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Jordan B is a yoga educator and content creator, known for her “big sister advice” and her gift for translating yoga philosophy into practical wisdom you can actually use. In this episode, we talk about creativity in yoga, discipline vs. devotion, what makes yoga an art form, why Jordan calls yoga “body poetry”, and how to integrate yoga philosophy into your life and practice. This conversation feels as warm and personal as Jordan’s advice, full of gems for yoga students and yoga teachers. This episode is for you if you love yoga and are looking for ways to carry it beyond the mat and into your life. Jordan’s Website Jordan’s Instagram: @jordanbyoga Jordan’s Youtube: @jordanbyoga Jordan’s TikTok: @jordan.yoga Patreon: Leadership and Yoga CLUB. To support my work on this podcast, join monthly workshops, meet fellow listeners, and more… Join below.  https://www.patreon.com/cw/shawnakru  Find Shawna on instagram: ⁠@shawnakru ⁠ ⁠Shawna’s website⁠ OfferingTree is an all-in-one business platform for yoga teachers and studios. It handles your website, scheduling, payments, and marketing in one place. Try it free and get a discount with my link here⁠⁠! (My sponsor)  Sign up for Yoga Trade’s passport: https://join.yogatrade.com/membership (My sponsor) Time Stamps: 00:00 intro 05:56 finding yoga 11:36 deciding to change directions 16:45 what is yoga to you? 20:21 rituals 24:12 dedication vs devotion 26:20 yoga as “body poetry” 28:52 trusting 36:53 big sister advice 51:37 rapid fire questions 52:21 billboard question

I fell in love with yoga because of a teacher at a dirty studio down the street, because of the ones who taught me to float and fly, and because of the teachers who called me by name before I was sure I belonged. After interviewing over 100 yoga teachers—from living legends like Sri Dharma Mittra and David Swenson to daily studio instructors—I realized the real magic isn't in theory or instant gratification. It’s in the stories, the trust, and the willingness to keep figuring it out when there is no clear path. In Part 1 of this mini-series, we’re cutting through the noise and diving deep into three core lessons on Abundance & Trust: It’s in the living, not the theory  The relentless energy to figure things out (and why having "no Plan A" might be your greatest creative power). How to move with trust, drop the fear, and recognize when you already have enough. Patreon: Leadership and Yoga CLUB. To support my work on this podcast, join monthly workshops, meet fellow listeners, and more… Join below.  https://www.patreon.com/cw/shawnakru  Find Shawna on instagram: ⁠@shawnakru ⁠ ⁠Shawna’s website⁠ OfferingTree is an all-in-one business platform for yoga teachers and studios. It handles your website, scheduling, payments, and marketing in one place. Try it free and get a discount with my link here⁠⁠! (My sponsor)  Sign up for Yoga Trade’s passport: https://join.yogatrade.com/membership (My sponsor) Time stamps: 00:00 intro 03:50 Trevor, Kino, Arundhati, Carling & future of the series 05:36 what is this podcast? 06:00 this 100 yoga teachers series 11:00 creative support 12:30 from self-imposed chaos to systems 14:45 airplane game  17:00 lesson one: it’s in the stories, not in the instant gratification 18:20 David Swenson fired from teaching yoga 21:20 David Swenson’s scrap of paper 24:20 lesson 2: the energy to continuously figure things out 28:25 no plan A, let alone B 31:38 lesson 3: trust and have no fear, mysteriously it works out 34:10 Sri Dharma Mittra on money arriving for his mission 37:50 hermit crab theory of change 39:28 Sri Dharma Mittra on not having students in his yoga class 41:20 scholarship for listeners idea 42:30 enough 44:00 writing prompt

