Everyday Sublime

Sebastian Pucelle describes meditation as a process of purifying the mind. Meditation isn't so much about attaining anything in particular as much as it is a process of letting go of things that distort and disrupt one's life. The post Sebastian Pucelle: The Purification of Mind appeared first on Josh Summers.

Often in meditation, students can get frustrated by their mind s difficulty in following the meditation instructions. Sebastian Pucelle, the wonderful French Yin Yoga teacher, suggests that the two most important aspects of a meditation practice are one s intention and attitude, not the specific technique, per se. The post Sebastian Pucelle: The Attitude of Stillness appeared first on Josh Summers.

The therapeutic encounter between a practitioner and patient is, in many regards, the most important part of a healing relationship. This encounter is another way of referring to the placebo effect. But far from being ineffective, all good healers try to maximize this effect. According to Dr. Daniel Keown, acupuncture is one of the most sublime forms of the therapeutic encounter. The post Dr. Daniel Keown: Acupuncture and Placebos appeared first on Josh Summers.

How alive are you? This isn't a question that Western Medicine frequently asks, but according to Dr. Daniel Keown, this question is at the heart of Traditional Chinese Medicine. And the quality, quantity, and circulation of our Qi determines the potency of our "aliveness." The post Dr. Daniel Keown: Jellyfish, Channels, and Qi appeared first on Josh Summers.

What is Qi? What are the channels of Chinese Medicine? What is fascia? These questions and more are taken up by Dr. Daniel Keown, explained with lucid brilliance. For anyone interested in Chinese Medicine, this is a must-listen. The post Dr. Daniel Keown: The Channels of Chinese Medicine appeared first on Josh Summers.

Talking about difficult topics is not easy. Often we get trapped in patterns of reactivity and experience a clash of viewpoints. Oren Jay Sofer offers ways to move past through these impasses in learning how to identify the underlying needs being expressed - the needs that connect us to our shared universal human longings. From this sense of connection, collaborative dialogue becomes possible. The post Oren Jay Sofer: On Nonviolent Communication appeared first on Josh Summers.

All too often, meditation is seen as a panacea for all that ails us. But meditation practice alone is not necessarily enough to smooth out the strife in our interpersonal conflicts. For this we need training in communication strategy - ways to escape the blame game and move towards a deeper understanding of shared needs and goals. In this episode, Oren Jay Sofer lays about a mindful approach to nonviolent communication. The post Oren Jay Sofer: On Mindful Communication appeared first on...

Bernie Clark shares how his thinking about exercise has shifted from an emphasis on mobility to an emphasis on stability. This is important to how we think about what we're doing in all forms of physical yoga. The post Bernie Clark: Your Sacroiliac Joint appeared first on Josh Summers.

In our youth, we're more Yang and need to work on strength and stability. As we age, we become more Yin, and therefore need to spend more time working on maintaining our mobility. The post Bernie Clark: Developing and Aging Bodies appeared first on Josh Summers.

This retreat inspired me to try a few hacks with regards to my relationship to technology - to make my phone less of the pocket-sized slot-machine that it's become, I've tried to restructure the design of my phone as well as my timeframe around using it. And I invite you to join me on these digital hacks for better well-being. The post Reflecting on a Winter’s Retreat appeared first on Josh Summers.

In the Season Finale of Everyday Sublime for 2018, I take stock of the past year and look ahead to 2019 - and pay tribute to two of my dearest teachers, Rodney Smith and Jack Engler, who are both retiring from their decades of teaching and service. The post Winter Is Coming appeared first on Josh Summers.

In the second episode of a 4-part series, Yin master Bernie Clark unpacks the important concept of spinal neutrality and he explores how to think about symmetry, functional asymmetry, and dysfunctional asymmetry in the body. The post Bernie Clark: Spinal Neutrality, Symmetry, and Asymmetry appeared first on Josh Summers.

In the first episode of a 4-part series, I welcome Bernie Clark back to the podcast to discuss his new book, Your Spine, Your Yoga. In it, Bernie talks about the main themes in the book including the importance of stability over mobility in the health of our spines. The post Bernie Clark: Your Spine, Your Yoga appeared first on Josh Summers.

Rather than trying to domesticate your thought process, Yin Meditation offers a process for refining your understanding of how your inner world works. Approaching your meditation with a receptive attitude is the least intrusive way of getting to know the natural terrain of your inner landscape. The post Yin Meditation: The Instructions appeared first on Josh Summers.

In this final installment of my 3-part conversation with Jason Siff, we explore tricky Buddhist concepts of anatta (non-self) and nirvana. And we consider that present moment awareness is not sufficient for the development of deeper wisdom and understanding in one's life. For that, memory is required. The post Jason Siff: The Role of Remembering on the Path appeared first on Josh Summers.

In many styles of meditation, if we hold too tightly to meditative instructions, we may unintentionally cut many things out of our meditation practice. In part two of my 3-part series with Jason Siff, we explore letting more things "in" to your meditation, and not letting go too quickly. The post Jason Siff: The Insight of Experience appeared first on Josh Summers.

In meditation, all too often, people struggle with their thinking, and feel badly that they can't stop their "monkey mind" from thinking so much. Meditation teacher Jason Siff offers a kinder, more compassionate approach to working with one's mind in meditation. The post Jason Siff: Thoughts Are Not the Enemy appeared first on Josh Summers.

This episode is the season finale of The Everyday Sublime, before I close up shop for the summer. I give a preview of what's to come in September, and a quick look back at some of the highlights from the past few months. The post Season Finale – Summers’ Break appeared first on Josh Summers.

I talk with David Lesondak about his new book, Fascia: What it is and why it matters. David is rapidly becoming a rock star in the fascial world, having extensive work in structural integration, as well as having attended and presented at many of the Fascial Congresses. The post David Lesondak: All Things Fascia appeared first on Josh Summers.

Chinese language tends to describe the Organs and their functions in poetic terms. Their language is metaphorical, often drawing on images from nature and human governance to describe the various processes of human health. The post Chinese Medicine: The Organs, or Zang-Fu appeared first on Josh Summers.