Everyday Sublime

Originally recorded on April 22, 2024, Josh reflects on the parallels between artistic and spiritual development. He explores a maturing relationship to tradition. How do we draw from the world’s wisdom traditions and channel their pathways of heart in our own lives? And how might we consider cultivating a devotional practice to a personalized expression of the divine? Join Terry and Josh for weekly LIVE classes + Library of Yin Yoga, Yang Yoga, Meditation + Qi Gong, click here =====> For a FREE copy of my e-book, The What, Why and How of Yin Yoga, click here =====> For replays of our 2hr workshops in Yin Yoga, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Qi Gong, click here =====> For our popular 50hr trainings in Yin Yoga, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Yin Meditation, click here =====>

Originally recorded on April 15, 2024, in this dharma talk, Josh offers a fresh perspective on how to cultivate an ethical commitment within your meditation practice.  Instead of referencing an orthodox list of do’s and don’ts, Josh uses each of the five training precepts in Buddhism as a way to open to a deeper exploration of your heart’s desire. Many members of the sangha have expressed ambivalence or uncertainty around what their heart’s deepest desire is, and this talk is an introduction to a way of practicing to really listen in a way that allows your heart’s desire to speak. ***NEW Yin Yoga + Qi Cultivation Training*** – Purifying Water | The Flow of Qi Cultivation, click here=====> Join our Yin Yoga-based practice sangha – weekly LIVE classes + Library of Yin Yoga, Yang Yoga, Meditation + Qi Gong, click here =====> For a FREE copy of my e-book, The What, Why and How of Yin Yoga, click here =====> For replays of our 2hr workshops in Yin Yoga, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Qi Gong, click here =====> For our popular 50hr trainings in Yin Yoga, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Yin Meditation, click here =====>

I am delighted to welcome Insight Meditation teacher Chas DiCapua on the podcast to discuss a wide-range of topics, exploring how the dharma can help us meet the tragedies of our “now” – an interrelated group of crises of ecology, nationalism, racialization, and, in some ways, masculinity.  Chas has been practicing Buddhist meditation for almost 30 years. He has trained with Burmese meditation masters, western monastics of the Thai Forest tradition and senior western vipassana teachers. He has spent over two years in silent, intensive retreat. Chas has served as the Insight Meditation Society’s Resident Teacher at IMS since 2003. Chas is a graduate of the four year joint Insight Meditation Society / Spirit Rock Teacher Training Program. He teaches retreats at IMS and at various centers and sanghas throughout the country. As a way to address the wide spread suffering that is endemic in many partnered relationships, Chas explores how the dharma can be practiced in relationship, including how the masculine and feminine energies manifest in relationship, in spiritual practice, and in the world. If you’re local to Maine, Chas is also the guiding teacher at the Open Door Sangha of Portland, Maine. Join our Yin Yoga-based practice sangha – weekly LIVE classes + Library of Yin Yoga, Yang Yoga, Meditation + Qi Gong, click here =====> For a FREE copy of my e-book, The What, Why and How of Yin Yoga, click here =====>

Originally recorded on April 8, 2024, in this dharma talk, Josh offers ways for you to create your own mantra to use with any bead-based form of meditation practice.  A mala, rosary or bead-based garland by any other name is a wonderful way to strengthen your capacities for concentration, kindness and peace. Grab your beads, listen to this talk, and develop your custom-tailored mantra practice. ***NEW Yin Yoga + Qi Cultivation Training*** – Purifying Water | The Flow of Qi Cultivation, click here=====> Join our Yin Yoga-based practice sangha – weekly LIVE classes + Library of Yin Yoga, Yang Yoga, Meditation + Qi Gong, click here =====> For a FREE copy of my e-book, The What, Why and How of Yin Yoga, click here =====> For replays of our 2hr workshops in Yin Yoga, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Qi Gong, click here =====> For our popular 50hr trainings in Yin Yoga, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Yin Meditation, click here =====>

