Do life’s stressors leave you feeling out of balance and disconnected from yourself? From personal and professional experience, I’ve found that many people struggle with finding the internal peace and purpose they desire, want, and need. Yet in real life, it’s not easy to find or use the tools that can reduce stress and increase inner joy, confidence, and self-awareness. But what if the life of your dreams is waiting just outside your door? Today, I’m joined by an amazing special guest, Dr. Jordan Ashley of the nonprofit Souljourn Yoga Foundation. Dr. Ashley helps people around the world transform and deepen their connection with themselves, their purpose, and the outer world.

Topics discussed include fear, anxiety, stress, balance, embodiment, peace, getting unstuck, purpose, passion, self-awareness, community, connection, fulfillment, acts of service, education, travel, yoga, inspiration, yoga retreat, underprivileged girls, underprivileged women, helping others, Cambodia, Morocco, giving back, community service, mentorship, transformation, empowerment, and joy.

Please note that this episode contains sensitive material; listener discretion is advised.

Emergency Assistance Details: If you or someone you know needs immediate support, please call your emergency services. In the US, 24/7 help is available by calling “911,” “988” (Suicide and Crisis Hotline), or SAMSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). As applicable, additional resources may be provided in the show notes.

Non-Emergency Online Mental Health Information: https://www.nami.org/support-education/nami-helpline/

and https://odphp.health.gov/myhealthfinder/healthy-living/mental-health-and-relationships

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: No expert is offering medical or psychological direction or advice; the content is purely informational in nature. Please consult your physician or healthcare provider before undertaking any new regimen or procedure.

Connect with Dr. Carla Manly:

Website: https://www.drcarlamanly.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drcarlamanly/

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/drcarlamanly/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drcarlamanly

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carla-marie-manly-8682362b/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dr_carlamanly_imperfect_love

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dr_carla_manly

Books by Dr. Carla Manly:

Joy From Fear: Create the Life of Your Dreams by Making Fear Your Friend 

Date Smart: Transform Your Relationships and Love Fearlessly

Aging Joyfully: A Woman’s Guide to Optimal Health, Relationships, and Fulfillment for Her 50s and Beyond

The Joy of Imperfect Love: The Art of Creating Healthy, Securely Attached Relationships

Imperfect Love Relationship & Oracle Card Deck by Dr. Carla Manly:

Etsy

Amazon

Connect with Dr. Jordan Ashley:

Website: https://www.souljournyoga.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/souljournyoga/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SouljournYoga/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@souljournyoga

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Say “YES!” to Joyful Connection, Purpose, and a BEAUTIFUL LIFE!

How To Discover Inner Joy, Purpose, And Passion

Do life stressors leave you feeling out of balance and disconnected from yourself? From personal and professional experience, I’ve found that many people struggle with finding the internal peace and purpose they desire, want, and need. Yet in real life, it’s not easy to find or use the tools that can reduce stress and increase inner joy, confidence, and self-awareness.

I am joined by an amazing special guest who helps people around the world transform and deepen their connection with themselves, their purpose and the outer world. In this episode, we’ll focus on this listener’s real-life question. “I feel pretty stuck. I have a good job and a supportive partner, but I feel empty inside, like I’m going through the motions. I want something more out of life, but I don’t know what it is.”

“I even feel a little ashamed because I know I’m lucky. A lot of people don’t have it as good as I do. I want to find my purpose and get unstuck. What do you suggest for someone like me?” That question is the focus of this episode. Please note, as this episode may contain sensitive information, reader discretion is advised.

We are joined by a tremendous special guest, Dr. Jordan Ashley. Dr. Ashley is the Founder of Souljourn Yoga Foundation, a nonprofit geared to foster self-awareness, mentorship, and community service. Welcome to the show, Dr. Ashley. It is such a joy to have you with us.

Thank you so much for having me. I am so excited to be here and to dive into all the good stuff.

