origin magazine issue 13

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Mind. Body. ECo. yoGA.

Top Vegan Athletes

34 of the Most Beautiful WoMen. strength. Passion. Vision.

Thich Nhat Hanh

Oprah + Super Soul Sunday

Inspiring Leaders

Amazing Single Moms

CoolCouples

13 Breast CanCer thriVers

Gary ZukavSara Bareilles

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PLUSBREASt CANCER thRIvERS

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COUPLES ShIftING thE PLANEt

ORIGIN.

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CONSCIOUS LIfEStYLE 12 LYNSEY DYER

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FEED YOUR SKIN | DAY & NIGHT


Instead of just jumping into whatever you are doing, pause and connect to whatever renews and revitalizes you. I do

this by simply giving gratitude for something or someone, or even to the ocean for every wave that I will ride.

MiChael FukuMurasurfer. paddle boarder. Yogi.

PhOtO: MORGAN MAASSEN


Theres really nothing I wouldnt share. Youre only as sick as your secrets, and I dont have any secrets. Ill talk about anything. I want to be a part of the conversation that breaks down shame. Its about empowerment. Life happens. Shit happens. Its about what you do with it. Thats where the grace lies.

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Yogi. Humanitarian.

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Lynsey DyerS k i i e r . F e m i n i s t . F o u n d e r o f S h e J u m p s .

IntervIew: Maranda Pleasant

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maranda Pleasant: How have you become such a confident woman? What inspired you to start SheJumps?

Lynsey Dyer: Well, skiing is an individual cutthroat sport. My co-founder (who was the captain at the University of Washington) and I missed the camaraderie of our soccer teams. We gained so much confidence while challenging ourselves in nature. We were away from mirrors and magazines. We wanted to offer this feeling of confidence to more girls. We wanted to create a welcoming environment so that girls with limited experience in the outdoors could feel safe to ask questions while feeling supported to push their limits. Whether its jumping off a cliff or speaking in front of a crowd for the first time, we believe, if she can do it, so can I!

mP: Why do you think girls need different role models?

LD: Growing up, it was difficult to find role models I could relate to. Mass media told me to emulate sexy singers or sexy actresses. Jane Goodall was the closest thing I found to a woman I wanted to be like. There are tons of amazing women out there for girls to emulate, but the media isnt celebrating them to the masses.

mP: How are you bringing girls and women together through SheJumps?

LD: I like to say, friendship and empowerment through the outdoors. SheJumps programs are designed to fulfill our promise to not only increase female participation in outdoor activities, but also ensure that younger generations have the resources they need to get outside through adventure, education, and community building.

We created a community for women to get outside and challenge themselves. We work with elite athletes who are positive female role models who give back through sharing their skills and stories.

In our community, girls and women get to try new things, get better at what they already do, and share what they know and love. Our goal is to offer young girls real female role models through story and action. Through mentorship, athletes have the opportunity to be directly involved in encouraging other women to take a jump. Programs like Get the Girls Out meet once a month for ski and snowboard days, hut trips, or mountain bike rides. We wear tutus and costumes for fun and to reduce competitiveness.

We are also bringing awareness to what women are doing at the highest level in adventure sports. This is a place where women are rarely recognized for their achievements.

mP: Whats been one of your biggest struggles?

LynSeyDyer.Com SHeJumPS.org uniCornPiCniC.Com

We gained so much confidence while

challenging ourselves in nature.

We were away from mirrors and

magazines. We wanted to offer this

feeling of confidence to more girls.

Whether its jumping off a cliff

or speaking in front of a crowd

for the first time, we believe

if she can do it, so can I!

PhOtOS: jACE RIvERS

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LD: I have struggled to be taken seriously as a female athlete. I have struggled to find my worth outside of winning. I have struggled to accept parts of myself. Now Im recognizing the beauty in those parts as well as beauty in the times when things didnt go my way.

mP: Whats been one of your greatest personal achievements?

LD: Overcoming one of my limiting beliefs, girls are not as strong as men, therefore we cannot attempt the same physical challenges. I can

tell you, with all certainty, this is not true. I have accomplished things on skis no one thought were physically possible for females.

mP: are there any other projects youre working on right now?

LD: I am directing an all-female sports film called Pretty Faces. Its the untold story of women committed to the mountain lifestyle and pushing physical limitations. The trailer is at UnicornPicnic.com, which is my film production company.

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Top Athletes: How Do You Stay Focused?

Courtney Sanders. Professional Rock Climber.

i think pinpointing how i stay focused is a question that i have tried to answer for a long time. For me, it has come with trial and error. at first, i couldnt do anything other than rock climb, and when i wasnt climbing i was thinking or dreaming about it. slightly overwhelmed, i integrated yoga and meditation with my routine. additionally, i integrated getting an education. no matter how many endeavors i pursue, the important thing is to have discipline. never be too focused or too lazy. For me, this is the key concept for maintaining motivation and staying centered.

C-SanDerS.tumbLr.Com

PhOtOS: BEAU KAhLER

aDiDaS ambaSSaDorS

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Kevin Jorgeson. Professional Rock Climber. i maintain focus through my breathing and a constant awareness of the larger goal. i have been working for five years toward a singular climbing objective, the Dawn Wall on el Capitan in Yosemite Valley, Ca. During this time, ive learned that focus is about much more than the climb itself. When im in the moment and the climbing is especially difficult or dangerous, focusing on my breath helps me stay composed. However, when im training or feeling intimidated before the climb, it helps to keep the larger goal in perspective.

ProCLimberS.Com

PhOtOS: KEN EtZEL

aDiDaS ambaSSaDorS

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You can read and intellectualize the idea of rewiring your mind all you like, but you need to set the process in motion if you want to see the results.

Baron Baptiste


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Top Plant-based Athletes: How does diet enhance performance?

Georges LaraqueFormer National Hockey League. 13-year veteran. NHL Players Association.

Veganism could have allowed me to extend my career in the nHl beyond the eighteen-year mark. in 2009, i was suffering from asthma, high blood pressure, and two herniated disks. My hockey playing career came to an abrupt end, leaving me emotionally and physically crippled. the same year, sean Monsons documentary, Earthlings, hit me with a life-changing experience. i decided to embrace veganism. i abstain from eating and drinking any animal products out of concern for human health and animal welfare. Four years later, my plant-based diet continues, consisting of 30% raw food and lots of Vega products. thanks to my change to a plant-based diet, i am in top shape: healthier, stronger, and tougher. at 260 pounds, i run half-marathons without pain or medication. On my long runs, i find myself thinking about how delicious my next vegan meal will be!

georgeSLaraque.Com

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David Dejesus Professional Baseball Player, MLB. Chicago Cubs.

as a professional athlete, i need to be on top of my exercise routine and practice my craft every day. What we put in our bodies is so important. Once i started using plant-based proteins, i felt an immediate change in my workouts. i recovered more quickly and was ready to go even harder the next day. i think a lot of people forget about the importance of their diet.

