Yoga Medicine – Détails, épisodes et analyse

High achievers in business, sport, and life in general can benefit hugely from yoga practice. However, the very traits that lead to success in their field can bring up unique challenges when brought to the mat.

Today, host Katja speaks with Yoga Medicine Therapeutic Specialist Katharina Claeys about teaching yoga to high achievers. Katharina is an educator, speaker, and consultant with a focus on building resilience and nervous system regulation, as well as women's health.

Listen to this episode to learn why setting realistic expectations, being flexible in your teaching approach, and managing the moments of transition into class are so important when working with high achievers.

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• Traits of high achievers on and off the mat [2:47]
• Which high achievers seek yoga for support? [6:29]
• Establish "the why" and set clear expectations [10:27]
• Working with perfectionism and over-efforting [15:26]
• Be ready with a range of techniques [17:19]
• Doorway affirmations, tapping into physical senses [27:05]
• Work with the person, not the profession [31:49]
• Match your student's energy [34:17]
• Tips for teachers: self-care, scheduling, community, mentors [40:28]
• Get started teaching yoga to high achievers [45:22]

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• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Online Burnout Resilience Program
• Previous Yoga Medicine Podcast Episode:
  • Episode 146: Hustle Culture Meets Wellness Sphere
• Connect with Katharina Claeys & Resilience Yoga:

Katharina Claeys | Instagram | LinkedIn

You can learn more about this episode, and see the full show notes at YogaMedicine.com/podcast-150.

And you can find out more about insider tips, online classes or information on our teacher trainings at YogaMedicine.com.

To support our work, please leave us a 5 star review with your feedback on iTunes/Apple Podcasts.

A major barrier for many people interested in yoga teacher training is the assumption that it is only for certain kinds of people—whether that's deep and spiritual, energetic and outgoing, irresistibly charismatic, or highly skilled at yoga postures.

In this short excerpt from Episode 103, Teacher Training Myths, host Rachel and fellow teacher trainer Dana Diament share that the truth is that teaching yoga is as much about holding space for students to be themselves as it is about instructing yoga poses and practices.

They also share details of the Yoga Medicine Online 200-hour Teacher Training 2026 intake and a deep discount available right now.

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• Myths about who YTT is for [2:12]
• Find your own voice, range, and teaching style [4:12]
• Learning to communicate with groups, as yourself [10:10]
• Teaching as holding space [13:00]

—

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Yoga Medicine® 200HR Yoga Teacher Training
• Listen to the full Yoga Medicine® Podcast Episode 103: Teacher Training Myths

You can learn more about this episode, and see the full show notes at YogaMedicine.com/podcast-149.

And you can find out more about insider tips, online classes or information on our teacher trainings at YogaMedicine.com.

To support our work, please leave us a 5 star review with your feedback on iTunes/Apple Podcasts.

Today hosts Tiffany and Rachel dive into the muddy waters of hands-on assists. We discuss their complicated history, the different types of hands-on assists, and debate their pros and cons. We also talk about the importance of clear communication and consent, and alternatives you could employ instead. Listen in to hear how truly game-changing assists might be the ones that students find their way to on their own.

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• Differing attitudes toward hands-on assists over time [1:11]
• The case for hands-on assists, different types, asking for consent [4:13]
• Can a teacher know how a student feels by looking at them? [10:57]
• The same assists don't work for every teacher [15:12]
• The case against hands-on assists [16:19]
• Potential for injury [18:27]
• Overriding students' body autonomy [22:03]
• Alternatives to hands-on assists: language, demonstrations [26:53]
• Is touch within a yoga teacher's scope of practice? [29:51]
• Physical adjustment might disrupt students' internal experience [31:27]
• Final takeaways [36:13]

—

• Watch this episode on YouTube

You can learn more about this episode, and see the full show notes at YogaMedicine.com/podcast-140.

And you can find out more about insider tips, online classes or information on our teacher trainings at YogaMedicine.com.

To support our work, please leave us a 5 star review with your feedback on iTunes/Apple Podcasts.

Today's guest Alice Blunden is a prime example of the cautionary phrase: you can't always judge a book by its cover. Alice is a therapeutic specialist and primary school teacher who was born with an undiagnosed case of hip dysplasia. She says she sees her lifestyle as a consequence of simply needing to do the things she required to live a fulfilling life. That includes modifying her yoga practice to suit her body's needs since her diagnosis and subsequent surgeries. In this episode, host Rachel speaks with Alice about the power of curiosity and specific challenges that arise for people with hidden illnesses. They also discuss how leaning into the theme of acceptance helps with the recovery process.