Thank you for joining us. I know you do such good work with individuals, with communities, with furthering girls’ education, all from a nonprofit stance, which I find so moving and honorable. Thank you for the hard work that you do to make our world a better place. Thank you. Before we launch into this really important topic, and it seems to be one that I hear about frequently, that sense of having lost connection, lost purpose.

I know there have been times in my own life where that inner light felt a bit dim, like what is the right thing to be doing? Where’s my purpose? How can I serve best? Before we launch into that really critical piece that is common to so many people around the world, could you tell our listeners just a little bit about what makes you, you?

I feel like what makes me me is that I love and I’m not just saying this like, I really do love to give back. I think coming from a place of always trying be selfless, like even if I’m coming home from dinner and I have like a leftover bag and I see someone who needs it, i’ll always give it away. I grew up with a mom who loved to rescue animals, and now she has her own animal rescue foundation.

I think being exposed to that care at a really early age, I remember there was kittens who were over the fence in our neighbor’s yard, and he wouldn’t let us for whatever reason go and get them. I remember my mom digging a hole and pulling each kitten out individually and then bottle-feeding them. I think that altruism really I guess came down like the genetic pipeline. It’s definitely something that I know that I light up the most when I feel like I’m of service to this world.

Thank you for sharing that. How important it is when we notice this lineage because often, many people focus on something bad that their parents may have handed down or intergenerational transmission of violence or other patterns from grandparents and down and down. When we’re able to look and see something in our parents that is really good and worthy and lovely and something we want to carry on, I think that’s such a really beautiful piece.

There’s generally something good in that ancestry that we can get a hold of. Not always, sometimes there’s a lot of abuse and violence and nothing really good to garner. In your case, I love how you notice the altruism, the good-heartedness, and that you’ve followed that. That’s really beautiful. Was your dad in the picture? I’m just curious.

Yes, very much so. My dad and I are very close. We have a very different kind of relationship where I always felt like I was maybe helping out with my mom and the animals and oftentimes I remember feeling challenged, especially like being in high school, where the animals would come first, and it was something I had to navigate around.

My dad really opened up my eyes to music and art and travel. I feel like that spirit of creativity, like I remember he used to play like the Zombies and Talking Heads and all of this amazing music on the way to school. He took me to see David Bowie when I was fourteen. That passion for loving the arts and creativity is definitely something that I got from him.

Taking Travel To A Whole New Level

That’s really beautiful. That’s where your love of travel comes from, from your connection with your dad. I know in the very little bit that I’ve read about you, that travel and helping others travel and be of service while they’re traveling, taking travel to a different level, a new level, is something that you really specialize in. Do you mind just saying a little bit more about that?

No, of course. For me, I really feel like my journey began in college. I moved I grew up in California and LA and I moved to college in New York by myself. I couldn’t wait to have my own existence that wasn’t colored by my parents’ likes and dislikes, even though they were very supportive of me. I was ready to pave my own way.

I had a life-changing experience when I did a study abroad program in Siem Reap, Cambodia, and would later return as a journalist as soon as I graduated. My undergrad is in Journalism and I was doing NGO coverage and really got a first-hand sense of not only the inequality in terms of girls’ education and how so often once girls enter secondary school, they’re pulled out for various reasons.

Also, because Siem Reap is so heavily inundated with tourists, that can go astray very quickly and how important it is to have guidance to make sure that when you’re traveling, especially if you’re traveling to areas that have very complicated histories or different socioeconomic factors or relationships to maybe what you’re used to at home. You really need to listen to people on the ground and to the community there and to the leaders who are cultivating the space there to make sure that you aren’t imposing or recreating the same hierarchical structures that potentially could shift the power dynamic.

Thank you. I think that’s perfect because it is a really different way of traveling. Sometimes we go in a bubble and expect to be kept in our bubble. As an avid lover of travel, I’m aware of how important it is, not that I always do it perfectly, because it’s easy to go in and think, “I’m just taking home with me. I’m just in this experience within the bubble of what I’m used to.”

