Spiritual Evolution—Spiritual Revolution

How are the ancient sciences of yoga and Ayurveda sparking a global spiritual evolution? Mas Vidal, author and teacher, discusses how these timeless wisdom practices provide a methodology for healing ourselves, healing the world, and inspiring a future we can all work towards.

Mas Vidal, teacher of Yoga and Ayurveda, and author of the book discussed in this program, The Evolution Revolution: Yoga, Ayurveda, and the Rise of the Soft Power Culture. Mas Vidal integrates a background of athletics, therapeutics, science and ecology into a dynamic synthesis that has lead him to become an innovative voice in the field of integral Yoga and Ayurveda. He offers certification and educational programs internationally and maintains an active counseling practice that embraces Vedanta, Ayurveda and Vedic astrology. He follows the lineage teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda of the Self Realization Fellowship and Swami Jyotirmayananda of the Sivananda lineage. 

His website is Dancingshiva.com, and you can find him on Facebook @dancingshivayoga.

YOGA HOUR TEAM COMMENTS: I appreciated the questions Mas Vidal asks at the beginning of his book- Am I evolving? What does it mean to live an evolutionary life? Am I living a life that is segregated from nature or one that embraces the world as a reflection of my own consciousness?” These are important questions to ask ourselves as we move along the path of yoga. As Mas talks about the philosophy of Vedanta which he practices, I see the very close relationship to the practices of Kriya Yoga which is what is practiced at The Center for Spiritual Enlightenment. These questions that he suggests that we ask ourselves are Self-Inquiry, one of the three pillars of Kriya Yoga. So many of us get stuck in thinking that having specific experiences in meditation are the evidence of our spiritual evolution, but as Yogacharya has taught us and Mas Vidal emphasizes in his book, it is about looking and listening to all of our life and the life around us, (the Kriya Yoga practice of Self-discipline) and understanding and surrendering to the understanding that we are all One with that—we are not separate, which is the third pillar of Kriya Yoga- surrender. I really appreciate Mas Vidal's way of articulating these ancient teachings, making them very relatable for our modern life.

DR. TRUJILLO’S COMMENTS: I really enjoyed our talk about the transformative practices of yoga, Ayurveda, and Vedanta as a path of spiritual evolution. He stated it so clearly at the beginning of our conversation: there is no higher purpose than Self-realization, recognizing our true nature as divine. His exhortation to look at the world as a reflection of our own consciousness really points listeners in a great direction. I appreciated the markers of spiritual evolution that we discussed: a person begins to feel a greater connection to their surroundings and to the energy of all things; the increasing realization that you are the soul; there is increased attunement between the mind and body; the mind becomes more reflective and less reactive; and the mind begins to discern the difference between needs and desires. It’s a great list.

The Rhythm of Life: Thriving with Yoga and Ayurveda

How can we feel rejuvenated, energized, and more at ease in our day? Cate Stillman, teacher of yoga and Ayurveda, shares daily habits that can decrease stress, cultivate peace of mind, and bring radiant longevity to our lives.

Cate Stillman is the author of the book we are discussing today Body Thrive: Uplevel Your Body and Your Life with 10 Habits from Ayurveda and Yoga. Cate has been teaching Ayurveda and yoga programs locally and globally since founding her website YogaHealer.com in 2001. She is the founder and host of the podcast Yogahealer Podcast. Cate offers classes and programs that support people who want to thrive in their bodies and achieve their life goals.

WEBSITE: YogaHealer.com

THE YOGA HOUR TEAM COMMENTS: Cate described that healthy habits align with our life force are the habits of the yogis. It is our natural way of being. Healthy habits are based on syncing with our natural circadian rhythms. She and Dr. Trujillo also talked about how to change unhealthy habits, we can just start in small ways. One of the things Cate stressed that was meaningful to me is that in order to be successful in making life changes it is very helpful to find others who already practice the habits we want next - that we can’t do it alone. (This is very similar to Yogacharya O’Brians stress on the importance of community.). The habits that Cate shares involve being in line with the rhythms of nature.

DR. TRUJILLO’S COMMENTS: I enjoyed talking with Cate about behavior change and incorporating habits that put us more in tune with the rhythms of nature. I appreciated our conversation about how to be more successful at changing habits. We also gave our listeners some ideas about different behaviors to change: eating an earlier and lighter dinner, getting to bed earlier, and incorporating meditation as a daily habit.

