Peter's Podcast

Happy Solstice, Kwanza, Hanukkah, Christmas, or whatever you appreciate this time of year! The holidays around this time celebrate light, and today’s podcast is about light’s energy: vibration. Here’s a link to a video that shows you how vibrations move matter in beautiful ways. I head over to visit my student and kirtan co-conspirator Lindsay Sanwald where we talk about mantras and kirtan. But be...

Today on the podcast, I speak with Wendy Newton, my wife and a yoga master. Listeners have commented how much you like our breakfast table chats. I hope you like this one, too. I learned some fun new things about Wendy myself in this one as she shared her story of coming to yoga as a teenager! We mention Wendy's teachers Alan Finger and Heather Principe . Then, I catch up with Jenny Bloom, and we...

Today's episode begins with a monolog about deities in mantra. In it, I mention a Polish theatre production. The director's name is Jarosław Fret and the production that involved using ancient components of a mass was The Triptych Then Rina Deshpande (bio below) joins me to talk first about the Indian cultural aspects of yoga; and then, about scientific research on yoga. Rina talks about growing u...

Happy Thanksgiving! In this episode, I offer advice for deepening a holiday that often veers far from gratitude. Then I speak with a dear student of mine who has a lot of yoga training and a practice that she uses to find happiness in her professional life. Elizabeth Chubbuck is a New York City business professional with a long-standing yoga practice. After studying at Trinity College in CT, she s...

Yogiraj Wendy Newton and I talk about the nature of love and how to find it! Jenny Bloom and I start today's episode. I ask Jenny to share her experience after I gave her a personal mantra – just like you can if you subscribe at Patreon at the Mantra level. (You should subscribe at any level!) Then, Wendy and I have a deep conversation about finding and staying in love. We discuss the book Yoga of...

In today’s episode, I have a delightful conversation with Rachel Zinman and John Weddepohl, two teachers from the other side of the world, both of whom have a rich connection to ISHTA Yoga as well as other yoga practices. Rachel has turned her attention lately to helping people with diabetes through yoga and a new book. I begin with Cappuccino Q&A, where I answer questions from subscribers on...

Today, I talk to regular podcast contributor Jenny Bloom, who is an ISHTA Yoga teacher and a strategic brand consultant. We discuss finding peaceful relationship with your self, with others, and with the world; and we talk about Peace Pilgrim , an activist who walked across America between 1951 and 1981 spreading a message of personal and world peace. Please rate this podcast, to help spread the w...

In today’s episode, I speak to Trina Morris . Trina wears many hats. I knew her first as a yoga teacher who studied at ISHTA, but before that, she studied public relations in school and had a career with major fashion brands. Over the past decade, she transitioned to being a self-employed consultant, professor, and coach with her company Style Root . Her project Breathe Bro brings yoga to black me...

In today's episode, I tackle the onslaught of bad news. I start with an essay I wrote in response to a frustrated yoga teacher's blog. (You can find the essay here ). Then I talk with ISHTA yoga teacher, strategic brand consultant, and regular podcast contributor Jenny Bloom about all the topics in this month's news. Plus we touch on dealing with lousy bosses, not-quite-right romances, and people...

Today we start the podcast with Cappuccino Q&A, the segment where a patrons from Patreon gets a question answered. Today our question is about dealing with emotional upset. Then, I chat with artist and yogi Amanda Shafran about the similarities and synergies between yoga and art, for makers and enjoyers of the arts. Amanda is a freelance artist, maker, and theatrical designer based in New York...

In this Episode, we talk about the physical. I inaugurate the Cappuccino Q&A segment, where I answer questions posed by my supporters on Patreon . Today, I answer a "cappuccino-level" patron's question about how practices lead to the goals of Tantra yoga: expansion of the sense of self, and how that leads to actual happiness. I mention Mark Whitwell's book Yoga of Heart and Krista Ti...

In today’s episode, we discuss purpose, happiness, apprenticeship, and making choices. In our first segment, Jenny and I talk about the tradition of learning from a master, like craftspeople traditionally have done. In our second segment, Jenny and I consider the challenges of knowing what to do for work. We touch on the difference between wanting something from the “me” center versus finding what...

