Enlivening The Body From Within with Sarah Powers

I am so thrilled to welcome Sarah Powers to this episode! If you’ve dabbled in yoga—especially yin yoga—you’ve likely heard her name. Sarah is the co-founder of the Insight Yoga Institute and author of Insight Yoga and Lit From Within. She has been teaching for over 30 years, blending yoga, Buddhism, Taoism, and transpersonal psychology into an integrated approach that enlivens the body, heart, and mind.

Sarah's teachings emphasize mindfulness and personal inquiry, drawing from psychological models like internal family systems and psychosynthesis. Her yin practices balance long-held postures with meditative awareness, offering a truly holistic way of being.

Our Conversation Highlights:

• The Birth of Insight Yoga:
  We explore how Sarah weaves Buddhist insight meditation into yoga. This combination encourages students to go beyond the physical body, guiding them to develop deeper emotional and mental awareness. Sarah shares how yin yoga isn’t just about stillness—it’s about opening a window into the emotional body and confronting the discomfort many of us avoid.
• The Emotional Body and Maturity:
  Sarah discusses how most of us lack emotional maturity, often responding to life’s challenges with old, reactive patterns. Through mindful self-awareness, we learn how to engage with emotions in healthy ways rather than suppress or avoid them. She emphasizes that emotional well-being is essential—not secondary—to physical and mental health.
• Energy and Breath as Allies:
  We dive into Sarah’s relationship with the breath and how it serves as a refuge during moments of stress. She explains how breath connects us to the energy body, a subtle system often overlooked in modern life. Sarah shares her personal practice of using yin postures to align her energy, drawing on both Taoist and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) teachings.
• Practical Mindfulness Tools:
  Sarah offers insight into Internal Family Systems (IFS) and the idea of subpersonalities—the parts of us that show up differently in various relationships and roles. Recognizing these inner parts can create greater emotional freedom and help us respond more authentically in any situation.
• Curiosity as a Lifelong Practice:
  One key takeaway from our conversation was Sarah’s emphasis on staying curious about ourselves, even during difficult moments. With curiosity, we can approach our emotions as opportunities for growth rather than burdens, embracing the full spectrum of human experience.

This conversation felt like a masterclass in mindfulness and emotional health, reconnecting me with the tools I first learned during my 2020 yin yoga training with Sarah. Her insights reminded me how essential it is to integrate mindfulness into every part of life, not just on the yoga mat. It was also a beautiful reminder to let go of perfectionism—in yoga, teaching, and life.

If you enjoyed this episode, I encourage you to check out Sarah's books, Insight Yoga and Lit From Within, and explore her trainings and retreats.

Get in touch with Stephanie: www.listeningwellpodcast.com | @listeningwellpodcast

Thank you for Listening Well!

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