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Heal Trauma in Your Body and Mind with Yoga
Through our lives we experience physical and mental stressors that cause trauma to our bodies and minds. Author and yoga teacher Beth Spindler offers practices to help manage common conditions so that we can age with grace and ease. It is never too late to begin our healing journey.
Beth Spindler has worked as a movement and yoga educator since 1976, working with teachers, therapists, universities, and hospitals worldwide with a focus on therapeutic applications of movement. She holds the highest certification in the field as an IAYT-Certified yoga therapist and is a frequently featured writer and presenter for Yoga International and leads retreats worldwide. Her first book, Yoga Therapy for Fear is a community recommended text, utilized in schools, trainings, and trauma-recovery programs globally. Her latest book, which we discuss on this program is Trauma Aware Yoga and Movement Therapeutics for Older Adults.
#Trauma #yoga #samskaras #anxietyrelief
WEBSITE: bethspindleryogatherapy-teachtoinspire.com IG: Beth.Spindler
THE YOGA HOUR TEAM COMMENTS: Beth begins by sharing that she sees trauma as something left in the body after the event. The discussion really brings out the role and benefit of yoga therapy in healing trauma on our body and mind, particularly as we age. I resonated with the idea of redefining “advanced” yoga as moving inward rather than more the more difficult asana poses often found in advance yoga classes. After all, asana is only one of 8 limbs of yoga and from there we move deeper within. Her final thought is extremely reassuring! “Healing is possible no matter how old we are. It is never too late to heal.”
DR. TRUJILLO’S COMMENTS: I loved Beth Spindler’s understanding that healing is always possible and that we can continue to heal all through our lives. I particularly appreciated her focus on two main practices in healing trauma in the body and mind: activating the vagus nerve, and practices to balance both sides of the brain. Alternate nostril breathing, or brahmari breath, where you hum or buzz as you exhale, both activate the vagus nerve, and simple practices like moving your eyes the opposite direction that you are turning your head can help balance the two sides of the brain. Beth offers easy-to-use yogic practices that address body/mind healing that many of us need as we age.
Enlightenment in Every Day Life
Enlightenment in this lifetime may seem like a lofty and unattainable goal. Author and spiritual teacher Susan Kaiser Greenland finds enlightenment anytime in life’s highs and lows, offering insightful tools and strategies for awakening in this real everyday world.
Susan Kaiser Greenland says you can find it any time in life’s highs, its lows, and everything in between. Susan Kaiser Greenland is a mindfulness educator and bestselling author, specializing in distilling global wisdom traditions and scientific research into straightforward everyday practices. In the early 2000s, she helped pioneer the introduction of secular mindfulness into classrooms through her Inner Kids model. After decades of working with children and adults and writing two widely translated books, Susan’s latest work has culminated in a new book called Real-World Enlightenment: Discovering Ordinary Magic in Everyday Life which we will be discussing today. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, and CNN.
WEBSITE: SusanKaiserGreenland.com SOCIAL MEDIA and YouTube: @susankaisergreenland
#enlightenment #kriyayoga #chooseawareness #selfcompassion #kindness #meditation
THE YOGA HOUR TEAM COMMENTS: I feel that this is an important topic for those who are spiritual seekers. We feel that enlightenment is only for those sages who continuously meditate in a mountain cave, not for those of us who are dealing with everyday life. Susan Kaiser Greenland says, that although the experience of our innate enlightenment is difficult to describe “it’s a common experience of love and well-being that reaches far beyond us. Some call it awe, while others call it wonder. The mystics call it oneness, where we sense that everything is connected and there’s no separation between the already perfect cosmos and us.” This is very much in alignment with the teachings of Yoga philosophy which teaches that we are already enlightened. We don’t have to achieve anything. We just need to peel away the obstacles to our awareness of it. Both she and Dr. Trujillo have studied and practiced for a long time and through their conversation give us hope that we can experience our own enlightenment with awareness of our surroundings, our mental state and our emotions. Susan gives us simple tools and techniques to do this. I highly recommend this podcast episode.
