Why this podcast and why now? Here's a quick snippet on what to expect with each episode of Soul Stretch Conversations.

Rose kicks off episode #1 by introducing us to the ladies on her team who bring Soul Stretch e-blasts to life, then discusses exactly WHAT a mantra is and why we need them in our lives. From gratitude mantras like "Thank you for bringing me here" and "I Am ___, I Am Surrounded By___ and I Am Grateful For___" to a mantra to just keep you centered, calm and positive: "Just Keep Swimming..." you'll come to love this workhorse in your yoga tool box. Rose walks us through taking "box breaths" to help find peace during the craziness of the holidays as well as the best yoga pose to help feel better after digesting that big holiday meal. Even though this was recorded before Thanksgiving (Tina took a little extra time to learn the editing software!!) the conversation is still relevant and oh so needed for the holiday season.

Plus - download the "Gratitude Mantra" worksheet here.

We're all exhausted this time of year from the pressure of the holidays. We're cranky because we have so much to do. It gets compounded at the New Year when we start thinking about our resolutions and change. We get stuck and resist. We stew. What we really need to to "stop stewing" and "start doing". How do we do it? By finding our Tapas and cooking ourselves in the fire of self-discipline. Part of that elusive process means getting past the blocks we throw in our path.  Rose and Tina talk about what "Tapas" really means and how we can light the fire inside ourselves to make real, meaningful change stick. We'll use lion's breath, warrior 2 pose and a great mantra to help us along the way.  We will introduce our new Podcast Party Favor for this episode from the website - our "Manifest 2020" vision board template to help you organize the things you want to attract to make life better for you. Namaste, Lovelies!

Plus - download the "Manifest 2020 Vision Board" template here.

Did you ever meet "Power Rose"? She was a force to be reckoned with. She could walk into the office of an advertising client and own the room. Her marketing prowess would help drive profits to great heights. It sure fed the ego. Twenty years later, after discovering yoga, she realized that having power with people didn't feed the soul. But what DID, was the notion of being a good influence. The best influencers encourage people to take risks, but also accept failures and still find the courage to get back on the horse again with renewed knowledge and optimism. Who are our favorite influencers? Who are yours? Our favorite mantra this week is: "Be a Forklift... always lifting people up." Our yoga pose is Lotus Pose and Rose will explain a mudra you can add to remind us that, like the lotus, we're rising from the mud and muck. Namaste, Lovelies!

Sometimes, God throws a brick in our path to be sure we heard his message. This story and conversation comes from one of our most loved emails, simply known as: The Brick. Rose retells a story shared by yoga teacher Nikki about a boy who threw a brick into the path of an oncoming car. It's so touching. The real story involves a Catawba yoga student who, after hearing THAT story in THAT class on THAT day, found his life was changed after hearing it. It was his brick; his transformation. And that's what yoga can do - transform us from the inside out.  How many times have you been given a message, but you haven't listened... so maybe God threw a brick in your path? Bricks can be profound and they can be light-hearted and happy too. Rose and Tina talk about their personal bricks and how it changed them. Our mantra is: "Quiet the mind and the soul will speak". Our pose is savasana and we share another mudra to go along with it. Namaste, Lovelies!

Waiting well is not something that comes easy, and certainly not to a fast-paced yogi like Rose. She used to be the epitome of "I Want What I Want When I Want It" and heaven help anyone who got in her way. But yoga helped her discover a few truth bombs, the most important of which is: Timing belongs to God. Not me, not you. God. Rose and Tina share a few stories about turning that switch and practicing the surrender to what God has planned for us. We have another beautiful story from Nikki and her journey of adopting her daughter, Aubrey. Our mantra is from Ariana Huffington: "Life is a dance between making it happen and letting it happen." Our pose is: dancer. And this time - we've got a Podcast Party Favor of a curated playlist of songs we think speak to us as we practice the art of "waiting well." Click here to download our playlist in PDF.

Spirituality is the essence of both yoga and religion. In this episode, Rose and Tina talk about spirituality, religion and ultimately kindness. Remembering our old days of "giving something up for Lent," we are offering up a worksheet to embrace 40 Days of Kindness with 40 acts (actually we're giving you only 20. You come up with the rest!) to spread kindness in the world. Download the PDF here.

It's been a long quarantine, Lovelies, and maybe we're finally beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel.  Rose and Tina return to talk about the stages of emotions they each experienced during the COVID shutdown. From worry to sadness to downright rage, we've all found ourselves experiencing feelings we didn't anticipate. What will our lives look like after this? How will each of us use this "life reset" and redefine what normal should be. We'll talk about an animal totem - the FROG - and how channeling our inner frog can help us move forward.  Our Podcast Party Favor is this PDF download printout to make your own Origami Jumping Frog. And if the directions don't make sense, there are LOTS of You Tube video tutorials. And if you need a video to follow, this is a good one: https://youtu.be/oi7oitREUBQ

There have been SO many changes in our lives in the recent weeks. We can't help but recognize this new age we're all living in.  It is clear that we're all experiencing different levels of discord and even chaos. Sometimes, we even share our anxieties and fears with others in a way that robs them of their peace. So, what does a yogi need to get through this time? How about we start giving each other (and ourselves!) a little space and grace. Rose offers up a challenge for each yogi to disconnect from all that anxiety and angst and do some Shambala Yoga, a "Walking Meditation".  When you walk quietly in nature with your own thoughts, your own soul, you'll be surprised at the peace you'll experience.  Never done a walking meditation before? Download one here. Since Rose is KNOWN for her choice in music, you'll want to check out this link to her favorite song to use during a walking meditation, from Trevor Hall. It's called "Walk Quietly" and we hope it'll open your heart and soul when you find yourself needing some church of mother nature.

It's amazing what a good book can do for the soul.  In this podcast (recorded just before Halloween), Rose shares her recent book club experience reading the book "Rhythms of Renewal: Trading Stress and Anxiety for a Life of Peace and Purpose" by Rebekah Lyons. Rebekah isn't a yogi, but oh how her writing speaks to the yogi soul. Lyons' book came out in 2019, but her words resonate deeply as we struggle through the rest of 2020.  The four rhythms - Rest, Restore, Connect and Create - can help us reset our souls and become recentered.  This inspired us to start a book club too!  Visit our website for details on how to join the Soul Stretch Book Club reading "Think Like a Monk" by Jay Shetty. First club is December 7th and will meet via zoom. For more info, visit: http://soulstretchmobileyoga.com/

We're back, friends... and once again we find ourselves managing a lot of change in our lives, from work to health to family. How can a yogi ride the waves of life changes in a positive way, so we don't find ourselves asking "Who Moved My Cheese"?  We turn to our Italian heritage for a special mantra: "Momento Mori" or "Remember Your Death". It's the lone constant in life, but let's not think of it in a scary, morbid way. Think of it in how you want to live.  We're so happy to be back, Lovelies.

We all say some dirty words here or there. We know Rose has a special gift in swearing. In fact, comedian George Carlin has a famous bit about the 7 dirty words. But the dirtiest word you can possibly say to yourself is something we likely say every single day: SHOULD. "I should do THIS... I should do THAT." We even "should" on our loved ones: "YOU should be doing THIS!" Lovelies, it's time to shop SHOULDING ourselves, our partners, our families and friends and realize how damaging it is to our hearts and souls. Can you do it? We hope you'll try. You can download this PDF to print out as a reminder to speak gently to yourself and manifest the good to your life. **NOTE: as you can imagine, we say a few dirty words in this podcast, so be careful who's listening.