Peter's Podcast

In this episode, Wendy Newton and I talk about the value of unconditional love, including what it is, what it isn't and how to practice and experience it.Please support Peter's Podcast on Patreon.Peter & Wendy will be workshopping these ideas at a daylong retreat in Sedona Arizona this February. Stay tuned for more details or see linktr.ee/peterferko. You can take classes or training with Peter or Wendy at ISHTA Yoga (in person or on line).

Today's practice is a potent kriya yoga meditation that has come down through the lineage of Paramahansa Yogananda. At ISHTA Yoga we call it the diksha, or initiate practice that sets you on the way to experiencing why yogis meditate.Enjoy the intro talk, or settle in for a meditation practice — and practice is what yoga is all about. Namaste!Please support Peter's Podcast on Patreon.com. Thank you!You can take class or train in-person or online with Peter at ISHTAYoga.com

Some yogis say yoga isn't about yoking the body to anything. Wendy and I discuss, and explore why we think the body is an important part of yoga.Please support Peter's Podcast on Patreon, linked here.You can take classes and training with Peter and Wendy online and in person at ISHTAyoga.comNamaste

In today's episode, join us for our morning discussion of yoga. We discuss Shiva-Shakti, the conceptual underpinnings of Nature and its expression as our experience. Coming into resonance with either one or both is a way to grow in understanding and appreciation of this wondrous up-and-down life we work and play in.Please support Peter's Podcast at patron.com/peterspodcast. It's how I support the activities of this pod.You can take classes and trainings live or online with Peter and Wendy at ishtayoga.com.Namaste!

Today's episode answers the question, "In our contentious times, should a yogi be somehow above it all?" I received a comment that my discussion of politics in social media was disappointing. I respond with some thoughts based on the Bhagavad Gita, the Ramayana, and my own contemplation of the issue. I tried to make it general and not defensive. I hope you find it helpful.Please support Peter's Podcast on Patreon.You can take classes and training with Peter at ISHTA Yoga.Namaste

A discussion and meditation using the elemental model Tantra Yoga uses to describe experience. Explaining experience as an interaction of  earth, water, fire, air, and space allows us to adjust our energy quickly — we can see the elements at work in life, rather than having to analyze everything as having unique qualities. As a meditation tool, we can reset ourselves, much like rebooting our computer, to have the natural ability to change perspective from transcendent to engaging with our manifest world. Enjoy the intro talk or stay for the whole meditation.NamastePlease support Peter's Podcast on Patreon. You can also take classes or study deeper with Peter at ISHTA Yoga.

In today's episode, Wendy Newton and I talk about the playbook the administration is using to promote falsehoods. We then discuss the ways we can both stay concerned and stay healthy. Please support Peter's Podcast on Patreon.com. It's easy to send me a small token if you find these offerings valuable. 🙏🏻Catch Peter and Wendy live or online at ISHTA Yoga.Namaste!p.s. regarding our reference to Three Dog Night's version of the lyrics to Dave Mason's song "Feelin' Alright": I gotta stop believin' in all your lies / 'Cause there's so much to do before I die

Wendy Newton and I discuss a description of the "play of life" that yoga describes. By cultivating the right attitude, through practice, we can have a deep appreciation for whatever happens, whether your mind wants to call it happy or painful. We base our discussion on a quote from Tantra Illuminated, by Christopher Wallis. This episode of Peter's Podcast is also available as a video on YouTube. Check it out!Please support Peter's Podcast on Patreon, and thank you to those who already do!Find Peter in person or streaming at ISHTA Yoga.Namaste🙏🏻

A talk and meditation practice to help bring radiance into your own life and that of others.Join Peter live or online at ISHTA Yoga.Please support Peter's Podcast on Patreon. Thank you to those of you who do already!Namaste

Today we talk about real yoga, actual happiness, and deep living! I share a meditation practice that distinguishes the Nature/Goddess force and Consciousness to provide a perspective on life that helps us live in balance while life has its ups and downs. Enjoy the talk alone, or join in for the meditation practice that includes asana, mantra, and a 20-minute period of silence.Please support Peter's Podcast on Patreon. It's an important part of keeping the teachings alive. Thank you to everyone who already supports the podcast!Join the ISHTA Yoga community by taking class in person or online, or take teacher training with us. More details at ishtayoga.com.