Jada, known online as @flowgogirl, is a yoga and movement teacher as well as a content creator. Her love of movement is a contagious energy, and her passion for yoga and dance is clear in everything she shares. She inspires her students and audience to honor the gift of life through movement and to remember how lucky we are to be able to move our bodies. In this conversation, she talks about where her creativity comes from, how she trusts her body to guide her, her morning routine, and her experience of moving through grief. Jada’s Instagram @flowgogirl - https://www.instagram.com/flowgogirl The Sol Space Patreon: Leadership and Yoga CLUB. To support my work on this podcast, to meet fellow listeners, and more… Join below.  https://www.patreon.com/cw/shawnakru  Find Shawna on instagram: ⁠@shawnakru ⁠ ⁠Shawna’s website⁠ ⁠Yoga Teacher Roundtable free community events & mailing list⁠ Try OfferingTree for free⁠ ⁠with my link here⁠⁠ (My sponsor)  Sign up for Yoga Trade’s passport: https://join.yogatrade.com/membership (My sponsor) Time Stamps:  00:00 intro 02:03 sponsors 05:56 cultivating an energy of freedom 08:07 on confidence 09:15 what made you start? 10:54 first hot yoga class 13:28 finding motivation to move 14:28 music and movement 16:25 how do you create your flows? 18:00 how do you prepare to teach? 19:01 morning routine 21:13 childhood dreams 23:43 loss and grief 26:49 feeling untethered 28:43 quitting a job for a dream 31:08 social media 33:28 finding inspiration 35:34 creating & connecting online 38:47 what keeps you coming back to yoga? 39:49 teacher training in India 43:02 creativity & trusting ideas 46:22 trusting yourself 48:53 what makes a good leader? 53:16 rapid fire questions 54:17 billboard question 55:44 favorite emoji?

Poetic lessons from yoga on not rushing. If you’ve been living on fast-forward, constantly optimization-obsessed, and terrified that slowing down means you’ll run out of energy or fall behind, this episode is your permission to stop sprinting. We’re diving into the real reason we trap ourselves in chronic busyness, why we’re deeply tired rather than lazy, and how to transition from operating on stress hormones and caffeine to tapping into true creative presence. I share stories from the mat, savasana, alongside reflections on yoga philosophy, the 8 limbs, and why yoga doesn’t take time, it gives us time. Plus, we explore poetic reflections on time scarcity, breaking the addiction to hustle, and five simple ways you can practice "un-hurrying" your everyday life this week.  Patreon: Leadership and Yoga CLUB. To support my work on this podcast, join monthly workshops, meet fellow listeners, and more… Join below.  https://www.patreon.com/cw/shawnakru  Find Shawna on instagram: ⁠@shawnakru ⁠ ⁠Shawna’s website⁠ OfferingTree is an all-in-one business platform for yoga teachers and studios. It handles your website, scheduling, payments, and marketing in one place. Try it free and get a discount with my link here⁠⁠! (My sponsor)  Sign up for Yoga Trade’s passport: https://join.yogatrade.com/membership (My sponsor) STAmina apnea breath hold app mentioned: https://getstamina.app/  Krishnamacharya poetry: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cWwnn_nOU5FHPkqBbPRJnoicHmC6Zbzg57axeYp9M50/edit?usp=sharing  Time stamps: 00:00 yoga poetry on rest 05:10 animation 07:10 what is this podcast?  08:30 homework 1: handwritten snail mail 09:40 homework 2: salute the sun  11:20 homework 3: eat outside barefoot 12:25 homework 4: breathholds STAmina app 14:10 homework 5: sacred moment 18:30 i meditated for 1 year and then fell off 20:30 feeling out of control w/commitments 21:30 how to say yes to less  23:30 “no time” prose 27:00 Krishnamacharya poetry  28:30 diamond sutra 32:00 slow down to speed up story 35:30 bigger vision: OfferingTree & Yoga Trade  37:49 secretary quote story 40:47 grandma me poem

