What Power Yoga Actually Does to Your Body: The Science

[0:00] If you think yoga is just stretching in silence, you clearly have never sweat through power yoga next to Jen. No. Or you’ve never heard of a pose called destroyer of the universe. Yeah, that’s actually a real pose. Is that real? Today, we’re joined by two yoga instructors and business owners who are here to set the record straight. Okay. We’re going to bust some myths. We’re going to laugh about some weird pose names. And we’re going to reveal what yoga actually does for your body. This is the PTCH.

[0:30] What happens when a chiropractor and a physical therapist get together to make a health and wellness podcast? Chiropractors and physical therapists don’t like each other. Oh, think again. I’m Dr. Kathy Lynch, physical therapist who likes to help people move and get stronger. I’m Dr. Jason Young, an evidence-based chiropractor who uses humor just as much as adjustments to help people get better. Welcome to the PTCH Podcast. Remember, there’s no I in PTCH. All right. Well, welcome everybody back to the PTCH. I’m Jason Young. I’m a chiropractor. I’m Kathy Lynch, physical therapist. Okay.

[1:00] And we have our guests here. Welcome. We have Nicole Cooks Gariano. That’s you. That’s me. Hi, everyone. Hello. And then calling in, we have Jen Alder. Hi, you guys. Good to be here. And so Nicole and Jen, we’re so excited to have you as guests. They are the founders of Willamette Valley Power Yoga right here in Corvallis, Oregon. I’ve been friends with them for a long time. Some of my favorite people. And so we’re so happy to have you here to learn some yoga-ish

[1:30] stuff. Okay. Thank you. I’m really excited to have you guys in the studio. As a physical therapist in town, I do see some of your clients, but not because of what happens in yoga — it’s just other reasons. And I usually ask my patients, “Well, what do you like to do for exercise?” And when they say, “Oh, I go to yoga,” and I ask where, and they say, “Willamette Valley Power Yoga,” it just kind of warms my heart because I know when they’re there, they’re being taken care of, and I know that when they leave the clinic, they’re going to be

[2:00] doing exercises that are going to help their body. So thank you guys for being here. Good stuff. Just the very best. And like, sometimes when I hear that people are doing yoga, I go like, “Woo!” Okay. Because people can hurt themselves doing yoga, usually if they’re like, “Oh, I’m going to get on a YouTube channel and do a savasana.” Is that a thing? Yes, it sure is. It is. Okay, that’s a word, right? They probably wouldn’t injure themselves. That’s the corpse pose at the end. So usually not a big injury pose, but it’s possible.

[2:31] So we’ve plumbed the depth of my yoga knowledge. Good. It’s done. We got it. That’s it. Yeah, you’re going to learn a lot. So maybe we should hear from the experts at this point. I’m going to be quieter. Oh, okay. Can you guys tell us how you got started with this business? Sure. Sure. Sure. So I started doing yoga about — I was trying to remember when — before I came here, 18, 19 years ago, I think. I grew up dancing, and so doing yoga just was something I liked. I liked

[3:02] kind of the choreographed movements. That’s what the yoga poses felt like to me. And so I started taking classes just at the Benton Center. And I would come over here and take classes, and it was a great way to meet people, to get out, to move my body. It just was fun. And I also took some at a little local ballet studio that we had in town. And then about two years after my first daughter was born, I started having just a lot of health trouble. I had a stillborn. I had two miscarriages. It was just going through a lot of infertility stuff with,

[3:33] you know, all the hormone injections, and it was just really taking a toll on my mental health. It was taking a toll on my body. And so yoga started just feeling better and better and became really like a reprieve for me. So one weekend we were on vacation in central Oregon over in Bend, and literally we were walking to a coffee shop and I stumbled into a yoga studio. I’d never been to a class that was heated. I didn’t even know there was such a thing as hot yoga at that time. I’d never been to a power yoga class. I

[4:03] — vinyasa is like where the poses flow from one to the next. I’d never been to a class like that. I see. I knew that. I knew that about vinyasa. I knew that. Yeah. It’s what makes it — for the dancers, it’s the part that we like, because it connects one pose to the next, which makes it really fun. It’s like break dance yoga. Sure. Sure. Actually, some of the poses actually kind of look like break dance moves. Yeah. Yes. Totally. So anyway, I went into this class. It forever changed me. One time was all it took.

[4:34] And I was like, “Wow, something has shifted at a cellular level. Something just shifted and my body really felt just healthy and strong and aligned” — in the heat and moving that way. And so over time I ended up loving it so much, I just kept finding all these excuses to go to central Oregon. It was like several times a month, every week I was finding a three-hour drive. I know. It was dedication. It meant that it was working and it meant that much to me. I just was hooked at that point. So your cells had been changed. Yeah, they really had. Something changed.

