Elena Brower- Meditation Practice

Seeing difficult moments as our treasures. Strategies and perspectives for releasing stories and tensions. 0:00-1:40 Vanda Scaravelli quote: Tension is a theft. To be in adherence with the present moment. On the stories we’ve repeated in our minds to create tension “Notice the stories you hold in your mind. Let go of the ones that cause tension.” -Yung Pueblo 1:45 On our being accustomed to - and recreating a baseline neutral of tension… On the contradictions we’ve adhered to - and seeing them as the treasures and the lessons On stopping the fight 2:30 Welcoming the child in us that we’ve shunned And collecting the presence, creating a sacred space for that part of us 3:30 How to be with those parts of ourselves that we’ve denied Making time for compassion Seeing your child bring forth all the parts of you that you’ve denied 4:10 On being with the sting of childhood, seeing how it’s still likely driving our choices Not dramatizing, nor glorifying, just giving it compassion and love 4:45 Rod Stryker SANCTUARY APP Rod Stryker on Glo Seeing what hasn’t received my full compassion and love 5:30 Feeling the lesson now; observing and choosing with more clarity 6:15 Our PRACTICE for this episode: Noting and writing what still hurts. What part of you needs your compassion How old were you when that happened / was happening Write it out 7:00 My example from 5th grade 8:15 If we wish to help and serve, to land in the source of lingering childhood pain is a viable endeavour - write it out… Then note: What’s a good response, from the perspective of the person that you are now? 10:00 Complaining less Serving more More transparency Recent conversation with my son There's no map for parenting; we don’t really know how we’re doing 11:15 Jonah's honest response to my burgeoning self-compassion 12:00 Your writing out the difficult moments will serve as your map. 13:00 - 16:45 As you observe the choices you’ve made as a result of the tension you’ve cultivated unconsciously, here are some possible practices. 17:00 Looking ahead to Episode Two with Ally Bogard. RESOURCES MENTIONED:  Sanctuary App Glo with Rod Stryker Ally Bogard

Episode 1: Collecting Difficult Moments, Intro with Elena

On the energetic and practical wisdom of gathering difficult moments; seeing them as food for your journey. Length: 54:07 Timecodes: 0:00 Eternal Two Step by Mark Nepo, p.33, Things That Join the Sea and Sky 02:40 Collecting difficult moments like little gems. Don't try to avoid them; gather them up like fuel, food, treasures. 04:18 When you're a child, the imagination still reigns; there isn’t the impression of meaning just yet… the meaning of what's occurring is entirely open to our interpretation. Meanings begin to be collected and change us. Collecting difficult moments puts us back into the world of imagination, allowing us to reclaim creativity. 06:13 That moment you started to feel like the adult with your parents. Collecting moments of trusting that everyone has their path. AB the pleaser; letting go of the need to control other people's experience. Collecting the difficult moments makes them sacred. Reclaiming lost bits of ourselves, our imagination. 07:45 Self Compassion practice; Rod Stryker- Sanctuary app What hasn’t been healed? Acknowledging what hasn’t been healed. Giving love and compassion to those aspects. What is it that hasn't been healed? 09:00 EB the fixer; growing the heart v. boundaries. Committing to self in the midst of relationship. 10:15 AB: Loving yourself is never somewhere we get, it's a never-ending journey. Knowing that you, yourself are your person and committing to that. “Her” film: the computer loving her 800 humans. What if my self-love can be so big, it doesn't get rid of my self-hate, it can simply expand to hold and encompass it? 12:45 Practicalities. Scheduling. What is on your calendar that map that self-love? AB: I tend to schedule things for someone else; having spare time means meeting myself in the blank spaces. Schedule the void diligently. The busyness is just my way of avoiding myself. I don't want to keep accumulating difficult moments without processing the wisdom / extracting the gold from them. I have to make mandatory space in the early morning. So I determine the energy I run in the day. And at least once during the day touching down with someone that nourishes me. 17:45 On distractions EB: Business is my favourite distraction; traveling is a good way for me to just stare into space and get great insights about how I want to show up. 19:15 EB: collecting difficult moments with kids; realizing that she doesn’t need to have Jonah be anything or anyone other than who he is. 21:00 EB: Taking space to take space in order to respond to a difficult moment as it’s happening. Moving from baseline overt volatility to softening. AB: Moving from silent treatment / avoidance / repression to learning how to fight. 24:00 EB: Learning from James’ experience with mens’ work how to listen, communicate. On truly listening. Accepting what the other person is telling you, and then also offering your side. AB: Can I suspend my first judgement of thinking this is “good” or “bad” - the wisdom of hindsight teaches me that all the tough moments were other than what I thought was being asked of me. I'm grateful that life or God always knew what was needed. Who do i want to become with what's happening, so that we aren’t passive bystanders? What current of energy are you running in your system? 27:00 In all difficult moments you were met by grace. Seth Godin - difficult moments will not be helped by brute force. How can we get creative with what’s happening or happened. We're not passive bystanders. Choosing what kind of energy you’re running in your system. 30:00 With what are you identifying in this particular moment? Flexible identities v. fixed identities. When we look at collecting difficult moments; it's not the identity about what happened, but what we chose to do with it. eg. I was abandoned, so I chose not to abandon. AB chooses her charity: Navajo Water Project fundraiser. 33:00 Help provide solar power and water where need is greatest in our land. EB...

