March 19, 2024 • 44 mins
Join me and Kris on a journey into Kundalini yoga, where we discover how it helps us connect with our inner selves and brings people together. We dive into the deeper meaning of Kundalini yoga, showing it's more than just physical exercises—it's a way to find inner peace and connect with others.
In this episode, we talk about three main things:
1. the strong community bonds formed through yoga
2. how Kundalini yoga helps us listen to our inner voice, and
3. how yoga can be a haven during tough times.
I share my yoga story, from practicing with my mom to how it helped me after having a baby. Kris and I discuss how yoga can free us from the pressures of society, the importance of making yoga welcoming for everyone, and how yoga communities can help us feel less alone. Come with us to explore the wonderful world of yoga and the sense of togetherness it creates.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Right now, we are all being asked to transform, like
everything is being crumbleddown, and most of us feel some
of that right, like things thecarpet's being pulled off from
underneath us.
Things are transitioning andshifting in ways that we aren't
necessarily prepared for, thatwe don't want, and, whether
you're feeling that in generalor in your life, like we all
have moments in our life where,like the shit hits the fan and
(00:25):
what are we going to do?
Because we don't have controland things aren't going the way
we want and our emotions get bigright.
And so yoga, and Kundalini inparticular, gives us the ability
to regulate our nervous systemin a different way.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Hey there, I'm Makita , a small town girl with dreams
who started a podcast with anold headset and a laptop at my
kitchen table and made my dreamscome true.
On my podcast, time for Teawith Makita, we chat about
living life unapologetically, onyour terms, from career advice,
entrepreneurship, relationshipsand everything in between.
(01:06):
This is your one stop shop forreal conversations and
inspiration.
If you're looking forconnection, then you found it
here.
Join me every Tuesday as wedive into those sometimes hard
to have conversations.
So grab a cup of tea or coffeeand get comfy, because this is
Time for Tea with Makita, andthe tea is definitely hot.
(01:28):
Ever feel like you need a superpower boost of motivation with
exclusive tips and tools withyour goals in mind?
Well, say hello to your newinspiration hot spot, the
Tuesday Tea Newsletter.
You're a weekly infusion of bigthinking energy that will
propel you to chase your wildestdreams and never shy away from
using the power of your voice.
(01:48):
Sign up for the Tuesday TeaNewsletter today at
beautifullyunbalancedcom andelevate your goals to the next
level.
Welcome back.
It is definitely Time for sometea and I'm your host, makita.
First, I just want to say, as Ialways do, thank you so much
for sharing your time, yourspace and, of course, your
amazing energy with me today.
(02:09):
Today we are diving into thetransformation power of yoga and
community.
As Alan once wisely said, theonly way to make sense out of
change is to plunge into it,move with it and join the dance.
And today I have the amazingprivilege of speaking with Chris
(02:31):
.
She is a kandilini yogi whoembodies the philosophy of
guiding others to trust theirintuition and live fully.
Chris's journey in yoga is notjust about poses and then we're
dog, but it's also aboutconnecting deeply with oneself
and others.
So welcome, chris.
(02:53):
Thank you so much for joiningus.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
Thank you for having me, makita, this is lovely.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
Yes, as someone who has practiced yoga.
And then I kind of got out ofit and I was reminded why I
started in the first place,because it brings you to such a
deep connection.
And it actually led me to thepower of breath work, which I
use a lot, and you do use somuch breath work in yoga that I
didn't even realize it in thebeginning how much it connected
(03:21):
everything.
So I'm really excited to sitdown with you and just have this
conversation about helpingothers to connect deeply with
themselves.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
Yes, very much so.
I'm so glad you said that, andI love that you brought up Alan
Watts in the introduction.
I am not as familiar with AlanWatts as I should be, as I want
to be.
I have a student who was in oneof my teacher training programs
and he continually astounded meposts from Alan Watts, articles
from Alan Watts, videos fromAlan Watts, and so he is like my
Alan Watts feeder, and so Ilove that you brought him up in
(03:53):
the introduction to ourconversation today.
That's perfect.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Yes, you can let him know that too, Like guess what?
Speaker 1 (04:00):
happened.
I will.
I'm totally going to messagehim afterwards and be like you
got to listen to this podcast,because the first thing she said
was Alan Watts, you're going tolove it.
Yes, and I'm also really gladyou talked about breathwork and
because I think your experienceis so similar to so many
people's experiences with yoga.
Where we initially come to thepractice for, like that physical
(04:23):
practice, we're looking to haveour bodies feel better and kind
of, maybe get stronger, maybelose weight, whatever the case
may be, to come to a yogapractice.
Maybe we don't want, you know,strenuous work like HIIT or
weightlifting or anything likethat.
Maybe we feel the overwhelm andthe anxiety.
So we know that yoga can helpwith that.
But once people get on theirmat, my experience is that they
(04:45):
realize there's so much more toit than just the physical
practice and often in myexperience that's what gets
people to stay is everythingelse besides the physical
practice.
And I always say breath is thegateway to everything else, and
if you can't breathe, if you'renot breathing, you're holding
everything else to, and once youcan breathe, you can move your
(05:08):
body.
Once you can breathe, you canbecome aware.
Once you are aware of yourbreath, you're aware of
everything else around it.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
That is so true.
And the thing is, what led meto yoga was this I did a lot of
HIIT and I was like I neededsomething to bring me down, but
that I was like I want to tonenaturally, without weights, and
I was like I'm gonna try thisand see how it works.
(05:38):
And then I just fell in lovewith the simplicity of it, like
you just don't need a lot, youjust need yourself in a mat, and
if you don't have a mat, that'sokay.
You got carpet something, it'llbe fine.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
You can do it, just a little bit of space.
One of my teachers always saysthat even if you're just sitting
there imagining yourself doingthe poses and moving to the
practice, if you're breathingwith it, that's your yoga.
Like that's all you need, and Iabsolutely love that.
And that's one of the reasons Imoved into Kundalini actually
is because I have always taughtyoga very non-traditionally,
(06:14):
where a very accessible yogait's not Instagram yoga.
You don't have to stand on yourhead, you don't have to have
the lululemon pants, you don'thave to have the life for me mat
.
You don't have to spendthousands of dollars to walk
into a studio.
You can be in your pajamas, youcan be in your sweatpants, you
can be in your ready t-shirtthat you've worn all week.
You don't have to have a mat.
(06:35):
And Kundalini yoga does morethan that.
Like my teacher, guru Singh,and Brett Larkin when they were
teaching, that's what reallyattracted me to it is you don't
have to even have an hour to doa practice.
You don't have to.
You can do it from a wheelchair, you can do it from bed, you
can do it from anywhere, at anypoint.
You can do it in your kitchen.
We have the Grisht Ashram isthat concept of yoga of the
(06:58):
householder, and I think thatthe last couple of years have
shown us how things can change.
Traditionally, people had thatexpectation of oh, I'm gonna go
to this fancy yoga studio, I'mgonna have an hour and 15
minutes of yoga, 75 minute yogapractice, otherwise I'm not
really doing yoga.
And I'm gonna have the seatedmeditation, I'm gonna have
(07:20):
Shavasana and we're gonna ownand then I'm gonna walk out and
get my green tea and be doneright and like.
That's great.
If you have the privilege andthe ability to do that,
fantastic, good for you.
If you get to do that and youwanna do it, great.
But that's not reality.
I mean, I raised two daughters,I run a business, we have life
and 75 minutes for yoga is justnot attainable for me.
(07:43):
And so being able to havepermission to take 10 minutes in
my kitchen to do some forwardfolds, to stand in tree, to use
the counter to stretch my back,like fantastic and to stand
there and breathe as I'm doing,whatever I'm doing, that's yoga
and I love that.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
Yes, now let's just bring it back, cause there may
be some people that are new toyoga they're thinking about okay
, I wanna start this practice.
It sounds great.
Let's just rewind it back andjust tell people a little bit
about what Kondalini yoga is andwhat it represents, because it
embodies a lot of things.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
Yes, it sure does, and it has evolved, just like
other practices have.
So Kundalini yoga is one of thebranches of yoga, just like
Hatha, vinyasa, ashtanga, all ofthose different lineages of
yoga.
Kundalini is an ancient lineageof yoga as well.
It is more on the energetic,feminine side, so that Vinyasa
(08:46):
yoga, that Ashtanga yoga, isvery power yoga is strong and
structured and masculine energyif we're talking Mipya and Yang
Shakti, shiva energy, and so,like that strong power flow is
structured.
Kundalini is very much thefluid, intuitive, expressive,
feminine, traditionally feminine, classified energy and that
(09:10):
practice so it is.
There's familiar poses thatyou'd recognize from a
traditional yoga practice, butwe do them in a very different
way, and so the way I defineKundalini yoga is simply it's a
practice of breath, movement andawareness, and breath is always
first, just because breath isthe gateway, right, like I said,
(09:32):
like if you can't breathe,you've gone too far.
That's what I always say inclass If you can't breathe,
you've gone too far.
Back off a little bit.
And so with the Kundalini yogawe do what are called Kriyas,
and it's defined as a completeset of movements, basically when
it sums it up, and everythingwe do is focused on aligning the
energies in the body, openingour awareness to what's going on
(09:56):
within and around us and givingourselves time to shift our
perception.
