In this deeply reflective episode, Amy Wheeler welcomes meditation teacher and yogic scholar Earle Birney to share his personal journey through yoga, meditation, and values-based living. From an unexpected start with Light on Yoga in a New Zealand prison to co-founding a remote retreat center in the Arizona desert, Earle’s story is a testament to transformation, dedication, and spiritual growth.

Earle shares how his early Ashtanga Yoga discipline evolved into a more integrated approach rooted in daily life—not confined to the mat, but extending into every interaction and breath. The conversation touches on Kriyā Yoga, Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtra, core values, and how meditation serves as the anchor to cultivate integrity, presence, and love.

Key Topics Covered:

• Earle’s first yoga experience and how it catalyzed his spiritual path
• The difference between physical yoga and yoga as a way of life
• The relevance of Chapter 2 of the Yoga Sūtra for modern practitioners
• Understanding Kriyā Yoga and Aṣṭāṅga Yoga as practical, embodied frameworks
• The concept of cognitive dissonance in ethics and how to track your personal integrity
• Creating non-negotiable time for meditation and reflection
• The practice of “Harvesting Joy” and retraining the mind for positivity
• A profound insight from a 3-year silent retreat: love as a non-object-dependent inner state
• Using core values as a moment-to-moment compass for yogic living
• How modern life erodes attention, and what we can do about it

Quotable Highlights:

“My yoga is not about a pose—it’s about how I walk through the room with elegance and grace.” – Earle Birney

“Now. Yoga begins now. There’s always an opportunity to step into it.” – Earle Birney

“Your spiritual practice shouldn't fit into your life. Your life should fit around your spiritual practice.” – Earle Birney

“Love is not dependent on anything. It’s a state that arises when the mind is quiet.” – Earle Birney

About the Guest:

Earle Birney is a meditation and philosophy teacher affiliated with Yoga Studies Institute and Three Jewels NYC. He co-founded Diamond Mountain Retreat Center, a remote off-grid refuge in the Arizona desert dedicated to deep retreat and advanced study. Earle specializes in Buddhist and yogic philosophy, one-pointed meditation, and guiding others to live from their deepest values. He is especially interested in helping modern practitioners reconnect with purpose and inner stillness.

Learn More & Connect:

• Diamond Mountain Retreat Center: diamondmountain.org
• Yoga Studies Institute: yogastudiesinstitute.org
• Three Jewels NYC: thethreejewels.org

Connect with Amy Wheeler: 

www.amywheeler.com- Yoga Therapy Bridge Blog

www.TheOptimalState.com- Classes with Amy

Optimal State Mobile App- iPhone App Store

Amy Wheeler, Ph.D. is the Chair of the Department of Yoga Therapy and Ayurveda at Maryland University of Integrative Health (MUIH) and a leader in the fields of yoga therapy and Ayurveda. She played a key role in helping to set standards for Ayurvedic Yoga Therapists at the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA) and served as President of the Board of Directors for the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT) from 2018 to 2020.

Master of Science in Yoga Therapy https://muih.edu/academics/yoga-therapy/master-of-science-in-yoga-therapy/

Explore MUIH’s Post-Master’s Certificate in Therapeutic Yoga Practices, designed specifically for licensed healthcare professionals.  https://muih.edu/academics/yoga-therapy/post-masters-certificate-in-therapeutic-yoga-practices/

Try our Post-Bac Ayurveda Certification Program at MUIH: https://muih.edu/academics/ayurveda/post-baccalaureate-ayurveda-certification/