Contemplate This!

After my interview with Fr. Laurence Freeman, OSB, (Episode 14), he immediately suggested that I get in touch with Dr. Barry White. Listeners are going to be very grateful for this connection

Dr. Barry White, M.D., is hematologist and an executive board member of VHI Health and Wellbeing, a part of [VHI](https://www.vhi.ie/home) - the largest health insurance provider in Ireland.

He was a keynote speaker at the John Main Seminar in 2018, hosted by the [World Community for Christian Meditation](http://wccm.org/), and his talk on a contemplative approach to medicine is fascinating! [Click here to view the video](https://vimeo.com/296867178).

Barry has an insightful, contemplative understanding of health and healthcare. It could also radically transform how we think about the practice of medicine. Whether you're a practitioner or provider of medicine, someone who works in healthcare, or you’re just a patient of modern healthcare – and that’s pretty much everybody - you're going to find this interview powerful and thought-provoking.

I first met Fr. Laurence at the New Contemplative Exchange in Snowmass Colorado in August of 2017. He was there as one of the representatives of what we affectionately call the "Big 4" networks of Christian contemplative practice - along with Fr. Thomas Keating (Contemplative Outreach, Ltd.), Rev. Dr. Tilden Edwards (Shalem Institute), Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM (Center for Action and Contemplation).

Laurence Freeman was born in England in 1951 where he was educated by the Benedictines and studied English Literature at New College, Oxford University. Before entering monastic life, he had experience with the United Nations in New York, banking and journalism.

Today Fr Laurence is a Benedictine monk of the Monastery of Sta Maria di Pilastrello, Lendinara, in the Benedictine Congregation of Monte Oliveto. He is Director of The World Community for Christian Meditation.

In the monastery, his spiritual teacher was John Main. He helped Fr John to establish the first Christian Meditation Centre in London. At the invitation of the Archbishop of Montreal, in 1977, he accompanied John Main to establish a Benedictine community of monks and laypeople dedicated to the practice and teaching of Christian meditation. Fr Laurence studied theology at the Universite de Montreal and at McGill University. He made his solemn monastic profession in 1979 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1980.

After the death of John Main in 1982, he continued the work of teaching meditation that had already begun to develop a global community. In 1991, Fr Laurence returned to England to establish the International Centre of the newly formed World Community for Christian Meditation, now present in more than a hundred countries and which has become a 'monastery without walls', in which he travels and teaches widely.

Maria Gullo describes how God frees us from the "imposter self" in contemplation, and how a daily practice helps to integrate our many roles in life.

Maria Gullo is a fellow teacher of Centering Prayer and on the Insight Timer app, the creator of TheDeeperConnection.org, a trained and experienced spiritual director, and a small business owner. Maria first reached out to me after we found each others' teachings on Insight Timer, and it took is over a year to finally connect. The word that stands out for me from this interview is "integration." Maria wears many hats in life, but she refuses to be divided or fragmented by different roles - it's her contemplative practice, her resting in divine stillness, that integrates her life into a coherent whole. This is both nourishing and healing for her and for those who encounter her.

Louis Komjathy 康思奇 (Ph.D., Religious Studies; Boston University) is Associate Professor of Chinese Religions and Comparative Religious Studies at the University of San Diego, and Research Fellow of the Mind & Life Institute. A leading teacher-scholar of Daoism (Taoism) and Contemplative Studies, he has particular interests in contemplative practice, embodiment, and mystical experience. He is also founding Co-chair (2004-2010) of the Daoist Studies Unit of the American Academy of Religion, founding Co-chair (2010-2016) of the Contemplative Studies Unit of the American Academy of Religion, and manager of the Contemplative Studies Website (www.sandiego.edu/cas/contemplativestudies).