And so let's say that we'redoing, like right now I'm doing
a sadhana, where we're doingsome twists right, and so we do
this movement side to side,twisting in whatever form or
where our hands want to be fortwo minutes, and that time can
(10:17):
be different depending on whatyou're trying to accomplish and
how much time you have.
But we do these movements fortwo minutes because that gives
our body time to recognize whatwe're doing, to get comfortable
with what we're doing and thento integrate the movements and
the understanding that comesfrom that movement.
And on an energetic level, weare starting to understand with
(10:42):
that breath.
It takes us time to pair withour breath.
I mean, you get it too right.
Like I'm in yoga practice andI'm trying to breathe, all of a
sudden I realize I've beenholding my breath for the last
30 seconds.
You know, after two minutes youhave to breathe, and so then
you start to catch that breathand realize how you are moving
with the breath, and so itintegrates all of that, all of
(11:04):
those components, in a verydifferent way so that you come
out of that practice Just yourawareness has shifted, your
physical body has shifted, yourenergetics are shifted and your
nervous system is much moreregulated.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
Yeah, cause I think some, for a lot of us, we are in
the masculine so much that theKundalini really helps you
transfer that energy.
And I think that's the mostrelaxing part of it is that
you're in that feminine energyand you're having that moment to
(11:38):
just sit with your breath andgo inward.
So I love that.
And you mentioned that you feelthat yoga is for everybody Not
everybody, but everybody.
Yes, how has this beliefinfluenced, like your teaching
style and the way you areconnecting with others as they
get into the practice and reallyfind themselves there?
Speaker 1 (12:01):
Yes, that's such a great question.
So when I owned my yoga studio,I really made it an inclusive
place for anyone who walked inthe door, and I still carry that
in the communities that I offeronline too.
No matter who you are, nomatter where you're from, no
matter how you present or whatyour background is or what
you're wanting or needing, orwhere you are in that moment,
(12:25):
you are welcome and everybodycan do yoga, even if you've
never touched your toes before,even if you have pins all the
way up your spine and can't moveyour back, if you've had hip
replacements, senior placements,all of that stuff.
If you're 99 years old all ofthose different ages and no
matter your size or your shape,everybody can do yoga, and so
(12:47):
the way I teach is very muchaccessible and inclusive.
It's trauma-informed.
I have had just a little bit oftraining in trauma yoga, so I
don't wanna say that I amtrained in that, but I have some
understanding of that, and so,even in the language of like
you're not, you don't have to dothis like, here are your
options.
This is what I'm gonna guideyou into, but if that doesn't
(13:10):
feel right in your body, here'ssome other things.
And if none of those feel right, you get to find what feels
good to you, and that's exactlywhat you should be doing.
So that kind of thing, becausethe last thing I ever want, no
matter where I am or what I'mdoing, is to have someone feel
like they have failed or thatthey feel uncomfortable in their
(13:30):
own bodies.
The goal of this is to loveyour body, to love yourself and
to really step into that fullestexpression of beauty, of who
you really are.
And our outward expression is,I think, an art form and we
should embrace that andencourage that in others.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
I like that you said art form, because it truly is
our bodies.
Everything like it is an artform and being able to move your
body and being so inclusive.
I love the fact that you talkedabout every body type, every
age group, no matter what yourphysical limits are, because you
(14:13):
know some people havelimitations, but you can do yoga
and there are very differentvariations that you can do, and
I love that you are creatingthis inclusive community For you
.
What have you noticed as beinglike the biggest impact that
(14:34):
you've seen in your community bybeing so inclusive and just
kind of welcoming everyone?
Speaker 1 (14:41):
That's a great question.
So I kind of enjoy watching newpeople come into our community
because as a culture, we havecreated this really open
community and I always tellpeople when we practice together
in person, like if you're new,you can't hide in the back
corner, because someone in thatroom is going to introduce
(15:04):
themselves to you and ask youwho you are and welcome you in
and want to get to know you.
Like we are not a communitywhere you can just hide in the
shadows, because we are going toembrace you fully.
And I think that's one of myfavorite parts of creating this
type of community is I lead theway and I, you know, I model
this type of behavior and Iexpect that out of people in my
community.
(15:24):
But it just snowballs, like youknow.
It's like that bubble in thewater that ripples out where
this is what I had, this is myintention for this, this is my
integrity, and everyone whocomes in starts to take that on
themselves, and so it just is abeautiful thing to watch others
do the same thing and welcomepeople in and make these
(15:46):
connections.
And you know you like, if thiswomen's retreat I just did last
weekend, a lot of those peoplewere new, like there were
usually.
I have a core group of peoplethat know each other and
practice together, and this onewas a little bit mixed up and it
was kind of great becauseeveryone was from different
walks of life and different agesand they're all there for the
same reason, but coming fromdifferent places and watching
them integrate and support eachother in so many different ways,
(16:11):
that's my favorite part of thistype of community.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
I love that and you know what I think that is.
I think people need to know thatbecause when you do if you ever
decide to, you know, go into ayoga studio or join Chris online
or you know, just to have theexperience there is such an
openness.
(16:36):
A lot of times, when you go toplaces like that, you're, you
know, you're worried about I'mnot going to be able to hit the
pose.
This is going to fall, I'mgoing to do something crazy and
everybody's going to look at meand I don't want to be the one
that you know embarrassesthemselves.
But everyone is there for theirown reasons and for most of the
time that I feel likeeveryone's there to release
something.
They're, you know they're thereto like find their own peace
(16:59):
and calm and to connect withothers, and I feel like there's
such a shifting of energy, likethe energy is always so high and
it's always so positive, likeit's always like this electric
energy that's just likesupercharges the room.
Do you feel that a lot Like?
I know you mentioned yourretreat Like the energy is just
(17:22):
like electric and you havepeople that are coming together
and like you're not going tohide.
Hi, my name is Makita.
Speaker 1 (17:28):
Yes, yes, totally yeah, and I love that and I
think that attracts people too,because in society we have
become so isolated, right, andwe're told to hold and keep
everything in and not expressand not be messy and not, you
know, mess up and not beemotional and not connect with
it.
(17:48):
It's dangerous, you know, andit's scary and people are scary
and what are going to?
People are going to think ofyou and when we have this space
of openness and like, yeah, comeon in, like I'm in my jammies
today, how about you?
You know, like I haven't washedmy hair in a week, but that's
okay, you know we're going to gobreathe together and it's going
to be great, and thinking it'smore online because you can't
smell me kind of thing, right,and so that I think, attracts
(18:13):
people, because that energy isstarting, it's like a beacon
right In the universe and thatold adage of like attracts, like
people are seeking out thattype of connection and we're
often told that we either don'tdeserve it or it's not out there
or whatever.
Those stories are in our ownheads, like when we kind of the
opportunity arises and we fallinto this or we just stumble
(18:35):
upon it.
Oh my gosh, what is this.
This is this feels so good,right, and I love that yeah.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
Yeah, I think one of my yoga is the only exercise,
well, form of exercise that I'veever done.
That I did not click like Ididn't continue it because I
wanted my body to look a certainway Like it was continued
because it.
It was a personaltransformation for me, like I
truly felt more graceful when Iwalked, I was aware of my
(19:04):
posture when I was moving, I hadthis increased flexibility and
joints that were hurting beforewere not hurting anymore because
of that.
Like I just felt more connectedbecause of it and, honestly, I
started yoga.
I was trying to think of likethe first time I did yoga it was
actually when Denise Austinused to do lifetime, which was
(19:28):
my age here.
Speaker 1 (19:30):
I love that.
I know it, I know it.
I'm right there with you.
Speaker 2 (19:33):
And I would do it with my mom because she used to
do to Austin.
So I would do it with her andwe would do the yoga together
and I just kind of continued itfrom there.
But how for you?
What was your personaltransformation for yoga?
Speaker 1 (19:50):
Yeah, so, like you, I did yoga with my mom and this
is how old I am.
Like we had the book with theblack and white pictures, like
the original yoga book with allthe black and white photos, and
we would just I would just openit and like I'd pick a pose and
we would do it together, likethat's how old I am, so that
I've done yoga my whole life,and in college I kind of moved
away from it because you knowlife, and when I started working
(20:14):
, my body started to hurt and Istarted to feel uncomfortable in
my body and like it was justnot being a yogi.
We know our bodies right and sowhen things start to go wrong,
we know very quickly and it'slike what the heck is happening
here.
I don't want this.
I heard I feel bad like youknow, I'm not sleeping well and
so I went and I found Pilates,first with a friend of mine, we
(20:35):
went to Pilates class and then Iremembered, oh, this feels a
lot like yoga.
And so after I had my firstdaughter, I started to do yoga
regularly.
I had returned to just yoga onmy own, like I had a yoga for
runners book, kind of thing thatI had found and was doing stuff
like that again.
And then I had never gone to ayoga class in my life and I was
(20:57):
in my 30s the first time Iwalked into a yoga class and I
hated it because I had had myown practice my whole life.
Like you're not going to tellme, like there were way too many
downward dogs, the breathingwas off, like I hated every bit
of it because I'd never had thatgroup yoga experience, right.
And so I gave it another trybecause I needed that community
(21:20):
at that point.
