Nearly Enlightened

Sacred Rage & Self Respect: Shedding Skin & Setting Boundaries

• Giana Rosa Giarrusso • Season 5 • Episode 1

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The calendar may have flipped, but our bodies and our nervous systems often need more time to catch up. In this episode, Giana is joined by Dee Doyno for a real, grounded conversation about this in-between moment: a liminal season meant for rest, reflection, and quiet seed-planting before any big goals take root.

From that steady place, we dive into the deeper layers of what’s been surfacing in the yoga world—particularly conversations around fair wages, studio cleanliness, and the true cost of holding space. We explore why so many January resolutions fall apart, and how the lunar new year and spring equinox offer a more natural, body-aligned reset than the pressure to “start over” on January 1st.

Together, we lift the veil on yoga studio economics: national brands profiting off the backs of their yoga teachers, beautiful spaces that still underpay instructors, and the often invisible labor teachers carry: planning, travel, emotional regulation, continuing education, and energetic care just to name a few. Fair pay and clean studios aren’t luxuries; they’re the foundation for sustainability, integrity, and real community. We also highlight models that are working—studios offering solid base pay with transparent incentives—proving that people-centered business can thrive.

Boundaries take center stage as Giana shares a recent classroom experience that sparked sacred rage—not as something to suppress, but as wise information when integrity is crossed. We talk about the myth that yoga teachers must be endlessly calm, the toll of overgiving, navigating “energy vampires,” and why consent, non-touch classes, and post-class regulation matter more than ever.

To ground the conversation, we share practical tools to support your practice and nervous system:

If you’re ready to shed old skin, stop overgiving to overtakers, and rebuild your relationship with practice in a way that actually supports your life, this episode offers a grounded path forward.

Join us in the conversation—what boundary are you drawing this season?


 If this episode resonates, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs a kinder, more honest start to their year. Your support helps Nearly Enlightened continue to grow as a space for r

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Season Five Kickoff And Reflection

SPEAKER_02

Welcome to the Nearly Enlightened Podcast, a high vibe toolbox designed to help you connect to your body, mind, and spirit. I am your host, Gianna Gerusso, and I'm here to share tools, conversations, and insights to help you on your journey of self-discovery. This podcast is all about exploring what it means to live a conscious, connected, and nearly enlightened life because the truth is the answers aren't outside of us. They already lie within. D is back with me today. Welcome. First episode of season five. Hey, hey, hey, season five.

SPEAKER_03

All right, let's get it.

SPEAKER_02

Thanks for having me. Thanks for being here. Um, it feels kind of like like, yes, it's season five because we're in a new numerical Gregorian calendar year, but I still feel like this is very season four. We're in like the last at this point, like a week.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, a week and a half of the year of the wood snake. Yeah, we'll do a little bit of a reflection. It's like a reflection. What did you say earlier? A season. We're like in this in-between.

Winter As A Season Of Germination

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, it really, so for me, it really does feel like a season. And I think, you know, I've talked about it on the podcast before about why like resolutions don't work, because I don't think in January we're like ready to set those resolutions. And even February kind of feels like like this is like hibernation time. This is like seed germinating time. Like this is like nurture yourself and like you said, reflection to see what's working and what's not working. And I think the last couple of weeks we are really seeing the last little shedding of the skin of the snake. Yes.

Seeing Truth And Escaping Polarization

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I think it's and it's interesting because I feel like, you know, growing up and being raised in New England, it's a lot. I, you know, it's what you're saying resonates a lot. You know, you're like supposed to be hibernating and hunkering down and reflecting. I know, because you're totally the opposite, because you're in the summer. So being here now, living here, I just last week celebrated 10 years of moving back to Panama. So I feel like my last year that happened, right? So as we're coming into the season of reflection, I feel like my physical body, because I did traveling, I did some traveling last year. I feel like my physical body is now completely acclimated to the weather here and the environment here. And even though I'm where I'm right now, we're in our summer, we're in summer right now, I still feel that energetic season that we're talking about of reflecting on the past, like whatever dumpster fire 2025 was, and trying to find the gems in there and the okay, where was truth? Where was I standing in my integrity? Where could I have been doing that more? Where did I maybe lose control? Where did I have too much control? Where, you know, this looking back on it, I feel like there were a lot of lessons that I learned about myself and about the people around me last year, like exponentially compared to other years before. I don't know that way.