Being able to really slow down and mindfully enter the host country’s world with respect, with compassion, with awareness, that’s a different level of travel. It takes you out of that bubble and in a way or in many ways it’s actually really good because when we leave our bubble, that’s where we learn. That’s where we truly and deeply experience the other people, the other culture, the other country. It’s a different type of travel but very rewarding.

Thank you for focusing on that for a moment. I do want to pause because when we look at the listener’s question, before we dive into it, I’m a bit amazed and delighted that you’re matched with this question because I didn’t know that part about your journey that really seems to fit very well with this question, where you grew up in this environment where it felt interesting and warm and nurturing.

Yet then you transplanted yourself to a different area because it sounds like you wanted to find you. You wanted to find your purpose. You wanted to find something that was outside of maybe what was expected or maybe what you had thought. It sounds like a really good fit. What do you think of that? It’s almost like you’re walking the talk for this individual.

It’s definitely kismet. I guess just to maybe give a little bit more insight is that my parents, while they’re very loving and supportive, they did get divorced when I was six. I think that fracturing really left its mark on me. I often have these conversations with my other friends who are also children of divorce and the different ways that we navigate through our identity shifts and are we more like depending on in my case, are you more like Mom, are you more like Dad?

Who do you resonate with more? Who do you feel more comfortable with right now, especially in terms of whatever they’re experiencing on the other side? I think I needed to figure out what home felt like. I think for me, I’m always the best version of myself when I’m not at my actual like address, where I’m somewhere else in the world. I know that probably sounds a little unrooted, but it’s true, like I always feel like that’s when I shine the brightest.

I think that that’s really wonderful because I’m quite the opposite. As much as I love to travel, I feel really at home when I’m at home. My husband, my dog, everything that’s familiar, I feel really deeply at home. Doesn’t mean that I haven’t traveled to places where I have felt a deep sense of home. I’m always happy to get home where I do have my routine and my groundedness.

I really love that difference that we have. I’m not quite sure what makes that happen in certain people, but I really think that that’s a beautiful difference and one to be honored in general when we’re looking for purpose. Where I’m leading with this is purpose doesn’t look the same for everyone. Purpose doesn’t, passion doesn’t, home doesn’t.

Finding Your Heart Cause

Ideally, we’re so at home in our bodies that we feel pretty good wherever we are. There is something to be said for someone who can feel at home no matter where they are. That’s pretty cool. When we look at this listener’s question, the desire to find it sounds like they’re yearning to get unstuck, but also find something deeper within themselves. I know you specialize in helping people really come home to themselves. What would you say? What are some of your key points already in the conversation?

One of our programs that we have is we cultivated our own on-the-ground yoga teacher training for young women, so that they are then able to take the yoga into their own hands and teach one another or their communities or themselves if they choose to do so. One of the activities that we do, it’s called “Finding Your Heart Cause.”

I really love it. It’s a guided meditation with journaling and drawing at the end. The idea is to go inwards and notice if there’s a moment in time that perhaps you’ve felt disempowered and if so, what did that look like? Perhaps maybe it’s not you, maybe it’s something around you that you found to be really challenging and that made you want to get out of your normal path in life and help and be of assistance.

I really love it and I feel like it can apply to anyone in the world. I feel like we all have things that light us up and causes that are very close to our hearts for various different reasons. I think when we’re able to first go inward and then understand what makes me tick, and then we can go outward and try to apply that in a very careful and considered way, then I think that’s a great exercise for anyone to use.

Could you say more about that piece, please? For someone who’s not used to this work, where would you say to start?