Right, I wanted that connectionof community and it was at a Y
and I think that was reallyformative in how I teach yoga,
because where I was going toyoga it was, it was a gym but it
was a community center and sothere were people from all walks
of life and all levels of yogaand I was fortunate enough to
really find a teacher that Iabsolutely loved, my first yoga
(21:40):
teacher.
She was, you know, it's justthis beautiful, human and very
spiritual and very calming andjust very insightful and a
lovely teacher as well.
And so I was able to have thatexperience as my first yoga
experience and I think that thatwas really what gave me the
motivation to do what I do nowand to teach yoga in the way I
(22:02):
teach, because then you know Iwould go to yoga studios and
like my favorite thing to dowhen I travel is to go to a yoga
studio.
I love just trying out and dodifferent yoga studios because I
just love that experience andlike immersing myself in that
culture of the yoga studio.
And some of them are matchesand some of them aren't, but
every place I go I really get alot out of it.
And and so that experience inthe Y then going to yoga studios
(22:26):
, it was like, oh, this isn't,this isn't for me, I don't have
the money to buy the things andI'm getting weird looks because
I'm in these ratty sweatpantsEven though I can do these yoga
poses, but like they clearlydon't want me here because I
don't look the right way and andI thought I'm, that's not yoga.
And so I kept going back to thatexperience at the Y, right,
(22:47):
like kept going back to thatcommunal experience and kept
going back.
And just because we may weigh alittle bit more, or we have big
hips, or we're five feet tall,or, you know, we have a limited
mobility, doesn't mean weshouldn't get that same
experience, and so that reallyit just always just reverts back
to.
I always go back to that firstexperience that I had in my yoga
class.
I don't know if that answeredyour question, did that it?
Speaker 2 (23:10):
did.
Yeah, no, I think we all haveour own, you know, personal
transformation.
And then you have things thatbring us back to that, that
grounding, like you know.
You step away for a little bitand then you're like I'm missing
something.
And for me, coming back, I wasinvited to speak at this
(23:31):
conference and I was luckyenough that the people that
invited me also let meparticipate in some of their
activities and was they havethis yoga instructor come and it
was so beautiful because theyhad like different, different,
like they had like differentrepresentations of like air and
(23:52):
fire and water.
They had all these rocks andcrystals around and they were
talking about the chakras, likeit was.
It was so amazing and I waslike this is why I love this,
and I didn't realize I had somuch stress and you know, just
all these things that were likehappening and like in that
(24:13):
moment it was like such a realrelease and I was like you know,
I was dealing with somethingand I didn't even realize, like
how much of a challenge that wasgoing on inside of me.
So I was like huh, and it likereally brung me face to face
with my challenges and helped meto like put a word to it
(24:35):
Because, like we say, you know,I was at the time.
I was like I'm having such suchanxiety, but it was like I'm
not having anxiety, I'm stressed, I'm worried.
That's not what it is.
You know, we give it names thatdon't really coincide with the
actual feeling and I was justcurious how has the practice
helped you, like, overcome somepersonal obstacles or challenges
(24:59):
?
Speaker 1 (25:01):
Well, first I want to just honor the fact that you
went to that place and you feltthat and you acknowledged it and
you, like, took it and lookedat it and explored what it
really was, because that is hard, like that is vulnerable and
that is hard and that is notalways the place that we want to
go.
So I just want to honor thefact that you did that and say
how amazing that is, and justhonor that experience first, and
(25:25):
then the things that I thinkreally stand out for me, the
things that has helped me themost, are really this Kundalini
practice.
In my past life, before I didyoga, I was a music therapist
and so I use music as therapy.
I worked in schools, I workedin hospitals, I worked in
nursing homes, hospice, all ofthose places, and the power of
music is just amazing.
(25:45):
That's a whole nother podcast.
But so that sound I understandthat sound and music is always a
deep connection for me andKundalini with that breath,
combining breath and sound,because we do a lot of mantra,
we do a lot of singing inKundalini, paired with movement
(26:06):
of a different type, likethere's just something about it.
I found Kundalini.
I found Kundalini before COVID,but I did my training and
really dive deep into it duringCOVID, during isolation and all
of that kind of stuff, and Ifirmly believe that I would have
had a very different experienceif I hadn't have found that
practice, because that deepawareness that comes from the
(26:29):
practice, of that breath andthat sound, and literally you
can just dump it all out andlook at it and then pick up the
pieces that you want.
And, like you said, so much ofwhat we are feeling is
misinterpreted or ignored, notintentionally, but just
misperceived.
And the practice of Kundaliniin particular gives us a
(26:52):
spaciousness to realize.
Oh, I'm feeling that in myshoulders and it's because of X,
y and Z or I call it downloadsof.
Like I'm stuck, I'm feelingstuck and I don't know what to
do in this situation, like it'skeeping me up at night.
Okay, what do I do?
I'm going into my mantra and ofwe know, wa guru or whatever
the case may be, whatever mantraI want, or I have this yoni
(27:15):
kriya that I do because I reallywant to touch my feminine side
and get back into thatexpressive emotion, whatever the
case may be, I can step intothat practice and it it almost
like explodes my mind so that Ican take the pieces apart.
I have a temper and so I getfiery very quickly and I'm very
(27:40):
protective of my people andthings like that.
And so Kundalini has given methe ability to pause and take a
breath and have perspective ofunderstanding, and I think this
has been one of the biggestlessons I've gotten from it is
understanding that everyone iscoming from their own place and
that my anger is my own emotionand that's showing me something
(28:01):
deeper that is still stuck inthere and that these people that
are causing my emotion reallydon't have anything to do with
it and they're coming from theirown place, and so that gives me
that spaciousness of it.
So, yeah, I really think for mypractice, it really has one
helped me get through COVID andthat isolation because I'm a
people person and running aleading a community through that
(28:25):
crisis was a lot.
And with my own personalpractice, like I really had to
dive into my personal practiceto keep me grounded and anchored
and not lose my mind and reallycontinue to be a solid leader
that people could rely on.
And then the further awarenessof that emotion and intuition of
(28:45):
, oh, I do, my body really knowswhat's going on and if I listen
to it, it's always a hundredpercent right.
A hundred percent right.
It's just whether I choose tolisten to it or not.
Speaker 2 (28:58):
That's true, and I'm glad that you said that,
trusting your body and listeningto it, and I like the fact that
you bring in music and, yes,that's like a whole nother
episode.
Combining music and mantras isvery, very powerful and it's
also joyful, right, because youknow there is a joy that comes
from doing the, the, thekandilini.
(29:21):
So we talk about finding joyand we talk about, you know,
community and just having aspace and pretty much you're
really holding space for people.
Like you said, your emotions isyours and everybody's coming in
with their own emotions.
Beyond the physical benefits,how do you think that yoga
continues to like help people tohave contribute to their
(29:45):
emotional and mental well-being?
Speaker 1 (29:48):
Yes, okay, so I have a big answer to this question.
So we are stepping into andthis is kind of astrological as
well, but it goes back to energy, right like we are stepping
into Aquarius, like the age ofAquarius, like the old song,
your Donnie of the age ofAquarius, which I absolutely
love saying, like a couple yearsago 2021, I think is when it
(30:08):
really began that shift and Iwas like I was going around
everywhere saying, oh, we'restepping into the Donnie of the
age of Aquarius.
So right now in particular, too, like yesterday, the planet
shifted you've probably heard,pluto went into Aquarius as well
with the Sun, and so right now,we are all being asked to
transform, like everything isbeing crumbled down and most of
(30:30):
us feel some of that right.
Like things, the carpets beingpulled off from underneath us,
things are transitioning andshifting in ways that we aren't
necessarily prepared for, thatwe don't want, and whether
you're feeling that in generalor in your life, like we all
have moments in our life where,like the shit hits the fan and
what are we gonna do?
Because we don't have controland things aren't going the way
(30:53):
we want and our emotions get bigright.
And so yoga, and Kundalini, inparticular, gives us the ability
to regulate our nervous systemin a different way, and yoga
does this as well.
If we are not on our mat, wedon't know our bodies to the
(31:14):
level in which we canre-regulate our nervous system,
and everything we do on a yogamat, everything we do in a
Kundalini practice, has a veryprescribed benefit and impact to
our bodies, whether we know itor not.
And so when we're on our mat,we get to see our emotional body
(31:34):
from a different perspective.
And when we're moving our body,with our breath, with our sound
of our personal sound of ourown vibration our voice is our
own personal vibrations, like afingerprint, our voice is our
own then we have a whole notherlayer of that emotional body
that we are in touch with.
(31:55):
And right now, or in thosetimes of struggle and panic and
big emotions and upheaval, thepractice that we have gives us
the ability to step back intothat regulated nervous system,
the less reactionary part of us,of our existence, and have
(32:17):
different perspective of likeyeah, this is not what I want to
have happening, but you knowwhat.
I can handle anything that'sthrown my way and I may not want
this to be going on, or this isnot what I choose, but this is
what it is and I'm going tofigure out how to get through it
.
And then, on a greater pictureas well, we are being called in
(32:40):
to become light leaders.
Right, and I'm glad you broughtup joy, because our inherent
nature is joy and that joy iswhat needs to lead us forward,
like we need to move from ourheart, from our place of joy,
from our inherent nature ofbeauty and joy, and our yoga
practice is how we get in touchwith that, whether it's
(33:01):
Kundalini or yoga Kundalini,very much so, because we have
that breath, we have that sound,we have that movement all tied
together.