[5:06] DNA level. Yeah, it was — I think it was just like divine timing. It was perfect timing. So at that point I decided, you know what I’m going to do is go and learn a little bit more about this. Back in the day there used to be a magazine called Yoga Journal magazine — I think it’s just an online thing now — but they had a big conference in Colorado and I went there and I took like a three-day immersion on this specific type of yoga. It was created by Baron Baptiste. I took a three-day immersion with him and the next thing I knew, like a month later, I

[5:36] was going to the teacher training. It just — I couldn’t get enough of it. And so a few months after that I started teaching at my home. I just had a little home studio in a little A-frame attic in our old barn. Oh my gosh. And so I just started teaching there, and I really thought when I went it would just be like my mom. Yeah. Like maybe a couple friends would come every once in a while. And then it just grew from there. Wow. Nice. Wow. And that’s how I met her — and that’s Jen enters the story. Yeah, I met her in her

[6:08] little A-frame studio. So oh, wow. Okay. Yeah. No, I had been invited — like, I don’t know, I think it was 15 years ago — I had been invited by a group of friends to run the Hood to Coast. You know that? Like, yes. In the past episode we talk about my attempts to run the Hood. You and I can have a conversation because I was asked late in the game and they gave me leg number two, which means you’d start on top of Mount Hood. I had — I had — and I wasn’t prepared for that.

[6:38] So, by the time I was done running Hood to Coast, my knees were a little mad at me, my thigh muscles were a little mad at me, and I was sitting in my hairdresser’s — listen to this — my hairdresser’s seat, and I was like, “I don’t know. I can’t run anymore. I’m really stressed out. I don’t know how.” She’s like, “You know what you should do? You should go to this yoga thing I’ve heard about. There’s this lady and she’s teaching yoga out of her house and it’s amazing. Like, you should go.” And I was like, yoga? I mean, I don’t know. She’s like, “No, no, Jen,

[7:09] you got to go. She’s amazing. She’s amazing.” So I drive over to Nicole’s house and I don’t know her at all at this point. And I literally pull up and it’s like a home, and I texted Amy, my hairdresser. I was like, “Do I just walk into her house? I don’t — I don’t know what to do. Like, am I allowed?” And she’s like, “Yes, go in.” And I walked in and Nicole is lovely and welcoming — “How’d you hear?” — and I took the whole yoga class, and similar to Nicole, it was a life-changing experience. I got into Savasana,

[7:39] Jason. Oh, yes. I love Savasana. Definitely my favorite part. I was just — you know, I just had like a physical, like, crying reaction response because it really was the first time I felt like, wow, I’ve really been in my body. Like, I’ve really experienced my physical body in a way that I had just felt disconnected from my body for a multitude of reasons for so many years. But it was beautiful, and then from there, kind of like Nicole, I was like, “Well, wait a second. I want to learn more about this.” Y’all are

[8:09] making me feel like I don’t do yoga, right? Did it change your life? That was a good stretch. No, I did not become a new being. Or — darn it. Maybe you should try again. I know. Well, I am signed up for some classes. Yeah, me and Mandy are going to go, but we’ve been waiting for our kids to get done with their sports. Yeah, you could just fill in that pause with whatever words you want. So,

[8:39] man, this sounds really exciting though. Like, now I’m just pumped up for it. That’s great. You’re ready to transform? Definitely. I’m Optimus Prime, destroyer of the un— so how did you guys turn it then, move this up to a business? Yeah, so — like Jen — there’s four of us who co-founded Power Yoga, and one of the co-founders, Jessica, we’d known each other for years. Melinda, similar to Jen, she just came for classes. And the four

[9:10] of us just really made a connection and decided we’re going to do this together. And so we closed down my — because they were all teaching with me then at that — so that I could start practicing yoga. I had people like, “Oh, there’s enough people coming.” And it was kind of silly. I would do like a waiting list on my phone, and then like Angie would call and be like, “Well, I have a dentist appointment. I need to cancel.” So I’d call the next person on the list like, “Do you want to come?” ‘Cause Angie can’t

[9:40] come. So it was like, you know what? It was a business. It was. And it was just — you didn’t make a business, you just had a business. Just had a little business. And so we decided, the four of us, to do it together. And so we opened our first studio April of 2015. So we just celebrated our 10 year. Congrats. That’s so awesome. That’s not how our businesses started. Like, I wasn’t just like, “Oh, I’m giving adjustments.” And no. Oh, do you want to come get adjusted? No. No. But that’s awesome. That’s how you know you have a really good thing, though. It’s like when it’s like this is grassroots. Yeah.

[10:11] I love it. That’s cool. Organic growth, as they call it. Mm-hm. Mm-hm. So we know that you were like the kind of the heart and soul of it getting it started. So, like Jen, what were you bringing to the equation? Like, what was your background where you were like, “Yes, yes, I’m gonna help pick this up and run with it.” Hopefully I didn’t put you on the spot. I totally put you on the spot. No, I don’t know. You know, at that time, at that point, Jason, I was teaching in the Corvallis school district. Okay. And I — it was never like part of — I

[10:43] never like wanted to run a business. I guess I just really liked to teach, and it was just this natural — I don’t know what I can really say about it except it was this natural evolvement for, like, the next stage of life. So I don’t know what I brought to it. That’s probably a question for the other ladies. A real big enthusiasm, I guess, is what I would say — for the practice and for our community and just for like bringing people together. I think that’s the best part about yoga is you just get a whole group of people together and it’s a good time. We have a good time in

[11:13] there. Yes. Yeah. And I think that’s something that you’re both excellent at. It’s like — it’s like — you don’t get to hear this, but I do. Like whenever people talk about it, it’s like, “I’m going to go do yoga with the cool kids,” right? And so I think that’s part of the big value in it — you guys are excellent at bringing people together. And now I’m hearing that the yoga is good, too. So yoga is pretty good, too. There is something really special about — like the communion that happens when people are