Come by ISHTA Yoga with me today for a talk about the chakras, plus a meditation using the "chakra bhedana," kriya practice.If you have a chance this Memorial Day week, join me, Wendy Newton, and Mona Anand in the Hamptons on Long Island for a retreat that looks at how to deepen your practice. Day rates available. Info at retreats2025@ishtayoga.comProfound thanks to members of the military who fought and gave their lives to protect American freedom on this Memorial Day.Please support Peter's Podcast on Patreon.Namaste 🕉

Today's episode takes us to ISHTA meditation class for a talk about how Tantra offers us not just an escape, but a way to bring our wisdom into life to help both ourselves and the world. Listen to the talk, or stay on for the meditation practice, too. Please come to our retreat! Calling on Your Practice Now:A Hamptons retreat with Mona Anand, Wendy Newton, and me. May 27-30. Come for the whole retreat or come out for a day. Details via the link above.Please support Peter's Podcast on Patreon. And thank you for your support!Namaste.

In today's episode, Wendy Newton, Mona Anand, and I discuss why we're hosting a retreat in the Hamptons May 27-30. We talk about the value of sangha — intentional spiritual community, the power of satsang — speaking about our highest truths, and the importance of fun and wonder when we're facing challenge. Join us for this conversation here, and then join us at the retreat! Details are at https://ishtayoga.com/retreats/hamptonsretreatmay2025 .Please support Peter's Podcast on Patreon. Thank you for your support, and thank you for listening!

Mona Anand, a co-owner of ISHTA Yoga, and I took teacher training together, but we both intended it to help us learn more about yoga. We both think of teacher training as training to be a yogi — to understand more deeply what it means to have and draw on this powerful practice. In today's episode, we discuss training in general, and highlight aspects of upcoming 200 and 300 hour trainings. Whether you have no intention to ever teach yoga, or already took teacher training, I hope you will find our observations interesting and useful.Details of ISHTA trainings can be found at ISHTAYoga.com, where you can have the opportunity to learn more about yoga with Mona, myself — and Wendy Newton. The 300-hr (Art of Touch Module) starts May 9; the 200-hr starts July 14. Free info sessions with Mona are April 24 and May 2. Please support Peter's Podcast on Patreon! And thank you for all who do 🙏🏻Namaste!P.S. We had some headphone glitches in the recording process, so please pardon the slightly garbled audio.

Thoughts about our chaotic time, and how the philosophical symbol of the "granthis," or knots can help us move from fear and anger toward clarity and perspective.I mention the ISHTA Meditation Training that will be led by Alan Finger, Sarah Finger, and myself March 25-28.I mention a book on better communications between liberals and conservatives: Bridging Our Political Divide, by Kenneth Barish.I also want to recommend Life After Doom, by Brian McLaren, whom I interviewed in a recent podcast. 

Today's episode is a meditation that begins with a talk about an aspect of sattva, the balanced action that is difficult to grasp in a world of constant motion. I share some ideas from quantum physics and from author Byron Katie to serve as analogs to what are doing we when we're not so wrapped up in our stories.You can join Peter in person or online for classes at ISHTA Yoga. You can find out more of what Peter's doing at linktr.eePlease support Peter's Podcast on Patreon.Namaste🙏🏻

In today's episode, we go to ISHTA Yoga for meditation class. The meditation is based around three mudras and taps into what Tantra yoga calls dahar akasha, or the cave of the heart wherein Universal Consciousness abides as our whole Self.You can take class in person or online with Peter at ISHTA Yoga. Please support Peter's Podcast on Patreon.com.Namaste🙏🏻

In this episode, I talk with Brian McLaren, an old friend and well-respected spiritual voice about his new book, Life After Doom: Wisdom and Courage for a World Falling Apart. I was so moved by his book that I asked Brian to discuss it for listeners of Peter's Podcast. The book doesn't focus on gloom and doom, though Brian provides a clear context of where we stand as a planet. Rather, it discusses how we can respond and adapt given the likelihood that our lives will be affected by climate change scenarios ranging from significant changes in the way we value material goods all the way to the collapse of society. The book's advice reminded me of a practice of seeing with clarity and acting from wisdom, so it seemed a great match for the podcast. I hope you agree.More about Brian and his book are at brianmclaren.netPlease support Peter's Podcast on PatreonJoin me and Wendy Newton this February in Key Largo for a winter warm-weather retreat! Details at peterferko.com 

In this episode, Wendy and I talk about the Four Keys and the Yamas/Niyamas, two oft-quoted and oft-misunderstood parts of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, which Wendy worked on with Alan Finger to create a Tantric interpretation. These will be the topics of our retreat to Key Largo this February. More info about the retreat is at peterferko.com/retreat/ You can get more info by writing me at peterspodcast108@gmail.com.Please support Peter's Podcast on Patreon! Thank you!Namaste.

Best wishes to you and your family. Some thoughts on Indigenous Peoples' Day and Thanksgiving.I'm grateful for the chance to talk with you about real yoga, actual happiness, and deep living. Wendy and I are planning a retreat in the Florida Keys in February. Keep posted for more details.Please support Peter's Podcast on Patreon! Thank youNamaste!