THE YOGA HOUR PROGRAM WITH B.J. FOGG,AUTHOR OF Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything

Deepen Your Spiritual Practice Through the Dharma of Poetry

How can poetry open up new ways of thinking, feeling, and being in the world? Author, teacher, and poet John Brehm shares how we can enter a poem, allowing its power to be a gateway to experience a deeper sense of wonder and mystery.

John Brehm is the author of several books of poetry, and editor of the anthology The Poetry of Impermanence, Mindfulness, and Joy.  His most recent book is a collection of essays, The Dharma of Poetry, which we will be discussing today. His poems have appeared in numerous publications including Poetry, The Writer’s Almanac, Poetry Daily, The Best American Poetry, The Norton Introduction to Literature, and many other journals and anthologies. John teaches for Mountain Writers Series in Portland, Oregon, and for The Lighthouse Writers Workshop in Denver, Colorado. He offers a monthly Poetry as Spiritual Practice gathering and with his wife, Alice Boyd, leads mindfulness retreats that incorporate Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement lessons, guided meditations, and mindful poetry discussions. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

WEBSITE: JohnBrehmPoet.com

GUEST COMMENTS: Thank you so much, Laurel, for having me on the show and being such a wonderful host. I felt such a nice connection with you and so appreciated all your questions, as well as the calm presence you brought to our conversation. You made it easy to go deep into the poems. It was a real pleasure and I'm extremely grateful. I know it will bring attention to poetry as spiritual practice.

YOGA HOUR TEAM COMMENTS: As a person who is not really into poetry but would like to be, this conversation has helped open up a new appreciation for me. John Brehm says we can let go of analyzing a poem and what it means, which is the traditional way poetry is taught and just listen, experience and appreciate the poem. I appreciated how he said that poetry has become his spiritual practice. He said "Reading, writing and teaching about poetry are deeply spiritual for me. It has always felt like a way to get closer to the sacred. It gives me a sense of being in the universe in a way that is awake, alive and aware." It was beautiful to hear Laurel read some of the poems to John as well as offering him opportunities to read. His inclusion of poems from many different authors illustrates the concepts that he wants to share. The discussion of James Wright's poem The Blessing as well as Denise Levertov's poem Aware deeply moved me and inspired me to see and read poetry in a new way. Laurel’s inclusion of Yogacharya O’Brian’s poem, Someone Left the Door Open from her book The Moon Reminded Me, at the beginning of the program beautifully set the stage for the rest of the conversation. Thank you for bringing John Brehm to us.

DR. TRUJILLO’S COMMENTS: What a joy it was to have John Brehm on the show to talk about poetry and his lovely lovely book The Dharma of Poetry. I loved sharing some poems with our listeners and talking about how poems can be spiritual teachers, with lessons like: “pay attention; walk through the world with reverence and wonder; look closely at extraordinary experiences and even more closely at “ordinary" ones”. I also loved the idea that poems, which are written through the heightened awareness of the poet, can call forth that same heightened awareness from within us. We gave some great examples of how poetry can deepen one’s spiritual practice which I hope were inspirational to our listeners.

Meditations on the Five Elements

We live in landscapes and landscapes live in us. Dr. Christopher Chapple, author and professor of Indic Studies at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, shares how the classical teachings of the East reveal the interconnection between the human and nature and how we can participate in the healing of the earth.

Dr. Christopher Chapple is Doshi Professor of Indic and Comparative Theology and founding Director of the Master of Arts in Yoga Studies at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. He has published more than twenty books on topics that include studies of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Yoga, and religion and ecology including the book we discussed on this program, Living Landscapes: Meditations on the Five Elements in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain Yogas. He has received many grants for his research and serves on numerous advisory boards worldwide. Dr. Chapple is dedicated to the teaching of the whole person, body, mind, and spirit, through the modalities of book learning and experience as provided in Yoga traditions.

WEBSITE: www.bellarmine.lmu.edu/yoga

THE YOGA HOUR TEAM COMMENTS: Dr. Chapple’s energy, love and passion for the teachings of Yoga really shines through in this program. His focus on the five elements and the importance of understanding their place in our own lives and that of all creation brings us to a greater understanding of our connection, in this world, as one with all of life. We can see ourselves as integral with the environment around us, showing us that we are not here to use and abuse the environment but to care for it as we care for ourselves. The poetry and scripture that Dr. Trujillo quoted from his book, made this program a sacred space. Just for an example regarding the earth element, Dr. Chapple used the example of just in our own homes products of the earth such as wood and cotton make up the structure of our homes and much of our furniture. Our relationship with food reminds us of our relationship with the earth. We remember fields where our food comes from and we honor the labor of many people who bring the food to our table. He had many beautiful, touching examples and reminders of how the other elements of air, fire, water and space affect our lives in very deep and profound ways.

