The Glo Podcast

Part two of Derik’s conversation with Professor of Religion Dr. Douglas Brooks expands on the origins of yoga, its rich history of borrowing from other cultures and time periods, and its connection to our understanding of true freedom today. They also discuss yoga as a form of self-care—in body and mind—and how we can ultimately live a more healthy, fulfilled life of connection and purpose. 

If you missed part one (episode #10) of this conversation, you can listen to it on Glo.com, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast app. For more teachings by Douglas Brooks, go to rajanaka.com, and for more related content, use the links below to check out our extensive library on Glo.com.

Links to Glo Classes:

Teacher page https://www.glo.com/teachers/dr-douglas-brooks

Part 1: The Origins of the Word ‘Yoga’ https://www.glo.com/class/5946

How the World Was Created by Yoga https://www.glo.com/class/5533

Is Yoga Religious? https://www.glo.com/class/3285

Part 2: A Deeper Understanding of Yoga Definitions and Traditions https://www.glo.com/class/3274

Vedas and Upanishads https://www.glo.com/class/3271

Introduction to the Bhagavad Gita https://www.glo.com/class/3279

Reading list https://medium.com/@derikmills/what-is-yoga-ce46420bf25a

In this episode, Derik speaks with Professor Douglas Brooks about the history and evolution of yoga in theory and in practice. As a Professor of Religion at the University of Rochester, Professor Brooks was a Fulbright Fellow in Sanskrit at Madurai University, and holds both a master’s and a doctoral degree from Harvard University. 

They discuss Professor Brooks’ spiritual and philosophical journey into yoga, from his study abroad program in India, where he lived with his teacher, Dr. Gopala Aiyar Sundaramoorthy, and how that experience influenced his path to spiritual growth and his life’s purpose. Professor Brooks also discusses how Hinduism and Buddhism coalesce in manifestations of yoga, our ancient interconnectedness, and how self-care can lead to radical empathy for a more joyful world.

Learn more about Douglas Brooks and his teachings by going to rajanaka.com and tune in for part two on May 23, 2021. 

Links to Glo Classes:

Teacher page https://www.glo.com/teachers/dr-douglas-brooks

Part 1: The Origins of the Word ‘Yoga’https://www.glo.com/class/5946

How the World Was Created by Yoga https://www.glo.com/class/5533

Is Yoga Religious? https://www.glo.com/class/3285

Part 2: A Deeper Understanding of Yoga Definitions and Traditions https://www.glo.com/class/3274

Vedas and Upanishads https://www.glo.com/class/3271

Introduction to the Bhagavad Gita 

https://www.glo.com/class/3279

Derik in conversation with Dr. Ramani Durvasula , clinical psychologist, narcissism expert, and author of “Don’t You Know Who I Am?”: How to Stay Sane in an Era of Narcissism, Entitlement, and Incivility. They discuss some of the reasons that narcissists behave as they do, and how narcissism shows up in the workplace and on social media. Dr. Ramani dives into how to recognize narcissistic personality traits in others, and ourselves, and that uncovering them can actually help us face our own “shadow self.”

This episode offers tools for compassionately, and safely, engaging or disengaging with these kinds of relationships. They also touch on how facing narcissism, and narcissistic traits head-on, can ultimately help us face our fears and become our more authentic selves.

Related Glo Classes: 

Meditation on Space https://www.glo.com/class/6719

Forgiveness for Family https://www.glo.com/class/9340

Conscious Relationship: Resolve Inner Conflict https://www.glo.com/class/9094

Simple Self-Forgiveness https://www.glo.com/class/9248

Links:

http://doctor-ramani.com/

http://doctor-ramani.com/dr-ramanis-books/

Derik speaks with Jason Crandell, renowned yoga teacher and author. Jason has traveled the world educating teachers and practitioners of yoga and has become known by many as a “teacher’s teacher.” This episode discusses Jason’s education and philosophy on the vast and various definitions of yoga, including one of his favorites, Mary Paffard’s “pirate yoga.” 

Jason also shares how yoga is a sensory experience of the musculoskeletal system rooted in consciousness and psyche and how his practice serves as a grounding force for the various components of the mind, or, as Jason calls it, a “titration of the psyche.” 

Take class with Jason by choosing from a few of our favorites below! Or, search by teacher using the filter feature on Glo to browse all of his classes. 

Related Glo Classes:  

Foundations of Flow I Program 

Start Your Day with Focus and Clarity

Vinyasa Flow for Circulation

Breath Focused Hip Release Hatha

Centering Evening Practice

Links:

https://www.jasonyoga.com/

Dr. Douglas Brooks translation of the Bhagavad Gita: https://rajanaka.com/product/bhagavad-gita-student-edition/

Abir Mukherjee, A Rising Man

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MYNQPMW/

Derik Mills in a powerful conversation with Dr. Yasmene Mumby, discussing her journey as a writer, activist, artist, wellbeing guide, middle school teacher, community organizer, and law student. 

She is the creator of a multi-part audio-memoir series called Ahimsa, and author of “Amplify Black Voices: Yoga, You Can Do Better,” an influential article she wrote for Elephant Journal about her experience as a Black woman in the “predominantly white-centered yoga community.” 

