YMI 003: 5 Top Tips to Build a Successful and Supportive Home Yoga Practice with Marianne Elliott, Zen Peacekeeper

Summary: 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.