MatChat with Mina Blair

This solo podcast is inspired by the BBC journalist Fergal Keane who has written an article about his search for happiness, a quest that has lasted 30 years.  Did he find the answer?  Yes, but not what he expected.

I go through his main points and add thoughts from my own journey, such as moments we have both had that can be described as the "lightness of being".  Other points are:

• the science of happiness - "our minds are biased to interpret things very negatively", Professor Bruce Hood, University of Bristol
• there is such a thing as the Happiness Poverty Line, and too many of us are living below it
• it's difficult to achieve inner contentment in a "happy-obsessed world" where we are told to simply "be happy" (American psychotherapist Whitney Goodman)
• work is the great permissive addiction
• start with the simple small stuff to change your energy, your mind chatter
• acts of kindness are part of the solution (Finnish philosopher Frank Martela)
• ancient yogic scriptures support our life journey to help us get to a state of contentment

So, what is the secret to happiness?  There is no secret.

I'm going solo this time, and inspired by the imminent shift in seasons from summer to autumn, the subject of this podcast is CHANGE.  And my question to you is: what is your relationship with change?  Do you resist change or can you "go with the flow"?

There have been some recent developments that have made me pause and reflect on how I feel about change, whether it's uncomfortable or comfortable.  The reality is that change is happening all the time, it is the nature of the manifest world in which we live.  Our environment is changing - think of the seasons, climate change etc.  Our bodies are in continuous flux as we age.

So it's interesting that we think we can influence the evolving nature and consequence of time!  Our egoic mind distracts us with thoughts of past and future, we come up with concepts such as "anti-ageing", or wanting to "go back to the way things were".  This mindset simply keeps us in the fear, in the non-acceptance.  And leads to regret, which is an unhappy place.

According to the yogic scriptures, this is a path of suffering.  Because we can only ever be in the present moment!  So, listen in and check in with yourself - can you indeed go with the flow?

Find Mina:
Web: www.minablair.com
Instagram: @empoweredwithmina
Facebook: @empoweredwithmina

It's a popular cliché, "it's about the journey and not the destination", but is this true?  What is more important, the getting there or arriving at the endpoint?  Fellow yogini Debs Albon and I found ourselves inadvertently answering this question on a trekking trip to Nepal a few weeks ago, and concluded that it is most definitely about the journey!

We had booked the trip with the intention of seeing and honouring the mighty Himalayas and chose the Annapurna Sanctuary trek route. We wanted to learn about the Nepalese mountain culture, especially the spiritual context.  The views were utterly awe-inspiring, we were not disappointed.  But as we moved along the route, we became increasingly aware of a very pushy, forcing energy from people we met.  It was all about "Did you get to the top (of Annapurna Base Camp)?" or "Are you on your way up?" or "Are you on your way down"?

What about the simply being there, absorbing the majesty of the mountains and paying homage to this sacred area, rather than leading with a "conquering" attitude.  People die every year on the mountains because they don't realise they are guests, not masters, of the peaks.  But the over-achieving, get-the-selfie ego is powerful and that's how the destination becomes the all-important goal.

We have a choice: surrender to the ego or surrender to the universe.  So, it's not as simple as surrendering, but rather, to what are you surrendering. This was our learning.  And as we travelled on to Kerala, India to immerse ourselves in the culture and spirituality there, we made this our intention.  Listen and enjoy our adventure sharing!

For information on our India Yoga Retreat offering 10-18 March 2025, click here.

I am going solo this time to talk about one of my favourite yogic principles: surrender.  I have learned to love this word and apply this principle to my life, which has not been without challenge given the fact it has such negative connotations in the West.  Because surrender is something we want to avoid at all costs, isn't it?  It means defeat, losing, weakness, giving in or up.

Not so!  Interestingly, in the yogic tradition that is thousands of years old, surrender is a good thing, in fact, it's a goal!  We should aspire to surrender because it sets us free.  And in this podcast I explain why.  I delve into the ancient yogic texts to discover the references of surrender and how/why we should practice it.  We have a look at:

• The Bhagavad Gita
• Patanjali's Yoga Sutras

Once we understand what surrender offers, we realise that actually it is a way of taking us out of the suffering.  Remember, pain is not a choice, but suffering is.  We have control of how to manage our own pain, whatever the trigger or event is.  So, the principle of surrender is our best friend, as described in the ancient texts.  Try it in your life just once and see!