Like that just opens thechannels to that native state of
joy and intuition and we're allbeing called to step up to the
plate to change the world forthe better, to connect in a
different way, to lead in adifferent way, to call out the
(33:24):
dark and bring it into the light, and I mean that is from our
yoga practice.
We do that.
That was a big, deep answer butyou know what?
Speaker 2 (33:35):
I love the fact that you mentioned that we're
entering into the age ofAquarius and this is a in its
transformation, because I hadthis feeling and I was like I
don't know, I just felt likethis, I don't, I can't really
describe, I haven't really dugdeep enough, you know, in work
to like really understand likewhat was happening in the moment
.
But I knew change was happeningand I just I got up out of bed
(33:59):
and I was like I need to breathe, I need to do some mantras,
like I need to just shift alittle bit, to let go, because
what will happen will happen.
I can.
I can control me and what, howI react and what I do forward,
but those people around me Ican't control that.
But in this moment I cancontrol this moment, and that's
(34:21):
what I did.
And afterwards I just felt thislike sense of calm, the sense
of knowing, and are you bringingthat up?
I'm like, yep, that was yeah,that's what it is like, that's
what it is.
You know, like I like knowinglike what's happening around,
like where we're at, and youknow what's what's transpiring,
(34:43):
and that's really what I canreally start connecting things.
Speaker 1 (34:47):
Yes, I love that too.
And you know, if we don't haveour yoga practice, like, we just
get up and we have thesefeelings of like I don't know
what's going on.
I feel really yucky and I'manxious and I'm not sleeping.
I don't know what's going on.
Maybe it's your fault, you know, or maybe it's this fall, or
maybe I need a new job, or, andyou know, and with our yoga
practice, we have that ability,just like you said, to be like
okay, I don't really know whereit's coming from, I'm just gonna
(35:09):
take a minute, I'm gonnabreathe, okay, oh, now I feel my
nervous system coming down, andthat gives us that next step of
like you said, of like okay, Idon't know what this is, but I
know I can handle it and I'mgrounded in my body now and I'm
ready to move forward.
Speaker 2 (35:23):
Yeah, so powerful it is.
What advice do you give tosomeone who feels disconnected
like because sometimes we dofeel disconnected from our body,
from our spiritual self, andwhen people are considering not
just yoga but kandilini as apath of reconnection, what would
(35:44):
you, what advice would you giveto someone?
Speaker 1 (35:47):
My first advice, if you are in the throes of feeling
completely disconnected, is getin water.
That sounds like a weird answer, but that water element is
cleansing, it is grounding, itis releasing.
There's something about waterputting our bodies in water that
(36:08):
makes us shift.
So get in water, whether it's abath, whether it's you staying
in your shower, whether you goput your feet in a lake or the
ocean, or you just go even sitby that and you just feel that
in the air.
Get by water.
That will ground you back intothe moment.
And then I encourage you toreach out to communities, to
(36:28):
find communities, and know thatit isn't always going to be the
right fit the first time.
It's like finding the therapist.
Keep looking until you find theone that really resonates with
you.
I would love it to be me, Iwould love for everyone to be
part of my community, but I'mnot for everybody, and that's
(36:49):
okay.
I would rather people find theone that resonates with them,
because that's going to be themost powerful experience, and in
those moments of disconnect youdon't want to pull in more
disconnect, and so you want tobe able to find the community
that is right for you.
And so, yeah, I think thehardest part is taking that step
(37:10):
of walking into the yoga studioor going to practice online or
having a conversation withsomeone.
Bring a friend.
If you have a friend, that'llgo with you or do it with you.
That makes it a little biteasier.
But really, I think that firststep is get into water and the
second step is just go exploreGoogle, like online yoga or I
(37:32):
could give you names, like myteacher, brett Larkin, myself.
Follow those places that havereally inclusive, community,
supportive communities that youcan find to go.
Speaker 2 (37:45):
I like the fact that you said water, because there's
something about when I get fullall over the place.
And even my kids, like we.
Not too long ago theyexperienced a loss and the first
thing we did was pack up in thecar and we went to the ocean
and we literally set for likehours where no one said anything
(38:07):
and it was the most peaceful,energizing experience.
And then afterwards we got out,we laughed and everyone just we
felt good, like it's justsomething about it.
So I really love that in thatwe bring it back to community,
because even in that moment ofsitting there, we were all
sitting there, but it was asense of community that we were
(38:30):
there together.
We're all experiencingsomething different, but we're
still in community together andfinding that community.
And sometimes you may not findthe right one the first time.
That doesn't mean stop.
It just means you're going toeventually find the community
that works for you.
So, with that being said,before we wrap everything up,
how are you redefining self carefor yourself?
(38:54):
I don't like to think of selfcare as just one sauce fits all
box.
That means different things fordifferent people.
So for you, what does that looklike?
Speaker 1 (39:04):
I love that or feel like, yeah, totally.
And it's funny because in mycommunity I just posted that
question the other day of I gota many petty rate and I was like
is this self care?
What do you think Is this selfcare?
And it was a resounding yes.
But there's more to thatconversation of I think.
Again, when we say we'relooking for communities and my
(39:24):
community is inclusive, if youwalk into somewhere and it's
like, well, you have to do X, yand Z to be part of this, then
for me that's not me.
Maybe someone needs a littlebit of structure and that's fine
.
But for me I'm like, no, I'mnot going to tell you what to do
.
So with self care it's the sameway, right?
Someday self care can look likea walk outside.
Someday self care can look likebingey Netflix.
(39:47):
Someday self care can look likehanging out with my friends
going out at night, whatever thecase may be getting a manny
petty, but really I think it'simportant that you said that
feeling right, what does it feellike?
The most important part of thatself care is one understanding
where I'm at in my day, week,month, energetically, what's
(40:11):
coming Like if I'm heading to aretreat, if I'm leading a
retreat.
I'm not going to build myself.
I'm not going to do a lotbefore that.
I'm going to give myself timeto rest, Like I am going to
binge Netflix.
I'm going to sleep in if I can,I'm going to go to bed early.
I'm going to take a lot ofbaths.
I'm going to take all of thosethings because I know what's
coming Right, and afterwards I'mgoing to clear my schedule and
(40:33):
sleep and sit on my couch andread a book and hug my babies.
And that's what I'm going to do, right.
That self care Sometimes selfcare if I am feeling behind in
my business or I'm not surewhat's coming in my business or
I need to organize myself, likethat is like looking at my
financial statements andplanning events, that organizing
stuff that's self care too.
(40:54):
The bottom line is that itregulates my nervous system and
brings me back to a restingstate.
And if I do self care like,I'll be honest, when I got my
Manny Putty there, it wasn'treally self care because it
didn't really do much for me.
It was great.
I taught my friends.
I've, you know, my toes nailedare pretty, whatever the case
may be but it didn't do muchshifting for my body and as I
(41:20):
think about self care, there arethings that I know that always
bring me back to myself and giveme spaciousness, that sense of
spaciousness and calm.
And it is my Kundalini practice, right, it is always being in
water, like I love the water andso I always will go to the
water.
It's always putting my feet onthe grass or on the ground, bare
(41:41):
feet, you know, like I don'twear shoes, and right now we
have lots of snow and it'sdifficult to not wear shoes, but
I feel that in my nervoussystem, right, like, the more I
can put my feet on the ground,the more grounded I am, and so
with that, I think it is justthat checking in and giving
yourself permission to do thingsthat don't necessarily look
like self care, and in mycommunity, that's how I'm
(42:03):
shifting that perspective oflike, yeah, you know, self care
may look like sleeping for a day.
Self care may look like sayingno to something.
You know self care may look likedriving away and not coming
back for a week.
You know self care may looklike I don't even know, you know
, like getting your makeup onand doing your hair and going
(42:24):
out on the town for a fancynight Like.
How does it feel in your body?
That's the ultimate question.
And you know, I think we havethese cliches of, like you know,
massages and many pennies,which those are great self care,
don't get me wrong but theydon't always.
They're not always the selfcare we need.
Speaker 2 (42:40):
And so, giving ourselves permission to really
tune into what it is we need indoing that, I like the fact that
you connected the self, selfcare to how it shifts the body
to come to this state of feelingspaciousness, at ease, not
having the stress, and when wedo that as part of our self care
(43:02):
, when it relaxes us, when itreleases the energy.
That's the feeling that we wantwhen we're talking about
redefining self care.
So tell people, I guess, yes.
So tell people how they canconnect with you, how they can
find more about what you'redoing with Kondalini and maybe
join your community.
Speaker 1 (43:23):
I would love that.
So my community, it's aFacebook community.
Right now it is the AwakenedYoga Collective.
It's on Facebook.
It's a community of like mindedhumans getting together doing
yoga, kundalini, all thingsmanifesting and changing the
world.
So you can find me there.
You can also go to my website.
It is simply chrisbatsnercom.
I have a YouTube channel now,which is also just chrisbatsner,
(43:47):
where I have a lot of practices.
Next week is a full moon, andso you'll find full moon
practices coming up that arelive.
I also have lots of communities, so I have a yoga with Chris
community, which is a monthlymembership.
I have Kundalini community,which is all things Kundalini
and building community aroundthat practice of Kundalini.
