Carrie Heeter, Ph.D., RYS200 and meditation designer in the tradition of Viniyoga has written a fascinating book called ‘An Inside Look at Meditation: Experiences for healing, support and transformation.” Amy and Carrie discuss what it means to have an interactive meditative experience and how this might be different than what most of us think of when we imagine going into meditation. It is a co-creation that can be guided by the meditation facilitator/ designer but leaves space for the meditator to create an experience in their own mind that can lead to self-discovery, transformation and even mental and physical healing. Carrie is a Research Scientist, a developer of Virtual Reality games and has authored over 100 books and peer reviewed articles as a scholar at Michigan State University for 27 years. Get ready to have your mind blown and heart opened in this interview.

·     Amy asks Carrie to help us understand what interactive gaming technology and this type of meditative experience have in common.

·     Carrie describes several different meditative practices that she has experienced, as well as designed for her students.

·     The intended outcomes vs. what really happens in the mind and heart of a person who has committed to this type of meditative practice is explained.

·     We discuss what are the short-term effects of this type of meditation, and what are the longer-term outcomes if one should choose to continue regularly for months or years.

·     The importance of having a seasoned mentor is discussed, and the training required to become proficient at creating both group meditative experiences and individual practices as a yoga therapist in the viniyoga tradition.

·     The breakdown of what you could expect if you were to give this type of meditation a try and how you could get started.

If you would like to receive the free infographics and handouts that correspond to each episode on the Yoga Therapy Hour Podcast, please subscribe to our segmented email list. You will have the opportunity to determine the Infographic Topics that you would like to receive. When The Yoga Therapy Hour Podcast has a topic that corresponds to your choices, then you will receive an email for that week with the PDF’s for download.

Topics you can choose from include: 

Yoga Therapy & Mental Health

Yoga Therapy & Physical Health

Social Justice in yoga & Yoga Therapy

Yoga/Ayurveda Toolbox

Yoga & Indian Philosophy

Global & Trending Yoga Therapy Topics

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If you are interested in the (free) Optimal State 12-Day Meditation Challenge contact Krishna@TheOptimalState and she will give you information about how to join us starting June 2023.

Contact Carrie Heeter:

www.yogamindtools.com

Leslie is a Yoga Teacher and has also completed her certification in Yoga for Mental Health with Optimal State. She has made it her life mission to share her journey from depression, hopelessness, helplessness & mental health difficulties to the woman she has become. She has been able to transform her own nervous system, mental patterns and lifestyle habits into ones that support and nourish her daily. It is from this place of peace that she can share her superpower of helping others to take a similar journey towards more contentment and joy in life. Leslie discovered yoga as a mother of 2 toddlers many years ago, and it has become the North Star, her dharma/ life-purpose.

·     We begin with Leslie’s story and how she came to know and understand that yoga could change the trajectory of her life.

·     We discuss yoga philosophy and the goal of yoga, which is to come into tune with our Self, to perceive ourselves and the world differently and then to find the tools and technologies that will bring us back into a more balanced state.

·     The wonder of yoga, it can be free, you can take it with you anywhere you go, it is an internal resource and the more you use the tools, the better you feel!

·     We discuss life trajectory changes and how it only takes tiny little shifts to see big changes in behaviors over time.

·     How extraordinary is it to wake up knowing that a daily practice (even 10-minutes in bed) can help you to feel more steady, grounded, and peaceful throughout the day.

·     How anyone can take up yoga practice to find more self-empowerment and we don’t need expensive yoga pants or mats or studios.

·     The importance of a daily practice, especially over time.

·     How to get started with a daily practice, especially when you don’t feel you have a consistent schedule, consistent place for your mat, family support or maybe you feel you are short on time each day. It is still possible one small step at a time.

If you would like to receive the free infographics and handouts that correspond to each episode on the Yoga Therapy Hour Podcast, please subscribe to our segmented email list. You will have the opportunity to determine the Infographic Topics that you would like to receive. When The Yoga Therapy Hour Podcast has a topic that corresponds to your choices, then you will receive an email for that week with the PDF’s for download.

Topics you can choose from include: 

Yoga Therapy & Mental Health

Yoga Therapy & Physical Health

Social Justice in yoga & Yoga Therapy

Yoga/Ayurveda Toolbox

Yoga & Indian Philosophy

Global & Trending Yoga Therapy Topics

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Check out Amy's website

Visit Amy’s training section on her website to check out the courses below:

Monday night Yoga Therapy Clinics: https://amywheeler.com/monthly-yoga-therapy-clinics-2023

Mental Health & Yoga Training with Optimal State: https://amywheeler.com/yoga-and-yoga-therapy-training-courses

Contact Leslie Carson: 

https://yogaleslie.com

Leslie’s Instagram Page: YogaForYouWithLeslie

·     The first episode in this series of Counseling from the Perspective of Yoga Philosophy was on March 10, 2023- in case you would like to go back and listen to that one

·     Amy discusses the spiritual nature of this type of counseling clients.

·     Amy outlines the feelings and sensations in the body that help us to understand we are suffering (because many of us don’t even know we are suffering).

·     Amy talks about how yoga therapy can help set up the environment or container for a deep self-reflection and self- connection

·     Amy gives examples of the types of exercises a yoga therapist might give to a client to help them have less suffering and create a life that has more joy

·     She hopes that you might consider going to a yoga therapist with a mental health focus that can guide you appropriately through a daily practice that will assist you in coming home to Self

If you would like to receive the free infographics and handouts that correspond to each episode on the Yoga Therapy Hour Podcast, please subscribe to our segmented email list. You will have the opportunity to determine the Infographic Topics that you would like to receive. When The Yoga Therapy Hour Podcast has a topic that corresponds to your choices, then you will receive an email for that week with the PDF’s for download.

