The Flow Artists Podcast - Yoga, activism and more

For todays episode we are speaking with Kate McAnergney of Matri Yoga. Kate has been teaching yoga for 18 years and she and Jo have known each other since the late 90s. We’ll hear some of their reminiscing about that time, as well as Kate’s training at Sivananda Ashram in Kerala, South India in 2004. We’ll also hear about her time with Paul Wooden at the Gertrude Street Yoga Studio and with Anahata Giri. Kate specialises in yoga and mindfulness-based practices to support women through pregnancy and postpartum, she is also training to become a doula. We were excited to talk to her as we know that a pregnant person unexpectedly arriving in class can actually make a lot of teachers anxious, especially if it wasn’t a big part of their teacher training. Kate has some great suggestions about practices that work well in a group classes, skillful use of language including navigating corporate settings where the participant wants to keep their pregnancy private. Kate also shares some of the wonderful aspects of teaching specialised classes, focusing on this unique time in life as well as insights that would be useful for teachers of all styles. Links https://matriyoga.com.au/ https://www.instagram.com/matriyogini/ Anahata Giri https://www.soulriver.com.au/yoga-of-birth-prenatal-yoga-teacher-training Nina Isabella https://www.mamashanti.com.au/ Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/flowartistspodcast

For todays episode we are speaking with Dave Charlton and Ranju Roy. Dave and Ranju have been practicing yoga since the mid 80s and have been teaching for over 20 years apiece. They teach numerous workshops and have written the book Embodying the Yoga Sutra - Support, Direction, Space. The book is written in a clear and concise style which for me, really emphasises one of the major goals of yoga - to be able to see the world and ourselves with clarity. In this episode, we talk about Daves background as an engineer, and Ranju’s background as an art therapist, and how they combine their strengths and wealth of knowledge to teach these practices in an accessible, authentic and grounded way. Links Website: https://www.sadhanamalayogatraining.com Patanjali for the 21st Century workshop series: https://www.sadhanamalayogatraining.com/patanjaliforthe21stcentury

For today’s episode we are speaking with Dr Esme Dark - Esme is a clinical psychologist, originally trained in the UK but now based in Melbourne, Australia. She has a holistic and somatic based approach and a long interest in working with trauma and transcultural mental health having worked clinically with Refugee and Asylum Seekers in the UK, Thailand and Australia. Esme is currently working in the worlds first psilocybin clinical trial in the treatment of Generalised Anxiety Disorder. Esme is involved in some amazing research and doing incredible work, so we were absolutely thrilled to get the chance to speak with her. Links: Esme's website: https://www.esmedarkpsychology.com.au/ Clinical Psychedelic Research at Monash University: https://www.monash.edu/medicine/scs/research/clinical-psychedelic-research Upcoming workshops: https://www.esmedarkpsychology.com.au/events

In this episode we speak with UK based yoga teacher, writer, coach and body positive advocate Donna Noble. This is the second time we’ve spoken with Donna for the podcast, and that’s because she is doing some really amazing work! Donna has just written a new book called “Teaching body positive yoga” which is a wonderful resource for all teachers. Whether you label your classes as body positive or not, this book is recommended reading for all teachers who want the skills and resources to facilitate a positive class experience for everyone. The tone is welcoming and informative, Donna Noble keeps it real and kind as she shares about how size, race, body image, trauma can impact someone’s experience in class, and how we can support individual needs as teachers. This is vital information for yoga teachers today, yet is sadly lacking from many teacher trainings. Teaching Body Positive Yoga introduces these topics providing a foundation of knowledge as well links to further educational resources from a diverse range of experts. It really is a fantastic resource for new and established teachers, and we were so excited to talk to Donna about the writing process Links: Donna's Website: https://thenobleartofyoga.co.uk/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/donnanobleyoga/ Donna's Books: https://thenobleartofyoga.co.uk/shop/shop-2/ Use the code MAKFLOW to receive a 10% discount at https://makarlu.com!

