Meditation Without Borders – Being the Change Podcast: Recent Episodes
Kristen Vandivier
What does it take to really create change–the kind that helps us work together as human beings for one another and for the planet? We believe the change we all wish to see in the world first needs to happen within. In this podcast, Kristen Vandivier and Isabel Keoseyan – co-founders of Meditation Without Borders – and their guests share laughs, stories and insights into the movement of meditation for social change.
Read more about us and sign up our newsletter here: https://www.meditationwithoutborders.net/being-the-change-podcast
This is a very special episode where we honor the memory of Nicole LeVeck McCracken who dropped her body this past September after a long battle with cancer. Nicole was a Vedic meditator on her way to becoming a teacher of the practice she loved so dearly as well as an Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor who had passed the steps to hundreds of people looking for a path to recovery.
In this conversation, Kristen shares her experience of being part of Nicole’s support team in her final months and what it was like to witness someone in such a high state of awareness move towards her end-of-life transition. Isabel and Kristen discuss the Vedic perspective on death in between light-hearted memories. We hope you listen to this episode and feel a touch of the joy and upliftment Nicole brought to everyone she knew.
Show notes:
3.40 A beautiful death – the relationship we have with death
6.00 The Purest Love – student/teacher relationship
8.00 Cognition sand answers
10.00 The Luckiest Person in the world – being grounded in being
11.30 “All of it is for evolution. And especially the hard times.” Kristen
12.00 Nicole´s life
14.00 AA practice of surrendering
16.45 “She was so divine in one way and made you love her. And she was also so human.” Kristen
19.20 People´s different reactions to a person dying
21.00 The role of getting her back into the big
22.40 How someone in high consciousness deals with death
27.00 “That´s the thing about people in that state, they don´t even have to say anything. Just their being is enough to uplift everybody.” Kristen
27.20 “As she got closer, her enlightenment was getting exponential. You could feel it just going higher and higher and higher.”Kristen
28.00 Story of the parking lot in the hospital and teaching steps of AA
30.40 Devotion
31.18 “Devotion and I just put her picture under it. That is who to me embodies it. And devotion is that sacrificing, that honoring of something bigger than yourself. And she did it so effortlessly. It made it so easy to be devoted to her. She was devoted to anyone who had need.” Kristen
34.00 The real pranayama and the real yoga – life
36.00 She was always a teacher
36.30 A true influence – the upliftment
40.00 Thom Knoles and his goodbye to Nicole
48.00 The circle on the other side waiting for ger
48.40 It´s not an ending, it´s a continuum – another portal
50.55 “It´s also a gift to get to love somebody that much.” Kristen
51.00 The gift of grief
It’s no secret that our lack of awareness as a society is doing great harm to the planet as well as all of its creatures. In this episode, we are thrilled to speak with one of those who are holding back the tide of destruction, Rachel Hogan, director of Ape Action Africa. Rachel has devoted the last 20 years to primate conservation in Cameroon and is well known for her work in the rescue and rehabilitation of gorillas and chimpanzees, as well as fighting the illegal bush meat trade in West Africa.
We are honored to hear first-hand about how Rachel started in this field (her three month trip turned into two decades!) and all about her work to raise the awareness of the local people in order to protect these majestic residents of the African jungles. She is also a daily meditator, and shares about how her practice has helped her manage such a demanding role.
Listening to her story, and all about how intelligent and aware the primates are she works with, we are humbled by the beauty of these animals as well as the efforts made to save them.
Click here if you would like to learn more about Ape Action Africa, donate to their cause or if you would like to "Adopt an Ape"
Show Notes:
5.30 Pushing back on low consciousness.
7.36 Concentrating on the women of the community
8.28 New Generations are the ones spreading the message
14.07 “When I look back then, it really just feels it was all a learning process… When I look
back when I was 25, 26 and I would be dealing with these issues at the time it was like ´oh
gosh, how do we get past these issues´, and it was the worst thing ever. And then looking
back now, and especially since I´ve started meditation as well, I can really see the reason
behind those challenges and how that helped move the project forward. And how we all
developed.” Rachel
17.30 Benefits of meditation for Rachel
23.30 Rachel´s Journey
26.39 “It really does feel like the path was already set. And it´s home now. It feels like I’m
where I’m meant to be and where I want to be. And I make that choice every day, I make
that conscious choice. I am here today.” Rachel
28.00 Consciousness of the apes themselves
29.00 The peacemaker
30.50 Awareness of others and themselves
32.30 Gorillas are the big thinkers, big meditators
33.00 Chimps wear their hearts in their sleeves
34.21 “Even now, even after 21 years, they´ll do something that will completely blow my
mind. And just when they look at you, you can just see, you can just feel it, it´s incredible it
really is. They´re like us, but with a lot more hair.” Rachel
35.46 They are all different, with their own unique soul.
36.00 Personalities and introductions
40.00 “There are times when there will be a little bit of doubt, a little bit of
discouragement but it’s just not enough to stop. It’s not a phenomenon, it’s not on the list.
We are doing something here; we need to keep moving forward and that’s what we do. It’s
about whether you want to be part of the solution or part of the problem. And I think
that’s how we all feel in the Ape Action Africa team.” Rachel
42.00 Working with the government
44.40 Releasing apes back into the wild
45.12 “One of the best feelings ever is when you see a chimp back with other chimps, or a
gorilla with other gorillas. And the family that they lost; they have a new family. It really is
incredible. It shouldn´t be us looking after them. They should be with their own kind.”
Rachel
50.20 The future of Ape Action Africa –forest and wildlife protection.
51.00 Deforestation and the effects
52.15 How to help Ape Action Africa
Meditation is all about letting the light in. In this episode, we speak with Joh Jarvis, Vedic Meditation teacher and founder of the Light Inside, who is on a mission to let the light find its way into prisons and jails. Joh talks about what it was like teaching men in maximum security at Rikers Island Correctional Center in New York as well as women prisoners in Philidephia who were recently released.
Beyond her story, we go into how prison is a metaphor for the binding effect of karma we all experience and how healing those behind bars can go a long way towards healing the collective at large.
We hope you are as inspired as we were to hear Joh so humbly describe her work of going straight into the heart of darkness to bring the light where it is most needed.
