The Science of Light

Rosemary Holbrook
  • 4.8 (16)
  • SPIRITUALITY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

The Science of Light is a podcast that weaves stories, research, and philosophy to make sense of life. Join me, Rosemary, in exploring holistic wellness topics from a perspective that blends spirituality with science. I am a yoga teacher, training yoga therapist, recovering addict, entrepreneur, researcher, parent, and student of life. I am a firm believer that everyone brings a unique perspective based on their experiences, and that exploring wellness from a variety of angles, when colored by personal experiences and research, is the best way to learn about ourselves and the world. Join me in becoming better humans by keeping our feet on the ground, head in the stars, and staying in the light!

  1. 63. The Science of Ayurvedic Cleansing, Gut Health, Hormones and the Microbiome

    03/15/2023

    63. The Science of Ayurvedic Cleansing, Gut Health, Hormones and the Microbiome

    Hippocrates, the father of modern western medicine, is famous for his expression “All disease begins in the gut." On this episode, past guest, Ayurvedic Practitioner and Dietician Donna Papania joins us again to answer questions about Panchakarma at home. Host Rosemary Holbrook presents several research studies around gut health and hormones, connection between microbiome and doshas/prakriti, and how Ayurvedic lifestyle practices impact all of the above. Studies Presented: The Gut Microbiome and Sex Hormone-Related Diseases (source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8506209/) The Microbiome in Health and Disease from the Perspective of Modern Medicine and Ayurveda (source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7559905/) Prakriti phenotypes as a stratifier of gut microbiome: A new frontier in personalized medicine? (source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0975947620300413) Resources: 2023 Yoga + Astrology Planner Join the membership/support this podcast! Readings + Events Vedic Birth Chart Calculator Yoga + Astrology facebook group Dharma worksheet I'd love to connect with you on Social Media: Instagram - Facebook - Wisdom - Social Audio - Link In Bio  If you enjoy this podcast and want to say cheers or support this work, buy me a coffee! Or you can poke around on my website to find out more about who I am and what I do: www.yogiscopes.com If you're reading this or listening, I'm grateful that our paths have crossed and would love to connect with you on instagram or facebook! Don't forget to like, subscribe, rate, follow, share, give me all the digital warm and fuzzies, and stay in the light!

    49 min
  2. 62. Nuerodivergence, Parenting, and Yoga with Kate Lynch

    01/20/2023

    62. Nuerodivergence, Parenting, and Yoga with Kate Lynch

    Kate is the parent of an amazing atypical kid, an inclusive yoga and meditation teacher, and author of the upcoming book, Atypical Kids, Mindful Parents: The joys and struggles of raising neurodivergent kids.   She began teaching yoga and cultivating community in 2002, hoping to relieve some of the suffering in the world after 9/11. Since then she has shared the tools that help her find joy, healing and calm in the face of self-doubt, pain and anxiety.   Kate's students include deeply feeling, empathetic people who are ready to take themselves off the back burner. Her membership, workshops and retreats are welcoming and friendly, and reflect her core values: empathy, integrity, equity and respect. Tune in to this raw, real, and relatable story to hear how she went from a stressed out fashion designer in Manhattan, to full time yoga teacher, parent of an atypical kid, and author. Key topics in the episode: Kate's yoga story harm done by the fashion industry (and ahimsa) trying to conceive and fertility treatments toxic positivity around birth and infancy getting her son's diagnosis mindfulness and co-regulation as a parent Tara Brock's RAIN technique for self compassion writing a book from what she's learned through the pandemic and other life challenges the Kundalini scandal and how to recognize cult dynamics, vs trauma-informed circular (rather than hierarchical) space-holding Kate's book, and her definition of "Atypical Kids" and Neurodivergence tools to use in a meltdown (for any parents!) To get in touch with Kate or find resources mentioned in the episode: How to Stay Calm During a Meltdown: https://www.healthyhappyyoga.com/meltdown   3 Audio Guided Relaxations for Better Sleep: https://www.healthyhappyyoga.com/free-guided-relaxation-audios-for-better-sleep   The Compassion Club is an inclusive yoga membership for deeply feeling people who want customized support, encouragement, and connection so they can change what's not working, break cycles, and fall back in love with their lives. New members get a 7 day free trial. https://www.healthyhappyyoga.com/Compassion-Club-Free-Trial   Kate's website: https://www.healthyhappyyoga.com/   Kate's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/healthyhappyyoga/     To get in touch with Rosemary:   Join an astrologically-based yoga class/free meditations every Monday: https://www.yogiscopes.com/classes Yoga + Astrology facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/yogiscopes Readings + Events https://www.yogiscopes.com/offerings Join the waitlist for the YOGISCOPES membership: https://www.yogiscopes.com/waitlist Connect with Rosemary on Social Media:   Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/yogiscopes Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/yogiscopes Link In Bio: https://www.yogiscopes.com/linkinbio Poke around on my website: https://www.yogiscopes.com If you're reading this or listening, I'm grateful that our paths have crossed and would love to connect with you on instagram or facebook! Don't forget to like, subscribe, rate, follow, share, give me all the digital warm and fuzzies, and stay in the light!

