Beyond Trauma

In this episode with Michelle Casandra Johnson, we cover the importance of the grieving process and having practices that support it. We discuss how our practices have shifted since Covid-19 and the things we hope will not go back. Michelle talks about working with our ancestors and learning from their traumas and resistance as well as her special connection to her honey bees. Michelle wrote the foreward for my forthcoming book, The Essential Guide to Trauma Sensitive Yoga out with Shambhala Publications in May 2023. It was wonderful to connect with her here. Michelle C. Johnson is an author, yoga teacher, social justice activist, intuitive healer, and Dismantling Racism trainer. She approaches her life and work from a place of empowerment, embodiment, and integration. As a dismantling racism trainer, she has worked with large corporations, non-profits, and community groups, including the ACLU-WA, Duke University, Google, This American Life, Auburn Seminary, Kripalu, Mercedes, Spotify, Lululemon, and many others. Michelle published Skill in Action: Radicalizing Your Yoga Practice to Create a Just World in 2017; the second edition of Skill in Action, published by Shambhala Publication, comes out November 2nd, 2021. She teaches workshops in yoga studios and community spaces nationwide. Michelle’s latest book, Finding Refuge: Heart Work for Healing Collective Grief, published by Shambhala Publications, came out in July 2021. Her upcoming book, We Heal Together: Rituals and Practices for Building Community and Connection, published my Shambhala Publications, is available for pre-order now and comes out in April 2023. Whether in an anti-oppression training, yoga space, individual or group intuitive healing session, the heart, healing, and wholeness are at the center of how Michelle approaches all of her work in the world. Michelle's Website & Instagram ----------------------------------------- Your support is deeply appreciated! Find me, Lara, on my Website / Instagram You can support this podcast with any level of donation here. Opening and Closing music: Other People's Photographs courtesy of Daniel Zaitchik. Follow Daniel on Spotify.

I discovered Katarina "Kato" Wittich in Gwyneth Paltrow's documentary series “Sex, Love and Goop” episode five, where she guides a client through a Family Constellation session which allows them to understand and process family trauma. It was and remains one of the most powerful moments of television I've ever witnessed, so I was deeply honored when Kato agreed to be in conversation. In doing my research for this interview, I learned much about Kato's dedication to healing through practices that demand deep acceptance and reverence for the interwoven body-mind system. In this conversation, we discuss the Rosen and Family System techniques, the importance of touch, and how ancestral trauma informs our lives. We talk about the need to feel all our feelings and how critical it is to have someone that can allow us to be with those vibrations no matter how strong or seemingly negative. It was a meeting of spirits being in shared space with Katarina. I hope you will benefit from our musings. Katarina Wittich, known as ‘Kato’, is a certified Rosen Method Practitioner, Conscious Dance facilitator, Yuen Practitioner, and facilitator for the group transformational modality called Family Constellations. She has had the great privilege to spend the last 25 years using her practices to help other humans voyage past the limitations that come from survival patterns created by trauma, toward wholeness and resilient self love.  Rosen Method is a form of somatic therapy which uses touch as well as verbal interaction in order to contact the contractions in our bodies which we have created in order get through trauma when we do not have enough support to remain open and flexible. In accessing these contractions in the body, we also access all the unconscious patterns that have been necessary to move through the world, but may no longer be useful, and instead now holding us back from living fully. Family Constellations work directly with the unconscious inheritance of survival patterns created to handle trauma by our ancestors. Often we are more susceptible to the difficult things that happen in our lives because of the epigenetic and family culture patterns once needed for survival of the family system, but now hindering us without our knowledge. Constellations are mysterious and incredibly powerful because they function through the group practice of resonance, in which perfect strangers with no knowledge of the client’s issues or family system, will easily and accurately be able to represent the client's family members and ancestors, unveiling what was hidden and allowing flow back into the system.  Kato's Family Constellations work is currently featured in Episode Five of Gwyneth Paltrow's documentary series “Sex, Love and Goop”, available on Netflix. She is grateful to have had the opportunity to facilitate in the first mainstream television exposure for this profound and life changing work, in which you can witness the impossible wonder of our interconnectedness, unlimited by time or physicality. For more information on Kato’s practices go to her website - RosenConstellations.com In the rest of her life, she is a screenwriter, director, painter, dancer and general lover of all things creative, embodied and human. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Your support is deeply appreciated! Find me, Lara, on my Website / Instagram You can support this podcast with any level of donation here. Order The Essential Guide to Trauma Sensitive Yoga: How to Create Safer Spaces for All Opening and Closing music: Other People's Photographs courtesy of Daniel Zaitchik. Follow Daniel on Spotify.