PhOtO: StEvE GREEN

Robert Willis Olympic Sailing RS:X Class.Olympic Windsurfing.

plant-based nutrition plays an integral role in my training program. shortly after i adopted Vegas plant-based products, i immediately began to experience benefits in my performance and, more importantly, my recovery process. i noticed immediately that my recovery times were shortening. i was consistently training harder and with more energy. My immune system became more resilient.

PhOtO: wILL RICKEtSON, US SAILING

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Chadd KonigProfessional Surfer.

every body and mind has different needs. i personally perform at my highest and clearest level when maintaining a vegan diet. lately i have been feeling the most benefit within my mind. i feel a fierce sense of clarity and focus which then allows my body to exist at its full potential. these are my favorite creations: Clif bar Kits Organic, Mattole Valley naturals Full spectrum, and Vega One nutritional shake.

PhOtO: BRENt LIEBERMAN

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Geoff Roes. Mountain Ultramarathon Runner.i am turned on by using my own power to take me to wild, scenic, and remote places in the mountains. i like to explore new places and i like to push my body to see where it can take me. theres nothing more inspiring and more satisfying to me than running through the mountains for an entire day.

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Sage Canaday. Ultra-Mountain-Trail Runner.Running uphill turns me on! Whether its a 14,000-foot mountain in the Rockies or a gym treadmill ramped up on a 15% incline, i love the challenge and effort required to move my body against gravity. the burn in my legs and the strong beating of my heart remind me that im alive and working hard. i cherish the most simple things, like clean water and oxygen, after these types of workouts. im also very passionate about video and film. Capturing footage of the outdoors also turns me on!

SageCanaDay.Com

PhOtOS: DENNIS COUGhLIN

Top AThleTes + FlorA AmbAssAdors What Turns You On?

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Krissy Moehl. Ultraunner.Mountains. trails. Dirt. Vistas. Working hard. breathing harder. Finding my limits and going a bit further. simplicity in movement and excitement in exploring. Finding inspiration in each of these things and in people pursing their own love with the same passionthat is what turns me on.

kriSSymoeHL.Com

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What drives you?

Ive completed 120 ultramarathons, with hopefully 120 more to follow, cuz 100 miles is not far enough. I am driven to run in the mountains to get away from normal life challenges. I work just enough to live, and feel running allows me to enjoy life to its fullest.

karl Meltzer

Lets face it, life aint easy. In the emergency room I meet people in their moments of greatest need. My passion in life is to make them feel significant.

Among the tubes, syringes, and heart monitors, a smile, a laugh, holding

someones hand, or just listening to their fears in the middle of the night, brings

heart to the hospital experience, and meaning to my work.

sara lua agahemergency Room nurse. Relief Worker.

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I used to fight the pain, but recently this became clear to me: pain is not my enemy; it is my call to greatness. Learning about what youre made of is always time well spent.

henry rollinsamerican legend. Musician. photographer. truth teller.

PhOtO: MAURA LANAhAN


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We can use emotional and physical triggers to lead us onto a path of discovery. The unwinding and healing of the trauma trail has many steps. Each step taken is an act of power, which also builds self-respect.

The emotional charge of an unresolved experience is archived in our cell tissue. When our trigger gets pulled in the present, the reaction is often bewildering.

MORe Than jUsT back pain

A recent personal trigger example: My back tweaked from pulling my luggage off the carousel. In the middle of the airport, tired and irritable, I was in a hurry to get to my next destination and not in the mood to stop. When it happened, all I had time to do was breathe into the tweak and drive it away.

Later, as I was doing my practice, I concentrated upon the sore place in my back. I focused on the triggermy back pain. I used the stored irritable emotions as a doorway, and suddenly I was revisiting a horrific experience from early childhood. I tracked back through this familiar territory and, much to my surprise, found the origin of my back tweak hidden amongst many other injuries. The luggage incident helped point to a bigger trauma that still needed some attention.

Make Use Of YOUR WisdOM and knOWledge

I started breathing into my back; that relaxed the muscles a bit. Then I had an epiphany: As a child, I just had to be in pain and endure it. That is the level of a childs ability to cope. But Im no longer a little girl. I realized I needed to bring in who I am now to heal the source of this triggerthe wise medicine woman, injury specialist, and yoga teacher with many resources.

I gathered the gifts of wisdom from fifty-five years of life. I ushered in the ways of healing, support, resourcefulness, and self-esteem I now have, that the little girl did not. My back had been holding this trauma for over fifty years. My self-respect for who I have become formed into a visceral shining liquid. I poured that respect for my own gifts through my back injury, filling it with a lustrous energy. Then my back began to unwind and feel good.

Understand, I could have just been irritable about being tweaky, or tried to stretch it out. But instead, I brought this high quality of attention and respect for my resourcefulness into my injury, and a beautiful healing process unfolded.

discOveR WhaT gives YOU leveRage WiTh YOUR pain

The leverage was not applying a specific gift or tool. What worked was applying the respect of who I have become directly to the injury. I had discovered a toxic, frozen ball that entrapped the damage. I poured my warm, liquified respect onto that frozen ball and it melted, freeing up the child. She had been imprisoned in that trauma for over half a century. As a result, the child released the damage, grew up, and integrated with who I am nowthe adult.

I am very grateful for the experiences of healing. They are part of what inspires my aliveness. I love these mind-bending, cellular-transforming experiences that happen through quantum leaps.

sTep inTO your pOWeR

As you start to work with the stew of emotions and unravel the shards of pain, you gain insight and power. The charge from the trigger begins to disperse. An important step is to bring the resourcefulness of the present-day self down the trauma trail to the past experience. Deliberately apply the wisdom of who you are now to the process of healing and resolution from that past event. Include the old beliefs that accompany the event so that they too can heal or change.

I know it sometimes takes a while to care enough about yourself and believe you can heal. I am telling you that you can heal.

neveR WasTe a gOOd TRiggeR: paRT iiAnA Forrest. Founder oF Forrest yoga.

