Yoga Strong
257 episodes - English - Latest episode: 5 days ago - ★★★★★ - 64 ratingsTo be Yoga Strong is to pay attention to not only your body, but how you navigate being human. While combining strength and grace creates a powerful flow-based yoga practice, it is the practice of paying attention in the same ways off-the-mat that we hope to build.
This podcast is a guide for yoga teachers, practitioners and people trying to craft a life they're proud AF about. This is about owning your voice. This is about resilience, compassion, sensuality, and building a home in yourself. We don't do this alone.
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Episodes
233 - Are Emotions Really Stored in Our Hips?
April 19, 2024 06:00 - 40 minutes - 28 MBIt's often said in yoga classes that emotions are stored in our hips. It's offered as a statement but today, I want to offer it as a question to explore. Takeaways Emotions are not necessarily stored in our hips; they are part of our overall human experience. We are more than one thing, and our emotions can be felt in various parts of our body. The hips are connected to the chakra system, representing safety, security, creativity, and expression. Pain, pleasure, and discomfort are subj...
232 - Allow Yourself Evolution w/Carling Harps
April 11, 2024 07:00 - 1 hour - 80 MBIn this conversation with longtime yoga and movement teacher Carling Harps, we explore the value of observation and experimentation in teaching, managing imposter syndrome, the transformative power of becoming a parent, and her multidisciplinary movement journey. We also dive into the power of curiosity, embracing vulnerability, and asking for what you need in a relationship, and the joy of rediscovering oneself after a breakup. Follow Carling on Instagram Weekly stories by email from ...
231 - Anger without Apology
April 04, 2024 07:00 - 30 minutes - 21 MBToday I share my newfound appreciation for anger and the importance of allowing it to flow through me. Recently, a beloved tree next to my house was cut down and it evoked some intense emotions. Through the experience, I came to understand the power of expressing anger and grief without apology and the value of having a witness who can hold space for these emotions. I share reflections on the process of embracing anger, alchemizing it into beauty, finding poetry in difficult experiences,...
230 - Revealing Your Authentic Power w/Kaili Meyer
March 28, 2024 07:00 - 1 hour - 71.5 MBSales copywriter Kaili Meyer of Reveal Studio Co. is all about owning her voice. She joins us today and we go deep on business, authenticity, and writing to sell. Some episode highlights: - Why showing up as yourself is the way to magnetize clients - Five things to do when starting a new business - The four buyer types to understand - How writing and copywriting differ and why we need both - How to prevent burnout as an online business owner - The place all women should be investing...
229 - Watching Women Claim Themselves
March 22, 2024 01:00 - 15 minutes - 10.5 MBI love watching women claim themselves. The process. The unfurling. The courage. Today I'm fired about it. Weekly stories by email from Bonnie’s HERE Connect with Bonnie: Instagram, Email ([email protected]), Website Listen to Bonnie's other podcast Sexy Sunday HERE The music for this episode is Threads by The Light Meeting. Produced by: Grey Tanner
228 - Authenticity as Resistance w/Jamie Fearn
March 14, 2024 07:00 - 1 hour - 66.6 MBJamie Heron, a movement teacher and personal friend, joins us. We laugh a lot, and we talk about authenticity, taking up space, and challenging societal expectations as forms of resistance and empowered development. We explore how movement practices are interconnected and why it can be empowering to move beyond identifying with certain labels and dogmas, to create freedom for exploring their essences and the relationships they invite us to explore. We also talk community building, fashio...
228 - Authenticity as Resistance w/Jamie Heron
March 14, 2024 07:00 - 1 hour - 66.6 MBJamie Heron, a movement teacher and personal friend, joins us. We laugh a lot, and we talk about authenticity, taking up space, and challenging societal expectations as forms of resistance and empowered development. We explore how movement practices are interconnected and why it can be empowering to move beyond identifying with certain labels and dogmas, to create freedom for exploring their essences and the relationships they invite us to explore. We also talk community building, fashio...
227 - The Challenges and Rewards of Studio Ownership w/Steph Alston
February 29, 2024 08:00 - 1 hour - 56.1 MBSteph Alston joins for the first episode in a new series dedicated to yoga studio ownership. We're here to offer support to current and prospective owners and fill in some of the gaps in the larger conversation about not just studio ownership but the entrepreneurial life. Some of what we explore: The importance of knowing your why Practical advice and seeking guidance from mentors, lawyers, and others Understanding and living your values as a business owner Recognizing and addressing your...