This week we are speaking to Nischala Joy Devi, who is well known and loved for her innovative way of expressing Yoga - from the physical to the subtle for spiritual growth and healing. Her deep love and respect for these teachings shines through as she reinterprets these sacred texts with the goal of empowering each individual reader to find connection, understanding and benefit from this wisdom, for their own personal growth and greater contribution to our world. Nischala has created numerous books and trainings - although in this interview we are focusing on the newly released revised edition of The Secret Power of Yoga: A Woman’s Guide to the Heart and Spirit of the Yoga Sutras. This book is widely known and loved as the definitive feminine interpretation of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, and the new edition is expanded to include all four padas. She has a background in Western Medicine and is known for her work with Dean Ornish’s Reversing Heart Disease program and the Commonweal Cancer Help Program, as well as the Yoga of the Heart program that helps yoga teachers and health professionals adapt yogic practices for the special needs of this population. Please be advised, we do discuss Nischala’s 25 years of monastic life at the Satchidananda ashram and right at the end of the interview have a deeper discussion of the fall out and her response to the abuse that took place there. Links The Secret Power of Yoga: A Woman’s Guide to the Heart and Spirit of the Yoga Sutras - https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Power-Yoga-Revised-Womans/dp/0593235568/ Free Weekly Sutra: https://abundantwellbeing.com/free-weekly-sutra-signup/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NischalaJoyDevi Twitter: https://twitter.com/nischaladevi Nischala's Website - Abundant Wellbeing: https://abundantwellbeing.com/ Offering Tree: https://offeringtree.com/flowartists

Nina Zolotow is a yoga teacher, a writer, active member of the Accessible Yoga community, and creator of the blog and book, “Yoga for healthy Aging”. Nina’s blog was one of Rane's main resources and learning tools when he was doing his yoga teacher training and she has had a major impact on how we approach teaching yoga, so we were really excited to catch up with Nina today. Nina recently wrote her latest book “Yoga for Times of Change” which will be available to buy this June. She was kind enough to share an advance copy with Jo and myself, and it’s well worth a read. In this conversation we talk about stress management, insomnia, moving through anger, anxiety and depression, navigating grief and how Nina has used yoga to live with challenging emotions in her own life. This conversation, like the book is a great mix of personal sharing, evidence based approaches and honouring the traditions of yoga. Links: Book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/691171/yoga-for-times-of-change-by-nina-zolotow/ International ordering: https://www.bookdepository.com/Yoga-for-Times-Change-Nina-Zolotow/9781611809282?ref=grid-view&qid=1649260743601&sr=1-1 Yoga for Healthy Aging blog: https://www.yogafortimesofchange.com/blog/

We are extremely excited about our guest for today’s episode - Her name is Celeste Liddle. Celeste is a writer, a trade unionist, a proud Arrente feminist, and the Greens Candidate for the Cooper electorate, right here in Melbourne. She’s also responsible for one of my favourite twitter feeds as you’ll hear later on! As I’ve already mentioned, we were very keen to speak with Celeste and especially grateful that she spoke with us from her home in isolation with Covid! In this conversation we talk about Celeste's experiences being the only Aboriginal student at her high school in Melbourne. She shares how she used writing and poetry to process and share her perspective, and how this is something that she still does today. We also talk about her experiences writing in published media and online. We also discuss some of the issues that inspired her to run for the Greens party! Links Campaign Website: http://liddle.greens.org.au/ Celeste's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/celesteliddlegreens Celeste's Twitter profile: https://twitter.com/Utopiana Celeste's Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/celesteliddlegreens/ No more Boomerang by Oodgeroo Noonuccal: http://www.staff.vu.edu.au/syson/1002/oodgeroo.html

