Today hosts Tiffany and Rachel dive into the muddy waters of hands-on assists. We discuss their complicated history, the different types of hands-on assists, and debate their pros and cons. We also talk about the importance of clear communication and consent, and alternatives you could employ instead. Listen in to hear how truly game-changing assists might be the ones that students find their way to on their own.

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• Differing attitudes toward hands-on assists over time [1:11]
• The case for hands-on assists, different types, asking for consent [4:13]
• Can a teacher know how a student feels by looking at them? [10:57]
• The same assists don’t work for every teacher [15:12]
• The case against hands-on assists [16:19]
• Potential for injury [18:27]
• Overriding students’ body autonomy [22:03]
• Alternatives to hands-on assists: language, demonstrations [26:53]
• Is touch within a yoga teacher’s scope of practice? [29:51]
• Physical adjustment might disrupt students’ internal experience [31:27]
• Final takeaways [36:13]

—

• Watch this episode on YouTube

You can learn more about this episode, and see the full show notes at YogaMedicine.com/podcast-140.

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.

There are still plenty of questions about the experience of the transitional phases of our lives. Today, hosts Tiffany and Katja discuss recent research that seeks to shed light on the menopausal transition. Experience of menopause is highly variable from person to person, so in this episode, we explore common symptom clusters identified in the research as well as the phenomenon of “not feeling like myself” in perimenopause. We also talk about how midlife can pose a challenge to one’s self-image and discuss how fatigue and emotional volatility may impact a woman’s day-to-day in this phase of life.

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• Background on menopause and perimenopause [2:50]
• Symptoms of peri- and postmenopause [14:41]
• Symptoms that show up in all stages of menopause [27:19]
• The phenomenon of “not feeling like myself” in perimenopause [29:22]
• Symptoms related to not feeling like yourself [38:20]
• The role of fatigue [45:17]
• New sensations of emotional volatility [46:38]

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• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Menopause References 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-139.

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.

An estimated 50 million Americans live with an autoimmune disorder, and women are twice as likely to be affected as men. Yet diagnosis and treatment can be challenging when taking a solely Western medical approach.

Today’s guest is The Functional Nutritionist, Erin Holt. She has dedicated her life to helping those with autoimmune disorders find their way back to full health, taking a research-based whole-person approach.

In this episode, we discuss the major triggers of autoimmune disorders and the current limitations of Western medicine. Listen to learn the key role a multi-disciplinary team can play, and the power of food as medicine.

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• Erin’s personal experience with autoimmune disorder [2:29]
• Theories on why women are more affected by autoimmune disorders [5:01]
• Different autoimmune conditions and potential for remission [7:28]
• Six major triggers of immune disregulation [16:06]
• Holistic approach to health: working with a multi-disciplinary team [22:00]
• Three phases of autoimmune disorder [25:43]
• Key signs of undiagnosed autoimmune disorder [27:32]
• Challenges with the Western medical approach [34:46]
• After autoimmune diagnosis: a whole-person approach [39:00]
• Nutritional support for autoimmune disorder: where to start [44:57]
• The Wahlz Protocol [47:08]
• Gluten, dairy, eggs, soy [49:05]
• Food sensitivity testing vs elimination diets [50:05]
• Final takeaways and resources from Erin [53:21]

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• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Hear Tiffany on The Funk’tional Nutrition Podcast
• Yoga Medicine® Podcast Episode 112: Yoga & Autoimmune Conditions
• Connect with Erin Holt, integrative nutritionist:

Facebook | Instagram | The Funk’tional Nutritionist

You can learn more about this episode and see the full show notes at YogaMedicine.com/podcast-137.

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.

Most of us have heard of, and even practiced, Yoga Nidra. But it holds a certain mystique that means we might not know as much about it as we think.

Today, host Rachel dives into this topic with returning guest and 1000-hr Yoga Medicine Therapeutic Specialist Caroline Wybar. Caroline unpacks some of the misconceptions around Yoga Nidra and offers her tips for both students and teachers of this guided relaxation practice.

Listen in for more on Caroline’s upcoming Online Yoga Nidra Teacher Training, to learn about relaxation-induced anxiety and hear tips for staying awake during Yoga Nidra… if you want to!

