Yoga Therapy Hour with Amy Wheeler

What if gratitude is not just a feeling, but a trainable skill—one that shapes leadership, relationships, and the way we experience our daily lives?

In this episode of The Yoga Therapy Hour, Amy sits down with Paul Nardone, Director of the Workforce Center and faculty member in business, to explore gratitude as an intentional practice. Together, they unpack how small, consistent moments of appreciation can shift mindset, build trust, and create meaningful change within teams, organizations, and personal life.

This conversation moves beyond surface-level positivity. It offers a grounded look at how gratitude functions in...

In this episode of The Yoga Therapy Hour, Amy Wheeler welcomes Jeremy David Engels, PhD, professor at Penn State University, to explore how mindfulness, yoga philosophy, and compassionate communication can help us navigate an increasingly polarized world.

Jeremy discusses his newest book, On Mindful Democracy: A Declaration of Interdependence to Mend a Fractured World(Parallax Press, February 2026). Structured in the spirit of Timothy Snyder's On Tyranny, the book presents 27 concise reflections that encourage readers to engage in democracy with clarity, courage, compassion, and a deep recognition of our shared humanity.

The conversation explores what it...

What if one of the most transformative practices in yoga is also one of the least understood?

In this episode of The Yoga Therapy Hour, Amy Wheeler sits down with yoga therapist and educator Mona Shah to explore Pratyāhāra, the fifth limb of Patañjali's Eight Limbs of Yoga. Often translated as "withdrawal of the senses," Pratyāhāra is much more than turning away from the world. It is the profound shift from seeking fulfillment externally to discovering a deep source of nourishment within.

Together, Amy and Mona discuss why Pratyāhāra serv...

In this solo episode of The Yoga Therapy Hour, host Amy Wheeler, Ph.D., explores Pratyāhāra, the fifth limb of Patañjali’s eight-limbed path, and how Yoga Nidra can become a powerful therapeutic pathway for turning the senses inward.

Rather than presenting Yoga Nidra as a single technique, Amy explores the many ways it can be understood and applied. Some approaches emphasize embodiment and awareness of physical sensation, while others invite experiences of spaciousness, transcendence, or non-dual awareness. From a yoga therapy perspective, the central question is not which approach is “right,” but rather: What does...

In this episode of The Yoga Therapy Hour, Amy welcomes two guests whose work intersects at the heart of yoga therapy education: Leila Stuart and Kimberly Searl from the School of Integrative Health at Notre Dame of Maryland University.

The conversation centers on the integration of Experiential Anatomy into a graduate-level yoga therapy curriculum, and what it means to move beyond memorization of anatomy into direct, embodied understanding.

Rather than approaching anatomy as static knowledge, this dialogue explores anatomy as a lived, perceptual experience—something that can be sensed, refined, and integrated into clinical practice.

What if much of what we’ve been taught about the breath in yoga is backwards? In this episode, Amy sits down with yoga therapist and author Robin Rothenberg for a frank, eye-opening conversation that challenges one of yoga’s most cherished cues: “take a big breath.”

After a respiratory crisis upended her own health, Robin discovered that the long, dramatic breaths she’d taught for years were making her symptoms worse, not better. The fix ran counter to everything she thought she knew about pranayama: breathe less, build CO2 tolerance, and let the body actually use the oxygen...

Are prāṇāyāma and modern breathwork the same thing, or do they represent fundamentally different approaches to working with the breath?

In this episode of The Yoga Therapy Hour, Amy Wheeler explores one of the most common questions arising in yoga therapy, wellness, and healthcare today. While both prāṇāyāma and modern breathwork involve conscious breathing practices that can influence stress, mood, attention, and overall well-being, their origins, purposes, and underlying frameworks are quite different.

Drawing from the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali, the classical Haṭha Yoga texts, and contemporary scientific research, Amy...

In this episode of The Yoga Therapy Hour, Amy Wheeler welcomes yoga therapist, meditation teacher, and breathwork facilitator Laurie Angress for a thoughtful conversation about conscious connected breathwork and its potential to serve as a portal into deeper self-awareness, healing, and connection.

Laurie shares her personal journey into breathwork, including how curiosity led her to explore a practice that initially felt unfamiliar, despite decades of experience in yoga, meditation, and yoga therapy. What she discovered was a powerful yet accessible approach that helped her access emotional release, profound stillness, and deeper layers of inner knowing.

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In this solo episode, Amy Wheeler explores a fascinating question: What happens when we look beneath the physical practice of yoga and return to its deeper purpose? Beginning with the history of āsana, Amy traces how yoga postures evolved from simple meditation seats into the diverse practices we know today. Along the way, she examines the Tantric influence of the Śiva Saṃhitā, the rise of embodied awareness in modern somatic practices, and the importance of lived experience as a pathway to understanding ourselves more deeply. The episode invites listeners to consider how yoga therapy can serve as a bridg...

Episode Summary

In this episode of The Yoga Therapy Hour, Amy sits down with Danielle Burke, a certified yoga therapist and licensed professional counselor, to explore what happens when traditional talk therapy meets embodied practice.

Danielle shares her journey from mental health counseling into integrative wellness, where she now blends yoga therapy, somatic awareness, and lived experience to support clients in reconnecting with themselves. Together, they explore what it means to feel “stuck in your story,” how breath and body awareness interrupt that pattern, and why self-awareness is not just insight—but a skill that must b...

In this solo episode, Amy Wheeler explores the second yama, satyam (truthfulness), and its essential relationship to the first yama, ahiṃsā (non-harming). This conversation moves beyond simple definitions and into the lived complexity of speaking truth in real relationships, real bodies, and real moments.

Drawing from personal reflection—including her own experience with illness and voice—Amy invites listeners into an honest inquiry:

When do we speak too much, not enough, or avoid the truth altogether?

In This Episode

Satyam as Inner Coherence

Satyam is not sim...

Episode Overview

In this thoughtful and grounded conversation, Amy Wheeler sits down with Marlysa Sullivan, a physical therapist, yoga therapist, and educator working within the Veterans Administration and at Notre Dame of Maryland University. Together, they explore the Niyamas from The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali as living practices—less about rigid rules and more about ongoing self-inquiry, ethical reflection, and alignment in daily life.

Rather than presenting the Niyamas as fixed ideals, this episode invites a more nuanced approach: one that considers context, relationship, and the evolving nature of what it means to act with in...

In this episode, Amy sits down with Posture Ellie, a posture specialist based in the Peak District of England, whose work bridges movement, awareness, and human transformation.

Ellie shares her personal journey from corporate burnout and disconnection to discovering yoga as a turning point—one that ultimately led her to specialize in posture as a powerful, accessible entry point into healing.

Together, they explore a central reframe: posture is not about “standing up straight.” It is about how the body moves, adapts, and expresses lived experience.

What You’ll Hear in This...

Episode Description

In this episode, Dr. Amy Wheeler continues the Season 10 exploration of the Eight Limbs of Yoga as a regulatory framework, turning inward toward the Niyamas—the personal disciplines that shape how we care for ourselves and engage in inner work. 

Rather than presenting the Niyamas as a checklist of ideals, this conversation reframes them as practices that create the internal conditions for nervous system regulation, clarity, and meaningful change.

At the heart of this episode is a grounded inquiry:

What happens when we reduce internal noise, increase awareness, and rel...

In this conversation, Amy sits down with Colleen Carroll for a thoughtful exploration of Santoṣa—often translated as contentment, but experienced as something much more nuanced.

Rather than presenting contentment as a passive or idealized state, this episode examines it as a living practice—one that unfolds in the middle of uncertainty, chronic pain, changing identities, and the natural fluctuations of life.

Together, they explore how the human tendency to strive, fix, and move away from discomfort can obscure what is already present. Through personal stories and clinical insight, they reflect on how contentment is not...

Episode Overview

In this conversation, Amy sits down with Lee to explore the role of daily practice—sādhana—as a living, evolving process rather than a fixed routine.

Together, they reflect on what it means to cultivate steadiness in the mind, nervous system, and heart, and how consistent practice becomes a pathway toward deeper self-understanding, inner guidance, and connection to something greater than oneself.

The discussion moves beyond technique and into lived experience—how practice shapes perception, builds trust, and gradually shifts one’s relationship to stress, identity, and life decisions. 

