Living In Divine Love

Do you long for healthy happy relationships? Listen as Yogacharya Ellen Grace O’Brian reveals how “Love Loves Love!” The discussion includes insights for living in divine Love beginning by acknowledging the One in all and lighting up your mind with divine remembrance.

#yoga #kriyayoga #sadhana #meditation #surrender #GodisLove

Yogacharya Ellen Grace O'Brian is an acclaimed teacher, award-winning author, and minister who has served seekers of spiritual enlightenment from all walks of life for over forty years. She has published several books and audio programs about meditation, mindfulness and spiritual living, offering a refreshing and authentic voice that makes timeless wisdom accessible to the modern mind. As a teacher in the tradition of Kriya Yoga, Yogacharya O’Brian serves people from all faith backgrounds who are seeking what is known as Self- or God-realization or awakening. She is the spiritual director of the Center for Spiritual Enlightenment, a meditation center in San Jose, California as well as the founder and spiritual advisor of this podcast.

WEBSITE: EllenGraceOBrian.com CSECenter.org KriyaYogaStudies.com
FB: Ellen Grace O’Brian IG: ellengraceobrian YouTube: Yogacharya Ellen Grace OBrian

THE YOGA HOUR TEAM COMMENTS: This episode with Yogacharya O’Brian is about how to cultivate healthy happy relationships. Don't we all want that? She reveals that Divine Love is the natural core of our being and by knowing God as Love itself we can bring that Love into expression in our everyday interactions. Yogacharya and Laurel discuss how meditation and sadhana help us recognize and respond to old patterns of behavior when they come up in relationships. This is a conversation I will listen to again and again to help me continually contemplate how to notice the experience I am having, how to be with it and then how to be willing to let it go. Don’t miss this episode!

DR. TRUJILLO’S COMMENTS: Since everyone wants to have happier, healthier relationships that was a great focus for our conversation.  Yogacharya O’Brian discussed how seeing God as love itself is helpful for us to find that quality within ourselves and also in those that we love.  I enjoyed 13th century mystic Saadi’s poem, particularly the last line: “In love, there is a beginning but no end” which she explained beautifully. Our discussion of how the mind colors our experience of relationship was an important one, along with the realization that we also need to learn to let go in ways that help our relationships. 

Optimal Health and Wellness for Women Through Ayurveda

How can we use Ayurveda’s ancient principles to recognize and correct imbalance in our bodies? Kate O’Donnell, author, and Ayurveda practitioner will share some insights on how to balance the body and mind for women of all ages based on her new book: Everyday Ayurveda for Women’s Health.

Kate O’Donnell is the author of four Ayurveda books published in seven languages, as well as an international presenter, certified Ayurveda practitioner, and teacher. She is the founder of the Ayurvedic Living Institute, an online community space for self-transformation.  Kate’s newest book is Everyday Ayurveda for Women’s Health

WEBSITE: HealWithKate.org FB: @ ayurvedicliving.institute
IG:@ kateodonnell.ayurveda

#ayurveda #yoga #womenshealth #balance #dosha #rasa

THE YOGA HOUR TEAM COMMENTS: Kate O’Donnell makes learning about Ayurveda easy for the beginner and insightful to the experienced practitioner especially as she tackles women's hormones and body seasons.  I really like the way she encourages an "empowered experiential view of the body" to help us understand how to find balance in the body not only through food but also through experiences, emotions and substances. It's never too late to start to bring your body into balance and better health.  This podcast is a great way to do so.

DR. TRUJILLO’S COMMENTS:  Kate O’Donnell imparts her knowledge of Ayurveda in such an accessible way, as she did in her examples of how all five of the elements that Ayurveda recognizes are present in the human body (ether, air, fire, water, and earth). Our discussion touched on how the Ayurvedic view of balance is so important in women’s health, as well as the recognition that we are each microcosms that are affected by what is happening in the wider world around us.  I also appreciated her advice about how not to become overwhelmed by trying to change too many lifestyle practices at the same time.  

Awaken Your Healing Energy

Our bodies have an amazing capacity to heal and thrive due to our life force, or prana.  Shivani Lucki, internationally known Kriya Yoga meditation teacher and author of Healing with Life Force, shares Paramahansa Yogananda’s teachings for vitality, healing and Self-realization.

Website: HealingLifeForces.com FaceBook: @ShivaniLucki IG: @ShivaniLucki YouTube: @ShivaniLucki
#yoga  #prana  #selfhealing  #yogananda  #kriyayoga  #meditation

Shivani Lucki dedicated her life to the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda in 1969 when she met Swami Kriyananda, the founder of the Ananda community. Her passion has always been the self-healing techniques of Yogananda, taking on as her unique mission to find and share these mostly out-of-print or never published teachings. She helped to establish two Ananda communities-one in California and one in Assisi, Italy as well as the Yogananda Academy of Europe. She is also the founder of  Life Therapy School for Self-Healing. Since 1985 she and her husband have lived at the Ananda Assisi Community in Italy. Shivani is the author of a trilogy of books entitled, Healing with Life Force: Teachings and Techniques of Paramahansa Yogananda. Today we are discussing the first book in the series, which is focused on Prana.

