Laura Rodgers - Creating a Peaceful World: How Yoga and Meditation Can Foster Global Harmony

In this episode of the Native Yoga Toddcast, Laura Rodgers joins as a special guest. Laura shares her journey with yoga and meditation, starting from her background as a dancer and how she found yoga as a pivot from dance. She discusses her initial experiences with yoga and how it evolved over time, incorporating meditation and mindfulness practices.

She emphasizes the importance of consistency in meditation and the benefits of integrating yoga and meditation into daily life. The episode concludes with a discussion on the importance of listening and understanding different perspectives in today's world.

Key Takeaways:

• Laura's yoga journey began as a dancer, and she found yoga to be a wonderful transition from the dance world, focusing on inner feeling and breathing.
• Meditation became an integral part of Laura's practice, and she explored various styles and attended retreats to deepen her understanding.
• Silence in meditation retreats can be challenging but also provides an opportunity to observe and learn from one's thoughts and emotions.
• Laura emphasizes the importance of self-compassion and forgiveness in the meditation practice, allowing oneself to be human and learning from experiences.

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Transcript

0:33

Welcome to Native Yoga, Toddcast. So happy you are here. My goal with this channel is to bring inspirational speakers to the mic in the field of yoga, massage bodywork and beyond. Follow us @nativeyoga, and check us out at nativeyogacenter.com. All right, let's begin Welcome to Native Yoga Toddcast. Today my special guest is Laura Rodgers. Laura is an avid yoga practitioner and meditation practitioner. And she has been practicing here at Native Yoga Center for a good 15 or so years, and maybe longer. And you can find her actually, I'm gonna include her email address, she was open for me to leaving that if anyone has any questions, comments, or want to send her some love. You can find her at laurardgrs@yahoo.com. So the link is below you can just click it and super easy. All right. Well, I'm so excited to introduce you to Laura, let's go ahead and begin. So happy to have the opportunity to bring Laura Rodgers on to the podcast today. And Laura, thanks so much for joining me here in the studio. Do you remember when you started practicing here? What year that was? I'm so glad to be here. And so excited to be doing this podcast with you. Thank you. I'm a regular listener. So it's kind of surreal to all of a sudden be here. I'm you know, my parents have lived in Palm Beach Gardens right near here for 35 plus years. I know I didn't start right away. I'm thinking, Well, how long have you guys been here? It's been 17 years. So it'll be 18 in April! I think, 15? I think so. Yeah, I think I look back at records. It's it's quite a while in can only when I came to visit, and then moved here. Yeah. So it wasn't every week all the time. But every time I came to visit, yeah, awesome. Well, it's so great to have this opportunity. I've gotten a chance to know you over the years. And you've been practicing with this for a long time. And so I really am excited to have a chance to ask you questions about your yoga journey and hear about what what gets you excited about yoga and meditation and the work that you do. Can you tell me where or when and what your first like lightbulb moment with yoga was in relation to realizing oh, there's this thing called Yoga. Yeah. Well, I started off as a dancer, and thinking that I was going to be a professional dancer and went to college. Luckily, in Westchester, Sarah Lawrence College, and majored in dance and had an overuse injury that prevented me from doing that. And so when I needed to make that pivot, um, sometimes soon after that, I found yoga. I am surprised that I didn't find it before that. But I think I was so focused on the dance and all different aspects of dance that I didn't. And so I found yoga probably in my early 20s. And my, I remember my first teacher was just, it was almost a restorative class. I didn't know anything about what I was doing. All I remember now is that we didn't get up off the floor very much. Yeah. And I found it very relaxing. And then as it unfolded, it was just such a wonderful pivot for me from the dance, because instead of the mirror, I mean, we don't often use the mirror. There's certainly no audience. It's really about an inner feeling and breathing. And so it was this wonderful transition to that kind of a physical practice. And I have to admit that I only saw yoga because I was coming from that dance background as a physical practice. I might have been about seven years before I really started to wake up and start hearing lots of, you know, other, you know, aspects yoga philosophy, and I'm different. Understand that there are many, many kinds of yoga and then I started to really zoom I had with that cool. Were Was there a specific style or practice that kind of opened that up for you? You know, like, if we look back at our yoga history, we might, like you said, you're able to look back and kind of see okay, for this, you know, about seven year period of time, I saw it mostly as just let me go do my exercise within the yoga realm. And then something shifted to where you realize there was a like a mind body connection and or that it could be great stress management as well. Or perhaps like you see all these different connections. What do you think that catalyst was? What do you what do you think got you to start to open up your horizons? Well, interestingly enough, I was not a person that saw yoga as my exercise, because I was mostly doing restorative. I just didn't know quite what I was doing. But I knew it was making me feel better and better. Yeah. So I, I started to learn. Well, one of my teachers, Sarah powers and Ty powers, I really followed them around a lot and got a lot from them. In terms of understanding a lot of different types of practice, including in vinyasa, meditation, we I also retreated with them. So I would say that's when I really started to understand a lot more, but I started to pick up on it. You know, after I'd practice for a while, I was just kind of didn't know. Yeah, I wasn't going to do my exercise. I just didn't know. You know, I was just gonna feel good. Oh, yeah. What about meditation? Would you say that within those gym practices was Sarah that's where you got introduced to meditation? Or what was your kind of intro and trajectory with with meditation practice, there was always some meditation, little bits of meditation and also breath work and yoga classes as I went along. Sarah also does a lot of meditation Dharma talks in his expanded, so yes, meditation, mindfulness, in yoga, in yen in all forms of the physical practice, but I was exposed to meditation sitting and walking, then and then it really took off when I went away for a week to California to do the Hoffman process. Which really that is yeah, it's it's a, it's basically you have to be in pretty good shape to go do it. But the people who go do it, it's like, there's some area of my life. That's not that's not working. That's not going yeah, I've been in therapy. I've done a lot of things and it's still not budging. So you have to be basically pretty hardy. It's a week long intensive, where it doesn't just happen in