Arundhati Baitmangalkar is a Seattle-based yoga teacher originally from South India. She is the host of the Let's Talk Yoga podcast and owner of the Aham Yoga Studio. Arundhati has a beautiful, tangible way of explaining how to teach yoga philosophy that is both practical and grounded in yoga's roots. She shares her method for measuring "success" in your yoga practice (the "three C's") and advice for teaching yoga with heart. This episode is for you if you're looking for guidance as a yoga teacher or to feel re-energized by your own yoga practice. Arundhati’s Website Let’s Talk Yoga Podcast Aham Yoga Studio Arundhati’s Instagram - @arundhati_baitmangalkar Patreon: Leadership and Yoga CLUB. To support my work on this podcast, to meet fellow listeners, and more… Join below.  https://www.patreon.com/cw/shawnakru  Find Shawna on instagram: ⁠@shawnakru ⁠ ⁠Shawna’s website⁠ ⁠Yoga Teacher Roundtable free community events & mailing list⁠ Try OfferingTree for free⁠ ⁠with my link here⁠⁠ (My sponsor)  Sign up for Yoga Trade’s passport: https://join.yogatrade.com/membership (My sponsor) Time Stamps: 00:00 intro  02:02 sponsors 07:12 the experience of interviewing 13:44 choosing a mentor 17:59 discernment as a teacher 23:00 tangibly teaching philosophy 28:26 first asana class 31:34 what is yoga to you? 34:11 following the yoga 37:58 what do you wish more people understood about yoga? 46:30 staying close to your values 49:02 balancing tradition and student agency 53:25 yoga is not the spa 55:46 let people meet themselves 59:18 clarity, compassion, contentment 1:07:37 rapid fire q's & billboard question

Today’s episode is about how yoga gives us new eyes to see life, differently. To see things as they actually are, not as we are. Because every one of us has the filter of the ego on every piece of information we take in. We have distractions preventing us from seeing the beauty of what’s in front of us. We have AI and the mental noise preventing us from hearing the extraordinary silence of being alive. The extraordinary state of being present, perhaps for the first time in our lives or the first time in a while. In an age dominated by AI, constant distraction, and hyper-abstraction, it’s easier than ever to feel disconnected from our bodies and the beauty right in front of us. Yoga is the ultimate form of embodiment, which is the ultimate antidote to feeling disconnection in the digital age of AI slop. Social media workshop for yoga-inspired people:https://www.patreon.com/shawnakru/posts/social-media-for-167218388?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link Find Shawna on instagram: ⁠@shawnakru ⁠ - https://www.instagram.com/shawnakru⁠⁠⁠⁠ Shawna’s website⁠ - https://www.shawnakru.com/⁠⁠ Yoga Teacher Roundtable free community events & mailing list⁠https://www.shawnakru.com/yoga-teacher-roundtable time stamps:  00:00 yoga’s eyes poem 01:00 yoga is about trust 2:25 information overload 03:30 stories and embodiment instead of abstraction (ai is abstraction machine)  04:05 what ai really is 05:06 living as a machine not a human 06:45 ai fear mongering 07:54 yoga begins with listening 10:15 yoga poem 34 11:30 see through yoga’s eyes

This is how yoga healed my relationship with God, what spirituality is without religion, and overcoming religious trauma. I used to have a huge aversion to the word "God." Growing up with a religious background left me carrying so much guilt and fear that when I stepped away from church in college, I unintentionally shut down my spirituality and creative spark altogether. It took over a decade of yoga, deep philosophical study, and unexpected everyday encounters to reclaim what that connection actually means to me. How yoga healed my relationship with God and helped me move past religious trauma Why so many of us feel triggered by the word God or resistant to traditional religion or spirituality without religion What texts like the Bhagavad Gita actually teach about divine energy How to find sacred meaning in everyday moments, soil, and simple presence Whether you consider yourself agnostic, deeply spiritual, religious, or completely unlabelled, this episode is an invitation to think for yourself, drop the rigid rules, and step into the sweetest feeling of all: knowing the divine within you. Social media workshop on Patreon: Leadership and Yoga CLUB. To support my work on this podcast, join monthly workshops, meet fellow listeners, and more… Join below.  https://www.patreon.com/cw/shawnakru  Find Shawna on instagram: ⁠@shawnakru ⁠ ⁠Shawna’s website⁠ OfferingTree is an all-in-one business platform for yoga teachers and studios. It handles your website, scheduling, payments, and marketing in one place. Try it free and get a discount with my link here⁠⁠! (My sponsor)  Sign up for Yoga Trade’s passport: https://join.yogatrade.com/membership (My sponsor) Here is the complete, consolidated set of timestamps for Part 1 and Part 2, filtered so that every section is spaced at least 3 to 5 minutes apart for optimal YouTube video chaptering: TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Praying to the Sun with a Stranger (Yoga Poetry) 03:59 - Who Today’s Episode Is For 06:03 - The Search for the Divine Within (Swami Vivekananda Quote) 08:29 - What Does God Really Mean? (Episode Agenda) 10:52 - Sacar Las Piedritas: Sponsor Announcements (OfferingTree & Yoga Trade) 13:13 - Is Yoga a Religion? Breaking Down the Definition 18:09 - Rethinking Worship, Devotion, and Power 22:50 - What the Bhagavad Gita Teaches About God 27:21 - Experiencing Nature as the Divine 32:01 - Returning to Presence & Unpacking Religious Guilt 36:49 - The Osho / Young Life Land Connection & Dogma 39:07 - The 6 Systems of Indian Philosophy (Shad Darshana) 41:33 - Social Media for Creators & Patreon Workshop 44:27 - Reclaiming Your Inner Power: Talking to My Uber Driver 47:12 - "Take the Word Back" (Guest Insight from Ben Kalra)

