• 133- Rising Mothers' Margaux Khoury
    Sep 23 2022
    As a corporate advisor for ethical start-ups, Margaux finds balance with her daily yoga and meditation practice. She is certified in holistic plant-based nutrition, with a focus on longevity, and has studied what the longest living people on earth have in common. Her upcoming virtual longevity summit will be a gift for mothers and families.

    In this episode Yoga is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Margaux Khoury talk about Margaux's upcoming summit, Rising Mothers. They also discuss the differences between being plant-based and vegan, unschooling and eating a healthy diet.

    Connect with Margaux:

    LinkedIn: @ Margaux Khoury
    Website: Rising Mothers Summit
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    53 mins
  • 132- Presenting a More Accurate Representation of Yoga with Gayatri Sehgal
    Sep 15 2022
    Gayatri Sehgal is currently a graduate student at LMU's Yoga Studies program. They also create online content on Instagram and Youtube around intersectional anti-speciesism, Yoga philosophy, environmental justice, and their personal journey under the alias @goddessgaya. She is also on the board of the Compassion Consortium. Their spiritual practice consists of activism as an embodiment of dharma and yogic ethics, yogāsana and mindfulness, bhakti, mysticism, and of course, living the vegan lifestyle. She offers coaching for activists and aspiring vegans which can be found on the highest tier of their Patreon or by reaching out to their email: patreon.com/goddessgaya or gsehgal24@gmail.com .

    In this episode Yoga is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Gayatri Sehgal discuss the following:

    Bari Gratton, Meghan Maris, Courtney Ng, Gayatri Sehgal and Shuo Wang's Open letter to Yoga Alliance to Shape a Better Future for Yoga
    Veganism and Caste Systems in India Brahmin Vegetarianism

    Yoga Inc. Documentary
    The differences between Yoga, yoga and yogasana
    Modern Yoga Studies: Critical History, Anthropology and Methodology at Arihanta Academy
    Connect with Gayatri Sehgal:

    Instagram: @goddessgaya
    Patreon:Goddessgaya
    YouTube: Goddess Gaya
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    1 hr and 12 mins
  • 131- Vegan Yoga Momma's Lauryn Glass
    Sep 6 2022
    Lauryn Glass is a vegan animal rights activists, licensed mental health therapist and a 200 hour trained yoga teacher. She has a plant-based nutrition certification from ECornell and is raising two young healthy vegan kids (9 & 3) with her husband in the Midwest. Lauryn uses social media to share information, tips & recipes in favor of the vegan lifestyle. She hopes to provoke thought in others that will help them recognize that the desire for life, love and freedom is the same in all living beings.

    Lauryn has been regularly practicing yoga since 2007 and found it to be extremely beneficial during many mental, physical & emotional personal life changes and experiences. This eventually led her to pursue her own teacher yoga training in 2018. As far as she can remember, during the years of practice in many states at many studios, with many teachers, veganism was mentioned one time - in teacher training briefly and that was it.

    In December of 2019 Lauryn & her family began to shift to vegetarian eating and one afternoon in January 2021, Lauryn learned the whole truth about how animals are used and made into products and overnight, the house was vegan. Her meat loving husband came home from work and she told him he could do what he wanted but she would never be buying, eating, cooking or touching another animal product again! He has been happily vegan ever since as well.

    Of course, Lauryn's own personal yoga practice was a huge part of her spiritual journey, evolution, unlearning speciesism and choice of new lifestyle, but it was not until reading the book "Yoga and Veganism," and really understanding the ins and outs of our food system, that Lauryn made the real connection that: YOGA IS VEGAN! She believes that it isn't just yoga though, it is everything that we say we are as people! We say we treat others how we want to be treated, we say we are kind, in favor of justice, equality, peace, freedom, love, a healthy planet, healthy minds, bodies & souls.

    Lauryn shares tips, truths & her self-taught vegan recipes on her social media pages @veganyogamomma on Instagram and TikTok. She posts her recipes on a blog: www.veganyogamomma.com. You can currently hear her on weekly podcast episodes as a cohost of: "Vegan Sunday School" on the Vegan of Course podcast. She loves to inspire others to break themselves from the societal conditioning and reunite with their own true & inherent compassion for all living beings on or off of the yoga mat. Lauryn & her family love exploring the growing vegan scene in their city & checking out all of the new vegan items on the shelves at the market every week!