    56 min
  3. 61. Emotional Sobriety through Yoga and the 12 Steps with Rosie Mulford

    01/09/2023

    61. Emotional Sobriety through Yoga and the 12 Steps with Rosie Mulford

    Tune into this riveting story to hear how yoga can bring healing and self-realization after addiction and despair, and leave the episode feeling uplifted inspired, and with new tools in your toolbox. Rosie took her first yoga class in Coconut Grove, Florida in 1974.  Her instructor was Eve Diskin-then the Director of the American Institute of Yoga.  During college and for a short time after, Rosie concentrated on her ballet studies, incorporating her yogic knowledge into her ballet exercises. For the next ten years, she began an intense Yoga practice incorporating Bikram and The Barkan Method under the guidance of Jimmy Barkan in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Rosie received her Teacher Training Certificates from Asheville Yoga Center and has been teaching in Asheville, NC since 2005. Rosie is certified in Pre-natal yoga, Vinyasa Flow yoga, Children’s Yoga and has her 500-hour ERYT from Yoga Alliance. Her passion lately is teaching the ways in which combining Yoga with the 12 Steps of AA can offer a freedom from addictions in life- after all, we are each addicted to something! Rosie likes to mimic the challenges we face in real life on the mat, practicing how to share compassion and kindness in everything we do! Key topics of the episode: Rosie's story of growing up in catholic school in south florida experimenting with other people's medications, other partying in high school starting teaching yoga and going down a dark road -- disordered eating, alcohol, other drugs, suffering in college, codependent relationships, etc. moment of surrender: never pretty, the universe forces you finding her way into AA and teacher training after many years of teaching, weaving in the 12 steps with yoga for ultimate healing emotional sobriety definition how to cultivate emotional sobriety a breath technique you can use right now / anywhere for overcoming desires, addictive impulses, and cravings If you want to connect with Rosie: www.RosieYoga.com Join the Asheville Y12SR facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/615885036091742/ Sign up for a Y12SR Class (every Wednesday at 8:30am EST, in person at Asheville Yoga Center, or online from anywhere with recording sent afterwards no matter how you attend)https://www.union.fit/events/y12sr-y12sr-meeting-with-rosie Get more info about the Yoga and Addiction workshop at Asheville Yoga Center (or online!) on Feb 17, 2023https://www.union.fit/events/asheville-yoga-center-yoga-addiction-hybrid If you want to connect with Rosemary: Yoga + Astrology facebook group Dharma worksheet I'd love to connect with you on Social Media: Instagram - Facebook - Link In Bio  If you enjoy this podcast and want to say cheers or support this work, buy me a coffee! Or you can poke around on my website to find out more about who I am and what I do: www.yogiscopes.com If you're reading this or listening, I'm grateful that our paths have crossed and would love to connect with you on instagram or facebook! Don't forget to like, subscribe, rate, follow, share, give me all the digital warm and fuzzies, and stay in the light!

    44 min
  4. 60. Struggle with consistent meditation? Here's what to do about it

    12/29/2022

    60. Struggle with consistent meditation? Here's what to do about it

    Join the FREE 21 day mental clarity mediation challenge: https://www.yogiscopes.com/clarity In this episode I share about: 3 common misconceptions about meditation, 2 pitfalls that keep people from consistent practice even when they "know how" (and what to do about them), and a basic technique to use that doesn't require anything but you and your brain. (This is the same framework behind most guided meditations I create, so it's also useful if you're a yoga teacher that struggles to find or create meditation "scripts") And check out my brand spankin' new youtube channel for some free guided meditations you can use. https://www.youtube.com/@yogiscopes/featured

    17 min
  5. 59. Critical thinking to dispel Avidya with Matt Huy, author of Physiology of Yoga

