Radiant Rest Podcast with Tracee Stanley
Tracee Stanley
Recent Episodes
"The moment of our death, all we have is our breath. The moment of our life, all we have is our breath," says Elena Brower. "So why not clue in with it now, get really relaxed around it, and learn who I am in this quiet."
In Elena's upcoming new book, Hold Nothing: An Invitation to Let Go and Come Home to Yourself, she shares how the Zen Buddhism practice of silence and stillness has landed in her heart and her life, bringing with it profound teachings.
Enjoy a cup of tea with this deep and inspiring conversation: In this episode, we discuss how this path of practice requires bravery, the deep-seated grief we experience on a daily basis, altars as beautiful thresholds, lessons from Elena's service work in hospice centers, and what it really means to practice letting go.
Preorder Hold Nothing, Receive a Free Virtual Workshop: Altar of Your Heart), & Discover More Gifts at this link:
https://elenabrower.com/holdnothing/
About Elena Brower
Mother, mentor, poet, artist, volunteer, bestselling author, and host of the Practice You Podcast, Elena Brower is a celebrated international yoga and meditation teacher on Glo, guiding transformative practices since 1999. Her debut book, Art of Attention: A Yoga Practice Workbook for Movement as Meditation, was published in 2012 and has since been translated into seven languages. Her bestselling journals Practice You and Being You, her collection of poetry Softening Time, along with her courses, classes, and talks, explore stages of studentship, practice, life, and listening.
Her next book, Hold Nothing, will be published by Shambhala Publications on November 18, 2025. Her column on Substack supports girls and women, through On The Inside, Girls on Fire Leaders, Women for Women, and Free Food Kitchen.
She hosts the acclaimed podcast Practice You, a series of deep, compassionate conversations with teachers, artists, and thinkers, designed to support you through life's transitions, encouraging presence, care, and openness. Offering two new virtual weekly classes on Glo, Elena weaves body, breath, art, and contemplative mindfulness into practice. Bridging ancient yogic precision with creative depth and emotional intelligence, she serves individuals in cultivating resilience and inner alignment.
In 2023, she received Jukai (lay Buddhist vows) from Roshi Joan Jiko Halifax at Upaya Zen Center, and is a student in Upaya's Chaplaincy Training. As part of her service, she volunteers in hospice and penitentiary settings, bringing yoga, meditation, and compassionate presence, aligning with Upaya's commitment to local service and community support.
Connect with host Tracee Stanley:
Radiance Subscription Online Community—try it for a month FREE!: https://www.empoweredlifecircle.com/join-today/
Website: https://www.traceestanley.com
Newsletter: https://www.traceestanley.com/#newsletter
Instagram: http://instagram.com/tracee_stanley
Radiant Rest book: https://www.traceestanley.com/radiant-rest
The Luminous Self book: https://www.traceestanley.com/luminous-self
Welcome to a bonus episode of Radiant Rest Podcast!
Recently I was honored to host author and teacher Anjali Rao for a workshop detailing a feminist lens in yoga history. Here on the podcast, I had to share our brief introductory conversation in which we discussed the patriarchy in yoga, the guru-student relationship, and more. I hope you enjoy the brilliance in this 10-minute episode!
Resources:
Want to tune in to Anjalil's full workshop? You'll find it in my online community, Radiance Subscription.
Try a 30-day free trial—cancel anytime: https://www.empoweredlifecircle.com/join-today/
Anjali's book, Yoga As Embodied Resistance: A Feminist Lens in Caste, Gender And Sacred Resilience in Yoga History, comes out Tuesday, October 14!
Get your copy here: https://www.yoganjali.me/book
Join her upcoming reading circle: https://www.yoganjali.me/reading-circle
About Our Guest
Anjali Rao brings an intersectional and decolonial feminist lens to the study of philosophy and yoga history integrating storytelling, art and poetry. Emphasizing an embodied approach, her work interrogates the link between religions, politics and yoga. She is on the faculty of multiple yoga teacher training programs. She is the host of The Love of Yoga podcast bridging scholarship, activism and yoga. She has served as the President of the Board of Directors of Accessible Yoga Association, a non profit dedicated to ensuring accessibility and equity in yoga spaces to people of all backgrounds.
