Using Yoga & Meditation as Tools for Healing, Manifestation and Transformation w/ Liza Colpa

EPISODE OVERVIEW: I have a wonderful conversation with Liza Colpa, a yoga and meditation teacher, with over 1,000 hours of teaching under her belt.  She is on a mission to use yoga as a tool, and lead by example for the purpose of your healing, growth, self-development, and transformation. We talk about how yoga helped save and heal Liza from a past riddled in trauma in the form of domestic violence, sexual abuse and familial karma.  We also discuss how you can use yoga and meditation as healing tools, the misconceptions about meditation and what it actually is, and we even get on the topic of manifestation.

In this episode we talk about:

• How yoga started off as a life raft for Liza, and then became her passion and mission, which has since become her life’s work.
• Familial karma, and how you can change it through the practice of yoga.
• How the universe will throw you a life jacket when you need it most
• Seasonal depression and how yoga is a tool to prevent or minimize symptoms
• Yoga and meditation as tools for healing and transformation
• The false assumptions people make about meditation and manifestation
• How trauma doesn’t define you, and how you have the ability to change the narrative that comes along with that which you may have experienced

ABOUT THE GUEST: Liza Colpa is a passionate and playful 500-ERYT and YACEP Yoga Alliance certified teacher. Over a decade ago she found, and fell in love with the practice of yoga, when she was an overachieving teenager who was weighed down by internal pressure, past wounds and anxiety. She later received her certification from Bearfoot Yoga in her hometown of Bayshore, New York. Her background, lineage, and style of teaching stem from Integral Yoga and Dharma Mittra and Briohny Smyth. She is also certified in Prenatal Yoga, Adaptive Gentle and Chair Yoga as well as yoga for Eating Disorder Awareness. 

How you can connect with Liza:

• Website
• YouTube 
• Instagram

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• Insight Timer: Liza Colpa Live Yoga Classes + Meditations
• Book Recommendation: Yoga as Medicine 

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Transcript

EP.18 | Using Yoga & Meditation as Tools for Healing, Manifestation and Transformation w/ Liza Colpa

Intro: Hey queen, I'm Faith Alaribe, the founder and host of the Sista Circle Podcast. Around here we have honest and real conversations about our health, mental health and wellness, topics that deeply impact our lives as women of color. And all with the mission to provide the information, tools and resources to fill up our wellness toolkits, make informed decisions and to allow us to thrive in every area of our lives. So, get ready to be enlightened informed and inspired. Go ahead and get comfortable queen consider this your official welcome to the Sista Circle.

Faith: Hey, you all, I hope that this finds you well and, hopefully, in the holiday spirit. As for your girl, I'm actually doing pretty good. I, myself, am officially in the holiday spirit. We actually put up our tree last weekend and that was at the adamant request of Luma Samara, but I'm actually really happy that we did because I finally am feeling like, a little bit in the holiday spirit, right? A little sparkle of joy. And listen, if my little babies sit in front of that tree and their eyes are just wide and glistening and wow and wonder, then it is totally worth it. Actually, I told myself this year that we were going to put out the holiday décor outside, we were going to have the lights, you know, the whole shebang. And according to my timeline, I have now determined that that was a lie, or that it's no longer going to happen.

Listen, I'm just trying to keep these two little kids alive, right? Make sure that they're thriving. I'm also trying to rally the troops so that we can get a holiday photo in, and so that I can get that out, right? And it'll, obviously, be an electronic card at this point, but nevertheless, I want to make sure that we get the holiday cards out. So I want to do that. I've got a Peppa Pig birthday party that I am planning and it's going to take place two days after Christmas. I'm trying to run a business and - well, listen, you get the gist. I'm doing the most. But listen, I am blessed, to say the least, so I will not complain. I'm actually really excited about today's episode. It was actually really refreshing to kind of listen back on it. Because one, it really made me reflect back to where I was at the time of the interview. But two, because it was genuinely a really good conversation with a dope guest and about a really cool topic.

But lastly, I would say, that it's because I was, literally, three weeks into my 100 day journey of self-love, optimal health and wellness. And I'm actually - I'm not sure that I mentioned this on the podcast or maybe it was in the newsletter, but for my birthday, I gifted myself a 100 day journey of self-love, of optimal health and wellness. So it was right around, I would say, early August. I'd been feeling like I had been on autopilot. I was busy on myself unnecessarily, I was saying yes to doing things that I know I didn't want to do or had no business doing, right? I was trying to live up to these unrealistic expectations that, not only, that I felt that others had of me, but also the expectations that I had of myself. But that's another story. We'll explore that in a future episode, possibly.

But nevertheless, when I finally looked up, I really decided to take a step back, to slow down, woo-sah and just really recalibrate. Because, I started off with, I will call, like a life audit process. Don't worry, there's a Grow With Faith episode all about the life auditing process, that's going to be dropping in a few days. But nevertheless, through this process, I realized that I had been ignoring my needs. So my health, my mental health, my wellness, and as a result, it was an act of dislike or it was a very unloving act, right? It was. It was the opposite of love. Because when you really sit down and you think about it, love is a verb. It is an action. So my lack of action in those various wheelhouses showed me that I needed to love on and fall in love with myself.

