Practice You with Elena Brower

On the harrowing reality from the hospital floor, two actions we can take to stop the spread, and the stories we craft to help us cope. Being open to learning. Basing recommendations on scientific data [06:08] Considering what it feels like to be unable to breathe easily [07:40] There are still no consistently effective treatments for Covid-19 [8:42] Why earlier hospitalization can make a differen...

On a new definition of politics, and caring for ourselves through this. Sustainability vs growth [3:26] Bridging personal transformation and politics [5:22] The origins of CTZNWELL [9:31] White supremacy and the wellness community [12:20] Reckoning. Staying curious. Expanding your practice to include staying informed [14:15] Questions to ask about the governance of wellness [20:45] Considering wel...

On the core of communication, and some myths we can release. Approaching yoga poses with questions rather than rules [1:50] Non-violent communication. Connecting with ourselves. Recognizing mutuality [8:33] Communicating as a parent [17:36] Trust. Telling the truth with empathy. Saying no while staying in connection [22:37] Self-empathy practice [27:24] A common yoga myth about the pelvis in seate...

Justin Michael Williams works at the intersection of music, mindfulness, and social justice. With his groundbreaking book, Stay Woke, and over a decade of teaching experience, Justin has become a pioneering voice for diversity and inclusion in wellness. Ending Racism Manifesto [1:40] The five assumptions we make about why racism persists [8:33] Justin's process of writing the Manifesto [15:40] Rac...

On the vital ways in which we approach practice for mental health. Julie Wald is the author of the #1 Amazon bestseller, Inner Wealth: How Wellness Heals, Nurtures, and Optimizes Ultra-Successful People, and the founder of Namaste Wellness. Julie has over twenty-five years of experience as a clinical social worker, yoga and meditation teacher. She's committed to serving not only Namaste's elite cl...

On womanhood, excellence, Blackness, and our crucial collaborations in parenting, partnership, and creativity. Rebirthing many times throughout life [3:57] Women, Southern culture and power [5:15] Demonstrating Black Excellence [12:10] Seeking out Black culture [18:14] Not letting the dominant culture confuse you [21:52] A different kind of leadership [24:55] Detaching from things that define us....

On homeschooling as reclaiming learning, prioritizing in a busy household and the gifts of boredom. Making the decision to homeschool [2:03] Keeping rhythms with non-attachment [8:57] Being driven by children's interest. Choosing. Focusing [12:31] Reclaiming our learning. Giving ownership to the children [21:48] Interoception. Subtracting and letting kids get bored [23:14] Surviving as a family. C...

On the history of black maternal health, how we can change the story, and parenting our kids as actualized beings. The Black Maternal Health crisis [1:58] Gynecology and its origins in slavery [6:09] The need for a reckoning. Reenvisioning a holistic view and a service model [10:17] Ways to be involved [14:51] Mama Glow Doula professional training program scholarship fund [30:19] Learning and unle...

On compassion in the context of activism, building a culture of care, and cultivating enthusiasm to save our democracy. Being radically human [2:42] Sharing peace in a way that incites action [4:24] Our responsibility to each other. Information and discernment [6:21] Planting seeds of love and compassion [12:52] Changing our opinions over time [18:00] Immigration detainment camps. Focusing on huma...

On showing up for your writing with devotion. On reading as writing; writing as reading. On humility as wisdom. Albert Flynn DeSilver is a poet, memoirist, speaker, master mindfulness meditation teacher and workshop leader teaching nationally at the Omega Institute, Spirit Rock, 1440 MUltiversity, Shambhala Mountain Center, the Esalen Institute, and at writing conferences nationally. Albert has re...

On clearing biotoxicity and creating work that heals. Biotoxicity [2:17] The Milk Cleanse [7:07] The genesis of NeuroPraxis [11:21] The importance of knowing your own body [19:46] Ayurveda and balance [23:10] Slowing down and appreciating time [23:43] Prayer [28:04] Jody Levy is an artist, designer, director, educator, entrepreneur, executive and investor from the Detroit area who lives between De...

On the life-changing conversations of race, the majestic presence of lineage, and the vital, daily work of loving yourself. The birth of The Jacy Method [2:15] On feeling alone in a community [7:01] The importance of expressing joy and showing up as yourself [9:39] Jacy's morning marriage practice [16:42] On living multiple lives as a Black person [24:52] The opportunity to have conversations abou...

