The Heart of Yoga

• Walt Whitman was a Yogi | Dylan Giles

  Imagine words so sincere, that the author appears as a close friend, speaking directly through time to the deepest part of who we are? This week, Dylan Giles joins Rosalind to share how reading Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself” in a time of personal drift opened a direct experience of connection. Dylan describes nights spent under the Californian moon, feeling Whitman’s words as a living presence, breaking him free of rigid traditions.  In this episode I find out from Dylan about Whitman as mystic, and we use him to understand yogic ideas such as shaktipat, ishta, and guru parampara.  We explore how reading Whitman can lead to a shift from cleverness to sincerity in our own writing, the subtle ways we unconsciously believe we are separate from greatness, and the challenge of integrating moments of inspiration into daily life. In this conversation we track the shift from being a FAN of a mystic like Whitman of William Blake, to being a fellow participant in the great mystery called life. With our artists and mystics holding our hands. Subjects Explored Meeting Whitman in a moment of drift and loneliness The freedom of Whitman’s meterless, sincere poetry Sensing Whitman’s living presence through reading How sincerity cuts through patterned language Moving beyond cleverness to honest writing Recognizing unconscious beliefs of separation Yoga as the way we integrate grace into our lives Key Phrases or Quotes “I was reading this and feeling from the page that Walt Whitman was directly communicating to me, like he was in the room.” “True sincerity really moves me.” “I felt as if his words were so sweet. I felt it in my heart that he was just around me somehow.” “There’s erosion of spontaneous human expression. You sort of felt like you’d discovered a fountain of spontaneous human expression in a desert.” “I realized he wasn’t different from me. We are made of the same stuff.” Key Takeaways Sincerity Creates Real Connection – Honest words carry a power that reaches others directly. Poetry Reveals Yoga – Words infused with life transmit a sense of presence and unity. Admiration Sparks Recognition – Seeing beauty in Whitman helps us see it in ourselves. Yoga Grows in Integration – Grace opens possibilities, and Yoga helps us live them fully. Spontaneous Words Are Alive – Breaking from scripts nourishes life and brings clarity. We Share the Creative Force – The same life that moved Whitman moves through each of us. Suggested Reading Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman – Explore the groundbreaking free verse poems that celebrate the body, nature, death, and the joy of existence. The Marriage of Heaven and Hell by William Blake – A visionary work challenging traditional views of good and evil, exploring the unity of opposites, and the energy of life. Timestamps 00:02:00 Intimate Yoga revealed in Whitman’s poetry during Dylan’s personal drift 00:04:00 Whitman’s presence felt through words alive and immediate across time 00:06:00 Scripted language blocking authentic, heartfelt human communication 00:08:00 Shaktipat-like realization ignited by powerful, sincere words 00:09:00 Shared creative power with Whitman dissolves illusions of separation 00:20:00 Radical embrace of body, sexuality, death, and life celebrated by Whitman 00:29:00 “What is the grass?” reflects on life, death, and universal connection 00:32:00 Eternal life recognized within finite human experience through Yoga 00:36:00 Bold authenticity inspired by Whitman’s lines urging courage beyond comfort 00:46:00 Body-soul unity illuminated in Blake’s vision of eternal creative energy You are the beauty. You are the intelligence. You are already in perfect harmony with life. You don’t need to seek it. You need only participate in it. Learn more and access the course at https://www.heartofyoga.com. Support the Heart of Yoga Foundation. This podcast is sustained by your donations.  

