Episode Overview:

In one of the most vulnerable and transformative conversations to date, Amy Wheeler sits down with Naomi Finkelstein, a yoga therapist and founder of The Sanctuary, to explore what it means to reclaim body autonomy, live in alignment with truth, and practice yoga from a foundation of ahiṁsā

—non-harming—toward oneself.

Naomi shares her deeply personal story of being sent to weight-loss camps as a teen, struggling with disordered eating for decades, and ultimately being diagnosed with anorexia at age 40—all while living in a larger body. She speaks honestly about how societal fatphobia masked her illness, and how yoga became both a site of harm and, ultimately, a path to healing.

This conversation redefines what it means to "do yoga." It's not about performance. It's about presence, choice, and radical self-respect.

Amy openly reflects on how this dialogue challenged her own internalized body narratives. This is not just a podcast episode; it’s an invitation into deep nervous system work, self-reflection, and community reimagining.

Topics Covered:

• Naomi’s journey through fatphobia, eating disorder recovery, and reclaiming the word “fat” as a neutral descriptor
• The harm caused by body-normative yoga spaces—and how to create truly inclusive ones
• Trauma-informed yoga through the lens of personal choice and body consent
• How shifting your internal dialogue during practice changes the entire nervous system response
• What it means to build a yoga community rooted in safety, autonomy, and interdependence
• Why health cannot be measured by weight alone—and how to practice viveka (discernment) in medical spaces
• A reframe of tapas and ahiṁsā
• that honors those recovering from disordered eating

Key Quotes:

“I had to relearn what it meant to show up on my mat—from a place of choice, not punishment.”

— Naomi Finkelstein

“The sensation you’re feeling right now? That’s what healing feels like.”

— Naomi Finkelstein

“If yoga isn’t here to bring us home to ourselves, what are we doing?”

— Amy Wheeler

Learn More About Naomi:

Naomi Finkelstein, C-IAYT, is a certified yoga therapist, trauma-informed educator, and founder of The Sanctuary, an inclusive online community supporting people in larger bodies through movement, mindfulness, and nervous system regulation. Her October courses include:

• Befriending the Body – An 8-week gentle yoga journey for those beginning or returning to practice
• Yoga Nidrā for Deep Rest – A 6-week guided series to support nervous system recovery

Learn more at NaomiFinkelstein.com

Listener Note:

This episode may stir deep emotions, especially for those in eating disorder recovery or with long-term body image struggles. We invite you to listen slowly, take breaks, and notice your breath and sensations. Healing is nonlinear. Come back to the episode as needed.

Episode Summary

In this rich and deeply reflective conversation, Amy Wheeler speaks with Bonnie Buckner, author of The Secret Mind: Unlock the Power of Dreams to Transform Your Life. Together, they explore how dreams—both night dreams and daydreams—can become a powerful path to healing, self-awareness, and transformation. Daydreams and night dreams are not just subconscious wanderings—but powerful tools for healing, insight, and transformation. Bonnie explains how the default mode network of the brain, active during dreaming, holds the key to our creative and emotional intelligence, bypassing the inner critic that often stifles our potential. Together, they unpack the symbolism of animals in dreams, the science behind functional mutuality in the brain, and how re-entering a dream through waking imagery can bring resolution and clarity. Amy even shares a personal dream about a mountain lion, and Bonnie gently guides her to see it not as a mystery to decode, but an energy to honor and heal. This episode offers a fascinating glimpse into the intersection of neuroscience, yoga philosophy, and the art of listening deeply to the inner self.

Drawing from both neuroscience and imagery-based therapeutic tools, Bonnie shares how the default network of the brain, often activated during non-linear, imaginative states, plays a crucial role in our inner healing. She explains how dreams reveal our inner blocks, and how we can use waking dream exercises to address unresolved patterns—without needing to overanalyze or “figure it out.”

