In this episode of Yoga Inspiration, Kino answers student questions about the Ashtanga Yoga Intermediate Series, traditionally known as Nāḍī Śodhana.

We explore the structure and purpose of Second Series, including its deep backbends, leg-behind-the-head postures, arm balances, inversions, and the seven headstands. Kino also explains how to know when you are ready to begin Intermediate Series, why perfect postures are not the goal, and how consistency in Primary Series creates the foundation for deeper work.

The conversation also covers struggle poses, practicing six days a week, balancing Ashtanga Yoga with running or strength training, building the strength needed for Intermediate Series, working with transitions, and finding a teacher who supports dialogue rather than gatekeeping.

Beyond physical progress, Kino reflects on the deeper purpose of Nāḍī Śodhana as nervous system cleansing and energetic refinement. The practice asks us to approach each posture with patience, humility, reverence, and respect.

Listen in for a practical and honest exploration of Ashtanga Yoga Second Series, readiness, progress, and the inner work of practice.

Continue your practice with The Work of Second Series on Omstars, featuring step-by-step tutorials, targeted drills, and guided practice classes with Kino MacGregor.

At first glance, Ashtanga Yoga may look like a simple sequence of postures. But beneath the surface lies a subtle framework that carries the entire method: Tristhāna, the threefold support of breath, posture, and gaze.

In this episode, Kino and Tim explore the deeper meaning of Tristhāna. The word comes from Sanskrit, with tri meaning "three" and sthāna meaning "place" or "support." These three abodes are not just techniques. They are thresholds that guide the practitioner from gross sensation into subtle awareness.

Breath is the golden thread linking body and mind. Posture is the seat that establishes presence. Gaze is the discipline that steadies perception. Together, they guide us inward, moving us from the visible body into the subtle body, from surface sensation into deeper stillness.

Kino and Tim also reflect on how these pillars extend beyond the mat. Breath becomes a refuge, posture teaches resilience, and gaze becomes discernment. To practice Ashtanga is to realize that we are never not practicing. Yoga becomes alive in every moment of our lives.

Listen in to explore how the three pillars of Tristhāna support the movement from external to internal, from gross to subtle, and discover how yoga is not just something you do, but something you live.

Practice with Kino, Tim, and the Omstars community at Omstars.com, where you'll find guided Ashtanga Yoga classes, philosophy, meditation, and practice support for every stage of your path.

What does it really mean to be a yogi? In this episode, Kino explores the heart of yogic life beyond postures and performance. A yogi, she reminds us, is someone sincerely committed to realizing the Self and who understands that cultivating sattva (clarity, harmony, and balance) is an essential step along the path.

Drawing from Patañjali's Yoga Sūtra and the teachings of the three guṇas (sattva, rajas, and tamas), Kino examines how our daily choices, from the food we eat to the words we speak and the actions we take, either cloud the mind or orient it toward truth. She also explores the eight limbs of yoga (aṣṭāṅga) as a practical framework for living a yogic life, demonstrating how each limb supports the cultivation of sattva.

This episode is a reminder that being a yogi is not about perfection. It is about showing up with sincerity, choosing clarity over confusion, and returning to the practice again and again. In that sincere effort lies the heart of yoga.

Ready to deepen your practice? Explore thousands of classes, courses, workshops, and guided programs with Kino and our community of world-class teachers on Omstars. Practice with us at Omstars.com.

What does it take to build a successful yoga business while staying true to your values?

In this episode, Kino MacGregor sits down with business leader and longtime mentor Bruce Barkus to explore the intersection of yoga, entrepreneurship, leadership, and service. Drawing on decades of executive experience leading global companies and years of dedicated Ashtanga Yoga practice, Bruce shares practical insights for yoga teachers, studio owners, and wellness entrepreneurs looking to build sustainable businesses.

Together, Kino and Bruce discuss the realities of running a yoga business, from creating business plans and understanding financial metrics to building strong teams, developing company culture, and making strategic decisions for long-term growth. They also reflect on the lessons learned through Miami Life Center and Omstars, and the importance of balancing authentic practice with the demands of business ownership.

