The Daring to Rest Podcast

In this first episode of our Rest Stories Series, Daring to Rest founder Karen Brody tells her worn out woman to well-rested woman story and why she decided she must teach the transformational sleep practice known as yoga nidra. It may seem ridiculous to teach people how to rest, but today more than ever - with inflammation causing physical illness in so many people and inflammation of the world threatening our planet - the most simple solution is to show people how to relax their nervous system, and the best rest practice we know at Daring to Rest is yoga nidra. Rest turns out to be much easier said than done as most people have an uneasy relationship to rest. Realities of paying the rent, raising children and the chores of daily life provide few easy moments to take a break. Rest shame is real, leaving us to believe that rest is unproductive, lazy and weak. Karen Brody, founder of Daring to Rest, and the women who enter the Daring to Rest Academy's professional yoga nidra teacher training program, know this worn out woman scenario all too well. Most of us were experts in burnout. But then we found yoga nidra meditation and discovered that rest was more accessible than we thought, and that was essential for our survival. In this special Rest Stories Series, Karen and ten Certified Daring to Rest Facilitators, tell their rest stories, explain what rest means to them and why they are so passionate about teaching yoga nidra to others. Throughout the month of January, we'll be telling our rest stories. Listen in to discover why yoga nidra is "more than a fancy nap" and why so many women are teaching it to create a well-rested world. Connect with Karen Contact Resources The Daring to Rest Academy - enrollment in our online professional yoga nidra training for women is now open Peace is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh Podcast with Karen's son Podcast with Amy Rachelle

It's much easier to ignore the darker parts of ourselves—the wounds, the fears, the biases, the anxieties. Sloshing around in our inner territory is scary, but there is freedom in the truth. And the more we can talk about our shadows without getting defensive, the more we can accept our humanness and start to heal ourselves and the world around us. Only then we can go deep AND go home to ourselves. Pixie Lighthorse is an artist, healer and author who uses words as medicine to "wander with people through the hard stuff." Her most recent work, Goldmining the Shadows, primes us for an ongoing inner dialogue with damaging influences (both internal and external), so we can begin the process of liberation and restoration. On this episode, Pixie joins me to define what it means to do shadow work and explains why it's crucial to explore our own inner territory. Pixie describes our quest for balance between thinking/doing and feeling/being, offering insight around how to access the most truthful parts of ourselves from a liminal space. She also shares the idea of rigorous honesty, discussing how we can recognize our shadows as they come up, examine our subconscious biases, and avoid the push/pull in our relationships. Listen in to understand the role of rest in accessing clarity and wisdom—and learn how to liberate yourself by accepting what IS. Key Takeaways Pixie's work in wandering with people through the hard stuff How Pixie defines shadow work and why it's so crucial Why Pixie's best writing ideas come from the liminal space The quest for balance between thinking/doing + feeling/being The idea of rigorous honesty and how it impacts relationships How to examine our unconscious bias without defensiveness Recognizing shadows when we use absolutes or complain The danger in overidentifying with our specialization How we harm ourselves/others out of loyalty to our wounds Why we can't access clarity or wisdom when we're tired How communication makes room for cooperative experiences The shadow side of hope and how we use it as a mask Pixie's insight around the freedom of accepting what IS Connect with Pixie Pixie's Website Resources Goldmining the Shadows by Pixie Lighthorse Boundaries and Protection by Pixie Lighthorse Prayers of Honoring by Pixie Lighthorse Prayers of Honoring Voice by Pixie Lighthorse Prayers of Honoring Grief by Pixie Lighthorse Leesa Renee Hall Healing Night: The Science and Spirit of Sleeping, Dreaming, and Awakening by Rubin Naiman PhD Daring to Rest: Reclaim Your Power with Yoga Nidra Rest Meditation by Karen Brody Daring to Rest Sleep Series Yes to Rest Friday - Daring to Rest Yoga Nidra Naps for Women Facebook Group SHARE

