Danni Carr used to wake up some mornings with a feeling of dread, wondering if she’d remembered to put her kids to bed and what alcohol fuelled things she’d said or done the night before. After years of touring and partying with her husband Ash Grunwald, a much-loved Australian Blues Musician, the excessive binges started to take their toll and the…

I like to think I'm a feminist, but my guest on today's podcast episode really called me out on something important! Today’s episode is to celebrate our sponsor, Yoga Australia’s 25th year anniversary. And joining us is their Vice President, Merridy Woodroffe. Merridy is a wife, a dog mum, a lawyer, an ashtanga yoga practitioner and a yoga therapis…

With so many of you reaching out to me to share your stories of deep fatigue and burnout, I’m delighted to share another episode on this very important topic. In today’s episode, you’ll hear a very personal conversation with a dear teacher, mentor and friend Stephanie Lopez. I met Stephanie around 10 years ago when she first came to Australia to te…

With so much information at our fingertips these days, you would think that we would know a thing or two about self-care. But so many women I know are experiencing burnout in midlife. When I shared my own experience about coming a little too close to burnout for comfort last year, Leila Stuart reached out to me and shared about her own experience w…

Am I contributing to the cultural appropriation of yoga? As a white yoga student and teacher, how can I do better? These are questions that I’ve been wrestling with over the past two decades of practicing and teaching yoga, and so I’m delighted to be speaking to Susanna Barkataki about them in this podcast episode. Susanna (she/her) is a teacher, c…

What does it mean to truly make yoga accessible? Accessible yoga is more than simply using yoga props in your classes or reminding your students that Child’s Pose is always an option. In today’s podcast episode, I’m joined by yoga teacher Jivana Heyman (he/him) from Accessible Yoga and we talk about how we can truly make our yoga classes accessible…

Want to meditate, but don’t have the time? This episode is for you! In today’s podcast episode, I sat down with Ann Swanson (she/her) to talk about all things meditation. Ann is a yoga therapist and the author of the internationally bestselling book the Science of Yoga and the brand new book Meditation for the Real World. Listen in to hear us talk …

In today’s podcast episode, I had intended to ask J. Brown about topics that I know him for, like ‘gentle is the new advanced’ and ‘slower is stronger’. But in this interview we ended up talking about how as a 16 year old he grappled with his mother’s cancer diagnosis, the promise he made to her before she died, what it means to receive a message o…

Sixteen months ago, one of our beloved Mental Health Aware Yoga mentors, Sandra Palmer (she/her) was diagnosed with stage four cancer, and was told that it was likely that she had less than two years to live. In today’s episode, Sandra talks about what it was like when she was first given this diagnosis totally out of the blue, how she has navigate…

Have you ever wondered why you tend to get sick after a busy or stressful period, and wished you could do something about it? I certainly do! If you joined me for the Mental Health and Yoga Summits that we held in 2022, you might have noticed towards the end of each of the week-long Summits that my voice was getting pretty scratchy. After each Summ…

How can yoga help us to dissolve our addictive patterns? Today I’m joined by Lissie Turner (she/her), CEO of the The Prana Project, to talk about addiction recovery and yoga. In this moving interview, Lissie shares her own journey with transforming what she describes as a 22-year drinking career during her time as a presenter on Triple J Radio, int…

Have you ever gone through a time that feels impossibly difficult? When you just can’t find a way out? I know I have. In today’s episode, I sit down with Anneke Sips, a psychiatric nurse and yoga therapist in the Netherlands, to talk about the dark night of the soul. In this episode Anneke guides us on how to prepare for a dark night of the soul, h…

Join Dr Lauren Tober (she/her) and Anand Mehrotra (he/him) for this intimate conversation, recorded live in a yurt at the Sattva Sanctuary on Bundjalung country in Australia. Hear Anand speak about his journey in becoming a yoga teacher and spiritual leader, the role that he sees yoga playing in mental health and how we can live a life of meaning a…

In this enlightening episode, I sit down with Fuyuko Sawamura-Toyota (she/her), a renowned expert in iRest Meditation, to explore the profound impact of yoga on mental health and delve into the transformative philosophy behind iRest. Fuyuko's vast knowledge and experience offer a unique perspective on how iRest can support healing and empower indiv…

Have you ever thought about the role that the body plays in… prosperity? In this fun meeting of the minds, Chara and Michelle Boulé discuss what has led Michelle to where she is today. With Michelle being a dancer, Chara was curious about the connections between how she moves, lives in her body, how she is in the world, and how that translates to h…

Dr Lauren Tober sits down with Kate Pippos, the Head of Yoga at Virgin Active, to talk about all things yoga, mental health, parenting, boundaries and consent. Kate is also a Mental Health Aware Yoga graduate, and you will hear her talk a little about what stood out for her most from the training, and how she’s bringing this into her teaching and l…

Who doesn’t love a story of embracing change and seeing where it will take you? In this conversation between Chara and long-time yoga teacher, trainer and mentor Julie Smerdon, we hear the story of how Julie came to yoga, or how yoga came to her. It’s one of the more colorful and beautiful stories of how yoga can genuinely change lives and it’s ful…

Dr Lauren Tober sits down with Dr Elise Bialylew from Mindful in May to hear about her journey from working in a psychiatric hospital setting to running a global mindfulness campaign, as well as how much meditation we actually have to do to start feeling the benefits. Dr Elise Bialylew is the author of the #1 bestselling meditation book, The Happin…

