In this episode of Bulletproof Radio, I’m talking with Tara Stiles, founder of Stråla Yoga, whose approach to yoga and meditation is to make it as inclusive, unpretentious and accessible as possible.
“I love the saying, if you can breathe, you can do yoga,” Tara says. “And especially if you're interested in doing it, then follow that intuition. Whether you're young or old or somewhere in between, or have a problem or have any limitations or whatever it is.”
Tara says practicing yoga is about so much more than just the physical poses, but about building up your physical, spiritual and mental energy so you can show up and be present and leave content. That comes from developing fluidity in your life, finding alignment in your internal and external environments, and listening to your body.
“So, it's really moving slow enough so you can notice what's happening. Allowing your breath to move your body, I think is amazing,” Tara says. “We miss out on all of our potential and how easily we can move when we ignore our breath-body connection, as well.”
The mind-body connection is what allows her to truly tune in, and she encourages everyone she teaches to find that oneness of their own. One of her tips? Get down on the ground. Even a brief few minutes moving from your chair to the floor, practicing some short cat-cow exercises to get movement circulating through your body, or just deep breathing practice, are great ways to take a break and listen to what parts of you might need a little more attention.
In her new book, “Clean Mind, Clean Body: A 28-Day Plan for Physical, Mental, and Spiritual Self-Care,” Tara shows how you can integrate well-being into every part of your life. She guides you through a mental and spiritual cleanse, and outlines ways you can change your nutrition and movement.
"I'm trying to broach the subject here of more living in line with your energy and trying to harness your energy and have more of it when you need more of it,” she says.
She’s considered a “yoga rebel” because she doesn’t follow any conventional dogma that often keeps the practice out of reach.
“A lot of times with yoga, it can be so dogmatic and so student-teacher, messed-up relationship that the student just depletes their energy and forces their body into these strange positions,” Tara explains. “And then, just to be simple about it, it messes up their life and messes up their energy, which is the opposite of what yoga is supposed to do for you.”
Instead, “There's this great principle of softness,” she says. “If you just allow yourself to be moveable, bendable in your joints first, but then an emotional softness, relaxing a little bit, then all of a sudden your breath starts to move your body naturally, your breath gets bigger and more full.”
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