The Uplifted Yoga Podcast

Latest Episodes:

The Power of Ancient Yogic Mantras - Conversation with Russill Paul [Episode 61] Oct 20, 2016

Show notes

Join us with our guest, Russill Paul, spiritual teacher, musician, and author of The Yoga of Sound, as we discuss the power of sound, vibration and mantra to affect every aspect of our lives. If you are interested in incorporating mantra into your life, you'll enjoy Russill's insights and understandings of this incredible and ancient practice. In this episode, we'll also explore the four streams of sonic mysticism, explain what a sonic community is, and much more!

Special Guest: Russill Paul

www.russillpaul.com

Host: Ashton Szabo

www.anatomyofliving.com

Sound Engineer: Zach Cooper

Producer: Benn Mendelson

www.sivanaspirit.com

How Yoga Can Change The World - Conversation with Jeffrey Armstrong [Episode 60] Oct 18, 2016

Show notes

Join us with Jeffrey Armstrong, author, mystical poet, motivational speaker and spiritual teacher, as we discuss how yoga can inspire a new generation of thought leaders living and participating in the every day world. How can we work to effect positive change in the world around us and within us? We ask how to integrate yoga into our daily lives, and explore important questions about life, divine intelligence and the challenges of living a conscious life in the modern world.

Award-winning poet and best-selling author of numerous books, Jeffrey is a relationship expert, philosopher, practitioner and teacher of the Vedas for over 40 years. Prior to his teaching he had a successful career as an executive in Silicon Valley and spent five years in an ashram as a brahmacharya (monk). He also holds degrees in Psychology, History & Comparative Religion and English Literature. For the past 40+ years and currently as the Media and Communications Director for both the Vedic Friends Association (VFA) and the Hindu Collective Initiative for North America (HCI-NA), he's been a global advocate for the Hindu Sanatan Dharma culture and has spoken at some of the most prestigious universities, conferences and corporations around the world.

Special Guest: Jeffrey Armstrong

www.jeffreyarmstrong.com

Host: Ashton Szabo

www.anatomyofliving.com

Sound Engineer: Zach Cooper

Producer: Benn Mendelson

www.sivanaspirit.com

Is It Time To Change The Way We Look At Stretching In Yoga? - Conversation with Jules Mitchell [Episode 59] Oct 13, 2016

Show notes

While we can agree that yoga is about a lot more than stretching, that doesn't change the fact that the majority of people coming to yoga in the west, come because of a perceived benefit of stretching. So what is actually happening to the body when we stretch and move in a postural yoga practice? Has what we know about the body changed in recent years because of developments in western medical science?

Join us as we chat with Jules Mitchell MS, CMT, RYT, a Los Angeles based yoga teacher, manual therapist and educator. She combines the tradition of yoga with her background in biomechanics to create yoga programs designed to help people move better and achieve individually defined physical success. As adjunct faculty at Arizona State University, Jules serves as the yoga consultant on various research studies (including a recent grant from NIH) to quantify the effects of yoga therapy on special populations – including pregnant women, women with depressive symptoms associated with perinatal loss, and cancer patients. The author of a popular science blog, Jules writes on yoga biomechanics and references the exercise science literature on topics (such as stretching) where the yoga research is lacking. She is a regular contributor to yoga teacher training programs worldwide, providing yoga schools with the most current research in biomechanics, even when it invokes a discerning analysis of tradition

Special Guest: Jules Mitchell

www.julesmitchell.com

Host: Ashton Szabo

www.anatomyofliving.com

Sound Engineer: Zach Cooper

Producer: Benn Mendelson

www.sivanaspirit.com

How Yoga Can Help With Grief And Where Do We Go From Here? - Conversation with J. Brown [Episode 58] Oct 11, 2016

Show notes

Are we taking yoga somewhere, or is it taking us? And where are we headed? Join us as we talk with J. Brown, yoga teacher, writer and host the Yoga Talks Podcast. His writing has been featured in Yoga Therapy Today, the International Journal of Yoga Therapy, Elephant Journal, and Yogadork. In this episode, J. shares his personal story of how yoga helped him process his mother's death and how his practice has changed over the years. As we discuss the power of yoga to support and transform people's lives, we ask what direction we see yoga heading here in the West and explore ways in which technology is impacting how yoga is taught and shared throughout the world.

Special Guest: J. Brown

www.jbrownyoga.com

Host: Ashton Szabo

www.anatomyofliving.com

Sound Engineer: Zach Cooper

Producer: Benn Mendelson

www.sivanaspirit.com

What Are The True Origins of Modern Yoga? [Part II] - Conversation with Christopher Tompkins [Episode 57] Oct 06, 2016

Show notes

In Part II of our conversation with yogi and sanskrit scholar, Christopher Tompkins, he expands on his amazing findings that include an important missing link between the modern popular postures and ancient tantric traditions! Were early yogi masters who brought yoga to the west teaching everything they knew or was something intentionally left out? Where does this leave the modern practice, so popular today? Where do we go next? Join us for the conclusion of our conversation about the true origins of modern yoga.

The true origins of the modern practice of Hatha Yoga, practiced by so many in the world today, is hotly disputed by many scholars. Some people believe most of the postures practiced today were invented by a great yogi and sage, Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, in the early 20th century. Others say the postures are much older, but how much older? If the postures did exist hundreds or thousands of years ago, were they practiced the same way? Are we missing anything in our modern practice? We explore these and other questions in this two part series (Episode 56 and Episode 57).

