EP 24 - Special Episode: Heart of Yoga Global Teacher Conversation

In this episode, Mark interviews Eva about her journey discovering Yoga and music. Eva shares how she was classically trained in cello as a child but hated the competitive pressure. She dropped music for 18 years until finding Yoga, which helped her rediscover enjoyment and presence. A few years into Yoga, Eva spontaneously picked up guitar and started playing purely for pleasure, posting videos online.

Mark and Eva explore how yoga catalyzed Eva's musical reawakening. Yoga helped Eva let go of striving for perfection and future attainment, and instead play music for the joy of each moment. Eva discusses how Yoga taught her to receive support and gave her courage to be vulnerable sharing imperfect musical videos. She also describes realizing Yoga isn't about achieving a thoughtless state, but being fully immersed in each experience.

Eva offers an inspirational example of how Yoga provided the foundation to rediscover her musical self by cultivating presence, receptivity and relationship.

Keypoints: 

• [00:03:00] Discovering yoga helped Eva find enjoyment and presence
• [00:05:00] Yoga was the catalyst that allowed Eva's musical talent to emerge
  
  
• [00:08:00] Eva learned to receive support and be vulnerable through Yoga
  
  
• [00:12:00] Eva rejected the competitive classical music system as a teen
  
  
• [00:18:00] Finding a Yoga teacher who respected Eva as an individual was pivotal
  
  
• [00:20:00] Yoga felt like the opposite of Eva's prior athletic yoga experience
  
  
• [00:25:00] Eva played music purely for enjoyment rather than future goals
  
  
• [00:30:00] Eva had to unlearn criticism and perfectionism around mistakes
  
  
• [00:40:00] Simple Yoga helped a depressed musician rediscover her artistry
  
  
• [00:50:00] Eva realized Yoga wasn't about achieving a thoughtless state

Memorable Quotes 

"Yoga as a system should adapt to the individual, not the other way around."

"It's not to get to the end, to the grand crescendo of the great symphony. It's every note along the way in harmony with every other note."

"There's no state like that, that I should be striving towards. What I have right now and what I'm doing right now is it."

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In this episode of the Heart of Yoga podcast, Mark has an insightful conversation with his student Irina Esposito about her journey with Yoga. 

The cosmos and everything in the cosmos is obviously a pure intelligence, energy and an intrinsic harmony. In religious language of ancient India it is Shiva Shakti… or all that is, and there are no problems. This was Irina’s sudden realization. It hit her “like a done of bricks”. This is the realization of an ordinary life of anybody when the Hatha Yoga Tantras are practiced daily, actually, naturally and non obsessively.

Life is unity, an indivisible condition of no separation, no difference, unique individuation in the context of utter singularity. Thank you Irina for your Yôga realization and sharing this, your self with the world Here. 

Irina shares how the simple daily yoga practice Mark taught her is transformative.
She began to feel more connected to herself and worry less. The conversation explores pivotal moments of recognition Irina experienced through her practice, as well as how yoga shifted her perspective on body image and food.

An illuminating part of the talk is when old family patterns came up after a vacation with a parent, showing there are still habitual conditionings even after deep insights. Overall, the episode offers a beautiful glimpse into the power of dedicated yoga practice.  

Timestamps:

3:55 - They discuss Irina's experience in yoga teacher training with Mark and how she started a daily practice. 

12:55 - Irina talks about how yoga helped her feel more connected to herself and her body. 

28:35 - Irina describes a moment of recognition where she deeply felt that the whole universe is female and male energy. 

38:50 - Irina shares how yoga changed her relationship to food and body image.

55:15 - Irina talks about going on vacation with her mother after her recognition and how old patterns came up again.

Quotes:

"You gave us the simple practice and I just tried to do it every day. And this is so different to the practice I did before."
"I don't overthink that much. The crown is open and receiving."

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In this episode, I'm joined by Joseph Lauricella. We dive into Joseph's journey on The Yoga Bus, making yoga accessible to everyone. It is truly inspiring.

