FINDING HARMONY PODCAST

 

What is a spiritual practice? How does it work? How will it improve my life? How will deepening my self-care transform me? What strategies can I use to improve my life, increase my health, and create wellness? How can craft a life that I love?

The Finding Harmony Podcast gets to the root of all these questions. Each episode is full of inspiration, humour, honest observations, and actionable steps that you can integrate to enhance your experience of self-love, develop a connection to Spirit, and create a life you truly love.

Show Notes Below:

Eternally Youthful with David Garrigues

Eternally Youthful with David Garrigues

You might know David Garrigues as a Certified Ashtanga yoga teacher, but today you’ll hear all about what spurred him into the Seattle punk scene, and how music pulled him out of a very difficult time in his life, where he was homeless and starting to sink into a very dark place.
How did he go from a homeless young punk rocker to practicing yoga in Mysore, India, with Pattabhi Jois? You’ll find out in this episode.

Read More
Un-Layering with Philippa Asher

Un-Layering with Philippa Asher

In this episode you’ll hear Philippa Asher and I peel back the layers of the Ashtanga yoga practice. As two of twenty Certified women who teach this method, we’re talking about unique issues that relate to female practitioners. We explore what it takes to become a Certified teacher? And what are some of the pitfalls, obstacles, and challenges you may encounter along the way.

Read More
Life As Art with Asta Caplan

Life As Art with Asta Caplan

Today our special guest, Asta Caplan makes it look EFFORTLESS!
Anything is possible and she does it seemingly all day, everyday. Feet on her head, bang. Feet twisted up in her belly, bang. Hand-standing the whole time. And, yet our guest today has a bit of a twisted history.

Read More
Stoking The Inner Fire with Sarah Hatcher

Stoking The Inner Fire with Sarah Hatcher

From skiing and horseback riding to fighting fires and then throwing herself fully into her Ashtanga Yoga practice, after being stuck in Marichyasana-D (a difficult twist in the Primary Series) for 4 years, she continued on with dedication and determination, to become a Fourth Series practitioner under the guidance of David Garrigues and Dena Kingsberg.

Read More
The Hidden Gem that is Kathy Cooper

The Hidden Gem that is Kathy Cooper

We had such a good time talking to an old friend in Kathy Cooper. For Russell it reminded him of Anne Rice’s vampire Lestat’s recounting of his origins in New Orleans. Lestat wrote that at every corner he was continuously surprised to find another stronger older vampire coming out of the ground and shadows. Each time like pulling back yards of history. These Ashtanga yoga students from the 70’s are each one a surprise fascinating in their strength and wisdom.

Read More
Karyn Grenfell: A Hero's Journey

Karyn Grenfell: A Hero's Journey

Karyn Grenfell has a very particular and idiosyncratic way of living her life. She is not dissimilar to a Tibetan nun, simply here and present, offering goodness to all beings. She’s not bored. Or at least she’s come to terms with a certain pace of life. And, she’s inculcating that same quality of patience and peacefulness in her child. Karyn is keeping alive traditions that feel as if they belong in another century, a predigital age, activities that keep her refreshingly grounded and self-aware.

If you’re at all in doubt about the value of an Ashtanga Yoga practice, or if you’re fretting and insecure, be assured that the 20 years of practice in a dark room at 3:00 in the morning DOES HAVE an effect…

Read More
Susanna Finocchi: Transitions Through Time and Space

Susanna Finocchi: Transitions Through Time and Space

Similar to Ganesha the elephant-headed deity in India, Janus is the god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, duality, doorways, passages, frames, and endings in ancient Roman mythology. He is usually depicted as having two faces. Susanna Finocchi, (our first Italian guest!) is a woman who knows these transitions well.

Susanna expounds on the weirdness of being a Southerner in the North. You become a kind of “in-between person,” neither here nor there, but like all these mythological figures you are given a special insight to human nature. And Susanna, in her loving and enthusiastic way, gifts us with her wisdom today.

Read More
The Three Stigmata of Mariela Cruz

The Three Stigmata of Mariela Cruz

It is with great pleasure that we introduce you to our great friend Mariela Cruz. Mariela is one of those phenomenal human that you might find in an Alexandre Dumas classic like ‘The Count of Monte Christo’ or ‘The Man in the Iron Mask.’

