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Tara Stiles – Lead & Lean with Love

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I am so excited to share this podcast with you. ⭐️ Meet the amazing TARA STILES!⭐️

Tara Stiles is the co-founder of Strala Yoga, best-selling author, and well-being expert. Tara revolutionized yoga for millions, transforming a practice so often seen as dogmatic, and guru-based, into an everyday movement that supports ease and well-being. 

Strala Yoga is practiced in more than 100 countries, thousands of Guides lead Strala classes around the globe, and Tara shares yoga with thousands of people on the Strala Yoga app. She has been profiled by The New York Times, Times of India, The Times (UK), and featured in most major national and international magazines.

Vist Tara on her website: www.tarastiles.com
Also on here Strala Yoga Website: stralayoga.com

During this conversation we covered topics like:

  • How she got started in yoga.
  • The importance of sharing your passion.
  • How  you can create your own path.
  • Teaching the foundation of movement.
  • The easiest mistake yoga teachers often make in class.
  • How to “lean on yourself.”
  • Connecting the dots in the chakra system.
  • Is it legal to touch people in yoga class?

Listen to the full episode for free here.

Todd McLaughlin

Welcome to Native Yoga Toddcast. So happy you are here. My goal with this channel is to bring inspirational speakers to the mic in the field of yoga, massage bodywork and beyond. Follow us @nativeyoga, and check us out at nativeyogacenter.com. All right, let’s begin.

Well, yeah, I’m so excited to have Tara Stiles joining me today on the podcast. Tara, thank you so much. How are you? 

Tara Stiles

I’m doing good. Thanks so much for having me. I’m excited to chat with you too. Thank you.

Todd McLaughlin

So for those of you that listened to the podcast with Yulady Saluti, she spoke so highly of Tara, that it got me excited to reach out to you Tara and get a chance to speak with you. So thank you for being so gracious in accepting my invitation. I know you have a busy schedule. Are you in New York City currently? 

Tara Stiles

Oh, I’m not actually I just got back from Singapore yesterday. But we’re in Illinois. We got this place in Illinois a couple of years ago to be close to family and kind of support everyone here. So we’ll be going to New York in the fall for Daisy’s school. But we’ve been here for a couple of years, kind of based out of hometown America. So that’s been really pretty sweet. Actually. 

Todd McLaughlin

Wonderful. Not in Chicago? It sounds more like in a rural setting. 

Tara Stiles

Yeah, you got it because you know America. A lot of friends in Europe are like, Oh, Illinois, Chicago. But yeah, we’re pretty far south. So the weather is actually a little bit warmer here than in Chicago. But yeah, all my family’s here. They’re farmers and hanging around the place. So it’s been nice to catch up with everybody and just be together. 

Todd McLaughlin

That’s so cool. Is that the town that you grew up in? 

Tara Stiles

I didn’t. I grew up a little bit closer to Chicago, but everybody is from here. So my parents got a place down here a few years ago. So everybody’s kind of in the same location. So it’s nice to just be around for sure. 

Todd McLaughlin

I hear you, that’s cool. And especially having farm life is pretty amazing. Do they have like a big farm? Are they more like cottage farmers? Do they have chickens and veggies? Are they more of like big time farmers? 

Tara Stiles

I mean, I don’t know how big time but kind of all of it. My aunts and all my relatives have gardens and things like that. So come summertime and late fall, you’ve got everything and they can at all for the winter.

Todd McLaughlin

That’s awesome! 

Tara Stiles

Yeah, they do the veggies for the personal consuming. And then they do corn and wheat and things like that. I remember a few years ago asking my cousin who’s a few years older than me, she does a lot of the big kind of combining and stuff, and we get to ride along. But I asked her where the corn goes, you know, after reading Michael Pollan’s book and all of these kinds of things. I know there’s a lot of the problems with America, but they found a way to sell their corn for hard plastics and windshields. So I thought that was kind of cool. Just everybody’s trying to do better. 

Todd McLaughlin

Yeah, I hear you, that’s amazing. Are you an organic gardener? Or a do you have time for a garden? Or do you just get to benefit from your family’s efforts?

