Practice You With Elena Brower

Artist and meditation teacher Gemma Gambee Lewis on the work that helps us share the most primary inner state, and taking meditation into our actions in the world. Gemma Lewis is a meditation and spiritual teacher nurturing the integration between the spirit and the mind. After a 20-year career in international fashion modeling, trend forecasting, and brand building, Gemma is most at home when sitting in meditation and teaching what this practice has generously given. She classically trained for more than two decades in the traditions of Yoga, Bhakti, the Vedas, Vedanta, and Kashmir Shaivism. When she is not meditating, she's wrapped up in other creative pursuits like drawing, painting and deep-diving brand strategy work in the fashion, art, design, and film industries. Resources https://www.gemmagambee.com/

Co-Founder of Flavorpill and EVRYMAN Sascha Lewis on creating community, leadership, the experiential evolution of what it means to be a man, and becoming full-spectrum humans. Length: 59:30 Timecodes: 1:25 Yoga on the Great Lawn. Flavorpill. Reggie Watts. Buddy Wakefield. 5:00 Yoga at MoMA. Pipilotti Rist exhibit. Michael Rothman. Art of Yoga at the Guggenheim. 8:48 How can culture be more accessible? Quiet Mornings at MoMA. 10:58 Evryman organisation. Dan Doty. Men from all walks of life. Permission to be raw and emotional. 21:17 Men’s work at highschool, prisons, military. Aaron Blaine. 24:53 Me Too movement. How are we going to evolve? Men learn by doing and experiencing. 30:55 Committing more time to family. We yearn for presence. Full spectrum human. 32:57 Difficult moments. Slowing down. The power of knowing that we’re heard. 33:50 Creating the container for this work. It’s a practice. 35:25 Co-ed groups. Wanderlust Wellspring. Beautiful displays of humanity. 37.00 Collective healing journey. Evolution

On prioritizing the behaviors that lead to awakening. On the kindnesses, and the softening. On breathing as physiological healing. Length: 58:29 Timecodes: 0:45 One simple thing. Overcoming the divided self. Our untapped potential. 2:54 Hierarchies in yoga. The unknown. Yoga is a practice of knowing who you are. Listening so we know what to do. 6:52 Reading Siddhartha at 15. Who am I? What am I doing here? What do I do next? Self-referral. 9:35 Being established in your awareness. 10:28 Listening and prioritizing. 12:42 Eight limbs of yoga as responsibilities. Spontaneous behavior of an awakened person. 17:20 Distracted mind is not a bad thing. 18:00 The energy that is watching. 20:25 Reorganization of the brain and yoga poses. 24:24 Eddie’s daily practice. 24:52 Breath as the easiest way to move inwards. Resonance Breathing. Nostril Breathing. The Breathing App 35:06 Strengthening and balancing the nervous system. 40:21 It is actually hard to be kind and peaceful. Why we need these practices. 41:55 The Vagus

Gabrielle Bernstein is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Universe Has Your Back and has written five additional bestsellers. She was featured on Oprah’s SuperSoul Sunday as a “next-generation thought leader,” and The Oprah Winfrey Network chose Gabby to be part of the “SuperSoul 100,” a group of 100 people whose vision and life’s work are bringing a higher level of consciousness to the world. The New York Times identified her as “a new role model.” Gabby appears regularly as an expert on The Dr. Oz Show and co-hosted the Guinness World Record largest guided meditation with Deepak Chopra. Her seventh book, Super Attractor, comes out in September 2019. For more on her work, visit gabbybernstein.com. Length: 34:15 Timecodes: 1:34 How Gabby inspired Elena during her recovery. May Cause Miracles book 4:00 Reframing. Re-aligning. Allowing rock bottom to be the place where the light enters. 5:50 If it isn’t real, it can’t be shared. 7:03 Being authentic and vulnerable, but also knowing when not to be.

On Nature as musical instrument, pauses as assets, honouring the elders, everyday ceremony. Includes a bonus track of Ram Dass x East Forest. Derived from the German translation of his last name, East Forest (aka Trevor Oswalt) creates a hypnotizing brand of music for old souls that blends achingly emotional wordlessness, ambience and contemporary classical touches with a touch of pop sensibilities and electronic flavors. Based in Boulder Utah, Oswalt performs internationally and is armed with a live show that is continually evolving; sometimes performing solo, sometimes with a string section, and often with theatrical elements and cinematic projections. With experiences offering music in a hospice, as well as backpacking explorations throughout the wilderness of the world including the Amazonian jungle searching for spiritual answers, his music is a connected journey that's been dubbed "a revelatory excursion in sound" (Under The Gun) that invites listeners to "go on a journey of self discovery" (Earmilk). H

On the subtlest interior shifts we can make to conduct currents of sweetness within and around us. 