Today I speak with Cyndie Spiegel , the founder of the Collective of Us , an incubator for women’s small businesses. I've had the pleasure to teach Cyndie yoga for many years, beginning during the time that she was a full-time executive for a major fashion brand. In today’s episode, Cyndie and I work to map the fine line between wishful thinking and setting goals; between working hard to get what...

My wife, Wendy Newton and I just finished leading teacher training courses. We compare notes on how one learns and applies training to find real yoga. We discuss the Yoga Sutras description of the three components of practice: Tapas (purification and discipline) Svadyaya (Self-study) Ishvara pranidhana (surrender to the ways of Nature) As a special treat, Mica makes a guest appearance, barking her...

In today’s episode, we talk about work. What it is, what’s happening in the work world, work in the Bhagavad Gita, and the future of work. Joining me, during my recent visit to Berlin, is Julia von Winterfeldt , of the consulting firm called Soulworx . Her bio describers her as a Digital Expert, Change Evangelist, Consultant, Coach, Yogini and founder. I had the pleasure of being her teacher durin...

Be a fly on the wall as Jenny and I discuss the background of several yoga techniques and the treasure that comes from practicing them. We talk about the way Tantra describes our limited universe and how life becomes like a card game that can be rewarding as well as challenging. We mention a practice called arohan-awarohan and how it balances the the gunas of nature, rajas and tamas, to help you m...

In this episode, I am live from Stockholm, where I speak with fellow ISHTA Yogiraj, writer/editor, creative coach, and educator Ulrica Norberg . Ulrica and I talk about what it means to bring yoga into the way that we live in the world. We cover that topic from a few perspectives, including the balance between work and personal time, how we tackle new challenges, and whether it's possible to follo...

This month I'm teaching abroad, so I've arranged for a special episode of Peter's Podcast for people missing my classes in New York. In this episode, we have a live recording of a full meditation practice, with an explanatory lecture beforehand. You can just listen to the lecture, or try the meditation, too. The lecture begins with a description of Tantra, which is a foundation of ISHTA Yoga . We...

In this episode, I’m coming to you live from Helsinki, Finland where I’m teaching in a yoga teacher training with Aino Siren and Mikaela Soldan . They created both an ISHTA teacher training and a pop-up yoga studio for the summer. They are both ISHTA Yoga teachers, whom I had the pleasure to have as students. We talk about the training and the pop-up that Aino and Mikaela created. We also talk a l...

In today's episode, I discuss a yogic approach to political realities with Wendy Newton and Jenny Bloom. We tackle how to be concerned about what's going on while operating from a place of balance. We touch on some current events, like the travel ban and this summer's controversial Julius Caesar. We also try to clarify the distinction between the nature of the universe to oscillate between action...

In this episode, I chat with Lindsay Sanwald. Known to her music fans as Idgy Dean , I know Lindsay as a yoga teacher and as part of a kirtan project, where we join forces to put a psych-rock vibe to traditional Sanskrit mantra. We cover a lot of ground between the arts and yoga, including the way both serve as a "way" to help find one's purpose, or ISHTA devata — the energy that helps y...

In today's episode, I chat with Jenny Bloom about what the Yoga Sutras describe as keys to staying balanced when confronted by challenges with the people you encounter. These could be people who are out to harm you, but we also have trouble staying contented around people who are happy, sad, or successful. Jenny and I also discuss what it means to be a yogi; what karma is — and why it's not good o...

Today’s guest is Wendy Newton. She is a yogiraj, or master of ISHTA yoga and a practitioner of Polarity Therapy, a yoga-based wellness system developed by Randolph Stone. She’s also my wife! Today we invite you into our morning breakfast conversation, which is always about yoga and life. We broach the topic of deep living, which is one of the areas I want to explore via this podcast. We talk about...

This is our inaugural episode, where we introduce the broader scope of yoga and meditation. I am joined by yogini Jenny Bloom, a student of mine who is now a teacher. We discuss santosha , a yoga concept that defines happiness as contentment with what is. Jenny notes that my line about happiness could make a good tattoo, so we're going to make that a Patreon reward! We go deeply into how you can b...