Find Mina:
Web: www.minablair.com
Instagram: @empoweredwithmina
Facebook: @empoweredwithmina

What is the common thread that runs through every human culture through the millenia?  It's so simple:  gathering around a fire, sharing food, sharing stories and singing.  A practice of collective sharing that connects and binds us together as sentient beings.  

Dropping into the modern world, in some places this tradition has been lost, largely in the West.  You will find group singing in school/church/professional choirs of course, but not as a regular activity for most people.  Not so in India.  Chanting is very much alive and well here, it's considered just one of many tools to practice yoga.

James Boag, an English yogi, discovered this during his many years living in SE Asia and India and himself developed a love of this tradition.  He now hosts kirtans as part of his yoga offering wherever he finds himself in the world.  A kirtan is a devotional song in which a group repeats the lines sung by a leader.  What has he learned from this part of his yoga practice?

• Chanting not only connects us to others but to ourselves
• Chanting has the power to invoke specific energies/intentions
• Chanting has physiological benefits including reducing stress

And more.  So why does the invitation to chant precipitate shyness and awkwardness?  Join us to learn more and discover why we should all be chanting!

Find James:
website: www.jamesboagyoga.com
YouTube: james boag yoga youtube channel
Instagram: @jamesboagyoga 

Have you had moments in your life when you just knew in your heart that a decision was right?  Even though perhaps it seemed like a risk at the time and the outcome was uncertain?  This is called a leap of faith, and in my experience, these decisions are the most rewarding.

I took a leap of faith this year that inviting a friend I had met online, but not in person, on a trip to Bali was going to be great and it was in fact more!  Kalina and I got in touch through a 300 hour advanced yoga teacher training course online (Akasha Yoga Academy) and it felt absolutely right that we would go on this adventure together, meeting up for the first time at Singapore Airport to catch a flight to Bali.

It was three weeks of raised awareness and deep self-reflection like only a trip to a faraway, challenging environment can give.  Third World Asia is a place of extreme contrasts - the beauty of the jungle vs the rubbish/plastic pollution, the multiplying holiday villas for wealthy Westerners vs the dwindling homes for the native monkeys.  The poor state of the infrastructure and traffic chaos vs the kindness and generosity of the deeply spiritual Balinese people.  And the uninterrupted, unforgiving heat and humidity.

Join us as we discuss what we learned about judgement, karma, making the choice about what attitude to lead with in life (open heart) and what to let go (anger, fear).  But most of all, about the gifts that come when we surrender and trust.

We are obsessed with our identifiers, aren't we?  We think that who we are, our personality/identity, are things like our work status, relationship status, family role, gender, race, nationality, physical attributes, religious beliefs, political views etc etc.  But this is not the whole picture because there is more - we are more than what our egoic mind is telling us.

So I'm diving into the ancient yogic scriptures with fellow yoga teacher Debs Albon to find out what wisdom is offered there about who we really are and why we are here. And what we find described in the Taittiriya Upanishad (500-600 BC) is a map we can follow that will enlighten us: the Pancha Maya Koshas (Five Sheaths).

We are all made up of five layers (think Russian doll) that together make up our whole being: the physical body (annamaya kosha), the breath/energy body (pranamaya kosha), the mind/ego (manomaya kosha), the higher mind/intuition/deeper wisdom (vijnanamaya kosha) and bliss body (anandamaya kosha).  It's just a case of cultivating and deepening our awareness of what each of these offers which ultimately will give us a sense of freedom.  Because being controlled and driven by our own and others' expectations is exhausting!

The good news is that we all have this capacity within us, no need to be a "special" guru.  This is a level playing field we can access in this lifetime.