Amy and Bonnie reflect on:

• The importance of daydreaming as a seed of creativity and vision
• Why sleep dreaming bypasses our inner critic and opens access to deeper truths
• How to re-enter dreams to resolve internal conflict and restore inner harmony
• Why images are the language of the nervous system, and more powerful than words alone
• How dreamwork intersects with yoga therapy, and why Patāñjali encourages dream observation as a path to self-knowledge
• The relationship between creativity and blocked energy, especially for performers and professionals who feel stuck

Amy even shares one of her own dreams, and Bonnie offers a moving example of how we can tend to the symbolic beings that appear in our subconscious—offering healing not only to the dream, but to the dreamer.

About Bonnie Buckner

Dr. Bonnie Buckner is the founder of the International Institute for Dreaming and Imagery, and teaches globally on the power of dreams and the creative mind. She works with leaders, creatives, and performers to help them access their potential through dreaming, imagination, and intuitive intelligence.

She also leads programs like the Dreamer World Artist Lab and Project Dreaming, where participants use dreams as portals into creative breakthroughs and transformational growth. Bonnie teaches at centers like Kripalu, and continues to bridge ancient inner wisdom with modern cognitive science.

Connect & Learn More

BonnieBuckner.com – Book, blog, classes, and dream mentoring

Institute for Dreaming and Imagery – Courses, retreats, and training in dreamwork and creativity

The Secret Mind – Available wherever books are sold

Host Reflection

“I loved Bonnie’s presence—soft yet strong. Her insights reminded me that our deepest transformations often come not through effort, but through stillness, receptivity, and inner listening. As yoga therapists and seekers, this is an essential reminder: we are dreaming ourselves into being every day.”

— Amy Wheeler, Ph.D.

Episode Summary:

In this powerful and heartfelt episode, Amy sits down with yoga therapist, somatic psychotherapist, and author Rachel Krentzman, C-IAYT, to explore her stunning new memoir, As Is.

This isn’t just a story about yoga. It’s about survival, identity, family, trauma, and healing—and ultimately, coming home to oneself. From her childhood in a strict Orthodox Jewish community in Montreal, to freedom and expansion in California, and finally to her current life in Israel, Rachel takes us through three distinct lifetimes—each with its own transformation.

Rachel speaks candidly about:

• Writing and publishing As Is after ten years of hesitation, rewrites, and deep soul-searching
• Facing generational and personal trauma, and choosing to heal rather than hide
• Her experiences with yoga, somatic psychology (Hakomi), and how they gave her tools to break cycles of shame
• Her journey bringing yoga therapy into Israeli hospitals, including working with trauma survivors, war refugees, and healthcare professionals
• How yoga therapy offers active, empowering healing—distinguished from both passive treatments and talk therapy
• The courage it takes to tell your story, even when others may not approve

Amy and Rachel discuss how yoga therapy is uniquely positioned to help people self-regulate, feel their bodies again, and reclaim their narratives—especially during times of personal or collective crisis.

Whether you're a yoga therapist, a healthcare provider, or someone navigating your own healing, Rachel’s story is a call to honesty, agency, and inner transformation.

“I hope readers see that they are not their story. They are not their shame. There is always a way out—and that way is inward.” — Rachel Krentzman

Highlights:

• How generational trauma shaped Rachel’s early life
• The emotional toll—and liberation—of telling the truth publicly
• What it’s like raising children in Israel amid war and instability
• Why yoga therapy is growing rapidly in Israel’s healthcare system
• The nervous system, trauma, and how breathwork offered relief when even pain meds couldn’t
• A vision for yoga therapy as a vital component of integrative medicine

Learn More:

Visit Rachel’s website to purchase As Is and learn more about her work: www.rachelkrentzman.com

As Is is available worldwide on Kindle, paperback, and major book retailers.

About Rachel Krentzman:

Rachel is a licensed physical therapist, certified yoga therapist (C-IAYT), and a graduate of the Hakomi Institute’s somatic psychotherapy training. She is a pioneer of yoga therapy in Israel, working to integrate it into hospitals and mental health care systems.

Connect with Amy Wheeler:

Website: www.TheOptimalState.com

Instagram: OptimalStatewithAmy Wheeler

Podcast: Yoga Therapy Hour

Amy is the Chair of the Dept. of Yoga Therapy and Ayurveda at Notre Dame of Maryland University, School of Integrative Health (Formerly MUIH).

