On and Off Your Mat Yoga Podcast

Jeremy Gray is an African-American politician, yogi, entrepreneur, author, philanthropist, and former professional athlete. He is currently serving as an Alabama State Representative and is running for Congress. He has sponsored legislation to allow yoga into Alabama public schools through the Yoga Bill, as well as publishing a yoga book aimed at children.Learn how yoga was banned and subsequently legalized in public schools in Alabama. State Representative Jeremy Gray is discussing the serious misconceptions that led to yoga being banned in Alabama’s schools, sharing how he spent three years educating people about what yoga really is, and he’s discussing how yoga can have a huge positive impact on children everywhere.Get full show notes and more information here: https://erikabelanger.com/203

Whether or not you have an autoimmune disease like lupus yourself, you likely know somebody who does. To talk in depth about yoga for lupus and autoimmune diseases, I sat down with Amanda Chay. She is the author of The Girlfriend’s Guide to Lupus, a self-help book for women who are feeling scared and alone with their lupus diagnosis. Amanda helps people put their health first, and since her own diagnosis, she’s dedicated her work to helping other women with lupus.If you’re ready to learn how to make yoga part of your holistic approach to health and wellness, tune in this week. We’re discussing why autoimmune diseases are difficult to diagnose, some of the signs a person has an autoimmune disease, and how yoga can ease the symptoms and improve the lives of people who have an autoimmune diagnosis.Get full show notes and more information here: https://erikabelanger.com/202

Stress impacts every area of our lives. Overthinking shows up in our decision-making, impacting our mental health and even ruining our relationships. It’s time to go deep into understanding how stress and overthinking shows up especially if you’re a highly sensitive person, and what you can do to ease the internal pressure you’re experiencing.Discover why you overthink and how it’s impacting your daily life. I’m showing you how to decrease your stress so you can improve your mental health, enhance your decision making, and soothe your nervous system. Learn how to improve your self-awareness so you can address the sources of your anxiety and bring yourself back to safety.Get full show notes and more information here: https://erikabelanger.com/201

HAPPY 200! Thank you so much for your support over these last years!EPISODES MENTIONED100- The Best, the Popular Vote, and the Underrated.MOST POPULAR (100-200)106 - Overcoming codependency, perfectionism, and people-pleasing, with Victoria Albina113- Emotional Intelligence and Shadow Work, with Sianna Sherman108- Yoga Biomechanics and Asanas, with Jules Mitchell129- Chakras: A Holistic Approach to Your Wellbeing, with Morgan Starr Riestis121- Nervous System 101 with yours truly.ALL MY SOLO EPISODESA Spotify playlist made for youMY PERSONAL FAVORITES (100-200)171- The magic of surrender with Kute Blackson158- Becoming Your You-est You, with Julie Reisler148- Anatomy, Alignment, and Technique in Asana, with Matt GiordianoENTER OUR GIVEAWAY➡️ Leave a review on Itunes (10x entries)➡️ Social media share (1X entry)PRICES1000$ scholarship for my next Retreat in April in Guatemala50% scholarship for my next round of Sensitivity Reset group coaching or 1-1 coaching1 free 30-minute somatic coaching session with meAnd everyone who participates will get a month free on the membershipDM @onandoffyourmatpodcast on IG or email (erika.belanger@gmail.com) me a screenshot to make sure I have your contact when you win!DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 30TH THIS WEEK'S PREMIUMIf you struggle with stress, anxiety, or overwhelm today’s episode is for you. I’ll teach you the basic series by Stanley Rosenberg to learn to turn the switch on your nervous system to get out of the fight or flight and into the rest, heal, and digest. With this nervous system basic series, you’ll learn to self-soothe when things feel out of control, to improve your well-being and health, to engage with other people on a deeper level, and to build better-coping mechanisms for your life.This video class is part of our premium subscription, to get access to it, become a premium podcast member or join our 200th-episode celebration.

If you’ve always felt like yoga was less about doing and more about being, or if you’ve been curious about how to embody the divine feminine more, listen in. To discuss these topics, I sat down with Abiola Akanni, a leader in the field of yoga. She has cultivated non-performative spaces that encourage individuals to use the practices of yoga and mindfulness to enhance their lives and bodies. Abiola is also an emotional intelligence coach, supporting high-achieving Women of Color navigating their experience of high-functioning anxiety.If you’re ready to start practicing yoga beyond the poses and disrupt the western-world’s performative approach to yoga, tune in this week. Abiola is sharing how to start practicing yoga in a way that feels more freeing and aligned with your values while weaving in the concept of embodying the divine feminine along the way.Get full show notes and more information here: https://erikabelanger.com/199

If you want to know more about your aura, energy field, or the quantum realm and how all of these things connect to transformation and healing, today’s episode is the exact resource you need. I’m sitting down with Cru Von Holtzendorff-Fehling, an internationally renowned coach and energy healer who was gifted from birth with the ability to read and heal people’s trauma, auras, and energy fields.Cru has helped countless individuals worldwide over more than two decades, showing them the true blockages in their lives, and how to start resolving them. Tune in this week to tap into the unseen and start healing your aura to manifest your fullest potential. We’re discussing what the aura is, the role it plays in our lives, and the energetic intervention it takes to change your life by working with the quantum realm.Get full show notes and more information here: https://erikabelanger.com/198

If you’re going through a hard time with loss, or if you’d like to help someone else who’s currently in the thick of grief, today’s episode is for you. I’m sitting down with Paul Denniston, the founder of Grief Yoga and the author of Healing Through Yoga: Transform Loss Into Empowerment. He’s here to help us transform trauma and connect to the resilient, loving warrior within.Discover how to use movement, breath, and sound to release pain and suffering. We’re discussing how to connect with empowerment and love during times of grief, why grief isn’t just the loss of a loved one, and how to give your grief the dedicated time and space required to move through your brain and body.Get full show notes and more information here: https://erikabelanger.com/197

Are you feeling so stressed that stopping completely to relax and rest makes you feel even more agitated? If when you stop completely, your mind spirals into everything you could/should be doing instead, today’s episode is for you. With this active rest practice, you’ll learn to cultivate the energy of rest and to give your mind, body, and soul a way to slow down and cultivate peacefulness without being still physically.This 30-minute yoga class is part of our premium subscription, to get access to it, become a premium podcast member.When you leave a review for the podcast on iTunes you can have access to the membership for free, including today’s class as a thank you for helping others to find the podcast and on their healing journey. DM @onandoffyourmatpodcast or email (erika.belanger@gmail.com) me a screenshot of your review and we'll get you set up.On the membership platform, you'll find: 1. Your premium podcast episodes ($5/month). Just like before, as a member, you can get a ton of exclusive audio and video content like this yoga class of overwhelm.2. You can now also have access to almost 400 recorded full-length yoga classes in a Netflix-Style Membership ($25/month). 3. You can sign up for any live-stream class I offer!With our podcast premium membership, your contribution ripples to thousands of people every week, allowing me to offer accessible quality free content to a wide community of yogis. This podcast is a way I contribute to the community, and this membership is a way you can too. It allows you to share everything yoga offers with the world by supporting me in the creation and production of this podcast while I choose to keep it ad-free. 

The principles of recovery and yoga sometimes intersect. And yoga has helped countless people on their journey with addiction, so to discuss this interesting topic, I’m sitting down with Brian Hyman.Tune in this week to discover the yogic principles of transformation for life and recovery. We’re discussing how to find more happiness, regardless of what you accomplish or fail to accomplish in life, the specific yogic practices that are essential on the path of transformation, and why now is the best time to get started finding your purpose.Get full show notes and more information here: https://erikabelanger.com/195