In addition to over thirty academic articles and book chapters, he has published nine books to date, including the recent Taming the Wild Horse: An Annotated Translation and Study of the Daoist Horse Taming Pictures (Columbia University Press, 2017) and Introducing Contemplative Studies (Wiley-Blackwell, 2018). Beyond his academic work, he is a member of the advisory board for Monastic Interreligious Dialogue and founding Co-director of the Daoist Foundation, a non-profit religious and educational organization dedicated to fostering authentic Daoist study and practice and to preserving and transmitting traditional Daoist culture.

[home.sandiego.edu/~komjathy](http://home.sandiego.edu/~komjathy)

[daoistfoundation.org](http://daoistfoundation.org)

[www.sandiego.edu/cas/contemplative-studies/](http://www.sandiego.edu/cas/contemplative-studies/)

Fr. Stuart Higginbotham, an Episcopal priest in Gainesville, GA, is another one of the thoughtful and inspiring persons I met at the New Contemplative Exchange in Snowmass, CO, last August (2017).  This interview stood out for me because of the very intentional way in which Stuart is bringing a contemplative disposition into his leadership role as pastor and priest at Grace Episcopal Church.  His approach to leadership exemplifies what happens when we work to remove our ego and self-will from daily events, and create more room for the Holy Spirit to work in and through others.  Although he's speaking about leadership as a pastor, I think there's some incredible wisdom about leadership that applies to any context - business, parenting, sports, etc.

Here's how he describes this approach to "pastoral" leadership on his blog, on a Contemplative Reformation:

Fr. Stuart’s doctoral thesis, “The Practice of Christian Mindfulness as an Imaginative Challenge in Parish Ministry,” describes Grace’s work over the past few years to reorient its practice of discipleship and ministry away from the “program-maintenance model” toward a contemplative posture of spiritual imagination, discernment, transfigured awareness, and desire. He is particularly drawn to exploring the ways the Christian contemplative tradition can shape, nurture, and challenge the institutional church.

Fore more information about Stuart, check out the links below:

Elements of a Contemplative Reformation blog

www.contemplativereformation.com

Grace Episcopal Church

www.gracechurchgainesville.org

Stuart mentions this video by Raimond Panikkar in our interview, so I'm sharing the link here as well... In his words, "It fits so well into the dynamic of congregational work, with a contemplative posture.  I use it a great deal here, with conversations."  It's Panikkar's "The Window"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyDZEs2qKw8

Lerita Coleman Brown, PhD, Professor of Psychology Emerita at Agnes Scott College, is a spiritual director/companion, writer, retreat leader, and speaker. A graduate of the Spiritual Guidance Program at the Shalem Institute (founded by Tilden Edwards, Episode 3), Lerita writes about and promotes contemplative spirituality in everyday life, the life and work of Howard Thurman, and uncovering the peace and joy in one’s heart.

Dr. Brown was the retreat director and keynote speaker at the "Sewanee Contemplative Exchange," an event that emerged after the New Contemplative Exchange in August 2017 to address the integration between contemplative prayer and compassionate social action. I was all signed up to attend, and then we bought a house and closed the weekend of the retreat:( I missed out on her retreat, but I did not miss out on her wisdom, which comes through passionately in this interview. Her website is called PeaceforHearts.com, and that is exactly what I'm still feeling after connecting with her in this conversation. I know listeners will find #peaceforhearts in this as well.

The Rev. Matthew Wright is an Episcopal priest, writer, and retreat leader working to renew the Christian Wisdom tradition. He serves as priest-in-charge at St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church in Woodstock, NY and is a teacher for Northeast Wisdom and The Contemplative Society, non-profits rooted in the teaching lineage of Cynthia Bourgeault. Matthew lives with his wife, Yanick, alongside the brothers of Holy Cross Monastery in West Park, NY.