California, there are other places we might want to if people are interested, put it in the notes. It's the main one is a week long intensive where you go through this whole group and individual process based on the work of Bob Hoffman, which he takes from all different places. Meditation is a part of it. Spiritual Self, physical, self, intellectual, self, emotional self, dealing with all the patterns that been we've been carrying, from way back, not blaming, but just oh, okay, that came from my mother and her mother, and I'm a lot like my mother and and so it's this whole awakening, and from there, which was probably I mean, I really got bitten by the meditation bug in a big way there and that was thinking 2007 Six, and then I was voraciously reading everything and trying to go on retreat. And yes, find those teachers and what retreats and or meditation teachers have you practice with? Well, um, so I started off just sort of reading the big guns. In my opinion, I guess that's not the right word for meditation, or anything these days. You know, Jack Kornfield, Sharon Salzberg Joseph Goldstein. And then you know, from there, many, many others Pema children, and then I started going on retreat with Sarah and Ty powers and then from there there, because that was a combination of yoga and meditation. So from there I recognize that I wanted to go on meditation retreats. Yeah, not you know, we're actually all your practices were put down yeah for that time Gotcha. So then I went to Insight Meditation Society in barre Massachusetts because that was closest to me Yeah. And did many many retreats there with met a multitude of teacher Nice nice. Is that predominantly a repast the passion of based meditation center? Is it affiliated with Spirit Rock, and anyway, Jack Kornfield started Spirit Rock, and he originally started Insight Meditation Society with Sharon and Joseph. And then he broke off, but they're incredibly friendly and there's a lot of overlap and lay it out. Yeah. So the Insight Meditation Center is a difference location to the Spirit Rock, but there's affiliation between California Gotcha. And these are like silent meditation retreats where is it that you silent during the day can talk at night how to accept heard, like with the posh Anna with undergoing it's like a 10 day silent retreat like full silence, no breaks. And I heard with I haven't studied or practice that either Spirit Rock or within sight yoga, but I heard they allow for people to talk what how did that structure work for you? Well, um, Insight Meditation Society, that's all different retreats. Same thing at Spirit Rock. But if you're doing a silent retreat, gotcha. The first day you get there, you hear about what's going on, and you understand the lay of the land. And if you're returning, then you kind of know all of that. And then yeah, you go into silence that night, or into the night. And then however long the retreat is, you're in silence until, you know, at some point towards the end, almost. Gotcha. What is your experience with silence? Well, everybody always says, when you're getting ready to go on retreat, oh, have a nice relaxing time. And, you know, if they've said that they haven't done it. That's a good indicator. Because it's really challenging, right? Yeah. Well, the interesting thing for me is the not talking is the easiest part. Yeah, for me, that's like, oh, a nice relief from the social stuff. And the just putting, putting all that down the social niceties, you don't even you know, make eye contact with people too much. And you kind of know, that's the deal. Yeah. And that is a wonderful relief. You know, like with sitting in meditation, except for longer, you know, when I sit in the morning, and my, and I have a practice where I sit every morning, whatever's going on, you know, whatever, emotionally, physically, in my mind, that's what's going to be there. You know, I mean, we know that we don't sit down in meditation and try to have an empty mind because the mind doesn't empty. It's not what it does. Yeah. On the other hand, we don't, I don't want to follow all the stories and sit there thinking about things because that would just be what I would do, like car driving normally. So you know, when I go on retreat, thing, things that I may not even know are lurking under the surface. It could be extreme tiredness, it could be some physical pain, it could be emotional stuff, some stuff that maybe I even thought was was worked through might reappear. Or maybe I lost somebody, and then that grief is going to be there. Maybe it's small stuff. But that will all be there. Yes. It's so that there are moments of joy and like, you know, taking a walk on a walk, and oh my god, this is beautiful. And I'm, I love the world. And then the next moment, oh my god, I can't sit through this one minute longer. Yeah, I've done 10 Day retreats. I haven't done longer than that. And there was a time on a 10 day retreat in the middle, where all of a sudden, I start to miss people. My family I want you know, I desperately Yeah, that's one of the things that happens for me. And I literally at one point in the very middle of one retreat, just lay on the bed and hung on because I wanted to run out because I like and the interesting thing is that when I do get out and when people get out, pretty much the world is going on as it was and you all so and so and they say the same annoying thing that they did the last time I mean, you're like, Why did I want to see this first? Oh, my mom. All right. I love her. And you know, like, What was the rush? Yeah. So it was probably just a feeling of I miss the people I love and, you know, could I just be with that? Yeah, instead of needing to act on it. Yeah, some good point. Good point, I remember one time doing a 10 day silent retreat up in Georgia. And we were maybe in de like, five, six or so of 10. And there was these two fighter jet planes that came really low to the ground and blast by so like, everything had been really quite upsetting. And there also was, I don't remember what year this was. But there was a lot of well, maybe it was like yesterday, a lot of tumultuous news. Like there's I don't know, I just remember my own mind my own story I created off of these two jets coming really low and blasting past like this feeling of like, are we at war or something like what's going on? And, and then no one talked and by the end of the 10 days, when everyone told their story of what they thought actually was going on with those plans, but by was so interesting, like the inside of the stories of like, what we created and it was just the basic flyby was no, you know, but it is amazing when you're not able to kind of share stories with other people in that moment, and how much the mind will take that particular event. And you know, it's really insightful, right? Like, you really kind of see where your psyche is out when, when that's going on. What other types of things have you noticed in relation to, you know, studying your own psyche slash meditation, I mean, that's why it's insight meditation and nope, upasana. Although shamatha is equally helpful, having an anchor, staying with the anchor, I moved through a lot of different practices in my morning meditation, depending on what I need. But I ended up with more of an open, Oh, I get to see how my mind works every single morning, and I get to see what I call like the top 10 hits. On