Ed Harrold and Cara Bradley discuss breath as a practical support for presence, awareness, and living with greater intention.
Ed Harrold with Cara Bradley. Originally published on YouTube June 5, 2025. Watch the original conversation on YouTube.
Ed Harrold and Cara Bradley discuss breath as a practical support for presence, awareness, and living with greater intention.
00:13.5 Hello, friends. I'm your fearless host, Ed Harold, and today I am so excited to share with you Kara Bradley. Mm. She's an American treasure, and she's done so much with her life, herself personally, and then helping humanity wake up from kinda this slumber that we've been in for a while. And my gosh, and Kara's just a ball of light. And before we dive in to what she's gonna share with us today, let's just see if we could take a minute and just pump the brakes on the ego, and maybe drop into our body, if the body gives us permission, to kinda listen and see what might be there for us right now.
00:55.5 So if we all could just close our eyes for a second and plant our feet firmly down on this beautiful planet that's hosting our experience, and begin to notice that there's a part of your brain that's breathing for you. And then there's another part of your brain that you can activate that can actually control your breathing. And for most of us, that might begin by slowing down just a little bit, and softening maybe around any emotional or mental edges around performance or competition or where we've been. And begin to notice this amazing muscle that separates the ribcage, the chest cavity, from the abdominal region. And in the anatomy books it's called your thoracic diaphragm.
01:46.4 And on the inhale it vertically presses down towards Mother Earth, and on the exhale it moves vertically up towards Father Sky, this vertical consciousness. And imagine the south end of the diaphragm, the one that's moving down on the inhale, has a beautiful spotlight. And on the inhale, allow it to illuminate everything below it: your organs, the pelvic floor, your legs, your feet, what's below you. And then on the exhale, imagine a beautiful spotlight facing north, illuminating the lungs, the heart, the throat, the brain, and what's above, the crown of the head. And as you inhale, ground and illuminate the lower part of your body and what's below you.
02:48.4 Feel the energy of spring. And on the exhale, illuminating what's above you, the sky of your mind. If you like to use the ocean-sounding breath, you can. If you don't, it still works. Just light yourself up just a touch. Vertical consciousness. And begin to merge with that sacred source, that beautiful flame of consciousness that's hidden inside all of ourselves, that purest of the pure, the brightest of the bright, the lightest of the light. Begin to deepen your breath. Maybe exhale with a sigh and break the sound barrier for a moment and just, "Ah." Ah. Let it all go. And open your eyes and reclaim the space that you're in, and welcome Kara into your senses.
03:58.2 Good morning. Good afternoon. Good, good afternoon, Ed. It's so great to be here. So good to see your face. Well, I love what you're doing on Substack. Can you explain to folks what was the driving force behind going that extra dimension? Well, it's interesting. It... So, so I'm writing Substack, on Substack daily, Monday through Friday. Mm-hmm. Um, something called Sparked or Sparks, Daily Sparks, which are really, uh, short mindset messages. Mm-hmm. Short grounding practi- practices. And, um, the idea came to me in December, actually December 12th it came, it just flooded into me to do this. Uh, I had been hosting a podcast myself for nine years.
04:53.2 Mm. And at, at times they were daily, and it was just a, um, a solo podcast. They were three to six minutes long, very off-the-cuff, unscripted. And honestly, Ed, the reason I started this podcast nine years ago was because I'd been teaching fitness movement yoga for my entire adult life, and I found that, especially in yoga, as you know, you don't wanna talk the entire class. Mm. If there's anything that represents my style of teaching, it is real trust in the intelligence of every single student in the room- Mm-hmm ... and their own, their own brilliance. And if I'm talking the whole class, well, then they don't have the opportunity to really hear what- Mm ...