In this episode we speak with Bee Mohamed, head of patient advocacy at Astrid Dispensary. Astrid is a specialty pharmacy, pioneering in cannabinoid medicine and plant-based therapies, located at the heart of South Yarra in Melbourne. With a focus on patient centred care, Astrid is the first female-led dispensary in Australia, founded by a clinical pharmacist with extensive experience in the medicinal cannabis industry. Bee was also the first CEO of ScriptWise, a non-profit patient advocacy organisation dedicated to prevent the harms associated with prescription medication overdose and addiction, so she has a long history in the field of harm minimisation. Please be advised that we do talk about mental health and addiction in our conversation, so just wanted to give you a content warning for those topics. As a couple who genuinely believe in the benefits of plant medicine, and reducing the stigma that is sometimes attached to it, Jo and I were super excited to speak with Bee for this episode. Links Astrid Dispensary Website: https://astrid.health/ Astrid Dispensary Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/astrid.dispensary/ Scriptwise website: https://www.scriptwise.org.au/ Bee’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beebeegun85/ The endocannabinoid system explained: https://honahlee.com.au/articles/endocannabinoid-system-explained/ The Australian Greens Party: https://greens.org.au/ The Makarlu: https://gardenofyoga.com.au/learn/makarlu-stretch-strengthen-and-massage/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/flowartistspodcast When you need to talk to someone right now. Lifeline: https://www.lifeline.org.au/ or 13 11 14 (24/7) Trained counsellors offering crisis support and suicide prevention. Beyond Blue Coronavirus Mental Health Support: https://coronavirus.beyondblue or 1800 512 348 (24/7)

In this episode we speak to Melanie Gnau - a small living expert. Melanie teaches about creating a sustainable and beautiful home through DIY, shopping second hand, gardening and living mindfully. Her blog A Small Life and social media sharing highlight how to make small, but life altering changes to how we live - that can benefit us as individuals, but also the planet as a whole. We also talk about her Isleta Pueblo heritage, how neurodiversity can be a consideration of functional design and even how cleaning can create compelling content. We talk about the different aspects of minimalism - beyond the aesthetic. Melanie also shares how she balances the different aspects of her business and how the personal and political aspects of sustainability can intertwine, creating a meaningful life that benefits ourselves, our community and our planet. We recorded this conversation before the devastating floods in Australia and the invasion of Ukraine. Seeing horrific events like these and knowing that there are other global events receiving less media attention really shines a light on what a privilege it is to have a safe, comfortable home - even though it is a human right, it is not something we can take for granted. We hope that this conversation can both help us all create a functional and nurturing environment within your own home, and enhance our capacity to help others - maybe through volunteering, contributing to grassroots fundraising, political lobbying or making ethical purchasing choices. One of the huge benefits of ‘living small’ is that it can free up energetic and financial resources that enable us to have a bigger positive impact. Links Melanie's Website: asmalllife.com Coaching: https://asmalllife.com/coaching/ Instagram: instagram.com/asmalllife Trans Handy Ma'am: https://www.tiktok.com/@mercurystardust Indigenous people as conservators: https://report.territoriesoflife.org/ Shavonda Gardner on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sgardnerstyle/ Support us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/flowartistspodcast Receive a 10% discount when you use the discount code MAKFLOW at https://makarlu.com

We promised a Rane & Jo episode at the end of 2021 and it's finally here! We had a few things we wanted to talk about, so join us for a wide ranging and potentially random discussion. Amongst other things, we discuss medical marijuana, re-opening the studio post lockdown, pop culture and more! We also talked about Greens candidate Celeste Liddle, local gallery and art therapy centre Sensorium. Finally, we ask the question - what is a yoga teacher personality? This episode was recorded 2 weeks ago, and just a note that a lot has changed in the world since then. Links Support us on Patreon: https://patreon.com/flowartists

In this episode we are speaking with Christa Fairbrother. Christa is an active member of the accessible yoga community and she is also a dedicated teacher of aqua yoga. Christa deals with chronic pain from multiple auto-immune conditions and found that aqua yoga to be a joyful and supportive practice that doesn’t aggravate her pain, cause excess fatigue or overwhelm her. Christa has recently written a book: Water Yoga: a teachers guide, which will be released July 2022. In this wonderful conversation we talk about how she brings yoga philosophy to the pool, the types of props she uses in her classes, alternative options for people who don't feel comfortable in a swimsuit, and some of the other differences in approach between yoga in the pool and yoga on a mat. Links: Christa's Website: https://www.christafairbrother.com/ Free tutorials: https://www.christafairbrother.com/water-yoga-pose-tutorials/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aquacontentyogi/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristaFairbrotherYoga Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ChristaFairbrotherYoga Receive a 10% discount when you use the discount code MAKFLOW at https://makarlu.com