DR. TRUJILLO’S COMMENTS: I enjoyed our meditations on the five elements, particularly how they relate to the earth, our bodies, and the yoga tradition. I appreciated the way Dr. Chapple shared his experiences of the five elements, both in the book and in our conversation. For the fire element, it was helpful to contemplate fire as both the sunrise and as our desire and will. For the element of space, I loved thinking about the space that we can create for ourselves and others through our yoga practice. A quote from his book: "Through yoga practice and meditation, one can shift the mood or general feeling tone of a situation from agitation and anxiety into a place of understanding and acceptance. This inner space permeates the body and breath...Creating and maintaining auspicious space serves as the hallmark of yoga practice.”

PREVIOUS EPISODES WITH DR. CHRISTOPHER KEY CHAPPLE:
Living Liberation: The Yoga Sutra Part Two
The Clear Jewel: The Yoga Sutra Part Three
Patanjali’s Step-by-Step Approach to Spiritual Realization and Conscious Living
Both, And: The Inclusive Worldview of the Bhagavad Gita
In Praise of Mother Earth

Sacred Music—Divine Connection

How does sacred music deepen our connection to the Divine? David Rhodes, musician and songwriter, shares how sacred chants and music can quiet our minds, bringing us to a deeper connection with the Divine. David will be sharing music from his new CD, Door of My Heart that is a beautiful collaboration between David, Prabha Pacey and Barry Phillips.

David Rhodes is a composer, arranger, and pianist who draws inspiration from his classical training, work with jazz and fusion groups, study of world music and his immersion in the sacred music traditions of the East and West. David's recordings include the critically acclaimed Traces of Eden, Moonbirds, Fluid Days – Modal Improvisations, and Live in Concert: Elaine Kreston and David Rhodes. His acoustic palette includes piano, keyboards, harmonium, zithers, voice and percussion. He is also a composer for film production and theater.

WEBSITE: MoonBirdsMusic.com

GUEST COMMENTS: Thank you, Laurel, for the opportunity to reflect more deeply on my spiritual practice and musical journey. Your questions were very helpful in teasing out the beginnings and motivations for the music. It also brought home to me again the inner melding and mending that naturally occurs when we chant over a period of years. My own experience of greater opening and regaining lost parts of my psyche is evidence of that. Indeed that is a potent and haunting line in the chant Door of My Heart: "will my days fly away without seeing you my Lord?" The emotional impression of those words gave rise to melody and harmony. The alchemy of words together with music is recognized and taken in by the heart, and we are moved by it in ways we can't fully comprehend or explain. A mysterious kind of spirit medicine!

YOGA HOUR TEAM COMMENTS:I loved the focus on sacred music in this program. Something that we hadn't done before. David's love of music and sacred music in particular really came through in this conversation. Your discussion of how music and chanting in particular can move us inward, away from sense distractions, to the depth of our connection with the Divine gave us an understanding of how we can use this as a spiritual practice. The arrangements that were played give us a wonderful taste of the talent and devotion of David and his collaborators on this project, Prabha Pacey and Barry Phillips. I appreciated how they have brought modern language and musical arrangements to all of the music on this CD. Simple Gifts was such a beautiful song for this holiday time of year. I am used to Sanskrit chants but this American song is very heart opening. He Hari Sundara is beautiful and it was wonderful to hear the story about it. I didn't realize that He Hari Sundara is the original Sanskrit chant that Yogananda adapted to O God Beautiful. David, Prabha and Barry’s arrangement of that is amazing.

DR. TRUJILLO’S COMMENTS: I found all of the cuts that we shared from David’s new CD Door of My Heart to be so inspiring, particularly "O God Beautiful”, "Door of My Heart" and "Simple Gifts”. It’s one thing to discuss sacred music, and another thing entirely to experience it directly. I enjoyed discussing sacred music and how our devotion while chanting matters more than musical talent. I also appreciated discussing the one of the benefits of chanting is that it deepens our meditation practice by helping to turn our attention within. David mentioned the lyric from "Door of My Heart" “will my days fly away without seeing you my Lord?”, how thought-provoking and inspiring it is, and I entirely agree.