226 - What's the Difference Between Power Vinyasa and Vinyasa?
February 22, 2024 08:00 - 1 hour - 71.7 MBIn this episode, we explore the difference between vinyasa and power vinyasa yoga. I share my personal definitions of vinyasa and power and how I teach them as well as some community comments and definitions shared in a recent conversation on my Instagram. We also talk about the lack of standardization in the industry; the importance of clear language in class descriptions and marketing; the origins of power yoga and how it has evolved; and how definitions and practices may vary across ...
228 - What's the Difference Between Power Vinyasa and Vinyasa?
February 22, 2024 08:00 - 1 hour - 71.7 MBIn this episode, we explore the difference between vinyasa and power vinyasa yoga. I share my personal definitions of vinyasa and power and how I teach them as well as some community comments and definitions shared in a recent conversation on my Instagram. We also talk about the lack of standardization in the industry; the importance of clear language in class descriptions and marketing; the origins of power yoga and how it has evolved; and how definitions and practices may vary across ...
225 - Feel Like You're Winning?
February 15, 2024 08:00 - 36 minutes - 24.9 MBToday we talk the messy middle of life and the importance of acknowledging the challenges and losses we face. About the need for teachers to recognize that everyone is navigating their own internal landscape and to approach their students with empathy and understanding. I also share my approach to teaching handstands in a yoga flow, with focus on creating a sense of success and expansion for students. We talk about what it means to be brave and curious in our teaching journeys. I share...
224 - The Power of Breath and Bravery with Iona Holloway
February 08, 2024 08:00 - 1 hour - 67 MBIona Holloway, a breathwork facilitator and creator of Brave Thing, joins us today. We talk how bravely taking action and embracing heartbreak and imperfection to catalyze personal and professional growth. We talk about how breathwork can be a powerful tool for self-discovery and transformation and a supportive add-on to a yoga practice. We also dig into business building, including the importance of cultivating boundaries and sustainable practices, finding voice, and showing up for the...
223 - Choosing Your Responses to Life's Challenges w/Rodrigo Souza
February 01, 2024 08:00 - 1 hour - 68.2 MBWe're joined today by Rodrigo Souza, a teacher of adaptive and accessible yoga. He shares his evolutionary journey since sustaining a life-changing spinal cord injury at the age of 33, paralyzing him from the chest down. Some episode highlights: Embracing imperfection and overcoming the fear of sharing your voice Identity is not fixed and can evolve after life-altering events Yoga can be a powerful tool for healing and cultivating self-compassion. Choose your response to life's challen...
222 - How We Restore and Re-story
January 25, 2024 08:00 - 27 minutes - 18.9 MBToday I'm reflecting on the concepts of restoring and re-storying ourselves, inspired by some big transitions I'm navigating as the parent of a child soon to be leaving home for college. He will become a new person and I will, too. But what happens before then--and now? This is about grief and love, and choosing to rewrite certain stories about ourselves as a way to honor our unique timing and processes. Weekly stories by email from Bonnie’s HERE Connect with Bonnie: Instagram, Email...
221 - Moving with Curiosity w/Trisha Durham
January 18, 2024 08:00 - 1 hour - 67.3 MBTrisha Durham joins us today! She's a movement trainer who "helps curious people to move more comfortably, kindly, competently," and we talk about the process of finding her voice as a teacher. We talk about her journey from Ashtanga to vinyasa, finding freedom in movement, how to develop and make money as a teacher, and so much more. Connect with Trisha through her website or Instagram. Weekly stories by email from Bonnie’s HERE Connect with Bonnie: Instagram, Email (hello@bonniewee...
220 - Creating a Classroom Experience
January 12, 2024 16:00 - 31 minutes - 21.8 MBThere are so many things to pay attention to while teaching--movements, words, people in the room, music, where to stand in the room, and why. And more. It's a lot. Today we talk about what I think is one of the most important aspects to pay attention to and cultivate--and it may surprise you. Weekly stories by email from Bonnie’s HERE Connect with Bonnie: Instagram, Email ([email protected]), Website Listen to Bonnie's other podcast Sexy Sunday HERE The music for this episode is...
