without judgment. Embrace this sacred pause, discovering how each small act of presence prepares you for life's unknown roads ahead. Join us in uncovering the hidden wisdom in the ordinary, moment by moment, breath by breath.

Three Things You Get from This Meditation:

1. Insight into how your daily choices quietly shape your becoming.

2. A deeper connection to your breath as a reflection of your inner state.

3. The gentle reminder that presence, not perfection, guides your journey forward.

   
   

   Join the BPY community weekdays 730A for live on Zoom meditations - more info at www.BalancedPlanetYoga.com. Click on BPY communities to register for FREE!

No one packed snacks, someone forgot the permission slip, and the bus smells weird. Welcome to adulthood.

We’re just doing a headcount.

Not to make sure you didn’t wander off—but to check in on the humans behind the roles, the routines, the “I’m fine”s.
Because lately, it feels like we’re all moving through life with a little Field Trip Energy: slightly disoriented, overstimulated, and hoping someone remembered the itinerary.

In this episode, we talk about what it means to hold space—for ourselves, and for each other—when the energy is weird and no one’s at their best. Yoga teaches us how to return to center, sure. But it also teaches us how to sit in a room together, breathe through the noise, and remember: we’re not doing this alone.

If you’ve been feeling scattered, distant, or just a little off, consider this your roll call.
You're here. We’re here. That’s enough.

Sign up for Jenna's Dharma Tree class on 04/27/2025: https://app.arketa.co/balancedplanetyogallc/checkout/Mq5tq5kbP0pLlQvI55Ys

Want to order mini bundt cakes? Check out our fellow Marlton biz: https://www.nothingbundtcakes.com

Feeling fried? Cool. Same. This guided Yoga Nidra isn’t just a nap with a spiritual soundtrack. It’s a legit reset button—an ancient practice designed to drop you below the noise, the pressure, and the endless to-do lists.

In this offering, Cheryl Van Sciver—yoga teacher, co-founder of Balanced Planet Yoga, and professional life-juggler—walks you through an 8-step meditation that’s part body scan, part breathwork, part soul retrieval. Inspired by the Mandukya Upanishad (yes, we’re going there), this practice helps you remember who the hell you are underneath all the roles you’ve been playing.

Come back to this one whenever you’re tired of pretending you’ve got it all together.

No experience necessary. Pajamas encouraged—just hit play and be human.

Want to read the Mandukya Upanishad? Here's a version we recommend: https://amzn.to/3RgnQb1

Ever set an intention, then get absolutely steamrolled by the day? Same. This short and grounding meditation is a soft landing for your nervous system—a way to slow down, reset, and come back to yourself. No perfection required. Just presence. If you've been caught in urgency or overwhelm, this one’s your quiet way back. We breathe, we notice, we begin again.

Because sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is pause… and choose again.
You can come back to yourself—as many times as it takes.

Before you plan, respond, or reach for what’s next—this 7-minute morning meditation invites you to simply land. To come back to the steady, quiet place underneath the noise. This is a grounding practice for the in-between moments, when clarity is beginning to emerge but you’re not quite ready to move. You’ll reconnect with your breath, your body, and what feels most true right now—without rushing to figure it all out. Because when you return to that deeper steadiness, choice becomes clear.

In this meditation, you’ll:

• Ground yourself in the present moment with steady awareness

• Tune in to what you’re ready to release or carry forward

• Practice choosing from a place of calm, not pressure

When you’ve taken time to slow down, to notice what’s really happening beneath the surface, a quiet kind of clarity begins to emerge. This meditation invites you to meet that clarity—not with pressure or urgency, but with presence. What are you ready to carry forward? What are you ready to release? There’s no need to have it all figured out. Sometimes just listening is enough. Because once you’ve made space to see more clearly, you’re already clear enough to choose.

In this meditation, you’ll:

• Reflect on what you’ve uncovered through soft attention

• Listen inwardly for what feels aligned now

• Affirm your ability to move forward with softness, clarity, and care

We kick things off with love bombs for our BPY community—because yes, we really did cram two studios into one and somehow thrived. (Mostly. There were snacks. And maybe some tears.)

Then we dive into the juicy stuff: Are you lying to yourself in the name of keeping the peace? Saying "I'm fine" when you're unraveling, nodding yes when your soul is screaming no? We ask the hard questions—like, are we chasing peace like it’s a finish line, or are we finally ready to sit down and find it inside ourselves?

With a nod to Stephen Cope’s Soul Friends, we talk about the people who hold the mirror up for us—and what it takes to tell the truth when it’s way easier to keep the fake smile going. We unpack mantras, chaos, and the roadblocks that are actually road signs if we’re paying attention.

This one’s for anyone tired of pretending everything’s okay just to keep the peace. (Spoiler: peace isn’t passive—and it sure as hell isn’t always pretty.)

Show Notes:

Get Stephen Cope's Book: https://amzn.to/4lzGTuO

Get Dr. Richard Schwartz's Workbook on Internal Family Systems: https://amzn.to/3R6qznb