    12/16/2022

    59. Critical thinking to dispel Avidya with Matt Huy, author of Physiology of Yoga

    The yoga world is rampant with teachers saying things because their teacher's teacher said them. Some of these things are true, and some of them are purely based on speculation or personal experience (which, ultimately, can be marred with avidya!). Many yoga teachers have low scientific literacy because it feels daunting, confusing, or unhelpful. This epsiode, and Matt's book (and upcoming live course!) is here to help with that! Matt's mission is to empower yoga teachers to feel more confident in their teaching! So what is Avidya? Matt teaches us how typically, the higher quality of evidence, the lower the biases of that evidence. Lower quality evidence is loaded with personal biases--or avidya! So how do you dispel that avidya? Learn to understand research! Avidya can loosely be translated to ignorance--where you don't even know what you don't know  (see also Dunning Krueger effect) -- notice how people that know a lot, like Matt, are really careful about the claims they make. Be wary of people who don't do that. Learn more about the Kleshas on this Episode 21 of The Science of Light: Perception is Reality: Intro to the Kleshas Does reading research feel daunting, confusing, or full of jargon? Do you want to make sure your cueing (or what your yoga teacher says) in a yoga class is really TRUE? How can we learn to move our bodies in safe ways (or teach our students not to fear moving their bodies in new ways) WITHOUT using fear based language? This episode is for you if you want to learn the thought process (critical thinking) behind understanding research by way of several (relevant to yoga practice) examples.  About Matt: Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Matt was studying biology at university when he enrolled in a dance class upon the whimsical suggestion of a friend. Something changed in him during that first dance course; he discovered an absolute love of movement. He next enrolled in a yoga class and decided he wanted to study movement instead of biology. Several years later, he completed a BA in Dance from California State University Long Beach, a yoga teacher training at a Sivananda ashram in India, an several other movement and body-oriented certifications (like pilates and massage). In 2022, he completed a Master's degree in Sport, Health, and Exercise Science at Brunel University London, where he focused on exercise physiology and pain science. His master’s research focused on the impact of yoga teachers’ language on their clients--examples of which we cover in today's episode.  Along with his colleague Dr Andrew McGonigle, Matt co-authored The Physiology of Yoga, which is an evidence-based exploration of how yoga affects the physiology of the various systems of the body. Matt's yoga story  Pain science: chronic pain as a field of research Biomedical model vs biopsychosocial model An example: cueing chaturanga Addressing preventing overuse injuries without fear based language using the science of training adaptations Myth or fact: bending the spine forward and back too much will cause it to "snap like a credit card" or bending the spine creates bulging discs (learn the answer supported by research)  An example of how research conclusions get distorted via blogs, articles, etc (and how to decipher of if what you're saying is evidence-based or not) Myth or fact: "yin yoga targets the fascia" -- (or "regular yoga" does not target the fascia in the same way yin does). Does holding a stretch for longer give better results in targeting the fascia? Tune in to find out! Should yin be practiced on cold or warm muscles? An example of the thought process of research and how to determine if things are "true" or evidence based or not Critical thinking, scientific literacy in yoga, and the dangers of parroting things your teacher's teacher said that are ultimately based purely on speculation or personal experience (do twists really detoxify the liver??)  To work more with Matt: 8 week book club starting in January: https://www.matthewhuy.com/service-page/live-online-8-week-book-club-1  www.matthewhuy.com www.thephysiologyofyoga.com/ Instagram: @yogawithmatt FB: @matthewhuyyoga To work more with Rosemary: 2022 Yoga + Astrology Planner Join the membership/support this podcast! Readings + Events Chart Calculator Yoga + Astrology facebook group Dharma worksheet I'd love to connect with you on Social Media: Instagram - Facebook - Wisdom - Social Audio - Link In Bio  If you enjoy this podcast and want to say cheers or support this work, buy me a coffee! Or you can poke around on my website to find out more about who I am and what I do: www.yogiscopes.com If you're reading this or listening, I'm grateful that our paths have crossed and would love to connect with you on instagram or facebook! Don't forget to like, subscribe, rate, follow, share, give me all the digital warm and fuzzies, and stay in the light!

