Everyday Sublime: Recent Episodes
Josh Summers
The Everyday Sublime podcast explores a full spectrum spirituality. Each week begins with a dharma talk, and each month Josh has an in-depth conversation with a thought leader in the field. As Stephen Batchelor says, "the mystical does not transcend the world, but saturates it." www.joshsummers.net
Josh and Miles explore the problem of being somebody and the role of the ego in creating internal conflict and external turmoil. We highlight the importance of addressing the cause of suffering and turmoil rather than focusing on the symptoms. We also touch on the concept of the ego as an avatar or projected image of oneself and the consequences of identifying with this false sense of self, along with the repression of shadow aspects and the process of uncovering and integrating them.
Miles emphasizes the importance of recognizing and healing the shadow, as well as the need to be fully present and aware in order to transcend the ego. We conclude this chat discussing the potential for collective awakening and the role of consciousness in transforming humanity.
Miles Sherts is an Insight Meditation teacher and communication coach.
Website for Miles Sherts: https://www.practicalpresence.org/
Books by Miles: Conscious Communication, The Tyranny of the Ego, Human Nature
Joseph Goldstein needs no introduction. For over forty years, Joseph has been one of the most consequential meditation teachers on the planet, helping usher – along with a handful of westerners – the dharma’s migration to western soil.
I first met Joseph in the kitchen at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts. I was a work retreatant at the time (2002), when suddenly I realized that Joseph Goldstein was also in the kitchen.
“Hi, I’m Joseph. Are you the new cook?”
“No,” I said, self-consciously breaking my silence. “I’m a work retreatant.”
“Sorry to interrupt your retreat,” Joseph said. “Thank you for your service.”
In a moment, we pressed our palms in prayer fashion before our hearts, and then Joseph walked away with his quiet, unassuming manner.
Joseph recently celebrated his 80th birthday, and in honor of his birthday and the tremendous impact of his life, I wanted to finally publish the wide-ranging and personal conversation we had last fall about the “roots and flowers on the path.”
Joseph and I shared two close friends: Michael Brooks and Jack Engler. Michael died four years ago this July, and Jack died just over a year ago in March of 2023. I met both Michael and Jack through Joseph’s work. Michael was my first dharma brother and co-author, and we met at IMS. Jack was one of my dharma fathers, a therapist and mentor to me for over fifteen years, whom I met after a two-month retreat in Burma with Sayadaw U Pandita. All three of these men have had an enormous influence on my practice, teaching and life.
It was a profound honor to sit down with Joseph on the Everyday Sublime Podcast. I was nervous – no question, and the audio had a few glitches. But I felt like I was sitting down with my favorite uncle, a gentle giant of wisdom and compassion, listening and learning about members of my beloved spiritual family: Michael, Jack, Munindra, Dipa Ma and Sayadaw U Pandita.
In 2010, I wrote a profile on Joseph for the Columbia University alumni magazine, and I include the final paragraph here:
Goldstein’s work has influenced everything from Buddhist-informed psychotherapy to mindfulness-based stress reduction programs to cutting edge research on meditation and neuroscience. Columbia’s preeminent Tibetan Buddhist scholar, the Jey Tsong Khapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies in the Department of Religion Robert Thurman affirms, “Joseph has been a great teacher for many, many people, helping them enormously. His recent book, One Dharma, has been influential in reducing divisiveness and sectarianism in the extremely diverse American Buddhist community. The Insight Meditation Society has been an important force in American culture, and it is well positioned to carry on its work for generations. All in all, Joseph is an American Buddhist ‘Venerable.’ ”
If you enjoy this special episode with Joseph Goldstein, please share with a friend or two.
Enjoy, and thank you for your support!
Episode Summary:
In this special episode, I speak with Joseph Goldstein, meditation teacher and co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society. We reminisce about our relationships with Michael Brooks and Jack Engler, two very influential individuals in the dharma world. Joseph shares his experiences working with Michael as a mentor and discusses the integration of spirituality and activism in Michael’s life. Joseph also discusses his time with Jack Engler and how Joseph guided Jack through the stages of insight on the very first three-month retreat in North America in Bucksport, Maine. The conversation then shifts to Joseph’s experiences in India and Burma, where he studied with his renowned teachers Munindra-ji, Dipa Ma, Mahasi Sayadaw and Sayadaw U Pandita. We compare experiences we had while working with U Pandita and the importance of deepening one’s practice in a single method before integrating other practices. We also explore the concept of One Dharma and how to navigate the multitude of Dharma streams available in the West. Our conversation concludes with Joseph’s advice for aspiring meditation teachers.
Links mentioned:
Insight Meditation Society: https://www.dharma.org/
Joseph Goldstein’s book: One Dharma
The Buddha’s Playbook, by Michael Brooks and Josh Summers
The late Michael Brooks’ podcast: The Michael Brooks Show
The late Jack Engler’s essays on the Progress of Insight: Practicing for Awakening Part 1, Practicing for Awakening Part 2
On Dipa Ma: Dipa Ma, The Life and Legacy of a Buddhist Master
On Munindra: Living This Life Fully, Stories and Teachings of Munindra
In this conversation, Miles Sherts and I discuss the relationship between insight meditation and intuition. We explore the distinction between insight meditation’s focus on impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, and emptiness, and the idea of intuition and clairvoyance. Miles emphasizes the importance of being present and aware of the prompts and intuitions that arise in daily life. We also delve into the illusion of ego and the role of awareness in transcending the ego’s influence. The conversation concludes with a discussion on the problem of victim psychology and the need to question and transcend the identity of victimhood.
Takeaways:
- Insight meditation cultivates awareness and insight into the nature of reality, while intuition and clairvoyance are more personal and psychological insights.
- Being present and aware allows us to receive intuitive prompts and act on them, leading to a more functional and worry-free life.
- The ego is an illusion that creates the image of a separate self, and its constant maintenance drains our energy and prevents us from experiencing true happiness and effectiveness.
- The ego’s identity as a victim is a common pattern that perpetuates conflicts and oppression. Recognizing and questioning this victim mentality is essential for personal growth and societal change.
- Setting personal boundaries and protecting oneself is important, but it is crucial to differentiate between setting boundaries and perpetuating a victim identity. Victimization is a substitute for our real power and keeps us trapped in a cycle of disempowerment.
- Leadership without victimhood is essential for creating positive change.
- Unplugging from the ego allows us to tap into our innate power and feel a sense of empowerment.
- Practicing unhooking from thoughts and finding spaciousness within the mind can lead to a deeper understanding of our true nature.
Miles Sherts is an Insight Meditation teacher and communication coach.
Miles Sherts | Conscious Communication: https://joshsummers.net/miles-sherts-conscious-communication/
Website for Miles Sherts: https://www.practicalpresence.org/
Books by Miles: Conscious Communication, The Tyranny of the Ego, Human Nature
Originally recorded on July 8, 2024, Josh offers reflections about how to apply meditation and retreat practice to the fire of everyday life activity. All too often we are told to “be as mindful as possible,” and the Buddha has some better advice for us – advice that he gave to his son Rahula.
Originally recorded on June 24, 2024, Josh reflects on his niece’s memorial and ways of honoring and remembering the gifts of noble friends.
LINKS mentioned:
Sign up for our FREE Everyday Vitality practice pack for effective (and simple) ways to improve the vitality of your body, energy and mind.
Josh and Terry share 4 guided practices:
Self-Massage for Circulation + Energy Flow (10min)
Daily Mobility for Joint Suppleness + Longevity (15min)
Dynamic Flow for Integrated Stability + Coordination (30min)
Soothing Flow for Relaxation + Inner Renewal (30min)
=====>>>>www.joshsummers.net and sign up for your pack of Everyday Vitality practices.
Everyday Strength: 4 Weeks to a Stronger You! Join Josh and Terry for a four week strength training program as a foundation for an integral life practice of yoga, energy work and heart-based meditation. ======>>>>>Everyday Strength Series.
Originally recorded on June 10, 2024, Josh returns to the podcast, reflecting on personal updates: the death of his niece and the relationship that formed with his neighbors while building a chicken coop together.
Originally recorded on May 6, 2024, Josh offers reflections on the confusing relationship between renunciation and practicing one’s heart’s desire. Often seen in conflict, the practice of renouncing unfulfilling activity for the pursuit of one’s deepest desires is an ongoing evolution itself.
Originally recorded on April 22, 2024, Josh reflects on the parallels between artistic and spiritual development. He explores a maturing relationship to tradition. How do we draw from the world’s wisdom traditions and channel their pathways of heart in our own lives? And how might we consider cultivating a devotional practice to a personalized expression of the divine?
Originally recorded on April 15, 2024, in this dharma talk, Josh offers a fresh perspective on how to cultivate an ethical commitment within your meditation practice.
Instead of referencing an orthodox list of do’s and don’ts, Josh uses each of the five training precepts in Buddhism as a way to open to a deeper exploration of your heart’s desire.
Many members of the sangha have expressed ambivalence or uncertainty around what their heart’s deepest desire is, and this talk is an introduction to a way of practicing to really listen in a way that allows your heart’s desire to speak.
NEW Yin Yoga + Qi Cultivation Training – Purifying Water | The Flow of Qi Cultivation, click here=====>
For replays of our 2hr workshops in Yin Yoga, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Qi Gong, click here =====>
I am delighted to welcome Insight Meditation teacher Chas DiCapua on the podcast to discuss a wide-range of topics, exploring how the dharma can help us meet the tragedies of our “now” – an interrelated group of crises of ecology, nationalism, racialization, and, in some ways, masculinity.
Chas has been practicing Buddhist meditation for almost 30 years. He has trained with Burmese meditation masters, western monastics of the Thai Forest tradition and senior western vipassana teachers. He has spent over two years in silent, intensive retreat.
Chas has served as the Insight Meditation Society’s Resident Teacher at IMS since 2003. Chas is a graduate of the four year joint Insight Meditation Society / Spirit Rock Teacher Training Program. He teaches retreats at IMS and at various centers and sanghas throughout the country.
As a way to address the wide spread suffering that is endemic in many partnered relationships, Chas explores how the dharma can be practiced in relationship, including how the masculine and feminine energies manifest in relationship, in spiritual practice, and in the world.
If you’re local to Maine, Chas is also the guiding teacher at the Open Door Sangha of Portland, Maine.
Originally recorded on April 8, 2024, in this dharma talk, Josh offers ways for you to create your own mantra to use with any bead-based form of meditation practice.
A mala, rosary or bead-based garland by any other name is a wonderful way to strengthen your capacities for concentration, kindness and peace. Grab your beads, listen to this talk, and develop your custom-tailored mantra practice.
NEW Yin Yoga + Qi Cultivation Training – Purifying Water | The Flow of Qi Cultivation, click here=====>
Originally recorded on April 1, 2024, in this talk, Josh reflects on his history with bead-based practices, ie. mala mantra, and suggests ways of beginning to integrate this practice into your own.
