Happy Healthy Human Radio - Find Balance With Samantha Attard Phd, Ryt, Doula

Today's yoga practice is about cooling our bodies from pitta season and finding some fluidity in our bodies. One of the things I love about yoga is the sense of grace that it gives as you move smoothly with your breath and body. I wanted to invoke this feeling of moving through water so we could all feel grace, ease, and calm in a busy, fire-y time of year. Enjoy! If you like this podcast, please leave a review on iTunes or share it with a friend. I also love to hear your feedback and questions! You can send me a message over on Instagram at @behappyhealthyhuman.

How many interactions with others do we have every day? Whether with acquaintances or our longest friends, conflicts happen. It's inevitable when we all have our own motives, schedules, needs, and impressions about what's happening in front of us. But I recently got to think about even when we feel most "innocent", we are co-creators of our situation. That means it's time to look at our own attitudes and actions to reduce the conflict in our lives. In today's episode: -Why we co-create the conflict (or the joy) that happens in our life. -Questions to ask yourself if you're trying to reduce conflict. -The different ways you can speak up, regain your autonomy and stay authentic to who you really are. If you like this podcast, please leave a review on iTunes or share it with a friend. I also love to hear your feedback and questions! You can send me a message over on Instagram at @instagram.

Even though we all brush our teeth and floss, tongue scraping is a *quick* important addition to our oral hygiene routines. Ayurveda recommends scraping our tongues every morning to remove bacteria built up over the night. It's also a useful way for us to tell if our doshas (mind/body types) are in balance. In today's episode: -Why scraping your tongue is so important. -What type of tongue scraper to use. -How to scrape your tongue. -How to use tongue diagnosis to tell what your doshic imbalances are. If you like this podcast, please leave a review on iTunes or share it with a friend. I also love to hear your feedback and questions! You can send me a message over on Instagram at @behappyhealthyhuman.

Ok, ok, ok, there's a bit of an extended metaphor in this podcast, but stick with me. We're talking all about why babies are the way that they are in the first few months of life. They don't sleep through the night, sometimes they eat for 4 hours in a row, and you can never predict when they're going to sleep. It's not their fault! The transition from life in the womb to life outside is tough. In today's episode: -Why life in the womb is like staying at the best hotel imaginable. -What happens when your baby is born. -How you can best respond to this poor, disoriented baby! If you like this podcast, please leave a review on iTunes or share it with a friend. I also love to hear your feedback and questions! You can send me a message over on Instagram at @behappyhealthyhuman. -Check out my offering for labor/postpartum doula services at behappyhealthyhuman.com! -Join me for a FREE Ayurveda 101 at Apothekary 7/11: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ayurveda-101-workshop-tickets-47472455392

I've been feeling like a broken record in my yoga classes this last few weeks - "open your heart" and "soften your heart" have been the theme of multiple classes. But I think it's for good reason. We have become very good at building barriers around our hearts - good at creating separation between "us" and "them". In this practice, we'll relax the muscles and connective tissue around the heart and shoulders to that we can access the deep sense of peace within.   If you like this podcast, please leave a review on iTunes or share it with a friend. I also love to hear your feedback and questions! You can send me a message over on Instagram at @behappyhealthyhuman.

I'm an "at-home" sweetener, which means I'd rather add sugar myself to a product than have it already present. That's why banana nice cream (i.e., frozen bananas blended to be like ice cream) is one of my favorite desserts! In today's episode: -When fruit can replace sugar. -How to make banana nice cream. -My favorite combinations! If you like this podcast, please leave a review on iTunes or share it with a friend. I also love to hear your feedback and questions! You can send me a message over on Instagram at @behappyhealthyhuman.

After a decade of wondering why I had irregular periods, I found a simple answer in a powerful book - "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" by Toni Weschler. Her wisdom has been life-changing, and there's an important lesson in this episode even if you don't experience irregular periods! In today's episode: -My 10 year journey to understanding my irregular periods. -What irregular periods mean about your hormone levels. -What you can do test test your own hormone levels. If you like this podcast, please leave a review on iTunes or share it with a friend. I also love to hear your feedback and questions! You can send me a message over on Instagram at @behappyhealthyhuman.

