Modern Spirituality

Join Ben Decker and founder of Grief Yoga, Paul Denniston, as they move through a poignant dialogue about the essence of grief as a disconnection from someone or something we love and how to transform the loss into empowerment.  They earnestly discuss the benefits of healing, channeling and expressing one’s grief to become more connected to oneself and others, no matter what circumstances are coming up.  

Learn more about our guest here:

Healing Through Yoga: Transform Loss into Empowerment by Paul Denniston:
https://www.amazon.com/Healing-Through-Yoga-Empowerment-Meditations/dp/179721022X

Grief Yoga:
www.griefyoga.com

Healing Through Yoga
HealingThroughYoga.com

Ben Decker, The Unplug App & The Modern Spirituality Podcast in The New York Times!
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/03/30/well/guided-meditations.html

Develop Your Meditation Practice with books by Ben Decker:

Modern Spirituality: A Guide to the Heart of Mindfulness, Meditation, and the Art of Healing

Practical Meditation for Beginners: 10 Days to a Happier, Calmer You

Daily Mindfulness: 365 Exercises to Deepen Your Practice and Find Peace

Meditations on Christ: A 5-Minute Guided Journal for Christians

Affiliates of The Modern Spirituality Podcast:

Chopra Global Certifications with Deepak Chopra

Become a  Meditation Teacher or an Ayurvedic Health Coach with a prestigious  certification through Deepak Chopra's Chopra Global at Chopra.com/certifications. Mention Ben Decker as your referral.

Rythmia Life Advancement Center in Costa Rica

Experience Ayahuasca Plant Medicine at the First Ever Medically-Licensed Resort to offer this sacred shamanic experience, Rythmia Life Advancement Center. Enjoy a week of deep transformation with four plant medicine ceremonies led by shamans trained in the Columbian tradition and plant medicine preparation and integration workshops - with special guest Ben Decker. Book your trip today at Rythmia.Link/DeckerEvent

Contact The Modern Spirituality Podcast:

Benjamin W. Decker, Host/Executive Producer

Twitter.com/BenDecker

Instagram.com/BenjaminWDecker

Ansley Weller, Associate Producer

[email protected] 

Join host Ben Decker and guest Ora Nadrich in a conversation about supernatural experiences, communing with the Divine, and the role of mindfulness in them both.

Ora Nadrich is a life coach, mindfulness meditation teacher, author, and the founder of The Institute for Transformational Thinking. Her fourth book Mindfulness & Mysticism is now available everywhere books are sold, with a foreward written by none other than the 14th Dalai Lama. 

Guest Links:
OraNadrich.com
TheIFTT.org
Mindfulness & Mysticism by Ora Nadrich:
https://www.amazon.com/Mindfulness-Mysticism-Connecting-Awareness-Consciousness/dp/0578981335

Develop Your Meditation Practice with books by Ben Decker:

🧘‍♀️Modern Spirituality: A Guide to the Heart of Mindfulness, Meditation, and the Art of Healing
🧘Practical Meditation for Beginners: 10 Days to a Happier, Calmer You
🧘‍♀️Daily Mindfulness: 365 Exercises to Deepen Your Practice and Find Peace
🧘‍♂️Meditations on Christ: A 5-Minute Guided Journal for Christians

Affiliates of The Modern Spirituality Podcast:

🙏Chopra Global Certifications with Deepak Chopra

Become a  Meditation Teacher or an Ayurvedic Health Coach with a prestigious  certification through Deepak Chopra's Chopra Global at Chopra.com/certifications. Mention Ben Decker as your referral.

🙏Rythmia Life Advancement Center in Costa Rica

Experience Ayahuasca Plant Medicine at the First Ever Medically-Licensed Resort to offer this sacred shamanic experience, Rythmia Life Advancement Center. Enjoy a week of deep transformation with four plant medicine ceremonies led by shamans trained in the Columbian tradition and plant medicine preparation and integration workshops - with special guest Ben Decker. Book your trip today at Rythmia.Link/DeckerEvent

Contact The Modern Spirituality Podcast:

👉Benjamin W. Decker, Host/Executive Producer

Twitter.com/BenDecker

Instagram.com/BenjaminWDecker

👉Ansley Weller, Associate Producer

[email protected]

Since 2007, Light Watkins has been teaching people from all walks of life how to enjoy a daily meditation practice. He’s taught thousands through his in-person trainings and retreats, and many more through his bestselling books and online courses.

