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Ever read the same sentence three times, or reach the end of your commute with no memory of the drive? Most of us spend the day a few steps away from where we actually are. This episode is a simple way to come back. This is a short, guided mindfulness practice of about ten minutes. You don’t need a cushion, a quiet house, or any experience. Try it on the couch, in a parked car, or in the kitchen while the coffee brews. What to expect: A brief, honest introduction to what mindfulness can and can’t doA guided practice that starts with the body, settles on the breath as an anchor, and widens to sounds and sensationsA gentle way to handle a wandering mind, without judgmentSimple ideas for bringing the practice into ordinary moments, like a red light, a checkout line, or the minute before you open your laptop There are no big promises here, just a small, repeatable skill: notice where your attention is, then come back. Little by little, a little becomes a lot. Press play, take a few minutes for yourself, and know you can return to this practice whenever you need it. Even one slow breath counts.

You don't need a new pose to have a new experience. In this Off The Mat, Kyle & David discuss last week's class on the power of repetition. They talk about what inspired the class after a packed end of summer, Santosha as contentment rather than excitement, and the pull toward novelty that can show up on the mat and off it. They get into samskaras, set sequences versus creative flow, and why you never really do the same practice twice. Off the mat, they unpack hiking the same trail, relationships that keep changing, and how staying curious about something familiar can be its own practice. We still have a few spots left for our retreat to warm and sunny Mexico this March. All the details are at yogapodclass.com. New episodes every Thursday. Follow along on Instagram @yogapodclass.

We're back! After a month off to recalibrate, David guides a simple breath to movement flow all about the power of repetition. Class starts at 4:34. You'll move through three short sequences: Sun A, Sun B, and a final warrior series. Each one gets set up slowly the first time, then flowed twice breath to movement. The theme is Santosha, or contentment, and finding curiosity in something familiar. Your body feels different every time you step on the mat, so you never really do the same practice twice. We still have a few spots left for our retreat to warm and sunny Mexico this March. All the details are at yogapodclass.com. Join us next week for the Off The Mat conversation on this theme. New episodes every Thursday. Follow along on Instagram @yogapodclass.

When things get hard on the mat, or in life, what version of you shows up? Do you run, do you numb, or do you stay? In this Off the Mat conversation, Kyle and David unpack Tapas from David's class: heat, discipline, change, and transformation. They talk about staying with sensation in chair pose and in surrender, knowing when to step on the gas and when backing off is the real discipline, and how yoga can help you attain what once felt unattainable. They also get into Tapas off the mat. Difficult conversations. Relationships as practice. Speaking up when you'd rather keep the peace. And the quiet work of sitting with discomfort instead of escaping it. One note: David and Kyle are taking September to realign the podcast. New classes are back in early October. The core stays the same. Great classes, real conversations about the themes. Find us on Instagram @yogapodclass.

Lean into the heat. Watch what transforms. Class begins at minute 3:40. David guides you through a 46-minute vinyasa designed to build heat and tolerance. The theme is Tapas. The third Niyama. It translates to heat, but also discipline, transformation, and the willingness to stay with discomfort. When things get hard, do you run or do you stay? Because the way you practice on the mat is the way you live off the mat. New episodes every Thursday. Find us on Instagram @yogapodclass.

Most of us breathe without a second thought — but the way we do it has a real effect on our stress, focus, and how we feel all day. In this Off the Mat conversation, David and Kyle unpack the science behind breathwork: why a longer exhale calms your nervous system while a longer inhale winds it up, why "just take a deep breath" can sometimes backfire, and what the research actually shows about reducing stress, anxiety, and respiratory rate. They also get into "screen apnea" — the surprising finding that about 80% of us hold our breath at our screens — plus the breathing techniques they each reach for, from calming down after a hard conversation to upregulating in the morning. Kyle breaks down the simple 4-count inhale, 8-count exhale practice from this week's class that you can use tonight to fall asleep easier. Try this week's breathwork class, then join the conversation.

Feeling stressed? This short breathing exercise calms your nervous system in about seven minutes. No mat, no space, no experience needed. Breathing exercise starts at 2:44. You'll learn a simple technique: inhale for four, exhale for seven that uses your vagus nerve to shift your body out of stress and into rest. Unlike the popular 4-7-8 method, there's no breath hold, so there's no strain and nothing to force. Just a steadier state you can return to anytime: before a hard conversation, between meetings, or at 3 a.m. when your mind won't quiet down. Keep this one in your back pocket for stress, anxiety, or trouble sleeping. Press play, breathe, and reset. Visit yogapodclass.com for blog posts, retreat information and our pose library.

There's always room for you. You just have to show up. Kyle and David sit down to explore what happens when we make ourselves smaller to fit in, play safe, or avoid judgment. They talk about Satya (truthfulness & living authentically), imposter syndrome, and why taking up space is so terrifying for so many of us. David shares the story of subbing for a beloved teacher and almost canceling his class when he found out Johnny Kest was teaching at the same time. Kyle opens up about imposter syndrome on retreat and the realization that readiness doesn't happen before the action; it happens in the action. They also dig into how society conditions us to shrink. Crossed legs, small voices, dimmed personalities. They talk about the courage it takes to show up as yourself, especially in spaces where you're new or where you admire the people already there. Because here's the thing: "There's always room." New episodes every Thursday. Find us on Instagram @yogapodclass.

