Yoga Medicine

Compassion and service are at the heart of yoga philosophy. Many of us see overwhelming inequities in the world today and want to help, but don't know where or how to start.

Today's guest on the podcast would have us simply "start, by starting". Host Rachel talks with the Yoga Medicine Seva Foundation Director, and a Sisters of the Planet Ambassador with Oxfam America, Amanda Bonfiglio Cunningham. As well as being a yoga instructor, Amanda has a Bachelor's degree in Marketing and a Master's in Teaching, but it was her years of traveling the world that inspired her life's work.

In this episode, we discuss the Seva Foundation's mission to combat human trafficking by empowering women and children through all kinds of education, be it formal, vocational, or practical.

Listen in to learn how to create space to process the secondary trauma that can come with service work, and why it pays to focus on the ripple effect you can create through small acts rather than trying to change the world.

Show Notes:

• The start of Amanda's passion for travel: 10 years on a boat [2:52]
• How travel ignites compassion [5:31]
• Yoga as Amanda's stabilizing anchor [10:35]
• "Moving back to land" [13:25]
• Open a yoga studio in search of expansion and connection [16:01]
• Finding Yoga Medicine and the first Seva trip to India [17:50]
• Yoga Medicine Seva Foundation's mission [20:32]
• Making space to process secondary trauma in order to take action [24:03]
• Life-changing impacts from education [32:46]
• Human trafficking's mind-boggling scope [37:47]
• The ripple effect of changing just one life [39:23]
• "Start by starting": the work of Her Future Coalition and the Seva Foundation [43:05]
• How service work changes us [47:46]
• Ways to get involved with the Seva Foundation [52:30]

Links Mentioned:

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Connect with Amanda Bonfiglio Cunningham:

Instagram | Her Future Coalition | Yoga Medicine Seva | Amanda B Cunningham

You can learn more about this episode, and see the full show notes at www.YogaMedicine.com/podcast-37.

And you can find out more about insider tips, online classes or information on our teacher trainings at www.YogaMedicine.com.

To support our work, please leave us a 5 star review with your feedback on iTunes/Apple Podcasts.

Our shoulders are something of an underdog, but just because the joints and muscles of the shoulders are less familiar than those of the hips or spine doesn't mean they are less important. These under-appreciated joints have massive impact on our yoga practices and beyond.

Today hosts Tiffany and Rachel talk about the importance of the shoulders and share favorite practices for both mobility and stability. They explore how shoulder work can be key to unpacking neck and upper back issues, plus improving posture and breathing. They even discuss the more subtle impact of shoulders on confidence and self-esteem.

Listen in to learn how we can all benefit from being more aware of our shoulders, and more skillful in how we use them in yoga and daily life.

Show Notes:

• The overall importance of the shoulder [3:22]
• The challenge of learning to stabilize the shoulders for weight-bearing [5:29]
• Shoulder work as a "side door" to neck and upper-back issues [8:15]
• The impact of shoulder strength and mobility for older adults [16:20]
• Shoulders: self-esteem, self-worth, emotion and connection [17:58]
• Biomechanical impacts of the shoulders on breathing [22:09]
• "Shoulders back and down" is not the answer for these mobile joints [25:12]
• The nuanced issue of posture [29:05]
• Curiosity around limited or challenging movements or positions [32:48]
• How the shoulder shows up in yoga practice [36:33]
• Chaturanga Dandasana: pros and cons, variations and alternatives [39:05]
• Using the shoulders to create the "heart-opening" of backbends [48:35]
• Favorite tools for active shoulder mobility [53:04]
• Passive shoulder mobility work, including MFR and Yin [55:19]
• Favorite shoulder strength and stability options [57:45]
• Final considerations and key takeaways [1:02:23]

Links Mentioned:

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Yoga Medicine Online: Shoulder Essentials Series 2: Posterior Shoulder
• Yoga Medicine Online: Scapular Stability & Rotator Cuff
• Shoulder Intensive Yoga Teacher Training
• Shoulder Stability Seminar

You can learn more about this episode, and see the full show notes at www.YogaMedicine.com/podcast-36.

