Episode 101: The Sparks Effect: Losing my best friend It has been three months since my sweet Jack Russell Sparky, the co-host of this podcast passed. It has been such a whirlwind of emotions, a rolldercoaster really and it has without a doubt been the hardest thing i ever had to deal with. So i really felt i wanted to help and support others who are going through this, have gone through this or are starting to think about what is coming for them. In this episode i share my journey dealing with this incredible loss, but also give practical tips and advice. And mostly it's to honor Sparky, who was by my side for 17 years and 3 months...... his bark forever remembered in many episodes of this podcast! For Sparky. For all who loved him. And for all dogs and dog lovers! Please share! 

The Big One Hundred! With WYKD! Westway Yoga Kolectiv Dana also..... WICKED! WYKD BELIEVES IN A UNIFIED COMMUNITY AND THE HEALING BENEFITS OF YOGA FOR EVERYONE! I am so thrilled that my Nmr 100 is with these beautiful people behind WYKD a wonderful community yoga and mindfulness project from London! I have been honoured and blessed to have played a small part as a teacher within this project and now i am able to share the wonderful work of WYKD with the world! In this episode i speak with founders Lauren and Keri, two soul sisters i hold close to my heart! We discuss: What is WYKD and where did it all begin? The importance of the project and projects alike. How to make yoga and mindfulness accessible to everyone. Designing a schedule which is accessible to all ages, bodies and backgrounds of the community.The principles of DIVERSITY and INCLUSIVITY lie at the heart of this project, how to go about that. Music, a love for music and how music also CONNECTS different communities. Have a listen, share and SUPPORT them! https://www.wykd.uk/supportSHOWNOTES: https://www.wykd.uk/INSTAGRAM: wykd_ldn 

Episode 99: FROM CRIME TO DIVINE with Simon Transparently  “Your deepest wounds become your greatest gifts to the world.” The last one for 2024! And we are going out with a BAM with this special one!  Simon Paul Sutton author of BURGLAR TO BUDDHA, in which he takes us on a journey to his life and his own personal transformation from CRIME to DIVINE! We speak about the whole process of the writing of his book and the importance of sharing his life story and how it also triggered some unhealed trauma and how to deal with that. He shares his personal journey from an unconscious life of crime and drugs to a conscious life of yoga, love and awareness.  We also speak about: Forgiveness and grief Growing up without a fatherBrotherhood Conditioning and programming  “We must rewire our conditioning and programming, through self inquiry and transformational practices and inner work. It takes devotion, consistency, perseverance.”  TRUST IS TRANSFORMATION!  I feel blessed I have met Simon a few years ago and its an honour to be able to share his story this way, have a listen, read his book and SHARE!  SHOW NOTES:  https://simontransparently.com/ BOOK both hardcopy and audio:  https://simontransparently.com/burglar-to-buddha/ MENTIONS:  https://drjoedispenza.com/

Episode 98: Where is the money going? - taking back (financial) power to yoga teachers-fighting the system! With Clare Nicholls, Hrdayam Bern  “My livelihood is completely depended upon my capacity to share authentically and to share with this deep love and compassion. If i don't do my job, i don't get paid. “ Clare This epsiode is a very important one and so close to the heart for me. Clare is my biggest inspiration on so many levels, specifically in fighting the capatalist system within the yoga industry. Last week i started my own classes, completely run on my own, renting a space, doing my thing. In this episode Clare explains why it's so important to do just that, she shares her journey with running her own space in Bern and her passion and love for this thing called YOGA. "I wasn’t just going to open another yoga studio in Bern, one because there are so many, two, because I have very strong feelings about capitalism and commercialising yoga. So I wanted to create another system, where I just rent a space and sublet that space to other teachers.  Moving away from a commercial model can only be good. Collectives are so much more useful than studios. When places become too big, they become unsustainable. My dream is to have something that lasts." We also speak about: The battle with the current climate….. 3 words bios on an apps, picking and choosing teachers, classes etc. And then there’s us, senior teachers, with a few decades of experience, how do we stand stand out? Yoga is not something that works well in a space that has a commercial interest. There’s a different kind of energy exchange with these two models of payment, when a teacher gets paid by the studio, doen’t even know the student names, just rocks up an teaches or when the teacher gets paid directly by the student, builds a relationship with them, that’s a fully different experience. WHAT IS YOGA? Asana is NOT yoga. ...... and so much more! SHOWNOTES: https://hrdayam.ch/INSTA: @hrdayambern HRDAYAM: means heart or heart space.  GURU DAKSHINA: The Guru Dakshina is a very ancient concept belonging to the Indian origin. It is unique because no other country has this tradition. It is the tradition to repay one’s ‘guru’ or the ‘teacher’ after the whole process of education is complete. This is done out of respect and acknowledgment by the student towards the teacher or the guru.