His book,Bliss More: How to Succeed in Meditation Without Really Trying (Random House, 2018), is still a favorite of the meditation community and was selected by  Book Authority as one of the best meditation books of all time.

Light has also written about the mechanics of happiness in his book,The Inner Gym: A 30-Day Workout for Strengthening Happiness(L&G Publishing, 2015), and most recently he’s writing extensively on inspiration inKnowing Where to Look: 108 Daily Doses of Inspiration (Sounds True, 2021).

Light also regularly vlogs and blogs, and he sends out popular daily, weekly, and monthly emails on the subjects of meditation, inspiration, happiness, and mindfulness.

Develop Your Meditation Practice with books by Ben Decker:

🧘‍♀️Modern Spirituality: A Guide to the Heart of Mindfulness, Meditation, and the Art of Healing

🧘Practical Meditation for Beginners: 10 Days to a Happier, Calmer You

🧘‍♀️Daily Mindfulness: 365 Exercises to Deepen Your Practice and Find Peace

🧘‍♂️Meditations on Christ: A 5-Minute Guided Journal for Christians

Affiliates of The Modern Spirituality Podcast:

🙏Shamanic Reiki Therapy

Develop your intuition, learn to interpret the meaning behind your dreams, heal yourself, and others by joining Decker’s community of Shamanic Reiki Practitioners. Learn more and register today at ShamanicReikiTherapy.com

🙏Chopra Global Certifications with Deepak Chopra

Become a  Meditation Teacher or an Ayurvedic Health Coach with a prestigious  certification through Deepak Chopra's Chopra Global at Chopra.com/certifications. Mention Ben Decker as your referral.

🙏Rythmia Life Advancement Center in Costa Rica

Experience Ayahuasca Plant Medicine at the First Ever Medically-Licensed Resort to offer this sacred shamanic experience, Rythmia Life Advancement Center. Enjoy a week of deep transformation with four plant medicine ceremonies led by shamans trained in the Columbian tradition and plant medicine preparation and integration workshops - with special guest Ben Decker. Book your trip today at Rythmia.Link/DeckerEvent

Contact The Modern Spirituality Podcast:

👉Benjamin W. Decker, Host/Executive Producer

Twitter.com/BenDecker

Instagram.com/BenjaminWDecker

👉Ansley Weller, Associate Producer

[email protected]

Develop Your Meditation Practice with books by Ben Decker:

🧘‍♀️Modern Spirituality: A Guide to the Heart of Mindfulness, Meditation, and the Art of Healing

🧘Practical Meditation for Beginners: 10 Days to a Happier, Calmer You

🧘‍♀️Daily Mindfulness: 365 Exercises to Deepen Your Practice and Find Peace

🧘‍♂️Meditations on Christ: A 5-Minute Guided Journal for Christians

Affiliates of The Modern Spirituality Podcast:

🙏Shamanic Reiki Therapy

Develop your intuition, learn to interpret the meaning behind your dreams, heal yourself, and others by joining Decker’s community of Shamanic Reiki Practitioners. Learn more and register today at ShamanicReikiTherapy.com

🙏Chopra Global Certifications with Deepak Chopra

Become a  Meditation Teacher or an Ayurvedic Health Coach with a prestigious  certification through Deepak Chopra's Chopra Global at Chopra.com/certifications. Mention Ben Decker as your referral.

🙏Rythmia Life Advancement Center in Costa Rica

Experience Ayahuasca Plant Medicine at the First Ever Medically-Licensed Resort to offer this sacred shamanic experience, Rythmia Life Advancement Center. Enjoy a week of deep transformation with four plant medicine ceremonies led by shamans trained in the Columbian tradition and plant medicine preparation and integration workshops - with special guest Ben Decker. Book your trip today at Rythmia.Link/DeckerEvent

Contact The Modern Spirituality Podcast:

👉Benjamin W. Decker, Host/Executive Producer

Twitter.com/BenDecker

Instagram.com/BenjaminWDecker

👉Ansley Weller, Associate Producer

[email protected]

In this episode we meet Ben’s longtime friend, singer-songwriter, human rights and LGBTQIA+ BIPOC activist, Matthew Coelho. Learn how Matthew overcame his struggles with anger, depression, and weight gain and hear about the role fitness, kickboxing, movement and self work played in his healing and allowed him to become more of who he was, come out as bisexual, pursue his dream of music and get married to his husband Blake. 

