The Yoga, Meditation, and Inspiration Podcast for Beginners

Welcome to the 4th session of The Yoga, Meditation, and Inspiration Podcast for Beginners, where I briefly introduce you to meditation before jumping into a simple guided meditation practice. If you'd like to be able to listen to this meditation practice on your phone or iPod, head over to iTunes to download the episode. To do this, click this link, and then click the blue button: View in iTunes. Once you're there, you can subscribe to automatically download and sync sessions with your phone/iPod or you can download individual sessions--all for free! (Also, if this is your first visit to the podcast, and you're not familiar with podcasting, be sure to check out the session notes from Session #1 for a more in-depth explanation, as well as what you can expect from this particular podcast, designed specifically for listeners like you, who are just beginning their yoga or meditation journey.) Session Summary: In this session, I spend a little bit of time introducing you to meditation, including what its all about, some different types of meditation, and both Eastern and Western views of meditation. Then, I actually guide you through a simple meditation practice. We begin with a few stretches to prepare the body to be seated and still for several minutes. In this session, we also discuss: What is meditation? The modern Western notion of meditation Concentration-based meditation Observation-based meditation The ancient Eastern tradition of meditation Benefits of meditation Challenges of meditation Where you begin meditation Simple preparation stretches A guided, breath-centered meditation Links mentioned in this session: >>Click here to submit a review on iTunes.

In this third session of The Yoga, Meditation, and Inspiration Podcast for Beginners, I'm excited and honored to welcome our very first special guest, human rights advocate, author, and international yoga teacher, Marianne Elliott. Known as the Zen Peacekeeper, Marianne practices and teaches yoga and meditation as means to be well while doing good in the world. She shares her unusual and inspiring story of how her work with the United Nations in Afghanistan led her to yoga and meditation...and how these practices allowed her to take care of herself while serving others. This is also the basis for her book Zen Under Fire, which will be officially released in North America tomorrow, June 4th. I can't wait for you to listen to her and hear the wonderful insights she has to offer. Marianne is one of the sweetest, most genuine people around and a true testament to the way yoga can enrich our lives. If you're short on time, this is a great one to listen to while you're driving, out running errands or cleaning up around the house! If you'd like to do that, head on over to iTunes to download the episode and put it directly onto your phone or iPod. (To do this, click this link, and then click the blue button: View in iTunes. Once there, you can subscribe to automatically download and sync sessions or you can download individual sessions--all for free.) (By the way, if you're new to the podcast and not familiar with podcasting, be sure to check out the session notes from Session #1 for a more in-depth explanation, as well as what you can expect from this particular podcast, designed specifically for listeners like you, who are just beginning their yoga journey.) Session Summary: Throughout this session, Marianne shares bits and pieces of her story, from her work as a human rights advocate to her home-based yoga and meditation practice. While in the midst of a very stressful war zone in Afghanistan, Marianne turned to yoga as a source of stress-relief and inner strength. Furthermore, she was able to develop and maintain a consistent practice even after returning, and she has spent a great amount of time researching how to best help others do the same, which led her to create her popular 30 Days of Yoga programs. At the base of each of these programs are her 5 Top Tips to Start a Home Practice, which she shares with us in this session. In this session, we also discuss: Marianne's rewarding yet incredibly stressful work with the U.N. in Afghanistan How her work led her to develop a supportive and stress-relieving yoga and meditation practice Marianne's advice and insights on starting a yoga practice at home Her tips for sticking to a home-based practice once you've started Typical problems people encounter when starting a home practice and how to overcome them Her thoughts on time of day to practice and how she fits it in her busy schedule Great information about her 30-day home yoga programs Information about her book, Zen Under Fire, and it's release here in North America Her current book tour in North America Upcoming workshops and retreats Marianne will be leading in California and New York All of Marianne's work and goodies mentioned in this session: Main webiste: Marianne Elliott Yoga programs: 30 Days of Yoga Book: Zen Under Fire Retreats and workshops Marianne's free guide/worksheet: 5 Top Tips to Start a Home Yoga Practice Thanks so much for listening! Before you go, please take a minute to leave a comment letting me know what you thought about the interview, and if you're feeling particularly generous... I need your help! Please leave a quick rating and review of the podcast over on iTunes by clicking the link below. It will really help make the show easier for others to find, and I would truly appreciate it! Thank you!! :) >>Click here to submit a review on iTunes.

