Part 2 Sacred Intersections: Where Realms Meet

Happy Saint Patrick's Day! 

Today I wanted to share the second of two installments about pilgrims and pilgrimages. 

In Part 1, I wrote about the pilgrim's journey, specifically that magical transformation from searching to arriving. 

And today, being Saint Patrick’s Day, I want to invite you to join me at Tobar Phádraig—Saint Patrick's well—where together we can discover those magical intersections between realms that define true pilgrimage.

The Intersection of Realms (Connecting to Pilgrim)

If you recall from my last message, during my retreat to Ireland last year, we visited the home and art studio of Richard Hearns who showed us many paintings, two of which made a distinct impression on Seneca and me. 

Seneca was enthralled by Idyll but I was immediately taken by the painting Pilgrim. 

So much moves me about this painting, especially the image of the pilgrim and the illumination behind the figure. To me, this image feels like an arrival. 

But what moves me the most about this painting is the intersecting lines, something that’s become a major pillar of my personal spiritual understanding and my teachings. 

The idea of intersecting lines could be summarized like this: The Universe exists as a balanced paradox—seemingly opposite things all belonging to one large Singularity or Oneness. 

Since we all belong to the Oneness, because Oneness is our True Nature and opposites are anathema to this core Oneness, whenever there is perceived opposition, it’s an opportunity to step into the fullness of our being and begin to explore that situation in a Both/And way. Whether it’s about politics or relationships, career or education decisions, even getting along with our neighbors, there is a magic in exploring the place where seemingly opposing lines intersect. Responding rather than reacting to the human experience of opposition in a way that mirrors our greatest intelligence, the Beingness of our Oneness, is the most beautiful representation of intersecting lines. When two seemingly opposite things come together, they can create a new third thing, something magical and larger than the sum of its parts. 

There’s always magic at the crossroads. 

My work, especially with Yoga Nidra, explores that fascinating crossroads between our humanness and our beingness in our birthright and majesty of what it truly means to be a human being. It explores the intersections of waking and dreaming, spiritual and physical, self and Self, and self and other. 

One of the things I teach in my Personal Renaissance retreats and walking tours in Tuscany is the Leonardo DaVinci illustration of the Vitruvian Man, the human being as the perfect example of intersection of realms e.g., the circle and the square. 

It’s often at these intersections, at these crossroads, that magic happens. Sacred wells are potent examples of this kind of magic.

Sacred Wells as Intersections

Asking permission to enter Tobar Phádraig

Both times that I’ve made my own pilgrimage to Tobar Phádraig, I’ve been accompanied by spiritual giants—Norín and Moley—mother and son duo of poets, writers, and singers—and none other than poet, author, and speaker David Whyte himself. 

Both times we were led along this stony pathway that overlooked the barren landscape with a view of the Atlantic ocean off to our right. We followed seemingly endless lines of fences made from the natural flagstones so replete in this landscape. 

After about 30 minutes of walking, there’s a break in the wall off to the left. Norín invited us to stand at the threshold between the road and the pathway leading to the well, and in our hearts ask the land and spirits permission to enter. Doing so, then taking a step onto the short path that leads to the holy well, it felt like stepping onto holy ground. 

Saint Patrick

At the well, it is lush, verdant. Quiet. There are ribbons hanging in the trees with names on them, people who are sick, dying or dead. Generations from time out of mind built a stone basin in which there’s a scattering of coins. Statues of saints and plaques with pictures of family members, living and dead, watch quietly from alcoves. 

Standing at the well, we were invited to make our own prayers and supplications, tie our own ribbons to the trees,  and toss coins into the well. Then song and poetry sealed our prayers to rest in that holy place like bright coins scintillating in the well.

Intersecting Saints, Sinners, and Leprechauns 

While standing at the holy well, David Whyte recited his poem, Tobar Phádraig, and prefaced the poem with both a story and history about the well including the spiritual and mystical landscape of Ireland.

David Whyte explained to us a little about the original people who lived in Ireland. Before the current people conquered Ireland, the original inhabitants had been living there for thousands of years. There are sacred burial sites and dolmans in the area that are at least five thousand years old. He explained that what is now Tobar Phádraig has been a sacred site for millennia and long predates Saint Patrick and the Catholic church. 

The original people of Ireland had reached such a high level of harmony between themselves and nature, that they were truly enlightened beings. When the people who currently live in Ireland came to take over the land by force, the original inhabitants were in such a completely different place consciously and spiritually that it’s said that when they saw the conquerors coming, they simply turned sideways into the light and chose to live in a different realm. 

Patrick McCormack

It’s said that those original people still inhabit the land but make up the mythical and mystical landscape of Ireland in the form of elementals, spirits, leprechaun, and the like. I can tell you with a straight face that having been there it’s very easy to sense these beings in that landscape.

I’m not alone. When we were in Ireland, we were also treated to a beautiful walk around the Burren with farmer, rancher, and environmental activist Patrick McCormack (check out this beautiful documentary about him). Patrick is a very practical man who has a beautiful and profound relationship with the land. He also told us frankly that the spirits and elementals of that area have rules that must be followed if you want your work on the land to go well. He explained that even the farmers and ranchers who don’t believe in these spirits still abide by these spirits’ rules … you know, just in case. 

I’ve since learned a little more about Saint Patrick, that when he was preaching at what’s now Saint Patrick’s well and admonishing the non-Christians to join his johnny-come-lately church—we are talking 433 CE. Well the non-christians weren’t having it and started throwing rocks at Saint Patrick. Having been there, I can attest to the preponderance of hand-sized stones in the area and it's clear that they would make effective and easy ammunition. Well, it’s said that Saint Patrick threw his staff down on the ground and it turned into many serpents who drove all the non-believers away and that’s how christianity came to stay in Ireland.

Then, David Whyte told us another story about when christianity was more established in Ireland. St. Kevin, a hermit and founder of Glendalough monastery was known for his deep connection to nature and animals. It’s said that one day he was praying with his hands outstretched, supplicating the divine, and a blackbird came and rested there. So St. Kevin prayed longer to allow this bird a little rest. Well, the blackbird felt so comfortable there that she nested and laid an egg there. Kevin then remained in that position until the fledgling was raised and both birds flew away. 

So now knowing more about the history and intersection of saints, sinners, and leprechauns, here’s David Whyte’s poem, Tobar Phádraig. Listen to how David Whyte masterfully intersects all of these intersecting elements: past, present, and future, christian and pre-christian traditions, inner and outer landscape, body and spirit, as well as the author and reader. Plus I hope that you’ll understand the references a bit better after the stories he shared.

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Tobar Phádraig

By David Whyte

Turn sideways into the light as they say

the old ones did and disappear

into the originality of it all.

Be impatient with easy explanations

and teach, that part of the mind

that wants to know everything,

not to begin questions it cannot answer.

Walk the green road above the bay

and the low glinting fields

toward the evening sun, let that Atlantic

gleam be ahead of you and the gray light

of the bay below you, until you catch,

down on your left, the break in the wall,

for just above in the shadows

you’ll find it hidden, a curved arm

of rock holding the water close to the mountain,

a just-lit surface smoothing a scattering of coins,

and in the niche above, notes to the dead

and supplications for those who still live.

But for now, you are alone with the transfiguration

and ask no healing for your own

but look down as if looking through time,

as if through a rent veil from the other

side of the question you’ve refused to ask.

And you remember now, that clear stream

of generosity from which you drank,

how as a child your arms could rise and your palms

turn out to take the blessing of the world.

The Alchemy of Presence

I recently returned from a personal pilgrimage to Colombia. Having visited this retreat 6 years previous, an experience that afforded me with both the most difficult and the spiritual experiences of my life up to that point, I returned because I felt called to. I craved the further light, spirit, and wisdom that this sacred healer facilitates so ably. 

In short, I craved a solid dose of the divine. I went into this recent pilgrimage with some trepidation because I know that often such encounters are as much of a violation as they are revelation, that just like Richard Hearns’ paintings suggest, there’s a journey through the darkness to arrive at the greater light. 

Even though I prayed to be spared from the darkness—hoping that I had somehow paid that price at the previous retreat six years ago and that this one could be all rainbows—the darkness came nonetheless. Something needed to be born from within me and it was not gentle. Nonetheless, as anyone who has experienced giving birth in any form may attest, this kind of genesis is the pilgrim’s journey—the pain leading to the beauty or the light.

Many things came through me during the ceremonies in Colombia but one of my deepest insights was about the alchemy of presence. Past and future, myself and other—all merged into my being at this moment. I felt as if I was humanity giving birth to itself, healing itself, and strengthening itself. It was one of the most spiritual, affirming, and beautiful experiences I may ever have in my life, an experience that opened my eyes more fully to the Oneness that exists in all of us. 

Like I mentioned previously, it dawned on me that there’s a sacredness to the pilgrim’s hunger and searching for something over the next horizon but that eventually there will come a time along the pilgrim’s journey when the pilgrim arrives “at the ground at their feet and learns to be at home.” I believe that this often, this kind of arrival happens when we encounter intersecting lines, the paradox of vertical and horizontal, physical and spiritual, you and me, or frankly any other apparent opposite. 