SPEAKER_02

Yes. And so somebody, you know, in the interwebs said it best. I saw it yesterday. It was like, this just feels like season six of 2020. And I feel like this whole decade has, yeah, been that the blinders are coming off, the veils are being removed, the fog over the eyes are being lifted. Like we are seeing truth. I think, even, you know, like not to get controversial because I didn't read them yet, or and like I don't think that I will, but like all the Epstein file stuff that just got released and like all of the political divide here in the United States. And I know we have we literally have listeners all over the world. Um, but you know, I am based here in the United States, and at this point, if you are still on a political side, you are part of the problem.

The Torch: Questioning And Speaking Up

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I think it's, and this is something I I don't know if you and I have ever spoken about this, but for me, where I stand and in living here where I live right now in Central America, it's like when I have conversations with the people who are still, you know, back home and stuff, it's like I see the corruption here in broad daylight. So when now all this coming out about all of the stuff you just mentioned, it's like, you know, good. Like, let's see it, let it shine the light on all of it. And but how can we do it in a way where we're not so divided? How can we do it in a way where we can have conversations where we don't necessarily need to agree with each other, but like we can say, like, okay, like let's look at this. We have to look at this, and where like put stuff on the table. And I think that's what I don't know if you feel this way, but I feel like our generation, we know that we're kind of like this bridge, right? Our generation is this bridge, and we know what things were like before the interwebs, what it was like, and now with it, and all the stuff, and that's what we're here to do is to shine the flashlight. And I feel like I'm finally kind of feeling okay with holding it. Like, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02

Yes, at this point, it's not a flashlight, it's a fucking torch. Yes, touche, touche, and just to like I, you know, piggyback off of that a little bit, it's like I know you probably are too. Like, I am the conspiracy theorist friend, and there is a very fine line between like, oh, she's crazy, and like, oh, all of this shit has actually come true.

SPEAKER_00

I like to consider myself the black sheep, but with glitter.

SPEAKER_02

Somebody called it a conspiracy realist.

SPEAKER_00

And I was like, oh, that's very fitting. Here's the thing like, I don't even think we have to even put a label on it. I feel like it's just can I question something I don't agree with or I'm just genuinely curious about? Is it okay to have a question about something? Yes.

SPEAKER_02

I don't know. What is that old saying? Believe half of believe none of what you're told and half of what you see or something like that. Oh, yeah. It's always somewhere in it.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I mean, can we just oh man, I don't know.

SPEAKER_02

Just sit at the table. I've never wanted to throw my phone into the ocean more and disappear, let me tell you.

SPEAKER_00

Hey, boo. I totally get it, but that's what we're here and doing, right? And just call it like it is.

SPEAKER_02

We're shedding, we're releasing, we're letting go, we're getting ready for that fire horse. I am ready. Bring it on.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, the torch. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So it's this, let's see, the year that is asking us that we just went through. What are we ready to really just let go of?

Yoga Industry Pay And Studio Ethics

SPEAKER_02

Yes, and in perfect, um, like not to segue, but to use this as a segue. I sent you something earlier this week that, like, and I I only looked into it a little bit, but core power yoga teachers are like maybe gonna go on strike. And that is so interesting to me. And if you're not familiar with this, they're basically asking for cleaner, healthier studio environments and for fair wages. And I think that they're and Yoga Journal posted about this the other day. So I think that this is a really good conversation to have. And I've talked about it a little bit on the podcast because there are studios here in Rhode Island that are absolutely underpaying their teachers. Um, and like one of the biggest studios here that makes the most money pays their yoga teachers the least. Um, so this is a very, I actually love this topic so much. And it's funny that this, I saw this because that that yoga studio, um, I'm like in my TikTok era. So I was like scrolling through TikTok, and one of like the local influencers had posted about this studio and like how great it was. It's like, yeah, it's so great. Too bad they didn't pay their teachers what they deserve.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

And that's why I won't step foot in that studio anymore. And it's a shame because I loved practicing there. It's like a little bit bougie, the floors are heated, it's like really nice. Um, but just knowing that the studios, uh, the teachers are not getting a fair wage, like I physically cannot go there anymore.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah, because you know what it takes. And I think a lot of times people, and I've had this conversation with some of my students. I've actually had shared a wonderful coffee after class with a couple of my students, um, with the intention of understanding, you know, the student perspective in the area where I personally live right now, and saying, hey, like I would love to learn a little bit more about like what interests you in this class. Like, what do you think about the price? And do you think it's fair? And then listening to their answer, but then also saying, you know, okay, well, what have we had as yoga instructors, we have to take a training that's not, you know, that that's most of the time thousands of dollars. And we have to keep up with that. Just like as a doctor has to do their continuing education, so does a yoga teacher. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

And not to mention, you uh again, like there's no licensure, but you have to pay a governing body yoga alliance, which a lot of us don't anymore, which it's, you know, that's like a maybe a topic for another day. But then you have to pay Yoga Alliance to be like, oh, I paid these thousands of dollars and took these classes, and I pay a couple hundred dollars a year to prove it. It's crazy.