[11:44] just moving their bodies and breathing together. It’s just — and it’s kind of one of those like — there’s unspeakable — there’s not a lot of words to — but it’s like an effervescence. I compare it to like, you know, when you go to a concert and everyone’s like singing and you feel so connected to the people next to you and you don’t even know them, strangers, but you still feel very connected and very present, and so it’s a similar kind of feel like that. It’s a vibe as they say, sis. It’s a vibe. It is absolutely a vibe. Nobody under the age of 40 watches this, but we just want to give you the tools

[12:15] to communicate with your young. Thank you. It’s a — it’s — come for the vibes. It’s a vibe and a bop. Come for the vibe. I think — I think a bop is a thing, too. Well, we — I think it’s — I think that’s music, right? I was going to say we do — we do some yoga classes to music. So, yeah. So, it’s a come for the vibe. Is this a yoga? Is this a yoga move? It could be. Okay. So, it’s not — okay, great. Okay. So, it’s not — it’s not — it’s not one. I told you, Kathy. Oh my gosh. And your studio has a great vibe. It does. Yeah. So, this is your

[12:45] second location. Yeah. So, we — technically third. It’s not the apron, right? Good point. Very good point. Yeah. We had — we had a little studio. We started in Albany. We had to close the Albany studio during CO — COVID was just — as you guys just — rough on the whole — and — so but our — I heard that yoga cures COVID though. I don’t know about that. I don’t know about that. Are you sure? I mean, sure. Sure it does. That’s what they taught him in chiropractic school. Yeah. Ouch.

[13:16] Brutal. Can you turn off her video stuff? Okay. Gosh. That was — you’re good. Okay. Sorry about that. Love me to the heart. Oh goodness. Well, so the first time I ever went into your current studio, I was — I was teaching — you — you train yoga instructors. We do. Yeah. And so I was helping out. I was lending some nerd

[13:46] power and I remember like feeling really actually kind of intimidated because I was stepping into yoga culture and, you know, I — you can’t tell by looking at me but I don’t do a ton of yoga. Not yet. Not yet. You’re about to start. Yeah. I know. Like people are like, “Oh, yogi.” And I’m like, “No.” So I was going to do this and I was like, “Mandy, I’m going to go to like, you know, Jenn and Nicole’s studio to teach some people about some anatomy, like some pathology,

[14:16] strains, sprains, things like that.” Like I need more Lululemon. You do? Yeah. You remember this? You remember me walking in and that’s like virtually all that I wanted to talk about was how much Lululemon I was wearing, right? And I just — I just always wanted to reassure people. I’m wearing Lululemon. So you trust me. Yeah. But I remember it was so hot and I was like, “It’s hot in here.” And you’re like, “Yeah, we turned down the heat because we thought that it might be too warm for you.” And I was like, “Okay.” So yeah. So I’m excited to

[14:48] like to get into this. This is going to be good. This is going to be good. Well, should we get into some of these misconceptions that people have? Mhm. All right. Well, what do you say to people — because we just heard that it’s clearly not just stretching, correct? Right. So, what do you say to people who think that yoga is just stretching? Jen, you go take that one. Well, you know, I think people come to yoga for a multitude of reasons, right? And a

[15:19] lot of people do come because they think, “Oh, I need to stretch.” And there is for sure an aspect of the yoga practice that allows for muscles to stretch. But yoga is actually just about strengthening and getting physical inside your own body. So actually — yoga just really — the word yoga means union, and it means union between breath and body. So it is about holding poses and postures, which we call — here’s another word for you, Jason — we call them asanas. There you go.

[15:51] Asana is just the name of one of the poses, and when you practice yoga you are practicing holding a pose and breathing with that pose and connecting your mind and your breath and how your movement is going. So yes, you’re stretching, but also you’re strengthening muscles. You’re becoming limber. You’re actually getting a little bit of a cardiovascular workout as well. So it is a wholehearted, full-spectrum workout in my opinion. Yeah. And when people say to me, “Oh, well, yoga

[16:21] is stretching. I don’t need stretching.” I say, “Have you ever seen warrior pose?” Yeah. Because that is not a stretch. No, it’s — and it’s deceptively tricky, right? It is hard. Yeah. So, do you guys remember P90X, who is not a sponsor of this show? I remember they have a yoga — yoga. And so I ordered P90X once upon a time and I remember it showed up and I think I was working that day and I like had all the DVDs and I was like I

[16:53] don’t have time for a whole workout so I’m just going to try this yoga one, ‘cause this will be easy. Holy crap. It’s 45 minutes of yoga and they just kept doing the same thing over and over and over. Like I did it the first time I’m like, “Oh, no big deal. This is just like a really slow push-up.” But they kept doing it and doing it and doing it and doing it. I lasted about 15 minutes and I was like — and I threw P90X in the trash because I was like, this is supposed to be the easy stuff. So yoga is no joke. It’s not just that slow push-up that’s

[17:23] called chaturanga. And there are — that sounds delicious by the way. There are — there’s — there’s what, like dozens of them in the sequence? Like if you come to an hour class you’ll do a lot of those. I would like a dozen chaturangas, please. Sounds good. Yeah. What about when somebody says you have to be flexible to do yoga? Oh, I mean, that’s kind of like — what would that be like saying — like I have to get in shape so I can go running, or go to the gym. Yeah, right. Yeah, I’ve

