Everyday Sublime
By Josh Summers
Everyday SublimeJan 24, 2023
The Heart's Divestment | Dharma Talk
Originally recorded on May 6, 2024, Josh offers reflections on the confusing relationship between renunciation and practicing one’s heart’s desire. Often seen in conflict, the practice of renouncing unfulfilling activity for the pursuit of one’s deepest desires is an ongoing evolution itself.
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Josh and Terry share 4 guided practices:
Self-Massage for Circulation + Energy Flow (10min)
Daily Mobility for Joint Suppleness + Longevity (15min)
Dynamic Flow for Integrated Stability + Coordination (30min)
Soothing Flow for Relaxation + Inner Renewal (30min)
Beads of Bhakti | Dharma Talk
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 =====>
The Heart's Precept | Dharma Talk
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 =====>
Chas Di Capua | A Practice For Now
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 =====>
Seed Selection | Dharma Talk
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 =====>
Beads and Seeds | Dharma Talk
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 Chat with Terry + Josh
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 =====>
Wrong Chord Right | Dharma Talk
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 =====>
Tending the Temple | Talk + Guided Meditation
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 =====>
Massage, Lymph + Qi Flow | Qi Chats with Terry + Josh
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======>
Amiel Handelsman | Meeting the Meta-Crisis
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.”
The Challenge of Pausing | Dharma Talk + Meditation Prompt
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 =====>
The Yang of Qi Cultivation | Qi Chats with Terry + Josh
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======>
The Heart of Human Conflict | Dharma Talk
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 =====>
The Bitter-Sweetness of Waking Up with Greg Burdulis
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.
Anatomy of a Cookie Monster | A Dharma Story
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 =====>
Crossing the Floods | Dharma Talk
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.
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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
A Christmas Tale | Dharma Story
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!!
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Winter’s Essence Workshop | 2.5hr Extended Practice with Josh and Terry Summers: Yin Yoga, Yang Yoga, Qi Gong and Deep Rest
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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
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
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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
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
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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
Chasing Phantoms | Dharma Talk
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?
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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
Miles Sherts | Conscious Communication
In this episode, I speak with Insight Meditation teacher and communication coach, Miles Sherts, about his approach to “conscious communication.” This is one of the most elegant approaches to generative communication that I have found.
We discuss how many people, and especially couples, get into arguments about “what happened” or about “truth.” Putting the “truth trap” aside, Miles explains why he suggests people focus on their feelings and needs, and I share just how difficult that pivot in conversation can be.
We also explore the problem with morality and why Miles advocates a shift from morality to integrity.
Miles and I are planning a series of episodes that will explore a variety of interrelated themes, spanning from Insight Meditation, to Conscious Communication, to the problem of egoic identity, the culture wars and existential collapse. I’m looking forward to sharing this series with you and encourage you to pick up either of Miles’ very helpful books on Conscious Communication.
Miles Sherts’ website: www.practicalpresence.org
Miles Sherts’ books: Conscious Communication; Conscious Communication for Couples
Nancy Van Dyken | Everyday Narcissism
In this episode, I am joined by psychotherapist and author Nancy Van Dyken whose book, Everyday Narcissism – Yours, Mine, and Ours, sheds some fascinating light on this ubiquitous condition of the psyche. EN, or everyday narcissism, isn’t clinical Narcissistic Personality Disorder. It’s a fragile psychology that is conditioned by the way so many of us were raised by family and by culture.
If you’re interested in more stable relationships, better boundaries and how to heal shame, I highly recommend Everyday Narcissism.
Nancy Van Dyken’s website: https://healingrelationships.com/
Purchase a copy of Everyday Narcissism.
Rodney Smith | The Heart's Completion
In this special episode, I am honored to be joined by my first – and most significant – dharma teacher, Rodney Smith. Rodney spent several years as a Buddhist monk in Burma and Thailand, working notably with Ajahn Buddhadasa, Krishnamurti and Nisargattada Maharaj. He disrobed as a monk in 1983 and, after returning to the West, started working in hospice care and teaching vipassana meditation throughout the U.S.