It happens when we realize that this very moment—even as you read these words—is the moment you’ve been waiting for. 

This is it. You’ve arrived. 

Invitation

I invite you to join me for a pilgrimage on my next yoga retreat to the French Riviera, June 7–13, 2025 where we will explore that intersection of humanness and beingness, of ocean and land, spirit and culture.

I only have a few spots left so please jump on this today.

You’ll love:

• Daily all-levels yoga and meditation by the ocean

• World class beaches

• Immersing yourself into the culture of Nice and Monaco

• Wine tasting and food tours

• Chill days at the beach

• Amazing new friends

• Beautiful personal discovery

Follow the rainbow over to my website and register today to save $200 with this one day only discount code: POTOGOLD. No tricks from leprechauns but the deal goes away tomorrow.

May we all, for the love of saints and sinners alike, “turn sideways into the light” and “turn our palms out and take the blessings of the world.”

You are a blessing in my world. 

Namaste,

PS In the spirit of Saint Patrick’s Day, below are links to two different Irish musical groups, both of whom I’ve had the pleasure of encountering while in Ireland. Enjoy!

PART 1 The Pilgrim's Journey: From Searching To Arriving

“You’re not tourists,” she proclaimed. “You’re pilgrims.”

The June morning sun shone through the large windows of the yoga room and rested on Nórín’s golden hair, the rays chasing away the chill left by the persistent Irish rain of previous days. 

Nórín Ní Riain and her son Moley Ó Súilleabháin, were spending the day with our yoga group to share spirit in the form of poetry, song, stories, and a sacred walk to the Tobar Phádraig, St. Patrick’s holy well. 

Nóirín Ní Riain—Photo By Kim Dastrup

Nóirín Ní Riain at Tobar Phádraig, St. Patrick’s holy well.

As I sat there on the floor listening to Nórín speak, her simple comment about being a pilgrim sent bells ringing in my brain. 

I had been leading and co-leading yoga retreats, like this one to Ireland, for a dozen years or so and I had been chewing on something in my mind. I love to organize and invite people on these yoga adventures, to these beautiful places, not just to practice yoga in different scenery but for a chance to create a bigger change in body, mind, and spirit for each of us. 

Nórín helped to clarify this for me: these retreats are more than just simple tourism—they are personal and group pilgrimages. 

What are pilgrims and pilgrimages? How are retreats and life in general pilgrimages?

I believe that pilgrimages start with a question and a keen willingness to start walking in faith, often toward unknown horizons, to see where the path will lead you and what you may discover along the way. 

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The Darkness Before Light (Connecting to Idyll)

A few days after our enchanted day with Nórín and Moley, we were invited to visit Richard Hearns’ home and art studio. He’s a world-renowned painter who lives and works a short drive from the Burren Yoga Retreat where we were hosting our retreat. He graciously welcomed all 17 us—complete strangers—into his home. His wife, Boo, made us scones and tea. He proudly showed us around their verdant garden and gave us a private showing of his art, even reciting a memorized essay he’d written about the spirit of his work. 

Especially after our experience a few days earlier with Nórín and Moley, it seemed quite clear that one can’t a stick in this part of Ireland without someone ready to share a song, poem, or some sort of recitation. 

Richard showed us several of his paintings including two pieces that he’d just finished that work beautifully together as a duo: Idyll and … (wait for it) … Pilgrim. 

As Richard pulled the first of these paintings, Idyll, out from the back room and set it upon the floor, Seneca let out a spontaneous gasp. She said that she was immediately struck by the skill and depth of the painting. On first sight, without any analysis or interpretation, the painting simply moved her.

Richard explained that the word Idyll is an older English word that means a picturesque scene, something ideal, or, more poignantly, something that is ultimately unsustainable.

As Seneca continued to look at the painting, she saw the pathway of a journey. In this painting there are layers, steps in hues, from a light gray area through a valley of darkness to arrive at a brighter sky, maybe a brighter day laying in promise behind the formidable terrain. She said that the valley merely represents life itself and that there is as much love and beauty even in the darkness of the valley as the break of light beyond. 

As I look at this painting, in this valley of life, I see an illuminated path—an alluring invitation to travel from what’s not ideal—the gray mere subsistence of being—through the darkness, following the light, into something brighter.

Like many good paintings, poems, or other works of art, Seneca says that in Idyll she sees a thousand stories and meanings. Though the paint is dried on the canvas, the painting is constantly changing by the meaning it evokes.

One of the meanings I see in this painting is the pilgrim’s journey of hope. 

This vision of the pilgrim's journey through darkness toward light would resonate deeply with me during my next pilgrimage.

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A Columbian Pilgrimage

Recently, I took a personal pilgrimage to a healing retreat in the mountains of Columbia. This time, I was a participant, not the leader. Having been to this retreat 6 years prior, I returned to receive further blessings, healings, and do deepen my spiritual work with one of the greatest spiritual leaders I may ever know, a healer, shaman, and cosmic jester named Tita Juanito. 

This place is holy for me, a place where I’ve received some of my biggest revelations, downloads, and insights. For years, Taita has been coming to me in my dreams and telling me that I was late, that it was time to come back. It took six years but I finally made the pilgrimage back.

I prepared with weeks of cleansing in body, mind, and spirit, by meditating, adhering to a very clean diet and media consumption. 

Intentions are powerful ways of facilitating transformation during retreats so I decided that Pilgrim would be one of my primary intentions for this retreat. On my retreat, I purposefully didn’t bring many things to read or distract me—just my journal, 3 of my favorite fountain pens, and a few books by poet and author David Whyte, all of which spoke to the idea of pilgrim.

For me, writing is a way of discovering deeper truths so in the days leading up to the retreat, I explored my pilgrim intention by writing many pages in my journal. 

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Some ideas that emerged on the page were: 

Sacrifice: A pilgrim must be willing to sacrifice. A pilgrim not only sacrifices the comforts of their life at home, but must be willing to also sacrifice themselves, must be willing to give up the person they thought they were. They must sacrifice the life they thought made so much sense. 

Discovery: A pilgrim is in a constant state of discovery, wields a healthy dose of curiosity, and can suspend judgement as new things are revealed. 

Receptive: While a pilgrim may be on a journey toward something or to gain something, more importantly a pilgrim must be receptive and available for whatever comes along the path, often something they never expected or hadn’t even conceived of. They must receive some wholly unimagined version of themselves that they may stumble upon along the way. 

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The Evolution Of The Pilgrim

One of the great benefits of retreating from every-day life and immersing yourself in a new experience—be it Ireland or Columbia or anywhere else—is that by doing so it makes you available for incredible insight. It does this by opening both your heart and mind. It opens your eyes because you’re no longer anesthetized by the every-day. 

There’s real magic to simply getting you out of your old routine. 

The Dark Night Leads To The Light

I believe a pilgrim says yes to their own evolution and that usually involves some sort of death of their old self to either a small or larger degree. This can sometimes come in the form of a simple soul update and sometimes in the form of a dark night of the soul, a crisis of ego, or soul death. 

During my Colombian pilgrimage during one of the ceremonies, I experienced a very intense dark night of the soul. It was so difficult that I almost abandoned the retreat to return home only a few days into the 10-day retreat. But something kept me there and I found the courage to stay. I am happy that I did because of the life-changing revelations that were in store for me toward the end of the retreat. 

Sometimes, the being that had only known itself as a caterpillar is called to abandon everything, isolate themselves, and morph into the being that they meant to become. This growth usually comes with pain but pain with beautiful results. 

 This is what I see in the painting Idyll

Arriving

Bringing my pilgrim theme into the retreat setting in Columbia, I made myself receptive to any insight about pilgrimages. One night during a sacred ceremony, as I stood outside transfixed at the brightness of the moon, my mind was illuminated with the idea that a pilgrim eventually evolves from their sacred hunger of searching—striving, and traveling toward something—and eventually lands into a state of constant arriving. 

A pilgrim discovers that though they may be traveling in a particular direction, toward some goal or destination, with open eyes and hearts, the pilgrim discovers that the ground at their feet is holy ground, that each step is “here,” the arrival they thought was somewhere else. But there is no “somewhere else.” There’s only here. 

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David Whyte

David Whyte has a beautiful essay in his book Consolations about the Pilgrim. 

He says:

The defining experience at the diamond-hard center of reality is eternal movement as beautiful and fearful invitation; a beckoning dynamic asking us to move from this to that. The courageous life is the life that is equal to this unceasing tidal and seasonal becoming: and strangely beneath all, stillness being the only proper physical preparation for joining the breathing autonomic exchange of existence. We are so much made of movement that we speak of the destination being both inside us and beyond us; we sense we are the journey along the way, the one who makes it and the one who has already arrived. We are still running round the house packing our bags and we have already gone and come back, even in our preparations; we are alone in the journey and we are just about to meet the people we have known for years. …

We give ourselves to that final destination as an ultimate initiation into vulnerability and arrival, not ever truly knowing what lies on the other side of the transition, or if we survive it in any recognizable form. Strangely, our arrival at that last transition along the way is exactly where we have the opportunity to understand who made the journey and to appreciate the privilege of having existed as a particularity, an immutable person; a trajectory whole and of itself. In that perspective it might be that faith, reliability, responsibility and being true to something unspeakable are possible even if we are travelers, and that we are made better, more faithful companions, and indeed pilgrims on the astonishing, never to be repeated journey by combining the precious memory of the then with the astonishing, but taken for granted experience of the now, and both with the unbelievable, and hardly possible just about to happen.