Tara Stiles

To be honest, I would love to. But you know, we’re not here in the summers all the time. I’d love to actually do a greenhouse. I’ve seen that you can kind of buy these pop up greenhouses. They’re becoming more easy and economical and fun. You kind of pop that up in your yard now and just buy these things for a few 100 bucks. And maybe I’ll pop one of those up at some point. You know, see if I can get that going. 

Todd McLaughlin

Very cool. What was it like over, you said, Singapore? 

Tara Stiles

Yeah, Singapore. 

Todd McLaughlin

How was Singapore? 

Tara Stiles

Yeah, it was great. This festival called Glow Festival brought me out for about a week and I got to lead classes there, which was really fun. And I’ve been to Singapore a few times. So first of all, it was really fun just to catch up with old friends and new friends and just be back in person with people you know, I’m just one of the millions that are so grateful to just be together with people and and do yoga and they have a great festival and I got to kind of feel like that studio affect again. It was a couple of classes a day and there was other teachers

and other experiences and lots of people. So it was just really nice to hang around and practice and just talk with people and hug people and things like that. 

Todd McLaughlin

That sounds really cool. Was it structured sort of like a Yoga Journal type conference where you have a couple of teachers were teaching in different rooms at the same time, or was it one room and then you would take turns teaching with the other teachers? 

Tara Stiles

Yeah, it was just one big room and they did this cool thing. It was inside. And they had these large kind of interactive screens that were like almost like a jungle. So they did this really neat tech thing. And at first, I thought everybody would be overwhelmed seeing these screens, but the room was really humongous. So kind of in the distance, you’d see an elephant kind of walking by and things like that. So it was pretty unique and, and fun to just hang around and be together with people for sure. 

Todd McLaughlin

Cool. When you had a chance to teach, what type of class did you teach? Did you do like a Vinyasa flow, or what is on the forefront of your specialty these days?

Tara Stiles

Sure, I guess that I’ve always loved to lead. It was a really cool opportunity to have so many different time different time slots, you know, it’s kind of like a regular studio. And they wanted a variety of classes. So some a bit more energetic, some more gentle, some kind of in between. And everything that I love to lead is based in easygoing movement, breath, body connection, this kind of

almost East Asian influence in the yoga, but it doesn’t need to come across that way so much. But really, the idea of moving well comes from Tai Chi and shiatsu and things like that. But everybody usually says, Oh, that yoga class felt really nice. Or I didn’t know I could do something so challenging without forcing myself or It felt nice to move from my center and harmony. So I usually don’t, especially in just an open class, say, okay, now we’re going to be doing tai chi and shiatsu and learning all of these things. I just think that’s, you know, kind of too much located in the mind. So we just move and breathe and, and feel good. In that way. 

Todd McLaughlin

That’s really cool. What is your timeline in terms of how long have you been practicing? And how long have you been teaching?

Tara Stiles

Oh, gosh, well, I think like a lot of people’s yoga story, I got really lucky, finding yoga was in my ballet program growing up. So I was thinking I was going to be a contemporary dancer. That was my whole life’s dream. And my ballet teacher brought yoga into our program, I guess I was 17 or 18. And instantly, just like everybody else, felt like this is amazing. And, and then my second thought was, why don’t all my friends do this? Why, you know, I felt like my family, had these values had these philosophical ideas about life. But we weren’t doing this physical practice that I felt could just kind of crack everything open and really guide life. So I just wanted to learn more and share this kind of movement all at the same time. So that kind of just kicked me off and learning more about it. And then at first kind of casually sharing what I was learning with people. And then more and more things led me to doing that with more of my time. So yeah, it’s the beginning of my life, my teenage life

years ago. 

Todd McLaughlin

That’s amazing. Can you give me a timeline view of an order of different modalities that you then started to pursue and study?