Topics you can choose from include: 

Yoga Therapy & Mental Health

Yoga Therapy & Physical Health

Social Justice in yoga & Yoga Therapy

Yoga/Ayurveda Toolbox

Yoga & Indian Philosophy

Global & Trending Yoga Therapy Topics

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This episode is sponsored by:

International Association of Yoga Therapists - www.iayt.org

Symposium on Yoga Therapy and Research – www.sytar.org

Check out Amy's website

Visit Amy’s training section on her website to check out the courses below

Yoga therapy training courses

865-certified-yoga-therapist-program

If you would like information on the upcoming Yoga Nidra Facilitators Training, please contact Krishna@TheOptimalState.com to get on the mailing list.

Many of us know Helene Couvrette as the Founder of the Canadian yoga therapy conference called MISTY. Now I introduce you to Helene, AKA Mama Caretaker. Helene has been on a year-long journey of supporting her 18-year-old daughter through Leukemia, blood cancer. Today on the podcast she shares how both she and her daughter got through these difficult times: diagnosis, treatments, anxiety about the future, fear, letting go and more. They both continue to rely on the tools of yoga and yoga therapy to stay present. Helene says we should not be confused and think that this is easy, it is not easy. But it is possible to accept, survive and maybe even thrive again one day. She shares her deepest thoughts, emotions, and moments of the journey. It is a gift to all of us to know that we are not alone, that we all go through difficult times and that we can survive.

·     Trust when something feels “off” and don’t wait to get to the doctor

·     Dealing with the Shock of a difficult diagnosis

·     Positive mindset for the life ahead and treatment options

·     Getting honest about the fear and anxiety

·     Asking the hard questions when you are ready to hear the answers

·     Learning to live with fear and anxiety of the unknown

·     The importance of human connection on the journey

·     Ability to listen, watch as the witness, visualize good things happening, staying present, small movements in bed, meditation and more

·     Keeping these 9-months in perspective of the big picture of your total life

If you would like to receive the free infographics and handouts that correspond to each episode on the Yoga Therapy Hour Podcast, please subscribe to our segmented email list. You will have the opportunity to determine the Infographic Topics that you would like to receive. When The Yoga Therapy Hour Podcast has a topic that corresponds to your choices, then you will receive an email for that week with the PDF’s for download.

Topics you can choose from include: 

Yoga Therapy & Mental Health

Yoga Therapy & Physical Health

Social Justice in yoga & Yoga Therapy

Yoga/Ayurveda Toolbox

Yoga & Indian Philosophy

Global & Trending Yoga Therapy Topics

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This episode is sponsored by:

International Association of Yoga Therapists - www.iayt.org

Symposium on Yoga Therapy and Research – www.sytar.org

Check out Amy's website

Visit Amy’s training section on her website to check out the courses below

Yoga therapy training courses

865-certified-yoga-therapist-program

Contact Helene Couvrette: 

linkedin.com/in/helene-couvrette-64b1255

homyogacenter.com/ (Personal)

homyogaevents.com/  (MISTY-Yoga Therapy Symposium)

Amy discusses how different the Lens of Yoga Therapy is from other Allied Healthcare Professions. She likens Yogic Counseling to that of Buddhist Counsel or Christian Counsel based on a buddhist Koan or the teachings of the bible. Yoga Therapy has it’s own lens for helping human beings to suffer less as a result of meditation and studying the ancient scriptures. This talk is part 3 in a series that began with Episode 25 for Part 1, then continued in Episode 33 for Part 2. If you want to go back and listen to those Episodes you will have a wonderful picture of Yogic Counselling from the perspective of Yoga Therapy. Please always remember that Yoga Therapy is complementary to allopathic medicine, Ayurveda and Psychology.

·        Amy begins the episode outlining what is a Vasana (residual emotional imprint) and how does it differ from a Samskara (resultant habitual thought or behavior).

·        Amy gives real life examples to help explain the concepts more clearly.

·        Vasanas are unconscious and can be positive or negative.

·        Samskaras are often conscious, but not always at the top of mind.

·        Amy talks about how memories arise through therapeutic yogic meditation.

·        She discusses the importance of a therapeutic and safe relationship to hold the results of a deep meditation practice.

·        There is a review of the 8 Limbs of Yoga and how each one is important to the process of releasing vasanas.

·        We talk about what is likely to happen before you get into deep states of meditation, and why support is needed.

·        Last, we discuss getting triggered and what you can do about it to ease the suffering.

If you would like to receive the free infographics and handouts that correspond to each episode on the Yoga Therapy Hour Podcast, please subscribe to our segmented email list. You will have the opportunity to determine the Infographic Topics that you would like to receive. When The Yoga Therapy Hour Podcast has a topic that corresponds to your choices, then you will receive an email for that week with the PDF’s for download.

Topics you can choose from include: 

Yoga Therapy & Mental Health

Yoga Therapy & Physical Health

Social Justice in yoga & Yoga Therapy

Yoga/Ayurveda Toolbox

Yoga & Indian Philosophy

Global & Trending Yoga Therapy Topics

Click the link below to subscribe. It takes 10 seconds total.

