Skillful Means Podcast

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In this episode, recorded nearly a year after the first COVD-19-related lockdowns, Jen and Sarah Jane discuss the benefits and pitfalls of the mad rush to move trainings and retreats online.

From individual teachers, to studios and centers, to decentralized institutes, the pandemic has brought much change in the way teaching –and learning –is done. Impacts include increased access to teachers and programs, relaxed program requirements, and more.

This evolution has greatly benefited us all as students. However, pitfalls abound. Sarah Jane and Jen get real about imposter syndrome, FOMO, and other psychological states and circumstances that can lead to going overboard and taking on too many trainings in this environment of boundless opportunities. Never happy to leave things there, they also offer practical strategies for maintaining balance as lifelong learners.

Dharma Book Club Starts Next Month
The first installment of Dharma Book Club approaches! Start reading The End of Your World by Adyashanti and send in your insights and questions by March 1 to be included in our next episode.

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You can find us on  Facebook and Instagram. We also welcome your messages at [email protected] or in our voicemail box on SpeakPipe.

You can also get in touch with Jen and Sarah Jane directly. 

Don't forget! You can also practice with us live each week: https://www.sati.yoga/practice/virtualclasses.html

~ ~ ~

SMP welcomes your comments and questions at [email protected]. You can also get in touch with Jen through her website: https://www.sati.yoga

Fill out this survey to help guide the direction of the show: https://airtable.com/appM7JWCQd7Q1Hwa4/pagRTiysNido3BXqF/form

To support the show, consider a donation via Ko-Fi.

Text me your feedback.

In this episode, Sarah Jane introduces and leads a mindfulness meditation on the four elements from the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta (Foundations of Mindfulness) as taught by the Venerable Bhikkhu Anālayo, a contemporary Theravada Buddhist monk and scholar.

Contemplating the elements (earth, water, fire, and wind, according to early Buddhist writers), as they are expressed both within the body and outside in the natural world, can lessen harmful over-identification with the body. They also remind us that we are in and of nature, not separate from it. Further, it can give rise to the key insights of impermanence and emptiness. 

In this meditation, we use the body scan as a way to discern the presence of  the Earth element through solidity particularly in the bones. Water is present as moisture in the mouth and cohesion of the flesh. Fire, or the heat element, is known through the sensation of temperature on skin. And we note Wind in motion, circulation and, of course, breath.

Bhikkhu Anālayo compares this practice to receiving a package in the mail that is meant for someone else: It is enough to look at the address and realize the parcel is not ours. No need to open it to search its contents to know this. In other words, we need not analyze the expression of elements in the body; it is enough to notice them and to comprehend the continuity between ourselves and nature and the ever-changing flow of experience. 

Resources
Find Bhikkhu Anālayo's writings freely available through Universität Hamburg, where he serves on faculty at the Numata Center for Buddhist Studies.

"Satipaṭṭhāna Meditation: A Practice Guide" by Bhikkhu Anālayo inspired this episode's meditation.

You can join Bhikkhu Anālayo for one of his courses or workshops at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies in Massachusetts or online.

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Don't forget! Dharma Book Club starts in March 2021.  Join us in reading “The End of Your World,” by Adyashanti, available through many Black-owned bookstores. 

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Skillful Means Podcast offers these guided practices to help you deepen into your yoga and mindfulness journey.

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, or send us a note at [email protected] with your comments.

You can also get in touch with Sarah Jane directly. To sign up to attend her ongoing twice weekly live meditation drop-in, visit Mindful Morning Sangha.

~ ~ ~

SMP welcomes your comments and questions at [email protected]. You can also get in touch with Jen through her website: https://www.sati.yoga

Fill out this survey to help guide the direction of the show: https://airtable.com/appM7JWCQd7Q1Hwa4/pagRTiysNido3BXqF/form

To support the show, consider a donation via Ko-Fi.

Text me your feedback.

In this episode, Jen and Sarah Jane return from a winter break. Amidst ever increasing levels of upheaval in the States, they discuss their go-to practices and resources that buoy body, heart, and mind.

