Why is it so difficult to rest—even when we're exhausted?

In this episode of Deepen Your Yoga Practice, Lauren explores one of the greatest challenges of modern life: learning how to truly rest.

Many of us have been conditioned to believe that our worth is tied to our productivity. We fill every quiet moment, struggle to slow down, and often wait until burnout forces us to stop. Yoga offers another way.

Drawing from yoga phil...

Why do some days feel calm and clear while others feel anxious, restless, or completely unmotivated?

According to yoga philosophy, these shifting experiences aren't random—they're expressions of the three gunas, the fundamental qualities of nature described in the ancient Samkhya tradition.

In this episode, Lauren explores one of yoga's most practical philosophical frameworks and explains how the gunas can help us better unde...

In this very special 100th episode of Deepen Your Yoga Practice, Lauren Leduc reflects on the heart of yoga after years of conversations exploring philosophy, anatomy, nervous system science, meditation, ethics, spirituality, teacher training, and more.

To celebrate this milestone, Lauren asked True Love Yoga teachers and 300-hour trainees one simple question:

“What is something you wish your students knew?”

The answers...

In this episode, Lauren sits down with Dr. Auburn Ellis—an E-RYT 500, educator, and founder of Soul Yoga Fest KC—to explore the roots and power of Kemetic Yoga, breathwork, and inclusive practice.

Together, they unpack how yoga evolves across a lifetime, how cultural lineage shapes practice, and how breath becomes a source of true internal power—on and off the mat.

Dr. Auburn shares her journey from Chicago Public...

Why does yoga work?

Not in the sense of magical claims or wellness hype—but genuinely, why do so many people feel better when they practice consistently?

In this episode, Lauren explores the deeper mechanisms behind yoga’s transformative power through the lenses of nervous system regulation, breath, embodiment, ritual, movement variability, interoception, community, and spirituality.

This conversation bridges modern phy...

What makes a yoga class truly transformational?

Why do some classes stay with us for years—even when we can’t remember the exact sequence?

In this episode, Lauren explores the deeper elements that create meaningful, lasting experiences in yoga spaces. Beyond advanced postures or perfectly designed sequences, transformational classes are often built through nervous system safety, authentic teacher presence, intentional p...

In this episode of Deepen Your Yoga Practice, Lauren Leduc explores some of the most common physiological claims made in yoga spaces and asks: Are they actually true?

From detox claims to inversions, immunity, lymphatic flow, and the pineal gland, this episode takes a thoughtful, evidence-based look at what yoga does and does not do for the body.

Inspired by The Physiology of Yoga by Andrew McGonigle and Matthew Huy, Lauren unpacks...

Shownotes

In this episode, Lauren sits down with True Love Yoga Teacher Training graduate Kayla Hower to explore her journey into yoga, her experience in teacher training, and her upcoming workshop centered around creativity and self-connection.

Kayla shares how yoga evolved from an occasional workout into a grounding, life-supporting practice—especially through motherhood and her work in community-based social serv...

What does it mean to return—not just to a place, but to yourself?

In this episode, Lauren explores the practice of returning through the lens of yoga, ritual, and retreat. She shares her personal journey of leading retreats on the Greek island of Amorgos and why she continues to go back—not for novelty, but for depth, connection, and remembrance.

This conversation weaves together:

• The yogic concept of abhyasa (stea...

In this episode of Deepen Your Yoga Practice, Lauren Leduc closes out the chakra series with an exploration of the Crown Chakra (Sahasrara)—the center of awareness, unity, and connection to universal consciousness.

Unlike the lower chakras, which focus on building safety, identity, expression, and agency, the crown chakra invites us to soften our grip on all of it. It is not about becoming something new, but about rememberin...

In this episode of Deepen Your Yoga Practice, Lauren Leduc explores one of yoga’s most foundational teachings: Ahimsa, or non-harming.

While Ahimsa is often translated simply as “be kind” or “do no harm,” the reality is far more complex—especially in modern life.

What does non-harming mean in a world where participation itself creates impact?
How do we live ethically when harm is, at times, u...

In this episode of Deepen Your Yoga Practice, Lauren Leduc takes a deep dive into one of the most talked-about areas in yoga: the hips.

Many yoga students describe their hips as “tight” or believe they need to “open” them more. But hip health is far more complex than simply stretching deeper.

The hips are powerful load-bearing joints that influence posture, low back health, knee alignment, balance, walking...

In this episode of Deepen Your Yoga Practice, Lauren Leduc explores one of the most important and often misunderstood questions in yoga philosophy:

Does yoga teach that we are separate from the world, or that we are one with it?

This conversation dives into two foundational philosophical frameworks that shape the way yoga has been understood for thousands of years: dualism and non-dualism.

Lauren explores the historical roots of...

In this episode of Deepen Your Yoga Practice, Lauren Leduc explores the koshas, the five layers or sheaths of the self in yogic philosophy.

If you have ever felt physically fine but emotionally drained, mentally overwhelmed but spiritually clear, or energized but disconnected, this episode offers a framework for understanding those layered experiences. Yoga has long taught that we are not just a physical body — we are layere...

In this episode of Deepen Your Yoga Practice, Lauren Leduc continues her chakra series with the third eye chakra, also known as Ajna — the chakra of intuition, insight, discernment, and perception.

Located between the eyebrows, the third eye is often associated with inner wisdom and clear seeing. But in this episode, Lauren approaches it not as mystical abstraction, but as a grounded and practical center of awareness —...

In this episode of Deepen Your Yoga Practice, Lauren Leduc breaks down the shoulder in a way that is practical, accessible, and grounded in sustainable movement. This is Shoulders 101 — an anatomy-forward conversation about mobility, stability, pain patterns, and how to care for your shoulders in yoga and daily life.

Lauren explains that the shoulder is not just one joint, but a complex system of joints, bones, muscles, fasc...

In this tender and nuanced episode of Deepen Your Yoga Practice, Lauren Leduc explores the structure of spiritual leadership — and what happens when charismatic teachers fall from grace.

Every few years (or lately, every few days), a spiritual teacher, wellness figure, or thought leader becomes entangled in allegations of misconduct, abuse of power, or ethical breach. When their work has meant something to us, that moment ca...

In this episode of Deepen Your Yoga Practice, Lauren Leduc explores two often-overlooked senses that transform yoga from movement into embodiment: interoception and proprioception.

Interoception is your ability to sense what’s happening inside your body — breath, heartbeat, hunger, emotional sensations, effort versus strain.

Proprioception is your ability to sense where your body is in space — balance, alignment...

In this episode of Deepen Your Yoga Practice, Lauren Leduc explores the five kleshas — the root causes of suffering described in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (Book II, Sutras 3–9).

These ancient psychological insights, compiled around 400 CE and influenced by Samkhya philosophy, offer a powerful framework for understanding why we repeat patterns, cling to identities, avoid discomfort, and fear change.

Lauren unpacks: