Yoga Brain

Yoga Brain

Welcome to Yoga Brain. A platform that’s normalizing meditation, and a podcast that’s exploring yoga off your mat. In each episode, we sit with teachers, healers, leaders and great thinkers to ask the question: "What is yoga?" We ask our guests about their yoga evolution, and how they've internalized the practice as a philosophy, rather a pose. And while every guest and story is different, they all show appreciation for yoga and how it's transformed their way of being in a profound, positive way. read less

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Having a Spiritual Awakening with Haley Robertson: On Medicine and Modern Spiritual Living

Having a Spiritual Awakening with Haley Robertson: On Medicine and Modern Spiritual Living

What makes us spiritually awakened and self-aware? What is the difference between awake and woke? Once we’re woke, do we stay up? Or are we susceptible to falling back asleep?Haley Robertson and Jennifer Martin open the conversation of the great awakening as it pertains to the individual and collective consciousness. They define popular spiritual slang, diving deep into a few terms often heard in Western yoga classes. Both yoga teachers, Haley and Jenny share stories of the start of their spiritual awareness, and how they view spirituality today.Haley Robertson is a Sound Practitioner and PsychoSynthesis Life Coach. She creates intentional spaces with instrumental sound meditations. Haley’s sessions coax participants into a state of deep relaxation which helps them tap into their soul aliveness. The show discusses the theory of oneness, seeing spirit in everything. Haley told Jenny that “everything is medicine” prior to recording, which sparked the spirit of this episode. The hosts comment on commonly used substances which are synonymous with medicine, providing perspective on what is healing, what is addictive, and what is a deadly commodity.Everything is medicine yet everything comes down to mindfulness with what we consume, call medicine, and say in conversation or in a yoga class. Everything can sometimes seem like it’s happening all at once, which is a wonderful opportunity to sit down, stay still and drop in. What does it mean to drop in? Among other cues in a yoga class, it’s the start of meditation. Yoga Brain@yogabrainfestivalHost: Jennifer Martin @jenny.eats.the.worldSpecial Guest: Haley Robertsoninstagram: @thecosmicartichokeemail: haley@thecosmicartichoke.com Mentions and Resources:SipSteady Sober Marketing ig: @sipsteady_Psychedelic Waterig: @psychedelic_waterPBS Article: A Social History of America's Most Popular DrugsNPR Article: How 'Namaste' Flew Away From Us Instagram Accounts:@flynnskidmore@fucking_sober@medicine_mamiThank You for Listening!We appreciate your support by leaving a review.

Episodes

Having a Spiritual Awakening with Haley Robertson: On Medicine and Modern Spiritual Living

Having a Spiritual Awakening with Haley Robertson: On Medicine and Modern Spiritual Living

What makes us spiritually awakened and self-aware? What is the difference between awake and woke? Once we’re woke, do we stay up? Or are we susceptible to falling back asleep?Haley Robertson and Jennifer Martin open the conversation of the great awakening as it pertains to the individual and collective consciousness. They define popular spiritual slang, diving deep into a few terms often heard in Western yoga classes. Both yoga teachers, Haley and Jenny share stories of the start of their spiritual awareness, and how they view spirituality today.Haley Robertson is a Sound Practitioner and PsychoSynthesis Life Coach. She creates intentional spaces with instrumental sound meditations. Haley’s sessions coax participants into a state of deep relaxation which helps them tap into their soul aliveness. The show discusses the theory of oneness, seeing spirit in everything. Haley told Jenny that “everything is medicine” prior to recording, which sparked the spirit of this episode. The hosts comment on commonly used substances which are synonymous with medicine, providing perspective on what is healing, what is addictive, and what is a deadly commodity.Everything is medicine yet everything comes down to mindfulness with what we consume, call medicine, and say in conversation or in a yoga class. Everything can sometimes seem like it’s happening all at once, which is a wonderful opportunity to sit down, stay still and drop in. What does it mean to drop in? Among other cues in a yoga class, it’s the start of meditation. Yoga Brain@yogabrainfestivalHost: Jennifer Martin @jenny.eats.the.worldSpecial Guest: Haley Robertsoninstagram: @thecosmicartichokeemail: haley@thecosmicartichoke.com Mentions and Resources:SipSteady Sober Marketing ig: @sipsteady_Psychedelic Waterig: @psychedelic_waterPBS Article: A Social History of America's Most Popular DrugsNPR Article: How 'Namaste' Flew Away From Us Instagram Accounts:@flynnskidmore@fucking_sober@medicine_mamiThank You for Listening!We appreciate your support by leaving a review.