back every time my mind loves to chew on things, it wants to work on something, I go to sit down, it wants to organize something planned something, it could be little listening to the biggest thing and what I've learned is, I mean, of course not to banish it not to make that bad or that that's I'm not meditating. But to recognize what it is. And then also, I sort of have been lately welcoming it in to kind of just be there, not to make a story or go with it, but just welcome it in and to kind of be there. And then what else is here now? And generally what I'm finding an insight just recently, is that that is a way that I keep myself feeling safe and in control. And that's been going on probably since I was very small. And that my mind is used to doing that it's and that there's anxiety under there, and there's probably fear, yeah. And so then I can just welcome that in and be with that. And that's giving me as sort of an insight of where I'm at that day, but also, who I am and how I live and how I've, you know, organized myself around dealing with that backbeat of anxiety that I think is with me a lot. Yeah. That's just an example of, yes. What time do you start your day and or meditation practice? Well, I don't want to scare anybody. I'm an unusual I'm, I'm a very strange bird when it comes to this. I love the early early morning. For me, that works just so beautifully. And an even if I have time later in the day, I may meditate later. I start with a bunch of practices. I do some readings, I do a little chanting, I do a little pranayama I do some things laying in my bed before I get up. Brush my teeth in whatever and then go sit on the kitchen and the amount of time depends on what I am able to do what I need to do. What feels right. Sometimes I need to do a I would like to do a yoga practice in the very beginning of the day, because it's not sure when that'll happen. Yeah. So I start off very, very early. It's before five I won't scare anyone by before five. Yeah, uh huh. But it's so quiet. Why do you why do you think it would scare somebody like that? You think people might judge you for being crazy for getting up real? Like I'm willing to share what time you're at? Do you have an alarm that goes off or do you naturally wake up do but I probably naturally will wake up. Yeah, yeah. i It's not that I'm worried people will judge me i Don't, I would love for as many people to avail themselves of some kind of meditation practice as possible. Because I think it makes the world a better place is my hope and my my dream. And because I may start off sitting because of my stress or my thing, but it ends up opening my heart and helping me to see that I'm all a part of this huge hole. Yeah. So I just don't want anybody to think that there's a way to do it. It doesn't need to be morning. It doesn't need to be long. It doesn't. You know, it's whatever works. But consistent. Yeah, even if it was five minutes. You know, I mean, sometimes I will sit for a period of time set this timer. I always have a timer. So I don't just get up when the mood strikes? Because that's not a good idea. Yeah. And get up, go have a sip of water, go sit back down and have another period. Nice. That's cool. Sometimes that works. Yeah, that's cool. And I agree with what you're saying. I think like, you're right. If if you're hoping that more people would like to meditate, if they hear just taking a random stab that like say, like 1230 in the morning or getting up? Like I doubt it's that early, then they're gonna go well, that's clearly outside of the realm of realistic for me, and so I understand what you're saying. I think that's smart. That's cool. And it is for a lot of people. So yeah, how has your yoga practices evolved over the years? So I know that you like you said, you started with like restorative style, you've gotten a chance to practice yen. I know from here, you've practiced Ashtanga with us and vinyasa flow and that type of stuff, can you? I mean, one thing I've noticed over the years is that you have been taking all of our different classes like sometimes I notice, people will, will come to say I only want to do just the Ashtanga leg class just on the Sunday morning and I don't want to do anything else, right? And then or there's folks that are like, I want to do it or I want to practice real gentle yen style. I also want to do the more dynamic vinyasa flow. So on that note, can you share what, how it's evolved for you over the years and what you're gravitating toward these days? Yeah. Well, I, so I am a real yoga lover as I am, you can hear about the meditation. So every day, I'm going to practice I have a practice almost every single day once in a while, if I'm away, or whatever, I'm not rigid. But I like to have a practice, which means that I like there to be a variation and a variety. I'm also getting over an injury. So that's a hip injury. So that's really informed what practices I want to do now I'm able to do a faster practice, I'm not quite ready for a heated heated room. So um, but you know, I like to get a couple of a bunch of different practices in that's where I land today. I think I was just open to trying everything and anything. I mean, when I came here, I really hadn't done a strict Ashtanga practice. I've been in the room at the more advanced practices where I'm, it's like when I was younger, and I was I was a modern dancer, and I was a pretty strong dancer. So they put me in the ballet class with the the young girls who were, you know, way beyond me and I my head was spinning. So yeah, and the advanced practice, because I haven't done it. But it's still I feel so excited to be able to experience all different practices. Yeah, I would say I you know, just just use I have several different studios that I either do recorded or online or in person classes. And this one is one of the main ones and since my injury, not as much in person, but I would say I do a native practice at least twice a week. So it's an optional, like practice, a little, a little easier, a little simpler. I'll bring in a Vinyasa practice. And then often a yen from here and a gentle. Then I also have a couple other studios where I do similar things, but they're not Ashtanga studios. They're more vinyasa. Not cool. What methods of gaining information for example, reading movies are television podcasts, what what is your ways of choice to get access to more info these days? Well Well, I'm a voracious learner, of a lot of things. I mean, of course, my main base is anything yoga, meditation, bodywork, healing health. But then I also love the soft sciences, I political things when I need to know a lot more about something, which is most everything. I used to be much more of a reader. But I found that over time, I find it more comfortable to be able to listen than to read, I can absorb more, I can relax more, I don't fall asleep, which tends to happen when I actually reading a book. So I would say podcasts and audiobooks. And then podcasts are in the way front. Yeah. Nice. And then workshops, doing I do a lot of consistent regular workshops through their different places. Insight Meditation Society, very center for Buddhist studies. It could be something from New York insight, which is a the Insight Center in New York. I also have some things from my synagogue. So Torah, study, mission, a study, those are ways that I'm learning, historical learning, that kind of