Yoga Medicine

Today we are busting balance myths with two people who are passionate about balance and standing stability. Host Rachel talks to Sava Papos, is a long-time yoga teacher and Yoga Medicine Therapeutic Specialist, now immersed in a degree in Exercise and Sport Physiology.

In this episode, we discuss balance as a trainable skill and a key aspect of physical performance, providing advice to teachers and students aiming to make balance practice as applicable to the real world as possible.

Listen in as we talk about finding the right type and level of challenge for everyone, and the importance of being willing to experience instability in order to train better stability.

Show Notes:

• Why we are passionate about balance training [2:47]
• Myth #1: Balance training is only for the elderly [3:47]
• Myth #2: You either have it or you don’t [10:56]
• How we currently teach balance skills in yoga [14:51]
• Holding an external focus when balancing helps [16:09]
• Myth #3: Doing yoga balance poses is enough [17:42]
• Myth #4: “Good” balance means never wobbling or falling [21:47]
• Myth #5: Balance is all about the core; ankle, hip & step strategies [27:53]
• Playing with key contributors to balance: visual, vestibular & proprioceptive system [35:26]
• Footwear and heel height impacts on stability [44:37]
• The big question: is yoga sufficient balance training? [49:41]
• Our base of support; foot and arm position, prop use [56:41]
• Summing up, more resources [1:01:16]

Links Mentioned:

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Yoga Medicine Podcast Episode 33: Age Well with Yoga
• YMO Monthly Dose Bullet-Proof Balance
• Research links from Sava Papos:
  • DiStefano et al., “Evidence Supporting Balance Training in Healthy Individuals: A Systemic Review”, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, December 2009.https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/pages/articleviewer.aspx?year=2009&issue=12000&article=00041&type=Fulltext&casa_token=4wnZzwAf4TsAAAAA:YuRzitf4-5Kg_acQW1AA-041KcQyoT9-sYVXhGQOXrOtf3YVXKXrTRZuQ6GZZ91EhfkGI-ajY1vdhflMoi1axoLPmQ
  • Chiviacowsky et al., “An external focus of attention enhances balance learning in older adults”, Gait & Posture, October 2010.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0966636210002286?casa_token=8vX0hAHEKpoAAAAA:FBBc_QJrbbaShKg9eK2Lo76rRHq_9CVNB6MNSmcDXeC1WfP4EJ6WXiebev24S0VLI2iSNggeokQ
  • Heijnen et al., “Falls in young adults: Perceived causes and environmental factors assessed with a daily online survey”, Human Movement Science, April 2016.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0167945715300762?casa_token=K3TTb7d_8fkAAAAA:gFTdJXnxbkRbZguB5LeJZfk_KKULgexd0xVwTk2kE_7FijqwyGRZSFFa8sEuaHIsxkRg4PLh4A
  • Ramachandran et al., “Effects of Plyometric Jump Training on Balance Performance in Healthy Participants: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis”, Frontiers in Physiology, October 2021.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8564501/
• Yoga Journal Article: 4 Surprising Ways to Use a Yoga Bolster
• Connect with Sava Papos:

LinkedIn|Instagram|Email

You can learn more about this episode, and see the full show notes atYogaMedicine.com/podcast-91.

And you canfind out more about insider tips, online classes or information on our teacher trainings atYogaMedicine.com.

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

Today’s media landscape - which equates leadership with certainty of opinion, popularity, or charisma - can be challenging for yoga teachers to navigate. So today, hosts Tiffany and Rachel explore what leadership can look like in the yoga world.

We discuss the importance of humility and vulnerability, the challenge of balancing evidence-based with more traditional inputs, and whether there are different expectations of yoga teachers than there are of other roles in our communities.

Listen in as we explore the kind of leadership that lifts everyone up.

Show Notes:

• Confusing certainty or popularity for true leadership [2:57]
• Humility as a central quality of good leadership [13:06]
• The kind of leadership we need can change over time [20:53]
• Balancing evidence-based with traditional inputs [22:49]
• Finding your compass as a leader [25:54]
• Service & Ego: expectations of yoga teachers versus other occupations [33:58]
• Pressure for yoga teachers to project perfection [39:46]
• Balancing leadership and vulnerability [51:32]
• Key takeaways [54:42]

Links Mentioned:

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Yoga Medicine Podcast Episode 88: Social Media Marketing Made Easy

You can learn more about this episode, and see the full show notes atYogaMedicine.com/podcast-90.

And you canfind out more about insider tips, online classes or information on our teacher trainings atYogaMedicine.com.