Whyte, David. Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words (Kindle Location 808). Many Rivers Press. Kindle Edition.

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Yoga Nidra

Since the idea of arriving is such a key element in the arc of a pilgrim’s experience, practices that prepare us for arriving at this exact moment, this exact place, are indispensable. 

I can think of no greater practice to arrive at this exact moment than meditation and yoga, but more specifically Yoga Nidra. 

While I was in Columbia, even though I went as a participant, I was asked to teach Yoga Nidra each afternoon as a way of practicing presence, integrating the teachings in ceremony, as well as resting from often rigorous or difficult ceremonies that would last all night. 

Yoga Nidra is a potent yet gentle way of agreeing to simply welcome, recognize, and witness whatever is directly at your feet, resting in this moment in your Awareness. It helps us arrive at the present moment better than any other practice I’ve ever known. Indeed, Yoga Nidra is so powerful and expert at helping us arrive at an exquisite experience of the present moment, that the first time I worked with a shaman in sacred ceremony, one of my first thoughts was, “Oh, I’ve been here before with Yoga Nidra.” 

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Wendell Berry Says in his poem “A Spiritual Journey”

And the world cannot be discovered by a journey of miles,

no matter how long,

but only by a spiritual journey,

a journey of one inch,

very arduous and humbling and joyful,

by which we arrive at the ground at our feet,

and learn to be at home.

Each opportunity to practice presence through things like Yoga Nidra is a microdose of our own total enlightenment. It does this precisely because it trains us to not only stop looking outside ourselves for the answers, but also that everything we’ve ever searched for is somehow at the ground at our feet, at the tips of our fingers, and that all we must do is to open our eyes and hearts to see. 

Closing

I invite you to consider your own pilgrim journeys. 

What do you consider to be the traits of a pilgrim or pilgrimage?

Remember how Richard pulled out two paintings, Idyll and Pilgrim? Well watch for my special Saint Patrick’s Day message on Monday where I’ll share more about sacred pilgrimages and the holy wells of Ireland.

In the meantime, if you’re ready for a pilgrimage, please consider joining me at my next yoga retreat in the French Riviera.

Yoga Nidra for Fear And Worry

The Times Are A Changin’

There are a lot of changes happening right now, especially in the US political landscape. 

I normally try to stay apolitical in my messaging but given what’s happening in the United States right now, I’d be remiss if I didn’t declare my political leanings here: 

The Politics of Oneness

My politics are this: connection, depth, purpose, and joy. 

I champion: 

• Inclusion 

• Equality 

• Possibilities

• Peace

• Sustainability 

• Hope

• Protecting the earth

• Women's rights

• Transgender righrts

• Homelessness

• Education for all

• Affordable healthcare for all

• Balancing the wealth disparity by helping the poor and middle class

• Being a leader and example to the world for human rights, the environment, peace, clean water, sufficient food, and education

• Oh, and making bajilionaires pay their taxes

• I believe that nurses and teachers should be paid what their worth, which is to say GRUNDLES.

Summed up in a word, my politics are LOVE.

If you love someone, something, or an idea, you want what’s best for it. 

Once we wake up to the truth of Oneness, we’ll realize that it’s foolishness not to love YourSelf, the amalgam of each one of us—some beautiful, multifaceted organism called humanity. 

In this space, we learn to see each person, not as an enemy, not as other, but as THIS. 

Each Member Is Holy (somehow)

Each character in this organism is holy, even those rascally (dare I say belligerent) characters who don’t share the same vision or hope for Oneness. 

People are scared. I’m scared. I’m scared for my future, the future of our kids, the country and the world. So many of the things I deeply care about stand in peril of being severely hurt. 

Breaking Down

The other day, my wife read the news about the freeze on federal funding. Her job and that of all of her colleagues depends on federal funding. 

She came home from work and I held her in my arms as she cried in worry and anger. As an expert on global health and nursing, she understands just how many people will be affected because of this brash and reckless decision. Not to mention, possibly losing her own job. 

We stood in the kitchen holding each other. Then we decided to plan for the worst and hope for the best. Of course, we could always move back to France but we want to make it good here in the US. 

A 20-minute sanctuary for troubled times: Yoga Nidra for Stress And Worry

She told me about students and faculty members, colleagues, who are freaking the F*@# out, literally crying in class and meetings, beside themselves in worry and rage. 

She said that she and her colleagues could use a Yoga Nidra recording to help with all this fear and worry. 

I said, “I’m on it!”

And I did. 

Here’s the description:

This deeply restorative Yoga Nidra practice offers a sanctuary for those experiencing fear, worry, or anxiety about personal or global circumstances. Through guided relaxation, affirmations, and awareness techniques, you'll journey through the layers of your being to connect with your innate strength and inner wisdom. Drawing on the grounding energy of the root chakra and the healing power of the heart center, this 20-minute practice helps calm your nervous system while building resilience and clarity, leaving you feeling centered, capable, and restored.

I feel it’s important to make this available for all of us for free. 

I made it hopefully very accessible—only 20 minutes so that you could squeeze it in as you start your day, during lunch break, or to wind down after your day is done. 

I hope you love it. 

Basic Self Care When Life Gets Tough

Plus, some basic things we can all consider to offer self care and support when we are under any kind of stress, or feel like we have bucketloads of fear or worry:

• Do the basic essentials:

• Get enough sleep

• Get exercise: yoga, walk, hike, or whatever makes your body feel alive

• Rest, do this practice often

• Eat healthy: less sugar, process foods, plenty of fruits and vegetables

• Practice gratitude

• Focus on what you want rather than what you don’t

• Be both realistic and optimistic and hold hope for what’s possible

• Join or create positive heart-centered community

• Spend time outdoors

• Do things that make you feel alive

• Find someone you can talk to and ask them if they will check in with you regularly

I hope that this list and this recording (blue button below) helps. 

Restore Yoga and Yoga Nidra Workshop

Also, this Sunday is the first Sunday of the month and therefore I’ll be hosting my 2-hour Restore Yoga and Yoga Nidra workshop and the theme will be managing fear and worry. 

Come rest and restore! 

12–2 pm MST 

By donation

In person at Mosaic Yoga 1991 S. 1100 E. Salt Lake City, Utah

Live via zoom link here or on the classes page of my website

Our Spiritual Journey

It is my deep personal and spiritual journey to learn to love (somehow, god help me!) those who don’t share or even oppose the vision of Oneness. 

I do believe we get there in the end. I believe in the big scheme of things, we’ve already won and that any struggles are making us stronger and are whipping us into shape to step into what we need to become in this lifetime. 

In the end, may we see that even those who resist us are actually powerful agents, calling us to step into our next iteration of spiritual evolution and growth. 

Take care of yourself!

We got this!

Namaste,

Make A Difference with Yoga Nidra

Truly, life is good and it's a daily practice to savor it.

Yet sometimes it's hard to think about enjoying ourselves when there is so much trouble in the world. As individuals what can we do about the world's problems? Can a single person even make a difference?

Our biggest problem is the false notion that we are separate from one another. We fight other nations, political parties, and beliefs when the struggle has always been within. We will never achieve harmony in our outer world until we first achieve it in our inner world.

We must learn to respond rather than react to our personal and global circumstances. Reaction perpetuates the cycle of separateness, while compassionate responsiveness builds the world we want rather than fighting against the one we don't.

Yoga Nidra Training: Be The Change

Any true change we wish to see must start within, and I've found no greater tool than Yoga Nidra. This practice has shown me my personal wholeness and the connectedness of all things. It's empowered me with clarity of action while maintaining peace, teaching me that I can hold both peace and anger simultaneously as I work toward positive change.

I've helped tens of thousands of people realize their own innate wholeness through teaching Yoga Nidra. Now I invite you to join my next live teacher training, starting Friday, January 24 2025.

This training is perfect for yoga teachers, meditation instructors, coaches, therapists, school teachers, parents, or anyone passionate about making a positive impact.

When you complete this course you will:

- Feel confident to teach Yoga Nidra like an expert

- Understand Yoga Nidra deeply enough for effortless delivery

- Know how to satisfy your students' unique needs

- Stand out as a teacher, therapist, or coach

- Make a meaningful impact on your students and the world

- Be prepared to earn money as a Yoga Nidra facilitator

Unlike other programs that only provide scripts, you'll learn to create your own specialized content. You'll receive over 100 pages of proven scripts to start teaching immediately, plus learn to develop your own to meet specific student needs.

The Yoga Nidra Teacher Training Structure:

- Live in-person or Zoom lectures

- Specialized Yoga Nidra recordings

- Breathing and mindfulness exercises

- Teaching roadmaps and worksheets

- Over 100 pages of scripts

- Lifetime access to materials

- Personalized Q&A

- Peer collaboration

- Practice teaching

- Real-time script building

Additional Benefits:

- Private Facebook group for peer support

- Updated 160-page manual

- Completion certificate

- Weekly live online class access during training ($48 value)

- 30-minute private consultation ($100 value)

- Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Credit

The program consists of two segments:

1. Yoga Nidra immersion - Develop your personal practice

2. Teacher training - Master the art of teaching and facilitation

You'll also learn how to create well-paying teaching opportunities and build your "Mechanism of Influence" to attract clients and create a global audience.

