I am so incredibly lucky to know a legit Guru! Forget getting a sandwich named after me (Horney Hero at Path Cafe) this is one of my greatest NYC accomplishments. Paula Tursi is so knowledgeable when it comes to yoga that she can tell you the good, the bad, the old, the new and everything in-between. Yoga has evolved, or devolved (depending on how you look at it), and it takes a true historian and practitioner to walk us through that path so we can figure out what works for us! Paula will kindly answer the following on FiRE5: 1. What is Yoga and what is it not? 2. Is it a god based practice? 3. Do I have to meditate to do yoga? 4. How can it actually help me? 5. Is flexibility necessary to practice yoga? Bonus: I lift weights so I don't do yoga, Right? Paula and I first started teaching together over 10 years ago and still learn from each other to this day. As you know we are big on the best way to cue exercises and how to create total body tension and one of my main influences has been Paula. Her expertise doesn't stop there. She has 2 Masters degrees (Psychology from Columbia and Education from Hunter) along with practicing Psychotherapy and Hypnosis. Also - she is a kind and caring human being which shows in every corner of her studio - Reflections Center for Conscious Living & Yoga
1:54 : Paula Tursi, the yoga Guru, introduces herself
6:05 : The recent continued education retreat Paula came off of and how it influenced her
9:36 : What is Yoga, and what is it not?
11:57 : The 8 limbs
13:28 : Whether or not Yoga is a god based practice
18:17 : Paula gives an example of how the amygdala works
20:43 : Do you have to meditate to do yoga?
21:30 : Breathings job throughout yoga practice
23:20 : Explanations and demonstrations of common breaths and what their purposes are
32:18 : How can yoga actually help you?
37:10 : Why flexibility is not necessary to practice yoga
38:34 : Steve shares his knowledge of the bandhas
40:24 : Why Paula cares of the bandhas
41:40 : Why those who lift weights should also do yoga
47:00 : Pauls closing remarks and where to find her
49:14 : Paula ends the conversation with a demonstration of third eye breathing