The Yoga Addiction
by Natalie Senger and Sandy Huen
Yoga is everywhere, and its diversity in practice has many people asking more specific questions about how this practice ‘works’. Join Natalie and Sandy as they explore the modern yoga practice as teachers, students, science nerds and yogis in this mash-up of uncensored entertainment and education. If you’re looking to expand your understanding or appreciation of yoga, this is the podcast for you.
Episodes
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64: THE END...but first...30-ish things we need to tell you before we go!
This. Is. It. Our concluding episode, our last hurrah, our final effort. This episode is a conglomeration of all our last messages as yogis and yoga teachers. We alternate between Sandy and Nat giving tidbits of information and inspiration in no particular order. Some of our arguments are highly...
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63: Meditation, Mindfullness and Brain Gray Matter
Meditation is such a hot topic these days, and for good reason. It's been shown to improve attention span, decrease stress and anxiety. New science is showing that meditation also changes the content of our brains, its gray matter. In today's episode, we discuss the results of a number of studies...
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62: Jillian Mariani: Founder of Niyama Yoga Wellness
Jillian Mariani is the founder of supplement company Niyama Yoga Wellness. Today, we had a great chat with her about her wellness journey, her inspiration to create Niyama Yoga Wellness and their relationship to the New Leaf Foundation. Best of all, we are hosting a giveaway in partnership with...
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61: The Amygdala - Your Brain's Fear Center
Today, we discuss a topic that very much excites us: The Amygdala. We generally understand the amygdala as the portion of the brain that coordinates the emotions of fear and anger. These emotions create a very important adaptive response in helping us stay safe and well. However, in today's…
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60: Study: The Cooling Effect of Pranayama
Breathing exercises are purported to have myriad benefits: some are cooling, heating, detoxifying, invigorating, calming, restorative. In this episode, we review a recent study on sheetali and shitkari breathing exercises and body temperature. We discuss the role of breathing in studio yoga...
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59: Jivana Heyman: How to Make Yoga Teachings Accessible to All Communities
Today we take a deep dive into Jivana Heyman's amazing yoga mind: his views on yoga philosophy, ego, the teacher-student relationship, the use of touch and adjustments in the practice, just to name a few of the topics we cover. And of course, we dive into his new book, Accessible Yoga, and gain...
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58: Monday Quickie - Q & A with Jivana Heyman, Author of Accessible Yoga
Jivana Heyman is a sought-after yoga teacher and yoga teacher trainer based out of Santa Barbara, California. He is the author of a new book, Accessible Yoga, aimed at bringing the benefits of yoga to anyone who wants it. In this short episode, we barrage Jivana with a series of quickfire…
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57: Study Review: The Breath of Life
As promised, we dissect a scientific study in this episode all about breath, contemplative practices and the vagus nerve (find the link in the notes below). When the vagus nerve is stimulated, the body settles into "Rest and Digest" mode, or the parasympathetic nervous system. We discuss a few...
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56: Monday Quickie - Bone Density Story
With age, bone density predictably decreases over time. Maintaining or even building bone density is a long term practice that doesn't give us immediate payback - which is why it's hard to maintain a movement practice that's motivated by bone density. However, today Sandy tells us a story of a...
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55: Should I Quit My Job and Teach Yoga?
This episode is a light-hearted peek into the world of teaching yoga full time. We discuss the stresses of being a yoga teacher that counter the glamour, that dark underbelly of a life-changing practice. We brainstorm the things we would have done differently, knowing what we know now, and...
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54: Monday Quickie: Nat Interviews her Husband Eric
We have a special guest for today's Monday Quickie: Nat's husband Eric. Sweethearts since university and married in 2018, Nat and Eric have been doing yoga classes together regularly for about 10 years! In this episode, we get Eric's point of view on yoga, meditation, studio yoga classes, and how...
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53: Why Do We Care About The Vagus Nerve?
In recent years, yogis and yoga teacher trainers have been paying more and more attention to the very important vagus nerve. In this episode, we break down the general anatomy and function of the vagus nerve. Then, we discuss its relationship to trauma and teaching in a trauma sensitive...