SPEAKER_00

It is crazy, but it's it's you know, I think it's important as a yoga instructor and as a student of yoga to continue the education. And I think that's kind of also too what sets specific teachers apart. But I think that as a student, when you're going into these studios, like you need to be conscious of that. And it's not even, you know, just how long it takes me to plan a class, how long it takes me to physically get to a class. I live in a very rural community, I don't have a class that's less than a half hour away.

SPEAKER_02

You're also paying for my 10 plus years of knowledge.

What Students Don’t See About Teaching

SPEAKER_00

Yes, yes, and all of the props that I've had to invest in, and all like the rent that I have to pay, because I work like I don't know, what would you call me? Like a so I don't know. I rent places because I don't have a physical, there's no physical studio where I am, so I have to rent places where I teach, right? So you might be paying me a certain amount for a class, but how much am I actually making? I don't think students realize that. And I think that it's you know, um, it's definitely a conversation that needs to be had. And I think what was that? You also sent me something, or I sent it to you, I can't remember. And it was like, where was that studio? They had a different model. Do you remember when I was? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. There was like an Austin or something, Austin, Texas. Yeah, and it was a very communal way that they had. I wish I could do that.

SPEAKER_02

I think it was like on a sliding scale or something, or a donation. I can't remember. It was really interesting. There's a yoga studio here that um I just connected with the owner of, and I like can't wait to learn from her. She, depending on your experience, she starts you off at$50 just for walking through the door. And I yes, yeah, yeah. And you can make all the way up to$150 an hour if your class is full. And like, yes, I want to know how she's doing this so that I can bring it to my studio because teachers do deserve that type of pay because of the trainings that they're going through. I mean, if you have one 200-hour teacher training, like, yeah, okay, like$20 a class completely sufficient. But what really pisses me off and is so anti-yoga is a lot of the people that I have worked for since becoming a yoga teacher have always said, like, oh, you can't be a full-time yoga teacher, you need to have another job and like teach for fun. Like, no, no. This is a career path, and you should be able to make a living wage from doing this.

SPEAKER_00

Holding sacred space for people who need it and who doesn't need that right now. Yeah, right.

SPEAKER_02

Tell me, I tell me I'm not of service. Like, I have a shitload of free resources. This podcast is a free resource.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Absolutely. Uh, yeah. So uh don't tell me I'm not of service because I do plenty of things of service. I do charity classes for um you do a lot. So, like and I know other teachers are too. Like, I'm speaking very generally and I'm speaking for myself and just like what came up through this conversation with these core power yoga teachers. And I think it is so important because you think of core power. It is a, I don't know if it's international, I know it's it's all over the United States. It is a huge multi-million dollar franchise. Come on, and if they can't provide your yoga teachers, especially because they have to go through very specific training, and they are also holding the training, so they're making money on the trainings, they're making money off of their teachers, and there's enough money to go around.

SPEAKER_00

There is, and I think right now, more than anything, people I can't tell you the amount of people that I've had after classes recently just like don't even want to come up out of Savasana, and they're just like, I needed that, I needed that, and it's just a little rest. A hundred percent, and that's what I mean. Like right now, I think people are it's just it makes me sad that, and it's not even just yoga teachers. I think anyone who works with, you know, hold space like that is undervalued in this moment in time right now. And I think it's I think it it's it's definitely a topic of conversation that I think as a teacher and also as a student, that's really, really important.

Community Models And Fair Compensation

SPEAKER_02

Yes, and I think that brings us to our next topic that people are so unwell and they're looking and searching for community, and they are literally sucking the energy out of the room because they don't have that. And like this is also a very nuanced topic because we are creating community and holding space and giving students a place to be seen, but at what uh cost? Like I had a situation this week where a student overstepped his bounds and was becoming an energy vampire and making me and my TA feel unsafe. But he thinks he's owed this. And and I said this to you before we started recording, but it is a shame that just being a kind and genuine person, that people are so starved for attention that they take that genuine kindness that you would give anyone, and they make it about themselves, where it they over-inflate their um their sense of worth, I guess it is, that like you are giving them this special attention, but that's not what it is. You literally treat everyone with the same kindness, but they just take like yeah, yeah, it's just gross, and they feel entitled to your energy just because you're a kind person that is out here shining your light, and and seeing the human in everyone.