If you are interested in Joh’s work, you can email her here: joh@the-lightinside.com
Or go sign up for her mailing list on her website: www.the-lightinside.com (live but under construction)
Show Notes:
.40 Intro to Joh Jarvis
2.40 making a mistake you have to pay for all your life with no rehabilitation
8.00 Hiding our putting away our own mistakes is similar to what society does with people in prisons. Out of sight out of mind. Healing within, healing outside.
8.43 the prison system as a reflection of the consciousness of society
9.06 The Light Inside Organization
9.50 Correction officers are also affected by the system
12.40 Teaching in Riker´s island
13.00 Prisons vs Jails
14.40 Future plans to measure results
17.30 Seeing prisoners beyond being just prisoners
19.30 Hold both states with prisoners –Gyana Kanda and also Karma Kanda
20.28 Not feeling in danger in a prison while teaching
26.30 Closing eyes in meditation for prisoners
30.40 Desire is where there is the need to teach
31.15 Prisons are metaphors of what we all experience – karma – binding effect.
32.00 Outside bounds are nothing compared to the inside ones
32.20 Prisons can fast-track you to evolution – not as many distractions
32.55 Nelson Mandela´s self-realization in prison
33.00 “Let´s make as many of us available as possible to be available to those people who, once it’s explained to them, experience what we teach.” Joh Jarvis
33.30 Covid- opportunity to go inward
40.00 Trying to teach correction officers
41.20 Raising the collective consciousness – finding victims, finding the ones helping the victims and then the ones causing the suffering (who are also victims).
42.30 Uplifting the farthest from society and from there uplift the whole thing
43.36 The keys to the kingdom – the best meditation that you could learn
44.20 “We are giving you the best, and in a way, I think they deserve it. I think anybody who gets in front of a meditation teacher and takes that opportunity inherently deserves it.” Joh Jarvis
44.46 “They very fact that I´ve got the desire, you got the desire, says “oh this should be done”. It’s coming from the divine, this idea that people do this and therefore there is a reason for that and it’s for the collective evolution. So yes, I think prisons for that reason are going to be a powerful impact on the wider collective, the teaching in prisons.” Joh Jarvis
45.20 The point of enough
47.00 Jarvis Jay Masters – inmate who does mindfulness in San Quentin State Prison
48.59 The Dhamma Brothers in Alabama State Prison (there is a film about this)
There is one constant in the human condition and that is the desire for growth. However, we all have these different issues, habits, or patterns that seem to hold us back and keep us from living life to the fullest. But what if it were those very traits that held the secret to our evolution?
In this episode, Isabel and Kristen explore this revolutionary perspective and how to look at your setbacks as footholds for expansion. They delve into their own personal challenges and how they enriched the storyline of their own lives and shed light on how to look at your life with a renewed sense of empowerment.
Show Notes:
.25 “What we think in our lives what is holding us back is actually what is propelling us forward. Your weakness is in fact your superpower. They are one in the same.” Kristen
3.48 We all have an Achilles heel that shapes us
5.30 Indoctrination of having to be perfect to live our “best” life
6.30 “The things that we struggle with are the footholds for our growth.” Kristen
7.40 We are looking for transformation
8.20 Idiosyncrasies
10.20 Setbacks are for our progress
12.00 How the dots in our life connect
15.30 Leaders with experience
17.00 Spectrum of weaknesses in teachers
22.00 Learn the lessons as they come – no repeats
27.00 Binding of Karma happens within you – the viewpoint
28.00 “Big perspective makes everything okay. Suffering always come from a very narrow perspective. And narrow perspective comes from being in the wave of self.” Kristen
Boundaries are a fascinating subject because according to the Vedas, they don’t really exist. When we want to manifest, boundaries are created, when we want to unify, boundaries are dissolved. What that looks like in our own lives is setting healthy personal boundaries while at the same time dissolving all boundaries in meditation as well as witnessing the dissolving of boundaries between civilizations, races and genders.
In this episode, Isabel and Kristen explore this very nuanced topic while giving concrete advice on how to master the creation and dissolution of boundaries in your own life.
Show notes:
1.25 Soma Bandits
3.00 Setting boundaries to actually help others
3.40 “Boundaries are always important, sometimes we want to create them, sometimes we want to dissolve them.” Kristen
4.00 Women and boundaries – a theme in feminine consciousness of the feminine being invaded of boundaries being ignored.
5.28 Myth of Ganesh being created
7.21 Protecting yourself from yourself – realizing we CAN have boundaries
14:00 “When you actually set boundaries it´s like that respect you have for yourself for setting them gets reflected back.” Kristen
15.00 In meditation we obliterate boundaries
18.00 “The difference is in the direction of manifestation, if you want to go that way, direction of diversity, manifestation it´s is more and more boundaries. And if you want to move towards unity you want to dissolve boundaries.”Kristen
19.00 Sexuality, Races, Countries in the dissolution of boundaries
21.00 The illusion of boundaries
23.20 “Love is a dissolving of boundaries.” Kristen
26.00 NIVAR TATVAM: go where you are not. Make boundaries of dissolve them based on where you are at a time
27.00 There is no right or wrong – what is right for who at what time.
35.40 The bigger YES
“You are not saying no, you are saying yes to something else.” Isabel
There are some that proudly proclaim they are on a spiritual path while others want nothing to do with it. However, spirituality is not something you can be "into" or not, everything is spirit. We are all devoted something, the question is what do you worship? What is getting the bulk of your attention? Do you worship your problems by thinking of them constantly? Do you worship your stress by serving it through coping behaviors?
In this episode, Isabel and Kristen discuss how we're all evolving on different paths to greater self realization and that through meditation, you can effortlessly redirect the flow of your attention away from troubles and surface desires to your highest self.
Show Notes:
2:00 We are all on a spiritual path (some actively – some not)
5:00 “A lot of times people´s belief systems, they may be a very spiritual person, but they are not into `spirituality´ as a subject matter but they are doing things that are full of spirit.” Kristen
7:00 Even our obstacles guide us
8.48: Soma and Devotion
9:47 “As meditators, our soma flow is actually being redirected inward… it flips around and goes back to its source. Meditation is an act of devotion going back to that one indivisible whole consciousness.” Kristen
11:00 Seeing meditation as an act of devotion
13.40: We are all serving something
“Every bit of consciousness is serving something else in some way and that service is that devotion and soma flow.” Kristen
14.00 “My body serves me, and I serve the higher self.” Kristen
14.30 When we are stressed, we serve the stress
16.40 Ask ourselves where our soma is flowing to?
19:00 Abhyanga massage as an act of serving our body
21:00 Inner bashing of our form
26:00 What does devotion feels like that?