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• Healing from the Need to Heal: Ayurveda, Orthorexia & Yoga with Konstanze Weiser

  What happens when healing becomes another form of harm? When the search for purity, wellness, and relief becomes a maze of restriction, shame, and exhaustion? In this quietly radical conversation, Konstanze Weiser joins us to speak not as an expert, but as someone who lived it from childhood illness to orthorexia, Panchakarma to spiritual burnout. We explore the parts of wellness culture we don’t often talk about: the obsession with food, the spiritualization of suffering, the silent shame around digestion and embodiment. Konstanze shares what it took to finally stop outsourcing authority, soften her grip, and listen to her own body. What emerged wasn’t a protocol, but a practice. Not control, but connection. This is not a story of being healed. It’s a story of no longer needing to be. Subjects Explored Orthorexia and the glorification of “clean” eating When Ayurveda becomes another system to get right Panchakarma, shame, and the desire to purge pain Digestive distress, embodiment, and feminine silence Yoga practice as participation, not perfection Letting go of healing as a project Food, feeling, and the return to simplicity Key Phrases or Quotes “It wasn’t the food. It was the shame.” “I believed my body couldn’t heal unless I followed all the rules.” “At some point, I didn’t even have the capacity for shame anymore.” “I don’t use food to compensate as much anymore—because I don’t need to.” “Healing isn’t about fixing. It’s about not betraying yourself.” “My practice is non-negotiable. But it’s not because I’m trying to improve. It’s because it brings me back.” Key Takeaways Orthorexia is often hidden in wellness culture – When food becomes a moral issue, restriction masquerades as discipline. Systems are not saviors – Ayurveda, yoga, or detox can become prisons when driven by fear or perfectionism. Digestion and shame are deeply linked – It wasn’t the food causing distress. It was the silence, the hiding, the internalized shame. Embodiment is not a theory – Real practice means listening to the body, not overriding it with ideals. Simplicity is a form of intelligence – Healing came not from doing more, but from letting go. The body already knows – The role of practice is to help us trust it again. Resources Mentioned Konstanze Weiser on Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/konstanze.weiser The Period Repair Manual by Lara Briden: https://www.larabriden.com/period-repair-manual Timestamps [00:00:00] Introduction from Mexico and today’s theme [00:02:00] Konstanze’s early health struggles and the roots of obsession [00:05:00] Orthorexia and the quiet pain of trying to eat “perfectly” [00:08:00] When Ayurveda becomes another form of control [00:13:00] First Panchakarma: detox, intensity, and unexpected peace [00:17:00] Returning to Germany and feeling alive for the first time [00:23:00] Digestive shame and the false image of the perfect woman [00:28:00] The trap of spiritual protocols and chasing purity [00:36:00] Second Panchakarma: heartbreak, collapse, and exhaustion [00:42:00] Yoga as non-negotiable—not for performance, but for sanity [00:48:00] Breaking the rules and finding freedom in food [00:54:00] Reframing sickness as a message, not a malfunction [01:00:00] Breath, simplicity, and the intelligence of the body [01:01:00] Final reflections and invitation to return to trust Your body is not broken. You are not behind. You are not a problem to be solved. Practice is not a fix. It’s a homecoming. To support the Heart of Yoga Foundation or learn more about our courses, visit heartofyoga.com. This podcast is sustained by your donations.  

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• Kali and the Marriage of Heaven and Hell

