Yoga Is Vegan

Due to the expanding outbreak of the coronavirus COVID-19 fear, anxiety and stress is at an all-time high. Yoga Is Vegan Founder Holly Skodis takes you through a guided active relaxation meditation to help reduce stress and increase inner healing.

This is a different format than the usual podcast. This mediation is intended to be done lying down or in a seated position with your eyes closed. Please do not attempt to do this mediation while driving.

Next week's release will return to the usual podcast interview format.

This week's episode is a slightly different format than some of our others. Brighde Reed and I were talking prior to the coming on the podcast about her vegan travel company. I had asked her if they ever did yoga on their vacations. While it wasn't in the original itinerary a spontaneous yoga class did occur. One of their longtime clients, Paula Tharp is a yoga teacher and vegan activist. This conversation is about community, Rwanda, yoga and vegan activism.


Brighde Reed is one of the co-founders of World Vegan Travel. She's a passionate vegan and activist with extensive travel, education, cooking and tour leading experience. Brighde (alongside her partner Seb) have mixed all these skills and experience together to create a travel company that takes vegans (and the vegan-curious) on incredible tours in specially selected locations around the world. World Vegan Travel is a little different than other vegan tour companies. Our tours are about doing it in style! We want our travelers to have an unforgettable luxury experience and not to be short-changed in terms of food and the activities they participate in. We work tirelessly with local operators, hotels, and restaurants to make sure that the food and experiences we have are not only vegan but unforgettable... In a good way. When not traveling, Brighde likes to learn languages, work out, hike and do activism!

Connect with Brighde:
Website: worldvegantravel.com
Facebook: @worldvegantravel
YouTube: @worldvegantravel
Instagram: @worldvegantravel


Paula Tharp is a Seattle-based vegan, yoga practitioner & teacher, who finds purpose in connecting

people with resources to create social change for a more compassionate world. Currently, Paula is Chief of Staff at Rebellyous Foods, a plant-based food start-up. Previously, she was a Major Gifts Officer at Farm Sanctuary, a leading farm animal protection and rescue organization in the US. In her spare time, Paula volunteers at ArtsWest Playhouse and Gallery and was previously on the board of Yoga Behind Bars. Paula is passionate about art and travel as a means to open people's hearts & minds to new experiences and cultivate empathy. Her dream job would be to combine her love for art, yoga, and travel to effect social change.
Connect with Paula:
Instagram: @herbivorepaula
Website: rebellyousfoods.com

Doug Swenson is a world-renowned yoga teacher, philosopher, and dedicated health advocate. He is revered as a true trail-blazing pioneer of yoga practice in the United States, and around the world. Doug has inspired yoga practice since 1969 when it was yet to become vastly popular. He is the author of four published books on yoga, and 23 yoga videos on (Gaia/Amazon). Doug is a writer, athlete, surfer and poet who inspires healthy lifestyle and creative thinking. You will enjoy his clarity of presentation, and very informative message subtly laced into all his work. Doug is truly a living example of his teachings and has encouraged many around the world, to adopt a better way of life.

In this episode YIV's Holly Skodis and Doug Swenson discuss the following:

Anna Ferguson (Episode 4)
Doug's journey into yoga and veganism
Ernest Wood
Steps to take towards going vegan
Making Yoga Your Own
Dharma Mittra (Episode 28)
Kriyas: neti, trataka, dhauti and kapalabhati
Organic and GMO crops
Doug's latest book, Pioneering Vinyasa Yoga
Doug's Yoga Videos on Gaia
Connect with Doug:
Website: www.dougswenson.net

Lyndsay became a vegetarian at age 16 after researching the meat industry for a high school assignment. Shortly after completing her first year in College she read “ Diet for a New America” and also took her first yoga class. Both changed her perspective on eating and living and she became a vegan with a faithful yoga practice.

Lyndsay completed her 200/hr and 500hr Teacher Trainings with Coral Brown 500eRYT and senior teacher trainer for Shiva Rea’s Prana Flow Energetic Vinyasa Yoga and then went on to complete the first level of Thai Yoga Bodywork certification with Ed Cardinal and became a Yoga for Scoliosis Trainer under Elise Browning Miller. She owned and operated an art and wellness studio for 17yrs where she taught pottery and yoga classes and played host to a myriad of other teachers and workshops.

Today, you can find Lyndsay, aka The Vegan Potter in her studio and retail shop, Glaze Handmade in Stonington, CT where she works full time making functional pottery that often sparks conversations about her plant-based lifestyle.

