Heal and Stay Healed with Kelly B Haney

Yoga Wisdom for Holistic Healing, Graceful Aging, and Confident Living with Leda Huta

• Kelly B Haney • Season 1 • Episode 12

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In this episode, yoga instructor Leda Huta joins us to discuss the transformative power of yoga for holistic healing, graceful aging, and confident living. Leda shares her wisdom on how yoga unites the mind, body, and spirit, promoting physical strength, flexibility, and balance while also fostering a deep sense of mindfulness and self-connection.

We highlight how yoga can be a vital tool in aging with resilience, strength, and vitality. We draw inspiration from renowned figures like B.K.S. Iyengar and share anecdotes that showcase the benefits of a consistent yoga practice—such as maintaining muscle mass, balance, and mental sharpness. Leda and I discuss fascinating research on the mind-body connection, shedding light on how mental engagement through yoga can lead to improved capacities. 

If you're new to yoga, this episode is packed with practical advice to help you get started. We provide tips on finding the right beginner-friendly classes and managing your meal times around yoga sessions for a more comfortable experience. We explore various types of yoga practices, making yoga accessible to everyone, including those with chronic illnesses. Tune in to discover how yoga can be a transformative tool for living a balanced and fulfilling life.

Additionally, we announce our upcoming workshop series, "Transformative Wellness," happening in Bethesda, Maryland this summer. Visit kellybhaney.com/events for more info!

Website: www.kellybhaney.com
Email: info@kellybhaney.com
Instagram: @kellybhaney
Facebook: Kelly B Haney Wellness

Speaker 2:

Welcome to the Heal and Stay Healed podcast, where we talk about healing and, more importantly, staying healed from chronic disease and other ailments and issues. We'll cover all the crazy things about health and life the good, the bad, the ugly and the hilarious. My name is Kelly and I'm a survivor and overcomer of severe autoimmune disease, and I can't wait to share with you what I've learned so that you can heal and stay healed too. Thanks for listening and enjoy the show. Hello there and welcome back. I am so glad you're here for this episode all about what has been and what continues to be one of my favorite healing tools, that is, the practice of yoga. Our guest today is yoga instructor Lita Huta. Lita is such a gentle and calming presence and in this episode she has a whole lot to teach us about yoga and the incredible role that it can play in our lives. We look at yoga from the perspectives of the physical, spiritual and philosophical, while discussing its role in holistic wellness, as it so beautifully encapsulates the mind-body-spirit connection that is so vital for our healing. We talk about how yoga promotes growing older with grace and strength. We give out a lot of tips for those who may be new to yoga and we announce a workshop series that we are jointly hosting this summer called Transformative Wellness, which, of course, includes yoga. A little bit about Lita before we get started. Lita took her first yoga classes at the YMCA while living in a small town, but didn't begin her practice in earnest until she moved back to the DC area and began classes with Moses Brown at Willow Street Yoga. Soon after her child was born, Lita deepened her practice, taking a nine-month immersion in the philosophy of yoga as a way to establish a spiritual practice as a parent. Not wanting that experience to end, Lita immediately enrolled in a nine-month teacher training at Willow Street Yoga, completing her 200-hour yoga certification in 2010. She has taught yoga now for more than 10 years in a variety of settings. Lita teaches an alignment-based yoga practice that brings a lightness to the poses and a focus on the breath.

Speaker 2:

There's so much good stuff in this episode, so let's get going. Here we are with Lita Huta. Welcome, Lita to the show. Thanks for joining us today. Thank you. Thank you for having show. Thanks for joining us today. Thank you, Thank you for having me. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? Where in the world are you and how do you spend your days?

Speaker 1:

Sure, I live in Maryland, in Silver Spring, in the Anacostia watershed, and I spend my days. I've been working for a long time in the nonprofit world on conservation. I've worked to save wildlife and now I'm working more at a sort of watershed level protecting clean water. And then I have a family that takes my time and a recently rescued Siberian husky, so spending time with them.

Speaker 2:

Awesome, all right, and we're going to tackle the elephant in the room. Is that? I actually know you pretty well? We're just going to put that out there. We've known each other for huh Wow, I didn't have to do math real quick 12, 13 years, something like that. Lita is my beloved yoga instructor Every Monday night the best class ever Lita has been the instructor was the instructor for many years, took a little break, came back. One of the best days of my life was the day that you reached out to me and said I'm ready to come back now.