Matthew Wright is emerging as one of the most dynamic young leaders in the world of Christian contemplative practice. I've had the honor of becoming friends with Matthew after I first met him several years ago when he was giving a retreat at the Episcopal House of Prayer, which is located in the beautiful North woods on the grounds of my alma mater of St. John's University in Collegeville, MN. We were also both present for the New Contemplative Exchange that gathered in August 2017 at St. Benedict's Monastery in Snowmass, CO. Matthew has a genuine warmth, depth, and enthusiasm that witnesses to the kind of peace that one only encounters in those who have humbly cultivated a quiet faith and trust in God. Two of the things that Matthew highlights particularly well in this interview is the focus on dwelling in the heart - a notion he picks up from his teacher, Cynthia Bourgeault - and his appreciation for being a disciple of Christ while cultivating an interspiritual connection with the contemplative dimension of Islam, which he engages in through Sufi practices. His teachings, which he shares primarily on retreats, has a way of touching people at a very deep level, and I hope you enjoy the peace and warmth of his gentle witness in this interview.

To learn more about Matthew and his work, please visit any of the following resources:

Matthew's blog: [http://awakingheart.com/](http://awakingheart.com/)

Northeast Wisdom: [http://northeastwisdom.org/](http://northeastwisdom.org/)

The Threshold Society: [http://sufism.org/](http://sufism.org/)

The Contemplative Society: [http://contemplative.org/](http://contemplative.org/)

I was introduced to Dr. Stephen Parker by a friend who suggested I reach out to him given my interests in psychology, yoga, and contemplative practices. We worked together for a brief time in therapy, but quickly moved into a spiritual friendship. I received initiation from him in 2013, and he remains one of my principle teachers of contemplation. I am grateful for his warmth and generosity, and he has helped me to understand how yoga as the science of spiritual practice can be fully integrated into my practice as a Christian.

Dr. Stephen Parker was initiated in the Himalayan Yoga tradition by Swami Veda Bharati and was given the initiate name Stoma in 1971. Among the first teachers certified by the Himalayan International Teachers’ Association, H.I.T.A., he began teaching hatha-yoga in 1974. During that time he also studied Sanskrit with Swami Veda and South Asian languages and literature for his B.A. at the University of Minnesota. Stoma is an Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher at the 500 hour level of the Yoga Alliance (E-RYT 500) and also serves on the Board of Directors of the Council on Yoga Accreditation International (www.cyai.com). A member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists, he was grandparented as a certified yoga therapist in August 2017 and he serves on the faculties of the Meditation Center in Minneapolis and the Swami Rama Sadhaka Gram ashram in Rishikesh, India. He is also a senior faculty member of the Himalayan Yoga Tradition Teachers’ Training Program. He has lectured on yoga, meditation, yoga psychology, spiritual practice, management and the science of ygoa in the U.S. and Canada as well as in Carribean countries, Holland, Italy, Austria, Hungary, Lithuania, South Africa, Korea, Hong Kong and India. In 2004 he helped originate and teach the first course on yoga in an American medical school at the University of Minnesota Academic Medical Center. In 2007 he received preliminary vows of renunciation from Swami Veda and the Shankaracharya of Karvirapitha.

Stoma has been a licensed psychologist in private practice in St. Paul, MN since 1985. He also serves as Adjunct Assistant School Professor of Counseling and Psychological Services at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota and Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Graduate School of Professional Psychology at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis, MN. He teaches on the faculty of the Introductory Workshops of the Minnesota Society of Clinical Hypnosis. In addition to authoring journal articles and book chapters, Dr. Parker edited volume two of Swami Veda’s definitive scholarly work on the Yoga-sutras of Patanjali. He has also recently published a book on the process of spiritual purification in yoga entitled Clearing the Path, the yoga way to a clear and pleasant mind: Patañjali, neuroscience and emotion. He has been a peer review editor for the Journal of Men’s Studies, the American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, the International Journal of Health and Applied Sciences, the International Journal of Yoga Therapy and Yoga-mimamsa.