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52: Monday Quickie: Start with Breath
One of Sandy's favourite ways to start a class is by establishing a connection to breath. Breath is our gateway into the nervous system, a powerful tool to transition the body into a state of calm or panic. Many teachers, and Sandy and Nat are absolutely guilty of this, simply dive into a class...
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51: The Placebo Effect
We often hear about the placebo effect in conjunction with a new drug, treatment or protocol in modern medicine. Placebo is the positive effect people get from a sham treatment when they are being told the treatment is real. Mostly, scientists and health practitioners ignore placebo: after all…
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50: Monday Quickie: Shoulder Flossing
Arm and shoulder positioning in a yoga class can get quite repetitive if you only practice or teach classic asana. In this episode, Sandy talks about Shoulder Flossing, or some people call it Shoulder Dislocates. This exercise is an easy one to incorporate into yoga classes as all it requires is…
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49: Hiiro Zake-Sigal Prince: Is Asana Being Turned Into A Fitness Practice?
In this one-on-one interview with Hiiro Zake-Sigal Prince, Nat and Hiiro dive deep into the effect of fitness-based yoga on teaching modern yoga group classes. Hiiro has even taken to calling himself a non-asana oriented yoga teacher, and as such presents the opinion that fitness-based yoga…
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48: Monday Quickie: Self Care and Burnout
In our first Quickie Monday episode, Sandy gets on air to discuss burnout and self-care. She shares six techniques that have worked and continue to work for her. // IN THIS EPISODE // You are your first priority - be curious about the care you need Find the activities and people that give you…
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47: Our Vision for 2020
Welcome to 2020! In this episode, we chat about our personal and professional goals for the new year. In terms of the podcast, the new changes coming this year include MORE GIVEAWAYS! Follow and turn on notifications for our Instagram @theyogaaddiction. We will also be releasing TWO episodes a...
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46: Pose breakdown - Twisted / Revolved Lunge
This is our last episode of 2019! We finish the year off on a pose that is very commonly seen in modern yoga: Twisted Lunge. We start this episode with a longer than normal pre-amble, chatting about the recent Bikram documentary. Then, we dive into the posture, talking about common compensations…
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45: 3 Ways to Engage the Hamstrings
Vinyasa yoga has often been criticized for over-stretching the hamstrings as the practice tends to favor forward bends over backbends. Add in the modern-day desk job, sitting with knees bent and hips bent for hours a day--we often see some dysfunction in the hamstrings. In this episode, we break...
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44: Know Your Knee Anatomy Part 2
In this episode, we expand on our discussion of the knee anatomy into yoga application. We finish off with a discussion on common yoga cues, like "bend your knee to 90 degrees, or flex your foot to protect your knee." // IN THIS EPISODE // We review what we covered in Part 1 of the knee podcast…
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43: Alison Heilig - From a Broken Femur to the Pursuit of Happiness
We met Alison Heilig during one of our group yoga training sessions and immediately clicked. She is a fierce cross-fit competitor, an incredibly educated and tuned-in yoga teacher and perhaps the most durable runner you'll meet. In this interview, we discuss Alison's journey that led to her…
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42: Know Your Knee Anatomy Part 1
The knee is a very important part of your body, connecting almost all of your body weight into your ankles and feet! In this episode, we give the knee the respect it deserves, breaking down the basic anatomy and structures that we as yoga teachers should be aware of. We start with the bones, then...
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41: Pose Breakdown: Upward Facing Dog / Urdhva Mukha Svanasana
Upward facing dog is an integral pose for any vinyasa practice. It's a challenging backbend that requires whole-body strength. And because this pose is rarely held for more than one breath, the cueing into and out of the shape can lack the details that are necessary to keep our wrists and ankles...
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40: Wesley Lai, Physiotherapist - Trigger Points and Yoga
Have you ever had a "knotted" muscle? Well, this episode is for you. We invited physiotherapist Wesley Lai to get into the physiology of trigger points, nerve referral pain and how stretching and yoga can impact the knots in our muscles. Wesley lays out the current theories about trigger points…
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39: Using Yoga to Build Power
Power athletes are sprinters, jumpers, throwers, etc.; basically any sport or activity that requires a large amount of work per unit of time. While yoga isn't a 'power'ful endeavour, per se, there are many carryover benefits. In this episode, we talk about how the core and transversus abdominis...