When Matthew and his now-husband were choosing wedding songs, they found that very few wedding songs seemed to reflect their love. Matthew wrote a song for the mother/son dance at his wedding called “My Everything,” (link below) which landed him coverage in numerous publications.  

Matthew and Ben also discuss corporate mindfulness, culture and leadership and his work at world renowned Miraval Resorts & Spas in Phoenix, Arizona.  

“My Everything” by Matthew Coelho:

https://music.apple.com/us/album/everything/1385083495?i=1385083500

Develop Your Meditation Practice with books by Ben Decker:

• Modern Spirituality: A Guide to the Heart of Mindfulness, Meditation, and the Art of Healing
• Practical Meditation for Beginners: 10 Days to a Happier, Calmer You
• Daily Mindfulness: 365 Exercises to Deepen Your Practice and Find Peace
• Meditations on Christ: A 5-Minute Guided Journal for Christians

Contact The Modern Spirituality Podcast:

👉Benjamin W. Decker, Host/Executive Producer

Twitter.com/BenDecker

Instagram.com/BenjaminWDecker

BenjaminWDecker.com

[email protected]

👉Ansley Weller, Associate Producer

[email protected]

Russia has just  invaded the Ukraine and the whole world is responding. Conflicting reports flood the airways & calls are going out to contribute to organizations to support Ukranian refugees. Many are at a loss for what to do with the anguish and heartbreak of yet another war breaking out.

Among the many thousands of people who have been criticized for their imperfect responses, are a number of well-meaning celebrities. One such celebrity is actress AnnaLynne McCord, best known for her role on CW's 90210, dozens of other films and TV shows, as well as her advocacy for mental health & anti-human trafficking initiatives, and her public struggle as a survivor of severe trauma, resulting in a diagnosis of Dissociative Identity Disorder.

In response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, AnnaLynne wrote a poem, and recited it on Twitter. The  video received over 30 million plays in just three days. It begins with the line, "Dear Mister President Vladamir Putin, I'm so sorry that I was not your mother..." (Full video link here)

It  draws from AnnaLynne's experience overcoming the anger and rage that came as the result of her traumatic childhood, as she essentially presents the idea that if we all took better care of the children of this world, we would not see the kind of violence we now see all around us.

Resources to Help Ukraine:

• EU through Alliance4Europe:  https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=J48BWQELS632U
• International Outreach Ministries (please mark Ukraine): https://iom-online.com/donate/ Contact: [email protected]
• Save the Children - https://www.savethechildren.org/us/where-we-work/ukraine
• UNICEF - https://www.unicefusa.org/stories/unicef-children-are-bearing-brunt-intensifying-crisis-ukraine/39481

Meditation Resources:

• Modern Spirituality: A Guide to the Heart of Mindfulness, Meditation, and the Art of Healing
• Practical Meditation for Beginners: 10 Days to a Happier, Calmer You
• Daily Mindfulness: 365 Exercises to Deepen Your Practice and Find Peace
• Meditations on Christ: A 5-Minute Guided Journal for Christians

Contact The Modern Spirituality Podcast:

Benjamin W. Decker, Host/Executive Producer
Twitter.com/BenDecker
Instagram.com/BenjaminWDecker
BenjaminWDecker.com
[email protected]

Ansley Weller, Associate Producer
[email protected]

Montessori educator and researcher Laurent Lavollay-Porter and meditation expert and author Ben Decker discuss the science of education. They discuss many relevant topics including fostering the love of learning in a child as well as laying a strong foundation at home and in the classroom involving peace, respect, independence and dignity. Ben and Laurent present a new way of looking at education while discussing the importance of investing in our world’s most valuable resource, our youth, which will lay the groundwork for our future. 