Tara Stiles

Sure, yeah. Yoga was the first big practice for sure. And then I got to New York pretty shortly after to dance and do other things. But I was always kind of asking people, Hey, do you do yoga? Where do you do yoga, if you don’t do yoga, let’s do a little bit together….. this kind of a thing. And I think because New York has everything I was starting to find shiatsu places, and some ayurvedic practitioners, and all of these kind of, you know, modalities one by one. And I think like a lot of people who have started to learn one and then learn the others, you wonder, okay, are these connected? How are they connected? They don’t appear to be in isolation from each other. How can we, or how can I live in more harmony with myself and not just practice to be more knowledgeable about these modalities, but to integrate them actually in my life and to feel better and live a good life of purpose? And how can I start to communicate that in a sensible way to other people if that starts to make sense to me?

You can listen to the full episode for free here: https://nativeyogacenter.buzzsprout.com

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Day 30 – No Shave Yoga Event – #yogabeardsunite – Thanks to You ~ We Reached Our Goal

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Day 30 – No Shave Yoga Event – #yogabeardsunite – Thanks to You ~ We Reached Our Goal  
I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who made the No Shave Yoga Event a huge success. We exceeded our goal and were able to raise $1700 to benefit No-Shave.org this month!!!

No-Shave.org is a web-based, non-profit organization devoted to growing cancer awareness and supportive funds which go towards preventing the disease, saving lives, funding research, educating, and aiding those fighting the battle.

A special thank you to everyone who donated this month to the cause! Without your support we would never have reached our goal. I have to admit I am surprised at the overwhelming support that everyone has shown. I would also like to especially thank the team, Yoga Beards Unite for putting in so much time and effort through their online posts this month to help raise awareness for men’s health and generate funds. Thank you @adampolhemusyoga @brianmilleryoga @davidmiliotis @gregnardi @juankgalan @nativeyoga @willduprey respectively Adam Polhemus, Brian Miller, David Miliotis, Greg Nardi, Juan Galan and Will Duprey for all of your support. Thank you to those that joined the team during the month and helped participate. We have much appreciation to all the vendors who supported us this month including Lululemon, High Point Paddle Adventures and Raw Juce.

Here is one last chance to make a contribution if you had thought about it but waited until now. You can donate here, https://www.no-shave.org/team/yogabeardsunite

  
Together We Can Make a Difference,

Todd McLaughlin

Day 29 – No Shave Yoga event – #yogabeardsunite – Reflections of the Way I Used to Be

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Day 29 – No Shave Yoga event – #yogabeardsunite – Reflections of the Way I Used to Be  
One thing that is fun about participating in No Shave November is that it reminds me of my carefree ways back in the days. We can still be “carefree” and show we do care.
No Shave Yoga Event is a group of yoga teachers who have banded together to help spread the word, grow hairy, raise money and inspire health through the practice of yoga. Our fundraising team is called Yoga Beards Unite and we aim to raise as much awareness about men’s health and money for those in need by the end of November. Please help us achieve our goal by donating to our team page at https://www.no-shave.org/team/yogabeardsunite. When you post on social media please tag us to show your support and share our/your story to help us in our endeavor. Together we can make a difference! @adampolhemusyoga @brianmilleryoga @davidmiliotis @gregnardi @juankgalan @nativeyoga @willduprey

Day 25 – No Shave Yoga Event – #yogabeardsunite – Prana Wind

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Day 25 – No Shave Yoga Event – #yogabeardsunite – Prana Wind  
In yoga culture, prana is the word that describes the energy that is associated with air. Prana often refers to the relationship between our breath and our personal sense of vitality. Vayu, the lord of the wind, is considered the primal force that generates life and can be harnessed through our breath. Today in South Florida the wind is “cranking!” The wind has the ability to stir our emotions and can breath some life back into our senses. Sometimes people feel unsettled by the wind, however it is possible to harness that anxious sensation and turn it into zest for life and renewed vigor. If it is windy where you are, go outside and stir your prana a bit by enjoying the wind.

