In the interview below, Arielle Ford discusses her book The Soulmate Secret: Manifest the Love of Your Life with the Law of Attraction
If you would like to download the audio of the interview and listen to it on your Ipod, Phone, or MP3 player please visit Spiritual Media Blog’s podcast on Itunes by clicking on the link below.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/interview-arielle-ford-author/id308845604?i=52892263
You can purchase Soulmate Secret
Andrew Harvey and Karuna Erickson are the authors of Heart Yoga: The Sacred Marriage of Yoga and Mysticism
I recently had a chance to interview them about their book, the benefits and differences of heart yoga and how yoga can connect you to the Sacred. You can read highlights from our conversation below. For more information, please visit Andrew’s web site at www.AndrewHarvey.net and Karuna’s web site at www.yogakaruna.com. Heart Yoga is available on Amazon.com by Clicking Here
Andrew, you are an internationally acclaimed visionary and bestselling author and/or editor of over 30 books. What inspired you to write about yoga?
Well my last book , which in a way is a consummation of my life work is called “The Hope; A Guide to Sacred Activism.” In that book I lay out a vision for what I believe is a force that can save the planet, save the human race and save us from the addictions that are now destroying us. That force I call Sacred Activism, which is the fusion of the two noblest fires in the human soul: The fire of the mystic’s passion for God and the fire for the activist’s passion for justice.
When these two fires fuse, they birth a third fire which is the nuclear fire of love in action and which connects directly to the evolutionary fire that streams from the Godhead to evolve all of the Universes ever more profoundly into the glory of the Divine.
When I wrote this book, I came to understand that four kinds of practices were profoundly needed now for us to become strong enough to deal with the enormous crisis that is manifesting everywhere:
About eight years ago, I had the great good fortune to meet Karuna Erickson and she was a pupil of mine in a class that I was giving on Rumi. And very sweetly and tenderly, she came up to me after one of my classes and said,
“Andrew, the passion that is devouring you and that you are emanating will deeply damage you if you don’t get more bodied.”
And because she said it so sweetly, I heard her and I embarked on a whole deep immersion in yoga under her instruction and through that immersion, I came to understand with Karuna’s help that at this moment yoga could be the most important crucible for the divinization of the body that we have available to us.
Yoga has very ancient sacred roots. Yoga has always known at these Sacred roots that the Divine is present as Light Consciousness in every cell of the body…
Yoga can become a conscious way of uniting with the Divine within and without and even more importantly of calling down the Divine Light into the body so that the body can become more and more consciously the living temple of the Divine energies.
One of the most extraordinary things about heart yoga has been is its extremely vibrant reception from both the leading spiritual teachers Marianne Williamson, Caroline Myss and Deepak Chopra and also by the leading Yoga teachers such as Seane Corn, Rodney Yee and Shiva Rea.
How does Heart Yoga differ from other types of yoga, and what is its biggest benefit?
God is the sacred marriage of immanence and transcendence. This is the way in which God is most holy and most vibrantly worshiped in all the great mystical traditions. And the site of the marriage is the sacred heart center. This isn’t the physical center of the heart. It’s a little bit to the right of the chest and it’s called by many names…
And, when this heart center is open, it allows for the irrigation of the body by the Divine Light….And so the heart center functions in the spiritual body, psychosomatic body, mystical body in the same way that the physical heart center operates in the physical body. For example, just how the physical body pumps blood around the body to keep the body vibrant. So, does the heart center, when open, pumps the Divine Light around all of the different parts of the physical and spiritual body and allows them to come into a vibrant field of naked unity, which allows us to become more and more consciously Divine.
So, we called it Heart Yoga in this very profound mystical sense and we’ve put at the core of our book a vision of the heart center how to open it and how to stay in it while practicing the asanas and I think Karuna you’d like to say something about why you feel so important about heart yoga…
Karuna:
I think that Andrew is a living example of heart yoga because you can hear in his words how the inspiration flows, in a very grounded way flows through the body. The light is manifesting in every cell of our bodies actually when we practice with conscious intention, as we do with heart yoga. Our intention is to bring practice into a deeper and deeper level of actually invoking the light and feeling it radiating through every cell in the body. This creates the type of inspiration in which Andrew has been speaking of….