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This episode is sponsored by:

International Association of Yoga Therapists - www.iayt.org

Symposium on Yoga Therapy and Research – www.sytar.org

Check out Amy's website

Visit Amy’s training section on her website to check out the courses below

www.amywheeler.com

Danny White is a C-IAYT (certified yoga therapist), yoga studio owner and musician. Danny has used all three of these avenues to aid in his own healing, allowing him to give back and offer healing of others. Danny has witnessed how exclusionary yoga can be to those that might be put off by the images, sounds, and rituals that have been made popular in our culture. He has decided to change his approach to the work that he does. He sees himself as a missionary, or disciple who can bridge the gap between those who find comfort in the more traditional yoga teachings and those who do not have a yoga background. Danny speaks with Amy about several topics below:

·       Danny feels that yoga should be inclusive and for everyone, regardless of their background

·       He speaks about the breath as a manifestation of spirit/ divine/ God

·       Danny talks about how to reduce self-doubt, something that he has had to overcome

·       He has a wonderful way to help us increase our faith in “something”

·       Amy & Danny speak of the TKV Desikachar approach to yoga therapy/ yoga/ life that says we need to use Function over Form when helping people to heal

·       Danny honors us with several mantras and spiritual songs that he and his band have created

·       Danny wants to spark emotion and connection to the divine, show us how to be vulnerable and that that light within

If you would like to receive the free infographics and handouts that correspond to each episode on the Yoga Therapy Hour Podcast, please subscribe to our segmented email list. You will have the opportunity to determine the Infographic Topics that you would like to receive. When The Yoga Therapy Hour Podcast has a topic that corresponds to your choices, then you will receive an email for that week with the PDF’s for download.

Topics you can choose from include: 

Yoga Therapy & Mental Health

Yoga Therapy & Physical Health

Social Justice in yoga & Yoga Therapy

Yoga/Ayurveda Toolbox

Yoga & Indian Philosophy

Global & Trending Yoga Therapy Topics

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Apps mentioned in the closing:

Optimal State App on Android and iPhone (see App store)

Betr App on Android and iPhone (see App store)

Contact Danny White: TheButterThievesBand.com website

Amy is hearing from so many of you that you enjoy the podcast, listen over tea or when you are walking. These deep conversations seem to be nourishing our collective souls. Many of us are yoga teachers or yoga therapists (certified or in training). The goal of the first 4 Seasons has been primarily to give voice to the field of Yoga Therapy and help us to connect with colleagues. But change is coming! Amy announces in the Season 4 Wrap-Up that we will bring the message to the people/ public in Season 5. We are moving away from talking in jargon, examining the field and how to improve it, and now we will be working towards telling stories of real people and how yoga therapy helped them. We will rely less on “the experts”, although we will have some of those too. We are inviting those who have benefitted from yoga therapy, people interested in yoga therapy and even scientist from other areas that can help us understand the mechanisms that cause such positive outcomes in yoga therapy. Are you ready for Season 5 to begin! We are!

·       Amy reviews each guest from Season 4 and the offerings

·       Amy talks about her own life and what is emerging

·       Amy discusses the shift of the podcast towards the public

·       Amy hopes that you enjoyed Season 4!

If you would like to receive the free infographics and handouts that correspond to each episode on the Yoga Therapy Hour Podcast, please subscribe to our segmented email list. You will have the opportunity to determine the Infographic Topics that you would like to receive. When The Yoga Therapy Hour Podcast has a topic that corresponds to your choices, then you will receive an email for that week with the PDF’s for download.

Topics you can choose from include: 

Yoga Therapy & Mental Health

Yoga Therapy & Physical Health

Social Justice in yoga & Yoga Therapy

Yoga/Ayurveda Toolbox

Yoga & Indian Philosophy

Global & Trending Yoga Therapy Topics

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Maya is a soon to be Certified Yoga Therapist and Integrative Ayurvedic Counselor. She shares her story of growing up in Catholic school, being advised to be on prescription drugs from a very young age and finding herself in addiction. She became an idealistic high-school teacher that quickly understood how to put all her own basic needs aside for the kids in her classroom and landed herself in burnout, with the praise of her school administrators. Then Maya found how to self-regulate her energy, her moods, and her ability to focus using yoga and Ayurveda. She was able to stop using prescription drugs and now has inner spaciousness and freedom. Maya now works with youth as a Contemplative Therapists (aka Yoga Therapist) and uses her life experience to help others survive and thrive. This interview is an inspiration to parents of children facing these difficult decisions, to young people, yoga teacher, yoga therapists and even our healthcare providers. There are many paths to the mountain top, and no one way works for everyone.

·        Many parents and children must make difficult decisions about their children’s mental health needs.

·        The decisions we make for our kids can have life-long effects- both positive and negative

·        How our childhood shapes the professions we choose, such as being a teacher

·        What does it mean to feel burnt out from your job and what are the options?

·        How yoga and Ayurveda can help us to self-regulate from the inside out

·        The beauty of using our life experience to help others, once we have a certain amount of recovery

If you would like to receive the free infographics and handouts that correspond to each episode on the Yoga Therapy Hour Podcast, please subscribe to our segmented email list. You will have the opportunity to determine the Infographic Topics that you would like to receive. When The Yoga Therapy Hour Podcast has a topic that corresponds to your choices, then you will receive an email for that week with the PDF’s for download.