Ep. 220: Creating a Classroom Experience
January 12, 2024 16:00 - 31 minutes - 21.8 MBThere are so many things to pay attention to while teaching--movements, words, people in the room, music, where to stand in the room, and why. And more. It's a lot. Today we talk about what I think is one of the most important aspects to pay attention to and cultivate--and it may surprise you. Weekly stories by email from Bonnie’s HERE Connect with Bonnie: Instagram, Email ([email protected]), Website Listen to Bonnie's other podcast Sexy Sunday HERE The music for this episode is...
219 - Do You Want to Teach Magnetic Yoga Classes?
January 04, 2024 08:00 - 36 minutes - 24.9 MBToday we talk Flow School, my online program designed to help yoga teachers tap into their creative sequencing and find their authentic voice. Flow School helps you understand the why behind your choices, offers a supportive community of like-minded, rule-bending teachers, and provides tools and resources to support you in leading the kinds of classes that light both you and your students up. Next round starts January 13th. Learn more and sign up here! Weekly stories by email from Bonn...
Questions for a New Year
December 29, 2023 23:00 - 32 minutes - 22.4 MBAs we near the end of the year, some questions are alive for me and I share them with you, along with some insights from a trip this week to a clothing-optional hot springs. We explore the themes of letting go, having conversations with our pain, and how embracing uncomfortable spaces can expand us. And if you'd like to give it a listen, here's the Sexy Sunday episode on my Naked 40 project that I talk about in the episode: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/o5BgQzO4VFb Weekly stori...
218 - Questions for a New Year
December 29, 2023 23:00 - 32 minutes - 22.4 MBAs we near the end of the year, some questions are alive for me and I share them with you, along with some insights from a trip this week to a clothing-optional hot springs. We explore the themes of letting go, having conversations with our pain, and how embracing uncomfortable spaces can expand us. And if you'd like to give it a listen, here's the Sexy Sunday episode on my Naked 40 project that I talk about in the episode. Weekly stories by email from Bonnie’s HERE Connect with Bonn...
217 - Three Ways to Own the Hell Out of Your Voice
December 21, 2023 14:00 - 28 minutes - 19.9 MBToday, we're talking about voice, y'all! The power of voice applies to everyone, not just yoga teachers. Today I share three practices to help you own the hell out of your voice by building safety and trust in yourself. We also talk body language because that's a big part of voice, too. PS: Yoga Strong merch is here! Support the show by snagging some here. Weekly stories by email from Bonnie’s HERE Connect with Bonnie: Instagram, Email ([email protected]), Website Listen to Bon...
216 - The Rooms We Build In Ourselves
December 15, 2023 22:00 - 20 minutes - 14.4 MBHave you ever painted a wall in your house and felt like the experience of the entire room was transformed--from a can of paint? Today we talk about how the little things are the big things. And how it often doesn't take much to shift us-- how we move, how we think--even our whole damn lives. Weekly stories by email from Bonnie’s HERE Connect with Bonnie: Instagram, Email ([email protected]), Website Listen to Bonnie's other podcast Sexy Sunday HERE The music for this episode is T...
215 - Keeping Promises to Ourselves
December 07, 2023 11:00 - 25 minutes - 17.5 MBHave you ever gotten to a place where you're tired of you getting in your own way? Today is about that. I share about the process of getting a new tattoo and how it relates to keeping promises to myself. And all the things that can get in the way of that, like procrastination and comparison and perfectionism. This is about meeting and befriending the parts of ourselves that are holding us back. And learning to work with them so we can do more of the things we want for ourselves and our...
214 - Five Minutes to Move (You)
November 30, 2023 11:00 - 19 minutes - 13.7 MBToday I share a game-changer practice. For some of y'alls, this episode might be all you end up needing from me--to propel you, to do the thing that is inside of you that wants to get out. This is Five Minutes to Move, and this is how I come to my mat. It supports this connection to my own movement, and to my own flow, that greatly informs how I teach, why I teach, what I teach. This practice is to help you find that for yourself. Play along with Five Minutes to Move on the 'Gram, and ...