We talk about the power of yoga for newcomers and the limitations of the popular styles. Joseph shares his motivation behind his book, "Miracle of Body Wisdom," and his vision for authentic yoga education for all.

We discuss the discipline of writing a book. Also the function of yoga in dealing with anxiety in tough times. We explore how whole body breathing can boost our well-being and making yoga suitable for everyone, regardless of beliefs or body type. We discus the YES program, Yôga Education in Schools. How Yoga isn't just an exercise; it's vital for our future, a subject as vital as any other subject taught in schools, such as mathematics or physics! 

We discuss unity, authenticity, and the healing journey after loss. Joseph shares his personal story of loss and healing, and the positive impact of recent gatherings and upcoming retreats in Mexico. We're all in this together.

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In this episode, we dive deep into Mark's transformative journey to India. Mark shares his personal experiences and first impressions upon arriving in this vibrant and diverse country. He discusses how The Beatles' presence in Rishikesh influenced his interest in Indian wisdom traditions, making it a global phenomenon.

Mark reflects on the powerful impact of rock music from England and the U.S. on his life, particularly highlighting the musical genius of Ray Davies from The Kinks. He opens up about his initial moments in India, painting a vivid picture of the sights, sounds, and emotions that overwhelmed him.

We explore the challenges and insights of being a white minority in India, contrasting it with Mark's observations as a part of the white majority in New Zealand. Mark shares his candid thoughts on India's lack of a social welfare system and how survival takes on a unique meaning in this bustling country.

Throughout our conversation, Mark takes us on a spiritual journey, recounting his encounters with Bhakti Vedanta Swami and the worldwide temple movement initiated through chanting in Hyde Park. We delve into the essence of India's holy cities, bringing to light the blend of spirituality and commerce that characterizes them.

Mark's trip to India serves as the central narrative, intertwining with various topics such as colonialism and the preservation of authenticity in a rapidly changing world. Mark's personal experiences and insights offer a captivating window into his adventure and the profound impact it had on his life.

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Our guest today is our wonderful collaborator in Japan, Minami Takashima.
Minami is a yogini and heart of Yôga teacher, teaching in the traditions of the hathayoga non dual Tantra. She has written the introduction to the Japanese second edition of Mark Whitwell’s Yôga Heart and teaches throughout Japan and the world. 

Born in Sapporo, Japan, she found that early life spiritual awakenings were not really helping with the pain of corporate life and socialization, but were rather making society’s misalignment with nature’s flow even more obvious and miserable.
One day, she came across Mark’s book Yoga of Heart, and says “this changed my life completely.” “There’s no steps to be taken”. “Everything you are seeking to become, you already are.” “You are the power of the cosmos”— the book was a great statement of your life’s actual worth. 

Minami has had victory over the oppressive misogyny of society that restricts women, and men, and all of life. In this victory she understands the difficulties of the usual life, so can be extremely helpful to others going through what she has had to go through herself. In Yôga such a person is called the “Acharya”, one who can teach. 

Minami found that traditional heart of Yoga, Hathayoga practice bridges spirituality and tangible reality, allowing our masculine and feminine aspects to find their natural harmony. Knowing herself and her students to be Reality itself (“divine existence” itsel.) Minami teaches from the authority of her own experience and power. She lives in Japan and New Zealand with her yogi-musician husband Rey. 
Teaching mainly one on one in an intimate, traditional way, Minami serves others to find their innate power, intelligence and beauty. 

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Clayton Joseph Scott is a singer, songwriter and master Yoga Teacher. Born in Los Angeles, California, he attended Santa Monica High School. Clayton lived most of his life as a street hustling native of Venice Ca. He was raised in the culture of musicians and pioneers of the counter culture.

Clayton speaks clearly about over coming addiction of every kind. He was in his own words, a gourmet addict, masterful at keeping addictions finely counteracting each so as to hold them in all in place. Until…. ? 