thing. I also love I'm right now listening to the Bible, and it's actually a Catholic study. I'm, I'm from a Jewish background, but I consider myself Jewish and also Buddhist and also open to hearing and understanding. So I'm listening to that so that I can really understand the New Testament. Interesting. Yeah, I've never thought I haven't I haven't listened to the Bible on audiobook. Yeah, I've read the Bible from front to back. Yeah, but I've never listened to an audio version, what version are you using? So it's one I just started and it's this pastor, I'm gonna have to look up his name. But basically, he reads, and he does every day for a whole year and completes the Bible. He's about to end it. And I just started, so I'm going to start again, which I'm actually looking forward to the, to the Old Testament, because that's used to. But then he explains from his perspective, yeah. And so the only thing that's, you know, I am open to everything. And I don't want to miss the message for you know, the way in which it's talked about, yeah, there's a little bit of this, that's about like, we are sinners, and we're going to become good, which is the opposite of the way that I just have, through my own experience, come to know that I feel like we're born good, and we're good. And then we just get covered over with all kinds of life and things like that. So I'm not on board with everything, but I'm learning. Do you think the beam born as centers follows suit with a idea of reincarnation, you know, because with reincarnation, there's this concept that you know, you're gonna have to work through whatever you did in the past, right? And then you come back and it's like, you're still working till eventually you would work through all your stuff and then not need to return yes. And then I don't know because like when you say it's true, I mean, I grew up with the Catholic understanding of you know, your original sin and you know, it's your duty to try to work through that but it's interesting because I know from the biblical side there's no reincarnation you know, like there's not a lot of overlap in relation to the Hindu and or India idea of reincarnation. So just when you said that just made me think I wonder if that is similarity lap from Yeah, yeah. I was i i avail myself of what works for me without having to too many cooks in the kitchen like this particular Bible study. I'm really wanting to learn as opposed to take on another practice, but I would have to say that I don't see reincarnation in quite that same way. I see it as you know, an even what I guess what could be called sin. I just see it as me and all my humaneness. Yeah, being a human being sometimes bumbling, sometimes fumbling with an inner core of just good and love if I can uncover it. And yes, there are areas that are going to need war playing with and maybe not complete in this lifetime. I feel like there are areas of my life that are really that I feel like I'm really on the beam and others that are less so that I'm still learning and learning and that I may very well need to be back in order to, to do further learning and growth in that area. So I don't see it as a sin as much as Oh, there's Lara again. And she's, you know, she took that path. She's trying to get over there, but she's not quite there yet. And she might kick the bucket before she gets there. Right. I like that. I think that's a relatively compassionate outlook, because it is a little harsh to be like, you're born center. Yeah. You know, because you're right. When you hold a little baby, you don't ask not what I think I see like innocence. And I see this incredibly precious human on nothing's really other than crying and just eating and sleeping. And, you know, it's just so raw and natural and simple. It's hard to imagine personalities and we have may have things that that tend toward and, and yet, there's that goodness and something I've learned in my 58 years. I learn a lot better I handle challenge a lot better. I come to things in a much more flexible, open way when I love myself through it and to it. So any kind of harsh criticism, name calling, beating myself up getting mad. Oh, you did that again. Even if it's something I've done 100 times, I find that my learning is is only stunted because then I've got to deal with. I'm bad and wrong. And there I go again. Yeah. And so I'm just really learning to forgive. You know, Tara brach says forgiven, forgiven, not settle back and Oh, it's okay. Yeah. And now I just I just say, Oh, well, I just yelled, you know, yelled at my partner again. Oh, well, no. But forgiven. Forgiven. There I am. And all my humaneness. And how can I how can I, you know, do this a little differently? Yeah, next time? What about even this time? What could I do now? Why would you know? How could I? So that's sort of the way that I'm learning to. Just because I don't learn well, I don't learn well, when somebody else is criticizing me. And I don't learn well, when I'm criticizing me. Yeah, good point. Are you a vegetarian? I'm actually vegan. Is that I wouldn't even say plant based, I would say vegan. Okay. Are you? Is that mostly out of a philosophical backing? Like you just care for animals and choose not to? ingest them? Yes, I care for all beings, and I don't want to harm. And I consider animals in the spectrum of all living beings, and actually not lesser than us. And so I don't want to eat them. Understand, I don't want to eat, you know, my son either. Yeah, good point. On that note, when you read when you read Old Testament, and we hear about these animal sacrifice, and that were teasing God, and what do you what do you how do you how do you think, what do you think? What do you think that was? Or like, why? What is the what do you think the storyline behind that sacrifice would be in or in relation to appeasing a, a, an intelligent force beyond? Because I encountered this, I got a chance to travel through Africa. And I met somebody who had his wife was really angry at him. And so when he went to his mentor, they decided to sacrifice a goat because they figured his wife was possessed by an evil spirit. Because she was mad. Yeah. And that the sacrifice would fix that, which from my flow. You know, it was interesting, because when I saw that, I thought, why wouldn't I like take a look at myself, like, if my wife is mad at me, instead of sacrificing an animal to try to make her not mad at me. I probably could change something about me, and I bet she should be less mad at me. So I just thought was a really interesting kind of deflection. And I just wonder if maybe the thought that by making an animal sacrifice such as Old Testament times, was like a deflection, but that might be I hope that I'm not going to hit done too heavy of a track here. But I mean, the way I see it and this is just an ongoing, you know, exploration on my part is that it was something incredibly valuable and valued to them probably in those days. And so, you know that that was what would they would want to give to God or gods. And it also could be tradition, it could be something, you know, belief. And I have friends who are activists who are vegan activists, and I am so grateful that they are. And for me in my life, and this goes for all of my practices and everything I do, no matter how important it is, to me, if I feel that I've got the answer, and that others should be doing what I'm doing, and if