05:48.1 their body, their soul is telling them. So I've cur- I was curtailing a lot of what was coming through. As a teacher, there's so much intelligence, collective intelligence in a, in a yoga practice. And so I, instead of just speaking into the class, I would go home and I'd speak it on a mic. Mm. So it was my way of just downloading. And so after a while, you know, our mediums change in this, in this lifetime. Mm. There's always creative expression- Yeah ... but the medium, maybe it's clay or a paintbrush or a- Mm ... you know, a, a recipe. But so I'm always leaning into and sensing into what's next, and I, I, I dove into the writing aspect of these-
06:39.6 Mm-hmm ... this creative expression. So I am just having the best time writing them and meeting people and hearing about what sparks them. Mm. Because, you know, not everything is gonna spark everybody every day, and I certainly know that, but there are an infinite number of ways to explain this, this brilliant opportunity to be alive on this planet at this time. And so I am just delightfully bouncing around possibilities out there. Well, I get the Substack thread every morning from you, and it always sparks me into paying attention, getting excited about my day, getting grounded for what- whatever might occur. It, it is such a, a vast ocean that, that you swim in.
07:38.8 Uh, if we could... What... Just start with a basic, like, what could, could we call a definition of sparked? Mm. What does that mean to you? It means to activate. Yeah. So something gets activated, and oftentimes we don't even know why or what, what it means, but it's that, "Oh. Oh, wait, this is me," or- Mm-hmm ... "I need to listen. I need to, I need to think about this." That's a beautiful, beautiful way to create inquiry and exploration, curiosity, creativity. You know, the fire means so much to us, and, you know, we haven't been around the campfire much, you know? We're all in the corral and, uh- Mm ...
08:32.7 got the blue light of the computer. That's a different type of spark, you know? We wanna stay away from that. You know, I don't think a lot of folks know about your backstory and, you know, you had one of the most successful yoga studios in, in Philadelphia for years, and you had teacher trainings and taught thousands of students, and you worked at Villanova University with athletes. I mean, you've... Your resume is deep. You know, could, could you enlighten us a little bit about how we got to this moment? No. Well, I'll keep it short. Um, I've been a teacher my whole life, really. Since I was 15 years old, I was a, um, a figure skater- Mm ...
09:14.4 and I needed to pay for my ice time, and I wasn't going to the Olympics, and so I turned pro. At the time, you had to sign a paper and go from amateur to pro. And I started teaching adults how to skate when I was 15 years old, and I got sparked. Mm. I was activated. I got the bug. I, I saw adults transform in front of my eyes every time I... We had a lesson. Once they got into their bodies- Mm ... once they started moving on the ice, they... their faces lit up, and I really loved that feeling of being involved and participating in that kind of,
09:53.8 uh, shift in people. And so I started teaching movement and fitness and dance and skating and rollerblading, and started teaching yoga in my, I guess, my early 30s, you know? And it's like, again, different mediums, right? Mm-hmm. Same expression- Right ... different mediums. So I, I start... opened a yoga studio in 2004 on the Main Line in Philadelphia- Mm-hmm ... thinking it was literally gonna be a side hustle, and it was right timing. The, the yoga movement was just starting. Right location. Uh, everything just fell into place and, and honestly, the studio took me for a ride- Right ... for 18 years. Um, I ran the studio.
10:36.6 Uh, we ran teacher trainings every year. I absolutely loved it until I didn't, because at the end of the day, it's a business- Mm ... and a business that really doesn't sleep, like a restaurant. It's hardly ever closed. Mm. So, um, I was able to sell it to a teacher, uh, around COVID time, and it's still flourishing, which makes me so happy. I just went down to the 20th anniversary and, uh, I saw students that had been there since day one. It was... And teachers. It was- Wow ... so absolutely... I, I, I... Ed, if I can tell you, you know, it was one of those moments in my life, and we all have these moments, whether it's when our kids are born or, you know, we get married or these moments.
11:20.2 I felt like my, my vehicle could not actually contain all of the joy and acknowledgement and love that I experienced during that 20th anniversary. It was life-affirming. Well, it's great, those little moments where there are no words to describe, you know, what your mind and body are going through, and it's, it's never gonna be that way. And just having those little sacred moments to affirm to you that what... You were on the right path and you made the right decisions, and, uh, you were able to guide people from self-doubt to self-confidence. And, you know, all the little things that we see from the wisdom of the body when we give the body permission to do what it does best, communicate.
12:11.0 That's right. I love that you just said that, because one of the things I... And I still teach yoga, by the way, one class a week up here in Maine, which I love. And, and something that I feel, and I know you do, 'cause I've learned this from you as well, is that our body is always speaking to us through the language of sensation. Yeah. And it really is our mind's job, if you will, to become fluent in that language. Mm-hmm. And we become fluent in that language through movement and stillness, in breath, in silence, in nature, and all the things we know make us feel alive.