Master of Science in Yoga Therapy https://muih.edu/academics/yoga-therapy/master-of-science-in-yoga-therapy/

Explore MUIH’s Post-Master’s Certificate in Therapeutic Yoga Practices, designed specifically for licensed healthcare professionals. https://muih.edu/academics/yoga-therapy/post-masters-certificate-in-therapeutic-yoga-practices/

Try our Post-Bac Ayurveda Certification Program at MUIH: https://muih.edu/academics/ayurveda/post-baccalaureate-ayurveda-certification/

Episode Summary:

In this heartfelt and expansive episode, Amy Wheeler sits down with renowned author, educator, and activist Susanna Barkataki to discuss her new book Ignite Your Yoga, and the path of yoga leadership grounded in ethics, lineage, and collective care. Susanna shares personal stories from her life, including her upbringing in a bicultural household, her journey through burnout, and her evolving role as a teacher, student, and community leader. Together, they explore how Yogic leadership is born not from charisma or hierarchy, but from a deep commitment to daily sādhanā, self-awareness, and compassionate action.

Susanna reflects on what it means to be a steward of the Yogic tradition rather than a consumer of it, and how Ignite Your Yoga is a call to bring yoga off the mat and into community, workplaces, activism, and healing justice movements. Amy and Susanna also talk about grief, aging, navigating burnout, and how letting go is often the first step toward transformation.

This episode is a rare glimpse into the real, vulnerable, and luminous layers of yoga teaching and leadership—and what it means to stay true to the roots of yoga in a rapidly changing world.

Topics Explored:

• Stewardship of yoga and how to honor lineage without replicating oppression
• How Ignite Your Yoga differs from Susanna’s first book, Embrace Yoga’s Roots
• Yoga as collective care and community healing
• Yogic leadership born from daily sādhanā and ethical clarity
• Burnout, perimenopause, and honoring your prakṛti through life transitions
• Cross-cultural identity and Susanna’s role as a “bridge” between worlds
• Buddhism, yoga, and holding space for spiritual multiplicity
• Why comparing your path to others leads us away from dharma
• How to trust the unfolding even in the darkness of “not knowing”

Favorite Quotes from the Episode:

“There are many ways—myriad ways—to serve and make a difference in the world. Don't get tripped up on having your activism look like someone else's path.” – Susanna Barkataki

“Yogic leadership isn’t about perfection. It’s about a continual refinement—letting our sādhanā nourish our service, and letting our service nourish our sādhanā.” – Susanna Barkataki

“Letting go doesn’t mean giving up—it just means letting go of control over how you think it’s supposed to look.” – Amy Wheeler

Resources Mentioned:

• Ignite Your Yoga by Susanna Barkataki
• Embrace Yoga’s Roots by Susanna Barkataki
• Susanna’s upcoming book tour and workshops (details on her website)

Connect with Susanna Barkataki:

• Website: www.susannabarkataki.com
• Instagram: @susannabarkataki
• Book Tour Info: igniteyouryoga.org

Connect with Amy Wheeler & The Yoga Therapy Hour:

• Website: www.theoptimalstate.com
• Instagram: @amylwheeler
• Podcast Archive: Yoga Therapy Hour on Spotify/Apple

MUIH Yoga Therapy and Ayurveda:

• www.MUIH.edu

In this bold and honest conversation, Amy welcomes Christine, founder of Integrated Yoga Therapy, for a raw discussion about what it means to stop performing and start living in alignment with truth. Together, they explore the cost of self-abandonment, the exhaustion of wearing a mask, and the journey back to embodied intuition and inner clarity.

Christine shares her personal and professional insight into how yoga therapy can become a vehicle for radical self-honesty—where we stop shape-shifting to meet others’ expectations and instead begin to honor what our body, heart, and intuition have been whispering all along.

This episode is a call to return to yourself—not the curated version, but the one that has always been there beneath the social conditioning, the masks, and the roles we’ve played. It’s about learning to live unarmored.

