In today's episode, Wendy Newton, Mona Anand, and I discuss why we're hosting a retreat in the Hamptons May 27-30. We talk about the value of sangha — intentional spiritual community, the power of satsang — speaking about our highest truths, and the importance of fun and wonder when we're facing challenge. Join us for this conversation here, and then join us at the retreat! Details are at https://ishtayoga.com/retreats/hamptonsretreatmay2025 .

Please support Peter's Podcast on Patreon. Thank you for your support, and thank you for listening!

Mona Anand, a co-owner of ISHTA Yoga, and I took teacher training together, but we both intended it to help us learn more about yoga. We both think of teacher training as training to be a yogi — to understand more deeply what it means to have and draw on this powerful practice. 

In today's episode, we discuss training in general, and highlight aspects of upcoming 200 and 300 hour trainings. Whether you have no intention to ever teach yoga, or already took teacher training, I hope you will find our observations interesting and useful.

Details of ISHTA trainings can be found at ISHTAYoga.com, where you can have the opportunity to learn more about yoga with Mona, myself — and Wendy Newton. The 300-hr (Art of Touch Module) starts May 9; the 200-hr starts July 14. Free info sessions with Mona are April 24 and May 2. 

Please support Peter's Podcast on Patreon! And thank you for all who do 🙏🏻

Namaste!

P.S. We had some headphone glitches in the recording process, so please pardon the slightly garbled audio.

Thoughts about our chaotic time, and how the philosophical symbol of the "granthis," or knots can help us move from fear and anger toward clarity and perspective.

I mention the ISHTA Meditation Training that will be led by Alan Finger, Sarah Finger, and myself March 25-28.

I mention a book on better communications between liberals and conservatives: Bridging Our Political Divide, by Kenneth Barish.

I also want to recommend Life After Doom, by Brian McLaren, whom I interviewed in a recent podcast.

Today's episode is a meditation that begins with a talk about an aspect of sattva, the balanced action that is difficult to grasp in a world of constant motion. I share some ideas from quantum physics and from author Byron Katie to serve as analogs to what are doing we when we're not so wrapped up in our stories.

You can join Peter in person or online for classes at ISHTA Yoga. You can find out more of what Peter's doing at linktr.ee

Please support Peter's Podcast on Patreon.

Namaste🙏🏻

In today's episode, we go to ISHTA Yoga for meditation class. The meditation is based around three mudras and taps into what Tantra yoga calls dahar akasha, or the cave of the heart wherein Universal Consciousness abides as our whole Self.

You can take class in person or online with Peter at ISHTA Yoga. 

Please support Peter's Podcast on Patreon.com.

Namaste🙏🏻

In this episode, I talk with Brian McLaren, an old friend and well-respected spiritual voice about his new book, Life After Doom: Wisdom and Courage for a World Falling Apart. I was so moved by his book that I asked Brian to discuss it for listeners of Peter's Podcast. The book doesn't focus on gloom and doom, though Brian provides a clear context of where we stand as a planet. Rather, it discusses how we can respond and adapt given the likelihood that our lives will be affected by climate change scenarios ranging from significant changes in the way we value material goods all the way to the collapse of society. The book's advice reminded me of a practice of seeing with clarity and acting from wisdom, so it seemed a great match for the podcast. I hope you agree.

More about Brian and his book are at brianmclaren.net

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Join me and Wendy Newton this February in Key Largo for a winter warm-weather retreat! Details at peterferko.com

In this episode, Wendy and I talk about the Four Keys and the Yamas/Niyamas, two oft-quoted and oft-misunderstood parts of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, which Wendy worked on with Alan Finger to create a Tantric interpretation. These will be the topics of our retreat to Key Largo this February. 

More info about the retreat is at peterferko.com/retreat/ You can get more info by writing me at [email protected].

Please support Peter's Podcast on Patreon! Thank you!

Namaste.

Best wishes to you and your family. Some thoughts on Indigenous Peoples' Day and Thanksgiving.

I'm grateful for the chance to talk with you about real yoga, actual happiness, and deep living. Wendy and I are planning a retreat in the Florida Keys in February. Keep posted for more details.

Please support Peter's Podcast on Patreon! Thank you

Namaste!

I share some thoughts for those with feelings of having lost the election.

I refer to the book Tantra: The Path of Ecstasy by Georg Feuerstein.

More on the Stages of Grief at https://www.healthline.com/health/stages-of-grief

Namaste.

Today's podcast is a yoga nidra practice, which is a meditation done lying down. Yoga nidra is very helpful at helping you relax or fall asleep. The meditation is about 20 minutes long and can be done on a yoga mat, on a couch or in bed. If you need to get up after the practice, you might want to set an alarm so you don't fall asleep for too long!

Please support Peter's Podcast on Patreon.

You can find out more about Peter on linktr.ee/peterferko

Namaste!