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

Most of us have loaded beliefs related to the core and core strength. While most hold a grain of truth, plenty of these preconceptions are inaccurate, incomplete, or just plain unhelpful when it comes to our individual yoga and movement practices.

Today host Rachel and returning guest Jenni Tarma unpack the most common core myths and misconceptions. In this episode, we explore the anatomy and function of the core, talk about what core stability really looks like, and examine the complex relationship between the core and low back pain.

Listen in to learn how to define a healthy core, explore the wide range of poses and practices you could use to bring awareness to this area, and how you might teach a core-focused practice to groups or individuals.

Show Notes:

• Exploring basic beliefs about the core [5:01]
• Myth #1 Core = abs; difficulty defining the core [6:24]
• Myth #2 Only crunches and planks strengthen your core [13:13]
• Myth #3 Core stability means bracing [22:54]
• Defining stability [30:35]
• Myth #4 A strong core is tight and “ripped” [32:31]
• Myth #5 A strong core is the solution to low back pain [37:53]
• Tips for teaching individual and group yoga classes focused on the core [47:45]
• More on the core: Yoga Medicine resources [57:24]
• Final takeaways; moving toward unconscious competence [1:00:53]

Links Mentioned:

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Spine: Anatomy, Dysfunction & Application | Module – San Diego, CA
• Movement Intelligence Online Course
• Werner et al: “From protection to non-protection: A mixed methods study investigating movement, posture, and recovery from disabling low back pain” European Journal of Pain, 2022. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35959703/
• Yoga Journal core article series from Rachel:
  • 3 Common Misconceptions About Core Strength
  • 35 Yoga Poses No One Ever Told You Are Core Work
  • 44 Cues to Help You Strengthen Your Core in Any Yoga Pose
• Yoga Medicine Online Classes focused on the core:
  • Balanced Function for Flexible Folks, Support for the Spine
  • Second Nature Core Support
  • Energizing Core Practice
  • Hips & Core for Full-Body Support
  • Spinal Mobility for Resilience & Strength
  • Creative Core for Full-Body Connection
• Previous Yoga Medicine Podcast Episodes with Jenni Tarma:
  • Episode 26: Support the Low Back
  • Episode 32: Harness Your Potential, Yoga for Athletes
  • Episode 60: Strength Training Myths Debunked
  • Episode 76: Hypermobility in Yoga
• Connect with Jenni Tarma:

Facebook|Jenni Tarma Instagram|Kaari Prehab Instagram|Kaari Prehab|LinkedIn|Yoga Medicine Online Teacher

You can learn more about this episode, and see the full show notes atYogaMedicine.com/podcast-89.

And you canfind out more about insider tips, online classes or information on our teacher trainings atYogaMedicine.com.

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

Most of us have a complicated relationship with social media, but it can be a powerful business tool if we learn how to harness it effectively.

Today host Rachel talks social media marketing with returning guest Dana Diament, a yoga teacher and graphic designer with years of experience in branding. Dana creates clarity around social media communication by prompting us all to ask ourselves exactly who are we talking to, and what key themes we aim to convey. Whether your challenge is to identify your student niche or shift to a new one, or find an easier way to determine what to post and when, Dana has simple, practical advice for you.

Listen in to learn how to build an effective online community, whether you are a new yoga teacher or a veteran still searching for your groove.

Show Notes:

• The insatiable pressure to post [3:05]
• Niche: who are you talking to? [4:01]
• How a need-driven niche helps [7:40]
• Why you need a niche (hint: you aren’t actually for everyone) [14:33]
• Advice for new yoga teachers: finding a niche or changing niche [17:23]
• When in doubt, ask your students [28:04]
• Content pillars: a framework for social media content [35:33]
• Practical examples of content pillars [39:05]
• How content pillars facilitate a marketing schedule [46:40]
• Tips for getting started [58:54]

Links Mentioned:

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Marketing for Yoga Teachers Online Course
• Yoga Medicine Podcast Episode 82: Building a Healthy Relationship with Social Media
• Previous episodes with Dana Diament:
  • Episode 45: Conscious Parenting
  • Episode 56: Controversial Yoga Cues Unpacked
  • Episode 65: Spiritual Imposter Syndrome
• Connect with Dana Diament:

Facebook|Instagram|Yoga Medicine Online | Raia Collective

You can learn more about this episode, and see the full show notes atYogaMedicine.com/podcast-88.

And you canfind out more about insider tips, online classes or information on our teacher trainings atYogaMedicine.com.