Episode Overview

In this conversation, Amy Wheeler sits down with yoga therapist and educator Ashley McKeachie to explore the lived experience of ahimsa—non-harming—as it unfolds in real time with aging bodies and evolving nervous systems.

Ashley shares how her work with older adults (ages 55–95+) has reshaped her understanding of yoga therapy, shifting from performance and outcomes toward presence, pacing, and relational care. What emerges is a grounded and practical view of yoga as a system that supports resilience, dignity, and connection across the lifespan.

This episode offers a clear lens into how yo...

What does it mean to trust that life will work out—not as a belief, but as a lived, embodied experience?

In this solo episode, Dr. Amy Wheeler explores the intersection of the Yamas—the ethical foundation of yoga—and the neuroscience of safety, regulation, and predictive processing. Rather than approaching ethics as a set of rules to follow, this conversation reframes them as natural expressions of a regulated, supported nervous system.

At the center of this inquiry is a simple but powerful question:

Can we live in alignment with our values when we fee...

In this episode, Amy sits down with Mala Cunningham, a pioneer in integrating yoga therapy with mental health care. The conversation offers a steady and thoughtful exploration of how yoga therapy supports individuals living with anxiety, depression, and chronic stress, not by bypassing these experiences, but by helping people build the capacity to be with them differently.

Mala brings decades of clinical experience into a grounded discussion on the relationship between the nervous system, attention, and perception. She outlines how anxiety is not simply something to eliminate, but something to understand through the body, breath, and patterns...

In this episode, Amy sits down with Deborah Santana—author, philanthropist, and lifelong spiritual practitioner—for a conversation that explores what it means to live from inner sovereignty.

While many may recognize her through her 34-year marriage to Carlos Santana, this conversation clarifies something more essential: Deborah Santana has lived a deeply self-directed life shaped by spiritual inquiry, service, and the willingness to begin again.

Her memoir, Loving the Fire, becomes the thread through which we explore transformation—not as an abstract idea, but as a lived experience of loss, identity shift, and conscious rebuilding.

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In this solo episode, Amy Wheeler explores one of the most important psychological teachings in the yoga tradition: the five kleśas, described in Chapter 2 of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. These teachings help explain why human beings experience suffering even when they are sincerely trying to live well.

Drawing from both Sāṅkhya philosophy and the Yoga Sūtra, Amy walks listeners through the deeper roots of suffering, beginning with the distinction between puruṣa (the witnessing consciousness) and prakṛti (the body, mind, senses, and the manifest world). When these two are confused, the mind becomes e...

In this solo episode, Amy Wheeler brings clarity and steadiness to the recent scientific critique of Polyvagal Theory by Paul Grossman and colleagues. Rather than reacting defensively or dismissing prematurely, this conversation explores what mature fields do when a theory is questioned: they clarify, refine, and return to foundational principles.

Amy examines:

• What the critique of Polyvagal Theory actually addresses

• The difference between scientific precision and clinical usefulness

• The risks of oversimplifying complex neurophysiology

• How public wellness language can unintentionally flatten biological complexity

• Why yoga philosophy offers a time-tes...

In this conversation, Amy sits down with mindfulness teacher and writer Oneika Mays to talk about her new book, Sit with Me: A No-BS Journey to Mindfulness and Meditation—part memoir, part meditation guide, and an unflinching look at what it means to practice loving-kindness in real-world conditions, including inside Rikers Island.

Oneika shares what it felt like to work inside a system built on hierarchy and dehumanization, the tension of receiving a salary inside a harmful structure, and the moment she realized that “the system isn’t broken—it’s working as designed.” From there, the conversation...

In this solo episode, Amy returns to one of the heart-teachings of Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtra: learning to observe the fluctuations of mind and how they shape behavior, communication, and the way we show up in relationship and daily life. Rather than analyzing or diagnosing, she frames this as svādhyāya—steady self-reflection rooted in classical yoga philosophy.

Amy walks listeners through Vyāsa’s five states of mind (citta-bhūmi)—from restlessness and dullness to one-pointed focus and absorption—and then explores how a meditation practice naturally moves beyond surface thoughts into the deeper layers of...

