God Yay or Nay?

In this episode I speak with John Lee.  John is a software developer, app designer, and lover of thoughtful conversation.  John talks about the idea of “the meaning crisis”.  How many people in our society have trouble finding meaning and purpose in life.  John talks about what brings meaning to people in their life and how we can bring that to the modern world.

    John talks about beauty and its connection to meaning.  He talks about how beauty and having purpose in life brings meaning to your life.  We talk about different daily practices we have to anchor to our purpose.  We talk about if we think we find purpose in life or is it given to you.  

    John and I talk about the mental health crisis in society.  We talk about the problems with isolation and suicide in our younger population.  We talk about the idea that our mental health issues could be seen as a signal for change and transformation in ourselves and society.  

https://custommobile.app/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

           In this episode I speak with Kundalini Yoga teacher and coach Kara Nicole Bitar. Kara tells us her story of becoming a lawyer in a big firm and then leaving because of a deep unhappiness and health issues. She tells us about trying many modalities to find more fulfillment that never worked until she finally found Kundalini Yoga. 

           Kara explains what Kundalini Yoga is and how it differs from other branches of Yoga. She talks about the different breathing techniques that Kundalini uses to create different states in the body and mind. She tells us how Kundalini uses different sounds, hand and eye positions to stimulate different parts of your brain and body. 

           Kara talks about dealing with negative thoughts, and feelings of lack or unworthiness. She talks about the down sides of the “positive thinking” movement and how it can make those feelings worse. She talks about meditation and learning to dis-identify with your thoughts which allows you more control over your mind. After this more positive feelings can come from within you more naturally. 

https://www.karanicolebitar.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I speak with breath-work facilitator Ariel Benavidez.  Ariel shares his incredible story of falling into a lake in winter that started his breath-work journey.  Ariel tells us about the different practices of Breathwork he does and the benefits of each.  Ariel explains how we can change our mental and physical states just by changing our breath.  

Ariel talks about the difference between high volume (fast breathing) breath-work and low volume (slow breathing) breath-work.  He explains the changes in your brain and body that occur when you try either of these breath-work exercises.  He explains how breath-work can lead to realizations or even release trauma.  He also explains how breath-work can make your body more resilient and increase your stamina.  

Ariel explains the difference between nose breathing and mouth breathing.  He tells us how to change your breathing to help calm anxiety.  Ariel also tells us about his experience trying the very potent psychedelic 5-MeO-DMT.  He shares the insights he gained from his crazy experience.

Instagram - @aribeing

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I speak with songwriter, photographer and life coach Daniel Moody.  Daniel talks about his work he does with his coaching where he mostly helps men deal with anger and resentment.  He explains how anger usually stems from fear or sadness and how it's usually a response to us giving our power away.   He talks about healthy ways to transmute anger.

Daniel says resentment is a sign of self abandonment.  He tells us when you don’t communicate your needs or make your boundaries clearly we build up resentment with the people in our lives.  He says we can’t know our needs or boundaries without increasing our self awareness.  He explains how when we become more aware of our inner worlds that's when we get deeper insights into what we want in our life.

Daniel also talks about his experiences with psilocybin mushrooms.  He talks about how over the years using these plant medicines he learnt to approach a trip with much more intention.  He shares a very profound trip that he had under a hero dose (5g) of mushrooms that brought tremendous change into his life.

https://danielhuntermoody.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Episode I speak with therapist Andrea Hanson.  Andrea focuses on reshaping the mental health field.  She talks about all her experience working in the mental health fields and the reasons why many people are leaving or going to the outskirts of the field. Andrea is an expert in complex trauma.  She talks about different types of trauma and how they influence our habits, beliefs and decisions in our life.

    Andrea explains how traumatic experiences can change our brain chemistry and we can relive those experiences over and over again as anxiety, depression and other more serious mental health issues.  She shares her techniques in therapy she uses to help people.  She talks about psychosomatic therapy and the benefits of bringing attention to your body.