In this episode YIV's Holly Skodis and Lyndsay Meiklem Dean discuss the following topics:

Compassionfest: Tabitha Logan
Almond Cow: Plant Milk Making Machine
Firefly Chocolate: Ceremonial Cacao use code VEGAN at checkout
A Billion Veg: Vegan reviews app for dishes and products
Yoga teacher burnout
Healthy versus transitional vegan foods
The environmental impacts of packaged produce
Connect with Lyndsay:
Website: theveganpotter.com
Instagram: @theveganpotter
Facebook: @theveganpotter

SEANE CORN is an internationally acclaimed yoga teacher and public speaker known for her social activism, impassioned style of teaching, and raw, honest and inspired self-expression. Over her 25-year teaching career, Seane has created many instructional DVDs, including her groundbreaking series The Yoga of Awakening with Sounds True. Featured on over 40 magazine covers and countless media outlets, Seane has chosen to use her platform to bring awareness to global issues including social justice, sex trafficking, HIV/AIDS awareness, generational poverty, and animal rights. In 2005, she was named “National Yoga Ambassador” for YouthAIDS, and in 2013 received both the Global Green International Environmental Leadership Award and the Humanitarian Award by the Smithsonian Institute. Since 2007, she has been training leaders of activism through her co-founded organization Off the Mat, Into the World®. Seane also co-founded the Global Seva Challenge, which has raised over $3.5 million by activating communities of yoga and wellness in fund and awareness raising efforts. Her first book Revolution of the Soul was published in Fall 2019.

In this episode YIV's Holly Skodis and Seane Corn discuss the following:

Seane's new book, Revolution of the Soul
Seane's vegan journey
Sharon Gannon & David Life
White Privilege & accountability
The Shadow Self
Off the Mat, Into the World®
Skylands Animal Sanctuary & Rescue
Approaches for weaving veganism into yoga classes
Connect with Seane:
www.seanecorn.com
Off the Mat, Into the World®

Photo Credit: Norman Seeff

Danielle started her career as a prosecuting attorney in Southern California (Riverside County) where she headed up the animal cruelty division. During this time she was practicing yoga regularly to help address her severe scoliosis. She was so inspired by the practice that she pursued her 200hr training. After her training, she connected with the truth and unity of ahimsa and became vegan overnight.

Danielle has also headed up the animal rights conference at Loyola Law School and has served on several animal rights boards including currently sitting as President of the Board at Switch4Good, founded by Dotsie Bausch.

After completing her teacher training she decided to switch careers and pursue further training in Aerial arts, Pilates and the Gyrotonic® Method to compliment her first love, yoga.

She currently lives in New Zealand where she has opened her new studio, Moove Studio. She offers Yoga, the Gyrotonic® Method, Pilates, Barre, Aerial and meditation to keep the body and mind optimally tuned. She lives with her husband, 5 rescued sheep, and 2 rescued chihuahuas and continues to carry on her vegan leadership despite living in deep farm country.

In this episode, YIV's Holly Skodis & Danielle Lowy discuss the following:

Melanie Joy's work and her website Beyond Carnism
Planting Vegan Seeds
The Gyrotonic® Method
Effective methods for introducing veganism to non-vegans
Teaching your truth
Switch4Good Live Better, Do More, Dairy-Free
Dotsie Bausch (episode 27) and her Ted Talk Olympic Level Compassion
Danielle's experience as a prosecutor
Danielle's Sheep Sanctuary
Different ways of becoming a vegan activist and how to lean into your Dharma
Connect with Danielle:

Website:moovestudio.co.nz
Intagram: @Moovestudionz

Mathieu is an international yoga teacher born and raised in Paris, France. He discovered yoga while singing and acting in the Broadway musical, The Lion King. His practice became a way to root down, express himself, and find balance in his life. Today, he is best known for his lighthearted and holistic approach to Hatha yoga. His flows are a blend of a functional approach and dynamic Yang sequencing to create an intelligent fusion that brings deeper movement and stronger mind-body connection. Not only are Mathieu’s classes fun, profound, and challenging, they also allow students to experience a feeling of unity that brings lightness, awareness, and clarity to their life.

In this episode YIV's Holly Skodis and Mathieu Boldron discuss the following:

Studying with Sri Dharma Mittra (YIV episode 28)
Mathieu's experience as a cast member on the Broadway Musical, The Lion King and how it led him to yoga.
Ido Portal
Mathieu's Change Perspective Mentoring Program
Integrating contemporary knowledge and technology with traditional yoga practices.
Introducing veganism during yoga teacher trainings
Jaja Restaurant, Paris
Breathe Restaurant, Paris
Delice & Serrasin, NYC
The Game Changers Movie
Dotsie Bausch (YIV episode 27) and her non-profit Switch4Good
Connect with Matthieu


Website:https://www.mathieuboldron.com/
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @mathieuboldronyoga

Kriti Sachdeva is the founder of Yogific, a community organization headquartered in London, UK, that organizes vegan-themed Yoga festivals across the UK and other cities in Europe.

