Build a Life of Meaning and Purpose Through Radical Self-Care

How can we cultivate resilience, compassion, and a sense of purpose in a fractured world? Mindfulness teacher and activist Shelley Tygielski shares how radical self-care guides us in big and small ways, creating ripple effects leading to a profound impact of compassion for ourselves and our community.
#kriyayoga #meditation #takingaction #freewill #showup #selfcare

Shelly Tygielski

Shelly Tygielski, the author of the book Sit Down to Rise Up and founder of the global grassroots mutual aid organization Pandemic of Love. Her work as a self-care activist, community organizer, and mindfulness teacher has been featured by over 100 media outlets, including CNN Heroes, CBS This Morning, the New York Times, and the Washington Post. A trauma-informed mindfulness teacher and a former Garrison Institute Fellow, she has been called one of the “12 Powerful Women of the Mindfulness Movement” by Mindful.org and teaches self-care and resilience at organizations and to audiences around the world.

THE YOGA HOUR TEAM COMMENTS: ​This program with Shelly Tygielski was profound and important. At this time in our history many of us are frustrated, angry and worried. We are wondering if there is anything that we can do. As Shelly said, we may be asking the question "How can I, this one person, make any difference with what I do?" With her experience of bringing more than 15,000 people, over 5 years, to the beach to meditate with her on Sundays and her work creating the organization Pandemic of Love, connecting thousands of people together one to one for mutual support she shows how following our inner guidance, the Guru within, can do incredible things for people. Both of these programs started with just a simple idea. She says just volunteering to take out the garbage for an elderly neighbor each week can make a significant difference to that person and the people around them. It’s not insignificant.  I really appreciated the Buddhist quote that she shared "Tend to the area of the garden that you can reach." I am reminded of the quote attributed to Mother Teresa "We can do no great things, only small things with great love." I highly recommend this program.

Change Your Mind, Change Your Life

How do thoughts and emotions impact our physical health as well as our mental and emotional well-being? Our guest Reema Datta, author of The Yogi’s Way: Transform Your Mind, Health, and Reality, offers ancient yogic techniques that empower us to break free from the challenges of modern society so we can experience lasting inner peace and good health in all ways.
#kriyayoga #yoga #unity #witnessconsciousness #kleshas #meditation

WEBSITE: ReemaYoga.com FB:Reema.Datta.9 IG: ReemaYoga

Reema Datta

Reema Datta is the author of The Yogi’s Way: Transform Your Mind, Health, and Reality. She first learned yoga and Ayurveda from her mother and grandmothers as well as her grandfather, who wrote several books on Vedic philosophy. After receiving her master’s from the London School of Economics, Reema Datta worked for the United Nations before leaving to study ancient yogic wisdom and practice. Since 2002, she has taught yoga and Ayurveda workshops, retreats, and trainings in twenty countries across five continents.

THE YOGA HOUR TEAM COMMENTS: This was a wonderful conversation between two people who really understand the teachings of yoga philosophy and want to benefit the self and  humankind through one individual action at a time.  Reema Datta shared valuable practices from her book, The Yogi's Way.  She spoke about how important it is to observe ourselves and others in non-judgement and that in each moment "we have a choice in what to say and what to do," and that "a stepping stone to love is understanding."  All this and more comes out in this podcast.  This is your "how to" guide to live the principles of Yoga and improve your life.

DR. TRUJILLO’S COMMENTS: We spoke about the underlying unity of yoga philosophy, and how it is essential in meeting the challenges of today’s world.   I really appreciated our conversation about how we can witness powerful emotions such as anger, grief, sorrow, and fear, accepting them without being overtaken by them.  I appreciated Reema Datta’s perspective that the openness of witness consciousness isn’t cold, but rather is an expression of love.  Our discussion of yoga’s ethical principles of nonviolence, non-stealing, and contentment, along with the journaling practice she presents in her book will be helpful for our listeners.  