    Andrea also works with the psychedelics Ketamine and Psilocybin with her patients in therapy.  She explains the differences in working with Ketamine and Psilocybin in therapy.  She explains the neurochemistry of a psychedelic experience and how it provides an opportunity to do deep rewiring/learning in your brain.   

https://andreahanson.net/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I speak with meditation teacher Neil McKinlay.  Neil has spent 25 years practicing meditation.  He talks about the different types of meditation he has practiced over the years and how it has changed over the years..  He now teaches “Embodied Meditation” and explains the practice to us.  He teaches us how we can learn to train our attention.  

We talk about how meditation gives us a deeper connection with our humanness.  Neil tells us a Tibetan word for meditation (Gom) means “becoming familiar with”.  He shares how he has become more familiar with his impulses, habits and thought patterns and the value that self knowledge has.  We talk about how becoming familiar with your own mind develops compassion for other people.

We talk about how our mind grasps at certain ideas, beliefs, and images of how the world is when it's completely an illusion and not based in reality.  Neil gives a great understanding of what trauma is.  He explains how meditation can be used as a tool (along with others) to help heal trauma.  Neil also talks about having a balance between wanting to improve yourself and an acceptance of who you are.  

https://neilmckinlay.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I speak with Yoga, Meditation and Breathwork expert Michael Bijker.  Michael helps people live a more fulfilling life.  We talk about how our minds work and how they create most of our suffering.  We talk about how in our society we chase comfort and try to escape negative feelings which is impossible. He talks about how meditation helps us have a different relationship with our thoughts and suffering.  

    Michael tells us how certain emotions cause tension and blockages in our bodies.  He talks about how you can use breathwork to become aware of these blockages and also to release them.  He explains to us the different types of breathing exercises.  He tells us the different benefits of using stronger, faster vs slower, calmer breathing techniques.  

    Michael also practices Qi Gong.  He explains what the practice is about.  He talks about how movements, breathing and focus can be used to open ourselves up.  He talks about the eastern concepts of Qi (Chinese Philosophy) and Prana (Yogic Philosophy).  Qi and Prana are seen as life-force and explain how they are viewed in different practices. 

Check out Some of Michael’s courses here.  Use YAYORNAY code for a free course

https://yogalap.com/courses/meditation-and-breathwork-essentials-course

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I speak with Emma Stroud. Emma is a clown, comedian, and author of the book “Lessons from a Clown”. Emma explains the history and art form of clowning in Europe. She tells us what she learnt studying clowning and discovering the different masks we wear. She tells us about one of her clown characters “Orange” and how that character emerged. 

           Emma talks about the importance of play in life. She talks about how adults look at play in our society and how it makes our lives more boring and serious. She explains how to invite more play, fun and joy into your life. She also talks about how she has convinced many non-performers to try Improv and how it really helped people who had a tendency to overthink.

           Emma and I talked about the book “The Artist Way” that was very influential for both of us. We talk about a journaling practice called “The Morning Pages” and how powerful it can be for learning about yourself and getting rid of blocks in you. Emma also explains how our unconscious mind influences our conscious mind and why we should be aware of the stories we are telling ourselves.

https://laughthinkplay.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I speak with Raja Burrows.  Raja is an Actor and host of the podcast “Magical living with Raja Burrows”.  Raja talks about the importance of following your intuition to find the proper path for you.  Raja talks about the kind of thinking that keeps you from making necessary changes in your life.  He talks about the different ideas he needed to let go of in his life to allow for change.

Raja talks about how he sees the philosophy of  masculine/feminine (ying/yang) energies..  He talks about how these energies help us grow and live.  He talks about how masculinity and femininity can be expressed improperly in our culture and how they can both coexist harmoniously. 

Raja is an expert in the Myers-Briggs Personality type system.  He explains the different types of personalities that people can have and the benefits of knowing more about where your personality naturally flows to.  He explains how to understand your natural impulses so you can put yourself in better situations.  

https://anchor.fm/raja-burrows

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.