I’d like to emphasize that this experience is available to everyone. It’s not just some rare, strange experience that’s only available to a few enlightened beings. But, everyone has an experience of connecting with what is Sacred. For example, when they look at a baby or look at beautiful flower. This direct experience of connecting with the Sacred is something that through conscious practice that we can all, and we all have experienced. You don’t have to be an accomplished Yogi. You can just open your heart to the possibility of this experience. And, here it is for everyone.
Andrew:
In our book, we really do make that very clear. One of our great dreams for this book is that it would be a book for absolutely everyone, not only for yoga practitioners, but also for those who haven’t yet found yoga. And the ways that we offer for opening the heart through the ancient, mystical systems are very simple.
Rick Bognar is the author of “Wrestling with Consciousness,” a book contrasting and comparing the inside world of pro wrestling that he spent 10 years in to a spiritual awakening that he has been experiencing for the last 10 years. I had the pleasure of interviewing Rick about his experience as a professional wrestler, insights on how we can live a more meaningful and compassionate life style, and what prompted him to seek out a deeper spiritual path. You can read our interview by looking at transcript below or download an MP3 of it for free on Spiritual Media Blog’s iTunes Podcast by visiting:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/interview-with-rick-bognar/id308845604?i=83134413
For more information on Rick and his book “Wrestling with Consciousness,”please visit his web site at http://www.razorricktitan.com
Matt: What is your book about?
Rick: An uplifting autobiographical story of a pro-wrestler forced to leave behind the only life I knew and adapt to “normal” life after the “Game”. This was achieved through the practice of Buddhism and other spiritual practice. Follow me on a liberating journey of compassion, finding self-love and love for others after walking a deep dark path. Much of my story is based on the emotional suffering as an athlete and entertainer and how I achieved a graceful transition after the fame and fortune had disappeared.
Matt: What is the message of your book?
Rick: How we, as humans, can move away from the dark side of life and spot the light at the end of the tunnel while still in despair. I suggest tools to use, which have assisted me with my mental strength and resolve as I attempted to climb my own “Inner Mountain™.” These tools will help my readers let go of old habits and thought patterns then rewire those thoughts through focusing on aspirations of who and how they want to be, setting very personal goals and working happily towards them.
Matt: What was it like being a professional wrestler who was also interested in spirituality?
Rick: At the time of wrestling, I blocked it. I felt that life could and should be different but my current life situation and environment at that time would not allow for it. I had to “play the role” in order to be a success. I let my family down and in turn myself by pushing to be a tough, uncaring stereotype. It was considered a sign of weakness to be caring and compassionate in the industry. I learned to be passive aggressive and not show my feelings, never opening up and never trusting anyone. I engulfed myself in solitude.
I had sensed there was a higher path and felt a gut pull toward reaching for deeper meaning but the competitive, superficial environment I was immersed in sidetracked me. I always had a natural gravitation towards compassion and peace in life but at this point, it was just a feeling I had not put into practice yet.
Matt: Did you find it difficult to move from a life of ego, aggression and being ‘things’ and task oriented to one of egolessness, compassion and deeper-meaning oriented as a professional wrestler? How were you able to do that?
Rick: Yes, it was a slow process. Coming from a way of life where my value as a human being was judged by how physically powerful, aggressive and dominating I was, how many fans I drew or how much I made for others. I became an Automatron. I also became a nervous wreck. I knew I was only as good as my last match and this was my value as a human being. “What have you done for me lately?” made me strive to be bigger, better and more innovative than other competitors in the spotlight. I became very, very proud of being a top guy. A lot of Ego went along with that. I would look at myself at one point at 29 years of age and say “Is this really all there is to life? There’s got to be more.” Suddenly, my mind opened up to the possibility of the opposite. If all of this Ego stroking was making me miserable, then wouldn’t the opposite make me happy? It was something I knew but didn’t know why. I did not yet know how to practice it due to the mental gripping of “I am so important” and “People treat me like a King.” This was my daily thought routine which would steer me away from dropping Ego.
Compassion came when I realized how such a huge sense of self-inflated importance hurt others as well as myself. Currently, I know a millionaire who is deluded of the same affliction. Without money, without muscles, without being on TV would you or others think you were so important? No. No one would listen to you unless you cared about others.