Originally recorded on April 1, 2024, in this talk, Josh reflects on his history with bead-based practices, ie. mala mantra, and suggests ways of beginning to integrate this practice into your own. ***NEW Yin Yoga + Qi Cultivation Training*** – Purifying Water | The Flow of Qi Cultivation, click here=====> Join our Yin Yoga-based practice sangha – weekly LIVE classes + Library of Yin Yoga, Yang Yoga, Meditation + Qi Gong, click here =====> For a FREE copy of my e-book, The What, Why and How of Yin Yoga, click here =====> For replays of our 2hr workshops in Yin Yoga, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Qi Gong, click here =====> For our popular 50hr trainings in Yin Yoga, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Yin Meditation, click here =====>

Why Train Online | Qi Chats with Josh + Terry In this Qi Chat, Terry and Josh discuss some of the ways that an online yoga training is a far better educational experience than the in-person training.  We talk about how the pandemic shifted our Yin Yoga School to an online format and how beneficial this has been for our students and our own teaching.  Send us your questions to info@yinyogaschool.com ***NEW Yin Yoga + Qi Cultivation Training*** – Purifying Water | The Flow of Qi Cultivation, click here=====> Join our Yin Yoga-based practice sangha – weekly LIVE classes + Library of Yin Yoga, Yang Yoga, Meditation + Qi Gong, click here =====> For a FREE copy of my e-book, The What, Why and How of Yin Yoga, click here =====> For replays of our 2hr workshops in Yin Yoga, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Qi Gong, click here =====> For our popular 50hr trainings in Yin Yoga, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Yin Meditation, click here =====>

Originally recorded on March 4, 2023, I share Herbie Hancock’s story of playing a “wrong chord” during a Miles Davis solo, and what Hancock learned about music and life from that experience. For me, Davis’s response is the very essence of creative generosity, and it says something about what it means to bring a spirit creative generosity to ourselves and others in our practice. ***NEW Yin Yoga + Qi Cultivation Training*** – Purifying Water | The Flow of Qi Cultivation, click here=====> Join our Yin Yoga-based practice sangha – weekly LIVE classes + Library of Yin Yoga, Yang Yoga, Meditation + Qi Gong, click here =====> For a FREE copy of my e-book, The What, Why and How of Yin Yoga, click here =====>

Originally recorded on February 26, 2024, I offer ways of tending to your external and internal environment for establishing conditions conducive to simplicity, contentment and calm. Practice is life, without any separation. Vacuuming, laundry, bills and email are all part of a comprehensive practice. And when approached in this spirit, every moment of the day becomes an opportunity for practice. After this talk, I offer a guided meditation for brightening the heart in preparation for insight meditation. ***NEW Yin Yoga + Qi Cultivation Training*** – Purifying Water | The Flow of Qi Cultivation, click here=====> Join our Yin Yoga-based practice sangha – weekly LIVE classes + Library of Yin Yoga, Yang Yoga, Meditation + Qi Gong, click here =====> For a FREE copy of my e-book, The What, Why and How of Yin Yoga, click here =====> For replays of our 2hr workshops in Yin Yoga, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Qi Gong, click here =====> For our popular 50hr trainings in Yin Yoga, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Yin Meditation, click here =====>

On the podcast this week, Terry and I sat down to discuss our experience of integrating massage and Gua Sha into our yoga and pranayama practice routine.  A Gua Sha stone is a tool used in Chinese Medicine to “clean the blood of toxicity.” In lay terms, this refers to the way that massage and Gua Sha help promote the flow of fluids through the fascial fabric, especially in lymphatic vessels, helping to eliminate wastes and pathogenic factors.  We shared our assessments of the enhanced Qi flow we both experience with the integration of Gua Sha massage, and explain why it is an integral part of our upcoming 4-week intensive: Purifying Water – The Flow of Qi Cultivation. Send us your questions at info@yinyogaschool.com Join our Yin Yoga-based practice sangha – weekly LIVE classes + Library of Yin Yoga, Yang Yoga, Meditation + Qi Gong, click here =====> For a FREE copy of my e-book, The What, Why and How of Yin Yoga, click here =====> Our NEW Qi Cultivation Training: Purifying Water – The Flow of Qi Cultivation, where you will learn develop the sublime trifecta of Yang Yoga (safe stability, mobility and flow), Gua Sha (Chinese massage tool) and Yin Pranayama (the breath of Qi). Flow Your Qi, click here======>

