Episode 181. How to Truly Love Your Life, with Danni CarrEpisode 181. How to Truly Love Your Life, with Danni Carr
Behind The Smile with Ash Butterss
Ash Butterss and Danni Carr talk about Bali, yoga and spiritual routines that support long-term sobriety. Their chat mixes humour and honesty as they share how small, consistent practices can turn sober life into something genuinely lovable.
43:55•28 Jun 2026
Bali, Yoga and Saying “Fuck It”: How Danni Carr Learned to Love Her Sober Life
Episode Overview
- Tri Hita Karana’s three connections – divine, community and land – mirror the balance needed for stable recovery.
- Yoga in sobriety goes far beyond poses, with shavasana, meditation and breathwork helping regulate the nervous system.
- Discomfort with stillness can signal unresolved self-criticism, yet regular practice slowly builds a kinder relationship with self.
- Friendships often shift in early sobriety, but this creates space for deeper, more authentic connections to form.
- Spiritual practice doesn’t have to be serious or perfect; small daily actions and a sense of humour can make it sustainable and joyful.
“Why would you get sober to live a boring life? No, thank you.”
What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol? This conversation between host Ash Butterss and returning guest, sobriety mentor and yoga teacher Danni Carr, leans into that question with humour, honesty and plenty of spiritual chat. You’ll hear Ash and Danni swap Bali stories, far away from the Bintang singlets stereotype.
Danni explains why Bali feels like her “spiritual home”, sharing the Balinese philosophy of Tri Hita Karana – daily connection to the divine, to community and to the land – and how that three-part focus mirrors the AA triangle of recovery, unity and service. A big part of the episode centres on yoga as a core pillar of long-term sobriety.
Danni laughs about once storming out of shavasana and turning up to class drunk, yet she now says, “I get onto my mat and I just feel this sense of coming home to myself.” Ash adds her own reflections on stillness, asking students questions like, “What are you trying to control?” to help them soften their grip on life.
Together they break down yoga beyond the poses – meditation, breathwork, the yamas and niyamas – and why spiritual practice doesn’t require mala beads or a white outfit. It might start with a single child’s pose or five minutes of meditation that your brain will absolutely try to talk you out of.
The two also talk candidly about friendships in sobriety: the grief of people falling away, the joy of deep, adult connections formed through recovery communities, and the relief of having friends you can call with anything and feel zero judgement. Threaded through it all is a gentle but firm message: a spiritual life in sobriety can be practical, playful and full of swearing kriyas and fart jokes, as long as it keeps you connected to yourself and something bigger.
What small, doable practice could help you feel a little more at home in your own skin today?
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