On transcending our instincts, practicing what scares us, seeing where we coincide, and choosing our state. After spending a year as a Bartley fellow at the Wall Street Journal, Chloé Valdary developed The Theory of Enchantment, an innovative framework for social emotional learning (SEL), character development, and interpersonal growth that uses pop culture as an educational tool in the classroom...

Erin is a travel, culture and lifestyle documentary photographer, creative culture consultant, writer and founder of Black Burner Project. After discovering her love for photography on a solo trip the Philippines, she has placed travel photography at the center of her personal work. Erin's first experience of Burning Man [3:17] What moved Erin to create the Black Burner Project [10:01] The feeling...

On connecting to Nature, our wisest innermost council, and our deepest compassion. Managing chaos [2:44] Understanding the need to project chaos outwards [6:23] Tools that Pixie is using and sharing right now [10:13] Asking for help and managing resources [17:07] Disassociation and discernment [19:04] Shamanic arts. Returning to the core of peace within [21:30] Building your council. Releasing con...

On the past as fuel for the future, the realities of race, and the magic of making records. Jeff's earliest musical influences [3:37] His first experience of racism [6:40] Creating his own blueprint for life [11:10] Speaking to his children about what it means to be Black in America [15:16] Favorite moments with Bad Boy [22:16] The night that Biggie was murdered [26:22] Artists Jeff is most excite...

On racism recovery as psychological, individual and collective healing. How April came to her work [2:35] Racism from a psychological perspective [11:12] Narcissism and codependency [18:43] White privilege. Complicity [23:00] Treating perpetrators. Defense mechanisms [26:08] Co-dependent racist savorism and anti-racist education on Instagram [33:19] Racist rejection of whiteness and cultural appro...

On scarcity in schools, committing to our edification, wealth as activism, and standing back to back as we heal. Jesse Johnson is a master sales and success coach, specializing in helping spiritual entrepreneurs build 7-figure businesses. An artist, activist, and educator, Jesse's career began with 12 years teaching math in NYC public schools. Frustrated by the limits of both bureaucracy and pover...

On the voyage of service, what still needs our attention, connecting to Mother Earth, and majestic remembrance. Nadine McNeil, is a yoga teacher, speaker, transformational coach and humanitarian whose mission is to ignite infinite possibility in people around the world and share yoga with diverse underserved communities. Over the last few decades, Nadine has travelled the world in service of the U...

On whiteness in wellness, our responsibility, our clumsiness and our commitments. Creating Wanderlust [4:41] Spirituality and Civic engagement [16:30] Acknowledging complicity. The role of the wellness teacher [20:39] Black Lives Matter protests. Witnessing glimpses of Oneness [29:21] Grace for clumsiness. Taking moral inventory [36:33] Reframing the notion of separation [43:39] Shaping the world...

On studentship, using your art to heal, and becoming heavy enough to hold it all. Kiese Laymon is the author of three books, most recently the NY Times bestselling memoir, Heavy: An American Memoir. He is a Professor of English born and raised in Jackson Mississippi. The places we stay [3:26] What inspired Kiese to write Heavy to his mother [5:05] The consequences of masking pain [7:18] How learni...

On choosing conscious shocks, conscious suffering and crystallizing your commitment to daily bliss. The Fourth Way [1:30] The law of divided attention [8:28] The law of aim [12:20] The law of identification [15:12] The law of shocks [20:54] The law of three [27:05] The law of self-remembering [30:55] Unnecessary vs necessary suffering [33:06] Buffers. How much joy can you stand? [36:45] The law of...

On belonging, dreamwork, and welcoming aging as a privilege. Toko-pa Turner is an award-winning Canadian writer, teacher, and dreamworker who blends the mystical tradition of Sufism with a Jungian approach to dreams. In 2001 she founded the Dream School, from which hundreds of students have graduated, and she speaks internationally on the subject of dreams and belonging. Sometimes called a "midwif...

On the perpetual revolution of the soul, with the one and only Seane Corn. Becoming an elder [3:06] What Seane's friend Billy taught her [8:12] The role of therapy in processing trauma, speaking out against injustice [15:33] Grief [29:50] Dismantling the systems within, creating social change [40:29] Seane's main mentors and guides [50:48] What Seane would say to a young yoga teacher [53:52] Resou...

On music as medicine, listening carefully, and the relevance of surrendering. Paavo's early connection to music [2:37] Things that help Paavo in uncertain times [6:39] What inspired the making of the Flow State album [9:33] Questions about work life balance as an artist [14:34] Improvising [19:00] Not knowing and surrendering [21:07] What needs healing [30:08] Favourite view [31:03] Prayer [31:42]...