In a casual back and forth conversation, they describe the methods and inspirations they rely on, including hara breathing, the idea of expansiveness, contemplating the elements while walking in a cemetery (yup!), weekly planning, and more.

Not ones for navel-gazing, Jen and Sarah Jane put their practices to work not only in replenishing their reserves, but also in helping them to continue showing up  to life with passion and resolve.

And, big announcement! Skillful Means Podcast is excited to share a new feature on the show: Dharma Book Club! Every two months, we'll discuss books guaranteed to inspire. Our first selection is The End of Your World by Adyashanti. You can read along with us and share your thoughts via email or our new SpeakPipe voicemail account. We are excited to share your thoughts on the show.

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We are social! Find us on  Facebook and Instagram. We also welcome your messages at [email protected] or in our voicemail box on SpeakPipe.

You can also get in touch with Jen and Sarah Jane directly. 

Don't forget! You can also practice with us live each week: https://www.sati.yoga/practice/virtualclasses.html

~ ~ ~

SMP welcomes your comments and questions at [email protected]. You can also get in touch with Jen through her website: https://www.sati.yoga

Fill out this survey to help guide the direction of the show: https://airtable.com/appM7JWCQd7Q1Hwa4/pagRTiysNido3BXqF/form

To support the show, consider a donation via Ko-Fi.

Text me your feedback.

In this Taoist meditation, Jen will help you harness the loving energy of a smile and direct it inward for profound sense of self-compassion, joy, and relaxation.

In Taoism, it's believed that the energy of negative emotions blocks Qi flow, leading to disease Practicing the inner smile meditation will help you clear out blocked negative energy for improved health, well-being, and longevity.

This is an old practice, more recently popularized by the Qigong master Mantak Chia.

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Skillful Means Podcast offers these guided practices to help you deepen into your yoga and mindfulness journey.

We welcome your comments. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, send us a note at [email protected], or leave us a voicemail at https://www.speakpipe.com/skillfulmeanspodcast. 

You can get in touch with Jen directly at https://sati.yoga where she offers yoga and mindfulness classes, workshops, trainings, and IFS coaching.

~ ~ ~

SMP welcomes your comments and questions at [email protected]. You can also get in touch with Jen through her website: https://www.sati.yoga

Fill out this survey to help guide the direction of the show: https://airtable.com/appM7JWCQd7Q1Hwa4/pagRTiysNido3BXqF/form

To support the show, consider a donation via Ko-Fi.

Text me your feedback.

In this talk and guided practice, Sarah Jane describes the benefit of thinking of Buddhism’s Four Noble Truths as Four Ennobling Tasks. As tasks, the teachings become invitations to action. In the case of the first, the invitation is to comprehend dukkha (suffering). How? We practice. Why? Clear comprehension gives rise to liberating insight.

But more than orienting our minds toward helpful concepts that support practice, this episode is meant as a gift during a holiday season in which people may feel tender and weary from struggling through the public health, social, political, and environmental crises that accelerated in 2020. 

There is much suffering happening. It is our hope we may manage, together, to hold the inarguable suffering--the aging, sickness, and death that are inevitable--and diminish the secondary suffering present in our bodies, hearts, and minds. 

The goal is not to avoid emotional difficulty. It’s not to acknowledge it and leave it at that, either. Instead, we are meant to use it for the sake of inner freedom, or at least more ease. May there be more ease within us and between us as we make our way into 2021.

In her talk, Sarah Jane draws from teachings from Stephen Batchelor, Christina Feldman, John Peacock, and Akincino Weber. In the meditation, she quotes Stephen Schettini:

"We’re all faced with the same fundamental choice of calming the mind or letting it go its own scattered way. Leaving it to the caprice of unplumbed emotions leads to a life that’s mysterious in all the wrong ways."

The meditation starts at 8:40. If your podcast app supports chapter markings, you can jump straight there  - useful for repeated listens.

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Skillful Means Podcast offers these guided practices to help you deepen into your yoga and mindfulness journey.

