Enlighten: Uplift & Inspire

We recorded this podcast just yesterday and did what was necessary to release it within 24 hours because our guest has 2 exciting projects that are happening this week and we wanted to get the word out to everyone as soon as possible. One workshop takes place this coming Sunday November 22nd, the first in a series, called "Manifest Monthly" of monthly yoga workshops to deepen your physical practice while supporting grassroots organizations. The other is a 4 month program, called "Hibernation for Healing" that begins this Wednesday November 18th. Hopefully you will be able to participate in at least one, if not both of these meaningful offerings. So my guest today is Shawna Emerick. Shawna was a guest 2 years ago and is a gifted Yoga Teacher, Thai Bodywork Therapist, Life Coach and Spiritual Activist. Shawna brings such heart and integrity to everything she does and it is truly a joy to shine light on Shawna once again. Yes, I encourage everyone to take a yoga class, workshop or retreat from Shawna or experience her balancing Thai massage healing touch, or receive the insightful guidance from Shawna's life coaching. And I want everyone to support either directly or indirectly her "Manifest Monthly" series - it means so much to me that Shawna chose MADE Transitions as the first organization in her series. Shawna also describes her "Hibernation for Healing" program that she is co-facilitating and co-creating with Liz Moyer. She'll describe both and more in today's conversation. Please check out the show notes for links to Shawna's email, website, and how to follow her on social media. Enjoy the podcast! Links: www.shawnashakti.com email: [email protected] M.A.D.E. Manifest Hibernation for Healing IG: @shawnaemerick IG: Liz Moyer, @we_heal_for_all FaceBook

The Monday before election day, a friend had posted this quote: "Shout out to anyone doing their part to spread love and raise the vibration of the planet. I know this lingo can sound a little weird to some people, but seriously, if you're out here uplifting people and spreading love, I appreciate you so damn much." Well, I'm out here trying to uplift people and spreading love as I know most of you are. I recorded this podcast on Wednesday 11/4, the day after Election Day, when we were still waiting for every vote to be counted. Who do I want to be if Biden wins our election? Who ought I be if Trump wins? I want to show up with integrity and love, to every moment of life. I want to show up with gratitude and appreciation of all the progress we've made as well as a determination to keep fighting for equality, justice and advocating for the dignity of every human being. I want to show up with an inner sense of peace, knowing that no one is free if others are oppressed. By the time this airs, on Monday 11/9, we hopefully will learn that Joe Biden has won the popular and electoral votes and is now the next President of the United States. We, therefore are taking a collective sigh of relief knowing that we can now begin the challenging work ahead to restore our country, our democracy and most of all to heal humanity. As Eckhart Tolle says: "Your unhappiness ultimately arises not from the circumstances of your life but from the conditioning of your mind." So let's look at the conditioning of our minds. We have been well-conditioned by worry, anxiety and fear. So even in these stressful days of waiting for justice to prevail, we can practice noticing our thoughts, notice what thoughts calm us and what thoughts unsettle us. We can master our minds when we dare to be present to what is. And for most of us, what is, is a lot of uncertainty. Be present to the uncertainty, be present to the unknown. Or as Ram Das said: "Be Here Now!" In this waiting period, like any waiting period throughout our lives, we are being challenged to not fuel the worry and nervousness, but to let the anxiety dissolve naturally. Focus your thoughts on the change we wish to see. As John Lewis said, "Change requires patient, persistent action." Regardless of the outcome of this election, we have a lot of important work ahead of us. It's as critical that we undo our fear-driven mental conditioning and do the inner work of raising consciousness and cultivating mindfulness. May we dissolve our anxiety, focus on the love, stay devoted to the dignity of every human being, act from oneness, drop into silence and stillness and embrace compassion. Let's all do our part to uplift others, raise the vibration of the planet, keep spreading the love. Enjoy the podcast!

Love is in the air, do you feel it?!? I do and if you pay attention, you will see it, hear it, and feel it, too! Love is in the air; love is all around us! There's an outpouring of love: in lawn signs, in mindsets, in the kindness from strangers, in celebrations of anniversaries, birthdays, in protestors, in a record turn out of determined voters, in joyful dancers, in community volunteers and in song. Who have you showered with love lately? Watch the amazing video Black Eyed Peas released with Jennifer Hudson of their song "Where is the Love?" I've always loved that song, but it now means so much more to me, these days as we all find creative ways to find the love, show up to the challenges with more love. Where is the love? The love is inside each one of us, focus on love, let's keep generating the healing power of love! What we focus on increases, so let's grow this love! As Stevie Wonder sings in "Love's in Need of Love" What I'm about to say could mean the world's disaster. Could change your joy and laughter to tears and pain. It's that love's in need of love today. Don't delay send yours in right away. Hate's going around breaking many hearts, Stop it please before its gone too far. The force of evil plans to make you its possession and it will if we let it destroy everybody We all must take precautionary measures, If love and peace you treasure, then you'll hear me when I say, That love's in need of love today. Don't delay send yours in right away. May we abide in love as we enter this next chapter of our democracy. Check out the show notes to find links to Margaret Dulaney's Listen Well podcast as well as my playlist of Love Songs. Enjoy the podcast! Links: Listen Well October Offering: "Try This" John Lewis, "Across That Bridge" People Are Obsessed With This Video Of Voters In Philadelphia Doing The "Cha Cha Slide" Songs: (YouTube) James Taylor, "Shower the People" Al Green, "Love is a Beautiful Thing" Black Eyed Peas, "Where is the Love?" Stevie Wonder, "Love's in Need of Love"