29:00 Surrendering is not non-action
30:00 The appreciation of others
34:00 The beginning of the end: turning inward
37:00 Becoming devoted to life itself
42:00 Getting higher quality soma
45:00 Non active role in your spiritual path
Every day the news seems to get worse and worse. The sense of urgency builds and yet for most of us ordinary people who live thousands of miles away, we feel helpless.
In this episode, Kristen and Isabel confront their own moments of helplessness in the face of global tragedy and discuss how meditation itself works to cool the collective. Listen in to hear how to overcome feelings of helplessness and explore real tangible ways to contribute to not only the easing of suffering in Ukraine, but everywhere.
4.30 Cooling the collective through meditation
5.30 Leading through a grounded place
6.00 Leading through fear vs leading through happiness
7.30 Yogastha Kuru Karmani
9.00 Feminine Warriors – “make your enemies your disciples – it´s a unity action.” Kristen
11.00 Micro and Macro – fractalization of the oneness
12.00 All problems are consciousness problems
16.00 It´s okay to be angry – all feelings are valid.
24.00 Dharma – universality through individuality contacting all other individualities
28.45 “In times of great difficulty is where heroes come forth.” Kristen
30.00 The power of group meditations
34.00 Cleaning the collective stress
35.00 Fear comes from “othering”
So much of what we want out of life does not require more effort and struggle, we simply have to stop resisting and allow what already is. As they say, “what we resist persists.” But how do we learn to let go and simply relax and enjoy?
In this episode, Kristen and Isabel examine the root causes for our resistance and define how the inner resistance that is keeping us down differs from pain, aversion and fighting oppression. With their typical levity, they break down the steps for releasing our grip in order to realize the liberation that is already flowing underneath.
Show notes:
1.08 Finding liberty and liberation
2.46 “Real liberation is actually an inner experience. It´s not anything you can be given from the outside.” Kristen
4.15 it´s not about gaining it´s about stop resisting
5.00 Stress release in meditation
8.30 Difference between pain and suffering
“Suffering is the resistance to the pain.” Kristen
14.30 Witnessing yourself – observe and allow
16.30 Big consciousness is neutral, interested in everything but neutral
17.30 Embracing change
17.40 “What we are resisting are the areas where we need to grow and where change needs to happen.” Isabel
20.30 Nature pushing us harder when we resist
21.30 Difference between resisting and aversion
24.00 Difference between resistance and resisting oppression (fighting for a cause)
25.25 AA program – surrendering to a higher power
30.00 Does the universe have your back?
34.30 Getting in the witness state allows us to find joy and comedy in life
41.40 Don´t resist resisting
45.20 Others resisting you
If you had to pick a word to describe how you want to experience this new year, what would it be?
2022 seems to have us all cautiously optimistic. While we’re all still licking our wounds from the last two years, we also seem to be eager to make the most of what’s to come, hence New Year’s resolutions.
However, instead of making resolutions which tend to be based on external goals with a high likelihood of not coming to pass, in this episode, Isabel and Kristen discuss alternative practices that center on how you’re experiencing over what you’re experiencing this year. While discussing their own hopes for what the coming months will bring, they come up what they call New Year’s orientations, ways of orienting your mind to create a trajectory of positive growth this year. Whether it's picking a theme word for the year or a color, you'll hopefully come away from this episode with a bit more clarity and purpose.
By the way, our words were decisive, surrender, love and enjoy. We couldn’t pick just one.
1.40 New Year makes us look at both directions, looking behind and ahead of you.
4.00 Transitions are signs of tremendous growth.
5.30 Specific and outward oriented New Year´s Resolutions
6.25 Not setting goals but instead goals of HOW you want to experience this year
7.27 “The motivation behind most of the outward resolutions are actually inward.” Kristen
8.30 What are the real motivations behind our resolutions?
10.00 “If we really think to ourselves, how is it that I want to feel? What is it that I want to experience? How do I want to experience this year? Then it reorients the priorities.” Kristen
11.00 What does everyone really want? The effects of shifting our consciousness state
12.26 What does happiness look life for you, and does it look like anything?
“Usually the picture (of happiness) involves some misplaced identity.” Kristen
13.30 Small self-oriented resolutions.
15.00 Irony of having things fall into place when we no longer care about having them
16.50 Coming up with a word as a theme for the year
19.43 “When you´ve gone through something really hard and really heavy it breaks you open, and it created that surrender.” Kristen
21.00 Being decisive
23.00 Our word or color as an orientation device
27.00 Picking out specific new year´s resolutions doesn´t allow ourselves to see how we might grow and see what might be relevant when we keep growing.
33.00 “When we change of our own fruition, we don´t need that push from nature so much.” Kristen
33.30 Changes coming by themselves when we meditate
34.15 “With meditation we become so used to change that not only are we okay with when change happens to us, but we actually become the agents of change.” Kristen
There’s that famous quote by Ram Dass, “If you think you’re enlightened, go spend a week with your family.” It is an almost universal condition that spending time with family at the holidays can be triggering like little else, even for avid meditators.
In this episode, Isabel and Kristen explore their own journeys with relating to their families and how they handle walking into family gatherings which they describe as “a true testing ground for your consciousness state.” So, before you go venturing back home and unpack all the emotional baggage that goes along with that, we hope this broadcast puts things in a higher perspective for an (almost) drama-less holiday season.
These past couple years, it could be argued that loneliness is like a second epidemic. And with the holidays coming up, feelings of isolation are intensified. But being alone does not necessarily cause loneliness.
In this episode, Isabel and Kristen look at the line between loneliness and solitude from many angles. They look at how stress causes a sense of isolation and how even there can be a temporary phase in our meditation practice where we feel disconnected from people with whom we used to feel aligned. We invite you to listen and learn how to turn from feeling alone to “all One.”
