Decolonizing Yoga with Anusha Wijeyakumar

In the US, the FDA has only banned or restricted 11 toxic chemicals from cosmetics. Meanwhile, EU law bans more than 1300 from things like makeup, toothpaste, and shampoo — that are linked to cancer, genetic mutation, reproductive harm, and birth defects. Because the United States government favors businesses over global health, it’s up to us to do our research about what goes on our skin—which is our largest organ—and into our bodies. That’s where Beth Walker comes in.  Beth is a highly respected makeup artist and Yoga Journal's resident artist for cover shoots. While attending holistic esthetician school and working at natural wellness boutique Pharmica, in 2014 Beth met some of the Yoga Journal staff who often shopped there. She’s worked on hundreds of faces including the revered Reverend Paula Stone Williams, author of the forthcoming book As a Woman: What I learned about power, sex, and the patriarchy after I transitioned. We’re thrilled to welcome her to the show today. It’s a very special show, because it’s our last for a while — the Yoga Show is taking a hiatus. In the meantime, tune into our sister podcast, the Practice, and if you want to keep up with me and Aviv, follow our forthcoming podcast, @LyricsforLunch, on socials and at lyricsforlunch.com.  And don’t forget about Yoga Journal’s member exclusive experience, where you can find award-winning content from the world’s leading wellness experts. Learn more at yogajournal.com/activepass.

This week, host Lindsay Tucker heads out to Topanga California to try a sacred cacao ceremony as part of Christine Olivia Hernandez’s Maltyox Method, a gratitude celebration for clearing the mind, opening the heart, and strengthening the body and soul.  The cacao bean, which was discovered by the Olmecs around 1500 BC, has been used by the Mayan and Aztect cultures for centuries as a sacred and ritualistic plant medicine. Christine is a yoga teacher and writer of the book A Child of Magic, opened her home to share her maltyox method and teach us about the healing and uplifting properties of cacao.  Follow Christine on instagram at @christineolivia_ and more on the Maltyox Method at maltyoxmethod.com

Shayla Stonechild started the Matriarch Movement (matriarchmovement.ca) two years ago to turn the tide on the mainstream narrative regarding Indigenous women that objectifies their bodies and their culture. What started as a social media platform to amplify the voices of Native women and create a community for sharing stories of empowerment, prosperity, and resilience has in two short years become a full-fledged non-profit hosting wellness workshops and retreats specifically for Indigenous youth who don’t often see themselves reflected in the wellness space.   “I realized there was a lack of representation for Indigenous women in the state of resilience and excellence.” “We're always deemed as missing, murdered, and vulnerable, and we're always in a state of survival. And I thought, "The Matriarch Movement will be like a shift and a rise and a reclamation of who we are as Indigenous people, but specifically women."                 Today, there are more than 4,000 documented unsolved cases of missing and murdered Native women and girls in the United States and Canada, according to a 2020 report by the Sovereign Bodies Institute, a research nonprofit tracking gender and sexual violence against Indigenous people. And experts say these estimates are low, thanks to underreporting, racial misclassification, poor record keeping, and institutional racism affecting law enforcement and the media.  For this crisis to even begin to be addressed, Shayla says, Indigenous women must be respected and valued and perhaps first and foremost, be seen.

For decades, the practice of Yoga has been co-opted by white America. This has led to a commodification of the practice—of which the implications have been both harmful and far reaching. Yoga teacher and wellness consultant Anusha Wijeyakumar is one of the many voices calling to return the notion of yoga back to its roots and make the full practice accessible for anyone interested in learning the 8 limbs in a way that’s respectful and non-appropriative. Her new book, Meditation with Intention, came out in January, and you can pre-register for her Intro to the Bhagavad Gita course as early as Friday February 26, at yogajournal.com/courses. Follow Anusha @shantiwithin on Instagram or visit www.shantiwithin.com/shop where you can order Anusha's book and find out about her meditation & coaching program For an excerpt of Anusha's book, visit https://www.yogajournal.com/meditation/the-life-changing-daily-meditation-that-takes-just-5-minutes-a-day/