  What if our anger is sacred? What if the rage we feel in our bodies, in our culture, in our Earth, is not something to suppress, but something to honor? This week, Mariana Garcia Flores and I sit again in the Garden of the Moon to invoke the presence of Kali, the fierce face of the Divine Feminine, and the part of us that says no more. We speak into the places where softness meets strength, where grief becomes action, where Yoga becomes the healing of the rift between Shakti and Shiva, within us and in the world. This conversation is not sanitized. It’s raw, truthful, necessary. Kali is not here to be palatable. She’s here to wake us up. To rewild us. To make our practice real. Subjects Explored The mythology of Kali and the archetype of feminine rage Dissociation and the violence of spiritual bypass Why embodiment is activism The pain of controlling Shakti and separating from Shiva What Yoga teaches us about sacred integration How feminine anger becomes a healing force Key Phrases or Quotes “Shakti is angry. And it is appropriate.” “Kali is here to destroy what needs to be destroyed.” “You don’t separate Shiva from Shakti. You gather her.” “Your practice is making love with life.” “She’s not killing people. She’s killing the delusion.” “It is destroying what is not real.” Key Takeaways Sacred Anger is Real – Feminine rage is not dysfunction. It is sacred correction. Dissociation is the True Demon – When the mind leaves the body, suffering begins. Yoga is the Union of Opposites – Strength and softness, Shiva and Shakti, must be lived together. Receptivity is Power – To receive Shakti is the strength of true masculinity and humanity. Embodied Intimacy is Activism – When we inhabit our wholeness, we reclaim the world. The Feminine Will Not Be Silenced – This is not about gender. It’s about life force refusing erasure. Resources Mentioned Tantric Visions of the Divine Feminine by David Kinsley Timestamps [00:00:00] Opening with Kali and the missing piece of feminine rage [00:02:00] The illusion of gendered energy and cultural separation [00:04:00] Trees, nature, and the union of opposites [00:05:00] Reading the terrifying and sacred imagery of Kali [00:07:00] Kali’s rage as sacred destruction and healing [00:09:00] Severed heads and the metaphor of cutting dissociation [00:10:40] Yoga as receptivity and the return of mind to body [00:11:50] Gathering Shakti: what real husbanding means [00:12:40] Modern relationships, transactional needs, and intimacy [00:14:00] Feminine rebellion and Kali as a global force [00:16:00] Suppressed anger and the cost of not saying no [00:18:00] Strength, softness, and the spine of Yoga practice [00:20:00] Shiva’s surrender and the softening of Kali [00:22:00] William Blake and the marriage of heaven and hell [00:24:00] The sacredness of desire and the distortion of repression [00:27:00] Violence, anger, and sexuality in religious conditioning [00:29:00] Receiving desire vs. grasping in relationship [00:30:00] A meditation on Kali’s wrath and the transformation of rage [00:32:00] The world’s denial of the feminine and embodied revolt [00:34:00] Kali’s names, her sacred sexuality, and final reflections   You are the beauty. You are the intelligence. You are already in perfect harmony with life. You don’t need to seek it. You need only participate in it. Learn more and access the course at https://www.heartofyoga.com. Support the Heart of Yoga Foundation. This podcast is sustained by your donations.  

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• Shakti is Not a Concept - Rosalind Atkinson & Mariana Garcia Flores

  What if everything you were taught to fear is actually sacred? In this intimate, resonant conversation, I sit down with Mariana, a dear friend and fellow teacher whose life story continues to unfold in powerful ways. Raised in a strict Catholic school environment in Mexico, Mariana shares how years of religious repression shaped her understanding of sexuality, embodiment, and spirituality and how the practices of Yoga, meditation, and humanistic psychotherapy helped her unravel those beliefs and come home to her own sacred aliveness. This episode is not a theoretical conversation. It is an embodied testimony to the power of Yoga as life itself as Shakti, as descent, as the energy that we are. Together, we question the cultural scripts that pit spirit against flesh, and remember what it means to live in a world where the seen is the source. Subjects Explored Growing up Catholic and the repression of the body Unlearning religious shame through embodied practice How Yoga reunites what doctrine divides The holiness of desire and the wisdom of William Blake Why the feminine can never be denied, only exiled Shakti as the undismissable truth of nature Key Quotes "Shakti is what we are. There's no denying Shakti." "It was as if I had finally placed the needle on the right record, and the music began to play in rhythm with my own heart." "The body is not a shell to the soul. It is the soul." "Religion told me that the closer I was to God, the further I should be from the body. Yoga showed me they were never separate." "The repression of nature is not safety. It's suffering." Key Takeaways Embodied Awakening – True spiritual life begins when we reclaim the body as sacred. Shakti Cannot Be Denied – The feminine principle is life itself—wild, wise, and ever-present. Beyond Duality – Spirit and matter are not in opposition. Yoga reveals their unity. From Shame to Sovereignty – Dismantling internalized doctrine opens the door to freedom. The Holiness of Desire – As William Blake taught, energy is delight. To feel is divine. Intimacy is the Practice – Yoga is not an escape from reality but a deep participation in it. Resources Mentioned Mariana’s offerings: https://www.aliveaslife.com IG @aliveaslife Timestamps [00:00:00] Opening and Mariana’s Catholic upbringing [00:04:05] Leaving Mexico and the search for freedom [00:08:17] Early messages about sexuality and sin [00:12:00] Confession culture and fear of the body [00:15:48] Yoga, psychotherapy, and reclaiming desire [00:19:55] William Blake and the holiness of energy [00:23:40] From shame to sovereignty [00:27:12] The myth of ascension and the truth of descent [00:31:06] Shakti as nature, not a concept [00:35:30] The body is the soul [00:39:45] Mariana’s current offerings and final reflections You are the beauty. You are the intelligence. You are already in perfect harmony with life. You don’t need to seek it. You need only participate in it. Learn more and access the course at https://www.heartofyoga.com. Support the Heart of Yoga Foundation. This podcast is sustained by your donations.  