Refresher courses are available at a reduced cost for previous participants.

Join us. By January 27th you can be a certified Yoga Nidra teacher ready to make a positive impact on the world.

Be the change and help others do the same.

Please join me.

Prepare to Make an Impact With a Transformational Retreat

We all want to make an impact, right? We all want to leave the world better than when we found it. And for many of us, the main vehicle for doing so is our careers. What’s unfortunate is that so many people fail to make the impact they had hoped for not because they don’t have the capacity but because they don't have the space and clarity about how.

A wonderful way to step back, gather yourself, and learn how to make a real impact on the world is by attending a transformational yoga retreat. I have attended many and have even facilitated close to a hundred retreats as a transformational retreat leader and I know first-hand how investing yourself in a retreat can literally change everything. 

I can’t tell you how many people have pulled me aside, with tears in their eyes, to tell me that attending one of my retreats was a pivotal moment in their life. A retreat can put you on an incredible journey of self-discovery that could change your whole outlook on the world around you and clarify what’s most important in your life. 

Hemingway could only write about Paris after leaving it; the distance gave him the perspective to craft his masterpiece from Michigan and Cuba.

Just like Hemmingway, a transformational retreat it allows you enough space away from your every day to gain the perspective to make the kind of impact you’d like to make on the world. 

You Have Your Unique Gifts 

In addition to leading retreat, I’m passionate about Yoga Nidra. A fundamental understanding in the world of Yoga Nidra is that each individual has innate gifts. But those gifts are not meant to be stuffed in a box and left under the bed. They are meant to be shared with the world. I believe we make the most impact on the world by sharing our innate gifts.  

You have unique gifts that can make a massive and positive impact on world.

You don't have to be a superhero. Just be you. Have a superhero’s courage to share your gifts with the world.

How a Transformational Retreat Can Help You

Okay, so now you know that you can have a meaningful impact on the world by sharing your innate gifts. But how can a transformational retreat help you get to that place? For me, it starts with a transformational retreat leader with a reputation for helping participants discover their inner beings.

Yoga and Yoga Nidra retreats are transformative experiences with heavy emphasis on deep relaxation, restoration, and self-discovery. In terms of making an impact and the world, it is the self-discovery portion that makes a difference. The more self-discovery you engage in, the better prepared you will be to make a positive impact.

What a Retreat Looks Like

A transformational retreat generally takes place over several days. It is held at a location that is naturally conducive to relaxation and restoration. Retreats typically feature:

• Yoga Nidra cessions facilitated by a retreat leader.

• Complementary movement and meditation practices.

• An emphasis on deep relaxation techniques.

• Guided consciousness exploration.
  

Some retreats also include what is known as sankalpa work. A 'sankalpa' is essentially a positive 'I am' statement that represents a person's core essence and intentions. Sankalpa work is quite beneficial to learning how to create an impact.

A successful retreat is transformative in that it:

• Encourages releasing old beliefs and habits that limit growth.

• Enhances one's emotional awareness.

• Improves one's clarity of mind by reducing mental clutter.

• Helps create a calm inner presence.

• Helps restore the body and nervous system.
  

As a transformational retreat leader, I have had the pleasure of working with countless souls to help them find their place in the universe. In so doing, I've also helped them tap into their innate gifts in ways that prepare them to make a real impact.

You are more than just your career. If you want to use your career to make an impact on the world, consider starting that journey on a transformational yoga retreat. Learn more with Scott Moore Yoga.

Yoga Nidra Teacher Training: Fix The Crazy Don't Add To It

Man, there’s a LOT going on in the world right now: fires, war, climate, calamity, political doo-doo … you name it.

The world needs qualified Yoga Nidra teachers more than ever to help respond to rather than react from all what’s going on and help make the world a better place. 

Do you want to help the crazy rather than add to it?

Let me teach you how to facilitate Yoga Nidra!

Join My Next Live Yoga Nidra Teacher Training

I’m offering my next Yoga Nidra teacher training January 24–27 and I’d love to have you join. 

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How Can Yoga Nidra Help?

Yoga Nidra can help you and others to calm stress, achieve a feeling of meaning and purpose in the world, and live their life in a spirit of compassionate responsiveness.

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Can I Teach Yoga Nidra if I’m Not A Yoga or Mediation Teacher?

This training is not limited to only yoga or meditation teachers. It’s also perfect if you’re a school teacher, coach, therapist, or parent. 

I’ve spent years developing and teaching my Yoga Nidra teacher training: Facilitating Transformation with the Yoga of Sleep which is one of the best Yoga Nidra teacher trainings in the world and lauded by websites such as Mind is the Master and Yogi Times.  Many people from other disciplines and modalities take this training to help them with the people in their world—clients, students, kids, etc.

This is my best Yoga Nidra training yet and I’d LOVE to share it with you!

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When’s The Next Live Yoga Nidra Teacher Training?

January 24–27, 2025. 

Live: in-person in Tucson, AZ or via Zoom from wherever you are.

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You’ll get:

• Over 100 pages of Yoga Nidra scripts so you can start teaching Yoga Nidra today

• 150 pages of a very detailed manual so to accommodate different learning styles

• 30 hours of expert instruction—cuz you can’t learn this stuff in an afternoon. 

• Specialized Yoga Nidra practices that actually support you to learn how to teach Yoga Nidra

• In person or Zoom so you can join from wherever you are or in-person if you learn best that way

• Lifetime access to all audio/Video replay of all the sessions so you can watch any session you have to miss or so you can rewatch the material as often as you need

• Personalized attention to meet your individual interests and needs for this practice

• Yoga Alliance continuing ed credit if you need it to keep your YA membership active

• Personal 1:1 consultation so you can learn how to personally thrive in this practice

Most of all, you’ll leave feeling prepared to teach varied and specialized Yoga Nidra practices to benefit your students using the power of your own voice rather than being a parrot of your teacher. 

Please reach out with any questions!

Please join me!

Mary Oliver Speaks The Truth

Mary Oliver Is A Saint

Two excerpts from the Gospel of Mary—Mary Oliver, that is. 

She’s one of the best—nothing short of a saint in my mind—and I’ll never get tired of hearing her poetry. 

You may have heard these picks before but I’ve stopped apologizing for sharing poems or stories more than once because each new visitation sheds new light, relative to where you are in body, mind, and spirit when you read it. 

So if you’ve heard these poems before … you’re welcome!

All Things Are Inventions of Holiness

Today, I want to talk about the idea that all things are inventions of holiness, though some are more rascally our troubling than others and that we actively fill our cup of gladness as we learn to see the world in its beauty for exactly what it is. 

Sadly, as a child Mary Oliver suffered great abuse but found safety in being outside. As she explored the outdoors she discovered the majesty of this world and eventually developed a language to express this soul-expanding awe through poetry, a veritable spirit she shares with all of us.

Though she has passed onto another world, her words live on and continue to enlighten minds and hearts. What a generous gift she has given to me personally and I would be remiss if I didn’t share the love with two poems that are in my heart today.

Here’s the first poem:

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The Wren From Carolina
by Mary Oliver

Just now the wren from Carolina buzzed

through the neighbor’s hedge

a line of grace notes I couldn’t even write down

much less sing. 

Now he lifts his chestnut colored throat

and delivers such a cantering praise–

for what?

For the early morning, the taste of the spider, 

for his small cup of life

that he drinks from every day, knowing it will refill. 

All things are inventions of holiness.

Some more rascally than others. 

I’m on that list too,

though I don’t know exactly where.

But, every morning, there is my own cup of gladness,

and there’s that wren in the hedge, above me,

with his blazing song.

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I love this part: 

All things are inventions of holiness

Some more rascally than others.

I’m on that list too,

though I don’t know exactly where.

I would say that Mary Oliver definitely lives on the list that is blessed but rascally.

I love the reminder that all things are inventions of holiness because it reminds me that despite my opinions of things, systems, and certain people, somehow, everything is on the holy list. 

This idea is certainly in line with Tantra, the yogic school of thought that resonates deepest with me and my teachings. Tantra says everything in the Universe is holy and that the unified everything, the Singularity, cannot be divided into holy or unholy. 

I believe that a big part of our journey as human beings is to understand and make some sort of peace with that paradox. 

And perhaps our greatest work in this lifetime is to learn how we also exist on that list of holiness. 

Lastly, I love how such a simple yet profound thing such as a small bird calling out his celebration for life from the neighbor’s hedge can be such a stark and potent reminder of the joy of life and fill our own cup of gladness. 

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Next, I want to share another poem which grants a holiness to something a bit more difficult. 

The next poem is called

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Maker of All Things, Even Healings
By Mary Oliver

All night 

under the pines 

the fox

moves through the darkness

with a mouthful of teeth

and a reputation for death 

which it deserves.

In the spicy villages of the mice 

he is famous,

his nose

in the grass

is like an earthquake,

his feet on the path

is a message so absolute

that the mouse, hearing it, 

makes himself

as small as he can 

as he sits silent

or, trembling, goes on

hunting among the grasses 

for the ripe seeds.