In this episode:

• Why yoga teachers need to think like business owners

• The importance of business plans, KPIs, and financial awareness

• Common blind spots that hold yoga businesses back

• Building community before opening your doors

• Leadership lessons from both yoga and business

• How to hire the right people and create a values-based culture

• Balancing service, purpose, and profitability

• Marketing, growth, and sustainable business practices

• Staying connected to your own practice while running a business

• Why success is built through relationships, mentorship, and support

Whether you're teaching classes, running a studio, building an online platform, or dreaming of turning your passion into a profession, this conversation offers practical guidance for creating a business that can support both your livelihood and your values.

Practice with Kino and worldclass master teachers on Omstars.

Yoga is more than flexibility or physical strength. At its essence, yoga is the training of the mind. In this episode, Kino MacGregor explores how yoga philosophy, breath, and daily practice help steady the mind, re-pattern habitual thinking, and cultivate inner awareness.

Drawing from the Bhagavad Gītā, the Yoga Sūtra, and the teachings of K. Pattabhi Jois, Kino reflects on the deeper purpose of practice beyond physical achievement. Learn how yoga helps us work with fear, emotional patterns, distraction, and the fluctuations of the mind while cultivating steadiness through breath, movement, and concentration.

As Pattabhi Jois often said, "Do your practice and think about God."

In this episode:

• Why yoga is a training of the mind
• How practice reveals subconscious thought patterns
• The relationship between breath, body, and awareness
• What the Bhagavad Gītā and Yoga Sūtra teach about steadiness
• How yoga prepares us for challenge, change, and letting go
• Why the inner work of practice matters more than physical achievement

Practice with Kino on Omstars and explore guided classes, philosophy teachings, workshops, and live sessions designed to support a consistent and sustainable yoga practice.

Start practicing on Omstars.

What does it really mean for practice to deepen?

It is not a bigger backbend or a more dramatic shape. It is the quiet transformation that comes from showing up day after day.

In this talk, Kino explores how steady effort widens our capacity to feel the full spectrum of life. The highs may feel brighter, and the lows may feel deeper, yet the work is to meet both with awareness rather than attachment.

Think of the mind as a garden. When we tend it with practice, wisdom takes root. When we stop tending it, weeds of habit and reactivity return.

Kino shares a classical view of the path. Asana is a container where we willingly meet a small dose of discomfort and learn to stay. Breath gives us a way to regulate the field of mind and body. Concentration trains attention so we can see clearly. From this triad, wisdom ripens.

She also reflects on teachings that point to the universality of suffering and the freedom that comes from understanding its causes, along with the courage to respond with compassion, joy, and equanimity.

The episode closes with a reminder of the daily frame of practice: begin with devotion and end with peace for all beings. Keep coming back. Depth is not an accident. It is the natural result of consistent practice and a gentle heart.

Recorded at Nøsen Yoga Retreat in Norway, Kino and Tim explore the deeper benefits of traditional Ashtanga Yoga practice. Together, they reflect on Yoga as both a drop of nectar and an ocean, drawing on the Yoga Sūtra, the Bhagavad Gītā, and the Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā.

From strength and vitality in the body, to balance in the nervous system, to the quiet of meditation, they share how tradition transforms practice into a path of peace, humility, and self-realization.

If this conversation resonates, you can continue your practice inside Omstars. Explore full-length classes, guided series, and teachings from master instructors rooted in tradition. Begin your journey with a 7-day free trial and experience the depth of practice for yourself.

Srivatsa Ramaswami is one of the last direct students of the legendary yogi Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, often regarded as the father of modern yoga. He studied with Krishnamacharya for over three decades, receiving a deeply traditional education in āsana, prāṇāyāma, chanting, and classical yoga texts.

He is widely respected as a teacher and scholar of yoga, known for preserving and sharing the Vinyāsakrama method. His work emphasizes thoughtful sequencing, breath-led movement, and adaptation for the individual practitioner.

Through decades of teaching, writing, and lecturing around the world, Ramaswami continues to carry forward this living lineage with clarity, precision, and depth.

Continue your study with Srivatsa Ramaswami on Omstars!

Join our live Vinyasakrama class on Sunday, April 19 on Omstars.com.

Then deepen your practice in Ramaswami's 100 Hour Training, May 11–30, available online through Omstars and in person at Miami Life Center.