  
No Shave Yoga Event is a group of yoga teachers who have banded together to help spread the word, grow hairy, raise money and inspire health through the practice of yoga. Our fundraising team is called Yoga Beards Unite and we aim to raise at least $1500 by the end of November. Please help us achieve our goal by donating to our team page at https://www.no-shave.org/team/yogabeardsunite. When you post on social media please tag us to show your support and share our/your story to help us in our endeavor. Together we can make a difference! @adampolhemusyoga @brianmilleryoga @davidmiliotis @gregnardi @juankgalan @nativeyoga @willduprey

Day 24 – No Shave Yoga Event – #yogabeardsunite – Respect the Edge

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Day 24 – No Shave Yoga Event – #yogabeardsunite – Respect the Edge  
Yoga gives us the opportunity to cultivate optimal health and wellness. When we begin to push the boundaries of what we think is possible we are exploring what is called our “edge.” In the pursuit of optimal mental and physical health if we go a little to far over our “edge” we become acutely aware of the fact by experiencing pain. Yet the very experience of cultivating a relationship with our boundaries is where the real value lays. The process of going a little “to far,” gives us an incredible insight into the nature of our existence. Explore your edge and do so with utmost respect and good health and wellness is bound to find you.
No Shave Yoga Event is a group of yoga teachers who have banded together to help spread the word, grow hairy, raise money and inspire health through the practice of yoga. Our fundraising team is called Yoga Beards Unite and we aim to raise at least $1500 by the end of November. Please help us achieve our goal by donating to our team page at https://www.no-shave.org/team/yogabeardsunite. When you post on social media please tag us to show your support and share our/your story to help us in our endeavor. Together we can make a difference! @adampolhemusyoga @brianmilleryoga @davidmiliotis @gregnardi @juankgalan @nativeyoga @willduprey

Day 23 – No Shave Yoga Event – #yogabeardsunite – Micro = Macro

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Day 23 – No Shave Yoga Event – #yogabeardsunite – Micro = Macro  
A microcosm is ‘anything that is regarded as a world in miniature.’ A macrocosm is ‘the universe considered as a whole.’ The yoga practice inherently brings our awareness to the unity of the micro and macrocosms. When we bring our attention to the tasks at hand we can sometime feel a sense of triviality in the mundane. Yoga dispels this notion and draws awareness into the essence of each moment. The tiniest particle movement is reflected by the grand trajectory of the planets and stars. There is purpose in small acts that that can lead toward a greater change.
No Shave Yoga Event is a group of yoga teachers who have banded together to help spread the word, grow hairy, raise money and inspire health through the practice of yoga. Our fundraising team is called Yoga Beards Unite and we aim to raise at least $1500 by the end of November. Please help us achieve our goal by donating to our team page at https://www.no-shave.org/team/yogabeardsunite. When you post on social media please tag us to show your support and share our/your story to help us in our endeavor. Together we can make a difference! @adampolhemusyoga @brianmilleryoga @davidmiliotis @gregnardi @juankgalan @nativeyoga @willduprey

Day 22 – No Shave Yoga Event – #yogabeardsunite – WE ARE SO CLOSE

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Day 22 – No Shave Yoga Event – #yogabeardsunite – WE ARE SO CLOSE  
Today we held the No Shave Yoga Event at our studio, Native Yoga Center in Juno Beach, Florida. Thanks to all for the great turn out today. We would like to express our gratitude to everyone who attended the class today and those who were unable to attend but donated online. Due to your generosity we were able to raise over $500 from the event today. This in combination with the funds you have helped us raise on no-shave.org we are just over $1200. That means that with a full week left we can reach our goal of raising $1500. We can totally pull this off! 

  
We would like to express our appreciation to Lululemon, High Point Paddle and Raw Juce for donating gift certificates to award the participants with today. 

  
Yoga gives us the ability to improve our own health of body, mind and spirit. When we reach beyond ourselves and give to those in need we are able to extend our practice for the benefit of others. 

  
No Shave Yoga Event is a group of yoga teachers who have banded together to help spread the word, grow hairy, raise money and inspire health through the practice of yoga. Our fundraising team is called Yoga Beards Unite and we aim to raise at least $1500 by the end of November. Please help us achieve our goal by donating to our team page at https://www.no-shave.org/team/yogabeardsunite. When you post on social media please tag us to show your support and share our/your story to help us in our endeavor. Together we can make a difference! @adampolhemusyoga @brianmilleryoga @davidmiliotis @gregnardi @juankgalan @nativeyoga @willduprey

  
Special thank you to @lululemon @highpointpaddle @rawjuce @no_shave_november

  