The emotional charge of an unresolved experience is archived in our cell tissue.

forreStyoga.Com

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healing sTeps fOR an injURY,

phYsical OR eMOTiOnal:

n Start breathing deeply into the injury and ask, When did i first feel this pain? there may be a few

different times this injury has cropped up in your life

encompass each of them. its all useful information.

n bring a feeling of respect for who you are now into the injury. Havent you grown a lot since then? Honor

that. use deep breathing to soak in the new truths and

fresh energy of your self-respect.

n Step out of the limited paradigm that you were living in when you first felt this pain.

n take your wiser selfbuilt with the truths of who you are todayand revisit the past self whos frozen

and isolated in the pain. use the tools of your wiser

self to free up that part of you. invite and welcome

this newly freed part of yourself into your present life.

n get curious about what unfolds. feel for the first shimmers of change.

n reinforce the new paradigm in daily living: implement deep breathing, active feet, and check

for boggy thinking and change it. Have compassion

for the wounded parts of you. Honor who you have

become and who your evolution will be.

now, take the action. Care enough to never waste a good trigger. own that your life is precious.

CHakWave.Com

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i was recently inspired to do my first-ever juice fast. after years of digestive issues, i felt compelled to clean out my system and rebuild my diet from scratch. i found my Juice guru in Jacquelyn Richey. Her program, ChakWave, is not just a fast, but a holistic healing experience that changed my life.

how it works: Each of the seven days focuses on a different chakra, working from root to crown. I was provided daily with fresh, raw juices blended from organic vegetables, fruits, herbs, and spices to clear each chakra and cleanse the organs associated with it. I received a daily email with a detailed explanation of the chakra of the day, along with suggested mantra and meditation. I also received CDs, crystals, teas, bath salts, and other inspiring treats and ephemera. I chose to embody each chakra by wearing its corresponding color and focusing on the healing that was taking place in that particular energy center. I even went to a kirtan on throat chakra day and made my voice heard by singing and chanting at the top of my lungs.

how i Felt: At the end of the seven days, I felt so empowered, I didnt want it to end. In fact, I spent three days easing back into solid foods. I was vibrant and connected. During the program, I was surprised to find that hunger and cravings were not an issue. I felt so held and cared for, it was impossible to feel deprived. With her support, I was taking care of myself on a deeper level than I ever have.

lasting results: Two things permanently shifted for me.

1. I have a new level of oneness with my body. Giving it a rest from the business of digesting allowed it to communicate more clearly. The kind of acute clarity I experienced during the fast is not sustainable on a long-term basis, but it certainly set a new baseline of connection and partnership between body, mind, and spirit.

2. If I could easily go seven days without solid food, I can do anythingup my yoga practice a level or carve out an hour a day to write. I am tougher and stronger and more disciplined than I had given myself credit for. I am permanently empowered.

Juicing the chakrasZo Kors

aBout My JuiCe guru: Jacquelyn Richey received her yoga teacher certification studying at the Himalaya Yoga Valley in India and has completed intensive chakra psychology and yoga training with Anodea Judith of Sacred Centers. She is a lifelong student of herbalism, meditation, nutrition, and the chakra system.

To learn more about ChakWave and Jacquelyn, check out www.ChakWave.com


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Yoga AssistsA new book by Sharon Gannon

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q: arent humans biologically designed to be meat-eaters or at least omnivores?

A: Considering the small number of vegans in the world today versus the number of carnivores and omnivores, the statistics do suggest that meat is the food of choice for humans. But the anatomical and physiological facts suggest the opposite. We have small flat mouths with small teeth. We dont have long, sharp canines to tear flesh. We have incisors in the front to bite and molars along the sides to chew and grind fruits and vegetables. Our teeth arent strong enough to chew and crush hard things like bones, whereas carnivores can. We have a rotating jaw that moves from side to side, another useful feature for grinding plants. Carnivores and omnivores have hinge-joint jaws that open and close. They dont usually chew their food well before swallowing, and they dont need to. Unlike us, they dont have an abundance of the enzyme ptyalin in their saliva, which breaks down plant foods. Once we

have chewed and swallowed our food, it travels through a very long digestive tract, although not as long as that of our herbivore friendsthe cows, horses, and sheep. Meat-eating species have comparatively short intestinal tracts, which allow them to move food through their systems quickly, so as not to allow rotting flesh to stagnate and cause disease. Because we lack sharp claws, arent very fast on our feet, and arent exactly endowed with lightening reflexes, it would be very difficult, if not impossible, for us to run down an animal, catch it with our bare hands, and tear through its fur and skin in order to eat it. Biologically, we are designed to be frugivorous herbivores eating fruits, seeds, roots, flowers, and leaves.

q: but isnt eating meat hard-wired in us?

A: No. It is a learned behavior. The fact that some human beings are healthy eating a vegan diet is evidence that it is not part of

our hard-wiring. Unlike other animals who cannot survive by eating only vegetables, we eat meat out of choice. We have been taught, conditioned, and coerced by the agents of our culture (parents, grandparents, farmers, advertisers, food critics, etc.) to eat the flesh and drink the milk of other animals. Because of this conditioning, which has occurred over a long period of time (thousands of years), we have developed addictive, unhealthy eating habits and blinded ourselves to the facts of our biological system and its true needs. The yoga teachings say that a human body is one of the most conducive for spiritual evolution because with a human body you have more opportunities to be kind to other beings. Animals who are biologically programmed to hunt and to eat others dont have such choice.

Sharon Gannon is the co-founder of the Jivamukti Yoga method and the author of Yoga & Vegetarianism: The Diet of Enlightenment.

Yoga& Veganism Hard-wired?

Ask Sharon

We have been taught, conditioned, and coerced by the agents of our culture (parents, grandparents, farmers, advertisers, food critics, etc.) to eat the flesh and drink the milk of other animals.

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Pain is my biggest teacher. I breathe into it. I embrace it. My teacher is my life. Its always good, even if it doesnt feel good.

Bryan kest


Any individual or society that fails to honor or provide the opportunity for women to fully exert their power can never truly prosper. All creativity, growth, imagination, nurturingall possibilities are born from the womb of the Divine Feminine. To deny Her a rightful place, either within ourselves or in the world in which we live, is to do irreparable harm and endure the loss of countless joys.

rod stryker

PhOtO: MIChAEL COwAN


Seek the teacher that inspires you. Practice the yoga that makes you feel the best.

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As female leaders, our power is in our willingness to be courageously vulnerable. The most radical act of self-love is to show up exactly as we are, without shame, without judgement, and without fear. As we liberate ourselves, we give others the permission to be free. Freedom is a choice, and it begins as soon as you decide to let go.

Jenny sauer-kleinacroYoga co-founder.

