On And Off Your Mat

Tools and somatic practices for your health. Do you tend to be codependent in your relationships, a perfectionist at work, or a people-pleaser amongst your friends? Have you noticed how these patterns affect your health and your wellbeing? In today’s episode, we’ll talk about this and give you some tools and somatic practices to start addressing this.EPISODE ANNOUNCEMENT:

Have you experienced trauma and struggled to move through it so you can get on the other side and find the gifts in the experience? I know I have. If that’s your case too, this episode is for you.

Last month I polled our premium members and they voted on a video where I would teach my favorite ns hacks. So if you’re stressed and looking for tools to feel more relaxed, this episode is for you. It is part of our premium subscription. Find it here.With Ribbon is awesome and you’ll find on this new platform 1. Your podcast premium membership whereas a member, you can get a ton of exclusive audio and video content like today’s NS video2. You can also have access to over 200 recorded full-length yoga classes in a Netflix-Style Membership, with new ones added every week.3. You can sign up for any live-stream class I offer or any special event like my upcoming yoga retreat in Mexico.Everything is now in the same place!Now coming back to our premium membership for a second, since you’re here on the podcast, know that as you become a Premium member, for as low as $5/month, your contribution ripples to thousands of people every week, allowing me to offer accessible quality free content to a wide community of

Have you ever put a teacher a little far up on a pedestal or giving away your power when it comes to your spiritual practice? If so, today’s episode is for you. Our guest did just that, she's sharing her story and the lessons she learned on the way.For today’s episode, I sat down with Lopa van der Mersch. Lopa is a lifelong health seeker and founder & CEO of Rasa Koffee, a coffee alternative made of adaptogenic herbs. She spent years studying esoteric spiritual practices (& found herself in two cults!); has had a whole slew of health challenges that have had her seeking alternative therapies from Ayurveda to Functional Medicine to Shamanism for over a decade. Today, we sat down to talk about embracing nuance dogma and why we shouldn’t outsource our spiritual sovereignty.Listen to the episode here:MY 5 BIGGEST TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE1- Discernment is the best tool to get clear on whether a teacher has your highest interest at heart or not. See if the teacher is pushing you in a way that is generati

Are you someone that is busy, looking to get it all done, but you want to feel better in the process? If that’s you, today's episode is for you.I sat down with Tara Stiles. Tara is a wellness expert, bestselling author, and the founder of Strala Yoga which is a combination of yoga, tai chi, and Traditional Chinese and Japanese Medicine. Tara’s bestselling books have been featured in The New York Times, Vogue, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, Esquire, and Shape. Tara’s work has been used in a case study by Harvard University, she is a sought-after speaker on topics of entrepreneurship, health, and wellbeing, and she has lectured at venues that include Harvard and New York University. Tara works with The Alliance for a Healthier Generation, an initiative with the American Heart Association and the Clinton Foundation that combats childhood obesity. Today, we sat down to talk Her newest book, Clean Mind, Clean Body: A 28 Day Plan for Physical, Mental and Spiritual Self-Care.MY 5 BIGGEST TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE

The 30 min Morning Flow called Roll out of Bed in the membership is the most popular video I’ve ever posted.Members have asked me to do a variation on it, so here we are. I think we all need right now, on top of moving our body and our energy, to set ourselves up for a calm and grounded day. To learn tools for relaxation on the mat that we can carry in our lives off the mat.This new episode Morning Flow for a Relaxed Day is part of our premium subscription. To get access to it, visit https://withribbon.com/u/erikabelanger. With Ribbon is awesome and where you'll findYour premium podcast episodes ($5/month). Just like before, as a member, you can get a ton of exclusive audio and video content like this 30 Minutes Morning Flow for a Relaxed Day.You can now also have access to more than 200 recorded full-length yoga classes in a Netflix-Style Membership ($25/month).You can sign up for any live-stream class I offer or live class packages!Everything is now in the same place!Now coming back to our premium memb