I would say to start by if someone maybe wants to find their own passion, like maybe it’s something you see scrolling on Instagram, or something you see in the newspaper, like a headline, something that makes you say, “I want to learn more about that.” It could even be something local. It could be something in your own community that perhaps you’re aware of or you’re curious about, but you haven’t really dived done like a whole like deep dive about it. Maybe it’s volunteering at a soup kitchen or reading to elders at a community center.

It doesn’t have to be big. I think that’s sometimes where people get really tripped up. It’s like, “I have to have this really grandiose experience and get on a plane and go sixteen hours to have that experience.” Sure, for some people that might be the way, but for someone else, it could even be delivering a care package to a neighbor who you know is going through a hard time.

I love that. I love how you’re essentially saying, give yourself permission to start small. Actually, I’m hearing you say two really important things. A, notice what intrigues you, notice what calls to you, notice what that beckoning, like “I have a little interest here.” Then realize that it’s generally steps, small baby steps of following those little breadcrumbs that call to us.

That generally, sometimes we have a big epiphany, “This is my passion, this is my thing,” but for most of us, it is that slow progression toward what calls, one step after the other. What it takes to do that is the first piece, the noticing. We have to notice that which sparkles and shines to us and then be willing to follow it and trust that that’s part of the process. Is did I get that right?

Absolutely. Also too, I think in alignment with that is thinking about trying something new every week. It’s exactly what you said, it’s about going micro before you go macro. Maybe the small thing is listening to a guided meditation, or if you do a walk, maybe go right instead of left, or left instead of right. Just trying something to shift up your routine just a little bit and see if anything changes. Just to see how you feel. Do you react differently? Are you less reactive? I think that’s a good way to begin to maybe dive a little bit deeper into something else that might call out to you too.

I love it and I think that really comports with that idea of doing one thing a day that scares you. When I first heard that years and years ago, I thought, “Why would I want to scare myself?” Then I realized really what the saying is about, is it’s okay to do things that are uncomfortable.It can feel a bit scary, it can feel a bit uncomfortable to move outside your comfort zone, because when we go outside our comfort zone, that’s where the freshness is. If we’re wanting to get unstuck, doing the things that are familiar and comfortable, we’re going to just keep doing those and feel more stuck.

If we want to feel unstuck, it is that steady, as you said, sometimes it means trying if you’re used to going right, go left. If you’re used to always stopping for coffee, maybe stop instead at a different place. Maybe there’s something waiting there for you. I really like that idea of watching for open windows and open doors. It can really be a game-changer.

I appreciate this on a personal level, because I remember when I first started taking yoga, I wasn’t interested in becoming a yoga teacher. The more I practiced and then I met some teachers, some that I really admired and admired their way of being and I thought, “I want to do this.”my schedule was already really full and thinking, “How am I going to make time to become a yoga instructor?”

Recognizing The Transformative Power Of Yoga

Ultimately, I believe, if you follow what calls to you, if you follow your passions, I think it was Joseph Campbell said, “Doors will open where there would be doors for no one else.” I’m a walking example of that coming true. It takes patience, it takes perseverance, it takes courage at times, and it also sounds like that’s the path you’ve walked. Does that resonate?

Yeah. I remember I was exposed to yoga at a really young age. I think that’s in part with growing up in Southern California. There was as many yoga studios as there were Starbucks as in Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf when that was still around. I think initially when I was interested in yoga, I thought it would always be something I would do on the side. I did my first yoga teacher training the summer after I graduated right before I went to Cambodia. I came back to New York and I was freelancing and then I really fell heavily into the yoga because it’s exactly what we said at the beginning. On my yoga mat, I always felt so at home.

Even if I was really challenged or dealing with something outside of myself, I knew within that perimeter I could have my internal world meet my external world and then sometimes, not always, there would be that conversation between the two. For a moment, maybe I would feel a little bit more whole or a little bit more like myself.

I never planned to have a nonprofit. I think if you’d asked me when I was younger what I thought I was going to do, I definitely think it would have been something else. Just from that seed being planted in Cambodia and now years later, one of the organizations that I worked with there is an organization that I work with now. From that moment, it really opened up so much in a whole new world for me.

