Share
On and Off Your Mat Yoga Podcast
Sanctuary Meditation and Yoga Nidra, with Rod Stryker
For this episode, I sat down with Yogarupa Rod Stryker. Rod is a world-renowned yoga and meditation teacher, guiding and sharing his wisdom for 40 years. He is the founder of ParaYoga®, and the author of The Four Desires: Creating a Life of Purpose, Happiness, Prosperity, and Freedom. He is the creator of one of the most comprehensive online yoga trainings in the world and most recently, the app Sanctuary, a premier destination for all levels of those wanting to experience the life-changing practices of meditation and yoga nidra, Rod has dedicated his life to improving lives through his lectures, writing, practice, teaching, leadership, service and family life.
MY 5 BIGGEST TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE:
1- Hierarchy in teaching doesn't have to be informed my patriarchy or dominance. The role of a teacher is to lead by definition, but to eventually make themselves obsolete, by empowering their students so they can walk away and stand in their own wisdom and capacities.
2- Ultimately what determines the quality of your life is the quality of your perception of life and the depth of your own self-awareness. Yoga is about the mind more than it is about the body. The end goal is the refinement of the quality of your perception, so yoga asana is a meditation tool.
3- Yoga Nidra is the conversion of sleep and meditation. Your body is fundamentally asleep and your mind gets into a delta pattern; it's most quiet, most relaxed, deep state of relaxation, but there is still a thread of being conscious. It recalibrates us our perception of ourselves by being both a practice and a state of consciousness.
4- To live a happier, more purposeful life, you have to start by getting still. Then, you get clarity on how to live in alignment with your purpose. It doesn't matter what you're doing in life, but you won't find happiness until you live a purposeful life. You will feel lost for not having done what you were here to do, not being who you were meant to be, and creation will suffer from you not playing your role in it. "An undisciplined mind is unfit for any path".
5- Understanding your life purpose helps you deal with the small things in life, not only the big challenges. When you learn how to responds better to those small things, your destiny changes. You take the driver seat in shaping your destiny by making those everyday small right decisions. Peace is never guaranteed but we are each responsible for finding our own peace and best form of self-care is to overcome our nature.
QUESTIONS HE ANSWERED DURING THIS EPISODE:
- How do you describe ParaYoga?
- You recently launched a new meditation app called Sanctuary, why did you choose to ch
- One of the things you teach is Yoga Nidra, for listeners that have never done Yoga Nidra before, can you explain what it is?
- How do to start moving towards a happier and more fulfilled life?
- How do you uncover your true purpose and live a happier life?
SUBSCRIBE, RATE & REVIEW!
DONATE OR BECOME AN EXCLUSIVE MEMBER TODAY.
Thank you so much for listening and being part of our 64th episode! If you enjoy this podcast, please subscribe, rate and review anywhere you listen. As always, I really appreciate your support with this podcast whether it’s through reviews or through Patreon. I have just added 2 new tiers to the premium memberships. As before, with a small donation of $5/month you can get access to more content, exclusive episodes, tutorials, guided meditations. on August 1st, you got a 25 minutes delicious Yoga Nidra,so perfect timing! Now you can also have access to some or all the classes we’ve recorded on zoom and continue to record during this shelter-in-place. If you’d like to have access to all this and/or support me in the creation of this podcast, please visit www.patreon.com/onandoffyourmat and become a PREMIUM member on the tier of your choice.
ABOUT OUR GUEST
Yogarupa Rod Stryker is a world-renowned yoga and meditation teacher, guiding and sharing his wisdom for 40 years. He is the founder of ParaYoga®, and the author of The Four Desires: Creating a Life of Purpose, Happiness, Prosperity, and Freedom. He is the creator of one of the most comprehensive online yoga trainings in the world and most recently, the app Sanctuary, a premier destination for all levels of those wanting to experience the life-changing practices of meditation and yoga nidra, also known as Enlightened Sleep. Rod has dedicated his life to improving lives through his lectures, writing, practice, teaching, leadership, service and family life.
More episodes
View all episodes
235. Getting to the Root Cause of Your Anxiety, with Erika Belanger
46:23Instead of putting band-aids on your anxiety, forcing yourself to calm down, or ignoring what you're feeling altogether, it's time to take a deeper look at your brain. You can leverage the power of your brain to start creating change directly, instead of only treating the symptoms of your anxiety. This work is transformational, and it starts here.Tune in this week to finally get to the root cause of your anxiety. I share how to start uncovering what in your life is really causing your anxiety, and you'll learn a powerful protocol for gaining a deeper understanding of your brain and harnessing its power to holistically address your anxiety for long-lasting change.Get full show notes and more information here: https://erikabelanger.com/235
234. Calling in More Money Through Excitement, Creativity, and Accountability, with Elizabeth Ralph
43:32For today's episode, I'm joined by Elizabeth Ralph, a high-level wealth strategist and intuitive investor who retired at the age of 39 to teach others how to reach financial freedom through non-traditional methods.Discover the pillars of changing your relationship with money and calling in more money in your life. Elizabeth shares how to harness the beautiful energy of money and connect with this tool instead of resisting it, the importance of thinking about money creatively instead of emotionally, why wealth is a circle, and how to create money neutrality so you can call in wealth at the quantum level.Get full show notes and more information here: https://erikabelanger.com/234
233. PREMIUM | Heart Womb Breath Meditation
02:29If you want to reconnect with your feminine energy, support yourself lovingly in menstruation or cultivate more inner harmony when you’re feeling emotional, this practice is for you.Whether you have a physical womb or not, you can work with these centers of energy to create sexual healing, self-love and self-care.Learning how to come home to yourself in this way can also be supportive on a fertility journey or during pregnancy. This breath-based meditation 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).2. You can now also have access to almost 600 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.