Someone who’s heart-centered and gifted with supreme powers of intelligence, wit, and physical prowess!

With 7 children, a lawyer, a gifted solo pianist, she also happened to finished Advanced A Series with Sharath Jois in Mysore, India. She was an ambassador to India on behalf of Costa Rica…. and the list of accomplishments goes on and on, reading like an epic novel. All this, and she still has half a lifetime more to live.

Read More
Dena Kingsberg: That's Where The Light Gets In

Dena Kingsberg: That's Where The Light Gets In

We are blessed today to share our conversation with Dena about her personal transformation from an awkward child into an artist, poet, and rock-goddess architect. She built her home using her own hands and she’s built her life in much the same way. It’s challenging to be a deeply introverted person, while also being called to publicly share the sacred wisdom gleaned from time spent inwardly looking.

Read More
Mark Robberds: God of Thunder

Mark Robberds: God of Thunder

Obviously, Mark Robberds isn’t actually the ancient Norse God of Thunder. He is actually quite soft spoken and has a gentle moderate spirit. We touch upon several historical incidents that reinforced patterns of normative behavior in our global community and how these somewhat dramatic events effected each of our lives.

This conversation is a lively one! We are exploring issues of psychology, science, physiology, and philosophy.

If you have ever wanted to sit back and chill with Mark, bask in his beatific presence while making snarky remarks, and digging in deep to what our core values really are, this is your day to do it. ❤️

Read More
Live In Stockholm

Live In Stockholm

it is with great pleasure that we introduce Laruga Glaser to you. Of course you know her already!

She is extremely famous in our little world. She, is someone who might be thought of as an athlete or an “asana-jock.” Some might jealously (in their small little minds assume she is stuck up) where in fact if they took the time — would discover her to be reserved, poised, extremely thoughtful, philosophical and discerning.

We tried to probe into past offenses or micro-aggressions she may have experienced; Yet, incredibly so, we learned that Laruga herself isn’t into carrying baggage. She’s moved on.

She is, in fact, a Swedish citizen.

Listen with us and learn what a “Brutus” is from one of the most celebrated Ashtanga Yoga masters of our time.

Read More
Rogue Yogi: Escaping Samsara

Rogue Yogi: Escaping Samsara

We are delighted to share with you a conversation with our fellow podcaster Nathan Thompson: Poet, Journalist, Buddhist Practitioner, and self-taught Ashtangi, as well as the host of the Escaping Samsara Podcast. In his teens Nathan tumbled headfirst down the deep tunnel of drug use and sank into a pattern of addiction. After a decade of darkness, he found his feet again through the practice of Vipassana Meditation in the lineage of S.N Goenka, a tradition that both he and Harmony share a connection with. You will love this lively interview!

Read More
Yoga and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Yoga and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

It’s American Thanksgiving this Thursday and we have so much to be grateful for. This conversation with Samantha Lucas reminds us all just how much we tend to take for granted every day and how an entire life can be forever altered within mere seconds… In the summer of 2016 Samantha suffered a catastrophic accident, losing her right leg below the knee. Samantha’s personal approach to using Ashtanga Yoga as a way to help her through this trauma and recovery is an inspiration for all of us to keep facing our own struggles, no matter what obstacles we face. Something Samantha refers to as “inspiration porn.” We think you will be delighted listening to this incredibly upbeat Lady, who has a world of experience and hard-earned wisdom to share.

Read More
Développés with Shelley Washington

Développés with Shelley Washington

In Ballet, the term développé means to "unfold," or open outwards in a “developing movement.” In this episode of the Finding Harmony Podcast, we sit down with Shelley Washington, where she gracefully unfolds different aspects of her journey. At the age of 45, after a stunning career as a world class modern dancer, where she would train for 8-10 hours a day, Shelley accidentally ends up in a yoga class, and has to find an entirely new way to relate to her body and approach this new physical discipline. How her practice has evolved over the past 20 years will surprise you!

Read More
A Round Table on The Advanced Practice

A Round Table on The Advanced Practice

When we’re at home, most of us practice with a different intensity than we do in Mysore, whether it turns out to be more or less postures is another story. We spent an afternoon discussing what this looks like and why we do what we do with power couple Kate O’Donnell and Rich Ray from Ashtanga Yoga Portland Maine. We talked about Advanced Asanas and our relationship to them both personally, as well as collectively… Listen Now!

Read More