What happens when we stop treating suffering as a fixed identity and start relating to it as a changeable state?

In this conversation, Amy Wheeler is joined by Colleen Millen, a licensed marriage and family therapist and yoga therapist who works at the intersection of somatic psychotherapy, nervous system regulation, and post-traumatic growth. Colleen shares how “healing happens in present time,” why choice and consent are foundational to real change, and how small, repeatable practices can reshape patterns that once felt permanent.

Together, they explore neuroplasticity in everyday language (“neurons that fire together wire together”), how soma...

In this solo reflection, Amy explores why daily practice matters beyond flexibility, strength, or stress relief. Using a simple morning ritual—cleaning her glasses—she offers a clear metaphor for what practice does: it helps us notice what has accumulated in the mind-body system and gives us a way to “wipe the lens” so we can see, sense, and choose more clearly.

This episode weaves yogic psychology, behavior change, and neuroscience into one steady message: our beliefs don’t just shape our thoughts—they shape our bodies, our felt sense, and our default responses. The work of change is po...

In this warm, clinical-and-traditional conversation, Amy and Lisa explore how chanting and mantra practice can shape the autonomic nervous system and the mind through repetition, meaning, vibration, and relationship. Lisa shares her journey from clinical psychology leadership in pediatric behavioral health to yoga therapy and chanting in Europe, and she offers grounded guidance for meeting students exactly where they are—especially when voice, vulnerability, perfectionism, or skepticism show up.

This episode holds a steady bridge between allopathic settings and yogic tradition: chanting as both a deeply ancient transmission method and a contemporary, accessible tool for resilience, co-regulation, an...

In this solo episode, Amy Wheeler explores three foundational teachings from Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtra that describe how real transformation unfolds over time: abhyāsa (steady practice), vairāgya (letting go of attachment), and śraddhā (deep trust in the process).

While these terms are often translated simply as “practice and detachment,” Patañjali presents them as a sophisticated framework for understanding how the mind stabilizes and how human behavior gradually shifts. Amy reflects on how these teachings describe the ongoing work of regulating the mind, working with habitual patterns, and cultivating a steadier relationship with our internal...

Episode overview

In this episode, Amy sits down with Steve Haberlin to explore what’s changing in contemplative practice as artificial intelligence becomes woven into daily life. Steve shares why he created a customized GPT mindfulness guide (“MetaZen”), how he’s studying its use with doctoral students, and why he advocates a “human-first” approach: learn from a skilled teacher when possible, then use AI as a supportive bridge—not a replacement.

Together, they unpack the promise and the concerns: access and personalization on one side, and privacy, data harvesting, and ethical guardrails on the other. The conversation...

In this episode of The Yoga Therapy Hour, Amy Wheeler is joined by Joann Lutz, psychotherapist and yoga therapist and educator whose work focuses on nervous system regulation, resilience, and the therapeutic application of yoga across a wide range of life contexts.

Their conversation explores a central theme of this season: that nervous system regulation is not achieved through force, positivity, or performance, but through consistent, attuned yoga/ somatic practice over time. Together, Amy and Joann reflect on the Eight Limbs of Yoga as a coherent and practical framework for supporting autonomic nervous system stability—parti...

Episode Summary

In this solo episode, Amy Wheeler lays the philosophical foundation for the upcoming season by returning to one of the most essential—and often misunderstood—concepts in yoga philosophy: citta, the mind-field. Rather than approaching yoga as a collection of tools and techniques, Amy invites listeners to remember the deeper purpose of yoga as articulated in Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtra—the reduction of suffering through clarity, discernment, and relationship to our deepest self.

Amy carefully differentiates between the citta mind and the citta field, explaining how manas (sensory and processing mind), ahaṅkāra...

In this solo episode, Amy explores the patterned nature of the mind through the framework of the Yoga Sūtra of Pātañjali and its relevance to the autonomic nervous system.

Rather than approaching change as something we force or “hack,” this episode returns to a classical yogic understanding: the mind is conditioned, the body follows, and awareness is the pathway to regulation.

Drawing from Yoga Sūtra 1.1–1.4 and 1.12, Amy unpacks how repeated thoughts and emotional states create saṁskāras (impressions), which accumulate into vāsanās (deep tendencies), shaping identity and physiology over time.