Yes! We made it to 100! This podcast has been a labor of love for the last 3 years. I’ve had the immense pleasure to chat with some of the most accomplished yoga teachers, wellness experts, and spiritual teachers in the west so they can share their work and best-kept secrets with you. Some were genuinely excited to come on, others I had to slightly harass and I’ve reached out to many more who never even made it on. I want to take a moment to say thank you to all our guests so far, for giving freely their time, sharing their expertise, and being so open and generous with the process… For today’s episode, we are celebrating, by first, doing a recap of the episodes that were the most listened to in the last 3 years. We’ll also go over the episode that you guys voted for to enter our celebration giveaway and I want to underline a couple of episodes that I think were underrated but that were special to me and that should have made it to the top of the chart in my opinion.100TH EPISODE GIVEAWAYIf you voted for

Have you ever felt like self-care wasn’t for you, or at least the way it's sold by the beauty industry? If you’re looking for a way to take care of yourself so you can be more present in your life, thrive, and be able to give and be of service, this episode is for you.For today’s episode, I sat down with Mado Hesselink. Mado helps yoga teachers integrate their heart-centered mission with practical business & teaching strategies so that they can make both a living AND an impact. As a business owner and parent, Mado has learned that self-care is an essential skill for staying sane in this crazy world. Putting self-care into action through a personal practice is one of the core themes of Mado's podcast, the Yoga Teacher Resource. Through the podcast, online courses, and her membership The Impact Club, Mado supports yoga teachers to find their voice, live their values, and build a sustainable business.Listen to the full episode hereSUBSCRIBE, RATE & REVIEW! BECOME A PREMIUM MEMBER TODAYIf you haven’t

How do you feel today? If your answer is that you feel anxious, hurt, depressed, frustrated, and so on, then you probably have some spiritual disconnect. The more joyful, and satisfied we feel, the more aware we usually are of my deep connection to Spirit.For today’s episode, I sat down with Dawn James. Dawn is a Conscious Living teacher, International Best Selling Author, and the founder of Publish and Promote, an organization mentoring new and aspiring authors to share their stories and find their audience. After experiencing a spiritual awakening, she dedicated her life to providing education, inspiration, and support related to understanding and enhancing vibrational frequency for overall health and well-being while living in alignment: mind, body, heart, soul & spirit. Today we sat down to talk about how to discover and connect to our spiritual self.SUBSCRIBE, RATE & REVIEW! BECOME A PREMIUM MEMBER TODAYIf you haven’t already done so, please subscribe, rate and review this podcast anywhere y

Have you been interested in diving a little deeper into your yoga practice, but at the same have been intimidated by the philosophical texts? Today we are doing an introduction to the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali which are one of the foundational texts of yoga philosophy and practice. There are 100s of translations and commentaries or the original text and they were written over 2000 years ago, so no wonder it could be intimidating.The sutras are made of 195 or 196 aphorisms (depending on the source). They are divided into 4 chapters or books called pada.The first pada, which is where you’ll find the sutras we are exploring today describes yoga, its goal, and why we want to focus on that. This episode is part of our premium subscription. To get access to it, visit the membership platform. Note that we have recently transitioned our premium content from Patreon to the platform With Ribbon. With Ribbon is awesome and you’ll now find on this new platform Your podcast premium membership where just like

Do you love crystals as I do? If you’d like to learn more about them, how to care for them and how to use them, this episode is for you.For today’s episode, I sat down with Pam Urbas and Andy Duchovnay. Pam is a Yin Yoga Teacher and Andy is an environmental advocate. Together, they are Spiritual Artists, Rockhounds, Sound Healers, and owners of The Indigo Sanctuary, an online source of hand-crafted and Reiki-infused products for yoga, home sanctuary, sound healing, gemstone healing, and meditation. They are lovers of nature and collect their gemstones and crystals themselves and their travels. They cut, shape, polish and incorporate them into spiritual artwork and malas. With that particular background, I thought it would be very interesting to sit down with them and talk about gemstones and crystals.SUBSCRIBE, RATE & REVIEW! BECOME A PREMIUM MEMBER TODAYIf you haven’t already done so, please subscribe, rate and review this podcast anywhere you listen. Find out how here.We just transit