Maker of All Things,

including appetite, 

including stealth,

including the fear that makes

all of us sometime or other,

flee for the sake

of our small and precious lives,

let me abide in your shadow—

let me hold on 

to the edge of your robe

as you determine 

what you must let be lost

and what will be saved.

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Damn, this stabs me right in the heart and makes my eyes sting with tears. 

Because, in all of us exists both the fox and the mouse. 

The title of this piece always gives me pause: Maker of All Things, Even Healings. 

For me, understanding that some things will be lost and others will be saved ultimately heals me from the false and naive notion that life is only beautiful if it turns out rosy, exactly like I’d always hoped—that happy is too small a word for the beautiful and textured experience we call life. 

We become “healed” when we understand that all parts of the world, including ourselves, live in the house of the holy, that life is precious, and that despite life’s fears, each day we must continue to “hunt among the grasses for the ripe seeds.” 

This truth is echoed by another prophet of poetry, Wendell Berry who says,

Whether by the singing of a bird in the hedge or by a visitation by something more difficult, may we all learn to see that everything belongs on the list of holiness, including the challenging things, and most especially ourselves. 

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My Next Live Yoga Nidra Training

Making Waves Great Salt Lake & Live Yoga Nidra Teacher Training

Yeah, today I’m excited to share about a collective poem I contributed to about saving Great Salt Lake as well as my next live Yoga Nidra teacher training.

A Word To Save The Waves

My very good friend,Nan Seymour—a dear friend/sister with whom I’ve been co-leading nature + yoga + writing retreats for the past 9 years—has been doing an incredible job, tirelessly raising awareness about the endangered Great Salt Lake. 

I love this lake and love Nan and so when she asked if I would write a poem about this majestic but imperiled lake, I jumped at the chance. 

Many people contributed and the results were a collective poem. I was thrilled to see that it was recently published as a book called Irreplaceable, A Collective Praise Poem For Great Salt Lake.

Tonight, you’re invited to a FREE event, a collective reading of this poem and I’ll be privileged to read my humble poem.

I’ll also get to blow my sax a little bit. 

At this free event, we will be honored with opening remarks from Lisa Bickmore, Poet Laureate of Utah as well as a screening of the short film Irreplaceable, directed by John Meier. 

Can’t wait!

When: Wednesday, November 20th from 6–7:30 pm 
Where: Natural History Museum of Utah located at 301 Wakara Way, Salt Lake City, UT 84108
Cost: FREE

Please come!

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Live Yoga Nidra Teacher Training

Also, I am excited to let you know about my next LIVE Yoga Nidra teacher training, January 24–27, 2025

I’m excited to be hosted by Rianne Maldonado of Wrae Aesthetics in Tucson, Arizona. 

Training available via Zoom or in person, Tucson, Arizona. 

 
Stand Out As a Teacher, Coach, or Therapist

Let’s face it—there are a billion yoga teachers, coaches, and therapists. This Yoga Nidra teacher training will help you become a Yoga Nidra expert and will help you stand out from the rest in your industry.

Yoga Nidra is SO more than just guided visualizations. Explore how this powerful but gentle medium facilitates massive and lasting transformation from anything to confidence, addiction, stress, sleep, and even spiritual awakening.

This engaging and nourishing training empowers you to become an effective teacher to meet the unique needs of your students and clients, to help them make important transformations in their own lives.

People are waiting to experience Yoga Nidra in only the way YOU can deliver it!

Stand out as a teacher and to facilitate lasting transformation for your students and clients.

What’s Unique About This Training:

• Superb quality—Organized, easy to follow, flexible for your schedule, dynamic as per your learning style.

• In-depth study—you’ll learn from a Yoga Nidra master and graduate a Yoga Nidra expert.

• Highly effective—this training is ranked the top Yoga Nidra trainings in the world by Mind Is the Master.

• Be Original! Most trainings teach you to be a rote version of your teacher. This training teaches you the larger principles, roadmaps, and concepts that allow you to tap into the wise teacher inside of you to be a truly effective teacher by teaching from the power of your own voice

• Yoga Alliance Continuing Education credit.

In Great Company

Today, I want to talk about some excellent yoga and mindfulness teachers, wellness coaching, as well as yoga mentorships and/or small business mentorships.

First, I hope you’ve had a great week and that you’re gearing up for a great weekend. 

PSA: 

Self care is not only not selfish, it’s also not optional. 

It’s imperative that you regularly do those things that help you feel ALIVE. Afterall, like the theologian and civil right activist Howard Thurman says:

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

— Howard Thurman

If yoga and mindfulness, Yoga Nidra, help you feel alive, I hope you’ll join me over the next few days for some classes. Check deets below. 

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Also, I want to let you know that I feel totally honored and humbled to be surrounded by truly gifted and wonderful yoga teachers, two of whom I’d like to introduce to you if you don’t already know them. 

Sasha Nelson

First, I’d like to introduce you to Sasha Nelson. 

Sasha grew up in California and then moved to NYC and taught and practiced yoga at some of my favorite New York yoga studios. We love and practice with many of the same teachers. 

Then Sasha moved to Paris and taught yoga at studios, businesses, and offered private sessions before moving to Nice, where I met her and where she is currently teaching. She also hosts yoga retreats and offers 1:1 wellness coaching that incorporates nutrition, yoga, sustainability for the planet, and mindfulness. 

We resonate on SO many levels.

Sasha is a really talented teacher with a mission to promote wellness for body, mind, and planet. I truly admire her passion to not only help individuals but also help the planet. 

To brag about Sasha briefly, she studied mindfulness with none other than Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield and has yoga certifications from Yoga Shanti and Yoga Works. She has a MFA in sustainable design. 

It's fascinating to see how she’s incorporating her knowledge of design, yoga, meditation, sustainability, nutrition into very comprehensive private and group offerings. To boot, she’s also a great writer. I subscribe to her substack to get her regular writings which include recipes and yoga/mindfulness insight. Very cool!

Even though I moved back to the US over a year ago, I still get requests to teach yoga in the Nice area and I never hesitate to send Sasha instead because she’s just such a solid teacher. 

I worked with Sasha personally and mentored her to help her expand her offerings and organize an already robust yoga business. I’m super proud of the work we did together and want to share her great work with you. 

I want to highlight 2 things she does really, really well. 

First, she has a fantastic online course called Mindful Mornings: Nourishing Rituals for Mind, Body & Planet. In this course you see her skill in design—It’s gorgeous—but it’s also really engaging, approachable and a fantastic day to create rituals for your morning and start your day off perfectly. 

Next, because wellness is not a 1-size-fits-all sorta deal, she offers 1:1 holistic health coaching to help a person meet their wellness needs whether through diet, yoga/meditation, and sustainability. You can book a free discovery call with her to discuss what she does and how it might be helpful for you.  

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JACOBY BALLARD

Next, I want to talk about Jacoby Ballard

Jacoby Ballard is a social justice educator and yoga a teacher with me at Mosaic Yoga. He leads workshops and trainings around the country on diversity, equity, and inclusion. He’s a seasoned yoga teacher of 24 years and leads workshops, retreats, teacher trainings, among other things. He’s also the author of A Queer Dharma: Yoga and Meditation for Liberation. 

Jacoby and I both teach Yoga for Stiffer Bodies at Mosaic Yoga—I teach on Saturdays at 7:30 am and he teaches Tuesday at the same time. 

This Saturday, November 16th, we’ll be co-teaching my Yoga for Stiff Bodies class for a power-packed experience that will allow you to be introduced or reintroduced to this incredible teacher. As always, class will be 60 minutes and will be offered by donation. 

I hope that your plans this weekend and early next week involve a little self care in the form of some yoga and Yoga Nidra. I hope to see you in class. Otherwise, please book a free no-pressure discovery call with me about the possibility of working together in the form of a mentorship. 

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Yoga and Small Business Mentor Programs

My mentor programs are organized systems that help you illuminate your unique gifts, who your ideal client is, and how to create an organic, massive, and positive impact on the world in a way that makes both you and your clients evolve into your highest potential. 

I’ll share with you the exact system that I use every day, one that has helped me launch my career from being a struggling yoga and meditation teacher into a global presence in my field, making over 6 figures a year, and enjoying being non location dependent—fulfilling my dream to live in the South of France.

Let me show you step-by-step exactly how this system can work for you and your business. 

These programs are organized, effective, and actionable. They are designed to give you the secrets and specific skills to harness your talents and build what I call your own Mechanism of Influence. 

In a mentorship, you will:

• Illuminate your special and unique gifts

• Clarify who your ideal client is and the unique ways that you can help them

• Plan, organize, and execute how to build or improve a clean, effective, and actionable website

• Communicate regularly with your ideal client with a regular, high-value message in the form of newsletters, blogs, and social media

• Offer products and services that helps your clients stretch and grow and helps you to get paid what you’re worth

• Maintain a high-level, trusting relationship with your clients

• Regularly review your business to remain relevant, fresh, inline with your and your clients highest values and needs

If this seems like a lot, know that with organization, everything is manageable and this system will be your step-by-step way of helping the world discover the gifts that you have to offer. 

