I offer reflections on my process working with the narrative that "something is wrong." I'm realizing that I have internalized the difficulty of being in the world as an assumption that something is wrong with me, and as I work to release that narrative, I invite us all to do the same. If we exchange "something is wrong" for compassion, for ourselves and others, we help create the space for us and for all beings to experience qualities like love and bliss rather than continuous suffering. We put this into practice with a compassion meditation.

3:22: yoga philosophy discussion

17:30: guided compassion meditation

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Born from reflections on sitting through a thunder storm, we explore the ways that many cultures, from children to different faith traditions, spiritualize storms as a way of finding connection to something bigger than any one human. The uncontrollable nature of our experiences can be both wild and very freeing. After we discuss this together, we embody this connection to something greater than ourselves through breath meditation. // 3:45: yoga philosophy discussion, 18:48: guided breath meditation // Stay connected on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laura__tara/

This week, I'm examining creativity as an antidote to the tension of our times. In my yoga lineage, creativity and stress are the opposite of one another. In a world and under systems that very much want to keep us stressed, creativity is a radical practice. We explore it in discussion then practice it in meditation together. // 4:00: yoga philosophy discussion, 17:54: guided meditation // Stay connected on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laura__tara/

This week, in the wake of the deadliest school shooting the US has seen in a decade, I shift the lens from traditionally spiritual to that of mental health. I use my mental health qualifications to unpack the 3 main reasons that making America's gun problem about mental health is a fallacy. Then, in meditation, we use our breaths to clear intentional and compassionate space for us to land in the midst of our heartbreak. // 6:58: discussion, 24:17: guided meditation // Stay connected on Instagram: https://instagram.com/laura__tara/

Of the last 2 weeks that I spent on hiatus from this podcast, I spent one processing the painful events in the world and another in the paradise of Costa Rica working on myself; specifically, my unworthiness. This week, I explore how those two things are related-- how working on and tending to ourselves is connected to the violence and power imbalances we currently see in the world. Then, we go into mediation to take that embodied time and space to tend to ourselves. // 3:59: yoga philosophy discussion, 23:51: guided meditation // stay connected on Instagram: https://instagram.com/laura__tara/

This week's show is another exploration of the teachings I receive when I'm sorting through my thoughts while driving. This time, I realized that I was disconnecting myself from reality by staying caught in thoughts of the past and future, and that the work being asked of me was to let those thoughts go. I realized that, in the moments of our everyday lives, we have to be willing to release our thoughts like we do in meditation. Together, we discuss what this means and how we can put it into practice in a tangible way. // Stay connected on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laura__tara

This week, I saw someone online detailing their experience in a toxic situation and their hope that things would get better, which reminded me of my own experience in a similar dynamic. I've come to learn that things do get better, but we don't have to wait on someone or something outside of ourselves for that to happen. We explore this together, then practice a fiery, guided breath meditation to support our internal capacity to transform, to do things differently than we have before. This is the mechanism by which things get better. // 3:55: yoga philosophy discussion, 25:40: guided breath meditation // stay connected on Instagram: https://instagram.com/laura__tara/

One of the simple and powerful teachings from my guru (primary spiritual teacher), Ma Jaya, is, "You have to learn to be happy on the way to happiness." I've always understood this teaching in my mind, but I've recently had an opportunity to learn it in my heart, as I've realized I'm still treating my happiness as a destination. We explore this insight together and practice a guided meditation for being present to our internal wholeness (which I interchange with happiness) right where we are, regardless of what's on the way externally. // 3:41: yoga philosophy discussion, 22:03: guided meditation // Stay connected on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laura__tara/

As we live through one of the most significant global conflicts in a century, it's common for people to say they "can't wrap their minds around" the violence we are witnessing. While this reaction is incredibly understandable, there is more wholeness (the meaning of yoga) in understanding that every human has the capacity to perpetuate harm. We explore this concept together and put it into practice with a guided self-inquiry meditation. // 4:12: yoga philosophy discussion, 30:44: guided self-inquiry meditation // stay connected on Instagram: https://instagram.com/laura__tara/

This week our discussion is based largely around the guidance and wisdom of Black women, and we talk about the yogic principle of nonviolence. There was a version of me that believed nonviolence always involved speaking out or taking action against what I perceived as violence, but I'm learning differently now. Together, we explore what it means to practice silence as nonviolence, especially in situations where using our voices can cause harm. We put it into practice with a guided breath meditation. // 4:05: yoga philosophy discussion, 22:55: guided breath meditation // stay connected on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laura__tara/