That’s beautiful. I have a question for you, actually maybe it’s more of an exploration. When you said, “I really feel at home on my yoga mat,” and there were times I’m paraphrasing that you were able to make your internal world your external world. For someone who hasn’t practiced yoga or doesn’t know that experience, can you explain what that is, what you’re describing? It is a beautiful description of what can happen on a yoga mat or in meditation, whatever it is.

I’m not judging it at all, any form of exercise is wonderful but many people see yoga more as looking fit, looking good, getting on the yoga mat with the correct yoga clothes, correct in air quotes, because there are no correct yoga clothes, only those that feel good to you. When you look at it as an experience beyond exercise, but an experience of creating wholeness, which is I think what you’re describing, having your internal world match your external world, please say more.

I love that as a way to describe I guess what embodiment is. Perhaps that’s a rabbit hole as well in terms of discussing what does it mean to feel or to experience embodiment. I think maybe for me, it’s the quieting of the senses. Perhaps I’m less in my head and I’m not going through all of the things that either have happened or that will happen, so really trying to be here in the present.

In terms of externally, if it’s a hard pose or maybe it’s an easy pose, or something that’s less challenging there’s no hard poses, there’s no easy poses, every day is a completely new adventure. When that connection happens between the two, when I guess maybe it’s a sense of ease, I think that to me is when I feel at home on my yoga mat.

For someone else, that might be cooking. That might be that feeling of mixing everything together and perhaps wherever you are, it’s just you and with your food and your ingredients. Perhaps it’s going on a walk with your dog. I have dogs too and I love to just watch them play in the park. That’s a really beautiful and sweet moment. I don’t know if that answers your question or whatnot, in terms of everything for that one moment maybe just comes together and you can just feel like present with yourself.

I think it’s such a beautiful description. The reason I wanted to focus on it and you answered it in an extraordinary way, a really perfect way because you came up with the word “ease,” which I actually think might be in the introduction to the show about finding that inner sense of ease.I believe that ease, that true ease, I’m not saying “easy,” I’m saying “ease” that sense of ease is often the opposite of being stuck because stuck is not ease, stuck is stuck. It can feel easy to be stuck, but that stuckness does not create an internal sense of ease, that sense of flow.

I think that’s one of the most beautiful parts about the work that you do and yoga in general, or as you say, any whether it’s a hobby, whatever it is, baking, music, hiking, biking, whatever it might be. When you find that internal flow, that sense of ease and learn that that is your body’s way of saying, “I am home.” Your body, mind, and spirit are saying, “I am home, I am at peace, I am in flow.”

The more that we learn to do that in the internal world, then that begins to manifest, I believe, in the external world because we’re feeling differently. We’re feeling more in our skin, we’re feeling more at home in the body. When we’re more comfortable with the self, that can often lead to greater comfort not just in the external world, but comfort in pursuing one’s passions and seeing one’s passions.

Getting back to what you said earlier about volunteering, then when you have that ease, sometimes an opportunity presents itself. “Maybe I want to ring the bell for the Salvation Army, maybe I want to be at that soup kitchen, maybe I want to volunteer at a yoga retreat,” whatever it is. The more we embody the self, the more we learn what the self wants, we learn to listen to it, and I think that is one of the key ways of getting unstuck. What would you say, Dr. Ashley?

I absolutely agree with that. I was going to say I feel like so much of the spiritual journey that comes with it can feel really alone, especially if you’re navigating through maybe a more tumultuous period in your life. Why I really love yoga is that you’re on your mat and you’re having your own independent journey, but you’re with a collective of other hopefully like-minded people who are also on their mats having their own experience and their own journey. I think that’s such a great way to feel community or sangha and leaning into that idea of even if you feel so alone or like there’s no one else there to listen, there’s other people who are also navigating whatever they’re navigating so close by you as well.

