The Elder Flower Podcast
Are you curious to explore a holistic approach to recovery from addiction, disordered eating, codependency, burnout, anxiety, "the hustle" or whatever it is you are recovering from? Trading the shame and stigma of addiction for curiosity, enthusiasm and levity, host Jennifer Lebedoff wholeheartedly creates a beautiful life she doesn’t have to escape. This podcast shares a series of practices for you to try at home, including yoga, breathwork and meditation. We’ll share stories and discuss ideas for some traditional and new ways to approach recovery. You don't have to call yourself an alcoholic or addict to be here, nor do you have to renounce a thing. You choose what your recovery looks like. Dip your toe in, and see for yourself!
The Elder Flower Podcast
Finding Home Inside Myself: The Story of the Elder Flower Podcast
Do you ever find yourself longing for a sense of homecoming, for a place where stories of healing and laughter flow as freely as the tea being shared? That's exactly where we venture in the first (little) episode of the Elderflower Podcast. I'm Jennifer and I start with a poem I wrote, then take you through a transformative process of building community and finding healing in the everyday acts of sharing space, practicing yoga, and engaging authentically with those around me. This episode isn't just about the physical journey from the hustle of city life to the serenity of the mountains; it's about the emotional trek towards a life of deep connection, unmarred by addiction and the echoes of a frenetic past.
From my home studio turned sanctuary nestled in nature, you can expect conversations that bloom with the insights of an eclectic variety of seekers and teachers. These guests bring their unique hues to the canvas of our discussions, painting a vivid picture of what it means to co-create a spiritual and meaningful existence. Along with these long-form discussions, I will share daily practices like yoga, meditations, and even a few that might surprise you, adding underpinning to whatever you decide your recovery looks like. You do not have to call yourself an addict or alcoholic to be here, I don't. You do not have to renounce anything in your life, though I have. I hope you feel empowered to try practices on for size, deciding which serve your growth and wellness. Tune in, and let your heart be touched by the stories, laughter, and perhaps even find the pearl of wisdom you've been searching for amidst this shared journey of recovery and discovery.
A dozen travellers might walk through my precious door, tracking steps through paddocks, forests and roads, and should I welcome a scuff on my solid floor, I will remember it has a story to tell and I shall notice it and be warmed by its character. Verses rememberings and tears wash her concrete, sage and beeswax send her timbers and she is strong enough to support us, warm enough to invite ease. A brow and furrows. A heart softens. We are home. A dozen travellers might walk through my precious door, tracking steps through hospitals, car crashes and undigested experiences, and should a bruise be left on my hopeful spirit, I will remember it has a story to tell and I shall notice it without regret. Harmony, poetry and validations wash my cheeks. Sage and beeswax scent my skin and I am open enough to stand by them. Familiar enough to invite ease. My brow and furrows. My heart softens. I am home.
Jennifer Lebedoff:I share yoga as a path to recovery. People think it must be a naivete that has me invite strangers into my home to experience connection and community. In our individualistic society, we've forgotten practices like sharing. What if I'm offering my hand because it feels comforting to be touched in return? Each of our stories shares something and I find home in that. This week a yogi walked in saying she had been shovelling literal shit all day. Others came from their children, their gardens, a psych ward, and we sang and moved and shared tea. I felt more connected than I had in a hundred Zoom meetings and transactional exchanges. I was paid in merri golds and garlic and laughter and listening. Yes, my heart might break doing this, but what if it heals? Welcome to the Elderflower Podcast. I'm your host, J ennifer Lebedoff.
Jennifer Lebedoff:In 2016, I set off on a path to create a beautiful life, one that I didn't have to use over-functioning, and other harmful behaviours to manage. Along the way, I've hit the jackpot creating depth of relationship, enjoying times of sweet solitude rather than running from them, feeling connection and, yes, sometimes struggling as I bump up against another life challenge or part of me that needs care. I made the big leap, leaving the city and corporate office and buying a house deep in the mountains with a yoga studio downstairs where I teach yoga to a community healing from substance use, disordered eating, depression, poverty, anxiety, grief, ADHD and a whole host of things it all sounds rather serious. Yes, we sometimes weep, but we also move sing, paint, hike, cross country, ski, meditate in old-growth forests forests and laugh a lot, spending time cultivating connection and co-creating a beautiful life where we remind each other of the wonder available to us in this world.
Jennifer Lebedoff:I've spent this time exploring my own patchwork of recovery and in this podcast I'll share some of it with you. So many people have walked through the door of the Elderflower: meditators, functional medicine practitioners, ayurvedic teachers, farmers, artists and herbalists. I've learned so much from each of them, often saying: "we should have recorded this conversation. Our focus here is on exploring our inner wilderness, soothing the underlying causes of our maladaptive behaviors and finding gentle ways in which to create an authentic, spiritual, fulfilling and meaningful existence free from the suffering of addiction. I'll be recording yoga practices and meditations and sharing conversations and stories. I hope not to give prescriptive advice Enjoy what your sweet soul enjoys and ditch the rest, and if you get any pearls here, it would mean the world if you clicked the follow button and shared this with a friend who might join us in this exploration.