THE YOGA HOUR TEAM COMMENTS: I was so inspired by this conversation with Shivani Lucki. Her reverence for Paramahansa Yogananda's teachings and her years of study and teaching bring a depth of knowledge that will inspire many who are looking for spiritual healing.  She shared that Yogananda was not as well known for his work in spiritual healing, but it was a great focus of his work. He became known as the founder of spiritual healing in the modern age and produced many articles and teachings about prana (life force). He said all disease is due to two factors: insufficient prana and the balance of prana. He taught how prana  can be enhanced and distributed throughout our bodies and minds. With our energy forces in peak performance we can increase our health and wellness and do the work that we are here to do. This first book of her trilogy of books gives us tools and techniques to increase and balance our prana, as taught by Yogananda, some of which Shivani shares with us. I highly recommend this Yoga Hour program. 

DR TRUJILLO’S COMMENTS: Our conversation focused on prana, or vital force, and how the health of the energy body underlies the health of the physical body.  We discussed how breathing exercises, or pranayama, balance the flow of energy in the two main channels of the body, the ida and the pingala as they are called in Sanskrit.  I particularly enjoyed our conversation of the link between our willpower and prana, and the review you gave of a few methods to increase our willpower.  We can commit to trying one new thing every day, or to doing something creative either daily or at least once a week.  Both of these practices build our willpower, and thus keep our “tank” full of prana, or vitality.

Stress Less and Improve Your Heart Health

How can the ancient sciences of Ayurveda and Yoga help us to improve our overall well-being and especially our heart health? Author of the book The Centered Heart: Evidence-Based, Mind-Body Practices to Stress Less and Improve Cardiac Health and yoga teacher Susi Amendola shares how these practical and research-proven tools can improve our heart health and quality of life.

Susi is the author of “The Centered Heart: Evidence-Based Mind Body Practices to Stress Less and Improve Cardiac Health"  and is an Internationally Certified Yoga Therapist who brings over 40 years of experience utilizing Yoga and lifestyle practices to help others heal. In 1983 she founded Yoga Now in Omaha, Nebraska where she currently teaches classes and directs the annual 200-Hour Yoga Certification program. Susi has developed yoga-based stress management programs for schools, businesses, and hospitals throughout the country. Presently, Susi is a National Senior Trainer of Stress Management for the prestigious Ornish Lifestyle Medicine program for reversing heart disease. Susi has contributed over 150 articles to the online publication Ornish Living Magazine

WEBSITE: YourCenteredHeart.com FB and IG: @thecenteredheart
#yoga, #kriya yoga, #hearthealth, #hathaYoga, #meditation, #Ayurveda

THE YOGA HOUR TEAM COMMENTS: Laurel’s discussion with Susi Amendola about the incredible benefits that people with heart disease attain with the practice of yoga—the physical postures, meditation, a healthy plant-based diet, breath awareness and ethical living— is a very important topic. As she said, most people don't realize the amount of stress we are almost continuously under in this western society. This takes a toll on our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. I really appreciated that she shared how more and more top medical studies show the benefit of these practices for our overall health and wellness whether we have heart disease, or any disease or are interested in prevention of disease. The practices of Yoga have become a standard of care for patients with cardiac disease. In her parting words of inspiration Susi said: "We have a lot more agency in our own healing than we may have imagined. These practices allow us to center in our heart, which connects us to our own inner wisdom, our own inner healer."

DR. TRUJILLO’S COMMENTS: It was a pleasure to discuss Susi Amendola’s new book The Centered Heart: Evidence-Based, Mind-Body Practices to Stress Less and Improve Cardiac Health with her.  It’s important to recognize how much scientific evidence there is that yoga improves cardiac health, including yoga postures (hatha yoga), breathing exercises (pranayama) and meditation.  I particularly enjoyed our discussion of how yoga practices increase the resiliency of our nervous system and reduce stress.  We also discussed how practicing yoga allows us to more easily listen to our own inner wisdom and put it into practice in our lives.

The Yogic Path of Recovery

How can the deep philosophical teachings of yoga support addiction recovery? Our guest Bryan Hyman RYT, author of Recovery with Yoga, offers inspiration and practical tools to help cultivate a powerful and purposeful life in recovery and to create a new design for living.

