It's retreat time. Become aware of the love that breathes through you, animates you, expands you. 

Later this autumn we are bringing together awakening and transformation in the most beautiful landscape in the world.  

On this episode we discuss what is different about our Highlands  retreat and how it will deepen your experience of oneness. It's time to get out of the spiritual comfort zone.....

Retreat dates: Thursday 23rd - Sunday 26th November 2023. More information can be found at www.practicaltranscendence.org and we can be contacted at [email protected].

In this episode, I’m talking with Nick Oakley-Smith. An astrologer, a student of the I-Ching, an executive coach and leadership trainer. I loved this conversation, and look forward to listening back to it many times to remind me of the many pearls of wisdom he shares. We have a wide ranging discussion in which he provides a clear and modern interpretation of astrology and how the I-Ching is the natural partner to these ancient ways of interpreting and guiding our lives. Towards the end of the podcast, One of my favourite moments is when he discusses his relationship with his mentor and friend Chrissy Philp, the sort of person that we would all like to have in our lives. Nick was so generous, authentic and open in what he shared, providing very personal experiences to illustrate the teachings. I am very grateful for the time he provided. I hope you get as much out of it as me.

Nick's company - www.heartshore.co.uk

Chrissy Philp's Website - http://www.chrissyphilp.com

Hello, and welcome back to Practical Transcendence, a podcast in which we have grounded discussions on the tangibility of spiritual awakening, where we explore the guiding and common principles, as well as what is unique to each individual. 

Today I’m talking to Paul Eyers, a Buddhist in the lineage of Nichiren Daishonin which has been revived in todays world by Soka Gakkai International. He provides an overview of this slightly different take on the teachings of the Buddha and the centrality of a specific chant in manifesting your Buddha Nature. Paul goes into detail regarding two significant awakenings that came after a period of suffering linked to feeling like an outsider, and puts this in the context of his practice. 

Paul’s experiences reflect many of our own process on the spiritual path, in that nothing is linear, and when we go deeper within, we inevitably encounter pain points that can be the pathway to realisation.

In today’s episode I’m talking with Matthew Henderson, Senior Pastor of Gerrard Street Baptist Church in Aberdeen. I found this to be a very eye opening conversation that helped to reduce some of my ignorance in regard to the Christian faith. 

Matthew talks at length about his true awakening to God that came from the realisation that he could be in relationship with God as opposed to just the 'doing' aspects of faith. He outlines practices and ways of communing with God that I found were quite similar to my own practices, finding much common ground. For example, he highlights feeling God in his chest in a similar way to the heart chakra being the place where people feel true love. 

One of my favourite moments is where he says not to allow the practices to become ritualistic and that to not get up from your knees until you have experienced him. I think that very much talks to the importance of a heart felt intention to engage freshly in daily practice which transforms it from rote habit, to a true present moment awareness. 

The podcast was meant to be released a couple of weeks ago, but there were some technical problems with it, a hint of which you will hear around the 25 minute mark. Apologies for that and apologies to Matthew as we did record quite some time ago. However, it’s now here, and ready to be heard. 

If you enjoyed the episode, please subscribe, and if you listen on Apple Podcasts, leave a review. If you wish to get in touch for any comments or feedback, please email [email protected]. There is also a Facebook page that people can join, and there will soon be clips and episodes on YouTube as well as postings on other social media sites. Until next time.

Today’s episode is part two of a conversation I had with Norton Bertram-Smith, a founder and director of the mindfulness association, and an expert in authentic leadership. We pick up where we left off in episode 6, again discussing much, including where goals fit in on the spiritual path, an overview of mindfulness association and what it offers, how bringing mindfulness and compassion together develops our courage to look within, and his own experiences of oneness and connectedness. If you haven’t listened to part 1, please do so after this, for some insight and guidance on purpose, meaning and authenticity, and how these fit together. Enjoy!

If you’d like to more about the Mindfulness Association, please go to https://www.mindfulnessassociation.net 

If you’d like to know more about Norton and his work, please go to his company website www.onpurpose.co.uk.

If you enjoyed the episode, please subscribe, and if you listen on Apple Podcasts, leave a review. If you wish to get in touch for any comments or feedback, please email [email protected] . There is also a Facebook page that people can join, and there will soon be clips and episodes on YouTube as well as postings on other social media sites. Until next time.

Our first interview! Today, I’ll be talking with Norton Bertram-Smith, a founding director of On Purpose, a specialist organisation and leadership development consultancy. Norton is also a director and founder of the Mindfulness Association. And as you’ll hear, we get stuck into those two aspects of his life. We had a wide ranging and in-depth discussion, and as such, it has been split into two parts. 

This episode, part 1, covers Norton’s early years, where he had a strong spiritual connection to the earth and culture  growing up Zambia, the conflict this then created with his western upbringing, what led him to Buddhism and how he integrated that into his high achieving corporate career, and how this ultimately led to him leaving the rat race and starting his own leadership development company with his wife. We discuss the importance of self-awareness as a path to authenticity, being master of your own destiny, what authenticity in leadership means, and how the quality and development of relationships in leadership depends on psychological safety, with the bedrock of this being compassion. As you will hear, a spiritual perspective is integral to his approach to the world of work. 

In part two, which will be released in a weeks time, Norton provides an overview of the Mindfulness Association, how bringing mindfulness and compassion together develops our courage to look within, and his own experiences of oneness and connectedness, so please check this out when it is released. 