For over thirty years, Rodney was a guiding teacher at the Insight Meditation Society as well as founding teacher of the Seattle Insight Meditation Society.
Over the many years of sitting retreats with Rodney at IMS, I found him to be one of the most challenging, provocative and passionate teachers I’ve ever had the privilege of meeting. In our wide-ranging conversation we explore dharma practice and the heart’s completion right now.
Archive of Dharma Talks by Rodney Smith.
Books by Rodney Smith:
Stepping Out of Self-Deception
Cultivating the Spirit of Wisdom | Dharma Talk
We’re sharing the first talk of our new training: Refining Metal | The Wisdom of Qi Cultivation. Josh reflects on the question: How do we cultivate wisdom in our practice? What is the relationship between refining our awareness and our ability to express compassion and wisdom in our lives?
NEW TRAINING: The Chinese word for spirit is “shen.” In Chinese Medicine our spirit resides in our heart. With practice, we gather, channel, flow and settle our spirit within the heart, awakening and deepening our capacity to wake up, grow up and clean up.
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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
Sharpening Knives | Dharma Talk + Guided Meditation
Like sharpening a knife, training awareness to see clearly involves a number of skills that refine over the course of practice. In this talk, I share some of my favorite ways of cultivating a calm and open state of embodied presence. Included: Short Guided Meditation.
NEW TRAINING: The Chinese word for spirit is “shen.” In Chinese Medicine our spirit resides in our heart. With practice, we gather, channel, flow and settle our spirit within the heart, awakening and deepening our capacity to wake up, grow up and clean up.
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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
Gathering Shen | Dharma Talk
In this episode, I am excited to share an introductory talk about our second module in our Yin Yoga + Qi Cultivation training: Refining Metal | The Wisdom of Qi Cultivation.
In October, we’ll be teaching this module LIVE, exploring the energetic and meditative dimensions of Qi Cultivation. The Chinese word for spirit is “shen.” In Chinese Medicine our spirit resides in our heart. With practice, we gather, channel, flow and settle our spirit within the heart, awakening and deepening our capacity to wake up, grow up and clean up.
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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
Elisa Malinverni | Impostors, Smart Phones + Addiction
Elisa Malinverni returns to the podcast to talk about her book, Yoga For Recovering Addicts. In this episode we explore some common manifestations of the “grasping mind.” We discuss the dynamics of perfectionism, impostor syndrome, screen addiction and more.
Elisa’s book available on Amazon: Yoga for Recovering Addicts – Stories of Hope and Ways of Self-Healing.
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NEW THIS FALL: Refining Metal | The Wisdom of Qi Cultivation (20hr Yin Yoga Training)
NOW On-Demand: Gathering Earth | The Foundations of Qi Cultivation (20hr Yin Yoga Training)
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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
Sketches of Fall | Yin Trainings + Classes
Recorded on August 14, 2023, I give an upcoming preview of new Yin Yoga classes and training Terry and I will be offering in Fall ‘23.
Yin Yoga + Qi Cultivation Trainings:
NEW THIS FALL: Refining Metal | The Wisdom of Qi Cultivation (20hr Yin Yoga Training)
NOW On-Demand: Gathering Earth | The Foundations of Qi Cultivation (20hr Yin Yoga Training)
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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
Deliberate Slowness | Dharma Talk
Recorded on August 7th, 2023, Josh offers some thoughts on practicing with deliberate slowness. This talk includes reflections on the spirit of improvisation with simple practices like “walking hands” and “half-breath” meditation.
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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
Good Morning, Dukkha! | Dharma Talk
Recorded on July 31st, 2023, Josh offers reflections on the convergence of personal and collective dukkha. In the face of such challenges, our commitment to practice nurtures the resilience and sensitivity of the heart.