This interview with Deepika Mehta, one of India's most prominent yoga teachers, is all about creativity and devotion within the practice of yoga. Deepika is a Level 2 Authorized Ashtanga teacher, trained directly under Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, is a global speaker, and has also worked in television and media. We talk about her creative process, spiritual practice, movement as expression, embodiment, and about the essence of yoga, which she describes as "arriving at stillness through movement." She also shares about a serious rock climbing accident that changed the course of her life, and how she found her way back to movement and yoga after being told she may never walk again. Deepika’s Instagram @deepikamehtayoga Practice with Deepika (Retreats and Offerings) Patreon: Leadership and Yoga CLUB. To support my work on this podcast, to meet fellow listeners, and more… Join below.  https://www.patreon.com/cw/shawnakru  Find Shawna on instagram: ⁠@shawnakru ⁠ ⁠Shawna’s website⁠ ⁠Yoga Teacher Roundtable free community events & mailing list⁠ Try OfferingTree for free⁠ ⁠with my link here⁠⁠ (My sponsor)  Sign up for Yoga Trade’s passport: https://join.yogatrade.com/membership (My sponsor) Time Stamps: 00:00 intro 03:01 Yoga Trade & Offering Tree 08:52 childhood memories  11:50 spirituality growing up 13:18 spirituality now 16:59 archetypes 19:16 early impressions of yoga  20:55 rock climbing accident 26:01 creative expression  29:45 what is your creative process? 32:55 first ashtanga practice 42:04 qualities of a yogi? 46:11 working in media and television 55:44 how do you prepare to teach or lead? 01:00:36 rapid fire questions 01:02:01 billboard question

Today’s episode is a lifeline and wake up call to stop fighting change (or wishing for it but procrastinating it) and a reminder that often the miracle is already in motion.  Change isn't a sign that you failed or that life is falling apart; it’s proof that life is making room. Before any miraculous manifestation or quantum leap occurs, the universe clears out what can no longer fit in your next season. The right help, the right people, and the exact resources you need are already on their way to meet you halfway. My guided journal:  https://www.ritualofwritingjournal.com/  Original writing by Victoria Hutchins I mentioned: “For the ones who left” from MAKE BELIEVE.  https://www.instagram.com/reel/DBwWfhQv4kU/?igsi=MTY2ZmIxNzZmYXhlZA==  People I’m enthusiastic about writing of mine:  https://www.instagram.com/p/Db_JM3Dm9M4/?img_index=7&igsi=YTV5ZWs3Z242c29m  Yoga Teacher Roundtable application: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1OLW6ewNcsIy8OX7rjlWOTvCNavZ3U9uHgYgcyj1RfGI/edit   Patreon: Leadership and Yoga CLUB. To support my work on this podcast, join monthly workshops, meet fellow listeners, and more… Join below.  https://www.patreon.com/cw/shawnakru  Find Shawna on instagram: ⁠@shawnakru ⁠ ⁠Shawna’s website⁠ OfferingTree is an all-in-one business platform for yoga teachers and studios. It handles your website, scheduling, payments, and marketing in one place. Try it free and get a discount with my link here⁠⁠! (My sponsor)  Sign up for Yoga Trade’s passport: https://join.yogatrade.com/membership (My sponsor)

