Shows
Who's Dat Phat Girl with Brooke HooverEmpowering Yourself through Chronic Pain with Specialist Mandy RyleI've you've ever experienced chronic pain (which is most likely, considering over 51 million Americans experienced chronic pain just last year) then you know is a real pain in the YOU KNOW WHAT.
Today, I'm speaking with Mandy Ryle, a Chronic Pain Specialist and a Certified Nutritionist.
Mandy has been a movement instructor for nearly two
decades and it is her mission is to empower individuals challenged by persistent pain to reclaim their vitality and independence. Mandy takes a holistic approach that
combines nervous system re-education, mindset cultivation, nutrition coaching and exercise in...2024-03-2557 min
The Yin Yoga PodcastYin & Somatics: The Toes Have ItThis practice is all about the lower body. But we will work with the feet, ankles, knees, thighs and hips with an unorthodox somatic lens, the toes. You will be delighted to discover how influential these appendages are in your poses and movements and your knees and ankles will thank you for the attention.This practice is geared especially to my listeners with foot, ankle and knee pain, but anyone with a lower body will enjoy this unique practice. Props Needed: Blanket, bolster or pillow, yoga strapJoin my 7 day email course...2023-05-171h 04
The Yin Yoga PodcastGuided Somatic Meditation for Heartfelt Good WishesA quick guided somatic meditation to help you to learn how to comfort yourself. I have loosely based this meditation on the teachings of Kristen Neff. She tells us that we and we alone are the most capable of comforting ourselves. In this practice you will offer yourself warmth and comfort. This is a valuable skill that can help us to manage stress. Follow Me:FacebookInstagramTicTocEnroll in one of my email courses to join my newsletter: Intro to Pain CareYin Yoga Pose RepertoireT...2023-05-1010 min
The Yin Yoga PodcastYin & Somatics: Neck Pain ReliefThe human neck is a tricky place. It's a complex experience of musculoskeletal, nervous and vascular tissue. But also bound to thoughts, feelings and beliefs. Any of these components of the neck can contribute to issues here. For this pod practice I have created a somatic lesson to address this complexity. We will lean mostly in to somatics here with just a couple of Yin poses for gentle tension of the sternocleidomastoid (SCM). This is a very simple practice that you could even do in your bed. All you need is something to rest/slide your head o...2023-05-0337 min
The Yin Yoga PodcastShould Yin Yoga Be Deep or Mild?A debate that rages on. Some students swear by the benefit of of deep and intense duration stretch. Some by a milder attitude for the length of the hold. Though I think it’s clear that I personally favor the latter, I also think that it depends on your goal for practice. So let’s first consider the goals and then some of the evidence. This is a very informative episode that just may transform your practice and/or teaching. So pop those earbuds in and have a listen! To continue learning...2023-04-2732 min
The Yin Yoga PodcastYin & Yoga Philosophy: AcceptanceWhile you marinate in juicy poses targeting the hips, we will explore a the duality of resistance and acceptance. You will have an opportunity to discover how these qualities manifest themselves in your tissues, in your poses and indeed in your entire experience of self. We will not dogmatically attempt to annihilate resistance, rather, I will teach you how to view this struggle with compassion and show you a way to be with your suffering as taught in Classical Yoga philosophy. This is a very powerful practice and it feels great too.Props ne...2023-04-191h 04
The Yin Yoga PodcastYin Yoga and Meditation with Addie deHilsterThis week I am interviewing Addie deHilster. Addie is a mindful movement teacher whose teaching prioritizes mindfulness from the Vipassana tradition. She blends many styles of movement including Yoga, somatics and chi gong to facilitate embodiment. We discuss how Yin yoga in many ways is already a very accessible form of meditation. You will learn how to apply concepts from Vipassana including compassion, and non-resistance to your practice and how to apply Yin components such as body awareness and regulation to your meditation practice. We know that meditation is so beneficial, but many of u...2023-04-121h 00
The Yin Yoga PodcastYin & Pranayama: Collective Amoebic ConsciousnessFor this sublime practice we will blend somatic movements and static Yin poses with a breathing technique known as cellular breathing. This technique hails from the Body Mind Centering somatic tradition and it enhances this practice experience greatly. This is a practice to feel alive in every cell. Transformational Self CareA Late Winter Wellness Retreat in the Dominican RepublicMarch 3-10, 2023Join me for a 7 day Caribbean wellness retreat. Each day we will focus on a pillar of self care. By the end of the week you will h...2023-04-061h 01
Moved To Meditate PodcastChronic Pain and Yoga, the Yin Way with Mandy RyleIn this episode, I’m talking about chronic pain and yoga with my guest Mandy Ryle. Mandy is an evidence-based Yin Yoga teacher, and this is an information-packed conversation about how Yin Yoga fits into the pain care equation for her students. We talk about what is (and is not) part of a pain care-informed approach to Yin Yoga, and how it is much more than finding the “3 magic poses” for whatever part of the of the body is in pain. Mandy also talks about her experiences with hypermobility and Yin Yoga, and we have a grea...2023-04-061h 01
The Yin Yoga PodcastYin & Pranayama: Expand Your Breathing OptionsThis practice is a blend of Yin Yoga and pranayama with a bit of somatic work sprinkled in. We will explore a breathing practice that I learned from my mentor Neil Pearson that I call, Expand Your Breathing Options. As you engage in movement and awareness you will also contemplate the gift of breath. This is a practice that is ripe with opportunities to learn and grow.Props needed: Bolster, blocks and blanketLet's take this to a format more conducive to conversation!Follow me on Instagram: https...2023-03-291h 02