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• Is Yoga Nidra an ancient practice? [2:58]
• Does “authentic” Yoga Nidra require a set sequence of techniques? [8:13]
• Can Yoga Nidra replace sleep? [12:09]
• Must Yoga Nidra be done in Savasana? [14:59]
• Can Yoga Nidra cultivate Delta brain waves? [17:06]
• Yoga Nidra frees us from the pressures of time [20:47]
• How Caroline found her way to Yoga Nidra [28:03]
• Challenges for Yoga Nidra students [34:34]
• Who is Yoga Nidra for, and not for? [38:31]
• Teaching Yoga Nidra: script or no script? [42:06]
• Teaching Yoga Nidra: leaving space for silence [49:03]
• Upcoming Yoga Medicine Yoga Nidra training live online [50:32]

—

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Yoga Nidra Teacher Training
• Yoga Medicine Podcast Episode 68: Approaches to Anxiety
• Birch, J., & Hargreaves, J. (2015). Yoganidrā: an understanding of the history and context. The Luminescent. https://www.theluminescent.org/2015/01/yoganidra.html
• Connect with Caroline Wybar:

Facebook | Instagram | Caroline Wybar Yoga | Yoga Medicine® Online Guest Teacher

You can learn more about this episode and see the full show notes at YogaMedicine.com/podcast-136.

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.

As both yoga teachers and practitioners, it is important to understand how to take general instruction and use it to cater to your personal needs. In this episode, hosts Tiffany and Katja talk about recent research on personalized medicine and training, discuss how wearables and data collection play into individualized training programs, and relate current research findings to personalized yoga approaches.

Listen to this episode to learn about the history and trends of individualised medicine and training, how to know which data to collect, why body awareness is important in individualisation, and how to take this perspective into account in a group class.

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• What is the history of personalized medicine, training, and yoga [2:04]
• Factors to consider [8:31]
• Tracking and evaluating data [12:12]
• Current research and potential downsides [20:37]
• How to individualize a group class [35:32]
• Recap [37:49]

—

• 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 at YogaMedicine.com/podcast-135.

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.

What is it about yoga that makes such a significant difference in well-being for people with ADHD? Today, host Rachel invites guest Emily Mariola to help answer that question. Emily is a Yoga Medicine Therapeutic Specialist and studio owner who recently completed her 1000-hr research project on Yoga for ADHD.

In this episode, Emily shares yoga practices that help those with ADHD learn to self-regulate both on and off the mat—from asana, to breath work, meditation, and use of drishti. She also encourages yoga teachers and practitioners to view disruptive behavior with more compassion.

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• Describing ADHD, its challenges and opportunities [4:22]
• How Emily’s thesis project came about [10:56]
• Yoga practices for ADHD [16:49]
• Sun salutations: discipline & patterned behavior [21:52]
• Suggestions when struggling with stillness [25:31]
• Fixed gaze: focus & impulse control [31:14]
• Yoga for emotional regulation [33:27]
• Breath work for regulation, and a cue to internal state [38:34]
• Recognizing ADHD behaviors with compassion [44:23]
• Key outcomes of Emily’s research project [49:45]
• Final takeaways [54:37]

—

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Connect with Emily Mariola:

Facebook | Instagram | Flex Yoga Wooster

You can learn more about this episode, and see the full show notes at YogaMedicine.com/podcast-134.

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 host Rachel dives deep into Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) with returning guest Dr. Nikki Tugnet FRACP. We discuss common symptoms, what distinguishes RA from other inflammatory and auto-immune conditions, the role Western medicine can play, and – most importantly – how yoga can help.

Listen in to learn how yoga teachers best serve students with RA, how to sneak more mindfulness and body awareness into your classes, and the vital importance of making space for rest.

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• The background on rheumatoid arthritis (RA) [2:22]
• Common symptoms [10:50]
• Uncontrolled RA versus remission [14:32]
• Western medical interventions [16:00]
• How yoga can help: stress release [19:28]
• How yoga can help: breath work & visualization [26:01]
• How yoga can help: meditation [28:27]
• Managing flareups [29:47]
• How yoga can help: easing morning stiffness [36:28]
• How yoga can help: standing, seated & floor options for asana [41:01]
• Guiding students to be more willing to rest [43:26]
• A general class flow for RA [48:38]
• Challenges of working with RA [50:51]
• Final takeaways [52:50]

—

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Previous Yoga Medicine® Podcast Episodes:
  • 112: Yoga & Autoimmune Conditions
• A comprehensive scientific evidence-based impact of yoga in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
• Pawanmuktasana Joint Rotation Series
• Connect with Dr. Nikki Tugnet:

Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Nikki Tugnet

You can learn more about this episode, and see the full show notes at YogaMedicine.com/podcast-133.

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.