Speaker 1:

I was very excited to come back.

Speaker 2:

So you also do a little bit of yoga instructing.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I get to practice yoga and teach yoga and it's such a great part of my life.

Speaker 2:

Well before we get talking on our topic today, which no surprise is going to be about yoga and its impact for our healing and staying healed, I wanted to ask you just a get-to-know-you question so that everyone can become a little more familiar with you. You mentioned your work with wildlife. You mentioned your little I've heard stories so I can say your naughty Siberian husky. I know you have a very strong connection to animals. Is there one animal in particular that you feel like you can relate to the most, and why?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I mean there are so many animals that I'm particularly connected to that I've spent time with as a kid. You know I used to love frogs. I still do. I spent a lot of time catching poor frogs probably the same frog over and over circling grandparents' ponds that they had at their house.

Speaker 1:

But now I live in this townhouse community and there's always deer that are semi-tame walking through and they're just usually walking and eating the vegetation. But there's just been like a number of experiences that I've had where something was happening, something big was happening or challenging or difficult, and those few times I've looked in the backyard and had like a deer just bedded down which is not something that they usually do in my yard and like, particularly when, right when I first moved in, there was a lot of doubt and I don't know uncertainty about where I was living and I just woke up in the morning and there was this big buck there with his huge antlers and yeah, and I just feel like they show up, you know, when I kind of need reassurance in some fashion.

Speaker 2:

That's really cool. They're very mysterious and majestic creatures. I would say All right, well, let's dig into why you're here, and that is to talk about yoga and in previous podcast episodes I have mentioned yoga many times of just how I took my first class and just fell in love with it. It is truly a mind, body and spirit experience and it has been a spectacular tool in my healing toolbox and I give it a lot of credit in helping me to stay healed for so many years and, by default, I give you a lot of credit for helping me to stay healed for so many years. Can you just start by? Let's just talk about yoga. What is it? What is it not? Give us the overview and also, how did you find yourself getting involved in yoga and wanting to become an instructor?

Speaker 1:

Sure, well, yoga the word itself is a Sanskrit word, it comes from the base of it is huge, like union, is really what it means. And so it's a very ancient practice, though something that has been, I would say, more refined in the last decade century. Traditionally, it's seen often as like an eight-limbed practice, so there are things like meditation and pranayama and breathing, and what we think of often in the US is yoga is one of those limbs and that's the physical practice, what we would, you know the intention is to reach a peaceful mind really, and then sort of the classical tradition, and so it's. This physical practice is a really important part of that and it's sort of feeling, the waves of the mind. It's a really important and interesting part of the healing that it's very connected to mind and spirit. So that's, I think, what sets it apart from other physical practices. And when you say what it's not, ideally, it's not just like you're not just doing some physical exercise.

Speaker 1:

I started practicing I would have to do math now a long time ago, probably more than 20 years ago, maybe 30 years ago, and I was interested in it. It seemed healing and I did it for a long time and then, as I, when I got pregnant, I had my daughter pregnant. I had my daughter. I got more. I delved much more deeply into it because I was thinking more consciously about what am I teaching her? How am I going to raise her? What beliefs do I want to help raise her in? And I would say yoga is not a religion. But often, like practitioners use the word technology I might use like more philosophy, um, it provided some grounding. And like what do I want to pass on to my child?

Speaker 2:

yeah, yeah, interesting. You say no, it's not a religion, but it certainly feels very spiritual.

Speaker 1:

Yeah and then I think you know it doesn't matter what religion you are, you you can practice. You certainly can practice yoga, and it shouldn't contradict people's beliefs in any way. It's very supportive, of course. It has fundamental core beliefs and particularly that word union and how we are all connected is really very essential is really very essential.

Speaker 2:

I remember my very first yoga class, which was a little bit before you joined us, but I was just coming out of my massive year-long flare. I was a skinny little thing showing up to my first yoga class. You know pretty much no muscle. I'd just been through a lot and going through that class and lying there in Shavasana at the end and just kind of reflecting, I realized that that was the first time I'd really had a positive experience with my own body for over a year at that point and it was the first time that I felt really positively connected to my body and that is a feeling that has never left since every class.