Until I spoke with Amiel Handelsman, I had mistakenly thought that the term “meta-crisis” referred to the overarching sense that the world is in a massive crisis of overlapping calamities, all threatening our survival. But after speaking with Amiel, I realized that I was thinking of the poly-crisis. Amiel explained to me that the meta-crisis refers to an underlying crisis of all the crises on fire. The meta-crisis is a crisis of consciousness or being – a root crisis in terms of how individuals and collectives will rise to meet the challenges that besiege the world today. I was heartened to welcome Amiel Handelsman back on Everyday Sublime to share his thoughts on how personal development, and systems of personal development, like the Enneagram, can help frame a generative response to the metacrisis. In short, we need to grow up, clean up and wake up to deeper capacities of our being to deal with the multi-horrific poly-crisis. Amiel has a professional background in leadership, management and executive coaching along with a strong foundation in the Integral Theory of Ken Wilber among other frameworks. Amiel is also launching his own excellent podcast: How My View Grew, which looks at the origin stories of big ideas about humanity's challenges.  I highly recommend subscribing to Amiel’s show. I always learn a LOT from my talks with him. Click here======> to subscribe to How My View Grew. Amiel’s website, click here======> First Episode with Amiel, Deracialization + Anti-racism click here======> Book mentioned: The Wisdom of the Enneagream (Riso and Hudson) Here is Amiel’s description of his show, How My View Grew: “If you’re weary of political polarization, nothing is more refreshing than nuanced thinking: ideas that reveal the complexity of what’s wrong in the world and how to make it better. But where does such thinking come from? Often, it’s from someone changing their mind—letting go of an old perspective and growing into a new one. Join executive coach Amiel Handelsman as he interviews nuanced thinkers about the origin stories of their big ideas. Each story offers a window into one of humanity’s greatest challenges like climate change, democracy, the culture wars, the wealth gap, Ukraine, and Israel. In weeks between interviews, Amiel offers tips for training your mind to navigate complex topics and difficult conversations.”

On the phone recently, a friend shared a comment from their therapist: “Until you stay in the same place for three years, you’re never going to address and heal your shtuff.” The therapist didn’t say “shtuff,” but the comment is relevant to anyone interested in the fruits of contemplative practice. But, as a sangha member emailed to me, the challenge of staying in place – physically or metaphorically – is that all too often when we try to pause, we get overwhelmed by the various floods of worry, anxiety, fear or worse. What to do? In this talk, I speak to ways in which dharma practice attunes us more vividly to this challenge, and how it offers a way through this formidable challenge. ***NEW Yin Yoga + Qi Cultivation Training*** – Purifying Water | The Flow of Qi Cultivation, click here=====> Join our Yin Yoga-based practice sangha – weekly LIVE classes + Library of Yin Yoga, Yang Yoga, Meditation + Qi Gong, click here =====> For a FREE copy of my e-book, The What, Why and How of Yin Yoga, click here =====> For replays of our 2hr workshops in Yin Yoga, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Qi Gong, click here =====> For our popular 50hr trainings in Yin Yoga, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Yin Meditation, click here =====>