1.15 loneliness and solitude are the same word in spanish (no difference)
1.40 “Solitude is being on your own and loneliness is feeling on your own”. Kristen
1.50 Loneliness while being with others
2.05 “You can be in solitude but not feel alone.” Kristen
3.20 “The higher your state of consciousness the greater capacity you have to feel not alone when you are alone. Your self is no longer bound but the wave of the self, your little individual body but your self goes everywhere, it is everywhere. How this is experiences is it doesn´t feel like you are alone.” Kristen
4.06 “Our practice is a practice of solitude, in the sense that we do it alone. Even if we do it in a group setting or we have a group meditation, its a practice where we go within. And so nobody can go within with us, so we go within and we have our practice of solitude. But it opens the door to connection.” Isabel
4.33 “To experience oneness and connection you have to be able to go inward by yourself and learn to be with yourself.” Kristen
4.40 Cellphone have made this worse- stressed people need distraction
6.06 Loneliness as a meditator – disconnection with the people you used to feel connection with
7.09 “Feeling lonely is when you no longer feel connected.” Isabel
7.30 Swimming analogy – unity points are deeper as a meditator
8.20 Feeling unity with people who you wouldn´t feel unity with
9.22 “It´s not just with other human beings that we connect.” Kristen
9.38 Yogis find reciprocation with nature itself
10.00 Right of passage
10.32 “There is a point (in our practice) where we feel disconnected from people we used to feel connected with just because we don´t share the same values that once upon a time we could´ve shared but once you kind of get through that it´s like the first little openings of growing in consciousness. But once you grow enough in consciousness you´ll see that you can now relate to everyone.” Isabel
12.00 Cosmic Consciousness
13.00 Loneliness and CC blues
15.30 Artists in solitude to create art – moments of solitude create deep connection to create their art
17.00 Compassion to others – what you used to push away from can be a unity point
18.00 “Stress makes us feel incredibly alone. Stress pushes us into the wave of self, into that isolated consciousness. And that´s part of what causes the fear. Fear is a sense o otherness, that things are other. That is how we have fear, that something is other than me and so I´m afraid of it. When our extended self extends to everything nothing is other so nothing makes you afraid.” Kristen
19.20 Loneliness as the root as damage
“If we can feel less alone which requires that othering to hurt someone, if we could feel less alone, which requires us to feel unity with everything else makes you incapable of hurting something.” Kristen
20.10 Level of loneliness is self sabotage
22.10 Dharma - Becoming a point of contact to uplift them
23.07 “Someone being in your event horizon will uplift them, you will become that point of contact, that dharma, you are living in dharma, living in that contact with that field for the benefit of everyone you come in contact with. The consciousness of creation evens itself out. We are able to uplift others and keep the world from feeling lonely.” Kristen
24.00 Finding the lonely pockets
“We are already not alone, it´s a feeling.” Kristen
24.44 Going through tough things alone makes us feel lonely. Connecting through vulnerability
“How does this bad experience help me uplift others?” Isabel
26.00 There is nothing under the sun that we are experiencing on our own
26.37 Memes as relatability points
27.23 Power of comedy to connect to humanity
“Comedians are very vedic. What they do is they observe life, they observe the patterns of life that we do and they tell it in such a way that it makes us not feel alone. That is what is so funny because the very human aspects of our consciousness that´s what they put into play.” Isabel
28.00 Unity through laughter
28.30 We need meditation to feel grounded over and over again
29.00 In meditation things no longer seem to be random
“The more we meditate and experience everything as extended self it feels like just one big thing moving forward as oppose to all these disjointed pieces. So when something happens it doesn´t feel meaningless. Which in a way that meaning that comes with that feeling of oneness keeps you from feeling lonely and that these things are just happening to you.” Kristen
31.31 When something big happens there is a big tranformation coming
33.10 Solitude and loneliness during Covid
32.15 Taking disconection and making it a connection
34.00 Relationships and fullfillment
36.40 The point of relationships
41.00 Being that point of contact
42.00 As a meditator there is no more waiting
“Its not waiting when you´re a meditator because wherever you are you are. There is no waiting for some other experience that you wish you were having, Yo can sit on your own and you´ll be fine. I´m not waiting for this relief fromthis experiencing that I am having now.” Kristen
42.00 People needing to distract themselves
44.00 Time is subjective
There are those among us who are shining light in the darkest of dark places. In this episode, we speak with Saskia Niño de Rivera, who is basically a one-woman revolution to reform the Mexican penal system. Through her organization, Reinserta, Saskia works with kidnappers, incarcerated mothers and children brought up in prison as well as teenagers released from prison who need extra support among others.
After experiencing a family member’s kidnapping, Saskia at a very young age began questioning what happens in someone’s life to make them commit violence. That early recognition of criminals as human beings has evolved into her work that looks to improve from the inside out an institution that keeps people caught in a cycle of crime.
Listening to her story, we were in awe at not only how much Saskia has done in her short lifetime to make a real difference in what many would see as an impossible system to change, but also how she looks to create change through igniting compassion.
00.35 Who is Saskia?
2.32 “Basically she is a one woman revolution changing the entire mexican penal system” Kristen
3.20 “Mexicans are very much in contact with the violence in their country.” Saskia
4.00 “The different events of my life have definitely formed me and helped me to understand life in a different manner. I think the key is having the humility to look at the opportunities that you are confronted with on a day by day basis as opportunities. And once you fill with narcisism you don´t get to see those opportunites.” Saskia
5.00 Speaking from privilege, not just economically
6.10 Different type of realities that Mexico has.
6.45 Kidnapping story
7.20 Sunday is a family day for everyone
“I started to see a pattern where the phone didn´t ring on Sundays. And I remember the third Sunday that it didn´t ring. I started to question myself, ´why aren´t the kidnappers calling on Sundays? What happens on Sundays that the kindappers don´t call on Sundays?´ And it was really interesting because Sunday is a family day. It´s a day you go to church. It´s a day you have family over in your house. It´s day of rest. Its a day of, in the catholic religion, which most mexicans have. It was interesting because it was the first ´aha moment´, if we can say if that way of, these people are not monsters that have two heads and six arms. They´re people just like any of us and the first reflextion was, ´What did these people go through in their life in order to think that they can take the life of someone in their hands and exchange it for money?´” Saskia
