Yogatrotter Academy Podcast - Yoga Class Themes and Intentions

Learn the story behind dancer's pose (natarajasana) as well as the warrior poses (virabhadrasana), inspired by stories from the Shiva Purana about the original meditator and teacher of yoga, Shiva. The divine masculine Shiva is said to bring about destruction of all the is no longer serving--closing doors and opening new ones--endings and new beginnings, all in a dance of bliss.

Join our 200hr YTT in Bali January 8-31st, or join the 6-day Gods of Yoga Retreat March 4-9th, 2024!

Learn about the goddess Saraswati, the story of the universe's creation through the sound AUM (Om), and divine knowledge of our souls' origin. These stories can be found in texts such as the Brahma Purana and the Yoga Vasistha (Megan really likes Swami Venkatesananda's translation, "The Concise Yoga Vasistha"). You might invoke Saraswati in a yoga class by inviting in asanas that are free flowing for the spine, like the water element, awakening the sacral chakra energy.

Join Megan in Bali this winter for a 200hr Yoga Teacher Training, beginning at the retreat center of her priestess, January 8-31st, 2024. If you're already a yoga teacher, you're invited to a 6-day Gods of Yoga Retreat in Bali to learn the stories of the gods and goddesses, practice their ceremonies, and learn to chant mantras and lead kirtan this March. All info and applications can be found at yogatrotter.com.

In this episode, Megan explores the "goal" of yoga, and spoiler alert, it's not about what asanas you can or cannot do! In seeking the intention or the purpose of a yoga practice, she reviews the 8 Limbs of Yoga from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and what "calming the fluctuations of the mind" means for a modern lifestyle.

In this episode, while driving to her yoga studio, Megan discusses the 5 Vayus or "winds" of energy, and some of the yoga poses that help us experience those movements of energy.

Prana Vayu : the movement of energy from outside to inside, especially as in the inhale

Apana Vayu : the "waste elimination" movement of energy, and "letting go"

Samana Vayu : the "digesting" and "integrating" movement of energy

Udana Vayu : the "upward lifting" movement of energy, and

Vyana Vayu : the "outward radiating" movement of energy

Understanding reincarnation provides an unwavering peace amidst the fluctuations of life. Have you ever wondered about your past lives, and how they may still be affecting you today? This gentle, peaceful meditation guides you safely on a journey of the memory, to discover any lingering past life lessons your soul is meant to work through.

Have an open mind as you enter this meditation, but most importantly, trust that you're meant to see that which is of value for you--nothing more, nothing less. 

Om asatoma sad gamaya
Tamasoma jyotir gamaya
Mrityorma amritam gamaya

To learn more about reincarnation and past lives, and to learn about the deities for whom the yoga poses are named, check out The Gods of Yoga online course here: https://academy.yogatrotter.com/p/godsofyoga

The chakras, wheels of energy within the body, affect our emotions, hormones, and well-being. Through positive affirmation, this chakra scanning meditation allows you to bring the chakras into better balance for overall peace and harmony.

Our bodies are the sacred vessels that carry our souls, and we are capable of feeling our body on a much deeper level than we normally try to do. Through this vipassana-inspired body scanning meditation, you'll begin to find union between body, mind, and spirit, for greater harmony within your being.