Burnout, Boundaries, And Safety In Class

SPEAKER_00

I think that that's where sometimes and a lesson I learned to come from full circle from what we were speaking about in the beginning of this uh conversation is you know seeing the human in everyone, but also holding your boundary, yes, yes, as a space holder, and say and knowing when things are not aligned or not are not feeling safe um for you and for the other people that you're holding community for, you know what I mean? So it's it's and trying to do that uh as an instructor, you know, and then going to have a teach a class later, your energy is gonna be off. If I'm going through something personally and I and I know that I can still teach a class and I will still teach successfully teach a class, but I will not give an assist in savasana, or I will not physically put my hands on someone and I always ask permission first because I think that's also really important. But I will, if I know that my energy does not feel right, if something feels off, or I'm going through something personally that I need to work out, I need to work that out first before I'm gonna put my hands on somebody. Yeah. Um, and give an assist in class.

SPEAKER_02

But as somebody who it's your career, you can't just like, oh, I need to take a day because my energy is off. Yep. And it you gotta still do it. Yeah, you gotta still do it. So you, you know, and that was something that I had to do this week. And I I was talking about it before we started recording, but I've already been feeling depleted. I've already been feeling a little overstretched, and um because I'm I'm giving a lot of my energy out, I'm really like making myself visible and putting my whole pussy into this. Yeah, we're not half-assing anything. Um so to have this happen, my classes this week, I walked away from them going like oh that c like that class wasn't it. Like it just didn't. My energy is off because of this. And it is learning to be able to regulate your nervous system, but I think it's also important to be self-aware and to to be self-aware and to know when you're overtaking and to integrate everything.

SPEAKER_00

You've got to give yourself time to like when you get home. Like, I think I made a post about this once where like everyone talks about the morning routine. I think as someone who holds space for a living, we have to come home and like put our legs up the wall, yeah. And just integrate the sanctuary, exactly, and take a hot second before you know, and cut do the cord cutting meditations. You know what I mean? Like if you had a difficult class or whatever, you cut the cord of that and you allow yourself to integrate whatever happened so you can go to sleep at night and wake up and you know, continue and do a little bit better the next day, I think.

Regulating Energy And Post-Class Decompression

SPEAKER_02

Um, yes, it you know, important because I mean I said it to you this earlier this week. Like I woke up from a full eight-hour uninterrupted sleep, and like by any uh any normalcy, like I should have woken up feeling fine, but I was literally so exhausted. I could feel it in my eyes, like it was it was such a deep exhaustion, and like I couldn't wrap my head around it, but it's definitely energetic from this situation that happened this week that was a hundred percent sucking my energy. And it was bring back the torch. Like, I'm ready, like we ride at dawn. Like, I my boundaries will not be fucked with. Like, I will not be fucked with. Yeah. And I did kind of call out this student and not in like a confrontational way, but in a way of like have a little self awareness, like. You made two women who were alone at night feel uncomfortable. So whether or not it was your intention to be creepy or like whatever your intention was, you scared two women.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Have some personal responsibility, self-reflection.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, especially as a yoga student.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, a hundred percent. And this isn't just like any yoga student, like he's basically gone through a 200-hour. I think he missed like two weeks. So then he had the nerve to tell me that I wasn't walking my walk or talk, like I wasn't walking the walk that I talk. And you know, like I talk about it on the podcast all the time. Like anyone who knows me knows that that is not fucking true. Yeah. So that really haters gonna hate. Haters gonna hate. It really triggered me. And like men out here need to just be doing better.

SPEAKER_00

They need to be doing better. Yes. I think it's it's it's a challenging thing to be able to have this like uncertainty or sense of security happening that maybe is a little bit rocky within you, and then having to teach a class. And I think a lot of people, there is this misconception where it's like, oh, you're a yoga teacher, you should be Zen all the time, or like, you know, I've seen I've gone to a few clinics and seen doctors where they're like, Oh, well, you know what to do. You can, you know, just meditate. You'll you it's like you get dismissed because you're this, you know, no-all yoga teacher. And it's like actually when you need to ask for support, people are like, oh, you got the tools, you're fine. Exactly. And it's like, that's actually why I do practice as a student, is because it's an incredible tool. Um, and I think that that's just something to be aware of as a student, as a teacher, when you walk into a class to be aware of the value of the person in front of you.

SPEAKER_02

Yes, because more than a fitness class, like it's it's not about the movement.

SPEAKER_00

No, yeah. And I think it's like I honor one of the things that I always say to my students when I close class is like how grateful I am that you show up, not to my class, that you are showing up for yourself. And it's an honor for me to guide you in this practice, you know, and just say thank you, thank you, thank you. And so I just, you know, I just am at the end of the day, I'm really grateful that I can do this. And it's difficult sometimes, I think, when people don't understand the actual financial reality of some of us that live as full-time yoga teachers in this world today.

