Yogaland Podcast
by Andrea Ferretti
This down-to-earth podcast by Andrea Ferretti (former executive editor of Yoga Journal) will keep informed and inspired to practice yoga. Topics run the gamut from nitty gritty technique (her yoga teacher husband Jason Crandell often joins to help with this) to down-to-earth conversations about how to apply yoga's lessons and tools to help craft a happy, balanced life.
Episodes
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Yoga(ish): Thoughts on Yoga Alliance’s New Credentials and How Italy Stole Our Hearts)
Yoga Alliance has announced big changes to its credentials. The 200-hour and 500-hour designations are going away, and teachers will now be listed as either RYT or E-RYT. Many yoga teachers have strong feelings about this, and Jason does too. In this new episode of Yoga(ish), we talk through the...
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How to Combine Yoga, Cardio, and Resistance Training into One Balanced Week
How do you fit yoga, resistance training, and cardio into a real week — without burning out or dropping one of them entirely? That’s our topic this week — not in theory, but with specific days, durations, and honest personal experience of what actually works for me and Jason. The short version:...
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Is Yoga Enough? What It Trains Brilliantly and Where it Leaves Gaps
Is yoga enough? It's one of the most debated questions in the wellness world — and honestly, it's the wrong question. Yoga has specific strengths and specific limitations. The most useful thing we can do as practitioners and teachers is understand both — clearly and without defensiveness. That's...
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3 Resistance Band Exercises That Transform Your Backbends & Build Shoulder Strength
Most yoga backbend preparation focuses on opening the front body. That's valuable — but it's only half the equation. The posterior shoulders, rhomboids, and upper back muscles that should be driving backbends are almost never specifically strengthened in a yoga practice. The result: most...
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The Six-Phase Structure to Build a Strong Yoga Class
If you've been wondering how to incorporate resistance training into your yoga classes without losing what makes yoga yoga — this episode is for you. In this conversation breaks down his exact six-phase structure bringing resistance training into a yoga context. The central insight: resistance...
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Yoga(ish): Life Updates, Big Changes, and What This Summer Taught Us
The summer went quickly; we thought we'd reconvene and catch you up on our latest in life and yoga. As a reminder! Yoga-ish conversations are where we share life stuff, and although it may cross over into yoga territory, it is decidedly non-technical. This week, we cover a lot of ground and talk...
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Yoga Philosophy Explained — The 6 Core Teachings That Unite Every Tradition
What is yoga — really? Most practitioners and teachers can answer that question with a pose, a breath, or a feeling. Far fewer can answer it with the philosophical depth the tradition actually deserves. This week's episode does just that. Drawing on academic scholarship, Sanskrit etymology, and...
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Your Twists Are Missing This
Most yoga twists are done to the spine — not with it. In nearly every conventional yoga twist, the arms and legs do the work: The hand presses against the knee. The elbow hooks outside the thigh. The leverage of the limbs produces the rotation, while the spinal muscles — the obliques, the...
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Does Yoga Build Strength? The Science Behind What Yoga Actually Does
This week Jason and I have a conversation the yoga world has been dancing around for years: Does yoga build strength? Jason offers an honest framework for understanding the ways that yoga builds strength — and where it genuinely falls short. What You'll Learn: Why strength matters — particularly...
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3 Breathwork and Pranayama Techniques for Yoga Teachers Who Keep Putting It Off
If you've been meaning to teach pranayama in your classes but keep finding reasons to wait — this week's podcast is for you. Most yoga teachers want to include breathwork. The problem isn't interest — it's knowing where to start, how long to spend, and whether students will actually value it.…
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Boat Pose Is Not an Ab Exercise
Most yoga teachers cue Full Boat Pose as an abdominal exercise. It isn't — and once you understand why, you'll also discover Low Boat Pose: the most underused core exercise in yoga. Full Boat Pose (Paripurna Navasana) is primarily a hip flexor exercise. Low Boat Pose (Ardha Navasana) is primarily...
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The Real Reason Your Hamstrings Are Still Tight — A Mobility Breakdown for Teachers & Students
Most people assume tight hamstrings are a stretching problem. They're not. Hamstring tightness is almost always multifactorial, which means the solution requires a broader range of strategies — not more of the same stretching that hasn't worked. On this podcast, Jason breaks down 6...
