Podcasts about insight yoga

I am so thrilled to welcome Sarah Powers to this episode! If you've dabbled in yoga—especially yin yoga—you've likely heard her name. Sarah is the co-founder of the Insight Yoga Institute and author of Insight Yoga and Lit From Within. She has been teaching for over 30 years, blending yoga, Buddhism, Taoism, and transpersonal psychology into an integrated approach that enlivens the body, heart, and mind. Sarah's teachings emphasize mindfulness and personal inquiry, drawing from psychological models like internal family systems and psychosynthesis. Her yin practices balance long-held postures with meditative awareness, offering a truly holistic way of being. Our Conversation Highlights: The Birth of Insight Yoga:We explore how Sarah weaves Buddhist insight meditation into yoga. This combination encourages students to go beyond the physical body, guiding them to develop deeper emotional and mental awareness. Sarah shares how yin yoga isn't just about stillness—it's about opening a window into the emotional body and confronting the discomfort many of us avoid. The Emotional Body and Maturity:Sarah discusses how most of us lack emotional maturity, often responding to life's challenges with old, reactive patterns. Through mindful self-awareness, we learn how to engage with emotions in healthy ways rather than suppress or avoid them. She emphasizes that emotional well-being is essential—not secondary—to physical and mental health. Energy and Breath as Allies:We dive into Sarah's relationship with the breath and how it serves as a refuge during moments of stress. She explains how breath connects us to the energy body, a subtle system often overlooked in modern life. Sarah shares her personal practice of using yin postures to align her energy, drawing on both Taoist and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) teachings. Practical Mindfulness Tools:Sarah offers insight into Internal Family Systems (IFS) and the idea of subpersonalities—the parts of us that show up differently in various relationships and roles. Recognizing these inner parts can create greater emotional freedom and help us respond more authentically in any situation. Curiosity as a Lifelong Practice:One key takeaway from our conversation was Sarah's emphasis on staying curious about ourselves, even during difficult moments. With curiosity, we can approach our emotions as opportunities for growth rather than burdens, embracing the full spectrum of human experience. This conversation felt like a masterclass in mindfulness and emotional health, reconnecting me with the tools I first learned during my 2020 yin yoga training with Sarah. Her insights reminded me how essential it is to integrate mindfulness into every part of life, not just on the yoga mat. It was also a beautiful reminder to let go of perfectionism—in yoga, teaching, and life. If you enjoyed this episode, I encourage you to check out Sarah's books, Insight Yoga and Lit From Within, and explore her trainings and retreats. Get in touch with Stephanie: www.listeningwellpodcast.com | @listeningwellpodcast Thank you for Listening Well!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sarah Powers - Lit From Within (www.sarahpowersinsightyoga.com | @sarahpowersinsightyoga) Yin Yoga with Ashtanga background | Restorative yoga teacher | Adapting Ashtanga | Teaching at Maty & Chucks | Yoga, food & digestion | Yoga Works first days | Paul Grilley | What is Yin yoga? | Yin & meditation | Accessing chi | Pranic cultivation | Mind training | Viniyoga | What does energy feel like? | Yoga breathing | Insight Yoga Institute (more info below) _____________________________________________________ This episode is sponsored by Momence, the booking system we use and highly recommend. Momence facilitates online, in-person and hybrid classes and events, it's ideal for multi-site studios and self-employed teachers. With live support by chat, phone and email Momence is easy to use for yourself and your customers.  2 MONTHS FREE TRAIL: https://www.keenonyoga.com/momence/ or book a demo and quote “Keen on Yoga”  __________________________________________________________ Support Us Subscribe, like, comment and share with your friends Donate: https://keenonyoga.com/donate/ Buy us a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/infoRf Become a Patron:  https://keenonyoga.com/membership/  Exclusive content, yoga & lifestyle tips, live Zoom meet-ups & more.  €10 per month, cancel at any time. Connect With Keen On Yoga Instagram Keen on Yoga: https://www.instagram.com/keen_on_yoga/ Instagram Adam Keen: https://www.instagram.com/adam_keen_ashtanga/ Website: https://keenonyoga.com/   ____________________________________________________________ Sarah Powers is the co-founder of the Insight Yoga Institute as well as the author of Insight Yoga and Lit from Within, which interweaves Yoga, Buddhism, Taoism, and Transpersonal psychology into an integrated practice to enliven the body, heart, and mind. Sarah began teaching Yoga in the mid-'80s. Today, her yoga style blends a Yin sequence of long-held floor poses to enhance the meridian and organ systems. She often engages in inquiry practice, with an alignment-based slow flow, or yang movement practice.  Sarah has completed all levels of the Internal Family Systems Therapy training and has been a student of spiritual psychology for over 35 years. She also draws from her in-depth training and long retreats in the Vipashyana, Tantric and Dzogchen practices of Buddhism. Sarah and Ty Powers created the Insight Yoga Institute (IYI) in 2010. Having both interwoven Yoga, Buddhism and Psychological approaches for three decades in their retreats and trainings, they decided to create a more formal umbrella to draw people together in a like-minded community. Of particular interest to Sarah and Ty is that participants learn how to commit to an integrated daily home practice for the body, heart and mind through yogic, Buddhist and psychological teachings and methods. IYI retreats bring together the dynamic and receptive aspects of yoga, the three schools of Buddhism (Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana) and the skilful methods of psycho-dynamic personal and relational work and are held in social silence. The teachers on retreat are not silent but will be leading classes and seeing people individually.  The program can be enjoyed as independent retreats or as a path to Yoga Alliance 500+ hour certification. If you would like to apply for the 500+ hour Yoga Alliance certified program please refer to Program Overview.  

