Skillful Means Podcast

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In this episode, Jennifer offers guidance for creating space between a difficult stimulus and the response to it. Whether you are confronted by a challenging event or a triggering conversation, the prompts in this meditation can bring forward a more responsive — rather than reactive — inner attitude.

The setting for this guided practice is sphinx pose, chosen for being a relatively gentle, although not entirely neutral, shape. Postures can help us approximate uncomfortable situations so that we can practice how we respond to them. 

For more guidance on how how to practice this way, check out this article.

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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 get in touch with Jen directly at https://www.sati.yoga. 

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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 is joined by her friend and colleague Kaya Mindlin to discuss the Bhagavad Gita and how to fully and authentically show up for social justice while staying true to one’s dharma. 

In this sweeping conversation that, at times, adopts the atmosphere of a workshop, Jen and Kaya discuss:

• how to embrace the discomforts of learning, 
• the setting and themes of the Bhagavad Gita, 
• what is yoga, 
• understanding the mind through the lens of the Gunas, 
• what the Vedas can tell us about the origins of implicit bias and how we can overcome them, 
• ancestral work, 
• and how the Gunas shed light on some of the ways we may be missing the mark when it comes to our activism. 

About Guest Host, Kaya Mindlin
Kaya Mindlin is a Yoga therapist and educator who has been teaching the “softer side of yoga” for 19 years. Her background includes thousands of hours of in-depth study with masters in the Vedic Tradition - including Therapeutic Yoga, Ayurveda, Vedic Astrology, Sanskrit and Yogic Texts, Vedanta and Tantra. Kaya makes traditional teachings powerfully meaningful for yogis living a modern life. Her warm and intelligent approach inspires dedicated yogis and teachers in every aspect of life. Kaya's students are often longtime seekers who resonate with her storytelling, technical acumen and mothering bhava. She is committed to supporting spiritual growth and resolving misleading messages in the popular Yoga world through her programs. Kaya lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, Vedic Astrologer Michael Manzella and their children.

Links & Resources Mentioned

Kaya’s Website & Instagram 

The Nectar of the Gita Online Course
Use Coupon Code skillfulmeanspodcast20 for 20% off

Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People by Mahzarin Banaji & Anthony Greenwald

Implicit Social Attitudes Test from Project Implicit, Harvard University

Resmaa Menakem on On Being with Krista Tippet

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You can find us on Facebook and Instagram, or send us your comments at [email protected]. 

~ ~ ~

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.

This guided meditation encourages you to take up residence in your body in order to be present for the life that is inside you right now. With kind attention, we feel into the physical body and citta (the heart-mind), which may need some buoying.

Then, drawing on our own creative compassion, we resource ourselves internally so that we can meet the call of the wider world in the in this and future moments.

Finally, we wish safety, happiness, and peace to all beings, near and far, known and unknown. May it be so.

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.

~ ~ ~

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.

Today, we pivoted a bit to share resources on the intersection of mindfulness, Buddhism, anti-racism, and collective healing. We focus on the major voices, most of them people of color, shining a light on the social justice issues facing spiritual communities and how to overcome them. 

Books:
The Way of Liberation: A Practical Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Adyashanti

Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People by Mahzarin Banaji & Anthony Greenwald

Awakening Together: The Spiritual Practice of Inclusivity & Community by Larry Yang

Good Citizens: Creating Enlightened Society by Thich Nhat Hanh

Mindful of Race: Transforming Racism from the Inside Out by Ruth King

Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love, and Liberation by Rev. angel Kyodo williams and Lama Rod Owens with Jasmine Syedullah

In Inner Work of Racial Justice: Healing Ourselves & Transforming Our Communities Through Mindfulness by Rhonda V. Magee

People:
Rev. Gini Gerbasi, rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C., on Twitter

Larry Yang

Plum Village Global Sangha

Alice Walker

Ruth King

Lama Rod Owens (Instagram)

Rev. angel Kyodo williams

Rhhonda V Magee

Statement from Ty Powers, co-founder of the Insight Yoga Institute.


Additional Exploration:
Implicit Social Attitudes Test from Project Implicit, Harvard University

Background on “Beloved Community,” coined by philosopher-theologian Josiah Royce, popularized by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and used by spiritual communities when cultivating anti-

~ ~ ~

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.

Inspired by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh's Pebble Meditation, Jennifer guides you through the four qualities of freshness, solidity, clarity, and freedom in the container of a calming Yin Yoga practice.

Each point of the meditation is paired with a Yin Yoga pose that evokes these qualities including sphinx, supported caterpillar, reclining butterfly, and pentacle.

Originally developed for children, the Pebble Meditation is, nevertheless, very popular with adults for the peaceful state that it awakens. You may find it helpful to follow this practice any time you are feeling strong, unpleasant emotions such as anger or agitation.

You'll need a yoga bolster or firm pillow for this practice.

Tha brief description offered before the practice starts at 1:30. If your app supports chapter markers, you can skip ahead and get started right away. You can expect moments of silence so that you can practice the inner methods offered.

Disclaimer:
Practicing yoga postures 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 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 get in touch with Jen directly at https://sati.yoga. 

~ ~ ~

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 Episode 17, Sarah Jane and Jen spoke with their teacher Sarah Powers about the wisdom and opportunity for awakening amidst the suffering of the coronavirus pandemic.

During the recording of that episode, Sarah generously led an inquiry meditation for holding and healing wounded and distressed parts of ourselves with maitri, loving friendship to ourselves. We decided to release this meditation separately so that you can return to it again and again as need.