Topics you can choose from include: 

Yoga Therapy & Mental Health

Yoga Therapy & Physical Health

Social Justice in yoga & Yoga Therapy

Yoga/Ayurveda Toolbox

Yoga & Indian Philosophy

Global & Trending Yoga Therapy Topics

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Check out Amy's website

Visit Amy’s training section on her website to check out the courses below

Yoga therapy training courses

865-certified-yoga-therapist-program

Contact Maya: https://www.integratedmindbodytherapy.com

Manju Joshi, M.A. in Sanskrit, E-RYT500 & C-IAYT is the co-founder and research director of GYHC. She lives in Austin, TX. She has brought Yoga into Continuing Education Programs in universities, public schools, and health and fitness centers. Manju's journey in Yoga started in her teen years and has continued over the past 25+ years. She has turned her passion into a thriving institution of holistic learning serving the community. She is also the co-founder of FoodYogini, a new initiative co-founded in 2016 to advocate. Today Manju and Amy talk about one of her favorite topics, the application of how to assess using the chakras and find ways to balance them.

·     Manju talks about all 7 chakras and talks about the colors

·     Manju discusses how to assess using the chakras in yoga therapy

·     Manju talks about the practical application of working with the chakras in yoga therapy

·     She shares her wisdom and peaceful nature with us

If you would like to receive the free infographics and handouts that correspond to each episode on the Yoga Therapy Hour Podcast, please subscribe to our segmented email list. You will have the opportunity to determine the Infographic Topics that you would like to receive. When The Yoga Therapy Hour Podcast has a topic that corresponds to your choices, then you will receive an email for that week with the PDF’s for download.

Topics you can choose from include: 

Yoga Therapy & Mental Health

Yoga Therapy & Physical Health

Social Justice in yoga & Yoga Therapy

Yoga/Ayurveda Toolbox

Yoga & Indian Philosophy

Global & Trending Yoga Therapy Topics

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Check out Amy's website

Visit Amy’s training section on her website to check out the courses below

Yoga therapy training courses

865-certified-yoga-therapist-program

Contact Manju: https://www.gurukulyoga.com/about-gyhc/our-team/manju-joshi

Amy and Janet have a unique conversation about the corporate Field of Change Management, as Janet is a Change Management Consultant. Surprisingly, Janet has been able to bridge her management consultant job in corporate America with her deep knowledge of the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali. In fact, this has become her differentiating factor and she is proud to state it on her Linked In profile. And one more surprise, Janet is the daughter of a Christian Minister that loves Jesus, and also teaches Vedic Chanting in the South! This interview is full of heart and soul. It will make you believe that anything is possible. And it will give you hope and faith that you are on the right path. Just keep slowly moving forward with support and guidance from trusted mentors.

·        Janet explains the corporate filed of Change Management and why Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra is so perfect as the lens for her work.

·        She explains that leadership is often impatience, overly busy and taxed and they move on to the next project before the organization and employees even know that a change has happened. This leaves no time for people to buy in and see why the change is necessary to the health of individuals and the organization.

·        Her work includes a lot of listening, empathy mapping, identifying why the change is important – which is exactly what we do with our clients as yoga therapists. She is practicing yoga therapy at an organizational level and with the individuals inside the organization.

·        Janet describes how she came to understand her calling. She says that at some point she could no longer deny who she has become. She accepted the assignment to be authentically herself and shine brightly.

·        Janet describes What is Freedom, What is Faith and What is Inner Knowing.

·        She talks about how healing requires relinquishing that which we once felt was precious (but was mostly causing us suffering) and what it means to grieve as we come to a new understanding of our true nature.

·        Last, Janet talks about her life purpose of making yoga therapy more inclusive, breaking down barriers and obstacles, and how her ancestors are living through her to propel her into this new version of herself.

·        Janet has raised 2 kind, confident, intelligent, and resilient daughters. She is on the Board of IAYT and has served on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force for IAYT.

If you would like to receive the free infographics and handouts that correspond to each episode on the Yoga Therapy Hour Podcast, please subscribe to our segmented email list. You will have the opportunity to determine the Infographic Topics that you would like to receive. When The Yoga Therapy Hour Podcast has a topic that corresponds to your choices, then you will receive an email for that week with the PDF’s for download.

Topics you can choose from include: 

Yoga Therapy & Mental Health

Yoga Therapy & Physical Health

Social Justice in yoga & Yoga Therapy

Yoga/Ayurveda Toolbox

Yoga & Indian Philosophy

Global & Trending Yoga Therapy Topics

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Check out Amy's website

Visit Amy’s training section on her website to check out the courses below

Yoga therapy training courses

865-certified-yoga-therapist-program

You can find Janet Caldwell on Linked by searching her name and Nashville, TN.

Dr. Ram Tamang had a unique childhood where he grew up in a small village in the foothills of the Himalayas in Nepal. He learned about health and healing from his grandmother and the elders in the village. The hospital was a far distance away, so they had to depend on natural remedies. Through an amazing series of events, he somehow ended up in Orange County, CA and is an Ayurvedic Doctor with a brick-and-mortar clinic, as well as works online. Come hear the story of how he found his dharma and how changing your lifestyle habits can shift your life in a new direction.

·        Listen to the magic of Dr. Ram as he explains how his attitude and mindset have been so essential to his life.

·        See how he works with clients on helping them to make many small changes over time.

·        Listen to the importance of relationship and how he builds rapport.

·        Learn about how to track and then create lifestyle changes for a new trajectory.

·        Believe in the magic of the Universe as you listen to his enchanting stories.