(44:07):
You can find all of that on mywebsite, which is simply
chrisbatsnercom.
Speaker 2 (44:12):
All right, you guys, do not worry, I'm going to have
all that information for you inthe show notes so you can start
connecting with Chris andlearning more about how you can
transform your life withKundalini yoga.
All right, all right.
Now.
That is all the tea that wehave to share today, but guess
what?
You can join me each and everyTuesday for more delicious hot
(44:33):
tea.
Until next time, my friendsNamaste.
Right now, we are all being asked to transform, like
everything is being crumbleddown, and most of us feel some
of that right, like things thecarpet's being pulled off from
underneath us.
Things are transitioning andshifting in ways that we aren't
necessarily prepared for, thatwe don't want, and, whether
you're feeling that in generalor in your life, like we all
have moments in our life where,like the shit hits the fan and
(00:25):
what are we going to do?
Because we don't have controland things aren't going the way
we want and our emotions get bigright.
And so yoga, and Kundalini inparticular, gives us the ability
to regulate our nervous systemin a different way.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Hey there, I'm Makita , a small town girl with dreams
who started a podcast with anold headset and a laptop at my
kitchen table and made my dreamscome true.
On my podcast, time for Teawith Makita, we chat about
living life unapologetically, onyour terms, from career advice,
entrepreneurship, relationshipsand everything in between.
(01:06):
This is your one stop shop forreal conversations and
inspiration.
If you're looking forconnection, then you found it
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Join me every Tuesday as wedive into those sometimes hard
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So grab a cup of tea or coffeeand get comfy, because this is
Time for Tea with Makita, andthe tea is definitely hot.
(01:28):
Ever feel like you need a superpower boost of motivation with
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Well, say hello to your newinspiration hot spot, the
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You're a weekly infusion of bigthinking energy that will
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(01:48):
Sign up for the Tuesday TeaNewsletter today at
beautifullyunbalancedcom andelevate your goals to the next
level.
Welcome back.
It is definitely Time for sometea and I'm your host, makita.
First, I just want to say, as Ialways do, thank you so much
for sharing your time, yourspace and, of course, your
amazing energy with me today.
(02:09):
Today we are diving into thetransformation power of yoga and
community.
As Alan once wisely said, theonly way to make sense out of
change is to plunge into it,move with it and join the dance.
And today I have the amazingprivilege of speaking with Chris
(02:31):
.
She is a kandilini yogi whoembodies the philosophy of
guiding others to trust theirintuition and live fully.
Chris's journey in yoga is notjust about poses and then we're
dog, but it's also aboutconnecting deeply with oneself
and others.
So welcome, chris.
(02:53):
Thank you so much for joiningus.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
Thank you for having me, makita, this is lovely.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
Yes, as someone who has practiced yoga.
And then I kind of got out ofit and I was reminded why I
started in the first place,because it brings you to such a
deep connection.
And it actually led me to thepower of breath work, which I
use a lot, and you do use somuch breath work in yoga that I
didn't even realize it in thebeginning how much it connected
(03:21):
everything.
So I'm really excited to sitdown with you and just have this
conversation about helpingothers to connect deeply with
themselves.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
Yes, very much so.
I'm so glad you said that, andI love that you brought up Alan
Watts in the introduction.
I am not as familiar with AlanWatts as I should be, as I want
to be.
I have a student who was in oneof my teacher training programs
and he continually astounded meposts from Alan Watts, articles
from Alan Watts, videos fromAlan Watts, and so he is like my
Alan Watts feeder, and so Ilove that you brought him up in
(03:53):
the introduction to ourconversation today.
That's perfect.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Yes, you can let him know that too, Like guess what?
Speaker 1 (04:00):
happened.
I will.
I'm totally going to messagehim afterwards and be like you
got to listen to this podcast,because the first thing she said
was Alan Watts, you're going tolove it.
Yes, and I'm also really gladyou talked about breathwork and
because I think your experienceis so similar to so many
people's experiences with yoga.
Where we initially come to thepractice for, like that physical
(04:23):
practice, we're looking to haveour bodies feel better and kind
of, maybe get stronger, maybelose weight, whatever the case
may be, to come to a yogapractice.
Maybe we don't want, you know,strenuous work like HIIT or
weightlifting or anything likethat.
Maybe we feel the overwhelm andthe anxiety.
So we know that yoga can helpwith that.
But once people get on theirmat, my experience is that they
(04:45):
realize there's so much more toit than just the physical
practice and often in myexperience that's what gets
people to stay is everythingelse besides the physical
practice.
And I always say breath is thegateway to everything else, and
if you can't breathe, if you'renot breathing, you're holding
everything else to, and once youcan breathe, you can move your
(05:08):
body.
Once you can breathe, you canbecome aware.
Once you are aware of yourbreath, you're aware of
everything else around it.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
That is so true.
And the thing is, what led meto yoga was this I did a lot of
HIIT and I was like I neededsomething to bring me down, but
that I was like I want to tonenaturally, without weights, and
I was like I'm gonna try thisand see how it works.
(05:38):
And then I just fell in lovewith the simplicity of it, like
you just don't need a lot, youjust need yourself in a mat, and
if you don't have a mat, that'sokay.
You got carpet something, it'llbe fine.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
You can do it, just a little bit of space.
One of my teachers always saysthat even if you're just sitting
there imagining yourself doingthe poses and moving to the
practice, if you're breathingwith it, that's your yoga.
Like that's all you need, and Iabsolutely love that.
And that's one of the reasons Imoved into Kundalini actually
is because I have always taughtyoga very non-traditionally,
(06:14):
where a very accessible yogait's not Instagram yoga.
You don't have to stand on yourhead, you don't have to have
the lululemon pants, you don'thave to have the life for me mat
.
You don't have to spendthousands of dollars to walk
into a studio.
You can be in your pajamas, youcan be in your sweatpants, you
can be in your ready t-shirtthat you've worn all week.
You don't have to have a mat.
(06:35):
And Kundalini yoga does morethan that.
Like my teacher, guru Singh,and Brett Larkin when they were
teaching, that's what reallyattracted me to it is you don't
have to even have an hour to doa practice.
You don't have to.
You can do it from a wheelchair, you can do it from bed, you
can do it from anywhere, at anypoint.
You can do it in your kitchen.
We have the Grisht Ashram isthat concept of yoga of the
(06:58):
householder, and I think thatthe last couple of years have
shown us how things can change.
Traditionally, people had thatexpectation of oh, I'm gonna go
to this fancy yoga studio, I'mgonna have an hour and 15
minutes of yoga, 75 minute yogapractice, otherwise I'm not
really doing yoga.
And I'm gonna have the seatedmeditation, I'm gonna have
(07:20):
Shavasana and we're gonna ownand then I'm gonna walk out and
get my green tea and be doneright and like.
That's great.
If you have the privilege andthe ability to do that,
fantastic, good for you.
If you get to do that and youwanna do it, great.
But that's not reality.
I mean, I raised two daughters,I run a business, we have life
and 75 minutes for yoga is justnot attainable for me.
(07:43):
And so being able to havepermission to take 10 minutes in
my kitchen to do some forwardfolds, to stand in tree, to use
the counter to stretch my back,like fantastic and to stand
there and breathe as I'm doing,whatever I'm doing, that's yoga
and I love that.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
Yes, now let's just bring it back, cause there may
be some people that are new toyoga they're thinking about okay
, I wanna start this practice.
It sounds great.
Let's just rewind it back andjust tell people a little bit
about what Kondalini yoga is andwhat it represents, because it
embodies a lot of things.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
Yes, it sure does, and it has evolved, just like
other practices have.
So Kundalini yoga is one of thebranches of yoga, just like
Hatha, vinyasa, ashtanga, all ofthose different lineages of
yoga.
Kundalini is an ancient lineageof yoga as well.
It is more on the energetic,feminine side, so that Vinyasa
(08:46):
yoga, that Ashtanga yoga, isvery power yoga is strong and
structured and masculine energyif we're talking Mipya and Yang
Shakti, shiva energy, and so,like that strong power flow is
structured.
Kundalini is very much thefluid, intuitive, expressive,
feminine, traditionally feminine, classified energy and that
(09:10):
practice so it is.
There's familiar poses thatyou'd recognize from a
traditional yoga practice, butwe do them in a very different
way, and so the way I defineKundalini yoga is simply it's a
practice of breath, movement andawareness, and breath is always
first, just because breath isthe gateway, right, like I said,
(09:32):
like if you can't breathe,you've gone too far.
That's what I always say inclass If you can't breathe,
you've gone too far.
Back off a little bit.
And so with the Kundalini yogawe do what are called Kriyas,
and it's defined as a completeset of movements, basically when
it sums it up, and everythingwe do is focused on aligning the
energies in the body, openingour awareness to what's going on
(09:56):
within and around us and givingourselves time to shift our
perception.
And so let's say that we'redoing, like right now I'm doing
a sadhana, where we're doingsome twists right, and so we do
this movement side to side,twisting in whatever form or
where our hands want to be fortwo minutes, and that time can
(10:17):
be different depending on whatyou're trying to accomplish and
how much time you have.
But we do these movements fortwo minutes because that gives
our body time to recognize whatwe're doing, to get comfortable
with what we're doing and thento integrate the movements and
the understanding that comesfrom that movement.