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• Alive as Life: An Interview with Mariana Garcia Flores

  What if you are already everything you're looking for? What if the power of the cosmos is not out there, but pulsing through your breath, your body, your life right now? In this conversation, I welcome Mariana Garcia Flores, a radiant presence from Mexico City, and a Woman of the Americas in her full power. Mariana shares her story of transformation from counselor and seeker to embodied yogini and teacher. She speaks of the moment the search ended, when she realized: I am that. Not as an idea, but as a lived, undeniable reality. It is the story of Yoga as life itself, not a technique, not a path, but a participation in what already is. Mariana's clarity is practical, grounded, and deeply feminine. She speaks with the strength of someone who has remembered who she is, and now wants to share that possibility with others. It is not ambition; it is love. It is not effort; it is life flowing through. Key Phrases or Quotes "You are the power of the cosmos. You are life happening."  "The end of the search is the beginning of participation." "This is not poetry. It's not something to attain. It is the fact of your existence." "No power can stop you because you are that power."  "Yoga is the catalyst that brings forth your latent talents." Key Takeaways Embodied Awakening – Yoga is not something you do; it is who you are when you remember.  Feminine Power Reclaimed – Women of the Americas and the world are remembering their inherent Shakti.  The End of Seeking – The great relief comes when we realize there's nowhere to get to. We are already home.  Spiritual Decolonization – Dismantling inherited frameworks that deny the power and beauty of life, especially for women.  Yoga is for Everyone – This is the base of human life, not a luxury, not an escape, but our shared ground.  Service from Wholeness – Teaching is not a career move. It is what naturally flows when we recognize our completeness. Resources Mentioned The Heart of Yoga course: https://www.heartofyoga.com Timestamps  [00:00:00] Introduction and welcoming Mariana, honoring her as a Woman of the Americas and setting the context for the conversation. [00:10:00] Mariana and Mark discuss the impact of colonialism on feminine power and Shakti, exploring the inherited cultural wounding and need for reclamation. [00:20:00] Mariana speaks about family life, sacred motherhood, and how Yoga supports the creative and relational aspects of living. [00:30:00] They reflect on returning to source, living in alignment with life, and how spiritual practice must be grounded in truth and experience. [00:40:00] Mariana discusses the dismantling of guilt, shame, and inherited patterns that obscure our connection to life and presence. [00:44:00] Closing reflections on clarity, the simplicity of being, and how Yoga reveals the truth already present. ‘’You are the beauty. You are the intelligence. You are already in perfect harmony with life. You don’t need to seek it. You need only participate in it.’’ Learn more and access the course at https://www.heartofyoga.com.  Support the Heart of Yoga Foundation. This podcast is sustained by your donations.

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