they're not, then they're actually wrong, whether I say it or not, then I feel that I'm really off the beam in terms of loving, loving other human beings where they're at even having an idea. I mean, the closest people to me, there's not one other vegan in my family, and I'm talking my son, my husband, my mother, my sister, most of my friends, respect and love me for my choices. But if I, you know, come up with an idea that they should be at a place other than they are, then for me, that's not the loving attitude. Now, that doesn't mean that I'm not grateful for people are shouting to the world. Here's what I'm doing. And here's why this approach works for me, I mean, there was a war in my family. If I said, you know, oh, eight years ago, I became vegan. I was vegetarian before that. And when I was pregnant with my son, all of a sudden, I felt like I needed to eat meat. And I did that that was 24 years ago. Yeah. But if I all of a sudden said to my son, you know, I've become vegan, and you're bad and wrong for the choices you're making at age 23 or so my husband, you're bad and wrong, because you're not doing what I'm doing. And or you're not meditating or you're not doing yoga? Or then how is that that being a loving human being? Great point. And that judgment could come right back at us just as easy as we could put it there. So it's amazing, isn't it? I say, most of the time, there's a snarl or a face, particularly the rest. Oh Ha ha ha ha, I hear ya. I hear ya. What, what areas of philanthropy Have you engaged in in your life? Yeah. Well, I want to give a shout out to my father who is passed and he'll be passed on March 6, it'll be five years. And I know both of us have lost parents in the last period that we've known each other. And that's a life altering. Yes, it is us. Yes. But I want to give a shout out to him because he basically came from absolutely nothing. His goal was to make a lot of money to be able to share with his family and be something other come to a different place than he was. And he ended up feeling like, Okay, I've done enough. Now I want to give back. Now, I before I couldn't, now I want to and eventually I want to teach my children about giving and how important giving us and particularly because I do come from a family of some wealth. I'm going to be just particularly honest about that. I used to have guilt, even shame How come me and there's where maybe we could bring karma into it if it's just that just All right, there I am. But how do I utilize that? You know, I'm not as wealthy as my father. But I want to give back I want to give back with volunteering with my own work, but I also want to give back with funds that I can so my wheelhouse has turned out to be wait for it. Meditation, yoga, breathing that to populations that don't get that research in that area and Integrative Health Center in the hospital near me in New Jersey, where I've lived for last time where that I didn't know that meditation program is the Roger's family meditation program and it's bringing meditation into the schools into underserved populations cool in the hospital for cancer patients, cardiac patients, doctors are on the board of this integrative health center. It's for the first the frontline workers it's and that's one of the places so that tends to be my wheelhouse. Nice, but I'm also will care deeply about anti racist. And I have an organization that I that that I think just does so many things out of Brooklyn Vera Institute. So I've got my hand in a couple different places. And now that I'm here, I'm in Juneau Beach. I'm looking for local. So the West Palm Beach library is a place now I went and visited, they have a wellness program. They've got no meditation, they've got wonderful yoga classes that are incredibly well attended in a big auditorium. But they've got not not a lot yet. Yeah. And so I talked to the CEO of the foundation, which is what really funds the library even though it says state, yes, yes. And said, you know, can we talk about meditation here? Can we just call yoga? Can we talk because you've got a huge auditorium and tons of people coming in? Yeah. So if you did more, I bet you get more people. Yes. And they've got all kinds of art going on there. And so that's kind of the way I find my end he's interested of he's, he's very interested. So I'm like, what would we need to do to support that to get a couple more classes in there? And what about meditation? And so that's kind of how I find my way in Nice. Are you have you ever taught a meditation class and or yoga class, everybody always asked me that I feel like I connect people. I've chosen not to take a teacher training in yoga, but that doesn't mean that I haven't, and don't do a lot of learning and and you know, one of my have a two teacher monthly practice where we have a Dharma talk and discussion. I've done a lot of learning about, about, you know, learning from the Bhagavad Gita and, you know, the Yoga Sutras and, and just over the years of yoga, but do I teach? No, I am have the feeling that teaching is something that that is very special, very, very special, and that I pick and choose who I take my classes with, because I feel like the teachers that I do bring something really special. So it informs my life, but I don't teach it. Yeah, I hope I bring something to my life and to the people in my life. Meditation. I've dabbled in it periodically. But I kind of feel the same way. I'd love for the people who really expert and really bring that special sauce to it to be doing it. I hear yeah. Great point. I guess I was just imagining or seeing you like leading one of the classes at the library, you know, if you, you know, I just was curious if you've ever attempted doing that. Would you be open to doing that if the director said, Laura, we'd like actually like you to teach a meditation class once a week. Is that something that you think you would be open to? Or do you? Would you prefer to hire somebody else to come and do it? I'd probably get someone else only because they want consistency over a whole year of like, we want you to do this twice, twice a month for a year, and I would worry about not being able to be that consistent. Other than that, I would absolutely say yes. That's cool. I was curious. Yeah. And you mentioned at the hospitals that you've been able to implement some meditation and or mindfulness practices. You call it the is it the Rogers? Well, it's it's the graph Center for Integrative Health in Englewood hospital, and then within the graphs was Inglewood. That's New Jersey. That's where I, you know, have been for many, many years. And it's a wonderful, wonderful hospital, but they're, you know, a lot of hospitals are having an integrative health center. Yes. So it not we're not throwing away or saying we're not doing Western medicine, we're saying, of course, we're doing Western medicine if I was diagnosed with something, and would I want to integrate nutrition, acupuncture, meditation, yoga massage, there's a doctor who heads who, you know, you can make a session with and talk about what could I be adding to what I'm doing? Yes. So it's that kind of thing. So when I got asked to be involved in the graph Center, which was just a chance meeting with Jennifer Graf, who we met, and we went, Oh, my God, we love each other. And she said, we've come on the board. I'm like, I don't know what I can do. And she said, Just come and