Speaker 1:

Well, that's so interesting to hear you say that, because I think for many of us we're trying to be grateful for what we have and not take things for granted, and often we have to have, you know, that jeopardized or taken away in some fashion to really appreciate what you have and that relationship to your body. I appreciate hearing you say that you're you know you had that experience of connection, I would say, and and I think shavasana is a really interesting and unique part, right like what other exercise do you do, where then you just kind of lie down and you see how you feel. You know it's like an inventory of your body and you just let your mind kind of let go.

Speaker 2:

For folks who've never done yoga it's hard, like you're saying, it's really hard to understand the mind-body connection and just the mindfulness that goes into yoga. Where I know yoga has made me stronger, yoga has made me more flexible, yoga has made me more limber, but the more tangible aspect of healing that I've received from yoga is that connection.

Speaker 1:

I always find it interesting the, the yogis, the masters, you know they've written a lot of things down, like the Yoga Sutra, the Patanjali Road, and you know these beliefs and some of them are not necessarily, were not necessarily very common, I would say, in the US.

Speaker 1:

And you know the western part of the world in the US and you know the Western part of the world and it's always really fun to me to see science here in the US sort of catching up to what the yogis have always thought and believed. You know, and there's lots of research around how beneficial yoga is, but also research that shows you, oh well, the things that yoga was saying was accurate, even if the research is not about yoga. And there's lots of research around, like there's a researcher in Harvard doing interesting things showing sort of the mind-body connection and how that impacts your health and how you age, or you can say, age with grace, and so you read that and it's like you know. I just feel like yoga gets reaffirmed over and over again often in the science and that connection to mind and heart. It's something that we're starting to show. Many of us like to see scientific proof, like not everybody, but there's many people who don't want to believe that it's real unless there's a scientist who's shown it.

Speaker 2:

so yeah, okay, we are talking about the non-physical benefits of yoga, but I want to take this opportunity to bust the myth such as yoga is easy. Anybody can do that. Like it's just you're going in there and you know you're're meditating and, yeah, you're lying down. Like what is that? It is not easy. Physically. Yoga is a challenge and that's part of the beauty of it is that you don't have to go in the gym and lift 50 pound weights or do anything like that. You're using your own body to get stronger and it's not easy. What kind of person would you say is ideal for looking to yoga to gain physical strength?

Speaker 1:

I am of the belief that anybody benefits from yoga. I feel like any healthy person can build strength in yoga. I think that, like 100 hundred percent includes men. You know you do headstand or handstand, you hold arm balance poses. You're going to like even down dog, like very physically fit people who aren't practicing that. You hold down dog for as long as we hold it in class. You start sweating and shaking and you feel that For women we often don't have as much upper body strength.

Speaker 1:

I find a really pleasant way of building up upper body strength for women and stamina and upper body strength, like holding the pose. And, of course, if you are rebounding from illness I've had, I've had a student who's like just coming back, like in remission from cancer. You know, if you are elderly, like of course, if you have something special like that coming back from illness or you're you're elderly, you can definitely build strength in a safe way. As with every exercise, you have to be careful. You have to be careful in certain poses, you have to really listen to your body, et cetera. But it's particularly nice in those situations. But again, anyone can benefit from yoga.

Speaker 2:

All right, I think now is a good time to announce that you and I are soon to become more than teacher-student. We are teaming up to create a workshop series together, called the Transformative Wellness Workshop Series, which will be focused on the topics of unlocking lasting health through nourishing nutrition, empowering lifestyle upgrades and soul-serving simplicity All topics near and dear to my heart and regularly discussed on this podcast and these workshops will be coupled with your leading of gentle restorative yoga practices that pair quite well with the discussion topics.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I'm really excited about that. I think it's really important in our modern, frantic lives to create space for reflection on how you're living, how can I support myself, how can I take care of myself. So I'm excited to be able to give people that space and opportunity to connect with us on this issue.