213 - Ten Practices for New Teachers
November 26, 2023 02:00 - 40 minutes - 27.7 MBI'm here to help yoga teachers own the hell out of their voice. Today, I share ten of my top practices to support new (or returning) teachers to do just that. Which is really about supporting you to become the biggest and most impactful version of yourself. Because you can't step into your becoming as a teacher and have it not permeate the rest of your life. These are ten ways of showing up, leading a room, and meeting myself that I have cultivated over the years. And they're informed b...
212 - This is Bigger Than You, But Needs You
November 17, 2023 06:00 - 21 minutes - 14.9 MB"This is bigger than me, but it needs me." I share how these words came to me, and how they've guided me the last couple of years as a teacher, and in the creation of leading of Flow School. I think this idea applies in our leadership, as teachers, and other spaces in our lives too. We need to show up and do our part--and be able to hold ourselves in order to hold a container--but what is co-created in the process is always bigger than us. This idea is an invitation to pay attention to...
211 - Five Ways to Shake Up Your Sequencing
November 02, 2023 18:00 - 22 minutes - 15.6 MBWhen we teach something new, something that demands a different attention, it gets us out of our heads and into our bodies. As teachers, I really believe that part of the gift that we get to give is that of moving people, not just through space but within and through themselves. We get to witness as they move and are moved. Part of how we're able to support this is through keeping things interesting for the brain and body. Today we talk about some ways to do just that. Weekly stories ...
210 - When It's Everything You Don't Want
October 26, 2023 17:00 - 29 minutes - 20 MBWe're all gonna experience things in life that are difficult and sludgy--things that we maybe wouldn't have chosen for ourselves. And while it's important for us to feel and experience what we feel, we also have choices as to how we frame things, where we put our attention. Because if we pause, if we shift our perspective a little, we can find things to love about even what is hard. Or aspects of the hard things that might also be gifts. Because there's always more than one thing happening...
209 - The Yin to My Yang
October 19, 2023 05:00 - 37 minutes - 25.8 MBToday's share comes in response to a question from one of y'all: What's the yin to my yang? I do and hold a lot of things. I've got a lot of ideas and projects and business things going, where I'm showing up for a lot of people. And I'm a mom to three kids. I've got a lover. I've got this pod. There's a lot of yang--assertive, leading kind of energy--that I hold, that I carry. So what balances all of that? What allows me to restore, to receive, so I can keep showing up? I share some ...
208 - What Does Vinyasa Mean to You?
October 12, 2023 10:00 - 25 minutes - 17.3 MBToday is my first day back to IRL studio teaching--and with a new studio! It's got me pondering student-teacher and teacher-owner relationships, along with my own relationship to the teaching of flow yoga. Today I offer lots of questions for your consideration, like: What does it mean to you to practice vinyasa? Does it mean the same thing(s) to your students? What's the difference between power vinyasa and all-levels vinyasa? How might definitions of vinyasa vary across populations a...
207 - Be Terrified and Do It Anyway
October 05, 2023 16:00 - 30 minutes - 20.7 MBSometimes getting what we want can be terrifying. And sometimes we feel terrified even when we know deep down that we can do the damn thing. Even if it may not seem like it, I know these feelings well. Even after close to a decade of teaching and showing up on Instagram. Today I talk about the journey from teaching in my garage to teaching and working with people from all over the world, to highlight the magic that can unfold for us when we lead with curiosity and bravery. What can hap...
Be Terrified and Do It Anyway
October 05, 2023 16:00 - 30 minutes - 20.7 MBSometimes getting what we want can be terrifying. And sometimes we feel terrified even when we know deep down that we can do the damn thing. Even if it may not seem like it, I know these feelings well. Even after close to a decade of teaching and showing up on Instagram. Today I talk about the journey from teaching in my garage to teaching and working with people from all over the world, to highlight the magic that can unfold for us when we lead with curiosity and bravery. What can hap...
206 - How Would This Change You?
September 28, 2023 04:00 - 23 minutes - 16.2 MBI often say that I help people own the hell out of their voice. Earlier this month, the day before my 40th birthday, I lost my voice for the first time ever. It got me thinking about what exactly it means to own our voice--and all the ways, audible and not, that we speak. Join me for some thought experiments, a story about a woman who lost her hearing but gained her listening, and reflections following a conversation with my 96 year-old grandma, that I hope will inspire you to lean more f...