Episode 97: Bobbi Paidel/ POSITIVE LAMB FOUNDATION and a Curious Yogi Podcast "Innner contentment unfolds supreme happiness" In this episode (which we recorded in February this year) my dear friend and fellow yogini Bobbi Paidel and i are talking about all things yoga, being curious, our love for India, living in ashrams, our teacher Stewart Gilchrist, SIMPLICITY AND CONTENTMENT, being less busy, redirecting language and the many transformations/incarnations Bobbi has been through, like depression and addiction and her sobriety journey. We also speak about Bobbi's foundation: POSITIVE LAMB and all the good work she is doing for children living with HIV in India. Please support Postive Lamb Foundation: TREKKING FOR THE CHILDREN! On June 15th I'm trekking in London to raise money for children living with HIV in India. Helping to send 75 children to school for a year, along with everything they need! This is my second time fundraising for POSITIVE LAMB FOUNDATION a cause i am extremely passionate about, please help me help them and sponsor me to reach my 500 euro goal! DONATE:  https://trek.positivelamb.com/karo-takBobbi's other episodeSHOW NOTES: https://www.positivelamb.com/https://bobbipaidel.com/Bobbi's guru: SWAMI SHYAMhttps://swamishyam.com/swami-shyam/Yoga and the 12 steps: https://collectiveresilienceyoga.com/nikkimyersINSTA: A curious yogi Positive Lamb Foundation 

Episode 96: Blowing the whistle with Thysia Huisman WARNING! This episode talks about sexual abuse, rape and victim blaming, please be aware before listening to the episode. Thysia was only 18 years old when she became the victim of sexual abuse at the very early start of her modelling career, she recently wrote a book about the whole experience called: CLOSE UP (only available in Dutch) Thysia is a student and friend of mine who i highly respect and adore, it was a truly special exercise to sit with her one on one here in Amsterdam and speak about all she has been through and how she became the whistle blower which sparked a lot more women to come forward. Thysia is just a powerhouse of a woman. She is a writer, mother, producer, creative and a spokesperson for women who have delat or are dealing with sexual abuse, specifically in the entertainment industry. So have a listen and share! Check a short interview with Thysia here Find Thysia on instagram @thysia.huisman

Episode 95: Come as you are, creating global community with Salons for LifeThe second episode in our EMPOWERED WOMEN SERIES! In this episode i speak with the founders of SALONS FOR LIFE: Nirupa, Sybil and Kate. A magical trio who created a true special project, i am honored to be part of.WHAT IS SALONS FOR LIFE? The founding vison came from creating a shared authority space where adults could free themselves in thinking and embodying and sharing as creative beings. Focused on a shared desire to LEARN. Which was a common desire of the founders but they soon learned this desire was something many people felt across the globe, this collective striving and yearning united the community and attracts the life learners through their different salons and salon facilitators. So we speak about the founding principals of the Salons and where they came from. We also speak about: How the Salons came about and how much they have grownZoom Fatique online versus in personWhat does community really mean? And how they created a local to global community with their salonsIntrovert versus extravert and the different ways of expression oneselfTo COME AS YOU ARE and they take time to reflect on their ethos and finding principlesSybil - the second co-founder of the Salons for Life cohort - and i first met at a Thanksgiving Yoga Retreat at Ananda Ashram in Upstate New York. A fellow yoga practitioner (Nirupa, Sybil and Kate all met each other @urbansadhujerseycity circa 2017) After attending her first salon with trustbs , i expressed in all my well known enthusiasm, how much love i have for the work they do, coupled with my own dedication to helping people create healthy and happy lives made, as match was made in heaven! And so here i am..... my upcoming salon, “SLO-MO: Way to Go – Slow Living in a Fast World,” is very much steeped in the spirit of making New Year’s resolutions that last beyond just a month or year, but a lifetime living mindful, easeful, and joyful living. Join Salons for Life as we kick off our 7th year of salons! Saturday, January 27th, 2024, 10:30am-12pm ET / 4:30-6pm CET on Zoom. SIGN UP HERE SHOWNOTES: https://www.trustbs.com/https://www.salonsforlife.com/https://www.urbansadhuyoga.com/