NEW Yin Yoga + Qi Cultivation Training – Purifying Water | The Flow of Qi Cultivation, click here=====>
In this Qi Chat, Terry and Josh discuss some of the ways that an online yoga training is a far better educational experience than the in-person training.
We talk about how the pandemic shifted our Yin Yoga School to an online format and how beneficial this has been for our students and our own teaching.
Send us your questions to info@yinyogaschool.com
NEW Yin Yoga + Qi Cultivation Training – Purifying Water | The Flow of Qi Cultivation, click here=====>
Originally recorded on March 4, 2023, I share Herbie Hancock’s story of playing a “wrong chord” during a Miles Davis solo, and what Hancock learned about music and life from that experience. For me, Davis’s response is the very essence of creative generosity, and it says something about what it means to bring a spirit creative generosity to ourselves and others in our practice.
NEW Yin Yoga + Qi Cultivation Training – Purifying Water | The Flow of Qi Cultivation, click here=====>
Originally recorded on February 26, 2024, I offer ways of tending to your external and internal environment for establishing conditions conducive to simplicity, contentment and calm. Practice is life, without any separation. Vacuuming, laundry, bills and email are all part of a comprehensive practice. And when approached in this spirit, every moment of the day becomes an opportunity for practice.
After this talk, I offer a guided meditation for brightening the heart in preparation for insight meditation.
NEW Yin Yoga + Qi Cultivation Training – Purifying Water | The Flow of Qi Cultivation, click here=====>
On the podcast this week, Terry and I sat down to discuss our experience of integrating massage and Gua Sha into our yoga and pranayama practice routine.
A Gua Sha stone is a tool used in Chinese Medicine to “clean the blood of toxicity.” In lay terms, this refers to the way that massage and Gua Sha help promote the flow of fluids through the fascial fabric, especially in lymphatic vessels, helping to eliminate wastes and pathogenic factors.
We shared our assessments of the enhanced Qi flow we both experience with the integration of Gua Sha massage, and explain why it is an integral part of our upcoming 4-week intensive: Purifying Water – The Flow of Qi Cultivation.
Send us your questions at info@yinyogaschool.com
Join our Yin Yoga-based practice sangha – weekly LIVE classes + Library of Yin Yoga, Yang Yoga, Meditation + Qi Gong, click here =====>
For a FREE copy of my e-book, The What, Why and How of Yin Yoga, click here =====>
Our NEW Qi Cultivation Training: Purifying Water – The Flow of Qi Cultivation, where you will learn develop the sublime trifecta of Yang Yoga (safe stability, mobility and flow), Gua Sha (Chinese massage tool) and Yin Pranayama (the breath of Qi). Flow Your Qi, click here======>
Until I spoke with Amiel Handelsman, I had mistakenly thought that the term “meta-crisis” referred to the overarching sense that the world is in a massive crisis of overlapping calamities, all threatening our survival. But after speaking with Amiel, I realized that I was thinking of the poly-crisis. Amiel explained to me that the meta-crisis refers to an underlying crisis of all the crises on fire. The meta-crisis is a crisis of consciousness or being – a root crisis in terms of how individuals and collectives will rise to meet the challenges that besiege the world today.
I was heartened to welcome Amiel Handelsman back on Everyday Sublime to share his thoughts on how personal development, and systems of personal development, like the Enneagram, can help frame a generative response to the metacrisis. In short, we need to grow up, clean up and wake up to deeper capacities of our being to deal with the multi-horrific poly-crisis.
Amiel has a professional background in leadership, management and executive coaching along with a strong foundation in the Integral Theory of Ken Wilber among other frameworks.
Amiel is also launching his own excellent podcast: How My View Grew, which looks at the origin stories of big ideas about humanity’s challenges.
I highly recommend subscribing to Amiel’s show. I always learn a LOT from my talks with him.
Click here======> to subscribe to How My View Grew.
Amiel’s website, click here======>
First Episode with Amiel, Deracialization + Anti-racism click here======>
Book mentioned: The Wisdom of the Enneagream (Riso and Hudson)
Here is Amiel’s description of his show, How My View Grew:
“If you’re weary of political polarization, nothing is more refreshing than nuanced thinking: ideas that reveal the complexity of what’s wrong in the world and how to make it better. But where does such thinking come from? Often, it’s from someone changing their mind—letting go of an old perspective and growing into a new one. Join executive coach Amiel Handelsman as he interviews nuanced thinkers about the origin stories of their big ideas. Each story offers a window into one of humanity’s greatest challenges like climate change, democracy, the culture wars, the wealth gap, Ukraine, and Israel. In weeks between interviews, Amiel offers tips for training your mind to navigate complex topics and difficult conversations.”
Recorded on August 14, 2023, I give an upcoming preview of new Yin Yoga classes and training Terry and I will be offering in Fall ‘23.
Yin Yoga + Qi Cultivation Trainings:
NEW THIS FALL ’23: Refining Metal | The Wisdom of Qi Cultivation (20hr Yin Yoga Training)
NOW On-Demand: Gathering Earth | The Foundations of Qi Cultivation (20hr Yin Yoga Training)
Elisa Malinverni returns to the podcast to talk about her book, Yoga For Recovering Addicts. In this episode we explore some common manifestations of the “grasping mind.” We discuss the dynamics of perfectionism, impostor syndrome, screen addiction and more.
Elisa’s book available on Amazon: Yoga for Recovering Addicts – Stories of Hope and Ways of Self-Healing.
Recorded on August 7th, 2023, Josh offers some thoughts on practicing with deliberate slowness. This talk includes reflections on the spirit of improvisation with simple practices like “walking hands” and […]
Recorded on July 31st, 2023, Josh offers reflections on the convergence of personal and collective dukkha. In the face of such challenges, our commitment to practice nurtures the resilience and […]
In this talk, I share three points of advice for anyone embarking on a silent meditation retreat, either at a center or from home. My advice comes down to: 1) […]
In this episode, I had the great pleasure of speaking with Don Goewey (Executive Director of the De Mello Spirituality Center). We discuss DeMello’s significance as a spiritual figure of […]
In this talk, I discuss practice as a form of improvisation and suggest ways of working with “forms” of practice as a way of developing one’s skills at improvisation. I […]
In this talk, I reflect how, on a vipassana meditation retreat in Myanmar, I became compulsively obsessed with finding the perfect height for my meditation cushion; I explore what this […]
In this episode, I speak with my friends and colleagues Linda Modaro and Nelly Kaufer about their wonderful new book, Reflective Meditation. We talk about many themes of their approach […]
In this talk, I share a patchwork of dharma reflections, exploring some everyday conundrums and synchronicities – appreciating the sublime in the innocence of a niece and a godson.
The questions that have gripped me for the last twenty or so years of my practice are these: What is the relationship between yoga practices and Buddhist meditation, and what […]
In this short practice from our all NEW Yin Yoga and Qi Cultivation Training, Josh introduces the foundational dynamic of Yin Pranayama which optimizes the biochemistry of the blood for better distribution of oxygen to the cells, tissues and organs, gathers the Qi in the lower Dan Tian or Hara, and supports the healthy functioning of the Yin organs (Kidney, Liver, Spleen, Lungs and Heart).
If you enjoy this practice, you may also be interested in the acupuncture-based massage protocols that are an integral part of the Yin Yoga and Qi Cultivation Training. As an acupuncturist of twenty years, I’m really excited to share these practices that support balancing and mitigating the conditions of exhaustion, inflammation, stress and anxiety.
Click HERE ===>> for more on Yin Yoga and Qi Cultivation Training 20hrs
In this five-minute talk, I describe the ALL NEW Yin Yoga Training and Continuing Education immersion that Terry and I are launching this June. In this training we will integrate four acupuncture point formula for supporting adrenal, fascial, Qi and spiritual health with the practices of Yin Yoga and Qi Gong. Perfect for any Yin Yoga student or teaching looking to add more depth and empowerment to their teaching.
Click HERE ===>> for more on Yin Yoga and Qi Cultivation Training 20hrs
As part of a Mother’s Day reflection, I recount the harrowing story of getting robbed in the middle of the night on a train in India, and how a “spiritual” mother appeared to both save me and subsequently change the course of my life. I conclude with a meditative prompt for honoring and appreciating our spiritual ancestors.
Click HERE ===>> for more on Yin Yoga and Qi Cultivation Training 20hrs
In this dharma reflection, Josh draw’s on his and others’ observations of bird life in the natural world, and weaves these reflections into a broader meditation about the role of images and reflections in the practice of the dharma.
NEW – Yin Yoga and Qi Cultivation Training (4 Weeks, June 2023)
The students were discussing the famous statement uttered by Lao Tzu: “Those who know do not say; those who say do not know.” When their teacher arrived he offered some helpful analysis in the form of a simple dialogue.
In this talk, Josh reflects on this wonderful story and its implications for meditation practice.
NEW – Yin Yoga and Qi Cultivation Training (4 Weeks, June 2023)
The Buddha once said: “Nothing whatsoever should be clung to as ‘I’ or ‘mine’.” In this talk, I analyze this statement as an important signpost on the map of practice.
As Georg Feuerstein put it: “The sense that ‘I’ can go beyond where ‘I’ am right now is the place from which to start your practice.”
Free Practice Etude | Just Savasana
In this talk, I continue to unpack the experience of waking up, exploring how consciousness often awakens to being entangled with some part of experience (usually thoughts), and to reflect on what it’s like when consciousness relaxes into itself, embracing the entire field of perception.
A free guided meditation accompanies this talk here: Practice Etude – Meditation Without Grasping
In this dharma talk, I reflect on a teaching from my dharma mentor Jack Engler: “the entirety of the spiritual path is a path of mourning.” This talk is an attempt to explore that reflection in light of the practice and experiential dynamics that occur when we let go of grasping at views, perceptions, orientations and practices, etc.
Jack Engler’s article: Practicing for Awakening (part 2)
In this episode, I welcome Donna Brooks back to the podcast to talk through the experience of grief and how embodiment practices support our capacity to navigate this challenging emotional landscape.
Donna Brooks’ website: www.originalbodywisdom.com
In this talk, I explore some common views about meditation and thinking, and I encourage bringing inquiry to the views of practice that we may be clinging to. Releasing views is somewhat like voluntarily jumping into free fall. The self will grasp, but in releasing the grasping, we align with the Buddha’s famous teaching: “Nothing whatsoever should be clung to as ‘I’ or ‘mine’.”
In this week’s practice story, I continue to explore the famous Buddhist parable about the tiger and the snake, and I suggest how the core images of this story symbolize the central dharma themes of our practice and life.
In this old Buddhist parable, we are presented with a description of the human predicament. In the face of being caught between death and something worse, how does our practice serve us to live, as Munindra put it, “the life fully?”