Qi Chats is a new series within the Everyday Sublime podcast where Terry and Josh answer your questions and discuss the elements of cultivating Qi.  In this first episode of Qi Chats, we talk about our journey of practice and give you an inside look at what we’ll be offering in our upcoming Qi Cultivation Training: Purifying Water – The Flow of Qi Cultivation. We talk about our struggle with finding a healthy and sustainable form of Yang Yoga, and how Terry has developed ways of helping students find their best form of Yang Yoga. We discuss the benefits of Gua Sha massage, especially before pranayama practice, as well as the importance of journaling.  Send us your questions at info@yinyogaschool.com Learn and practice online, wherever you are, with Josh and Terry. Your membership gives you weekly live classes with us, unlimited access to our library with hundreds of classes and tutorials. Whether you're here for live classes, or all about the on-demand replay library, we look forward to sharing the benefits of an integrated Yin and Yang practice with you. Practice with us, click here======> Our NEW Qi Cultivation Training: Purifying Water – The Flow of Qi Cultivation, where you will learn develop the sublime trifecta of Yang Yoga (safe stability, mobility and flow), Gua Sha (Chinese massage tool) and Yin Pranayama (the breath of Qi). Flow Your Qi, click here======>

Originally recorded on February 12, 2024, Josh shares a dharma talk that weaves reflections on cancer, the psychology of tribalism, cognitive bias and the invaluable role of practicing pauses to bring an unbiased attention to the immediacy of experience.  ***NEW Yin Yoga + Qi Cultivation Training*** – Purifying Water | The Flow of Qi Cultivation, click here=====> Join our Yin Yoga-based practice sangha – weekly LIVE classes + Library of Yin Yoga, Yang Yoga, Meditation + Qi Gong, click here =====> For a FREE copy of my e-book, The What, Why and How of Yin Yoga, click here =====> For replays of our 2hr workshops in Yin Yoga, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Qi Gong, click here =====> For our popular 50hr trainings in Yin Yoga, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Yin Meditation, click here =====>

Greg Burdulis, a former Buddhist monk, leads you to be calmer, happier, and kinder. He listens, questions, teaches, and trains. He works with individuals and couples using somatics, Buddhism, and humor. Greg leads a meditation+discussion session for 60-90 minutes each Monday at noon EST.  As his guest, you can attend the first month for free. Just email Greg@thePowerofPresence.net for the link. Greg’s website:  https://thepowerofpresence.net/ Note from Josh: When I practiced in Burma, there was an American monk, U Punnasiri (Greg Burdulis) who struck me as an exemplary role model of practicing with every moment. I couldn’t help notice the devotional care Greg brought to washing his monk’s bowl, or the deliberate reverence he brought to adjusting his robes, or to the seemingly superhuman way he would sit absolutely still in the afternoon, sometimes upwards of four hours without moving a limb. In Burma, I knew nothing about Greg other than what I could observe in silence. But he inspired me deeply, illuminating a potential I knew that everyone possessed. After that two-month retreat, I returned home, and Greg stayed on for a few more years before he disrobed and ultimately returned to the States. Over the years, we’ve kept in touch, and I consider him a real dharma brother. With great honor, I taped a conversation with Greg for the podcast in which we had a heart to heart about the highs and lows of practice. Greg unflinchingly shares about depression, jealousy and other difficult conditions he has encountered in his life after the monastery. We also talk about the sublime beauty and liberative potential available in every moment of practice. This is a conversation that sweeps through the messy reality of waking up, growing up and cleaning up.

Recently, one of my sisters and nieces visited us in Maine from Brooklyn, New York. It was a wonderful visit, but on the second day, Uncle Josh ate his niece’s last chocolate-covered graham cracker and there was a price to pay.  In examining the anatomy of the cookie monster, I expose my own blind-spots and biases and suggest how dharma practice can help bring us to a more balanced relationship to the strong currents of views and opinions that often flood through our minds. In this talk, I mention a book by Ajahn Sucitto, Parami, which can be downloaded for free here.  Join our Yin Yoga-based practice sangha – weekly LIVE classes + Library of Yin Yoga, Yang Yoga, Meditation + Qi Gong, click here =====> For a FREE copy of my e-book, The What, Why and How of Yin Yoga, click here =====> For replays of our 2hr workshops in Yin Yoga, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Qi Gong, click here =====> For our popular 50hr trainings in Yin Yoga, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Yin Meditation, click here =====>

