Ana Forrest and Jose Calarco are pioneers of the Western adaptation of yoga. They specialise in harnessing the ancient Hindu tradition to heal contemporary western challenges and afflictions. Ana says her yoga practice initially came from a place of spiritual suffering.

I was on a pretty precarious edge with the addictions and the anguish and the sufferings that I was drowning in. So yoga began the process of claiming my life.

Using elements of Native American rituals, and borrowing from global indigenous traditions, she came up with a unique and rigorous approach.

The rigidity in the teachings of yoga did not have a place for me, and my personal problems were not being addressed and I didn’t know if there would be anywhere for that. So I actually started creating things that would help me.

That process began in the 1970’s and she is now regarded by many in the yoga world as the shamanic high-priestess of healing. In recent years she’s teamed up with her partner, medicine-man Jose, and together they’ve expanded the possibilities of yoga even more, encouraging westerners to tap into their lost spirituality.

Learn about the unique and world-renowned Forrest Yoga approach here.

About Our Guest:

Ana Forrest is the Founder of Forrest Yoga and author of Fierce Medicine: Breakthrough Practices to Heal the Body and Ignite the Spirit.

Jose Calarco, is the Director of Descendant Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Dance Theatre.