In this episode, I share Jung’s famous story of the Rainmaker. I suggest ways in which this story offers insight into the direction of the spiritual path. But when there was a prolonged drought in China, and the Rainmaker was fetched, this is what happened…
In this talk, I reflect on the heart-rending story of a mother who lost her young son, experienced inconsolable grief, and what happened when she met the Buddha. Kisagotami’s story is nearly identical to my teacher’s teacher’s story, that teacher being the great Buddhist master, Dipa Ma.Dipa Ma: The Life and Legacy of a Buddhist MasterMay the grief of loss crack open our hearts into immeasurable compassion.
In this episode, I offer a few reflections on the passing of my dear companion, Ozzie. On February 15, 2023, Ozzie died peacefully in our arms, in front of his hearth, and as I try to convey in this short talk, the dharma of his life continues to open and deepen for me.
In this episode, I try to speak to the implacable heaviness many are feeling in the face of the overwhelming number of ongoing disasters in the world. What, if at all, does the Dharma have to offer?
In this episode, I reflect on the roots of anger in my own conflicts and share the tools I’ve learned from mindfulness-based modalities to de-escalate tensions and nurture harmony. I share from my own challenges and difficulties with practicing wise speech, and how Active Reflective Communication is my go-to model for any generative and important conversations.
In this episode, I republish a conversation I had with Robert Wright on his Nonzero Podcast. Bob and I discuss my struggles with cognitive empathy in everyday life. Not my struggle with the concept, mind you. I know that the ability to imagine another person’s perspective is enormously important in communication and relationships.
We explore my struggles with practicing cognitive empathy – especially when I’m under a lot of stress and/or seeing things through distorted lenses. I talk about how easily distorted perception feeds into cycles of conflict and misunderstanding, even with the ones we love the most.
Bob is now working on a new book loosely tilted, The Radical Power of Cognitive Empathy, and I encourage all globally-minded Yin practitioners to check out his Nonzero Newsletter on Substack.
In this episode (#207), Josh reflects on the four foundations of practicing Yin Yoga, and how the first two foundations – safety and relaxation – inform the development of the meditation process.
This dharma theme closes with a prompt from Josh: What does it mean to practice non-grasping in meditation?
Further reflection:
“Great genial power, one would almost say, consists in not being original at all; in being altogether receptive; in letting the world do all, and suffering the spirit of the hour to pass unobstructed through the mind.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
In this episode (206), I am joined by my friends and colleagues Linda Modaro and Nelly Kaufer to talk about their new meditation book, Reflective Meditation – Cultivating Kindness and Curiosity in the Buddha’s Company.
Order your copy of Reflective Meditation, by Linda Modaro and Nelly Kaufer
Linda Modaro’s website: https://satisangha.org/
Nelly Kaufer’s website: https://pinestreetsangha.org/
What is Reflective Meditation? Nelly begins an answer by saying, “A big difference is that we really mean it when we say you’re free to do whatever happens when you meditate; which means let your thoughts in, let your emotions in. if something just feels really awful that’s going on internally, you’re free to get up, you’re free to take a walk; you really have freedom to let it go where it goes. And also to contain it as you need, which is really, as is becoming more known, trauma-informed.” – Nelly Kaufer
In this episode (205), I share voices from the River Bird Sangha on the theme of non-violence in practice and society. Together, in a circle of practice, I suggest ways we can all feel empowered by a connection with common ground.
In 1963, while imprisoned for staging nonviolent protests, Dr. King Martin Luther King Jr. wrote Letter From Birmingham Jail in which he delivered a blistering public response to local clergymen for suggesting his nonviolent political agitation was “unwise and untimely.”
In a key passage of this letter, King articulates his moral philosophy of nonviolent direct action:
“Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and establish such a creative tension that a community that has consistently refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored…
“I have earnestly worked and preached against violent tension, but there is a type of constructive nonviolent tension that is necessary for growth. Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half-truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal, we must see the need of having nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men to rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood.”
In this talk, I reflect on a passage from Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail, and how practice, itself, generates an internal creative tension that is necessary for growth and transformation.
At the level of the heart-mind, I suggest that practice is a creative tension between “the way things are” and the mind’s agenda for the way things could, or should, or ought to be. In the laboratory of practice, the practitioner sits with the koan-like question, “Confronted by this creative tension, how do I act?”
In this episode, I talk with the Swiss yoga teacher Elisa Malinverni about her wonderful new book, Yoga for Recovering Addicts, Stories of Hope and Ways of Self-Healing. Elisa’s clear and nuanced writing explores an integral path to recovery for all manner of addiction.“In my book, we’re all addicts. The only difference is, some of us have addictions that society labels as strengths and advantages, such as workaholism, fitness-addiction or orthorexia. Some of us weren’t as lucky and ended up with a coping mechanism that society demonizes. The stigma only causes more pain that begs to be alleviated.” – Elisa Malinverni (Yoga for Recovering Addicts)To purchase the book on Amazon: Yoga for Recovering Addicts – Stories of Hope and Ways of Self-Healing by Elisa Malinverni
In the first dharma talk of 2023, Josh offers a meditative reflection on the relationship between reflective listening and the development of skillful intentions in practice. He offers some key meditative prompts that explore the initial stages of tuning into the conditions of your life that may deserve some focused intention.
On January 14th, you’re invited to a special 3hr Winter’s Yin Practice with Josh and Terry that harnesses the energy of Winter to listen deeply to the intentions emerging within the reflection of Qi Gong, Yin Yoga and Yin Meditation. If you can’t attend live, all participants will receive lifetime access to the recording of the practice.
This solstice season, let us give you the gift of practice. In this episode, I describe our portfolio of practices and how they integrate into the process of awakening body, energy, heart and mind.
To receive this gift of practice, please sign up for our Sublime Winter Solstice Celebration – 10 practices of Yin Yoga, Qi Gong and meditation.
Until 12/31/22, register for FREE here: A Sublime Winter Solstice Celebration
In this talk, I reflect on some of the parallels between tending the fire of a woodstove and tending the conditions of a meditation and yoga practice.
And in gratitude for your support, Terry and I would like to give you a special series of Yin Yoga, Qi Gong and meditation practices. Each day, from December 12th to December 21st (the Winter Solstice), we will share one specially curated practice from our 2022 year of teaching – just like a Yin Solstice advent calendar.
To receive this gift of practice, please sign up for our Sublime Winter Solstice Celebration – 10 practices of Yin Yoga, Qi Gong and meditation.
Until 12/21/22, register here: A Sublime Winter Solstice Celebration
In gratitude for your support, Terry and I would like to give you a special series of Yin Yoga, Qi Gong and meditation practices. Each day, from December 12th to December 21st (the Winter Solstice), we will share one specially curated practice from our 2022 year of teaching – just like a Yin Solstice advent calendar.
To receive this gift of practice, please sign up for our Sublime Winter Solstice Celebration – 10 practices of Yin Yoga, Qi Gong and meditation.
Register here: A Sublime Winter Solstice Celebration
The Zen teacher Charlotte Joko Beck said that when “nothing is special, everything can be.” In this talk, Josh reflects on how everything that arises in our practice can received […]
In preparation for the winter holiday season, Josh reflects on the Buddha’s insight of conditionality, or karma, and how this helps release ourselves and others from vicious cycles of blame. […]
Morning practice is often recommended as the foundation of a contemplative path. In this talk, Josh offers reflections on the importance of practicing in the morning.
In this talk, I announce the time and schedule changes to the River Bird Sangha’s programming and how to channel the support of the sangha to realize the dharma within […]
In this episode, I speak with my friend and former Buddhist monk, Greg Burdilis about our time practicing together in Burma. We discuss the highs and lows of life on […]
In this talk, Josh discusses the process and energy of Recognizing, Realizing and Releasing conflicts and challenges as they arise in our practice and life. Listen to Episode 193 here […]
In this talk, Josh explores the important role of relaxation, rest and receptivity for the development of calm clarity in Yin Samatha-Vipassana Meditation. Listen to episode 192 here or in […]
“Enlightenment is an accident, but some activities make you accident-prone.” – Krishnamurti In this talk, Josh offers reflections on the most important element of a personal spiritual practice. Listen to […]
Every meditator will confront their ego’s attempt to meditate from the back seat. The ego will try to control, influence and manipulate the entire process. In this talk, Josh suggests […]
"Yesterday's insights are like yesterday's fish, unrefrigerated." - Larry Rosenberg The post Back Seat Meditation | Dharma Talk with Josh appeared first on Josh Summers.
Within the dream state, unless we're lucid, we tend to be held captive by the content of the dream. But in waking up, we open to the possibility of being captivated by experience. - Josh Summers The post From Captive to Captivated | Dharma Talk with Josh appeared first on Josh Summers.
"I, Zhuang Zi, dreamt I was a butterfly, fluttering hither and thither, to all intents and purposes a butterfly. I was conscious only of my happiness as a butterfly, unaware that I was Zhuang Zi. Soon, I awakened and there I was, veritably myself again. Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly, dreaming I am a man." - Zhuang Zi The post Zhuang Zi’s Butterfly Dream | Dharma Talk with Josh appeared first on Josh Summers.
"Mindfulness is remembering how to observe the mind's attention as it moves moment-to-moment and remembering what to do with any arising phenomena!" - Bhante Vimalaramsi The post Mindfulness of Breathing and Beyond | Talk and Guided Meditation with Josh appeared first on Josh Summers.
"You must realize that the center of the universe is the pit of your belly." - Harada-roshi The post From the Pit of the Belly | Short Reflection with Josh appeared first on Josh Summers.
"We can and must, each of us, individually, be a ballast, a reminder of what is good and right, of peace and justice, of supporting the environment, of trusting in individual experiences, voices, choices and stories." - Nadia Colburn The post Ballast in the Storm | Short Reflection from Josh appeared first on Josh Summers.
"Then, Bahiya, you should train yourself thus: In reference to the seen, there will only be the seen. In reference to the heard, only the heard. In reference to the sensed, only the sensed. In reference to the cognized, only the cognized. That is how you should train yourself." - Buddha The post Bahiya’s Burning Doubt | Short Reflection with Josh appeared first on Josh Summers.
"Most people are afraid of suffering. But suffering is a kind of mud to help the lotus flower of happiness grow. There can be no lotus flower without the mud." --Thich Nhat Hanh The post The Yin-Yang Heart | Dharma Talk with Josh appeared first on Josh Summers.
"It is not billionaires or technology that will save us, but instead a 'vitalist mass movement,' driven by human spirit that may actually be magical enough to change hearts and minds across the world." - Amitav Ghosh The post Compassion Amidst Crisis | Dharma Talk with Josh appeared first on Josh Summers.
"Racial essentialism keeps racism alive. The more entrenched racial categories are in the public mind, the easier it is for white power advocates to use them for their own nefarious purposes--and for the rest of us to slip into old stereotypes and cognitive biases." - Amiel Handelsman The post Deracialization and Antiracism | Amiel Handelsman appeared first on Josh Summers.