12:51.6 But that- Right ... language of the body to me is... It, it's... It really is the next frontier- Right ... if it's not already here. Yeah. It's the language of the future. And, you know, we kinda get sidetracked, you know, the first few years of life. It's great. It's just movement. There's no ego. There's no expectations. I'm always okay. And then all of a sudden we move into the thinking world, and some of us do better in that than others, but we all have to find a certain level of communication, you know, with thought. And let's face it, we become our thoughts to some degree.
13:31.1 And the great part about the work that we're in is that we get to evolve our thought forms. We get to evolve our feeling world, and every day is like, almost like a second childhood. I love that. It is. You know- Yeah ... you always think about the Dalai Lama. They say, you know, he's like a ch- he's like a child. Like, when you meet him, he's bubbly and giggly and bright, and, uh, and, um, I had the great blessing of having a meditation teacher, who is still my teacher and still a great friend, who is childlike as well, and I saw that the first day I met him.
14:08.9 I was like, "Wow, there is something really different about him." And his, and his wife too. They're both phenomenal beings, and they, and they taught for years out of my yoga center as well. Yeah. There's something about, you know, the, the meek will inherit the earth, and that's not the weak. It's the child will- hurt the earth. And, you know, sometimes we get so wrapped up in our story, I, that I have to be serious and, you know, everything has to be perfect. And, you know, we kinda move away from that, the guidance of the child of like, you know, everything's gonna be okay. Let's take it one step at a time.
14:46.7 Let's explore over here. Let's paint over there. You know, all these little things that we have a tendency to move away from might be the key to get back into our finest self. Mm. Yeah. It's interesting, isn't it? And, and I think there's something about age. I'm really experiencing that. I turned 60, um, this year, and there's, there's something that's shifting. You know? Yeah. There's, there's, there's a slowing down in the right way. And- Right ... and I think, like you were saying about our stories, you know, I know my story. Like, Mm-hmm ... you know, yes, if you, somebody asks me, I'll share in, as quickly as I can, but there, our stories really just become
15:36.5 the backdrop. And, uh, it is so much more fun to live. Just as you guided us at the beginning of this talk in the, in your lovely practice, you know, to really allow those, the stories to just be in the background, to be helpful when needed to access. But for this, this brilliant experience right now to be full, present, focused, and right here. Uh, I, I, there's, there's no words for it. Y- you know, it's amazing the control we've been given over our life. And I, I think we're waking up to that accountability and responsibility. You know, we have our chronological age, and that has the social baggage to it.
16:23.0 And then you have your biological age, which is the really, the only age that really matters. You know- Yes ... how old you feel. Like, how is your body, uh, operating? You know, what is, what is, what are the various levels of energy in, in your system? And see so many people, you know, not acting their age anymore. In a good way? In a good way. In a great way. In a great way. Yeah. You know, like there's a part of me that swears I'm 15, and it's gonna explore that, uh, to the best of its ability. Even though I'm, I might not be able to do it, I'm still going to try it.
16:59.4 Yeah. Well, when you, when you think about it, our thoughts have... And I'm just, this is just kinda coming through, so I'm just gonna say it. Our thoughts are not ageless. You know? Mm. Our thoughts have, um, almost like a tinge of, of age on them. They could. Mm. You know? Mm-hmm. And, and I think- Yeah ... that in our practices, the practices that, you know, you and I have been deeply committed to for decades now, it allows us to see those older patterns, the, the heavier, kind of grumpier thought patterns, and, and we get to interrupt that stuff. And- Right ... and in the interruption, the c- continuous interruption, they start to weaken and fade.
17:54.8 And re- Right ... we can replace it with the 15. I don't know if I wanna go back to 15, but you know those, those youthful- Right ... thoughts. The- Right ... the flexible thinking, the open thinking. Yeah. We really begin to see that, you know, a lot of the ancient teachings, you know, are really relevant. That, you know, your mind is the only thing you really truly own, and, and that's the garden that, that you wanna take care of, you know? Mm. Especially in springtime, you know, what thought forms, what old weeds do I wanna pull, you know, out of my mind? You know- Mm ...