A Year of Divine Pilgrimage

What is a divine pilgrimage? Are you ready to make a pilgrimage to your divine self? On the 40th anniversary of the Center for Spiritual Enlightenment, Yogacharya O’Brian discusses the importance and role of spiritual pilgrimage using the examples from Autobiography of a Yogi.

Yogacharya O’Brian is the founder of the Yoga Hour. She is an acclaimed teacher, poet, award-winning author, and minister who has served seekers of spiritual enlightenment from all walks of life for over forty years. She is the recent recipient of the 2021 New Thought Walden Award for Interfaith and Intercultural Understanding.  She has published several books including her latest book, The Jewel of Abundance: Finding Prosperity Through the Ancient Wisdom of Yoga. A teacher in the tradition of Kriya Yoga, Yogacharya O’Brian serves people from all faith backgrounds who are seeking what is known as Self- or God-realization, or awakening and is the spiritual director of the Center for Spiritual Enlightenment, a meditation center in San Jose, CA.

WEBSITES: EllenGraceOBrian.com CSECenter.org

YOGA HOUR TEAM COMMENTS: Today's conversation with Yogacharya was deep and soul felt. She started with the idea of time being evanescence - unreal. That set the tone - sharing that it is important to know what is essential about what we do in this life and what will remain. For her, the essence of pilgrimage is defined by the intention one brings to opening to Divine grace, opening up to what you have not known and opening to the transformation that brings. Yogacharya's invitation to us to commit to a year of Yoga Yatra (Yoga pilgrimage) calls for the intention to journey from the self to the Self in our ordinary life. I was particularly moved by the Kabir poem she shared that started with "Don't go outside your house to see the flowers". I now have a much deeper understanding and appreciation of pilgrimages. Listening to Yogacharya share about her own pilgrimages and those of Paramahansa Yogananda from Autobiography of a Yogi was a call to deepen my own practice.

DR. TRUJILLO’S COMMENTS: What a joy to have a conversation with Yogacharya O’Brian about Yoga Yatra, pilgrimage to the Divine Self. It was so supportive to me personally to discuss this with you, the idea of being able to take a pilgrimage to our own deepest Self. I loved the questions she asked at the beginning of the conversation, prompted by her 40th anniversary of ministry: What is eternal? What is essential? What will remain? She discussed that one of the things that distinguishes pilgrimage from other activity is the intentionality we bring to it, the willingness to open ourselves to Divine Grace and to be transformed. I look forward to the 2022 New Years Retreat with her as a way to launch this year of Yoga Yatra. Listeners can find out more about the retreat at csecenter.org.

The Legacy of Paramahansa Yogananda

Countless people have been inspired by Paramahansa Yogananda’s book Autobiography of a Yogi. Philip Goldberg, author of The Life of Yogananda shares insights on the legacy of this great spiritual teacher as we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the publishing this seminal book.

Philip Goldberg’s book, American Veda documents how Indian spirituality changed the West and his book The Life of Yogananda:The Story of the Yogi Who Became the First Modern Guru is a biography that sheds new light on the life of this great spiritual teacher. Phil Goldberg has been studying the world’s spiritual traditions for more than 50 years. He is an illuminating and entertaining public speaker and workshop leader, meditation teacher, and an ordained Interfaith Minister. Phil’s most recent book is Spiritual Practice for Crazy Times. He contributes regularly to The Huffington Post, Elephant Journal and Spirituality & Health magazine online. Phil is the co-host of the Spirit Matters Talk podcast and he also leads American Veda Tours of India.

Websites: SpiritMattersTalk.com; PhilipGoldberg.com

LINK TO PHIL GOLDBERG’S UPCOMING CLASS THROUGH THE HINDU UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA:
AN IMMERSIVE EXPLORATION OF THE ICONIC "AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A YOGI