I mean, I think about every time that I would try to avoid the camera or put the baby in front of my belly or hurry up and get from in front of the mirror so that I didn't have to look at or really face or confront my truth. I realized that I didn't like what I saw, that I didn't like myself. Nor, did I even feel well? But this journey, nevertheless, has not been about weight loss or being able to claim that I had a quick bounce back after pregnancy, hell no. It's been about assessing where I was and, honestly, getting clear about the path that I wanted to align myself with. And from there, taking deliberate steps towards that. And I did. And nevertheless, there's a whole solo episode that's coming forth soon with all of the details about my reflection on these 100 days, but also, about that life auditing process.

But with that being said, for the remainder of this month, episodes are going to center around healing, around honest reflection about our health, our mental health and unhealthy habits, as well as exploring some healthy and holistic modalities for healing. So in today's episode, I have a wonderful conversation with Liza Colpa. A yoga and meditation teacher, whose mission is to use yoga as a tool, and to lead by example for the purpose of your healing, your growth, self-development and transformation. And we talk about how yoga helped to save and heal Liza from a past that was riddled in trauma, in the form of domestic violence, sexual abuse, familial karma and more. And we even discuss how you can use yoga and meditation as healing tools and the misconceptions of meditation, and what it actually is. And we even touch on the topic of manifestation. So the conversation takes me back down memory lane to my first introduction to yoga, by my favorite professor from undergrad, and it really made me smile. So I've been following Liza's work, I'd say now, for about two years. And so I've used her meditations on inside timer during this time, and she was such a joy to speak with, and I really hope that this episode resonates with you. So let's go ahead and get into it.

I'm so, so excited to introduce the Sista Circle Podcast community to you. I say that we just go ahead and get right into it. So I always start my interviews with setting an intention. So what is your intention for the women who will encounter your episode on the podcast?

Liza Colpa: Inspiration. It will always forever be inspiration. Inspiration to think outside of your doubts, your fears and your regular social narratives that you were born with. So that is my intention, faith.

Faith: That is, and that's an awesome intention. That is awesome. So I gave a super brief overview as to who you are, but can you let the audience know, who is Liza Colpa? Where are you from? What is your mission?

Liza Colpa: So my mission is to lead by example and to lead by experience. I'm a survivor. I'm a survivor of domestic violence, I am a survivor of sexual abuse. And yoga really saved me, on multiple levels. And I'm sure I'm not the only woman, I'm sure when women are listening to us, they're like, yes, yes. But yoga really saved me. And I was able to manifest a different life for myself than the one that was necessarily written out, especially with women of color. The stigma of, oh, if you are a survivor of sexual abuse, if you are a survivor of or come from a home of domestic violence, this is most likely how your life is going to turn out statistically. And it's like, no, it doesn't have to be that way. It never has to be that way. And so, inspiration to manifest or lead by example, to give others inspiration to manifest a life that they deserve, truly deserve, that is my mission so far.

Faith: That is awesome and very powerful. I think that that speaks to your resilience as a woman, right? So where are you from?

Liza Colpa: I'm from Long Island. But I'm Afro-Latina, which I need to shout out. We need to shout it out, all the Afro Latinas, that are listening to this, hello. And after George Floyd, that was something I really wanted to dig my heels into, to recognize that I'm not just a black American woman, I'm not just a mixed race woman, I am an Afro-Latina woman. And the black community ranges in beautiful ways all over the globe. So I think that's something extremely powerful and I don't ever want anyone to forget that or think that that's not important. So I'm Afro-Latina, born and raised on Long Island. Literally, was born in [unclear 09:24], it's called.

Faith: Oh, I'm familiar. I lived in New York for two and a half years before I moved to Chicago.

Liza Colpa: Okay. So you know.

Faith: So are you still in New York or are you elsewhere now?

Liza Colpa: I'm in New York, but I've relocated to Queens. So Queens is my home base now and I'm very, very happy there. It's close to my mom and dad, but further enough away where I can be closer to people and culture and things that make me feel a little bit more grounded.

Faith: So you talked a little bit about this, but what actually influenced the work that you do now? Was there a particular moment that you recall, but what was your greatest influence, you think, that really influenced the work that you do?

Liza Colpa: I've been thinking about that question for a while. The biggest thing, I feel, that influenced my work is my first yoga teacher. I was at a studio called Barefoot Yoga in Beshore, and she just spoke about familial karma, family karma, narratives in a different way. And I got really inspired by the fact that you can change your family karma through yoga. If anything, that's the point of yoga, to change some scars. Some scars, for Sanskrit, are these experiences that just keep happening that are stored within your DNA. And they were in your parents and your grandparents' DNA. And they continue to come up because they need to be healed. But when it came to manifestation, I really looked at Gabrielle Bernstein and Lisa Nichols, who are both really, really powerful. Now I'm getting into Saudi Simone, because he too talks about releasing narratives, especially with our society and all the trauma that our society has endured, and sometimes perpetuated.

I think it's very important to recognize that we are not those narratives, and so multiple teachers, spiritual leaders, inspired me. Anna Forest was another one who really, really inspired me. But I would have to say, my homegrown teachers. I've got to give a shout out to them. I've got to give a shout out to them, right? Like, I can't just say it was someone who wrote this book or someone who was on top of a pedestal, like, it was my first teachers. Those are the ones that inspire the most.