During my last year of wrestling, I learned to get past myself and show interest in others. I read philosophy by Plato and The Book of Buddha afterwards and made it a practice to be interested in and show empathy toward others. This is hard to do when I was in the spotlight. It was always all about me. Not others. Age and maturity have helped progress the journey! I have also learned that getting angry is just a self-centred weapon of control. Most times it only hurts the person serving up the poison. We harbour anger within. It poisons only us. Others do not feel it. If we lash out, we time-release a toxin that eats us alive. We wallow in it for a long time. Guilt, self blame and regret follows. Damage control and endless apologies are the external side.
Matt: How do you balance letting go of aggression, ego and being ‘things and task oriented’ with still following your passions and trying to achieve your goals, especially as a professional wrestler?
Rick: It is very hard to get a sense of letting go, while being pressured by the promoters and the fans to always out do myself. Both of these people fully expect a new improved caliber of workmanship each time I would perform. Being involved in Professional wrestling is an extremely tense and intense lifestyle. I did not have much time to relax because I was always “On” and when I did, I could not relax. I came to the conclusion “I need to get out of this business to be who I want to be.” I have seen my Yogachariya friend get pushed for quotas before and noticed how peacefully, step by step he handled these situations. I have learned how to step back but still take action in a detached manner which seems to work.
Passion is good, but anything to excess becomes unhealthy. One could become a workaholic or a sex addict for example. If passionately in love or passionately angry both are just one step across a very thin line. They are the opposite but yet so close.
Matt: How were you able to let go of your aggression and ego and still maintain the focus needed to be a professional wrestler?
Rick: It was very hard to stop wrestling and get out of that toxic environment. For every step forward, it became two steps backward.
Matt: What sparked you to try to find a more spiritual path or deeper meaning in life?
Rick: I had a deep yearning to escape the emotional suffering of loneliness, my fragile Ego and my strong ignorance. Buddhism had the right answers to my questions at the time. I felt I was on the right path and continued on it.
Matt: What advice do you have for other people who are aggressive, but would like to live a more compassionate life style?
Rick: First, practice awareness. Be aware of your inappropriate or hurtful anger. Be honest with yourself. This can be hard. Old patterns are hard to change. Pay attention to your gut. If it feels bad, it usually is bad.
Find the antidote. Try to turn negativity into something positive whether it be about a person or situation. For example, take a traffic jam. Instead of being angry and upset think of it as possibly saving you $160 on a speeding ticket!
Search, study, learn and practice. If you want to learn math, study math. If you want to learn compassion, study Jesus, Buddha, Mother Theresa, and the Dalai Lama.
Matt: How can we maintain our spiritual practice while in environments that don’t lend to keeping our emotional fitness?
Rick: My teacher had taught me years ago that spiritual practice isn’t going into a cave in the mountains, becoming a Hermit and meditating for the rest of our life until we reach enlightenment.
Spiritual Practice is using the tools we’ve learned in challenging life situations with our children, family and jobs to maintain a sense of compassion and love no matter what the exterior circumstances are. That is what it is all about. Bringing our meditation and lessons with us and maintaining our integrity wherever we go.
I was challenged recently to start training an old wrestling student again as a favour. I found myself then getting caught up in old patterns. Ego and aggression stepped in a bit and I had to step into being the ‘Observer’ and practice discrimination with myself. “Is this who I want to be, or how I want to represent myself now?” I asked myself. The answer was a resounding “No!” and I went in next time as the ‘Witness’ to myself and came out in the same state of mind after the training that I had went in with!I even used that state *during* teaching! It made for a much deeper experience in class.
The Book of Eli is a movie about a man, Eli, (Denzel Washington) who hears an inner voice telling him to carry a Sacred book “West” in a post-apocalyptic, desolate and violent world. Eli does not question this calling even though he is being offered nothing in return, except for protection. Eli’s willingness to carry out his mission is put to the test throughout his journey numerous times as people try to kill him and a companion (Mila Kunis) he is traveling with in an attempt to take the book from him. His inner calling has guided him to navigate and overcome a world filled with violence. Now, he must find the strength to meet this challenge head on.