Amy B. Scher had a debilitating case of Lyme Disease that resulted in her being bedridden in her twenties. She tried every available solution from intravenous antibiotics to flying all the way to India. Though some of the medicines she tried helped, in the end, she only became completely healthy and relapse-free when she began looking at her traumas, thoughts, and beliefs and neutralizing them. In this conversation, Amy describes her core healing practices which she has taught countless others via workshops, private sessions, her YouTube, and books. Many of these practices I have personally tried and incorporated into my daily protocol to stop stress from building in my system and causing negative health outcomes. As Amy details, if you can catch and deal with the "little" stuff, you can heal a lot. Amy B. Scher is an expert in mind-body healing and helping people release blocks to become their happiest, healthiest, and most creative selves. She’s the award-winning and bestselling author of four books which are translated into 20 languages and endorsed by notable authors such as Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray Love), Sanjiv Chopra, MD, Harvard Medical School and (Brotherhood with Deepak Chopra), and more. Her work has been featured in Oprah Daily, CNN, CBS, Washington Post, Cosmopolitan, Good Morning America, and more. She lives in New York City with her beautiful wife and bad cat. Amy can be found online at AmyBScher.com. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Your support is deeply appreciated! Find me, Lara, on my Website / Instagram You can support this podcast with any level of donation here. Order The Essential Guide to Trauma Sensitive Yoga: How to Create Safer Spaces for All Opening and Closing music: Other People's Photographs courtesy of Daniel Zaitchik. Follow Daniel on Spotify.

Timothy Lewis walked into my yoga studio, Land Yoga on one New Year's Eve and never turned back. He became a regular and dedicated yoga practitioner, got his yoga teacher certification, and then did his Trauma-Informed Yoga Teacher Training with Three and a Half Acres Yoga where he now teaches classes for trauma survivors. Timothy is a born scientist, full of a curiosity which he allows to take him on the journey of life. He is featured in my book, The Essential Guide to Trauma Sensitive Yoga which is out TOMORROW. Make any level donation to Three and a Half Acres Yoga and receive an invite to our special private book event on Saturday, May 13th where you will have the opportunity to meet Timothy and many others who were involved in this project. Purchase the book today (May 1st) for the final day to receive your online BONUSES. Timothy Lewis is a Jay Shetty certified mindfulness coach and educator at heart with over 20 years of dynamic experience honoring unique individuality and nurturing innate curiosity. An avid researcher of epigenetics, human psychology, and the new human biology, he allows a love for learning and growth to fuel his zest for life. Timothy is a 200-h RYT with training in the foundations of Yin and trauma-sensitive yoga. Timothy teaches an Everyday Mindfulness & Meditation course, works with individuals and groups looking to explore how mindfulness can neutralize the effects of stress and modern living, and offers embodied movement classes including yoga and capoeira. Timothy enjoys training and teaching, traveling, and exploring the contrast of being deeply drawn to nature while embracing the hustle and bustle of New York City. Learn more about Timothy and his offerings here. Also, Timothy shares short practices and insights on Timothy Lewis (@mindfulnesswithtimothy) • Instagram photos and videos, and LinkedIn. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Your support is deeply appreciated! Find me, Lara, on my Website / Instagram You can support this podcast with any level of donation here. Pre-order The Essential Guide to Trauma Sensitive Yoga: How to Create Safer Spaces for All Opening and Closing music: Other People's Photographs courtesy of Daniel Zaitchik. Follow Daniel on Spotify.

Not everyone can talk about neuroscience and make it make sense, but Rotem Brayer certainly can. During our time together he showed me why EMDR has become his number one go-to modality for helping his clients process trauma. In this episode, Rotem explains the neuroscience behind this practice and how it can help with trauma and sleep disorders. We also discuss the other elements that need to be in the room to make EMDR most impactful. Finally, Rotem also breaks down the reasons he feels we are seeing such a crisis in mental health and what we can do about it. I learned so much from this conversation and I know you will too. Rotem Brayer, MEd, LPC, is a Licensed Professional Counselor, certified EMDR therapist, EMDR consultant, and an advanced EMDR trainer. He is the founder of The EMDR Learning Community (https://emdr-learning.com/), a community that brings EMDR therapists together and provides education on EMDR therapy and the integration of this modality with other treatment approaches. As the co-founder of EMDR Denver, a practice that helps clients heal with an “EMDR first” approach, Rotem spends his time consulting on cases, coaching EMDR therapists, and helping his clients heal from the effects of trauma and attachment wounds. Website - Instagram -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Your support is deeply appreciated! Find me, Lara, on my Website / Instagram You can support this podcast with any level of donation here. Pre-order The Essential Guide to Trauma Sensitive Yoga: How to Create Safer Spaces for All Opening and Closing music: Other People's Photographs courtesy of Daniel Zaitchik. Follow Daniel on Spotify.