[17:54] got to do that first. So, no. And I will say I’m — I personally am a big proponent for the heat, and it can be — I mean, the postures are ancient. They’ve been around longer than any of us and they were originally practiced in India in the heat, and so we have infrared heaters in our studio, but you can get the same thing. You can just practice outside right now when it’s nice and warm, or in a heated room. So that really helps with our folks who come in who look — like, “I can’t touch my toes,” and they’re frustrated. Just having the heat — it does a lot of great things, but in one

[18:24] way it just gives people a little bit more accessibility, because it’s not fun to try to touch your toes when it’s 65° and cold, you know? You’re just not going to get much. So in that way it’s really helpful. And the range of motion that happens over time, doing it over and over again — that’s the rewarding part. That’s what we’re looking for. Yeah. How hot is it? We do 90°. Okay. Yeah. Just a balmy 90°. Nice and balmy. Yeah. So, I have a question that’s not on the list, but

[18:55] This is something I’ll suggest to patients, like maybe you should do yoga, right? Because we’re always looking for some sort of — like we tell everybody you need to be active, and I think the most important thing is that you find something that you love. That’s more important than going to the gym or going for a run or anything like that. Find something that you enjoy doing. So sometimes I recommend yoga, and I got to say this in the right accent. Some people go, “Well, I’m a Christian. I don’t do yoga.” What? Yes. Okay, you’ve heard this. So, so what about the people?

[19:26] That’s a new one for me, like they have to — this is some different religion that they have to join if they want to do yoga. Like, do you guys ever run into that? People are like, “Well, I don’t know. I don’t know. Jesus doesn’t want me doing yoga. It’s in the Bible.” I don’t know if it is. I don’t know if there’s any chores there. So — I have heard that. I’ve heard that a few times. And what would I say? Of course, yoga does have its roots and its origins in

[19:56] Buddhism, but we — as a western society — have taken yoga and made it very accessible to all people and practitioners. And I would just say, especially at our studio and the yoga that we practice, it’s accessible for all. So whatever you want to find there, it’s available for you. And there’s — they just — all are welcome. There isn’t a certain religion you have to be. There’s

[20:27] not a certain thinking that you have to have. You’re just there to really have an embodied experience. So that’s cool. So there are no sermons, just to confirm? No. No. And it’s cool because there are people who — I mean, it’s a mindfulness practice — and so a lot of people will share with me that they will have a real — they’ll feel very connected spiritually, and it can be to whatever, you know, they — so it’s just for the individual. Some people tell me that when they’re in their Shavasana, that’s when they say a prayer. When they’re doing — they’re using

[20:57] it as a moving meditation in their — so it’s — yeah, it can be very individual, kind of non-denominational. Totally. Totally. We just hopefully — yeah. We hopefully just offer them a very physical experience so that then they get to — yeah — really choose what the experience is like for them and what they want to do with that. That’s good. Yeah. I would always just tell people, I was like, “Jen goes to my church, so it’s fine. It passes and they haven’t kicked her out. So I think you’ll be okay.”

[21:30] Do we need to talk later, Jen? Maybe. Well, the thing about — for me the thing about yoga, and maybe this kind of segues into it, is like so often in our society we are so in our heads, like right in our thinking — that’s what’s really important — like we put a lot of emphasis on our knowing and our knowledge. And when you’re in a heated space where you’re doing a yoga practice that’s really meant to be embodied, you get to drop out of your head and you get to drop into your body. And that can be what people might

[22:01] experience as enlightening, or spiritual, or just a new way of experiencing themselves rather than the thinking, loud mind. So cool. I love it. When I do warrior pose, I’m very enlightened. You think of a lot of good words there. I think I’m in my body — like, what are my quads doing? They’re screaming at me. Oh, spiritual quads. Let the Holy Spirit come down my quads.

[22:37] Oh my gosh. So, should we go to — here? Yeah, let’s go. All right. So, let’s say that I’m a new yoga practitioner. I mean, let’s just pretend, right? Use your imagination. So if I’m brand new to yoga and I want to get started, like give me — give me what you would tell somebody who wants to get started, and maybe give me both versions. I want the “hey, come to Walnut Valley Power Yoga” version, but like what about

[23:09] if somebody isn’t around here? Like, what would you tell them in terms of a great way to get started with a yoga practice? I think that — I do think that actually a power yoga practice is a great place to start because it’s — it’s movements that are — again, they’re ancient poses — and they are mimicked in all kinds of different movements that we do at a gym. A lot of our students see you at physical therapy and they’re like, “Wow, this pose is just like my physical therapy that I go to.” We’re doing a lot — there’s a

[23:40] lot of crossover. We’re doing a lot of the same stuff. So I think a power yoga class is a great place to start. And the main thing that we would tell people, just over and over again, is to come and just do what you can. And the whole purpose is actually to listen to your body. It’s not to try to keep up with other people. We purposely don’t put mirrors in our studio because we want to know what it feels like — way more important than what it looks like. So we just encourage people to come. We don’t do like, “Oh, go to a beginner’s class or something.” We don’t do that at

