I wanted to create an entertaining and enlightening show for my New Year's Special. My guest is Todd Norian, a renowned yoga teacher, author, musician, and the founder of Ashaya Yoga. Todd is known for his teaching emphasis on the alignment of body, mind, and heart. Todd is the author of "Tantra Yoga: Journey to Unbreakable Wholeness, A Memoir." Additionally, he is a musician and has released albums, including "Bija."

Todd is a masterful storyteller who shares his life journey. His passion was music until he found a profound sense of peace and self-acceptance through Yoga. This led him to live in a Yoga Ashram in Pennsylvania, then Stockbridge, MA, for 13 years."

Twice in his life, the Gurus he was committed to chose to surrender their values for personal gain. Through facing the pain of those betrayals, Todd found a more profound inner wisdom – to transform betrayal from an impasse into a Rite of Passage. Ultimately, this is what motivated him to create Ashaya Yoga.

At 50:00, I conclude the show with my New Year's Message.

Thanks for being part of Chatter that Matters in 2023, and here's to 2024.

Some of Todd's lessons that he offers:

The Power of Destiny: "You know, fate is what's given to us, but destiny is what you do with that."

— Todd Norian [00:19:27 → 00:19:31]

The Balance of Yoga: "Everything in life is for your awakening. And from that mentality, everything in life has a certain meaning that we give to it and that we are perfectly imperfect just as we are, which is this embrace of ourselves, you know, with acceptance."

— Todd Norian [00:25:01 → 00:25:18]

Shadow Hugging: "I call it shadow hugging. It's when you put someone else on a pedestal who embodies all the positive qualities you need to recognize in yourself. Still, due to my feeling of lack or shame or unworthiness, I project that onto other People who are used to."

— Todd Norian [00:35:53 → 00:36:11]

The Essence of Tantra: "The bottom line is I want myself, and I believe everyone wants this as well, is to come to a deep recognition of who we are, that we're here on this planet to rediscover, to remember, to have A revelation of why we're here, of what is this? What is this body? What is this mind? You know, who am I? I am the essence of a question."

— Todd Norian [00:40:00 → 00:40:31]

To learn more about Todd, to buy his books or music: https://www.ashayayoga.com