In this incredible conversation with Christiane Wolf, MD, PhD, we separate out different kinds of pain. Christiane shows us how by learning to differentiate between types of pain, we can plan an appropriate course of action. We discuss when the approaches of mindfulness and compassion may help and how to implement them to feel less stress and suffering when experiencing uncomfortable sensations. Christiane and I also talk about birthing pain, the differences in giving birth in Germany (her home country) and the United States, and how that changes the pain experience. We also touch on the basics of and importance of sangha and Christiane's striking balance of the scientific and spiritual realms and ability to translate each one to the other. In this episode, Christiane references a study from Science Daily you can access HERE. Christiane Wolf, MD, Ph.D. is a former physician, internationally known mindfulness (MBSR, MSC) and Insight (Vipassana) meditation teacher. She is the author of “Outsmart Your Pain” and the coauthor of “A Clinician’s Guide to Teaching Mindfulness”. Dr. Wolf is the lead-consultant and teacher trainer for the VA’s (US Department of Veteran Affairs) National Mindfulness Facilitator Training. She was trained as a Dharma and retreat teacher through Spirit Rock Meditation Center and the Insight Meditation Society under Jack Kornfield and Joseph Goldstein. Originally from Berlin, Germany, she is a senior teacher at InsightLA in Los Angeles, where she lives with her husband and their three teenagers. Visit Christiane's website for more on her offerings. Check out her class on working with pain. ----------------------------------------- Your support is deeply appreciated! Find me, Lara, on my Website / Instagram You can support this podcast with any level of donation here. Pre-order The Essential Guide to Trauma Sensitive Yoga: How to Create Safer Spaces for All Opening and Closing music: Other People's Photographs courtesy of Daniel Zaitchik. Follow Daniel on Spotify.

In this extraordinary conversation with Jacoby Ballard we cover a wide range of topics from black feminism to queer identity to parenthood and what each of these lenses can teach us about processing our feelings and finding our way to forgiveness. As you will no doubt witness through our very live and in real-time process together, Jacoby is a "calling in" centered person who has done his work to become the fearless, aware, forgiveness-based being he teaches others to be. In this episode, we explore specific yogic and Buddhist practices which can help with dispelling anger and moving toward forgiveness. We talk about the importance of self-regulation and self-love, especially for folks committed to social justice and the potential it has to bring people together. Jacoby Ballard is a social justice educator and yoga teacher on Shoshone, Ute, Paiute and Goshute land now known as Salt Lake City, Utah. He leads workshops and trainings around the country on diversity, equity, and inclusion. As a yoga teacher with 24 years of experience, he leads workshops, retreats, segments in teacher trainings, teaches at conferences, and has been an artist-in-residence on dozens of college campuses. In 2008, Jacoby co-founded Third Root Community Health Center in Brooklyn, to work at the nexus of healing and social justice. Since 2006, Jacoby has taught Queer and Trans Yoga, a space for queer folks to unfurl and cultivate resilience and received Yoga Journal's Game Changer Award in 2014 and Good Karma Award in 2016. Receiving prenatal yoga training in 2021, Jacoby now offers a Queer & Trans Centered Prenatal Yoga online and LGBT inclusion workshops in prenatal yoga teacher trainings so that queer families can be anticipated and supported in their process. Jacoby has taught in schools, hospitals, non profit and business offices, a maximum security prison, a recovery center, a cancer center, LGBT centers, gyms, a veteran’s center, and yoga studios. His first book, A Queer Dharma: Yoga and Meditations for Liberation, was released in 2022. Check out Jacoby's website. Follow Jacoby on Instagram. ----------------------------------------- Your support is deeply appreciated! Find me, Lara, on my Website / Instagram You can support this podcast with any level of donation here. Pre-order The Essential Guide to Trauma Sensitive Yoga: How to Create Safer Spaces for All Opening and Closing music: Other People's Photographs courtesy of Daniel Zaitchik. Follow Daniel on Spotify.

