Yoga Inspiration Kino MacGregor

Can you remember day 1 of your yoga journey? How compelling the practice was even when your body was exhausted? That’s dedication, right? In this episode, world-renowned and trailblazing yoga teacher, David Swenson, reminds us that the essential awareness of push and pull with yoga can be almost non-existent at the beginning, especially if you're like David who likens his younger yogi self as an overly-keen labrador…
While it can be hard to distinguish the line between pushing on and pulling back, a good teacher will empower you to think for yourself and develop enough body awareness to make the call. And to lean ever so slightly more inward, let’s also not forget that the ultimate goal of yoga extends beyond physical abilities. 
We are not merely our bodies and part of the yogic path is about avoiding self-identification with external achievements. Instead, yoga offers the chance to cultivate humility, empathy, and the willingness to share the positive energy gained through practice–if you listen carefully enough. 
Throughout this conversation, we explore both perspectives found within a yoga class and emphasise that students should have the intention of respect for the teacher's expertise and the discipline of yoga. While the student may be on a seeker’s journey, the path of a yoga teacher is not always easy either…
 
Start the journey now with your free 30-day membership on Omstars.com. Use code: PODCAST.
Keep up with us online @omstarsofficial or follow me on Instagram @kinoyoga. Visit my blog at Kinoyoga.com to learn more.
Don’t hesitate to get in touch with me at info@kinoyoga.com. If you want to share what you’ve learned on your yoga journey, you could be invited to guest spot on The Yoga Inspiration Podcast.
 

How often do we contemplate the profound connection between the practice of yoga and life itself? There’s an intricate reflection of our existence that unfolds as we delve into the depths of our yoga practice - a mirror that unveils the habits and patterns ingrained within us. Much like a session with a psychologist, we bear witness to whether they nurture positivity and bear fruitful outcomes or carry the potential for harm. 
But gaining this sacred knowledge all depends on the attitude we bring to the mat. Whether we seek shortcuts, succumb to self-doubt, or strive for perfection, yoga unveils a profound truth: our worthiness lies not in flawless performance or superficial outcomes, but in the profound act of wholeheartedly surrendering ourselves. 
It is in devotionally baring our vulnerabilities, our weaknesses, strengths, and everything in between, that we discover our truth. To get there, you can ask two questions: “can I give everything I have to every breath?” and “what can I learn from this situation?”
By dedicating ourselves to the practice, by offering our very being to it, we infuse it with reverence and devotion, and that’s when it becomes a sanctuary where transformation unfolds.
Start the journey now with your free 30-day membership on Omstars.com. Use code: PODCAST.
Keep up with us online @omstarsofficial or follow me on Instagram @kinoyoga. Visit my blog at Kinoyoga.com to learn more.
Don’t hesitate to get in touch with me at info@kinoyoga.com. If you want to share what you’ve learned on your yoga journey, you could be invited to guest spot on The Yoga Inspiration Podcast.
 

In New Age teachings, there’s the idea that we can be our own gurus. But since life is not as simple as one step forward after another, yoga traditions teach us that we do in fact need someone further along the path to guide us along the way. But which guidance is right for us? 
You may find that a true yoga teacher is someone who can sit with the vast knowledge of instructions and create a safe space for the spiritual journey. Whereas a guru is someone who removes the darkness from one's path and has a heavy fullness of spiritual vibration that brings wholeness and wisdom. They hold space to awaken our inner Buddha.
So when opening up this conversation of tradition, lineage and guidance, what’s left to say about our own spark of divinity, New Age guilt and journeys full of challenges?
It’s time to bring attention to the importance of tradition, lineage, and respect for the role of a teacher or guru in the yoga tradition by appreciating the fine balance between questioning and challenging our lineage. 
Start the journey now with your free 30-day membership on Omstars.com. Use code: PODCAST.
Keep up with us online @omstarsofficial or follow me on Instagram @kinoyoga. Visit my blog at Kinoyoga.com to learn more.
Don’t hesitate to get in touch with me at info@kinoyoga.com. If you want to share what you’ve learned on your yoga journey, you could be invited to guest spot on The Yoga Inspiration Podcast.