Take up the space you deserve. Class begins at minute 3:28. David guides you through a 32-minute vinyasa timed with Leo season energy. This is an invitation to take up space, not by being loud or dominant, but by refusing to make yourself smaller than you actually are. You'll move through bigger, more expansive shapes: wide-armed pose variations, heart-opening back bends, warrior two with palms facing up, camel pose, and more. The theme is taking up space and satya, or truthfulness. Not just honesty with others, but living authentically, without fear of judgment. Leading with your heart. Embodying the sun's refusal to dim itself. "The world is starving for your gift, your individuality, and for you to take up space." No props required. New episodes every Thursday. Find us on Instagram @yogapodclass and on our website yogapodclass.com

What happens when we stop treating everything — our workouts, our hobbies, even our yoga — as something to perfect, track, and check off a list? In this Off the Mat conversation, Kyle and David unpack the theme behind Kyle's hour-long class: Leela, the yogic idea of divine play — playing purely for the sake of play. Fresh off Electric Forest, Kyle shares what a music festival reawakens about fun, silliness, and not taking ourselves so seriously. Together they explore why play tends to fade as we grow up, how "being good" quietly replaces joy somewhere around childhood, and what it means to wobble, fall out of the pose, and try things badly on purpose. They get honest about productivity culture, tracking apps, and the pressure to have everything planned and perfect before we begin — plus where each of them wants to lower the stakes and play more this summer. A reminder to loosen your grip, get on the bike, and stop taking it all so seriously. Chime In: How do you incorporate play into your life or yoga practice? Head to yogapodclass.com and let us know — we may share some responses on the show. New episodes every Thursday. Find us on Instagram at @yogapodclass or our website yogapodclass.com.

This class works with play. Not play as a break from the real work, but as the mindset itself. In yoga, it's called Lilla, the idea that practice can be creation for its own sake rather than something to get right. You'll feel it in the sun salutations you're invited to improvise, in chair pose lifting into a wobbly drinking bird, and in half moon, where balancing means shaking and falling out and going again without calling it failure. A 60-minute flow, led by Kyle. A block helps in half moon and extended side angle. Notice what shifts when you let a pose be imperfect on purpose. New episodes every Thursday. Find us on Instagram @yogapodclass and on our website ⁠⁠yodapodclass.com⁠⁠.

Let life be a little lighter. Ease is a practice too. Kyle and David sit down to explore what "Do Less, Breathe More" actually means. Not just in class, but in the real patterns of overextending that show up in work, relationships, rest, and practice itself. David discusses wanting to go deeper into asanas such as revolved crescent lunge, handstands, and advanced shapes. Kyle challenges him: "What are you hoping to achieve by more depth?" They dig into how the pursuit of depth and performance can make yoga an external thing rather than an internal practice. They talk about burnout, crashing from overextension, using busyness to avoid uncomfortable feelings, and what it means to prioritize presence and breath over how a pose looks. They also discuss the cost of never pulling back, physically and mentally. This is a real conversation about redefining what "advanced" actually means. Most of the time, it's not what we originally think. New episodes every Thursday. Find us on Instagram @yogapodclass.

What if you stopped chasing depth and started pursuing breath? Class begins at 4:44. David guides you through an 18-minute power class with a radical shift in priorities: Do Less, Breathe More. There aren't many poses. Instead, he invites you to slow down, root deeper into your breath, and pursue ujjayi—not the deepest depth. You'll move through simple sun salutations, warrior sequences, and some longer holds. The whole time, David reminds you: if your breath gets choppy, you're doing too much. Ease up. Gather yourself. Come back to what matters. New episodes every Thursday. Find us on Instagram @yogapodclass and on our website ⁠yodapodclass.com⁠.

Where does your energy go when you're not looking? In this Off the Mat conversation, Kyle and David unpack brahmacharya,the yogic principle of the right use of energy  and how it shows up far beyond the mat. Following Kyle's restorative yoga practice on brahmacharya, the two get honest about energy leaks: compulsive scrolling, over-committing, people-pleasing, and the quiet ways we drain ourselves before the day's even over. They explore why rest so often feels like something we have to earn, the difference between doing and simply being, and what it really means to stop "leaking" energy in a culture that treats time as currency. Along the way, Kyle traces brahmacharya from its classical roots in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras to its modern interpretation, while both hosts reflect on overextending, type-A tendencies, the pressure to perform ( even on the yoga mat) and learning to honor what the body actually needs. Whether you're navigating burnout, exploring yoga philosophy, or simply curious about working with your energy instead of against it, this episode is an invitation to pause and ask: Is this where my energy wants to go? In this episode: What brahmacharya means and how its meaning has evolvedThe Yamas and Niyamas explainedRecognizing your personal energy leaksWhy restorative yoga can feel so hard for high achieversRest, worth, and the myth that rest must be earnedChime In: Where in your life are you currently overextending, and what's making it hard to pull back? Leave us a voice or written message at yogapodclass.com. Join us in Sayulita, Mexico for our 2027 yoga retreat (March 27–April 3). Details under the Retreat tab at yogapodclass.com. Yoga Pod Class is a screen-free yoga podcast. Some weeks we guide you through practice; other weeks we explore how the patterns we notice on the mat show up in everyday life.

When did you last do less and feel okay about it? Not guilty, not behind. Just okay. Class starts at 6:00. This is a restorative class built around Brahmacharya, one of the yamas, usually translated as the right use of energy. Where is your energy actually going? And is that a conscious choice, or just a leak you stopped noticing? You'll move through a handful of slow, supported postures with longer holds. No props needed, just a mat, or honestly just the floor. It's a practice for the end of the day, right before bed, or any moment you need a reset. And we want to hear from you! This week's Chime In question: Where in your life are you currently overextending, and what's making it hard to pull back? Leave us a voicemail at www.yogapodclass.com.