"Because, as the first line of the Dhammapada says, 'All that we are is the result of what we have thought,' the transformation of 'sociological and psychological structures' must take place initially in our own minds - and those of others - if we truly hope to address the root cause of social suffering." - Charles Johnson The post Deracializing Consciousness | Dharma Talk with Josh appeared first on Josh Summers.
"And if he were forcibly dragged up the steep and rugged ascent and not let go till he had been dragged out [of the cave] into the sunlight, the process would be a painful one, to which he would much object, and when he emerged into the light his eyes would be so dazzled by the glare of it that he wouldn't be able to see a single one of the things he was now told were real." - Plato, "The Republic" The post Enlightening Shadows | Dharma Talk with Josh appeared first on Josh Summers.
In becoming aware of our conditioning, we can then practice ways of creatively establishing more skillful habits of relationship and engagement. - Josh Summers The post Culture Shock of Self | Dharma Talk with Josh appeared first on Josh Summers.
"I saw the ancient path, the ancient road traveled by the Perfectly Enlightened Ones of the past. And what is that ancient path, that ancient road? It is just this Noble Eightfold Path; that is: wise view, wise intention, wise speech, wise action, wise livelihood, wise effort, wise mindfulness and wise stillness." - The Buddha The post An Ancient City | Dharma Talk with Josh appeared first on Josh Summers.
In awakening to our conditioning, just like the Buddha, we can creatively collaborate with new forms of conditioning informed by compassion and wisdom. - Josh Summers The post On self-Fragility | Dharma Talk with Josh appeared first on Josh Summers.
"We share over 50% of our DNA with fungi. We're more closely related to fungi than plants." - Alex Dorr The post Functional Mushrooms for Functional Health | Alex Door appeared first on Josh Summers.
With time, practice will reveal our unresolved wounds that are still wound within the conditions of original trauma. - Josh Summers The post Seeing and Freeing Patterns | Dharma Talk with Josh appeared first on Josh Summers.
The conscientious young monk Meditating three years alone Can no longer be moved By the four worldly winds. - from fictional Zen story told by Ajahn Brahm The post Rooted For Wind | Dharma Talk with Josh appeared first on Josh Summers.
Like this cup, you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup? - Zen Master Nan-in The post An Empty Cup | Dharma Talk with Josh appeared first on Josh Summers.
Even as a mother protects with her life her child, her only child, so with a boundless heart should one cherish all living beings. - Buddha (from the Metta Sutta) The post Questioning Compassion | Dharma Talk with Josh appeared first on Josh Summers.
When we shift from being subject to a racial worldview to looking at it as an object; when we are able to see how it works and work to not racialize ourselves or others... now we're getting to where we can start to actually get off that karmic cycle. - Greg Thomas The post Race, Jazz and Healing | Greg Thomas appeared first on Josh Summers.
The Buddha spoke of sati (mindfulness) and sampajanna (clear comprehension) as the twin aspects of awareness that nurture wisdom and compassion. Mindfulness and clear comprehension suggest the relationship between deep listening and deep understanding. - Josh Summers The post Compassionate Inquiry | Dharma Talk with Josh appeared first on Josh Summers.
Real compassion includes wisdom and so it makes judgments of care and concern: it says some things are good, and some things are bad, and I will choose to act only on those things that are informed by wisdom and care. - Ken Wilber The post Compassionate Alignment | Dharma Talk with Josh appeared first on Josh Summers.
The three intentions of compassionate RAIN (receptivity, alignment, inquiry, and negotiation): May I create the conditions for this energy or part of me to feel safe, to feel heard, and to feel integrated. - Josh Summers The post Compassionate Receptivity | Dharma Talk with Josh appeared first on Josh Summers.
Trauma - any experience that cannot be integrated at the time of its occurrence - causes parts of oneself to freeze, like blocks of ice. These frozen parts evolve to keep us safe, but in their frozen state they alienate us from flowing with life. - Josh Summers The post Listening Like Water | Dharma Talk with Josh appeared first on Josh Summers.
"More than anything, there is a value placed on listening as closely as possible to the mysterious silence that supports existence, which is both the actual silence of the desert landscape and the silence of the self in contemplation. They listened to this silence with hopes of transforming their identities and reimagining community." - Douglas Christie The post St. Anthony’s Valentine | Dharma Talk with Josh appeared first on Josh Summers.
"As a teacher, you won't be able to address the specific needs of each individual. However, what you can offer is a creative way of working with posture, breath, intention and attention so that student and customize - within their own experience - a way to nudge their particular pattern, whatever it might be, towards homeostasis." - Josh Summers The post A Functional Approach to Harmonizing Qi with Yin Yoga | Talk with Josh appeared first on Josh Summers.
"Qi produces the human body just as water becomes ice. As water freezes into ice, so Qi coagulates to form the human body. When ice melts, it becomes water. When a person dies, they become spirit again. It is called spirit, just as melted ice changes its name to water." - Wang Chong (Taoist philosopher, AD 27-97) The post What is Qi? | Talk with Josh (republished) appeared first on Josh Summers.
Yin Yoga collaborates with the organs of Chinese Medicine to support holistic health. It's not just a matter of stimulating the channels; it's a matter of optimizing organ health through the integration of posture, breath and psycho-spiritual practice. - Josh Summers The post My Take on Yin Yoga and Chinese Medicine | Talk with Josh appeared first on Josh Summers.
"Everything I play is a reaction to everything that I just played and to what everybody else is playing at that moment. Great jazz is played when multiple people play together with that kind of necessity and mindset." - Aaron Goldberg The post The Language of Jazz | Aaron Goldberg appeared first on Josh Summers.
Mindfulness functions like a stone that doesn't stop the flow of the river, rather it comes to a deeper and calmer relationship to the flowing content of the river of experience. - Josh Summers The post Corks and Stones | Guided Meditation with Josh appeared first on Josh Summers.
"One of the paradoxes about life is that when we're really open to life, the tremendous suffering and the tremendous joy can coexist." - Donna Brooks The post The Yoga of Grief | Donna Brooks appeared first on Josh Summers.
When you dig the well deep enough, you realize we're all drinking from the same source. - Abdullah Ibrahim The post Digging Deep | Dharma Talk appeared first on Josh Summers.
Listen to the movement of experience and listen to the space within which this occurs. - Josh Summers The post Winter’s Listening | Guided Meditation with Josh appeared first on Josh Summers.
The only job of a yogi is to note the object that is most predominant, moment by moment. - Sayadaw U Pandita The post Yang Vipassana Meditation | Dharma Talk appeared first on Josh Summers.
Ultimately, happiness comes down to choosing between the discomfort of becoming aware of your mental afflictions and the discomfort of being ruled by them. - Robert Wright The post The Divine Algorithm Sutta | Robert Wright appeared first on Josh Summers.
Buddhists, however, saw that karma acts in feedback loops, with the present moment being shaped by both past and by present actions; present actions shape not only the future but also the present. This constant opening for present input into the causal process makes free will possible. - Thanissaro Bhikkhu The post Relaxing the Breathing | Dharma Talk appeared first on Josh Summers.
The point of a map isn't to be right. The point of a map is to help me with something; it's to be useful. - Bernie Clark The post The Power of Mythos | Bernie Clark appeared first on Josh Summers.
Buddhists, however, saw that karma acts in feedback loops, with the present moment being shaped by both past and by present actions; present actions shape not only the future but also the present. This constant opening for present input into the causal process makes free will possible. - Thanissaro Bhikkhu The post The Karma of Breathing | Dharma Talk appeared first on Josh Summers.
The kind of attention you rely on, and the kind of attention you let atrophy, ultimately becomes a decision about what you value as worth perceiving. - Howard Axelrod The post Attention Collapse and Inner Climate Change | Howard Axelrod appeared first on Josh Summers.
A person of integrity is grateful and thankful. This gratitude, this thankfulness is advocated by civil people. - Buddha, Katannu Sutta The post Gratitude For Good Karma: Dharma Talk appeared first on Josh Summers.
If you sit and patiently endure, you find your mind going into a state of calm. That calm occurs because there's no more trying to become something or trying to get rid of something. - Ajahn Sumedho The post From Patience to Peace: Dharma Talk appeared first on Josh Summers.
Yet, along with sorrow, there is the backdrop of consciousness, the inner atmosphere that holds whatever arises, like the sky holds lightning... Through our practice of meditation, access to the backdrop becomes possible. - Narayan Liebenson The post Peace Within Uncertainty (Part 2): Dharma Talk appeared first on Josh Summers.
Recognition of the Yin Will allows for the creation of the virtue of Wisdom. This Wisdom is not about knowing things. In fact, it is more about being deeply connected to the Unknown... Wisdom is a recognition of a deep knowing that infuses life. - Ted Kaptchuk The post Peace Within Uncertainty (Part 1): Dharma Talk appeared first on Josh Summers.
Ultimately, happiness comes down to choosing between the discomfort of becoming aware of your mental afflictions and the discomfort of being ruled by them. - Robert Wright The post Robert Wright: War, Peace and Cognitive Bias appeared first on Josh Summers.
Within the process of Vipassana meditation, the meditator develops and rests within a capacity to remain calm and clear towards the entire display of visceral, cerebral and environmental content. - Josh Summers The post Vipassana on the Path: Dharma Talk appeared first on Josh Summers.
Just as sounds arise and cease naturally within the field of awareness, when attending to their body, the meditator begins to perceive the same impersonal display of sensations arising and ceasing within the stillness of the mind. - Josh Summers The post Basic Vipassana Instructions (Part 2): Dharma Talk appeared first on Josh Summers.
When we shift into a vipassana lens of practice, there are no distractions. Each experience the meditator encounters becomes the practice, itself - an experience to see clearly and relate to with compassion. - Josh Summers The post Basic Vipassana Instructions (Part 1): Dharma Talk appeared first on Josh Summers.
"Meditation is not a matter of trying to achieve ecstasy, spiritual bliss or tranquility, nor is it attempting to become a better person. It is simply the creation of a space in which we are able to expose and undo our neurotic games, our self-deceptions, and our hidden fears and hopes." - Chogyam Trungpa The post The Key To Stillness (Part 2): Dharma Talk appeared first on Josh Summers.
"We do not confront the world; rather, the world confronts itself, temporarily masquerading as each of us." - David Barash The post David Barash: Buddhism and Biology appeared first on Josh Summers.
"This mind of ours is already unmoving and peaceful. Our practice is simply to see the Original Mind." - Ajahn Chah The post The Key To Stillness (Part 1): Dharma Talk appeared first on Josh Summers.