8.40 Profiling kidnppers in Mexico.
“If something I know for sure is that we are co-responsible for the country that we have. And if we don´t think that the violence and the injustice in our country is that, then we are in a huge error. It is very easy to say them, but we don´t say us. From a perspective on, what have we done to really stop the violence and to create equal opportunities?” Saskia
9.50 “There has to be justice. But if we want to talk about prevention, if we want to talk about stopping the violence then we really have to think of justice and criminal justice from a different perspective and I think that is what we are trying to do.” Saskia
10.30 Work is based on empathy
11.10 Does violence equal crime?
11.40 Growing up in violent environment and normalizing crime
12.20 “These kids were recruited to kill by the age of 8, 9 and 10 years of age. My biggest reflextion on this has to do with if you have and eight year old kid that is commiting a crime and has a gun in his hand he is everything but guilty. There is a society around him that is completely guilty.” Saskia
12.53 “In general, the violence that we live, and not only in Mexico but in many parts of the world, is seen from a punitive kind of glass. ´Once you commit the crime I am going to punish you, but whatever happens to you before is not my problem.´I think that is where we really have to make a reflextion on. It that the way to really stop the violence? Especially with your children.” Saskia
16.50 What is Reinserta?
21.30 Does death penalty really create prevention?
22.40 Stop talking about the others and start talking about us
“The segregation of skin color, what kind of money you have in the bank, where you were born, how you speak, all these segregations and discriminations just separate us. When truth be told we are all looking at the world from a very alike point of view. We all want to live in a world where peace prevails. But if we don´t unify and we don´t understand that it is our responsibility and not someone else´s responsibility.” Saskia
24.08 Success is based on how many people you help and not how much money you make
25.30 What happens to one happens to everyone. Live it as if it happened to you.
28.00 “If we don´t feel offended by the fact that someone is going through that as if we were going through that ourselves then we lack of compassion. And if we lack of compassion there is no way, no way, we are going to strive for a better tomorrow.” Saskia
29.00 Mothers having their children in prison
30.00 Gender equality has affected the number of women in prison
30.45 Human rights vs security in prison (Mexico vs USA prison systems)
32.00 Reinserta creating non-violent spaces for children in prison and being released at 3 years old
33.00 Seperation of mothers and their children
35.09 “You can talk about a woman being a criminal. For you its a criminal, to someone its their mother.”
35.20 Children released and their relationship with their parents who are still in prison
37.00 Tackling the problem from all angles. It all comes from children being exposed to systemized violence in your person.
38.00 Empowering the people to take on the role of helping others
39.00 Why children form violent backgrounds talk about their crimes with pride
39.54 “Working in the halfway house with these kids has been really interesting because when you ask them, ´yeah okay you are a super super good kidnapper at age 14, okay let´s get that out of the way. What else are you?´And when you question them on that it´s like Ì´m no one, literally I´m noone and the world hates because of what I´ve done and since I´ve been born I was taught to do this and this is who I am. And it´s like no, that´s not who you are, its what you were taught but you are so much more.” Saskia
40.00 Becoming something more than what they were taught to be
42.00 Humanizing people inside and outside of the system
43.00 Tribe story- when someone harms someone else its because they are harmed
45.30 Changing as a mother
“I found a reason that is bigger than any other reason to do what I do.” Saskia
47.00 Mothering in her job and mothering at home
When we become a mother, we take on an ancient role that extends far beyond simply feeding and clothing our children. In this episode, we speak with our good friend and colleague Jess Osie, Vedic Meditation teacher and the founder of the Vedic Mamas Circle, a group she created specifically to support meditating mothers in all stages of motherhood.
Between laughter and tears, Isabel and Kristen discuss with Jess all the nuances of being a mom in today’s crazy world–everything from “mom guilt,” to parenting during Covid, to embracing the beautiful mess. Then they take the lens wider and speak about the “big M” Mother, and how am awakening of the Divine Mothering consciousness in all of us is what our world needs to heal. Whether you are a mother, have a mother, or know a mother, you will take something away from this conversation.
Jess will be starting the next round of the Vedic Mamas Circle November 3, 2021. If you are interested in joining this 5-week online journey dedicated to honoring and nurturing the sacred role of being a mother, you can sign up here: https://www.jessosie.com/vedic-mamas-circle
Merriam-Webster’s definition of inspiration is “to move or guide by divine influence.” This episode, we are talking to someone who embodies this more than anyone else we know, and has literally wrote the book on it.
We’re talking about our friend and colleague Light Watkins (@lightwatkins). If you haven’t heard of him, you will notice him now. He’s a world-famous Vedic Meditation teacher to A-list celebrities, big time entrepreneurs, and a whole lot of normal people, too. He’s written three books, his latest one, “Knowing Where to Look: 108 Daily Doses of Inspiration,” is on bedside tables everywhere (including ours).
Light describes first-hand some of his leaps of faith that have led him to be the figure he is today–how he dropped his ad job and moved to Paris with no money or contacts on a whim, how he got rid of everything he owned except for what he could fit in a backpack in order to live a minimalist, nomadic existence for a while. Just hearing his stories will make you want to embark on something bold and daring. In short, you’ll be inspired.
.57 Who is Light?