Chris Douglas: Big Fish KC

Chris Douglas: Big Fish KC

Welcome to Yoga Brain A community that’s normalizing meditation and a podcast that’s asking the question:What is yoga?Today on the show we have spiritual healer Chris Douglas, a yoga teacher and reiki master with a Pisces placement in his sun and moon. With such empathic, sensitive signs in his astrology, he has been able to navitage his emotions by utilizing the road map of his birth chart.Chris helps to explain characteristics of being a water sign and a feminine man. He describes how he’s blended the masculine and feminine as a digital creator and entrepreneur, after leaving healthcare as a nurse. He also shares traumas of SSRI withdrawals and what he’s learned through extreme stress. Though through meditation, reiki, yoga and stepping into his purpose of showcasing others, Chris has paved a path of healing for himself and his students. Thank you all for supporting the show!It brings us joy to create this podcast and it would mean so much for you to share Yoga Brain with your friends and leave us a review wherever you tune in. For workshops in Kansas City, follow us on Instagram at @yogabrainkc Sign up and come say hey at our next event -yogabrainkc.orgSpecial GuestChris Douglas@big_fish_kcHost & ProducerJenny Martin@jenny.eats.the.worldExecutive EditorMatt Thomas@matteglossymedia"Kismet" SongConnor Yeager@trippysippycj

014: Wren Quinn: Trauma Alchemy

014: Wren Quinn: Trauma Alchemy

Wren Quinn is a mother, an herbalist, a teacher of yoga therapy, and the creator of Trauma Alchemy, a trauma-informed somatic program. Wren’s latest offerings include Herbal Communion, a course exploring the intricacies of the herbal allies that can be used to support your health, helping clients to prepare and grow with their chosen medicine.So much of our conversation stems from trauma resolution: working through trauma, opposed to working past it. We talk about the importance of seeing and making due with the hardest parts of ourselves and our past, alchemizing awareness into behaviors that are aligned with our highest self.We ask Wren about narcissists, how to spot them and protect yourself from them. We ask her about herbs and the lessons she's learned as a mother. As Wren has a nurturing heart and a wise soul.Special GuestWren Quinn@wrennquinnWebsitewrenvquinn.comHost & ProducerJenny Martin@jenny.eats.the.worldExecutive EditorMatt Thomas@matteglossymedia"Kismet" SongConnor Yeager@trippysippycj

013: Laura Lockton: Rekinection Director, Aerial Artist, Fire Performer

013: Laura Lockton: Rekinection Director, Aerial Artist, Fire Performer

Laura Lockton has been the Director of over 25 extensive events focused on holistic wellness, performing arts, sustainability, art, and yoga. She has also been a yoga teacher, performer and lead coordinator for programs such as ReKinection, Sacred Circus and Green Earth Village, which are traveling groups that focus on enlightenment, education and entertainment. Laura is the co-founder of Rekinection, a conscious event production company and aerial-fire-dance troupe, which offers classes, workshops and shows during their weekend-long festivals.In this episode, we ask Laura about her start into the events world and how she's continued finding work throughout the pandemic. She shares with us how she's lead her team through the toughest year of her career, and provides insight behind her role as mother.Special GuestLaura Lockton@lauralocktonHost & ProducerJenny Martin@jenny.eats.the.worldExecutive EditorMatt Thomas@matteglossymedia"Kismet" SongConnor Yeager@trippysippycj

012: Paulina Nordhaus: Yoga for Chronic Pain and Living with Authenticity

012: Paulina Nordhaus: Yoga for Chronic Pain and Living with Authenticity

Paulina Nordhaus is a yoga teacher, a nature lover, a gluten-free chef and quite simply, a funny gal.Paulina shares her story of being diagnosed with Rhumetoid Arthritis from a young age, and how her relationship with her body shifted after her mom gave her a book about yoga.We chat about the price of authenticity in a world where individualism is praised - and sometimes required. But what we learn is that a big personality doesn't require audacious behavior. That sometimes "being yourself" simply means to fit in while still keeping your own unique charm.Thank you Paulina for sharing your story on the show.Thank you for tuning in and if you haven’t already, be sure to follow us at @yogabrainkc on Instagram and sign up for our email list via our website.Special GuestPaulina NordhausHost & ProducerJenny Martin@jenny.eats.the.worldExecutive EditorMatt Thomas@mattyboytomtom"Kismet" SongConnor Yeager@trippysippycjsupport our podcastby sharing with your friends on social media, email & textandsaying *thank you* with a donation