Dr. Mumby shares how a series of extreme health scares, including two benign tumor surgeries and an eye stroke, caused her to go temporarily blind. The experiences inspired her to view self-care as a form of activism, and how maintaining a healthy sense of wellbeing, both mentally and physically, is integral to our ability to serve others.

Practice with Dr. Mumby on Glo! Her meditations offer insights on how to shift intuition into action, create an internal refuge of support, and connect with your compassion for others.

Links:

Dr. Mumby’s website; https://www.yasmenemumby.com/

On her website you will find links to her audio documentaries Ahimsa and Higher Purpose, her articles, and the interviews we refer to in our conversation.  

Related Glo Classes:  

Dr. Yasmene Mumby on Glo: https://www.glo.com/teachers/dr-yasmene-mumby

Morgan Harper Nichols is known as an artist whose poetry, storytelling, and songwriting doesn’t just make you think, but actually makes you feel. This episode is a lesson in empathy in real-time. Morgan recites poems from her upcoming book, How Far You Have Come, and sings an a capella version of her song, Tell the Story. This powerful episode reveals how empathy expressed—in all forms—can help release us from our past and strengthen our connections in the present. They also discuss how her upcoming book of poems and personal reflection helped her reclaim painful experiences and re-envision them through a lens of appreciation, unity, and hope.  

Links:

How Far You Have Come:  https://morganharpernichols.com/howfaryouhavecome

Morgan’s Storyteller App:  https://www.thestorytellerco.com/app

Related Glo Classes:  

Open Heart, Open Mind

Amplify Love

Meditation for a More Loving World

Connecting to Love

The work of uncovering your authentic self can be challenging because it means relinquishing control and feeling the difficult emotions we suppress. However, it’s in the process of developing this kind of empathy for others that we begin to lead our most fulfilling life. Seane shares these and other lessons she’s learned along her spiritual journey. She and Derik talk about her experience uncovering her own biases and the importance of accepting ourselves as humans who are both good and flawed as a way to start reckoning with systems of oppression and white supremacy. They also discuss Seane’s social action work on and off the mat. 

Practice with Seane on Glo! Her all-levels ‘Elements of Flow’ is a series of seven Vinyasa classes, 30 minutes each that focus on how to approach this powerful practice more mindfully. The core concepts include proper alignment, fluid transitions, and modifications.

Links:

Off the Mat: https://www.offthematintotheworld.org

Seane Corn’s website: https://seanecorn.com

Revolution of the Soul:  https://seanecorn.com/book/

Seane Corn on Glo: https://www.glo.com/teachers/seane-corn

Lisa Brooks Mills, co-founder and Glo’s Chief Impact Officer, leads a conversation with Dr. Aviva Romm, holistic medical doctor, about hormone imbalance, discovering root causes behind symptoms, and healing. As someone affected by Hashimotos, an autoimmune condition, Lisa discusses Dr. Romm’s new book, Hormone Intelligence, and the culture of burnout and its impact on gaslighting women out of listening to their bodies. Dr. Romm shares how women can take charge of their health, including an emphasis on connecting to nature, honoring intuitive boundaries, and offers helpful tools for recovery that are practical and affordable. 

Links:

Pre-order Hormone Intelligence here.

Glo classes and programs that compliment this conversation: 

Releasing Premenstrual Tension

Celebrate the Divine Feminine

Programs:

Self-care for Women: Practices for Resilience and Grace

Navigating Menopause

Derik Mills speaks with Dr. Amelia Nagoski, the co-author of Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle, Dr. Nagoski explains how stress not only affects our emotional and physical wellbeing, but can remain trapped in our bodies. She discusses the ways patriarchy jeopardizes everyone’s health, but especially women and people of color. She also shares the importance of connectedness, the belief in something larger than ourselves, and the ways that radical care for others could be a way to overcome stress and address burnout.

Links:

Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle

First We Make the Beast Beautiful by Sarah Wilson 

Listen to all episodes of The Glo Podcast at http://glo.com/podcast

Derik Mills and Professor Rhonda Magee discuss systems of white supremacy and white privilege, and how being “colorblind” denies how race plays an active role in our everyday existence. They explore Professor Magee’s “color-insight” approach and the work of other groundbreaking thought leaders in social justice both past and present, including those of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., James Baldwin, and Professor Eddie Glaude. This episode weaves together activism, how to be an anti-racist, and mindfulness practices.

LINKS

Rhonda Magee is the author of The Inner Work of Racial Justice: Healing Ourselves and Transforming Our Communities Through Mindfulness.

A TEDx talk by Professor Magee.

Derik and Rhonda spoke about feminist Peggy McIntosh. Here are some reference links.  

https://www.wcwonline.org/Active-Researchers/peggy-mcintosh-phd

https://nationalseedproject.org/about-us/white-privilege

Derik mentioned an episode of the podcast Code Switch titled The Fire Still Burning. 

My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem

Listen to all episodes of The Glo Podcast at http://glo.com/podcast