DR. TRUJILLO’S COMMENTS: I really enjoyed our discussion about Susan Kaiser Greenland’s book Real-World Enlightenment. It was a pleasure to discuss enlightenment as something that is possible for us to experience every day, rather than something lofty and unattainable. Our discussion centered on attention, which we can build with the practice of concentration which is one of the 8 limbs of the classical path of yoga. We also touched on balance, compassion (including self-compassion), playfulness, and how our sense of the need for safety may pull us back from experiencing our growing edges.
Explore the Spiritual Heritage of Yoga
How can the timeless wisdom of The Bhagavad Gita expand your yoga practice to be more spiritually fulfilling? Acharya Shunya, lineage holder, spiritual teacher, and author, presents the radical unity teachings of this text as a bridge between the ancient roots and modern practice of yoga.
#yoga #BhagavadGita #KarmaYoga #BhaktiYoga #RajaYoga #JyanaYoga
Acharya Shunya is an award-winning and internationally renowned spiritual teacher and scholar of Advaita (nondual wisdom) and is a classically-trained master of Yoga and Ayurveda. She offers many courses and retreats and she is author of numerous books including Roar Like a Goddess: Every Woman’s Guide To Becoming Unapologetically Powerful, Prosperous and Peaceful, and Ayurveda Lifestyle Wisdom.
For more information about Acharya Shunya and her books and teaching schedule, visit her website: acharyashunya.com
Social Media: @acharyashunya
THE YOGA HOUR TEAM COMMENTS: I so appreciated Acharya Shunya’s teachings on the sacred text, The Bhagavad Gita. Her conversation with Dr. Trujillo enhanced and enriched my understanding of the teachings of the Gita. She spoke about the four classical paths of yoga, Bhakti, Karma, Upasana or Raja, and Jnana. I have always strongly identified with Karma Yoga, the path of selfless service. She shared that the why of karma yoga is that it is an offering to God, the source and substance of all that is. She shared her translation of an important teaching from the Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2.47: “You have a right to engage in your chosen actions. But you are not entitled to the outcome of your actions. Never perceive yourself as solely responsible for the results of your endeavors nor become attached to passivity.” Her teaching on the other three yogas were concise and easily understandable to the all levels of students—new to long time devotees. She said “study of the Gita can feel overwhelming. Just start by reading a verse a day and let the cosmic mind of Ishvara speak to you. Have some fun with it.”
DR. TRUJILLO’S COMMENTS: As always, I found Acharya Shunya’s teachings on the Bhagavad Gita to be very clear and applicable to our life today. I particularly enjoyed her focus on Ishvara as the controller of everything, our intelligence and inner power, which also includes the creation, sustenance, and dissolution of all things including ourselves. Our discussion of the four classical paths of yoga (Karma, Bhakti, Raja or Upasana, and Jnana) was very rich and deep. Acharya Shunya’s discussion of Bhakti yoga, the path of devotion, included the five ways to love God: as a servant, friend, parent, child, and romantic partner. I really enjoyed and was enriched by our discussion.
Live with Greater Ease and Integrity
How can we face the nitty-gritty of life while keeping a clear mind and making wise choices? Join nico and devon hase as they offer humor and insight into surviving and thriving in modern life with ease and integrity. nico and devon hase are co-authors of the book How Not to be a Hot Mess which we are discussing on this podcast,
nico hase lived in a monastery for six years before earning a PhD in counseling psychology and becoming an Insight Meditation teacher full time. He currently mentors mindfulness teachers, teaches online and in-person retreats, and speaks with students in one-on-one sessions. He and his beloved life partner devon are the authors of How Not to Be a Hot Mess: A Buddhist Survival Guide for Modern Life.
devon hase began meditation training in 2000. She has practiced intensively in the Insight and Vajrayana traditions and currently teaches at the Insight Meditation Society, Spirit Rock, and other centers.
WEBSITE: devonandnicohase.com FB: Devon + Nico Hase IG: @devonandnicohase
#yoga #mindfulness #meditation #generosity #buddhism #spirituallyconsciousliving
THE YOGA HOUR TEAM COMMENTS: A wonderful conversation today between Dr. Trujillo and the hase's. nico and devon have made ancient teachings accessible to all of us living in the modern world. I particularly found nico's comments powerful around the "attention economy." Certainly something we all need to be mindful of as there are more distractions than at any other time in history. He said, "it is revolutionary to take your attention back and take it to where you want it to go." Bringing our attention to meditation, mindfulness, generosity and kindness were some of the concepts discussed to help us survive modern life.