What are the most important synergies between yoga and psychology? Chara speaks with Dr. Lauren Tober about her evolution as a yoga teacher and psychologist and how that has been informed by the ways that yoga and modern-day psychology have slowly moved toward each other over the course of the last couple of decades. We explore why and how yoga is …

The honest, fresh and activating energy of Reggie Hubbard shines through as he speaks with Chara about his passion for yoga, politics and activism. They dive into his background, ambitions and what motivates him. Reggie started Active Peace Yoga with a mission to make the practice of yoga and living the yogic lifestyle more accessible to all - rega…

Bronnie Ware shares with Chara some beautiful and inspiring lessons she has experienced. She has walked through life with her eyes and heart wide open and has generously shared the lessons of living and dying in her books, The Top Five Regrets of the Dying, Your Year for Change, and Bloom. Dig into this episode and embrace the richness found in liv…

Chara speaks with David Charlton and Ranju Roy to dig into some deep questions about life. They look at the many fibers that make up who we are in this moment and what the process looks like in getting to know yourself. They discuss the struggles and pitfalls that come up and the overall beauty within the gift of knowing yourself. Resources Embodyi…

A diving off point for a deeper inquiry into the practice of Living Like You Love Yourself. What are the life challenges that keep us from holding ourselves in more sacred, informed and loving ways? What is our relationship with the concept of self love and how does that bleed into our actions with ourselves and the world? In this episode we explor…

Dr Lauren Tober sits down with Lissa Rankin to talk about sacred medicine and healing. Lissa Rankin, MD, is a mind-body medicine physician, author of 7 books, founder of the Whole Health Medicine Institute, and mystic who researches radical remission, trauma-informed medicine, and spiritual healing. Her TEDx talks have been viewed over 5 million ti…

A deep dive into the nature of consciousness, supported by the yoga sutras and our experience of everyday life! Michael de Manincor returns to the podcast to share wisdom and insights into the most challenging questions of our existence. In this brilliant conversation we wonder about unanswerable questions and how asking them can change who and how…

What if the most powerful tool for waking up is sleep itself? Chara and Lucy chat with Lucy's dear friend, John Vosler, holistic wellness educator, conscious coach and yoga nidra guide and deeply wise soul about his practice of Yoga Nidra “Yogic sleep” and its potential to transform the way we relate to ourselves and the world around us. John Vosle…

Dr Lauren Tober is going solo on the podcast for this episode, talking about how to listen well. We’ve all been through SO much over the past few years. And sometimes it just feels like it just keeps coming! We all have a real human desire to be seen and heard, and to share our stories, our experiences, our grief, our heartache and our joy. But how…

Lucy and Chara are joined by Maya Breuer, to talk about the shape and future of yoga as a tool for connection across and within cultures. Maya shares the story of the creation of the retreat for women of color and how she sees yoga alliance expanding its focus and reach to better include and support its diverse membership and ever-broadening reach.…

Chara and Lucy connect with Jana Long, the founder and executive director of Black Yoga Teachers Alliance, in an exploration of the stories that define who we are and provide a foundation for who we can be. We get a look into a life touched by 50 years of yoga practice and we get a sense for why Yoga Journal named Jana one of it’s Game Changers! Re…

Dr Lauren Tober sits down with Stephen Cope to talk about dharma and living a life of meaning and purpose. Stephen is a best-selling author & scholar specialising in the relationship between Eastern contemplative traditions & Western depth psychology. A Scholar-in-Residence at the Kripalu Center for 30 years, Stephen is the Founder & former directo…

What is pain and how can the tools of yoga and yoga therapy best acknowledge, manage and heal the complex experience of those living with it on a daily basis? Lucy and Chara speak with Yoga therapist, researcher and author Marlysa Sullivan about her work in Yoga therapy and pain management and how yoga provides a holistic lens for understanding and…

Who could you be if you knew that just by loving yourself you could change the world? Chara and Lucy speak with yoga teacher, social justice educator and author Jacoby Ballard about the beauty, power, and challenges of making a difference in the world by starting from within. They discuss Jacoby’s new book and his path as a queer activist, educator…

How can yoga support us in improving our relationship with our bodies? This was the question that we explored with psychologist and yoga therapist Janet Lowndes, a dear friend of Lucy’s and a woman who is doing amazing things in the world. Her Melbourne, Australia based practice assists people with eating disorders and body image challenges. So we …

Dr Lauren Tober sits down with Anneke Sips. Anneke is a psychiatric nurse, a yoga teacher, yoga therapist and the founder of Network Yoga Therapy in Amsterdam. In this episode they speak about Anneke’s less than straight-forward journey marrying yoga with psychiatry, how we seek health and get lost in cures, the challenges with the mental health sy…

Dr Lauren Tober sits down with Kate Reed to talk about sister circles, her journey from a mainstream education to working the spiritual realm, why it’s so important for women together with intention and the important ingredients of a women circle, in case you would like to hold one yourself. This podcast is for general informational purposes only a…

Touching base to let you know what’s coming up in Season 2 and to introduce you to my guest Co-host for the season! Resources & Mentions Elements of Yoga Ayurveda for Yoga Teachers Course The Center for Holding Space - Foundation Program Yoga CommunicationBy Chara Caruthers