These programs offer:

• Experienced Guidance 

• I’ll show you step-by-step my proven system that I use every day which has helped me break through career plateaus, enabled me to be non location dependent, and enabled me to make a great living doing what I love. I have shared with dozens of people who are also reaching new heights in their teaching and business. 

• Increased Revenue

• This system focuses on illuminating and maximizing your gifts, helping you to offer them to the world in a way that both you and your clients grow in energy, money, and love. 

• Accountability and Support

• I’ll be your accountability partner, a crucial element to helping you stay focused so you can accomplish your goals. When questions or problems arise, I’ll be right there to help you solve them and move forward. When you’ve completed your program you can join support sessions with other students to keep you learning and moving forward. 

• A focused Strategy 

• My system takes the guesswork out of what you need to do to make great leaps in your business and even gives you a schedule for what you can be doing to build your business every day. 

• Clarity and Direction

• I help you to refine the purpose and direction of your business which helps you save time and energy by knowing exactly where to put your attention. 

• Mindset for Success

• Your business is an extension of your thoughts and beliefs. That’s why I’ll help you stay in a growth and abundant mindset with encouragement, meditations, and helpful tools. These will help you to understand your growth potential, understand speed bumps for the lessons they are, all the while eliminating self-limiting beliefs. 

• Practical Tools 

• This program gives you loads of useful tools in the form of guides, supplementary videos, and templates that make easy work of seemingly difficult tasks. 

What Is The Price Of Wearing The Mask?

Happy Halloween!

Regardless of whether or not you’re dressing up for Halloween, we all wear masks. 

I’m not talking about Covid masks.

I’m talkin’ the happy mask. 

The helpful mask.

The promise that I’m not really really really bugged by what you’re doing right now—I swear!— mask. 

The other day, in a mentor session with my mentor student Danielle Washington (check out her stuff, she’s amazing!), we were exploring this theme of wearing masks and how to use this in a theme while creating a Yoga Nidra practice and a great question came up:

What is the price of wearing the mask?

Sure, some of those masks may be necessary sometimes. 

But ever feel like you’d like to get to know that person under the mask a little better? 

Ever feel like you just can’t be yourself?

Ever feel the need to just take the masks off and be exactly who you are, without filter, without the need for anyone’s approval?

Yoga and Yoga Nidra help us to first recognize the masks we are wearing, then to see that what we are is something infinitely larger and more complete than that mask. Once we understand our True Self, we can go back and choose to wear or not wear the mask.

Point is, that the mask is actually a pointer to what you really are. 

I invite you to get in touch with your True Self, regardless of the masks you may or may not wear.

Please join me for yoga or Yoga Nidra this weekend where we will get a chance to connect with our True Self. 

This month in my once-a-month Restore Yoga and Yoga Nidra workshop (2-hour rest-fest), we’ll be exploring masks and the cost of wearing masks. 

We Are All Tied For First Place In The Human Race

There’s Something Going Around

I’m getting over a cold. 

It’s been no fun.

But today, I want to talk about something else that’s going around and that is even more nasty and lugubrious than a cold. It’s uber-contagious and gross and it’s making a lot of us very, very sick. 

I’m not talking about sniffles and coughs, but something that is far more pernicious, something that is clouding our minds and hearts. 

It’s an election year and what’s running rampant is a scourge of fear, negativity, and division. 

I see it in my friends, my neighbors, and community. 

I feel it trying to creep into myself. 

It’s strange how we so willingly pass along the virus of negativity and fear to each other.

But yoga and meditation can help.

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My Precccioussss …

I know people, and so do you, whose health is truly suffering because of this political “news” binging. They are losing sleep, experiencing anxiety, looking at the world increasingly in fear and paranoia.

The reason that all this negativity is so pernicious, so vile, so harmful,  is that in truth … there's a part of us that loves it.

Outwardly, we might vociferously complain about our supposed political enemy but, if we are really and truly honest with ourselves, we cherish that displeasure. We’re like Gollum from The Lord of the Rings who holds onto the malevolent ring of power, the object of his deepest desire that is simultaneously eclipsing his heart and poisoning his mind so completely that he is utterly unable to release it. It’s like evil Sauron has given us all a golden ring of political negativity that is slowly poisoning us all. 

This negativity conjured by this political season is as addicting as any drug, because it is a drug. 

There’s a part of us that gets a massive emotional reward from all of this negativity—a heroic dose of dopamine that keeps us glued to our screens and refreshing our social media feeds for more and more of it. We become veritable “news” junkies, addicted to this bitter poison, lost in the continuous “pleasure” of the pain, and deafened by the echo chamber of our fears and one-sided opinions. 

Like a pusher on the corner, politicians and sensationalist media alike understand exactly how addicting all this negativity is and are purposefully serving us an overdose of this junk for the simple and sinister purpose of power and profit.

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The Peace Chant

One antidote to this suffering is The Peace Chant Om Sahana Vavatu, an ancient chant which I love, one that has been a sacred guide along my own spiritual journey. One of my favorite translations of this chant has a few lines that are so poignant, so right on. 

It says:

May we not cherish hatred, anger, and displeasure. 

May our hearts be full of love and may perfect friendship reign between us. 

This prayer beseeches us to draw near to the best and most honorable parts of our hearts and to turn away from our natural propensity for negativity. In not so many words, it’s admonishing us to “Just say no to the drug of hatred, anger, and displeasure.” It’s a reminder of our innate True nature, that of love, friendship, and inclusion.

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“But I Saw It On The News!”

We have to be discerning about both where we get our news and how much exposure we will allow ourselves to it. Sensationalist news sources are no different than “reality TV” that feed us selected and curated sound bites or scenes of an event, information that’s been edited with an agenda and designed to feed us an emotion and a story, one that often puts us lightyears from the entire truth. 

This political “reality forming,” this fear mongering, these sensationalist soundbites, are not about informing us. They are designed to tie us in knots while simultaneously un-tie us as a people.

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So What News Should I Consume?

We must be discerning enough to inform ourselves as best we can about the facts without abusing ourselves with sensationalist media. In your heart you know the difference. 

We must search for balanced sources for the news. 

My father-in-law is a prof of journalism and gave me some very helpful recommendations for exploring balanced news sources. I encourage you to check these out in a blog post I wrote called The News Is Consuming You.

No matter what news source we listen to or watch, we must always think critically, avoid extremes, use common sense, and above all, remain connected to our hearts. 

Then we must turn off the talking heads, close social media, roll out our yoga mat or go on a fucking walk, to clear your head and ground yourself in your breath and body. 

“Perhaps / The truth depends on a walk
around a lake”

— Wallace Stevens, Notes Toward a Supreme Fiction

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Draw Inward But Not In A Cave

Don’t get me wrong. What we should NOT do is hide in a cave, close our eyes to the world, and sit self righteously as we meditate in our own personal campaign of spiritual bypassing. On the contrary, I believe it’s a distinct privilege to be part of a democratic process and get to vote, to act to help make the world a better place. 

But outward actions must be informed by our inward attention. Practices such as yoga, meditation, and Yoga Nidra are essential because they remind us of that part of us that is already whole, that is part of the Oneness, the part that is fundamentally tied to inclusion and compassion. Once we are “yoked” to our highest self, then we must go out into the world and respond compassionately to the needs of our world, doing the work that helps us all to unite in a spirit of friendship as together we build a brighter future. 

Oh, and I might suggest meditating BEFORE looking at the news. 

Compassionate responsiveness is anathema to fearful reactivity. 

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MLK, Gandhi, and Buddha Walk Into A Bar …

Nonviolence to others and ourselves is surely at the heart of our yoga practice, our practice as human beings, and another antidote to this nefarious negativity. The first observance of yoga is Ahimsa, or non-violence. 

The world’s middle-weight champion of nonviolent social revolution, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. understood how essential nonviolence was to the lasting effect of social revolution. Many of his views on nonviolence came from studying the works and words of Mahatma Gandhi, the world's light-weight champion of nonviolence. Dr. King even traveled to India, in part as a pilgrimage to Gandhi's homeland. Ghandi understood very well the yogic texts along with their primary tenant of nonviolence as the genesis for revolution, both for individuals and peoples. Expounding on the principles of nonviolence taught by Gandhi, Dr. King said, “The nonviolent resister not only refuses to shoot his opponent but he also refuses to hate [them].” This malcontent, this hate for another person, people, or political affiliation is “the poison we ingest,” like the Buddha says—the world’s heavy-weight champion of nonviolence—“hoping that another will die.”

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Violence Is Making Ourselves and Others Wrong

Violence is more than harming someone with force. It’s also violent to make someone else wrong or to vilify them. We don’t have to agree with other people’s opinions but, we must cultivate a clear enough vision not to also vilify them, to still see them as family. In truth, opposing opinions can be a marvelous illuminator for those things that are important to us, things which may have been dormant in our hearts until someone voiced a different opinion. Then, fueled with the fire of determination, we can practice compassionate responsiveness to act upon those desires. 