Does your belly feel a uncomfortable after eating? Maybe you get bloated, feel overly full, or get some acid reflux. In Ayurveda, these digestive discomforts would be due to low agni - low fire in your stomach/digestive system. In today's episode: -Why digestion is an important marker of our health. -What you can do to improve your digestive fire. -A quick ginger pickle recipe to take before eating! If you like this podcast, please leave a review on iTunes or share it with a friend. I also love to hear your feedback and questions! You can send me a message over on Instagram at @behappyhealthyhuman.

Happy Monday, everyone! Today I'm talking about success, and specifically what we define as successful. Typically, we're taught to focus on external metrics - passing a test, getting a promotion, or someone telling us we're awesome. Unfortunately, we can't control those factors. We don't have complete control over outcomes and how people respond to us. And so when we "fail", we feel bad about ourselves. In today's episode: -Why focusing on outcomes won't work in the long run. -How shame plays into our definitions of success and failure. -What expanding our definition of success looks like. If you like this podcast, please leave a review on iTunes or share it with a friend. I also love to hear your feedback and questions! You can send me a message over on Instagram at @behappyhealthyhuman.

Today's 30 minute yin yoga sequence is about connection and slowing down. After a full week of a 24-hour news cycle, PLUS my own realization that my brain has been moving just a *bit* too fast, I created this sequence to help us all reconnect to ourselves, our breath and each other. We move slowly in this practice, and it sure feels good. Enjoy! If you like this podcast, please leave a review on iTunes or share it with a friend. I also love to hear your feedback and questions! You can send me a message over on Instagram at @behappyhealthyhuman.

Are oils good for you? I say yes, as long as they're fresh! Yep - not all oils are created equally AND it's actually pretty easy for our standard oils to go rancid. YUCK. Today on the podcast, I'm sharing which oils are in my kitchen cabinet, and how I make sure that my oils stay fresh and healthy. PLUS, I'll share with you the super fast, easy, and cheap way that I make homemade nut butters! In today's episode: -Why all fats are not healthy for you. -How to tell if an oil is still fresh or has gone rancid. -What to look out for when you eat at restaurants to avoid rancid oils. -Why you need to look at your fish oil, your coffee, and your nut butters to reduce inflammation in your dit. -How to make the most delicious peanut butter ever! If you like this podcast, please leave a review on iTunes or share it with a friend. I also love to hear your feedback and questions! You can send me a message over on Instagram at @behappyhealthyhuman.

In Ayurveda, we create daily routines to keep us in rhythm with our bodies, our days, and our seasons. In true Ayurvedic fashion, these routines need to be personalized according to your dosha (your mind-body type). When we create routines in line with our dosha, we reduce the risk of exacerbating our dosha and can keep our body in balance. Let's explore how to go about routine building according to your mind body type. Don't know your dosha? Take the quiz here: behappyhealthyhuman.com/discover-your-dosha-quiz In today's episode: -Why routines are so important for our mental and physical health. -How routines can be approached healthfully for vata, pitta, and kapha dosha. If you like this podcast, please leave a review on iTunes or share it with a friend. I also love to hear your feedback and questions! You can send me a message over on Instagram at @behappyhealthyhuman.

Science has been slowly exploring and confirming the existence of a mind-body connection. One of the most palpable ways to see the mind-body connection in action is to explore the fear tension pain cycle. This is a cycle that happens in labor/delivery, in workouts, menstrual cramps, and stressful situations. In today's episode: -What the fear-tension-pain cycle is and how you can recognize it. -Why the fear-tension-pain cycle exists. -How to reverse the fear-tension-pain cycle to work in your favor. If you like this podcast, please leave a review on iTunes or share it with a friend. I also love to hear your feedback and questions! You can send me a message over on Instagram at @behappyhealthyhuman.