Thank you for pausing on that because again, for people who go into a sport to exercise, it’s important to note that what we’re talking about isn’t just exercise. We’re talking about soul journey while you’re also reaping the health benefits of being on your mat or wherever you are. I agree with you about that sacred space of the mat.

I remember early on in my yoga journey something led me because my mind was always racing off to whatever my worries were, my concerns, my to-do lists, and there I was taking a Saturday morning class but instead of being on my mat, my brain was off already planning exactly how I was going to accomplish everything in my day. I painted on my mat, “Be here, be love.”it really helped me every time I’d do a downward dog, I would see it and I’d go, “Okay, just stay here on your mat.” I didn’t realize it, but I was creating not only an inner stillness but that flow that we’re talking about, that coming home to the self. I think that is a big piece that you mentioned earlier.

The more we come back to the self and stay in the moment, the more that we’re letting go of that incessant need to go either into the past or into the future. For someone who feels stuck, it’s often that combination of always going into the future, “I should be,” or in the past, “I should have.” Instead, I think that key piece is if we stay in the moment.The universe, I really believe, wants us each to evolve toward our best selves. If we can practice staying in the moment and doing what I call “getting out of the way of what the universe wants for me,” then we’re able to see the things that plop in our laps. What do you think of that?

I love that. I could not have said that better even if I tried. I think part of it is about surrendering too and just saying I can only do as much as I can do and just exactly that, trusting that the universe is going to support you. One of my favorite expressions that I heard another yoga teacher say when we were laying down at the beginning of class was that there’s a whole planet underneath you to support you.

I love that. Sometimes for me, I just need to like be on the ground and just like lie down just to feel that sense of being tethered and supported. I think just remembering that even if we’re going through something that feels very much like it’s our own dharma and our own path, that lean into the support around you, lean into your plants, lean into your animals, lean into your loved ones, and lean into the universe.

Understanding Your Dharma In Life

Okay, so you used a word that’s common for yoga community, dharma, somewhat common. Could you tell our readers a little bit about that in case they don’t know dharma?

I would say for to be your dharma, it would be like in the stars for you or it’s already maybe written out in terms of your path. Perhaps it’s something that you are carrying. I don’t want to get too deep down like another rabbit hole, but maybe if someone believes in reincarnation, it’s something that you’ve carried with you or that you’re trying to work out in this life that’s from other lives before. I would say your dharma is what this life has in store for you.

We might even say it’s purpose, if we wanted to give it one word, we could try to consolidate it into purpose. What do you think of that? Purpose on this journey? I love that you mentioned dharma because it does take us back to that piece of purpose. We don’t have to have big purposes. It’s really interesting, I’m thinking about this listener. I don’t know what’s making them stuck, what’s making them feel how they’re feeling. Sometimes we feel stuck because there is an inner calling, a sense that there’s something more out there and we don’t know what it is. I think that the most important piece of that is that you’re listening to the calling, that you’re listening that there is something more.

If we don’t open our windows, if we’re in a home and we’re like, “I want some fresh air, it’s stuck and stale in here.” If we don’t open the window and the door because we’re afraid of flies or mosquitoes coming in or whatever it is, then we don’t get that fresh air, we don’t get that breeze.I think that’s a lovely metaphor for what we’re talking about here, if we remember it’s just really about opening the doors of the body, of the mind, of the spirit, really trying, being willing to be open to whatever might bounce in even if it’s a little scary, if it’s a little novel, if it’s a little unfamiliar. Those can actually be signs that that’s what we’re being called to do.

Advocating For Girls’ Education

Following that, I think about the education you do for young women where you really foster this education for young women, that didn’t come up, it sounds like, as something that you woke up when you were five years old and said, “I’m going to help further education for young women who don’t have a lot already.” Is that an example in your world of something that you really just followed the breadcrumbs, you let the doors and windows open? Could you say more about that?

