On Contemplating Death and 50 Years of Yoga with Libbie Nelson
My friend Libbie Nelson (she/her) is over 80 years old and has been contemplating death.
In our conversation on the podcast today, Libbie and I talk about the five stages of a person’s life, from student to householder, forest-dweller, renunciate and death and how thinking about death can actually help us to wake up and really live our lives with intention.
Libbie has been teaching and sharing yoga for over 50 years and has a long list of qualifications, including physiotherapy, yoga teaching, yoga therapy, naturopathy, acupuncture and ayurveda and is a graduate of our Mental Health Aware Yoga training.
In the episode, we also talk about the changes Libbie has seen over the past 50 years in the yoga world, what it was like studying with BKS Iyengar, who is renowned for his sometimes aggressive and inappropriate teaching style, and Libbie’s key takeaways from the Mental Health Aware Yoga training, despite having 50 years of yoga under her belt before joining the training.
Listen in to a previous episode with Zenith Virago on Death Dying and Living a Good Life
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Dr Lauren Tober (she/her) is a Clinical Psychologist, Yoga Teacher, founder of the Yoga Psychology Institute, host of the A Grateful Life podcast and author of Mental Health Aware Yoga: A Guide for Yoga Teachers.
Lauren developed the Mental Health Aware Yoga training to help yoga teachers make their classes safe, nourishing and transformative for all.
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The information provided on this blog is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered professional advice.
Please consult a qualified healthcare professional for personalised guidance or come and join one of our programs for professional training.
Any statements, claims or endorsements expressed by our guest authors, speakers and podcast sponsors are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Mental Health Aware Yoga and the Yoga Psychology Institute.
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As a Clinical Psychologist and Yoga Teacher of nearly two decades and the author of Mental Health Aware Yoga: A Guide for Yoga Teachers, I'm passionate about integrating yoga and psychology on the mat, in the counselling room and in the world.
With the growing interest in mental health and yoga, yoga students are attending yoga classes for the mental health benefits in unprecedented numbers.
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