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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
Advice For Retreat | Dharma Talk
In this talk, I share three points of advice for anyone embarking on a silent meditation retreat, either at a center or from home. My advice comes down to: 1) set the schedule and forget time, 2) kiss the moment, and 3) notice the negative.
I hope this talk supports your practice. Special thanks to the members of the River Bird Sangha for supporting this free podcast.
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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
Don Goewey | The Dharma of Anthony De Mello
In this episode, I had the great pleasure of speaking with Don Goewey (Executive Director of the De Mello Spirituality Center). We discuss DeMello’s significance as a spiritual figure of the 20th century, and how he offers a unique view of eastern and western spirituality. Don and I reflect on DeMello’s dharma, the experience of seeing one’s shadow, and the rude awakenings that occur when everything falls apart.
Books mentioned by Anthony De Mello:
Save 30% with checkout code: Sublime30 (expires 8/20) A Year With Anthony De Mello: https://beyondword.com/products/a-year-with-anthony-de-mello-waking-up-week-by-week
Awareness; Stop Fixing Yourself; The Way of Love; The Song of the Bird
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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
The Improvising Duckling | Dharma Story
In this talk, I discuss practice as a form of improvisation and suggest ways of working with “forms” of practice as a way of developing one’s skills at improvisation. I conclude with a Sufi story about a duckling, leaving open the question of how improvising in practice reveals our true nature.
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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
Clinging in Myanmar | Dharma Story
In this talk, I reflect how, on a vipassana meditation retreat in Myanmar, I became compulsively obsessed with finding the perfect height for my meditation cushion; I explore what this behavior reveals about the “clinging” mind.”
“An attachment is an emotional belief that without a person, thing or experience you can’t be happy.” – Anthony DeMello
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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
Linda Modaro + Nelly Kaufer | Improvising in Practice
In this episode, I speak with my friends and colleagues Linda Modaro and Nelly Kaufer about their wonderful new book, Reflective Meditation. We talk about many themes of their approach to meditation, including: listening, journaling, and improvisation.
Reflective Meditation is now available in print and as an e-book in the United States, and for a limited time the e-book is available for $1.99. Click ====>>> HERE for your copy.
I recommend this wonderful book to all friends and students who are interested in a creative and personal approach to the path of waking up.
Reflective Meditation - Cultivating Kindness and Curiosity in the Company of the Buddha
Linda Modaro: https://satisangha.org/
Nelly Kaufer: https://pinestreetsangha.org/
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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
Everyday Conundrums + Synchronicities | Dharma Talk
In this talk, I share a patchwork of dharma reflections, exploring some everyday conundrums and synchronicities – appreciating the sublime in the innocence of a niece and a godson.
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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
My Yin Odyssey | 2001 to Now
The questions that have gripped me for the last twenty or so years of my practice are these: What is the relationship between yoga practices and Buddhist meditation, and what does Qi cultivation, as described within Chinese Medicine, have to do with yoga and meditation?
In the opening talk for our new course, Yin Yoga + Qi Cultivation Training, I share my practice odyssey – as a yogi, as a meditator and as an acupuncturist – exploring the relationships amongst Yin Yoga, meditation and Chinese Medicine. These stories shape the principles and practices of this training.
Click HERE ===>> for more on Yin Yoga and Qi Cultivation Training
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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
Yin Pranayama | Gathering the Qi (Guided Session)
In this short practice from our all NEW Yin Yoga and Qi Cultivation Training, Josh introduces the foundational dynamic of Yin Pranayama which optimizes the biochemistry of the blood for better distribution of oxygen to the cells, tissues and organs, gathers the Qi in the lower Dan Tian or Hara, and supports the healthy functioning of the Yin organs (Kidney, Liver, Spleen, Lungs and Heart).
If you enjoy this practice, you may also be interested in the acupuncture-based massage protocols that are an integral part of the Yin Yoga and Qi Cultivation Training. As an acupuncturist of twenty years, I’m really excited to share these practices that support balancing and mitigating the conditions of exhaustion, inflammation, stress and anxiety.