    1h 8m
  6. 58. Healing Trauma with Somatic Therapies with Katy Adams

    11/30/2022

    58. Healing Trauma with Somatic Therapies with Katy Adams

    "Trauma isn't the thing that happens, its the meaning we make of it" quoted Katy Adams, talking about her work in becoming a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner. Let's go on a wild ride from moving cattle on a ranch with your nervous system, to developing (and healing from!) chronic fatigue syndrome, switching careers 10 years in, and self-publishing a book.  This inspirational interview with Somatic Therapist Katy Adams is packed with vulnerability, insight, realness, and research-backed practices! Katy has been a somatic therapist for over a decade, and has expanded her career to include Somatic Coaching. Katy is a former writing English professor and writing instructor and created a trauma-informed journaling technique called Somatic Writing. Katy lives and works in Austin, Texas. Listen to the end to hear about the book she is working on self-publishing, where she covers the culmination of her life's work: actionable things you can do on your own to heal yourself from trauma, expand your window of tolerance so you can experience more true joy and good feelings in life.   Key points in the episode: Katy Adam's story of how she got into somatic therapy work (including her experience with chronic fatigue syndrome)  Explanation of Somatic Experiencing (SE) and where it comes from  EMDR explanation & how research impacts Somatic Experiencing vs EMDR  window of tolerance, memory packets, and other considerations in trauma therapy  science of EMDR vs SE, bilateral stimulation in yoga and trauma therapy   Trauma vortex and counter vortex  The role of yoga and journaling in trauma therapy (and research to support!)  Following your Dharma: "I wanna do the work that comes out of who I am"    pendulation vs titration and the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system in yoga and somatic experiencing  book writing process with a full time job, self publishing without a social media following  The book framework: Somato-Emotional Endurance (and how it aligns with the chakras!)  where to find Katy Adams Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katyadamsyall Websites: https://www.katyadams.com / https://www.serpentdovewellness.com Resources: Get on the waitlist for the YOGISCOPES Membership Readings + Events Chart Calculator Yoga + Astrology facebook group Dharma worksheet I'd love to connect with you on Social Media: Instagram - Facebook - Wisdom - Social Audio - Link In Bio  If you enjoy this podcast and want to say cheers or support this work, buy me a coffee! Or you can poke around on my website to find out more about who I am and what I do: www.yogiscopes.com If you're reading this or listening, I'm grateful that our paths have crossed and would love to connect with you on instagram or facebook! Don't forget to like, subscribe, rate, follow, share, give me all the digital warm and fuzzies, and stay in the light!

    55 min
  7. 57. Common Yoga Injuries and How to bring Stability to your Flow with Dr. Lauren Shelton

    10/19/2022

    57. Common Yoga Injuries and How to bring Stability to your Flow with Dr. Lauren Shelton

    Fix your vinyasa with actionable tips from this episode! Left to our own devices, most of us will just further our imbalances because it's what we're good at and what feels comfortable. Learn why you need to be adding in strengthening practices to prevent injuries from practicing yoga. Dr. Lauren is an anatomy guru who loves educating yogis on their bodies so they can prevent injury in their practice. She received her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Duke University, and immediately upon graduation knew she wanted to complete her RYT-200.   Teacher Training had a profound effect on her practice as a PT, and she began to realize she had a greater passion for PREVENTING injury than for treating injuries.   She went on to complete an Orthopedic Residency at Mayo Clinic Florida, becoming a Board-Certified Ortho Specialist.   Now she works full time on developing a program detailed in the episode called StabilityFlow. It is an online membership that will have both live and prerecorded classes each week. Unlike traditional yoga, each class will incorporate strategic strength and stability training of muscles that are typically left out in yoga- with the goal of preventing pain and injury.She incorporates her knowledge as a Doctor of Physical Therapy and yoga instructor to bring you the best of both worlds 😊   Topics covered in this episode: - physical goals beyond the aesthetic, putting health above the way your body looks - physical therapy for preventing injuries - taking breath knowledge and wisdom from yoga into orthopedic physical therapy  - cross training and overuse injuries - common flow yoga / power yoga injuries: wrist pain, shoulder pain and injuries, SI joint pain or injury - what's really going on with "yoga butt", your hamstrings, "sits bones", piriformis, and sciatica and anatomy of the sciatic nerve - common pitfalls in high plank and chaturanga dandasana and 3 easy tips to ease wrist pain  -how to make yoga safer for people with hypermobility - specific poses that can cause pain and how to prevent them - How Lauren's program StabilityFlow helps understand the muscle imbalances that power yoga can create and how we can prevent them To connect with Lauren and get on the waitlist for stability flow: Find her on instagram at @dr.lauren.yoga To connect with Rosemary or find her work: Instagram - Facebook - Wisdom - Social Audio - Link In Bio  If you enjoy this podcast and want to say cheers or support this work, buy me a coffee! Or you can poke around on my website to find out more about who I am and what I do: www.yogiscopes.com If you're reading this or listening, I'm grateful that our paths have crossed and would love to connect with you on instagram or facebook! Don't forget to like, subscribe, rate, follow, share, give me all the digital warm and fuzzies, and stay in the light!