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Yoga Teachings That Have Endured — 10 Years and 8 Million Downloads Later
Wow wow wow -- it's been 10 years since the launch of Yogaland! It feels like it's been a heartbeat and also a lifetime. There's been so much learning, growth, and love while making these episodes for the past decade. I spent time compiling precious insights--gems if you will--that stood out to…
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Instability and Love: A Conversation About Family, Addiction, and Recovery
This week's podcast is such a special one because it focuses on our family. Jason sits down with his brother, Todd, to talk about growing up together, the chaos of addiction within family, anxiety, self-compassion, and healing as an ongoing process. I love both of these men so much, and I'm so...
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What Science Actually Says About Getting More Flexible — No Cherry Picking
As yogis, we’re certainly aware of the many benefits of stretching — but are you aware of what the research actually says about how to stretch effectively? Or how to evaluate that research honestly? On this week’s Yogaland, I’m sharing meta-analyses and systematic reviews to give you a clear,...
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Yoga(ish): Moon Joy, the Overview Effect, and Why Astronauts Sound Like Meditators
What happens when two yoga teachers fall down a NASA rabbit hole and can't stop thinking about non-duality, The Overview Effect, and Grandmother Moon? This episode of Yoga-ish — our more personal, less technique-focused podcast — is exactly that kind of conversation. Yoga-ish is where Jason and...
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Why Community Matters for Yoga Teachers
If you've ever felt lonely as a yoga teacher — you're not alone. And that's exactly what this week's podcast is about. Teaching yoga is one of the most isolating jobs most people never see coming. You're surrounded by students, immersed in a tradition built on connection, and somehow you still…
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The Four Factors That Actually Control Your Flexiblity
You've been told to stretch more. You've tried the releases, the routines, the one weird trick. And you're still not as flexible as you want to be. Here's why: flexibility isn't one thing — it's four. And until you understand all of them, you're only ever solving part of the problem. Chapters…
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Why Flexibility & Mobility Matter
The yoga world has done important work questioning its obsession with extreme range of motion — and rightly so. But the pendulum has swung too far. Flexibility and mobility aren't relics of an outdated paradigm. They're essential physical qualities with real implications for how well you move…
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Why Yoga Philosophy Matters
Yoga philosophy gives context to the physical practices many of us experience first — postures, breathwork, and meditation. It connects modern yoga to its historical roots and helps us understand the deeper purpose of the tradition. In this conversation, I explore several reasons yoga philosophy...
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5 Sequencing Myths That Keep Yoga Teachers Stuck
Most yoga teachers are taught that sequencing should be creative, complex, and always different. But these common beliefs often making teaching harder -- and keep both teachers and students stuck.
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Why Strength Matters
This is our second in a series of solocasts (you might remember that Andrea did one recently, Why Mindfulness is Still Important). In this week's episode, I explain why strength matters for yoga practitioners and teachers — not as a performance goal, but as a foundational quality that supports...
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Why The Old Model of Yoga Sequencing Doesn’t Work Anymore
On this week's podcast, Jason outlines why the old models of yoga sequencing are no longer effective in today's landscape. To name a few: More people cross-train. Fewer students are walking into studios. ClassPass has changed loyalty. Online platforms have shifted expectations. If you want better...
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The Most Important Skill Missing from Yoga Teacher Trainings
Most yoga teacher trainings prepare you to teach one class at a time. They don’t teach you how to build real student progress. Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 4:04 The hidden gap in yoga teacher training 5:50 Why “random” classes stall student progress 8:40 The burnout cycle for yoga teachers 13:24…
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Power, Boundaries & Red Flags in Yoga: A Needed Conversation
In this Yogaland episode, Jason Crandell and I talk candidly about power dynamics in yoga, the potential for abuse of authority, and how students and teachers can protect what’s most important: trust, safety, consent, and healthy boundaries. We’re not psychologists or legal experts — but we’ve…
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Why Mindfulness Still Matters: Holding Space in Uncertain Times
In this solo episode, Andrea explores why mindfulness remains a vital practice—especially during times of collective stress, uncertainty, and moral overwhelm. Drawing from Buddhist foundations of mindfulness, personal experience, and years of teaching yoga and meditation, Andrea reframes...
