For those carrying soul-assigned work on the edge of calling or collapse ~ the body is not a burden. It’s a compass.
In this episode, Laureen and Forrest Yoga teacher Denise Hopkins explore embodiment not as a goal to achieve, but as a relational practice: a way of coming home to ourselves, and staying present with each other.
If you’ve ever felt the tug between pushing forward and softening inward…If you’re navigating burnout, identity shifts, or the quiet call to return to yourself…This conversation is for you.
What if your body remembered the blueprint of your becoming?
In this episode, I’m joined by Denise Hopkins, a Forrest Yoga teacher and somatic guide whose presence helped me return to my own. I didn’t know what Forrest Yoga was when I stumbled upon her class years ago…I just knew it felt like a balm.
Over time, sensation that had long gone quiet began to return. And with it, an invitation: to feel, to soften, to trust my body as a place of belonging.
This conversation with Denise is part story, part practice, part remembering. Together, we explore:
What it means to meet discomfort with breath
Why “discipline” doesn’t have to mean punishment…itcan become an act of self-respect
And how “Perfectly Imperfect” might be the most honest mantra for becoming
🌿 Denise generously offers listeners:
– One free group class with code: firstfree
– 30% off a private session with code: grace
👉 Book or learn more at DeniseHopkinsYoga.com
🎧 Listen now:
Click here for the full episode
📝 Note from Laureen
This episode is both a practice and a presence. The conversation with Denise unfolded in real time, full of honesty and care. Later, I gently edited myself out of the recording to create a spacious, reflective rhythm for the listener. That choice created a tender asymmetry…Denise’s spontaneous voice beside my scripted one. I name that here with love, and with deep gratitude for the grace Denise continues to extend to me on my learning journey.
May this conversation invite you home to your body…not as a problem to fix but a compass to trust.
📖 Prefer to read?
We’ve prepared two versions of the transcript, each a companion for different kinds of listening and reflection:
🔹 As Spoken — A near-verbatim transcript that preserves the rhythm and presence of the original conversation. For those who want to hear the heartbeat of the dialogue as it naturally unfolded.
👉 Read: As Spoken Transcript (PDF)
🔹 Refined for Reflection — A lightly shaped version to support stillness and clarity. Designed for reading with ease, without losing the emotional resonance.
👉 Read: Refined for Reflection (PDF)
However you choose to receive ~ by ear, by eye, or both ~ may its wisdom support your journey home to you.
🌀 This space is for those of us swimming the in-between. A place where shearwaters flock and float…companioning one another across the open waters.
If you feel called, share a bit of what arises for you in the comments:
What lingers from the episode?
What surprised you?
What associations arose?
Is there something you’d like to share with Denise ~ an insight, a thank you, or a question? (She’s part of this circle… not just as a guest, but as kin in the waters.)
This path ~ from grit to grace ~ isn’t linear. It’s cyclical. Relational. Alive.
And, luckily, we don’t need to walk it alone.
Thanks for traveling with me.
With grace,
Laureen
✨ Curious to go deeper? Explore the sanctuaries of becoming, guided journeys, and other offerings at laureengolden.com.