Yogic philosophy shows us that we’re born with imprints that affect the way we think and behave throughout our entire life–that is, of course, until we break free. In conversation with Swami Chidanadana, we explore what it means to awaken to our samskaras, the tumultuous journey it ensues, and the guiding light of the Bhagavad Gita.
Because why wouldn’t we want to free ourselves from suffering? The negative shades of our personality so often hinder our path to peace so the chance to let go should be embraced with open arms. Right? 
Perhaps not. In this episode, we learn that while it’s true that we want to change, so often we’re afraid to let go. Because letting go means leaving a part of us behind.
So how do we find enlightenment then? Are we even in control of the process no matter how much we long for it? Some say the Gita holds the answers. 
Start the journey now with your free 30-day membership on Omstars.com. Use code: PODCAST.
Keep up with us online @omstarsofficial or follow me on Instagram @kinoyoga. Visit my blog at Kinoyoga.com to learn more.
Don’t hesitate to get in touch with me at info@kinoyoga.com. If you want to share what you’ve learned on your yoga journey, you could be invited to guest spot on The Yoga Inspiration Podcast.

Life is a series of lessons and so we are met with countless teachers holding the mirror up or shining the light on something new. But what makes a teacher qualified? What makes us dedicated to one source?
Walking through life, nature, friends, or even music can be our teachers. But when we dedicate ourselves to the spiritual path, gurus help us put one foot in front of the other. Whether that’s along the path or on the mat, it’s all the same. But their job is not just to keep our bodies healthy with teaching through asana, they keep us spiritually healthy, psychologically healthy, and emotionally healthy too. 
This makes the job of the guru so much more than your average university teacher. Gurus teach us students what it means to be alive, what it means to be human, and what we need to hang on to or let go of to grow as spiritual beings. 
In this conversation, we explore what makes someone qualified to take on this role, and how we must resist the urge to chop and change our teacher. We also cover audience questions such as becoming a teacher ourselves and whether to hold a career alongside teaching yoga.
Start the journey now with your free 30-day membership on Omstars.com. Use code: PODCAST.
Keep up with us online @omstarsofficial or follow me on Instagram @kinoyoga. Visit my blog at Kinoyoga.com to learn more.
Don’t hesitate to get in touch with me at info@kinoyoga.com. If you want to share what you’ve learned on your yoga journey, you could be invited to guest spot on The Yoga Inspiration Podcast.

Tapas, the sacred fire we build with our vinyasa, lights up our inner flame. Whether that be consciousness, aspiration or purification, we honour the harmonisation of breath, body and mind. While in this sense we offer a continuation of ancient vedic rituals, it’s hard to ignore the contrasting desire to fixate on our outer worlds.
Will I ever reach the full embodiment of this pose? What time should I meditate each day? Should I change my diet? These are all questions that we find ourselves proposing once the power of yoga has enriched our lives. Yet, in this episode, we remember the bliss of ignorance. Or rather, asking the correct questions.
Because in reality, presence rules over any achievement. That harmony of breath, mind and body is the true state of yoga. Even when we witness the ever-changing nature of our bodies, trusting the process surmounts it all.
We must surrender control and trust the natural cycle of growth and development. The outcome? Sweet fruits.
Start the journey now with your free 30-day membership on Omstars.com. Use code: PODCAST.
Keep up with us online @omstarsofficial or follow me on Instagram @kinoyoga. Visit my blog at Kinoyoga.com to learn more.
Don’t hesitate to get in touch with me at info@kinoyoga.com. If you want to share what you’ve learned on your yoga journey, you could be invited to guest spot on The Yoga Inspiration Podcast.