011: Dr. Paul Berg, PhD: PTSD & Yoga for Veterans and First Responders

011: Dr. Paul Berg, PhD: PTSD & Yoga for Veterans and First Responders

Dr. Paul Berg, is a professor at the US Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth. He guides teachers on accommodating students with PTSD in military classrooms . He notes the effects of trauma and learning as studied in his dissertation and works to provide resources for veterans and first responders to tend to their mental and emotional well-being.By practicing yoga.Breathing techniques and meditation are an imperative asset to Paul's trainings - in calming the mind and soothing impeding anxieties. Paul served for the military as a helicopter pilot for over twenty years, including four combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. We chat over Paul's military history and what all changed within the organization during his terms. Stress and war trauma impacted Paul’s sense of safety and caused great strain on his neck, turning him to consider surgery after retirement. When Paul’s doctor recommended yoga, Paul called his local studio and tried his first restorative class. It was after that moment that Paul started studying meditation and yoga as tool to center, move energy through the body and calm the central nervous system.Paul emphasizes how veterans don’t want the label, they want to be treated like everyone else, and to see PTSD as very real and something to tend to for your students, employees, family and friends.Thank you for tuning in and if you haven’t already, be sure to follow us at @yogabrainkc on Instagram and sign up for our email list via our website.Special GuestDr. Paul Berg@ptcbergHost & ProducerJenny Martin@jenny.eats.the.worldExecutive EditorMatt Thomas@mattyboytomtom"Kismet" SongConnor Yeager@trippysippycjsupport our podcast by sharing with your friends on social media, email & textandsaying *thank you* with a donation

010: Corbin Rowland: Plant-Based Pharmacist and Yoga Teacher

010: Corbin Rowland: Plant-Based Pharmacist and Yoga Teacher

Corbin Rowland is a pharmacist, a yoga teacher, a marathon runner, a plant-based vegan and when he's not rock climbing, is likely brewing kombucha or playing on his bass guitar. We sit down with Corbin to talk about his yoga journey and how coming to his mat has helped shape the world he sees today. We chat marathon motivation, self-perception and ask Corbin about his favorite drug (pharmaceuticals, of course). Our conversation covers a few favorite yogi celebrities and the desire to convert our friends and family into habitual meditators, hoping to influence others to explore this transformative practice. Special GuestCorbin Rowland@cdr.93Host & ProducerJenny Martin@jenny.eats.the.worldExecutive AssistantMatt Thomas@mattyboytomtom"Kismet" SongConnor Yeager@trippysippycj

009: Crystle Lampitt: Trauma-Informed Licensed Therapist

009: Crystle Lampitt: Trauma-Informed Licensed Therapist

Crystle Lampitt is a former broadcaster and international model, spending her childhood in Indonesia and has since settled into her therapy practice in Kansas City.Jenny and Crystle first met on air during a KC morning show in 2019. As the show's host, Crystle held mental health segments and featured Jenny to ask about her recovery with eating disorders. Today on the podcast, Jenny inquires the former model about the fashion industry and how it takes a toll on body image.Crystle also explains the neurological responses our bodies go through under stress and complex trauma. We dip into childhood experiences and how we can make amends with our past by cognitively embracing our younger selves in the present day.You can follow Crystle on Instagram for mental health content and book a session with her through her website.Special GuestCrystle Lampitt@crystlelampttHost & ProducerJenny Martin @jenny.eats.the.worldExecutive AssistantMatt Thomas@mattyboytomtom"Kismet" Song Connor Yeager@trippysippycj

008: Kayla Mason: Breathe KC

008: Kayla Mason: Breathe KC

Kayla Mason is an engineer turned Airbnb host, a teacher, an avid student, and the gal behind the mindfulness brand Breathe KC. After leaving her career as an Engineer, Kayla finds herself processing and integrating into a fresh flow of life; what it means, what it looks like and how it feels.Kayla says that her new baseline has yet to be established, and she is still working through that surrender. Today, she devotes much of her time to sharing Cacao practices that have become a huge part of her daily life.Starting October 17, she will be hosting a 10-day Morning Routine Reset, using Keith’s Cacao as your guide, tapping into your unique morning routine along the way.Aside from teaching and facilitating, Kayla creates and manages wellness Airbnbs - including the A-Frame-of-Mind in the Ozarks. Her next getaway will be ready in Excelsior Springs, to provide something close to those in KC, looking for a mindful vacay.Join me and Kayla as we ask her about balancing the masculine and feminine within her role as an engineer, and speak to the elements concerning daily routine

007: Kyra Weinberger Hall: Ashtanga, eating disorders and performing arts

007: Kyra Weinberger Hall: Ashtanga, eating disorders and performing arts

We speak with Kyra Weinberger Hall, a yoga teacher in Kansas City. Being raised by dancers, Kyra's upbringing was far from "traditional", and involved multiple moves across country during her formative years.As Kyra hit her teens, she started manipulating her food and dove into a variety of eating disorders. By 25, Kyra spent two months inpatient at a treatment center, and shares with us the transitions and internal shifts she has taken since.Kyra shares with us her journey from hardly holding a plank to regularly expressing Pincha Mayurasana, or forearm stand. She explains Ashtanga yoga - the eight limbed path - and how her practice has transformed her life.Featured GuestKyra Weinberger Hall@kyralynCurrently teaching at Maya and True Love HostJenny Martin@jenny.eats.the.worldSong: KismetConnor Yeager@trippysippycj