[24:12] — we really don’t. It’s just come, and then our job is to really create a space and a container for them to feel safe and empowered to just work it at their own pace, and we show them modifications and variations for it. We have really great staff who are really well trained and know how to do that. But I think power yoga is perfect because they’ll recognize some of the movements. Like Jen said, they’re going to feel — there are different points in the practice we’re moving quicker, you’re going to feel a little cardio, you’re going to feel your heart, you know — and then the end of the practice we have lots of time to stretch and really kind of get deep into those poses

[24:42] when your body’s warm. So I’m biased, and I actually think that power yoga is a perfect sequence of postures for everyone — beginners all the way till — you know, we have people in our studio, we’re lucky, that are very like 40, 50 year practitioners that are in our studio. So it works for everybody. Can you — can you for our listeners kind of explain the difference between different kinds of yoga, like power yoga? Yeah. Yeah. We offer power yoga, and then we

[25:12] also offer yin yoga, and yin is just — it’s like yin to the yang. So it’s — it’s like the battle yoga. Yeah, it is. They are the exact opposites of each other. So we offer — I’m going to sign up for that. Okay. Yeah. And it’s — you know what, Jen and I — put me in wrestling yoga. Wrestling yoga. Yeah. Yes. WWF yoga or something. I don’t know. WWFY, I think. Right. Power. Oh my gosh. Jen and I would talk about this all the time. Yin yoga is kind of the exact

[25:42] opposite of power yoga, which power yoga is really designed to work in the muscles and to really build stamina, strength, stability, all of those things. And then yin is actually we’re looking at getting into joints, connective tissue. And so it’s in a cool room that we hold the poses for 3 to 5 minutes. It’s a very what is it like a contemplative practice which can — for me I actually find it more hard. I would rather sweat my high knee off

[26:12] and do some handstands and in a power and having to sit with myself and really be in my — so it’s they’re they’re difficult and challenging in their own way. But those those are the two types we offer. And I I’ll just say there’s there’s lots of other studios around in town and all over that offer all different types of — I mean there’s tons of different types of yoga and I think they’re all — I think they’re all beautiful. These are our favorites so that’s what we offer. Yeah. Yeah. Understood. Like I’ve heard of like chair yoga and like all kinds of

[26:43] different things. Yeah. Is there like a yoga that’s purely savasana? Just asking for — yoga nidra. Yoga nidra. That’s it. We offer that. Yeah we do. Yoga Nidra is sleep yoga, Jason. Sleep yoga. Oh, that sounds amazing. I feel like I need a t-shirt though that says I’m not allowed to savasana. I’m always working, right? Oh my god. I’m hustling. No time for savasana. Right. Can we take a quick — I’ll savasana when I’m

[27:13] dead. Can we take a quick second and talk about goat yoga? Oh, that’s a great idea. What do you guys think about goat yoga? Or is this — oh my gosh. Have you ever done it, Nicole? I haven’t done it. Yeah. No, I did puppy yoga earlier this year. That sounds amazing. I mean, what what could be bad about that? I’ve got to send a quick message to my wife. Turn off the podcast. Stop watching. There’s there’s no such thing as puppy yoga. Stop it. Yeah. I will I — Mandy, talk to me. They have in Portland and they have different puppies every week. It is

[27:43] phenomenal. I you know I know I think actually the origins of goat yoga are right here in Corvallis which — honestly is that’s kind of a big deal because it’s a huge deal now across the world. Yeah. I don’t I don’t know a lot about it. I’ve never done it but I totally get the draw. I mean I would want to do that and it’s just about like moving. I mean the best part about moving your body is that you get to be like present and aware and how joyful to have — I heard they like get on your back and like yeah. I mean, it’s I don’t

[28:14] know. We’ve done yoga on a farm before. It’s different. There’s, you know, sounds, smells, you know, lots of things happening, but it’s — I mean, it’s fun. You can do yoga anywhere. I guess that’s the point. That’s a really good point. Yeah, that’s a really good point. I just thinking about the smells. Yeah. I mean, on a farmyard with goats, you’re gonna — it’s gonna happen. That’s a — yeah, I haven’t thought about that. Okay, how about this? This is another kind of off-script question, but are are there ways that yoga is being abused

[28:46] like because it’s highly commercialized at this point, right? And so are there — is there some like yoga that is like, “Hey everybody, look out for that. Don’t don’t yoga there.” Look at you asking the tough question. Hard-hitting journalism. To pick a side, ladies. Well, you know, there’s been there’s been documentaries out there that you’ll hear about like the gurus who have had problems with their following.

[29:18] All I’ll say is the yoga practice in and of itself is beautiful. The asanas are beautiful and be wise and listen to your inner self as you pick studios and pick teachers and yeah, I don’t think there’s any yoga that I would say is bad or not to do, right, Nicole? I mean, yeah, just like yeah, just be aware of what’s out there and how you feel when you walk in and if it’s a place that feels like it’s a match across the board, whether

[29:48] you know like, okay, this studio really works for me. This feels like home. That should be that should be your guiding — you are the guide on that. I like that. Yeah. Like there was a Netflix thing like with — I’m going to say his name — Bikram. Like nobody says that name anymore after the Netflix thing. Yeah. It’s like you say the B-word, people people want to smack you. So yeah. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. It’s a it’s a tricky thing because it it is a — people practicing — we it’s it’s a privilege. People are being very