Explore Swami Vivekananda and His Legacy of Love and Unity

In honor of the 125th anniversary of Swami Vivekanda’s visit to the Bay Area, Swami Prasannatmananda of the Vedanta Society Berkeley will discuss Vivekanda’s timeless message of love, unity and divinity of all, and how that message reverberates to this day.
#kriyayoga #yoga #vedanta #VedantaWisdom #SwamiVivekananda #unity

Swami Prasannatmananda

Swami Prasannatmananda is a fully ordained monk of the Ramakrishna Order, India and has served as Swami-in-Charge of Vedanta Society Berkeley, California since 2014. He received his Sannyasa vows in 1995 and came to the US in 2011. Swami Prasannatmananda has been serving numerous centers of the Ramakrishna Order in various capacities, primarily in the field of spiritual practice, religious worship, instruction, educational initiatives, and research projects. He has offered classes and lectures on a variety of philosophical topics at many esteemed institutions including the Graduate Theological Union at UC Berkeley, Stanford University, and the Parliament of World Religions.
Website: Vedanta Society Berkeley

THE YOGA HOUR TEAM COMMENTS: This was an insightful conversation with Swami Prassanatmananda of the Vedanta Society of Berkeley. Swami Vikekananda, in 1893, brought a new concept of religion to the West-- Vedanta.  Swami Prassanatmananda said that with Vedanta, which is related to the philosophy of Yoga, the source of happiness is the journey, and to realize that the Source (God, the Atman) is within each of us. We can experience this love, unity and oneness for ourselves. Love is the unifying force that unites us all. I will take away a deeper appreciation for, and an understanding of the history behind our spiritual practices and to take time to honor Swami Vivekananda for his spiritual mastery with deep gratitude for shaping so many lives here and around the world.

DR. TRUJILLO’S COMMENTS: I appreciated our discussion of Swami Vivekananda as an opportunity to recognize and honor his legacy of unity and love here in America.  It’s amazing to know that 125 years ago during his visit to the San Francisco Bay Area, as many as 500 people had to be turned away from his talks.  We discussed how Vivekananda stressed the importance of the direct experience of God, how he founded the Vedanta Societies in the US, and how this is still a central principle of the teachings of Vedanta. 

Eat Well, Live Well, Think Well

How can we improve our relationship with food so that we can find pleasure and nourishment in what we eat? Nutritionist Sue Van Raes shares practices that can help us understand what fulfills us and satisfies our true hungers. We can learn to trust our hunger and organic intelligence.
#kriyayoga #satiate #metabolicprofile #bloodsugar #innercritic #leptin

Sue Van Raes

Sue Van Raes is a functional nutritionist, food psychology specialist, and wellness expert who is dedicated to helping women who are stressed out about food finally make peace with their plates. She is the founder of Boulder Nutrition where she offers many programs to support nutrition for the body/mind/spirit.  Sue draws on her personal and professional experience providing a body, heart, mind, and soul approach to stop stressing and start living. Sue’s insight on nutrition, food psychology, and yoga has been featured in numerous publications, including People Magazine, The Chopra Center, The Sacred Science, and the Elephant Journal. She is the author of the book we are discussing today, Food and Freedom: Discover Your Personal Recipe to Eat, Think and Live Well.
WEBSITE: BoulderNutrition.com Social Media: Boulder Nutrition

THE YOGA HOUR TEAM COMMENTS: Sue Van Raes brings very important concepts and practices for people who would like to have a better relationship with food and how they eat. As she says, "Food is so much more than is what we find on our plates, it is the feeling of comfort and safety we cultivate in our bodies and our homes. Our food is all that satiates our souls." Sue gave us practical information about how important regulating our blood sugar by eating a balanced diet of protein, healthy fats, vegetables (fibre and micronutrients) and carbohydrates. I appreciated how she said that we are individuals with unique needs. She shares that when we have more understanding of what is happening in our bodies when we eat, we can experience and listen to the body's wisdom. I highly recommend this program to anyone who would like to learn to eat food for nourishment and pleasure and even for those who don't have particular problems with food but would like to learn more about nourishment and how our body gives us the signals for healthy eating.

DR. TRUJILLO’S COMMENTS: I appreciated the opportunity to discuss how we can replace an externalized approach to eating (relying on outside cues) with an increased awareness of our bodies signals about hunger and satiety.  Sue Van Raes provided an updated look at the hormones that control our appetite, leptin and ghrelin.  The internal cues that we can tune into include the “satiety sigh” and the decrease in the intensity of the taste of our food.  I loved her expansive definition of our “food" to include the feeling of comfort and safety we feel, the connections we share with our loved ones, and all that satiates our souls.  

