In one way or another, we are all on a health and wellness journey. My guests in this episode are dedicated to helping people on this journey through the practice of yoga. Ashley Yost and Mali Jane are co-owners of AM Yoga. In addition to classes in their studio, which is based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, they also offer virtual and corporate programs to bring yoga to people where they are. This episode is perfect for you if you are looking to grow awareness, reduce stress, and be more purposeful and present in your daily life.
As a yoga novice, I ask lots of questions to better understand the practice and how it relates to mind, body and spirit. We also try out through a breathing exercise and end with a guided meditation.
Fair warning: you may find yourself in an awesome state of relaxation upon listening to this episode. Enjoy!
Topics discussed in this episode:
- Meet Ashley and Mali (3:15)
- What does daily practice mean? (3:57)
- Defining stress (4:53)
- How to increase your energy (5:58)
- What’s the relationship between energy and anxiety? (7:31)
- “It’s a shower for your insides.” (7:55)
- Breathing exercise (9:04)
- Mali’s background: from naturopath to yogi (11:39)
- Asana, meditation and breath (15:38)
- Does yoga work for everyone? (16:23)
- Can yoga help your mind be more positive? (20:43)
- 365 Program for individuals (23:42)
- teAM Program for businesses (28:35)
- Guided meditation exercise (32:02)
- How to find Ashley and Mali (34:04)
- Bonus questions (36:49)
Ashley Yost
After her first class, ten years ago, Ashley was hooked! A clarity came from going back time and time again to do poses that meant little at the time but gave clarity, calmness and breath. Yoga was unlocking the secrets of health, energy, and thoughts that lead to better decision making. For five years, a daily asana, meditation, and a specific breathing practice; used throughout the world and taught to her by guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, has been practiced. She has been teaching yoga for 8 years, Baptiste certified, and RYT200, with over 2,000 hours logged. Along with her daily practice Ashley loves to teach, and has taught thousands of people how to be happier and healthier. Ashley trained dozens of yogis to be teachers, sharing her gift with others to take yoga to the world. A cornerstone to her being is living what is taught and that has come from creating the 365 program designed to support and build a community of daily practice through live yoga classes and podcasts. Along with Mail Jane, teAM, a corporate wellness program that uses specific breathing techniques and guided meditations to help employees boost their productivity, increase retention rates, open creative energy, and allow people to trust their intuition to make better decisions. Ashley is an expert in helping others connect to themselves, which allows full connection to others. Ashley lives with her husband and three boys.
Mali Jane
Mali has always been on the cutting edge of health care, and her seven year practice of yoga is a great extension of her certified Naturopath, Doula and Medical Intuitive. For 12 years she taught Naturopathy to students, clients and a growing interested community. Her love and devotion to yoga greatly increased after being certified with Live, Love, Teach Yoga, along with training from Sri Sri on meditation. The daily practice also resonated with Mali and she has been doing it for four years, in addition to teaching for seven years and logging 1500 teaching hours with thousands of yogis. She has also trained and managed over a 100 assistant teachers. Not to mention her world travels have taken her to trainings around the globe as well. Mali’s guiding force of intuition comes from the knowledge gained from years of body work combined with her passion of yoga. Her practice is rooted in the ability to understand the human body and help people practice in a way that is anatomically correct but also life inspiring. Mali transforms the thousands of yogis that follow her by giving them the ability to “listen and trust their gut” when making decisions. With a global perspective, she still calls Grand Rapids, where she was born and raised, her hometown.
Notable & Quotable:
We define stress as having too much to do and not enough time to do it. —Ashley Yost
Stress and work aren’t going away, but through a yoga practice you can feel better and increase your energy levels to get it all done. —Ashley Yost
A main source of energy is your breath. —Ashley Yost
A yoga practice is like a shower for your insides—washing away stress, helping you let things go and bringing balance back to your day. —Ashley Yost
Connecting back to yourself is the ultimate healing tool. —Mali Jane
If you can breathe you can do yoga. —Ashley Yost
Yoga is a state of being relaxed and highly aware. It’s not about putting your leg behind your head. It gives you tools for everyday life. —Ashley Yost
The physical body and breath are tools to help create presence. —Mali Jane
Presence makes you aware of your mind clinging to the negative. And once you aware, you can choose a different way. —Ashley Yost
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