[30:20] vulnerable and coming in and and practicing and putting themselves out there or whatever. So it’s yeah, it’s a privilege to get to lead people in something like that. And so it is it is upsetting when there’s something abusive and predatory that happens. And yeah, so we just — most — that we try to tell students and our teachers over and over tell them like that you are the guide and at any — I mean yeah if something doesn’t feel right yeah then that’s not for you and that’s that’s great actually. Right. Trust your

[30:50] gut and like you said listen to your body. Yeah. Yeah. Well, and I think that that’s actually kind of a neat thing because what it shows is that the practice of yoga is powerful and practicing yoga in a group is powerful because yoga is not different from other things. It’s not different than like practicing medicine or being a teacher or anything like that where you have a power dynamic and so where there’s power there is power being abused. And so I I think that

[31:21] you know to kind of flip that on its head that shows that yoga is powerful and that there’s an element of trust there because — and we know this because people have abused it — and where you have power there’s the potential to help and there’s also the potential to hurt and so let’s use yoga for the power of good and not evil. That’s right. Yes. That’s a good way to live life. That is a good way to live life. Yes. And more savasana.

[31:52] So, do you all have a favorite pose? Oh my gosh. It depends on it depends on the day and the practice. Yeah. I was trying to think because you kind of gave us a hint that this was going to come and I was like, what is my favorite pose right now? And so that’s that’s all I can say. Right now my favorite pose is half moon. Okay. Okay, that one. Oh, half moon. Are you — you know the — it’s kind of a question. It’s kind of a tight space, but — oh, girl, I’m half mooning all the time. Trust me. Yeah. I mean, you should

[32:23] see me try and fix something in the house. Everybody’s telling me that I’m half-mooning. So, it comes at the mid — kind of the midway mark of our practice. And so you’re balancing on one leg and you just get to open like — and so it just feels open-hearted. It feels free. I feel super — what do I — I just feel super alive when I’m in that pose. Yeah, that’s it pretty much. That’s it. On one leg, arms outstretched. Yes. Okay. I love it. But like I said, it changes.

[32:54] That’s mine right now. Do you have a favorite posture right now? Yeah, you’re right. Mine changes too, all the time. I would say right now it’s wheel pose. It’s often wheel pose, but wheel pose — wheel pose is like a back — like a wheel. I thought that you were trying to say “real” and like maybe something had gone wrong. It’s a — it’s a wheel pose, guys. It’s wheelie wheel, really good. Wheel — wheel as in like a tire, like a wheel shape. I’m on the same page now. I think my daughter has told me that in like gymnastics and tumbling they

[33:25] also call it bridge, but it’s just — yeah. That shape creates a lot of extension — yes — into hyperextension of the spine, and it comes at the point of our practice that’s really like the highest point of class. So it’s kind of the full — which is cool if you think about it, because really the shape of the pose then is kind of the opposite of the shape that we’re in all the time. So it’s like — upside down — you’re upside down right now. Yes. Right. The opposite of that — you’re upside down. You know, the chest — the heart is leading, shoulders back, head back. So it’s

[33:55] just a freeing, very empowering pose. Oh my gosh. You know what’s happening, Kathy? They’re going to send us a bill for this. They’re going to be like, “We took you through some yoga poses.” Yeah. Sit up straight. Give us — give us $400. And she said it. Your shoulders — I did. I went, “Oh, that feels good.” It does feel good. Yes. You know, Kathy, I think that this is kind of a good segue into the game plan for today. All right. Yeah. So, no cheating, no looking at the answers here. So, I came up with a little game

[34:26] for you. It’s called Posers. All right. We’re going to put you two on the same team. We’re going to let you work together. And here’s what’s going to happen. Just kind of the way that you described these poses to us, and we nailed them perfectly — I think it was expert level — I’m going to read some, I don’t know, maybe creative descriptions of what some of these moves might be, and I want you to see if you can figure out which pose I’m trying to describe. And we will accept the English pose name.

[34:57] And for bonus points, you can give us a Sanskrit name, too. See? All right. You ready? I was going to say — I got a few. Some of my Sanskrit gets rusty, but — okay, good. And if you score 100 points, Kathy will give you a baby goat. Yeah. Okay. There you go. It’s in the car right now. Yes, it is. Yeah. So we got to do this quick. It’s hot out there. All right. Um, do you want to go first or shall I? Okay, I’ll go first. Okay. Okay. Here’s the clue. Lie on your back. Throw your feet in the air. Grab them

[35:27] like a delighted human and pray you don’t pass gas. That’s what I was going to say. Happy baby. We’re going for bonus points. I do not know the Sanskrit for that one. I don’t know the Sanskrit on that one either. Sometimes it’s called dead bug though. I’ll tell you. Oh yeah. Okay. Okay. It’s ananda balasana. Oh, balasana. Yeah, that’s what I said. Basa. Okay. Here we go. Here we go. It’s the pose where you kneel down like you’re proposing to a medieval queen and then

[35:57] fall backwards in slow motion. Camel pose. Camel pose. Incorrect. What do you think, Jack? On your knees — well, you’re kneeling. Kneel down. On your knees. Is he thinking? Is he thinking both knees down? No. One — like you’re proposing to a medieval queen and then fall backward slow motion. Oh, yeah. Crescent. Have you heard of something called reclining hero pose? Oh, reclining hero pose — where you’re laying all the way down on your back. Bro, ChatGPT.