Happy Memorial Day and welcome back to the 2nd session of The Yoga, Meditation, and Inspiration Podcast for Beginners, hosted by yours truly. Not familiar with podcasting? Be sure to check out the session notes from Session #1 for a more in-depth explanation, as well as what you can expect from this particular podcast, designed specifically for listeners like you, who are just beginning their yoga journey. Session Summary: In this session, we cover a couple of your basic questions: What is yoga? and What is the role of the breath in yoga? Plus, building on our exercise from last week's podcast, I introduce and guide you through a practice known as full yogic breathing. This exercise is meant to help you become more in-tune with the natural rhythm of your breath and to begin guiding the breath...a very important aspect of your yoga practice. In this session, we discuss: What is yoga? The 8 Limbs of Yoga Hatha Yoga What is the role of the breath in yoga? Mind-Body-Breath Connection The breath as a tool and gauge Ujjayi Breathing A Guided Full Yogic Breathing Exercise Next week's special guest Links mentioned in this session: Donna Farhi, Yoga Mind, Body & Spirit: A Return to Wholeness Mark Stephens, Yoga Sequencing: Designing Transformative Yoga Classes Yogadrienne community Facebook page Thanks so much for listening! Please let me know what you think in the comments, and be sure to stay tuned next week for session 3! Namaste,

Exciting news! The Yoga, Meditation, and Inspiration Podcast for Beginners, hosted by yours truly, has been officially launched! For those of you who might not be familiar with podcasting, a podcast is a type of digital media consisting of multiple episodes or sessions (kind of like a series of your favorite TV or radio show). Most often, podcasts are either audio or video files you can listen to on your computer, phone, iPod, iPad, etc. You can either stream them (play them directly) from your computer or mobile device, or you can download them to your computer and put them on your phone or iPod (or other mp3 player) to listen to whenever you want, without having to be connected to the internet. Nice, right? That's really the best part about podcasts...once you have them on your phone or iPod, you can listen to them in any room of the house without having to lug around your computer. You can also listen to them while you're doing house chores, while you are driving and running errands, or even while you're lying in bed! The easiest way to do this is to subscribe to the podcast and download the episodes via iTunes. As soon as iTunes approves my podcast, I'll share the link with you as well as simple instructions for how to set that up. It's easy and something you only have to do once, then you'll automatically be set up for future podcasts! If you don't have iTunes or prefer not to bother with it, you can always listen to the podcast right here on YOGADRIENNE. (Simply click on the little icon at the top of the page to play.) Each podcast will have it's own page, just like this one, that will include a link to listen to the podcast, a summary of what's discussed in that particular session, as well as any links or resources mentioned. So, without further ado... Session Summary: Since this is the very first podcast session, I spend a little bit of time sharing a few details about my background, how I stumbled into yoga and meditation, and how these practices have (and continue to) transformed my life. You'll also learn what you can expect from future podcast sessions, including the length of each session, typical topics, questions that will be answered, and about special guests. Last but not least, I share a simple breathing exercise that you can get started with right away to help calm the body and bring you to a state of greater relaxation whenever you need it. We'll continue to build on this simple practice in the next session, so be sure to practice this week and stay tuned for next week! In this session, you will learn: A brief introduction to my background with yoga How yoga has influenced my life Format and benefits of the podcast A simple, calming breathing exercise Links mentioned in this session: Yogadrienne community Facebook page Thanks so much for listening! Please let me know what you think in the comments, and be sure to stay tuned next week for session 2! Namaste,