·        Leave feeling lighter and happier because of being in his presence.

·        Notice what this conversation brings up inside of your mind and heart.

·        Do you believe that the Universe is benevolent and capable of magic? I do after listening talking to Dr. Ram. I hope you do too!

If you would like to receive the free infographics and handouts that correspond to each episode on the Yoga Therapy Hour Podcast, please subscribe to our segmented email list. You will have the opportunity to determine the Infographic Topics that you would like to receive. When The Yoga Therapy Hour Podcast has a topic that corresponds to your choices, then you will receive an email for that week with the PDF’s for download.

Topics you can choose from include: 

Yoga Therapy & Mental Health

Yoga Therapy & Physical Health

Social Justice in yoga & Yoga Therapy

Yoga/Ayurveda Toolbox

Yoga & Indian Philosophy

Global & Trending Yoga Therapy Topics

Click the link below to subscribe. It takes 10 seconds total.

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Check out Amy's website

Visit Amy’s training section on her website to check out the courses below

Yoga therapy training courses

865-certified-yoga-therapist-program

Contact Dr. Ram: https://thehealingardens.com/the-center-dr-ram-tamang/

Amy shares a lecture that she gave to her students recently in the Yoga & Ayurveda Essentials Course for Yoga Therapists in training. Amy shares a Tip Sheet of common ideas from Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra and Indian Philosophy. This Tip Sheet has many of the common areas that Amy touches upon when she is helping her yoga therapy clients explore their internal world, spirituality, life experience and how to feel happier and healthier more of the time. This type of counseling is akin to Buddhist Counsel or Christian Counsel from a minister or priest. We know that reflecting on the spiritual scripture and ancient yogic texts gives us food for thought as we examine our own lives, and our clients learn to do the same. Learning to give appropriate counsel from the perspective of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra is a big part of what our students in the Optimal State Yoga Therapy Certification course learn in their 2.5 year program.

·        Amy discusses purusha and prakrti

·        The three gunas

·        Mahat or deep impressions that we come into this life with

·        Ahamkara, or the survival mechanism

·        Svabhava, the blueprint of our lives

·        Co-assessment of the 5 layers of the human system

·        Vasanas or subliminal tendencies

·        Samskara or habitual patterns

·        The 5 klesa-s or causes of suffering

·        The 6 klesa vrttis or manifestations of the Klesas

·        The 5 yamas or social attitudes

·        The 5 niyamas or personal disciplines

If you would like to receive the free infographics and handouts that correspond to each episode on the Yoga Therapy Hour Podcast, please subscribe to our segmented email list. You will have the opportunity to determine the Infographic Topics that you would like to receive. When The Yoga Therapy Hour Podcast has a topic that corresponds to your choices, then you will receive an email for that week with the PDF’s for download.

Topics you can choose from include: 

Yoga Therapy & Mental Health

Yoga Therapy & Physical Health

Social Justice in yoga & Yoga Therapy

Yoga/Ayurveda Toolbox

Yoga & Indian Philosophy

Global & Trending Yoga Therapy Topics

Click the link below to subscribe. It takes 10 seconds total.

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Check out www.amywheeler.com

Visit Amy’s training section on her website to check out the courses below

https://amywheeler.com/865-certified-yoga-therapist-program

On today’s episode, Amy chats with Shannon Crow. Shannon is the host of The Connected Yoga Teacher podcast and a consultant for yoga teachers. She is the co-founder of the MamaNurture Prenatal Yoga School and developed the Yoga for Pelvic Health Teacher Training.

Shannon is passionate about this work so that yoga teachers have more time and energy to share the yoga that lights them up. She became a yoga teacher in 2006 and continues to teach weekly group and private classes in Owen Sound, Ontario, with a specialty in Yoga for Pelvic Health. Shannon is dedicated to helping yoga teachers define their niche and thrive at marketing. She thrives in a community that is playful, diverse, and supportive. This is what inspired her to create The Connected Yoga Teacher Facebook group.

Today Amy and Shannon talk about Choosing Your Niche and the fears, challneges and concerns that come with becoming a specialist in one area, How Shannon chose her niche and a lot more. Have a cup of tea or go for a walk and listen to this inspiring episode with Shannon.

They discuss the following topics:

l The obstacles we feel in our minds about Choosing a Niche to work in

l The fears about deciding to become a Specialist

l How Shannon chose her Niche of Pelvic Floor Yoga

l The Scope of Practice for a Yoga Teacher

l The Scope of Practice for a Yoga Therapist

l Working with an Integrative Care Team as a Yoga Teacher who specializes in a particular field

l A Yoga teacher’s goals of individualized practices and small specialized groups (yogapathy)

l A Yoga therapist's goals of individualized practices and small specialized groups (salutogenesis)

l The difference between a Physic Therapist, a Yoga Therapist and a Yoga Teacher

Today’s podcasts is sponsored by: Optimal State

If you would like to receive the free infographics and handouts that correspond to each episode on the Yoga Therapy Hour Podcast, please subscribe to our segmented email list. Click the link below to subscribe. It takes 10 sec. to subscribe

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Please download our new Mobile App that tracks mental and emotional well-being using yoga and ayurveda. Live classes, workshops and membership archive are coming in May of 2023!

www.OptimalStateApp.com

www.GoldZoneBook.com

Facebook: Optimal State by Amy Wheeler     https://www.facebook.com/OptimalStatebyAmyWheeler

Instagram: Optimal State by Amy Wheeler   

To checkout Shannon’s offerings.