006: Josh Solar: Energy Guide through Breath Work + Cold Therapy

006: Josh Solar: Energy Guide through Breath Work + Cold Therapy

Josh Solar is an Energy Guide, leading clients through breath work, reiki, and cold plunges. His latest favorite healing modality has been dipping into icy ponds during the depths of winter, allowing the power of the sun to warm him up and calm him down.Josh and Jenny talk about Josh's meditation music, teenage angst and how meditation is everything.We also speak with Jason Belz, the owner of AGY athletic center where we record the interview and utilize the ice bath. Josh leads Jenny through a plunge, describing sensations and benefits of sinking into the freezing water.Featured Guest Josh Solarjoshsolar.co@joshsolarlovesyouHostJenny Martin@jenny.eats.the.worldSong: KismetConnor Yeager@trippysippycj

005: Emma Brown: L.M.T., Lapis Lazuli

005: Emma Brown: L.M.T., Lapis Lazuli

Like many of us, Emma Brown walked into a yoga class as a means to exercise, and did so for many years. That was until she injured herself as an aerial performer, forced to slow down. Emma shares with us how she utilized movement for shifting stored energy and her yoga practice for building trust and awareness.Today, Emma is a licensed massage therapist, a DJ, and a dancer as well as a yoga teacher in training. We ask Emma about her path from playing sports and staring in shows to a more feminine, fluid way of life.Featured GuestEmma Brown@emmabrownlmt@lazuli555Book a massage with EmmaHostJenny Martin@jenny.eats.the.worldSong: "Kismet"Connor Yeager@tripysippycjYoga Brain@yogabrainkcSign up for the Yoga Brain Workshop on September 1st~Thank you for listening!

004: Nicole Leth: Affirmation Billboards

004: Nicole Leth: Affirmation Billboards

Join us as we speak with Nicole Leth, an artist, teacher, and writer whose messages are casted for thousands to see every day.Affirmation Billboards is a project Nicole started to bring hope to the city by casting her inspirational artwork onto high trafficited billboards. In part with this mission, Nicole also sends out thousands of affirmation postcards each month, anonymously to anyone who signs up for the program.Nicole is such a gem of a person and a delight to talk with. We ask Nicole about her artistic upbringing, her path towards psychology, and the beauties of being human.Featured GuestNicole Leth@affirmationbillboards affirmation project websiteHostJenny Martin@jenny.eats.the.worldMusicConner Yeager@tripysippycjFollow us along and support the show!Yoga Brain@yogabrainkcyogabrainkc.org

003: Emily Cox: Holistic Nutrition

003: Emily Cox: Holistic Nutrition

Holistic health coach Emily Cox is our second guest on the show, but was our first to record for an interview. We visited Emily in her lovely home (with plenty of plants, mind you) to talk about intuitive and disordered eating, body love and love itself, and the progression of Emily's career as a yoga teacher. Emily teaches, facilitates, and speaks all over Kansas City, including spots such as Crossroads Hotel, Paradise Garden Club, Woodside and Maya Yoga.Stay updated with Emily's class schedule via her website or Instagram.Let us know what you think of the episode! IG: @yogabrainkc Donations: yogabrainkc.orgEmily CoxFeatured Guest@emilycoxwellnessJenny MartinHost + Director@jenny.eats.the.worldConnor YeagerSong: 'Kismet'@trippysippycj

002: Ojas Patel: Dharma

002: Ojas Patel: Dharma

Philosopher Ojas Patel joins us on our first interview to talk all things culture and leadership. We tap into the various ways one can lead, and what it means to pave a path towards your highest self.Jenny and Ojas take it back to high school, comparing perceptions and paradigms between the two. We explore how language shapes culture, and how thoughts change culture.Let us know what you think of the episode and be sure to follow us along at @yogabrainkc and be sure to donate on our site at yogabrainkc.orgOjas PatelFeatured Guest@ojas711@lyfewithojJenny MartinHost + Director@jenny.eats.the.worldConnor YeagerMusic@trippysippycj

001: Intro: What is Yoga?

001: Intro: What is Yoga?

Introducing Yoga Brain, a platform exploring the ancient practice of oneness, beyond what is done on the mat. Join Jenny Martin and Ojas Patel in this inaugural episode which helps to answer the loaded question: What is yoga?