And you can find out more about insider tips, online classes or information on our teacher trainings at www.YogaMedicine.com.

To support our work, please leave us a 5 star review with your feedback on iTunes/Apple Podcasts.

Today hosts Tiffany and Katja continue the discussion on fascia and more specifically how our fascia is connected to the autonomic nervous system. This relationship reminds us that movement has a profound effect on our minds and emotions and that the inverse is also true. In this discussion, Tiffany and Katja explain different pathways how the fascial system is related to the autonomic nervous system. They share more reasons to incorporate some myofascial release work into our yoga practice and elaborate why working with the abdomen can have a powerful effect on the whole autonomic nervous system. They also discuss how stress may relate to low back pain and how the fascia may be influenced by major depressive disorder.

Listen in to learn about the relationship between fascia and the autonomic nervous system, why myofascial release is so valuable, and ways to engage your autonomic nervous system through yoga.

Show Notes:

• What is the autonomic nervous system [1:46]
• How is fascia connected to the autonomic nervous system (ANS) [3:32]
• The importance of fascia as sensory organ [7:47]
• How Ruffini endings relate to the ANS [9:08]
• Sense of relaxation after MFR or yoga [11:16]
• Influence of interstitial receptors on the ANS [14:53]
• Does any kind of yoga influence Ruffini and interstitial receptors? [16:01]
• Different types of bodywork and the ANS [18:01]
• Working with the abdomen, advocating for abdominal massage [19:07]
• Interstitial receptors and local fluid dynamics [24:19]
• Vagal innervation [25:52]
• The thoracolumbar fascia: innervation, low back pain, and stress [32:17]
• Inflammation and sympathetic innervation [37:36]
• Areas of the body that affect the sympathetic nervous system [40:20]
• Changes in fascial tone – fascial contractility under stress [41:57]
• The relationship between depression disorders and fascial stiffness [48:59]
• Ph levels, their potential effect on fascial tonicity, and breath work [51:11]

Links Mentioned:

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Yoga Medicine Podcast Episode 14: Fascia as a Sensory Organ
• Myofascial Release Bundle for the Legs & Feet, Hips, Neck & Shoulders Online Course
• Myofascial Release for the Hips Online Course
• Myofascial Release for the Legs & Feet Online Course
• Myofascial Release for the Neck & Shoulders Online Course
• Myofascial Release Online Training
• Myofascial Release Training in Denver, CO
• Fascia & Autonomic Nervous System Resources Doc
• Connect with Katja Bartsch:

Facebook | Instagram | Kalamana Yoga | YM Online Guest Teacher

You can learn more about this episode, and see the full show notes at www.YogaMedicine.com/podcast-35.

And you can find out more about insider tips, online classes or information on our teacher trainings at www.YogaMedicine.com.

To support our work, please leave us a 5 star review with your feedback on iTunes/Apple Podcasts.

Many of us feel the weight of others' expectations to look, speak, or feel a certain way. But perhaps if we were able to be more fully ourselves, as yoga teachers we could then create spaces that welcome our students to do the same.

Today's episode is a warm and heartfelt conversation between Tiffany and long-time friend, Kathryn Budig. Kathryn is a shining example of following her own compass in work and in life. Building on almost two decades as an internationally recognized yoga teacher, author, and podcaster, Kathryn has created a unique online community that celebrates shared passions for yoga and meditation, inclusion and representation, rituals, recipes, and diving deep into a great book.

Tiffany and Kathryn explore how things can change through the course of a long friendship—like our definition of success, the nature of our physical practice, and our ever-changing relationship with our bodies. The conversation dives into the nuance behind hashtags like "body positivity" and "self love", celebrates the value of wisdom over short-term relevance, and weighs the pros and cons of social media given its power as a tool to reach marginalized communities.