"Try to be mindful, and let things take their natural course. Then your mind will become still in any surroundings, like a clear forest pool. All kinds of wonderful, rare animals will come to drink at the pool, and you will clearly see the nature of all things." - Ajahn Chah The post A Still Forest Pool: Dharma Talk appeared first on Josh Summers.
Just as a musician learns musical etudes to develop and refine their capacities for musical expression, a contemplative can learn meditative etudes - exercises that nurture the capacities of the Heart/Mind. The post Metta, Vipassana, and Creativity: Dharma Talk appeared first on Josh Summers.
Many thanks to all the listeners and members of the River Bird Sangha. We look forward to reconnecting in September. The post The August Pause: Season Finale appeared first on Josh Summers.
"I would say that cognitive empathy is a strength that needs to be built, cognitive empathy being the ability to look at things from the perspective of other people. And one thing the explain-excuse conflation does is undermine cognitive empathy." - Robert Wright The post Robert Wright: Existential Psychological Threats appeared first on Josh Summers.
"When we meet difficulty with a kind and loving heart, compassion naturally arises. Often easy to feel for others, self-directed compassion can get blocked by old belief patterns and cultural conditioning. However, self-compassion can be awakened through a few simple steps that echo the Four Noble Truths." - Lauri Glenn The post Lauri Glenn: Self-Compassion in Practice appeared first on Josh Summers.
"We aren't looking to get away from our personal lives [in this approach]... but we're given permission to bring what's alive in our lives into our meditation practice." - Linda Modaro The post Linda Modaro: The Dharma of Experience appeared first on Josh Summers.
"It would be well if you directed your mind to the deathless element." - Venerable Sariputta, senior disciple of the Buddha The post The Subjectivity of Conventional and Absolute Reality: Dharma Talk appeared first on Josh Summers.
"The political problems that impede the evolution of international governance are rooted in human psychology - mainly in what is sometimes called "the psychology of tribalism." This psychology consists largely of cognitive biases, notably including confirmation bias and attribution error." - Robert Wright The post On Transcending Tribalism: Dharma Talk appeared first on Josh Summers.
"So much can go bongo tingo in conversations, what with misunderstandings and mixed intentions... and yet, so much can go right to the heart of the matter. Bringing our meditation sittings into a conversation with another person changes the conversation to a relationship - one of developing trust, care, and collaboration. The Dharma is between us." - Linda Modaro The post Linda Modaro: Spiritual Friendship and the Development of View appeared first on Josh Summers.
"... the path is not about seeing something in particular; instead, it's about seeing clearly. And we have the potential to do that, a potential that has to be realized." - Ajahn Sucitto The post On Seeing Clearly: Dharma Talk appeared first on Josh Summers.
"...seeing clearly is an ongoing balancing between seeing within a framework and seeing beyond a framework, between seeing with knowledge and seeing with wonder." - Howard Axelrod The post Howard Axelrod: Skills of Perception appeared first on Josh Summers.
"One benefit of a journaling practice is that it enables me to 'look upon' my thinking with a little more distance and objectivity. The activity of writing itself (a Yang sort of doing) brings a sense of order to the sometimes chaotic (Yin-like) dimensions of my consciousness." The post The Power of Writing: Dharma Talk appeared first on Josh Summers.
According to Joseph Campbell, mythology concerns the cosmological, sociological, pedagogical, and mystical dimensions of life. "If the mystical dimension is not there, you don't have a mythology, you have an ideology (Campbell, Mythos)." Meditation is a ritualized application of mythical pedagogy to realize for oneself the mystical union with all of life. The post Buddha Knowing Dharma: Dharma Talk appeared first on Josh Summers.
"It's hard to build coherent international governance on a foundation of incoherent nations. An America lacking in cohesion, divided along red-blue lines, won't have the political will to do ambitious, politically difficult things. Such as: crafting and then participating in new forms of international cooperation designed to prevent things like pandemics, environmental calamities, and arms races in space or in bioweapons or in AI." - Robert Wright The post Robert Wright: More Dharma of Bob appeared first on Josh Summers.
"When we practice with all conditions, we gain improvisational skills for life; we learn how to creatively adapt to things outside our comfort zone, thereby widening the experience of peace that is independent of conditions." The post Expanding the Zone of Peace: Dharma Talk appeared first on Josh Summers.
"You know, you get a lot of people who are supposed to be hip. And they act like they're supposed to be hip, which makes a big difference. But being hip isn't a state of mind, it's a fact of life." - Cannonball Adderley "In meditation, there's nothing to change other than one's capacity to witness and flow with the changes of experience." - Josh Summers The post Yin Meditation: The Rhythmic Pulse of Consciousness appeared first on Josh Summers.
"The more we realize that most of our views of ourselves, of others, and of presumed limits regarding our talents, our health, and our happiness were mindlessly accepted by us at an earlier time in our lives, the more we open up to the realization that these too can change. All we need to begin the process is to be mindful." - Ellen Langer "Life is change; and if you don't like it, it doesn't think much of you either." - Josh Summers The post Improvising Through Fear: Dharma Talk appeared first on Josh Summers.
"Social psychologists argue that who we are at any one time depends mostly on the context in which we find ourselves. But who creates the context? The more mindful we are, the more we can create the contexts we are in. When we create the context, we are more likely to be authentic. Mindfulness lets us see things in a new light and believe in the possibility of change." - Dr. Ellen Langer The post Dr. Ellen Langer: Mindfulness Without Meditation appeared first on Josh Summers.
"To borrow language from music training, meditative training can be seen as a development and refinement of capacities for improvisational flow within and across the changing landscapes of rhythmic (physical), harmonic (energetic and emotional), and melodic (thinking) patterns of being." - Josh Summers The post Flowing From Self-Doubt to Confidence: Dharma Talk appeared first on Josh Summers.
One form of drowsiness and low energy that can arise in meditative practice is the sort that stems from discouragement and disappointment. Very often, unacknowledged expectations can fuel a subtle frustration within one's practice, and that discouragement, in turn, can zap one's enthusiasm for practice. The key is to remember the simple orientation of practice: The only experience to have in mindfulness practice IS the experience that one is having, plain and simple. The encouragement is to hold and receive each and every experience with tender care. The post On the Varieties of the Sleepy Experience: Dharma Talk appeared first on Josh Summers.
During his junior year of college, a tragic accident during a game of pick-up basketball disrupted Howard Axelrod's course in life. As a way to make sense of himself and of life, Howard did what I've only fantasized of doing: He went to live in the woods, in utter solitude, for a very long time. The post Howard Axelrod: The Point of Vanishing appeared first on Josh Summers.
"The 'transcendent' big 'S' Self is one hundred percent present on and within each and every experience. In fact, the Self is what is conscious of every experience." - Josh Summers The post A Tale of Two Selves: Dharma Talk appeared first on Josh Summers.
"The path tends to move along a continuum from personal dukkha - or fundamental wrongness - to a transformational awakening - or unconditional rightness." - Josh Summers The post Fundamental Wrongness to Unconditional Rightness: Dharma Talk appeared first on Josh Summers.
"To me, the only habit worth 'designing for' is the habit of questioning one's habitual ways of seeing, and that is what artists, writers, and musicians help us to do." - Jenny Odell The post Jenny Odell: How To Do Nothing appeared first on Josh Summers.
"The perch is the seed of stillness. Receptivity is the seed of awareness. And choice is the seed of surrender. In the beginning, these principles feel distinct, but with time, they become three facets of the same unified field of experience." - Josh Summers The post On Meditative Process and Experience: Dharma Talk appeared first on Josh Summers.
Natural selection did not program humans to be happy or to see the world accurately; it simply optimized our ability to get our genes into the next generation. This calculus extracts a cost on our mental health, and mindfulness is a medicinal practice heals this equation. The post Anxiety’s Antidote: Dharma Talk appeared first on Josh Summers.
The rapid acceleration of technological evolution paired with the slower evolution of human psychology poses a serious existential threat. Will human psychology evolve to avert the apocalypse? Robert Wright has thoughts to share. The post Robert Wright: Averting the Apocalypse appeared first on Josh Summers.
"But no matter the medicinal virtues of being a true friend or sustaining a long close friendship with another, the ultimate touchstone of friendship is not improvement, neither of the other nor of the self, the ultimate touchstone is witness." - David Whyte The post The Touchstone of Witness: Dharma Talk appeared first on Josh Summers.
"The yin-yang symbol is not, therefore, what we call a dualism, but rather an explicit duality expressing an implicit unity." - Alan Watts The post The Tao of Progress: Dharma Talk appeared first on Josh Summers.
"Most people think there are a lot of bad people running around in the world. There aren't a lot of bad people, there are a lot of bad ideas and bad ideas are worse than bad people because bad ideas are contagious. Bad ideas get good people to do horrible things." - Sam Harris The post Angulimala’s Karma: Dharma Talk appeared first on Josh Summers.
"On the path we open to the experience of bad karma - created by ourselves and by others - and we turn it into good dharma, the development of compassion and wisdom." - Larry Rosenberg The post Attuning, Atoning: Dharma Talk appeared first on Josh Summers.
"The untrained mind gets lost and follows these things; it forgets itself, and then we think that it is we who are upset or at ease or whatever. But really, this mind of ours is already unmoving and peaceful." - Ajahn Chah The post V for Vendetta: Dharma Talk appeared first on Josh Summers.
"But imagine my surprise when, upon surrendering to wanting nothing, I am released from perceiving a lack, awakened by and to a want for nothing, instead." The post A Want For Nothing: Dharma Talk appeared first on Josh Summers.
"When everyone is doing better, everyone is doing better. And when life is precious, life is precious. Can we connect with this motivation?" -Jessica Locke The post Jessica Locke: Anti-Racism and Buddhist Practice appeared first on Josh Summers.
"The good only stands out in contrast to something relatively worse; the bad only emerges from a context of relative good. The wise old farmer appears to see life holistically, as a unified totality." The post Who Knows Good News Bad News? – Dharma Talk appeared first on Josh Summers.
The transformation of desire is a critical component of the spiritual journey, but this transformation does not necessitate sacrifice and grim acceptance. Aligning one's desire with the deeper quality of the Heart's aspiration can infuse one's practice with vitality and whole-hearted engagement. The post Desire Refined: Dharma Talk appeared first on Josh Summers.
As Alan Watts put so well, "No one can be moral - that is, no one can harmonize contained conflicts - without coming to a working arrangement between the angel in himself and the devil in himself, between his rose above and his manure below." The post Yes, The Unitive Mantra: Dharma Talk appeared first on Josh Summers.
Challenging energy is part of the path. Can we open to these energies with curious kindness? Can these energies be integrated within our being? This is the path. The post The Way of Obstacles: Dharma Talk appeared first on Josh Summers.
Practice is not a luxury. In times like these, practice is essential for resilience, centered-ness, and compassionate engagement. The post Dharma in the Time of Dukkha appeared first on Josh Summers.