Day 21 – No Shave Yoga Event – #yogabeardsunite – The Event

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Day 21 – No Shave Yoga Event – #yogabeardsunite – The Event  
We have seen an increase of support, enthusiasm and donations over the past few days for which we would like to extend our appreciation. If you are in South Florida come and join us for The No Shave Yoga Event at Native Yoga Center on Sunday, November 22nd at 12pm-1pm. We are offering a Native Yoga class that is donation based of which 100% of the proceeds will benefit no-shave.org. Everyone who attends will be entered in our raffle of which we have several gifts being given away. We would like to thank the team at Lululemon for donating some gift cards. High Point Paddle for donating an adventure paddle tour for 2. Raw Juce is going to bring free organic juice for everyone post practice. Native Yoga Center will also be giving away class gift certificates. If you would like to donate prior to arrival you can do so on our Eventbrite page. Those that live outside our area can donate to our Yoga Beards Unite team page. You can also just show up and donate at the the door. Everyone is welcome, male, female, old, young, flexible and stiff. Together we can make a difference!
No Shave Yoga Event is a group of yoga teachers who have banded together to help spread the word, grow hairy, raise money and inspire health through the practice of yoga. Our fundraising team is called Yoga Beards Unite and we aim to raise at least $1500 by the end of November. Please help us achieve our goal by donating to our team page at https://www.no-shave.org/team/yogabeardsunite. When you post on social media please tag us to show your support and share our/your story to help us in our endeavor. Together we can make a difference! @adampolhemusyoga @brianmilleryoga @davidmiliotis @gregnardi @juankgalan @nativeyoga @willduprey
Special thank you to @lululemon @highpointpaddle @rawjuce @no_shave_november

Day 19 – No Shave Yoga Event – #yogabeardsunite – Community Support

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Day 19 – No Shave Yoga Event – #yogabeardsunite – Community Support  
Today I visited the local Lululemon store and they were kind enough to donate gift cards for us to raffle off at the No Shave Yoga Event on Sunday, November 22nd at 12pm at Native Yoga Center. Enter our raffle at the event to win Lululemon and Native Yoga Center gift certificates. 100% of the proceeds collected this Sunday will benefit http://www.no-shave.org 

Thank you to @tmoe22 and @sauceosofsky for your support!!

No Shave Yoga Event is a group of yoga teachers who have banded together to help spread the word, grow hairy, raise money and inspire health through the practice of yoga. Our fundraising team is called Yoga Beards Unite and we aim to raise at least $1500 by the end of November. Please help us achieve our goal by donating to our team page at https://www.no-shave.org/team/yogabeardsunite. When you post on social media please tag us to show your support and share our/your story to help us in our endeavor. Together we can make a difference! @adampolhemusyoga @brianmilleryoga @davidmiliotis @gregnardi @juankgalan @nativeyoga @willduprey

Day 18 – No Shave Yoga Event – #yogabeardsunite – First Time for Everything

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Day 18 – No Shave Yoga Event – #yogabeardsunite – First Time for Everything
I put a donation box on our front desk at the studio to help raise money for the No Shave Yoga Event. At the end of class this morning I made an announcement to the students about our fundraising class that we are holding this coming Sunday at 12pm. Someone came out and felt inspired to give and she said that it this is the first time that she has ever donated money to a cause. She said she heard me say that every dollar counts and that any expression of compassion you offer through giving could change another persons life. I felt honored that this is the cause that she felt that she is ready to ‘break the ice’ with and give to. Whether we share our time, energy, words of kindness or funds to help others makes no matter. One way we can spread peace and neutralize the chaos of hatred is to share some compassion with others in these interesting times.
No Shave Yoga Event is a group of yoga teachers who have banded together to help spread the word, grow hairy, raise money and inspire health through the practice of yoga. Our fundraising team is called Yoga Beards Unite and we aim to raise at least $1500 by the end of November. Please help us achieve our goal by donating to our team page at https://www.no-shave.org/team/yogabeardsunite. When you post on social media please tag us to show your support and share our/your story to help us in our endeavor. Together we can make a difference! @adampolhemusyoga @brianmilleryoga @davidmiliotis @gregnardi @juankgalan @nativeyoga @willduprey