Listen to this episode to learn about Alice's personalized practice, which she has dubbed "physiyoga", along with helpful tips for keeping focus and consciously cultivating self-compassion during recovery from an injury.

Show Notes:

• Alice's experience with injury [3:34]
• Defining hip dysplasia [9:00]
• Living with hip dysplasia [9:40]
• Emotions while healing from surgery [20:03]
• Yoga practice adjustments while healing from injury [26:25]
• Helpful practices for managing pain [33:21]
• Consciously cultivating self-compassion with an injury [37:03]
• Tips for keeping focus during recovery from an injury [47:50]
• Final thoughts from Alice [52:58]

Links Mentioned:

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Connect with Alice Blunden:

Instagram | Alice Louise Yoga | Yoga Medicine Online Guest Teacher

You can learn more about this episode, and see the full show notes at YogaMedicine.com/podcast-50.

And you can find out more about insider tips, online classes or information on our teacher trainings at YogaMedicine.com.

To support our work, please leave us a 5 star review with your feedback on iTunes/Apple Podcasts.

Our biology certainly influences our health and behavior, but the environment can also have a significant impact on our health and well-being. Thanks to the fascinating field of epigenetics, we now understand that factors like our nutrition, movement habits, stress levels, and feelings of emotional connection can affect the way our genes are expressed. So today host Rachel dips her toes into the world of science to discuss epigenetics, mental health, and yoga with guest Valerie Knopik.

Valerie has a PhD in Psychology and postdoctoral training in Psychiatric and Genetic Epidemiology. Active in mental health research, Valerie has a deep interest in how our internal biology and our external environment (including yoga, mindfulness, and meditation) can interact to positively change our mental health landscape.

In this episode, Valerie helps us understand how our genes alone don't determine our physical or mental health, what kind of environmental factors affect our epigenome, and how various yoga practices can make us more resilient to the environmental stressors we inevitably face.

Show Notes:

• What got Valerie interested in science and biological psychology [3:28]
• Genetics versus epigenetics, how our "environment gets under the skin" [7:04]
• Defining epigenetics [11:23]
• Interrelating factors that influence our epigenetics [15:39]
• The varied roles yoga practice can play [21:19]
• What research says about the benefits of movement on our epigenome [23:22]
• Overlaps between the concepts of epigenetics and neural plasticity [29:59]
• The importance of supporting mental health; how yoga can help [31:43]
• Yoga practices for burnout [39:34]
• Valerie's key takeaways [43:57]

Links Mentioned:

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Mental Health & Wellness Yoga Teacher Training
• Recommended Articles:
  
  • Epi-What? Change Your Internal Landscape Part 2: Epigenetics and How It Reduces Depression and Increases Longevity
  • Światowy et al., "Physical Activity and DNA Methylation in Humans": https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8657566/
  • Lindholm et al., "An integrative analysis reveals coordinated reprogramming of the epigenome  and the transcriptome in human skeletal muscle after training"
• Yoga Medicine Online Burnout Series
• Yoga Medicine Online Monthly Dose: Mental Health Lecture
• Connect with Valerie Knopik:

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Yoga Medicine Online Teacher

You can learn more about this episode, and see the full show notes at YogaMedicine.com/podcast-49.

And you can find out more about insider tips, online classes or information on our teacher trainings at www.YogaMedicine.com.

To support our work, please leave us a 5 star review with your feedback on iTunes/Apple Podcasts.

Today hosts Katja and Tiffany discuss the empowerment that comes with an understanding of female hormones and their fluctuation through the menstrual cycle. Yoga encourages this deeper personal investigation and can also provide support and relief to the body as it moves through the phases of the menstrual cycle and life. In this episode, Katja and Tiffany talk about the various factors that affect the menstrual cycle, how this cycle affects our physical and cognitive function, and what happens during each phase.

Listen in to learn about how female hormones influence our muscles and fascial tissues, how yoga can provide relief for menstrual discomfort, and why education surrounding this topic is sorely lacking and yet, so valuable.