Originally recorded on January 15, 2024, in this dharma reflection, Josh introduces the Buddha’s metaphor of “crossing the flood to the other shore,” as a way of articulating the process and experience of waking up.  In this talk, Josh mentions a book by Ajahn Sucitto, Parami, which can be downloaded for free here.  For 2024, Josh will draw from Ajahn Sucitto’s reflections on the cultivation of heart qualities (paramis) as we all face the floods of our time: climatic, social and personal. ************************************************************** Practicing Yin: Join our newsletter, Practicing Yin, and get your copy of Josh’s new FREE ebook, The What, Why and How of Yin Yoga along with two Free weeks of Yin Yoga, Fluid Yin Yoga and Yin Meditation classes with Josh and Terry. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠joshsummers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.net

Recorded on December 18, 2023, Josh shares a Christmas story that weaves the humor of family dysfunction with the spirit of healing, repairing and caring for all valuable relationships in our life.  This is the final episode of 2023. Thank you so much for listening and for your support. We look forward to sharing more Everyday Sublime with you in 2024. Happy Holidays to all!! ***************************************************************** Winter’s Essence Workshop | 2.5hr Extended Practice with Josh and Terry Summers:⁠ Yin Yoga, Yang Yoga, Qi Gong and Deep Rest ************************************************************** Practicing Yin: Join our newsletter, Practicing Yin, and get your copy of Josh’s new FREE ebook, The What, Why and How of Yin Yoga along with two Free weeks of Yin Yoga, Fluid Yin Yoga and Yin Meditation classes with Josh and Terry. ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠joshsummers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.net

Winter's Essence | Talk + Workshop Recorded live on December 4, 2023, Josh reflects on the spiritual essence of winter as manifest in nature and within his family of origin, and how the season of winter offers a crucible of transformation, surrendering to harsh realities, cultivating gratitude for life at all and embodying a creative expression of compassion.  Winter’s Essence Workshop | 2.5hr Extended Practice with Josh and Terry Summers: Yin Yoga, Yang Yoga, Qi Gong and Deep Rest ******************************************************************** Practicing Yin: Join our newsletter, Practicing Yin, and get your copy of Josh’s new FREE ebook, The What, Why and How of Yin Yoga along with two Free weeks of Yin Yoga, Fluid Yin Yoga and Yin Meditation classes with Josh and Terry. ⁠⁠⁠www.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠joshsummers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.net

Oren Jay Sofer | Your Heart Was Made for This I welcome Insight Meditation and communication teacher, Oren Jay Sofer, back to Everyday Sublime, to discuss his new book: Your Heart Was Made For This – Contemplative Practices for Meeting a World in Crisis with Courage, Integrity and Love. In the face of overlapping multiple crises – from personal, to collective, to environmental – it is very easy to feel overwhelmed and despairing. Oren’s new book is a true handbook for the modern contemplative, providing reflections, stories, and practices so that we can meet and face the moment of our times with a wise and compassionate heart. As he says early in the book, “If we do not shape the heart, the world will do it for us, and the world does not have our highest welfare in mind.” Note: Your Heart Was Made For This is a wonderful companion for teachers, offering themes, reflections and practices for your mindfully-based classes. Order your copy of Your Heart Was Made For This =======>>> HERE ******************************************************************** Practicing Yin: Join our newsletter, Practicing Yin, and get your copy of Josh’s new FREE ebook, The What, Why and How of Yin Yoga along with two Free weeks of Yin Yoga, Fluid Yin Yoga and Yin Meditation classes with Josh and Terry. ⁠⁠⁠www.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠joshsummers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.net

In this talk, recorded on November 13, 2023, I share a small collection of personal vignettes in which my senses deceive me, creating emotional convictions that are ultimately inaccurate. I raise the question: What do these experiences suggest about the nature of self, the nature of truth and the nature of conviction? ******************************************************************** Practicing Yin: Join our newsletter, Practicing Yin, and get your copy of Josh’s new FREE ebook, The What, Why and How of Yin Yoga along with two Free weeks of Yin Yoga, Fluid Yin Yoga and Yin Meditation classes with Josh and Terry. ⁠⁠www.⁠⁠⁠⁠joshsummers⁠⁠⁠⁠.net