“He who knows others is learned. He who knows himself is wise.” Lao TzuThe Enneagram is a system designed to help you better understand yourself and others.  This personality test can help identify your own, and other people's, patterns of thinking, emotional responses, and underlying motivations.  Expert Julia Smith, licensed marriage and family therapist and certified yoga therapist, explains the 9 Enneagram types and what each type does during stress or healthy growth.  The Enneagram can lead to better relationships, improved work dynamics, and increased self-awareness!Continue LearningThe EnneagramThe Wisdom of the EnneagramThe Enneagram InstituteJulia Smith, LMFT, C-IAYTBeGrounded Mental Health and Yoga TherapyProduced by Jessica Warpula SchultzMusic by Jason A. SchultzEdited by Jessica Warpula Schultz

Scott Johnson talks to Sarah Powers, a long term teacher of yoga and Buddha Dharma, about her life of contemplative practice and its culmination in her new book 'Lit From Within'.   We'd like to invite you to join our growing monthly Stillpoint Yoga community. We teach in-person in London Bridge and live stream online Ashtanga Yoga assisted self practice and guided classes, with weekly yoga clinics and philosophy sessions guided by Scott Johnson and the Stillpoint teaching faculty. We also have a growing library of on-demand content. It's a beautiful way to navigate these times… Also, consider joining our Patreon community. We share these podcasts every 2 weeks and would love your feedback, input and support. You can even join a monthly live call to share your thoughts.   Sarah Powers is an author, therapist and co-founder of Insight Yoga Institute. Her work is led by a desire for healing, and over the past 35 years Sarah has explored a number of healing modalities. Her yoga practise began with Ashtanga in the company of Chuck Miller, Maty Ezraty, Tim Miller, and Richard Freeman. There she found a daily ritual, an invitation to explore what changes on the inside, when on the surface things might look the same. In this rich and generous conversation, Sarah shares how a profound experience she had while on retreat with Jack Kornfield deeply impacted her life. She'd been a yoga practitioner for over a decade at that point, but this was the time that it first truly made sense to her. Her previous practise served as a preparation for the Buddhist teachings she encountered. She studied both Theravada and Dzogchen, and saw comparisons with her previous studies in Advaita Vedanta. Sarah believes that underlying the multiplicity of teachers and traditions, they would all agree on the fundamental nature of freedom. Over time, Sarah moved away from teaching Ashtanga yoga and towards a more Yin based approach, but the essence of inquiry that she first found in Ashtanga remains. Now, she combines yoga with mindfulness meditation in her classes, integrating yoga and Buddha Dharma with the intention of introducing beginners to meditation. She is the author of Insight Yoga and her most recent book Lit from Within takes a holistic approach to healing our five experiential centres: the physical, energetic, mental, emotional, and interpersonal realms. You can find out more about Sarah's work here.   "This conversation with Sarah is so, so rich. I had wanted to speak to Sarah for a while, for her to expand on her beautiful view and experience on how the Buddha Dharma and yoga traditions blend together. I got so much and more. Sarah's wonderful and insightful way of seeing these practices and then sharing them is visceral and compelling. This conversation will leave you feeling like you've stepped right into the middle of Sarah's world. Full, inviting and so, so rich..." Scott Johnson - January 2022    If you enjoyed this podcast then you might also enjoy Scott's conversations with  Kia Naddermier, Martin Aylward and Ann Weston