Show Notes:

• The status quo of the discussion around female hormones [2:15]
• The period as start of the cycle [7:00]
• Yoga relief and exercises for menstrual cramps [10:30]
• What happens during the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle [13:11]
• How follicles produce estrogen [15:54]
• Implications of the higher estrogen phase for muscle tissue [17:54]
• Female reproductive hormones and fascial tissues [20:15]
• The menstrual cycle and cognitive function [27:15]
• Life phases when cycle tracking can be tricky [28:15]
• What happens around ovulation [33:33]
• Overview of the second part of the cycle [37:10]
• TCM, sports science and the menstrual cycle [40:27]
• Why progesterone is a brilliant hormone [44:46]
• Education surrounding the menstrual cycle [48:09]
• Exercises for hormonal shifts [54:50]

Links Mentioned:

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Female Health Yoga Teacher Training
• Connect with Katja Bartsch:

Facebook | Instagram | Kalamana Yoga | YM Online Guest Teacher

You can learn more about this episode, and see the full show notes at YogaMedicine.com/podcast-48.

And you can find out more about insider tips, online classes or information on our teacher trainings at www.YogaMedicine.com.

To support our work, please leave us a 5 star review with your feedback on iTunes/Apple Podcasts.

Concussions are very different for different people, which makes them easily missed, misunderstood, or misdiagnosed. Today, host Rachel talks with Dr. Daya Grant about concussions and how yoga practices can support the recovery process.

Dr. Grant is a certified mental performance consultant, neuroscientist, and yoga teacher. In this episode, she outlines what injuries can cause concussions, how they are diagnosed, the wide range of physical, emotional, and cognitive symptoms that can be experienced, and – most importantly – how yoga can help.

Listen to this episode to learn which yoga practices help at each stage of recovery, tips for teaching students post-concussion, and general contraindications to bear in mind.

Show Notes:

• What ignited Daya's interest in concussions [3:03]
• What is a concussion and what causes it [5:50]
• An "invisible illness": the challenge of diagnosis [8:00]
• Somatic symptoms of concussion [12:09]
• Emotional symptoms of concussion [13:19]
• Cognitive symptoms of concussion [14:36]
• Daya's personal experience of concussion [15:25]
• Gradual return to activity after concussion; when yoga can help [19:05]
• Returning to group yoga classes after concussion [22:02]
• Breath work during concussion recovery [24:28]
• The value of Yoga Nidra and Restorative yoga to support healing [26:06]
• General contraindications for yoga during concussion recovery [28:16]
• Approaching balance poses with humility [30:25]
• The importance of minimal, simple cueing [31:09]
• Tips for teaching one-on-one yoga during concussion recovery [32:37]
• Why it's difficult to predict concussion healing timetables [35:16]
• Key takeaways and common misunderstandings about concussions [40:01]
• Maximizing our potential to heal from repeat concussions [42:23]

Links Mentioned:

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Yoga for Concussions Online Course
• Tips from Yoga Philosopy
• Connect with Dr. Daya Grant:

Instagram | Daya Grant

You can learn more about this episode, and see the full show notes at YogaMedicine.com/podcast-47.

And you can find out more about insider tips, online classes or information on our teacher trainings at YogaMedicine.com.

To support our work, please leave us a 5 star review with your feedback on iTunes/Apple Podcasts.

Today we discuss a topic that affects many people in our communities whether we know it or not. Host Rachel speaks with Lara Ederer, a yoga teacher, Yoga Medicine Therapeutic Specialist, and Chemical Dependency Professional with both personal and professional experience with addiction.

In this episode, Lara talks with Rachel about how she defines addiction, what withdrawal and recovery can look and feel like, how yoga contributed to her own sobriety, and the many ways it can support the recovery of others.

Listen to this episode to explore how yoga can ignite a student's awareness of and appreciation for their body, perhaps for the first time, as well as the importance of a supportive group environment, the potential for symbolism and storytelling to plant powerful philosophical seeds, and other advice on how to incorporate yoga and meditation practices into addiction recovery.

Show Notes:

• Lara's background in yoga and addiction recovery [3:10]
• Difficulty defining the scope of this growing problem [4:56]
• Recent changes in addiction perception [7:30]
• Defining addiction [8:51]
• Potential withdrawal symptoms [11:26]
• The role of yoga in Lara's recovery [15:11]
• Social support is key in the recovery process [20:24]
• Yoga can interrupt – even replace – the urge to use addictive substances [23:09]
• Tips for teaching yoga to those in addiction recovery [29:41]
• Advice on teaching meditation during recovery [36:02]
• Incorporating yoga philosophy into recovery [39:12]
• Sprinkling seeds of philosophy: the power of symbolism and story [41:53]
• Boundaries matter when teaching in recovery settings [44.40]
• Suggestions to address financial barriers to yoga for people in recovery [45:25]

Links Mentioned:

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Introduction to Yoga for Addiction Recovery Online Course
• Connect with Lara Ederer:

Instagram | Lara Ederer Yoga | YM Online Guest Teacher

You can learn more about this episode, and see the full show notes at YogaMedicine.com/podcast-46.