    In this episode Yoga is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Lauryn Glass talk about her vegan/yoga journey and raising a family vegan in the midwest.
    Connect with Lauryn:
    Tik Tok: @veganyogamamma
    Instagram: @veganyogamomma
    Website: veganyogamamma.com
    Podcast: Vegan Of Course "Vegan Sunday School"
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    58 mins
  • 130- Lancaster Farm Sanctuary's Sarah Salluzzo & Jonina Turzi
    Aug 23 2022
    Sarah Salluzzo cofounded Lancaster Farm Sanctuary in 2017. She holds an MSW and MA in media studies and previously worked in substance abuse rehabilitation. She now works full-time at LFS as the Executive Director and is the board president.


    Jonina Turzi cofounded Lancaster Farm Sanctuary in 2017. She is passionate about advancing the well-being of humans and animals. She holds a Doctorate of Physical Therapy as well as several certifications in healthcare and wellness. In addition to serving as Vice President on the board of LFS, she runs a private PT practice in Lancaster City.

    In this episode Yoga is Vegan's Holly Skodis, Sarah Salluzzo and Jonina Turzi discuss the following;

    Reproductive Injustice
    Food Injustrice
    Dairy farming practices
    The Egg industry and backyard chickens
    YIV Episode 29- Jonina Turzi: Social Transformation Through Yoga, Ahimsa and Veganism
    Universal Declaration of Human Rights
    Universal Declaration of Sentient Rights
    Connect with Lancaster Farm Sanctuary:

    Website: lancasterfarmsanctuary.org
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    1 hr
  • 129- Christopher Jain Miller, PhD on Why Yoga & Jainism are Inherently Vegan
    Aug 16 2022
    Christopher Jain Miller is the VP of Academic Affairs and Professor of Jain and Yoga Studies at Arihanta Academy. He completed his Ph.D. in the study of Religion at the University of California, Davis, and his current research focuses on applied Jain dharma and the ways by which Jain principles can be lived in daily life.

    Christopher is the author of a number of articles and book chapters concerned with Jain dharma, Jain veganism, the history and practice of modern yoga, yoga and politics, and yoga philosophy and is a co-editor of the volume Beacons of Dharma: Spiritual Exemplars for the Modern Age (Lexington 2019). He lectures internationally on Jain and yoga topics and is a certified continuing education provider for the Yoga Alliance. He is the academic advisor for the global Jain Vegan Initiative to promote a vegan lifestyle in light of the Jain principles of non-violence, compassion, and karma.

    In this episode Yoga is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Christopher Jain Miller discuss the following:

    Ahimsa and its role in both Yoga and the Jain religion.
    History of contemporary Jainism
    Karma and its relationship to samskaras
    Hatha Yoga Pradipika
    Jain Vegan Initative
    Arihanta Academy

    Connect with Christopher Jain Miller:

    Instagram: @theyogaprofessor
    Facebook: @ChristopherJainMiller
    Website: arihanta-academy.com

    Fall 2022 Classes:
    Ahimsa, Animal Advocacy, and Veganism with Hope Bohanec

    Beyond Vegetarianism: Jain Veganism and the Promotion of Ahimsa - Nisha Mehta, Pratik Bhansali, Sunny Jain


    Modern Yoga Studies: Critical History, Anthropology and Methodology- Professor Christopher Jain Miller, PhD
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    1 hr and 1 min
  • Encore Episode- Dharma Mittra
    Aug 10 2022
    Legendary yoga teacher Sri Dharma Mittra first encountered yoga as a teenager before meeting his guru in 1964 and beginning his training in earnest. Sri Dharma founded one of the early independent schools of yoga in New York City in 1975 and has taught many tens of thousands the world over in the years since. Sri Dharma is the model and creator of The Master Yoga Chart of 908 Postures, the author of ASANAS: 608 Yoga Poses, the LOAY Teachers’ Manual and Yoga Wisdom, has released two DVDs to date – Maha Sadhana Levels I and II, and recently captured classes are available for streaming via alomoves.com, YogaJournal.com and Vimeo On Demand. Sri Dharma continues to disseminate the complete traditional science of yoga through daily classes, international workshops and his Life of a Yogi Teacher Trainings at the Dharma Yoga New York Center. For more information on all things Dharma Yoga, please visit: www.dharmayogacenter.com.

    In this episode Holly Skodis interviews Sri Dharma Mittra about the role of the teacher, yogic practices and veganism for spiritual development.

