Stewardship, Storytelling, and Sadhana-Driven Leadership with Susanna Barkataki

Episode Summary: In this heartfelt and expansive episode, Amy Wheeler sits down with renowned author, educator, and activist Susanna Barkataki to discuss her new book Ignite Your Yoga, and the path of yoga leadership grounded in ethics, lineage, and collective care. Susanna shares personal stories from her life, including her upbringing in a bicultural household, her journey through burnout, and her evolving role as a teacher, student, and community leader. Together, they explore how Yogic leadership is born not from charisma or hierarchy, but from a deep commitment to daily sādhanā, self-awareness, and compassionate action.Susanna reflects on what it means to be a steward of the Yogic tradition rather than a consumer of it, and how Ignite Your Yoga is a call to bring yoga off the mat and into community, workplaces, activism, and healing justice movements. Amy and Susanna also talk about grief, aging, navigating burnout, and how letting go is often the first step toward transformation.This episode is a rare glimpse into the real, vulnerable, and luminous layers of yoga teaching and leadership—and what it means to stay true to the roots of yoga in a rapidly changing world.Topics Explored:Stewardship of yoga and how to honor lineage without replicating oppressionHow Ignite Your Yoga differs from Susanna’s first book, Embrace Yoga’s RootsYoga as collective care and community healingYogic leadership born from daily sādhanā and ethical clarityBurnout, perimenopause, and honoring your prakṛti through life transitionsCross-cultural identity and Susanna’s role as a “bridge” between worldsBuddhism, yoga, and holding space for spiritual multiplicityWhy comparing your path to others leads us away from dharmaHow to trust the unfolding even in the darkness of “not knowing”Favorite Quotes from the Episode:“There are many ways—myriad ways—to serve and make a difference in the world. Don't get tripped up on having your activism look like someone else's path.” – Susanna Barkataki“Yogic leadership isn’t about perfection. It’s about a continual refinement—letting our sādhanā nourish our service, and letting our service nourish our sādhanā.” – Susanna Barkataki“Letting go doesn’t mean giving up—it just means letting go of control over how you think it’s supposed to look.” – Amy WheelerResources Mentioned:Ignite Your Yoga by Susanna BarkatakiEmbrace Yoga’s Roots by Susanna BarkatakiSusanna’s upcoming book tour and workshops (details on her website)Connect with Susanna Barkataki:Website: www.susannabarkataki.comInstagram: @susannabarkatakiBook Tour Info: igniteyouryoga.orgConnect with Amy Wheeler & The Yoga Therapy Hour:Website: www.theoptimalstate.comInstagram: @amylwheelerPodcast Archive: Yoga Therapy Hour on Spotify/AppleMUIH Yoga Therapy and Ayurveda:www.MUIH.edu