Divine Grace Lived: A Journey of a Lifetime

Francis X. Clooney is a Catholic priest, theologian, and professor at Harvard Divinity School, whose deep faith led to exploration of Hinduism and the development of a comparative theology.  We discuss his memoir: Hindu and Catholic, Priest and Scholar: A Love Story.
#kriyayoga #theology #catholic #oneness #comparative theology #grace #curiosity

Francis X. Clooney

Francis X. Clooney, S.J. is a Roman Catholic priest and scholar in the teachings of Hinduism. He has been a member of the Society of Jesus for 55 years. He is currently a professor at Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Francis Clooney joined the Harvard Divinity School faculty in 2005, where he is the Parkman Professor of Divinity and Professor of Comparative Theology. From 2010 to 2017, he was the Director of the Center for the Study of World Religions at Harvard. Father Clooney is a leading figure globally in the developing field of comparative theology, a discipline distinguished by attentiveness to the dynamics of theological learning deepened through the study of traditions other than one’s own. He has also written on the Jesuit missionary tradition, particularly in India, on the early Jesuit pan-Asian discourse on reincarnation, and on the dynamics of dialogue and interreligious learning in the contemporary world.  He is the author of numerous articles and books related to comparative theology and Hinduism including his memoir, Hindu and Catholic, Priest and Scholar: A Love Story
WEBSITE: Francis Clooney

THE YOGA HOUR TEAM COMMENTS: This was a beautiful discussion of faith, oneness, growth, curiosity and wisdom.  It was so interesting to hear Father Clooney's journey from being a young Catholic in seminary growing up on the East Coast to his life today as a Roman Catholic Priest and Professor at Harvard University; and how his studies of Hindu theology and traditions have been interwoven into his whole life.  His purpose for writing his memoir at this time should cause all of us to pause for a moment and ask, "how did I get where I am today" and "what role has grace played in that?"  His definition of comparative theology was a powerful one, saying that it is "faith seeking understanding," much different from the analytical work of comparing religions.   In a world where there is pressure to always create something new and different, the benefit of studying our wisdom traditions is to take those ancient teachings and bring them into practice in our lives today; there is nothing new that needs to be created.  

DR. TRUJILLO’S COMMENTS: Our discussion of Oneness, that sense that God is here and now, within us and around us, began with Francis Clooney’s description of the mystical experience he had at age 15.  I enjoyed our conversation since Oneness is such an essential principle of yoga.  We reviewed how the exploration of other spiritual paths can add depth to our own, helped along by our curiosity and humility.  It was inspiring to see how all his grace-filled experiences came together to form the tapestry of his life.  

Awaken to Our Underlying Unity Through the Perennial Philosophy

The Perennial Philosophy stresses that the experience of Oneness is available to all. Author and professor, Dana Sawyer, shares how this philosophy supports our quest for Self-realization and our experience of the unity that lies beneath the apparent diversity of the world.
#kriyayoga, #perennialphilosophy #consciousness #mysticalexperience #mysticism

Dana Sawyer

Dana Sawyer has an academic background in Hindu and Buddhist philosophy, but has been writing on comparative mysticism, noetic experiences, and theories of the perennial philosophy for more than 20 years. He is professor emeritus of philosophy and world religions at Maine College of Art and Design and has written biographies of Aldous Huxley and Huston Smith, two famous perennialists. His most recent books are an analysis of The Transcendental Meditation Movement and the book we are discussing today The Perennial Philosophy Reloaded: A Guide for the Mystically Inclined. 
WEBSITE: danasawyer.com

THE YOGA HOUR TEAM COMMENTS: I really enjoyed this deep conversation about the perennial philosophy, a philosophy which is in alignment with the teachings of Yoga. Dana Sawyer's own study and practice of Transcendental Meditation and study with other yogic teachers, his experience with some of the great perennialists from the 60's as well as his study of those who taught and wrote in the late 19th and early 20th century such as Ralph Waldo Emerson has informed his ability to share how this philosophy is relevant to today's seekers. I really appreciated the discussion of what is the enlightenment or unitive experience and why we want it. Basically we want it so that we understand the meaning of this life and how we are a part of the wholeness of the universe. This experience is available to all of us when we let go of our perception of our small self. He quoted Rumi who said "we are not a drop in the ocean, we are the ocean in one drop". I highly recommend this program. As the subtitle of the book says, it is "A Guide for the Mystically Inclined."

DR. TRUJILLO’S COMMENTS: I really appreciated Dana Sawyer’s depth of knowledge about the Perennial Philosophy and the mystical experiences and writings from so many different religions and spiritual traditions.  He described episodes of “unitive mystical experience” that we can access through various means as one of the central aspects of the perennial philosophy, and that we can take the understanding gained from these episodes into our lives. I loved the Rumi quote he shared: “You are not a drop in the ocean; you are the entire ocean in a drop."  I enjoyed our discussion of consciousness as not just being “on” when we are awake, and “off” when we are asleep, but rather having a rheostat that can be turned up to make it brighter.  We also discussed that there is no one spiritual path for everyone, but that there are many different paths and we must each find one that works best for us.