Speaker 2:

Yes, absolutely. I know we're both really excited for this opportunity to engage with attendees in what will hopefully be a life-changing experience. The first workshop Unlocking Lasting Health Through Nourishing Nutrition is taking place on June 15th at Sweet Bay Yoga in Bethesda, maryland, just outside of Washington DC, and then the following workshops will take place at Sweet Bay in July and August. So if you are in the DC area or will happen to be visiting during that time this summer, we would love to have you join. Go to my website my new and improved website, by the way to have you join. Go to my website my new and improved website, by the way kellybhaneycom, and you can go to the speaking and events page there to find signup information. Of course, send any questions my way at info at kellybhaneycom.

Speaker 2:

All right, let's talk about aging, and this is a topic that I'm noticing myself and in my peer group. This is a conversation that we're starting to have, and you are a little ahead of me in years, so I know that this is probably a conversation that you've been having for a while now. So let's talk about how yoga can really benefit us as we look to age gracefully, and I believe and I know you believe that, in order to age gracefully, we really need to embrace aging.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely, yes, absolutely. It's just so supportive for that mindset and for just getting our bodies and our minds and our spirit into that place. So one of the probably the person who introduced yoga to the West named BKS Iyengar. He's passed away, but he introduced Iyengar yoga and there's there's many styles of yoga in the U S Um, but that that was a very important one and it's a very important one, and he certainly is a model for like what you can continue to do if you practice yoga. And you know, of course, he was very strong and very flexible and can do all sorts of poses and continued that into his old age. But even as he was older, he, you know, he did adapt and chose his poses mindfully.

Speaker 1:

One of the things I think is really cool is like how you think of yourself. How do you think about yourself as you age. There's someone that practices with me and she is older I'd say you know, 70s and she can easily do hanuman, which is like a split um. You know she does like incredible poses, right, and so there's two things that are going on there. One is that she's just been practicing, so she's limber and she's, you know, she's just been going. For decades she's been doing this practice. So that's the physical part, but the mental part is, you know, because she's been doing it she feels like I can do this and so, like the mind has come along with her.

Speaker 1:

I was mentioning there was there's a researcher in harvard and she she does all sorts of like interesting studies and she did this one study where she took a group of men sort of back in time and like so she took them to location and the whole the house, the clothes, the, the music, television, there were no mirrors. It was all like back in time and they had to act like they were back 30 years or something, I don't know how many years, but like, let's say, a couple of decades, and she tested them on a number of things related to age, before and after, like dexterity and all these things, and they were much more useful at the end of that experiment. I think the most shocking thing of all of those was that their vision improved. Wow. And so just so she's just showing these sort of mind body connections in the kind of research that she's doing. She did this other study where she gave people I think they were in nursing homes study where she gave people I think they were in nursing homes plants, and she divided them into two groups and said one group was like you have to take care of these plants, you're in charge and you're also in charge of your schedule. And then the other group she said the staff is going to take care of these plants for you and they're going to manage your schedule. And 18 months later, the plant caretakers twice as many were alive as the other group. You know and she really attributes that to you know how the mind was engaged and so, yeah, so the the importance of yoga and aging, I think, is so critical because of that mind component can't be underestimated. But also, of course, like we just talked about, we are building muscle mass, which you know what my understanding is? That it feeds the bones, that it's really important. You know you're keeping your stamina going, you're keeping your strength going, you're practicing balance, which is just not something that we practice enough, and so, of course, that can help you in avoiding injury, avoiding falls. Probably many of us know somebody who's like, broken a hip and maybe it was never the same again. That was like the beginning of a decline for them, do you know? Um, and so having that having that sort of balance.

Speaker 1:

My grandmother, she didn't practice yoga but she she gardened and she essentially gardened in the pose Uttanasana, just a standing forward bend. She was doing a standing forward bend, probably at least an hour to two hours a day, probably like at least three times a week in in the warmer months, in the warmer months, and we were always, you know, we were always trying to accommodate her and be like here's this little bench, here's this like little knee pad thing that you can, you can use when you garden. And she was always like thank you, that's so nice. And she set it aside and never used it. And later I was like, oh, she's just she's doing it with Sanasana and like, look at how she moves. She moves like a person who is maybe a decade younger or like 15 years younger. If you didn't see her little gray hair, you know what I mean. From behind, you just saw her.

Speaker 2:

If you saw her walking, you would have thought she was a younger person that's a good example of of the old phrase if you don't use it, you lose it absolutely and it's it's, you know, yoga.