2.15 What is a charmed life?
4.00 Stable environments values vs unstable environment values
5.25 Listening to the inner voice and taking risks
6.12 Letting go and opening up creativity in life
6.40 Being your own destruction operator
8.02 Learning knowing where to look
9.05 Procrasting in charm
10:45 following charm puts you in front of the wave and you are prepared for change
11.20 Flipping things from negative to positive
11.45 Flipping the frustration – Flight Attendant story
15.00 Being sincere about appreciation gets us high on life
17.44 Leave people more inspired is the mission
19.00 Light´s personal mission “leaving people or places better than he found them”
20.29 Oprah story with Paulo Coehlo
21.50 Feeling like we don´t do enough
23.50 Being curious of the different aspects of life even as a kid
24.24 The 7 habits of Highly effective people by Stephen Covey
24.30 Creating personal mission statement for your life
24.41 How to win Friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie
24.58 Influence by Robert B. Cialdini
26.07 Making the knowledge relatable and making meditation available
27.29 “If you cant explain it simply you dont know it well enough” -Einstein-
28.31 Stiffest yoga teacher in Los Angeles
28.50 Turning around imposter syndrome
30.24 Speak to the insecure – everyone is insecure about something - speak to that
31.26 Everyone is struggling with the same stuff – we are all quietly battling something
32.00 Teaching is actually storytelling
33.24 Elevator story- ee experience some inconveniences so that we can connect to others
36.24 Don´t invalidate experiences or do spiritual bypassing
37.00 Addressing dificult issues inspires others and starts a dialogue
39.00 Treat the truth like a squirrel
41.00 Sharing the story behind the story to make it relatable
41.11 Mission of Light´s Podcast: “Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we can be.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson-
42.00 What´s next for Light?
43.43 Incresing the value of your own word – follow through
45.17 To be remarkable all you have to do is to do what you say you are going to do
47.10 Building a stronger rapport within yourself and become immune to other people´s opinions
48.50 Treating your passions like your children
To be a spiritual person does not give us a free pass to remove ourselves from the need of the times. On the flip side of that, to be an activist does not mean you have to be angry.
In this episode, Isabel and Kristen explore how enjoy fulfillment where everything is experienced as One and knowing that all is happening for all reasons while also feeling motivated to act for progressive change. They also describe how meditation not only helps guide you to where you can have the most impact but how meditation itself is a form of activism. If you’re interested in bringing peace to the world while also feeling peace inside, tune in to this conversation.
Quotes:
“You will have this baseline of bliss not matter what is going on. However, this does not have to take you out of action. This does not mean you cannot be an activist. And on the flip side of that, to be an activist does not mean you have to angry.” - Kristen
“You can have that awareness of the beauty of the destructive force and be at peace with it and even make friends with the destructive force while also knowing its purpose is to get change to happen.” - Kristen
“It’s not for us to say, “Oh the universe is in charge, it’s going to take care of it.” Okay, but you are the universe too.” - Isabel
1.00: Myth of being a pacifist
1:50: Activists don´t have to be angry
3:00: opposing things being true at the same time
5:00 Anger as a trigger to make change but from fulfilment
5:53 Othering causes harm
6:30 Discipling with love, leading with love and not with anger
10:35 Creation, maintenance and destruction
11:00 Hearing the call to act. We are how the universe moves
12:20 Do my work on earth. The universe acts through the individual points of light.
13:25 we are all contributing in some way. Either do unity or diversity
15:16 Meditators don´t have to be passive
16:15 Krishna is the calling
16:30 Shuka Deva Fire story
17:40 Destruction can be to prove a point
19:00 The Mahabharata takes place in a battlefield. Krishna teacher Arjuna that he needs to teach.
20:26 “If we don´t do it, then who will?
20:40 As meditators we wake up to the need of the time
21:25 The Bhagavad Gita is a call to action from passivity and move for what’s right in order to reserve what is meant to be preserved.
21:33 An activist credo
22:00 Pulling back of the bow, retreat then act. Potential energy.
23:23 looking for fulfilment outside leads to consuming too much.
25:55 you can be in all layers at once. Being grounded supports the surface layer.
27:37 every emotion has a reason of why it is there. With regular meditation and we have an emotion its information of what our next action should be.
29:20 difference between experiencing (emotions) anger and being anger. We don´t want to be the anger.
30:24 YOGASTHA KURU KARMANI: first we establish yourself in being and then perform action
31:30 Difference in power between the ocean and the wave. The ocean is calling the shots anyway.
33:36 Big roles come in different ways. A big role can be being an incredible parent. So many ways to have an influential role. We won’t know what these are if we are just dealing with stress.
34:08 It’s a wonderful life movie. We don´t know the influence that we are having on people. You can make a change and you don’t know how much impact or influence you can have on someone or something. We all have a far-reaching influence, and we can choose if that is a positive influence.
37:08 Consciousness is the activism. When you interact with someone you uplift them automatically even if you have no idea of what you´ve done.
38:04 If we are in touch with our inner self, we are doing whatever is most relevant and that´s what’s important.
38:08 Its to live your life as a life of service to your higher self.
39:00 when you do acts of service, when you do random acts of kindness that is also playing a very important role. We want to leave the place better than we found it, this uplifts others and us as well.
41:15 to the degree we are awoken, is the degree to which we see what is going on.
42:48 The world right now is like a big pile of dirty laundry.
43:02 Karma Kanda problems are slow to shift, but consciousness can shift instantly. Since consciousness is the problem, wea re a lot closer to solving our problems than we think we are.
43:37 If we can shift the collective consciousness then also all these problems that seem completely insurmountable become conquerable.
IN MEMORY OF ARTEMIS VANDIVIER, LOST 7/11/21
Like a night sky of stars, the memories of babies who lost their lives as they began shine in the hearts of countless mothers and fathers. Yet it’s not talked about much, and for so many parents, grief walks with them wherever they go.
This is a particularly personal episode as Kristen and Isabel discuss the very recent stillbirth of Kristen’s baby Artemis. They explore all the facets of grief in general and then describe the unique experience of living through miscarriage and infant loss.
If you have ever experienced grief over the death of someone very close to you, and especially for those who've lost a baby to miscarriage or infant loss, we hope this episode brings comfort and healing.