Absolutely. I think girls’ education is my heart cause. I think currently it’s 130 million girls are out of school globally and for me, your education is not something that can be taken away from you. A lot of other things can, depending on where you are in the world and what might be thrown in your path and the things that you might not have control over, but I firmly believe that if you’re educated, that’s not going to go away anytime soon.

I think really believing in that and seeing it firsthand how it really can change a young woman’s life and open up so many doors and so many windows and so many opportunities has always been my passion and then to be able to facilitate that by fundraising through yoga retreats. It’s a win-win. You are traveling with a purpose and you’re also giving back to yourself while giving to others and furthering that is let’s let the girls teach the yoga themselves. Why can’t they be self-reliant and let’s instill some agency and some independence so that they can use it for how they see fit.

All of this from a young girl who grew up in LA with a mom rescuing cats from under the fence, the dad fostering travel, you going to New York, then to Siem Reap in Cambodia, following all of the things that opened up for you and coming to this place where you do great work that illuminates your spirit, that allows underprivileged women globally to have the support.

I agree with you about education. If there’s one thing to invest in in life and I know my mom and dad, they worked really hard so they could make sure that we got educated and education is something that once you have that knowledge, you have those experiences, no one can take it away from you. It’s there, it’s part of you.

What a way to discover your purpose, to use your purpose, to help other people why. It’s just so beautiful because you’re not helping the education just stopping there, as you said, because we can have education without agency. We can have education without purpose and freedom and all of the things. As you were talking, I wrote down, “Education can inspire.”It doesn’t always, but the education you’re offering, I’m inspired listening to you. It’s like, “This sounds amazing.” You’re doing this through a nonprofit on a global level. I’m not saying that the listener who wrote in that this is exactly what’s right for them, but it is a beautiful template for how to get unstuck and find your purpose and live your dream. What do you think of that?

Thank you. When you put it all together, it means a lot to me, so thank you for acknowledging my journey.

I’m just so inspired and I think even for someone who hasn’t been to Siem Reap or other places on the globe, that can feel so far away. It can feel unimaginable. It can feel scary. Personal confession, I remember there was a day where I was afraid to drive across the Golden Gate Bridge. We all have our limits.

I still don’t really like driving in crazy traffic a lot. The idea now where I’m able to go places near and far and that doesn’t mean I don’t get scared sometimes. There are still times where I’m doing something where I’m like, “Really, am I doing this right now?” I remember we went whitewater rafting down the Grand Canyon and being in the Grand Canyon for seven days, no cell service, nothing was necessarily comfortable.

There’s no proper toilet, no proper shower, nothing. It was one of the most magical experiences of my life. Being in Cambodia, same, the people I met, the way of life, what you experience, what a treat. For you to be able to do this through one of my greatest loves, which is yoga, I’m just so thrilled with the work that you’re doing and how you’re doing it in a way that gives people who attend your retreats, it gives them a chance to tune more deeply into who they are.Into their purpose, into their authenticity, and then maybe get inspired to find a way to connect with the greater world, the greater community, in a way that they may not have imagined possible beforehand. To me, that’s the glory of it.

Not to be cliché, but just take that leap of faith. You just never know what’s going to be on the other side of it. I remember think when I was 25, I was with a friend and it was New Year’s Eve and think we made a pact that this was going to be the year. I was 24 turning 25, I remember, and we agreed that this was going to be the year of “yes.”

We were just going to say “yes,” within reason, of course. Maybe where we would maybe get tired and want to go home or something, we’re like, “No, let’s go out. Let’s go do something different. Let’s try something new.” I think when we say yes to maybe something that we didn’t think we would necessarily do or try or experience, we can really surprise ourselves.