Do you struggle with the creative process? Get stuck in self-doubt? Or have trouble finding time to practice your craft? Writer Nicole Gulotta contends that the life of a creative is lived in seasons, and she believes that we can use these natural rhythms to enhance our creative work. And Nicole uses yoga nidra as a tool to bring ease to the writing process! Nicole is the author of Wild Words: Rituals, Routines, and Rhythms for Braving the Writer's Path, the creator of the Wild Words Community, and a Daring to Rest yoga nidra facilitator. She is dedicated to helping writers embrace the season they're in and use rest to tap into their creative potential. On this episode, Nicole joins me to share her seasonal approach to creativity, walking us through the 10 seasons of a writer's life identified in her book. Nicole explains what it means to write in the margins, using her obstacles and opportunities exercise to design a sustainable writing practice. She also offers insight around the value in listening to your body, sitting in the liminal space, and retreating to do deep work. Listen in for Nicole's formula for the writing cycle of hope and learn how to use yoga nidra as a tool in the writing process! Key Takeaways Nicole's 10 seasons of a writer's life 1. Beginnings 2. Self-doubt 3. Going back in time 4. Discontent 5. Listening to your body 6. Raising young children 7. Liminal space (transition) 8. Visibility 9. Retreating 10. Finishing What it means to write in the margins The art of slow writing one line a day Nicole's personal yoga nidra practice How to make the space for deep work Using yoga nidra as a tool in the writing process Nicole's practice of choosing a word for the year How Nicole developed the writing cycle of hope Connect with Nicole Nicole's Website Wild Words: Rituals, Routines and Rhythms for Braving the Writer's Path by Nicole Gulotta Resources Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl Karen on The Kate & Mike Show EP064 Eat This Poem Daring to Rest: Reclaim Your Power with Yoga Nidra Rest Meditation by Karen Brody Yoga Nidra, Writing and the Wild Woman retreat with Karen at Kripalu

My son Jacob had his first psychoeducational evaluation in the second grade. He scored in the 110th percentile in critical thinking, but his reading score was in the 2nd percentile. Jacob was diagnosed with dyslexia, a condition that makes it difficult for people to read quickly and automatically—but has no connection to their overall intelligence. In fact, dyslexics are typically fast creative thinkers with strong reasoning abilities. (Think Richard Branson, Albert Einstein, Leonardo DaVinci). But, for many, getting through traditional educational systems are tough. So, how has Jacob navigated the school system with this learning difference? And what have I learned in the process of raising a dyslexic child? Today, Jacob joins me to share his experience with dyslexia, discussing his ongoing challenges with reading comprehension and the benefits of the multisensory curriculum he experienced starting at age ten. I offer insight around when we realized Jacob had a learning difference and the value in getting your child tested early. Listen in to understand how yoga nidra helped me manage the dyslexia journey with Jacob and learn how he is incorporating the practice into his life at college! Key Takeaways How The Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity defines dyslexia The discrepancy between Jacob's critical thinking and reading scores The strategies dyslexics use to improve reading comprehension When we started to realize Jacob had a learning difference The value in getting your child tested early to access the right services The concept of parenting with firm kindness to establish boundaries How The Lab School served as 'the right island' for Jacob The challenges Jacob faced in navigating theatre class How yoga nidra helped me manage exhaustion during the dyslexia journey How Jacob is incorporating yoga nidra into his life at college Jacob's ongoing challenge around taking longer to read a text Jacob's advice on surrounding yourself with the right people How Jacob wants to make an impact by spreading positivity in the world RESOURCES Watch Jacob give the commencement speech at his high school graduation The Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity Americans with Disabilities Act The Dyslexia Empowerment Plan A dyslexia font! Audio books for dyslexic and learning disabilities Made by Dyslexia The Kildonan School The Lab School Sylvia Boorstein Daring to Rest: Reclaim Your Power with Yoga Nidra Rest Meditation by Karen Brody Join NAP, Daring to Rest's new yoga nidra community for women (Enrollment open until Oct 1st)