If you’d like to know more about Norton and his work, please go to his company website www.onpurpose.co.uk. 

If you’d like to more about the Mindfulness Association, please go to https://www.mindfulnessassociation.net 

If you enjoyed the episode, please subscribe, and if you listen on Apple Podcasts, leave a review. If you wish to get in touch for any comments or feedback, please email [email protected] . There is also a Facebook page that people can join, and there will soon be clips and episodes on YouTube as well as postings on other social media sites. Until next time. 

Abraham Maslow was a visionary psychologist who sought to understand and model human potential. We take an in depth look at a contemporary book on his work called Transcend by Scott Barry Kaufman. If you are looking to integrate mysticism into the wider context of your life and development, this is the episode for you!


We want the podcast to reach more people. You can help! Please review on Apple Podcasts and subscribe through your favourite podcast platform.

Please get in contact and let us know what you thought of the episode or join the discussion. You can do so through our Facebook page, just search for Practical Transcendence and ask to join. You can do so through twitter, just search for practical transcendence or our username @p_transcendence. Alternatively, contact us on our email [email protected]

References mentioned in the podcast

Books:

Transcend by Scott Barry Kaufman

Research:

Yaden, D. B., Haidt, J., Hood, R. W., Jr., Vago, D. R., & Newberg, A. B. (2017, May 1). The Varieties of Self-Transcendent Experience. Review of General Psychology. Advance online publication.

People:

Caroline Myss in reference to vocational purpose

Steven Kotler and Jamie Wheal in reference to Flow states

Episode Four – In which we discuss the power and necessity of forgiveness on the spiritual path.  Awakening is not possible without forgiving yourself and others, and a purely cognitive approach is unlikely to be effective.  Ian tells a moving family story to illustrate the point.


Please get in contact and let us know what you thought of the episode or join the discussion. You can do so through our Facebook page, just search for Practical Transcendence and ask to join. You can do so through twitter, just search for practical transcendence or our username @p_transcendence. Alternatively, contact us on our email [email protected]. 

References mentioned in the podcast

Tara Brach – Tara’s work and teachings can be found at www.tarabrach.com 

Kristin Neff – Kristin’s work and teachings https://self-compassion.org/ 

Jack Kornfield - Jack's work and teachings can be found at https://jackkornfield.com/

In today's podcast, we discuss expanding meditative practice using sound and feeling.  A spiritual path can become stagnant on the cushion, and engaging with somatic awareness can renew the flow and provide the ground for the consistent experience of transcendent states. 

We link the neuroscience of safety and connection to the importance of moving practice beyond the thinking mind into the magic of acoustics and direct contact with nature, becoming Buddhas with muddy feet!

Please get in contact and let us know what you thought of the episode or join the discussion. You can do so through our Facebook page, just search for Practical Transcendence and ask to join. You can do so through twitter, just search for practical transcendence or our username @p_transcendence. Alternatively, contact us on our email [email protected]. 

References mentioned in the podcast

An explanation of Polyvagal Theory can be found through the works of Steven Porges, the originator of the theory and approach. A good place to start is ‘The Pocket Guide to the Polyvagal Theory: The Transformative Power of Feeling Safe’. Also, Deb Dana’s book ‘The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy: Engaging the Rhythm of Regulation’ is an excellent place to start. 

Barnes mentioned Brainwave Entrainment. The company he has bought this from is Brainwave Research UK. They can be found at www.brainwave-research.com 

The course he completed is called The Neuroscience of Change delivered by Coaches Rising. This can be found at https://www.coachesrising.com/neuroscienceofchange/ 

Ian mentioned Bessel van der Kolk’s book ‘The Body Keeps the Score’. 

In our second episode, we discuss the holistic and individuated aspects of our spiritual process - what has brought us to where we are today. We cover much, from the seemingly unconnected subjects of nutrition to forgiveness or art to finding purpose. We really hope there are some helpful take-aways for you. And as befitting this long form method of communication, we don’t come up for air for quite some time. So, strap in, pause when you need to, and please get in contact and let us know what you thought of the episode or join the discussion. You can do so through our Facebook page, just search for Practical Transcendence and ask to join. You can do so through twitter, just search for practical transcendence or our username @p_transcendence. Alternatively, contact us on our email [email protected]. 

References mentioned in the podcast

Books:

How Emotions are Made by Lisa Feldman Barrett

Resurrection by Neville Goddard

7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsch

The Power of your Subconscious Mind by Joseph Murphy

You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay

Start With Why by Simon Sinek

Teachers: 

Caroline Myss - The teaching mentioned comes from a workshop called Advanced Energy Anatomy. Caroline can be found at www.myss.com 

Mukti – Mukti’s work and teachings can be found at www.muktisource.org 

Tara Brach – Tara’s work and teachings can be found at www.tarabrach.com 

Kristin Neff – Kristin’s work and teachings https://self-compassion.org/ 

Adyashanti – Adya’s work and teachings can be found at https://www.adyashanti.org/ 

Reggie Ray – Reggie’s work and teachings can be found at https://www.dharmaocean.org/ 

Other references:

Barnes mentioned Brainwave Entrainment. The company he has bought this from is Brainwave Research UK. They can be found at www.brainwave-research.com 

The course he completed is called The Neuroscience of Change delivered by Coaches Rising. This can be found at https://www.coachesrising.com/neuroscienceofchange/ 

Ian mentioned the Mindfulness Association. They can be found at https://www.mindfulnessassociation.net/