    Topics discussed in this episode:

    Sri Dharma Mittra’s Guru Sri Swami Kailashananda a.k.a. Yogi Gupta
    Ahimsa
    The Sattvic Diet
    The role of vegan foods in a spiritual practice
    The condition of the soul
    Reincarnation and the meaning of life
    Raja Yoga
    Yoga Nidra
    Karma Yoga
    Meditation
    Yoga Postures
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    46 mins
  • 128- Plantspiration's Stefanie Ignoffo
    Aug 2 2022
    Stefanie Ignoffo is a Plant Interventionist, Lifestyle Medicine Coach and Food For LIfe Instructor with the Physicians Committee For Responsible Medicine. She is also the CEO & Founder of Plantspiration® NFP INC. After transitioning her family to plants in 2013, Stefanie lost 100 pounds. As a family, they lost a total of 250 pounds and reversed their chronic diseases. Stefanie has made it her mission to educate, motivate and inspire people all over the world to Eat Your Plants Off, prevent and reverse disease, lose weight and maintain this wonderful lifestyle.

    In this episode Yoga is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Stefanie Ignoffo discuss the following:

    Becoming a Food For Life Instructor through PCRM
    Unprocessed: How to achieve vibrant health and your idea weight by Chef AJ
    Transitioning Your Family to a Whole Foods Plantbased Vegan DIet
    Weight loss and struggles
    Stefanie's reversal of diverticulitis
    Incorporating Yoga into the Plantspiration's Support Group
    Dr. Brooke Goldner's Smoothie Shred
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    1 hr
  • Encore Episode - Stewart Gilchrist
    Jul 26 2022
    Hate something? Change something!

    Born at the beginning of the 60s, Stewart experienced the hippy revolution, punk rock, new wave, two tone, reggae and much more in the diverse politicised atmosphere of Thatcherist Britain.

    Leading a wild, nihilistic, and hedonostic lifestyle led him to a multitude of years and experiences with hallucinogenics, shamanism and ethnobotany both recreationally and spiritually.

    The new age travellers and the second summer of love in the UK, where Rave and Ecstacy redefined alternative culture and reinvigorated the esoteric arts, which kindled an interest in buddhism and yoga in Stewart.

    Following a severe back injury Stewart experienced an amazing recovery through intensive Astanga Vinyasa Mysore yoga practice.
    Stewart’s sadhana led him toward an extensive yoga education with teachers from around the world who have had a profound effect on his style of teaching.

    A devoted activist in a wide range of issues: the Arms trade and nuclear disarmament, human and animal rights, environmental and ecological issues, anti-racist/fascist, pro LGBTQ, anti capitalist and anti poverty.

    He spent 10 years as a youth worker and teacher within the voluntary sector before training as a Lawyer in inner city London.

    Stewart relates his radical traditionalist approach to Yoga to include these important modern issues and his experiences therein.

    With great respect to the founders for their activism in animal rights he qualified as a Jivamukti teacher in 2003 and since has taught extensively in London and worldwide with annual retreats workshops in India and Sri Lanka.

    Stewart is a Senior Registered Yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance. He founded East London School of Yoga and has been teaching Teacher Training for 8 years. He is currently studying at SOAS University toward an MA in Traditions of Yoga and Meditation with hopes of research toward a Phd.

    Stewart is eternally grateful to Hamish Hendry (Astanga London), Sabel Thaim, Jennifer Dale,Sri K Patthabi Jois, Sri Shreshadree (Mysore), and David Life and Sharon Gannon (Jivamukti Yoga) who all contributed greatly to change his life. He is also very sorry to everyone and everything who he harmed before yoga.

    In this episode Yoga Is Vegan's Holly Skodis and Stewart Gilchrist discuss the following:

    Vegan Health and Fitness Magazine Yoga Edition
    Kate Magic
    Nature's First Law: The Raw-Food Diet by Stephen Arlin, David Wolfe, Fouad Dini, R.C. Dini, Marc Wolfe and Ken Seane
    Stew's experience getting sick on a mono fruitarian diet in colder climates
    Orthorexia
    Forest Bathing: How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness by Dr. Qing Li Shinrin-yoku
    Reclaim the Streets
    Extinction Rebellion
    GMOS
    The Farm Tennessee
    Sugar and bone char
    Stew’s experience getting Covid
    A Handbook for Yogasana Teachers by Mel Robin
    Hooked on Raw: Rejuvenate Your Body and Should With Nature's Living Foods by Rhio
    Raw: The Uncook Book: New Vegetarian Food for Life by Juliano Brotman and Erika Lenkert
    Dr. Douglas N. Graham
    Conscious Eating by Gabriel Cousens M.D.
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    1 hr and 40 mins