She is currently pursuing a PhD student in Philosophy and Religion in California Institute of Integral Studies.Her book, Yoga As Embodied Resistance: A Feminist Lens in Caste, Gender And Sacred Resilience in Yoga History (North Atlantic Books, October 14, 2025 is available for preorder.
Connect with Anjali on http://www.Instagram.com/yoganjali and at yoganjali.me
Connect with host Tracee Stanley
Website: https://www.traceestanley.com
Newsletter: https://www.traceestanley.com/#newsletter
Instagram: http://instagram.com/tracee_stanley
Radiant Rest book: https://www.traceestanley.com/radiant-rest
The Luminous Self book: https://www.traceestanley.com/luminous-self
With an MD and background in neuroscience and behavior change, Dr. Siva Mohan believes in Ayurveda as a path of better understanding our lives, habits, and behavior—and of creating shifts that lead to a greater sense of well-being.
In this conversation, Dr. Siva and host Tracee Stanley discuss Ayurveda as an energy-mapping system that impacts our neurobiology, how deeply listening to our emotional and energetic body builds Self awareness, skills for emotional well-being, and more.
Resources mentioned:
Dr. Siva's books, workshops, and free offering: https://members.ayurvedabysiva.com/events/
Workshop on Friday, October 24, 2025—Biohacking with Ayurveda with Dr. Siva, hosted by Tracee https://www.empoweredlifecircle.com/biohacking-with-ayurveda-dr-siva-mohan-hosted-by-tracee-stanley/
About our guest:
Dr. Siva Mohan is a big picture person. An integrationist. A pattern seer.
As a UN Social Affairs Officer and working globally with private clients for over 15 years, Dr. Siva realized that even educated, active people are missing the basics of wellness. Across cultures and continents, we are leading lives set up for chronic disease and discontentment.
Siva's mission is to teach people to feel again; to be able to hear what their bodies and hearts are guiding them to shift.
And then, to give them tools and approaches to accomplish those healthy shifts.
With an MD, and background in behavior change and education, Siva presents an empowering East-West Mind-Body version of Ayurveda.
She guides her audience to individualized wellness lifestyle with tools and approaches from Ayurveda, emotional wellness, and modern science.
Her book, courses, free offering, and content can be found at https://members.ayurvedabysiva.com/
Connect with host Tracee Stanley:
Radiance Subscription Online Community (try it for a month FREE!): https://www.empoweredlifecircle.com/join-today/
Website: https://www.traceestanley.com
Newsletter: https://www.traceestanley.com/#newsletter
Instagram: http://instagram.com/tracee_stanley
Radiant Rest book: https://www.traceestanley.com/radiant-rest
The Luminous Self book: https://www.traceestanley.com/luminous-self
Podcast: https://www.traceestanley.com/podcast
Bees are life-giving. They are vital pollinators that support our food supply, and they are also teachers with healing and wisdom to share.
In this episode, host Tracee Stanley sits down with coauthors of Wisdom of the Hive: What Honeybees Can Teach Us about Collective Wellbeing, Michelle Cassandra Johnson and Amy Burtaine, bee-lovers and bee-tenders, activists, and individuals deeply committed to healing work that supports bringing individuals, the collective, and our entire ecosystem back into balance.
They discuss being drawn into the mysterious and sacred world of the bees, connecting with the bees and cultivating a non-extractive relationship, the deep lessons from the bees, and so much more.
Order your copy of Wisdom of the Hive here: https://www.michellecjohnson.com/wisdom-of-the-hive
ABOUT OUR GUESTS
Michelle Cassandra Johnson is an author, activist, spiritual teacher, racial equity consultant, and intuitive healer. She teaches workshops and leads retreats and transformative experiences nationwide. She is the author of Skill in Action, Finding Refuge, We Heal Together, and more.