How Would This Change You?
September 28, 2023 04:00 - 23 minutes - 16.2 MBI often say that I help people own the hell out of their voice. Earlier this month, the day before my 40th birthday, I lost my voice for the first time ever. It got me thinking about what exactly it means to own our voice--and all the ways, audible and not, that we speak. Join me for some thought experiments, a story about a woman who lost her hearing but gained her listening, and reflections following a conversation with my 96 year-old grandma, that I hope will inspire you to lean more f...
205 - Leading Us Toward the Divine with Steph Alston
June 23, 2023 02:00 - 1 hour - 57.2 MBOne of my favorite parts of this podcast is the fact that I get to introduce you to cool people, out in the world being leaders and doing cool stuff. My guest today is a person I used to work with and who now has a studio of her very own. Steph Alston is no stranger to leadership—just like me, Steph grew up in the LDS church, where she had the opportunity to try on different forms of leadership like you might try on a shirt, until she found what fits her best, and that looks a lot like leadi...
204 - You Are The One You've Been Waiting For
June 16, 2023 21:00 - 23 minutes - 16.1 MBGiving yourself permission to be more you isn’t a one-and-done process. Showing up fully is a forever journey. When I started sharing my life online, the way I showed up looked so different than how I show up now. Little by little, I became braver and now I get to be as big as I want to be. Friends, the same is true for you. When you start to own who you are, you get to be all the things you dream of being, and it gives everyone around you permission to do the same. You don’t have to wait fo...
203 - There's Enough Room for All of Us with CJ Yeagley
June 08, 2023 22:00 - 1 hour - 43.2 MBThere is no “right” way to be a yoga teacher. But so often, we get caught up in ego and competition, trying to be the “best” or judging others for showing up in a way that’s different than how you might teach… the truth is, there’s enough room for all of us. If you show up in your own joy and with intent to truly serve your students, you’ll always find success. People gravitate towards authenticity, and as long as you show up in a way that is joyful and truthful to you, the people that need ...
202 - A Case For Repeating the Same Class All Week
June 02, 2023 01:00 - 17 minutes - 12.3 MBThis is for the teachers out there. I’ve had so many conversations about repetition recently, both from week to week and within a single class itself. Maybe you’re feeling some kind of pressure to put out a brand new flow every single week, but I’d like to make a case for doing the same things. But even if you hear the same things over and over again, you can always learn something new, gain a new understanding, or relate in a new way. We need repetition. Why not try it? Let’s talk about yo...
201 - Presence is Pleasure
May 24, 2023 21:00 - 18 minutes - 12.8 MBI did something new yesterday. I took a hip hop dance class. Doing something new and awkward and sometimes uncomfortable like taking a hip hop class was never something I felt I had the courage for before yoga. There is something that yoga has given me—or more accurately, that I have given myself through the process of self-discovery that yoga has put me on—that allows me to take up space, to play in something new, and to find pleasure in being present. In order to connect with the body and ...
200 - We Are Stronger in Community with Aaliyah Earvin
May 19, 2023 04:00 - 1 hour - 51.4 MBSometimes being a leader means learning when to listen. In leadership roles, often we feel like we have to do it all alone, without the advice or help of the people around us but in truth, we are stronger in community. We are stronger together. We miss out on opportunities to grown when we keep things to ourselves or refuse to ask for help. Our communities lift us up, and create space and strength for each other as we go through the different seasons in life and make decisions to do things d...
199 - Combining Yoga and Strength Training
May 12, 2023 01:00 - 24 minutes - 17.1 MBI’m so excited about what I’m about to share with you because I’ve created something I’ve never seen before and I know you’re going to love it, too. I came to yoga from a weight-lifting background and have always loved the element of strength needed in flow. So, I created Yoga Strong—not this podcast, but a 3 month program where we will be combining yoga and strength. You don’t need to super into yoga to do this, and you don’t need to be super into strength-training either. This is something...