Calling Out Entitlement And Setting Limits

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. I mean, everyone I talk to, they're like, you're a full-time yoga teacher. Oh my god, how do you do it? And it's like, well, how much time do you have? How much time do you have? Seriously, yeah. I don't know. I'm definitely like going through this, and and I've talked about this the last couple of years. Like, I'm going again through this like uncomfortable growth. It's a transition, and I'm really stepping into this place of being unapologetic, of like, I'm a teacher of this work, I am a student of this work. It does not mean that I'm perfect, it does not mean that I am coming from this on a pedestal or that I'm better than you. And I said this if you haven't listened to the Mindset Radio podcast, I was just on the Mindset Radio podcast a few weeks ago, and you can watch that on YouTube. Um, and I talk about it there like there is nothing special about me. There is nothing that makes me a better yoga teacher than anyone else. I just decided to do this work and I decided to fully step into it and embody it. Yeah. And anyone can do it. I am not special. I just like saw the work, jumped in.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, you definitely are special in your own way, which we all are. And I think, you know, yeah, absolutely. And I think that that's but I think the it pulls this work, pulls so hard for you, and that's why you're doing exactly what you're doing. And it's hard because I mean, for those who don't know, we were on a call for what was it like three hours last week doing some like technical stuff. That's the other thing I think people don't understand is like what it takes to be this like novice content creator and doing all these tech stuff when really like I would love to just be in front of a class all day and teach, but there's other things that go with the business that I think are not like people don't connect the dots, which is like I I don't know. So yeah, yeah, three and a half hours of us sitting in front of a computer and I mean honestly, but we did it, we did it, it made it work and we figured it out, and it's this so uncomfortable. Like we're we're sitting here laughing, crying, wanting to throw up, scream, all the things together. But like this is what it's about, and this is why we're here is because like I don't want to do it alone. I know you don't want to do it alone. That's why you created very enlightened because you don't want anyone else to feel alone. You want to give the people the tools you want to create, community, etc. etc. And it's a beautiful thing, yeah. And I think that's why you know there's there is a way to make it a full-time thing.

SPEAKER_02

And because I really want to see the world be a better place, and uh this is what I want to talk about. It's like it's so disheartening. And I am not perfect, I have made mistakes, I will continue to make mistakes. I have sometimes been the mean girl, I have been the bitch.

SPEAKER_00

I am not perfect. You're the yogi walrus.

SPEAKER_01

Okay, so let you know, you know, if you haven't listened to that episode, go back and listen to that episode. So just FYI.

Sacred Rage And Flipping Tables

SPEAKER_02

But yeah, it's like why I got into this work is like I am tired of people operating out of just like personal take and like they only care about themselves and like these narcissistic traits that we have glorified. I am fucking done with. I am fucking done with. And you know, it's like I have a great village, and I have a great village because I was taught to be a great villager. And that's why these narciss these people who tend to have narcissistic traits overtake from people like us because they are not used to having a village. And I want to create the villages so that we can start undoing these patterns of selfishness and just like these narcissistic traits. And you know, I told you before we started recording, but I I literally feel like a fucking magnet for narcissistic assholes.

SPEAKER_00

You're giving people a chance to take personal responsibility, and it's not your fault if they can't do that work.

SPEAKER_02

And also, like I was talking about it with my friend Dominic, who I really hope to have on this podcast someday. Um, and I probably talked about him on this podcast before, but he was saying how when you're light, you kind of like shine the light on their actual behaviors, like they identify with you as you are, as this pure, genuine person in their mind, they're not, but in their mind they are. And when somebody pure and genuine who has deep self-awareness shines a light on, like, no, no, no, I'm gonna be your mirror. Like, this is the work that you have to do.

SPEAKER_00

Here's your pattern recognition, like, let me show you. Exactly. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02

Mm-hmm. So cockroach is gonna cockroach. Yeah. But it's not gonna scare me away from doing this work, but it did teach me to have better boundaries, and I'm not going to let people suck my energy like that. And I'm here to do this work. This is my profession. And if you don't respect me or respect what I do, then there's the door.

SPEAKER_00

Absolutely. Yeah, and I think that that's kind of what the ultimate lesson is is like knowing where and who to go to for support and knowing your knowing your value and creating the boundary and standing firm in that, which you're really not doing.