Episode 2: Collecting Difficult Moments, with Ally Bogard

On meditation and the merits we carry as a result of our practice, engaging inward connections, &nbsp;and cultivating heart community, with Diego Perez, the writer known as Yung Pueblo. Diego perez is the writer behind the pen name yung pueblo. The name yung pueblo means "young people." It serves to remind him of his ecuadorian roots, his experiences in activism, and that the collective of humanity is in the midst of important growth. His favorite word, liberation, took on a deeper meaning once he started meditating vipassana, as taught by s.n. goenka. Through writing and speaking, he aims to support the healing of the individual, realizing that when we release our personal burdens, we contribute to a global peace. Resources Inward

Episode 10: Diego Perez / Yung Pueblo

On the subtlest interior shifts we can make to conduct currents of sweetness within and around us.&nbsp;

Episode 14: Elena Brower

On Nature as musical instrument, pauses as assets, honouring the elders, everyday ceremony. Includes a bonus track of Ram Dass x East Forest. Derived from the German translation of his last name, East Forest (aka Trevor Oswalt) creates a hypnotizing brand of music for old souls that blends achingly emotional wordlessness, ambience and contemporary classical touches with a touch of pop sensibilities and electronic flavors. Based in Boulder Utah, Oswalt performs internationally and is armed with a live show that is continually evolving; sometimes performing solo, sometimes with a string section, and often with theatrical elements and cinematic projections. With experiences offering music in a hospice, as well as backpacking explorations throughout the wilderness of the world including the Amazonian jungle searching for spiritual answers, his music is a connected journey that's been dubbed "a revelatory excursion in sound" (Under The Gun) that invites listeners to "go on a journey of self discovery" (Earmilk). He's been featured on NPR's Second Stage and Tiny Desk Contest, and shared the stage with artists ranging from Trevor Hall to Crystal Bowersox (Amer. Idol), Bluetech to Moby. His 2016 collaboration with MC YOGI, Ritual Mystical, went #1 iTunes Electronic, #8 Billboard Dance and #2 Billboard New Age. EAST FOREST's newest release, "RAM DASS" is a full length album releasing in collaboration with the acclaimed spiritual teacher. In June 2018, East Forest was invited to Maui to record brand new teachings from Ram Dass. After capturing these words of wisdom East Forest returned to his studio to compose the soundtrack to beautifully support each songs’ subject. Covering topics such as dark thoughts, nature, the soul and so much more, these songs are full of inspiration. The album will release in four “chapters” throughout 2019, culminating in a full length release on August 9, 2019. Trevor Hall and grammy nominated artist, Krishna Das are among the featured artists who make guest appearances on the 14-track album. SHOW NOTES eastforest.org Cultivating Spiritual Intelligence Audio Meditation Course Art of Attention Audio Meditation Course