see. And so I, I just asked the question, what kind of meditate I saw the yoga was getting going. And so I said, What kind of meditation are you doing? Couple of things here and there, but not much. Gotcha. And I really felt like the As days we know so much about meditation and healing and health. Yeah. So that's cool. That's amazing. I didn't know that, are you? So why do you think and maybe my perception is wrong? It seems to me that yoga, Hatha Yoga, physical Asana, yoga exercise practices are well attended meditation classes in yoga studios in libraries, although I can't speak for the library, because I've never gone to a meditation session at a library, but maybe like any sort of physical space or are less Yeah, attended. Yeah. Is my perception accurate? Have you noticed that as well? Or as you know, I know, when we're in little meditation circles, you know, it seems like yeah, this is really happening. Like, say, for example, like the Vipassana, the blanket Institute in Jessup, where I would do my 10 day course, you know, they're full. They're totally full there, you have to get on a waitlist. And so from that, when I look at it from that angle, yeah, it's really popular. But then when I from the yoga studio side, when I offer meditation classes, it's just I don't know, I just wonder why is it not so entertaining or interesting? Now? I think I know the answer. Because to sit quietly, yeah, do absolutely nothing is so different to the way our culture is wired. Yeah. So I see why it's challenging. I can understand why meditation, it seems more challenging than a physical practice, because of physical practice, there's constant movement. And there's less like, I can still be distracted. Even though I know in the higher forms of an asana practice, the idea is that it would help to calm the mind through treating each yoga pose as a meditation pose. But I'm just curious what your thoughts are on that in relation to what you've observed? Yeah. I think I think you're you're hitting the nail on the head in terms of in a yoga studio, you've got people going, who are now I happen to think and especially in at Native yoga that the Ashtanga or Ashtanga like practices, the practices where I think it's a mindful practice. I mean, that's one of the things I love about it. It's a very mindful practice. And so but but I'm getting off the point, which is yes, I think, at a year there, I'm in plenty of places, but they're meditation centers. They're, you know, all different meditation centres, where classes are quite full and packed, either retreats or workshops. I mean, I go to a Friday workshop that's got, you know, close to 30 people in it every Friday online. But I think it's challenge at a yoga studio. Because I'm not sure everybody who's going there is interested in meditation they're interested in that's why I think it's nice to sneak in a little bit. You know, when you're when you're in the beginning, or in the end, I mean, yeah, I have some teachers and and this is just me, because I'm obviously a meditation junkie, but I have teachers that start with some some real sitting, you know, could be five minutes. Yeah. Yeah. And end with I mean, what shavasana Yeah, I mean, shavasana could be, and also the Buddha said, and, you know, look, I mean, I love the Buddha, but it could be doesn't have to be connected to Buddhism. But meditation can be in daily life, that might be the most important kind. That's mindfulness. Laying down, sitting, walking. comply. So a lot of people have trouble with sitting for many, many reasons. Yeah. could certainly sitting on the floor. Yeah. I mean, if you get me on a retreat, and I'm sitting in a chair, by the way, for a lot of it, do you Yeah. Now on the cushion because of what hit back. I'll be an incredible pain is no chain full, right. It's hours, hours and hours. I can sit comfortably for an hour, hour and a half, maybe even two hours. Yeah, but then it starts to get when you get into the eight to 10 hours a day. Yeah, it's very, but um, yeah, so I just that's why I love all different kinds of meditation and doing what works and for some people taking a run is a meditation, you know, spanned it, and then eventually maybe do some sitting Yeah. Sitting isn't the most important part to me. It's it's an important part but what it's what I'm hoping it's going to do is help me as I'm going through my day, to be more mindful more in my body, more aware of are aware of what's happening with me more aware of cannot you know, where can I be helpful? That's what I'm hoping that it's going to do. Yeah, good point. Do you remember a time where you practice meditation without having any instruction? Did you ever have like, what is that? Like? Maybe see, maybe see a statue of a Buddha? So you're like, Okay, well, there's this emphasis on a person who chose to sit upright, their back straight. And then perhaps maybe just decided, well, what would happen? If I tried that? Let me just sit on a cushion and see what happens? Or did you get introduced like, straight up like, Wow, I've never practiced meditation at all. I want to go take a class and try to learn. What was your human have already mentioned this in our discussion today? But what was your kind of intro? Yeah, I think I started with some little guided meditations, more guided and some small bursts with Sarah and Ty and then Hoffman. Then I did a lot of learning. And I would say, my whole first year for me of meditating on a regular basis consistently, I did guided meditations, I did not sit with I needed that. And it could be lengthy, lengthy being at that time, half an hour or 45 minutes. Since that time, then I've I've learned to sit on my own but I still intersperse. In the morning I do quiet. Sit. Because I've had a lot of teachers and a lot of teachings. And I still have a teacher who I see once a month to check in on my meditation practice half an hour, we talk about that interesting. And teachers that I follow who I take instruction from, yeah. But I would say there's nothing wrong with guided, there's nothing wrong with apps. What type of feedback have you received recently from your meditation teacher in relation to them? Analyzing your practice? What type of feedback have they given you like, such good? It's so it's so helpful to be able to sit in a group sometimes not just sit alone? Yeah. So that's something I highly recommend and to be able to talk about it with someone, particularly if it's somebody who knows a lot. I've some people are talking to me as a mentor these days. I didn't ask for that. And I need mentors. Definitely. One of the things that she mentioned, just as snapshot recently was that on some level, I was still trying to banish uncomfortable things. I had the right idea or a healthy idea of okay, come sit. But it was sort of like sit down, shut up. I'm meditating. I mean, on some level, so she helped me to sort of see that. And that's why she uses this sort of open pasture. Let's welcome in this thing, allow it to sort of be here without making a story with it or going into it. Okay, that's here. And what else is here? Yeah, so that was the latest thing. That's been so helpful. So I was bring something she taught me and try to use that. And then I'll check in with her again. And I think I would check in with her maybe. That's cool. That's cool. I see what you mean. I think that that is important. Yeah. How when you look at, say