The Yoga Hour

How can yoga help us to heal our hearts and our bodies? What scientific evidence is there that yoga is an effective tool for the treatment of chronic disease? Stress contributes to the development of many of today’s chronic diseases, and yoga is a masterful system for healing the effects of chronic stress. Yoga expert Nischala Joy Devi, who helped develop the stress management portion of the Dr. Dean Ornish Program for Reversing Heart Disease and cofounded the Commonweal Cancer Help Program, joins regular guest host Dr. Laurel Trujillo in a conversation about how yoga can help restore our health and vitality. Tune in and find out more about yoga’s tools for rediscovering our wholeness.

What does it mean to be a conscious companion? Being with someone who is suffering a loss, is ill, or dying can be an intense, intimate experience. How does our relationship with our own body, mind, and spirit affect our ability to be present for others? How do we take care of ourselves so we can be that compassionate presence? Frank Ostaseski, founder of the Metta Institute and cofounder of Zen Hospice Project, joins regular guest host Dr. Laurel Trujillo to explore how we can wholeheartedly accompany others on their journeys.

There is a power for good within each one of us. It is the same power that runs the universe. When we nurture awareness of that power and learn to cooperate with it, we can accomplish our worthy goals. Join regular guest host Dr. Laurel Trujillo and Dr. James Doty, author of Into the Magic Shop: A Neurosurgeon’s Quest to Discover the Mysteries of the Brain and the Secrets of the Heart. A clinical professor of neurosurgery at Stanford and founder and director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education, Dr. Doty brings a scientific viewpoint as well insights from his journey of awakening to discover what this power is, how we can access it for our own success, and for the good of the world.

Paramahansa Yogananda’s faith, devotion, and persistence to know God propelled him to be one of the leading spiritual teachers of all time. His travels throughout India and meetings with saints and sages continue to inspire seekers today. Join Yogacharya Ellen Grace O’Brian and Ron Lindahn, both devoted students of Roy Eugene Davis, a direct disciple of Paramahansa Yogananda, and hear stories of Ron's pilgrimage to places where Yogananda and his spiritual teachers walked. Learn little-known stories of Yogananda that will inspire your own inner pilgrimage of self-discovery.

What does it mean to live a life of yoga? Simply put: yoga offers us the opportunity to live fully—joyfully, consciously, and purposefully. Swami Sitaramananda, head of the Sivananda Centers on the West Coast of the United States and in Asia, and Yogacharya Ellen Grace O’Brian will explore the joys and challenges of living a yoga life—offering gems of inspiration and practical wisdom from their decades of practice.

How does the practice of self-compassion transform our lives and positively affect our world? Can we learn to give ourselves the same caring support we would give to a friend? When we are critical of ourselves we may seek to blame others for our shortcomings or try to hide those aspects of our personalities that we don’t like. With self-compassion, we can open our hearts and look kindly on all aspects of our personality. This ability to see clearly and with kindness enables us to choose a different way that leads to a healthier, happier, and more fulfilling life, and more peaceful interactions in the world. Dr. Kristin Neff, author of Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself, joins Yogacharya O’Brian to explore how the practice of self-compassion can lead to healing for us and for our world.

In our modern fast-paced, fast-food culture, it’s easy to forget how to enjoy food in a healthy way that nourishes all aspects of our being. What can we learn from the yoga tradition about cooking and eating that will help us shift into a more satisfying relationship with food? Regular guest host Dr. Laurel Trujillo is joined by Diksha McCord, author of The Healing Kitchen: Vegetarian Cooking With Higher Awareness, for a conversation about how healthy eating habits honor your body temple and help to expand your consciousness.

What happens when we move spirituality from the periphery to the center of our life? When our practice is not an isolated time of meditation, but part of everything that we do? Pravrajika Vrajaprana, author of Vedanta: A Simple Introduction, joins Yogacharya O’Brian for a conversation about how we can move from compartmentalized spiritual practice to living in divine awareness all the time, regardless of our activities. Tune in and learn what steps you can take to live your spirituality every day!

How can we live joyously, even in challenging times? Can we trust in the transformative potential of all of our experiences? Mark Nepo, teacher, poet, and author of the book Inside the Miracle: Enduring Suffering, Approaching Wholeness, joins Yogacharya Ellen Grace O’Brian for a conversation about finding the light that is always present, even when we can’t see it. Listen in as they share poetry and inspiration that opens the heart and heals the spirit.

Would you like more happiness in your life? What tools does yoga offer that could help in this pursuit? Yogic practices illuminate the stillness within us that cannot be threatened by outer circumstance. When we nurture our connection with this inner stillness, we rediscover our innate joyfulness. Sam Chase, author of Yoga and the Pursuit of Happiness: A Guide to Finding Joy in Unexpected Places, joins regular guest host Dr. Laurel Trujillo for a discussion of the opportunities yoga provides to realize more happiness in our lives. Tune in and find out how!