Faith: That's awesome. So I was reading a little bit about your introduction to yoga. And so you talked about this story where your sister was going to a yoga class or something, and you were like, hey, where are you going? And she told you, like, I'm going to a yoga class, and you went with her. Do you remember what that first experience was like? And can you tell me about it a little bit?

Liza Colpa: Oh, yeah. I mean, that's when the universe threw me a life jacket. Because of the narratives and the resilience that I was trying my best to get through, I had projected an idea of success. Success was going to save me. Success was going to heal me. The car, the money, the career, the house, the status, was all going to heal me if I achieved that. That was my idea as a 16 year old girl. The idea of success, whatever that meant at the time, was going to heal me. But it wasn't. Because I was involved in every single after school activity, I was VP or an ambassador to something. I mean, I was going to a really snobby private school, so I even had opportunities to travel and being an ambassador. But I was doing that and so many other things and keeping up my grades. And I had not only burnt out, I had burnt in, if that makes sense.

I had burnt from within. My soul was on fire. And, you know, my eating disorder was at a full-time high, didn't even know that I had an eating disorder or anxiety around food. I couldn't sleep. I used to walk around my house at night and just cry. And so, one day my sister - my parents had no idea what to do. I was seeing a therapist and they were like, we really don't have any idea what to do with her. And my sister was going to yoga and she's like, maybe it'll help you. And I was like, what's yoga? Like, what is yoga? And she's like, it's kind of like dance, but more calming. Then I was like, okay.

So I went, and the moment I sat on the yoga mat, I felt chills just go up my spine. They call it [unclear 14:15] rising, which again, I didn't know what any of that was, but I felt these chills go up my spine. And I was like, oh, this is what I was seeking. I don't have to be anything more, that was something my yoga teacher said. You don't have to be anything more or anything less on the yoga mat, just show up, just be you. And I was like, yes, I feel so free now. So it became my life raft, and then it became my mission and now it's my work, my passion and it's still a lifelong practice, forever. Forever.

Faith: Yeah. I actually was introduced to yoga when I was in college. I was at Tennessee State and one of my professors, my sociology professors, Dr. Kilborn, actually, she introduced me to it. So she was like, hey - she was one of my favorite professors in the whole wide world - and she's like, “Hey, why don't you join me? I'm going to pick you up after class and let's go to this yoga class that I like to do. I don't have anybody to go with me, will you go?” And I was like, “Yeah, I'll go.” And that experience, it was totally a game changer. I think that the introduction to it was a mixed group of folks, both in age, race, et cetera. And I just remember the peace that I felt while sitting on the mat and while doing these random poses and chants and things.

And while it was very weird, because it was different for me, it was something that drew me to it and I wanted to do more of it. And so, you know, I went with my professor, probably, once a week for at least about three months. So that was my introduction to it. But I will say that I've completely gone away from it. And now, after having my, what I call, a Namaste birthday, I had a private yoga session. One of my girlfriends is a Yogi and she, sometimes, teaches yoga. So I had about 12 of my girlfriends come over, and in my basement we practiced yoga. And we set intentions, we went through the chakras a little bit and had brunch afterwards, and it was great. And so now, I think that it's something that I'm like, “Oh, I think that I'm onto something here.” And so, I'm so excited to learn a little bit more about the practice and some of its benefits. So in that same vein, you know, I know that you talked about how it was very healing for you. Can you talk a little bit about, like, what are the benefits of yoga and how can you actually use it as a modality for healing and for transformation?

Liza Colpa: Yoga is medicine. Literally, there's studies. There's a beautiful book called Yoga As Medicine that I have, where there is scientific and medicinal backed evidence that shows how yoga benefits every single individual, whether you are pregnant, whether you have aids, whether you have cancer, whether you're suffering from anxiety, yoga literally can help you and be used as a healing tool for whatever you are going through, in terms of needing healing. It can be emotional, it can be physical. So in terms of the science of yoga, breathing and getting more oxygen in your brain helps you think clearer and it is less likely for you to go into, let's say, a spiral of PTSD or an anxiety attack, because you can think a little bit clearer, because there's more oxygen running through your body and your brain in terms of physical endorphins if you are going through depression. Specifically, seasonal depression. Because it's fall, we all know it's coming. Yeah, yeah.

Faith: Let's talk about it. Yeah.

Liza Colpa: Yeah. It's so true. When it comes to seasonal depression, I feel it's one of those depression, especially, you know, Faith, you live in Chicago, I live in New York. For us who live in areas that are cold and dark and depressing in the winter time, we feel it the most. So I think it's important for us to just call it what it is, it's seasonal, it's sad, it's seasonal affective disorder, it happens. And if we exercise, if we get up early in the morning with the sun and do half an hour of yoga, 20 minutes of yoga, a little bit of meditation, it changes the dynamic of our physiology, which helps us change the dynamic of our mind, our body, our narratives, our day to day living. So I think that's a very, very small example of how yoga can be used as a tool for medicine.

Faith: Tell me this. So I hear the term all the time, right? Leave it on the mat. Leave it on the mat. What does it mean to leave it on the mat? Like, what are you leaving on the mat and how do you do it?