Welcome to this week's episode of The Blaze Bell Show. Today's guest is Holistic Life Coach, Heidi Weiland. If you feel like an introverted woman who is trying to overcome burnout, get unstuck & build self-confidence so you can create a life you love... THIS EPISODE IS FOR YOU!Heidi Jandel WeilandHOLISTIC LIFE COACHMission:I help introverted women overcome burnout, get unstuck & build self-confidence so they can create a life they love.Bio:I'm a holistic life coach. I use a mind-body-spirit approach to help women reconnect to confidence and joy, so that they can move forward in their lives with ease. I focus on all kinds of problems from stress and exhaustion to relationship issues to chronic procrastination and self-sabotage. My clients learn how to overcome self-doubt, overwhelm and anxiety and how to create empowerment for themselves. I've studied many aspects of the healing arts and am a certified life coach from The Life Coach School, an Ayurvedic Health Counselor and a yoga teacher. I love backcountry skiing in the mountains of Alaska (my home) and dabbling in creative activities of all kinds.Working with me:I work with clients via 1-1 coaching, group coaching and workshops.Education:Certified Life Coach, The Life Coach School, 2020Ayurvedic Health Counselor, Spirit Path Ayurveda Education, 2019Yoga Teacher RYT 200, Insight Yoga, 2016Bachelors & Graduate Degrees in Art, Graphic Design & MultimediaContactwww.heidijandel.comwww.facebook.com/heidijandelwww.instagram.com/heidi.jandelcontact@heidijandel.com___________________________Blaze's Info:Subscribe to my newsletter for monthly inspiration and healing tools! https://www.blazebell.com/Check out my online Healing Courses here: https://www.blazebell.com/courses*Use code: badass50 for 50% off my online course, Reclaim Your Badassery!Join Sober & Sovereign: https://bit.ly/soberandsovereignVisit me on social: Website: https://www.blazebell.com/Instagram: http://instagram.com/blazebellblissPodcast: https://www.blazebell.com/podcastFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/blazebellblissIf this show is adding value to your life, please support my work. https://www.patreon.com/blazebellshowI love you so much. Thank you for being a part of my journey. xo

With this meditation, Sarah Jane takes the instructions “Pause, Soften, and Connect,” which are often delivered at the beginning of a meditation, and stretches the time we spend with each one. With occasional instruction, she illuminates the possibilities each of them points to: With “pause,” the shift from everyday mind to mindfulness; with “soften,” receptivity and the ability to stay with; and with “connect,” growing our internal awareness to include what is external. In a wonderful way, this mindfulness meditation supports the simple change from doing to being.Also, in familiarizing ourselves with the feel of the body-heart-mind system when we follow these guidelines, we are building a muscle we can use  in everyday life to slow ourselves down and bring our full presence to what is happening inside and around us. ~Skillful Means Podcast offers these guided practices to help you deepen into your yoga and mindfulness journey. We welcome your comments. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, send us a note at feedback@skillfulmeanspodcast.com, or leave us a voicemail at https://www.speakpipe.com/skillfulmeanspodcast. You can get in touch with Sarah Jane directly at https://www.sarahjaneshangraw.com/ where she offers a donation-based mindfulness/compassion practice group, weekly Insight Yoga classes, and 1:1 sessions. 