HIGHLIGHTS
3:41 VEDIC VIEWPOINT ON GRIEF
8:14 GRIEF AS INTENSE LOVE
10:00 THE EXPERIENCE OF GRIEF AS A MEDITATOR
10:30 MASSIVE CHANGE OF EXPECTATION
11:08 ATTACHMENT TO GRIEF
12:14 UNIQUE SITUATION OF MISCARRIAGE AND STILLBIRTH, NOTHING TANGIBLE
14:27 THE PERSON YOU ARE BEFORE AND AFTER LOSS, SPLITTING LIFE INTO BC AND AD
17:00 LOSS PUTS YOU ON A NEW PATH
21:00 GRIEF AS CATHARSIS
25:00 CONNECTION TO ALL MOTHERS AND FATHERS WHO HAVE LOST A BABY
28:38 NOBODY TALKS ABOUT MISCARRIAGE
32:22 WITH LOSING A PREBORN BABY, THERE IS NO RITUAL
35:32 THE ARTEMIS GARDEN INFO
36:10 LOSS OF YOUR VISION OF THE FUTURE
37:38 EVERY TRAGEDY IS WRAPPED IN BLESSINGS AND LOVE
38:52 THE LOSS WAS ALWAYS WHAT NEEDED TO HAPPEN
40:58 OUR ONLY JOB AS PARENTS IS TO LOVE THEM, THEY COME HOWEVER THEY NEED TO COME
42:00 STORY OF KRISHNA AND HIS MOTHER YASHODA
43:29 MOTHERHOOD, A POWER SO STRONG IT MADE THE UNIVERSE
45:00 AT BIRTH AND DEATH YOU LOOK INTO THE FACE OF GOD
JAI GURU DEVA
We live in world that glorifies busy-ness and the never-ending pursuit of “more.” Our guest reminds us all that we need to go in the other direction, in the direction of rest, in order to experience fulfillment.
We are honored to have Tracee Stanley, renowned teacher of yoga nidra and meditation share her wisdom with us today. Tracee travels the world leading retreats, hosting teacher trainings, and presenting at festivals and conferences including Oprah and Gayle’s Girls Get Away. She is the co-founder of the Empowered Wisdom Yoga Nidra School, creator of the Empowered Life Self-Inquiry Oracle Deck, host of the Radiant Rest Podcast and author of the newly released book Radiant Rest.
In this episode, she shares her experience moving from a successful career as a film producer to devoting herself to yogic practices. She also describes honoring life as a ritual and the importance of incorporating self-inquiry, nature as teacher, and ancestral reverence into our practices. She is the embodiment of her teaching. We are certain her words will resonate with you, no matter if you have a daily practice or have never so much as done a yoga pose in your life.
The term spiritual gaslighting, also known as spiritual bypassing, has been increasingly in the public consciousness, but it’s not always clear when teachings such as “everything happens for all reasons” or “everything is one,” do more harm than good in the listener if their lived experience feels invalidated.
In this episode, Isabel and Kristen tackle the nuances of this delicate subject and explore ways in which we can speak about unity while also being sensitive to the challenging circumstances of others. They also explain how experiencing universal love is a foundation for actively dismantling systems of oppression.
If you’ve been accused of being “selfish” for your meditation practice, you wouldn’t be the first. Some people think going within when there is so much that needs doing outside is self-indulgent, or they have expectations for your actions and can’t stand to see you do “nothing.” Usually these people are not meditators themselves as meditation is in fact the opposite of selfishness.
In this episode, Kristen and Isabel go deep about how the process of meditation is going beyond the self, it is selflessness as a practice. And then they take it further to show how by simply meditating, not just the actions that meditation inspires but by practicing meditation itself, you are doing the best thing you can do to create a better world.
For all of us, there is always one most evolutionary action at any given time. An action that is both the most progressive for our individual growth and the growth of everyone else. But how do we know what that action is? In this episode, Kristen and Isabel explain how, through intuition and following inner charm, one can correctly identify how to be in exactly the right place at the right time. Or at least, fairly close to it.
The wellness world has gotten caught up in the trend of putting forth an unrealistic, “aspirational” image as a way of selling itself. This type of inauthenticity, however, can be separating, with an undercurrent of “you are lacking” in the messaging. Turns out relatability is critical to connecting with others and is far more inspirational than any aspirational post could ever be. In this episode, Isabel and Kristen enjoy relating some of their own stories of relatability and break down how it is a key to creating unity, and how even the vulnerability required to be relatable is really a strength.
Everyone’s heard the command, “Be present,” but how do you maintain presence for more than a few seconds? Turns out presence comes from Being, so it just is. It cannot be forced but is the natural result of consistent meditation practice. However, there are some strategies you can employ in the waking state to help get you there. In this episode, Isabel and Kristen share some of their personal struggles and more than a few laughs as they describe their own techniques for pulling themselves back to the present when things start to feel rough.
When illness or injury strikes, we tend to turn on ourselves. We get frustrated with our bodies, frustrated with the “set back” and we direct all that negativity towards ourselves. It seems the world and almost everyone in it is in need of some deep healing, but we have to relearn how to heal. What if we turn our loving attention towards our ailments instead of internally berating them or trying to distract ourselves from them? What if what we think of as physical “set backs” are actually catalysts for our own personal evolution? In this episode, Kristen and Isabel share their own very personal healing stories and how, by shifting your attitude towards your own body and its conditions, you can propel your own healing and the healing of all.
We have lost our sense of what it means to be really and truly well. Even those in the “wellness” industry often push body ideals and routines that are not healthy for everyone. We are thrilled to have Rana Haddadin (@ranayu_1) as our guest, who, with her husband Rodrigo de la Barrera, founded Ranayu in order to bring the knowledge of Ayurveda and Yoga to Mexico. Rana breaks down for us what true health really feels like and how to start enjoying being in your own skin. In this episode, we discuss the damage the “all work, no rest” mentality has done and how by changing our mindset, we can learn to love and nurture our bodies, and by extension, the world around us.
We can get stuck in this idea that we are supposed to be happy all the time and when we aren’t happy, we want to just fast forward through whatever we are experiencing. But while not all situations are happy–for example there are times of loss and struggle and transformation–they are all part of the larger story of life and we can experience them all as beautiful in some way. In this episode, Isabel and Kristen unpack this idea of beauty underlying all aspects of life and how meditation helps you perceive this unifying layer.
Ayurveda is riding a wave of popularity, but while most think of it as a dietary system or self-care regime, Ayurveda is so much bigger than that. Dylan Smith, the founder of Vital Veda and one of the world’s foremost Ayurvedic practitioners talks to us about how to find balance with nature whether that is balance within our own individual body or balance in our larger body, our planet. In this episode, we discuss how so much of the global suffering and violence comes from our collective misalignment with the rhythms of nature. Tune in to hear a trove of tips on how to feel better and heal yourself which in turn can help heal the world.