DR. TRUJILLO’S COMMENTS: I really enjoyed both the book and our conversation. It was fun to discuss the parallels between Buddhism and yoga philosophy, including the practices of harmlessness or kindness, truthfulness, and especially the importance of having a steady meditation practice. I particularly appreciated devon’s comments on noticing the good, the benefits of practicing generosity, and the gratitude meditation she led. I thought nico gave a great summary of how we can balance the practices of truthfulness and harmlessness when we speak with others.
Deepen Your Yoga Practice
Join us as we dive more deeply into yoga practice with Cindy Lusk, author of Align and Refine. We will explore the foundational principles of Yoga, the importance of meditation, and how to make these practices our own.
Cindy Lusk is the author of Align and Refine: The Journey of Yoga and Meditation. She completed a BA in psychology and went on to earn her doctorate in social psychology. She began studying yoga āsana with Richard Freeman in 1985, and she has studied and taught both Ashtanga and Anusara yogas. An avid student of yoga philosophy, Cindy has taught many courses and yoga teacher trainings. Cindy began studying with Paul Muller-Ortega in 2009 and is an authorized teacher of Neelakantha Meditation.
You can also follow her on FaceBook @ CindyLusk, Instagram @cindylu108. FaceBook Discussion circle for the book AlignAndRefineBook.
YOGA HOUR TEAM COMMENTS: I really enjoyed this episode with Cindy Lusk. The interview began and ended with an important theme: if you want to change the world, you have to start with yourself and change your consciousness. I appreciated the discussion about self-study, the examples she shared and how essential meditation is to the process of refining our being so that we can align with the highest purpose.
DR. TRUJILLO’S COMMENTS: I really appreciated the opportunity to dive deeply into classical teachings with Cindy Lusk, exploring the depth and breadth of yoga. Often, people who step onto the yoga path beginning with yoga postures are confused to realize that classical yoga texts are really talking about states of consciousness. For those who are interested, the continuation of study brings rich rewards. We reviewed that many people have an experience of Oneness consciousness through being in nature, or experiencing art or intimacy, and that these grace-filled events can fuel us along our spiritual path. I agreed with Cindy that we cannot have expectations for any one meditation session, but that the beneficial effects of meditation are cumulative and we can see changes in our lives over a period of time.
Delicious Vegan Food Made Easy
Do things seem too hectic to eat healthy vegan food regularly? Veganism has ecological, health, and spiritual benefits. Gena Hamshaw, certified nutritionist and author of The Vegan Week, discusses smart, practical, and delicious vegan meal planning for a simple way to embrace the joy of eating homemade, nutritious food every day.
Gena Hamshaw is a registered dietitian nutritionist, recipe developer, and the author of Food52 Vegan (2017), Power Plates(2018), and The Vegan Week (2022). She shares vegan recipes on her blog, The Full Helping, which she has written since 2009. Gena lives in New York City, where she can frequently be found scouting out the best vegan pomodoro pastas and tomato pies in town.
WEBSITE: TheFullHelping.com Social Media: @thefullhelping
#vegan, #Vegetarian, #plant-based, #ahimsa, #self-compassion
THE YOGA HOUR TEAM COMMENTS: I was very inspired by the discussion with Gena Hamshaw on vegan (and vegetarian) life choices. Both Gena and Laurel consider this an expression in their life of ahimsa - being harmless. They talked about how a vegan diet has both health and ecological benefits. Gina shared eating choices (including protein options) as well as simple meal planning and prep ideas. I loved the concept that Gena shares with her clients which is that meal planning and prep is "an act of kindness to the future self." Upon coming home tired and stressed, the meal is ready - an act of selfcare, of ahimsa for the self. Don't miss this uplifting and energetic podcast.