Speaker 1:

Of course, as we age, we get like hunched over or people can and often do. I think there's even a word for that sort of like hump that you get in the back and because of how we are, modern lives right, we're like circled around our computer, we're driving our car. It's all very sort of forward rounding that we do. And in yoga you're trying to think about the back body and the front body, east and west, and lengthening through the body. You know you're often being instructed to lengthen your torso from your hips through your armpits. There's different instructions, different cues that yoga teachers give but that like constant length and lengthen, keeping the front body open and that keeps you tall. I mean, I think you know I talk about like I have a family member who was taller than me and younger than me and now, now I'm taller, I don't even know how that's possible, but I credit the yoga for really just keeping. It's both the physical, but also like bringing your attention back to like what are you doing with your body, how are you using it? You?

Speaker 2:

know. Yeah, I have to say, even though I only see you on Monday nights, you're kind of with me all week long, because I can't even tell you how many times during the course of a week I hear your voice saying roll your shoulders onto your back and I stand up straighter and I kind of inadvertently do a little mountain pose.

Speaker 2:

And you're right, it makes a difference Even in just the way that you present yourself, the way that you feel about yourself, the practices that you learn during yoga class you take with you and I feel like you present yourself with more confidence. We're not sitting for hours. I work really hard on that too, to remember just the practice of movement, and there can be days when I very easily could be sitting here at the desk for eight hours. I'm sure you feel the same way. So it's like okay, well, time to get up, time to take a break, let's move, yeah.

Speaker 1:

The body is. The body is meant to move right, and we talked about that at the beginning. Just like don't get stuck behind your chair for eight hours or more a day, and that's just. We take that for granted that we'll be able to get up and move. You know at any point that we want to and while you can, please do that.

Speaker 2:

That's great, great advice Do it while you can so that you still can. Yes, that's a little part. Some other things that you've mentioned. I take mental notes whenever we talk about embracing aging in class. You've mentioned things like preventing osteoporosis. We've talked about the bone health and the bone strengthening. Also, your ligaments. Yoga is helping with ligaments, which is really important because that can cause some serious injury ligament injury or ligament tears. And recently, just last week, you mentioned one I hadn't really thought about is varicose veins and the prevention of varicose veins.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I mean yoga is seen as beneficial for all of your systems, right, and there are a number of poses that are considered inversions even down dog is considered an inversion and the ones that might come to people's minds more like hand stand or half handstand and headstand. But you know, we're just reversing that flow of blood. For me that was definitely something I hadn't really thought about. You know, you just like take yoga and you sort of kind of feel good and you keep going and you don't think about necessarily like oh, are there things that this is healing? But I certainly my awesome grandmother that I mentioned.

Speaker 1:

She had varicose veins and it can be, as some of your listeners may know. You know it can be superficial, you can just see it on the legs, but it can also cause a lot of like fatigue and soreness, I guess I would say in the legs. Um, so that's what I really had. I had soreness and one day, after you know, a couple years of practicing, I was like, oh, that really just went away. I don't feel that anymore. So inversions are really nice for that and these like circulatory issues that you might have are just improved by yoga. And you know, again, you don't need the science to tell you that you can just go and practice yoga, but science is also showing it. You know, there there are studies on cellular aging, on mobility, on balance, on mental health and cognitive functioning, preventing cognitive decline. I wish that for everyone you know, to try it out and see the ways in which it may be supporting you that you might not have even considered that it could.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, for anyone who has never tried yoga, what advice do you have for a first timer? Because, like everything else that's new, it can be a little intimidating if you've never gone before and you're going to a yoga class full of yogis that have been doing this for a while. What advice would you give to someone who really wants to try it but is feeling a little intimidated?

Speaker 1:

It's one of the things that you learn in yoga class too, right right, is pay attention to just what's happening on your mat. Of course, if you're not sure about a cue, like you know, look up to see what other people are doing, but really try to stay just focused on your own mat and know that everybody else in class is just trying to do it. Also, you know they're not watching you. They are trying to figure out the pose themselves and that's a practice. I think it's nice to position yourself in a yoga class when you're brand new, like towards the back, towards the middle, so that you have people around you who are, who know the poses. And if you're getting you know, it depends on who your teacher is. If they don't immediately notice that you might be a little lost. You can look and see. So I like that position for beginners, like middle backs and surrounded by people who know, and then staying focused on your mat, what is happening in that space. Know that others are not paying attention to you hopefully the teacher is, but others are not and attention to you Hopefully the teacher is, but others are not and then it will come with practice.