Laurent Lavollay-Porter is a Franco-American, bilingual Montessorian and works full time as a researcher, educationalist and director of development for the Prepared Adult Initiative, a foundation whose mission is to exponentially increase the number of prepared adults, with a scientific, non-dogmatic and empirical approach to early childhood education, parent-child-family relationships, and catalytic ways to increase peaceful and holistic relationships that foster optimal development.  PAI works towards improving access and equity to hi-quality information, education and resources to low-income and minority families.
 
Resources Mentioned in this Episode:
- Aid to Life, Straightforward Advice to Parents
- Montessori: the Science Behind the Genius by Angeline S. Lillard, PhD
- The Global Montessori Network, Content  for the Montessori Community
- Do Schools Kill Creativity? A TED Talk by Sir Ken Robinson

If you would like to receive information about upcoming education and parenting webinars or be interviewed by the Prepared Adult Initiative, please contact  [email protected]

Develop Your Meditation Practice with books by Ben Decker:

🧘‍♀️Modern Spirituality: A Guide to the Heart of Mindfulness, Meditation, and the Art of Healing

🧘Practical Meditation for Beginners: 10 Days to a Happier, Calmer You

🧘‍♀️Daily Mindfulness: 365 Exercises to Deepen Your Practice and Find Peace

🧘‍♂️Meditations on Christ: A 5-Minute Guided Journal for Christians

Contact The Modern Spirituality Podcast:

👉Benjamin W. Decker, Host/Executive Producer

Twitter.com/BenDecker

Instagram.com/BenjaminWDecker

BenjaminWDecker.com

👉Ansley Weller, Associate Producer

[email protected]

Join meditation expert and author,  Benjamin W. Decker and actress & activist AnnaLynne McCord, as they give a relevant, timely and deeply moving dialogue around the life and death of Thich Nhat Hanh, the highly regarded, globally influential zen monk from Vietnam.  Hanh recently made his transition on January 19th, 2021 at the age of 95.  

You will hear Ben and AnnaLynne give a detailed recount of Thich Nhat Hanh or Thay, meaning teacher,  as his students affectionately called him, including his forty year exile from Vietnam, his country of origin. They also cover his collaboration in the creation of peace with Dr. Martin Luther King as he urged King to oppose the Vietnam War. Dr. King nominated him for a Nobel Peace Prize but the prize was not awarded to anyone that year.   You will also learn about Hanh’s work in engaged Buddhism, the application of Buddhist principles to political and social reform, and the importance of spreading mindfulness, compassion, and nonviolence.  Ben and AnnaLynne both give thoughtful responses and contemplate how these teachings can be applied to rights of children, parenting, leadership, and how we treat one another.  

Ben and AnnaLynne help guide us towards how we can all bring Hanh’s teachings into our daily lives, families, and our justice and educational systems.  “When another person makes you suffer, it’s because he suffers deeply within himself and his suffering is spilling over. He does not need punishment, he needs help. This is the message they are sending.” - Thich Nhat Hanh 

AnnaLynne McCord is an actress, activist and the founder of The Love Storm, a mass meditation initiative aimed at raising the collective energy against slavery of the mind and the body. 

Develop Your Meditation Practice with books by Ben Decker:

Modern Spirituality: A Guide to the Heart of Mindfulness, Meditation, and the Art of Healing

Practical Meditation for Beginners: 10 Days to a Happier, Calmer You

Daily Mindfulness: 365 Exercises to Deepen Your Practice and Find Peace

Meditations on Christ: A 5-Minute Guided Journal for Christians

Contact The Modern Spirituality Podcast:

Benjamin W. Decker, Host/Executive Producer

Twitter.com/BenDecker

Instagram.com/BenjaminWDecker

Benjaminwdecker.com

Ansley Weller, Associate Producer

[email protected]

Go behind the scenes with Sah D’Simone and Ben Decker of hiphop superstar Cardi B's new show Cardi Tries: Holistic Healing. Sah takes Cardi through meditation, acupuncture, sound healing, and a forgiveness ritual for the first time, and the episode goes viral with millions of views.  Hear about what it was like to facilitate Cardi B experiencing several alternative healing modalities, including her priceless, iconic reactions to a radical forgiveness painting ritual guided by Sah D’Simone.  

You will find out what it was like to work with icon, Cardi B, while she was pregnant and a 75 person crew at sundown with many shots and scenes, and how Sah managed to be ready for production just moments after returning from leading his Ibiza retreat.