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How to Demonstrate Yoga Poses Effectively (In-Person & Online)
Most yoga teachers undervalue how powerful good demonstrations really are. In this episode, we break down how, when, and why to demonstrate yoga poses so students actually learn. Demonstration is one of the most overlooked—and misunderstood—skills in yoga teaching. In this episode of Yogaland,...
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6 Anchors Every Yoga Teacher Needs for the Year Ahead
The start of a new year can feel exciting and overwhelming for yoga teachers. New students, new expectations, new pressure. In this episode of Yogaland, Jason shares six foundational anchors to help you ground your teaching, reconnect with your students, and create classes that are…
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Yoga(ish): Holiday rituals, neurodivergent needs & letting people have their feelings
The holidays can be joyful… and also a lot—especially if you’re introverted, neurodivergent, parenting a neurodivergent kid, or trying to manage family expectations without burning out. In this episode, we share the holiday traditions that actually work for their family—and the boundaries that…
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Unexpected Lessons From Yoga in 2025
As the year winds down, we’re reflecting on the real gifts yoga has given us—beyond poses and flexibility. In this conversation, we talk about pranayama and nervous-system regulation (including HRV), learning acceptance as our bodies age, how yoga builds discernment around recovery, and what…
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The 8 Limbs Made Clear: A Modern, Practical Guide to Patanjali’s System
Long before Jason was an anatomy nerd, a sequencing, and a technique nerd, he was a philosophy nerd. In fact, his undergraduate degree is in Philosophy. On this episode, he breaks down Patanjali’s 8-limbed path through a modern, practical model that finally makes sense -- not as a ladder to…
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Yoga(ish): Quarter Zips, Garage Yoga & Midlife Comebacks
In this episode, we’re catching up on… us. Jason is out of retirement, teaching live classes at an exclusive spot in Carlsbad, Andrea shares how strength training and high-protein eating (like, super high-protein) has helped her get out of chronic knee and foot pain in post-menopause. We also…
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Parts 3 & 4: Becoming a Yoga Teacher
What does it really feel like to teach yoga for the first time? In this episode of The Making of a Yoga Teacher, Jason takes you inside that nerve-wracking but transformative moment every new teacher faces: stepping to the front of the room. Laurel, Raquel, and Erin talk about what it was like to...
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A Special Episode for Your Shoulders
Want to improve your shoulder health? Listen to this episode. It's a two-parter and it focuses on 1) an important functional movement of the shoulders that is often overlooked in yoga and 2) essential mobility drills for the shoulders that yogis can incorporate into their practice. I've got...
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Part 2: The Making of a Yoga Teacher -- From Nerves to Confidence
What does it really feel like to teach yoga for the first time? In this episode of The Making of a Yoga Teacher, Jason takes you inside that nerve-wracking but transformative moment every new teacher faces: stepping to the front of the room. Laurel, Raquel, and Erin talk about what it was like to...
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Part 1: The Making of a Yoga Teacher -- How It All Begins
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s really like to do a yoga teacher training—or if you’re looking for insight, motivation, and honesty about the process—this episode shows how transformation begins: one decision, one class, one breath at a time. You'll meet Laurel, Raquel, and Erin and find out…
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Sequencing 2.0: Think Beyond the One-Off Class with Jason Crandell
This week -- a solocast from Jason, fresh from his trip teaching a weeklong "Sequencing 2.0" training in London. On this episode, he breaks down a practical framework for scaling a single 60-minute sequence into: (1) shorter online formats (2) longer workshops (3) four-week series with clear...
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Yoga(ish): A New Approach to Teaching, Embracing Our Shadow, and a Chihuahua Meetup
If you’ve ever wondered how to balance structure and freedom in your teaching and how to help students problem-solve rather than memorize, Jason shares some ideas on this week's Yoga(ish). We also talk about "the examined life," and what that means to us. Lastly, we share how the "Wawa meet-up,"...
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Meditation: A Soft Place to Land
This meditation is an invitation to find softness within you regardless of the chaos around you.