Equanimity is a steadiness in heart and mind that has a spacious feel. It is “being with” rather than “reacting to” present-moment experience, which makes possible the beat between stimulus and response. We can choose what we do next rather than impulsively react. Thus, equanimity supports agency and choicefulness. Also, it balances the three other “Divine Abodes”or “Immeasurable Qualities” so valued in Buddhist tradition: loving-kindness, compassion, and empathetic joy. For example, when we are equanimous, loving-kindness will not become harmful attachment. Compassion will not have the quality of pity. Joy will not tip over into unmitigated exuberance. Keeping equanimity in heart and mind as we go about our days ensures we are not thrown off course by unpredicted circumstances; we are steady.  We are not as uncomfortable or fitful with uncertainty; there is ease with not knowing. We do not feel betrayed by life when things don't go as planned; we more easily adapt. In this equanimity meditation with Sarah Jane we spend time calling to mind properties of the natural elements and feeling how they can support equanimity. This is the final practice in Sarah Jane's second series of meditations inspired by Buddhism's four “Immeasurable Qualities.” For meditations using the traditional phrases to cultivate loving-kindness, compassion, empathetic joy, and equanimity, try episodes 9, 13, 16, and 24.  This second set is less traditional, calling on the flavor and feel of each. You'll find these meditations in episodes 42, 44, 46, and 48.~Skillful Means Podcast offers these guided practices to help you deepen into your yoga and mindfulness journey. We welcome your comments. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, send us a note at feedback@skillfulmeanspodcast.com, or leave us a voicemail at https://www.speakpipe.com/skillfulmeanspodcast. You can get in touch with Sarah Jane directly at https://www.sarahjaneshangraw.com/ where she offers a donation-based mindfulness/compassion practice group, weekly Insight Yoga classes, and 1:1 sessions. 

Acknowledging that humans are hardwired to be on alert for danger, and that imbalanced states can cause us problems such as anxiety and doubt, we would do well to incline the mind toward goodness and gladness. In this guided meditation, Sarah Jane touches on the negativity bias and the nature of both conditioned and unconditioned happiness. Through mindfulness meditation – and the RAIN method in particular – we become aware of the mind states that stand between us and a sense of freedom, states that are natural but not always helpful. Then, through the cultivation of gratitude and joy, and by replacing resistance with acceptance, there is the possibility of generating happiness that is characterized not by excitement or exuberance but by contentment and peace. If your podcast player supports chapter markers, you can start the meditation at 2:20.~Skillful Means Podcast offers these guided practices to help you deepen into your yoga and mindfulness journey. We welcome your comments. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, send us a note at feedback@skillfulmeanspodcast.com, or leave us a voicemail at https://www.speakpipe.com/skillfulmeanspodcast. You can get in touch with Sarah Jane directly at https://www.sarahjaneshangraw.com/ where she offers a donation-based mindfulness/compassion practice group, weekly Insight Yoga classes, and 1:1 sessions. 

In this meditation inspired by popular teacher Jack Kornfield’s tree meditations, Sarah Jane guides you through a visualization that accesses the stabilizing and steadfast qualities of trees.  Recalling a tree that has been significant in your life is the beginning of a short relational journey that includes rooting downward for nourishment and rising to the challenges of life’s seasons. Then, breathing like the tree and being like the tree, we enhance a sense of  interconnectedness and presence, and trust this inner ground as a place to  return to, again and again. ~~ Skillful Means Podcast offers these guided practices to help you deepen into your yoga and mindfulness journey.Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, or send us a note at feedback@skillfulmeanspodcast.comwith your comments.You can also get in touch with Sarah Jane directly. She offers a donation-based mindfulness/compassion practice group, weekly Insight Yoga classes, and 1:1 sessions. In all her offerings, she promotes self-awareness and interconnectedness using contemplative and somatic methods drawn from yoga, Buddhism, and spiritual psychology.