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With all of the doing in this life, the practice of yoga can be our undoing the unraveling of our karmic, ancestral, and life loads we lug around with us, which have very little to do with the current moment we stand in. Yoga makes me aware of the suffering that comes from clinging and gripping. My practice is to set down my myriad defenses and stand naked in the moment, undone.

Janet stoneMama. Yoga teacher. Warrior of the heart

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Nowadays, for me, yoga is not so much about floating into fancy poses as much as its about diving into the depths of our lives and looking really deeply. When we are able to simply look without judgement, we start to see clearly. From that we begin to get really clear in our purpose on this earth. No one purpose is better than another, but the practice is in the devotion and conviction that we apply to the process of cultivating that purpose. The best part is, its a life-long process that were all in together.

tiFFany Cruikshank

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The key to being strong is to stop comparing. Dont compare your body, job, life, or experience with others, because everyone is coming from different experiences and angles, and were all exactly where we need to be. Let go of your story, because thats all it isbe yourself completely as you are.

kathryn BudigYoga teacher. author.

kathrynbudig.comPhOtO: DANIEL StARK


Rather than run from adversity and difficulty, the yoga practice teaches you to welcome it and make friends with those dark places within yourself. When you find a posture that brings up your darkness, it is your chance to tame your inner demons.

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One of the best rewards of yoga and all those years on the mat? Laughterlearning to not take anything too seriously! Lets remember to have a blast, together!

annie CarpentersmartFlOW Yoga

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I bow to all women. To our strength, to our softness, to our wisdom, to our beauty.

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Vulnerability is a wonderful tool for awakening and for learning, growing, and connecting.

Colleen saidMan yee

Theres so much fear running our lives that we forget to be human when it really counts.

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Simultaneously having the ability to see a spherical perspective and the power to zoom in and focus on what needs to be accomplished. When intuition becomes the guide and intention the fuel, youre looking at an unstoppably strong woman.

tara stilesReebok ambassador. author. Yoga leader.

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To be a true leader, live your life according to what you value most. It wont be easy. It will take courage. People may not like you. Live by your values anyway.

aMy ippolitiprofessional Yoga teacher. prana ambassador

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When we think we know it all, we become unteachable. The beauty of life is that we are all here to learn and grow from one another. Im a teacher, but most of all, Im a student.

kelly green


At some point in your life you have to decide, Do I want to just be somebody, or do I want to do Something?

BroCk CahillYoga teacher. Oceanic activist.

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Darwinian studies suggest that the only thing that neutralizes male aggression is female solidarity. ROAR.

kelly MorrisFounder. Conquering lion Yoga.


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Always remember that stepping into yourself and your courage requires practice and commitment. May you come to know through your own experiences and awakened faith that everything you need is grounded in your own daily practice. I hope you remind yourself that what is dark right now will one day become light, and that what you do not know will be revealed in time, with patience, as all things are. Perhaps as you become truly connected to yourself through yoga, Reiki, or meditation, as you let go when you are holding on too tightly, you will fall deeply in love with the unfolding of your own life, and with the bliss that comes with it all.

Bee Bosnakauthor of Heal Yourself.

Yogi. teacher. speaker.

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Nothing can be undone, but what can be done, what can be started, is love. Start with love. At the end of your life when you ask, What have I done? one final time, let your answer be, I have done love.

Jen pastiloFFauthor. Retreat leader. Manifestor.

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We are so used to mediocrity, so conditioned toward averageness, and so indoctrinated into normality and commonness, that most are utterly offended by originality, individuality, brightness, and daring.

Know that there is a purpose and power deep inside you, unique and bold, that can be cultivated and offered as a gift; find that most auspicious and profound secret within. It takes true courage to live authentically. Be yourself.

kk ledFord, M.a.wildMOOnwisdom. Kapalika tantra

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Visit YOGAAnatomy.net/o to sign up for Leslie Kaminoffs free email newsletter

Study with the bestselling co-author of Yoga Anatomy.

Every Monday youll receive asana analysis, teaching videos & tips and techniques to free your breath and improve your practice.


The most profound messages in life may never be spoken; its time to practice listening.

Juli rathkebe.Media House. Magazine publisher.

Media goddess. Yoga teacher.

Wife. Mother.


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IntervIew: oPrah WinFrey

Oprah Winfrey brings us a rare and enlightening conversation with the legendary author, peace activist and buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh.

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Born in 1926, Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, is one of the most influential spiritual leaders of our times. Thich Nhat Hanh (or Thay, as his students call him thay means teacher), is the author of more than one hundred books. A copy of his Living Buddha, Living Christ never leaves Oprahs bedside.

His spiritual journey began at the early age of seven, when he felt the calling to become a monk. But this monastic has always been active on the world stage. In the early 60s, horrified by the escalating civil war in Vietnam, Thay spearheaded one of the great nonviolent resistance movements of the 20th century.

Martin Luther King, Jr. took notice and spoke out against the Vietnam War for the first time, at Thich Nhat Hanhs urging. And Martin Luther King, Jr. later nominated Thich Nhat Hanh for the Nobel Peace Prize.

In 1982, Thay established a monastery and retreat center in France, where thousands of followers still flock every year. He lives there today, devoting his life to mindful meditation, helping people to be passionately present in the here and now.

oprah Winfrey: Well, thank you for the honor of talking to me today. thank you for that. already just being in your presence for a short time, i feel less stressed than i did when i started out the day, less stressed because you have such a peaceful aura that follows you and that you carry with yourself. are you always this content and peaceful?

Thich Nhat Hanh: This is my training. This is my practice. And we try to live every moment like that, dwelling peacefully in the present moment, and respond to events with compassion.

oW: Do you meditate every single day?

TNH: Not only every day, but every moment.

oW: So, in a moment where you are perhaps going to miss a plane, or be late for an appointment, or something is causing you to be stressful, you do what?

TNH: Go back to my breathing and try to be in that moment deeply. Because there is a possibility to handle every kind of event and the essential is to keep the peace in yourself.

oW: Lets start with 1926, born in vietnam. any wonderful memory that you can share of your childhood? your favorite childhood memory?

TNH: One day I saw a picture of the Buddha on a Buddhist magazine and he was sitting on the grass.

oW: How old were you?

TNH: Seven, eight, and he was sitting on the grass, very peaceful, smiling, and I was impressed. Around me people were not like that, so I had the desire to be someone like him. I nourished that kind of desire until the age of sixteen, when I had the permission from my parents to go and ordain as a Buddhist monk

oW: Did your parents encourage you or were they reluctant for this to happen to you?

TNH: In the beginning they were reluctant because they thought that the life of a monk is hard and difficult.

oW: So this desire to become a monk started when you were seven years old?