18:30.6 really take a good look at with discernment before I plant new flowers for the spring. Because if I don't pull the old weeds, you know, they're gonna draw all the water out from the new flowers and plants that, that you're putting in. You know, we're all these masterful gardeners in the mind of ourselves. Yeah. Yeah, and it, you know, it's easier said than done, you know? And I... And there may be some people listening that's like, "Yeah, I get that, but how do I do that?" You know? Because we are bombarded with so much information and so many, um, kinda titillating things to look at and
19:12.8 listen to and all day long. You know, how can I possibly start to organize this, you know, ball of yarn called my busy mind? Right. And, you know- Right ... it, it can happen just so simply. Um- Yeah ... and so simply. You can't believe it. Yeah. You can't believe how easy this is. It's not complex. You know- Yeah ... it's just go to the body again and again and again. If you don't get what you want, at least you didn't get what you didn't want. Keep asking the body. You know, get to the gym and work on your inner game. Don't go to the gym to create pain.
19:52.2 Go into the gym to create pleasure. You know, stretch your body. Use the weights. Use the light cardio. You know, pay attention to the story. Uh, yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah. What are you trying to tell me today? What am I not hearing right now? How would you like to move? How would you like to be in stillness, you know? Right. How can I best serve you? I, I ask my body questions all day long. I love that you, that you mention that. Yeah. And the great thing about the body is it's not like the ego. It doesn't require an immediate answer. Yeah. You know, the health of your body might come from the quality of your question.
20:34.2 Like, what do you wanna know? Mm. And just because you can't get an immediate answer, it's like ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. Like, there's something there for me. Like, hang in there with that. Yeah. Yeah. And, and I love to encourage people to explore different movement patterns. Exactly. You know? You don't only have to do yoga or Pilates, or I do this, or I'm a runner. Like, you're a mover, right? Right. We are mo- We are... It's our birthright to- Mm-hmm ... move our bodies. And so when we can get curious about how, how this vehicle gets to move- Right ... and play every day, um, it, it really sets us free.
21:20.1 Because if there's one thing I, I really, hmm, it gets under my skin, and I, I've said this publicly before, is that the fitness industry, and I've been a part of it, you've been a part of it for our whole careers, has hijacked movement from our, from our vocabulary. It's hi- Yeah ... hijacked the idea of movement, and it's turned it into a show And there's nothing less fun than a should. Right. And so if we can reclaim movement as our birthright, and just recognize that any movement, movement is movement is movement- Right ... is, is a way to play and explore who we are in this, in this body.
22:06.2 I s- I'm so down with that. You know, just letting the body do what it wants to do with whatever level of energy that I have at that particular moment of my life, and discarding, like, I need to create pain to somehow, down the line, somehow create pleasure. Yeah. You know? We b- we begin to wire the brain in a way that's, like, it becomes our worst enemy. Like, why would I wanna create pain to s- feel pleasure? Like, what is that feeding? It should be win-win all the way through. Pleasure, pleasure, pleasure. You know, push up against maybe what the boundary might be in a healthy way.
22:46.3 Don't run that red light. Like, what is there for me? If I don't get to 10, who cares? I'm not gonna remember it two weeks from now anyhow. Right. You know, there's all these little trap forms that have come into fitness, to me, that just seem to exacerbate self-doubt and insecurity and fear. Where it... Exercise, to me, is all about just getting into the present moment, and can I go deeper into my mind in the present moment? Because I don't know anybody who hasn't gone deeper into themselves and said, "That sucked." You know? Like, the whole thing is how do I get deeper into this light in the healthiest way possible, creating longevity and, and longer life of my cells?
23:30.6 Yeah. Yeah. Well, it's interesting. I, um, for my 60th birthday, I started CrossFit. Mm-hmm. And, uh, so it's almost a year now that I've been doing CrossFit few days a week, and I'd never done Olympic lifting like that. I've been a certified strength coach for 20 years- Mm ... but y- I used it for different things. I used it to train university teams. I, I needed that education. But it has been a phenomenal experience, and I feel very blessed with the community that I have. Very safe, very caring community. Good. But it is a, a way of training the mind-body connection in a different way than yoga, you know?
