Spirit Matters

Yoga teacher and teacher trainer Eric Shaw joins us to discuss his exhaustively researched book, Sacred Thread, A Comprehensive Yoga Timeline: 2000 Dates That Shaped Yoga History. The subject, and our conversation, goes well beyond just the developments in what's known as "postural yoga." It includes the entire range and depth of yogic precepts and practices and their spread from India to the rest of the world. We also touched upon the impact yoga has had on other traditions and the importance of protecting the system from distortion and dilution. We also discussed some controversies that Eric was involved in.

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Welcome to the official podcast of the MindBodySpirit.fm podcast network. For our debut episode we will explore the concept of Gratitude as a life practice through the eyes of award-winning cinematographer and director of the documentary film Gratitude Revealed, Louie Schwartzberg. We gathered three podcasters from the network Philip Goldberg host of Spirit Matters, Cynthia Occelli host of Rewritten and Dr. Steven Farmer host of The Dr Steven Farmer Podcast-Healing for Your Soul to get their impressions of this incredible film. In a candid Q and A with Louie, each person shared their reactions and feelings about the film. Moderated by Co-Founder Diane Ray, we discover why Louie was drawn to the subject of gratitude, what his definition of gratitude is, and how we can live a more meaningful life full of gratitude.

What began as a short film viewed by millions at TED in 2014 has evolved into a global effort to make this film available to all. If you would like to find out more about this extraordinary film or host your own screening of Gratitude Revealed, please visit www.gratituderevealed.com. If you enjoyed this podcast and would like to hear other podcasters views on the idea of gratitude, visit the Gratitude page https://mindbodyspirit.fm/showcase/gratitude/  

Saniel Bonder and Linda Groves-Bonder work together as spiritual teachers through the Human Sun Institute, the organization they co-founded. Best known for the process called Waking Down (later Waking Down in Mutuality), they describe their mission this way: "To being heart-based embodied awakening to a worldwide audience." Our conversation focused on their spiritual histories and their current work, such as what it means to become "a human sun." We also addressed delicate issues relevant to contemporary spiritual seekers: the potential of power abuse by teachers and the vulnerability of their students.

SanielandLinda.com

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To most of us, the word surrender evokes weakness, defeat, captivity, and giving up -- not good things. Yet, many spiritual traditions call upon followers to surrender and portray it as the key to the kingdom. In this spirited and illuminating interview, the globally-known transformational teacher, Kute Blackson, author of the inspiring new book, The Magic of Surrender, describes how surrender, properly understood and applied, can lead to freedom, strength, and spiritual riches by syncing individual consciousness with divine intelligence. 

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We explore deep and powerful spiritual lessons from the Christian mystics with one of the world's leading experts, Mirabai Starr. From John of the Cross and the dark night of the soul to the liberating teachings in the lives of female saints like Teresa of Avila, there are spiritual blessings to be gleaned. We also plunge into the heart of despair as Mirabai shares from personal experience how to grow spiritually following the heartbreak and grief of a painful loss.

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Arielle Ford was a highly successful agent and publicist who represented some of the world's top self-help and spiritual authors. Then she became an author herself, writing 11 non-fiction books including Wabi Sabi Love and The Soulmate Secret, which launched her on a new career as a respected coach and speaker on the subject of love and relationships. Now she's published her first novel, The Love Thief, about the spiritual transformation of the main character, an American woman who finds herself in India. We spoke about why she wrote the book, the plot and characters (without giving anything away), and why fiction can be especially transformative for both author and reader alike. 

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Psychologist Rachel Harris, author of Listening to Ayahuasca, joins us to discuss her fascinating new book, Swimming in the Sacred. In recent years, entheogens, aka psychedelics, have enjoyed a resurgence of interest since research on the substances was halted amidst the abuses of the 1960s. Studies undertaken at prestigious universities have been demonstrating the therapeutic applications of the "medicines." While she, like many psychologists and physicians, consider this a promising, if not transformative, development, Dr. Harris is concerned that "research protocols may be significantly different from the best practices developed over decades of work by guides in the underground psychedelic community." We discussed exactly what that hard-earned wisdom consists of and the potential psychospiritual benefits of the careful use of entheogens. 

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A deep and far-ranging conversation with the renowned spiritual teacher, poet, storyteller, and prolific author, Mark Nepo. Mark's 25 nonfiction books have sold more than a million copies. They include The Book of Awakening, which topped the New York Times bestseller list; More Together Than Alone; and most recently Surviving Storms: Finding the Strength to Meet Adversity. In addition, he just came out with a volume of his poetry titled The Half-Life of Angels. We'll learn about the link between creativity and spirituality, how to derive the greatest spiritual benefit from reading poetry, tips for surviving life's biggest challenges, and what we're called upon to do at this moment in history.

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Philip Goldberg- Author, Speaker, Spiritual Counselor, Writing Coach

The spiritual memoir is an extremely popular genre and a time-tested vehicle for conveying spiritual wisdom as well as the blessings and challenges of life on the razor's edge we call the spiritual path. In this conversation, Richard Lischer -- an ordained Lutheran minister and a professor at Duke Divinity School -- discusses his book, Our Hearts are Restless: The Art of the Spiritual Memoir, and his own observations as both a reader and an author of books in that genre. You'll learn how to get the most out of reading a spiritual memoir, and about writing one should you choose to give it a try.

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Get the book- Our Hearts Are Restless: The Art of the Spiritual Memoir by Richard Lischer

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The culmination of the ancient Vedic tradition, Vedanta represents the core teachings of what we call Hinduism. In its modern expression, it has had a huge influence on spiritual seekers around the world, and its impact continues to grow. In this interview, Swami Sarvapriyananda, the Minister and spiritual leader of the Vedanta Society of New York, and one of the primary proponents of Vedanta today, makes this profound and practical wisdom easily understandable and accessible.

Vedanta Society of New York

Swami Sarvapriyananda