Speaker 1:

Yoga is so much about the journey and not about, like, what happened that one day. It is a long-term journey and one of the things that you will hopefully gain is you will begin to see sort of the witness of yourself. You know, you'll begin to see that part of yourself that is like the running mind of like, oh, I'm not sure I'm doing this pose right. I wish I was better at that. Oh, look at her over there on that mat. She looks so perfect in that pose and I'll never be able to be as good as that. Do you know what I mean?

Speaker 1:

So eventually, hopefully, if you practice yoga, you start to notice like the chatter that's going on in your mind and you're like oh, my mind is chattering and just bringing that like notice and attention, it may start to just naturally fade away. You know you'll, you will see that it's not really serving you. You've noticed it and it will fade away. See that it's not really serving you. You've noticed it and it will fade away. I think definitely when you first start the practice, there can be like that sense of. I mean it's like when you do any exercise anywhere. You know you like join a dance class or whatever, and you're like I'm new to this, but the difference is that in yoga you're like encouraged to like, notice what you're thinking, notice the negative chatter, and then it can just more naturally ease away and hopefully you bring that off the mat later to your life in general. That's the goal.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and I know a lot of people often get intimidated if they're you know, maybe quote unquote not in shape or they have an injury or some sort of issue. You've made it a point, especially in our class, to say there are modifications, you don't have to come in an athlete to be able to have a successful yoga class. So for that person who's feeling uncomfortable because maybe they just haven't done any physical exercise in a long, long time, what would you say to them?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I'm happy that you raised that, because I think also people will say I'm not flexible, so I do yoga kind of like the reverse right, it's like the least flexible that maybe you might want to join. I would look for a beginner class, a gentle class, a yoga 101 to start with. I would consider finding an alignment-based studio and a Yengar studio is often alignment-based so that you really first learn how to line yourself up and it's slower so you have more time. There's flow. Classes are very, very popular, so there's lots of flow classes. That's faster and so that can be a little bit more intimidating and also it's just nice to to learn the proper alignment before you do those. So so that's what I would look for. I would I look for like introductory classes, one-on-one classes, yangar yoga classes. The studio where I teach Sweet Bay yoga is they're doing a series of and they'll do this multiple times of like one-on-one you know. So if you haven't stepped in to the class ever, is really geared to like full-on beginners.

Speaker 2:

Oh, that's great. Another tip I've given to people before is try to get there a few minutes early and talk to the other students. Talk to the teacher in advance, if you can. Like everywhere else in life when you enter a new scene, it just makes it a little more comfortable, a more comfortable experience if you have some breathing room, if you're able to connect with the others a little bit beforehand, and I always try to be that class regular who is there early and can help make the new people feel welcome. So hopefully wherever you go, there will be someone who's doing that.

Speaker 1:

Yes, that is a good point too. It's a little bit like finding the right therapist, like finding the right studio. If you, you know, if you have an experience and you feel like that's not for me, you know, it might not be that it's not for you. It just may be that instructor is not a fit for you, or that studio is not a fit for you, yeah, so, or maybe even that style. So, if you're willing and a little bit adventurous, try again, try for another place and see, that's great.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and yoga is therapy, so that was a good example.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, any, other suggestions for folks who are new to yoga. Yeah, I think, like with other exercises, you want to be conscious of when you're eating and how much you're eating. Before yoga class, um, you probably don't want to eat right before. You probably want to give yourself maybe an hour, an hour and a half, um, and probably not like a huge, huge meal. Um, because you are you, you may be going upside down, you know, you may be doing twists which are really beneficial for the body, but not great on a full stomach, yeah.