DR. TRUJILLO’S COMMENTS: I savored our discussion of the many rewards of eating a vegan diet including benefits for our health, the planet, and alignment with our own personal practices of harmlessness. Gena Hamshaw’s expertise on the protein content of vegan foods and your recommendation to get enough protein in a vegan diet were much appreciated. I really enjoyed her down to earth statements that, for her, cooking is not always easy and joyful, but that there are many things we can do to make cooking delicious, nutritious vegan meals easier and more enjoyable.
Living In Divine Love
Do you long for healthy happy relationships? Listen as Yogacharya Ellen Grace O’Brian reveals how “Love Loves Love!” The discussion includes insights for living in divine Love beginning by acknowledging the One in all and lighting up your mind with divine remembrance.
#yoga #kriyayoga #sadhana #meditation #surrender #GodisLove
Yogacharya Ellen Grace O'Brian is an acclaimed teacher, award-winning author, and minister who has served seekers of spiritual enlightenment from all walks of life for over forty years. She has published several books and audio programs about meditation, mindfulness and spiritual living, offering a refreshing and authentic voice that makes timeless wisdom accessible to the modern mind. As 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. She is the spiritual director of the Center for Spiritual Enlightenment, a meditation center in San Jose, California as well as the founder and spiritual advisor of this podcast.
WEBSITE: EllenGraceOBrian.com CSECenter.org KriyaYogaStudies.com
FB: Ellen Grace O’Brian IG: ellengraceobrian YouTube: Yogacharya Ellen Grace OBrian
THE YOGA HOUR TEAM COMMENTS: This episode with Yogacharya O’Brian is about how to cultivate healthy happy relationships. Don't we all want that? She reveals that Divine Love is the natural core of our being and by knowing God as Love itself we can bring that Love into expression in our everyday interactions. Yogacharya and Laurel discuss how meditation and sadhana help us recognize and respond to old patterns of behavior when they come up in relationships. This is a conversation I will listen to again and again to help me continually contemplate how to notice the experience I am having, how to be with it and then how to be willing to let it go. Don’t miss this episode!
DR. TRUJILLO’S COMMENTS: Since everyone wants to have happier, healthier relationships that was a great focus for our conversation. Yogacharya O’Brian discussed how seeing God as love itself is helpful for us to find that quality within ourselves and also in those that we love. I enjoyed 13th century mystic Saadi’s poem, particularly the last line: “In love, there is a beginning but no end” which she explained beautifully. Our discussion of how the mind colors our experience of relationship was an important one, along with the realization that we also need to learn to let go in ways that help our relationships.
Optimal Health and Wellness for Women Through Ayurveda
How can we use Ayurveda’s ancient principles to recognize and correct imbalance in our bodies? Kate O’Donnell, author, and Ayurveda practitioner will share some insights on how to balance the body and mind for women of all ages based on her new book: Everyday Ayurveda for Women’s Health.
Kate O’Donnell is the author of four Ayurveda books published in seven languages, as well as an international presenter, certified Ayurveda practitioner, and teacher. She is the founder of the Ayurvedic Living Institute, an online community space for self-transformation. Kate’s newest book is Everyday Ayurveda for Women’s Health
WEBSITE: HealWithKate.org FB: @ ayurvedicliving.institute
IG:@ kateodonnell.ayurveda
#ayurveda #yoga #womenshealth #balance #dosha #rasa
THE YOGA HOUR TEAM COMMENTS: Kate O’Donnell makes learning about Ayurveda easy for the beginner and insightful to the experienced practitioner especially as she tackles women's hormones and body seasons. I really like the way she encourages an "empowered experiential view of the body" to help us understand how to find balance in the body not only through food but also through experiences, emotions and substances. It's never too late to start to bring your body into balance and better health. This podcast is a great way to do so.
DR. TRUJILLO’S COMMENTS: Kate O’Donnell imparts her knowledge of Ayurveda in such an accessible way, as she did in her examples of how all five of the elements that Ayurveda recognizes are present in the human body (ether, air, fire, water, and earth). Our discussion touched on how the Ayurvedic view of balance is so important in women’s health, as well as the recognition that we are each microcosms that are affected by what is happening in the wider world around us. I also appreciated her advice about how not to become overwhelmed by trying to change too many lifestyle practices at the same time.