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What We Say Matters

I’m very proud to live in the shadow of the University that created something called The Dignity Index which scores speech with an eight-point scale, ranging from contempt to dignity. The creators assert that it’s not our disagreements that causes division between us, but rather the language we use to voice those disagreements. Their mission is to prevent violence, ease divisions, and solve problems. By drawing attention away from the speaker and more to their speech, they wish to negate the biases of partisan politics. They want to emphasize the power that each person has to heal our country and each by using dignified language. 

My kid’s school district is even using the Dignity Index with a goal to teach our children how to use dignified language from a young age as well as to minimize things like bullying at school. 

The Dignity Index recently scored the presidential and VP debates. You may or may not be surprised by the results. 

No Matter What You Say …

And until we can all start to use language that promotes dignity, even within a disagreement, how might we respond when someone uses contemptuous language toward us?

The truth is, nobody can make you feel any particular emotion, regardless of whether or not it was intended to hurt you.

Sticks and stones, my friends. Sticks and stones. 

Marshall Rosenberg, (author and founder of Nonviolent Communication, Ph. D. in clinical psychology and awarded Diplomate status in clinical psychology for his international work in personal, corporate, and international conflict resolution and peace talks) also teaches this essential yogic principle of nonviolence. He says that before we can practice nonviolence outwardly, we must first practice it inwardly by doing the work to eradicate negative self-talk and shame. This is yet another reason to practice yoga, meditation, and Yoga Nidra.

He says that in every circumstance, when we feel an emotion as the result of what someone did or said, it’s an invitation to lean into our heart, to understand what we feel, and to explore what needs that emotion expresses. 

Here’s an example, “When _____ said ______, I felt [emotions: anger, sadness, fear, resentment, jealousy, disrespect, confusion , etc.]. I felt that emotion because it didn’t meet my need for [needs: justice, fairness, kindness, compassion, inclusion, listening, understanding, etc.]. 

Accepting personal responsibility for our emotions coupled with strong intrinsic practices of nonviolence (gentle yoga and meditation like loving kindness) help us to gain the vidya (clear seeing) that we are responsible for each of our emotions. Even more, that each emotion is a pointer to something else far greater than our emotions, something that is tied to the immutable and fundamental compassion of our being. While it often feels easier to blame someone else for our emotions, to truly be responsible for our own emotions is both humbling and immensely empowering. 

With this consciousness toward nonviolence and taking responsibility for our own emotions, we are more capable to see that someone who pushes our buttons can actually be a gift, someone who illuminates what’s important for us and inspires us to compassionately respond to those important issues. 

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I DO Need To Have An Opinion About That

If you’ve been reading my writing for a while, you might be familiar with my beloved mantra, “I don’t need to have an opinion about that.” It’s truly been a game-changer. This mantra has helped me to recognize and release those things about which I truly don’t need to have an opinion—truly stupid stuff that truly doesn’t matter, like whether or not my dad listens to soft rock (two compound 4-letter words, deplorable doubled down). 

Introspective practices like yoga and meditation also empower us to own our feelings and opinions, to see them as such. They teach us to listen to our hearts and discern between those things that truly matter and those that truly don’t. 

“One only sees correctly with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eyes.”

—The Wise Fox in The Little Prince

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By letting go of the stupid shit, that detritus that’s not worth the cognitive calories, by simply choosing not to engage with it, we save the energy and bandwidth necessary to go out and respond compassionately to the urgent needs of our world. And because our practices root us to the compassion that is fundamental to our being, when we do go out and act, we do so from a place of love, not from fear, or worse, hate. 

Compassion Takes Courage

This kind of compassionate engagement with the world takes courage. The word courage comes from the latin root, cor, which means of the heart. We must stay connected to our hearts and courageously respond to the world’s needs. 

We must be courageous, not just because it feels like the world is burning and we need to do something—it is and we do—but because the world’s problems are not going to be solved with another sign in the yard and another rant to our friends who only commiserate and confirm our complaining.

What Do We Do?

Voting is essential but isn’t enough. We must also walk across to the other side of the political street, knock on our neighbor’s door armed with warm hearts, warm cookies, and weapon-grade love. We must be willing to discuss the hard issues in between bites of chocolate chips and learn about our neighbor’s values, their hopes, and their fears. 

We can learn to listen. Mark Nepo, poet, spiritual adviser, and author of The Book Of Awakening said,

“To listen is to lean in softly with the willingness to be changed by what you hear.”

We must practice seeing the human on the other side and see that at their core, they are not so very different from us. 

We are all tied for first place in this human race. 

We must refuse to be manipulated by sensational media who would encourage us as people to fight one another, like animals pit against each other in a cage for sport or profit. 

By practicing yoga and meditation, compassionate action, balanced doses actual news, and a commitment to heart-centered discourse is what will change us from being the un-tied states of America to the United States of America.

(And if you’re dyslexic like me, you might have to read that last sentence like 4 times).

May we all learn to become united in the politik of the heart so that when this election is over, no matter who wins, we can look around at the aftermath and count our friends on both sides of the street. 

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To end, I’d like to offer the Peace Chant:

Om Saha Naav[au]-Avatu |
Saha Nau Bhunaktu |
Saha Viiryam Karavaavahai |
Tejas vi na vadhi tamastu
Ma vid ve sa va hai
Om shanti shanti shanti

Translation: 

May the divine protect us while we are together

May all obstacles be removed which stand in the way of our understanding the truth that all is one and that there is no division or separation between us.

May we grasp this understanding with full comprehension and without doubt so that all misunderstanding will be dissolved within us. 

May we not cherish hatred, anger, or displeasure

May our hearts be full of love and and may perfect friendship reign between us.

May the space around us be free of fear.

May the north and south, east and west be free of fear.

May the earth be free of fear

May the past and future be free of fear.

May we have no foes

May we all be friends.

And may the entire human race unite in one fearless friendship.

Om. Peace, peace, peace.

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A Yoga Nidra Recording For You

I’ve made a Yoga Nidra recording that is designed to help you stay grounded during an election year as we practice compassionate inclusion.

Namaste,

Yoga Nidra and Archetypes: You're Every Card In The Deck

I love the subway. 

I love that everyone gets to where they need to go sans car. 

I love how you get to experience all parts of humanity on the subway: people sleeping on the subway, people breakdancing on the subway (like, seriously, breakdancing on the subway), people crying on the subway. 

But perhaps what I love most about the subway in NYC is the poetry bombs.

When I lived in NYC, there I was, minding my own business, zipping uptown on the 1 train to teach a yoga class and I glanced over and saw this …

The Lovers

By Timothy Liu

I was always afraid
of the next card

the psychic would turn
over for us —

Forgive me

for not knowing
how we were 

every card in the deck. 

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Boom. 

Suddenly, I’m the guy who’s crying on the subway. 

I love this poem because it reminds me that we all have a litany of different characters within us that make up our general character. Also, there are parts within us that sometimes express different kinds of wisdom in different kinds of ways, characters like the joker, the victim, the boss, the super hero, etc. 

What are the different characters inside of you?

These separate parts are our internal archetypes and can be very helpful to understanding ourselves on a very important level. 

For example, I had a profound experience once during a Yoga Nidra practice where I used the layered Awareness and systematic relaxation of the practice to source an archetype within me, the archetype of the Oracle or wise teacher. In this practice, a vivid visualization opened in my mind … 

There I was sitting in a chair in the office of one of my favorite profs from college. He was leaning back in his chair thinking about something, rather, deciding how he was going to say what he wanted to say to me. As clearly as I’m hearing my fingers tap across my keyboard, in this vision, I could hear the squeaking of his chair as he leaned back, see the tawny grain in his desk between us. I watched as he scratched his beard. Then, looking at me sideways with a glint in his eye and a wry smile on his face, he broke the silence. 

“You know … whatever you believe in, practice it every day.”

Boom!

Such a simple message with such profound implications. 

I think about that message all the time. In fact, I have to remind myself that the image and message from my professor came from me, that it didn’t happen in real life. Regardless, the message is as valuable (or more) than if it had. 

That’s an example of the power of leaning into an archetype. That wisdom existed inside of me and I needed to get relaxed and receptive enough to hear it. 

Yoga Nidra can help do exactly this. 

It helps us to relax into a conscious daydream state which is like a secret passageway to the roof of our ultimate consciousness. In this state, we can learn to see and appreciate all the intriguing and multifaceted parts of our being and learn what they have to say to our conscious mind. 

Yoga Nidra facilitates conversations between our imperfect humanness and our perfect beingness so we can go back out into the world, zip across town on the 1 train, and see our life all as the miracle that it is. 

Thanks 1 train and Timothy Liu for reminding me of this. 

What a gift!

Now, I want to share with you another amazing thing that happened regarding archetypes. It happened yesterday, in fact. 

It might involve you. …

So, I’m heading out of town this week to host my yoga retreat in the French Riviera. And normally, I teach a live online Yoga Nidra class on Sundays mornings but since I’m going to be busy doing yoga while overlooking the emerald green ocean of the French Riviera, a beret on my head and croissant in my mouth, I pre-recorded Yoga Nidra class. 

In this pre-recorded but original class, I decided to explore archetypes. As always with my live online Yoga Nidra class, I start with a hello, I open to sacred space through grounding and breathing practices and lead us in chanting a mantra (you can join or listen. Hell, it’s on Zoom so who cares), then in this class I offer a bit of a teaching on archetypes and how they are accessible and useful in a Yoga Nidra practice. 