current world events, do you think that there is more violence now? Equal violence, less violence? Because I hear different? Here's so many different opinions about this. Sometimes I'll hear somebody say like, we have more food on the planet, there's less there's less food insecurity than than ever husband, even though we see isolated events of violence and warfare, that it's less than it actually was. I don't know, give this 1000 years ago, I don't know how, how you would you measure this? I mean, I know this is what a what a, like deep little trench to dive into. But I guess more the question, if I keep it direct and simpler. How are you processing current world events? Well, I can answer that in a couple of ways. One is, you know, I am no expert and I don't know whether it's more or less if I had to make a guess. You know, I think that in all of our humaneness that we have a tendency and I'm including myself to, you know, come up with beliefs and ideals and to make lines where property begins and ends and to, you know, to we've created time and money and you know, all these things and They're all important. And so the way that we live, and we, we are willing to fight and kill on some, at some, on some level because of those beliefs. And that that's been going on for a really, really long time. And my hope is that there are more and more of us who are wanting peace and healing. And, and yet, I totally understand. I mean, my position is I feel for all aspects of any kind of war. Even the ones that seem to be, you know, let's just say even the terrorist who has a bomb strapped to his back, I feel, you know, my feeling is, this is just somebody who's really unwell, it's levels of unwell levels of not being able to discern what a healthy healing way of being able to come at something might be, it's just not able to. It's levels of illness sickness. It's primitive to, you know, if you sang say something tied to me that I don't like, or I don't agree with, even if it was something like Laura, I don't like, you know, your yoga practice sucked the other day, which you never say, if I turned around and give you a punch in the face, I mean, that would be out of our realm of possibility. Right? I would want to hear you I would work to open myself up to what is Todd trying to say to me, okay, the delivery was difficult, but how? What can I What can I be learning, okay, that hurt my feelings, I might say, oh, Todd, that hurt my feelings. I'm not saying yeah, in in, in Gaza, they're gonna say, Oh, that hurt my feelings. But I'm just saying these are different levels, very common. What I can say for myself is that I have a very specific amount of news that I ingest, and in a certain way that I ingest it. i In the morning, I do read and take at least 15 minutes, it could be 20. To go through what's going on, I have certain sources that I feel like are giving me the whole picture. And then I unless it comes to me, I don't go and I don't watch any news. I don't watch images. I don't watch images of factory farming, either I understand what's going on. And I just feel that it's not going to be I don't need that kind of shock to know the devastation. And I feel that it will hinder me from bringing a loving presence. I've accidentally seen a couple of some when I was watching interviews, to try to understand more about this instance, Ukraine or the Gaza Strip in Israel. And you know, I feel that I don't need to see that to know. Yeah, so for me, that's interesting. I like that you're bringing up that you have a almost like the same way we would work with our diet. Yeah, the consumption of information. Yes, doing it in a way where I have a time of the day I do it, I have an amount that I need, I am able to recognize when I'm full, yes, I just like I can overeat and just keep going and keep going. And even though I'm four, I just, I just love the satisfaction of consuming, consuming. And so then from an information perspective, to develop those types of skills, it's really important for me, I think it's different for different people. I mean, I come from a family, I grew up in Washington, DC, my mother was in politics. She loves to hear, you know, throughout the day, even if it's same stuff, and that works for her. And, you know, she doesn't seem overly upset by it. But I also know a lot of people who are consuming without being aware. And so not making healing healthy choices for themselves. So I think it's just really important to be intentional. Yeah. How much do I want and need? And what is good for me? Yeah, good point. I did hear the argument to the other day, newspaper article that I read about someone saying that the images that so they control what images we say. So you know when a journalist say the photographer goes and takes pics, then the media will filter through and decide what is appropriate for our consumption. And definitely and the argument was made that perhaps we would have less war, if we saw the real, the reality of what it looks like that we'd be a little more connected to it versus, you know, it's like if I don't like if, you know, because it hurts to see it right. It's painful for some of us. And I thought, well, that's a really good point, I wonder. But then at the same time, there's an actual organization that is aware that these images cause traumatic, this is traumatic for us to see. So is the amount of trauma worth the growth potential? And I just thought, what an interesting question. I don't have an answer. I don't expect you to have an answer that either, but please tell me that. I want to hear it. I mean, not really, I know, I do think that social media and media is a whole different thing than it was. So we may be skewed and how we see how much is going on, because we're seeing it. And we're knowing about it, which I'm not saying is a bad thing at all. I think that there's a divisiveness. And that's happened because of the feeds that we're each getting my feed is, you know, all my liberal animal yoga. And my super left, that's what's coming to me. So I'm not going to be seeing the same things, which is why I like to get a paper that's going to cover everything. And I also like to listen to where others are coming from, because my feeling is that what super missing is understanding, even the person who comes from the opposite perspective, that I have to be able to listen. Yeah. And it's probably going to be that they think it's best for themselves and the ones they love. Yeah, for whatever reason. Yeah. Can I relate to that? Yeah, yeah, of course. Yeah. way in which maybe different Great point. So you know, yeah. I think that's hugely missing. Yeah. And, you know, it certainly would lead to war. And there's also a lot of mental illness. Yeah, great point. Yeah, I see what you see what you mean. I know, it's so interesting. Well, I'm excited to hear that you believe in the importance of yoga meditation, and that you're actually doing what you can do to help get that out there. As much as possible. I share a similar belief, I also had to have believed strongly that even when I'm listening to say, opposing ideas, which I also consciously seek out on purpose, like, I want to hear the opposing ideas, that or when I'm talking in conversation with somebody, and you know, if my first thought is, oh, boy, here we go. I know exactly where this person is coming from. And then I just said, Well, let me keep listening. If I