I am so happy to share these beautiful meditation with you. Phil have an amazing app, "Insight Timer" with 55,000 free guided meditations. They believe everyone deserves access to a free daily meditation practice, with 7822 teachers & musicians on the one app. Besides, in his web page "Insight Yoga" you can find thousands of yoga instructors teaching live every hour. Absolutely incredible. I have permission from Mindvalley to share this amazing meditation with you. Please enjoy it. Find out more from Mindvalley here: https://www.omvana.com/ https://www.soulvana.com/ Let me know your experiences with this incredible meditation. I am a Reiki Master, specialist in Reiki Distant Healing, which means I can send Reiki to everywhere in the world. I have had the pleasure and blessing of doing many Reiki Distant Healings Sessions, in England, Bolivia, Spain, Mexico, Germany, etc; with wonderful results. Reiki is a holistic therapy, and its goal is promote balance and harmony in the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual bodies. Reiki is an incredible powerful healing energy. I have healed successfully some Covid-19 cases from my home. No side effects. Fast and Real Results. In addition, if there is no change, you pay nothing. Lots to win and literally nothing to lose. If you have any question, or you are passing through difficult health situations, I can help you, leave me a message. If you think this meditation can help someone, please share it. Thank you for being here. I send you all the love you can receive. May the force be with you.

Offering the ancient practices of mindfulness and meditation utilizing a fresh, modern voice is the essence of Lena's work. As a Mindfulness-Based Psychotherapist, International Spiritual Teacher and Speaker, Lena will teach you that “to journey in inward is your highest calling.” Lena earned both her Bachelors of Science in Psychology and Masters of Social at the University of Georgia. As a licensed clinical social worker, Lena integrates Eastern philosophy with Western neuroscience. Lena's holistic healing work is grounded in Buddhist Psychology, Mindfulness Meditation, LifeForce Yoga and Insight Yoga in addition to psychodynamic foundations. Today, Lena has a mindfulness business based in Atlanta, GA where she sees individual clients, provides mindfulness corporate trainings, teaches personal growth workshops and guides meditation retreats around the globe. Lena is also the Head of Mindfulness for Welzen, a mindfulness meditation app featuring practices and programs to enhance your health and happiness. Raised in a hybrid Buddhist/Christian household, Lena was introduced to meditation as a young child. Today, this mindfulness foundation has grown into a deep passion to guide others on a journey towards inner peace, emotional balance and a felt sense of wholeness. Lena has been featured in various media outlets including the New York Times, Modern Luxury and World Traveler magazines. Please visit her website to learn more about her practice and schedule of wellness trips, retreats, and continuing education offerings: www.lenafranklin.com.   We dove deep in this conversation and talked about Lena losing her mother and how she connects with her on the other side. We also discussed ways to stay present and use this time at home to go within and shed layers not serving you anymore. Here are some of the main take-aways: 1. Ask yourself how can you live differently? What is wanting to be let go of and released, both habit patterns, routines and thoughts? 2. Use the 3 A's, a portable mindfulness practice to use anywhere. The first A stands for acknowledge. Acknowledge your uncomfortable feelings first. The second A stands for Accept. Breathe in acceptance and you might say to yourself: 'My darling, may I accept that this is part of my awareness right now?' The third A is for Alternative Action. You get to choose a new action rather than yelling, slamming a door or losing your cool. Come up with new actions you can take like focusing on your breath, taking a quick walk or time out, to rewire and shift your pattern. 3. Speak to yourself in compassionate loving words like you would with a child, such as calling yourself beloved, my darling, sweetie, etc. It might feel weird at first, but over time it will feel loving and kind.   Additionally, Lena led a beautiful bonus mindfulness meditation that incorporated grounding yourself and connecting to the present moment. Enjoy!    Connect with Lena Franklin WEBSITE:  https://www.lenafranklin.com/ FACEBOOK:  https://www.facebook.com/iamlenafranklin TWITTER:  https://twitter.com/iamlenafranklin INSTAGRAM:  https://www.instagram.com/iamlenafranklin/ YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSWnzoAXN9OARf6QSOufCtA   Enjoying the show? For iTunes listeners, get automatic downloads and share the love by subscribing, rating & reviewing here!   *Share what you are struggling with or looking to transform with Julie at podcast@juliereisler.com. Julie would love to start covering topics of highest interest to YOU. Please also let us know if you are interested to be a guest on her show to discuss where you are stuck, and do live coaching with Julie on her podcast.   Join host Julie Reisler, author and multi-time TEDx speaker, each week to learn how you can tap into your best self and become your You-est You® to achieve inner peace, happiness and success at a deeper level! Tune in to hear powerful, inspirational stories and expert insights from entrepreneurs, industry thought leaders, and extraordinary human beings that will help to transform your life. Julie also shares a-ha moments that have shaped her life and career, and discusses key concepts from her book Get a PhD in YOU Here's to your being your you-est you!    You-est You Links: Subscribe to the Podcast  Learn more at JulieReisler.com Become a Sacred Member at The School of Sacredology Join The You-est You® Community for Soul Seekers on Facebook Book Julie as a speaker at your upcoming event Amazon #1 Best selling book Get a PhD in YOU Download free guided-meditations from Insight Timer Julie's Hungry For More Online Program (10 Module Interactive Course)