And on an energetic level, weare starting to understand with
(10:42):
that breath.
It takes us time to pair withour breath.
I mean, you get it too right.
Like I'm in yoga practice andI'm trying to breathe, all of a
sudden I realize I've beenholding my breath for the last
30 seconds.
You know, after two minutes youhave to breathe, and so then
you start to catch that breathand realize how you are moving
with the breath, and so itintegrates all of that, all of
(11:04):
those components, in a verydifferent way so that you come
out of that practice Just yourawareness has shifted, your
physical body has shifted, yourenergetics are shifted and your
nervous system is much moreregulated.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
Yeah, cause I think some, for a lot of us, we are in
the masculine so much that theKundalini really helps you
transfer that energy.
And I think that's the mostrelaxing part of it is that
you're in that feminine energyand you're having that moment to
(11:38):
just sit with your breath andgo inward.
So I love that.
And you mentioned that you feelthat yoga is for everybody Not
everybody, but everybody.
Yes, how has this beliefinfluenced, like your teaching
style and the way you areconnecting with others as they
get into the practice and reallyfind themselves there?
Speaker 1 (12:01):
Yes, that's such a great question.
So when I owned my yoga studio,I really made it an inclusive
place for anyone who walked inthe door, and I still carry that
in the communities that I offeronline too.
No matter who you are, nomatter where you're from, no
matter how you present or whatyour background is or what
you're wanting or needing, orwhere you are in that moment,
(12:25):
you are welcome and everybodycan do yoga, even if you've
never touched your toes before,even if you have pins all the
way up your spine and can't moveyour back, if you've had hip
replacements, senior placements,all of that stuff.
If you're 99 years old all ofthose different ages and no
matter your size or your shape,everybody can do yoga, and so
(12:47):
the way I teach is very muchaccessible and inclusive.
It's trauma-informed.
I have had just a little bit oftraining in trauma yoga, so I
don't wanna say that I amtrained in that, but I have some
understanding of that, and so,even in the language of like
you're not, you don't have to dothis like, here are your
options.
This is what I'm gonna guideyou into, but if that doesn't
(13:10):
feel right in your body, here'ssome other things.
And if none of those feel right, you get to find what feels
good to you, and that's exactlywhat you should be doing.
So that kind of thing, becausethe last thing I ever want, no
matter where I am or what I'mdoing, is to have someone feel
like they have failed or thatthey feel uncomfortable in their
(13:30):
own bodies.
The goal of this is to loveyour body, to love yourself and
to really step into that fullestexpression of beauty, of who
you really are.
And our outward expression is,I think, an art form and we
should embrace that andencourage that in others.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
I like that you said art form, because it truly is
our bodies.
Everything like it is an artform and being able to move your
body and being so inclusive.
I love the fact that you talkedabout every body type, every
age group, no matter what yourphysical limits are, because you
(14:13):
know some people havelimitations, but you can do yoga
and there are very differentvariations that you can do, and
I love that you are creatingthis inclusive community For you
.
What have you noticed as beinglike the biggest impact that
(14:34):
you've seen in your community bybeing so inclusive and just
kind of welcoming everyone?
Speaker 1 (14:41):
That's a great question.
So I kind of enjoy watching newpeople come into our community
because as a culture, we havecreated this really open
community and I always tellpeople when we practice together
in person, like if you're new,you can't hide in the back
corner, because someone in thatroom is going to introduce
(15:04):
themselves to you and ask youwho you are and welcome you in
and want to get to know you.
Like we are not a communitywhere you can just hide in the
shadows, because we are going toembrace you fully.
And I think that's one of myfavorite parts of creating this
type of community is I lead theway and I, you know, I model
this type of behavior and Iexpect that out of people in my
community.
(15:24):
But it just snowballs, like youknow.
It's like that bubble in thewater that ripples out where
this is what I had, this is myintention for this, this is my
integrity, and everyone whocomes in starts to take that on
themselves, and so it just is abeautiful thing to watch others
do the same thing and welcomepeople in and make these
(15:46):
connections.
And you know you like, if thiswomen's retreat I just did last
weekend, a lot of those peoplewere new, like there were
usually.
I have a core group of peoplethat know each other and
practice together, and this onewas a little bit mixed up and it
was kind of great becauseeveryone was from different
walks of life and different agesand they're all there for the
same reason, but coming fromdifferent places and watching
them integrate and support eachother in so many different ways,
(16:11):
that's my favorite part of thistype of community.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
I love that and you know what I think that is.
I think people need to know thatbecause when you do if you ever
decide to, you know, go into ayoga studio or join Chris online
or you know, just to have theexperience there is such an
openness.
(16:36):
A lot of times, when you go toplaces like that, you're, you
know, you're worried about I'mnot going to be able to hit the
pose.
This is going to fall, I'mgoing to do something crazy and
everybody's going to look at meand I don't want to be the one
that you know embarrassesthemselves.
But everyone is there for theirown reasons and for most of the
time that I feel likeeveryone's there to release
something.
They're, you know they're thereto like find their own peace
(16:59):
and calm and to connect withothers, and I feel like there's
such a shifting of energy, likethe energy is always so high and
it's always so positive, likeit's always like this electric
energy that's just likesupercharges the room.
Do you feel that a lot Like?
I know you mentioned yourretreat Like the energy is just
(17:22):
like electric and you havepeople that are coming together
and like you're not going tohide.
Hi, my name is Makita.
Speaker 1 (17:28):
Yes, yes, totally yeah, and I love that and I
think that attracts people too,because in society we have
become so isolated, right, andwe're told to hold and keep
everything in and not expressand not be messy and not, you
know, mess up and not beemotional and not connect with
it.
(17:48):
It's dangerous, you know, andit's scary and people are scary
and what are going to?
People are going to think ofyou and when we have this space
of openness and like, yeah, comeon in, like I'm in my jammies
today, how about you?
You know, like I haven't washedmy hair in a week, but that's
okay, you know we're going to gobreathe together and it's going
to be great, and thinking it'smore online because you can't
smell me kind of thing, right,and so that I think, attracts
(18:13):
people, because that energy isstarting, it's like a beacon
right In the universe and thatold adage of like attracts, like
people are seeking out thattype of connection and we're
often told that we either don'tdeserve it or it's not out there
or whatever.
Those stories are in our ownheads, like when we kind of the
opportunity arises and we fallinto this or we just stumble
(18:35):
upon it.
Oh my gosh, what is this.
This is this feels so good,right, and I love that yeah.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
Yeah, I think one of my yoga is the only exercise,
well, form of exercise that I'veever done.
That I did not click like Ididn't continue it because I
wanted my body to look a certainway Like it was continued
because it.
It was a personaltransformation for me, like I
truly felt more graceful when Iwalked, I was aware of my
(19:04):
posture when I was moving, I hadthis increased flexibility and
joints that were hurting beforewere not hurting anymore because
of that.
Like I just felt more connectedbecause of it and, honestly, I
started yoga.
I was trying to think of likethe first time I did yoga it was
actually when Denise Austinused to do lifetime, which was
(19:28):
my age here.
Speaker 1 (19:30):
I love that.
I know it, I know it.
I'm right there with you.
Speaker 2 (19:33):
And I would do it with my mom because she used to
do to Austin.
So I would do it with her andwe would do the yoga together
and I just kind of continued itfrom there.
But how for you?
What was your personaltransformation for yoga?
Speaker 1 (19:50):
Yeah, so, like you, I did yoga with my mom and this
is how old I am.
Like we had the book with theblack and white pictures, like
the original yoga book with allthe black and white photos, and
we would just I would just openit and like I'd pick a pose and
we would do it together, likethat's how old I am, so that
I've done yoga my whole life,and in college I kind of moved
away from it because you knowlife, and when I started working
(20:14):
, my body started to hurt and Istarted to feel uncomfortable in
my body and like it was justnot being a yogi.
We know our bodies right and sowhen things start to go wrong,
we know very quickly and it'slike what the heck is happening
here.
I don't want this.
I heard I feel bad like youknow, I'm not sleeping well and
so I went and I found Pilates,first with a friend of mine, we
(20:35):
went to Pilates class and then Iremembered, oh, this feels a
lot like yoga.
And so after I had my firstdaughter, I started to do yoga
regularly.
I had returned to just yoga onmy own, like I had a yoga for
runners book, kind of thing thatI had found and was doing stuff
like that again.
And then I had never gone to ayoga class in my life and I was
(20:57):
in my 30s the first time Iwalked into a yoga class and I
hated it because I had had myown practice my whole life.
Like you're not going to tellme, like there were way too many
downward dogs, the breathingwas off, like I hated every bit
of it because I'd never had thatgroup yoga experience, right.
And so I gave it another trybecause I needed that community
(21:20):
at that point.
Right, I wanted that connectionof community and it was at a Y
and I think that was reallyformative in how I teach yoga,
because where I was going toyoga it was, it was a gym but it
was a community center and sothere were people from all walks
of life and all levels of yogaand I was fortunate enough to
really find a teacher that Iabsolutely loved, my first yoga
(21:40):
teacher.
She was, you know, it's justthis beautiful, human and very
spiritual and very calming andjust very insightful and a
lovely teacher as well.