SPEAKER_02

So nice and kind, but do not cross my boundary, do not mistake my kindness for weakness. And you can be a predator all you want, but you will not fucking prey on me or anyone in my village because I will fucking burn it all down. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Well, I mean, I feel like that's a lot of us have a fire lit underneath our ass right now for the for really good reasons with great intentions. Yeah. But I think there's this, like, I feel like there's I talk about this a lot as like sacred rage, you know. It's like this not something to be, I don't think anger is a bad quote unquote emotion. I think it's a sacred response to a boundary that's been crossed. I think it's a sacred response to something that's not right.

SPEAKER_02

And I think that that's even God gave permission to flip a table when people were being full of hypocrisy and immorality. Yeah, even God flipped some fucking tables.

Tools That Work: 30-Day Yoga Challenge

SPEAKER_00

So I agree. Yeah. And I think especially, you know, as a female right now, there's plenty of reasons to want to flip a table. And I think that not being afraid to put your hand, scoop your hands underneath it and flip it over. You know what I mean? I think it's I think there's a lot of things that both of us learned this past year where I think it's just made it was really hard to walk through. There were some really hard things to walk through last year, but I think the growth now, I don't know if we're on the other side yet, but we're we're there. And there's this like sacred rage. You know, that's I feel like that's how my business came to be is I was in a physical, energetic, emotional, spiritual space where I was so mad. I was up, I was sad, but I was so angry about so much, and I needed to make a change. And that's how Anahata was born, Anahata. And it's from the heart space because there was this fire within my heart that knew something had to give, and I needed to the only person who was gonna make the change was me. I can't change anybody else, I can't change things I can't control, but I can control myself and figure out how to move forward. And I think when the intention is to help others and to guide others to see that and to see it in themselves is like, I mean, come on, it's the best.

SPEAKER_02

Yes. And I think that is one of the things that got us through this challenging year was leaning into the tools. We created the deepen your practice challenge to dive deeper into the practice, but to highlight the tools that we use that fucking work. They're tried and true. There's a reason why they've been around for 6,000 years. It's because it works.

SPEAKER_00

And that's the thing, and you know what I mean? Just tapping into all the themes of this conversation, showing up both of us. I was in a messy place the first time we did it. I was in a messy place. And the second time we did it, I was in a very messy place. So I get it. So, you know, but we're doing it, we're coming back, we're showing up for ourselves and doing it in this like raw, authentic way. Where, like, okay, my fat roll is hanging out when I'm going through this flow, and I don't care because I'm showing up as myself, my child, my four-year-old is crawling all over me. But here I am showing up, you know, to talk about a stayer or to talk about ahimsa and to bring that back into the forefront as a student of yoga, as a teacher of yoga. And like I know very much you did this as well the first time we ran through the program is bringing these concepts even into our classes. Like, okay, yes, I made this post today. I'm gonna also talk this, talk about this in my classes this afternoon because it's relevant and it's important. And yes, we're here to do physical asana, but hey, did you know X, Y, Z?

SPEAKER_02

Yes, and it's like I've talked about before. If we're only talking about asana in our classes as yoga teachers, if you are a student of yoga and your teachers are only talking about asana, find yourself a new teacher. Because the practice is more than a yoga practice, it's uh a physical practice, it's more than a movement class. If you're just talking about asana, then you might as well be at the gym sitting on machines.

SPEAKER_00

Absolutely. And just to plug it in, anyone can join the yoga challenge, the 30-day yoga challenge, whenever you would like. Janna will link it in the show notes. And for less than a dollar a day, you can do it for a month. And I guaranteed you, your mindset will shift, your physical body will probably shift. You'll have so many new things to think about, and you'll have it forever, and you can keep coming back to it. Yes.

Beyond Asana: Eight Limbs In Daily Life

SPEAKER_02

After that first beautiful tool, after that first round through, I feel like it really ignited me and carried me through the whole summer. It really gave me a solid foundation to align with my values, to align people in my circle with the same values. If you were not showing up being a morally ethical person, later. I do not have the time and space for that. And it sounds like heartless and no, it doesn't.

SPEAKER_00

It's your it's it's a filter, it was an energetic filter, I think. Boundary, yeah, and I think after the first round, when we did it, both of us had opportunities. There were doors that opened open to us. Yeah, and I think I think it's because we were showing up as ourselves authentically, and not showing up to put this pretty face online or to regurgitate whatever we think we needed to regurgitate. I think it was we both did it from a very personal perspective. I mean, anyone can go look at our um Instagram accounts and go through and even compare the two of us and just see how you can have a different way to look at all of the eight limbs of yoga and how beautiful the practice of yoga is and how well-rounded it is as a whole. And so I would encourage anyone listening to this to try the 30-day yoga challenge.

