Episode 55 - Practice: Meditation on Om
In this series we focus on "just the practice." Here is a brief guided meditation on the universal sound of om.
You can find the Om Mantra Chanting audio that I used available for download here.
Episode 54 - Practice: Letting Go Meditation
In this series we focus on "just the practice." This episode introduces a brief guided meditation focused on being and having enough, letting go and letting it be.
The script for this meditation is by Michael W. Taft and can be found here.
Episode 53 - Practice: Pratyhara
In this series we're focusing on "just the practice." This episode offers a simple introduction to the concept and practice of sense withdrawal - or pratyhara. It's perfectly ok to shut out the world every once in a while, especially if the goal is to go deeper inside your own self.
Note: I do offer some alternatives for meditative driving, but, in general, don't close your eyes while you're in charge of the vehicle. I shouldn't have to say that. But just in case.
Episode 52 - Practice: Bhramari Breath
In this series we focus on “just the practice.” This episode offers an introduction to Bhramari Breath or bumble bee breathing. Give yourself a buzz and take your focus inside for just a little while.
Episode 51 - Practice: Kapalabhati Breathing
In this series we focus on “just the practice.” Today, a led practice of what is sometimes called skull shining breath, or kapalabhati. Great for clearing out stagnancy, getting unstuck and infusing yourself with energy. Side note: Get your tissues handy because this one will also clear your sinuses.
Episode 50 - Something in the Deli Aisle Makes You Cry
We review the year, take a beating and take a deep breath. I compare life to a stuffed bear I saw in a store, we mention nazis again, but right at the top to get it out of the way. But it's not all doom and gloom. Some thoughts on collaboration and a short, expanding meditation included.
Episode 49 - Death, Liberation and Sandwiches
Final in our series on the kleshas, we talk about death, life and liberation. Somehow I manage to describe the fear of death to a gross deli sandwich. I only mention sexual harassment once. And Moonstruck contains all the secrets to the meaning of life.
Here are past episodes on the kleshas:
Attachment Episode 33 - Attachment, Sam Wheat and Hamlet
Ignorance Episode 41 - The Kleshas, The Ignorati and the Goal of Yoga
Ego Episode 44 - Labels, Asmita and the True Self
Aversion Episode 48 - The Hazards of Aversion
Episode 48 - The Hazards of Aversion
Fourth in a series of five shows discussing the kleshas - the obstacles to liberation - this time we talk about two sides to the same distracting coin, aversion and attraction, and what happens when we let our dislikes dictate the way we are in the world around us. Plus, we play a fun game that isn't really either and I couldn't go a whole show without mentioning the patriarchy.
Episode 47 - Ayurveda, A Bubble Bath and Toppling the Government
We discuss the Ayurvedic definition of health and, in this hellscape of relentless bad news, why tending to your whole health is not as futile and purposeless as rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.
It's Thanksgiving week and I am grateful for my health and for these notes by Seth Abramson about our current administrations tendencies to terrorize the citizenry, because they made me feel less alone.
Episode 46 - Low Self, High Self, True Self, No Self
The briefest of forays into Hinduism, Buddhism and Western selfishness allows us to examine how we define Self and how we behave in the world. We discuss the glorious Rube Goldberg machine that is the human embodied existence and whether or not there is an enduring candle flame amidst the winds of whatever.
The article by Robert Write, Buddhism Is More 'Western' Than You Think.
One example of a Rube Goldberg machine, a deliberately complicated contraption where a series of linked things interact in order to perform a relatively simply task. See also, life.
Episode 45 - Desire, Sandwiches and the Thirst of Being Human
In our conversation about the kleshas (the obstacles to liberation) we talk about raga or desire and The Princess Bride. I also manage to take a sandwich metaphor way too far for my own good.
Here is a link to the book, The Dharma of 'The Princess Bride' by Ethan Nichtern, which I both quote in this episode and highly recommend.
There's a lot in here about whether desire is an obstacle to liberation - is it good or bad or neither? And through that discussion, I referenced a few back episodes that might be of interest.
Episode 33 - Attachment, Sam Wheat and Hamlet includes a discussion of attachment and its relationship to desire and liberation.
Both Episodes 41 and 44 are about the obstacles to liberation as put forth by Patanjali, while Episode 41 introduces the idea of the kleshas and mentions who Patanjali is and what the Yoga Sutras are.
Episode 44 - Labels, Asmita and the True Self
How do you know your True Self? We talk about ego, the second of the five kleshas - or obstacles to liberation. How can we know what is self and what is outside of the self? There's some mistaken identity, we have some fun with labels and are horrified by looking through old pictures.