In this episode, Dr. Jamie Marich discusses why the martial art Jiu-Jitsu is so specifically good for healing trauma. We discuss in detail the overlaps with yoga and where these practices differ. We offer some ideas for why all facilitators should have trauma sensitivity training and what that might look like. We talk about exposure to triggers, and breathwork, and finally get into some really clarifying discussions about disassociation. Dr. Jamie Marich (she/they) describes herself as a facilitator of transformative experiences. A clinical trauma specialist, expressive artist, writer, yogini, performer, short filmmaker, Reiki master, TEDx speaker, and recovery advocate, she unites all of these elements in her mission to inspire healing in others. She began her career as a humanitarian aid worker in Bosnia-Hercegovina from 2000-2003, primarily teaching English and music while freelancing with other projects. Jamie travels internationally teaching on topics related to trauma, EMDR therapy, expressive arts, mindfulness, and yoga, while maintaining a private practice and online education operations in her home base of Warren, OH. Jamie is the author of numerous books on trauma recovery and healing, with many more projects in the works. Marich is the founder of The Institute for Creative Mindfulness. Jamie is the author of Transforming Trauma with Jiu-Jitsu. Her new book Dissociation Made Simple is now available. Check out Jamie's website. Follow Jamie on Instagram. ----------------------------------------- Your support is deeply appreciated! Find me, Lara, on my Website / Instagram You can support this podcast with any level of donation here. Pre-order The Essential Guide to Trauma Sensitive Yoga: How to Create Safer Spaces for All Opening and Closing music: Other People's Photographs courtesy of Daniel Zaitchik. Follow Daniel on Spotify.

In this deeply touching and sensitive episode, I'm in conversation with a long-time friend and colleague, former Sergeant for Transit District One, Annie Labrada. In this conversation, we discuss Annie's time at the New York Police Department (NYPD) and the traumas she and her colleagues experienced. She shares her coping mechanisms, her journey to becoming a certified yoga teacher, and her and her colleagues' efforts to bring yoga to the NYPD through NYPD Blue Karma Yoga and NYPD Health and Wellness. We talk about one particular officer, Aaron Lohman who has a very inspirational health story. We also dive into how we met and my work with Three and a Half Acres Yoga (THAY) to bring yoga to the NYPD. Annie is a graduate of the (THAY) Trauma-Informed Yoga Teacher Training. We have our next training coming up on March 4th and 5th. You can find more info on that HERE. In 2019 after the department lost ten members who died by suicide, Annie decided to join the founders of NYPD Blue Karma Yoga. Realizing how much her yoga practice helped regulate stress, handle intense emotions and find the peace she knew it would only help others.  Annie completed her 200-hour yoga teacher training in May 2020 and taught her first class for BKY on May 18 on Instagram live. In-person classes would follow, and often officers were surprised by how good they felt after class. Introducing several officers to their very first taste of yoga was one of the most rewarding parts of her career.  She was promoted to Sergeant in July 2021 and served for Transit District One in Columbus circle. Stepping into a supervisory role was challenging but fulfilling. Again Annie fell back on her yoga practice.  The Labrada family is living in Mal Pais, Costa Rica. ----------------------------------------- Your support is deeply appreciated! Find me, Lara, on my Website / Instagram You can support this podcast with any level of donation here. Pre-order The Essential Guide to Trauma Sensitive Yoga: How to Create Safer Spaces for All Opening and Closing music: Other People's Photographs courtesy of Daniel Zaitchik. Follow Daniel on Spotify.

In this conversation, I interview my former teacher, Betsy Polatin who taught me Alexander Technique at Boston University as part of my theater studies. Those teachings had a profound impact on my life, helping me to recognize where I was making unuseful efforts both with my body and in my life. I began to understand personal responsibility in a new way and my relationships shifted. Twenty years later those lessons are still with me and resonate strongly as I prepare to release my first book. Here we talk about the mind-body connection and Betsy's expanded model for releasing trauma with her clients. Internationally recognized breathing/movement specialist and best-selling author, Betsy Polatin, MFA, SEP, has been teaching for more than forty-five years. She was a master lecturer at Boston University’s College of Fine Arts for twenty-five years. Her background includes many years of movement education and performance, as well as training in the Alexander Technique, music, dance, yoga, meditation, trauma resolution, and the broader healing arts. Her work is greatly influenced by the teachings of Spiritual and Meditation Masters. Betsy leads international trainings where she presents her unique and revolutionary fusion of ideas: scientific knowledge combined with ancient wisdom and intuitive human creativity. A sample of her teaching experience includes Berklee College of Music, Touch and Movement in Trauma Therapy for PESI, Kripalu, The Embodiment Conference, Tanglewood Music Festival, Opera Institute of Boston, Psychotherapy Networker, Performing Arts Medicine Association, U.S. Association for Body Psychotherapy, Science and Nonduality Conference, and International Trauma and Yoga Conferences in the US and abroad. Since 2016, she has been co-teaching ongoing traveling workshops, themed “Trauma and the Performing Artist” and “Trauma in the Public Eye,” with Peter A. Levine, PhD. She also teaches “Returning to Ourselves, the Wisdom of Trauma,” with Dr. Gabor Maté. Betsy is the author of the best-seller, HUMANUAL, an Epic Journey to your Expanded Self, and The Actor’s Secret. As a well-known educator, she has published numerous articles in the Huffington Post. She maintains a private practice online internationally. Please visit: HUMANUAL.com ----------------------------------------- Your support is deeply appreciated! Find me, Lara, on my Website / Instagram You can support this podcast with any level of donation here. Pre-order The Essential Guide to Trauma Sensitive Yoga: How to Create Safer Spaces for All Opening and Closing music: Other People's Photographs courtesy of Daniel Zaitchik. Follow Daniel on Spotify.