Brian is a yoga instructor, meditation guide, dharma teacher, author, and father. He has been clean and sober since 2009, and he has been teaching yoga and meditation at Cliffside Malibu since 2012. His dedicated work in the field of addiction treatment and recovery combines yogic philosophy, Buddhist wisdom, Twelve Step principles, and timeless insights from various spiritual traditions. His innovative teachings about healing and transformation have been featured in Whole Life Times, Mantra Wellness + Health, Yoga Digest, Sobriety Corps, and many other publications and podcasts.  He is the author of the book Recovery with Yoga: Supportive Practices for Transcending Addiction

WEBSITE: BrianHymanYoga.com FB:@brianhymanyoga IG:@brianhymanyoga
#yoga, #recovery, #honesty, #kriyayoga, #self-surrender, #meditation, #self-compassion

COMMENT FROM BRIAN: It was a pleasure to talk with Laurel. I truly appreciate the work Laurel and the Yoga Hour team are doing to make yogic principles and practices accessible to anyone who may benefit, and I am grateful for the specific questions I was asked about my work and the book. Thank you for the opportunity to share my story and message of recovery on this podcast.

THE YOGA HOUR TEAM COMMENTS: Bryan Hyman, the author of the book Recovery with Yoga has an excellent understanding and knowledge of how yoga as a spiritual philosophy can really support  people who are in recovery from addictive substances but also for any person who is dealing with difficulties in their lives. He was passionate about how the study and practice of yoga has changed his life completely. He said he didn't know if he could have had 14 years, so far, of sobriety without yoga. Laurel began with a discussion of the Sanskrit term Satya, which is translated as truth or honesty. Bryan says that nothing can be achieved in recovery unless the person is honest with themselves about their addiction. From that they can discern what they need. He says that often, honesty will come in stages so we don't beat ourselves if we are not completely honest at first. The other topic that I thought is so useful for anyone is the topic of self-forgiveness. This is a topic that we can all relate to.  He shared that it is important to be present to now. All we have is now. If we live in the past and can't forgive ourselves for what happened in the past, we can't move forward and heal. Not forgiving ourselves takes us down a dark path. We need to do what we need to do to make amends and then move on. 
This was a very rich program and I would highly recommend it for those who in recovery or want to recover from substance abuse. There is something here that we all can benefit from.

DR. TRUJILLO’S COMMENTS: I really appreciated our discussion of how yogic principles can help us all to recover, whether we have an addiction or are trying to establish new patterns of behavior (new positive samskaras). We talked about the yogic practices that support us along our path, including honesty, self-surrender, compassion, and the importance of being in the present moment.   Brian’s advice at the end was heartfelt and helpful: do the next right thing, don’t be ashamed because you aren’t the only one who is struggling with some of these issues, ask for help  if you need it, and don’t give up.  

Reclaim Your Wholeness

Are you aligned with who you KNOW yourself to be? Tracee Stanley and Dr. Laurel Trujillo discuss the sacred path to transformation and self-remembrance. They will share yoga-based practices, meditations, and self-inquiry questions to help guide the inward journey.

Tracee Stanley is the author of the best-selling book, Radiant Rest as well as the book we are discussing today, The Luminous Self: Sacred Yogic Practices & Rituals to remember who You Are. Tracee shares teachings that are inspired by more than 20 years of study in the tradition of the Himalayan Masters and Sri Vidya Tantra. She is the creatrix of the Empowered Life Self-Inquiry Oracle Deck and host of Radiant Rest Podcast which celebrates the practices, teachers, and traditions that prioritize the rituals of rest, sacred dreaming, and self-care.

Website: TraceeStanley.com FB: @traceestanley-empoweredlife IG:tracee_stanley
#yoga #kleshas # avidya #soulwhisper #samskaras

THE YOGA HOUR TEAM COMMENTS: This podcast with Tracee Stanley goes deep into the age-old question of “Who am I” including the obstacles to experiencing the True Self or in her words the “Luminous Self”. Her analogy of a dirty windshield perfectly illustrates how worldly illusions cover Self-knowing. Imagine samskaras (habits and impressions in the mind) and kleshas (obstacles to spiritual growth) as bug splats on a once clean windshield. Windshield washers just make viewing through the windshield more difficult. It takes the right tools to clear the bugs/impressions. The discussion goes deep into samskaras and kleshas and clarifies how working with them helps us hold ourselves and our community in a different way.

DR. TRUJILLO’S COMMENTS: I enjoyed our discussion about the innate wholeness, luminosity, and joy of our inner Self.  I found our conversation about the Kleshas, the obstacles to our awakening, to be very rich and deep, beginning with Avidya, or the mistaken identification of ourselves with our changing body and mind.  I loved Tracee’s guidance to listen to the “whispers of the soul”, which we sometimes notice but sometimes ignore.  