Christopher P. Tompkins, MTS, MA is a Yoga practitioner and Sanskrit scholar specializing in the tradition of Tantric Shaivism. He has three degrees in Religion and Sanskrit, including Masters Degrees from Harvard and UC Berkeley. His research focuses on the ritualized practices of Hatha Yoga as originally presented in the earliest surviving Tantras. He founded the Kashmir Shaivism Preservation Project, which seeks to preserve and share the literal legacy of Kashmir Shaivism. To date, he's acquired over 24,000 pages of manuscripts spanning the vast range of Philosophy, Ritual and Yoga representing the medieval Tantric tradition, most of which have never been seen in the West. Christopher lectures around the world in universities and Yoga centers on the history, philosophy and practices of Indian Yoga.

Special Guest: Christopher Tompkins

www.shaivayoga.com

www.yogavidhi.org

Host: Ashton Szabo

www.anatomyofliving.com

Sound Engineer: Zach Cooper

Producer: Benn Mendelson

www.sivanaspirit.com

What Are The True Origins of Modern Yoga? [Part I] - Conversation with Christopher Tompkins [Episode 56] Oct 04, 2016

Show notes

In Part I of our conversation with yogi and sanskrit scholar, Christopher Tompkins, he tells us the story of how he came into yoga and what him led him to these mysterious ancient sanskrit texts. He goes on to explain the discoveries he has made and speaks of the true origins of modern postural yoga. Has he found a missing key to unlock the postures so commonly practiced in the world today? Join us in this exciting conversation about the roots and origins of modern yoga!

Special Guest: Christopher Tompkins

www.shaivayoga.com

www.yogavidhi.org

Host: Ashton Szabo

www.anatomyofliving.com

Sound Engineer: Zach Cooper

Producer: Benn Mendelson

www.sivanaspirit.com

3 Obstacles On The Spiritual Path and How To Overcome Them - A Hanuman Story [Episode 55] Sep 29, 2016

Show notes

In this episode, we dive into a story of Hanuman that warns us not to get too comfortable on the spiritual journey. Even after Hanuman realizes his divine nature, there is still work to be done and obstacles to overcome. With strength, wit, and a commitment to explore the depths of the subconscious, Hanuman shows us how to overcome the challenges of the spiritual path. The story serves as a reminder to stay vigilant in your quest, no matter how far you've come.

Host: Ashton Szabo

www.anatomyofliving.com

Sound Engineer: Zach Cooper

Producer: Benn Mendelson

www.sivanaspirit.com

How Mindfulness Can Change Your Life - Conversation with Dr. Jerry Lynch [Episode 54] Sep 27, 2016

Show notes

What do yoga and martial arts have in common? How about yoga and sport? In this episode, we talk with Dr. Jerry Lynch, who has been using mindfulness techniques with world class coaches and athletes for decades. He shares with us how mindfulness techniques can be applied to any life experience and can fundamentally change the way we engage the world. What is mindfulness? How does one practice it? We'll explore these questions and more!

Sports psychologist Dr. Jerry Lynch is the author of eleven books and founder/director of Way of Champions, a performance consulting group gear towards "mastering the inner game" for athletic excellence. He has over 35 years of experience as a sports psychologist, coach, athlete, and teacher. He draws from his experience working with Olympic, NBA, and NCAA champions to help transform the lives of athletes, parents, coaches, and every day people.

Special Guest: Dr. Jerry Lynch

www.wayofchampions.com

Host: Ashton Szabo

www.anatomyofliving.com

Sound Engineer: Zach Cooper

Producer: Benn Mendelson

www.sivanaspirit.com

Living In The World As A Modern Yogi [Part III] - Conversation with Douglas Brooks [Episode 53] Sep 22, 2016

Show notes

Join us for a thrilling three part conversation with author, scholar and yogi, Douglas Brooks, who is currently Professor of Religion at the University of Rochester, NY. His work with yoga communities has impacted countless numbers of yogis and yoginis all over the world, and particularly here in the United States.

In Part III, we conclude our conversation about what it means to be a western yogi in the world today. We ask vital questions about living in the world and how to accept and say "yes" to the experiences of life. How do we say yes to the challenging moments, as well as the easy ones? How can we as a community drive forward together to create a more harmonious planet? We dive into these topics and more in our final episode of this talk with Professor Douglas Brooks.

Living In The World As A Modern Yogi [Part III] - Conversation with Douglas Brooks [Episode 53]

Special Guest: Douglas Brooks

www.rajanaka.com

Host: Ashton Szabo

www.anatomyofliving.com

Sound Engineer: Zach Cooper

Producer: Benn Mendelson

www.sivanaspirit.com

Living In The World As A Modern Yogi [Part II] - Conversation with Douglas Brooks [Episode 52] Sep 20, 2016

Show notes

In Part II, we continue our conversation about what it means to be a western yogi in the world today. We ask how to honor the traditions of past while still recognizing the needs and particular aspects of modern life. How do we integrate these ancient practices and the experiences we have into our daily lives? We explore this and much more in this engaging episode with the always insightful Douglas Brooks.

Living In The World As A Modern Yogi [Part II] - Conversation with Douglas Brooks [Episode 52]

Special Guest: Douglas Brooks

www.rajanaka.com

Host: Ashton Szabo

www.anatomyofliving.com

Sound Engineer: Zach Cooper

Producer: Benn Mendelson

www.sivanaspirit.com