Visit https://shannoncrow.com/ and podcast@TheConnectedYogaTeacher.com

Amy and Crissy tackle a delicate topic in this episode. So many of us have been impacted by unhealthy religious and spiritual communities, or even been impacted by cult-like groups/ communities. Crissy tells her personal story of abuse and healing and a trigger warner may be in order. Please make sure that you have the support you need in place just in case this episode is difficult for you. She has bravely decided to tell her story, knowing there may be consequences with family and others. As a result of healing her own trauma, Crissy is committed to helping others who may feel alone, unable to make a big life shift or have given up on creating changes in life due to learned hopelessness. Crissy healed by receiving Yoga Therapy, which is the opposite of many dogmatic religions and spiritual cults. Yoga encourages us to go inward and listen to our deeper Self, to learn to trust ourselves, to make decisions based on our own perceptions of the Yamas (social disciplines) and Niyamas (personal disciplines). Yoga helps us to come home to ourselves and learn to live with an internal compass instead of looking to church or spiritual elders for the answers.

·        Luna tells her personal story of being a 15-year-old girl who endured abuse at the hands of her family and church.

·        Luna talks about how many years she tried to escape and the deep psychological impact this had on her long-term, which she finally was able to free herself after studying yoga and getting permission to trust herself again.

·        Luna talks about how it was challenging to leave her community, family and friends and feeling so alone.

·        We discuss how yoga philosophy gave her permission to think, feel and be differently.

·        We discuss how her program is laid out to meet people where they are, after leaving the dogma.

·        And how to go towards a place of thriving, and not just surviving.

·        You will be inspired at the story that Luna has for us, and how she healed herself. She is a powerful force for good in the world.

If you would like to receive the free infographics and handouts that correspond to each episode on the Yoga Therapy Hour Podcast, please subscribe to our segmented email list. You will have the opportunity to determine the Infographic Topics that you would like to receive. When The Yoga Therapy Hour Podcast has a topic that corresponds to your choices, then you will receive an email for that week with the PDF’s for download.

Topics you can choose from include: 

Yoga Therapy & Mental Health

Yoga Therapy & Physical Health

Social Justice in yoga & Yoga Therapy

Yoga/Ayurveda Toolbox

Yoga & Indian Philosophy

Global & Trending Yoga Therapy Topics

Click the link below to subscribe. It takes 10 seconds total.

https://amywheeler.com/subscribe

Check out Amy's website

Visit Amy’s training section on her website to check out the courses below

Yoga therapy training courses

865-certified-yoga-therapist-program

See Luna’s website:

https://crissyluna.com

https://crissyluna.com/events/

Neeta Das McMurtry has a wonderful podcast called, “Ask Me About Yoga Therapy.” Neeta and Amy wander and wonder together this hour about What is yoga therapy? What mechanisms create change in the human system? How can we as individuals and the field approach Healthcare? What is the role of secular spirituality in yoga therapy and healthcare? How is our personal well-being connected to the ecology and world around us, as well as connection to our communities? We finsiht the interview discussing our ability or inability to be with suffering and even death.

Amy and Neeta discuss:

·        Communication including the entire body.

·        Our body is a journal for our life.

·        Perfectionism and expectations for ourselves and others.

·        Willingness to know ourselves deeply

·        The delight of listening to ourselves in a new way (beyond thoughts)

·        Yoga Therapy as a place and time to land and settle

·        The Mind that is located in every cell of the body

·        Well-being in relation to our community and society

·        How we can help people sit with suffering

·        Supporting curiosity and the unknown

·        Spirituality in healthcare, Is it enough?

·        Defining spirituality as a yoga therapist

·        Patient centered healthcare and yoga therapy

·        How Yoga Therapy as a field can find it’s niche in healthcare

·        Many more shared wonderings…

If you would like to receive the free infographics and handouts that correspond to each episode on the Yoga Therapy Hour Podcast, please subscribe to our segmented email list. Click the link below to subscribe. It takes 10 sec. to subscribe

https://amywheeler.com/subscribe

Please download our new Mobile App that tracks mental and emotional well-being using yoga and ayurveda. Live classes, workshops and membership archive are coming in May of 2023!

www.OptimalStateApp.com

www.GoldZoneBook.com

Resources mentioned in today’s podcast: 

www.AskMeAboutYogaTherapy.com

The We Croke App

Pema Chodron on Perfection and Death

Best of Humanity VM to recommend someone: #909-754-4092 

Laurie Angress is a Yoga Therapist and faculty member that specializes in Communication and Listening. Laurie points us to Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra Chapter 3 vs. 17 to help us understand why communication can be so difficult. Amy and Laurie talk about how to really listen from the heart using the tools of yoga and yoga therapy to self-regulate during the conversation. Laurie breaks down the work of Marshall Rosenberg and Non-Violent Communication into 4-steps. This is a conversation that is very applicable to the work as a yoga therapist, yoga teacher, friend, family member or colleague.

Amy and Laurie discuss:

·       What does it mean to be a good listener?