The Yin Yoga PodcastYin & Somatics: Thoracic ExpressionThe upper back is an area that can be a big source of tension and even pain. We also have a fair amount of cultural baggage around the appropriate way to hold our upper back. Even in the Yoga world, we tend to favor a stiff and straight upper back above other shapes. But the upper back is capable of so much more, and I believe we suffer when we get locked in to a specific posture or expression. In this practice, we explore the capacity of the upper back to generate movements, sensations and even emotions. W...2023-03-221h 08
The Yin Yoga PodcastUnderstanding Yin Yoga and FasciaWhile it's true that you could practice Yin Yoga for a lifetime without knowing a thing about science, I do believe that a little scientific knowledge can go a long way. It's amazing how just a bit of understanding can influence the choices you make in your practice or in your teaching. How subjective experiences become even richer and more meaningful. It's amazing how separating fact from fiction empowers you. In this solo episode I give you an introduction to fascia. In Yin we talk a lot about targeting fascia, but is that really true. What even i...2023-03-1535 min
The Yin Yoga PodcastYin & Pranayama: Natural EnergyWe usually think of Yin as calming, soothing and down regulating. But with a few tweaks, we can cultivate a calm, natural energy as well. Not the jittery wired feeling you get from caffeine but a gentle boost, without the crash. Back in episode 7 in this 4th season, we discussed breathing techniques, science and how this all applies to Yin Yoga. Please have a listen to learn how you can apply use these techniques as well!For this practice, I've applied pranayama that are known to increase sympathetic activation, gently, as well as a somatic p...2023-03-0828 min
The Yin Yoga PodcastRelieve Joint Stiffness and Pain in the MorningIt's a familiar story but it breaks my heart every time. For people with chronic pain, just getting out of bed in the morning can be a real challenge. Though some joint stiffness in the morning is totally normal, debilitating pain that makes you dread getting up is not normal. There are so many reasons that pain may be worse in the morning, and we can't cover them all here, but we will address one reason here. I envision you doing this practice in your bed! Just roll over and hit play. T...2023-03-0222 min
The Yin Yoga PodcastYin & Somatics: Hip Flexor ReliefThe hip flexors are a group of muscles on the front of the hip which include the psoas, the illiacus and the rectus femoris. These muscles flex the hip, or draw the knee up toward the torso. However, a pain care approach will never reduce an issue to just one aspect of self such as certain muscles or tissues. So this practice makes use of several pain care strategies. We will explore hip flexor pain and stiffness through the lens of somatics, stretching, awareness, neuro motor training and regulation.This practice is intended to provide quick relief...2023-02-221h 05
The Yin Yoga PodcastHow to Breathe in Yin YogaFor something so simple, there sure is a lot of disagreement about how to breathe in Yin Yoga. In this episode I unpack some of the evidence around Yogic breathing and help you to understand how you might employ the evidence and various techniques into your own practice and/or teaching. Understanding the evidence can transform your Yin practice and as you will see your own health and well being. This episode is just a discussion so no props needed. Just pop in your earbuds and prepare to learn some really actionable and useful strategies. 2023-02-1528 min
The Yin Yoga PodcastYin & Somatics for Deep Hip LearningThe hip is more than a collection of tissues. It's a unique and complicated element of the embodied self. In this practice we combine a somatic lesson with some of your favorite Yin poses. These will facilitate deep learning for you and your hips!Some of the poses are not so familiar so I have again provided a pose gallery. You can find the images to follow along with here: For your practice you will need a couple of blanketsTransformational Self CareA Late Winter Wellness Retreat in the D...2023-02-071h 00
The Yin Yoga PodcastYin & Somatics: Your Nervous System and Your NeckThis is a go to, short practice to relieve neck and shoulder tension naturally. The whole practice can be done from a simple chair. You will engage in some somatic work as well as gentle stretching to increase range of motion and reduce feelings of stiffness. You will also learn about the relationship between these cranky tissues and the nervous systems. Chronic muscle tension in neck and shoulders can be debilitating and painful. But there are holistic strategies that you can use to get some relief. Because these poses are unfamiliar, I've created a pose gallery for...2023-02-0133 min
The Yin Yoga PodcastYin & Somatics: Heartfelt Good WishesThis movement practice is supported by a form of meditation known as a Koan. Essentially a line of inquiry that you explore quietly. This type of meditation can lead to profound insight and transformation. Your movement will focus on the lower body with a progressive sequence of twists. This is a sweet and inquisitive practice that will leave you feeling calm and centered. Transformational Self CareA Late Winter Wellness Retreat in the Dominican RepublicMarch 3-10, 2023Join me for a 7 day Caribbean wellness retreat. E...2023-01-2551 min
The Yin Yoga PodcastYin & Somatics: Stress SupportChronic stress is linked to many of the most pernicious chronic diseases that plague modern humans. Managing stress is of critical importance for health, memory, learning and quality of life. We can't change the stressful times that we live in. But there are simple, evidence informed strategies that you can use to reduce your stress in the moment, and with practice, manage your responses to stressors in the long term. In this practice we actually explore three of these strategies.I've also focused our movement on the areas in which most of us hold our stress; the...2023-01-1837 min
The Yin Yoga PodcastYin & Meditation: As I am meant to beAt the start of the new year. Most of us are looking forward and hoping to make some postive changes for the future. I offer this practice as a framework for moving forward with compassion. With kindness for where you have been and hope for where you are going. Evidence shows that we are actually more effective at meeting our goals when we start with self compassion. To see a gallery of the poses in the practice, visitProps: Bolster, 2 blocks and a blanket.Transformational Self CareA Late Winter W...2023-01-091h 04