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Yoga in the 90s: The Wild, Weird & Wonderful Early Days
If you practiced yoga in the 90s, you know… it was different. Chapters: 00:00 Intro & why we’re talking about 90s yoga 04:03 Andrea’s first yoga class (and the clown car moment) 11:54 Jason’s first yoga class in college 25:11 Quirky studios, circus neighbors & wild props 31:26 What’s changed for...
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The Yoga Lessons That Changed Our Lives
Some lessons change you forever — and yoga has given us more than we can count. After 30 years of practice, these are the teachings we still lean on every day — on and off the mat. In this episode of Yogaland, we share the timeless yoga lessons that have shaped our lives, improved our...
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30 Years of Yoga The Poses, Myths & Cues We’ve Let Go
After 30 years of yoga, we’ve discovered which poses, myths, and cues actually hold you back. Here’s what to let go — and what to focus on instead for a stronger, more sustainable practice. Over three decades of yoga practice, we’ve seen trends, techniques, and teaching cues come and go. In this...
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How to Thrive in Your First Five Years of Teaching Yoga
Teaching yoga isn’t about impressing your students—it’s about supporting them. On this episode, Jason shares 5 things to keep in mind if you're a yoga teacher (especially in the first five years). His ideas will help you feel grounded, confident, and inspired as you build your yoga teaching…
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From Opera to Om: Matthew Shaw on Mental Health, Reinvention, and the Power of Retreats
This week my guest is Philadelphia-based yoga teacher, Matthew Shaw. Matthew joined the Jason Crandell Yoga Method team as our Lead Teacher Training Mentor this year and has been a longtime student of Jason's. What I didn't know until a few weeks ago is that Matthew spent 20 years in a previous...
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How Josh Blatter blends yoga, mindfulness, and service—from the studio to the UN
This week, I’m joined by yoga teacher and global mindfulness facilitator Josh Blatter. We talk about his teaching journey—from the yoga studio to his work with Peace on Purpose, a program that supports United Nations staff working in some of the most high-pressure environments in the world. Josh...
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5 Common Yoga Cues—Refined, Clearer, More Effective Ways to Communicate
On this episode, we dive deep into 5 of the most common yoga cues—offering clearer, more effective alternatives that enhance both understanding and practice. Whether you’re a yoga teacher seeking to improve your verbal communication or a dedicated practitioner eager to refine your alignment, this...
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9 Ways to Sharpen Your Verbal Cues in Yoga Class
In this episode, Jason dives deep into one of the most overlooked — and often overwhelming — skills in yoga teaching: verbal communication. Whether you're a new teacher still getting comfortable saying anything aloud, or a seasoned instructor trying to say less with more impact, this conversation...
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Stillness or Stimulation: The Radical Differences Between Hatha Yoga & Patanjali's Breathwork
What if everything you’ve learned about pranayama tells only half the story? In this episode, Jason Crandell breaks down the two radically different approaches to pranayama found in traditional Hatha Yoga and Patanjali’s Raja Yoga. These lineages share a goal—liberation through practice—but their...
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Yoga(ish): Neurodivergence, Parenting & Real Talk
We're happy to be back with Yoga(ish)! On this episode, we reflect on Autism Acceptance Month. We talk about internalized ableism, ADHD, the power of special interests, and how creating the right environment can unlock learning and joy for neurodivergent kids. Plus: a very passionate review of…
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Yoga Philosophy for Teachers: 5 Powerful Lessons to Stay Inspired & Avoid Burnout
Feeling stuck, uninspired, or overwhelmed in your teaching journey? In this episode, Jason shares 5 timeless lessons from yoga philosophy that support you — the teacher. These aren’t abstract ideas for your students — they’re personal, practical teachings to help you stay grounded, motivated, and...
About this show
This down-to-earth podcast by Andrea Ferretti (former executive editor of Yoga Journal) will keep informed and inspired to practice yoga. Topics run the gamut from nitty gritty technique (her yoga teacher husband Jason Crandell often joins to help with this) to down-to-earth conversations about how to apply yoga's lessons and tools to help craft a happy, balanced life.
Hosted by
Andrea Ferretti