This roundtable episode brings together three yoga teachers from around the world to share stories of their most memorable yoga teachers. Those who have, in some way, made a real impact on their practice and their lives. These anecdotes offer valuable insights into meaningful leadership, along with a peek into some moments that have shaped their yoga journeys. Šárka Bobotová’s Instagram @sarka.bobotova and podcast Elle Minty’s Instagram: @iamelleminty and Elle’s Teacher @annekluit.respace Samantha Mora’s Instagram @samanthacmora and Substack Patreon: Leadership and Yoga CLUB. To support my work on this podcast, join monthly workshops, meet fellow listeners, and more… Join below.  https://www.patreon.com/cw/shawnakru  Find Shawna on instagram: ⁠@shawnakru ⁠ ⁠Shawna’s website⁠ OfferingTree is an all-in-one business platform for yoga teachers and studios. It handles your website, scheduling, payments, and marketing in one place. Try it free and get a discount with my link here⁠⁠! (My sponsor)  Sign up for Yoga Trade’s passport: https://join.yogatrade.com/membership (My sponsor) Time Stamps: 00:00 intro 08:55 making mistakes while teaching (Elle Minty) 14:45 music & the yoga of service (Sam Mora) 23:20 teaching from presence & devotion (Šárka Bobotová) 32:10 Sam Mora: message & offerings 34:52 Elle Minty: billboard message & offerings 37:32 Šárka Bobotová: billboard message & offerings 44:34 closing thoughts

“Releasing the need to look like you "made it" unlocks your deepest creative freedom.”  “Sometimes the most impressive thing you can do is to not be impressive at all.”  Today we talk about the difference between the yoga "celebrity" mindset (focused on status, polish, and external validation) versus the "artist" mindset (focused on process, raw expression, and internal truth). This episode explores why the era of the polished, untouchable "yoga celebrity" is coming to an end, and why the world is starving for authentic artists instead. From overcoming social media comparison traps, to understanding Rick Rubin’s philosophy of decoupling self-worth from output, to true style is actually a quality of your consciousness (inspired by The Gene Keys), and details on the upcoming live Social Media Workshop inside the Patreon community. Join my social media workshop on Patreon Find Shawna on instagram: ⁠@shawnakru ⁠ ⁠Shawna’s website⁠ - mailing list OfferingTree is an all-in-one business platform for yoga teachers and studios. It handles your website, scheduling, payments, and marketing in one place. Try it free and get a discount with my link here⁠⁠! (My sponsor)  Sign up for Yoga Trade’s passport: https://join.yogatrade.com/membership (My sponsor) Time stamps: 00:00 intro 06:54 animation  09:25 yoga celebrities inspired me  10:20 confidence is not a “look” 14:00 Jeff Foster - Spiritual Zombie 23:50 art helps us feel emotions  26:30 step 1: light 28:25 step 2: nothing to hide, nothing to prove 29:30 behind the curtain 37:00 step 3: subtle feeling body 41:00 step 4: be okay refining 44:00 step 5: style is quality of consciousness  51:00 step 6: numbers  53:30 social media workshop 56:52 the creative revival

the feeling of yoga, and some words that try to describe it. stream of consciousness, and musical. this is for my seasoned yogis who want to put words to what yoga means to you, and also for yoga curious people who want to hear about a decade of practice put into freestyle prose and poetry about yoga asana versus the feeling of yoga, yoga philosophy, and what yoga really means. Patreon: Leadership and Yoga CLUB. To support my work on this podcast, join monthly workshops, meet fellow listeners, and more… Join below.  https://www.patreon.com/cw/shawnakru  Find Shawna on instagram: ⁠@shawnakru ⁠ ⁠Shawna’s website⁠