Reflecting on Pride month, Kathryn shares her thoughts on queer representation in yoga and reminds us of the power of stepping outside our comfort zone into curiosity.

Show Notes:

• What it means to truly create community in the yoga world [03:11]
• Releasing external metrics to craft a personal definition of success [06:09]
• Reinvention in the face of others' expectations [11:25]
• Celebrating wisdom versus the pressure to "stay relevant" [14:01]
• Pros and cons of the Covid era for yoga teachers [18:25]
• The evolution of Kathryn's yoga practice [21:44]
• Complex conversations around body positivity in yoga [24:04]
• The illusion of constant "self love" [33:38]
• Loving and hating social media [37:14]
• Queer representation matters [41:20]
• What Pride Month means to Kathryn [46:20]
• Being an ally to the LGBTQ+ community [50:01]

Links Mentioned:

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Connect with Kathryn Budig: Instagram | Inky Phoenix | Haus of Phoenix | Kathryn Budig

You can learn more about this episode, and see the full show notes at www.YogaMedicine.com/podcast-34.

And you can find out more about insider tips, online classes or information on our teacher trainings at www.YogaMedicine.com.

To support our work, please leave us a 5 star review with your feedback on iTunes/Apple Podcasts.

Today's guest Mark Hunter took a long road to teaching yoga, including almost 3 decades of working in (and instructing) massage and remedial therapy. He has been passionate about fascia since long before it was mainstream. He shares this passion with his students, many of whom are over 60 years old, in group classes, one-on-ones, and senior's balance sessions.

Whether you've thought about it or not, we are all aging. So in this episode, Mark and host Rachel explore what we can learn about aging from working with older adults. Mark shares his key areas for focus, including soft-tissue mobility, balance and coordination, and better breathing. He also reminds us of the (perhaps underestimated) power of using community and camaraderie to give students the courage to explore new challenges and new movement patterns.

Listen in as Mark shares what he has learned about himself while working with older adults and how that shapes the wellness practices he prioritizes today.

Show Notes:

• Mark Hunter's back story [3:22]
• Learning from "the godfather of fascia" Dr. Robert Schleip [7:09]
• Shifting from massage therapist and yoga student to teacher [8:25]
• Grappling with the philosophical side of yoga [11:24]
• Bringing a therapeutic approach to teaching [13:18]
• Breaking down stereotypes of older yoga students [17:45]
• Key areas of focus when teaching older students [20:56]
• How our fascia changes as we age [23:32]
• Fun ways to challenge coordination in yoga classes for older students [28:26]
• Relating balance work to real-life obstacles to prevent falls [30:40]
• Cognitive ability is associated with one-legged balance in mid and later life [33:17]
• The importance of community connection as we age [36:09]
• Breath mechanics, the relationship with posture, and application during life stressors [38:27]
• Breathing with ease: the three pillars of breath and noticing the pause [46:24]
• Lessons learned from working with older adults: the power of "little and often" [50:16]
• Bringing yoga into daily life by emphasizing functionality over form [53:25]

Links Mentioned:

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Joanna M Blodgett, PhD, Rachel Cooper, PhD, Daniel H J Davis, PhD, MRCP, Diana Kuh, PhD, Rebecca Hardy, PhD: Associations of Word Memory, Verbal Fluency, Processing Speed, and Crystallized Cognitive Ability With One-Legged Balance Performance in Mid- and Later Life, The Journals of Gerontology: Series A, Volume 77, Issue 4, April 2022
• Connect with Mark Hunter: Instagram | YM Online Guest Teacher

You can learn more about this episode, and see the full show notes at www.YogaMedicine.com/podcast-33.

And you can find out more about insider tips, online classes or information on our teacher trainings at www.YogaMedicine.com.

To support our work, please leave us a 5 star review with your feedback on iTunes/Apple Podcasts.