It's hard to remember a time of greater division and hatred, and we are all suffering under its weight. Unity seems impossible as the political chasm widens not only in the US but across the world. Love is the answer, but how do you love someone who oppresses you or others? Is loving certain people more than they deserve? In this episode, Kristen and Isabel make the case for love in all scenarios. Of all "Being the Change" episodes, the message in this one is more urgent than any we've discussed before. The world has lost its way to love, tune in for ways to find the way back.
This week’s podcast is all about Karma. Not the definition that’s popular in the West which is more like a “what goes around comes around” kind of thing, but the true definition of Karma which is action that binds. After this past year of massive global Karmic events, it can feel like the walls are closing in on all of us, so how do we free ourselves? In this episode, Kristen and Isabel share some strategies (and amusing anecdotes) about how to live life unbounded within no matter what is happening on the outside.
It’s a topic that’s not broached often, but is a powerful undercurrent in the lives of many people, especially women. What if there was a way to change your consciousness so that sexual trauma is not limiting you but becomes a point of connection with others that can lead you to your purpose? In this episode, Kristen and Isabel share deeply personal experiences of incorporating a history of abuse into your spiritual journey.
The world is in a pretty dark place right now, it’s hard to deny, and it has people searching for an answer. What if there was a way to find light in this darkness? What if it was the darkness itself that caused the awakening? In this episode, we talk about spiritual epiphanies and how they are triggered. Isabel and Kristen share their most personal stories of loss and darkness and how those influenced their own evolution and how you too can spark your awakening in the shadow.
It seems like the only thing we can all agree on nowadays is that we are living in a time of extreme polarization. And the lines of division are across almost every sphere of life: political, racial, generational, Covid safety, economic, whether see a blue or a gold dress? What got us to this intensely divided state where people don’t just disagree, they hate the other side for disagreeing? And how do we fix it? In this episode, Isabel and Kristen examine the cultural roots of the current divisiveness and show how you can make a difference in bringing a sense of unity back to the world.
How do you scale wisdom? Cory Smith, serial social entrepreneur and CEO/co-founder of Wisdom Labs is on a mission to find out, and we are lucky enough to have him on our podcast. He started Wisdom Labs with the belief that business is a force for social change and it starts with our behaviors at work. In this episode, we tap into Cory’s wisdom from years of creating purpose-driven company after company and discuss how when people at work meditate, it leads to more thoughtful decisions and better relationships, which then ripple out the improve people’s lives and then the planet in general. You will also learn about the dramatic event that Cory awakened to his purpose. He’ll leave you feeling inspired and buzzing with ideas on how business can usher us into a more enlightened time.
Whole nations have been formed and wars have been fought in the name of this concept we call freedom. But what is freedom? Is it doing whatever we want to do, whenever we want to do it, following one desire after the next in search of fulfillment? What about a free society, what happens when your free action infringes on the freedom of others? In this episode, Isabel and Kristen reveal how to achieve true freedom and why experiencing it is so necessary to create peace and balance in our world.
There are some people who dedicate their lives to helping others and then there’s Alejandro Souza, social entrepreneur, author, and founder of Pixza, a social development platform disguised as a pizzeria supporting previously homeless young adults, as well as other innovative projects for social change. In this podcast, we delve into how Souza cracks the code of mixing “survival-of-the-fittest” capitalism with “we’re-all-one” altruism. Rather than resisting the wave of capitalism, he uses it in world-changing endeavor after world-changing endeavor. We were blown away with his experience and perspective and we’re sure you will be too.
Nothing occupies our minds or influences our decisions more than our relationships. In this episode, Isabel and Kristen dive deep into the mechanics of what is needed for a successful alliance and how these connections are the foundation for how our greater society functions. Tune in to learn the one thing most people are doing wrong in their relationships and how to become an exponent of happiness to all those in your life.
La risa, la felicidad, la empatía, el amor y el llamado a crear un cambio social. En este episodio, Isabel entrevista a nuestro invitado muy especial, Andrés Aguilar. Andrés Aguilar es un payaso, showman, artista, músico, emprendedor, líder social y fundador de Risaterapia, una organización sin fines de lucro diseñada para llevar la risa y el amor a las áreas de mayor necesidad; hospitales, áreas rurales, centros de hospicio y las calles. Andrés describe la historia de su vida y cómo la vida te lleva a donde necesitas estar para que puedas descubrir tu verdadero potencial y, a través de él, servir a los demás. Isabel y Andrés discuten las cosas en común entre Risaterapia, payasadas y risas con meditación y cómo todos estamos en el mismo camino para el cambio. Comenzamos con nosotros mismos y luego podemos salir al mundo para ayudar a otros. Este episodio está en español.
English Translation: Laughter, bliss, empathy, love and the calling to create a social change. In this episode, Isabel interviews our very special guest, Andres Aguilar. Andres Aguilar is a clown, showman, artist, musician, entrepreneur, social leader and founder of Risaterapia, a non-profit designed to take laughter and love to the areas of greatest need, hospitals, rural areas, hospice centers and the streets. Andres describes the story of his life and how life takes you to where you need to be so that you can discover your true potential and through it serve others. Isabel and Andres discuss the things in common between Risaterapia, clowning, and laughter with meditation and how we are all on the same journey for change. We start with ourselves and then we can ripple out into the world to help others. This episode is in Spanish.
You may have heard people talking about how all the shifts going on in the world are part of “the feminine rising.” But what does that mean? In this episode, Isabel and Kristen reveal the true meanings of masculine and feminine (and no, it doesn’t just refer to sex) and how the unbalancing and rebalancing of these energies underlie every great movement in our society. They also describe how these energies work on the individual level, even determining who we are attracted to. Tune in for insight into the dynamics behind your personal relationships and those on the world stage.
There is so much going on in the world right now, and we all feel the call to help in some way, but how? In this debut episode of the “Being the Change” podcast, Kristen and Isabel talk about how through your own personal practice of meditation, you can have a massive impact on helping the collective needs of the world. They also reveal the origin story of Meditation Without Borders and how it evolved to creating this podcast. Tune in to learn how to make your individual practice propel the movement for social change.
What does it take to really create change–the kind that helps us work together as human beings for one another and for the planet? We believe the change we all wish to see in the world first needs to happen within. In this podcast, Kristen Vandivier and Isabel Keoseyan – co-founders of Meditation Without Borders – and their guests share laughs, stories and insights into the movement of meditation for social change.