Some people in the spiritual world say we don't need crutches, or that we shouldn't use crutches. This is true, we don't need crutches; we don't need zendos; we don't need sesshins. But still, many seem to benefit from these supports. The post Vanja Palmers: A Mushroom in the Lotus appeared first on Josh Summers.
Joseph Goldstein writes, "Effort becomes unskillful when there's some idea of gain and a mind full of expectations, rather than an openness and receptivity to what is already." The post Tuning the Lute: Dharma Talk and Meditation appeared first on Josh Summers.
"As we peer into our experience, we peer into one of the biggest mysteries of all: The fact of our own consciousness peering back at the web of existence that created it." The post On Gratitude: Dharma Talk and Meditation appeared first on Josh Summers.
Compassion without wisdom can lead to emotional burnout. Wisdom without compassion can lead to detached apathy. Together they balance and complement each other on the path. The post The Wings of Awakening: Dharma Talk and Meditation appeared first on Josh Summers.
If the straight-ahead, conscious approach fails to render a solution, the "lateral drift" approach can be employed by allowing the mind to stop thinking about the problem which allows a solution to suggest itself. The post Lateral Drift: Dharma Talk and Meditation appeared first on Josh Summers.
From the safe experience of fundamental consciousness - a consciousness that is awake to, within and beyond the body - we can release and unburden the body's holding of trauma within the fascia. The post Dr. Judith Blackstone: Healing Within Fundamental Consciousness appeared first on Josh Summers.
As the Buddha said, "The rain could turn to gold and still your thirst would not be slaked." In many ways, the entire path pivots on the skillful relationship to desire. The post The Knowing Ungrasps Tanha: Dharma Talk and Meditation appeared first on Josh Summers.
The initial experience of awakening is not often one of calm, serenity, and bliss; rather, the initial encounter is one of waking up to confusion, uncertainty, and despair. We can map our own psychological experience to the mythological story of the Buddha's biography. The post The Heavenly Stings: Dharma Talk and Meditation appeared first on Josh Summers.
If you let it, reality will wake you up out of your drifting state into a naturally awake state. This transitional pivot is the key moment upon which the entire spiritual path unfolds. The post Ungrasping This Moment: Dharma Talk and Meditation appeared first on Josh Summers.
"The 'I' that is looking for pure awareness can't find it, just as a wave can't do something to find the ocean." The post The Movie, The Viewer, and The Light: Dharma Talk and Meditation appeared first on Josh Summers.
If we respond to every television advertisement by purchasing the thing being advertised, we'd go bankrupt. In the same way, if we reflexively identify as the thinker of our thoughts, we make ourselves vulnerable to the demands of their message. The post I Am Not My Green Jumper: Dharma Talk and Meditation appeared first on Josh Summers.
When two things interact, a third dynamic emerges. When two people come together a relationship emerges. When Yin and Yang come to harmony, a Third Way emerges as the Path. The post Robin Wang: Yinyang Theory in Chinese Thought appeared first on Josh Summers.
All experience, if you let it, will reveal the vast empty space from which all things arise and cease. Recognizing that open space as the source of your own awareness facilitates the emergence of an undefended Heart. The post The Antifragile Heart: Dharma Talk and Meditation appeared first on Josh Summers.
The Inner Critic seems to present an obstacle on the spiritual path, judging and disparaging our practice at every turn. But what if there was gold to be found in even its nastiest of statements? The post The Critic’s Gold: Dharma Talk and Meditation appeared first on Josh Summers.
Josh considers wise friendship as the foundational energy of the spiritual path. The Buddha is believed to have said that wise friendship is, "the entirety of the holy life." How might we weave this statement into our meditation and practice of yoga? The post Dharma Talk and Meditation: The First Step as Friendship appeared first on Josh Summers.
"You're flying the plane and have to figure out what works. We - teachers - are just ground control." The post Bernie Clark: Beyond the Binary appeared first on Josh Summers.
In this tribute, I'd like to mention three potential primary source thinkers and their books that I think had a strong influence on the man that Michael Brooks became. These three are what I'm calling the Triple Gem of Michael Brooks' Dharma. The post The Dharma of Michael Brooks appeared first on Josh Summers.
And it can be like that internally... when a dynamic of tension between parts or within a part, when that tension dissolves or unravels or is unburdened, there can be an experience of calm and quiet that unfolds, similar to the experience of a distant hum suddenly switching off. The post The Path of the Inner Bodhisattva appeared first on Josh Summers.
"If you can be an inner Bodhisattva it's much easier to be an outer Bodhisattva." In other words, if we can relate to our inner world with care and tender compassion, it's easier to relate to our outer world with care and tender compassion. The post Dr. Richard Schwartz: Healing the Internal Family appeared first on Josh Summers.
Not giving into the craving, but simply observing it until it fades, allows us to heal in that we grow out of a strategy that seeks happiness in very limited ways (seeking pleasant sights, sounds, feelings, sensations, etc.) and starts to taste a happiness and well-being that is intrinsic to being, itself - when we aren't hooked by the seductive messaging of craving or tanha. The post Kissing Tanha As It Flies appeared first on Josh Summers.
With regard to coming to a better understanding of addiction, "we need to learn how to de-stigmatize the human condition." Whether the addiction is to alcohol, nicotine, smartphones, this interview with Dr. Judson Brewer holds many insights for our individual and collective freedom. The post Dr. Judson Brewer: Saving Ourselves From Ourselves appeared first on Josh Summers.
Loch Kelly explains the relationship between two distinct neural structures in the brain: The Default Mode Network and the Task Positive Network. Learn how non-dual mindfulness harmonizes these two networks, priming your mind for greater creativity and flow. The post Loch Kelly: Neuroscience of Non-Dual Mindfulness appeared first on Josh Summers.
"Let's introduce the solution before we tackle the problem. Let's introduce what can bear what seems unbearable - then we can deal with what [seems] unbearable." - Loch Kelly The post Loch Kelly: Self-Realization and Self-Detox appeared first on Josh Summers.
"What shifts is not you the meditator, not you the doer, not you the seeker or the small self... the beginning is to invite your already awake awareness which is identified [with something] to separate itself out. Let awareness be aware of the space from the space." - Loch Kelly The post Loch Kelly: Everywhere, Nowhere, and Here appeared first on Josh Summers.
We are pleased to announce that the Foundations Module is now available in an online and on-demand format. I explain the details in the brief special episode. The post Yin Yoga in Place: Online Teacher Trainings appeared first on Josh Summers.
"From the cloud [of egoic, thought-based identity] we can drop below it, we can shift above it, or behind it, or to the side of it, to discover that we are also the sky." - Loch Kelly The post Loch Kelly: The Way of Effortless Mindfulness appeared first on Josh Summers.
"My approach and my goal in my religious practices is to have a mystical experience. I do not believe that I need to be a perfect human being before I have that mystical experience. I believe that you can have a mystical experience as an imperfect human being." - Paul Grilley The post Paul Grilley: Psychology, Spirituality, and Yin Yoga appeared first on Josh Summers.
"If the snake is still in you, then you have to transmute that into a higher function. And that's where philosophy and introspection are incredibly important." - Paul Grilley The post Paul Grilley: The Evolution of Consciousness appeared first on Josh Summers.
In this special episode of Everyday Sublime, Josh Summers answers the six most important questions about how Yin Yoga can help you stay safe and healthy in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn valuable ways to raise the vibration of your frequency and heal the collective consciousness of humanity. The post Yin Yoga and COVID-19: Josh Answers Your Questions appeared first on Josh Summers.
"Technique can only take you so far... you gotta have the courage to go beyond your tradition and step off." - Paul Grilley The post Paul Grilley: Suffering and Samadhi appeared first on Josh Summers.
"The goal of yoga is to abide in your true nature... If you are not abiding in your own true nature, then you are identifying with the vrittis in your consciousness, and that is suffering." - Paul Grilley, paraphrasing Patanjali The post Paul Grilley: The Tao of Paul appeared first on Josh Summers.
It's important as practitioners and teachers that we don't fall into a kind of "alternative reductionism" when we apply principles of Chinese Medicine to how we work with our bodies and minds in Yin Yoga. Stefanie Arend and I explore how we think about the interface between Traditional Chinese Medicine and Yin Yoga. The post Stefanie Arend: Energetic Sequencing in Yin Yoga appeared first on Josh Summers.
Meridian massage, meridian tracing and tapping, cultivating an intuitive listening to the needs of your body and mind with Yin Yoga. These are some of the themes Stefanie Arend and I discuss as we explore her new book, Be Healthy With Yin Yoga. The post Stefanie Arend: Meridian Massage appeared first on Josh Summers.
Yin Yoga supports a mechanism of self-healing by opening up stagnations and blockages within the fascial network. This in turn allows for the body's energy to circulate in an unimpeded manner. The post Stefanie Arend: Be Healthy With Yin Yoga appeared first on Josh Summers.
In many of the traditions I've studied, the sublime is to be found literally hiding in plain site. To quote Stephen Batchelor, "the mystical does not transcend this world, it saturates it." In the season opener of 2020, I reflect on the podcast's name, the (slightly new) direction of the podcast, and make a key suggestion for your time of winter hibernation. The post The Point of Vanishing appeared first on Josh Summers.
When we become stripped of our illusory perceptions of being separate, we can experience two simultaneous feelings. The first is a deep and liberating truth of interconnection and love. But we may also feel a profound sadness and mourning for all the energy invested in protecting and defending a self-image that was never actually there in the first place. The post Winter: The Sacred Portal appeared first on Josh Summers.
Dr. Timothy McCall looks at how illness can be a real moment of opening to lots of unfinished business, and we consider all the various levels of healing that can occur when we start to open to things that have been walled off to our conscious minds. The post Dr. Timothy McCall: A Story of Healing appeared first on Josh Summers.
In this episode, Dr. Timothy McCall speaks about the problems inherent in trying to evaluate the efficacy of alternative therapies from a reductionistic model. He also discusses the problems of implementing alternative therapies with a reductionistic mindset. The post Dr. Timothy McCall: Holism vs. Reductionism in Medicine appeared first on Josh Summers.
Intermittent fasting is a popular fitness trend to improve insulin sensitivity, decrease inflammation, promote cellular autophagy, and help manage weight. But what if fasting can also reduce the chances of getting cancer and help support one through cancer treatment? Dr. Timothy McCall shares his story of fasting through cancer therapy. The post Dr. Timothy McCall: Starving Cancer appeared first on Josh Summers.
In the first part of my interview with Dr. Timothy McCall, we talk about what it was like for him to receive his cancer diagnosis and how he thought about approaching his treatment, bringing together the very best of Eastern and Western medical modalities. The post Dr. Timothy McCall: When the Doctor Gets Cancer appeared first on Josh Summers.
