Tattoos and Torah

In this episode of Tattoos & Torah, Rabbi Iggy talks to global ultra-endurance athlete and the founder of the 5.8 Global Adventure Series, Charlie Engle. Charlie shares his story of extreme resilience – which includes running across the Sahara Desert – and how suffering can lead to extraordinary growth. Charlie offers tangible steps toward recovery so you too can practice more mindfulness and not just check the AA Meeting box for the sake of it. He gets real about his relationship with running and how important it is to lessen the noise, so you can connect with your true self. Charlie’s memoir, Running Man, became a bestseller shortly after it was published in 2016. While the book details his inspiring life story, it is about more than just running. It is about facing demons, overcoming impossible odds, keeping your sense of humor, and discovering the redemptive power of putting one foot in front of the other, even when you feel like you can’t keep going. His motivation to run and tackle extreme adventures stems from his battle with addiction to drugs and alcohol. Charlie has been in recovery since July 23, 1992, and he credits a large part of his recovery to the purposeful devotion and emotional release he experiences while running. He has said that “Drugs and alcohol were my way out. Running was my way through.” Charlie is a dynamic speaker who has enthralled audiences around the world, from keynotes at the Boston Marathon and Google to the National Geographic Society, the United Nations, and the deck of a nuclear-class U.S. Naval aircraft carrier. He’s been featured in the New York Times, National Geographic Weekend, Outside, Runner’s World, NPR’s All Things Considered, Men’s Journal, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He lives with his wife, Astacianna Hatcher, in Durham, North Carolina. Charlie’s Areas of Expertise: Ultra-endurance athletics, addiction, and recovery overcoming adversity. Follow on Instagram @charlieengle www.charlieengle.com Author of RUNNING MAN Find us at www.tshuvahcenter.org Follow us @tshuvahcenter on Instagram Say hi at info@tshuvahcenter.com Please subscribe, rate, review and share.

Your body is an instrument, and this week on Tattoos and Torah with Rabbi Iggy we meet with Bryant Wood. Bryant Wood is a Master Breathwork Instructor, Healer, and co-founder of Modern Nirvana. Previously featured on Women’s Health, PeopleTV, Forbes, Netflix, Amazon, HBO, Spotify, United Nations, Discovery Inc., and Daily Yoga App. In this episode we explore breath, sound, and movement to open yourself up, feel, and express. In with the new and out with the old stuck emotions that have been holding you back. Bryant shares the benefits of breathwork and how it can help anyone regulate their stress levels and achieve deeper relaxation. This extraordinary tool is made even more powerful by its accessibility. Paired with meditation, exercise and mindfulness practices it can help get your practice to the next level. Follow on Instagram @bryantwood Get Your Modern Oracle Deck Here Modern Nirvana Find us at www.tshuvahcenter.org Follow us @tshuvahcenter on Instagram Say hi at info@tshuvahcenter.com Please subscribe, rate, review and share.

While summer can be a period of rest and joy, it can also signal that life changes are coming.  How do we make the most of transitional periods? How can we feel comfortable letting go? In the final episode of this season of Tattoos & Torah, Rabbi Iggy addresses these questions - and shares approaches in Jewish tradition to embracing and making meaning at the end of something. Listen to this episode for some practices to try out this summer - so you can feel ready for next “season”!  See you in the fall!

What do you say to yourself when you want to quit?  How do you flip that script? This week, Rabbi Iggy sits down with Eddie Arrazola, a boxing coach who created the acclaimed anti-bullying and self-confidence building youth program, “The Wolf Pack”. Together, they discuss the value of grit and determination - and how to always move forward, even in the moments where you could get stuck. Listen to this episode to learn tools to persevere through hardship - and how to gain the most out of the challenges you face

In this episode, Rabbi Iggy discusses the healing power of embracing tensions as queer people: in our spirits, in our bodies, and in taking and making space. Rabbi Iggy examines the constant mediation of space we partake in, by being loud and proud, but ensuring we create space for others.  He covers a range of topics that touch these themes, from the spiritual principle of tzimtzum (the reduction of self), to the both/and of life. If you’re curious about how these tensions are functioning in your life, this episode is for you!

How can tattoos help us heal when reclaiming an identity we were taught to hide? In this week’s episode, Rabbi Iggy and graduate research assistant, Lilah Doris, discuss the cultural and historical importance of tattoos and body augmentation as a practice that is not just skin deep.  Together, they explore the role of tattoos in their own lives; as liberating tools for queer bodies and identities, as a representation of spirit, and as a vehicle for expressing and healing emotional wounds. Tune in to hear more about how tattoos and body modifications can offer an individual power, freedom, and bodily sovereignty.

What is the soul? How (and why) should you nourish it? This week, Rabbi Iggy takes us through theories of the soul in an episode that draws from the wisdom of the ancient philosophes, to the Talmud, to a socialite-turned-nun. In this episode, Rabbi Iggy invites us to build our own relationship to our soul - and reveals how we can nurture it like we do our bodies.

What can you do as a parent when your child is struggling with addiction? This week’s guest, Richard Capriola sits down with Rabbi Iggy to discuss addiction in youth and adolescents.  As a mental health and addiction counselor for over two decades, Richard's recent book, “The Addicted Child”, offers a roadmap on adolescent substance abuse for parents.  Their conversation digs into the need for expanded addiction education and resources for families, and how we can support loved ones experiencing addiction. If you want to learn more about navigating adolescent substance abuse as a parent, this episode is for you.