And you can find out more about insider tips, online classes or information on our teacher trainings at www.YogaMedicine.com.

To support our work, please leave us a 5 star review with your feedback on iTunes/Apple Podcasts.

One of the foundational principles of yoga practice is to bring mindfulness to everything we do. Today host Rachel speaks with Yoga Medicine teacher, studio owner, and mother Dana Diament about bringing that awareness into the crucial relationship between parent and child through the practice of conscious parenting.

In this episode, Dana shares her experience of learning to parent with more self-awareness, how it's never too late to try a new approach, the importance of "repair" when interactions don't go as planned, and the many overlaps between the yoga journey and the parenting journey.

You don't have to be a parent to benefit from this episode, which, at its core, is about learning how to build kinder, more patient relationships with others, as well as with ourselves.

Show Notes:

• Dana's introduction to mindfulness through journalling [4:04]
• Children as a mirror of unconscious scripts [6:35]
• A key difference between parenting and other close relationships [10:40]
• Defining conscious parenting [12:45]
• Dealing with external expectation and pressure as a parent [16:22]
• An example of conscious parenting [17:20]
• It's never too late for "repair" when interactions don't go to plan [20:48]
• Tools for kids to recognize and resolve agitation [25:01]
• Application to other relationships [29:40]
• "SMILE": techniques to connect with children [33:20]
• Our primary relationship, with ourself [37:05]
• Relevant themes from yoga philosophy [38:21]
• Separating the parent's identity and expectations from the child's [46:55]
• Dana's takeaways [51:15]

Links Mentioned:

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• YMO Monthly Dose – Tips from Yoga Philosophy
• Conscious parenting books and resources:
  
  • Good Inside Podcast with Dr Becky Kennedy, @drbeckygoodinside
  • Joyful Toddlers & Preschoolers by Faith Collins
  • Mothering Our Boys by Maggie Dent
  • The Whole Brain Child by Daniel J Siegel MD
  • The Conscious Parent by Dr Shefali Tsabary
• Connect with Dana Diament:

Facebook | Instagram | Lennox Yoga | YM Online Teacher

You can learn more about this episode, and see the full show notes at www.YogaMedicine.com/podcast-45.

And you can find out more about insider tips, online classes or information on our teacher trainings at www.YogaMedicine.com.

To support our work, please leave us a 5 star review with your feedback on iTunes/Apple Podcasts.

Messages around "clean" eating and ideal body shape or size are ubiquitous, even in the yoga world, with potentially devastating impact for those who experience disordered eating.

Today host Rachel speaks with Chelsea Roff, who found her way to yoga early in her recovery from a serious eating disorder. Chelsea went on to become a scientific researcher and yoga teacher, eventually bringing her skills and experience together to become the Founder and Director of Eat Breathe Thrive: a non-profit organization aiming to prevent and help people recover from eating disorders.

Today Chelsea shares her definition of eating disorders and describes the wide range of people who can experience them. We discuss the process of redefining your relationship with food, debunk the myth that there is a single way that a healthy body should look, and unpack how yoga practice can help us learn how to truly feel what we feel.

Listen in to learn what constitutes disordered eating and how yoga can help with both prevention and recovery.

Show Notes:

• Chelsea's professional background in scientific research [4:20]
• Chelsea's own recovery from an eating disorder [7:43]
• The start of Chelsea's relationship with yoga [9:58]
• Pivoting from researcher to yoga teacher [12:08]
• Defining disordered eating on a spectrum [16:13]
• Eating disorder recovery and yoga [20:51]
• The learned skill of interoception [25:44]
• Appreciating the body for more than its appearance [28:24]
• Regulating our internal state [30:48]
• Lessons from yoga philosophy [37:17]
• An unorthodox start for the non-profit Eat Breathe Thrive [41:27]
• The power of sharing our stories [49:38]
• Advice for yoga teachers working within our scope on eating disorders [51:11]
• Yoga as a double-edged sword in eating disorder recovery [55:40]
• A final takeaway from Chelsea: celebrate impermanence [1:02:06]

Links Mentioned:

• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Connect with Chelsea Roff and Eat Breathe Thrive:
  Facebook | Instagram | Eat Breathe Thrive

You can learn more about this episode, and see the full show notes at www.YogaMedicine.com/podcast-44.

And you can find out more about insider tips, online classes or information on our teacher trainings at www.YogaMedicine.com.

To support our work, please leave us a 5 star review with your feedback on iTunes/Apple Podcasts.