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38: How Pec Tension limits Asanas
Do you sit at a desk? Do upper body workouts? Most likely, your pecs are affected! The pectoralis major is the major muscle of the chest and contributes to many arm movements. It is a contributor to forward head and shoulder posture and can create instability in the shoulder if dysfunction is...
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37: Imogen North: Teaching Yoga in Conflict Zones
In this interview, Sandy catches up with her friend and fellow yoga teacher Imogen, who is living and working in Yangon, Myanmar. Imogen brings yoga to sensitive areas in Myanmar, braving forests, rivers and police checkpoints to be of service to those communities. In this discussion, we dive…
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36: The SI Joint - Part 2
In this episode, we continue our discussion of the sacroiliac joint (SI joint), touching on the hip flexor group of muscles and the transversus abdominis. We explain why these muscles are important in the healthy function of the joint and how we can draw more awareness into creating balance in...
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35: The SI Joint - Part 1
The sacroiliac joint is a tough workhorse when it comes to load transfer, repetitive motion and weight bearing. In yoga, it's often mixed with low back or hip issues and yoga teachers often give blanket statements to cover SI joint "safe" modifications. In this first part of our SI joint...
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34: Meghan Johnston - Your Brain and Nervous System on Restorative Yoga
In this episode, we interview Meghan Johnston about the power of restorative yoga. Meghan talks about her experience with burnout and how it led her to find restorative yoga for a personal healing practice and also how she sought out several trainings in restorative yoga, the nervous system, and...
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33: Pose Breakdown: Warrior 1 / Virabhadrasana 1
Today we dive deep into another pose breakdown: Warrior 1, or Virabhadrasana A. Considered by many a foundation pose, we explain why we can consider it a peak pose and discuss all the limitations that might surround it. Nat goes on a rant about the way poses look vs. how they feel, and shares her...
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32: Teaching Hypermobile Students
Hypermobility is the ability for joints to move past an expected range. For many people, certain joints can move well past their range with no pain, however, that is not always the case. In this episode, we dig into all sorts of hypermobility you might encounter in the yoga studio. Sandy shares…
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31: Tensegrity: What is it, why does it matter?
Tensegrity. A term that gets tossed around in the yoga and movement worlds, but what does it mean? In this episode, we discuss the origin of this word and how the idea of tensegrity in the body, or biotensegrity, helps us understand the tension system of the body. We talk about the distribution…
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30: Mental Health and Wellness Module Overview
Recently, Nat took a short trip to Portland for a training on mental health and yoga with Yoga Medicine. In this episode, Sandy interviews Nat on her experience and the main takeaways from her week in training. We discuss the importance of epigenetics in mental health, depression and anxiety, the...
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29: Looking Beyond The Rotator Cuff To Support Students With Rotator Cuff Injuries
It can be so difficult to visualize a joint like the shoulder, much less anticipate how it moves when there is an injury. In this episode, we try our best to describe normal and abnormal shoulder movement and how we can support students in yoga by stabilizing the shoulder blade. Nat shares her…
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28: Yoga and Hormones: Testosterone
It's been quite a few months since we first discussed yoga and hormones in our cortisol breakdown episode. In today's episode, we re-visit yoga and hormones with a breakdown of testosterone. We talk about what testosterone does in the body, how its relationship with cortisol helps regulate...
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27: Aisha Fakhro - Neuroplasticity, Harnessing Resilience, and Transformative Potential
We got so excited when our friend and fellow yoga teacher Aisha Fakhro suggested we talk about neuroplasticity. It's a topic that electrifies us with excitement and possibility, this idea that the brain constantly changes and adapts according to inputs from your life, your attention, and...
