On & Off Your Mat

One myth about joint hypermobility 👇🏼

Joint hyper mobility is not something cool that gives you an edge when it comes to yoga poses that require flexibility.

Its sometimes perceived privilege also comes with some problems.

- more susceptible to injuries
- longer healing
- chronic fatigue
- pain and stiffness
- poor balance and coordination
- skin issues
- digestive issues
- and more.

Want to know more? Listen to episode 66 of the On and Off Your Mat Podcast episode 66: Instagram, nomadic teaching and tips for students with .

See link in bio.

Ever wanted to travel the world while teaching? Or grow a huge Instagram following? Or just learn to do the splits or handstand?

We talk about all this and more in episode 64 of the On and Off Your Mat Podcast.

I sat down with Adell Bridges. Adell is a yoga teacher who has travelled the world to share her love of yoga. Her background as a gymnast plays a meaningful role in the playful and creative style of her teaching, which she intertwines with pranayama, yoga philosophy, and anatomy to take the physical practice into a journey of inner awareness and acceptance. Adell trained in India before teaching in Asia, Europe, Central and North America, sharing her own yoga journey in hopes of inspiring and serving others in theirs.

Listen to the full episode: see link in bio.

5 things to consider when focusing on your health…

If self-care is any activity that you do deliberately in order to preserve or improve your own health; you need to ask yourself what is optimal health for you.

Here are a few ideas to consider:

- physical
- mental
- spiritual
- social
- emotional

Tell me in the comment how does optional health looks in one of those categories.

Do you take care of yourself?
In what ways?

Self-care is any activity that we do deliberately in order to take care of your mental, emotional and physical health.

Self-care refuels us, improves our mood and reduces our anxiety. It’s also key to good relationship with yourself and others.

When you able to take care of yourself, you are able to take care of others as well.

Want to hear more about self-care? Listen to episode 64 of the On and Off Your Mat Podcast. Join the premium membership for that episode. See link in bio.

Ever felt guilty about self-care?

In this premium episode of the On and Off Your Mat Podcast, I have an audio episode for you where I talk about self-care; what it really is, why I do it and how can we do it.

Become a premium member to have access to this exclusive episode. See link in bio.

Know that as you become a premium member, your contribution ripples to thousands of people every week, allowing me to offer accessible, quality, free content to a white community of yogis, helping me cover production cost and simply helping me continue to offer this podcast. I truly appreciate you.

Show of hand ✋🏻if you’d like to live a little bit more purposefully.

Here are great tips to get your started from from episode 64 of the On and Off Your Mat Podcast.

Want more? Listen to episode 64 - Sanctuary Meditation and Yoga Nidra. See link in bio.

Yoga is about the mind more than it is about the body.

The end goal is the refinement of the quality of your perception, so yoga asana is a meditation tool.

Ultimately what determines the quality of your life is the quality of your perception of life and the depth of your own self-awareness.

Listen to episode 64 for more on the subject: Sanctuary Meditation and Yoga Nidra with . See link in bio.

What’s the place of meditation and Yoga Nidra in your practice?

For this episode, I sat down with Yogarupa Rod Stryker. Rod is a world-renowned yoga and meditation teacher, guiding and sharing his wisdom for 40 years. He is the founder of ParaYoga®, and the author of The Four Desires: Creating a Life of Purpose, Happiness, Prosperity, and Freedom. He is the creator of one of the most comprehensive online yoga trainings in the world and most recently, the app Sanctuary, a premier destination for all levels of those wanting to experience the life-changing practices of meditation and yoga nidra, Rod has dedicated his life to improving lives through his lectures, writing, practice, teaching, leadership, service and family life.

Want to hear what he has to say about it?

Tune in to episode 64 of the On and Off Your Mat Podcast. See link in bio.

Photography is a way to pay attention, recognize, see, and acknowledge to the person you look at.

It’s a practice of being present, mindful, connected and of witnessing.

Everybody has a story and an image is worth a 1000 words.

What would you want of image of you to say? What’s the story you would like it to say?

Want to hear more on this subject? Listen to episode 63 of the On and Off Your Mat Podcast: Telling a story through yoga photography with . See link in bio.

Double tap if you agree!

Does yoga help you :

Overthink less?
Take better care of yourself?
Remove yourself or create distance?
Not shy away from mistakes?
Consider other perspectives?
Manage your emotions?

All these help us make better choice!

Listen to episode 63 of the On and Off Your Mat Podcast for more! See link in bio.

Tell me, what makes a photo stop you from scrolling?

If you’re on this app and you’re a yogi you’re probably posted a photo of you practicing at some point or you’ve at least seen a photo of someone else practicing.

In episode 63 of the On and Off Your Mat Podcast, I sat down with celebrated photographer to talk about yoga photography and how to use it to tell a strory.

Missed this episode when it was released? Now is your chance to catch up! See link in bio!

Bonus tip for you👇🏼to make the most out of your Yoga Nidra.

1. Lie down in bed or on the floor. A reclined position will help your body relax under the weight of gravity. Yoga Nidra is a Sanskrit term meaning “yogic sleep”, unless you’re that person that can sleep anywhere, anytime, reclined is more supportive.

2. Get ready for bed. You don’t want to have to get up and brush your teeth or wash your face. Let be body lie still after it relaxes fully. You are well for sleep don’t get your system reactivated.

3. Use as much props as you need to be comfortable. The more your body is comfortable, the more your mind can relax, and the more you’ll be able to concentrate and withdraw from your senses.

4. Put your phone on do not disturb and create a peaceful, quiet and cozy environment where you won’t be interrupted.

5. Use an eye pillow or lower the lights down. The weight of the eye pillow will also help eyes in your face relax.

6. Set your intention for your time. It’s not about conscious effort, it’s about conscious relaxation, so stay present as you can with your intention and the practice.