Episode 15: East Forest

Practical wisdom for separation and divorce; shifting internal narratives, prioritizing positives, taking the high road, and the importance of the long view. Length: 43:20 Timecodes: 0:43 Holding a state of being Better Apart by separating with the five pillars: Patience, Clarity, Respect, Peace and Forgiveness. 2:35 How divorce attorneys responded to the book. 5:35 Gabrielle’s work as a divorce attorney, and her experience of her own parents’ divorce. 7:40 Creating a safe environment within yourself. 9:10 Seeking help if someone is unable or afraid to leave. 10:58 Shifting your internal narrative. 12:45 Finding a counsellor or meditator to set up interim living situations. 13:44 Patience. Slowest is fastest. 17:32 Clarity. Asking for precisely what you need. Acknowledging what you brought to the table. 24:36 Peace. Reconstructing your separation/divorce as a sanctuary of possibility. Peace as a practice. Creating a mantra for yourself. 30:52 Respect for yourself and others. Creating stronger boundaries. Spending more time with things that you happy. 36:46 Forgiveness as a gift to yourself. Recognizing your own humaneness. From contraction to expansion. Acknowledging the reason you came to this person in the first place. 41:25 Masterclass based on the five pillars. Resources https://gabriellehartley.com/

Episode 22: Gabrielle Hartley

On ritualizing your practice, developing your interior world, and measuring up for joy, with Abbie Galvin, author of 'Home Practice' and founder of The Studio. Abbie Galvin is the owner of The Studio, a NYC based yoga studio, teaching Katonah Yoga. She has been honing this practice for the past 25 years and has a strong student-base from all around the world. Abbie's instruction is informed by her own creative process as a filmmaker and from her exploration of the therapeutic process as a psychoanalyst. She has learned over and over that truly participating in any formal process of self-exploration leads to transformation whether it be physical, psychological or intellectual. Her goal is to engage students of yoga in the dialogue between their conscious and their unconscious selves because it is through that effort that we potentiate ourselves. It is her intention as a teacher to cajole each student in that most rigorous effort to be grounded, to grow upwards, and to participate in the creation of their best self. Length: 45:44 Timecodes: 0:45 Home Practice Book. Ritualizing your home practice, gaining insight. 4:40 Abbie’s home practice and time management. 6:05 Longevity practice. As you get older, your interior life expands. 8:38 The interior shift of mind to the body’s intelligence. 9:08 Cocooning yourself in your own breath. Being kind to yourself and using ritual to elevate your experience. 10:02 Grounded being practice as an antidote to the doing culture. 11:20 Ties between the interior organs and the peripheral. 13:07 Kidneys as battery. 14:24 Practical details for setting up a home practice. 16:52 Creating a community of shared public space, with mats facing each other. 18:35 Why there is no Shavasana at the end of a Katonah class. 20:40 Middle of the practice. 23:15 Readings from the Home Practice book. 24:43 Time knows everything. It is through time that you become yourself. 27:45 What you’re doing in the silence of the postures to heal yourself. 30:31 Fluency practice. 31:45 Longevity practice. 33:27 Staying with yourself. 34:05 Magic Square on the palm of the hand. 37:10 Nature’s intelligence is seen through its’ patterns. There is a technique for joy. 38:34 What needs healing right now. 39:45 Favorite view. 42:50 Prayer as a capacity to be with yourself. Resources The Studio Come of age by Stephen Jenkinson Katonah Yoga Home Practice Book A home practice addresses the vision and virtue of personal health, wellbeing and long life. A home practice is a commitment to self-care, a ritualized modus operandi for one’s participation in a technical integration of mind, body and breath. Engaging in a home practice is a way of addressing the manner in which one personally organizes one’s self; developing a determined life, setting goals and following through. Our home practice book will guide you through developing your own home practice.