Myra Rucker is a yoga instructor at the YMCA, [Nokomis yoga](http:////www.nokomisyoga.com/), and a teacher at [Common Ground Buddhist meditation center](http:commongroundmeditation.org/)in Minneapolis, MN. This episode was particularly fun for me because Myra was my first yoga teacher, and she has become a good friend and a wonderful conversation partner on this path of contemplative transformation. I met Myra about 7 or 8 years ago I walked into a yoga studio at the YMCA in downtown Minneapolis. Like many Americans who go to a yoga studio, I thought of it mostly as a physical practice. But gradually I learned so much more about how yoga is a truly contemplative tradition - how *asana* and *pranayama* (posture and breath) are only two aspects of the full eight limbs of *ashtanga yoga*, which culminates in a single-pointed union with the object of one's meditation in *Samadhi*. What I do recall during those first few classes - which were a *vinyassa* or "flow" style of yoga - is sweating really hard, feeling completely awkward, but then resting down into *savassana* at the end of the practice and experiencing a kind of joyful release that is hard to put into words.

It wasn't long before I began to stick around after class to ask Myra questions and she started feeding me reading suggestions. I now began to understand what I was experiencing in that ecstatic release - in yoga philosophy there are channels of energy that flow throughout the entire body called *nadis*, and when we store tension, stress, or trauma in our bodies those nadis become clogged, and those blockages are called *granthis*. This ancient wisdom is consistent with neuroscience that notes how memories can become stored in our implicit memory systems in the body at levels underneath our usual conscious level of awareness. The practice of yoga is one of refining our awareness into the subtle layers of our mind-body experience so that we can release those *granthis*; as we do so we naturally move toward deeper states of meditation, contemplation, or union.

Myra gets into some deeply personal reflections about religious and racial identity that we hadn't really breached in our previous conversations. I'm particularly grateful for her vulnerability in discussing this on the podcast, as I think it speaks directly to many of the issues we're dealing with at the crossroads between contemplative practice, identity, and social justice issues in our culture today. I hope you find this as refreshing and challenging as I did listening to her experience.

I'm very excited to share Myra's wisdom with you all! If you'd like to learn more about Myra, or attend one of her classes, check out the sites below:

[https://ajoyfulpractice.com/about/](https://ajoyfulpractice.com/about/)

[http://commongroundmeditation.org/about/teachers-and-leaders/teachers/myra-rucker/](http://commongroundmeditation.org/about/teachers-and-leaders/teachers/myra-rucker/)

[http://www.nokomisyoga.com/instructor.htm](http://www.nokomisyoga.com/instructor.htm)

Chris Heuertz was introduced to the Enneagram by a friend in India and it radically changed his life - leading to a shocking and difficult awakening, a "severe mercy," but one that led him on a journey of self-discovery and in-depth study of the Enneagram system and process of spiritual transformation. The wisdom of this journey is collected in his recent book, The Sacred Enneagram: Finding Your Unique Path to Spiritual Growth. This interview breaks open a deeper understanding of the Enneagram, which Chris approaches more as a process for understanding our energies and our path to God, rather than a psycho-spiritual personality typology. For those listeners not familiar with the Enneagram, I have compiled some introductory resources below, and the bonus track, "Introducing the Enneagram with Chris Heuertz" also provides a short (less than 10 min.) to the Enneagram and the nine points.

Chris has spent his life bearing witness to the possibility of hope among a world that has legitimate reasons to question God’s goodness.

Originally from Omaha, Nebraska, Chris studied at Asbury University in Kentucky before moving to India where he was mentored by Mother Teresa for three years. While living in India, he helped launch South Asia’s first pediatric AIDS care home – creating a safe haven for children impacted by the global pandemic.

A forerunner in the New Friar movement, Chris and his wife Phileena served with the Word Made Flesh community for nearly 20 years, working for women and children victimized by human traffickers in the commercial sex industry. This has taken Chris to over 70 countries working among the most vulnerable of the world’s poor.

In 2012 Phileena and Chris launched Gravity, a Center for Contemplative Activism.

Named one of Outreach magazine’s “30 Emerging Influencers Reshaping Leadership,” Chris is a curator of unlikely friendships, an instigator for good, a champion of collaboration, and a witness to hope, Chris fights for a renewal of contemplative activism.