The cause of our pain might also be the cause of our comfort sometimes, but it's not really going to be the cause of our deep healing. The instrument that wounds us is not usually going to be same thing as the balm that heals us.

This week, we discuss how this concept applies to interpersonal relationships, especially those that are toxic, and to societal systems that we cannot "go back" to as we emerge from the events of the last year and half. We explore the ways that these ideas relate to the Goddess Kali, the yogic essence of reality.

Then, we practice a guided mantra meditation to call in Kali and, with her, reality and transformation.

4:13: yoga philosophy discussion

22:26 guided mantra meditation

Recently, my spiritual teacher has been saying that life is about more than just finding ways to entertain ourselves. This teaching has been popping into my mind over and over, whether or not I know exactly what it means for me, so it feels important!

Together, we unpack how this teaching might apply to those of us on the spiritual path, discuss how it can be used as a self-inquiry practice, and discuss practical strategies for living a life that goes deeper than surface-level entertainment.

Then, we embody it in practice with a guided meditation that takes us into the body, heart and spirit, the 3 fundamental spaces that empower us to live a deeper life.

3:12: yoga philosophy discussion

27:45: guided meditation

Yoga philosophy teaches that duality, or the existence of equal opposites and opposing forces, is part of being alive, but it is not the deepest reality. Instead, wholeness is the deepest reality. The spiritual community seems to be caught in duality around holistic healing, positioning it as the opposite of traditional medicine and healing. We explore the true meaning of 'holistic' and practice a guided meditation for embracing authentic wholeness.

3:11: yoga philosophy discussion

20:05: guided wholeness meditation

Yep, we said it. We're going there, to a place that we wish wasn't controversial but still is. That's why we're working to disrupt it!

Lindsay Kumari Jaya, a friend, community member, international mindfulness and mobility expert and Latine practitioner working in the wellness space, joins me for a powerful interview on Disrupting the Whiteness of Wellness.

We discuss how those of us working in the wellness space can release the assumptions we make about who wellness is for and what it should look like, de-centering supremacy in our yoga classes, meditation sessions, energy healing spaces and more.

Then, Lindsay helps us to embody this work with a guided breath practice.

4:07: Interview with Lindsay Kumari Jaya

39:03: Guided Breath Practice

I took requests for this week's podcast, and my wonderful friend Ebony wanted to hear about the power of rest. Synchronistically, I spent this week working with the practices of asking for and receiving rest in my own life. We talk about how the true power of rest comes in the willingness to receive, how this intersects with systems of power and privilege, then we practice a yoga nidra-style reclined meditation to receive rest in an embodied way.

3:13: yoga philosophy discussion

22:44 guided yoga nidra-style practice

Spoiler: the point is that there is no quick-fix ritual on the paths of yoga and spirituality. I detail my experience with feeling pain, wanting to come up with some quick ritual to make the pain go away and how that desire relates to the commodification of spiritual growth. Then, we go into a body-scan meditation to practice willingness to be as we are and who we are, even if it's uncomfortable, without needing to fix ourselves at all.

3:38: yoga philosophy discussion

21:11 guided body scan meditation

In the west, we either make the word "Guru" much more casual or much more intense than it needs to be. With the example of my beloved Guru, Ma Jaya (and in honor of her birthday), we explore what it really means and how the heart of the Guru relationship is not worship... but devotion. Then we do a heart-based meditation practice for lighting the fire of devotion within us for whatever it is we love.

3:46 Yoga Philosophy Discussion

19:51 Guided Heart Meditation Practice

One of the gifts of yoga practice (any kind, since there are many) is that it reminds us of our capacity to do hard things AND to put the hard things down. In this episode, we explore what that looks like practically, in our lives, from doing the work of transforming our biases to the internal practice of putting down difficult situations just long enough that we can process them. Then, we do a guided sun / moon mantra and meditation practice to embody this balance of doing hard things and putting them down.

5:02: yoga philosophy discussion

21:21: guided sun / moon mantra and meditation

It's common in the realms of yoga and spirituality to hear the phrase, "If I say anything that triggers or upsets you, I'm just holding up a mirror to show you where you need to grow." In this episode, we get curious about whether or not that's truly a conscious response, then we practice a "compassionate hesitation" meditation to cultivate a response to ourselves and others that is rooted in consciousness.

3:28: yoga philosophy discussion

16:24: guided breath meditation