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, or send us a note at [email protected]with your comments.

You can also get in touch with Sarah Jane directly where she offers weekly classes, monthly workshops, meditation groups, and mentoring.

~ ~ ~

SMP welcomes your comments and questions at [email protected]. You can also get in touch with Jen through her website: https://www.sati.yoga

Fill out this survey to help guide the direction of the show: https://airtable.com/appM7JWCQd7Q1Hwa4/pagRTiysNido3BXqF/form

To support the show, consider a donation via Ko-Fi.

Text me your feedback.

Jen wraps up our first virtual retreat with a practice very dear to her heart. 

Loving-kindness, or metta, is at the very heart of spiritual practice. By tuning into our common humanity, we not only touch the essence of our true Self, but we are able to recognize and appreciate the Self of others, even difficult people. Consider this a training in radical acceptance. 

Jen shares her thoughts on retreating and then guides a gentle mindful movement break followed by a loving-kindness practice in the Plum Village tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh, her spiritual teacher. 

Disclaimer
The information and postures shared in this episode are not a substitute for proper medical care. If you are ill or injured, please consult your physician.

Practicing asana comes with inherent risk. It is up to you to assess whether the postures shared in this practice are appropriate for you. Consult your physician before beginning any exercise or movement program.

You assume responsibility for any injuries suffered while practicing these techniques.

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Skillful Means Podcast is offering this virtual retreat to help you recommit to your yoga and mindfulness practice even - especially - during this difficult time.

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, or send us a note at [email protected] with your comments. You can get in touch with Jen directly at https://sati.yoga where she offers weekly classes, workshops, and trainings as well as group and private mentoring sessions.

~ ~ ~

SMP welcomes your comments and questions at [email protected]. You can also get in touch with Jen through her website: https://www.sati.yoga

Fill out this survey to help guide the direction of the show: https://airtable.com/appM7JWCQd7Q1Hwa4/pagRTiysNido3BXqF/form

To support the show, consider a donation via Ko-Fi.

Text me your feedback.

Welcome to Sunday, the third day of “Tuning In, Reaching Out.” We are maintaining our commitment to practice in part through the connections we’ve made and the energy we’ve felt from you, and we hope you feel the same. 

Sarah Jane is interested in the active quality of compassion and how it can inform and even compel us to engage in the world. She opens this practice with a short yin yoga sequence (butterfly, sphinx, and banana/crescent poses) during which she introduces lojong (practice slogans) and what it means to Resolve to Begin. Then, after some movement to juice the body, she offers a talk on the many faces of compassion, and closes with a compassion meditation. 

Disclaimer
The information and postures shared in this episode are not a substitute for proper medical care. If you are ill or injured, please consult your physician.

Practicing asana comes with inherent risk. It is up to you to assess whether the postures shared in this practice are appropriate for you. Consult your physician before beginning any exercise or movement program.

You assume responsibility for any injuries suffered while practicing these techniques.

~

Skillful Means Podcast is offering this virtual retreat to help you recommit to your yoga and mindfulness practice even - especially - during this difficult time.

We welcome your comments and questions. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, or send us a note at [email protected]. You can get in touch with Sarah Jane directly at https://www.sarahjaneshangraw.com where she offers offers weekly classes, monthly workshops, meditation groups, and mentoring.

~ ~ ~

SMP welcomes your comments and questions at [email protected]. You can also get in touch with Jen through her website: https://www.sati.yoga

Fill out this survey to help guide the direction of the show: https://airtable.com/appM7JWCQd7Q1Hwa4/pagRTiysNido3BXqF/form

To support the show, consider a donation via Ko-Fi.

Text me your feedback.

Welcome to the second and fourth overall practice of “Tuning In, Reaching Out.” We have deeply enjoyed connecting with some of you about intentions, methods, hindrances, and insights. A deep bow to all practitioners.

In this practice, Sarah Jane shares thoughts on the purpose and practice of mindfulness through the Early Buddhist lens and highlights some aspects of the Satipatthana Sutta, an early practice guide in the voice of the Buddha. She suggests a few yin postures in which to dwell while practicing each of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness--body, feelings, mind, and phenomena.