Liza Colpa: Wow, that's funny. Because, normally, what I say is, take it off the mat with you. Yeah. I say, don't just leave it on the mat, take it with you. So that when life comes, as it comes, you know exactly how to handle the situation. You know exactly what to do. I'm very big on an off the mat practice. But I think leave it on the mat would mean things that don't serve you, things that really don't serve you. That argument with someone, that argument doesn't serve you. What's the truth of the argument? What's the core issue of the argument? And is the argument even worth it to your own personal journey and self-development? I think, especially right now, in terms of so many people having painful perspectives around politics, around their beliefs, around their opinions, their truth or their version of truth that's being said is harmful and hurtful. And it's so painful to try to get through and to say, hey, can't you see? Can't you see? You can't teach someone to see, you know? It's never going to happen. So you can leave that on the mat, because there are things that are out of your control that you have to let go. But what are the things that you learned on the mat? Is it resilience? Is it strength? Is it love? Is it self-love? Is it boundaries? Those are the things you need to take with you.

Faith: Oh, right on. Liza's over here dropping these gems, okay? Alright, girl. Alright. So when you think about how yoga and meditation go hand in hand together, right? I have never really thought about it, like, they go in tandem. I thought that it was like, you can meditate, and then there's yoga. But then I see now that there's, like, this blend of the two. And so, my introduction to you was via your meditations, which are awesome by the way. So it was through your meditations. And so, you talked about the benefits of yoga, right? So what about the benefits of meditation? Especially for those folks who say, like, I can't do meditation, meditation is just not for me, I can't shut off my mind. So what is meditation? What are the benefits? And what is it not that you think that a lot of folks think that it is?

Liza Colpa: Yoga is just a moving meditation, you know? It's just a moving meditation. Meditation is not sitting in lotus posture, ohming all day. Meditation is not supposed to be hard. You're not supposed to think, like, I am going to be an enlightened, peaceful being. That's not meditation. Meditation is staring into your child's eyes and just getting lost in that moment. Meditation is sitting by the ocean or sitting underneath the tree and just breathing in and taking life in. Meditation is moving, meditation is running, meditation is reading, meditation is art and drawing. Literally, mandalas that are so big right now, I'm so excited.

Faith: I'm wearing a mandala. That's actually pretty cool. Okay, I'm sorry. Go ahead.

Liza Colpa: Yeah, no, not at all. But that's exactly it, because the mandala's, literally, created in a state of meditation. Because you have to get the lines just right and the symmetry and the geometry. I mean, it is such a great - I love that you're wearing it. Because it's just a great symbol for meditation and life. Meditation is just living in life now. That's it. It's just living in life now, without doubt, without fear, without trying to control anything, you know? It's simply just being, in a way that brings you peace, joy and happiness. So meditation is not any of that sitting in lotus pose and ohming your life away, it's way, way deeper and only you know how to meditate. You probably have already been doing it.

Faith: Interesting. So actually, I think that the longest meditation that I've ever done was maybe about 20 minutes, right? And so I actually have tried different ways and places and such to do meditation. And what I find is that I'm best able to meditate in, like, the top of the morning when nobody else or when I think no one else is up. Because now, I haven't been, you know, inundated with all the different messages from social media, from television and all those things, and I'm able to just kind of be. And whether I listen to a guided meditation, such as one from yourself, right? Or, if I just am in silence and being still, or just being, as you said. I think that it has been something over the last three and a half weeks that I've done every day consecutively, and I can just say that I feel significantly more grounded, more clear, and just, like, at peace.

I don't know. Like, the things that would normally interrupt my joy throughout the day or something, it actually just rolls off my shoulder. Like, it's nothing. You know what I mean? It's like, the things that used to bother me, they don't matter as much anymore. And so I'm just grateful to have it, not only as a tool, but actually use it. We have so many tools in our toolbox, but it's like, what are we actually going to pull out on a regular basis and make it an actual practice? So yes, an actual practice. So speaking of practice, for those who are beginners, right? They're like, okay, I really - you know what? Alright, Liza, alright, Faith. You've convinced me. I want to do some yoga. I want to do some meditation. How would you suggest that they actually begin?

Liza Colpa: You know, that's a great question, because it depends on the person. I don't like the cookie cutter. I mean, don't get me wrong. On Inside Timer, I have beginner's meditations, like a five minute meditation that it's just like intention setting and visualizing your day. That it's very, very - like, you can start with intention setting. But that doesn't vibe for everyone, you know? Maybe they don't want to intention set. Maybe they want something that brings a little bit more healing, calming, anti-anxiety benefits. So they'll need silence. Five minutes of silence in their morning. Don't think anything, don't do anything, just be in bed in silence without any worries or fears, knowing that you're kind of just being held in this silence. Maybe it's something a little bit more active, like drawing mandalas or coloring in mandalas. Maybe, again, it's a more tantra. So [unclear 26:00] is a meditation where you can stare at a candle and you just get lost in the fire of the handle. And that is something that beginners can do very easily.