Do you struggle to speak and shin while you teach? No matter how much training you have as a yoga teacher, public speaking can be very challenging. If you’re not a teacher, some of the skills you learn on the mat can also help you in your next work meeting. We all have spaces where we need to tap into our presence so our message comes through.For today’s episode, I sat down with Sylvain Hache, Aka Sly for you anglophones out there. He is an ex-chronic stutterer that morphed into an award-winning, international-touring musician who has been interviewed on live TV & Radio in multiple countries, in 2 languages. He has been coaching and training people to ‘’End-Stage Fright & Master Public Speaking, Anywhere From a Zoom Call to Carnegie Hall’’ using Rockstar Presence Principles that he distilled from over 500 shows in 35 cities around the world. Since he’s also a yogi, I wanted to sit down with him and talk about public speaking for yoga teachers.Listen to the full episode here:SUBSCRIBE, RATE &

Have you heard of face yoga? It's a mix of stretches, massages, and acupressure. It’s something you can do quickly without any prop that helps with relaxation, releasing tension in the face and neck, toning your vagus nerve, activating your parasympathetic response, all while helping the production of collagen, making your skin glow, and reduce fine line.This episode is part of our premium subscription and was requested by a member. To get access to it, visit https://withribbon.com/u/erikabelanger. Note that we have recently transitioned our premium content from Patreon to the platform With Ribbon. With Ribbon is awesome and you’ll now find on this new platform 1.Your podcast premium membership where just like before, as a member, you can get a ton of exclusive audio and video content like today’s Face Yoga Practice2. You can now have access to almost 200 recorded full-length yoga classes in a Netflix-Style Membership, with new ones added every week.3. You can sign up for any live-stream class or ev

Have you ever been told, It'll be fine, just be yourself, and wondered what that really meant or even looked like anymore? Feeling, as if you lost sight of who you were at some point and you became disconnected from that person.For today’s episode, it’s just me, I’m taking the spotlight again and we’ll talk about this. You can check my other solo episodes: #87: 5 reasons why you procrastinate, #77: Setting Goals and Moving Forward, #73: Yoga, Chronic Pain, and Mental Health.There’s a section on my website, where you can tell me what you struggle with, what you need support with or help around. I’ve decided to use that as the inspiration to create my solo episode and other content. Since the last episode, I’ve received a few requests, including the one inspiring today’s episode. The listener said they struggled with being themselves, and I thought this was a very important challenge to address. Since it’s something I have dealt with, I feel like I could easily talk from experience. Another challenge I addresse

Have you ever noticed some digestive perturbation when something happens and you're extremely stressed? I remember my first day as a high school substitute teacher… I won't get into the details but knowing that a high level of stress can affect our digestion, what about our very common chronic low, medium levels of stress? Or what about anxiety?For today’s episode, I sat down with Rachel Everett. Rachel is a Registered Dietitian with a virtual private practice focused on helping women find lasting relief from IBS symptoms. She specializes in using a holistic approach that includes diet, lifestyle, and functional lab testing to identify and address the root cause of symptoms. Her proven framework has helped many women beat the bloat for good, regain trust with their bodies, and build confidence with food! We sat down today to talk about the impact of the nervous system on our digestion and how things like yoga, meditation, and myofascial release can directly improve our digestion.MY 5 BIGGEST TA