[36:29] I think Jason just made this up. I’m not — I’m not a yoga expert. Okay, we’re going to give you the point there. I mean, I was going to say — I hate to fight you on it, but that’s true. You can fight me on it. I’m just not going to swing or defend myself. So — we don’t fight in yoga. We don’t fight in yoga. Yeah, I got — combat yoga. All right. Okay. All right. Channel your inner wild witch of the woods by flipping into a dramatic backbend that looks like you’re about to

[37:00] howl at the moon. Me too. Wild thing pose. You make my heart sing. Oh my gosh. It is one of — that’s one of my favorites too. That is a good — all right. Yeah. Now people are clicking away from the video to Google wild thing right now. Do we have the Sanskrit name for that? Starts with an S. Starts with a C. Oh, oops. Camatkarasana. Come — I wouldn’t have known that one. Thought I knew. That’s a

[37:31] coincidence. That’s what we have in common. Kathy knew. I do know — something with the translation of that one is something about the opening of an enraptured heart. Wild thing — yeah, I know. Which — that’s how I always remember it. That word, enraptured heart. Yes. All right, here we go. Ready? Lie face up on the floor — oh, this is — this is my pose. Lie face up on the floor and pretend to be dead. Yeah, that’s it. That’s the pose. Yoga wins. That’s the one — I think arguably one of our students’ and our favorite poses. It’s a

[38:01] good one. The good ones. Shavasana. There we go. Also known as corpse pose. Corpse pose. Very good. Love it. Big fan — all of these. Big fan. And at the studio, you even get a little cold towel. Are you serious? Yeah. If you guys want, I can come and I could do a whole class on shavasana for people. We’ll get you all the cold towels. Yeah. Yeah. Uh-huh. Okay. Balance on your arms while your legs pretzel around you like a crow that

[38:32] got into an energy drink and started doing origami. Yeah. Balance on your forearms — or balance on your arms while your legs pretzel around you like a crow that got into an energy drink and started doing origami. I think it’s talking about forearm — like a forearm stand or scorpion pose perhaps. Yeah. See, they’re probably right, but that’s not what’s written. No, forearms — if they haven’t heard — this isn’t right. All right. Well, let’s see. Eight angle pose. Okay.

[39:05] I wasn’t thinking that’s correct, Kathy. We got it right. Yes. I was — when you said on your arms, I was thinking forearm. That’s actually an arm balance where you’re just on your hands. That’s a fun one. That’s a point for the PTCH Podcast. You guys — you guys got us on that one. I think we gave you the wrong description. Well, and I also know the Sanskrit. It’s — whoa. Ashtakarana dingadangal. Aa — aakrasana. That’s — we got it. I got

[39:35] it first try. All right. How about this one? Stick out your tongue, roar like a lion, and scare your nervous system into relaxing. Bonus points if you do it in a group class. Lion’s — lion’s breath, John. Is that what you say? That nailed it. Nailed it. Do we know the Sanskrit for that? No. Simhasana. Failing on my Sanskrit. Simhasana. Simhasana. Okay, that sounds right. Mhm. Mhm. Expert. Okay. A pigeon, but make it complicated. Royal and

[40:05] deeply emotional. So your hips will never forget you. So half pigeon or king pigeon — probably king pigeon. Ding ding ding ding. King pigeon has the bind, which makes it — it’s difficult. Yeah, make it royal, something like that. Yeah. What is that? So you’re standing on one leg — you’re actually laying on the floor with like the — the knee in front of the hip. So a hip stretch. Half pigeon is just that leg out in front, back leg extended. King pigeon you bend the back knee, reach back, and catch the foot. She

[40:35] would be really good on the — on the shows that we’re doing next time. Yeah, we’re going to be talking hip flexors. So, a good idea. Yes, the King Pigeon will get a callback. Okay, good. All right, here we go. This pose sounds like it’s from the Avengers. Your legs are behind your head and you’re lying on your side like you just obliterated the galaxy. Gosh. Your legs are behind your head and you’re lying on your side. Well, I just want to point out my legs are never behind my head. Lying on your side. This chiropractor

[41:07] isn’t built like this. What is — is he thinking of — when we roll from a floor bow onto the floor? Here’s a clue. This pose sounds like it’s from the Avengers. It really does. Are you familiar with Marvel’s Avengers? Not enough. All right. This is Destroyer of the Universe. That’s a real pose. It’s a real — it is. Yes. Are you sure? At the beginning I thought I was just making

[41:37] things up. I did too. Yeah. No, I’m serious. So here’s the thing that has started happening with yoga — we have like the ancient asanas that have their names, and then we have like what’s been added with Instagram. And so we try — so this is like millennial yoga. It’s been added. I had a student request, and so we did it at a workshop that I taught. She really wanted to learn Super Soldier Pose, and I was like, “Girl, I’ve been doing this for 15 years. I’ve never heard of Super Sol—” I know, right? So I was like, “Is it a dance?” Super Soldier — boy pose, I think,

[42:08] is what I searched up on Instagram. We figured it out and we figured out how to break it down and teach it. But so — I know — we got to teach the kids the new poses as well as the ancient. You know, my advice as a professional is going to be that you practice before you teach people Destroyer of the Universe. It sounds — because, to quote a Marvel movie, with great power comes great responsibility. So yeah, I’m just trying to picture a