Debs and I are excited to be offering the Pancha Maya Koshas as the theme for a retreat being held in Kerala, India 19-29 March 2024 at the Neeleshwar Hermitage Hotel, along with author and meditation teacher Alistair Shearer!  Go to my website Home Page for more info - do join us!

Find Debs:
Instagram: @yoga_with_debs

I'm back on the mat with radio host, podcaster and therapist Baruch Zeichner to reflect on this transitional phase the world finds itself in at the moment.  And part of this journey is our collective face off with the dark side of humanity.  We are having to stare at the results of what happens when all we can comprehend and accept is the individual perspective.  When the ego I-ness is the only point of reference.

We're chatting about:

• How fear is the main driver of behaviour and why what you fear you attract
• How national and family karma prohibits connection with oneself
• How the future of humanity depends on collective energy and moving consciously together on a karmic journey towards awareness
• Why the human experience is about learning
• Why it's everyone's job to dispel their fear(s)
• Why hugging is a simple and immediate way to connect to yourself and others
• How human creativity in all its forms is vital to connect heart to heart

So join us for an uplifting discussion which will leave you knowing what you can do to be part of the solution!

Find Baruch: www.paradigms.life

It's a long way from southern Brazil to the south coast of England, but it's a journey that Flavio de Brito took over 20 years ago to improve his english and learn ballroom dancing.  His penchant for the performing arts had started already with acting at the age of 14, but it was dance, and specifically the Argentine Tango, that had initially set his heart on fire.

Having arrived with a plan to stay for 3 months, he is still here, and Argentine Tango is his life.  He performs professionally while running the Tango with Flavio Dance School.  It was through the gift of a dance voucher from a friend for private classes that Flavio and I met, and I have been dancing the tango ever since, having fallen in love with it myself!  And I am testimony to how life changing dance can be, which is why I wanted to hear Flavio's story.  In this podcast we chat about:

• the importance of dance and music for connecting with tradition and culture - how is it in Latin America?
• how dance has become more accepted and accessible in the UK
• the positive impact of TV shows like Strictly Come Dancing
• how dance helps one overcome personal barriers and lifts the spirit
• how dance contributes to better mental health and physical health
• his career highlights which include winning the Tango Cup in 2021 and dancing in Roger Taylor's (Queen) music video for the track Journey's End

Through his professional dancing and the shows he produces with his students as the stars, Flavio's mission is to inspire others to take up dancing and discover all the benefits for themselves.  There is no barrier to entry.  And for me, I'm just so glad I decided to give it a go because I shall now tango my way forward, whatever comes!

Find Flavio:
Facebook: @flaviodebrito
Website: www.tangowithflavio.co.uk
Instagram: @debritoflavio

You hear about people who take the risk and walk away from stable, successful lives.  They leave secure income and safe career paths to head into the unknown.  Why do they do it?  How do they do it?

Well, I'm finding out in this podcast with Kirsten Berry, co-founder of Akasha Yoga Academy which offers onsite and online 200 hour and 300 hour Hatha Yoga Teacher Training.  Years ago in Berlin, she was on the path of a successful architect with all that that implies.  But going to a yoga class lead to a couple of trips to India which then changed everything.  Kirsten discovered that her "heart was on fire" only when immersed in yoga.  So she left her life in the West and moved to India, then later to Thailand, teaching yoga full time.

We chat about how that felt, to take such a leap, and how she coped with challenges such as a 49-day isolation retreat in the jungle.  Kirsten has discovered that yoga's greatest offering is the gift of stillness which is why her focus is now Yin Yoga and meditation.  This is at the centre of the recently launched 300 hour online Teacher Training course.  We also talk about:

• How Yin Yoga releases somatic feelings held in the body's tissues, having a purifying and cleansing effect
• Why Yin energy is not equally valued as Yang energy in Western society
• Why the source of suffering - burnout, stress, sleep problems - is from the dominance of, and preference for, constant striving (Yang).
• How we can rebalance the energy equation by cultivating an attitude of acceptance, softening and nourishment (for body, mind and spirit).

Does she ever miss the life she left behind?  Never!  Kirsten has followed her heart.

Find Kirsten:
Instagram @akashayogaacademy