Finding Harmony Podcast Episodes

The Chinese have a curse “May you be blessed to live in interesting times.” Today we spoke with Timothy Lynch, an artist, father, philosopher, husband, activist, and deeply connected human being. One thing we could all agree on was that these were certainly “interesting times!” Timothy Lynch spoke to us about the personal sacrifice he made. Like in a giant cyclical wheel, the bubble of energy expanded… Ashtanga Yoga was triumphant and golden at the turn of the millennium, and all things seeme...

When we’re at home, most of us practice with a different intensity than we do in Mysore, whether it turns out to be more or less postures is another story. We spent an afternoon discussing what this looks like and why we do what we do with power couple Kate O’Donnell and Rich Ray from Ashtanga Yoga Portland Maine. We talked about Advanced Asanas and our relationship to them both personally, as well as collectively. The first aspect we discussed is what sacrifices a person must make to practice ...

We were blessed today to catch up with our dear friend Todd Boman. Todd and Russell were both born in the Pontiac Memorial Hospital in the 70’s. Probably right along side Madonna Ciccone, a neighbor. Todd has a unique story to share. Growing up in Michigan as a young gay male is its own peculiar hellscape. He understood immediately (and by that I mean junior high school) that being gay in the 80’s and 90’s likely meant death from HIV/AIDS. Surviving the darker side of this AIDS crisis in America...

We were absolutely blown away when Robert Moses related the current pandemic of the Coronavirus to a powerful transformative goddess, Ma Corona Devi. In this way, we most certainly felt like it was a blessing of the Mother Goddess Corona Devi, that this esteemed teacher of yoga, Robert Moses, came on our podcast to share with us personal stories from his incredible lifetime on the spiritual path. Starting with being born in South Africa into a Jewish family, growing up during apartheid, to tra...

Harmony and Russell are at heart amateur archivists of the emerging yoga punk scene that grew up in the heart of Generation X. For us Lisa Schrempp embodies everything that is cool about how we did things. Angry, disaffected, latchkey kids, having to make dinner by ourselves; we made everything in our world by hand because no one else was around. That’s punk. And that is Lisa Schrempp to a T. Lisa was a 17 year old human gazelle and modern dancer in Chicago. She received a scholarship to dance ...

Bibi Lorenzetti is (obvious to anyone who meets her) a star. We are absolutely delighted to have her on the podcast. But one thing you will find, as Madonna put it, when you are a star there is probably something wrong with you. And, like Russell and Harmony, Bibi shares body dysmorphia and has suffered with anorexia nervosa. The urgency to “progress” at the physical side of the yoga practice, often comes at the expense of one’s health, which is traced more deeply to an old feeling of insecurity...

We had the great pleasure to interview our good friend, partner of Harmony’s dear friend Lara Land, the amazing Thimo Wittich. What strikes people about Thimo is his wonderful kindness and good humor. He is very much a sadhaka, like Rolf Naujokat and Swami Agehananda—all Good Germans. Ultimately, just good people that seek to heal the world through mindfulness practice. Thimo sat and discussed a wide range of topics with us: The Ancient Catholic Carnival of his home town Cologne “Köln”, the ant...

From her early origins in a full Opus Dei Catholic school in England to landing the part of Ariel Sharon the Israeli stripper in the blockbuster movie Striptease to becoming a leading figure in the Ashtanga yoga community and now holding the Guinness World Record for the longest held downward facing dog, Kimberly “Kiki” Flynn has lived a fantastical life. As student of Lee Strasburg’s “Method” School of Acting in NYC, she also began learning Kundalini yoga in 1982. Shortly afterward, she was re...

In this episode of Finding Harmony, we’ve decided to take a little "Breathing Break." We wanted to share some funny stories and talk about our experience with the fourth limb of the eight-limb yoga path: Pranayama. During these especially stressful times, we felt it was important to share with you some of the many benefits that cultivating a regular breathing practice can have on your body and mind. If you want to learn more about practicing the 4th limb of yoga: Register for my online Pranayam...

In this episode we catch up with dedicated Ashtangi, mother of two, and highly acclaimed jouranlist, Bethany McLean. She is also an author and contributing editor to Vanity Fair, who lives in Chicago. Bethany’s gift is understanding where the bullshit is, and uncovering it. As Russell said “To put Bethany McLean in context, imagine if in Die Hard Jon McClane takes down Hans Gruber in a cowboy no due process kind of way, then its Bethany who uncovers the rampant embezzlement at Nakatomi Plaza!” ...

Larry Hobbs is an Italian American who grew up in North Carolina. He is an Army Veteran who considers himself a late bloomer, coming to the practice of yoga after turning 50. We walk through Larry’s chaotic childhood — his mother doesn’t speak English and he doesn’t speak Italian, a tour in Vietnam, (his discovery that he didn’t have PTSD from the war, he had it from home), and his practice of martial arts. After his discovery of Ashtanga Yoga he learned from many senior teachers, notably the l...