198 - The Inaugural Flow School IRL
May 05, 2023 01:00 - 30 minutes - 20.9 MBLast week was the first ever IRL Flow School. Many years ago now I decided to start sharing my life online, and now I have the immense joy and pleasure to connect with all of you in person. There is real magic in showing up to listen and learn and do something new together, and IRL Flow School is something I am absolutely stoked to do again. We do not grow alone, and how lucky are we when we get the opportunity to grow together? Get on the Waitlist for Online Flow School in September HERE ...
197 - The Work It Takes To Be Excellent
April 20, 2023 21:00 - 21 minutes - 15.2 MBThere is a time for rest in life, but there is also a time to work hard, and to really hustle. As a child I played basketball, and in that sport I always too pride in being the first one down the court—always ready to shoot. I want to be the first one down the court now. If you really want something (and I really want something) there is work involved. I’m ready to work, to put in the effort it takes to make something grow, and I’m not afraid to own it. If you’re in that season of hard work ...
196 - The Infinite Game of Being Human
April 07, 2023 16:00 - 20 minutes - 14 MBWhat are you paying attention to? Is it the infinite process of coming to know yourself? Is it the way you might be feeling shame? It’s so easy to take shame on in this life, the feeling of doing “this” wrong, of not belonging. When we feel shame, we feel small. We lose the essence of self and how we express ourselves in this world. We get to be the truest version of ourselves when we show up in bravery and curiosity, but curiosity and shame cannot coexist. So what might it feel like if we s...
195 - How to Leave a Thing
March 31, 2023 00:00 - 26 minutes - 18.1 MBHow do you leave a thing in a generous way? These four mindset intentions help me navigate the times I say "no" to make more room for a "yes" while still honoring the way the thing changed me. Having just left a studio that I've taught at for a year and a half, a change that felt hard but right, I lean into abundance, gratitude, listening and ceremony (could also be called celebration) to find a well of peace as I move forward. This is not the podcast about figuring out timing or money, th...
195 - How to Leave
March 31, 2023 00:00 - 26 minutes - 18.1 MBWhen it’s time to leave something—any thing—you say no to it. But by saying no to the thing you are leaving, you’re saying yes to something else, something new. By saying yes, you give that new thing space, and you can begin to allow peace to make a home in you. Leaving can be terrifying, and it’s almost always brutal, but it is something beautiful. There is so much in this world available to us. If something is feeling like a no, trust that there is a yes out there that is waiting for you. ...
194 - Taking and Making Space
March 23, 2023 22:00 - 38 minutes - 26.3 MBThere is a fear many of us face when we have to stand up in a crowd or at the front of a room and make ourselves heard. Maybe you ask yourself, “Who am I to be doing this? What right do I have?” The thing about Impostor Syndrome is that it’s just a made up name, something a handful of people decided to call a feeling one day. Everything in this life is something that someone decided to just make up… so why can’t we do that, too? Because all of us deserve to be out there, owning our voices an...
193 - From Yoga to Kettlebells, and Creating Space for Growth Along the Way with Serenity Messner
March 17, 2023 00:00 - 1 hour - 52.9 MBSerenity Messner never thought she’d find her way to strength training, much less own her own gym. Lifting weights feels like the direct opposite of Yoga, but the two practices compliment each other, and both exist to make your life outside of the classroom and outside of the gym better. In this conversation with Serenity, we talk about what it’s like to be a beginner at something, enjoying the lifelong journey of fitness, Serenity’s journey to finding kettlebells, dealing with impostor synd...
192 - Listening to What Your Pain Is Telling You
March 11, 2023 21:00 - 27 minutes - 19 MBI’ve been thinking about wellness lately. As someone who works within the wellness “industry” there is so much to discuss around what it means to be well. You might know, I’ve been dealing with a lot of back pain in recent months, and it’s been a lesson in listening to my body, to what my pain is trying to tell me. If living Yoga Strong is all about the practice of paying attention, how have I been paying attention to my own body and self, the stress and the pain, and everything else wrapped...
191 - Trust Built Through Listening
March 03, 2023 01:00 - 25 minutes - 17.8 MBI have an offer for you. What if you approached your students without an ask? In situations where someone is walking out during shavasana or following their own flow during your class, instead of looking for an explanation, you talked to your student and simply listened to their experience. When you make people feel seen without demanding anything from them, answers or otherwise, when you listen to their experience, watch how trust grows. We can create space for ourselves, for our students, ...