What if there was an approach to fitness that didn't demand grueling workouts and pushed your body to the brink of exhaustion? Welcome to the transformative world of yoga. I'll be your guide, sharing the enlightening journey of our fellow yoga student, Jess, as we dive into chapters three and four of 'Yoga, Youth, and Reincarnation' by Jess Stern. Together, we'll unravel the benefits of yoga, how it differs from conventional exercises, and how it allows for growth without overexertion, creating space for deepening self-awareness and personal growth.

Get ready for an inspiring exploration of patience and self-awareness in developing a holistic yoga practice. Together, we'll dissect how yoga fosters a calm, unhurried approach to life, equipping us with the ability to even out imbalances caused by our daily grind. Whether you're a yoga novice or a seasoned practitioner, this episode will spark a renewed understanding and appreciation of this age-old practice. Journey with us, as we unfold the beautiful narrative of yoga fostering growth, self-discovery, and a balanced approach to life.

Overview:
This episode will provide commentary on a few illuminating excerpts from chapters 1 & 2 of Jess Stearn's book, Yoga, Youth, and Reincarnation.

Excerpts Discussed From Book:

📖 Chapter 1
“Marica: In three months, Marcia said, you’ll be a new person. I guarantee it.
Jess: I must admit I was getting rather tired of the old person–and my body seemed to be tiring of me–but there didn’t seem to be anything I could do about it short of rebirth.
Marcia: Don’t you care about staying young and vital? she urged.
Jess: I shrugged. So who’s young and vital?
Marcia: She smiled. You are a perfect subject: you’re nervous, tense, run-down, and your body, from the look of you, is about ready to give up. It is later than you think. You are not very flatting. I’m being honest–that’ ones of the requisites of Yoga. It leads to truth.” - page 1

“In Western calisthenics, one depletes his energy; in Yoga, he renews it.” - page 2

“...when I complained of fatigue…he said…with Yoga, you’d be able to work twenty hours a day…what [he] means is that you’d be full of drive and all sorts of energy.” - page 3

“In our culture we’re all much too cerebral. We have to stop thinking once in a while, so we can learn what kind of people we are and where we are going.” - page 3

“Charles: I lost twenty pounds in six months with Yoga.
Jess: Did you diet? I asked.
Charles: Not consciously. I just got detached from food…you start thinking of food as fuel, though you will still enjoy it.” - page 5

“I feel more in tune with the world, and of course I’m more relaxed from the exercises, and that helps me concentrate. I find myself looking at people, including myself, from a sort of mountaintop, and all their striving and struggling becomes so clear and evident.” - page 6

“We are in a state of senility when we can’t change either our attitudes or our bodies. Then we are drying up for sure.” - page 8

“Yoga is a method, not just an exercise. There are five basic principles. Silence is the first of these; keeping our mind quiet so thoughts can enter; then listening, so that we can learn; remembering, so that we can consider, understanding, so it will have meaning, and then acting.” - page 8

“Anger should be simulated only for effect. But real anger dissipates energies, and cause innumerable little internal explosions damaging to the body and mind. “Don’t get upset or concerned by actions of others, by criticism or flattery. Practice the detachment that comes with Yoga.” - page 9

📖 Chapter 2

“Your body is used to being treated a certain way, and at your age is in the process of ossification. Your shoulders and neck are rigid, and the arthritis that comes with the middle years is forming. Incidentally, as this rigidity disappears, the rigidity of temperament that accompanies this physical phase will also disappear.” - page 14

“You are going to be young again. Look at the people taking Yoga as you go along. None will appear old, no matter their age.” - page 14

“...Yoga [is]...aimed at bringing the individual to a full realization of his true self and his vast potentialities.” - page 14

Additional quotes discussed.

Links and Resources:

📘 Purchase book

Overview:
This episode will provide commentary on a few illuminating excerpts from Chapter 9 of Brad Stulberg's book, "The Practice of Groundedness."

Excerpts Discussed From Book:

📖 Chapter 9
“The way practice works, an anonymous Japanese Zen teacher once remarked, is that we build up our practice, then it falls apart. And then we build it up again, and then it falls apart. This is the way it goes.” - page 230

“Viewing something as a practice lends itself to continual learning, meaningful change, and integration. When you consider a pursuit as a practice, you still have acute ups and downs. But they are merely part of a larger process–and it is the larger process that matters. Not the outcome of that process, but how you go about the process itself. Outcomes are short-lived and ephemeral. More than 99 percent of life is a process.” - page 231

“...life satisfaction is largely a by-product of transitioning from being a seeker, or someone who wants a certain lifestyle, to a practitioner, or someone who lives that lifestyle.” - page 231

“...individuals who react to failure with self-compassion get back on the bandwagon more swiftly than those who judge themselves harshly.” - page 234

Links and Resources:
📘 Purchase book
🌏 Author’s website