In this deeply important conversation with Thenmozhi Soundararajan, we discuss the often overlooked, devastatingly real trauma of caste. Thenmozhi's eye-opening work exposes how the brutal creation of caste is still harming so many, both in South Asia and here in the states. Her personal story of surviving religious trauma and her insights into the ways caste-oppressive rituals are steeped in our yoga culture are a must for any yoga practitioner or teacher. Thenmozhi Soundarajan is a Dalit Civil rights artist, organizer, and theorist who has worked with hundreds of organizations to better understand the urgent issues of racial, caste, and gender equity. Working across disciplines, she is an innovative strategist and thinker who has built bridges between many communities around the world. Through her work at Equality Labs, Thenmozhi has mobilized the South Asian American community to confront their historical trauma and to break the silence about caste, and to commit to ending caste apartheid, gender-based violence, white supremacy, and religious intolerance. Thenmozhi previously co-founded Third World Majority, an international media training organization and collective that supported people from disenfranchised Her intersectional, cross-pollinating work—research, education, art, activism, and digital security—helps to create a more generous, global, expansive, and inclusive definition of South Asian identity, along with safe spaces from which to honor the stories of these communities.  Her new book The Trauma of Caste, A Dalit Feminist Meditation on Survivorship, Healing, and Meditation is available now where books are sold. Find Thenmozhi at https://dalitdiva.com/ and on her Instagram ----------------------------------------- Your support is deeply appreciated! Find me, Lara, on my Website / Instagram You can support this podcast with any level of donation here. Pre-order The Essential Guide to Trauma Sensitive Yoga: How to Create Safer Spaces for All Opening and Closing music: Other People's Photographs courtesy of Daniel Zaitchik. Follow Daniel on Spotify.

In this episode, Sabrina Vedete Elmaliah and I discuss the power of intention especially as it applies to healing generational trauma. Sabrina shares her family's trauma history and how this informs who she is and how she works on herself. We explore group healing and the power of combining crystals, yoga, chanting, nature, and group work to heal. Sabrina's Jeweled Womb Membership starts January 20th in divine timing with the New Year. Learn more at: https://www.sacredlotusyonisteam.com/certification Sabrina and I met at Steady Slope AirBnB Sauna & Camping Experience. Please check them out: and support https://www.steadyslope.com/ Sabrina Vedete Elmaliah, M.A.; is the Founder of Sacred Lotus Yoni Steam, a leading brand in herbal wellness. She is a Vaginal Steam Therapist, Sensual Arts Guide, 200RYT Yoga Teacher, and published writer committed to reviving the divine feminine womb to liberate, inspire and remember Goddess. Her sacred works are yoni centric and focus on healing deep wounds to release ecstatic bliss. She is a Ceremonialist who shares the benefits of ancient women's medicine traditions through Sacred Ritual, Temple Dance, and Nature Therapy to unlock your sacred mission and devotional passion with private clientele and in workshops and retreats around the world. Her heart and soul have been illuminated by the birth of her first daughter, Ayalah Rana. Through her journey into Motherhood, a deep calling has arisen to gather with women and their children to heal the trauma of the feminine through the portal of the womb. Find Sabrina at https://sacredlotusyonisteam.com/ and on Instagram ----------------------------------------- Your support is deeply appreciated! Find me, Lara, on my Website / Instagram You can support this podcast with any level of donation here. Pre-order The Essential Guide to Trauma Sensitive Yoga: How to Create Safer Spaces for All Opening and Closing music: Other People's Photographs courtesy of Daniel Zaitchik. Follow Daniel on Spotify.