    55 min
  8. 56. Yoga for Bendy People with Dr. Libby Hinsely, PT, DPT, C-IAYT

    10/12/2022

    56. Yoga for Bendy People with Dr. Libby Hinsely, PT, DPT, C-IAYT

    Were you drawn to yoga because it comes easily to you? Or, conversely, have you never felt like you were very "good" at yoga because your aren't naturally flexible? This episode will be a fun one no matter which side you fall on--because it helps turn that idea of yoga=flexibility on it's head! Tune in to hear more therapeutic applications of yoga and so much more! On this episode, we unpack hypermobility, and why a lot of extremely bendy folks are drawn to yoga (which might also make folks who are not very bendy feel like yoga is not for them!), and we really dive into a more functional approach to the practice that works for bendy and non-bendy people alike! Libby Hinsley is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and Certified Yoga Therapist specializing in the treatment of chronic pain, hypermobility disorders, and yoga-related injuries. She has taught yoga for 17 years and has trained yoga teachers for over a decade. Her new book — Yoga for Bendy People: Optimizing the benefits of yoga for hypermobility — explores how people with joint hypermobility can avoid injury and instead, use the tools of yoga to support their thriving. The book is for all yoga teachers as well as bendy practitioners. Libby is also the co-founder of Anatomy Bites, a monthly membership for yoga teachers who want to learn anatomy in a fun, supportive, and highly relevant way. On this episode, Libby shares her story of going from practicing yoga in college to eventually teaching on the side of her desk job, how her practice was a factor in chronic injury, and what she found instead to continue enjoying the practice without continuing to contribute to injury. You can also hear the beautiful offerings she has put into the world as a result of being an advocate for herself and now all bendy yoga lovers! Libby is a wonderful example of someone creating a heart-led and world-needed career!  Topics Covered in this episode include: - Going from philosophy and environmental studies, desk job practicing ashtanga to viniyoga therapeutic style practicing and teaching and a physical therapist / yoga therapist for hypermobility - function over form, breath centric practice, and Viniyoga / lineage of Desikachar  - considerations of lineages and how they evolve in the U.S. vs India - thereapeutic application of yoga and how to devise an appropriate practice, and how our practices can and should evolve to meet our changing needs over time - chasing down specialists and not having anyone to help connect the dots of symptoms - hypermobility syndromes, symptoms, and brain anatomy differences - hypermobility related symptoms: digestion and leaky gut, low blood pressure & POTS (postural orthostatic tachychardia), anxiety and sympathetic arousal, enlarged amygdala (threat detection center) resulting in hyper vigilance - connective tissue vs muscle myths & facts (fascia!) - pregnancy, relaxin, collagen in the body and collagen supplementation - the role of interoception (sensation awareness) and proprioception (awareness of where your body is in space) - why the current way yoga teachers learn anatomy is like "trying to sip water out of a fire hyrant" and what Libby has come up with instead (anatomy bites!)  To get in touch with Libby or find her work: www.LibbyHinsley.com (to sign up for Hypermobility Hub as well!) www.AnatomyBites.com   Instagram: @libbyhinsleypt To get in touch with Rosemary or find her work: Instagram - Facebook - Wisdom - Social Audio - Link In Bio  If you enjoy this podcast and want to say cheers or support this work, buy me a coffee! Or you can poke around on my website to find out more about who I am and what I do: www.yogiscopes.com If you're reading this or listening, I'm grateful that our paths have crossed and would love to connect with you on instagram or facebook! Don't forget to like, subscribe, rate, follow, share, give me all the digital warm and fuzzies, and stay in the light!

    55 min
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4.8
out of 5
16 Ratings

About

The Science of Light is a podcast that weaves stories, research, and philosophy to make sense of life. Join me, Rosemary, in exploring holistic wellness topics from a perspective that blends spirituality with science. I am a yoga teacher, training yoga therapist, recovering addict, entrepreneur, researcher, parent, and student of life. I am a firm believer that everyone brings a unique perspective based on their experiences, and that exploring wellness from a variety of angles, when colored by personal experiences and research, is the best way to learn about ourselves and the world. Join me in becoming better humans by keeping our feet on the ground, head in the stars, and staying in the light!

Information

  • Creator
    Rosemary Holbrook
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2023
  • Episodes
    64
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Rosemary Holbrook
  • Show Website
    The Science of Light