TNH: Yeah.

oW: yes. and what did that feel like? What did those urgings, that sense of this is what I must do or must become, what did that feel like?

TNH: I would not be happy if I had not become a monk and that is the feeling. And we call it the beginners mind.

oW: yeah.

TNH: The deep intention, the deepest desire that one person may have. And I can say that since that time until this day, this beginners mind is still alive in me. It has given me a lot of energy, courage, in order to confront all kinds of difficulties that I encounter.

PhOtO: hARPO PRODUCtIONS INC

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A Conversation with Meditation Teacher and Co-founder of Insight Meditation Society:

ShAron SAlzbergSharon Salzberg is one of most well-known and loved teachers of meditation. Her ability to break down often esoteric practice with simplicity and humor has endeared her to meditators of all levels. After a childhood filled with trauma and sadness, Sharon found her path while studying meditation in India. In 1976, she established, together with Joseph Goldstein and Jack Kornfield, the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) in Barre, Massachusetts, which now ranks as one of the most prominent and active meditation centers in the Western world.

Sharon has served as a panelist with the Dalai Lama. She is a regular contributor to the The Huffington Post, and was a contributing editor of Oprahs O magazine for several years. Her approachable style of teaching meditation has been highlighted in print and on radio programs around the world. Sharons books on meditation are essential guides to living a kinder and accepting existence. She is the author of Real Happiness, The Power of Meditation: A 28-Day Program, and Loving Kindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness. Her latest book, Real Happiness at Work, is expected in January 2014.

IntervIew: nancy alder

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nancy alder: if you had to say in one sentence why someone should begin and continue a meditation practice, what would it be?

Sharon Salzberg: Meditation clarifies our minds and opens our hearts, and brings us to unusual depth and stability of happiness, whatever life brings.

na: What is the most frequent question you get about meditating and what do you reply?

SS: One very familiar, very poignant comment goes something like: I tried meditation once before. I failed at it. Then follows a description of just what the person expected, which they failed to achieve. I couldnt make my mind blank. I couldnt stop all thinking. I couldnt have only beautiful thoughts.

I respond, as you might imagine, by saying You cannot fail at meditation, and describe the goals of meditation as none of the above, but rather as transforming our relationship to everythingthoughts, feelings, the body, and the breath. We say all the time in teaching, What comes up is not nearly as important as how you relate to what comes up. So you might have extensive bouts of thinking exceedingly nasty thoughts, but because you are relating to those thoughts with mindfulness and compassion, thats considered good meditation.

na: you teach about the practice of lovingkindness. are there ever experiences where you struggle to practice lovingkindness toward someone? What advice would you give to others about how to handle this struggle? How has lovingkindness meditation changed your perspective on meditation and the world?

SS: There are many times when I have to remind myself that people who harm others are coming from a place of profound disconnection. It is not easy to recognize the pain such a person is in, especially because they may not be conscious of it themselves. They may present themselves to the world as just fine. If you believe human beings have a

potential for deep connection, wisdom, and love, the limitation in those peoples lives becomes clearer. As the Buddha said, If you truly loved yourself, you would never harm another.

I have seen that there are a number of people who benefit from doing lovingkindness meditation, either prior to or along with mindfulness meditation. It varies from person to person of course, but for many, their practice of mindfulness will bring along old habits of self-judgment and ruthless criticism, so it is not actually mindfulness. The quality of mindfulness does not just know something is happeningthere is an emotion, a sensationbut knows without clinging or condemning. It is because of that balanced relationship to the moment that mindfulness serves as the platform for insight. If we feel an emotion, for example, and struggle against it right away, there is not going to be a lot of learning going on. In the same way, if we are swamped by that emotion, overcome by it, there wont be enough space for there to be learning or insight. So mindfulness needs to not be judgmental to really be mindfulness, which means it needs a basis of lovingkindness.

na: you are working on a new book. With so many books on buddhism and meditation available, what fresh area are you addressing and when can we expect to read it?

SS: My new book is Real Happiness at Work. I write about the eight pillars of happiness: balance, concentration, compassion, communications, meaning, integrity, resilience, and open awareness. Im especially happy about the book because I consulted with a really wide variety of people: hedge fund managers, lawyers, police officers, hospice nurses, and domestic violence shelter workers to writers and artists and CEOs and people who do manual labor, and many more. I heard about their experiences at work, their struggles, and the tools that have helped them take these values and bring them in a real way to their jobs, every day. The book comes out in January 2014.

na: you travel and teach about meditation all over and write about

it frequently. How does the reach of the practice in 2013 amaze you? What can you say about the evolution of the practice in the united States?

SS: Every day seems to reveal a new piece of research about meditation, or new clinical applications of mindfulness or compassion practice, or new corporations or foundations or nonprofits bringing mindfulness to work.

I am totally amazed at the spread of interest in meditation. When I first came back from studying in India in 1974, I would be asked in social situations what I did. When I replied, I teach meditation, they would frequently look at me as though to say, That is weird, and sort of sidle away. All these years later, the most common response I hear when I tell people I teach meditation is, Im so stressed out. I could use some of that! A response I also sometimes hear, which amuses me a lot is, My partner should really meet you!

We say all the time in teaching, What comes up is not nearly as important as how you relate to what comes up. So you might have extensive bouts of thinking exceedingly nasty thoughts, but because you are relating to those thoughts with mindfulness and compassion, thats considered good meditation.

There are many times when I have to remind myself that people who harm others are coming from a place of profound disconnection.

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You cannot change the world if you dont change your own world first. Be impeccable with your word. Dont take anything personally. Dont make assumptions. Always do your best.

don Miguel ruizauthor. The Four Agreements.

The Fifth Agreement.


Experience Higher StatesSince ancient times, music and meditation have been foundational practices in many of the worlds sacred and healing traditions, helping people awaken to higher states of consciousness, healing, and bliss. Seduction of Spirit: Music and Meditation is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to commune with the divine music in your heart and the inner silence of your soul.

Joining Deepak Chopra will be special guests Rickie Byars Beckwith and members of the Agape International Choir, Steve Gold, Emmy award winner Beth Nielson Chapman, and more. Awaken to the divine within through daily immersion in sacred musical experience.

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maranda Pleasant: Where is it that you draw from to create beauty in your life?

Gary Zukav: The universe. Theres no such thing as being alone in the universe, and so theres no such thing as creating alone. Everythingevery impulse, every creative gift of beauty, everything is a co-creation.

mP: What is it that breaks your heart?