My guest today is Kristin Richardson Jordan, also known, simply as her initials: KRJ. Kristin is a teacher, poet, social justice activist and spiritual warrior, who is currently running for New York City Council in District 9, Central Harlem. She is in no manner a typical politician, in fact KRJ's refreshing platform is radical love! She explains that love is the base for meaningful change, for action, for organizing; love is the foundation for making the world a better place. If elected, Kristin would be the youngest ever, first openly LGBTQ person to hold this office in this district. KRJ is a 3rd generation Harlemite, who cares deeply about her community, particularly investing time, energy and resources in what nourishes and uplifts the community, not what destroys and divides it. Kristin is a graduate from Brown University where she double majored in Literary Arts and Afrikana Studies and as fitting with the Black Radical Tradition, has infused her passions into creative, imaginative ways to address the political challenges that face Harlem. As eager as I was to have my conversation with KRJ released before election day, I learned that voting for city council is not this November, but in June of 2021. So you have plenty of time to learn about KRJ and join me in following her progress and supporting KRJ's vision of transformative love. Check out the links below to Kristin's website KristinForHarlem.com, her social media accounts, the 2 books she has published and the some of the resources she mentioned. Enjoy the podcast! Links: KristinForHarlem.com FB: Kristin4Harlem IG: @Kristin4Harlem Twitter: Kristin4Harlem ANSWER: Act Now to Stop War and End Racism Sister's Uptown Bookstore Books: "Mules Fight Back: 40 Activist Poems and Stories" "Water and Light: Choose Love Now"

This week I share a short, simple exercise called the "Compassion Beads". The premise is that compassion is part of our DNA and can be nourished and cultivated with intention and mindfulness. Biologically, compassion decreases levels of stress, boosts our immune system and helps us feel calm. Using a simple alphabetical mnemonic device, which provides a memory tool, the compassion beads, start with the letter C, and end with the letter L, or think of it this way: the beads start with COMPASSION and end with LOVE. The beads take you through 10 words, in alphabetical order that cultivate a calming, inner state of mind. Each bead represents one of the following words: Compassion, Dignity, Equanimity, Forgiveness, Gratitude, Humility, Integrity, Justice, Kindness and Love. Dr. James Doty, a neurosurgeon who has dedicated over 15 years to studying compassion, altruism and empathy, calls these 10 words the alphabet of the heart. A golden bead added at the end of the 10 words is a reminder of the golden rule: treat others the way you want to be treated. Even without physical beads to hold onto, you can feel the effects of this exercise. I lead a brief meditation to demonstrate how to use the compassion beads. Check out the links to the San Antonio Peace Center and to CCARE: Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education. Feel free to make your own beads. You can easily carry them in your pocket or purse, a tangible reminder that compassion and peace are within reach and at your fingertips. Enjoy the podcast! Links: The Center for Compassion And Altruism Research And Education CCARE Videos Dr. Doty's Alphabet of the Heart San Antonio Peace Center

In the midst of more racial atrocities, pandemic chaos, political head-spinning, urgent climate concerns, and violent acts of domestic terrorism, I know we are all doing the best we can to get through our days. Hopefully we are focusing on what sustains our souls, as I've mentioned in the past 3 episodes. Getting through the day, includes simple tasks, routines, chores, as well as little and big decisions. I also know that the daily experiences of living, mundane and insignificant as it can seem, can momentarily draw us out from under the weight of the world. Sometimes, if we are lucky, getting through the day can hold moments of laughter. It can be as small as something that makes you smile, or ignites a subtle giggle or as cathartic as a big doubled over, belly laugh. I sure appreciate the release of laughter and realize that laughter itself, is a great soul sustainer. To access the joyous relief of laughter, it helps not to take ourselves too seriously. That actually feels like a conscious, mindful choice on our life journey - to not take ourselves too seriously. Learning to laugh at ourselves, even when there has been a misunderstanding or when we've made a big mistake, is as important as any other tool we incorporate into our spiritual practice. On this week's podcast, I share 2 personal stories that remind me how important laughter is. What has made you laugh recently? May you find the healing release of laughter this week. Let laughter usher in some playfulness and joy. Let us add laughter to our important threads that sustains our souls. Enjoy the podcast.