24:16.9 Mm-hmm. And so it's all patterns, right? We're learning different movement patterns, whether it be a yoga pose or, um, you know, a clean or whatever it is. A pull-up. And we're learning different movement patterns and how to awaken the body in these patterns, and it has b- it has trained my mind in a different way, and I love that. Mm-hmm. I love that, that ability to play and learn how to connect this- Mm-hmm ... and, you know, and, you know, 125 pound, you know, weight to do whatever I'm gonna do with it. Wow. It's, it's lit up lights that I didn't even know were there.
25:02.4 And, and that's what all this pattern... You know, pickleball can do that, and anything, you know? Hiking. Good strong hiking can do that, where we start to learn how to stay present in our body and allow our body to figure it out, because it will, 'cause our body's so intelligent. Oh, it's so smart, man. It's so smart. Giving it permission to be smart is one of the, the big steps. And for someone like yourself who, who trusts their body, you know, you've been with this body your whole life, and you've pushed it and pulled it and stretched it and... You know, w- would there be some advice you'd give for someone who, who maybe, you know, the body might not be, in their mindset, a safe
25:46.4 place? Like, maybe it's a place where I, I hold my trauma, and maybe I'm afraid of my body. Is there a couple tips maybe you could give some folks who wanna reenter the body? Hmm. Yeah. Well, I'll share with you that I had two hip replacements- Hmm ... in the last three years. And, um, part of it, a small percentage of it, was genetic. My mom had two hip replacements in her 50s, so I knew that there was a possibility. But truthfully, I think the biggest component was menopause, and what I wasn't aware of that was happening, the inflammation in my body. And, um, you know, some diet, probably mostly menopause, COVID, a lot of changes.
26:37.0 Mm. And so I walked around with a lot of shame for a, a good number of years, because here I am, this yoga teacher, this mental strength coach, like, all the stuff I've done- Mm-hmm ... and I'm getting hip replacements in my 50s. And so I understand people that walk around not feeling like they're not in their body. And whether it's because the body doesn't feel safe or the body, in my case, felt like it was betraying me and all I'd, I'd done to stay healthy my whole life. Um, and so we have to be very, very gentle with ourselves, and, um, not claiming to
27:21.5 have a lot of experience with, you know, with releasing trauma in the body. That's really not, not been my, um, field at all. But, but starting with loving kindness is definitely something I have practiced a lot. Just... And, and I'll share a wonderful practice that my teacher taught me, Scott McBride, and that is to put your hand on your heart, either physically or even just mentally, when you're feeling like you are either not in your body or not able to be- feel safe in your body or to love your body, and to, with your hand on your heart, to say to yourself, "There, there, sweetheart." Mm-hmm.
28:09.7 Mm-hmm. "There, there, sweetheart." Right. Yeah. "There, there," just like a grandmother would tell you- Yeah ... if you've skinned your knee. Like, "There, there. You're trying. You're here. You're showing up." And that just softening, that softening of the shoulds and the have tos and the can'ts and the, you know, don't want tos even, um, "There, there. There, there, sweetheart." Um, for me it was a game changer, is to really, um, offer myself that kind of kindness, compassion. That's so well said, and just rocked my world. You know, and it's just like we just need to relax. Hmm. You know, relax. You know, when we say relax to ourselves, like, the body immediately knows, you know, we're safe.
29:01.8 Yes. You know? And just this whole thing, you know, about being gentle with ourselves. You know, it doesn't mean you're weak. It means you're self-aware. It, it's an awareness that you're always doing the best you possibly can, and if you coulda done better at that particular moment, you would have, but now you have the skills to do that. It's such sound advice. Hmm. Thank you. Well, it's from my own direct experience, that's for sure. Yeah. And there, and there's one other thing, um, and I learned this from another meditation teacher, um, Adyashanti, and he is an inquiry, uh, a wonderful inquiry-led practices he teaches a lot.