Click HERE ===>> for more on Yin Yoga and Qi Cultivation Training 20hrs
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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
NEW Yin Yoga + Qi Cultivation Training (20hrs)
In this five-minute talk, I describe the ALL NEW Yin Yoga Training and Continuing Education immersion that Terry and I are launching this June. In this training we will integrate four acupuncture point formula for supporting adrenal, fascial, Qi and spiritual health with the practices of Yin Yoga and Qi Gong. Perfect for any Yin Yoga student or teaching looking to add more depth and empowerment to their teaching.
Click HERE ===>> for more on Yin Yoga and Qi Cultivation Training 20hrs
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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
Our Inherited Blessings | Dharma Story
As part of a Mother’s Day reflection, I recount the harrowing story of getting robbed in the middle of the night on a train in India, and how a “spiritual” mother appeared to both save me and subsequently change the course of my life. I conclude with a meditative prompt for honoring and appreciating our spiritual ancestors.
Click HERE ===>> for more on Yin Yoga and Qi Cultivation Training 20hrs
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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
The Cardinal's Broken Image | Dharma Talk
In this dharma reflection, Josh draw’s on his and others’ observations of bird life in the natural world, and weaves these reflections into a broader meditation about the role of images and reflections in the practice of the dharma.
NEW – Yin Yoga and Qi Cultivation Training (4 Weeks, June 2023)
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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
Lao Tzu's Roses | Dharma Story
The students were discussing the famous statement uttered by Lao Tzu: “Those who know do not say; those who say do not know.” When their teacher arrived he offered some helpful analysis in the form of a simple dialogue.
In this talk, Josh reflects on this wonderful story and its implications for meditation practice.
NEW – Yin Yoga and Qi Cultivation Training (4 Weeks, June 2023)
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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
The "me" That Clings | Dharma Talk
The Buddha once said: “Nothing whatsoever should be clung to as ‘I’ or ‘mine’.” In this talk, analyze this statement as an important signpost on the map of practice.
As Georg Feuerstein put it: “The sense that ‘I’ can go beyond where ‘I’ am right now is the place from which to start your practice.”
Free Practice Etude | Just Savasana
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
Meditation Without Grasping | Dharma Talk
In this talk, Josh continues to unpack the experience of waking up, exploring how consciousness often awakens to being entangled with some part of experience (usually thoughts), and to explore what it’s like when consciousness relaxes into itself, embracing the entire field of perception.
A free guided meditation accompanies this talk here: Practice Etude – Meditation Without Grasping
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
The Mourning Joy of Insight | Dharma Talk
In this dharma talk, I reflect on a teaching from my dharma mentor Jack Engler: “the entirety of the spiritual path is a path of mourning.” This talk is an attempt to explore that reflection in light of the practice and experiential dynamics that occur when we let go of grasping at views, perceptions, orientations and practices, etc.
Jack Engler’s article: Practicing for Awakening (part 2)
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
Donna Brooks | The Dharma Door of Grief
In this episode, I welcome Donna Brooks back to the podcast to talk through the experience of grief and how embodiment practices support our capacity to navigate this challenging emotional landscape.
Donna Brooks’ website: www.originalbodywisdom.com
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
Voluntary Free Fall | Dharma Talk
In this talk, I explore some common views about meditation and thinking, and I encourage bringing inquiry to the views of practice that we may be clinging to. Releasing views is somewhat like voluntarily jumping into free fall. The self will grasp, but in releasing the grasping, we align with the Buddha’s famous teaching: “Nothing whatsoever should be clung to as ‘I’ or ‘mine’.”
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
The Tiger and the Snake Revisited | Dharma Story
In this week’s practice story, I continue to explore the famous Buddhist parable about the tiger and the snake, and I suggest how the core images of this story symbolize the central dharma themes of our practice and life.
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
The Tiger + The Snake | Dharma Story
In this old Buddhist parable, we are presented with a description of the human predicament. In the face of being caught between death and something worse, how does our practice serve us to live, as Munindra put it, “the life fully?”
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