The themes of power abuse, toxic group dynamics, and victim blaming are important themes for anyone who occupies the space of a yoga mat or a meditation cushion in the modern yoga landscape. Matthew Remski explains what reform might look like as yoga culture moves forward. The post Matthew Remski: Lighting a Path Forward for Safety and Transparency appeared first on Josh Summers.
The Jois family held tightly to its narrative of legitimacy until, well, they didn't. And this is what is both eerie and fascinating about the recent developments in the Ashtanga community. Here we see, in real time, the efforts of an organization to "brandwash" its unfortunate history. The post Matthew Remski: The Dynamics of Deception and Enablement appeared first on Josh Summers.
Although Yin Yoga looks quite simple, being an effective Yin Yoga teacher is not so simple. There are five primary reasons someone should invest in proper training if they plan to teach others the practice of Yin Yoga. Let's go over each of them individually. The post Why Train in Yin Yoga? appeared first on Josh Summers.
Before pausing for my summer break in August, I highlight some of the top episodes of the year so far, giving you a distilled recap of some of the conversations to catch up on or review again. I also announce the fall line-up and include suggestions for your summer reading. The post Summer Break: Looking Back, Looking Ahead appeared first on Josh Summers.
For over three decades, Pattabhi Jois sexually and physically abused his yoga students, mostly women. This abuse happened in plain sight. To understand how this was possible requires an exploration of toxic group dynamics, methods of deception, and networks of complicity. Matthew Remski explains this all in his book, "Practice and All Is Coming." The post Matthew Remski: Exposing Yoga’s Culture of Sexual Abuse appeared first on Josh Summers.
In our yoga and meditation practice, we often value the cultivation of attention and awareness. But how might we better design our environment to support the development of attention? How might this redesign reinforce the intentions of our practice? The post 4 Principles for Designing a Better Relationship with Our Digital Devices appeared first on Josh Summers.
"Pack your rain gear before you leave home," says meditation teacher Oren Jay Sofer. In this episode, Oren explores how we can "pack" tools of stability, balance, and non-attachment, better preparing us to face the inevitable foul weather of life. The post Oren Jay Sofer: Trauma, Somatic Experiencing, and Integration appeared first on Josh Summers.
Talking shop with Sebastian Pucelle, we roll up our sleeves and discuss potential interpretations of the Sanskrit word "nirodah" and what those interpretations mean for your practice. The post Sebastian Pucelle: For the Love of Silence appeared first on Josh Summers.
Sebastian Pucelle describes meditation as a process of purifying the mind. Meditation isn't so much about attaining anything in particular as much as it is a process of letting go of things that distort and disrupt one's life. The post Sebastian Pucelle: The Purification of Mind appeared first on Josh Summers.
Often in meditation, students can get frustrated by their mind's difficulty in following the meditation instructions. Sebastian Pucelle, the wonderful French Yin Yoga teacher, suggests that the two most important aspects of a meditation practice are one's intention and attitude, not the specific technique, per se. The post Sebastian Pucelle: The Attitude of Stillness appeared first on Josh Summers.
The therapeutic encounter between a practitioner and patient is, in many regards, the most important part of a healing relationship. This encounter is another way of referring to the placebo effect. But far from being ineffective, all good healers try to maximize this effect. According to Dr. Daniel Keown, acupuncture is one of the most sublime forms of the therapeutic encounter. The post Dr. Daniel Keown: Acupuncture and Placebos appeared first on Josh Summers.
How alive are you? This isn't a question that Western Medicine frequently asks, but according to Dr. Daniel Keown, this question is at the heart of Traditional Chinese Medicine. And the quality, quantity, and circulation of our Qi determines the potency of our "aliveness." The post Dr. Daniel Keown: Jellyfish, Channels, and Qi appeared first on Josh Summers.
What is Qi? What are the channels of Chinese Medicine? What is fascia? These questions and more are taken up by Dr. Daniel Keown, explained with lucid brilliance. For anyone interested in Chinese Medicine, this is a must-listen. The post Dr. Daniel Keown: The Channels of Chinese Medicine appeared first on Josh Summers.
Talking about difficult topics is not easy. Often we get trapped in patterns of reactivity and experience a clash of viewpoints. Oren Jay Sofer offers ways to move past through these impasses in learning how to identify the underlying needs being expressed - the needs that connect us to our shared universal human longings. From this sense of connection, collaborative dialogue becomes possible. The post Oren Jay Sofer: On Nonviolent Communication appeared first on Josh Summers.
All too often, meditation is seen as a panacea for all that ails us. But meditation practice alone is not necessarily enough to smooth out the strife in our interpersonal conflicts. For this we need training in communication strategy - ways to escape the blame game and move towards a deeper understanding of shared needs and goals. In this episode, Oren Jay Sofer lays about a mindful approach to nonviolent communication. The post Oren Jay Sofer: On Mindful Communication appeared first on Josh Summers.
Bernie Clark shares how his thinking about exercise has shifted from an emphasis on mobility to an emphasis on stability. This is important to how we think about what we're doing in all forms of physical yoga. The post Bernie Clark: Your Sacroiliac Joint appeared first on Josh Summers.
In our youth, we're more Yang and need to work on strength and stability. As we age, we become more Yin, and therefore need to spend more time working on maintaining our mobility. The post Bernie Clark: Developing and Aging Bodies appeared first on Josh Summers.
This retreat inspired me to try a few hacks with regards to my relationship to technology - to make my phone less of the pocket-sized slot-machine that it's become, I've tried to restructure the design of my phone as well as my timeframe around using it. And I invite you to join me on these digital hacks for better well-being. The post Reflecting on a Winter’s Retreat appeared first on Josh Summers.
In the Season Finale of Everyday Sublime for 2018, I take stock of the past year and look ahead to 2019 - and pay tribute to two of my dearest teachers, Rodney Smith and Jack Engler, who are both retiring from their decades of teaching and service. The post Winter Is Coming appeared first on Josh Summers.
In the second episode of a 4-part series, Yin master Bernie Clark unpacks the important concept of spinal neutrality and he explores how to think about symmetry, functional asymmetry, and dysfunctional asymmetry in the body. The post Bernie Clark: Spinal Neutrality, Symmetry, and Asymmetry appeared first on Josh Summers.
In the first episode of a 4-part series, I welcome Bernie Clark back to the podcast to discuss his new book, Your Spine, Your Yoga. In it, Bernie talks about the main themes in the book including the importance of stability over mobility in the health of our spines. The post Bernie Clark: Your Spine, Your Yoga appeared first on Josh Summers.
Rather than trying to domesticate your thought process, Yin Meditation offers a process for refining your understanding of how your inner world works. Approaching your meditation with a receptive attitude is the least intrusive way of getting to know the natural terrain of your inner landscape. The post Yin Meditation: The Instructions appeared first on Josh Summers.
In this final installment of my 3-part interview series, we explore tricky Buddhist concepts of anatta (non-self) and nirvana. And we consider that present moment awareness is not sufficient for the development of deeper wisdom and understanding in one's life. For that, memory is required. The post The Role of Remembering on the Path appeared first on Josh Summers.
In many styles of meditation, if we hold too tightly to meditative instructions, we may unintentionally cut many things out of our meditation practice. In part two of my 3-part interview series, we explore letting more things "in" to your meditation, and not letting go too quickly. The post The Insight of Experience appeared first on Josh Summers.
In meditation, all too often, people struggle with their thinking, and feel badly that they can't stop their "monkey mind" from thinking so much. Here's a gentler, more compassionate approach to working with one's mind in meditation. The post Thoughts Are Not the Enemy appeared first on Josh Summers.
This episode is the season finale of The Everyday Sublime, before I close up shop for the summer. I give a preview of what's to come in September, and a quick look back at some of the highlights from the past few months. The post Season Finale – Summers’ Break appeared first on Josh Summers.
I talk with David Lesondak about his new book, Fascia: What it is and why it matters. David is rapidly becoming a rock star in the fascial world, having extensive work in structural integration, as well as having attended and presented at many of the Fascial Congresses. The post David Lesondak: All Things Fascia appeared first on Josh Summers.
Chinese language tends to describe the Organs and their functions in poetic terms. Their language is metaphorical, often drawing on images from nature and human governance to describe the various processes of human health. The post Chinese Medicine: The Organs, or Zang-Fu appeared first on Josh Summers.
Here, Bernie Clark talks about the fascial concepts of dynaments and creep. He discusses some misunderstandings of Yin Yoga, as well as how to think about propping and assisting in Yin Yoga. The post Bernie Clark: Understanding Yin Yoga appeared first on Josh Summers.
"The best way to affect positively one's Essence is by striving for balance in one's life activities: balance between work and rest, restraint in sexual activity and balanced diet. Any irregularity or excess in these spheres is bound to diminish the Essence. A direct way to positively influence one's Essence is through breathing exercises and such exercises as Tai Ji Quan and Qi Gong." - Maciocia The post Chinese Medicine: What is Essence? appeared first on Josh Summers.
Listen to Bernie Clark discuss: antifragility, confusion between correlation and causation, the four levels evidence in science, piezoelectricity, and Yin and Yang stress on our tissues. Essential listening for Yin Yoga teachers. The post Bernie Clark: The Science of Yin Yoga appeared first on Josh Summers.
The second big function of the Blood in Chinese Medicine is that Blood is said to have the function of 'moistening' tissues. Strong Blood prevents things from drying out. Healthy Blood keeps the tissues moist, keeps the eyes from feeling dry, keeps the sinews (or tendons) lubricated, and moistens the skin, nails and hair, preventing all from becoming dry, cracked, and brittle. The post Chinese Medicine: What is Blood? appeared first on Josh Summers.
Many people express concern about issues of hypermobility and hyperextension in Yin Yoga. Here Bernie Clark explores these concerns and logically defends Yin Yoga. Essential listening for Yin Yoga teachers. The post Bernie Clark: Hypermobility and Hyperextension appeared first on Josh Summers.
For yoga teachers, it can be a challenging process to unlearn rigid rules of alignment and to adapt their teaching to the unique experience of their students. Here, Bernie Clark will walk you through how to think about and teach functional alignment in Yin Yoga and beyond. The post Bernie Clark: The Mindset of a Teacher appeared first on Josh Summers.
As with everything in Chinese Medicine, all entities - whether they be a type of energy, an organ, or a meridian - tend to be defined by the functions they perform. And the concept of Qi is no different. It's classification as a type of energy is defined by what functions it performs, and for Qi there are Five Primary Functions. The post Chinese Medicine: The Sources and Functions of Qi appeared first on Josh Summers.
One way of thinking of the Meridians of Chinese Medicine is that they are, generally speaking, channels of communication within the organism along which subtle informational signals are transmitted. The post Chinese Medicine: The Meridians appeared first on Josh Summers.
Back from the Yin phase of Winter Hibernation, I'm excited to tell you about what's in store for Season 2 of Everyday Sublime. I have a couple of quick updates about the Summers School of Yin Yoga, and a line-up of superstar interviews for 2018. We're off to a great start this year, and I'm looking forward to connecting again. The post Emerging From Hibernation appeared first on Josh Summers.