I heard wonderful feedback about the last 2 episodes from listeners who really enjoyed hearing shorter, personal stories. Thank you! So today will be another offering from me. Whoa, what a week we just weathered!! From Trump's disgraceful, abusive behavior during the first presidential debate to learning this past Friday that he and Melania tested positive for the Covid-19. Like many of us, I walk a very fine line between wanting to be informed yet not wanting to be sucked into the chaos that Trump propogates. I tune into current events incrementally and from as many grounded sources that avoid the hype and fear-mongering drama. Even the program title of Jessica Yellin's Instagram: "News Not Noise" is my style of being informed. So even though there was nothing surprising about the way Trump conducted himself during Tuesday night's debate, after all he was in character; he blatantly assaulted everyone of us. Trump's disrespectful, demeaning, loud, rude, bullying, name-calling, manipulative attacks targeted first at Joe Biden, then the moderator, Chris Wallace, and then clearly at every one of us tuning in. When the 90 minute debate was finally over, I found myself trying to shake off the energetic slime before going to bed that night. Wriggling my hands, flailing my arms, even karate kicking my legs into the air to release all the negativity. And then I thought how do I shake free from the hostile images of Trump spewing, interrupting, lying, diverting? In addition to my body that was needing to release the slime, I wanted to clear my mind. Otherwise, I was bound to have nightmares!! I was relieved to have readily available my recent podcast offering of a guided meditation. I lay down, turned on the episode and immediately began to breathe slower and deeper. Perfect for moments like these, and I actually fell asleep quickly and slept through the night peacefully. We are being asked to flex our resilience muscles, through the pandemic over these past 6 months, through the debacle of this last debate and as we approach more political and pandemic uncertainty ahead. Many of us keep rebounding from all this adversity, learning how to resiliently withstand and expand, in the face of despair. It takes a toll on our hearts. Since our hearts have been recently stressed, pulled and yanked so intensely, I felt drawn to offer you another guided meditation. This one is for our hearts. May it help build heart resiliency and tenderness. Enjoy the podcast! Links: Jessica Yellin- News Not Noise Guided Meditation, Episode 127

This week I build on last week's theme of focusing on what sustains our soul by sharing a recent magical moment that I am calling "Swan-Delight". When we pause, pay attention and share these soul sustaining moments, it helps to absorb more fully, their deeper meaning. Just as there is a universal law of gravity, there is a universal law that what we focus on increases. Most of us are conditioned to focus on what we are afraid of, what we are worried about, actually what we don't want. I encourage you to focus on your soul sustaining moments, interactions and experiences. When I invest my thought energy on what sustains my soul, the moments themselves deepen and sweeten and it opens me to more soul sustaining experiences. The little, simple daily delights come into focus. As I give these delights my attention, they increase and expand, nourishing me with wonder, joy and gratitude.

May my Swan-Delight story remind you to pay attention to the threads that sustain your soul. Enjoy the podcast!

A couple of days ago, Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away. What a tragic loss for our country, for our democracy and the soul of our nation! I am heartbroken and join millions of Americans in honoring her impressive legacy; she was a true American hero, relentlessly fighting for equal justice under the law. RBG championed women's rights as well as protecting the constitutional rights of every American. Rest in peace RBG. May we stand on your shoulders and do all we can to keep your values, tenacity, and fight for justice alive! This week I pose the questions: What sustains your soul as we enter the fall season, with all its challenges? What is the thread that you hold onto through tragedies, hurt, suffering and loss? I share some of my answers to these questions: authenticity, addressing racial injustices, vulnerability, connection to nature, and meditation. Now more than ever, we need to bring consciousness to our inner wisdom, a deeper truth that can ground us and cultivate intentional practices that keep us shored up. May these thoughts invite you to reflect on your own threads that sustain your soul. Enjoy the podcast!

My guest today is Sharon Charde. Sharon is a poet, teacher and author, who recently published a heartfelt, beautifully written book "I Am Not A Juvenile Delinquent: How Poetry Changed a Group of At Risk Young Women". For over a decade Sharon volunteered as a poetry teacher at a residential treatment facility for delinquent girls. Her initial intention was to reach out to these young women and have them tell their stories, but what happened was that Sharon fell in love with the girls, and as we know about true love… love takes us places we don't expect to go! This book is a testament that love heals, expands, empowers and transforms us. Sharon compassionately weaves the story of her personal grief and suffering, seamlessly into the stories of the girls' grief and suffering. She facilitated and witnessed the girls pull the dark shadows from the corner of their souls, bring them into the light, transforming pain and suffering into poetry. Sharon's authentic dedication to the girls, their lives, along with her tenacity to have their stories heard is priceless. The girls' courage and realness and the profound power of poetry taught Sharon how to carry her own grief differently, making room for more love than pain. Check out the show notes for links to Sharon's website, a promotional video highlighting the voices of these young women, resources she mentioned, along with 2 independent book stores that carry her book. With the 19th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, I encourage you to watch a 12 minute video on YouTube called "Boatlift". My previous podcast guest Rick Velleu co-directed this short film with his business partner Eddie Rosenstein. It's a poignant, inspiring account of resilience and the human spirit. Enjoy the podcast! Links: www.sharoncharde.com Oblong Books Partners Village Store Teen Voices Magazine Ellen Bass Hotchkiss "I Am Not A Juvenile Delinquent" - video by Jon Baskin