This episode is part of our premium subscription. To get access to it, visit the membership platform here and find the forgiveness medition here. Note that we have recently transitioned our premium content from Patreon to the platform With Ribbon. You’ll now find on this new platform:1.Your podcast premium membership where just like before, as a member, you can get a ton of exclusive audio and video content like today’s Forgiveness Meditation.2. You can now have access to almost 200 recorded full-length yoga classes in a Netflix-Style Membership, with new ones added every week.3. You can sign up for any live-stream class I offer!Everything is now in the same place!Now coming back to our premium membership for a second, know that as you become a Premium Member, your contribution ripples to thousands of people every week, allowing me to offer accessible quality free content to a wide community of yogis. This podcast is a way I contribute to the community, and this membership is a way you can too. It allows

Have you ever started something new and secretly expected you’d do it perfectly the first time? Or after doing it just a few times, you’d be a master at it? I think we all have at some point or another, and chances are, we were then disappointed.For today’s episode, I sat down with Peter Walters. Peter is a yoga teacher and student of life with a motto to always begin again. Focusing on learning and growing in order to move skillfully and joyfully through life. He uses yoga as a vehicle to share presence, joy, community, and awakening practices. You can find him exploring the world and leading retreats, teaching at festivals, on the Headspace app, and in a Zoom room near you. We sat down today to talk about the idea of beginning again and how that zen practice can impact us on and off the mat.MY 5 BIGGEST TAKEAWAY FROM THIS EPISODEBeginning again is choosing to constantly hit a reset button, become present and look at what is happening. It's a persistent re-arrival, no matter what comes up in your life or you

Have you ever done a yoga pose and kinda regretted it afterward? Or maybe you pushed just a little too far in a pose you practice regularly? Or maybe you’ve harshly criticized yourself while practicing? Alright, maybe all 3. Either way, this episode is for you.For today’s episode, I sat down with Brea Johnson. Brea has been teaching yoga and movement since 2003. As a teacher, mentor, and community builder with a focus on a sustainable approach to yoga, she is known for providing a safe foundation of healthy movement while remaining focused on the heart of the yogic teachings. Brea is also the founder of Heart + Bones Yoga, a global online community and teacher training courses base. I wanted to sit down with her and talk about the idea of a sustainable and loving approach to yoga, especially in a time where so many of us practice and teach online.MY 5 BIGGEST TAKEAWAY FROM THIS EPISODE1- Physical poses are a small part of yoga. If you distill it down, yoga is about getting to know yourself, about allowing you

This episode is part of our premium subscription. To get access to it now, visit https://withribbon.com/u/erikabelanger.We just transitioned to this new platform. Here, you’ll find a few things. 1. You can become a premium member of the podcast. Just like before, as a member, you can get a ton of exclusive audio and video content like this 30 Minutes Morning Flow.2. You can now have access to almost 200 recorded full-length yoga classes in a Netflix-Style Membership. For the launch, I’m offering 7 days for free, so you should really check it out!3. You can sign up for any live-stream class I offer!Everything is now in the same place! If you're new to With Ribbon, here's a walkthrough video I recorded to help you find your way around.Coming back to our premium membership for a second, know that as you become a Premium Member, your contribution ripples to thousands of people every week, allowing me to offer accessible quality free content to a wide community of yogis. This podcast is a way I contribute to

Is “I don’t have time” a go-to excuse in your life? Maybe you're not that person who took advantage of extra free time during COVID to clean out the garage or finally get in shape or write a book they’ve been talking about for years. If that sounds like you, today's episode is for you.For this episode, it’s just me, I’m taking the spotlight again. You can check my other solo episode: #77: Setting Goals and Moving Forward (great complement to today's episode) and #73: Yoga, Chronic Pain, and Mental Health.Coming back to our subject of today, there’s a section on my website, where you can tell me what you struggle with, go on, tell me! I’ve decided to use that as the inspiration to create my solo episode and other content. The one thing that has consistently come up since my new website is live, is procrastination or a variant of it like time management or motivation. Today’s episode is a teaser for an amazing course I have put together to help you stop procrastinating called Finally Beat Procrastination, How t