The Power of Ta’i Chi

Are you ready to reconnect with the power of your life energy? Join Master Waysun Liao, T’ai Chi master and author of T’ai Chi Classics, as he shares how to feel, restore, and strengthen your inner power (c’hi) through the practice of T’ai Chi.

Master Waysun Liao has been a dedicated practitioner and teacher of traditional T'ai Chi for over fifty years, beginning as a student at a Taoist temple in his native Taiwan before later emigrating to the United States. He is considered one of the world's foremost authorities on traditional Taoist wisdom and Chi arts. He also practices herbal medicine, acupuncture, and feng-shui. Master Liao is author of numerous books, including the book we will be discussing today, T’ai Chi Classics: Illuminating the Ancient Teachings on the Art of Moving Meditation.    

THE YOGA HOUR TEAM COMMENTS: The interview with Master Liao discussing t'ai chi was amazing. He described the T'ai Chi Classics as simple core practices - "footprints the masters left"  - a guide to harmony in the entire universe. 
C - center
H - harmony
I - infinity
Throughout the interview the correlation between yoga and ta’i chi was brought up. Ta’i chi moving meditation helps focus on feeling and moving our life energy. It takes focus, relaxation, breath control and coordination. I particularly liked the practice he shared for listeners to begin to feel the chi energy. Another interesting and informative interview.

DR. TRUJILLO’S COMMENTS: I really enjoyed the conversation with Master Liao about Ta’i Chi and how it can help us to reconnect with the power of our life energy and help us build the ability to focus.  I was struck by the parallels between Ta’i Chi and yoga, how both systems view the body as being animated by vital energy which is called chi in Ta’i Chi and prana in yoga.  Both systems call us to reintegrate our bodies, minds, and spirits, and to reestablish our connection to the Oneness that is manifesting as all that is.  I particularly appreciated the simple exercise he described for listeners that can help them to feel this vital energy.  Both Ta’i Chi and Yoga provide practices that help us to slow down and access our original wholeness.  

Spiritual Transformation, Consciousness and the Brain

What is the relationship between consciousness, the brain and the teachings of Kriya Yoga? A.Martin Wuttke, neurotherapist, yogacharya and author of The Brain Sutras: Keys to the Revealed Consciousness, shares how understanding these connections can guide us to living a spiritually awakened, fulfilled life.

A. Martin Wuttke (Marty) Wuttke is a neurotherapist, clinician and yogacharya—an esteemed teacher of yoga. He has been teaching principles of brain, mind and consciousness as well as the teachings of Kriya Yoga for more than 40 years. As a pioneer and leading expert in the field of neurofeedback, he has treated a wide variety of disorders and assisted many on their spiritual path through his unique Wuttke Method combining ancient yogic wisdom and state-of-the-art neuroscientific approaches.  Marty and his wife, Dr. Stella Wuttke are the founders and principal practitioners of the Infinite Potential Institute located in Santa Barbara, California. Marty is also a long-time disciple of Roy Eugene Davis, direct disciple of Paramahansa Yogananda, who is also guru of Yogacharya O’Brian. Marty has been ordained by Mr. Davis to teach and initiate others into the principles and practices of Kriya Yoga.

#kriyayoga, #neuroplasticity, #affirmations, #meditation, #RoyEugeneDavis

Website: wuttkeipi.com   Facebook: Wuttke Infinite Potential Institute  InstaGram: infinite_potential_institute

THE YOGA HOUR TEAM COMMENTS: I really enjoyed your conversation today with Marty Wuttke. His deep understanding of the teachings of Kriya Yoga and consciousness along with his work in neuroscience and neurofeedback brings a real sense of understanding of how these ancient spiritual teachings work in our lives. He says “You are not a body producing consciousness, but consciousness producing a body…Consciousness is the life force. He explained what consciousness is. 
He reminded us how our subconscious really affects most of what we say and do. The negative patterns (samskaras) in our mind, most of which are developed by the age of 7, don’t have to shape the trajectory of our life if we don’t want them to and he shared techniques that can support positive changes. He said that he can “guarantee” that we can experience superconsciousness with Kriya Yoga practices. We just need to be patient.  His teaching is very practical and accessible. I highly recommend this program.

DR. TRUJILLO’S COMMENTS: I enjoyed Marty Wuttke’s perspective about neuroplasticity and neurogenesis, that our brains can remodel and regenerate themselves, and do so in response to a steady meditation practice.  I found our discussion of samskaras to be very hopeful, that although we have negative patterns or habits that we fall into, we can use the same process to build new positive habits.  I also appreciated the information about affirmations, that they require focus, visualization, and positive emotion to be fully successful.  I affirm, with gratitude to Marty and to Roy Eugene Davis: “The radiant purity of my essence of being continuously illumines my mind and consciousness”.