In this episode we interview Russell’s mother, Michael Carol Case, an exquisite and passionate woman who has lived a fabulous life, in every sense of the word. Michael’s journey to founder and CEO of the largest Urology Niche Recruitment company in the States was a convoluted one. Frustrated by a lack of opportunity for women she entered nursing school in 1965, but quickly dropped out, promoted the Woodstock rock bands at Chicago’s Aragon Ballroom, and raised two children by herself moving from ...

In this episode we interview Julie Choi Trepkau. We dig into what it was like growing up in a traditional Korean family transplanted in America when she was four years old, and how becoming a parent herself has given her a fresh perspective on generational karma, trauma, and a newfound compassion in understanding her own parents and their struggles. Julie’s love of movement began with dance lessons at age 4. Her first encounter with yoga was in 1992 as a student of art history at Columbia Univ...

Aimee Echo began her career not as a Yoga teacher but a punk rock lead singer, recording several albums and touring the world with her band theSTART and performing guest vocals for Red Hot Chili Peppers, Garbage, Teddybears and so many more. Seeking refuge from some toxic elements in rock, she took her first step into an Ashtanga Yoga class in 1999. (As square as Russell is, he was very interested in Aimee’s career and asked a lot of inappropriate questions about what actually is punk. What is ...

Welcome to our anniversary episode! We are looking back at 2020 and the year so far, now half over, and taking stock in what our Podcast Finding Harmony is all about. For us, Yoga is about bringing union and balance to the opposite forces within each moment of pleasure and pain. Many of our episodes seem to deal with examining the point of crises and the resolution in the lives of our yogi friends. Buried within these moments of crisis though is the seed of liberation and from the darkness we fi...

What exactly is the yogic diet? What should we eat to align ourselves with the principles of yoga? Learn the answers to these questions and so many more on this episode of Finding Harmony! From her first trip to India, to living on Nancy Gilgoff’s front porch, to becoming a published author three times over and ending up on Fox News as an expert on Ayurveda, Kate O’Donnell has had a fascinating journey combining the Ashtanga yoga practice with a deep wisdom from the ancient science of Ayurveda....

“True balance for me is always about being able to translate my inner energy, moment to moment. If I don’t balance myself from moment to moment, then I have an emotional hangover.” — Santina Giardina-Chard In this episode we interview the wild woman herself, Santina Giardina-Chard. Santina shares with us with her incredible journey. She experienced extraordinary childhood wounds, had a tumultuous early adulthood struggling with an addiction to heroine, lawlessness and eating disorders. Love ha...

Whether it’s her life, her way with her family, her practice, or the work she has invested herself in, Jessica Walden is Certifiably Organic in every way. In this episode we interview Jessica Walden who is a long time practitioner of Ashtanga yoga, mother of two boys, and has a robust career working for over 20 years in the organic food certification industry. Listen to how Jessica learned to continue practicing when faced with a debilitating back injury that would forever alter her approach t...

I invited Professor Shyam Ranganathan to talk with Russell and I about some of the integral concepts found in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra. In this conversation, you’ll learn how these essential practices are vital for us to actively participate in and how through our participation we can reshape not only ourselves but the world. Dr. Shyam is an incredibly insightful authority on both South Asian and Western Philosophy. He is able to weave together classical thoughts about Logos or Logic, Linguistic ...

Dr. Jag is a public speaker and leader with the organization United To End Racism, and he is the author of the book "It's Your World." He joins Harmony Slater and Russell Case in this episode of the Finding Harmony Podcast to talk about issues of race, discrimination, unconscious bias, white fragility, and how we can begin working on ourselves to change the world around us. You can find more information about Dr. Jag Johal on his website and hear more of his insights on his podcast Absolute Hu...

We are delighted to share this episode featuring an interview with my dear friend and Authorized Ashtanga Yoga teacher, Lara Land. As many of you may already know, Lara is the founder and director of the non-profit organization, Three And A Half Acres, whose mission is to teach yoga, breathing and mindfulness techniques to underserved communities. Lara was very generous to take time out of her busy day to sit down and have this conversation with us! We begin by hearing how she started her yoga...

In this episode, Harmony and Russell explore the topic of aging, injuries, and how to adapt the yoga practice for many different phases of life and the obstacles that can arise as the years go by. Learn how the practice of yoga will help keep you youthful by lengthening telomeres (a compound structure found at the end of chromosomes) and will increase your overall long term health. Find out different ways you can use the practice to help you through times of illness, recovery, and even menopau...

In this episode, I speak about what my personal experience was like after giving birth and how the practice of Ashtanga yoga helped to put the pieces of myself back together again. Russell and I discuss different approaches to the practice postpartum, and how (after becoming a mother) your life will never be the same. Learning to practice anywhere, at any time, and letting go of the results is an essential part of thee journey, and the lessons learned during those early days will continue to in...

In this episode, I speak about my personal experience practicing Ashtanga yoga during my pregnancy and how I like to guide other women who are practicing while pregnant. If you are imagining what it might be like to practice during pregnancy, or if you are a teacher wondering how to guide your pregnant students, this is an episode of Finding Harmony that you won’t want to miss! You will hear about different approaches to a "prenatal Ashtanga" yoga practice and laugh along as I recount my birth...