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On and Off Your Mat Yoga Podcast
When Writing Heals, with Sarah Ezrin
For our 27th episode, I had the pleasure to sit down with Sarah Ezrin. Sarah is a friend and a colleague now, even a brand ambassador for Athleta with me but we met when she was my one teacher trainers in my 300h. I've always love her classes, her playfulness and her sense of community. I recently discover another side to her : her incredible talent for writing. Today we're sitting together to talk about how writing can be healing when we go through hardship.
We have other great guests lined up for you so make sure to subscribe to the podcast where ever you listen! As always, I really appreciate your support. So as you leave a review on iTunes or on your iPhone podcast app, you automatically enter a giveaway. Once more Athleta is supporting this podcast in their effort to ignite a community of strong women who lift each other up, and is giving out a 75$ shop card! If you're not sure how to leave a review, check this article. Thank you so much if you left a review. Really, there were great comments left, but there can only be one winner. This episode’s randomly picked winner is iTunes user Tara Bara. Big shout out to S.A.J.J., hellokello and HannaHarwood. I really appreciate you. Tara, DM me on Instagram or email me erika.belanger@gmail.com to get your shop card!
ABOUT OUR GUEST
Sarah Ezrin is a motivator, writer, yoga teacher, and teacher trainer. Her joie de vivre is infectious. For Sarah, yoga is beyond the postures it is a guide for living. Bringing a background of psychology and life coaching, she uses yoga to connect people to their brightest and most authentic Self. Based out of San Francisco where she lives with her husband and their dog, Sarah leads trainings, workshops, and retreats at home and across the globe. Her fun and popular classes are infused with humor and positivity. Sarah is changing the world, teaching self-love one person at a time.
Learn more about Sarah here :
Her website : sarahezrinyoga.com
Her writing: sarahezrinyoga.com/writing-2/
Instagram: @sarahezrinyoga
Facebook: @sarahezrinyoga
Twitter: @sarahezrinyoga
QUESTIONS SHE ANSWERED :
- Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your yoga journey?
- Why did you start writing? Why is it important for you?
- Why share in a very personal and vulnerable way?
- Can you tell us about the piece Recovering from myself ? What did this recovery taught you?
- What would be your advice to yoga students listening dealing with injuries? Is there something you wished you understood earlier?
- What’s your best advice to avoid injuries in yoga?
- How is grief good?
- How has your relationship to death and grief changed over the last decade?
- Has writing this article has been a way to process grief for you?
- What do you say to someone that is grieving? What can one say?
- Is there another subject you’ve been wanting to write about?
- Which piece has had the biggest impact on your life?
- To teachers or bloggers out there. Why should they write, even if they think no one is reading?
- What's the writing process like for you alone vs when collaborating with magazine and online publications
- Any advice for yoga teachers that have been considering freelance writing?
*Edited and mastered by Alexandre Saba
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268. Signing off. Not Goodbye, but See You Later
16:35||Ep. 268Big annoncement: This is the last episode of the On and Off Your Mat Podcast… for now anyways.With this episode, I want to thank every single one of you for being part of this incredible journey. I do a little recap, tell you why I’m hitting pause, what’s next, and what you can do from here.Be notified when my new podcast comes out and stay in touch: join my email listFor how to work with me, my most popular free resources, my favorite episode list and everything else mentioned, find the full show notes here.
267. Chronic Pain and Empowered Healing for HSPs, with Dr. Tawny Kross
42:54||Ep. 267Do you struggle with chronic pain that feels like a never-ending battle? In this powerful conversation, I sit down with Dr. Tawny Kross, a doctor of physical therapy and pain specialist. Tawny believes passionately in our brain and body's innate ability to heal, and she's here to share her knowledge as a pain and wellness coach.We dive deep into what chronic pain really is, how to have a productive relationship with your pain, and how to support healing without simply numbing the discomfort. Tawny also shares powerful questions and reflections to help you understand your pain without getting overwhelmed. If you're ready to find relief and reclaim your life, let's jump in.Get full show notes and more information here: https://erikabelanger.com/267
266. Feeling Stuck or Sluggish, How to Thrive as a Sensitive in Kapha Season
38:05||Ep. 266As a highly sensitive person, it's easy to feel weighed down during kapha season, a time when the energy around us is heavy, slow, and damp. I've been there too, wondering what was wrong with me and why I felt so sluggish.Discover practical tools to help you release stagnation, boost your energy, and feel more like yourself again. We'll discuss the importance of building ojas, your vital essence, and how to use the principle of opposites to restore balance. For everything else, get full show notes here: https://erikabelanger.com/266
265. PREMIUM | Kapha Balancing Movement Practice
02:46||Ep. 265If you wish you were more energized, vibrant and flowing through life with ease, this practice is for you.Kapha season is the time of year when the energy around us tends to get heavier, slower, and wetter as late winter shifts into spring. The elements of earth and water mix together to create mud. This energy will affect your mind, body, energy and spirit, and today's practice will bring balance and harmony back in your system by cultivating movement, lightness and heat. I've used this practice with clients who experience:✨ low energy✨ weighed down or stuck✨ lack of motivation or interest✨ congestion in the body or weight gain✨ emotionally heavy or attached to the past✨ holding on to things that doesn't serve them And it’s one of my go-to practices for clients who want to create more harmony and balance in their system while staying connected inward and with nature. This 30 minutes somatic practice is part of our premium podcast subscription, to get access to it, become a premium podcast memberWhen you leave a review for the podcast on iTunes you can get a free trial. DM @onandoffyourmatpodcast or email (erika.belanger@gmail.com) me a screenshot of your review and we'll get you set up.Your podcast premium membership (as low as $5/month) allows me to continue to create and produce this podcast. I choose to keep this add-free for a better listening experience, so there are no revenue and the membership keeps this podcast alive. If you love On and Off Your Mat and want it to continue, support the show here and have access to this somatic practice and so much more.