And so I was able to have thatexperience as my first yoga
experience and I think that thatwas really what gave me the
motivation to do what I do nowand to teach yoga in the way I
(22:02):
teach, because then you know Iwould go to yoga studios and
like my favorite thing to dowhen I travel is to go to a yoga
studio.
I love just trying out and dodifferent yoga studios because I
just love that experience andlike immersing myself in that
culture of the yoga studio.
And some of them are matchesand some of them aren't, but
every place I go I really get alot out of it.
And and so that experience inthe Y then going to yoga studios
(22:26):
, it was like, oh, this isn't,this isn't for me, I don't have
the money to buy the things andI'm getting weird looks because
I'm in these ratty sweatpantsEven though I can do these yoga
poses, but like they clearlydon't want me here because I
don't look the right way and andI thought I'm, that's not yoga.
And so I kept going back to thatexperience at the Y, right,
(22:47):
like kept going back to thatcommunal experience and kept
going back.
And just because we may weigh alittle bit more, or we have big
hips, or we're five feet tall,or, you know, we have a limited
mobility, doesn't mean weshouldn't get that same
experience, and so that reallyit just always just reverts back
to.
I always go back to that firstexperience that I had in my yoga
class.
I don't know if that answeredyour question, did that it?
Speaker 2 (23:10):
did.
Yeah, no, I think we all haveour own, you know, personal
transformation.
And then you have things thatbring us back to that, that
grounding, like you know.
You step away for a little bitand then you're like I'm missing
something.
And for me, coming back, I wasinvited to speak at this
(23:31):
conference and I was luckyenough that the people that
invited me also let meparticipate in some of their
activities and was they havethis yoga instructor come and it
was so beautiful because theyhad like different, different,
like they had like differentrepresentations of like air and
(23:52):
fire and water.
They had all these rocks andcrystals around and they were
talking about the chakras, likeit was.
It was so amazing and I waslike this is why I love this,
and I didn't realize I had somuch stress and you know, just
all these things that were likehappening and like in that
(24:13):
moment it was like such a realrelease and I was like you know,
I was dealing with somethingand I didn't even realize, like
how much of a challenge that wasgoing on inside of me.
So I was like huh, and it likereally brung me face to face
with my challenges and helped meto like put a word to it
(24:35):
Because, like we say, you know,I was at the time.
I was like I'm having such suchanxiety, but it was like I'm
not having anxiety, I'm stressed, I'm worried.
That's not what it is.
You know, we give it names thatdon't really coincide with the
actual feeling and I was justcurious how has the practice
helped you, like, overcome somepersonal obstacles or challenges
(24:59):
?
Speaker 1 (25:01):
Well, first I want to just honor the fact that you
went to that place and you feltthat and you acknowledged it and
you, like, took it and lookedat it and explored what it
really was, because that is hard, like that is vulnerable and
that is hard and that is notalways the place that we want to
go.
So I just want to honor thefact that you did that and say
how amazing that is, and justhonor that experience first, and
(25:25):
then the things that I thinkreally stand out for me, the
things that has helped me themost, are really this Kundalini
practice.
In my past life, before I didyoga, I was a music therapist
and so I use music as therapy.
I worked in schools, I workedin hospitals, I worked in
nursing homes, hospice, all ofthose places, and the power of
music is just amazing.
(25:45):
That's a whole nother podcast.
But so that sound I understandthat sound and music is always a
deep connection for me andKundalini with that breath,
combining breath and sound,because we do a lot of mantra,
we do a lot of singing inKundalini, paired with movement
(26:06):
of a different type, likethere's just something about it.
I found Kundalini.
I found Kundalini before COVID,but I did my training and
really dive deep into it duringCOVID, during isolation and all
of that kind of stuff, and Ifirmly believe that I would have
had a very different experienceif I hadn't have found that
practice, because that deepawareness that comes from the
(26:29):
practice, of that breath andthat sound, and literally you
can just dump it all out andlook at it and then pick up the
pieces that you want.
And, like you said, so much ofwhat we are feeling is
misinterpreted or ignored, notintentionally, but just
misperceived.
And the practice of Kundaliniin particular gives us a
(26:52):
spaciousness to realize.
Oh, I'm feeling that in myshoulders and it's because of X,
y and Z or I call it downloadsof.
Like I'm stuck, I'm feelingstuck and I don't know what to
do in this situation, like it'skeeping me up at night.
Okay, what do I do?
I'm going into my mantra and ofwe know, wa guru or whatever
the case may be, whatever mantraI want, or I have this yoni
(27:15):
kriya that I do because I reallywant to touch my feminine side
and get back into thatexpressive emotion, whatever the
case may be, I can step intothat practice and it it almost
like explodes my mind so that Ican take the pieces apart.
I have a temper and so I getfiery very quickly and I'm very
(27:40):
protective of my people andthings like that.
And so Kundalini has given methe ability to pause and take a
breath and have perspective ofunderstanding, and I think this
has been one of the biggestlessons I've gotten from it is
understanding that everyone iscoming from their own place and
that my anger is my own emotionand that's showing me something
(28:01):
deeper that is still stuck inthere and that these people that
are causing my emotion reallydon't have anything to do with
it and they're coming from theirown place, and so that gives me
that spaciousness of it.
So, yeah, I really think for mypractice, it really has one
helped me get through COVID andthat isolation because I'm a
people person and running aleading a community through that
(28:25):
crisis was a lot.
And with my own personalpractice, like I really had to
dive into my personal practiceto keep me grounded and anchored
and not lose my mind and reallycontinue to be a solid leader
that people could rely on.
And then the further awarenessof that emotion and intuition of
(28:45):
, oh, I do, my body really knowswhat's going on and if I listen
to it, it's always a hundredpercent right.
A hundred percent right.
It's just whether I choose tolisten to it or not.
Speaker 2 (28:58):
That's true, and I'm glad that you said that,
trusting your body and listeningto it, and I like the fact that
you bring in music and, yes,that's like a whole nother
episode.
Combining music and mantras isvery, very powerful and it's
also joyful, right, because youknow there is a joy that comes
from doing the, the, thekandilini.
(29:21):
So we talk about finding joyand we talk about, you know,
community and just having aspace and pretty much you're
really holding space for people.
Like you said, your emotions isyours and everybody's coming in
with their own emotions.
Beyond the physical benefits,how do you think that yoga
continues to like help people tohave contribute to their
(29:45):
emotional and mental well-being?
Speaker 1 (29:48):
Yes, okay, so I have a big answer to this question.
So we are stepping into andthis is kind of astrological as
well, but it goes back to energy, right like we are stepping
into Aquarius, like the age ofAquarius, like the old song,
your Donnie of the age ofAquarius, which I absolutely
love saying, like a couple yearsago 2021, I think is when it
(30:08):
really began that shift and Iwas like I was going around
everywhere saying, oh, we'restepping into the Donnie of the
age of Aquarius.
So right now in particular, too, like yesterday, the planet
shifted you've probably heard,pluto went into Aquarius as well
with the Sun, and so right now,we are all being asked to
transform, like everything isbeing crumbled down and most of
(30:30):
us feel some of that right.
Like things, the carpets beingpulled off from underneath us,
things are transitioning andshifting in ways that we aren't
necessarily prepared for, thatwe don't want, and whether
you're feeling that in generalor in your life, like we all
have moments in our life where,like the shit hits the fan and
what are we gonna do?
Because we don't have controland things aren't going the way
(30:53):
we want and our emotions get bigright.
And so yoga, and Kundalini, inparticular, gives us the ability
to regulate our nervous systemin a different way, and yoga
does this as well.
If we are not on our mat, wedon't know our bodies to the
(31:14):
level in which we canre-regulate our nervous system,
and everything we do on a yogamat, everything we do in a
Kundalini practice, has a veryprescribed benefit and impact to
our bodies, whether we know itor not.
And so when we're on our mat,we get to see our emotional body
(31:34):
from a different perspective.
And when we're moving our body,with our breath, with our sound
of our personal sound of ourown vibration our voice is our
own personal vibrations, like afingerprint, our voice is our
own then we have a whole notherlayer of that emotional body
that we are in touch with.
(31:55):
And right now, or in thosetimes of struggle and panic and
big emotions and upheaval, thepractice that we have gives us
the ability to step back intothat regulated nervous system,
the less reactionary part of us,of our existence, and have
(32:17):
different perspective of likeyeah, this is not what I want to
have happening, but you knowwhat.
I can handle anything that'sthrown my way and I may not want
this to be going on, or this isnot what I choose, but this is
what it is and I'm going tofigure out how to get through it
.
And then, on a greater pictureas well, we are being called in
(32:40):
to become light leaders.
Right, and I'm glad you broughtup joy, because our inherent
nature is joy and that joy iswhat needs to lead us forward,
like we need to move from ourheart, from our place of joy,
from our inherent nature ofbeauty and joy, and our yoga
practice is how we get in touchwith that, whether it's
(33:01):
Kundalini or yoga Kundalini,very much so, because we have
that breath, we have that sound,we have that movement all tied
together.
Like that just opens thechannels to that native state of
joy and intuition and we're allbeing called to step up to the
plate to change the world forthe better, to connect in a
different way, to lead in adifferent way, to call out the
(33:24):
dark and bring it into the light, and I mean that is from our
yoga practice.
We do that.
That was a big, deep answer butyou know what?
