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:
Anita Cunha Vegan Chef Extraordinaire!
Anita Cunha, our dear friend and beautiful Vegan Chef joins us today. She specializes in creating perfectly balanced Ayurvedic cuisine. We’re learning about her journey down the path of self-discovery through her love for spice and food. She has a beautiful book called, “VEGAN INDIA: My Love Affair With The Land Of Spice” in which she shares much of her story along with incredibly delicious recipes.
Anita believes it’s possible to gain esoteric knowledge of our body and mind through changing our eating habits. Flavors and smells have the power to bring transformation and change our consciousness
Life and Death with Ty Landrum
It’s with great pleasure we sit down to speak with Ty Landrum to talk about his passion for Philosophy and the interplay of Eros and Thanatos. What creates the desire to thrive?
We examine the existential pointlessness of enduring our own suffering… And how to end it? A question that’s plagued humanity since the dawn of time, birthing the disciplines of Yoga and Buddhism.
Turning It All Upside Down with Lotta Sebzda
We have such a joyous person to share with you today! We have the Handstanding Grandma!! Surprised to find out she’s almost the same age as us tho. Weird.
Lotta Sebzda has been practicing Ashtanga Vinyasa since 1999 and is a 56 year old grandmother as well an inspiring teacher both in person as well as on her online platforms!
The secret to Lotta’s continued love for the physical and spiritual practice… CURIOSITY!
Honouring The Wisdom of The Divine Feminine with Mariela Cruz
It is with great pleasure that I got to sit down and connect with my dear friend Mariela Cruz. Mariela is one of those phenomenal human who’s devotion and dedication is palpable. We’re diving into the power of the feminine energy, how the different Ashtanga yoga series embody different types of energy, and calling upon the goddess archetypes as a guide during different phases of life.
With International Women’s Day approaching on March 8th, this is the perfect way to reflect on the powerful experience of being born as female and what it means to embody this energy.
Connect & Protect with Marque Garaux
Halfway through this episode Russell exclaims, “Goodness, you are just a really nice, wholesome person, Marque!” And, our guest today well and truly is! You’ll find him somewhere in the woods, far away from the hustle of city life, enjoying a solitary life near lake Erie in Ohio.
Marque discovered Ashtanga Yoga while seeking different ways to alleviate his lower back pain. After noticing an almost immediate physical change, Marque then slowly began to see other positive changes happening in his life as well…
How To Become Trauma Informed with Lara Land
Lara Land speaks today about some of her personal experiences that brought her to this chosen path…
How she started off teaching yoga in Rwanda to survivors of genocide, and then after opening her yoga school in Harlem, NY, she recognized that her yoga space required a different kind of awareness and presence.
This guided her to create Trauma-Informed teacher trainings as well as write her new book: The Essential Guide to Trauma Sensitive Yoga
Learn why we need to be trauma informed in our teaching and as we facilitate wellness spaces, now more than ever.
A Helluva Lotta Fun with Ellie Smith
Ellie Smith: A recovering academic, now yoga teacher, entrepreneur, and writer with a persistent curiosity about the world, both natural and human, Ellie Smith is an absolute delightful human to spend time with.
Born and raised in Cornwall, U.K, after completing University in 2005, Ellie took a “gap year” and has ended up spending the last 17 years living in Japan becoming an Assistant Professor of Cultural Studies, teaching at a university in Nagoya.
Ellie is passionate about helping yoga beginners and the yoga curious navigate their way into the often confusing realm of yoga…
Bella’s Little Sanctuary, Come Find Refuge
The Hero symbolizes an impossible reality. And yet, somehow, we are surrounded by quiet heroes every single day.
Bella is one of these quiet heroes.
Overshadowed on Instagram (a different Meta altogether) by images of bodies demonstrating superhuman feats that appear impossible by any “normal” standards. Somehow our mind is tricked into connecting these Superhuman displays of prowess to symbolize a successful inner quest culminating in God Realization.
Bella Sarna is interested in creating a different kind of space. She’s focused on cultivating a little sanctuary to come home to. A sanctuary that’s as much a sacred place inside her heart, as it is a beautiful room to step into.
Christmas with Kino Yoga
Enjoy this relaxed, informal, conversation between old friends chatting about old times, as if we were catching up at the local Coconut Stand in Gokulum after a challenging led class.
The real charm of Kino though, besides her effortless ability to be vulnerable, as well as her deep and critical intelligence (which might be a somewhat delightful and unexpected surprise for the average IG doomscroller) is her down to earth, straight-up honesty.
Plant Based Himalaya with Babita Shrestha
Today, we are absolutely delighted to present to you an amazingly self made woman. Babita comes from one of those rare villages in modern life, so ubiquitous in the developing world with hard-baked Nepalese mud floors and kerosene burners for cooking. And, that is in fact, how Babita learned to cook by her grandfather’s side.