Yin postures include butterfly, sphinx, and supine twists. A blanket and cushion will be useful. The practice ends with a 15-minute sit.

Disclaimer
The information and postures shared in this episode are not a substitute for proper medical care. If you are ill or injured, please consult your physician.

Practicing asana comes with inherent risk. It is up to you to assess whether the postures shared in this practice are appropriate for you. Consult your physician before beginning any exercise or movement program.

You assume responsibility for any injuries suffered while practicing these techniques.

~

Skillful Means Podcast is offering this virtual retreat to help you recommit to your yoga and mindfulness practice even - especially - during this difficult time.

We welcome your comments and questions. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, or send us a note at [email protected]. You can get in touch with Sarah Jane directly at https://www.sarahjaneshangraw.com where she offers offers weekly classes, monthly workshops, meditation groups, and mentoring.

~ ~ ~

SMP welcomes your comments and questions at [email protected]. You can also get in touch with Jen through her website: https://www.sati.yoga

Fill out this survey to help guide the direction of the show: https://airtable.com/appM7JWCQd7Q1Hwa4/pagRTiysNido3BXqF/form

To support the show, consider a donation via Ko-Fi.

Text me your feedback.

Welcome to the second day of your virtual retreat. This morning, Jen brings you a gentle yang yoga practice in the tradition of her root teachers of Nosara Yoga Institute. This practice is appropriate for all levels including beginners, but you may find it helpful to have some asana experience in order to follow the verbal cues. 

Disclaimer
The information and postures shared in this episode are not a substitute for proper medical care. If you are ill or injured, please consult your physician.

Practicing asana comes with inherent risk. It is up to you to assess whether the postures shared in this practice are appropriate for you. Consult your physician before beginning any exercise or movement program.

You assume responsibility for any injuries suffered while practicing these techniques.

~

Skillful Means Podcast is offering this virtual retreat to help you recommit to your yoga and mindfulness practice even - especially - during this difficult time.

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, or send us a note at [email protected] with your comments. You can get in touch with Jen directly at https://sati.yoga where she offers weekly classes, workshops, and trainings as well as group and private mentoring sessions.

~ ~ ~

SMP welcomes your comments and questions at [email protected]. You can also get in touch with Jen through her website: https://www.sati.yoga

Fill out this survey to help guide the direction of the show: https://airtable.com/appM7JWCQd7Q1Hwa4/pagRTiysNido3BXqF/form

To support the show, consider a donation via Ko-Fi.

Text me your feedback.

In this second practice of the Tuning In, Reaching Out Virtual retreat, Jen will guide you through a timeless meditation called Shamatha, or calm abiding.  You'll have an opportunity to practice in a formal way as well as in Yin Yoga postures.

The postures featured in this practice include: butterfly, sphinx, empty coat sleeves, and reclined twist. You might appreciate having a folded blanket or blocks handy for the poses as well as whatever set up you use for meditation practice.

Disclaimer
The information and postures shared in this episode are not a substitute for proper medical care. If you are ill or injured, please consult your physician.

Practicing asana comes with inherent risk. It is up to you to assess whether the postures shared in this practice are appropriate for you. Consult your physician before beginning any exercise or movement program.

You assume responsibility for any injuries suffered while practicing these techniques.

~

Skillful Means Podcast is offering this virtual retreat to help you recommit to your yoga and mindfulness practice even - especially - during this difficult time.

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, or send us a note at [email protected] with your comments. You can get in touch with Jen directly at https://sati.yoga where she offers weekly classes, workshops, and trainings as well as group and private mentoring sessions.

~ ~ ~

SMP welcomes your comments and questions at [email protected]. You can also get in touch with Jen through her website: https://www.sati.yoga

Fill out this survey to help guide the direction of the show: https://airtable.com/appM7JWCQd7Q1Hwa4/pagRTiysNido3BXqF/form

To support the show, consider a donation via Ko-Fi.