Stylist, author, self-proclaimed vintage junkie and proud mom, Barri Leiner Grant has an artful eye and clever hand for the unexpected. For nearly three decades, Grant has established herself in the editorial and commercial markets—prepping, propping and conceptualizing everything from well-curated trend stories and books to memorable interior design shoots, and shows, ideation and product branding. She is tapped by leading architects, photographers and designers including brands like Crate&Barrel, Cynthia Rowley, SC Johnson, Huggies and Ulta among others, who call on her “trend-spotting” expertise. Grant translates her forward thinking vision into well-curated collaborations. Her background in yoga and meditation ignite a spirited vision to her work and the world around her. I love to call attention and admiration to the smallest and most unexpected details – it's my secret stamp. – Barri Leiner Grant Leiner Grant and her partner Marie Moss have created a jewelry company based on their love of vintage.

Former Navy Pilot and co-founder of Walkabout Yoga Liz Corwin on the victories that emerge from perceived failure, the choice to prioritize practice, and the ultimate walkabout. Liz Corwin is world traveling yoga teacher, storyteller, and creator of Walkabout Yoga Retreats & Teacher Trainings. She is also a 15-year US Navy Officer and former F-18 Navy jet pilot. Today, she still serves as a Lieutenant Commander in the Navy Reserves supporting the Naval War College. She began teaching yoga to the military community while on deployment in 2008 aboard the U.S.S. Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier, sharing her practice and experience with other pilots and friends. Since then she has continued traveling the world teaching yoga to both our military community and civilian population as a way to bridge the divide of understanding. Liz's teachings and storytelling focus on deep inner shadow work, redefining strength and the warrior ethos, and embracing vulnerability as we uncover true self-acceptance, self-love, and

On welcoming compassion for the string of selves you've ever been, quotes from Hourglass and Inheritance. On the corrosive power of family secrets, and the healing of the secret that Dani uncovered about her origins. On welcoming compassion for the string of selves you've ever been, quotes from Hourglass and Inheritance. On the corrosive power of family secrets, and the healing of the secret that Dani uncovered about her origins. About Dani Shapiro Dani Shapiro’s books include the memoirs, Hourglass, Still Writing, Devotion, and Slow Motion, and five novels including Black & White and Family History. Her work spans diverse subjects from her tumultuous upbringing in an Orthodox Jewish community and the tragic death of her father to her explorations of spirituality and the nature of our deepest relationships. Dani’s New York Times best selling memoir, Inheritance, was recently published by Knopf. Dani's essays and journalistic pieces have appeared in numerous publications including The New Yorker, Salon, n+

Inward On meditation and the merits we carry as a result of our practice, engaging inward connections,  and cultivating heart community, with Diego Perez, the writer known as Yung Pueblo. Diego perez is the writer behind the pen name yung pueblo. The name yung pueblo means "young people." It serves to remind him of his ecuadorian roots, his experiences in activism, and that the collective of humanity is in the midst of important growth. His favorite word, liberation, took on a deeper meaning once he started meditating vipassana, as taught by s.n. goenka. Through writing and speaking, he aims to support the healing of the individual, realizing that when we release our personal burdens, we contribute to a global peace. Length: 49:17 Timecodes: 2:00 How Diego sees his work as being a part of helping the collective to grow up. 2:51 Influence of meditation and Vipassana retreats on Diego’s writing. 6:30 Diego's morning routine. 7:20 Letting go. It’s about unhinging and making peace with the past. 8:47 Remaining co

On Rituals, Practices, and Good Listening On the occasion of the release of 'Rituals for Every Day' by Nadia Narain and and Katia Narain Phillips, we gathered to chat about our own practices of listening, praying and meaning-making. Nadia Narain is one of the UK’s best loved and most respected yoga teachers. For more than 20 years, she has taught everyone from professional athletes to, pregnant women to total beginners and yoga sceptics, how to take care of their outer bodies as well as their inner spirit, she has inspired thousands to slow down, be kind and love themselves where they are. Nadia is also co-author with her sister of the international bestselling book “Self Care for the Real World,” and more recently, “Rituals for Every Day,” explaining not just why we have to look after ourselves, but how i simple achievable ways. Resources nadianarain.com - Nadia has a range for chemical free candles and perfumes and yoga retreats Notes and Methods by Hilma Af Klint Marie Kondo, The Life-changing Magic of Tid