Speaker 1:

So sometimes people struggle with, like, the time of the yoga class and when am I going to eat? And so, just like figuring that out, allowing yourself to have something smaller earlier you know what I mean and then have something like we have our yoga class in the evening, our classes at seven, and so some people eat a light dinner at five and some of us, like me, I will, I'll have like a snack, like I'll have some fruit earlier and then I'll have maybe soup after dinner. It's kind of a late dinner, so I don't want something super heavy. So you know you, you learn to accommodate your body, but don't, don't be overstuffed. That won't make for a pleasant experience. No, that would be unpleasant.

Speaker 2:

I kind of plan my Mondays around yoga because it's that important to me. I actually leave work a little early to have my five o'clock dinner on Mondays. I joke with my mom because my mom and dad often go to dinner really early. That's me on Monday. I'm not a big fan of eating later in the evening. It just doesn't work well for me. So I'm like everybody get out of my way. I got to get home and have dinner.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, it is nice to eat earlier rather than later, for sure.

Speaker 2:

Probably one final thing that in just thinking of additional tips, is that works really great for us to do it Monday evening. Some people who are more morning people a lot of studios have like 6 am classes. Right, you can fit it in before work.

Speaker 1:

Yes, exactly, there are definitely studios that have like 6 am classes. There's studios that have lunchtime classes, you know. So you can work it into your schedule. And I guess I should say, you know you would ask about like first time or people with different issues happening and, depending on the system, some are really prop heavy, um, and so there's different. There's just different types, right. So there's there's bikram and other hot yoga. So if you are somebody who just like wants to sweat it out, um, and you just really like want to lose weight, you know that's a system that people use.

Speaker 1:

Um, ashtanga yoga is a kind that is is it's quite physical. So if you're looking for like the most physically challenging, maybe, that's, maybe that would be a good one. You know, if you want something like a little bit of get your heart rate up a little bit, it might be more of a flow yoga. And if you're first starting out or you have any health issues or you like alignment based, you know Iyengar is, you know, as I said, it's probably like a foundational one that started here in the US and that uses a fair amount of props, and so it's also really good if you're, if you're older, if you're. If you've had injuries, you know you need to accommodate, like you have a shoulder injury or whatever. That style has a lot of variations and it gives you a lot of props to sort of support you.

Speaker 2:

Okay. So we talked about how yoga is beneficial for fostering the mind-body connection, for spiritual healing, for aging gracefully and embracing aging. We talked about how it's just a really good physical workout. I think we did a pretty good job today, convincing folks that yoga is a really, really incredible tool, not just for healing, not just for staying healed, but just for anyone who wants to look at taking a holistic approach to their health and to their wellness.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and I think if you're seeing a doctor there's so many, I mean, I've had multiple doctors say, oh well, yeah, that's what you're dealing with. I was going to suggest yoga as part of your you know what I mean as part of your healing. So if you don't believe us, ask your doctor.

Speaker 2:

For sure. And again, just speaking to my folks out there who are currently battling with autoimmune or other chronic disease, please just give it a try. Yoga can be very gentle, you don't have to dive right in, it's just. Again was just such a powerful way for me to find that connection that had been lost with my body, and I want that for you too. So please give it a try. Lita, every Monday night at the end of class, you wrap things up by reading us a beautiful and meaningful quote. I think that's a perfect way to end this podcast episode. Would you take us out with one of those quotes?

Speaker 1:

Yes, I would love to. Let me share a quote from Eckhart Tolle Always say yes to the present moment. What could be more futile, more insane than to create inner resistance to what already is? What could be more insane than to oppose life itself, which is now and always? Now, Surrender to what is. Say yes to life and see how life suddenly starts working for you rather than against you.

Speaker 2:

Beautiful. Thank you so much for being here.

Speaker 1:

Thank you for having me and thank you for doing this podcast and sharing your journey with everybody. I think it's such a gift that you're offering up.

Speaker 2:

I hope you enjoyed that conversation all about yoga with the wonderful Lita Huta. If you're interested in our in-person workshops again, please check out the events page on my website, kellybahaneycom. And coming later this summer, there will be online webinar versions of the same topics. So if you're interested in that, please check that out too. You can always find me on social media, on Instagram at kellybhaney or the Facebook page kellybhaneywellness. If you received value from this episode today, I'd be so grateful if you'd take a moment to subscribe to the podcast, download the episodes, rate and review and, of course, please share it with anyone who you think may find value in it as well. As always, I am honored to walk alongside of you as we heal and stay healed together.