I mean, the key is, I think, for beginners is to find something that links meditation to joy, something that links meditation to real life. I think the reason why my meditations on insight timer resonate is because they're meant to take the idea of manifestation, abundance, mentality, a practice, and bring it into your everyday life. So the people that click on those meditations are specifically looking for something in their everyday life. For example, I have one called freedom and the forgiveness of healing. And that's just it. How do I free myself from this person who keeps just coming up while I'm in the shower thinking and being like, I should have said this to that person. That's what I should have said. Or you're in the car, and you're about to go grocery shopping, you're like, that person, you know what? Next time I see them, I'm going to say this. And it's like, you're not free. They're still there, like a ghost with you. So how do we free ourselves with forgiveness, with the power of forgiveness? Not for them, not to be a better person, but for ourselves.

Faith: Yes. My mom always has said that forgiveness is not for the other person, baby. Forgiveness is for you.

Liza Colpa: Exactly. Yes.

Faith: Yes. I like that a lot. I like that a lot. So folks are talking about manifestation a lot these days. And, you know, when I think about manifestation or when I initially would think about it, I would think about all of the Abraham Hicks and Oprah and certain folks that I would just connect manifestation with based off of language. But I think that the way that you've described manifestation throughout our conversation is a little bit different. And I think that in a good way. I think that it might be something that is more accessible for most people. So can you talk to me a little bit about manifestation? I recently read a quote, and it said that - maybe it was Wayne Dyer. He said that manifestation isn't about what you desire, it is about who you are. So talk to me about manifestation.

Liza Colpa: The first thing I want to say before we - it's very important that some teachers, some wellness leaders, will make the mistake or fall into the trap of spiritual bypassing a lot of the real life issues in terms of law of attraction and manifestation to a point where students come to me and they're like, oh, I accidentally created an intention and wrote the word not. And I know I shouldn't say “not” because that denotes negativity and then the universe is going to pick up this negative vibe and then I'm not going to get what I want and I'm going to be - stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop. No, no. The universe is way more intelligent than that. Like, yeah, it's way more intelligent than that. And sometimes, in terms of manifestation, people think that they're supposed to just be in a state of positivity.

And, if anything, I've manifested when I've been in a state of extreme replay of my traumas and asking for something more. I've actually been in a state where I'm so down or was so down that I was like, there's got to be more than this. I love that you said manifestation is just a reflection of who you are, who you will be and who you wish to become. That's really what it is. It's changing past narratives and saying, those don't define me. My trauma doesn't define me. My lineage doesn't define me. How people see me walking through this physical realm of reality doesn't define me. You know, people's bias and opinions don't define me. And we are so much more. So manifestation, for me, is exactly what you said, Faith. It's just being honestly, authentically, who you are. Unapologetically going for your dreams and using these tools to change your life.

And in that, working with this power of the universe, working with this idea of law of attraction. Law of attraction and the universe, that's just inside us. That's honestly what it is. It's just us meeting ourselves halfway on a real vibrational scale that changes the physical realm around us. And it's incredible, but that's really the reality of what it is. It's just working with ourselves on a deep healing level to change how we perceive the world and how the world perceives us. That's kind of my take on manifestation. It's not just, I am rich, I am rich, I am rich. And then you get money. It's, I am rich within myself. I have richness in love, in people around me. I choose to see the richness in my life. And before you know it, you start to see the opportunities coming your way. You start to see, well, wait a minute. I'm not so scared, I'm not so scared to switch that job. I don't live in scarcity mindset. I am love. And then all of a sudden, things just start falling into place because we are falling into place. So that's my.

Faith: Oh, I like that. I like that a lot - because we are falling into place. That hit different. That hit different. No, it really did. I really think that I'm on this journey of not only defining what self-love looks like for me, but really practicing what it feels like. And to me, self-love, it feels like freedom. Freedom from the expectations and the perceptions of others, that they have on me. It feels like liking myself, enjoying spending time with myself. It feels like evolution, it looks like being mindful of moving my body, of feeding it and nourishing it with healing and healthy foods, right? And it looks like carving out time every single day to spend time with myself.

Liza Colpa: I love that.

Faith: Thank you.

Liza Colpa: I love that. You inspired me. You were reminding me. I'm like, oh yeah. Yep. Yep. I've got to do that. I've got to do that. Yep.

Faith: So I want to thank you for that. One of the things that has been super helpful for me over the last several weeks has been changing up my morning routine. I realize, actually, that I really didn't have one. The one that I did have, it was chaotic. And therefore, the rest of my day - at many times - it would feel chaotic. But now, I've changed that. I'm curious to know, what does your morning routine look like?

Liza Colpa: Flexible. Flexible. I think sometimes we get trapped into the idea that a morning routine has to - and for some, I think it's beneficial to have that structure of, look, this is how I do things. And I do it every day and this is what keeps me grounded. So I think there's power in that. But for me, it felt too rigid because life, for me, is a little bit - I want to honor the ebbs and flows. I want to honor the ebbs and flows of my schedule. I want to honor the ebbs and flows of my emotions. So, for example, today, I got up and Faith, I just took a moment of gratitude for just being here on this podcast with you. And I went over my schedule with my myself, and then I went over my schedule with my partner and I came here and I sat down and I breathed and I know what I have to do, but my intention is just to be grateful for being here with you.