In this conversation, I speak with prosocial entrepreneur, Rachel Aiden about what we know about the use of psychedelics on healing the impacts of trauma. We discuss what steps and precautions one should talk before embarking on the world of plant medicine, what one can expect if one decides to go on a journey with her company Synthesis and the roles of the guides, group work and integration in the process. Rachel Aiden is a prosocial entrepreneur with 20+ years of experience working on projects across the U.S., East Africa, and Europe. Currently, she’s the CEO at Synthesis Institute, a legal psilocybin retreat and practitioner training center with locations in Amsterdam and Oregon. Rachel holds a B.A. in Transformative Education & Leadership, M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Trauma-Informed Leadership, and is completing her Ph.D. in Integral/Transpersonal Psychology at California Institute of Integral Studies, where her research focused on psilocybin-assisted treatment for PTSD and Complex Trauma. Find Rachel at https://www.synthesisretreat.com/ and on Synthesis on Instagram ----------------------------------------- Your support is deeply appreciated! Find me, Lara, on my Website / Instagram You can support this podcast with any level of donation here. Pre-order The Essential Guide to Trauma Sensitive Yoga: How to Create Safer Spaces for All Opening and Closing music: Other People's Photographs courtesy of Daniel Zaitchik. Follow Daniel on Spotify.

Chris Wilson had a normal childhood with a loving and nurturing mom who gave him many of the lessons and skill sets he uses today, but when gun violence started showing up in his neighborhood everything changed for Chris. In this podcast, we discuss the traumatic stress young Chris had to go through surrounded by so much violence both from kids on the streets and the folks who were supposed to be protecting him, how that landed him with a life sentence, and how he got free both literally and mentally. We cover the specific tools Chris used and continues to use to change his way of thinking and achieve accomplishments that most would find impossible outside the confines of prison. There is so much to learn here from Chris's single-minded focus, use of rewards and deterrents, journaling, and vision boarding. I'm so glad I got to have this conversation with him.   Chris splits his time between Baltimore, Maryland, and New York City and works as a visual artist, author, film producer, and social justice advocate. Through his work, he investigates societal injustices, human relationships, and public policies. His book, The Master Plan, continues to inspire people from all walks of life. His artwork is collected and displayed internationally and his production company, Cuttlefish, has produced several successful films, including The Box which was featured at the Tribeca Film Festival. He is also the founder of the Chris Wilson Foundation, which supports social entrepreneurs and prison education, including re-entry and financial literacy for returning citizens, as well as art-related programs. Find Chris at https://chriswilson.biz/ and https://www.chriswilsonfoundation.com/ and on his largely popular Instagram where you can see his outstanding art. ----------------------------------------- Your support is deeply appreciated! Find me, Lara, on my Website / Instagram You can support this podcast with any level of donation here. Pre-order The Essential Guide to Trauma Sensitive Yoga: How to Create Safer Spaces for All Opening and Closing music: Other People's Photographs courtesy of Daniel Zaitchik. Follow Daniel on Spotify.

In this wonderful conversation with my long-time friend and yoga service comrade, Pamela Stokes Eggleston, we discuss her experience with secondary trauma which she faced after taking care of her husband who returned from service with PTSD. We talk about the signs of trauma and how she's been able to take what she's learned to heal herself with yoga practice and help war veterans and their families. We also explore the importance of sleep and Pamela's core work helping folks to sleep better using the practice of yoga. Pamela Stokes Eggleston, MBA, MS, C-IAYT, E-RYT-500, YACEP is the founder and Director of Yoga2Sleep, Co-Founder of Retreat to Spirit, and Clinic Faculty at the Maryland University of Integrative Health (MUIH). She's a certified yoga therapist, meditation teacher, and end of life doula with specialized training in plant-based nutrition, cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), and trauma-informed yoga to work with service members, veterans, their caregivers, and insomnia sufferers. Pamela has a Master of Science in Yoga Therapy and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Maryland Global Campus. She has served on the board of the Accessible Yoga Association, the advisory board of Yoga Unify, the Grant Advisory Committee of the Yoga Alliance Foundation, and on the editorial board of the Journal of Applied Yoga Studies. An accomplished consultant, advisor, published author and international speaker, Pamela has worked for numerous agencies including the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration, the Veterans Administration, the Department of Labor, as a yoga therapy intern for Johns Hopkins Medical Center, and as an advisor on Congress-supported publications centering on substance abuse, mental health, criminal justice, and military and veteran family matters. Find Pamela at www.yoga2sleep.com and www.retreattospirit.today and on Instagram ----------------------------------------- Your support is deeply appreciated! Find me, Lara, on my Website / Instagram You can support this podcast with any level of donation here. Pre-order The Essential Guide to Trauma Sensitive Yoga: How to Create Safer Spaces for All Opening and Closing music: Other People's Photographs courtesy of Daniel Zaitchik. Follow Daniel on Spotify.