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

Today hosts Tiffany and Katja hone in on another topic related to pranayama: the science of breathing less. In this episode, we talk about the natural fear of retention of the breath and what we can do to combat this fear. We also connect the dots between concepts like intermittent hypoxic training, breathing less volume, and voluntary hypoventilation and talk about how all those practices may affect breathing gases. Finally, we talk a lot about the application of breathing less in our own practice and how to experiment with it.

Listen in to learn where the concept came from, what we can learn about breathing less from other fields of study, and how we can apply that to our yoga practice.

Show Notes:

• Origins of the concept of breathing less [2:15]
• The O2 side of the coin - intermittent hypoxia & co [3:45]
• The CO2 side of the coin - hypoventilation & co [8:15]
• Unpacking voluntary hypoventilation [13:39]
• The fear of breathing less [17:00]
• Breathing less from the yoga lens [24:11]
• Breath holds and pranayama [27:50]

Links Mentioned:

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Yoga Medicine Online Resources:
  • September Monthly Dose – Breathe Life Into Your Practice
  • Less is More: Breath Practice for CO2 Tolerance
• Breathing Resources Doc
• Pranayama Yoga Teacher Training
• Connect with Katja Bartsch:

Facebook|Instagram|Kalamana Yoga|Yoga Medicine® Online Guest Teacher

You can learn more about this episode, and see the full show notes at YogaMedicine.com/podcast-87.

And you canfind out more about insider tips, online classes or information on our teacher trainings atYogaMedicine.com.

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

Today host Rachel speaks with returning guest Alice Blunden – a Yoga Medicine Therapeutic Specialist, schoolteacher, and creator of The Yoga Project UK – about accessible ways we can translate yoga tools and techniques for children as they navigate the potentially challenging transition back to school.

In this episode, Alice shares a handful of her favorite techniques that you can teach to children of any age, the essence of which yoga students and teachers will likely find familiar.

Listen in to learn creative yet practical activities that introduce kids to yoga concepts that help increase their capacity for focus, concentration, memory, mindfulness and self-regulation.

Show Notes:

• “Back to school” can be a big adjustment for children and families [2:38]
• Creative activities to introduce yoga concepts and practices to children:
  • Focus and memory: What’s on the tray [4:19]
  • Concentration and listening skills: Supermarket list [9:34]
  • Open sensory awareness: Safari walk [12:56]
  • Patience and mindfulness: the Mindful Malteser [20:44]
  • Emotional awareness and vocabulary: Paper cup faces [27:37]
  • Elongated exhalation for nervous system regulation: Pinwheel breath [33:48]
  • Diaphragmatic breathing for nervous system regulation: Teddy bear breath [37:58]
  • Breath-focused meditation: High-five breath [40:50]
  • Shift in internal state, vagal tone: Hummingbee breath [44:49]
• Summing up and general advice for teaching children [47:49]
• Connecting with Alice, more resources for teaching yoga to children [52:08]

Links Mentioned:

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Previous Yoga Medicine Podcast Episodes:
  • Episode 45: Conscious Parenting with Dana Diament
  • Episode 50: Stronger After Surgery with Alice Blunden
• Teaching Yoga to Children Online Course
• Simple Hand Tracing Meditation Online Class
• Connect with Alice Blunden:

Instagram|Alice Louise Yoga|Yoga Medicine Online Guest Teacher

You can learn more about this episode, and see the full show notes atYogaMedicine.com/podcast-86.

And you canfind out more about insider tips, online classes or information on our teacher trainings atYogaMedicine.com.

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

Today hosts Tiffany and Katja take you on a stroll through the breathwork landscape. In this episode, the pair gives an overview of the origins of different breathing practices - covering Eastern traditions from India to China, techniques founded by "psychedelic" transformational and scientific communities as well as practices stemming from Eastern Europe.

If you've ever wanted an overview of where Conscious Connected Breathing, Tummo, Resonant Frequency breathing, and Buteyoko came from - this is the episode you've been waiting for.

We also discuss the bigger picture of breathwork as a whole and how Pranayama as a very multi-faceted practice fits into it.

Show Notes:

• Indian breathwork traditions [2:21]
• Tibetan breathwork traditions [7:57]
• Chinese breathwork traditions [15:55]
• Transformational, “psychedelic” breathwork origins [21:06]
• Scientific origins – Resonant frequency breathing [32:54]
• Eastern European breathwork traditions [38:34]

Links Mentioned:

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Connect with Katja Bartsch:

Facebook|Instagram|Kalamana Yoga|Yoga Medicine® Online Guest Teacher

You can learn more about this episode, and see the full show notes atYogaMedicine.com/podcast-85.