264. Understanding Your Attachment Style, with Jennily Diaz
54:50||Ep. 264I sit down with Jennily Diaz, a relationship coach and fellow HSP, to dive deep into the world of attachment theory. She is a registered yoga teacher and an integrative health practitioner, certified in integrated attachment theory. Jennily shares her own journey of healing her anxious attachment style and transforming her relationship dynamic with her partner.Discover how your early childhood experiences shape your adult relationships, the four main attachment styles, and why HSPs tend to lean towards certain styles. Most importantly, learn practical tools and strategies to reprogram your brain, meet your own needs, and cultivate the secure, loving connections you deserve. For everything else, get full show notes here: https://erikabelanger.com/264
263. Tantra and Ayurveda from a Feminine Perspective, with Katie Silcox
42:21||Ep. 263I sit down with Katie Silcox, MA to explore a new way to approach healing through the lens of Tantra and Ayurveda. Katie is a New York Times bestselling author and the founder of the Shakti School, a premier online certification school for women-centered holistic wellness. She holds a master's degree in Ayurvedic medicine and is pursuing depth study in Jungian psychology. Her platform focuses on the convergence of ancient holistic medicine, functional medicine science, and heart-centered spirituality.Katie shares simple, down-to-earth tools to expand your capacity to be, to receive, to transform and to grow. Get ready to gain a new perspective on healing and your emotions.For everything else, get full show notes here: https://erikabelanger.com/263
262. Sedona Magic Retreat, with Cara Edwards
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261. PREMIUM | Reharmonizing Movement Practice
02:55||Ep. 261If you ever feel out of sync with yourself and the world, this practice is for you. Thi Reharmonizing Spanda practice is designed to release overwhelm, recalibrate your energy, and rediscover your natural harmony. Through guided movement, breath, and somatic awareness, this practice offers a pathway to reconnect with your body, process pent-up tension, and step back into your authentic flow. I've used this practice with clients who feel: ✨ overwhelm✨ disconnected✨ emotionally or energetically stuck✨ emotionally burnout from attuning to others' needs or absorbing their energy✨ tend towards people-pleasing, overworking, or living in survival mode✨ the need to push their feelings aside to “get through” the day And it's something I also give as homework to clients, so if you’re thinking about 1-1 coaching, this is a great building block practice. Harmonizing movement practices are designed to naturally support your nervous system by helping it to come back to the present moment and regulate itself, laying down the foundation for deeper alchemy work. With this practice, you’ll reconnect with your body's innate rhythms, release pent-up tension, recalibrate your inner harmony and flow and deepen your self-trust and self-acceptance. This 20 minutes somatic practice is part of our premium podcast subscription, to get access to it, become a premium podcast member When you leave a review for the podcast on iTunes you can get a free trial. DM @onandoffyourmatpodcast or email (erika.belanger@gmail.com) me a screenshot of your review and we'll get you set up.Your podcast premium membership (as low as $5/month) allows me to continue to create and produce this podcast. I choose to keep this add-free for a better listening experience, so there are no revenue and the membership keeps this podcast alive. If you love On and Off Your Mat and want it to continue, support the show here and have access to this somatic practice and so much more.
260. Sensitivity, Nervous System, and Your Breath, with Erika Belanger
48:31||Ep. 260Today, we're diving into the connection between sensitivity, the nervous system, and your breath through the lens of highly sensitive people (HSPs). You'll discover how your sensitivity is intricately linked to your nervous system and why your breath is the key to finding greater calm, clarity and balance in your life.We'll explore common challenges HSPs face, like overwhelm, emotional reactivity, and feeling perpetually on edge. More importantly, you'll learn how tuning into your body's cues and cultivating a relationship with your breath can help you shift from survival mode into thriving. By the end of this episode, I hope you'll see that your sensitivity isn't a flaw, but a gift that, when coupled with the right tools, can allow you to embrace your unique powers and navigate the world with greater ease.For everything else, get full show notes here: https://erikabelanger.com/260