Glo founder Derik Mills joined me for a sweet, edifying conversation on my last trip to film at Glo. We touched upon the last ten years of digital evolution, the future of virtual practice and the heart of what we do together at Glo.com. Derik is the CEO/founder of Glo, formerly YogaGlo, a health and wellness brand that challenges people to live a fulfilling life. Glo believes in a world in which we all live our true potential. In 2008, Derik teamed up with his younger brother to found and self-fund Glo. They started by converting a Santa Monica workspace into a recording studio to film yoga and meditation classes that were free for the public to attend. The online service grew to empower subscribers to experience yoga, meditation, lecture, and online continuing education courses taught by world-class instructors from anywhere in the world. Today, in 2019, the company remains self-funded and has expanded to a team of more than 100 people, including faculty, and produced more than 10,000 classes. The company i

1:11 How Claudia began. Watching her powerful, entrepreneurial Chinese Mother do it all. 2:16 Sex and the City. 2000s. Power of the media to influence Women’s values. 3.26 Half the Sky: https://amzn.to/2BuJqSk learning about the state of women and girls in the Third world, developing countries, maternal mortality and sex trafficking. In the US: the pay gap and gender inequality. 4:25 First SHE Summit. Showing women that they can become leaders and change agents. 5:35 Innovation means seeing the invisible. When you see the invisible, you can do the impossible. 6.24 Living in the discomfort. It’s where you make the most change. 7.02 Spiritual growth has to precede personal growth. Personal Growth has to precede Leadership development. Leadership Development leads to Social Change. 7.50 Leadership Development means being really clear on your purpose. Being a Visionary, leading teams. 8:46 We’re always going to bump into new challenges that will trigger things from our childhood. For Claudia, this often shows up

In this short episode, Jonah and I touch upon: - his experience of what we did well in our separation (we minimized fighting, always apologized, and shared stories of the trajectory in a loving way) - advice to parents for how to handle separation and divorce (no fighting, always apologize, and be kind) - not requiring eye contact with your kid - allowing the kid to open up more freely - our shared appreciation of Sex Education on Netflix - on sources of stress in his life - a friendly meditation challenge - Better Apart

On the occasion of Mary Oliver's passing, a reading of dear passages and poems. Mary’s work has informed mine since 1998; reading her words brings me back to the earliest days of teaching and learning to lead. Readings from: Thirst A Thousand Mornings Felicity Devotions A Poetry Handbook

On the intelligence of risk, radical independence, and decoding the real conversation that happens in relationship. 

Seeing difficult moments as evidence that it was always coming together. Length: 5:00 Timecodes: 2:00 Seeing that every difficult moment is a teaching. A Call For Revolution by His Holiness the Dalai Lama Seek evidence that it was always coming together Hold a state of peace within our hearts “...respond to terror with increased democracy, openness and tolerance” 4:15 May we be more gentle with our fear May we apply the tolerance, non-violence within our own homes May we look upon those closest to us (with whom we might be challenged) and continue to believe that there is a teaching in this challenge.

On the energetic and practical wisdom of gathering difficult moments; seeing them as food for your journey. Length: 54:07 Timecodes: 0:00 Eternal Two Step by Mark Nepo, p.33, Things That Join the Sea and Sky 02:40 Collecting difficult moments like little gems. Don't try to avoid them; gather them up like fuel, food, treasures. 04:18 When you're a child, the imagination still reigns; there isn’t the impression of meaning just yet… the meaning of what's occurring is entirely open to our interpretation. Meanings begin to be collected and change us. Collecting difficult moments puts us back into the world of imagination, allowing us to reclaim creativity. 06:13 That moment you started to feel like the adult with your parents. Collecting moments of trusting that everyone has their path. AB the pleaser; letting go of the need to control other people's experience. Collecting the difficult moments makes them sacred. Reclaiming lost bits of ourselves, our imagination. 07:45 Self Compassion practice; Rod Stryker- Sanct

Seeing difficult moments as our treasures. Strategies and perspectives for releasing stories and tensions. 0:00-1:40 Vanda Scaravelli quote: Tension is a theft. To be in adherence with the present moment. On the stories we’ve repeated in our minds to create tension “Notice the stories you hold in your mind. Let go of the ones that cause tension.” -Yung Pueblo 1:45 On our being accustomed to - and recreating a baseline neutral of tension… On the contradictions we’ve adhered to - and seeing them as the treasures and the lessons On stopping the fight 2:30 Welcoming the child in us that we’ve shunned And collecting the presence, creating a sacred space for that part of us 3:30 How to be with those parts of ourselves that we’ve denied Making time for compassion Seeing your child bring forth all the parts of you that you’ve denied 4:10 On being with the sting of childhood, seeing how it’s still likely driving our choices Not dramatizing, nor glorifying, just giving it compassion and love 4:45 Rod Stryker SANCTUARY