Episode 94: Finding your PURPOSE with Yogini Goddess Vanessa Van Noy "THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EXERCISE AND YOGA IS PURPOSE"- Vanessa Van NoyVanessa is back! For the third time in a row, this time we are speaking about FINDING YOUR PURPOSE, yoga, being a woman in this yoga world dealing with sexual predators, yoga teaching, specifically teacher training programs, how much shitty programs there are out there, space fillers, a yoga teacher mill just pumping out teachers, we speak about all this and the responsibilty Vanessa feels teaching teachers herself in her Advanced Yoga Teacher Training. And we dive back in time to our own experiences of teacher training and our yoga careers, two decades for Vanessa, one decade for me. Vanessa is such a legend! She has been teaching in the NY metro area for over 23 years. She has worked with pro and collegiate athletes, people with physical limitations, and everyone in between. She specializes in creating practices that are fluid, functional and fun. She encourages humor & compassion, perseverance & perception , love & laughter. Vanessa is also the founder of “Headstands for Hunger “a annual yoga-based community event that feeds hungry people and homeless pets in Monmouth County NJ. Because TAKING YOGA OFF THE MAT IS WHERE IT IS AT! Vanessa is a true believer in the power of the practice .Yoga has changed her life in so many ways. Yoga has made her a happier , more confident and more content human being. Vanessa's mat has been her safe place for a long time, a place where she can feel strong, hopeful and connected. Her wish is to share all these gifts with her community, and to help all beings live their lives happy, healthy and free. She is also the co founder of PURPOSE yoga studio in New Jersey. SHOW NOTES: INSTA: @vanessa_vannoy @purpose.nj https://vanessavannoy.com/https://purposenj.com/

Episode 93 On War and Peace brokers with Austin from Urban Sadhu Yoga Austin is back! And this time we explore the heavy topic of war and our responsibility as a yoga teacher to bring this topic into our classes and communities. YOGA IS POLITICS! And this needs to be addressed more. Austin explains his point of view through ancient yogi texts and the way he works with and within his community bringing his views and method of yoga in Jersey City. This truly is a MUST LISTEN! I invited Austin to speak about this topic specifically bcause I feel it’s so crazy to be in the business of “peace” as a yoga teacher and be confronted with this war and feel helpless and powerless. I also feel it’s our job as yoga teachers to talk about this, to bring politics into class, to have this conversation, we speak about all this and about spiritual bypassing too.... another important topic! Please listen, share and leave a review! SHOW NOTES: Austin's earlier episode in January 2021 Urban Sadhu Yoga Explorations of the Month Urban Sadhu Yoga 300 Hour Teacher Training (Omega Institute July 28 – August 25 2024, Rhinebeck NY) Video about the 300 hour Urban Sadhu Yoga Teacher Training Virtual Yoga and Video Archive Devdutt Pattanaik’s https://devdutt.com Jaya, An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata The Mythology Toolkit (Omega Institute Weekend Workshop August 16- 18 2024)

Episode 92: Boss ladies on married life and other relations with BFF Lisa So can highly independent women/people live happily ever after? How do we feel about marriage? How is marriage viewed by others, specifically the marriage of others…… All this I discuss with my BFF, my wife, love of my life Lisa Dickmann and we go all out, deep and personal…… This episode is released on Tuesday the 21st of November, which is my own first wedding anniversary. Dedicated to my dear husband who loves me so unconditionally and without him this podcast wouldn’t be possible. I love you Miguel!