In this episode of the Chai Sessions I'm talking to clinical research and health professional Heather Gwyneth Bird.

I first met Heather way back in 2015 when she joined our Yoga Teacher Training programme here at MCY.

We explore the concept of well-being and the intersection of self-improvement, self-acceptance and personal development from a yoga perspective. We talk about some of the significant challenges people are facing with their wellbeing just now and what role yoga might be able to play.

Heather mentions a recent study showing the effectiveness of yoga for depression and another for fatigue management following cancer treatment. There's a lot more work to do to integrate these findings into communities and health care settings, but it's really exciting.

I so enjoyed our conversation and feel there was much more we could have covered. I hope you enjoy it too.

Heather's Yoga & Personal Development Workshop is here at Merchant City Yoga on Saturday 22nd June. This one day workshop blends together yoga, psychological resources and practices with a focus on improving your overall health, helping you better understand yourself and helping you make more beneficial decisions.

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In this episode of The Chai Sessions I'm talking with Osteopath Gareth McGee. Some of you might know Gareth already from his anatomy and physiology sessions on our yoga teacher training programme here at MCY.

In this conversation, he talks about the work he does as an osteopath, allowing each individual body to find connection again and create place and space for self-healing.

We discuss how people's view of the body is narrowing despite the volume of information out there and how that might be affecting how they think about their own bodies. We touch on pain and chronic pain cycles, and Gareth talks about the powerful concept of framing pain as protection.

And we talk about yoga - his take on yoga and what it's doing for us, how and why yoga is such an inclusive practice and why it's important for yoga teachers to have an understanding of the workings of the body. He says, “It's a moving miracle and we're living and breathing and feeling the anatomy”.

When we finish this conversation, we're definitely just hitting the pause button!

I hope you enjoy listening in.

Our next 200 hour yoga teacher training programme is live and in person here at Merchant City Yoga. The course starts this September and runs for one weekend a month for 12 months. If you're interested in finding out more, the syllabus and course dates are here on the website and I'm inviting potential applicants to come along to one of our teacher training weekends to meet up for an informal chat.

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This is Ema's third time on The Chai Sessions! I think that makes her a regular guest now. I'm thrilled she was able to join me again for a chat and a cuppa on the sofa.

Ema offers courses rooted in the classical texts associated with the yoga tradition. Her courses are designed to help us understand these texts a little better and challenge us to put some of what we learn into practice.

In this episode we discuss the Bhagavad Gita ahead of Ema's upcoming course in May 2024. I ask Ema...

What is the Bhagavad Gita?

Why is it relevant today in the modern world?

How can we approach the text and work with it?

Where has studying the Gita been helpful for you?

Ema explains we find the verses of the Gita in the middle of an epic story, a drama full of characters and circumstances. In the telling of the story, what it means to be human, what it means to be in this world is revealed. Like any good story we can recognise some of ourselves and our relationships in it. This can help us make sense of things.

Also in our conversation Ema talks about how much she loves the lively discussion that happens in a space where people are talking and sharing about their lives. This is reflected in her approach to teaching the Bhagavad Gita. She says, “It all comes down to life, we’re humans living.”

I hope you enjoy listening in.

Ema's course, The Bhagavad Gita: Living in the World will be live and in-person here at Merchant City Yoga. The course starts Sunday 5th May 2024 and runs for four weeks. Even if you can't commit to all four weeks, you can join each session individually. If you're interested in finding out more or joining her, all the details and booking are HERE

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When James joined me on The Chai Sessions (episode #28) to discuss the 8 limbs of yoga ahead of his weekend immersion here at MCY in March, we dived into a few conversations that didn't make it into the final episode. They were so good I just had to hit record and share them with you.

This second bonus bit explores yoga and religion...

Enjoy!

James will be here at Merchant City Yoga Friday 22 to Sunday 24 March. Join us for more exploration, unification, for more bringing it all together, more conversation and for loads of questions.

There'll be five sessions across the weekend. Find all the details and book your place HERE.

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When James joined me on The Chai Sessions (episode #28) to discuss the 8 limbs of yoga ahead of his weekend immersion here at MCY in March, we dived into a few conversations that didn't make it into the final episode. They were so good I just had to hit record and share them with you.

This first bonus bit explores one of the yamas, bramacharya...

Enjoy!

James will be here at Merchant City Yoga Friday 22 to Sunday 24 March. Join us for more exploration, unification, for more bringing it all together, more conversation and for loads of questions.

There'll be five sessions across the weekend. Find all the details and book your place HERE.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm delighted James Boag could join me on The Chai Sessions for a third time to chat about yoga and yoga philosophy.

For anyone who hasn't met James yet, he has been teaching yoga for over 20 years. I first met him in 2011 in Mysore, South India. He was not only sharing the teachings of yoga back then, he was also studying for an MA in Sanskrit!

James brings a holistic approach to his practise and teaching and works in direct relationship with the original Sanskrit texts. Since meeting and studying with James in Mysore, he has been a very regular visitor here at Merchant City Yoga and also teaches on our 200hr Yoga Teacher Training programme.

Ahead of his visit this spring, where he'll be guiding an exploration of the 8 limbs, I thought it would be helpful to ask James why they are so important to us as modern yoga practitioners.

We could've talked for hours! I hope you enjoy listening in.

James will be here at Merchant City Yoga Friday 22 to Sunday 24 March. Join us for more exploration, unification, for more bringing it all together, more conversation and for loads of questions.

There'll be five sessions across the weekend. Find all the details and book your place HERE.

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What is a mindful approach to Ashtanga yoga? Scott Johnson joined me for a chat to explore this and chat about his upcoming visit to Merchant City Yoga on Friday 2nd to Sunday 4th February.

This is Scott's third time on The Chai Sessions! I think at this point he needs no introduction but for anyone who hasn't had the pleasure, Scott is the director and co-founder of Stillpoint Yoga London. He is invited to teach yoga all around the world and has his own podcast, Stillpoints.

I'm delighted to welcome him back to MCY again in February for what will be his sixth time teaching here in Glasgow at the studio!

We begin our chat by considering what it is to practise Ashtanga yoga with mindful awareness. Developing a quality of noticing and being aware of what you're doing rather than pushing through the practice.

Scott will be sharing THREE Morning Mysore Sessions and THREE Weekend Workshops during his intensive weekend in February. Find out more about his visit and book your place to join us HERE.

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Debbie is back! She joined me for a catch up and this time brought some very special guests to chat about Yogability.

Yogability is a local Glasgow-based charity who offer yoga to children and adults with special needs, their families and carers. We raise funds for them each Christmas here at MCY through our 108 Sun Salutations event.

Debbie's son Cameron, now a trustee of Yogability (AMAZING news!), and her friend and colleague Jane join her to update us on what's been going on at Yogability this past year.

You can get involved in this year’s 108 Sun Salutations event on Saturday 16th December. Sign up now, take on the challenge and help us raise much needed funds for this incredible charity.

Or make a donation on the GoFundMe page.

If a lot of us give a little, we can help Yogability provide a whole lot.

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