20: Embracing Life's Transformations: Yoga, Resilience, and Self-Discovery with Harmony Slater

I am delighted to have my dear friend Harmony Slater on the podcast with me today. Harmony is one of the most honest and down-to-earth people I know and one of the most advanced yoga practitioners in the world. She and I share a history of traveling to India over the last 20 years to deepen our yoga practices.

Harmony is a powerhouse with a great sense of humor. She is a mom, a National Board-Certified Life and Business Coach, a Spinal Energetics practitioner, and a yoga teacher. In this episode, we dive into her daily routines, the evolution of yoga over 25 years, and what it feels like to navigate aging and transformative personal work.

Stay tuned. You will not want to miss this deep and meaningful conversation with Harmony Slater.

Yoga Background

Her studies in philosophy and Eastern religions shaped Harmony's early understanding of yoga. She first encountered yoga in 1995 and experimented casually by attending classes here and there. Back then, she viewed yoga as a spiritual practice, a set of physical and meditative tools to connect with the divine reality or self-awareness. After nearly 25 years of practice, however, she describes yoga as far more than tools or practices. It has evolved into a way of being for her, shaping how she interacts with herself, others, and the world around her.

Navigating Life Transitions with Yoga

Yoga acts as a bridge, connecting the calm of inner stillness with the challenges of everyday life. Regular practice builds resilience and cultivates discipline, which you can apply to everyday responsibilities like making breakfast, driving kids to school, or managing work. Over time, yoga becomes less about long, immersive sessions and more about adapting its principles to the rhythm of life, enabling practitioners to approach challenges with grace and presence.

Facing Identity and Letting Go of Achievement

Yoga provides an opportunity to explore the identity beyond external accomplishments as the process involves confronting emotions, navigating uncertainties, and embracing shifts in self-perception. Harmony turned to spiritual coaching to support her yoga journey, incorporating somatic awareness and energy work to foster greater self-understanding.

The Transformative Journey of Consciousness

Yoga brings awareness to previously ignored parts of the body and mind, releasing stored emotions and patterns. While early stages of practice feel transformational, long-term practice leads to subtler but equally profound insights.

Yoga and the Trance State

Practicing Ashtanga Yoga often creates a trance state, where the yoga practitioner experiences deep focus and heightened sensations. Many yoga practitioners wish they could remain in that state but recognize the importance of integrating yoga lessons into everyday life.

Building Resilience Through Discipline

A regular yoga practice builds resilience and consistency. The discipline of showing up on the mat daily teaches practitioners how to handle challenges in other areas of life, allowing them to approach life steadily, even when unable to dedicate much time to yoga practices.

Running a Business as a Spiritual Path

For yoga teachers, running a business can be an opportunity for growth and self-discovery. Building a business forces practitioners to examine their internal blocks and align their work with a deeper purpose of serving others.

Confronting Ego and Fear

Harmony highlights the importance of addressing the ego and nervous system responses when taking risks. Despite some philosophical perspectives that ego and fear are not real, the nervous system still reacts as if they are. By unpacking those emotions and patterns, individuals can integrate their fear and anxieties, reducing their power. That allows for conscious living and overcoming self-imposed limitations, particularly regarding finances and self-worth.

Bridging Practice and Life

For Kate and Harmony, years of intense yoga training and frequent trips to India have shaped how they connect with themselves and their reality. The ongoing mindfulness practice of balancing awareness between the ego and a greater sense of self helps them navigate their daily challenges and maintain their perspective in stressful situations.

Adapting Routines for Changing Lives

Her yoga and pranayama practices have evolved since Harmony became a mother. Her routine once consisted of structured four-hour morning practices, but she now adjusts it to suit the needs of her family. She incorporates meditation, pranayama, and yoga at different times throughout the day, focusing on self-compassion and flexibility.

Morning Mindfulness and Self-Care

Harmony prefers a slow and mindful start to her mornings. She values the liminal space between sleep and wakefulness for introspection and creativity. Building that into her morning routine helps her find clarity and calm before engaging in day-to-day activities.

Parenting with Presence

Despite suggestions to encourage independence in her adolescent son, Harmony loves making his meals. She values his gratitude for her efforts and enjoys having the opportunity to nurture and connect with him as she understands that stage is fleeting.  

Yoga for Longevity and Stress Relief

Kate and Harmony focus their yoga practices on maintaining physical functionality and releasing accumulated stress. Asana and pranayama serve as their tools to regulate the nervous system, relieve tension, and preserve mobility.

Advanced Yoga and the Nervous System

Advanced yoga asanas have a transformative impact on the nervous system. The challenging poses provide deliberate training, toning the nerves and building resilience. That practice has helped Harmony develop the ability to calm her nervous system when necessary. However, she explains that once practitioners have learned the lessons from a particular asana, if they continue the practices without adapting them, it could lead to harm. The answer lies in recognizing when to move forward and embrace change despite the discomfort it may bring.

Life Transitions and Identity Shifts

Life changes often occur in the 40s and 50s, particularly for women. Those changes necessitate letting go of old identities. It is essential to navigate the transitions with compassion, flexibility, and self-care, as resisting change often results in emotional and physical discomfort, while embracing it fosters growth and healing.

Evening Rituals and Recommendations

To wind down before sleeping or when feeling restless, Harmony listens to yoga nidra or guided meditations. She recommends Daring to Rest by Karen Brody and the audiobook Psychosomatic Wellness by CandacePert, as they promote relaxation and help her drift into sleep within minutes.

Bio:Harmony Slater

Harmony is a National Board Certified Coach for Life and Business, a Certified Ashtanga Yoga Teacher, and a Spinal Energetics practitioner.

She began traveling to East Asia in 2002 to study Buddhism and Indian philosophy. She then continued to spend the next 17 years traveling annually to India to study and practice yoga, pranayama, and meditation.

She’s the host of the Finding Harmony Podcast and offers business and life coaching to clients all around the world.

She holds University degrees in Philosophy, and Religious Studies and was a Coach Mentor with the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Harmony specializes in helping her students overcome the negative physical and mental effects of chronic stress by creating awareness around irregular breathing patterns and subconscious emotional and energetic blocks, which lead to body pain, burnout, feelings of anxiety, overwhelm, brain fog, and a lack of mind-body connection.

Links and Resources:

Ayurvedic Living Community Membership

Ayurvedic Institute Cleanse Leader Training

Connect with Harmony Slater:

On her website

On Instagram (@harmonyslaterofficial)

On X (username: harmonyashtanga)

On Linkedin

On YouTube  

Harmony Slater Coaching on Facebook