In today’s episode Sarah Powers, co-founder of the Insight Yoga Institute and author of Insight Yoga, shares her decades of wisdom in interweaving yoga, Buddhism, Taoism, and Transpersonal psychology. Join us today as we gain a deeper appreciation for the subtleties of Chi and Prana, breakdown the 3 key benefits to mindfulness, and learn how we can begin the process of moving from uncertainty and fear to a place of calm and clarity. Show Highlights Understand how insight yoga incorporates the energetic effects of Traditional Chinese medicine. Discover a deeper appreciation for the concepts of Chi and Prana. Learn how yoga postures can affects our emotions our thoughts and overall health. Discover the 3 benefits of mindfulness in Yin yoga. Learn how insight yoga allows for mini opportunities for mindfulness. How the practice of Insight yoga can assist everyone at this time, in moving us from a place chaos and fear to more calm and clarity.

#7 On this episode I talk with Suzanne Marlow about awakening, being human, navigating tight passages, and the power of a daily practice for anxiety and suffering.

Welcome to Skillful Means Podcast. Through the lens of Insight Yoga, hosts Sarah Jane Shangraw and Jennifer O'Sullivan will offer conversations on a variety of topics including:an emphasis on the quieter, yin aspects of practicenourishing the energy bodyweaving in meditation with asana, andinquiry methods, particularly Internal Family SystemsLaunching: Late September 2019Future episodes will drop every other week on Thursdays. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, or drop us a note at feedback@skillfulmeanspodcast.com

Subscribe: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher Growing up as a self-described wild child on the beaches of Malibu in the 1970s, Sarah Powers is a passionate student of life with a curious mind. She found yoga while in grad school at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology and never looked back. Following a spinal injury, she … read more The post triyoga talks episode 21: Sarah Powers on yin yoga, insight yoga + self-exploration appeared first on triyoga.

Sarah Powers - creator of Insight Yoga, and yoga teacher for over 3 decades shares her wisdom in integrating yoga, psychology and Buddhism. She unpacks why many long term yoga practitioners still struggle with neurosis and how to skillfully relate to parts of our life that our out of our control. Sarah also shares some incredibly practical and useful advice about balancing teaching yoga from the heart, and making a living as a full time yoga teacher. In this episode, we discuss:The reason why long term yogis can still struggle with neurosis and how we can change that How to work with our psychological conditioning through the bodyThe importance of dedicated mind training for yogisHow we can skillfully relate to the parts of our life that our out of our controlThe benefits of silent retreat, and why you don’t need to wait to do one, and how to survive your first How to balance teaching what’s popular vs. what’s in your heartSarah’s incredible business advice for yoga teachersHow Sarah is still in love with yoga after more than 3 decades of teaching and practiceYou can find full show notes and links to the resources we mention on our website at http://bit.ly/sarahpowers008