I was skeptical going into this movie because I thought it was just going to be some science-fiction, action-film about an apocalyptic world. However, I am glad I saw The Book of Eli. One message in the movie that really resonated with me is the willingness to trust and fight for your inner callings simply for the sake of serving some higher purpose. Eli is driven by his inner voice to carry a Sacred book to the West. He does not know exactly why he is being guided to do this, but he does it because deep down he knows it’s the right thing to do.
Additionally, Eli continues to trust even though he has not reached his destination after a long and arduous journey. In one scene, a companion he is with asks him how long he has been traveling. Eli tells her that it has been 30 years and she replies, “Do you think you might be lost?” But, Eli continues to trust that he is not lost and that he will be protected if he carries out his calling to bring the book to the West. This scene inspires us to continue to trust that we will be protected if we follow our callings — even though it may appear that we are lost.
Michael Bernard Beckwith: Spiritual Liberation – Fulfilling Your Soul’s Potential
The beauty of this film is that we see how our daily routines can become fulfilling, meaningful and joyful in their own right simply because they give us an opportunity to share our self with others and to experience the Divine in the middle of the ordinary. Or as Michael Beckwith says at the beginning of the movie,
“We’re not trying to fit mediation into our busy life, with our ‘to-do’ list, with all the things that need to be done. No. Little by little, we make a discovery that our life begins to revolve around our meditation.”
As we walk with Michael throughout his day and listen in on his conversations with friends, family and associates, we hear light-hearted jokes, profound insights and genuine solutions to the challenges of our time. Michael also talks about how a lucid dream inspired him to unconditionally say Yes to the Divine, after he had previously outwitted It’s attempts. That moment Michael said Yes, his life was forever changed.
This is a powerful message for all of us. Everyday, no matter how glamorous, mundane, or difficult our circumstances might be, we have the free choice to say Yes to the Divine. And, when we say Yes to It, we can awaken to our life purpose and a field of possibility that is often far greater than anything we can imagine for ourself.
Other bonus features on the DVD include interviews with USC head football coach, Pete Carroll, producer of Crash, Mark Harris, international speaker Lisa Nichols, the premiere performance of “You Can Dream’ by APL.DE.AP of Black Eyed Peas, 8 performances by Rickie Byars Beckwith and the Agape International Choir, supplemental interviews about love, forgiveness, living on purpose and meditation, and a talk with Michael Beckwith and the filmmaker Mikki Willis on the genesis of Spiritual Liberation.
After taking this intimate look at Rev. Michael Beckwith’s daily life, you will see firsthand why his teachings have empowered thousands of spiritual seekers for more than two decades and also gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for your own life purpose.
Spiritual Liberation DVD and the book it is based on Spiritual Liberation: Fulfilling Your Soul’s Potential is available for purchase on Amazon by Clicking Here
Robert Scheinfeld is the author of Busting Loose From the Money Game: Mind-Blowing Strategies for Changing the Rules of a Game You Can’t Win
I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Robert. In our conversation, he shares some personal experiences that prompted him to take a radically different approach to business and money and offers some useful advice for how we can develop a similar mindset and bust loose from the business and money game.
If you would like to listen to my interview with Robert, please click on the link below to download an MP3 of it on iTunes
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/interview-robert-scheinfeld/id308845604?i=83156231
In the picture below, Jill Mangino (right) with her Public Relations mentor Arielle Ford (left) at the Hay House I Can Do It! Conference in San Diego.
Jill Mangino is president of Circle 3 Media, a public relations and media consulting agency that specializes in promoting Natural Health & Wellness, Spas, Eco-Friendly, Human Potential and Non-Profit organizations, as well as, products, services and personalities that inspire and uplift humanity and positively impact the planet.
I had the honor of interviewing her about what is like to promote organizations and people who make such a positive impact on the world. In our candid conversation, she talks about some of the challenges she faces and offers advice for people who would like to break into the human potential industry either as an author or spiritual entrepreneur. For more information you can visit her website by clicking here.
Listen to the Interview:
The Way of the Superior Man – A Spiritual Guide to Mastering the Challenges of Women, Work, and Sexual Desire is a book that immediately grabs your attention simply based on its title. The author, David Deida, backs up these claims in the title with a “no non-sense” practical guidebook for living a masculine life of integrity, authenticity and freedom.
