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Ep. 73 - Recovering My True Self (with Melissa Mayer)
In this episode I speak with the author of “Recovering my True Self” Melissa Mayer. Melissa has a doctorate in Physical Therapy. She speaks about how she transitioned from a more traditional medical setting into a more holistic one. Melissa talks about donating her kidney to her husband and how that sparked a huge transformation in her life.
Melissa and I talk about the importance of seeing obstacles as opportunities to grow. She talks about quitting drinking and having a creative recovery too. She talks about the “letting go” aspect of the process which allies for change to happen and creativity to flow.
Melissa talks about going to Sri Lanka with the head monk of her local Buddhist center. She talks about how being around monks helped her meditation practice. She shares how the trip made her realize she needs to write a book. She shares an influential book for her “The Artist’s Way” and how that allowed her to bring creativity and spirituality together.
https://www.melissamayer.org/
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124. Ep. 124 - Food and Self Development (with Jon Katz)
56:51||Ep. 124In this Episode I speak with Jon Katz. Jon started NYC Food Ways where he helps set up food rescue programs in New York City. Jon shares how he has used to work in the service industry and he realized that a third of our food is thrown away. He shares how he started taking food that would otherwise be wasted and give it to food insecure people. Jon shares his story of his own relationship with food and how changing that changed his whole life. This eventually resulted in Jon becoming a coach that helps people achieve many goals while starting first with changing their diet. Jon talks about how our system of perpetual growth needs greater and greater consumption to thrive. He talks how getting rid of waste can collapse this system. He explains how this system preys on our weaknesses and insecurities. He explains how profitable our mental health and addiction crises are right now. Jon shares his own journey with addiction and tells us about the one belief that he said was the most important for his recovery. He tells us about his system that he uses to help with discipline and cultivating good habits. He tells us about how during his recovery his apartment caught on fire and how it was a pivotal moment in his life. Jon shares the strength he gained after being able to move forward with his good habits after the fire.Instagram - nycfoodways123. Ep. 123 - Yoga and Ayurveda (with Nadia Walji)
51:55||Ep. 123In this episode I speak with Nadia Walji. Nadia is a Certified Yoga Therapist. Nadia works with people one-on-one to pacify any symptoms or conditions that may be arising. Nadia tells us how the practice of Yoga can help people deal with stress, anxiety, sleep, and digestion. She shares her knowledge on some of the tools she uses, such as asana-s (postures) and prānāyāma (breath) practices. Nadia explains the 4 components of the breath and how we can play with those to cause a desired physical, physiological and psychological effect. Nadia also explains the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system prepares the body for fight-or-flight response when a perceived stress is presented. This response inhibits other physiological functions such as digestion. She tells us how posture and breath practices allow us to activate the parasympathetic nervous system which allows for rest, recovery, digestion, and proper sleep. Nadia also has a foundational understanding of Āyurveda, the science of life, and gives insight into this beautiful, ancient Indian system of natural and holistic medicine. She shares how we humans are a microcosm of the macrocosm and are made up of the same elements of the planet – earth, water, fire, air, and ether (space). She explains how each of us has a different makeup of these elements – some people are made up of more of the heavier elements or conversely the lighter elements. By understanding our composition, the symptoms we are experiencing and the season we are in, we can pick foods, herbs and spices that are more appropriate for us.Instagram - @follownadia123. Ep. 123 - Yoga and Ayurveda (with Nadia Walji)
51:55||Ep. 123In this episode I speak with Nadia Walji. Nadia is a Certified Yoga Therapist. Nadia works with people one-on-one to pacify any symptoms or conditions that may be arising. Nadia tells us how the practice of Yoga can help people deal with stress, anxiety, sleep, and digestion. She shares her knowledge on some of the tools she uses, such as asana-s (postures) and prānāyāma (breath) practices. Nadia explains the 4 components of the breath and how we can play with those to cause a desired physical, physiological and psychological effect. Nadia also explains the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system prepares the body for fight-or-flight response when a perceived stress is presented. This response inhibits other physiological functions such as digestion. She tells us how posture and breath practices allow us to activate the parasympathetic nervous system which allows for rest, recovery, digestion, and proper sleep. Nadia also has a foundational understanding of Āyurveda, the science of life, and gives insight into this beautiful, ancient Indian system of natural and holistic medicine. She shares how we humans are a microcosm of the macrocosm and are made up of the same elements of the planet – earth, water, fire, air, and ether (space). She explains how each of us has a different makeup of these elements – some people are made up of more of the heavier elements or conversely the lighter elements. By understanding our composition, the symptoms we are experiencing and the season we are in, we can pick foods, herbs and spices that are more appropriate for us.Instagram - @follownadia122. Ep. 122 - Sacred Sexuality (with Stephen James)
54:04||Ep. 122In this episode I speak with author and creator of “Raw Attraction Magazine” Stephen James. Stephen tells us about being in the “pick up” community over a decade ago in London, England. He tells us about the good and bad aspects of the community and how it led him to founding his own magazine that's for sex, relationships, and spirituality for men and women. Stephen talks about joining many communities that were involved in deepening your sexuality. He also shares how some of these communities broke up because of their cult-like behaviors. He tells us about learning to have full body orgasms with or without a partner and practices that help with that. We talk about how sex and relationships are looked at in modern society and how we can intend to have deeper relationships and more pleasurable connective sex. Stephen talks about the importance of bringing intention into your life and your relationships as well. Stephen also talks about healthy intentions to have before sex.http://www.steve.gifts/121. Ep. 121 - Spirituality and Comedy (with Adrienne Fish)