In this conversation, Zahabiyah Yamasaki and I talk about how trauma-informed yoga can help survivors of sexual trauma, the power of the fully accepting, non-judgemental relationship, and tips for yoga teachers including trauma-informed language and the energy trauma-informed yoga teachers should bring into the classroom. Zabie shares why a survivor might choose yoga over talk therapy, the limitations on resources for survivors on college campuses and how she has been able to launch her 8-week trauma-sensitive yoga program in Universities nationwide. Zabie Yamasaki is the Founder of Transcending Sexual Trauma through Yoga which is an organization that offers trauma-informed yoga to survivors, consultation for universities and trauma agencies, and training for healing professionals. Zabie has trained thousands of yoga instructors and mental health professionals and her trauma-informed yoga program and curriculum is now being implemented at over 30 college campuses and trauma agencies including the University of California (UC) system, Stanford, Yale, USC, University of Notre Dame, and Johns Hopkins University. She is a survivor, mother, partner, daughter, sister, friend, and activist. She has received countless awards in victim services and leadership, including the Visionary in Victim Services award from one of the largest rape crisis centers in California and the Voice of Courage Award from Exhale to Inhale. She is the author of the book and affirmation deck published by Norton: Trauma-Informed Yoga for Survivors of Sexual Assault: Practices for Healing and Teaching with Compassion and forthcoming children's book published by PESI, Your Joy is Beautiful: The Magic of Knowing You Are Enough, Just as You Are.  ----------------------------------------- Your support is deeply appreciated! Find me, Lara, on my Website / Instagram You can support this podcast with any level of donation here. Opening and Closing music: Other People's Photographs courtesy of Daniel Zaitchik. Follow Daniel on Spotify.

In this bravely vulnerable interview, D'Angela Alberty shares what it was like to grow up in an abusive family. Her story helps us understand how abuse follows an individual and just what it takes to disrupt that cycle. D'Angela's story is a gift for both folks going through abuse and for those who care enough to understand and look out for it. She details the people, resources, and questions that helped her escape and the practices she uses now to stay in tune with her self-worth and inner peace. Please note that this episode could be triggering. D’Angela Alberty (she/her/hers) is a lifelong learner, Criminal Justice graduate, Domestic Violence & Sexual Abuse Advocate, Meditation & Yoga Teacher, Energy Healer, & business owner. Choosing to focus on her physical wellness, D’Angela became a Certified Health & Wellness Coach in September 2021. D’Angela has 200+ hours of yoga training, ranging from vinyasa focus to trauma-informed practices. D’Angela completed the Three and a Half Acres Yoga training virtually in September 2021. D’Angela is a survivor of Domestic Violence and Sexual Abuse and has been free from all of the abuse for over a year now. She is also a solo parent to three young children ages 6, 3, & 2. D’Angela has opened her own business, Emotional Rebirth, LLC, to help trauma survivors break free of their story by reconnecting to their personal power. Find D'Angela on her Instagram or highly popular TicToc page. ----------------------------------------- Your support is deeply appreciated! Find me, Lara, on my Website / Instagram You can support this podcast with any level of donation here. Opening and Closing music: Other People's Photographs courtesy of Daniel Zaitchik. Follow Daniel on Spotify.