I love that. On that, I can’t top that, that idea of saying yes. You and I are aligned in many ways and I remember when I first heard the whole say yes thing. It does sound a bit scary, but when you learn to tune in and instead of the shut-down, “I’d rather not,” but if you lean into your inner wisdom and say, “Will this allow me to stretch and grow just a little bit?” yes becomes much easier to say and yes again, back to opening doors and windows.

Get In Touch With Dr. Ashley

It’s good for the body, so good for the mind, so good for the spirit when we keep saying yes to things that might stretch us, but that feel appropriate to us even if and especially if they stretch us. I think the stretching is a really magical part of life, figuratively and metaphorically. All right, Dr. Ashley, where can our readers find you, more about your work, more about your retreats? Please, do tell us.

Thank you so much. This has been such a beautiful conversation and I’ve loved every moment of it. You can find us on Instagram or on the internet. Our website is SouljournYoga.com and @SouljournYoga on Instagram. We always do retreats. We have one coming up this year in October to Morocco. For those who are reading as this comes out, please message if you’re interested in going. It’s the seventh time we’ve done our Morocco retreat and I’m really excited. We always do events as well, either London, Los Angeles, New York, so you can join our newsletter and stay in the know for all of our in-person happenings.

Dr. Ashley, thank you so much for your time, your energy, your generosity. I’m so appreciative. It’s really been a joy to connect with you.

Thank you so much for having me, Dr. Manly. I’m very grateful for taking the time to speak with me and to that listener, I hope maybe something connected in our conversation for them as well.

I have a feeling that it did because we’ve covered a lot of territory and just one last piece, readers. Remember that Dr. Ashley’s retreats, you’ll be able to go on that website and if you can’t make one this year, you can see what’s happening, maybe make a reservation for one next year, just stay in touch.If this calls to you at all, it would be really lovely to have something on your radar on a continuous basis so you can pay attention to those little nudges from the universe. Again, thank you, Dr. Ashley. To our readers, as always, I am so grateful for you, your time and your energy. It is as always from my end a joy and a privilege.

Important Links

• Souljourn Yoga Foundation
• SouljournYoga on Instagram
• Souljourn Yoga Retreats
• Morocco Yoga & Adventure Retreat: A Desert Journey of Culture & Connection
• Souljourn Yoga Mission
• Souljourn Yoga Teacher Training
• Souljourn Yoga on Facebook
• Souljourn Yoga on TikTok
• Non-Emergency Online Mental Health Information
• Mental Health and Relationships
• Dr. Carla Manly’s Website
• Dr. Carla Manly on Instagram
• Dr. Carla Manly on X
• Dr. Carla Manly on Facebook
• Dr. Carla Manly on LinkedIn
• Dr. Carla Manly on YouTube
• Dr. Carla Manly on TikTok

About Dr. Jordan Ashley

While embracing New York City’s fast-paced yoga culture, Jordan Ashley, PhD, recognized a need for a more service-based practice, a space where self-awareness grows through selflessness. Drawing on her experience as a full-time yoga teacher and extensive travel, she founded Souljourn Yoga Foundation in 2016 to offer transformative experiences that go beyond a typical yoga retreat.

Souljourn Yoga Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that creates transformational yoga retreats and teacher training programs that blend personal growth, mindful practice, and meaningful travel. These programs empower participants to deepen their yoga practice, connect with communities, and engage in purposeful service. Each retreat and training also raises awareness and funds to support young women’s education worldwide, providing mentorship, leadership opportunities, and access to resources for girls facing economic and social barriers.

Feeling deeply grateful for the education and opportunities she received, Jordan is committed to expanding access and amplifying the voices of young women who are often denied essential human rights. Her work bridges movement, mindfulness, and social impact, creating experiences that transform both participants and the communities they engage with.

Jordan is a sociologist, activist, yoga teacher, and TEDx speaker whose work has been featured in Forbes, the Los Angeles Times, Marie Claire UK, and more. Through Souljourn Yoga Foundation, she continues to cultivate a global network of empowered practitioners who approach the world with intention, compassion, and service.