So usually, it's intention setting. Sometimes it's getting up and doing a real yoga practice. Sometimes it's getting up and doing a meditation, a real manifestation or setting your morning intentions. Sometimes it's honoring, I don't have time for any of that today, I just want to make myself some breakfast and that's okay, you know? It's honoring the - for me, that's my morning routine. It's always honoring the flexibility, the ebbs and flows of life. Because when I try to get too rigid, that's when something happened the night before and I get up and I don't have the emotions to get up, do a physical yoga practice, sometimes it's okay, the yoga practice - and I learned this from a teacher - the best yoga practice, sometimes, is to just say, my yoga practice is just being with myself today without getting on the mat physically; taking that practice with me off the mat today. So it's a little bit more - I always say that it's flexible. It's super, super flexible. It has to be flexible, that's just what works for me. But it's still my routine.

Faith: Right. And I think that having flexibility in your routine is important, but I think that what I meant by routine is, like, consistently carving out the time. So each morning, right, because I'm a mama, I'm a mama of two; I have a two year old and I have an assumed to be eight month old. And so for me, it was like, okay, I can continue making excuses about like, “Oh, I just can't find the time.” Or what I can do is make sure that I go to bed earlier and make sure that, every day, that if I wake up at 6:30 or 6:45, and if I just decide to come downstairs and I do a 20 minute ride on my Peloton, or I decide that you know what? I'm just going to read some devotions, I'm going to pray and I'm going to meditate and that's it. But carving out the time and making and setting the intention and then putting that deliberate action behind that intention is what is most important for me, and has been super tremendously helpful. But I like flexibility too, because I don't…

Liza Colpa: Well, the intention is - and that's something that's so - you, literally, laid it out. You laid out the grounding foundation of it. The intention, carving out the time, even if it's 15, 20 seconds, carving out the time and setting that intention or doing that little bit of a practice. And you can be as flexible as you want with that, but you can also really, really be grounded in, no, no, no, no, this is my half an hour to myself and this is what I need. So, I love it.

Faith: Thank you. So you talked a little bit about an off the mat practice. So tell me a little - what does it mean to be off the mat and practicing? Like, what does that look like? What is it?

Liza Colpa: I think I'm going to - yep, I'm going to say it. I'm going to say it. Because I was thinking about it and it's coming to me. For example, a [unclear 37:09]. A [Unclear 37:10] is a yogic philosophy that is nonviolence. But to me, it means love. It means unconditional love, for yourself, for your brothers and sisters in your community, in your family, for the animals, for the planet, for how you communicate. Nonviolence is a yogic practice that I think, for whatever reason, was calling to me during this conversation. And I think it's more important now than ever. Because nonviolence can be a practice of simply turning off the news because it's a little bit too much. Nonviolence can be setting up boundaries for those who take advantage of your time, your energy and your kindness. Nonviolence can simply be what we were just talking about, Faith, which is self-love, self-care.

What does that look like? What does that look like to someone as an individual? So nonviolence is something I think we need now more than ever. And it is a yogic philosophy where you can do it on the yoga mat, as in, I sometimes introduce to students, how can we not be critical with ourselves or with people next to us? How can those negative thoughts that are like, oh, I'm not flexible enough, oh, I'm not doing this right, oh, I did the left side instead of the right side, how can we not beat ourselves for these thoughts? Or how can we not let these thoughts beat ourselves or our souls? So we can walk off the mat, take the same practice, and when you make a mistake at work and your boss is coming down on you, you cannot come down on yourself.

You can say, look, I'm human, I made a mistake, I love myself regardless, and I'm going to do better, but I'm not going to beat myself when the rest of the world can be so harsh sometimes. I'm not going to sit through a news reel that brings me pain and sorrow and just makes me feel worse and cynical about myself and the world around me, to be a social activist or to be a better person or to be more knowledgeable or better informed. I don't need to consume media in that way to be an activist or better informed with my life. I can do it from a different place that comes from organic love. So, a [unclear 39:44] says an example, and I'm just spouting all of this. A [unclear 39:48] says just an example of taking something off the mat that your yoga teacher said, hey, how can you be more loving to yourself on the mat today?

And then when the class ends, I usually say, now go live your intention. Go live your loving self off the mat so that when these things come up, which they will, you have a practice, and you inspire your best friend or your sister or your brother or your mom or your dad. You inspire your neighbor. You inspire. You live through example. And then before you know it, God willing, a whole global community will get inspired and will practice and fight for these things together, fight for unconditional love together, recognize that there is no place to act from fear. There can only be actions from a place of love, so that is an example of an off the mat practice. Here's the reality. Our scars from our trauma can fade, but some fade less than others. We consistently have to keep up with the practice, consistently.

We don't wake up one day and go, I'm healed, I'm healed. It may feel like that sometimes, like, holy crap, I would've reacted like this two years ago and now I'm reacting like that and I feel so in my power and I feel so healed. Oh, yeah. Definitely, you can have those moments. But also, don't be surprised if on this path and on this journey, you find yourself needing to breathe because something hits you, hits that scar a little bit harder, a little bit deeper than you ever could imagine. And that's when our practice comes in, and that's when the real work begins. So yes, Faith. Yes to both. Sometimes our healing journey will take us down a path where there are certain things that don't - certain narratives that don't really guide the wheel of our life anymore, which is the goal.

