Room to Evolve

Today we welcome back the guest from our most downloaded episode of last season – Ana Pilar Cruz. She's a teacher's teacher and an expert in yoga philosophy.

Our second conversation is centered on the second chakra (how fitting!). We kicked things off right away with a question that is frequently debated among those of us who study the chakra system:

Can chakras become blocked?

Tune in for Ana Pilar's thoughtful response to this question and the discussion that follows around granthis ("grun-tees"), which means "knot".

There are three main granthis in the body - one is associated with desire and attaches us to the physical world and our sense of self, one has to do with our karma and action, and one is affiliated with time and separation of self from the greater whole.

This is a fascinating topic and Ana Pilar does a wonderful job of explaining them in such a way that makes it tangible to understand not only what they are and where they reside in our bodies, but also how they affect us.

Tune in to raise your awareness of your granthis and receive tools to help cultivate remedies to these blocks or "knots" in your life.

Love,

Jess

More about Jess:

Resources:

More resources, links, and a form for thoughts and questions are at ⁠Jessgoulding.com/podcast.⁠

Connect with Jess: 

Facebook⁠⁠, @jessgyoga, and the Jess G Yoga Facebook Group, ⁠⁠

Instagram⁠⁠, @jessgyoga  

YouTube⁠⁠ @jessgoulding

LinkedIn: Jessica (Jess) Goulding  @jessgyoga

TAGS

awareness,  mindfulness,   self study,   svadyaya,   self awareness,    chakras,    yoga,   yoga therapy, self improvement, transformation, spirituality, self help, yoga, meditation, philosophy, psychology

How do we experience pleasure, sensuality and creativity in Chakra 1, muladhara?

Start your routine with Get a Morning Glow! Check out the YouTube video and download the PDF for free!

Resources:

More resources, links, and a form for thoughts and questions are at ⁠Jessgoulding.com/podcast.⁠

Connect with Jess: 

Facebook⁠⁠, @jessgyoga, and the Jess G Yoga Facebook Group, ⁠⁠

Instagram⁠⁠, @jessgyoga  

YouTube⁠⁠ @jessgoulding

LinkedIn: Jessica (Jess) Goulding  @jessgyoga

TAGS

awareness,  mindfulness,   self study,   svadyaya,   self awareness,    chakras,    yoga,   yoga therapy, self improvement, transformation, spirituality, self help, yoga, meditation, philosophy, psychology

In Season 3 of Jess on the Mountain, we’ll explore chakra 2 and the theme of DELIGHT as we move up the liberating current of the chakras from root to crown. 

In this episode you’ll hear what I’ve been up to during “Acorn Time” and some of the ways you can experience DELIGHT by taking more time to savor, more time to celebrate and less time to worry.

I tell a little about what is inspiring me and is swimming around and coming together in the creative bowl of chakra 2.

And lastly, we peek into something I call “perspective training” that I’ll talk more about all season long. I think it’s an important skill we can all use in the “world on fire.”

I’m glad to be back with you for another season of this journey on the mountain!

More about Jess:

Resources:

More resources, links, and a form for thoughts and questions are at ⁠Jessgoulding.com/podcast.⁠

Connect with Jess: 

Facebook⁠⁠, @jessgyoga, and the Jess G Yoga Facebook Group, ⁠⁠

Instagram⁠⁠, @jessgyoga  

YouTube⁠⁠ @jessgoulding

LinkedIn: Jessica (Jess) Goulding  @jessgyoga

TAGS

awareness,  mindfulness,   self study,   svadyaya,   self awareness,    chakras,    yoga,   yoga therapy, self improvement, transformation, spirituality, self help, yoga, meditation, philosophy, psychology

Chakras are part of your subtle body system; your energetic self. You can't see them, but they spin like gears and encounter the world around you and create the world within you. This can be hard to wrap the mind around. I get it. Truth be told, I don't think we have to understand or believe all that to make the chakras, and the study of them, valuable, applicable, and pragmatic.

Listen to learn 3 of the ways I use the chakras as a valuable framework for deepening awareness and living with intention!

FREE online chakra yoga and journaling workshop to upshift into 2024 with positive energy, clarity, and commitment. www.jessgoulding.com/gear

Learn all about and get excited for

CHAKRA Savvy: Reset Your Life Game Plan

Your ultimate guide to putting the pieces of your life together the way you want them to be.

More about Jess:

TAGS

awareness,  mindfulness,   self study,   svadyaya,   self awareness,    chakras,    yoga,   yoga therapy, self improvement, transformation

Rob Bell has evolved from a megachurch pastor to a world renowned heretic (which I think is a good thing), questioning some of the ways the Christian religion has been teaching things that actually go against Spirit and Scripture, and proposing that the world, that God, is much more about love than damnation, and heaven and hell can be found right here on earth. His book, Love Wins, catapulted him into the greater public eye in 2011 when he was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people. He has been interviewed by Oprah, quoted by Brene Brown, and he’s here today to talk about his new book, “Where’d You Park Your Spaceship.”

With his new book as the backdrop of our interview, we talk about the creative process, our perception of others, of seeing our life patterns, of dealing with grief, and how stories emerge from within. You may not be writing a book, but you ARE writing the book of your life, which is our greatest creative Chakra 1, 2, and 3 endeavor. 

Rob Bell is the New York Times Bestselling author of fourteen books and plays which have been translated into 25 languages. His visual art can be seen on Instagram @realrobbell, his band is HUMANS ON THE FLOOR, and his podcast is called The RobCast. 

Learn more about Rob Bell on his Wikipedia page and on his website.

You can download the first 100 pages of Where’d You Park Your Spaceship HERE.

Catch the video of this episode HERE.