keep listening, and I listened for a half hour or even a little longer than that, there's going to be something I'm gonna be like, Yeah, but I kind of do agree with you on that. Like, it might be a little tiny piece, but I just think that's so important. It's I think, the more we can listen, yes, even though I'd like maybe I don't like the info you're giving Yeah, but I'm just not gonna rebuttal. I'm just gonna listen, at some point, I'll find some things that we do see eye to eye on. And then if we hone in on that little thing, from there, if we can, if I can come up with a question back in that moment, then, yeah, we'll edge in some little space where we are on that common ground and we're on that green pasture, and we're welcoming it in and we're not on common ground, but just, I hear you, I see you, I understand this is important to you. And, you know, I mean, I take deep dives into, you know, things where I feel like I've got aside you know, I mean I won't get into it, because this isn't the place but, you know, having been brought up as a Zionist and Jewish it's, I've taken a deep dive into what's bringing about what seems to be anti semitic. What's you know, what is going on in Palestine? Because that, you know, I'm of an age where that wasn't natural for me, the younger generation even in my family are, you know, marching, lot of the marching for Palestine. I'm not saying I come out any which way but what I have done is taken a huge dive into understanding everything and wear it as much as I possibly can. Yeah, and where I come out is, I don't want anyone suffering. Yeah, over over anything and that's okay. That's pie in the sky. But I'm listening to Pete We were coming up with ideas on what they think could possibly work. Not at this very moment, but possibly. And it's not, did not wasn't what I originally came to it as Yeah, I mean, I couldn't even hear anyone say, um, you know, only stuff about Palestine, let's say on Instagram. If they didn't mention Israel I felt offended hurt wasn't that I did I want everybody to be mentioned and now it's not I'm just not as offended because I'm trying to understand. Yeah, that's the kind of thing I'm talking about. Yeah. You know, or at least, what are people seeing in? You know, while we're in Florida, so I'm not even gonna match? Because I think I think the the Liberals might be in the minority here, but what what are people seeing in the person that they want for President? They're seeing something? What is it that they need? Security? Yeah. Fear. Fear is driving, you know, I don't want my learner's near or whatever it is. Yeah. Oh, right. I hear Yeah. Oh, boy. Yeah, I don't think I answered your questions. No, you did. You did. I knew what was my question. Thank you. I mean, this is why we're having conversation so we can hash out ideas, explore where you and I are coming from. And you know, I'm really thankful for you taking time out of your day. You are such a big supporter. And you listen to every single episode, and you give me feedback. And I've learned a lot from the feedback that you've given me. So I really appreciate all of your yoga, but I have to also say just so people know that I also have done Thai massage over the years. And I feel like if I talk, I think about my favorite healing modalities. And I have many that I love, Thai massage, I would say sound healing and Reiki ish kinds of, and then it gets into even more woowoo stuff, my Reiki practitioner, those are my three favorites. So you know, I just want to mention that because that's something you and I, me, you've been doing time massage with me for? I mean, not as long as I've been doing yoga, but for a long time. Oh, man. Well, thank you for mentioning that because I do love Thai massage. I love it. It's amazing. All massage is good. But I just love that as an adjunct to healing and my yoga practice and being able to be stretched and also be massaged on the ground. Yes. Love that. Yes. Cool, Laura. Well, thanks again, for coming in. In person, I, you have so many thoughtful things to say. The cool thing will you know, that has been one of the benefits of being able to work with you on a one on one level. And, and so I've just enjoyed hearing all your thoughts and ideas. That's where I got the idea like, oh, my gosh, I gotta be lower on the podcast so we can get some of this out there. Yeah, it's fun to hear all the breadth of the people you bring in and students. I mean, that's interesting. I hear Yeah, I know. I mean, I think everybody has a story. I mean, and I do want to keep it around yoga and meditation and massage all that stuff. But I also think that yeah, some of these big picture like, how are we going to solve these problems in the world? And I mean, to just leave it up to haphazard chance at this point? Is why when we're so intelligent, smart, and we could plan and strategize. I know. It's way more difficult that to see how cultures see eye to eye but I mean, I am like when I when I hear this idea that that? Oh, gosh, I guess basically, I really appreciate living here in South Florida with an incredibly diverse population coming from all over the world. I love this. I think this is incredible. I like having an really diverse mixture of people, and ideas, and religions and philosophies and levels of New York as well represented around Connecticut, Massachusetts, and California everywhere. Students also would be talking about their yoga practice, you know, like you asked me, how did you start at this? How does it feel? It could be someone who's just done it for a year. That's fascinating, truly, what made you decide now at age 50, to start doing yoga or you're 20 something and you're doing this intense Mysore practice? Yeah, I should find somebody that's never done yoga, and bring them on and see you and ask them questions like Are you scared to try it? They'll probably say yes. Crazy. I don't want to get in that craziness. But um, no, I don't think people look at well, I mean, Yoga has such an interesting, there's such an interesting perception on yoga. When we when Tim and I were first opening up, and, you know, we were like, wow, we're gonna give this a go here. Somebody walked by and said, Oh, you're a yogurt studio. I love yogurt. And I was like, oh, no, how is this gonna go? Like, oh, it says yoga. And I was like, thinking like, this is going to be tough, you know. But, um, so part of what everybody? I think so I think so. Yeah, right. Truly made a decision not to because yeah, like with meditation thinking, I have to clear my mind, like with yoga thinking I have to be some particular body or I have to be able to stretch this or that which we know is not true. That's true. Yeah. Well, good point, Laura. I'm so so excited about this opportunity. Thank you so much for joining on, and I will bring you back again, and we'll we'll cover some more. Okay. Thank you. All right. Native yoga Todd cast is produced by myself. The theme music is dreamed up by Bryce Allen. If you liked this show, let me know if there's room for improvement. I want to hear that too. We are curious to know what you think and what you want more of what I can improve. And if you have ideas for future guests or topics, please send us your thoughts to info at Native yoga center. You can find us at Native yoga center.com. And hey, if you did like this episode, share it with your friends, rate it and review and join us next time