As a Yôga enthusiast (one of his addictions) for many years Clayton mastered all the popular styles of the yoga industry. In this context he discovered the principles of the modern founder of Yôga, Tirumalai Krishnamacharya and was then able to make sense of it all. 

Clayton’s own music career is highlighted by his touring band Brightside. He has a number of notable albums of poetic depth and beauty. 

Albums and EPs include Heavy Rest, More Love, West of Lincoln, Let Go and View from the Moon.

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Liliana Lakshmi and her husband Satya are renowned yoga teachers, whose influence extends from India to the Americas, and from Berlin to Bali. Liliana, born into tribal culture of indigenous shamans of Colombia was quickly able to understand the shamanic cultures of ancient India, their yogas of participation and the profound realization of their ancient cultures, both of India and the Americas. Liliana is the hope of humanity, and she will not be exploited by any mere belief systems or point of view. She embraces all life and all cultures in the samyama of truth, the spotlight of absolute reality. Liliana is a bridge for humanity of cultures, ethnicities, of East and West, and of ancient to modern. Mark shares some time with Liliana discussing their time together over the years and their mutual purpose to bring the Yoga of intimacy to the entire world. 
They discussed the lost teaching of the Tantras that flourished for a thousand years prior to the 14th C. Liliana shares her early life in shamanic culture, and her eventual pilgrimages to India and Europe.

In this episode you will hear...

''... I went to to see a doctor and ... I was asking ... how does it look if I want to remove these implants? And I remember ... he would tell me ''but you're a very young woman. You don't want to look like a man''...''

''...There is a beautiful tribe in the north and I feel my ancestors land coming from there...they're quite famous because they have the ability to connect through space and time with all the tribes in another parts of the world...''

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Ernessa Bergman is a world-travelling Yogini, Mother and Biosynthesis / Somatic Body Psychotherapist who is currently living and working in Tel Aviv, Israel. She reflects on her long friendship with Mark at trainings around the world and her life as a mother and yoga teacher.

In this episode you will hear...

'' ...you torture yourself with the insanity of trying to get enlightened or something, or the insanity of trying to get to God. It is completely insane. It creates the separate self that is seeking.''

''...In the heart, that's where it says you break your heart, you start to cry because you realize that everything you've been doing up until now, at least mentally ...consciously, has not been putting your attention in the place that can give you more joy..."

"...This yoga of participation in the given reality, the power of the cosmos that is factually their condit. Just like it happened to you and you pass it on to every kind of person there, and you do it without drama, without theater. You just do it consistently and you just stood your ground. You bloom in your own garden..."

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Mark Whitwell interviews Rosalind Atkinson about her life with yoga and realisations. In particular, Mark asks about her academic studies of english literature, especially the mystic poet William Blake, and the relevance of these studies to her life in yoga.

This episode will be of interest to anyone with a mixed experience in academia or poetry, who is interested in the yogic process of making inspiration relevant to our lives right now.

We also discuss the last two years of teaching around the world through zoom, and end with a little teaser about a new project, called "Wardrobe Dharma".

In this episode you will hear...

''And I got to the end of this research project ... and I was trying to write a conclusion that summed up what I had learned in the process. And I came across a line by Blake that said something like ... the true faculty of knowledge is experience... And it was a very unsettling phrase to me because I realized in that moment that of everything I'd written about passionately, it wasn't my experience I was writing about Blake's experience.''

''I fell straight into the spiritual seekers trap of hungrily seeking experience...for myself...''

''It's like if my mind was the king and the body was the peasants of the kingdom. Even if the king ignores the peasants, they're still there. And they're still feeding him. But he's just not acknowledging them... Abusing them, mistreating them, not appreciating their work. ''

"Blake's poetry speaks in and as that force of life that is beyond the mind. And that's why obviously people from different cultures resonate with it. If it was just culturally constructed, then the English would love Blake the best. But they didn't, they thought he belonged in a straight jacket."

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Anne-Tyler's teachings and online gatherings are here at www.bloss-om.com or on social media @theecstaticblossom

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