Connect with Michelle: https://www.michellecjohnson.com/
Amy Burtaine is a leadership coach and racial equity trainer. Her trainings for meaningful social change include work with Google, the DNC, and the ACLU. With Robin DiAngelo, she is the co-author of The Facilitator's Guide for White Affinity Groups.
Connect with Amy: https://www.amyburtaine.com/
Connect with host Tracee Stanley:
2026 Empowered Wisdom Yoga Nidra Teacher Training with Tracee Stanley & Dr. Chanti Tacoronte-Perez—the interest list is now open! https://www.empoweredlifecircle.com/empowered-wisdom-yoga-nidra-teacher-training-interest-list/
Radiance Subscription Online Community (try it for a month FREE!): https://www.empoweredlifecircle.com/join-today/
Website: https://www.traceestanley.com
Newsletter: https://www.traceestanley.com/#newsletter
Instagram: http://instagram.com/tracee_stanley
Radiant Rest book: https://www.traceestanley.com/radiant-rest
The Luminous Self book: https://www.traceestanley.com/luminous-self
Podcast: https://www.traceestanley.com/podcast
"All of the lineages of yoga nidra are pretty magical. It's so important to have different perspectives and to allow permission for each of us to be creative and to be open in recognition of who we are." —John Vosler
In this episode of Radiant Rest, Tracee Stanley welcomes her longtime friend John Vosler, who leads Yoga Nidra Certification programs and holds multiple certifications in various healing modalities. Their inspirational exchange dives into the power of yoga nidra as well as:
-
How John (accidentally) first experienced the practice of yoga nidra
-
The yoga nidra teachers and lineages that invited him onto the path to learn more
-
The question that Tracee gets the most in her level 2 yoga nidra teacher trainings
-
Responsibilities of yoga nidra facilitators
-
How yoga's teachings—including pairs of opposites, Sutra 2:48 (the loosening of all effort), samskaras, and kleshas—intersect with yoga nidra
-
Yoga nidra as a tool to help us balance our nervous system and remember who we are
-
Much more!
About John Vosler: John Vosler is dedicated to guiding others back to the truth of who they are—the unchanging, unshakable presence beneath all thoughts, emotions, and experiences. With over 25 years of experience as an energetic bodyworker, meditation teacher, and facilitator of Yoga Nidra, John has helped thousands of clients reconnect with their innate wholeness and inner healer. His work bridges ancient wisdom and modern science, demonstrating how sensations in the body, the flow of emotions, and thought patterns are deeply interconnected. Through meditation, movement, holistic bodywork, and Conscious Coaching, John's Los Angeles-based practice—and his retreats worldwide—offer profound opportunities to rest deeply, release old conditioning, and live from a place of clarity and love. Known for his intuitive presence, heartfelt compassion, and a sense of humor that keeps things real, John creates safe and transformative spaces where people can honestly remember: nothing is broken, and nothing needs fixing.
Connect with John at JohnVosler.com and check out his upcoming retreats:
A Yoga Nidra Retreat: Rest, Restore, and Remember Yourself at Omega Institute on August 17-22 https://www.johnvosler.com/omega-retreat-august-2025
I AM Yoga Nidra™ Certification Retreat with John Vosler and Kamini Desai at at Omega Institute on September 19-28 http://johnvosler.com/omega-retreat-sept-2025 Deep Dive into the True Essence of Self Retreat at the Imiloa Institute in Costa Rica on April 21-26, 2026 https://www.johnvosler.com/2026-costa-rica-retreat
Connect with Tracee:
2026 Empowered Wisdom Yoga Nidra Teacher Training with Tracee Stanley & Dr. Chanti Tacoronte-Perez—the interest list is now open! https://www.empoweredlifecircle.com/empowered-wisdom-yoga-nidra-teacher-training-interest-list/
Radiance Subscription Online Community (try it for a month FREE!): https://www.empoweredlifecircle.com/join-today/
Website: https://www.traceestanley.com
Newsletter: https://www.traceestanley.com/#newsletter
Instagram: http://instagram.com/tracee_stanley
Radiant Rest book: https://www.traceestanley.com/radiant-rest
The Luminous Self book: https://www.traceestanley.com/luminous-self