THE YOGA HOUR TEAM COMMENTS: Phil has so much information and insight about Yogananda as a person and as a great spiritual teacher. It was fun to hear about the Beatles, especially George Harrison and their influence on really popularizing these teachings from India. I was also interested in hearing that Phil recommends that if we haven't read Autobiography of a Yogi, we should. He said "If Yogananda wasn’t the most influential yogic teacher who came to America he was in the top three. mainly because of the institutions he established that continue the teachings, including the Center for Spiritual Enlightenment and because Yogananda's writing has endured to this day, 70 years after he passed. He literally has affected millions of lives. There is no way to calculate how many books have been sold since 1946, but Autobiography still sells thousands of copies each year. One of the reasons it endures is that mixed in with all the stories about people is a primer on yoga philosophy." Phil reminded us that Yogananda was a renunciant-a monk but a great example of someone who could live in the world, not shirking any of his worldly duties, but keeping his spiritual life as the priority of his life. I am inspired to pick up Autobiography of a Yogi again, and find new nuggets of learning and delight that I haven't noticed before, just as Phil said he has done.

DR. TRUJILLO’S COMMENTS: I really enjoyed having Phil Goldberg on The Yoga Hour to discuss the legacy of Yogananda and to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the publication of his book Autobiography of a Yogi. It’s always a joy to have him on the show. He was the perfect guest to have when discussing these topics. I love the way he can fill in information about what is known about Yogananda’s life from books like Autobiography of a Yogi with so many additional details from his extensive research including how Yogananda’s photo ended up on the cover of the Beatle’s album Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. It was great to review the impact of Autobiography of a Yogi on western culture with him.

LINKS TO PREVIOUS YOGA HOUR EPISODES WITH PHIL GOLDBERG:
DIVINE ALCHEMY: HOW YOGA AND AMERICA ARE CHANGING EACH OTHER
THE GREAT EAST WEST TRANSMISSION: YOGA AND AMERICAN LIFE
CELEBRATING PARAMAHANSA YOGANANDA
CULTIVATE CALM, CLARITY AND COURAGE IN CRAZY TIMES
LIVING THE FOUR AIMS: PARAMAHANSA YOGANANDA’S INSPIRED LIFE
PARAMAHANSA YOGANANDA: A SPIRITUAL TEACHER FOR THE AGES
DHARMA: DON’T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT
NAVIGATING PARADOXES ON THE SPIRITUAL PATH
THE DAWN OF YOGA IN THE WEST AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE RELIGIOUS LANDSCAPE

Mantra: Diving Deep Into Meditation

How does the use of mantra support spiritual awakening? Stella Wuttke, Ph.D., and Marty Wuttke, Kriya Yoga teachers, share how mantra is used to develop a more profound meditation practice and how its vibrational power supports healing of the mind and body and deepens spiritual awareness.

Marty Wuttke is an ordained minister for the Center for Spiritual Awareness. He is a pioneer in the field of bio and neuro-feedback with over 35 years of experience and is the founder of the Wuttke Method of Neurotherapy, now the Infinite Potential Institute. He consults and teach neurotherapy nationally and internationally, as well as meditation and the yogic science of consciousness.

Dr. Stella Wuttke is a psychologist, neuro-scientist, and sound therapist. She acted as a principal investigator for a state-funded EEG project on brainwave patterns associated with visual perception and was lab-director of the neurofeedback laboratory at the University of Jena, Germany. Stella taught at the undergraduate and graduate level at universities in Austria, Germany and the UK. She co-founded, with her husband Marty, the Wuttke Infinite Potential Institute in Santa Barbara, California which offers the neuroscientific, non-invasive methods of neurofeedback, energy medicine, sound therapy and meditation training

Website: IPI.Global

THE YOGA HOUR TEAM COMMENTS: The program today about the last four limbs of yoga, dharana, dhyana, meditation, and samadhi and how mantra supports the deepening of our meditation experience was very in-depth but also easily accessible . Marty and Stella's long time study with with Roy Eugene Davis, their deep knowledge of Kriya Yoga and their study and knowledge of what is happening in the brain with meditation really helped me understand how mantra works. My other take-away was the reminder of the importance of a regular practice of meditation. With an intermittent practice, we won't get the positive, physical changes in the brain.

DR. TRUJILLO’S COMMENTS: I really enjoyed being able to discuss mantra, as well as the inner limbs of concentration, meditation, and samadhi with Marty and Stella. I appreciated the strong science background that each of them have, and how they brought it into our discussion. The Max Planck quote about how physical matter is really composed of energy was inspiring, and helped me to understand more about the power of mantra, sound vibration, since our bodies are actually made of vibrating energy, like all matter. The information about the physical changes of thickening in the frontal cortex of the brain that occur over time in meditators is an inspiration for my continued meditation practice.