And to add some flavor to the idea of using archetypes, I did something I’ve never done before. I grabbed a deck I own, 52 different cards featuring all different types of archetypes symbolized by an array of nature elements, people, and animals—very cool. I shuffled the deck and the spread them out. 

But, before picking 5 cards, I infused them with spirit by breathing on them, clearing out any past energy (cuz I’m good like that) and held the intention and possibility of us ALL (including you) regardless of when you watch the class, to pull the precise cards we need in order to get a deeper message and clearer direction about ourselves individually and collectively. 

Oh, the implications!

Now, believe me, I’m usually more than a little skeptical about this kind of thing but I shouldn’t be because, like every time I use this deck, the cards I pulled were nothing short of A–MAZING! The card choice was completely cosmic and worked PERFECTLY for our session. But I can’t tell you what they were cuz that would ruin the surprise. 

I can’t wait for you to check this out. 

So, in class, I read each card and discuss their meaning as suggested in the booklet the deck comes with but also to consider what wisdom each card may present outside of the suggested meaning. 

Then I invite you to lie down and get relaxed as we enter into a long Yoga Nidra practice. After relaxing into a deep state of receptivity, I lead you through a vivid and detailed visualization that incorporates each of the cards in a way that gives you personal direction for your life. 

It’s SO cool! 

You could do this Yoga Nidra practice a thousand times get a different message each time it. That’s the power of Yoga Nidra and archetypes. 

You gotta check it out! 

Whatcha do is click the button, fill out the form to register for class (drop-in, pass, or membership), and you’ll get the class emailed to you around 9 am MT on Sunday, September 8. 

The following week, I’ll be back from my Riviera romp and class will be live. 

And if you want to share, I’d love to hear about what your archetypes said. 

Please check this out and seriously consider becoming a monthly subscriber. As a subscriber, class is only $10 and if there are 5 sessions in a month you get the 5th one for free. Plus, you get access to literally HUNDREDS of previous Yoga Nidra class. Cancel anytime. 

What are your archetypes telling you?

AI, French Beaches, and Stretches

TGIF!

(Thank Ganesha it’s Friday!)

I hope that the sun is shining on you today, that your heart is peaceful, and that you’re looking for ways to share your own light with the world. 

The world needs your special kind of special. 
You matter and we are lucky to have you on our team. 

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French Riviera Yoga Retreat: One Spot Left for You!

A little bird told me that you might be ready for a luxurious European adventure. 

So, I’ve made arrangements to accommodate ONE MORE PERSON to join me in my French Riviera yoga retreat going down Sept. 7–13th. 

You’ll be sharing a luxurious suite overlooking the sea in one of the most beautiful places in the world. We are going to practice all-levels yoga and meditation, eat decadent food, tour the Riviera coast, walk the cobblestone streets of medieval towns, and relax on some world-class beaches. 

I just saw some flights to Nice for less than $800. 

Our seaside villa while on the retreat

Seriously, jump on this. I want you there with us. 

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OR, if you are looking for some soul nourishment in the deep woods, there’s one more spot at my Nature + Writing + Yoga retreat I’m co hosting with Nan Seymour and Amy May, Aug 29–Sept. 2 at Harriman State Park, Idaho. 

Enjoy 5 days, 4 nights at a pristine wildlife and bird refuge located just south of Yellowstone Park, on the banks of the Snake River, in the heart of the Henry’s Fork caldera. You can expect a morning meditation ritual, deep and soulful writing sessions, exquisite food, connection with self and others, and the copious bounties of the natural world. We plan to deeply connect with the earth and each other as we weave together an authentic and caring community. This year we will have more time than ever built in for connection to nature and contemplation, along with meaningful practice, strong community, and space for personal growth.

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 The BEST way to start your weekend is at my Yoga For Stiff Bods class. Join live in person or via Zoom. This gently dynamic class starts with a generous warm-up, move into some invigorating but approachable poses, then wrap  up with some long, slow, deep stretches to help you feel like a million bucks all weekend. You’re done early enough to still make it to the Farmer’s Market or do whatever else your weekend is calling for. 

7:30–8:30 am Available via Zoom (link below) or in person at Mosaic Yoga, 1991 South 1100 East, SLC, UT. 

By donation—donate via Venmo, donate via PayPal

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AI Workshop For Conscious Entrepreneurs

Finally, I’m so excited for my online workshop happening Sat. Aug. 17th 10 am to 1 pm via Zoom. 

AI Alchemy: Amplify Your Gifts, Preserve Your Voice

Understanding how to use AI ethically and effectively is becoming essential for conscious entrepreneurs like us.

I'm excited to share with you what I've learned about how to harness the power of AI to share your message with the world and elevate your conscious business while maintaining your own human voice.

Here's what we'll dive into:

• Prompt engineering: The art of 'talking' to AI effectively

• Creating content that resonates with your audience (without losing your unique voice)

• Ethical considerations: Using AI in alignment with your values

• Practical applications: AI tools for yoga, meditation, and wellness businesses including coaching, therapists, energy workers, etc. 

• Balancing technology with mindfulness in your practice

• Real-world examples of how AI can boost your income potential

This workshop is a MUST for the emerging technology of our time. 

What you'll receive:

✓ Live, interactive 3-hour workshop via Zoom

✓ Replay access for unlimited reviewing

✓ Exclusive list of AI prompts designed for conscious entrepreneurs

✓ Step-by-step guide to effective prompt engineering. This is GOLD!

✓ Detailed PDF manual to guide you during and after the workshop

✓ Access to a community of like-minded conscious entrepreneurs

This workshop is about amplifying your unique gifts, not replacing them. Together, we'll explore how AI can be a powerful ally in reaching more people, creating more impact, and growing your business—all while keeping the heart and soul of your practice intact.

Spaces are limited to ensure personal attention. 

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Whether it’s joining a yoga class, retreat, or workshop, or just by being your own incredible self, I invite you to stretch into the person you are meant to be by practicing wellness, kindness, and inclusion as we explore that fascinating intersection of our humanness and our beingness. 

Drop me a line. I’d love to hear from you.

Namaste,

You Don't Have To Be A Good Writer: How AI Helps You Write Content

How Can AI Help To Be A Good Writer

Unless this is your first time ever reading my blog, you know what I’m all about: the world NEEDS your message. How can AI help you be a good writer?

When I mentor others about how to share what they do with the world, I always hear the same things:

• “But, I’m not a good writer!”

• “What do saaaaaay?!”

• “Does anybody want to hear what I have to say, anyway?!”

Yoga Business Mentor

In fact, these complaints are so common that a core focus of my 1:1 mentorship program is guiding students through a few crucial steps: first, clarifying their own identity; second, deeply understanding their ideal clients; and finally, crafting a message that resonates deeply with those clients' needs.

Then we work on products and services. 

AI Can Make Writing Easy

But guess what? AI can help make this easy. 

For starters, AI can help by generating perfect ideas that marry your rad skillset and unique voice to the very specific needs of your client. When you tell AI who you are and what your client needs are, it can generate seemingly limitless topics for newsletters, blog posts, and social media. 

It can even suggest product ideas.

AI Helps You Be Organized

Plus, AI is superb at helping you stay mega organized with direction and outlines. 

Now, I often write to “discover,” which is a slow and arduous process of throwing a bunch of stuff onto a page and rearranging, editing, and adding to it ad nauseam until what I REALLY want to say slowly, painstakingly, comes into view. It takes forever and involves a lot of swearing. During this process, often my wife, kid, and dog will hear me cursing from the other side of the house, “WRITING IS HAAAARD!”

But it doesn’t have to be, especially if you’re organized. 

I’ve written 3 books (with 3 more in the works) and each of my published books only took me only less than 5 weeks to write … that is AFTER I had a solid outline. Once I had my outline tight these books practically wrote themselves. 

I’ve learned to throw my brainstorming sessions into AI to organize it all beautifully. They are all my own ideas but organized in seconds, giving me more time to write, or apologize to my wife, kid, and dog for yelling obscenities through the house.

AI Helps Your Writing Be Clear and Professional

Another thing AI helps you do is edit your writing so it reads clear and professional.

For anyone who thinks that they are not a good writer—you know, those who don’t know or couldn’t care less about the difference between an Oxford comma and an Oxford shoe— consider this: you don’t need to be a good writer. 

You only need to be yourself … and have a good editor. AI is that brilliant editor that will keep your voice so you can say what you want to say in a way that others can read it. 

Sharing Your Message

Sharing your message with the world is a must. It’s not optional. It’s what you were put here to do.

If you’re a little hung up (or even curious) about sharing your message with the world, please join my AI Alchemy workshop happening THIS Saturday, Aug. 17th from 10 am to 1 pm MT via Zoom, where we will explore how the incredible tool of AI can help you ethically and responsibly share your message with the world while also keeping your authentic voice. 

People are waiting to pick up what you’re puttin’ down.

Will you join me?

PS

If the timing doesn’t work for you or you live in Antarctica or in a cave somewhere, don’t worry. It’s hosted and recorded via Zoom so you can watch live and/or the replay. 

Just come. 

K. See you there.