How do we as yoga instructors help athletes train to stay healthy, durable, resilient, and at peak performance? Tiffany chats on these big questions with two coaches and Yoga Medicine Therapeutic Specialists - Jenni Tarma and Alison Heilig. Jenni is a Yoga Medicine Online instructor, endurance athlete, and CrossFit trainer who works with weight lifters and athletes at all skill levels. Alison is an accomplished ultra-marathon runner and weightlifter as well as a strength and endurance coach and certified running coach, corrective exercise specialist, and certified nutritional coach. In this episode, we discuss flexibility versus stiffness, recovery, cross-training, myofascial release for athletes, and our favorite takeaways for athletes and their trainers and yoga teachers.

Listen in to learn yoga tips for athletes and yoga teachers, why many athletes often struggle with yoga and how to use that as an asset, and how to redefine what recovery looks like for athletes.

Show Notes:

• Flexibility misconceptions among athletes [5:31]
• Why athletes often struggle with yoga [7:13]
• Flexibility issues versus poor mobility issues [11:02]
• Benefits of yoga classes aimed at athletes [13:27]
• Yoga as a recovery modality for athletes [19:05]
• Tips for teaching yoga to athletes [23:58]
• Redefining what recovery looks like for athletes [29:33]
• Using myofascial release with yoga for athletes [31:23]
• Cross training benefits for athletes [46:32]
• Takeaways for yoga teachers and athletes [56:20]

Links Mentioned:

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Yoga Medicine Podcast Episode 29: Stretching, the Myths & the Research
• Yoga for Athletes Teacher Training
• Connect with Jenni Tarma: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Kaari Prehab | Jenni Tarma | YM Online Teacher
• Connect with Alison Heilig: Alison Heilig | YM Online Guest Teacher

You can learn more about this episode, and see the full show notes at www.YogaMedicine.com/podcast-32.

And you can find out more about insider tips, online classes or information on our teacher trainings at www.YogaMedicine.com.

To support our work, please leave us a 5 star review with your feedback on iTunes/Apple Podcasts.

Today we explore the concept of intention—one of the core principles of what we do at Yoga Medicine. Most of us have a general understanding of what it is and why it is important, especially given the mindfulness we bring to yoga practice, but haven't considered in detail how we form intentions or their potential to change outcomes.

To help us unpack the theory and practice of intention in more detail, host Rachel talks to returning guest, Diane Malaspina Ph.D. As well as teaching yoga, Diane has a B.S. in Psychology, a Master's degree in Education, and a Ph.D. in educational and developmental psychology. Diane calls on her backgrounds in both science and yoga to explore the involvement of the brain in intention, as well as celebrate the more subtle role of the heart.

Listen in to hear how intention primes the brain for better pattern recognition, as well as the role dopamine plays in marking behaviors that get us closer to our aims. You'll also hear how you might be trying too hard to create and hold fast to your intentions, how to harness the Default Mode Network to support a more receptive state in which deeper purpose can emerge, and how a vivid sensory and emotional understanding of your intentions makes them far more potent.

Show Notes:

• Defining intention [4:09]
• How intention primes the brain for pattern recognition [7:01]
• Therapeutic intention: can intention change outcomes? [11:46]
• Practicing purpose: the relationship between intention and dopamine [16:17]
• How the Default Mode Network can create space for intentions to emerge [21:03]
• Ultradian rhythms and making time for intentional breaks [25:42]
• Using your visual field to reset your state of focus [30:01]
• Prior intention can prime us for faster and stronger action [31:26]
• Yoga philosophy, the purpose of yoga practice, and heart-centered intention [34:14]
• Harnessing senses and emotions to craft more potent intentions [41:36]
• What we can learn from athletes about the power of intention [45:25]
• Using questions and curiosity to form intention [50:27]
• Diane's "MacGyver Method" to harness the Default Mode Network [51:58]

Links Mentioned:

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Yoga Medicine Podcast Episode 02: The Placebo Effect with Katja Bartsch, Part 1
• Yoga Medicine Podcast Episode 04: Find Ease in Uncertainty with Diane Malaspina PhD
• Inside the Yoga Sutras Online Course
• Working with Grief Online Course
• Exploring the Yamas through Meditation & Practice Online Course
• Mental Health & Wellness Yoga Teacher Training
• Deane Shapiro, A Preliminary Study of Long-term Meditators: Goals, Effects, Religious Orientation, Cognitions. Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 1992, Vol. 24, No.1
• Stephan A. Schwartz, Therapeutic Intention: Into the Next Generation. EXPLORE, Volume 13
• Takarada, Y., Nozaki, D., Motivational goal-priming with or without awareness produces faster and stronger force exertion. Scientific Reports Vol. 8, 2018
• Wilson-Mendenhall, C.D., Dunne, J.D. & Davidson, R.J., Visualizing Compassion: Episodic Simulation as Contemplative Practice. Mindfulness, 2022
• Yoga Medicine Online
• Connect with Diane Malaspina:

Facebook | Instagram | Diane Malaspina | YM Online Guest Teacher

You can learn more about this episode, and see the full show notes at www.YogaMedicine.com/podcast-31.

And you can find out more about insider tips, online classes or information on our teacher trainings at www.YogaMedicine.com.

To support our work, please leave us a 5 star review with your feedback on iTunes/Apple Podcasts.

Nowadays the phrase "trauma informed yoga" is familiar to most of us. But if you've heard the term and assume it doesn't represent the students you teach or practice alongside, you may be surprised to hear in this episode that up to 90% of adults will experience a traumatic event in their lives.

Today's guest, Dr. Ann Bortz, is a licensed clinical psychologist with almost 30 years in the field. Host Rachel speaks with Dr. Bortz about her specialty working with those who are impacted by trauma. She explains how yoga gave her the tools to help recognize and respond to what she was encountering with her patients and realized that it could also be a helpful tool for them, too.

Listen in to learn what trauma is, who it most commonly affects, how it changes the brain and body, and which yoga practices can help.

Show Notes:

• Dr Ann Bortz' professional background and introduction to yoga practice [3:01]
• The catalyst for becoming a yoga teacher [5:40]
• Traumatic stress versus general life stress [8:16]
• The new phenomenon of pandemic-related trauma [10:00]
• Trauma in pandemic first responders [14:00]
• How trauma changes the brain and body [16:06]
• Polyvagal theory and the lesser known "Freeze Response" [18:07]
• The impact of mindfulness on varied stress states [21:48]
• Breath practices for trauma informed yoga [24:08]
• The quality of movement is more impactful than the pose we choose [24:56]
• Quiet and stillness can be triggering for students with unresolved trauma [26:19]
• Student self-agency can be healing, bringing the thinking brain back online [27:43]
• Playing music in trauma informed yoga sessions [33:10]
• Authenticity is key for students with a history of trauma [34:34]
• How to avoid inadvertently re-traumatizing students or respond if it occurs [35:58]
• A reminder of the value of compassion [38:43]

Links Mentioned:

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Yoga Medicine Podcast Episode 18: Optimize Stress to Boost Focus with Eding Mvilongo MScE, MD, FRCPC
• Introduction to Mindful, Trauma-Informed Yoga Online Course
• Mindful, Trauma-Informed Yoga Teacher Training
• Connect with Dr. Ann Bortz: LinkedIn

You can learn more about this episode, and see the full show notes at www.YogaMedicine.com/podcast-30.

And you can find out more about insider tips, online classes or information on our teacher trainings at www.YogaMedicine.com.

To support our work, please leave us a 5 star review with your feedback on iTunes/Apple Podcasts.

When it comes to stretching, many things have gone in and out of style. There are still plenty of myths and misconceptions out there and there is still a lot we don't know. To complicate matters even further, stretching is one of the more confusing areas of research because the terminology, application, and even results in stretching studies vary greatly.

In this episode, hosts Tiffany and Katja talk about the myths and the research on stretching, different types of stretching, using stretching before or after exercise or yoga, and how stretching really is a whole body affair.