GZ: Fear. Whenever theres the experience of a broken heart, theres the experience of fear.

mP: Wow!

GZ: Love is not emotion, its a way of being. Use emotional awareness and pay attention to your bodylook, and locate, concrete physical sensationslike stabbing, aching, throbbingand distinguish and define them by saying things like, It is the size of a golf ball, or It is the size of a baseball. Do whatever you can do to find painful physical sensations.

The ability to distinguish these different currents of energy and

different frequencies is a part of our expanded perceptual system, multisensory perception. As you create authentic power, you utilize this ability. The only thing that can cause your body to hurt in your energy processing centers, chakras, is when you are losing Spirit through one of them. You will recover from a broken heart by beginning to identify the difference between frightened and loving parts of your personality.

mP: thank you so much.

GZ: You dont have to fear this amorphous thing called grief or loss or anger or jealousy. You define it for yourself in the intimacy of your own experience for exactly what it is, and then it comes. In other words, by experiencing your emotions somatically, there is no boogie man to scare you.

mP: if you could say something to everyone on the planet and they could hear you, what would that be?

GZ: What you do and what you say has consequence and impact. Impact is determined by the intention behind your words and the intention behind your deeds.

Speaking with

renowned spiritual teacher and author of four consecutive New York Times bestsellers. Hes appeared on Oprah more than thirty times and he rocks our world wide open. He taught our editor that lovers are our spiritual teachers and redefined the experience of heartbreak. Bam.

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mP: What is the purpose of romantic relationships?

GZ: The purpose of romantic relationships is to encourage you to grow spiritually. Romantic relationships can do this because they are interactions in which you come to see those parts of yourself that are constructive, healthy, and creative. You see them because you project them onto someone else.

When someone new comes into your life and suddenly you feel more alive, more beautiful, more sexual, more creative, more desirable, and more engaged, you feel that this new person is the key to those feelings. So this person becomes very important to you. But actually, you have these qualities too. What you dont see and dont acknowledge in yourself, you project onto someone else. Carl Jung explored this very well. He called it projection.

Now, at the same time, when youre with somebody that youre putting the burden of continually wanting them to make you feel all of these exhilarating ways, you begin to see that this person is not all of what you thought the person was; actually, this person is a great deal more.

He, or she, has quite a few characteristics that are going to surprise you, because you havent seen anything except what youve been projecting, and what you have seen youve been denying. After a while, you cant deny anymore. Thats when the proverbial honeymoon comes to an end. This is a good thing because this is when real growth can begin.

This is when you can begin to use your interactions consciously to grow spiritually, identifying in yourself the parts of your personality that are preventing you from loving and giving your gifts to the universe, gifts that youre under contract with the universe to give. The vehicle that allows you to do this is spiritual partnership. Spiritual partnership is the partnership between equals for the purpose of spiritual growth.

As you begin to feel this enormous shift of consciousness, called multisensory perception, emerging in your awareness, you begin to reorient yourself. Its a reorientation that occurs toward yourself as more than a mind and a body; its a reorientation that occurs toward others, toward your life as meaningful, rather than predetermined. Its a reorientation that occurs toward the universe as alive, wise, and compassionate, instead of inert (which means dead) and random.

Authentic power is a new potential of this expanded perceptual system that we are all being given as a gift. As you begin to create authentic power with tools such as emotional awareness, responsible choice, and intuition, you begin to draw to yourself others who are doing the same thing. Those are your potential spiritual partners, because you are both committed to exploring the creation of authentic power in yourselves, and in supporting the creation of authentic power in each another.

mP: good grief, i have a lot to learn! [laughs]

youve been on Oprah more than thirty-five times. She referenced The Seat of the Soul as the greatest book that has ever been in her life besides the bible. What has your experience been like with her, whether its been on her show or Super Soul Sunday.

GZ: This is my experience of Oprah Winfreyshe makes decisions as frequently as she can to contribute with consciousness, with awareness, with love. And I believeno, I knowthis is the source of her joy, her vitality, her unending creativity and her connection to people.

you dont have to fear this amorphous thing called grief or loss or anger or jealousy. you define it for yourself in the intimacy of your own experience for exactly what it is, and then it comes. In other words, by experiencing your emotions somatically, there is no boogie man to scare you.

The purpose of romantic relationships is to encourage you to grow spiritually.

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tOpiC: single pArenThood

As a single working mother myself, I am very familiar with feeling pulled in several directions at once. The moment we decide to become a parent, we choose a path of service, and whether we are single by choice or by circumstance, we can decide to experience our situation as victim or warrior.

Here are some ways to find our power in single parenthood:

1. Bare neCessitiesFinding time to do it all may actually require redefining all. It is important to identify a hierarchy of needs. What is essential? Be radically truthful. The list goes something like this: clean water, food, shelter. Everything else is optional. We tend to tell stories about parenting based on our own history or societal norms. Peeling away layers of assumptions and expectations gives us an opportunity to get in touch with what is non-negotiable, and frees us to consciously create balance in the space that is left.

2. repurpose desiresDreams can become limitations because they are so specific. In our hierarchy of needs, there are times when we are simply caught in survival mode. In these moments, we must remember who we are. Once upon a time, I had a dream of being a rock star. I had something to say. When I had my first child, I traded my microphone for a laptop and started writing. The delivery system has changed but the song remains the same. Its not about what we doits about who we get to be. Our dreams can live on if we are flexible in how the essence of our desires manifests.

3. CoMpartMentalizeDivide up your time and be fully present to the task at hand. This is a muscle that can be developed. When you are working, really focus on work. When you are parenting, be wholly present to your kids. When you finally carve out time for yourself, do it without guilt, even if you choose to do nothing at all. When we let ourselves off the hook for what we are not getting done, it frees us up to celebrate what we are fully showing up for in each moment.

4. power in vulneraBilityAsking for help can make us feel vulnerable, and so we often bobble the request. And if you are like me, the best way to get things done is to do them yourself. The flipside of my Supermom card reads Supermartyr. In order to feel supported, we must relinquish control. Get really clear about what it would mean to feel supported. How would that manifest? Help people help you by asking for specific things. You may need to form new associations. For instance, there are single parent groups who trade childcare responsibilities for time off. Enroll your kids in the idea of family teamwork. Foster a supportive and compassionate environment at home.

PhOtO: AMIR MAGAL

I am struggling with being a single mother. I am exhausted, overwhelmed, and feel unsupported. I have had to give up so many of my dreams. How do I find time to do it all?anna J.