In this solo conversation, Amy Wheeler makes a clear case for yoga therapy as a distinct clinical discipline—not a “licensed healthcare modality + a few yoga tools.” She explores why yoga therapy has struggled to define its contribution, and she proposes a steady answer: yoga therapy’s central work is helping people reorganize their inner landscape through a coherent philosophical and practical framework—most clearly articulated in Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtra, with the Eight Limbs as a regulatory pathway for mind, nervous system, body, relationship, and meaning.

What you’ll hear in this episode

In this thoughtful and grounded conversation, Amy Wheeler is joined by Dr. Lauren Tober to explore two foundational pillars of ethical and effective yoga teaching and yoga therapy: scope of practice and the creation of a safe container.

The episode begins with a clear and nuanced discussion of scope of practice—what it truly means, why it cannot be standardized across all practitioners, and how clarity protects both students and teachers. Dr. Tober emphasizes that scope of practice is shaped not only by formal training, but also by lived experience, competence, and confidence. Amy reflects on how he...

In this inaugural episode of Season 10, Amy Wheeler introduces the guiding framework for the year ahead: exploring the Eight Limbs of Yoga as a practical, integrated regulatory framework for the autonomic nervous system. Rather than offering “tools and tricks” for stress, this season centers a wider view—how yoga shapes the conditions for safety, stability, adaptability, and coherence across daily life.

Amy explains why nervous system regulation matters across integrative health contexts. When we support autonomic balance, we support the whole person—how we sleep, digest, think, relate, decide, and recover from chronic stress and burnout. This sea...

In this episode of The Yoga Therapy Hour, Amy Wheeler is joined by Sara Klute Behn, a yoga therapist and health coach based in Iowa, for a thoughtful conversation about nervous system regulation, sustainable health behavior change, and the deep overlap between yoga therapy and health coaching.

Together, they explore why willpower alone rarely leads to lasting change—and why regulation, safety, and support matter far more. Sara shares her personal journey through anxiety, life transitions, and healing, and how those lived experiences shaped her work supporting women who feel overwhelmed, overextended, and stuck in cycles that no l...

In this episode of The Yoga Therapy Hour, Amy welcomes back Kristine Weber for her third conversation on the podcast. Kristine is known for weaving together yoga philosophy, neuroscience, social justice, and policy in a way that is both grounded and deeply practical. This conversation ranges from marketing and entrepreneurship to self-regulation, somatics, and the future of yoga therapy as a profession.

The episode opens with a candid discussion about what it really takes to build a sustainable yoga business in the current landscape. Kristine shares the story of how one comment in a Facebook yoga research gro...

In this episode of The Yoga Therapy Hour, Amy speaks with Valerie Hesslink and Jeanne Kolker, both from Insight Counseling & Wellness, about how yoga therapy has tapped into billing through Wisconsin’s Comprehensive Community Services (CCS) program. Jeanne and Valerie discuss the realities of providing trauma-informed, community-based care, the role of skill building in recovery, and the organizational standards required to deliver CCS services. Valerie also shares her personal journey and how yoga helped her reconnect with herself during a difficult period. The conversation offers a grounded look at the future of integrative mental health and the importance of em...

Episode summary

Computer-science-turned-cognitive-science researcher and yoga therapist Chen Or Bach joins Amy to share a candid journey from academia to cancer survivorship, from mat-based practice to living yoga moment-to-moment. We trace how the pañca-kośa model reframed her healing, why standards and accreditation helped yoga integrate into Israeli healthcare, and what it means to let go of familiar tools and still remain fully in the path. It’s a forward-looking conversation about bringing steadiness (sthira) and sweetness (sukha) into real life—mountain trails, laundry folding, and all.

Listen for

Episode snapshot

Debbie Lamond (near London, UK) is a yoga teacher and yoga therapist specializing in support for people living with lymphoedema. After decades of personal practice and training with the British Wheel of Yoga, she blends breathwork, Yoga Nidra, gentle movement, self-care for the lymphatic system, and realistic habit tracking. This conversation feels like tea with a wise friend—practical, hopeful, and grounded in ahiṃsā, svādhyāya, and the steady courage of śraddhā.

What we cover