[42:38] pose. I am too. Destroyer, actually. You need to look that one up next. Yes. Yes. All right. Well, should we just jump to this? Yeah, let’s do it. Okay. So real quick, just to wrap up, we want to do some final thoughts. So let’s give you guys a chance just to kind of give us your final wisdom about yoga. We’ll tell you what we learned, and then we’ll close it out. Sound good? Yeah. All right. Who wants to go first? Jen, you up for it? I’m up for

[43:10] it. Let’s do this. Okay. What would I say in a snippet about yoga? Obviously I love it, right? Like — yeah. I think it’s — yeah, I think it’s for everybody. I think that’s what I would say. Give it a try, and allow yourself to just feel what it feels like to have an embodied experience. And that you don’t have to do it right, and there’s no like perfecting it. That’s another thing — we call it a yoga

[43:40] practice, right? Because you’re just practicing, practicing, practicing. And like Nicole said, we’ve done this for 15-some-odd years or whatever, and I’ve never felt like I’ve arrived at it. So for anybody out there who’s thinking, “Ah, should I give it a try? Maybe I should — maybe I shouldn’t.” Yeah. Give it a try and see what it’s like. And yeah, it could — like it did for us — change your life, or not. It could just be an experience that you get to be in your body and try something new. So yeah, I have nothing but love for

[44:12] the practice, and what it’s given me, and the ability it’s had to allow me to inhabit and drop into my physical body. It’s just a cool — love that. Thank you. Yeah. I don’t even know how to follow that. That’s so good. Yeah. I just want to take that in for a second and we’ll see you all later. Yeah. Yeah. You know, I — it’s — when I remember when I was just like first just in the honeymoon phase with my yoga, and I remember people — I would tell people like, I just — it’s so

[44:42] good, I just get to go and check out and just tune out and be on my mat and in my practice. And over time — because then I kind of — another part of yoga is inquiry, and really asking ourselves questions about like, well, why do we think about that way, or why do we behave that way, or say that, or whatever. So I started kind of looking at that, and really the short story is what I got to — and why it felt so — is not because for that hour a day I was able to tune out. It was actually the only hour of the day

[45:13] I was tuned in — like I was actually in my body. And it felt like a vac — it felt like something different because it was, because that’s not how I was living anywhere else. So I think any — I mean it can be yoga, but really any kind of mindfulness practice where you’re just practicing being in your body, feeling what you feel moment to moment to moment, is what really creates this just beautiful cornerstone — or like foundation — for your relationship with yourself. So I feel really lucky to have my yoga

[45:44] Kathy:…practice because it’s really what helps me. It’s something I can just touch back to for my relationships, for how I show up for people, and there’s a direct correlation sometimes to like how much patience I have, whether I’m like responding to someone or reacting to someone. So, the opportunity to be embodied and tuned in fully — there, I don’t have any other places like that really in my life besides my yoga practice. So, oh that is

[46:16] Jason: awesome. Can I go next? Kathy: Please. Jason: All right. Well, you both said it and I think that it’s so cool. We see people in pain and chronic pain and a lot of times people are like, “I just want to get out of my body,” but you guys are saying the opposite — that this is not an opportunity to have an out-of-body experience. It’s an opportunity to have an in-body experience. Kathy: Yeah. Jason: Which, I think that’s a really powerful idea. I am so excited to try me out

[46:47] some Valley Power Yoga. Guest: We can’t wait to have you. Jason: Yes. Yes. I learned a lot today. Thank you so much. I’d say I learned from each of you. I think Jen, what you said — that yoga actually means union of the body and the breath — that’s definitely something I did not actually put together. Jen: Right. Yeah. Jason: And then Nicole, I think you said that the whole point of yoga is not — is actually to listen to your body. So it’s

[47:17] not about how far can you stretch, how many poses can you hold, those kind of things. It’s how can you learn to listen to your body, right? Nicole: Yeah. Jason: I thought that was pretty powerful. Nicole: Yeah. Thank you. Jason: Super cool. Kathy: Yes. We all need more of that. Jason: Yeah. Well, this has been awesome. This has been so fun. I’ve been telling people this is going to be our best show yet. Kathy: No, we could go another hour. Jason: I could go another hour with you guys. Kathy: Oh my gosh, I love being right. Jason: We can’t say thank you enough to both of you for joining us. Learned a lot.

[47:47] Hopefully this was useful to people. If people want to get in touch with you, what’s the best way to do that? Jen: Go to our website. It’s just Valleyoga.com. And we have all the info about all the class types and the different memberships and stuff we have. It’s all there. Jason: Sweet. And I’ll put that in the show notes, too. So whether you’re watching this on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts, you should be able to find it down in the show notes, which is pretty close to like the subscribe button. I think there’s something — I don’t know what happens when you click that. Yeah. Or the

[48:17] review button. I think there’s some little hearts, too. Kathy: Yeah. So that’s good for an in-body experience. Jason: But we want to thank all of you for joining us on the PTCH Podcast and again, comment — let us know what else can we do for you. What are the topics that are important to you? What can we share with you that makes this a worthwhile experience beyond just bad jokes. So again, thank you to Jen and to Nicole. And I think

[48:49] yeah, I think there’s just one more item of business to handle, and that is that there’s no “I” in PTCH.