In 2018, the Summers School of Yin Yoga will be unrolling a unique way study Yin Yoga with a modular curriculum, as well as a way to earn a 200hr or 300hr certification in Yin Yoga, if you're interested. Each of the core modules of the school will include an online component (taken prior to attending the session) and a live four-day immersion. This will allow us to start at a much higher level when we come together live, and will provide a much richer learning experience overall. The post Winter is the Most Yin Time of Year appeared first on Josh Summers.
Qi is "perceived functionally, by what it does," is critical to remember. Entities in Chinese Medicine are almost unanimously "perceived functionally," that is, defined by what they do. We'll see this affirmed again and again when we look at the meridian system. Meridians are defined by what they do, functionally - the organ system - organs are defined by what they do, functionally - and the Vital Substances of the body - which again are defined by what they do, functionally for the whole organism. The post Chinese Medicine: What Is Qi? appeared first on Josh Summers.
A point that many authors and practitioners of Chinese Medicine often reiterate is that as qualities of change, Yin and Yang are in a constant process of controlling and balancing one another. A static, unchanging balance is never achieved. What is observed and assisted, however -- both by the skilled yoga practitioner and practitioner of Chinese Medicine -- is a smooth process of balancing The post Chinese Medicine: Mastering the Relationship appeared first on Josh Summers.
By observing Yin and Yang dynamics both in the macrocosm and within the microcosm, the overarching intention was always one of promoting harmony. When honored, observed and respected, Yin and Yang describe processes of change that can be fluid, harmonious and balanced. Of course, if neglected or disregarded, the ceaseless process of change between Yin and Yang can break down and no longer be a smooth, harmonizing process of balance, but rather turn into a disruptive, chaotic, and jarring dynamic of imbalance. The post Chinese Medicine: The Flow of Yin and Yang appeared first on Josh Summers.
Taoists observed how the play of cycles in Nature would manifest in parallel within their internal experience. Understanding and attuning to the world outside facilitated an ability to bring the internal microcosm into harmony with its world, and vice versa, where greater understanding of the microcosm - especially through meditative insight - supported this harmonization with the external environment or macrocosm. The post Chinese Medicine: Taoist Origins appeared first on Josh Summers.
A holistic approach to medicine will formulate a diagnosis of a patient's condition by taking into consideration the complex dynamic of everything going on internally with that patient, as well as external influences of interpersonal relationship, work, and climate. Whereas a more conventional approach to medicine will try to identify a singular causative factor that generates illness and which needs to be eliminated or suppressed. The post Chinese Medicine: A Holistic Paradigm appeared first on Josh Summers.
I find Aaron's trios are the settings where his personality and voice shine brightest. In my interview Aaron, he talked about the depth of connection that forms between jazz musicians when they've played together for years and years and years, and it's that level of connection and interpersonal knowing that facilitates the kind of expression and improvisation that is so charged and captivating. It's that depth of familiarity which facilitates the sublime. The post The Jazz Session: Ode to Aaron Goldberg appeared first on Josh Summers.
In a Yin approach to meditation, you encounter the raw materials of your life: sensations of the body, perceptions, ideas, thoughts, views, and opinions. And in coming to know these elements more directly, you can shape and make of them what you will. How you act, think, speak, work, and rest are all of one process that you examine and develop in the workshop of your meditation practice. You are both the artist and the creative subject. The post Yin Meditation: A Creative And Functional Approach To Meditation appeared first on Josh Summers.
What I'm about to suggest as a way of working with sleepiness will likely cause you to question my sanity. But, for me, and many that I've spoken to and worked with, allowing sleepiness to be, i.e. letting it go on, is the most effective strategy for working with it. And, in the context of this lesson, by doing so, you might find yourself inadvertently entering deep states of stillness by specifically not fighting sleepiness. The post Yin Meditation: How To Fail At Meditation appeared first on Josh Summers.
In contrast to more active and Yang ways of working with the hindrances, I've found it incredibly fruitful to adopt a more Yin approach. Rather than deploying any prescribed technique or strategy for dealing with them, I've found that bringing a relaxed, receptive, tolerant, and curious energy towards the hindrances is a really good first step. These qualities reframe the energy that my mind tends to have in approaching each hindrance. I'm not so much in attack mode any longer. I'm a bit softer and friendlier, encouraging a broader exploration of their energy. The post Yin Meditation: Relaxing Within the Hindrances appeared first on Josh Summers.
In this Yin approach to meditation that I'm describing, when you dial back any effort to try and control your mind, you're giving your mind space to explore things that it finds naturally engaging. For example, while relaxing and being receptive to your experience in meditation, you might find that you start to think about about a dynamic at work, or an unfinished project at home, or a disagreement with someone, or a holiday you'd like to take. In allowing your mind to get absorbed into these kinds of themes and topics, certain qualities of focus and calm - often listed in meditation texts - do start to come together. The post Yin Meditation: Absorption Au Naturel appeared first on Josh Summers.
The peace in the heart of these still states provides a balm to stress and anxiety. There is a profound relief and well-being that often accompanies these states. And frequently, when you experience them, there is a blooming of faith that something significant and important is developing in your meditation practice. And one of the truly wonderful aspects of a Yin approach to meditation is that internal stillness happens rather frequently on its own. The post Yin Meditation: Exploring Stillness appeared first on Josh Summers.
By committing to a fixed time, you will inevitably go through phases of calm, agitation, boredom, restlessness; periods of wondering when it will end, and possibly periods of time of not wanting it to end. And in sitting through all these experiences -- riding these internal waves -- you will start to get to know your inner world better. The post Yin Meditation: Staying Still in Meditation appeared first on Josh Summers.
When your mind is given permission to be receptive to the total spectrum of experience and to relax within that process -- and to not try and push unpleasant things away -- one of the things that relaxes is the resistance to conflict. I'm sure you've heard the old aphorism: "That which you resist, persists?" Well, it's true in meditation, too. If you resist conflict, it tends to just push back and kick its heels in deeper. But if you are receptive and allowing of it, the conflict tends to shift and move, change and flow; it comes and goes more fluidly. The post Yin Meditation: The Art of Releasing Conflict in Meditation appeared first on Josh Summers.
The general "mental posture" within a Yin approach to meditation is for your mind to be receptive and open to the full range of your inner experience. But with such an open-ended approach, it's not uncommon for challenging emotions and themes to arise within your practice. I suggest handling these strong mental/emotional energies in the same manner that you might negotiate strong sensation in the body during a Yin Yoga posture. The post Yin Meditation: Playing Your Mental Edge appeared first on Josh Summers.
In a Yin approach to meditation, the main emphasis is to develop a relaxed and receptive attitude towards the experiences you have while meditating - you're not trying to control or overly manage those experiences; you're developing gentleness and tolerance to yourself and the variety of experiences you have while meditating. The post Yin Meditation: Relaxing the Mind appeared first on Josh Summers.
When we look at different mental qualities, Yin qualities of mind tend to include traits like receptivity, allowance, yielding, tolerance, quiescence, reflection, passivity, or non-manipulation. Yang qualities of mind tend to involve traits like doing, manipulating, directing, improving, achieving, controlling, or becoming. From a Chinese perspective, both Yin and Yang qualities are essential. And the value in better understanding the relationship between Yin and Yang qualities is to promote balance and harmony between them. The post Yin vs. Yang Meditation appeared first on Josh Summers.
Simply put, meditation is mental training, and a way to know yourself better. Meditation develops certain qualities of your mind. For thousands of years, this mental training was practiced within spiritual and religious communities, often requiring a fair amount of faith, belief, and superstition on behalf of the student. But now, there is a renaissance underway, ushering in new ways of practicing and thinking about meditation. The post What is Meditation? appeared first on Josh Summers.
I often get the sense that when students come to a Yin Yoga class they want to feel good throughout the class, start to finish, particularly when it's a class that seems on the surface to be "gentle" and "quiet" and "meditative". And yet, that is not the average newcomer's experience. At some point during the second or third pose of the sequence, newcomers often evince a grimace of distaste and concern. And this needs to be acknowledged. The post Yin Yoga: Bitter Practice, Sweet Result appeared first on Josh Summers.
All too frequently, someone says to me: "I love how Yin Yoga makes me feel... BUT, I couldn't just do Yin Yoga." Based on their expression as they say this, I can only assume they think they've caught me in some kind of gotcha moment, where they're exposing a blind spot in my understanding of YinYoga. And much to their surprise, I respond, "Of course, you wouldn't ONLY practice Yin Yoga. I would never suggest that." The post Yin Yoga: The Universal Donor of Yoga appeared first on Josh Summers.
When it is time to come out of a Yin Posture, you may feel a pronounced disinclination to move quickly. Remember: the tissues in the area that you have targeted will be temporarily weakened as a result of the stresses placed upon them during the hold. As such, these targeted areas tend to feel delicate, fragile, vulnerable, and tender. So, because of these kinds of sensations, it's a good idea to encourage students to also come out of the pose slowly. Or, as I like to cue, "Come out gingerly." The post Yin Yoga: How to Come Out of a Pose appeared first on Josh Summers.
The third principle of Yin Yoga is to stay still for relatively longer periods of time than you would in an active style of yoga practice, such as Ashtanga or Vinyasa Yoga. The question of how long you should hold the posture often surfaces. By now, you may be anticipating my answer. How long you should stay in a posture depends on a few factors: namely, the tolerance level and strength of the tissue being stressed, and the broader intention behind that stress. The post Yin Yoga: Staying Still For Time appeared first on Josh Summers.
The second aspect of executing a Yin Yoga posture is to relax the muscles in the area that you are targeting. Confusion tends to arise when students hear this instruction to "relax the muscles." There is a tendency to take this as a global mandate that in Yin Yoga poses ALL muscles everywhere MUST relax, but this is going too far. In practice, you endeavor to relax the muscles primarily in the targeted area that you are influencing. It's this action of relaxing the muscles that shifts the emphasis of the posture's stress into the denser connective tissues in and around the muscles and the joints. The post Yin Yoga: Relaxing The Muscles appeared first on Josh Summers.
In Yin Yoga, and increasingly in other styles too, there is an emphasis placed on understanding how your body is uniquely influenced by the pose and then from that, making wiser choices about how to align yourself within the pose. How you feel and adapt to what you're feeling are important elements of Playing Your Edge in Yin Yoga poses. The post Yin Yoga: Playing The Edge appeared first on Josh Summers.
Yin Yoga is an approach to yoga that is meant to be a complementary style of practice to more active styles of postural yoga. The intentions of Yin Yoga are to stimulate, strengthen, and revive tissues of the body that are not emphasized to the same degree as in active styles of yoga, hence its complementary nature. The post What Is Yin Yoga? appeared first on Josh Summers.