Born and raised in the birthplace of Yoga, India, Kriti attended her first yoga class at the age of six and was born a vegetarian. She turned vegan eight years ago and that was her moment of epiphany; She realized how yoga and veganism are related – if the yogic concept of ‘Ahimsa’ (non-violence) applies to humans, shouldn’t it also apply to animals, too? This gave Kriti her mission in life: to create a community of vegan yogis and to spread awareness about yoga and veganism.
Yogific began in 2016 with a series of very small events. She realized that she could reach far more people if she organized a bigger event that brought together yogis, yoga teachers, vegan traders and vegan activists under the same roof – from there, the Yogific Yoga and Vegan Festival was born. So far, they've hosted 30 events in five countries and have collaborated with over 200 teachers and 300 ethical businesses. They have a network of 150 volunteers who help us organize events. They have collaborated with the UK's largest vegan festival, VegfestUK, to create a Yoga zone. Yogific has also inspired several other vegan festivals in the UK to include Yoga classes as part of the event.

While Yogific is Kriti's labor of love, she has a thriving career in the field of marketing and communications. She currently heads marketing for a foundation that supports tech startups in Krakow, Poland. She is involved with many tech events as a part of her job.

YIV's Holly Skodis and Kriti Sachdeva discuss the following in this episode:
The meat and dairy industry in India
PETA
A Prayer For Compassion's Thomas Wade Jackson (episode 33)
Robin Singh: Karm Yoga, Suffering Footprint & Veganism in India (Episode 18)
Yogific
Why onions & garlic are not considered a sattvic food
Ana Forrest & Jose Calarco (Episode 36)
Bhagavad Gita & the 3 gunas
"Vegans deserve same legal protection as religious people, UK judge rules" By Amy Woodyatt, Rob Picheta and Robert Iddiols, CNN
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
Iyengar's Light on Yoga
Connect with Kriti:
Website: yogific.org
Facebook: @yogific
Instagram: @yogific

Alex Charmoz is an Emergency Medicine Doctor in Southern California. Finding yoga as a way to heal from an injury sustained while rock climbing, he has found guidance through the 8 limb path of Ashtanga Yoga. While not a certified yoga teacher, he finds space to introduce yoga into his daily life and work. The ability to connect with other human beings in a vulnerable state and work towards bettering their quality of life is a direct manifestation of Yogic philosophy. Approaching 3 years of eating a vegan diet, which he attributes to his lovely and compassionate wife Liliana, he has seen direct results in his physical and mental abilities, and the link between diet and disease. As he took a vow to "First do no harm" he has realized that this extends to all sentient beings as well as the environment. A vegan lifestyle is the key to bringing these concepts together and is the future of attaining a sustainable and healthy planet.

In this episode YIV's Holly Skodis and Alex Charmoz discuss:

Ashtanga yoga & Alex's journey with teacher Stan Woodman (episode 2)
Alex's vegan journey
Alex's experience working as an ER doctor in a low-income area hospital.
Eating Vegan on $1.50 a day
Health benefits of eating a whole foods plant-based diet
Alex's journey to yoga after a rock climbing injury
Alex's Vegan Facts of Life PDF
Download Alex's Facts of Life PDF
Supporting online resources:

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/list-all/
https://www.pcrm.org/good-nutrition/nutrition-for-clinicians
https://www.veganhealth.org
https://www.nutritionfacts.org
https://www.pcrm.org/yourbodyinbalance
https://www.ornish.com/proven-program/nutrition/

Connect with Alex:
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: @Alexjacques

Ana Forrest is an inspiration and has been changing people's lives for over 45 years. She is an internationally-recognized pioneer in yoga and emotional healing. She is the Creatrix of Forrest Yoga, a mystic, visionary, philanthropist, author, and Medicine Woman. Ana crafted Forrest Yoga while working through healing from her own life's traumas - abuse and addictions, the helplessness around the addictions, and the ongoing suffering from chronic injuries & illnesses. The process of healing herself inspired her to teach others about what really works to heal themselves physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Jose Calarco joined forces with Ana in 2014 and brings a long history of aboriginal shamanism and healing into Forrest Yoga events. Jose’s experience as a faith healer and medicine man spans more than 30 years and Forrest Yoga now incorporates ceremony, music, dance, ancient healing techniques, Veganism, and First Nation Philosophies. Students leave this training as teachers, bringing their personal discoveries and growth with them to share with the world.

Topic's discussed in this episode:

The bush fires in Australia
Suzy & James Cameron
The Game Changers
9 Steps to Conscious Eating
Dr. Gabriel Cousens (episode 15)
To help the wildlife in danger from Australia's brush fires consider donating to the Wildlife Emergency Fund

Connect with Ana Forrest & Jose Calarco:
Website: www.forrestyoga.com