Finding Harmony Podcast Episodes

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...

In this episode Russell and I explore what the mystic experience is, how it is conceptualized in different religions, environments, and cultures. We discuss our human condition and the tendency to get caught up in the traps of duality, always needing to name, categorize, and create hierarchies with our minds… especially with in-laws! Opening and closing music compliments of my dear friend teaching Ashtanga Yoga in Eindhoven, Nick Evans with his band "dawnSong" from the album "for Morgan." Listen...

In this episode, Russell Case talks about the Vagus Nerve and how it effects your mood. Learn why the yoga practice works at a physiological level and things you can do to increase it's effectiveness. You will love hearing stories about Richard Freeman, and Barak Obama, and more of Russell's fascination about how different narcotics act on the brain. Opening and closing music compliments of my dear friend teaching Ashtanga Yoga in Eindhoven, Nick Evans with his band "dawnSong" from the album "f...

Harmony Slater and Russell Case chat about Harmony's first trip to India, and what it was like traveling to a completely different culture as a young women in her early 20s. You will love hearing about the surprise she received at her first astrology reading, the cultural differences between the East and West, and some tips and tricks to staying healthy, while living in an environment with less than optimal conditions. Opening and closing music compliments of my dear friend teaching Ashtanga Yo...

Parenting can be difficult at times, and even more so when you are coming into an already established family bond. In this episode Harmony asks Russell to describe his experience with co-parenting and creating a blended family as a step-parent. Russell reflects on his own past, growing up with two different step-fathers, and how his experience has informed how he approaches his relationship now to his own stepson. Opening and closing music compliments of my dear friend teaching Ashtanga Yoga i...

Find out who Russell Case is, how he got into yoga and what the Ashtanga yoga scene was like in Mysore, India almost 20 years ago. In this episode, Harmony asks Russell to tell about how he came to practice yoga. You will love to hear the lightness and levity of Russell's story that shines through in his sense of humor as he talks about his experience with the practice and going to India for the first time. Find out more about Russell Case on his website. Opening and closing music compliments o...

In this episode, Harmony leads listeners through a type of meditation technique that brings about a state of deep relaxation. This rotation of consciousness through the body, brings awareness to each part, and in doing so, allows for the relaxation of any held tension. Through this practice, you are invited to experience a state of total relaxation, while being awake, which will increase your overall energy levels in both body and mind. Opening and closing music compliments of my dear friend te...

This is my first episode in the Finding Harmony Podcast. It is a little introduction to who I am, where I came from, and how the practice of Ashtanga Yoga found me, and helped me to find myself. I hope you enjoy! Opening and closing music compliments of my dear friend teaching Ashtanga Yoga in Eindhoven, Nick Evans with his band "dawnSong" from the album "for Morgan." Listen to the entire album on Spotify - simply click Here. To purchase your own copy - click Here.