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26: Pose Breakdown: Warrior 3 / Virabhadrasana C
Pose Breakdown... Today we are dissecting Warrior 3 or Virabhadrasana C. This pose is Sandy's hands-down favourite pose and one she threads into nearly every class. In this episode, we talk about why we love it so much, it's musculoskeletal benefits, our favourite cues to refine the pose and how…
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25: A Summary of The Yoga Alliance Change In Certification Standards
The Yoga Alliance is an international non-profit regulating body for yoga professionals. They set standards for how teachers are to be trained, standards for continuing education and they maintain a registry of teachers who adhere to their standards. In the last few years, they have undertaken a...
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24: The Controversy of the Tuck Your Tailbone Cue & When You Still Need it!
As yoga teachers, we are all guilty of recycling cues from our teachers and peers--"tuck the tailbone" being a very well-known one. In this episode, we discuss the pros and cons of this cue, whether or not we can actually tuck the tailbone without moving the pelvis or low back, and how we can…
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23: Pose Breakdown: Extended Side Angle Pose / Utthita Parsvakonasana
Pose Breakdown... Today, we break down Side Angle Pose, or Parsvakonasana. We start from the ground up, from feet, ankles, thighs, hips, spine up to the shoulders. We discuss common patterns of tight muscles as they show up in this pose, and what cues we can use to help adjust the pose for more...
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22: Rachel Land - How Do You Know You Are Ready for YTT And How To Choose Which Training Is For You?
Today we chat with our friend and teacher Rachel Land. Despite a severe time difference (Rachel lives in Queenstown, New Zealand), we've recorded this podcast to give you everything you need to know before, during and after your 200 hr Yoga Teacher Training. Whether you've just signed up for a...
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21: What Does An Alignment Based Practice Mean And When Is It Most Useful?
As yoga teachers, we have been trained to look for alignment in our students. But why are we so fixated on alignment? What does an 'alignment-based yoga teacher' do differently, better or worse? In this episode, we discuss what alignment means to us and our purpose as teachers. We go over 2...
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20: Does Yoga Increase Bone Density?
Today, we answer the question, "Does yoga increase bone density?" We've chosen 3 research studies to dive into and how it might affect the way we present the benefits of yoga to students. Though it does seem like yoga has a positive effect on osteoporosis and bone density, for the most part this…
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19: On Teaching Yoga to Beginners
Beginners are maybe one of the most rewarding groups you can teach, if you can get a group of them together. In this episode, we go over several important aspects of teaching to beginners, like placing them in the middle of the room, incorporating parts of yoga that are meaningful to you as a...
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18: Allie Geer - Teaching and Practicing Prenatal Yoga
Today, we feature our second interview with Allie Geer, who is not only a fascia expert but a prenatal yoga specialist. This episode is a must for anyone teaching public group classes, because sooner or later a pregnant yogi will stroll through your doors, too. We talk about how to make all your...
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17: Hiiro Zake-Sigal Prince - Must know differences between Yin and Restorative Yoga
Restorative and Yin yoga are two practices that often get lumped together into one category. However, our expert guest Hiiro Zake-Sigal Prince sheds light on the distinct differences of these two practices, how and when to intelligently blend the two, and how to decide which is best for you or…
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16: Yoga for Athletes - How to Design a Practice for Resilience, Recovery, and Power
The worlds of athletics and yoga are slowly but surely finding a common place to collide and more athletes are turning to various practices of yoga to increase mobility, focus, power, resilience, etc. In this episode we talk about what pieces of the very big and diverse yoga world fit best with...
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15: What Is Fascia and How Do We Care for It in Yoga?
In the last few years, fascia has become a huge area of research and investigation. In this episode, we dive into the current knowledge about fascia, its anatomy and how yoga can contribute to the health of the fascia. We talk about common fascia dysfunction, tension patterns, and tendencies. If...
About this show
Yoga is everywhere, and its diversity in practice has many people asking more specific questions about how this practice ‘works’. Join Natalie and Sandy as they explore the modern yoga practice as teachers, students, science nerds and yogis in this mash-up of uncensored entertainment and education. If you’re looking to expand your understanding or appreciation of yoga, this is the podcast for you.
Hosted by
Natalie Senger and Sandy Huen