Episode 23: Abbie Galvin

On the real breaking points, perils and virtues of honest parenting, creating more time for adventure and more space to be ourselves. Vanessa Cornell founded NUSHU Society through a personal need for a soulful community of women interested in exploring the self through powerful ideas and practices. Through events based in New York, NUSHU Society creates a space where women can feel safe to connect deeply, try new things, have fun and learn. Our collective goal is to lead a passionate, authentic and joyful life. Other passions include surfing, rock climbing, wine and contemporary Japanese ceramics. Vanessa lives in New York with her husband and five children. Length: 46:54 [1:46] - Bringing people together. [2:32] - Maternal health. Christy Turlington. Every Mother Counts. [5:30] - On maintaining her identity and honoring her voice, as a mother of five. [12:02] - Paying attention to your needs as a small act of rebellion. [15:09] - Founding Nushu. Gathering women together. Allowing space for vulnerability. On going first. [21:33] - On noticing what underlying values are at play: achievement vs. resting. [23:14] - Energy Medicine and kids. [26:48] - Bedtime with family. [29:33] - Spending time apart from kids. [30:38] - What needs healing. On loving our whole selves. [34:30] - Favorite view. Finding flow. [36:13] - Prayer as a connection to source. Meditation. [40:06] - Surfing as a way to feel alive. Fear vs physical sensation. Resources Nushu Society Every Mother Counts Energy Medicine by Dr. Jill Blakeway Calm app Daybreaker

Episode 28: Vanessa Cornell

On the changing ecology of the yoga world, the importance of mentorship, and how we mature as teachers. Amy is a yoga teacher, author, and earth activist. Her caring approach brings ancient wisdom to modern seekers, both on and off the mat. She shares her passion for yoga, health, and earth conservation, through her writings for Yoga Journal, Organic Life, Prevention Magazine and others. She is a featured teacher on Glo.com and a pioneer for advanced yoga education, serving both students as well as fellow yoga teachers. In 2012 she co-founded 90 Monkeys, a professional development school that has enhanced the skills of yoga teachers in 65+ countries internationally. In 2016 she co-authored the book, The Art and Business of Teaching Yoga, which has become a staple in yoga teacher trainings around the globe. RESOURCES http://www.amyippoliti.com 90 Monkeys Teacher Training programs The mission of 90 Monkeys teacher training programs is simple: To change the world through providing yoga instructors and studios the tools to be the gold standard for yoga in your community. "The Art and Business of Teaching Yoga" book: This indispensable and inspiring book guides both new and established professionals toward maximizing their impact as teachers and achieving their career goals.

Episode 29: Amy Ippoliti

On owning our anxiety as a sacred cue to wake up and remember ourselves. On becoming our own eternal support system. Practical tools to soothe and serve--yourself and others. Length: 56.10 Timecodes:  Breathing. [2:38] Teachers and singing. [4:00] Using discernment to reduce anxiety.[4:45] Power of playing.[6:45] Planning your meals. [9:00] Surface level anxiety. Simple choices that can help. [9:45] Body as a gateway to the mind. Anxiety as a helpful sign to let you know something is out of alignment. [10:44] Watching for the after effects of toxicity in your life. [14:28] Being mindful of the music you choose. Jai-Jagdeesh.[17:49] Tiny choices that contribute to anxiety.[19:17] Choosing your self-talk.[20:18] Becoming your biggest fan. [21:00] Visualization. [22:49] Creating Art as therapy. [28:10] Ending negative relationships. Developing a more positive relationship with yourself. [31:06] Wanting to live a better life. [35:00] Volunteering. Donating resources.[37:40] What needs healing. [0:25] Favorite view. [47:31] Prayer. [49:03]  Julian Brass is an international keynote speaker, yoga teacher, anxiety coach, and author of the book Own Your Anxiety - 99 simple ways to channel your secret edge. His personal journey of learning to shift his relationship with anxiety while being the former CEO of the number one media company for millennials in Canada. Prior to the launch of the book, Julian has been featured on NBC, ABC, FOX, Global, and Chedder.com. Now it can be purchased at Barnes &amp; Noble, Indigo, Costco, Amazon, and over 100 Hudson’s Airport Booksellers. Resources http://julianbrass.com Own Your Anxiety includes 99 easily digestible tips for shifting your relationship with anxiety. Split mindfully into three sections; own your body, own your mind, own your soul - this book has valuable tips to assist anyone through their healing journey. For a small investment, you can have the tools that can change your life. The book is now available for purchase on Amazon, Barnes &amp; Nobles, Costco, Indigo, and over 100 Hudson's airport sellers. Follow Julian's journey @julianbrass on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Elena Brower- Meditation Practice

Roland Nash