Practice You with Elena Brower

On Rituals, Practices, and Good Listening

On the occasion of the release of 'Rituals for Every Day' by Nadia Narain and and Katia Narain Phillips, we gathered to chat about our own practices of listening, praying and meaning-making.

Nadia Narain is one of the UK's best loved and most respected yoga teachers. For more than 20 years, she has taught everyone from professional athletes to, pregnant women to total beginners and yoga sceptics, how to take care of their outer bodies as well as their inner spirit, she has inspired thousands to slow down, be kind and love themselves where they are. Nadia is also co-author with her sister of the international bestselling book "Self Care for the Real World," and more recently, "Rituals for Every Day," explaining not just why we have to look after ourselves, but how i simple achievable ways.

nadianarain.com - Nadia has a range for chemical free candles and perfumes and yoga retreats Notes and Methods by Hilma Af Klint Marie Kondo, The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up Belonging by Toko-pa Turner Luke Storey's The Life Stylist Podcast episode 191 with Dr Jack Kruse: ABC carpet and home. Rituals for Every Day

Length: 40:16

Timecodes:

1:57

Reading from p29 Notes and Methods by Hilma Af Klint https://amzn.to/2LZQZIp

4:31

On trusting the messages that we hear from the other side.

7:24

Remembering that the other benevolent realms are also a part of you. Those forces want our help too. Building friendship. Marie Kondo. On helping being natural.

12:52

Assignment:

• Ask for Help

• Be a good friend. Listen and trust.

• Carry a pair of warm socks in the winter time.

• Remember that you're not a burden, if you ask for help.

17:27

Nadia and Katia's experience of rituals growing up.

19:06

Rituals for breaking up.

20:50

Making the mundane special. Pujas. Physicalized prayer for a project, or another person.

25:48

Reading from Toko-pa Turner's book Belonging https://amzn.to/2YFjRqY

28:00

The lost language of prayer. There are really beautiful, magical things happening despite what gets noisy and loud.

29:20

Spending time on things that are joyful, not necessarily productive.

Assignment: do something, creative or otherwise, where you're not dealing with the outcome, just doing.

31:30

Hilma af Klint passage, on not being discouraged when you don't see results. On growing, and being guided.

35:10

Don't do anything alone. Take a friend by the hand, invisible or otherwise.

36:10

Dr Jack Kruse on The 5G Apocalypse. Stay close to the trees.

Glo founder Derik Mills joined me for a sweet, edifying conversation on my last trip to film at Glo. We touched upon the last ten years of digital evolution, the future of virtual practice and the heart of what we do together at Glo.com.

Derik is the CEO/founder of Glo, formerly YogaGlo, a health and wellness brand that challenges people to live a fulfilling life. Glo believes in a world in which we all live our true potential. In 2008, Derik teamed up with his younger brother to found and self-fund Glo. They started by converting a Santa Monica workspace into a recording studio to film yoga and meditation classes that were free for the public to attend. The online service grew to empower subscribers to experience yoga, meditation, lecture, and online continuing education courses taught by world-class instructors from anywhere in the world. Today, in 2019, the company remains self-funded and has expanded to a team of more than 100 people, including faculty, and produced more than 10,000 classes. The company is currently expanding into additional wellness modalities--all in service of providing a personalized experience that makes it easy for members to integrate self-care into their everyday lives. Featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Forbes, Goop, Oprah, and more, Glo has become a cultural phenomenon driven by Derik's devotion to contributing to something larger than himself.

2:22 The early days of Glo. How Elena came to work with Derik.

4:32 On the origin of Glo and Derik's vision. While in university, Derik wrote "I want to maintain and cultivate my faculty of wonder." Stuck in traffic on way to yoga one day, he wished he could beam the class into his living room.

12:42 On putting everything he had into Glo. The meaning of glo.com to individuals all over the world, especially during difficult times. The teacher selection process.

20:33 Evolution from more class-based practices to more one-on-one camera set up. Listening to customer feedback.

26:16 How Derik sees the future. On providing intelligent, personalized tools that challenge people to live their own true potential.

30:39 The Human Shadow. Douglas Brooks recommended poet Robert Bly. Willingness to be vulnerable. The practice of extending the space between a trigger and acting, especially in high-stakes moments.

Assignment: Where and with whom could you be a little more vulnerable today? What would that benefit look like, in the ideal?

37:30 Derik's favorite view.

39:45 Prayer as a listening to your inner voice. Beginning of Glo Manifesto: "To you the seeker, you listened to your inner calling to nurture wonder and curiosity to illumine your mind, inspire your heart, with courage to kindle the fire on a journey of self-discovery."

glo.com Elena's Practice You Course on Glo Douglas Brooks A Little Book on the Human Shadow, by Robert Bly

Claudia Chan is a recognized leadership expert and social entrepreneur dedicated to activating individuals and organizations to lead culture change and accelerate equality.