29:46.0 And his inquiry that I use all the time with my students and myself is, "Can I let go just a little bit more?" Mm-hmm. And it's in the asking of the question that elicits the physical response. Mm-hmm. Right. It doesn't have to be a, "Yes, I can let go a little more." We don't even have to say anything. All we need to do, as you know, is ask the question, whether it be in a yoga pose or in a traffic jam or before you're, you know, ready to lash out at somebody. It's like, "Can I let go just a little bit more?" Yeah. It's... The questioning just keeps us so young and vibrant.
30:32.8 Mm-hmm. You know? And it's the know-it-alls that are, might be suffering the most right now, you know, 'cause what do we actually really know, you know? Speaking of that, I mean, you got this first 60, and what are you gonna do the next 60? Oh, lots of things. Um, there are so many possibilities. Isn't it great? Oh. And, and really I feel so fortunate that I finally let go of the need for acknowledgement. Hmm. The need to, you know, to be, be wherever I think I'm supposed to be, and all the... Like, all the comparing and the judging. Wow, that was a heavy backpack to carry for Oh, it certainly is.
31:29.5 Yeah. You know? And here you are now rewriting the whole storyline for what life can be, you know, once we get past 50. And, you know, I'm, uh, I'm serious. I think you can squeeze out another healthy, thriving 60. Why not? Why not? Who's stopping you? Hmm. Yeah. Nobody. Nobody. The mind is everything. Yeah. Mindset. Strong mind, flexible, strong body, healthy soul. Okay, here we go. Next 60. Yeah. All right. Let's do it, Ed. Yeah. I think, I think this next little bit of the ride is gonna be something that we've been waiting for. I don't quite know what it is, but I know it's gonna be bright, and it's gonna be light, and it's gonna be fun.
32:20.5 Mm-hmm. Yeah. And you know, I especially have a very tender place in my heart for women, midlife women. Yeah. Uh, we have been in the dark about the massive changes that happen in our bodies in our 40s and 50s, and there have been too many women, too many women, wise women, capable women, that have gone underwater because- Mm-hmm ... of the changes. And I was there. I was underwater. Mm-hmm. And so when I came out, when I got my head back up again, you know, above the water and started to learn about the changes in every system in our body, including our brain, during menopause, I got myself really educated and certified and all this, and I really am so passionate.
33:17.6 In fact, my Sparks, you know, those are the, those are the people I'm speaking to most. Mm-hmm. And when I write those Sparks are these women, capable women, brilliant, wise women that feel invisible and irrelevant in this world. Mm-hmm. Um, and so Ed, I have to share that there's a Chinese proverb that- Hmm ... changed my life when I read it a few years ago. And it says, "When sleeping women wake, mountains move." Hmm. "When sleeping women wake, mountains move." And there are too many women... In fact, this year, 2025, it's estimated a billion women are in the menopause age. Mm-hmm. Somewhere in the 45-year-old and older.
34:08.8 A billion women. Could you imagine even a small percentage of that billion women waking up to their capacities, understanding their bodies, getting- Mm-hmm ... some of their practices dialed in so they have this prana moving, this energy moving through them? Could you imagine what our world would look like? Our world would change so freaking quickly- Yeah ... if more women my age felt empowered to be who they are and express who they are. Wow. And I think you're giving people permission to uncover that great sun inside themselves and embrace it. Thank you. I totally am down with what you're saying, and I can feel it happening.
34:57.6 I think anyone can notice these shifts, and the shifts are happening for our betterment, not our detriment, this freeing up, this sovereignty, this liberty. And, uh, when we free up the feminine like that, and all these beautiful souls- Hmm ... you're gonna need, you're gonna need more than sunglasses. I'm telling you. It'll be bright. Mountains will move. So how can people... I know. How can people connect with you and get your wisdom? Oh, thank you for asking. The best place is on Substack. Mm-hmm. So Substack's a platform, and if you go to Substack and, uh, search Kara Bradley or Sparked, you'll find me. You can sign up free, free daily Sparks, little mindset boosts, and uh, or you can go to my website, karabradley.net, and you'll be able
35:50.9 to get me and Sparks through there as well. Ladies and gentlemen, Kara is somebody who you wanna make contact with and receive her guidance and wisdom. She's been doing it for a long time. She's a trusted source. And when we can be trusted, we can have faith and hope that the best days of our life haven't even occurred yet. Thank you so much for joining us, Kara. Thank you, Ed. I appreciate you.