How do we find nourishment in rest? This week, Rabbi Iggy discusses different types of rest: spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical, and asks us to take an honest account of what rest looks like for us.  For some, it may look like going on a hike, or going to the gym, but for others, it may be reading a book or laying on the couch. Listen to this episode to learn how to change your relationship with rest in a world that often undervalues it.

The Talmud says that beautiful things expand a person’s heart. But what makes something beautiful?In this week’s episode, Rabbi Iggy talks about beauty and why it matters.  While some philosophers think beauty is objective and universal, Rabbi Iggy argues that we have the power to make the world around us beautiful; and in doing so we exercise our sovereignty over and connection to the world around us. If you want to discover the power of beauty in your own life, this episode is for you.

What are some of the root causes of anxiety and stress, and how can we address them? This week, Rabbi Iggy talks with Dr. Laxmi Naik, a board-certified emergency medicine physician. After practicing acute care medicine at the busiest trauma centers in New York, she pursued holistic medicine for her own healing journey.  Together, they discuss the many approaches one can take to find integrated and holistic spiritual and physical healing.If you’re interested in learning about new approaches to your own healing, this episode is for you!

Shadow work is a Jungian idea that is an essential part of the work we must do to create more peace and equanimity in ourselves and our lives. Creativity, joy, authenticity and recovery are enhanced when we commit to exploring our actions, motivations and values. In this episode, Rabbi Iggy explores different approaches to shadow work and explains his spiritual interpretation of it. If you ever wondered what shadow work is or how to start engaging in it, this episode is for you!

How can you practice mindfulness when meditation is not for you? This week Rabbi Iggy sits down with Certified Mindfulness Coach and Mindful Living author Melissa Maxx.  Melissa's book “Mindfulness for People Who Suck at Being Mindful” was the #1 New Kindle release in five categories.  In this episode, she shares the tips, techniques, and practices she learned after suffering from an emotional breakdown as a result of hard-partying, hardly sleeping, work-addicted, rock radio Disc Jockey and TV host.Ready to start your own mindfulness practice?  Even if you struggle with meditation and aren't sure where to start this podcast is for you.  Learn more about the tools you need to change your life for the better.

We count so many things in life: money, possessions, real estate, other material things. We also count sobriety and recovery time. But, how do you count the immaterial things that matter? In this episode, Rabbi Iggy discusses the mitzvah of counting the Omer. This thousand year-old tradition reminds us to improve, change, grow and focus on our individual selves. By counting the 49 days of the Omer, we create space to focus on the values we hold dear, the things we treasure in ourselves and others, and engage in profound spiritual growth .If you're interested in enhancing your recovery, join us in counting the Omer.

How can we find our own liberation this coming spring? By trying to understand what in our own lives serve as our "mitzrayim", our obstacles.   In this episode, Rabbi Iggy gives us the tools to identify these obstacles within ourselves. By looking inward, at the people close to us, and at the world around us, we can then decide what we will engage with and what we will disengage from.  Listen to this episode if you want to learn how you can reclaim Passover to support your own recovery.

This week, Rabbi Iggy is joined by Rabbi Michael Perice, the Senior Rabbi at Temple Sinai in Cinnaminson, New Jersey who made waves in 2021 when he opened up about his opiate addiction recovery journey.  They discuss the defining moments of life, how we recognize and honor them, and the expansive impact they can have. Together, these two spiritual leaders open up about ripple effects of their advocacy and vulnerability - and uncover how important (and common) their stories actually are.

What does it mean to live t’shuvah? This is the question that drives T’Shuvah Center’s unique approach to integrated, personalized recovery. In this episode, Rabbi Iggy digs into the concept of t’shuvah and how powerfully it can transform your wellbeing. By engaging in this daily act of living in truth, repair, and strength, we can become empowered to understand the roots of our behaviors and unlock the capacity to establish new habits, rituals, and ways of living. This is an episode for anyone who wants to learn more about - and integrate the powerful tool of t'shuvah into your life.

As we enter spring, the season of renewal, how can we plant seeds in the areas of our lives where we’d like to foster more growth? This week, Rabbi Iggy explores what it takes to build habits. In recovery, there is a basic concept of the first 90 days, a phase where old habits are challenged and new behaviors take their place. Rabbi Iggy discusses the ways we hold ourselves back from growth, and reveals that with intention and compassion, change is possible. If you want to audit your own spiritual life and learn simple tools to put goals into action, this episode is for you!

Why are contradictions so present in Judaism, and how can they inform our recovery? This week, Rabbi Iggy ruminates on the many tensions written into Jewish text. With so many conflicting expectations, we are constantly asked to live in the grey areas; to mediate the in-between. For many of us in recovery, learning to embrace dualities is essential. If you’re interested in building harmony between your internal contradictions (and understanding yourself outside of a binary), this episode is for you!

How can the medical field better address patients with co-occurring substance use disorders and mental illness? That’s the central focus of Dr. Jonathan Avery’s work, the Director of Addiction Psychiatry and Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College and New York-Presbyterian Hospital.  This week, Dr. Avery joins Rabbi Iggy to discuss the challenges many patients with substance use disorders face when interacting with the medical community - whether it be inadequate training, existing stigma, or limiting psychiatric approaches. Through his research, Dr. Avery advocates for how greater connectivity and compassion in clinical practice can lead to better outcomes.  Together, Dr. Avery and Rabbi Iggy discuss the importance of therapeutic recovery communities like T’Shuvah Center, and the lessons that can be learned from integrated models of addiction treatment.