Get ready to shake your yoga nidra pompoms! On this episode, Rest Sisters from the Daring to Rest Academy join me to share our key takeaways from The First International Yoga Nidra Conference. We discuss the theme of unity that pervaded the conference despite the different lineages of yoga nidra represented and reflect on what is a feminine approach to yoga nidra, how we express this in Daring to Rest programs, and Uma Dinsmore-Tuli's permission to be 'wild within the structure' of the practice. I ask about the network versus hierarchy debate posed at the conference, and we offer insight on the idea of post-lineage yoga nidra that allows us to play inside the framework. We delve into Kamini Desai's metaphor around being a container for what is rather than identifying with what comes and goes—and describe how yoga nidra effectively reorganizes our relationship with our emotions. We explored concepts from the many yoga nidra rock star teachers we learned from including Indu Arora's view of yoga nidra as 'the sleep of realization' and deep truth. Listen in for insight around emphasizing invitation and choice in the language of yoga nidra and learn how each Rest Sister integrated her profound feelings of gratitude, balance and belonging into life after the conference. After you listen, tell us your takeaways in the comments below or on social media. Key Takeaways The theme of unity and mutual respect at the Kripalu Yoga Nidra Conference How Uma Dinsmore-Tuli offered permission to be 'wild within the structure' The common thread around entering the sacred space through the breath Why we need more post-lineage yoga nidra (i.e.: network vs. hierarchy) Kamini Desai's metaphor around being the ocean rather than the waves The value of guiding students from timebound to timeless consciousness How yoga nidra effectively reorganizes our relationship with our emotions Uma Dinsmore-Tuli's intro to resources around the history of yoga nidra Molly Birkholm's take on bringing yoga nidra to the corporate workplace The emphasis on invitation + choice in scripts over telling people what to do How each woman experienced reentry to life after the yoga nidra immersion Indu Arora's insight on yoga nidra as the sleep of realization and deep truth SHOW RESOURCES Daring to Rest Academy Daring to Rest: Reclaim Your Power with Yoga Nidra Rest Meditation by Karen Brody Yoga International's recordings for the First International Yoga Nidra Conference

Today on the Daring to Rest podcast I'm taking you inside the most recent tribe in the Daring to Rest Academy who just finished their Daring to Rest yoga nidra training a couple of months ago. I didn't realize it until we were all together, but each woman who shares her story on this episode have very different professional background and have journeyed through the Daring to Rest Academy quite differently too. From an intuitive astrologer and soul counselor, to a Qoya teacher and trainer who is also a reiki master, to a health psychology professor at one of the most prestigious women's college's in the United States. I love that rest brought us together, and I hope you'll enjoy hearing about the creative ways these women are bringing to fruition and dreaming about sharing the message of rest. The Daring to Rest Academy started as a dream I had to create an online and easy way for women around the world to come together, in sisterhood, to learn how to feel like a well-rested woman, lead like a well-rested woman, and share the message of rest with others. As you'll learn in this episode, inside the Academy we train you in yoga nidra meditation, the Daring to Rest method, and so much more that can't be easily laid out in a bullet pointed list. It is urgent to have rest whisperers - guides - in our culture planting the seeds of rest. Rest gives us resilience, presence and so many long-term sustainable tools to feel more peaceful. And I believe in my bones that this yoga nidra kind of deep peace within will trickle up to a more peaceful, less-inflamed world. As Benita shared on the podcast, "I just think how revolutionary it would be if our heads of state started their meetings off with rest, and all our college classes did that too. Imagine how much clarity and power we would have if we were able to step into all the places we come together with a pause." This is the rest revolution we're building, community by community, at the Daring to Rest Academy. In this month's episode of the podcast we have lots of yummy conversations like this, and we also give you an idea of what it would be like to join the Academy. Listen in & join us! Key Takeaways How it's possible to enjoy the Academy even if you can't make the live online mentoring When the start date of the Academy doesn't work for you, and why it didn't matter for Claire and Benita How the Rest & Digest Phase is missing in our lives and Daring to Rest teaches us to take it back The power of combining Daring to Rest with the lunar cycles The yummy combination of Daring to Rest after movement like Qoya Taking Daring to Rest into college and academic settings Bringing Daring to Rest to activists to avoid burnout and lead from the feminine Why we start our mentoring calls in the Academy connecting to our heart, and then ripple out to the world The importance of creating a well-rested world and spaces where people can rest, from colleges to governments How deep connection takes place in the Academy even though we are online and not in person SHOW RESOURCES Daring to Rest Academy Waitlist