In this week’s episode we speak to Paul Denniston, the founder of Grief Yoga. Paul is certified in Hatha Yoga, Vinyasa Flow, Kundalini Yoga, Laughter Yoga, Restorative Yoga, and Let Your Yoga Dance. Paul’s intention with Grief Yoga is to combine wisdom from many different forms of yoga in order to help heal and navigate grief. Paul volunteered for years at one of the largest Los Angeles hospices, where he offered Heart Touch massage to the dying. He teaches Grief Yoga to bereavement groups; cancer support centers; groups whose loved ones died by suicide; Alzheimer’s groups; healing after a breakup, divorce, or betrayal; and addiction groups. After the turmoil of the past couple of years we were grateful to talk to Paul, as these practices feel more necessary than ever. We also wanted to speak with him about his new book “HEALING THROUGH YOGA: Transform Loss into Empowerment''. It’s a great read that contains some simple yet powerful practices. We hope you enjoy our conversation. Links Website: https://griefyoga.com/ Healing Through Yoga - the book: https://www.pauldennistontraining.com/healing-through-yoga Offering Tree: https://www.offeringtree.com/flowartists

In this episode we speak with kiwi Jenny Gibbons about her work with H.E.A.R.T.S. Charitable Trust: Human~Equine Alliance Resilience Trauma Support. Jenny works with horses to help people with trauma histories cultivate resilience, peace and mindfulness. She also incorporates aspects of mindfulness, Maori philosophy and a deep love and connection to nature. We wish to to provide a content warning for this episode as Jenny does discuss the family, sexual violence and child abuse histories of her clients to give context to the therapeutic process. Trauma Informed yoga teachers and mindfulness practitioners will find many parallels as Jenny shares about this important and innovative work. Links H.E.A.R.T.S. Charitable Trust website: https://www.horsesense.org.nz/ Use our discount code MAKFLOW at https://makarlu.com receive a 10% from your next makarlu purchase Find a whole lot more information about the makarlu here: https://gardenofyoga.com.au/learn/makarlu-stretch-strengthen-and-massage/

Alex Haley is a meditation teacher and co-founder of Offering Tree. Offering Tree is an all in one package for yoga teachers and small business owners combining a website, booking system, email marketing and basically everything you need to get started running your own business. When Offering Tree reached out to us to become ambassadors, we took a deep dive into how their site worked and their values as a company. We were impressed! We wanted to talk to Alex here on the podcast, especially at this time of change and challenge within the yoga industry and world in general. Offering tree ended up being a fairly small part of this conversation, as we delved into topics around ethics, intentionality and a lot of the questions that have been on our minds lately. It’s a really great conversation! Links: Offering Tree: https://offeringtree.com/flowartists Rhonda Magee - https://www.rhondavmagee.com/ Tuere Sala (episode from 10% happier) - https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/ten-percent-happier-with-dan-h-29179/episodes/the-opposite-of-schadenfreude-76904262 Ven Analayo - https://www.buddhismuskunde.uni-hamburg.de/en/personen/analayo.html Phillip Moffitt - https://dharmawisdom.org/

Dr Kathryn Schmitz is a clinical exercise oncology researcher and has also had personal experience supporting her wife Sara through cancer, including multiple surgeries and failed reconstructive surgeries on her nose. Her latest book draws on both her professional and personal experiences to create an invaluable resource! Moving through Cancer gives very clear, evidence based guidance, but also heartfelt support for people living with cancer and their caregivers. As long time listeners of the podcast may know, in 2015 Rane was diagnosed with Stomach cancer, and later that year my stomach was removed. Yoga and other exercise played a huge roll in his recovery and even though he had a wonderful medical team, we were actually surprised at how hard it was to find out information on the right type of movement and exercise to help with his recovery. Our guest this episode, Dr Kathryn Schmitz has just published a fantastic book called ‘Moving through Cancer’ which is going to really help people feel as well as possible, for before, during and after treatment. Links: Moving Through Cancer: https://www.movingthroughcancer.com/ Receive a 10% discount when using the code MAKFLOW at https://makarlu.com