In this deep episode with Lama Rod Owens, we discuss the what it means to face the reality of life and do the hard work of coming to know and love ourselves. We discuss the difference between practicing for comfort verses freedom, the wise message in anger, and how becoming more expansive actually leads to better boundaries. Plus, the roles of the teacher, the student and the teachings along this path. Lama Rod Owens is an author, activist, and authorized Lama (Buddhist Teacher) in the Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism. Lama Rod is the co-founder of Bhumisparsha, a Buddhist tantric practice and study community. He holds a Master of Divinity degree in Buddhist Studies from Harvard Divinity School where he focused on the intersection of social change, identity, and spiritual practice. He is the author of Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation Through Anger, and a co-author of Radical Dharma, Talking Race, Love, and Liberation, which explores race in the context of American Buddhist communities. Lama Rod has been a teacher with the Daishin Zen Buddhist Temple, the Urban Yoga Foundation, Inward Bound Mindfulness Education (iBme), a visiting teacher with Natural Dharma Fellowship and the Brooklyn Zen Center. He has been a faculty member for the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s professional education program in mindfulness for educators and has served as a guest faculty member for the school’s course Mindfulness for Educators. Lama Rod has been published and featured in several publications including Buddhadharma, Lion’s Roar, Tricycle, The Harvard Divinity Bulletin, Spirit Magazine. He has offered talks, retreats, and workshops for many organizations and universities including New York University, Yale University, Harvard University, Harvard Law School, Columbia Law School, Tufts University, University of Vermont, and Boston College. Website | Instagram ----------------------------------------- Your support is deeply appreciated! Find me, Lara, on my Website / Instagram You can support this podcast with any level of donation here. Opening and Closing music: Other People's Photographs courtesy of Daniel Zaitchik. Follow Daniel on Spotify.

Micah Mortali and I discuss how nature immersion, rewilding, survival, ancestral skills can support our circadian rhythms, and proper release of melatonin, regulate our nervous systems and ease the impacts of trauma. We talk about the impact of technology on our psychies and that of our children, especially teens, the minimum unnegotiable outdoor time a human needs each week (so start tracking) and I share my personal experiences learning from Micah and how they helped me through some tough dysregulated times.  Micah’s life’s work is about helping modern humans reconnect with their deeper, truer selves through mindfulness, rewilding, and immersion in the natural world. Micah is a lifelong student of the world’s great spiritual traditions whose undergraduate work was in comparative world religions. In his 20’s, he was a wilderness counselor and outdoor educator with young adults, guiding back country expeditions on both land and water. For the past 17 years, Micah has been leading retreats, trainings, and programs at Kripalu. Micah was the Director of the Kripalu Schools for 7 years, and it was during this period that he was inspired to create the groundbreaking Kripalu School of Mindful Outdoor Leadership and write the book Rewilding: Meditations, Practices and Skills for Awakening in Nature published by Sounds True.  Mich is a lifelong archer and in 2022 launched Mindful Archery at Kripalu and began work on his next book which will focus on archery as a spiritual practice. Micah holds a master’s degree in Health Arts and Sciences from Goddard College. He is dedicated to the idea that human beings are a self-aware expression of the living earth, and that our future depends on awakening to this reality, and remembering how to communicate more effectively with the systems that govern life on this planet. He lives with his wife and kids in the Berkshires, where he enjoys getting out into nature, listening to the Earth, and sitting by a crackling fire or a laughing brook as often as possible.  Website Kripalu Instagram Your support is deeply appreciated! Find me, Lara, on my Website / Instagram You can support this podcast with any level of donation here. Opening and Closing music: Other People's Photographs courtesy of Daniel Zaitchik. Follow Daniel on Spotify.

Seane Corn is an internationally-acclaimed yoga teacher, author, and public speaker who has been at the forefront of yoga, activism, and community service for 28 years. In this episode we delve into the significance of the tension we carry in our bodies, our addiction to holding onto it, and what happens when we begin to release it. We examine the specific medicine that yoga offers in allowing us to release past trauma, how it works, and the awakening to true self and to love that lies on the other side. Seane details her own ongoing process of coming to know herself and the shifts she is making as a result of this inner knowing. She has some special messages for yoga teachers and the yoga community. Known for her social activism and impassioned teaching style, Seane is raw, honest, articulate, and spiritually inspired in her self-expression. Her leadership and commitment to justice for all beings, along with 30+ years of yoga practice, have galvanized thousands to practice, pray, find more purpose, and activate change from the inside out. A longtime student, Seane models authenticity in her yoga journey and is considered an artist in her craft. Seane has chosen to use her platform to bring awareness to global issues, including social justice, sex trafficking, HIV/AIDS awareness, 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 from the Smithsonian Institute. She co-founded the organization Off the Mat, Into the World®, which trained leaders in community activism. Seane also co-founded the Global Seva Challenge, which raised over $3.5 million by activating yoga and wellness communities in fund and awareness-raising efforts. Her first book Revolution of the Soul, was published in Fall 2019. Her online program, Align With Source, has a global reach of thousands and has been a touchstone of community support during the pandemic. Seane's Website Revolution of the Soul Seane's Instagram Opening and Closing music: Other People's Photographs courtesy of Daniel Zaitchik. Follow Daniel on Spotify.    Your support is deeply appreciated! Visit My Site Make a donation Instagram