232. Anxiety: Feel It to Heal It (Part 2), with Erika Belanger
47:29When coaching my clients, I use a practical and succinct process that helps them process their emotions and traumas so they can heal the past, leverage their sensitivity, and transform their whole lives. You might be scared of the feeling of anxiety right now, but trying to avoid the intensity of your anxiety is limiting your entire emotional experience.Discover how to give space to your anxiety so you can learn to manage it effectively. I share why managing anxiety isn't about trying to calm down, and you'll learn how to truly feel your anxiety to stop the cycle of emotional shutdown and reactivity, transforming your relationship with anxiety.Get full show notes and more information here: https://erikabelanger.com/232
231. Becoming a Leader That People Love and Respect, with Pavini Moray
37:32If you want to make a real impact in the world, you need to step into your leader self. To discuss how to do this, I'm joined by Pavini Moray, an author with over 30 years of experience as an educator, activist, somatic coach, and serial entrepreneur holding a Ph.D. in somatic psychology. Pavini supports humans and organizations in developing thriving relationships, and their perspective on leadership will truly change your life. Tune in this week to discover what it takes to become a leader that people love and respect and what it means to be a leader who holds their power ethically.Get full show notes and more information here: https://erikabelanger.com/231
230. Expanding Your Clairabilities to Deepen Your Relationship to Consciousness, with Heather Ivany
45:06If you're spiritually curious, you've probably heard of the four intuitive indicators called the Clairs: being Clairvoyant, Claircognizant, Clairsentient, or Clairaudient. To explore these indicators, I sat down with Heather Ivany, a holistic practitioner and teacher of yoga, meditation, prayer and akashic reading. Heather helps others lean into their spiritual energy and connect to their intuition, which involves understanding their unique way of connecting to the Clairs.We discuss what the Clairabilities are, how we can recognize them, and how they connect to consciousness, the physical, and ethereal worlds. You'll also learn the skill set required to connect with and improve your Clairabilities in pursuit of your deeper purpose.Get full show notes and more information here: https://erikabelanger.com/230
229. PREMIUM | A Somatic Practice to Feel Anger
03:15If you hate when you do get angry and try your best to avoid this uncomfortable emotion, today’s practice is for you.Learn how to feel anger and process it in a way that feels safe and doesn’t hurt yourself or anyone else. When you stop avoiding this emotion, you won’t have to be sarcastic in disagreement, if uncomfortable with conflict, to control everything (including of your emotions), to shutdown when you’re upset, to feel resentful when people don’t do what you expect… or to numb difficult emotions.Today somatic practice goes with my free workbook on how to feel your emotions and our episode 227 : Feel it to heal it and is an example of how to move the energy of anger out of your body, so next time you feel angry, you’ll know exactly what to do instead of repressing, numbing or overreacting, and I promise, you’ll be left wide-eyed wondering how you are just learning this now.This somatic practice 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). 2. You can now also have access to almost 600 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.
228. The Feminine Way of Doing Business, with Layla El Khadri
41:13Layla El Khadri knows how to get you to access your awe-inspiring magnetism. She has over a decade of experience guiding women to express their absolute highest potential and embody their magic. Through her business, Layla helps her clients tap into their feminine power, find their unique gifts, and turn them into mission-driven businesses that make a positive impact in the world.Discover how to embody the feminine way of doing business. Layla is sharing how to start finding your voice, inner power, pleasure, inspiration, and creativity so you can build a mission-driven business and live a life of passion and purpose.Get full show notes and more information here: https://erikabelanger.com/228
227. Feel It to Heal It, with Erika Belanger
50:16I'm sure you've been told to feel your feelings before, but have you ever been told how? There's a process I use with my coaching clients to help them feel and process their emotions and trauma, so they can heal the past, leverage their sensitivity, and transform their lives, and I'm sharing it right here on today's show.Discover how to feel more fearlessly, be yourself more fully, and access more joy in your life. Learn why healing means truly feeling your emotions, and I show you a step-by-step process to stop getting lost in escapism when uncomfortable emotions are present, and instead show up for yourself with care, nurturance, and love.Get full show notes and more information here: https://erikabelanger.com/227 or go directly to Get on the waitlist for my mini-course: Feel It to Heal It!