This week we are joined by Brett Rivero—yoga teacher and car mechanic. In his former life, Brett physically took care of his body, chased money, and drove nice cars all to maintain the tough guy exterior. This lifestyle combined with little self-care and alcohol abuse led him to serious injury.   While working on a car one day, Brett’s C5 and C6 vertebrae went in opposite directions, leaving him with a loss of sensation to parts of his body. Doctors wanted to perform surgery, but Brett was skeptical.   About a month before the injury he attended a yoga class but didn’t think much of ..read more

This week's senior VETOGA teacher, Claudia Cavazza, speaks of generational trauma that trickled down from her grandfather’s experience fighting in World War II. A conversation Claudia had with VETOGA founder and Marine Veteran, Justin Blazejewski, helped her recognize her grandfather’s PTSD. By doing so, she also found the ability to heal the scars she received from him. That moment inspired her to bring yoga to populations that require trauma-informed care. Specifically, she focuses on breath awareness to shift feelings of anxiety into a sense of physical safety. Claudia has also shared the m ..read more

Washington, D.C. native Nia Renee Imani resides in Saint Thomas. Her journey through the self-healing practices consists of RA (Living) Vegan Foods, Yoga, Rituals, and being a Doula. Through these various modalities, Nia serves others as an influential source for healing. Having healed her own womb after ectopic pregnancy, Nia trained as a birth Doula in Manzanillo, Costa Rica in 2018 and become certified with The Birth Well. In addition she has studied with many mentors, learning both physical and spiritual approaches to giving childbirth, healing post-birth, and healing womb trauma. Nia also ..read more

Episode 7  Chakra Energy Dawn M Rivers Yoga Teacher. and Founder & Owner of Daybreak Yoga Having practiced yoga for 21 years, Dawn Rivers has done a lot of movement in the interest of self-healing. The Cleveland, Ohio yogi tried many things on this path, but eventually it was Jesus and asana that healed her.  Dawn and I met in Faith Hunter’s 300 YTT. Like many others, Dawn looked to Faith as a mentor after attending one of her events in Ohio. While attending this course, Dawn also was in the midst of opening her own studio.  Amongst all of that pressure, Dawn realized she wa ..read more

Jessica Mahler is a DC-based Yoga Teacher, Tarot Reader, Reiki Master, and Author. She joins Sacred Exchange to discuss benefits of sitting in our grief. Grief is not just not loss of life—it’s the end relationships, the end of jobs, the end of established routines. The loss of her maternal grandparents and a childhood friend flooded her life with grief. Thankfully, intuition served as a guide through hard times leading to periods of isolation, moving away to Toronto, and allowing the grieving process to happen. Surrendering to the intense emotional waves brought on by loss was how Jessica sto ..read more

Josh (they/them/their) is a queer educator, storyteller, yogi, activist, explorer, and Celtic witch from Washington, D.C. But if you are looking for Josh because they owe you money, they’re living in South Dakota on the Pine Ridge Reservation. There they serve as the Activities Director at Red Cloud High School alongside AmeriCorps. Josh brings inspiration to the world through joy, self-exploration, and uncompromising courage. Storytelling is one of Josh’s many superpowers. Sacred Exchange this week features a discussion about Josh’s exploration through yoga, tarot, reiki, Celtic witchcraft, a ..read more

Jarrick the Floating Yogi talks about the exploration of emotions through alchemy and affirmation. Like many of us, he’s experienced bouts of depression and isolation beginning in his younger days. Fortunately, Jarrick shares with us the modalities he finds most useful in pulling himself out of those low moments.    His journey didn’t start with practice of yoga, but it ended up there. Focusing on the practice of Ashtanga, movement empowered him to process emotions and even become a witness to himself.   Negative thoughts once led him into a heavy, dark depression. Now they serv ..read more

A lifelong learner and self-proclaimed "anatomy nerd,” Andrea Diraddo, discusses her journey through personal boundaries, self-abandonment in relationships, and learning the limitations of the physical body. 
 Learning healthy boundaries on and off the mat gave her insight into the unhealthy relationships, physical practices and more. 
 Stopping the cycle of self-abandonment and maintaining healthy boundaries empowered her to take control of her life. 
 Andrea is a wealth of resources on top of being a fantastic yoga teacher and yoga therapist. Check out her socials below and subscribe. 
 Webs ..read more

Mario joins to talk about his start in yoga and finding his way in life through his moods and moments. Anxiety was a constant in his life, but after struggling through a couple of yoga classes, Mario found the spark inside to examine his life through a new perspective. He found the strength on the mat to accept his anxiety and to explore it through movement, meditation and continued self-care practice development. Mario talks about his love of the artistic art form of yoga asana and his love of Ashtanga and the logical structure it gives to unlock the body. Along with yoga asana, Mario talks a ..read more

In this first episode, Micah, the Host of Sacred Exchange, talks about his healing from traumas and traumatic brain injuries that caused severe dissociation from all of his physical, mental, and spiritual bodies. He reveals the path of yoga that led him to a deeper understanding of energy and connection to this universal healing energy. The practice of movement, breath, and stillness continues to help him understand the new world he lives in today and knowing there is a life after trauma. Join the SWY Pack! Sign up for our mailing list to keep in touch: http://eepurl.com/guLYx5 More at www.sac ..read more