SPEAKER_02

Yes. Yes. And if you've ever wanted to know about yoga like like more than the asana, I think we we only spend like two or three days on the asana.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I think there's well, I think there's like a week where we go through like hip opening, heart opening, yeah flow. We link it to pranayama. It's like not not just. It's not just. It's very, I think, yeah, it's it's a very minimal part of the challenge as a whole.

SPEAKER_02

I mean, there were yoga teachers that did our first round that were like some of the things you talked about, I had no idea about. Which is incredible and nice.

SPEAKER_00

Incredible reflects a lot on.

SPEAKER_02

And they're not hard practices, they're things that you can integrate into your day, like two or three minutes.

SPEAKER_00

Absolutely, absolutely. And that's the thing is it's like it's basically right just to quickly run down, you're getting uh an email every day, and it gives you prompts, it gives you, you know, things you can write about if you would, you know, take out, get a new notebook and go through this. And that's why if you do it a couple of times, like I know you said yourself, you comparing where you were with the first round with the second round, and just allowing yourself to move, allowing yourself to grow and allowing yourself to be in different seasons and and especially because that second round, like shit was hitting the fan left and right, yeah, and and that's okay. And you know what I mean? Finding hue your own humanness in it and doing it again. Yeah so yeah, oh yeah, we're in it, and keep an eye. Yeah, and that's not the only tool you offer. Tell us about another other tools that you offer.

Meditation Guides And Accessible Resources

SPEAKER_02

Oh my gosh, I have so many. So we also have the Get Meditating Guide. So that is a free guide. If you've ever just like thought about meditation and don't know where to start, that's a really good place. Um, it gives you a good foundation to start to integrate that into your life. And like I said, like these tools don't have to be this big long thing. Like we complicate meditation in our mind. Like so many people are like, I can't meditate, I can't relax. It's like, okay, well, that's exactly why you need it. And it doesn't have to be a long thing. Like literally three minutes a day, we all have three minutes a day.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Or we can just close our eyes and breathe for a little bit. And yeah, it might be uncomfortable. It might be uncomfortable to sit there in stillness. There's a reason why stillness is difficult. It is the advanced practice.

SPEAKER_00

Absolutely. Absolutely. I always like to say stillness speaks, you know, you find a lot of yourself in those moments if you allow yourself to get there.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. And sometimes just sitting there being uncomfortable and like feeling unsuccessful, you did the work.

SPEAKER_00

Absolutely. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02

So we have the get meditating guide, and then we have a um meditation portal called Meditate to Elevate. It's a 30 30-day guided journey, plus, there are other meditations in there, and eventually at some point we'll be adding more, I'm sure. Um, and that is a really great guide. There's also a bonus in there about how to stay present when things are a little bit challenging. And yeah, I think that's it. Our get meditating guide, meditate to elevated, meditate to elevate guided meditation portal and our 30-day challenge. They are great places to start. They're very um low price point, so they're totally affordable. And again, just going back to like making it accessible.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I think that's important.

SPEAKER_02

Yes. Yeah. So as we're closing up, we're rounding out the last few, let's see. So the 17th is the lunar new year. So that gives us like 11 days. 11 days. Yeah. We're really wrapping up the year here. So um one final question I'll ask you is what are you ready to shed as this year really comes?

Lunar New Year And Shedding Patterns

SPEAKER_00

Ooh. Oh, that is that's a good one. What am I really ready to shed? I think what I'm really ready to shed is this need to control um anything and everything, really. Um, just kind of giving it up um to the higher power and staying in flow in a sense where I think it's probably the biggest lesson I learned last year is you know, not putting my foot in a door that maybe I don't want to say it's not welcome, but forcing myself through doors. Um aren't for me. And to basically, yes, stay in my lane, but also, you know, just over the past two weeks, I realized how much more I'm in flow when I wake up in the morning and I don't have a set schedule. And this is just me. I know there's some people that like meat routine and all this stuff. I can have an idea of what I would like to have. Done because I work four different, I have four different jobs. Um and I can have this idea, but I think it's beautiful that I can flow through each of them whenever and however is needed. And if I think I can just remind myself that I'm safe, no one's gonna die if the zucchini is not watered, and everything's gonna be okay, and just showing up as myself, so really just shedding this need to think I need to control everything because there's no way that I can. Yes. What about you?