In This Conversation, We Explore:

• Why living in secrecy erodes the soul
• How to stop being a chameleon and start knowing yourself
• Listening to the body’s wisdom before logic takes over
• Reclaiming your voice when it’s been buried by shame or performance
• How yoga therapy can support the journey back to inner belonging
• Why authenticity is the greatest medicine—and the hardest practice

Who This Is For:

Anyone who is tired of performing. Anyone who feels the ache of pretending. Anyone ready to stop betraying themselves for acceptance. If you're seeking a path back to truth and embodiment, this conversation will land deep.

Connect with Christine:

www.integratedyogatherapy.com

More From The Yoga Therapy Hour:

Subscribe and listen on your favorite podcast platform

Try the Optimal State Mobile App to track your nervous system, connect to your intuition, and reclaim balance

Learn more and join our mailing list at www.TheOptimalState.com

Rate & Review:

If this episode stirred something in you, please leave a review and share it with a friend. Truth-telling is contagious—and healing.

Monday Nights with Amy: www.TheOptimalState.com

Mobile App: Optimal State App

Master of Science in Yoga Therapy https://muih.edu/academics/yoga-therapy/master-of-science-in-yoga-therapy/

Explore MUIH’s Post-Master’s Certificate in Therapeutic Yoga Practices, designed specifically for licensed healthcare professionals. https://muih.edu/academics/yoga-therapy/post-masters-certificate-in-therapeutic-yoga-practices/

Try our Post-Bac Ayurveda Certification Program at MUIH: https://muih.edu/academics/ayurveda/post-baccalaureate-ayurveda-certification/

Episode Overview

In this grounded and heartfelt conversation, Amy Wheeler speaks with yoga therapist and licensed mental health professional Julia Romano about her new book, Yoga Therapy for the Whole Mother. While the book addresses the postpartum journey, Amy and Julia reveal that its deeper message is about learning to mother—not just children, but ourselves, one another, and the world.

Julia shares how her life on a farm in West Virginia, her personal healing, and her spiritual path have shaped her therapeutic work. She speaks about the power of awareness, the centrality of presence, and the practical and sacred ways that yoga therapy can help people return to their innate wholeness.

Topics Explored

• The archetype of the mother as a model for therapeutic presence and attunement
• The link between awareness and agency in nervous system regulation
• Yoga therapy as a re-mothering experience for clients with early attachment wounds
• Healing disordered body awareness through movement and breath
• Rupture and repair in relationships as essential to human growth
• Meaning and purpose as antidotes to modern fragmentation
• Why the teachings of yoga must be embodied, not just understood intellectually

Key Quotes

“Awareness begets choice—and choice is where healing begins.” — Julia Romano

“Yoga therapy is not just about asana or breath; it's about creating a sacred space where another human being feels truly seen.” — Amy Wheeler

“It’s not about the rupture—it’s about the repair.” — Julia Romano

“This book is not just about postpartum healing. It’s a masterclass in how to be a great yoga therapist.” — Amy Wheeler

About the Book

Yoga Therapy for the Whole Mother is a deeply researched and spiritually grounded guide to the postpartum journey, but its insights go far beyond the early months of motherhood. Drawing from classical yoga, neuroscience, clinical experience, and lived wisdom, Julia offers practical tools and philosophical depth for anyone seeking healing, connection, and purpose.

The book covers topics such as disordered body image, stress and fatigue, breath regulation, trauma-informed care, the pañcamaya model, and how the therapeutic relationship itself can be a path to wholeness.

All research citations and expanded literature reviews are available on Julia’s website under the resources section.

Connect with Julia Romano

• Website: www.developingawarenesstherapy.com
• Offers individual yoga therapy sessions (telehealth and in-person)
• Available for mentoring newer yoga therapists
• Writes regularly on two Substack newsletters:
• The Yoga Therapy Lens
• Parenting While Walking a Spiritual Path

Closing Reflections

This conversation is a reflection on what it means to live the teachings of yoga—whether in clinical sessions, parenting moments, or quiet daily rituals. Julia reminds us that the act of mothering is not confined to gender or stage of life. It is a practice of witnessing, tending, and trusting the healing that comes through relationship.

For anyone who works in healing, caregiving, or simply wants to live with more integrity and compassion, this episode offers deep insight and practical inspiration.

Please add normal links for Amy and MUIH- thank you!