·       Laurie’s origin story with listening and connection

·       Ability to watch yourself while in the conversations and regulate as needed

·       Desires to contribute to the well-being of others on the planet through listening

·       Making requests and not demands

·       How to show gratitude for how the work of another has contributed to us

·       Ways to have empathy for yourself and others at the same time

·       Ability to know when you have reached your listening capacity and kindly excuse yourself

·       How to say Thank you and show appreciation and the feelings that came up for us

·       How to create a win-win solution when there is a disagreement or different needs

·       How to understand what your own needs are

·       How to maintain curiosity in conversation with clients, family and friends

If you would like to receive the free infographics and handouts that correspond to each episode on the Yoga Therapy Hour Podcast, please subscribe to our segmented email list. Click the link below to subscribe. It takes 10 sec. to subscribe

https://amywheeler.com/subscribe

Please download our new Mobile App that tracks mental and emotional well-being using yoga and ayurveda. Live classes, workshops and membership archive are coming in May of 2023!

www.OptimalStateApp.com

www.GoldZoneBook.com

Resources mentioned in today’s podcast: 

www.Mindfulyogatherapy.net

www.sidewalk-talk.org

www.cnvc.org

You Tube Ted Talk: The Power of Human Connection

On today’s episode, Amy chats with Ashley McKeachie. Ashley is a registered yoga instructor, yoga educator, and yoga therapist. She graduated with her Masters Degree in Yoga Studies from Loyola Marymount University.

Ashley spends half her time working as a yoga therapist, where she uses the tools of yoga to help alleviate the symptoms associated with chronic pain, and the other half as part-time faculty at Orange Coast College, leading and facilitating their Yoga Instructor Training Program and teaching about Integrative Health Coaching.

Amy and Ashley talk about the importance of being a part of a positive Sangha, or community, for self-regulation and self-actualization. We often hear the phrase “Yoga is Relationship” by TKV Desikachar. But what does that really mean? How do we achieve it? How can we better our relationships and pay attention to those we care about?  

Have a cup of tea or go for a walk and listen to this inspiring episode with Ashley.

They discuss the following topics:

l Creating a sangha or community that is happy, healthy and supportive of your authentic nature

l Forming lasting relationships and why it is so important to the yogic path

l Figuring out, Who Am I as a young person or a newly self-discovered person

l Feeling valued by your community and how to find a healthy community

l Being lifted up by your community and how it changes your self-perception

l Learning to communicate well to create lasting and healthy relationships

l Holding each other accountable and being firm is an act of love

l Finding self-love is a life-long journey

l Stop looking for outside validation and turn your attention inward to find YOU!

If you would like to receive the free infographics and handouts that correspond to each episode on the Yoga Therapy Hour Podcast, please subscribe to our segmented email list. Click the link below to subscribe. It takes 10 sec. to subscribe

https://amywheeler.com/subscribe

Please download our new Mobile App that tracks mental and emotional well-being using yoga and ayurveda. Live classes, workshops and membership archive are coming in May of 2023!

www.OptimalStateApp.com

www.GoldZoneBook.com

To checkout Ashley’s offerings.

Visit www.orangecoastcollege.edu and www.ashleymckeachieyoga.com

On today’s episode, Amy chats with Katherine Quayhagen. Katherine is a Registered Yoga Teacher and movement enthusiast. After spending two years in the Peace Corps in a rural village of Madagascar, Katherine realized the necessity of a multi-layered approach to mental, physical, and spiritual well-being. She incorporates mindfulness and meditation into all wellness activities at Longbranch Healthcare, from yoga and fitness classes to gardening. Amy and Katherine discuss the Addiction treatment industry, Working with Longbranch Health care as the Recovery Center Director of Wellness, Types of Addiction and dealing with it and much more. They recently created a research study to look at Veterans who are in a residential treatment center and using yoga therapy to help them heal from the inside-out.

Katherine is a 500-hour Yoga Instructor and is just about to become a C-IAYT through the Optimal State Yoga Therapy for Mental Health Training Program. She has been teaching in the New Orleans since 2013. She specializes in yoga for addiction and recovery, and also received her Bachelor’s in Marketing and Asian Studies from Tulane University.

They discuss the following topics:

l Longbranch Healthcare philosophy for whole person healing and services offered

l Katherine’s role as the Director of Wellness and how she shaped the program

l Process Addiction and how it is different from Primary Substance Addiction services

l The Longbranch lifestyle of connecting with nature, eating well, moving, community

l Katherine’s Peace Corps experience that laid the foundation for her wellness program

l Katherine’s research project and outcomes, future research plans with the VA

l Types of practice’s Katherine offers her clients for addiction recovery

If you would like to receive the free infographics and handouts that correspond to each episode on the Yoga Therapy Hour Podcast, please subscribe to our segmented email list. You will have the opportunity to determine the Infographic Topics that you would like to receive. When The Yoga Therapy Hour Podcast has a topic that corresponds to your choices, then you will receive an email for that week with the PDF’s for download.

Topics you can choose from include:

• Yoga Therapy & Mental Health

• Yoga Therapy & Physical Health

• Social Justice in yoga & Yoga Therapy

• Yoga/Ayurveda Toolbox

• Yoga & Indian Philosophy

• Global & Trending Yoga Therapy Topics

Click the link below to subscribe. It takes 10 seconds total.

https://amywheeler.com/subscribe

Today’s podcasts is sponsored by: Optimal State

We have all benefitted from the ancient wisdom of India and her people, so it feels really great to be able to serve in this way. The Optimal State family has pledged on-going support of $250 per month, to go directly to KYM Mitra (www.kym.org). We will collect the monies and gift them each month. Please consider a recurring monthly payment to the fund. Even a small gift or intention makes a difference! If we make more than $250 in any given month, it will roll into the following month’s payment. The hope is that we can contribute for many years to come. If you even lose the link to donate, it is at the top of the homepage at www.amywheeler.com also. I will be reporting on the website the progress; how much money is coming in at any given time and where we are in the process of getting this project off the ground.