7. BONUS TIP: Don’t worry when you get distracted by random thoughts, simply come back to the practice again and again.

And that’s not all! 😯🤩🤯

The benefits of Yoga Nidra are widespread:

👉🏻Improve thought pattern
👉🏻Reduce stress
👉🏻Enhance cognitive performance and memory
👉🏻Improve self-esteem and confidence
👉🏻Better sleep
👉🏻Improve physical health
👉🏻Improve waking mindfulness
👉🏻Diminished symptoms of anxiety and depression
👉🏻Helps with chronic pain and PTSD

Want to try it? Sign up for the podcast premium membership to have access to our Yoga Nidra. See link in bio.

Show of hand ✋🏻 if you ever have trouble falling asleep…

In this premium episode of the On and Off Your Mat Podcast I have a Yoga Nidra to help you fall asleep.

Become a premium member to have access to this lovely meditation. See link in bio.

Know that as you become a premium member, your contribution ripples to thousands of people every week, allowing me to offer accessible, quality, free content to a wide community of yogis, helping me cover production cost and simply helping me continue to offer this podcast. I truly appreciate you

What do you want?

It’s an important question to ask yourself as a teacher. The answer will influence they way you will show up.

In mind, the teacher-student relationship is at the core of the practice.

Want to hear what he has to say about this? Listen to episode 61 of the On and Off Your Mat Podcast: Less is more, gentle is advanced. See link in bio.

Make the body follow the breath instead of the breath follow the movement.

When you lose the breath, pull back on the movement.

Use the breath as a stabilizer in movement and operate from a place of awareness.

Let the breath be your boundary.

Incredible tips from in episode 61 of the On and Off Your Mat Podcast: less in more, gentle is advance.

Want more tips? See link in bio to listen!

What is an advance practice for you?

Does it mean harder, stronger, longer? Could it mean more gentle, slower, subtle?

For this episode, I sat down with J.Brown. J is a yoga teacher, writer, and podcaster. He is at the forefront of a quiet yoga revolution, based in healing, that seeks to change the dialogue and direction of yoga practice in the west. His writing has been featured in Yoga Therapy Today, the International Journal of Yoga Therapy, and across the yoga blogosphere. His podcast is internationally renowned for raising the level of conversation around the practice.

Want to hear what he has to say on the subject?

Tune in for episode 61 of the On and Off Your Mat Podcast: Less is More, Gentle is advanced. See link in bio.

Show of hand ✋🏻 if you have a question on body neutrality or gender when it comes to the yoga space.

Here are some of the questions I asked to during episode 60 of the On and Off Your Mat Podcast.

Curious about the answers? Tune in! See link in bio.

Shame is not a good motivator.

The issue with shame as motivation is that even if you change, the shame remains, and so, the efforts start to not be worth it, since deep down you still feel the same, so you start to loose momentum and eventually go back to your old ways.

More often than none, what we want is not a number on the scale, its a feeling. We want to feel good, good about ourselves, accepting, forgiving, loving and so on.

Awareness and Acceptance are actually to key to long term changes in your behavior. Cultivating how you want to feel instead of what you think will make you feel that way will have a bigger impact.

Listen to episode 60 of the On and Off Your Mat Podcast: Yoga, Body Neutrality and Gender Questions with for more. See link in bio.

Let’s talk inclusivity in yoga, shall we?

For this episode, I sat down with Bethany C. Meyers. Bethany is the founder of the online sensation, the , is a master instructor and entrepreneur with a message known for inclusivity and body-neutrality. Their unique approach to movement awakens clients in profound ways. Meyers’ voice stands apart in the fitness world as a leader in dismantling beauty standards. They are also a champion of the LGBTQ+ community.

Catch our discussion in episode 60 of the On and Off Your Mat Podcast: see link in bio

Want to see what else you have access to in the premium membership?

- Get to know me episode
- Loving Kindness Meditation
- Uddiyana Bandha demo and tutorial
- Yoga Nidra
- 30 min Warm Up Flow
- Square Breath Pranayama
- Inversion 101
- Yoga Tune Up Class for better balance
- Breath of fire tutorial and practice
- My life story
- Meditation to access your intuitive mind
- Self-Care: What, Why and How
- 30 min Full Body Flow
- 30 min Restorative Yoga at the wall
- 30 min Yoga for your core
- Alternate Nostril Breathing
- Setting goals and moving forward workbook
- 30 min Yoga for your upper back, shoulders and neck
- Meditation on Self-Love
- Segmented Breath tutorial and practice
- 30 min roll out of bed flow
- Forgiveness Meditation
- 30 min Face Yoga
- Yoga Sutras 1.1, 1.2, 1.3
- 30 min flow for a relaxed day
- 30 min flow: my favorite nervous system hacks
- Meditation to connect to and release emotions
- 30 min slow practice before bed
- yoga Sutras 2.1, 2.2, 2.3
- 30 min class for sensitive knees.

All that for only $5/month. It’s a steal!

Ready to join? See link in bio.

You are only as young as your spine!

Move slowly to feel grounded and calm with this premium video episode.

30 minutes is perfect for rushed mornings, quick lunch time break or end of day reset.

Become a premium member and get your hands on all our 30 minutes flows including this full body one.

See link in bio.

Don’t have time for a full hour class?

In this premium episode of the On and Off Your Mat Podcast, we do a full body flow in only 30 minutes.

Become a premium member to follow along at home. See link in bio.

Know that as you become a member, your contribution ripples to thousands of people every month, allowing me to offer accessible quality free content to a wide community of yogis, helping cover production costs and simply help me continue to offer this podcast. I truly appreciate you.