The meditation begins at 00:27 and is approximately 15 minutes long.

Following the meditation is a dialogue where Sarah Jane and Jen share about what arose for them during the practice. Sarah skillfully unpacks their experiences within the wider context of "parts work" according to the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model. This is a teaching unto itself, and it is our greatest hope that it will be of benefit.

The dialog begins at 16:00.

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

You can find more audio recording from Sarah Powers on her website.

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

~ ~ ~

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.

Our primary teacher Sarah Powers has spent decades studying, living, and teaching from the Wisdom traditions--Buddhism, Yoga, Taoism, and contemporary western psychology. As the new coronavirus pandemic spread, Sarah joined us via Zoom from London to talk about the wisdom and opportunity for awakening amidst this suffering.

From how to be sick, to parenting, to lifestyle medicine, in this episode we hear about aspects of the harmonious approach to living Sarah developed well before our current circumstances. We examine the question, "how do we foreground what is most important and bring meaning to this precious, impermanent life?" In repsonse, Sarah discusses developing an inner life, taking risks, and healing ourselves as well as supporting others.

Sarah illuminates our 21st-century predicament – violence, environmental crisis, the harm caused by industrialized food – and shares her vision of the gifts in this global pause. May we look back on this five years from now and see, as Sarah envisions, that this is “the moment we kicked over into something totally renewed.”

During the recording of this episode, Sarah generously led an inquiry meditation for holding and healing wounded and distressed parts of ourselves with compassion. We decided to release this meditation separately as a bonus along with a very potent dialogue about Internal Family Systems (IFS) parts work.

Find out more about Sarah Powers and in the Insight Yoga Institute.

Inspiring books mentioned by Sarah Powers in this episode:

The Legacy of Luna by Julia Hill Butterfly

Lessons from the Light by Kenneth Ring, PhD, and Evelyn Elsaesser Valarino

The Light Between Us by Laura Lynne Jackson

The Overstory by Richard Powers

Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

Unattended Sorrow by Stephen Levine

Intimacy from the Inside Out by Toni Herbine-Blank, Donna M. Kerpelman, Martha Sweezy

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

~ ~ ~

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.

Mudita, or sympathetic joy, is the third in the series of the four most highly regarded qualities, or “sublime states,” in Buddhism: metta (loving-kindness), karuna (compassion), mudita (sympathetic joy) and upeksa (equanimity). 

Mudita is a potent practice that helps us experience joy even when life feels difficult and warm feelings are hard to access. 

In this guided meditation, Sarah Jane helps you bring forth feelings of joy so they will be more likely to arise spontaneously in daily life.

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]

~ ~ ~

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 Chinese Medicine, the immune system is comprised of a protective barrier of energy (Qi), called Wei Qi ( pronounced “way chee”), that circulates through the body while also emanating about an inch around the outside of the body. The Taoists believe that, like a force field, Wei Qi prevents external pathogens, like viruses and bacteria, from making us sick.

In this guided practice, Jennifer shares a gentle Yin Yoga practice that targets the Kidney, Urinary Bladder, Lung, Large Intestine, Spleen, and Stomach meridians to help strengthen Wei Qi.

You’ll need a yoga block or similar substitutes such as a thick book or a firm pillow.

The episode starts with a brief description of Wei Qi. The practice starts at 1:46. If your app supports chapter markers, you can skip ahead and get started right away. You can expect moments of silence so that you can practice the inner methods offered.

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 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 get in touch with Jen directly at https://sati.yoga. 

~ ~ ~

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.

Continuing the conversation on how Yin Yoga affects the physical body, Jen and Sarah Jane talk about the physical benefits of the practice, immediately zeroing in on the elephant in the room: the edge.

What is it? Why is it important? Is it safe to spend time there? How might we describe it to students so they can safely encounter it, so they can find their sweet spot?

In the course of this discussion Jen coins a phrase: ujayii bypassing. If you don’t immediately have an idea what that might be, you might be doing it, and missing out on an important aspect of yin yoga asana practice: feeling.

No discussion of yin yoga would be complete without delving into sensation and the practitioner's attitude or relationship to it. And what about pain? Is it possible for a practice to help us redefine or diminish it?

Jen thinks Gate Control Theory may be at play in the way in which yin yoga asana minimizes her back pain. Sarah Jane muses whether yin yoga could have made her stronger. (More likely it improved her proprioception.)

Finally, Jen and Sarah Jane wend their way toward the healing effects of embodiment practices on trauma and body image, and how well suited yin yoga poses are to this work.

Resources

“Not Too Much and Not Too Little,” an article in which Bernie Clark explains the “Goldilocks position” 

“Gate Control Theory and the Brain,” a recent article on Very Well Mind 

The Neurobiology of Pain and Yoga as its Medicine an article on helping students reframe their relationship to painful sensation using internal methods and asana.

Enhancing Proprioception and Interoception in Yoga, Jen offers some practical advice for yin and yang teachers.

Overcome Trauma with Yoga (video) from Bessel van der Kolk on KripaluVideo

“How Yoga Helps Heal Trauma: A Q&A with Bessel van der Kolk” on Kripalu.org

Center for Trauma Embodiment and Trauma of the Justice Resource Institute is the epicenter of trauma-sensitive yoga and yoga teacher training

Paper from David Emerson et al. that codified principles of trauma-sensitive yoga, which Sarah Jane incorporates into her yin yoga instruction

“Yoga, Body Image, and Self-Acceptance: A Review of Yoga & Body Image” in Yoga International by Jennifer Mattson

Body Positive Yoga with Amb

~ ~ ~

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.