Listen in to learn when to incorporate stretching into your fitness routine, how to better analyze new research on stretching, what tissues are actually targeted when we stretch, and how our nerve tissues can limit range of motion.

Show Notes:

• Major types of stretching [3:19]
• Tips for analyzing stretching research [5:31]
• The lingering debate over benefits of static stretching [9:38]
• Frequency and volume of stretching and range of motion [13:12]
• Static stretching duration and sports performance [20:47]
• What tissues do actually give us the sensation of a stretch? [28:01]
• How nerve tissues can limit range of motion [37:49]
• Aspects of aging and stretching [40:00]
• Longer stretches, inflammation, and hydration of tissues [45:00]
• Myofascial release as it relates to range of motion [46:45]
• How to support athletes [53:04]
• Stretching and arterial stiffness [56:39]
• Stretching as a whole-system affair [62:10]

Links Mentioned:

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Stretching Resources Doc
• Yoga Medicine Podcast Episode 12: Hip Mobility, How Much is Enough?
• Functional Anatomy Online Course with Yoga International
• Yoga for Athletes Teacher Training
• Yin & Meditation Yoga Teacher Training
• Myofascial Release Training
• Nervous System & Restorative Yoga Teacher Training
• The Efficacy of Stretching Exercises on Arterial Stiffness in Middle-Aged and Older Adults
• Connect with Katja Bartsch: Facebook | Instagram | Kalamana Yoga | YM Online Guest Teacher

You can learn more about this episode, and see the full show notes at www.YogaMedicine.com/podcast-29.

And you can find out more about insider tips, online classes or information on our teacher trainings at www.YogaMedicine.com.

To support our work, please leave us a 5 star review with your feedback on iTunes/Apple Podcasts.

Anxiety is a normal response to life stress — until it isn't. Today, host Rachel talks with Aisha Fakhro, a Bahrain-based UK-licensed psychotherapist and yoga teacher who specializes in working with anxiety, trauma, grief, stress management, and personal growth. In this episode, we learn more about anxiety and how yoga can help.

Aisha jokes that she could have a PhD in personal experience with anxiety. She shares how practicing and teaching yoga inspired her to study psychotherapy, by changing the way she, and her students, responded to stressors in their lives.

Aisha explains how the natural experience of anxiety can snowball, by both increasing our perception of danger in a given situation, and decreasing our belief in our capacity to handle it. She unpacks a wide range of yoga tools and techniques that can help, and some of them may surprise you.

Listen in to learn what anxiety is, how the experience varies by person and situation, and the wide range of tools yoga practice offers to help us feel more empowered to manage it.

Show Notes:

• What initially drew Aisha to the field of psychotherapy [3:25]
• Aisha's journey from "chasing shapes" to teaching yoga [5:40]
• Defining anxiety [11:56]
• Aisha's personal experience of anxiety, including prenatal trauma [17:26]
• Mindfulness breaks the negative feedback loop anxiety can create [18:34]
• The role of psychotherapy versus other mental health professions [23:42]
• Play as an antidote to anxiety [26:18]
• Pranayama and tactile feedback for anxiety [31:29]
• Movement as an outlet for anxiety [39:46]
• Empowering students to take charge of their practice [42:07]
• Balance poses and the capacity to handle wobbles in life [47:51]
• Varied mindfulness techniques for anxiety [49:59]
• Completing the stress cycle [54:41]
• Aisha's fake yawn trick [56:53]
• Philosophical antidotes to anxiety [58:16]

Links Mentioned:

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Mental Health & Wellness Yoga Teacher Training
• Connect with Aisha Fakhro: Instagram | Soft Strength Podcast | Aisha Fakhro | YM Online Guest Teacher

You can learn more about this episode, and see the full show notes at www.YogaMedicine.com/podcast-28.

And you can find out more about insider tips, online classes or information on our teacher trainings at www.YogaMedicine.com.

To support our work, please leave us a 5 star review with your feedback on iTunes/Apple Podcasts.