Celebrate the Unity of Life

In this time of divisiveness, recognition and celebration of our underlying unity is even more important. Rev. Paul John Roach discusses the unity of the world’s religions and how various spiritual traditions celebrate the return of the light at this time of year.
#kriya yoga #oneness #unity #winter solstice #mysticism #grief

Rev. Paul John Roach

A native of Wales, UK, Paul John Roach is an ordained Unity minister from the Unity Ministerial School, Kansas City. He served as the Senior Minister at Unity Fort Worth (1988-2018). Paul has widely served the Unity ministry including serving on the board of Unity World Headquarters. The podcast he hosts, World Spirituality and through social media sites, Paul explores themes of connectedness, oneness and remembering wholeness. He is the author of the book, Unity and the World Religions that we discuss on The Yoga Hour.
WEBSITE: .pauljohnroach.com

THE YOGA HOUR TEAM COMMENTS: I enjoyed this rich conversation with Dr. Trujillo and Rev. Paul John Roach that touches into the heart of this time and season. A potent time of year when we observe the signs all around—in nature, in the darkness and letting go into silence, mystery and wonder. It’s deeply supportive to embrace the many connections we have to each other and to those that came before us, to connect with the Source in and around us. This conversation affirmed for me that yoga practice is the way into this sacred time, and how grief and letting go is surrender into the light of conscious awareness.

DR. TRUJILLO’S COMMENTS: I really enjoyed our discussion of Oneness, the unity that is present at the mystical core of the world’s religions. It's is so important for us to remember that we are all connected, and to live from that viewpoint.  I also enjoyed our conversation about the special celebrations that occur in many religions at this darkest time of the year as we prepare for the returning of the light.  I was inspired by Rev. Roach’s description of the first principle of the Unity spiritual community; that “God is absolute good, everywhere present, the one presence and power in the universe”, which leads to the second Unity principle, that "Human beings have a spark of divinity within them.”  His advice to take a fast from panic was helpful in this divisive time, as was his advice to remember that all is in Divine Order, even when we cannot see it.  The wisdom that Paul John Roach brought to our interview will be helpful to our listeners.

Practical Steps to Transform Stress into Strength

Stress has become a normal part of our lives. Join us for this conversation with Dr. Elissa Epel, author of the Stress Prescription: Seven Days to More Joy and Ease, as she shares practical ways to navigate adversity to live a happier and healthier life. We can’t avoid stress but we can embrace it and transform it.

Elissa Epel Ph.D

Elissa Epel, PhD is an international expert on stress, well-being, and optimal aging and a best-selling author of The Telomere Effect, and now The Stress Prescription.  She is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, at The University of California, San Francisco, where she is Vice Chair of Psychology and directs the UCSF Aging Metabolism Emotions Center. She studies how psychosocial and behavioral factors, such as meditation and positive stress, can slow aging and focuses on climate wellness.

WEBSITE: ElissaEpel.com Social Media: Elissa Epel
#KriyaYoga #stress #stressresponse #meditiaton #selfreflection #relaxation

THE YOGA HOUR TEAM COMMENTS: Elissa Epel brings together decades of research on stress for us to live happier and healthier lives in her book, The Stress Prescription. Listeners will appreciate learning about the different types of stress, the four different mind states, and some practical tools to lessen chronic stress.  Her research even shows how effective meditation is reducing stress, as we know from our own practice through Kriya Yoga. I am confident this conversation will get listeners thinking more about how stress impacts their lives and the simple steps they can take to turn stress into strength. 

DR. TRUJILLO’S COMMENTS: I really appreciated the way that Dr. Epel integrates science along with helpful techniques to allow us to better deal with stress and live a happier and healthier life.  Her view that stress can be positive in that it prepares our mind and body for what we need to do is helpful.  I appreciated that she suggested questions to ask ourselves as a way of reducing stress when we have too many balls in the air.  I found Dr. Epel’s depictions of the four states of mind in response to stress can be useful: Red Mind (acute stress), Yellow Mind (baseline cognitive mode), Green Mind (rest), and Blue Mind (deep rest). She points out that in our chronically stressful world, we often don’t get beyond Red Mind and Yellow Mind.  This conversation can help us to change that.