Overgiving, Reciprocity, And Village Values

SPEAKER_02

What are you ready to shed? I am ready to shed being an overgiver to overtakers, and to really learn that that balance of a symbiotic relationship, and when someone can't meet me where I'm at, that doesn't mean that I need to try harder. And that's definitely something I'm wrapping up with like my last relationship as he was like pulling back and I was over giving energy, and then he was taking even more and giving even less. Like, I don't think that love or relationships are tit for tat. And I think that sometimes someone's showing up 80% and someone's showing up 20%, and sometimes it's 70% and 30%, sometimes it's 50-50, sometimes it's 100%-100. You can't expect but there's a fine line, and I tend to be the type of person that overgives to like prove my worth. And I think that I even see it in my work a little bit, which is why like I've been feeling a little bit burnt out, is when the challenges arise, instead of me pulling back and resting for a minute and just like reevaluating and realigning, I just like throw it all in there and overgive. So balancing, I don't want to stop giving, I don't want to stop being there. Like I said, I rest approximately I love and appreciate that I have a good, strong village. And I know that part of that is because I am a good villager. I'm there when somebody needs me to be, and I have no problem jumping in and doing the hard work and getting a little getting my hands a little dirty. But knowing where that energy is appreciated and reciprocity, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

About yeah, when you like you deserve that. We all deserve that, yes, especially in the line of work that you do.

SPEAKER_02

Going to therapy really helped me realize like all of the amazing, good, healthy, symbiotic relationships that I have. Yeah, like I was just focusing on these one or two, and yes, uh, some of it is a mirror in the work that I need to do, but um like yeah, sometimes you gotta flip a table and walk away from the narcissist. Yeah, amen. I'm proud of you. That is what I am working on. Yeah. Well, thanks everyone for listening. This was a great episode. I say that every time, but it's always better and better. Yeah, I get better and better. And if you haven't listened to that episode, the Yogi Walrus, go and listen to that episode. If you haven't listened to me on the near um on the Mindset Radio podcast with Mike and Sheena, like go and do that. That was a great episode. You can watch it on YouTube. It's literally like a TV show. It's so great. It was so beautifully done. Um, and if you're curious about diving into this work, try the get meditating guide. It's completely free. Reach out. Reach out. Yeah. We're here. We're reaching on social media. Yeah. We're trying our best to put out our silly reels and to make it relatable and fun. So go ahead and give us a follow and support. Um, grab the get meditating guide. It's totally free. It's a one-page PDF. It'll just like give you a little bit of tools to set the foundation. And then if you're curious about diving in deeper, try the Meditate to Elevate Biden Meditation Portal or the 30-day challenge. Um, both are great resources, great tools to stick in the toolbox.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, and get going because we got some good stuff coming down the pipeline.

SPEAKER_02

Yes. And now, so being in this season of the end of one year, and really, like I said, this before we started recording, I think that New Year's is like a season. And I really think that starts with the lunar new year and it brings us to about April 1st. And um, like I really do believe that April 1st or even the spring equinox is probably the real New Year. Especially it makes more sense that yeah, the start of Aries' season, Aries is the first zodiac. Like it just makes so much more sense.

SPEAKER_00

Does. I mean, to me, it does.

New Year As A Season, Not A Day

SPEAKER_02

But it makes sense too that it's like a season, it's like a couple weeks, it's not just a day. And this is the time. So this is why I think, and I've mentioned it in podcast episodes before, like in previous seasons, that I don't believe that resolutions work because we're not doing it at the right time. I think January to mid-February is really a spot to like rest, to nurture yourself, to nurture your body, mind, and spirit, to reflect, reflect to see what's aligning, what's not aligning, to reevaluate. And then we can come into the period of the new year where we're setting the goals, we're like germinating the seeds a little bit, we're doing the work that's going to get us the fruit. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00

It's raining. Oh, so it hasn't rained in like almost a month.

SPEAKER_02

Oh my gosh. See, you don't even have to water the zucchini today.

SPEAKER_00

Don't see, see, that's what I mean. I just trust, I trust. It'll get done. I trust that everything is going to come working out for me. Everything is working out. Everything is working on it. For the highest good of all. For the highest good of all. Amen. Yes.

SPEAKER_02

Amen. That's a beautiful place to wrap it up today.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Check the show notes. Thank you so much for having me. Oh my gosh. Thanks so much for being here. And thank all of you for listening and tuning in to today's episode of the Nearly Enlightened podcast. If this conversation resonated with you, I would love it if you shared it, left a review, or you could reach out to either D or I and let us know your thoughts. If you're looking for more ways to deepen your connection to body, mind, and spirit, check out my Meditate to Elevate Guided Meditation portal or visit Nearly Enlightened.com for more resources. Until next time, stay curious, stay connected, and remember the answers already lie within.

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Giana Giarrusso

Host