Zo korS is a highly-trained, double-certified Co-active Coach and member of the international Coach Federation. Her work draws on the principles of eastern philosophy and the healing practices of yoga, tantra, breathwork, and meditation.

in each issue, Zo will answer a question from one of our readers about life, love, and the pursuit of happiness.

please submit questions to: [email protected]

aSk Zo

ZoekorS.Com

our dreams can live on if we are flexible about how the essence of our desires manifests.

5. selF-CareWhen the plane is going down, put on your own oxygen mask before you help your child with theirs. Your own needs rank high on the hierarchy of needs. Do not pretend otherwise or they will come out sideways. My kids are very aware of what happens when I skip yoga. For them, a post-yoga mom is on their list of needs.

It is helpful to remember that everything changes. When things are particularly difficult, we tend to feel like it will be this way forever. Just as a child goes through developmental stages, so does our ability to experience the perpetual expansion and contraction of life. We learn to move through life gracefully by increasing our capacity to hold discomfort. Lean into the knowing that this too will pass.

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esalen.org

Pioneering Deep Change in Self & Society.Since 1962.


esalen.org

Pioneering Deep Change in Self & Society.Since 1962.


The MyThs of MediTaTiondeePaK choPra, Founder oF the choPra center For Wellbeing

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In the past forty years, meditation has entered the mainstream of modern Western culture; prescribed by physicians and practiced by everyone from business executives, artists, and scientists to students, teachers, military personnel, andon a promising notepoliticians.

Despite the growing popularity of meditation, prevailing misconceptions about the practice are barriers that prevent many people from trying meditation and receiving its profound benefits. Here are seven of the most common meditation myths, dispelled.

Deepak Chopra, M.D. is a bestselling author and the co-founder of the Chopra Center for Wellbeing in Carlsbad, California. The Chopra Center offers a variety of signature programs and events, including the Journey into Healing: Super Brain workshop, taking place this August 2225 at La Costa Resort & Spa. Join Dr. Deepak Chopra, Dr. Rudolph Tanzi, and other renowned experts for an in-depth exploration of the power of the mind to heal and transform the body.

For more information, visit chopra.com or call 888.736.6895.

We cant stop or control our thoughts, but we can decide how much attention to give them. Although we cant impose quiet on our mind, through meditation we can find the quiet that already exists in the space between our thoughts.

Myth #1: Meditation is difficult.

TRUTH: This myth is rooted in the image of meditation as an esoteric practice reserved only for saints, holy men, and spiritual adepts. In reality, when you receive instruction from an experienced, knowledgeable teacher, meditation is easy and fun to learn. The techniques can be as simple as focusing on the breath or silently repeating a mantra. Learning meditation from a qualified teacher is the best way to ensure that the process is enjoyable and you get the most from your practice.

Myth #2: you have to quiet your mind in order to have a successful meditation practice.

TRUTH: This may be the number one myth about meditation and is the cause of many people giving up in frustration. Meditation isnt about stopping our thoughts or trying to empty our mindboth of these approaches only create stress and more noisy internal chatter. We cant stop or control our thoughts, but we can decide how much attention to give them. Although we cant impose quiet on our mind, through meditation we can find the quiet that already exists in the space between our thoughts.

Myth #3: it takes years of dedicated practice to receive any benefits from meditation.

TRUTH: The benefits of meditation are both immediate and long-term. You can begin to experience benefits the first time you sit down to meditate and in the first few days of daily practice. Many scientific studies provide evidence that meditation has profound effects on the mind-body physiology within just weeks of practice. For example, a study led by Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital found that as little as eight weeks of meditation not only helped people experience decreased anxiety and increased calm, it also produced growth in the areas of the brain associated with memory, empathy, sense of self, and stress regulation. Other common benefits of meditation include improved concentration, decreased blood pressure, stress reduction, and enhanced immune function.

Myth #4: Meditation is escapism.

TRUTH: The real purpose of meditation isnt to tune out and get away from it all, but to tune in and get in touch with your true Selfthat eternal aspect of yourself that goes beyond all the ever-changing, external circumstances of your life. In meditation, you dive below the minds churning surface into expanded awareness. In this state of higher consciousness, you let go of all the stories youve been telling yourself about who you are, what is limiting you, and where you fall short. As you practice on a regular basis, you cleanse the windows of perception and your clarity expands.

Myth #5: i dont have enough time to meditate.

TRUTH: There are busy, productive executives who have not missed a meditation in twenty-five years, and if you make meditation a priority, you will do it. In lifes paradoxical way, when we spend time meditating on a regular basis, we actually have more time. Our breathing and heart rate slow down, our blood pressure lowers, and our body decreases the production of stress hormones and other chemicals that speed up the aging process and give us the subjective feeling that we are running out of time.

As people stick with their meditation ritual, they notice that they are able to accomplish more while doing less. Instead of struggling so hard to achieve goals, they spend more and more time in the flow.

Myth #6: Meditation requires spiritual or religious beliefs.

TRUTH: Meditation is a practice that takes us beyond the noisy chatter of the mind into stillness and silence. It doesnt require a specific spiritual belief, and many people of many different religions practice meditation without any conflict with their current religious beliefs. Some meditators have no particular religious beliefs or are atheist or agnostic. They meditate in order to experience inner quiet and the numerous physical and mental health benefits of the practice. Meditation helps us enjoy whatever we do in our lives more fully and happilywhether that is playing sports, taking care of our children, or advancing in our career.

Myth #7: im supposed to have transcendent experiences in meditation.

TRUTH: Some people are disappointed when they dont experience visions, see colors, levitate, hear a choir of angels, or glimpse enlightenment when they meditate. Although we can have a variety of wonderful experiences when we meditate, including feelings of bliss and oneness, these arent the purpose of the practice. The real benefits of meditation are what happens in the other hours of the day when were going about our daily lives. When we emerge from our meditation session, we are able to be more creative, compassionate, centered, and loving to ourselves and everyone we encounter.

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Theres no need to wait for the bad things and bullshit to be over. Change now. Love now. Live now. Dont wait for people to give you permission to live, because they wont.

kris CarrBest-selling author. Wellness activist. Cancer thriver.

Transformation is my favorite game. In my experience, anger and frustration are the result of you not being authentic somewhere in your life or with someone in your life. Being fake about anything creates a block inside of you. Life cant work for you if you dont show up as you.

Jason Mrazbestselling musician. artist. Humanitarian.

PhOtO: BILL MILES


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maranda Pleasant: Where is the place you pull your inspiration and your passion from?

Elizabeth Lesser: I pull from a place within me that has ultimate faith in the meaningfulness and beauty of human life.