And you canfind out more about insider tips, online classes or information on our teacher trainings atYogaMedicine.com.

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

Whether we are athletes or not, we all have areas in our lives where we want to perform well. Today host Rachel speaks with returning guest Dr. Daya Grant about how aspects of yoga philosophy can help us do that - by improving our focus and concentration. 

Dr. Grant helps athletes and other high performers train their brains with the same care they invest in training their bodies. She draws heavily on the yoga techniques of Pratyahara and Dharana to help athletes focus on what they CAN control, cultivate intuition and prevent burnout. In this episode, she shares practical ways you can connect to these techniques.

Listen in to hear how simply connecting to your feet or choosing where to rest your gaze can completely change your response to a heightened situation, why Dr. Grant encourages athletes to journal, and a range of other yoga tools that you can harness to improve your performance, whatever your ambition.

Show Notes:

• Improved performance isn’t just for elite athletes [2:21]
• Fresh definitions of Pratyahara and Dharana [3:38]
• Practical examples of Pratyahara and its benefits [6:21]
• “Self One” and “Self Two” [12:13]
• More tools to “reverse the flow” [15:35]
• Training the brain is as important as training the body [21:36]
• Understanding Dharana [25:38]
• Using breath work for improved focus: challenges and tips [30:48]
• Self-talk, and finding strength in self-compassion [34:23]
• Communicating helpful concepts like surrender to athletes [40:10]
• The power of practice [43:41]
• Harnessing the tool of imagery [45:55]
• Final takeaways [51:14]

Links Mentioned:

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Yoga Medicine Podcast Episode 47: Concussion Care
• Yoga for Concussions Online Course
• Connect with Dr. Daya Grant:

          Instagram | Daya Grant

You can learn more about this episode, and see the full show notes at YogaMedicine.com/podcast-84.

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

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

Today’s topic is an interesting one that comes up a lot in the yoga world. In this episode, hosts Tiffany and Katja talk about the latest research and newest findings on the Polyvagal Theory. They discuss the evolutionary biology that Polyvagal Theory is based around, the neuroanatomy that’s involved, and assumptions that have been made about this complex aspect of the body.

Listen in to learn about the anatomy of the vagus nerve and how Polyvagal Theory is applied in yoga and therapeutic settings.

Show Notes:

• The emergence of Polyvagal Theory [2:58]
• Evolutionary biology and dorsal vagus [5:50]
• Sympathetic nervous system [10:35]
• Ventral vagus [13:40]
• Nuances of ventral and dorsal vagus, combinations [15:03]
• Anatomy of the vagus nerve [17:38]
• Afferent parts of the vagus nerve (from body to brain) [21:24]
• Efferent components of vagus (from brain to body) [26:50]
• How researchers look at cardiac function and Polyvagal Theory [33:01]
• The role of Polyvagal Theory in yoga and therapeutic settings [37:29]
• Hypotheses about ventral vagus evolution [43:33]

Links Mentioned:

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Polyvagal Resources Doc
• Connect with Katja Bartsch:

Facebook | Instagram | Kalamana Yoga | Yoga Medicine® Online Guest Teacher

You can learn more about this episode, and see the full show notes at YogaMedicine.com/podcast-83.

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

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

Today hosts Tiffany and Rachel talk about building a healthy relationship with social media. These platforms have become a ubiquitous facet of our lives, so in this episode, we examine the way we use social media as yoga students and teachers.

We discuss the pros of social media, like its capacity to help us connect with other people, the sense of community it can create, and the resource-sharing capabilities it allows for. We also talk about some of social media’s trickier topics like dealing with negativity, the futility of chasing the algorithm, and engaging with misinformation.

Listen in as we explain how we can better balance our time on social media and find ways to embrace its benefits.

Show Notes:

• Is there a secret to social media success that you’re missing? [1:25]
• Do you need a large social media following to support your teaching? [3:43]
• Deciding what to post [6:07]
• The futility of chasing the algorithm [16:33]
• Deciding who to follow and engage with [18:41]
• Negative experiences with social media [23:34]
• Balancing time on social media and engaging with misinformation [32:01]
• Social media tips for yoga teachers [39:40]
• Is it still possible to build a teaching business through social media? [53:35]
• Tiffany’s start on social media, and playing the long game [56:00]
• Social media as a global community builder [59:01]
• The upcoming Yoga Medicine Innovation Conference [1:00:00]
• Final takeaways on building a healthy relationship with social media [1:03:02]

Links Mentioned:

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Yoga Medicine Innovation Conference

You can learn more about this episode, and see the full show notes at YogaMedicine.com/podcast-82.

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

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