This week we chatted with Ginny Hogan (@ginnyhogan_), a standup comedian and yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance who writes for outlets such as the New Yorker, The Atlantic, and Vulture. After leaving a data science job in Silicon Valley, Hogan started a blog comedically analyzing data from her own dating profiles and online dates. Once she found her voice in comedy, Hogan also started down the road to health and wellness by quitting drinking and getting her 200 hour YTT certification. We caught up with her to talk about dating and YTT in the time of COVID, and how to kick a smartphone addiction--or not.

Tracy Davis is a Volunteer Yoga Teacher inside Arkansas' Toughest Prison. Davis met Jerome Bargo after he won a years-long battle in federal court to allow practicing yoga in Arkansas' prisons, which he'd escaped multiple times. His last escape, in 1988, earned him spots on America’s Most Wanted and Unsolved Mysteries. After being on the run for 15 years, someone recognized him from TV in a restaurant—and he was sent to Arkansas' Varner Unit high-security state prison where he's serving a 140-year sentence. In Varner he found yoga, and it changed his life. Tracy joins host @linds.tucker to talk about how the practice is transforming the lives of our society's most forgotten population: prisoners.

Sahara Rose experienced plenty of false starts and moments of self-doubt on her way to becoming an ayurvedic expert, bestselling author, and modern master of ancient wisdom. On her journey toward discovering her own dharma, she learned that feelings of unworthiness can have many voices, but overcoming all the reasons *not* to do something is crucial in fulfilling your life’s purpose. Sahara Rose (@iamsahararose) writes about this in her new book, Discover Your Dharma, A Vedic Guide to Finding Your Purpose. It’s a friendly field guide for getting sh*t done, with tons of tips from Ayurveda.

Our final guest of the year, our upcoming January/February cover star is Lalah Delia. Lalah is a spiritual writer and wellness educator, and the founder of VibrateHigherDaily.com, an online school that shares its name with her best-selling book, Vibrate Higher Daily, dedicated to all things high vibration, self care, and self empowerment.  “Just because you feel lost doesn't mean that you are. Sometimes you just have to relax, breathe deep, and trust the path you're on.” Delia writes in the book.  Because New Year’s is a time when we usually reexamine our paths and make resolutions for the future, we caught up with Lalah to talk raising vibrations and forging ahead through tough circumstances.  Remember to rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts. And if you want to hear someone on the show, direct message Lindsay on instagram at @linds.tucker

In the latest episode of The Yoga Show with Lindsay Tucker (@linds.tucker), we sit down with nutritionist and bestselling author Liana Werner-Gray (@lianawernergray), whose new book, Anxiety Free with Food explores the relationship between what we eat and how we feel.  +Research from the American Psychological Association shows that 95 percent of the body’s serotonin is made in the digestive tract. Everything we eat gets translated into chemical messages that affect the brain, and Liana is here to talk about what that means, and how to eat for optimal brain health. +Who do you want to hear on The Yoga Show? Drop Lindsay a line on instagram!

On the latest episode of The Yoga Show podcast, Lindsay chats with yoga teacher, mental health advocate, and actor Michelle Natalie Nunez. Michelle stars in Tyler Perry's Ruthless, a fictional series that takes a hard look inside a bizarre sex-crazed Rakadushi cult -- which has striking similarities to that of the Rajneeshpuram, led by the Indian guru Rajneesh (later known as Osho).  Michelle’s character was introduced this past Thursday, in the show's mid-season premiere. She joined us to talk about how she uses her practice to stay centered and grounded during grueling filming of complex, often triggering subject matter.  You can find Michelle on instagram at @meeeeshellle And as always, check us out at yogajournal.com for more. We're on twitter @yoga_journal and instagram @yogajournal Follow Lindsay on social media @linds.tucker