You will hear key clips from the episode and please take a moment to look out for all the easter eggs of wisdom in this very special ceremony.

About Sah D'Simone:
Sah is the author of Spiritually Sassy: 8 Radical Steps to Activate your Innate Superpowers and 5-Minute Daily Meditations Page-A-Day Calendar 2022: A Year of Growth, Authenticity, and Introspection.  Watch his episode of "Cardi Tries Holistic Healing" by clicking here.

Develop Your Meditation Practice with books by Ben Decker:

Modern Spirituality: A Guide to the Heart of Mindfulness, Meditation, and the Art of Healing

Practical Meditation for Beginners: 10 Days to a Happier, Calmer You

Daily Mindfulness: 365 Exercises to Deepen Your Practice and Find Peace

Meditations on Christ: A 5-Minute Guided Journal for Christians

Affiliates of The Modern Spirituality Podcast:

Shamanic Reiki Therapy

Develop your intuition, learn to interpret the meaning behind your dreams, heal yourself, and others by joining Decker’s community of Shamanic Reiki Practitioners. Learn more and register today at ShamanicReikiTherapy.com

Chopra Global Certifications with Deepak Chopra

Become a  Meditation Teacher or an Ayurvedic Health Coach with a prestigious  certification through Deepak Chopra's Chopra Global at Chopra.com/certifications. Mention Ben Decker as your referral.

Contact The Modern Spirituality Podcast:

Benjamin W. Decker, Host/Executive Producer
Twitter.com/BenDecker
Instagram.com/BenjaminWDecker
Benjaminwdecker.com

Ansley Weller, Associate Producer
[email protected]

Explore what communion really means - and its not what you think! Many of us have heard the term "communion" to refer specifically to the Catholic sacrament ritual of eating the body of Christ, and drinking His blood. However, the word communion really means to "bring together."

In this episode, host Ben Decker is joined by his friend, Jeff Krasno for a nuanced conversation about the state of the world and the great opportunity that lies ahead and around us now.  Jeff is the founder of  Wanderlust festivals and Commune Media. He's also the host of the Commune podcast, in which he aspires to embody and demonstrate the original meaning of communion: the bringing together of people and ideas. Jeff is the author of Wanderlust: A Modern Yogi's Guide to Discovering Your Best Self, Wanderlust Find Your True Fork: Journeys in Healthy, Delicious, and Ethical Eating: A Cookbook, and Communion: 2020 and the Middle Path Back to Reason, Morality and Each Other.

Develop Your Meditation Practice with books by Ben Decker:
🧘‍♀️Modern Spirituality: A Guide to the Heart of Mindfulness, Meditation, and the Art of Healing
🧘Practical Meditation for Beginners: 10 Days to a Happier, Calmer You
🧘‍♀️Daily Mindfulness: 365 Exercises to Deepen Your Practice and Find Peace
🧘‍♂️Meditations on Christ: A 5-Minute Guided Journal for Christians


Affiliates of The Modern Spirituality Podcast:

🙏Shamanic Reiki Therapy
Develop your intuition, learn to interpret the meaning behind your dreams, heal yourself, and others by joining Decker’s community of Shamanic Reiki Practitioners. Learn more and register today at ShamanicReikiTherapy.com

🙏Chopra Global Certifications with Deepak Chopra
Become a  Meditation Teacher or an Ayurvedic Health Coach with a prestigious  certification through Deepak Chopra's Chopra Global at Chopra.com/certifications. Mention Ben Decker as your referral.

🙏Rythmia Life Advancement Center in Costa Rica
Experience Ayahuasca Plant Medicine at the First Ever Medically-Licensed Resort to offer this sacred shamanic experience, Rythmia Life Advancement Center. Enjoy a week of deep transformation with four plant medicine ceremonies led by shamans trained in the Columbian tradition and plant medicine preparation and integration workshops - with special guest Ben Decker. Book your trip today at Rythmia.Link/DeckerEvent


Contact The Modern Spirituality Podcast:

👉Benjamin W. Decker, Host/Executive Producer
Twitter.com/BenDecker
Instagram.com/BenjaminWDecker

👉Ansley Weller, Associate Producer
[email protected]