Whew! After an amazing weekend at my Ayurvedic retreat in Virginia, I'm sharing a powerful lesson on self-compassion and self-improvement. I can't even count the amount of times that my clients have told me "I just need to let this go" in reference to stress or turmoil. My answer? Actually you don't need to let it go. In today's episode: -Why "I need to let this go" is an invitation for deeper inquiry. -What questions you can ask yourself to understand the root cause of your stress. -How self-improvement really happens. If you like this podcast, please leave a review on iTunes or share it with a friend. I also love to hear your feedback and questions! You can send me a message over on Instagram at @behappyhealthyhuman.

Today's 30 minute yoga sequence is based on a sequence I used last week in class to help my doula client relax her pelvic floor, tone her leg muscles and get ready for labor! Don't worry - this is a great class to do, even if you aren't pregnant. Enjoy the space and relaxation that YOU create in your body in this sequence.  If you like this podcast, please leave a review on iTunes or share it with a friend. I also love to hear your feedback and questions! You can send me a message over on Instagram at @behappyhealthyhuman.

A new favorite recipe at my household: fast vegan gluten free sweet potato gnocchi (say that 5 times fast). My methods of making gnocchi may not be traditional, but you still get the delicious flavor and texture of traditional gnocchi. It's worth a try. In today's episode: How I prefer to cook gnocchi for perfect consistency. A vegan, gluten-free gnocchi recipe that takes 15 minutes or less to make!  If you like this podcast, please leave a review on iTunes or share it with a friend. I also love to hear your feedback and questions! You can send me a message over on Instagram at @behappyhealthyhuman.

After a week where two very famous and "successful" people committed suicide, I'm sharing how I understand suicide from the lens of yoga, Ayurveda, and Buddhist wisdom. I'm also sharing a meditation practice that's beneficial for feeling your connection to others and less alone in your pain. If you're experiencing issues or thoughts of suicide, please contact that National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. In today's episode: -Yoga/Eastern theory on depression and suffering -How to view our own suffering -Tonglen meditation and how to process both internal and external suffering. If you like this podcast, please leave a review on iTunes or share it with a friend. I also love to hear your feedback and questions! You can send me a message over on Instagram at @behappyhealthyhuman.

It is so easy to get caught up in the external - all of the things that we can see and direct with our own eyes. But stress is a two-way street. It can come from an external source or an internal source. That means that relief can be internally generated as well. Today I'm sharing an exercise that will help you relax from the inside out. In today's episode: -Why it's so hard to recognize internal stress/tightness. -Why it's important to release physical tension. -How to do belly breathing to relax from the inside out. If you like this podcast, please leave a review on iTunes or share it with a friend. I also love to hear your feedback and questions! You can send me a message over on Instagram at @behappyhealthyhuman.

Happy Monday, everyone! The theme of last week was balancing your internal and external world. We live in a world with SO much sensory input. There are lessons, teachers, articles, and media everywhere we turn, and it can be hard to tap into what it is that WE value. Today on Happy Healthy Human Radio, I'm talking about intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation and how we can tap into the lasting, powerful, internally generated motivation. In today's episode: -What's the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation? -Why extrinsic motivation won't make you happy in the long haul. -The difficulty of determining your intrinsic motivators. -An exercise to tap into your core values and find your intrinsic motivation. If you like this podcast, please leave a review on iTunes or share it with a friend. I also love to hear your feedback and questions! You can send me a message over on Instagram at @behappyhealthyhuman.

Try this simple set of poses after a long day at work. It will rebalance your energy and give you the boost you need to have a great evening with friends or family. I recommend using a block, book, or blanket, but you can do this without any props if you don't have them! As always, take care of your body, support yourself, and enjoy! If you like this podcast, please leave a review on iTunes or share it with a friend. I also love to hear your feedback and questions! You can send me a message over on Instagram at @behappyhealthyhuman.