But it's also okay if we wake up some days and we recognize, oh, because of X, Y and Z experience that happened to me this week or within the last 24 hours, my fears or this narrative is really taking a hold of the wheel or trying to fight with me to take a hold of the wheel. And that's okay. I don't think we need to fear that. I think recognizing that is so powerful. And then, how do we work with it? How do we say, okay, that is just something trying to keep me safe or something that's trying to get to a goal due to my trauma. My familial trauma, my own trauma due to - for example, my trauma is being a survivor of abuse; so were my parents, so were my grandparents, you know? Down to the point where my dad is descended from slaves, and that is intense trauma.

Like, intense isn't the word. I'm just using the word intense because I don't have another word. But it's in my blood, it's in our bones, it's in our words, it's in our narratives, to a point where we are scared when we go to the doctor, you know? We don't trust everyone. And it is something that is going to keep coming up. The key is, how do I work with that and say, wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute. My health - I need my health. And I have the opportunity to find someone I can really trust and really work with, and who understands my trauma as a woman of color, as a woman. Especially in OBGYN circles; if you find a male doctor who cannot really empathize with you having a moment of PTSD in a vulnerable situation.

Specifically, it happens a lot when women are preparing to have a baby and they go speak to their OBGYN. And some of those OBGYNs, their narratives are extremely harsh. Specifically, to women of color, even harsher, due to a viewpoint that has been passed down from generation to generation of this is what it is. You know, statistically, this is what it is - when that's not the truth. So going into that space and recognizing that I am not that trauma, though, that trauma has helped me realize and see things. It allows us to heal, but also honor our shadow self. Honor the shadows, honor the fears, honor the doubts. Honor that that is not us, and yet, that is part of us and part of our journey.

Faith: Absolutely. And I think that what you said - in order to heal it, we've got to feel it. So in order to feel it, we've got to acknowledge it. So I think that that ties all the way in. Absolutely. Absolutely. So listen, I think that there are a number of folks who I know will probably be listening in on this and are interested in taking the journey to become a yoga practitioner or teacher. And so, I'm actually really curious to know, like, at what point was it that you were like, you know what? This is something - because you have over one thousand hours of teaching, right? Like, that's huge. One thousand hours? I'm like, oh my gosh, that's incredible. So what was it that you were like, no, this is something that I want to teach, I want to take it to the next level? What was that moment? What was it like? And then once you pursued it, how long did it take? What was that process like?

Liza Colpa: Oh, I love that you said it was a process, because that's exactly what it was. It was exactly - so, I fell in love with yoga and then I fell in love with being a yoga teacher in the industry and the business of yoga, which is a little bit different than just being a yoga practitioner and a little different than just being a yoga teacher. Now you have stepped into the world of entrepreneurship, you have stepped into the world of where the yoga industry is right now, and there's a lot of pros and cons to the baby that it is right now. So with that, it was this process of falling in love and then consistently being like, damn, I really, really, really love this. And oh my gosh, I'm teaching more and more classes, and I am not - I was a full-time actor before this, which my parents had a very hard time. Being immigrants, they had a very, very hard time wrapping their mind around. And I just started to do well and started to make money and started to like - and they're like, okay. And then I was like, guys, I'm going to be a full time yoga teacher. And they were like, is this something you just do to us to give us these little heart attacks?

Faith: You mean you're not going to be a doctor? An attorney?

Liza Colpa: Exactly. So it was a process that I had to also face those narratives as well. My parents being like, how are you going to make this work? And me needing to be like, I can, I will, it's within me. It calls to me, there's got to be a reason. My soul is calling for me to do this. This isn't a coincidence. This isn't me just being selfish. This is a calling. And honoring the call was a process, but yes, I eventually took the first step and said, nah, I love this. And it started with me being a yoga studio manager and teacher and then eventually just focusing on online work, seeing so many individuals like you and L'Oreal in the city and El in the city and so many individuals who put themselves out there and say, hey, there's a place for you. There's a place for you to make a sustainable career, there's a place for you to be yourself and be passionate and creative. And yeah, it's hard work, but it's so worth it, you know? It's so worth it.

Faith: Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Especially going after that calling, it's like, when you are compelled to do something, it's fascinating just how things work out. The universe will just, literally, conspire on your behalf. And sometimes, it'll look chaotic in order for you to move. Because, sometimes, if things are just going the way that they've been going, you're like, well, I'm comfortable. I don't know that I should make that move. And sometimes things will just get shaken up to the point in which you've got to make a choice. You're either going to make this move or you're going to stay stagnant.

Liza Colpa: Exactly. Exactly.

Faith: So like, that is real talk. I understand that in my soul. So queen, talk to me a little bit about, like, what are some of the tools or the resources, spaces that you're in that you are engaging with, that support you in your self-care, your development, and just kind of your overall spirituality?

Liza Colpa: So right now, I'm a part of the open - I believe it's the open - app and I mean, it's a beautiful platform that I highly recommend to everyone. There are teachers from all over the world, from all different walks of life, from all different backgrounds and races and perspectives there on this platform that offer meditation. It is $20 month.

Faith: This is an open app?

