Imagining Self-Care For All

About this episode

Jivana Heyman discusses the balance of self-care and service with guests Rodrigo Souza and Deanna Michalopoulos, exploring themes of boundaries, selfless service, and the philosophical teachings of yoga.

In this episode, Jivana Heyman sits down with his longtime friend and Accessible Yoga collaborator, Rodrigo Souza, to explore the season's central theme of balancing self-care with service. Rodrigo, who lives with a complete spinal cord injury, shares candidly about managing limited energy, letting go of guilt around rest, and learning to stop measuring his worth by how much he produces. Together, they reflect on what it really means to show up for others and why setting boundaries isn't selfish but essential. In the second part of the episode, Jivana is joined by Deanna Michalopoulos to unpack the philosophical heart of the discussion: karma yoga, seva, and what the Bhagavad Gita and Yoga Sutras teach about selfless service. They explore why genuine service has to come from a place of fullness rather than lack and why self-love might be one of the most radical practices of all. Topics include: Brahmacharya as conscious management of time, energy, and boundaries Representation and visibility of disabled practitioners and teachers Yoga tools for anxiety management Imposter syndrome and challenges of teaching in a capitalist society Teaching what you need to learn Rodrigo’s…

People in this episode

Host: Jivana Heyman

Guests: Rodrigo Souza, Deanna Michalopoulos

Topics covered

• self-care
• service
• boundaries
• karma yoga
• selfless service
• anxiety management
• imposter syndrome

Keywords

• self-care
• service
• boundaries
• yoga
• anxiety management
• imposter syndrome
• disabled practitioners

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Bhagavad Gita, Yoga Sutras

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• Season Five Launch: Welcome Back! · May 5, 2026 · 38 min
• The Teaching on Impermanence: Season Wrap-up with Jivana · February 3, 2026 · 33 min
• The Teaching on Living Yoga with Itzel Hayward · January 20, 2026 · 1h 3m
• The Teaching on When to Walk Away with Oneika Mays · January 6, 2026 · 1h 14m
• The Teaching on Working with Your Mind with Swami Ramananda · December 23, 2025 · 1h 7m