Here is the link for you to get started with your donation. We are so happy that you have decided to join us. We thank you for the bottom of our hearts!

Link to click in the description: 

http://Paypal.me/KymMitraDonation

The Optimal State and Yoga Therapy Hour Podcast also has a Patreon page. We now have 5 staff that help us product the audio and video versions of the podcast. Please consider donating to help us keep this good work for the field of yoga therapy going. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/yogatherapyhour

The new You Tube Channel for this podcast is: YouTube: AmyWheelerPhd    https://www.youtube.com/c/AmyWheelerphdCheck out Amy's website

Feel free to use download our free eBook and mobile App by going to the websites below.

www.OptimalStateApp.com

www.GoldZoneBook.com

Facebook: Optimal State by Amy Wheeler     https://www.facebook.com/OptimalStatebyAmyWheeler

Twitter: Optimal State of Living with Dr. Amy

TikTok: Dr. Amy@OptimalStateofLiving

Instagram: Optimal State by Amy Wheeler   

Pinterest: TheOptimalState    https://www.pinterest.com/TheOptimalState

To checkout Katherine’s offerings: www.longbranchhealthcare.com

Today's guest is Satpreet Kaur. Satpreet Kaur is a registered yoga teacher and is ready to launch her career as a Yoga Therapist with a specialty in Thyroid Health, Movement & Lifestyle Coaching. She is a versatile yoga teacher who loves to incorporate strength and mobility in different ways into her class. Her mission is to inspire others to get physically and mentally strong blending her knowledge of yoga with movement science and biomechanics.

Amy and Satpreet discuss Yoga and Yoga Therapy for Thyroid, her experience with experiencing low thyroid and how Yoga Therapy helped, working daily with hypothyroidism, the importance of having a mentor, and much more.

Make a cup of tea, relax, and enjoy the conversation!

They discuss the following topics:

· Satpreet’s interest in thyroid health started from her personal experience of healing

· Different layers of the human system and how they relate to thyroid health

· Hypothyroidism and lifestyle management

· The importance of community in healing

· What role does mentorship play in healing ourselves?

· Tangible outcomes from sessions and mechanisms for supporting thyroid health

· How to deal with self-doubts and disappointments when life places challenges in front of us

If you would like to receive the free infographics and handouts that correspond to each episode on the Yoga Therapy Hour Podcast, please subscribe to our segmented email list. Click the link below to subscribe. It takes 10 sec. to subscribe

https://amywheeler.com/subscribe

Please download our new Mobile App that tracks mental and emotional well-being using yoga and ayurveda. Live classes, workshops and membership archive are coming in May of 2023!

www.OptimalStateApp.com

www.GoldZoneBook.com

To checkout Satpreet’s offerings

facebook.com/people/Preet-Yoga/

https://www.instagram.com/preet.yoga/

Today's guest is Matt Erb, Integrative Physical Therapist and Yoga Therapist. Matt has worked extensively with persons experiencing acute and chronic health conditions using an integrative (holistic/whole-person, and mind-body integrated) model of care. He works with all forms of chronic pain, migraines, headache, craniofacial and spinal disorders, dizziness, and vertigo (vestibular conditions), chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia and many more.

Matt and Amy talk about Yoga therapy as an emerging and an established field in healthcare. They speak about “How does Yoga Therapy fit within the healthcare system?” “How can Yoga Therapy not shapeshift and lose the essence of the wisdom tradition?” “How can we put all the separated parts of the human being back into wholeness, so that we are no longer splitting the whole person into different parts?” “What are the upstream factors that carry more influence than individual lifestyle choices on health?” “How do we support a balanced view of agency and causality and support individuals to do their best within the prevailing conditions that they are experiencing?”

They discuss the following:

·        Matt’s work as an Integrative Physical Therapist and Yoga Therapist

·        Matt’s amazing book called “Integrative Rehabilitation Practice”

·        The push and pull between Indigenous Traditions and Evidence Based Medicine

·        Social determinants of health and sociological considerations for the profession

·        How Yoga Therapists can avoid implying excessive or unrealistic sense of moral agency in an individualistic model of self-care

·        Privilege of receiving healing modalities and social connection with support

·        Indigenous communities basic understanding of the important of community in healing

·        Ways in which neoliberalism, capitalism, and colonialism show up in integrative health, including Yoga Therapy

·        The Power-Threat-Meaning Model and similarities to Yoga Philosophy

If you would like to receive the free infographics and handouts that correspond to each episode on the Yoga Therapy Hour Podcast, please subscribe to our segmented email list. Click the link below to subscribe. It takes 10 sec. to subscribe

https://amywheeler.com/subscribe

Please download our new Mobile App that tracks mental and emotional well-being using yoga and ayurveda. Live classes, workshops and membership archive are coming in May of 2023!

www.OptimalStateApp.com

www.GoldZoneBook.com

To checkout Tracey’s offerings

https://www.traceymeyerspsyd.com

https://www.amazon.com/Yin-Yoga-Therapy-Mental-Health/dp/1848194153?asin=1848194153&revisionId=&format=4&depth=1

To checkout Matt Erb’s offerings:

Association Clinical Director- CMBM.org

EmbodyYourMind.com is Matt’s website

IntegrativeRehabPractice.com for Matt’s new book

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