More about Jess:

TAGS

awareness,  mindfulness,   self study,   svadyaya,   self awareness,    chakras,    yoga,   yoga therapy, self improvement, transformation

How does your body communicate with YOU?

We have officially returned to the bottom of the mountain, as we dive this week into Chakra One: Muladhara.

The first chakra is the earth element – our body, and our foundation. Located at the base of the spine, it houses our trust, fears, and ability to feel safe in the world. Chakra One asks us to be IN our body and LISTEN.

Join me as I share how I embodied Chakra One this past week when I didn't release an episode because I chose to listen to my own body. We will talk about the different organ systems that are affiliated with this chakra, how imbalances show up in your body, and I will offer up some great tips, yoga poses, and the perfect self-paced course designed to get you fully embodied so you can bring your root chakra back into balance.

You won't want to miss it. See you there!

Much love,

Jess

Next week's Season Finale features my favorite heretic and advocate for all things being spiritual, Rob Bell. Get ready for a great conversation about the process of creativity, grief, and his new book, Where'd You Park Your Spaceship? available now on Amazon.

More about Jess:

Thank you for listening to Jess on the Mountain! Please rate, review, share, and subscribe. 🙏

For this week's podcast episode, we have officially arrived in Chakra Two: Svadhisthana. Located in the pelvic bowl (the sacral complex), this is where we house our creativity, sensuality, sexuality, emotions, desire, and reproduction. Since our theme this season is Embodiment, I decided to focus this conversation on Sensuality.

The word "sensual" simply means 'of the senses' - sight, smell, sound, taste and touch. So "sensuality" is the enjoyment or expression of something that is pleasing to our senses. Sensuality is sometimes used interchangeably with sexuality, and although they can certainly be intertwined with one another (after all, our sexuality also lives in Chakra Two), sensuality is more about living a life with all your senses fully alive – a complete experience of your body and your environment.

That's what we're diving into today on Jess on the Mountain. Tune in to hear what age our second chakra develops, the shadow sides of chakra two, my own personal story of when I first discovered that I was a sensual being, and how we can all embrace and embody our sensuality in our everyday lives.

Love,

Jess

More about Jess:

TAGS

awareness,  mindfulness,   self study,   svadyaya,   self awareness,    chakras,    yoga,   yoga therapy, self improvement, transformation

Today’s episode is all about the third chakra - Manipura. Located at the solar plexus, the color is yellow, the element is fire, and its focus is on the will, self-esteem, personal identity, and transformation.

Joining us for this conversation on surrender and manifestation is the multi-talented Shannon Jamail, a best-selling author, podcast host, retreat leader, therapist-turned-mentor, and yoga teacher trainer.

She is the founder and creator of the Mind & Body Complete Family of Companies which includes her retreat center, Retreat Ranch, outside of Austin Texas. Her passion and mission is to elevate individuals in mind & body in order to connect, grow & thrive through her online courses, books, programs & retreats.

Shannon knows a lot about manifestation. And not only does she know how to make things happen, she does so with a level of conscious intention that is felt by everyone around her. She shares with us some of her own processes around creating intention and transformation (spoiler alert - she uses the chakra system!), how she combined her love of horses with her love of yoga, and how she tapped into the power of her third chakra to create the ranch retreat of her dreams.

Ironically, our conversation about will and manifestation turned into one about surrender. That's right - an important aspect of intentional manifestation is full surrender... and humble acceptance. There are a lot of a-ha moments in this episode – some that I had in real time while talking with Shannon, and some that I'm still thinking about today! I would love to hear what your own a-ha moments are from this episode.

"When you fully surrender and then accept that surrendering, is when the power is unleashed... that's how you become the most powerful." ~ Shannon Jamail

Much love,

Jess

Get on the WAITLIST for Jess's next retreat at Retreat Ranch, April 12-14.

More about Shannon:

More about Jess:

TAGS

awareness,  mindfulness,   self study,   svadyaya,   self awareness,    chakras,    yoga,   yoga therapy

Today we arrive in chakra three: our lustrous gem, the beautiful yellow of Manipura, that houses our ability to do and to transform. It is the seat of our will and self esteem, and asks the question: How is your fire burning? 

Building and embodying a strong will, an appropriate fire, requires discernment, right action, and proper boundaries. Too much heat, stress, or effort and we burn out. Not enough, and the flame dies out leaving us scattered and directionless.

Learn some tools and ideas you can apply right away to overcome overwhelm and inertia, no matter where you land on the spectrum of high to low energy.

Links from this episode:

Get a Morning Glow! Morning routine video and PDF

More about Jess:

TAGS

awareness,  mindfulness,   self study,   svadyaya,   self awareness,    chakras,    yoga,   yoga therapy, self improvement, transformation

We are back with part 2 of our Chakra Four conversation with Emily J. Hooks and her deep wisdom around the topic of forgiveness.

As the discussion continues, we explore how there is a time and a place for forgiveness, that we have to dismantle what forgiveness even means, and how forgiveness doesn't have to include reconciliation (or even the other person's participation or knowledge of your forgiveness!). Emily shares with us how the toxic dynamic with her mother completely dissolved when she forgave her, even though her mom knew nothing about it.

"I forgave everyone in my life and no one knew about it until I wrote my book." ~ Emily J. Hooks

Forgiveness is YOUR process and YOUR healing. What an empowering concept!

Don't forget – Emily's book, The Power of Forgiveness: A Guide to Healing and Wholeness, is available at all the major booksellers and is linked in the show notes below. She has also generously offered her Audible audiobook format to our listeners FOR FREE! Link & instructions on how to get the audio version of this powerful book are included below.

Much love,

Jess

More about Emily:

More about Jess:

TAGS

awareness,  mindfulness,   self study,   svadyaya,   self awareness,    chakras,    yoga,   yoga therapy