David writes, “It is time to evolve beyond the macho jerk ideal, all spine and no heart…It is also time to evolve beyond the sensitive and caring wimp ideal, all heart and no spine.” The Way of the Superior Man presents the ultimate challenge — and reward — for today’s man: to discover the “unity of heart and spine” through the full expression of consciousness and love in the infinite openness of the present moment. Or as Ken Wilber puts it, “Finally, a guide for the noncastrated male. This book will offend and infuriate some, inspire and test others, but challenge virtually everybody.”
With straightforward advice, David Deida writes about the importance of living our true purpose in life. Often by using blunt examples, David also shows that the cost of not living our true purpose is a loss of strength, freedom and integrity which hurts our relationships, career and sex life. However, when we are pursuing our mission in life, we are filled with a sense of direction that results in a type of freedom, fulfillment and personal strength that helps us master the challenges of women, work and sexual desire.
The Way of the Superior Man is available on Amazon if you Click Here
Would you ever consider quitting your job to travel to Egypt and follow your dream?
Well, that is exactly what happens in Whatever Lola Wants, a movie about an American postal worker (Lola) who travels to Egypt to take belly dancing lessons from a legendary instructor.
Whatever Lola Wants is an adventurous tale about the ups and downs of following your dream. In the beginning of the film, Lola has a calling deep inside of her to be a belly dancer. Something within Lola is asking her to act on this desire and move to Egypt. However, Lola initially questions her calling and believes she must keep her stable job as an American postal worker. Eventually, though, with the encouragement of her friends and an attractive Arab man she falls for, Lola is inspired to quit her job and move to Egypt to become a belly dancer.
After Lola gets to Egypt, we watch her wrestle with her personal fears and try to overcome some difficult external obstacles that come her way. As we witness Lola struggle with the inner and outer challenges of following her dream of pursuing dance, we begin to wonder if Lola will discover what she really wants.
While taking the viewer on a fun and thought-provoking ride, the movie suggests that our dreams that originate in our hearts are calling out to us for a very definite reason. However, we may not initially know exactly what that reason is, where that dream will take us and the type of impact we might have on others when he have the courage to follow through on our heartfelt desires.
This movie prompted me to ask myself:
1. “What are my dreams and are they worth pursuing?”
2. “Do I have the courage to follow my dreams when I don’t know exactly where they might lead me?”
3. “What type of person would I become if I do NOT follow my dreams?”
Moreover, this movie inspired me to realize that while our external dreams may come true, the true joy of following our dreams is transforming into the type of person we can become — only by going through the hero’s journey of venturing from the safety of the known to the magic of the unknown and the mysterious adventure that awaits us when we follow through on our heartfelt dreams and most authentic callings.
In his stunningly beautiful, non-fiction feature film Oh My God
Frustrated by religious turmoil and fanaticism he posits the age-old question, “What is God?” to religious leaders, zealots, spiritual luminaries, humanitarians, fundamentalists, and ordinary people, along with celebrities including: Hugh Jackman, Seal, Ringo Starr, Sir Bob Geldof, David Copperfield, John F. Demartini; all who share their unique perspectives and understandings of God. Peter’s journey to question a diverse group of humanity takes him around the globe from the 9th ward of New Orleans to the Guatemalan Jungle; from the Himalayan region of Ladakh to the Australian Outback.
Controversial, hopeful and heartwarming, in Oh My God, Rodger questions why we often blindly believe and explains, “I was fed up with the ‘My God is greater than your God’ syndrome…I made this film because I believe we all have a responsibility to live our lives with tolerance and understanding of our fellow man…If only we could open our hearts for tolerance and peace which is what every religion preaches, then we might have a chance. If I can touch one heart with this film, then I have succeeded.”
I had the chance to interview Peter about his film. He told me about his filmmaking journey, including some difficulties he initially encountered that almost caused him to give up. Additionally, Peter shared with me some encounters that put his life in danger while he was making the film, including an interview with extremist Muslims in Kashmir. Peter said that what the film doesn’t show is that he had the protection of commandos armed with submachine guns behind him during his interview with militants.
You can listen to our entire interview on iTunes by clicking the link below
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/interview-peter-rodger-producer/id308845604?i=63619524
If you would like to watch Oh My God, it is available for purchase on DVD on Amazon if you Click Here
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