When I feel impatient, it’s an incredibly disturbing energy because I usually fear that rushing will block my success or sabotage what I want most. But while stuck in a nightmare series of travel delays in Paris on my way to see a close friend, I had a massive breakthrough about why we experience this frustration. I realized my impatience wasn't actually about the lost time or missed plans, but rather a deep-seated fear of disappointing other people and letting them down. Once you shine the light of awareness on the true root of your impatience, that heavy urge to force outcomes starts to dissolve so you can finally step into flow grace.  Patreon: Leadership and Yoga CLUB. To support my work on this podcast, join monthly workshops, meet fellow listeners, and more… Join below.  https://www.patreon.com/cw/shawnakru  Find Shawna on instagram: ⁠@shawnakru ⁠ ⁠Shawna’s website⁠ OfferingTree is an all-in-one business platform for yoga teachers and studios. It handles your website, scheduling, payments, and marketing in one place. Try it free and get a discount with my link here⁠⁠! (My sponsor)  Sign up for Yoga Trade’s passport: https://join.yogatrade.com/membership (My sponsor) Clara on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamcleer/  Clara’s NGO Rights and Roots: https://www.instagram.com/rightsandrootsorg/

Recorded live in Guatemala after co-teaching Yoga Summer School together with the rest of the Cactus Club, my dear friend Kimi Hajian is back on the podcast. Kimi is a yoga teacher based in Prague, teaching classes both in person and online through her app, "Alkimi." This time we get into bhakti yoga, the yoga of relationships, the archetype of Hanuman, and the practice of chanting. Kimi shares what it means to her to stay rooted in the sacred without losing touch with ordinary, "normal" life. That yoga isn't about becoming someone new, it's about becoming more you. Kimi’s Website Alkimi App Kimi’s Instagram Patreon: Leadership and Yoga CLUB. To support my work on this podcast, to meet fellow listeners, and more… Join below.  https://www.patreon.com/cw/shawnakru  Find Shawna on instagram: ⁠@shawnakru ⁠ ⁠Shawna’s website⁠ ⁠Yoga Teacher Roundtable free community events & mailing list⁠ Try OfferingTree for free⁠ ⁠with my link here⁠⁠ (My sponsor)  Sign up for Yoga Trade’s passport: https://join.yogatrade.com/membership (My sponsor) Time Stamps:  00:00 intro 01:22 sponsors 05:57 the cactus club & yoga summer school 08:27 intentional sharing online 13:27 creative process 15:21 daily rituals 21:21 what does yoga mean to you? 23:51 staying rooted in reality 26:46 balancing the sacred and the mundane 28:47 archetypes 32:44 bhakti yoga 38:06 kirtan & voice 40:54 the yoga of relationships 46:19 “yoga is for normal people” 1:09:34 billboard question

This episode is for you if you feel like you’ve been holding yourself back, not wanting to look too crazy. If you’ve been hiding your bad angles, trying to be perfect, or even perfectly “authentic.” What if what you actually need is to embrace the weird, unpolished, wild, extreme parts of you? What if you could stop hiding yourself?  And what if doing just that could help others do the same? It might be exactly what leads you into the big, meaningful work you’ve been dreaming of, or into your next creative project. It might just help you remember your power. The world needs you to show up as you are: not despite the parts of yourself that you try to hide, but because of them. “The unique voice is the one that gets made fun of, but it's the one you recognize without even hearing their name…” Patreon: Leadership and Yoga CLUB. To support my work on this podcast, to meet fellow listeners, and more… Join below.  https://www.patreon.com/cw/shawnakru  Find Shawna on instagram: ⁠@shawnakru ⁠ ⁠Shawna’s website⁠ ⁠Yoga Teacher Roundtable free community events & mailing list⁠ Try OfferingTree for free⁠ ⁠with my link here⁠⁠ (My sponsor)  Sign up for Yoga Trade’s passport: https://join.yogatrade.com/membership (My sponsor) Time Stamps: 00:00 intro 01:01 tendency to avoid extremes 05:20 noticing & collecting stories 07:26 ujjayi breath 08:36 feeling like you’ve “made it” 12:36 beyond authenticity: let yourself be weird 13:54 stop hiding your “bad’ angles 19:40 big things come from extremes 22:01 sponsors 26:54 stop hiding yourself 29:13 if you can spot it, you’ve got it