Speaker 2 (33:35):
I love the fact that you mentioned that we're
entering into the age ofAquarius and this is a in its
transformation, because I hadthis feeling and I was like I
don't know, I just felt likethis, I don't, I can't really
describe, I haven't really dugdeep enough, you know, in work
to like really understand likewhat was happening in the moment
.
But I knew change was happeningand I just I got up out of bed
(33:59):
and I was like I need to breathe, I need to do some mantras,
like I need to just shift alittle bit, to let go, because
what will happen will happen.
I can.
I can control me and what, howI react and what I do forward,
but those people around me Ican't control that.
But in this moment I cancontrol this moment, and that's
(34:21):
what I did.
And afterwards I just felt thislike sense of calm, the sense
of knowing, and are you bringingthat up?
I'm like, yep, that was yeah,that's what it is like, that's
what it is.
You know, like I like knowinglike what's happening around,
like where we're at, and youknow what's what's transpiring,
(34:43):
and that's really what I canreally start connecting things.
Speaker 1 (34:47):
Yes, I love that too.
And you know, if we don't haveour yoga practice, like, we just
get up and we have thesefeelings of like I don't know
what's going on.
I feel really yucky and I'manxious and I'm not sleeping.
I don't know what's going on.
Maybe it's your fault, you know, or maybe it's this fall, or
maybe I need a new job, or, andyou know, and with our yoga
practice, we have that ability,just like you said, to be like
okay, I don't really know whereit's coming from, I'm just gonna
(35:09):
take a minute, I'm gonnabreathe, okay, oh, now I feel my
nervous system coming down, andthat gives us that next step of
like you said, of like okay, Idon't know what this is, but I
know I can handle it and I'mgrounded in my body now and I'm
ready to move forward.
Speaker 2 (35:23):
Yeah, so powerful it is.
What advice do you give tosomeone who feels disconnected
like because sometimes we dofeel disconnected from our body,
from our spiritual self, andwhen people are considering not
just yoga but kandilini as apath of reconnection, what would
(35:44):
you, what advice would you giveto someone?
Speaker 1 (35:47):
My first advice, if you are in the throes of feeling
completely disconnected, is getin water.
That sounds like a weird answer, but that water element is
cleansing, it is grounding, itis releasing.
There's something about waterputting our bodies in water that
(36:08):
makes us shift.
So get in water, whether it's abath, whether it's you staying
in your shower, whether you goput your feet in a lake or the
ocean, or you just go even sitby that and you just feel that
in the air.
Get by water.
That will ground you back intothe moment.
And then I encourage you toreach out to communities, to
(36:28):
find communities, and know thatit isn't always going to be the
right fit the first time.
It's like finding the therapist.
Keep looking until you find theone that really resonates with
you.
I would love it to be me, Iwould love for everyone to be
part of my community, but I'mnot for everybody, and that's
(36:49):
okay.
I would rather people find theone that resonates with them,
because that's going to be themost powerful experience, and in
those moments of disconnect youdon't want to pull in more
disconnect, and so you want tobe able to find the community
that is right for you.
And so, yeah, I think thehardest part is taking that step
(37:10):
of walking into the yoga studioor going to practice online or
having a conversation withsomeone.
Bring a friend.
If you have a friend, that'llgo with you or do it with you.
That makes it a little biteasier.
But really, I think that firststep is get into water and the
second step is just go exploreGoogle, like online yoga or I
(37:32):
could give you names, like myteacher, brett Larkin, myself.
Follow those places that havereally inclusive, community,
supportive communities that youcan find to go.
Speaker 2 (37:45):
I like the fact that you said water, because there's
something about when I get fullall over the place.
And even my kids, like we.
Not too long ago theyexperienced a loss and the first
thing we did was pack up in thecar and we went to the ocean
and we literally set for likehours where no one said anything
(38:07):
and it was the most peaceful,energizing experience.
And then afterwards we got out,we laughed and everyone just we
felt good, like it's justsomething about it.
So I really love that in thatwe bring it back to community,
because even in that moment ofsitting there, we were all
sitting there, but it was asense of community that we were
(38:30):
there together.
We're all experiencingsomething different, but we're
still in community together andfinding that community.
And sometimes you may not findthe right one the first time.
That doesn't mean stop.
It just means you're going toeventually find the community
that works for you.
So, with that being said,before we wrap everything up,
how are you redefining self carefor yourself?
(38:54):
I don't like to think of selfcare as just one sauce fits all
box.
That means different things fordifferent people.
So for you, what does that looklike?
Speaker 1 (39:04):
I love that or feel like, yeah, totally.
And it's funny because in mycommunity I just posted that
question the other day of I gota many petty rate and I was like
is this self care?
What do you think Is this selfcare?
And it was a resounding yes.
But there's more to thatconversation of I think.
Again, when we say we'relooking for communities and my
(39:24):
community is inclusive, if youwalk into somewhere and it's
like, well, you have to do X, yand Z to be part of this, then
for me that's not me.
Maybe someone needs a littlebit of structure and that's fine
.
But for me I'm like, no, I'mnot going to tell you what to do
.
So with self care it's the sameway, right?
Someday self care can look likea walk outside.
Someday self care can look likebingey Netflix.
(39:47):
Someday self care can look likehanging out with my friends
going out at night, whatever thecase may be getting a manny
petty, but really I think it'simportant that you said that
feeling right, what does it feellike?
The most important part of thatself care is one understanding
where I'm at in my day, week,month, energetically, what's
(40:11):
coming Like if I'm heading to aretreat, if I'm leading a
retreat.
I'm not going to build myself.
I'm not going to do a lotbefore that.
I'm going to give myself timeto rest, Like I am going to
binge Netflix.
I'm going to sleep in if I can,I'm going to go to bed early.
I'm going to take a lot ofbaths.
I'm going to take all of thosethings because I know what's
coming Right, and afterwards I'mgoing to clear my schedule and
(40:33):
sleep and sit on my couch andread a book and hug my babies.
And that's what I'm going to do, right.
That self care Sometimes selfcare if I am feeling behind in
my business or I'm not surewhat's coming in my business or
I need to organize myself, likethat is like looking at my
financial statements andplanning events, that organizing
stuff that's self care too.
(40:54):
The bottom line is that itregulates my nervous system and
brings me back to a restingstate.
And if I do self care like,I'll be honest, when I got my
Manny Putty there, it wasn'treally self care because it
didn't really do much for me.
It was great.
I taught my friends.
I've, you know, my toes nailedare pretty, whatever the case
may be but it didn't do muchshifting for my body and as I
(41:20):
think about self care, there arethings that I know that always
bring me back to myself and giveme spaciousness, that sense of
spaciousness and calm.
And it is my Kundalini practice, right, it is always being in
water, like I love the water andso I always will go to the
water.
It's always putting my feet onthe grass or on the ground, bare
(41:41):
feet, you know, like I don'twear shoes, and right now we
have lots of snow and it'sdifficult to not wear shoes, but
I feel that in my nervoussystem, right, like, the more I
can put my feet on the ground,the more grounded I am, and so
with that, I think it is justthat checking in and giving
yourself permission to do thingsthat don't necessarily look
like self care, and in mycommunity, that's how I'm
(42:03):
shifting that perspective oflike, yeah, you know, self care
may look like sleeping for a day.
Self care may look like sayingno to something.
You know self care may look likedriving away and not coming
back for a week.
You know self care may looklike I don't even know, you know
, like getting your makeup onand doing your hair and going
(42:24):
out on the town for a fancynight Like.
How does it feel in your body?
That's the ultimate question.
And you know, I think we havethese cliches of, like you know,
massages and many pennies,which those are great self care,
don't get me wrong but theydon't always.
They're not always the selfcare we need.
Speaker 2 (42:40):
And so, giving ourselves permission to really
tune into what it is we need indoing that, I like the fact that
you connected the self, selfcare to how it shifts the body
to come to this state of feelingspaciousness, at ease, not
having the stress, and when wedo that as part of our self care
(43:02):
, when it relaxes us, when itreleases the energy.
That's the feeling that we wantwhen we're talking about
redefining self care.
So tell people, I guess, yes.
So tell people how they canconnect with you, how they can
find more about what you'redoing with Kondalini and maybe
join your community.
Speaker 1 (43:23):
I would love that.
So my community, it's aFacebook community.
Right now it is the AwakenedYoga Collective.
It's on Facebook.
It's a community of like mindedhumans getting together doing
yoga, kundalini, all thingsmanifesting and changing the
world.
So you can find me there.
You can also go to my website.
It is simply chrisbatsnercom.
I have a YouTube channel now,which is also just chrisbatsner,
(43:47):
where I have a lot of practices.
Next week is a full moon, andso you'll find full moon
practices coming up that arelive.
I also have lots of communities, so I have a yoga with Chris
community, which is a monthlymembership.
I have Kundalini community,which is all things Kundalini
and building community aroundthat practice of Kundalini.
(44:07):
You can find all of that on mywebsite, which is simply
chrisbatsnercom.
Speaker 2 (44:12):
All right, you guys, do not worry, I'm going to have
all that information for you inthe show notes so you can start
connecting with Chris andlearning more about how you can
transform your life withKundalini yoga.
All right, all right.
Now.
That is all the tea that wehave to share today, but guess
what?
You can join me each and everyTuesday for more delicious hot
(44:33):
tea.
Until next time, my friendsNamaste.
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