Claudia founded the award-winning global leadership conference, S.H.E. Summit, making the advancement of women's leadership and inclusive culture change accessible and actionable. Year after year, the event connects, educates and activates change agents and champions of equality; speakers have included Deepak Chopra, Kelly Clarkson, Carla Harris of Morgan Stanley, Sallie Krawcheck, Gabrielle Bernstein, Soledad O'Brien, and UN Ambassador Samantha Power, among others.

Claudia also leads S.H.E. Globl Media, a corporate platform helping Fortune 1000 companies by providing strategic and operational tools to empower and activate ALL employees in creating permanent culture change. A sought-after speaker on how empowered talent can and should create a world of true equity, Claudia was called the "Richard Branson of Women's Empowerment" by Fast Company and named one of 2017's "20 Most Influential Moms" by Family Circle. In 2015, Claudia became an official U.S. State Department Speaker and has visited countries like South Korea for countrywide speaking tours to educate women on how to empower themselves and others in their communities. She was the 2015 global spokesperson for Gillette Venus #UseYourAnd empowerment campaign, a movement encouraging women to celebrate their multi-dimensionality.

Prior to launching S.H.E. Globl Media, Claudia was President & Co-Owner of the popular women's entertainment company Shecky's for 10 years. Claudia is a lifelong New Yorker, proud alumnae of Smith College, Mom of two and an equal partner with her husband, John.

1:11 How Claudia began. Watching her powerful, entrepreneurial Chinese Mother do it all.

2:16 Sex and the City. 2000s. Power of the media to influence Women's values.

3.26 Half the Sky: https://amzn.to/2BuJqSk learning about the state of women and girls in the Third world, developing countries, maternal mortality and sex trafficking. In the US: the pay gap and gender inequality.

4:25 First SHE Summit. Showing women that they can become leaders and change agents.

5:35 Innovation means seeing the invisible. When you see the invisible, you can do the impossible.

6.24 Living in the discomfort. It's where you make the most change.

7.02 Spiritual growth has to precede personal growth. Personal Growth has to precede Leadership development. Leadership Development leads to Social Change.

7.50 Leadership Development means being really clear on your purpose. Being a Visionary, leading teams.

8:46 We're always going to bump into new challenges that will trigger things from our childhood. For Claudia, this often shows up as money issues.

9:43 You need spiritual growth in order to be rooted in something bigger than you, because it takes so much to move our destiny forward.

12.01 Claudia's mission to inspire leaders to take action, to create a more equal world. Identity of boys and men is also in transition.

13.54 How traditional institutions were built on masculine traits. Feminine traits are now starting to permeate the culture.

15.43- 17:41 For several years, women have created movements around particular topics e.g: Christy Turlington's Every Mother Counts: https://everymothercounts.org/, but we also need more Men creating groups that mobilise around particular causes and topics. EVRYMAN is a great example: https://evryman.com/

15:57-18:43 More gender diverse workplaces are more successful.

18:43 The Thirteen Pillars: Purpose, Vision, Faith, Resilience, Energy, Productivity, Humility Gratitude, Grace, Community, Self-love, Courage and Mindfulness.

19:34 On identifying purpose. What are you meant to do and what are you leaving behind? Start where you struggle.

26:15 On Resilience. A gem can not be polished without friction.

32.48 On Energy. To be intentional about it. Neville Goddard The Power of imagination https://amzn.to/2Vm8VwW

35: 58 How the 13 pillars intertwine. Use as a check-list for growth. Humility. We stop learning when we think we know it all.

38:20 Treat your whole life as the organization you are leading. Whole-life leadership.

41:42 See yourself as a leader. Start to develop and create your vision.

42:46 Outside-in thinking. Your destiny is greatness. Pastor: Your schedule is less about what you need to get done and more about who you need to become.

45.38 Elena reads Honoring Community poem from Pixie Lighthorse's book Prayers of Honoring https://amzn.to/2FVFOge.

48:13-54: 53 Claudia's Relationship with Money. Be aware, and forgive yourself for thinking a certain way.

The Abundance Price by John Randolph Price https://evryman.com/ This is How We Rise Prayers of Honoring Money, A Love Story

In this short episode, Jonah and I touch upon:

- his experience of what we did well in our separation (we minimized fighting, always apologized, and shared stories of the trajectory in a loving way)

- advice to parents for how to handle separation and divorce (no fighting, always apologize, and be kind)

- not requiring eye contact with your kid - allowing the kid to open up more freely

- our shared appreciation of Sex Education on Netflix

- on sources of stress in his life

- a friendly meditation challenge

- Better Apart

In this episode, on the occasion of Mary Oliver's passing, I took time to read my favourite passages and poems. Her work has informed mine since 1998, and reading her words brings me back to the earliest days in my teaching and learning to lead.

Readings from:

Thirst A Thousand Mornings Felicity Devotions A Poetry Handbook