An easy article in Yoga Journal called, "Mistaken Identity"
A little bit more about labels from Yoga Hyde.
Episode 43 - A Little About A Lot with Boonie
In Part 2 of our conversation with Adriene of the Boonie Breakdown, we talk about real-life examples of using meditation as a tool in the real world, how yoga is not praying, and how no one is trying to convert anybody. Except that I kind of am.
Here's where you can find The Boonie Breakdown.
Last week, we mentioned both Jessamyn Stanley and Black Girl in Om and I neglected to link to them in the show notes. I added those links there - and here.
Episode 42 - Breaking Down Yoga with Boonie
We talk to the one and only Adriene of the Boonie Breakdown in the first of a two part conversation about yoga and meditation - what got her back into her practice and where it might take her next. In this episode we also talk a little bit about lady podcasting and if there’s such a thing as a “good slave owner.”
When you're done listening to this episode, check out The Boonie Breakdown.
We mention Jessamyn Stanley in this show, author of Every Body Yoga and more.
And here's a link to Black Girl in Om, the podcast and online publication.
Episode 41 - The Kleshas, the Ignorati and the Goal of Yoga
We talk about what yoga is actually for, and go over the four not-so-simple steps to liberation set out by Patanjali. The idea of the Kleshas are introduced as well as the yogic concept of Avidya, ignorance.
During the podcast, we reference the goal of Yoga: Sutra 2.2 states “The goal of Yoga is not to obtain something that is lacking: it is the realization of an already present reality. Yoga practice removes the obstacles that obstruct the experience of samadhi, or the state of complete absorption” (Jaganath Carrera, Inside the Yoga Sutras).
This translation is what was used. That link also contains some more information on the Kleshas for your reading pleasure.
Episode 40 - 360 Wellness with Lindsay Kellner
What’s the definition of freedom, how do we deal with dissent and what’s the best way to go do sh*t in real life? We talk to Lindsay Kellner, Sr Wellness and Beauty Editor at Mind Body Green and founder of the Well Aware show.
During the show we tried to assess how many yoga teachers there are in NYC. I couldn't find an accurate stat on that, but I did find this vague but fun bit of info:
As of December 2015, 52,746 teachers and over 18,000 yoga schools were registered with the Alliance, and there are two people interested in becoming a yoga teacher for every one teacher in the U.S. (Yoga Journal and Yoga Alliance 2016).
Episode 39 - From Hot Hot Heat to Kool And The Gang
When the season goes from ‘too hot to handle’ to ‘too cold to hold’, we shift our food and lifestyle to accommodate the change. Ayurveda teaches us how - so we'll go over some basic guidelines, I'll say some sanskrit you don't have to remember and we'll go along our merry way.
Here are the 20 Gunas, or qualities, if you're interested:
Heavy (guru) Light in weight (laghu)
Slow or Dull (manda) Sharp, penetrating (tikshna)
Cold (hima or shita) Hot (ushna)
Oily (snigdha or sneha) Dry (ruksha)
Smooth (shlakshna) Rough (khara)
Dense or solid (sandra) Liquid (drava)
Soft (mridu) Hard (kathina)
Static or stable (sthira) Mobile or unstable (chala)
Gross or big (sthula) Subtle (sukshma)
Slimy or sticky (picchila) Clear or non-slimy (vishada)
Episode 38 - Avoidance, Denial and Suffering
We spend so much time trying to avoid what hurts. We dance around it, we look the other way. But when we ignore suffering, it just hurts more. So, what to do? The alternative to ignoring pain and suffering, is to meet it. We experiment with a brief Tonglen meditation - a Tibetan Buddhist practice focused on giving and receiving.
Episode 37 - The Danger of 'Good Vibes Only'
We're taught to disregard the wicked in order to calm the mind. But what happens when we ignore oppression under the guise of equanimity?
Links:
6 Ways Spiritual Thinking Can Reinforce Oppression and Racism
Yoga Sutra I.33 as translated by Swami Satchidananda, in Yoga Journal
Episode 36 - Feminism, Broga and the Age of Aquarius
We talk about the pros and cons of gender domination and if we are, in fact, moving towards a more egalitarian future. Also, we unite the masculine and feminine within using alternate nostril breathing.
In this episode I refer to the research of Dr. Alice Eagly. This bio is from The Institute of Policy Research at Northwestern: "Alice Eagly is a social psychologist who has published widely on the psychology of gender and of attitudes, especially attitude change and attitude structure." And you can find the work I mention right here.
Here is more information on the Age of Aquarius. I chose less didactic source material here, so enjoy.