49:26||Ep. 121In this episode I speak with comedian Adrienne Fish. Adrienne has done almost all you can do in comedy in the Canadian industry. She talks to us about how she is trying to talk more about her spirituality on stage. She explains the process of learning an art form until you get comfortable enough to be able to use it as a tool for self exploration. We talk about how learning to be authentic in what you do translates into making better connections with people. Adrienne shares her story of her rebellious phase after high school and abusing drugs. She tells us about how she had to battle drug use but also how using certain psychedelics opened up her interest into a deeper spirituality. She talks about the anxiety she always lived with by having a mind that constantly looked forward and the unnecessary suffering it causes. Adrienne shares her experience from going on a 10 day meditation retreat. She shares how her ego slowly dissolved during the retreat. We talk about the need for surrender and what that actually means in meditation. We talk about how when we meditate and take psychedelics to get to this deeper connection, how when we get there it's such a familiar feeling like we have been there before. https://www.adriennefish.com/@adriennefishyfishfish120. Ep. 120 - Fun With Fungi (with Jahan Khamsehzadeh)
53:45||Ep. 120In this episode I speak with the author of “The Psilocybin Connection” Jahan Khamsehzadeh. Jahan completed his dissertation on psychedelics while doing his doctorate in philosophy, neuroscience and consciousness. He now leads Psilocybin mushroom guided therapy sessions with people. He shares how western culture brings a new dynamic into the psychedelic experience and how that differs from indigenous practices. Jahan shares what is happening on a neurological level when you are ingesting psychedelics. He shares how and why this can help us overcome trauma, anxiety, and depression. He also shows us how Psilocybin helps create new neurons which can help in creativity and also in helping people find meaning and purpose in life. Jahan also has studied psychosomatic therapeutic practices as well. He explains how emotions and memories can get stuck in the body which causes tension to build. We talk about how this internal tension can create pain, mental health issues, and even lead to disease. He shares the practice of psychosomatic therapy and how it helps recognize and release tension you are holding and lead you to a more whole life.https://psychedelicevolution.org/119. Ep. 119 - Experimenting with Diet (with Jake Thomas)
51:47||Ep. 119In this episode I speak with founder of “Life Like Jake” Jake Thomas. Jake helps people with achieving goals, battling addiction and creating transformation in people's lives and he usually starts with a person's diet. Jake tells us about his own battle with addiction and the process he went through for his own transformation. Jake lays out the numerous diets he’s tried to find out what works for him best and gives him the most health and vitality. He tried everything from veganism to full carnivore diets in his experimentation and made sure to stay with them for at least a year to see how it affected his bodies. He shares doing these different diets and running marathons and how it went. Jae talks about how what we consume affects our minds. He talks about helping people get off of prescription drugs by changing their diets. He talks about how our diets can affect all other addictions in our life and how changing it is the first step to other transformations. Jake shares winning bodybuilding competitions without using performance enhancing drugs.https://lifelikejake.com/118. Ep. 118 - Sexuality and Spirituality (with Naailah Auladin)
58:02||Ep. 118In this episode I talk with sexuality coach Naailah Auladin. Naailah helps men and women have a more holistic relationship with their sexuality. Naailah shares her background of coming out of a 17 year abusive marriage and finding out she knew nothing about her sexuality. She talks about coming from a conservative religious family and the shame and silence around sex. She shares her journey of getting more in touch sexually and helping others do the same.Naailah tells us how the different issues people have with sex in our society. Whether that is with too much shame or taboo around sex or the oversexualization like with porn. She talks about how she helps people find balance in their sexuality and rest of their life. She gives us tips on how to have guidelines when choosing to get into a relationship with someone and how those guidelines change the people you end up meeting.Naailah shares what Tantra is and how it's about living an intentional life. She tells us how bringing intention into your sex and regular life leads to more consciousness. She shares what sexual energy is and how to play around with it with your breath and how it can lead even men to have multiple orgasms. She talks about how sexual energy is the ultimate creative energy and how being aware of it can help in all aspects of your life.www.akasharevival.org117. Ep. 117 - Shamanic Journeys (with Martin Theis)
56:48||Ep. 117In this Episode I speak with Martin Theis. Martin Theis is a facilitator of Shamanic journeys. He explains what a Shamanic journey is and how he just uses a drum and some simple exercises to help people slip into an altered state of consciousness. He shares how deep healing and learning can be done in these altered states of consciousness and what the experience usually entails. Martin talks about in Shamanic traditions when you are in an altered state of consciousness you can sometimes see your totem animal. He explains how all of us have a totem animal which is like a spirit animal in other traditions. He shares how learning your totem animal will teach you so much about your own self and what you need in life to thrive. We talk about the similarities and differences between a Shamanic and Psychedelic journey. We talk about how emotions, beliefs and traumas can stay buried in our subconscious and bodies and how altered states of consciousness can allow awareness and release of these stuff you don’t need anymore.https://www.lighttrails.co/