For the last interview of 2018, I am so excited to share an interview with Insight Yoga founder Sarah Powers. Sarah has been a huge influence on my yoga practice, my meditation practice, and my life. Here's what we talk about:* Yoga and parenting: How Sarah introduced her daughter to yoga and what impact she believes growing up in a yoga family had on her daughter * How Sarah and Ty came to the decision to home school their daughter and how that decision made Sarah a better yoga teacher* Why continuing to make time to attend workshops and retreats as a student is still an essential part of Sarah's life* She talks about the amount of time it took for her to feel confident as a yoga teacher, especially since she brings so many different elements of yoga, meditation, Buddhism, and psychology into her teaching* Plus, she offers some practical advice for yoga teachers Show notes: http://www.jasonyoga.com/podcast/episode134SHOUT-OUT TO OUR SPONSORS1. LOLA is a female-founded company offering 100 organic cotton tampons, pads, and liners. For every purchase, LOLA donates feminine care products to homeless shelters across the U.S. For 40% off all subscriptions, visit mylola.com and enter the code YOGALAND40 when you subscribe.2. Care/of is a monthly subscription vitamin service made from high, quality ingredients personally tailored to your exact needs. Their short quiz asks you about your diet, health goals, and lifestyle choices and uses these answers to create personalized vitamin packs just for you. For 25% off your first month of personalized care/of vitamins, visit takecareof.com and enter promo code YOGALAND.3. Storyworth makes it easy and fun for loved ones to tell their stories. Simply purchase a subscription for someone you love and each week Storyworth will send them a question about their life. After a year, stories are bound in a beautiful book. For $20 off, visit storyworth.com/yogaland when you subscribe.4. Away is a new kind of luggage that is designed to be resilient resourceful and essential to the way you travel today. They use high-quality materials at a lower price point than other brands because they sell directly on the Internet. For $20 off a suitcase, visit awaytravel.com/yogaland and use promo code YOGALAND at checkout.5. Omax3 Ulta-Pure is the purest Omega 3 fatty acid supplement on the market. Omax puts their product through an intense distillation process to remove saturated fats, toxins, and PCPs, so you’re left with a really pure product. Go to tryomax.com/yogaland to get a box of Omax3 Ultra-Pure for free with your first purchase.6. ModCloth is your go-to to get your closet ready with adorable, fresh pieces. The company celebrates all women, which is why they offer a full range of sizes, from XXS to 4X. To get 15% off your purchase of $100 or more, go to MODCLOTH.com and enter code YOGALAND at checkout. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A new year seems like a logical time for making a fresh start. I thought why not do a podcast about reinforcing a new year’s resolution or goal with ritual? So, I turned to one of my favorite yoga instructors to walk you and me through this process. I’d imagined she would suggest doing something spiritual like lighting a candle and gazing at a crystal cluster in a meditative state. Or, setting some meaningful mementos and fresh flowers in an area of your home that could serve as a small alter, reminding yourself of the person you wish to become. But, I was wrong. She did suggest the meditation part – sitting still doing deep belly breathing for five minutes a day. “Meditation is a wonderful ritual every morning, to set space for self respect, to set the tone of our attitude. To realize who we want to be in that day and how we want to meet others,” explained Suzanne Marlow, a Santa Barbara area marriage and family therapist (LMFT) and Insight Yoga instructor at Yoga Soup. For those who have trouble sitting still she suggested a meditation alternative she calls Beditation, which can be done first thing in the morning. “Five minutes before you get out of bed, put your hands on your belly. Feel the breath moving in and out. Relax into who you are, and then kind of set your mind to who you want to be.” She also offered some practical ideas for weaving mindful rituals into daily life, such as expressing gratitude. “Every time you walk through a door, can you slow down a bit, and just take a breath and remember how fortunate you are to be in this moment… even the moments that don’t seem so fortunate.” Marlow calls cleaning the space inside of us mental flossing. “As we develop into healthier human beings…. we need to think more wholesomely… We need to be honest about what is going on inside (ourselves).” For more information on Suzanne Marlow’s yoga and counseling services, including her new mindfulness group therapy program, go to Suzanne Marlow.com. And for more podcasts and blog posts on how you can go from merely living to Truly Thriving, go to WellnessTalkShow.com  

Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Sarah Powers, co-Founder of the Insight Yoga Institute. In this interview, Sarah speaks about the unique inter-disciplinary approach of Insight Yoga that blends the insights and practices of yoga with Buddhist mindfulness and meditation.