Liza Colpa: Open. I believe it's called Open. And if it's not, I will email you after, Faith, and be like, it's actually called this. And then Allo Moves is another great app that has just some of my favorite yoga teachers on the platform. Sometimes I just follow the teacher wherever they go, like Saudi Simone. I love, love, love, love, love Saudi Simone. I love his soul, I love everything about Saudi Simone and what he says. So, I follow him, I follow Briny Smith, who is my 500 hour yoga teacher and she's incredible when it comes to anatomy and just pushing you outside of your comfort zone in terms of yoga - if you want to go outside of your comfort zone, Briny Smith will do that for you. And then we have just books, that I love. Deepak Chopra, Don Miguel Ruiz, Gabriel Bernstein, Lisa Nichols and also Saudi Simone, I'm reading his book or listening to his book currently. And that's how I find real refuge, it's in these spiritual wellness leaders that can be on multiple platforms, but they're their own kind of platform. And then I just follow them wherever they go. So, yes.

Faith: So what's your personal mantra?

Liza Colpa: I think the mantra that I've been working with the most recently is, I choose - it would probably be my brand messaging. I choose to lead by example. I choose to believe that I am worthy of all my dreams, all my desires, everything I could possibly imagine, I am worthy. But most importantly, what I say after yoga class is, you are enough and you are exactly where you are meant to be. And that's something I always use, because I am worthy, I am enough, I'm exactly where I am meant to be, is a huge part of honoring the power of manifestation. To know that you are enough, you have everything you need to face obstacles that come your way. That vision within you, that dream, you are worthy of. And you're exactly where you need to be for it, to receive it. So that's something, I guess, that's my personal mantra. To lead by example, to know that I'm worthy, I am enough and I am exactly where I am meant to be.

Faith: That's good. That's real good. That's really good. It is. So, for those who are interested in connecting with you and your offerings, how can they do so?

Liza Colpa: Go to my website. That's where you can find my email, you can chat with me, there are students who have chatted with me. I'm not going to lie, I'm not always the best person at getting back to them right away, but the fact that you can just directly email me and I can get back to you, that's a beautiful thing. My YouTube is there, my insight timer links are there, my live classes are there. So I would always recommend going to my actual website, that's my home base. And then you can find me on YouTube, you can find me on insight timer, you can find me on - those are my two main things - TikTok, on Instagram. Those are all tools that I use to connect with individuals and people on, I guess, a more real - I don't want to say a more real level, but I'm not the teacher in the yoga class guiding you through the practice, we can just have a real talk like this.

Faith: I can dig it. I can dig that.

Liza Colpa: Right.

Faith: Awesome. So I like to always end with a little quick fire. I've got some questions for you. So I will give you two options and whatever comes first to mind, that's what you say. Are you a Libra? Because I've done this with Libras before and they're like, what's your sign?

Liza Colpa: Aries. My mom's a Libra.

Faith: Okay.

Liza Colpa: I was raised by a Libra. So maybe that's what you're sensing.

Faith: Listen, my husband's a Libra, some of my best friends are Libras. I'm like, anyways. So I'm going to ask these questions and whatever comes to mind first, that's how you respond. Alright. Tacos or pizza?

Liza Colpa: Tacos.

Faith: LA or New York City in the fall?

Liza Colpa: Oh, New York City in the fall.

Faith: Therapy or prayer?

Liza Colpa: Therapy.

Faith: Podcast or books?

Liza Colpa: Oh, podcasts.

Faith: Eucalyptus or lavender?

Liza Colpa: Eucalyptus, actually. Though, I love lavender, but eucalyptus lately has helped me breathe, so I think that's why I'm leaning towards it.

Faith: Awesome. Saige or Palo Santo?

Liza Colpa: Palo Santo.

Faith: Massage or acupuncture?

Liza Colpa: Massage.

Faith: Candles or incense?

Liza Colpa: Incense.

Faith: Alright. Well, that's it.

Liza Colpa: Those were awesome. I love those.

Faith: That was a lot of fun. And you had some really good answers. I'm glad that you were just like, yes, I can do this. This is great.

Liza Colpa: It's the Libra mom that raised me. Like, yes, let's go. Let's do this. Quick fire. Air signs, they're like, yes. Yeah, let's do it.

Faith: Listen, queen, it has been a pleasure speaking with you on today. I am so honored that you've taken out the time to chat with me and to share your message with the Sista Circle Podcast community, and I look forward to this episode airing and touching the lives of many folks. So thank you, thank you.

Liza Colpa: Thank you, Faith. Thank you for having me, thank you for sharing your wisdom and your light and just doing your work, because you are making my dream and so many other people's dreams come true. So thank you. Keep it up.

Faith: Thank you so much.

Outro: So I hope you enjoyed this episode. And if you did, be sure to follow or subscribe to the show to make sure that you never miss a new episode. And also be sure to share the episode or podcast with another queen who might benefit. And before I go, I need your help. Please be sure to leave me a five star rating and review wherever you consume your podcast, this way more women are able to find the show and access the information that we share here. Also, if it's on your heart to buy me a coffee, any support that you're willing to provide to help me sustain this podcast is greatly appreciated. In the meantime, you can always follow us on all social media platforms at the Sista Circle Podcast, as well as via the website, thesistacirclepodcast.com. With love, Faith.