I have noticed if I pull from fear or despair about the state of the world, I get tired, ineffective, afraid, and sometimes mean-spirited. If I pull from places of faith, joy, and gratitude, then I have the wind of creativity behind me, and my work in the world is much more effective.

mP: How do you process pain when it comes in?

EL: Its such a big question that lives in my life that I wrote an entire book about it. Its called Broken Open: How Difficult Times Can Help Us Grow. It charts my own story of learning

Broken Open: Elizabeth Lesser on Pain, Her Passion, and Protecting Our Greatest Natural Resource: Women. Shes one of the most real, down to earth, and wise leaders we know. Lesser is a New York Times bestselling author, co-founder of Omega, and recently appeared on Oprahs Super Soul Sunday.

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how to process pain as opposed to running away from it. I tell a lot of other peoples stories, as well.

In a couple of days Im going to be the donor for my sisters stem cell transplant. Ive been thinking to myself, Im feeling really good about this. Im not afraid of the pain. Im praying a lot instead of worrying. Im doing so great! But at night, when I go to sleep, I have all these wild dreams of old childhood stuff and fear. My husband said to me this morning, Youre not processing your pain, youre just sort of leaping into everythings okay.

Ive been sitting here and doing what I know one should do, which is feeling the pain, letting the fear come up, not turning away from it, not telling stories about it. Its about just really, really feeling it and honoring it, knowing its a very important part of humanness. When I relax into pain, instead of pushing it away, it melts. It melts.

mP: if you could say something and really be heard by every woman on the planet, what would you say to them?

EL: The vernacular that Sheryl Sandberg has brought with her book, Lean In, is all about women owning their power. But I feel what is missing from asking this question is, lean in for what? Is it just to be more powerful and empowered? Forget it! We dont need anymore empowered people who are all about the ego. So I would say to women, always question what youre empowering yourself for and what are you claiming power for. We need to claim our power for something beautiful, something harmonious, and something globally healthy.

mP: are there causes on the planet that you are particularly passionate about?

EL: Two causes. Theyre very interconnected. They are what I work the most for, what I give money to the most. One is conservation of wildness. As humans try to evolve out of greed, lets put aside some wild places, protected lands, protected farms, things like that, since we may not evolve fast enough to protect nature.

The second, deep in my heart, is womens issues. I think the same protection of a great

natural resource, which is women, needs to happen all over the world. We think that maybe feminism isnt appropriate anymore, since Western women have really made enormous strides. But check out the rest of the world if youd like to not be able to sleep tonight. See whats happening to our sisters around the world. Im very interested in the protection of women globally. I do a lot of work with V-Day. And Omega [Institute] now has a womens leadership center where we are working to help women evolve into the kind of powerful people who always ask, What am I using my power for?

mP: What are you committed to?

EL: Im very committed to my family and my town. My biggest local commitments are my children, my husband, my home, and my grandchildren. Im very much a family person, and thats always my first priority.

I am still very involved in the organization I helped found thirty-seven years ago, Omega Institute. Im involved at a board level and on a project level because I still really, really believe in it. I believe that educating people to awaken into full consciousness is the most important thing we can do.

mP: i wanted to talk about your time with oprah and Super Soul Sunday. is there any particular experience for you, when you were with oprah and sharing dialogue that impacted you deeply?

EL: Ive worked with Oprah extensively over the past four or five years. I was on Oprah a couple of times. I also helped her produce a webinar she did with Eckhart Tolle. I feel so at home with her now that its kind of like sitting around chatting with a friend. Thats her power. I felt like that the very first time I was on her show. All nervousness went away. Shes so capable of creating a sense of shared humanness that you really dont think youre on television speaking to millions of people. Youre with a friend. And she does that with everyone, which is her success. It is such a teaching in itself for us, all of us, every moment when were with anyone. We dont need any more teachers. We dont. We need friends. Rumi called his teacher the friend. And thats what we need. We need friends.

If I pull from places of faith, joy, and gratitude, then I have the wind of creativity behind me, and my work in the world is much more effective.

Its about just really, really feeling it and honoring it, knowing its a very important part of humanness. When I relax into pain, instead of pushing it away, it melts. It melts.

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Go into the depths of how you feel. Dont skip the steps. Go to the depths of the darkness of your discomfort through the pain. Let yourself be honest about the problem. Give yourself time to experience your feelings.

gaBrielle Bernsteinauthor. May Cause Miracles.


stockbridge, massachusetts 800.741.7353 kripalu.org

mission driven, donor supported

Yoga, mindfulness, R&R retreats, Healthy Living programs, and programs with world-renowned invited presenters, including:

Daniel G. AmenMartha BeckTal Ben-ShaharSierra BenderJoan BorysenkoDeepak ChopraStephen CopeSeane CornAngela FarmerKate and Joel FeldmanLoren FishmanBo ForbesAmy IppolitiSally KemptonGary Kraftsow

Anodea JudithCyndi LeeJoseph Le PageRichard MillerSadie NardiniTodd NorianShiva ReaGeneen RothDaniel J. SiegelBessel van der KolkAmy Weintraub

At Kripalu, we invite you to breatheto intentionally

pause the ongoing demands of life, bring your

attention inward, and rediscover your authentic

nature. Conscious engagement with the breath

connects you with the intelligence and power of the

life force within and around you. Whenever you are

faced with a challengeon the yoga mat, in a

relationship, at work, or with your healthyou can

draw on a deep sense of ease, purpose, and mastery

to create positive change. We call it the yoga of life.

Stay connected: kripalu.org/blog/thrive


Karen Armstrong is a British author known for her books on comparative religion. A former Roman Catholic religious sister, she went from a conservative to a more liberal and mystical Christian faith. Her work focuses on commonalities of the major religions, such as the importance of compassion and the Golden Rule. She recently joined Oprah on Super Soul Sunday to talk about the Charter of Compassion, which grew from the $100,000 TED Prize she received in 2008.

She has addressed members of the U.S. Congress on three occasions, lectured to policy makers at the U.S. State and

Defense Departments, and addressed the Council on Foreign Relations.

In 2013, she will be the inaugural recipient of the British Academy/Nayef Al-Rodhan Prize for Transcultural Understanding. She is a Trustee of the British Museum and a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Literature.

She is the author of A History of God, The Battle for God, Holy War, Islam: A Short History, The Great Transformation, The Bible: the Biography, The Case for God, and, most recently, Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life.

I am continually trying to

find meaning in the world. If

we cannot find some ultimate

significance or value in our

lives, we fall very easily

into despair...I have become

convinced, through my studies,

that the only way to achieve a

safe, just, and viable world

is to live by the golden rule.

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origin magazine issue 13

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