Listen in amazement as she tells the story of how she became an art and film student studying in Minnesota, and now a Barnes and Nobles best selling cook book author.
Tantra Flow with Jeanne Heileman
When Jeanne Heileman became a yoga teacher in 1996, there was no career for this field. She had the intention to teach once a week as a work supplement in the non-profit arts world to pay off her graduate school student debt.
In this episode, we’re talking about what makes a good yoga teacher and some of the insights Jeanne has gained through her years of practicing under the guidance of many different teachers. Experience bring wisdom and Jeanne has a depth of perspective that is rare in teachers today.
Gopi Kallayil: The Happy Human
Gopi Kallayil is the Chief Evangelist, head of Digital Transformation and Strategy at Google. What that exactly means… We’re going to unpack it inside this episode!
He is the author of two books, “The Happy Human” and “The Internet to the Inner-net,” published by Hay House.
He has released three music albums titled “Kirtan Lounge.”
Sunshine Nights with Amy Priya
Amy talks us through her childhood as an immigrant to this country from the Philippines to upstate NY, becoming found (or possibly losing herself) in the state of flow through her early years of dance. Becoming a yoga student in NY in the 90’s and then taking up music and forming a band.
She became a follower and a devotee of Mata Amritanandamayi (Amma), “the Hugging Saint.” There couldn’t be a better metaphor for how nice Amy Priya is… We’re sure you’ll feel her energetic hug over the airwaves.
Sexual Healing with Sophie Cleere
Today we’re speaking with Sophie Cleere. A vibrant woman who’s paving the way forward to for middle-aged women everywhere. She’s a body-positive coach and conscious sexuality educator. Sophie’s on a mission to end body-shame and help women feel confident, sexy and alive, no matter what their age!
Cycle Syncing with Briana Villegas
Did you know that lifestyle, exercise, and productivity research is almost entirely based on what is optimal for male bodies.
And you know what? The Yoga tradition is no different!
In today’s episode we’re talking with Cycle-Syncing coach, Briana Villegas. We’re learning what benefits we might discover (as women), when we start to align our to-do list with our biologically driven energy shifts, so we can spend more time being in flow-state, rather than feeling trapped in hustle-culture.
But this conversation isn’t only for women… You see, men will learn a lot too about their own hormonal cycling that happens over a 24 hour period and how to utilize the natural ups and downs of their energy each day.
Kerri Kelly: American Detox
What we understand to be wellness now, has become divorced from it’s origin, commodified, and sold as a luxury items that even the 99% struggle to afford.
Wellness isn’t just self-care rituals, like yoga or meditation, but it’s a living wage, a home, food, and basic human needs. It’s not just what you buy in lululemon, it’s all the ways we fight and advocate for healthy living conditions, so that all can get what they truly need.
“The myth of wellness is a lie. And until we learn to confront and dismantle its toxic systems, we can’t ever be well.” -Kerri Kelly
Kintsugi with Mae Yoshikawa
We dive into a discussion of what feminine spirituality looks like. Just as her inspiration, the late guru Sri Anandamayi Ma, our guest today, Mae Yoshikawa, also embodies this eternal nature of divine joy. Late in today’s episode, Mae speaks about her status as a widow and what that means for her as well (be sure to listen all the way… so not to miss both the beautiful and tragic events that broke her heart wide open).
Kayoko Mitsumatsu: Yoga Gives Back
In the beginning it started off as simply an idea of offering one yoga class to help raise money to support women and children in India. At the time, Kayoko had no idea that this tiny calling of her heart would expand and grow into a global movement that is now called “Yoga Gives Back.”
Her passion to give voice to the voiceless has changed the lives of so many women and children, and birthed the mantra — “For the cost of one yoga class, you can change a life.”
Back To The Future with Krista Shirley
Krista is really is special. She is a voracious learner and she takes this infectious energy, AAA-type personality, to her whole life, business, motherhood, and Ashtanga yoga practice. If it can be said of anyone, it has never been more true when it comes to Krista: She embodies the energy of Wonder Woman… It’s always a shock for a lady like this to be confronted with a truly obliterating obstacle.
Miranda Mitchell: Human Design
Miranda Mitchell is an Energetic Alignment Coach and Traditional and Quantum Human Design™ Specialist who helps thought leaders align energetically so that they step into creating more impact with sustainability and ease. Before becoming a Human Design Coach, Miranda was a personal trainer and Ashtanga yoga professional, assisting Krista Shirley in Orlando Florida!
In today’s episode you’ll learn what exactly Human Design is and how it can help your life. We’re also talking about injuries, recovery, and knowing when it’s time to let go.