Listen Now

In this episode, Jen and Sarah Jane return from a winter break. Amidst ever increasing levels of upheaval in the States, they discuss their go-to practices and resources that buoy body, heart, and mind. In a casual back and forth conversation, they describe the methods and inspirations they rely on, including hara breathing, the idea of expansiveness, contemplating the elements while walking in a cemetery (yup!), weekly planning, and more. Not ones for navel-gazing, Jen and Sarah Jane put their practices to work not only in replenishing their reserves, but also in helping them to continue showing up  to life with passion and resolve. And, big announcement! Skillful Means Podcast is excited to share a new feature on the show: Dharma Book Club! Every two months, we'll discuss books guaranteed to inspire. Our first selection is The End of Your World by Adyashanti. You can read along with us and share your thoughts via email or our new SpeakPipe voicemail account. We are excited to share your thoughts on the show. ----We are social! Find us on  Facebook and Instagram. We also welcome your messages at feedback@skillfulmeanspodcast.com or in our voicemail box on SpeakPipe.You can also get in touch with Jen and Sarah Jane directly. Don't forget! You can also practice with us live each week: https://www.sati.yoga/practice/virtualclasses.html

In this Taoist meditation, Jen will help you harness the loving energy of a smile and direct it inward for profound sense of self-compassion, joy, and relaxation.In Taoism, it's believed that the energy of negative emotions blocks Qi flow, leading to disease Practicing the inner smile meditation will help you clear out blocked negative energy for improved health, well-being, and longevity. This is an old practice, more recently popularized by the Qigong master Mantak Chia. 

In this talk and guided practice, Sarah Jane describes the benefit of thinking of Buddhism’s Four Noble Truths as Four Ennobling Tasks. As tasks, the teachings become invitations to action. In the case of the first, the invitation is to comprehend dukkha (suffering). How? We practice. Why? Clear comprehension gives rise to liberating insight.But more than orienting our minds toward helpful concepts that support practice, this episode is meant as a gift during a holiday season in which people may feel tender and weary from struggling through the public health, social, political, and environmental crises that accelerated in 2020. There is much suffering happening. It is our hope we may manage, together, to hold the inarguable suffering--the aging, sickness, and death that are inevitable--and diminish the secondary suffering present in our bodies, hearts, and minds. The goal is not to avoid emotional difficulty. It’s not to acknowledge it and leave it at that, either. Instead, we are meant to use it for the sake of inner freedom, or at least more ease. May there be more ease within us and between us as we make our way into 2021.In her talk, Sarah Jane draws from teachings from Stephen Batchelor, Christina Feldman, John Peacock, and Akincino Weber. In the meditation, she quotes Stephen Schettini:"We’re all faced with the same fundamental choice of calming the mind or letting it go its own scattered way. Leaving it to the caprice of unplumbed emotions leads to a life that’s mysterious in all the wrong ways."The meditation starts at 8:40. If your podcast app supports chapter markings, you can jump straight there  - useful for repeated listens.~~ Skillful Means Podcast offers these guided practices to help you deepen into your yoga and mindfulness journey.Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, or send us a note at feedback@skillfulmeanspodcast.comwith your comments.You can also get in touch with Sarah Jane directly where she offers weekly classes, monthly workshops, meditation groups, and mentoring.

Jen wraps up our first virtual retreat with a practice very dear to her heart. Loving-kindness, or metta, is at the very heart of spiritual practice. By tuning into our common humanity, we not only touch the essence of our true Self, but we are able to recognize and appreciate the Self of others, even difficult people. Consider this a training in radical acceptance. Jen shares her thoughts on retreating and then guides a gentle mindful movement break followed by a loving-kindness practice in the Plum Village tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh, her spiritual teacher. DisclaimerThe information and postures shared in this episode are not a substitute for proper medical care. If you are ill or injured, please consult your physician. Practicing asana comes with inherent risk. It is up to you to assess whether the postures shared in this practice are appropriate for you. Consult your physician before beginning any exercise or movement program. You assume responsibility for any injuries suffered while practicing these techniques.~Skillful Means Podcast is offering this virtual retreat to help you recommit to your yoga and mindfulness practice even - especially - during this difficult time. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, or send us a note at feedback@skillfulmeanspodcast.com with your comments. You can get in touch with Jen directly at https://sati.yoga where she offers weekly classes, workshops, and trainings as well as group and private mentoring sessions.

Welcome to Sunday, the third day of “Tuning In, Reaching Out.” We are maintaining our commitment to practice in part through the connections we’ve made and the energy we’ve felt from you, and we hope you feel the same. Sarah Jane is interested in the active quality of compassion and how it can inform and even compel us to engage in the world. She opens this practice with a short yin yoga sequence (butterfly, sphinx, and banana/crescent poses) during which she introduces lojong (practice slogans) and what it means to Resolve to Begin. Then, after some movement to juice the body, she offers a talk on the many faces of compassion, and closes with a compassion meditation. DisclaimerThe information and postures shared in this episode are not a substitute for proper medical care. If you are ill or injured, please consult your physician. Practicing asana comes with inherent risk. It is up to you to assess whether the postures shared in this practice are appropriate for you. Consult your physician before beginning any exercise or movement program. You assume responsibility for any injuries suffered while practicing these techniques.~Skillful Means Podcast is offering this virtual retreat to help you recommit to your yoga and mindfulness practice even - especially - during this difficult time. We welcome your comments and questions. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, or send us a note at feedback@skillfulmeanspodcast.com. You can get in touch with Sarah Jane directly at https://www.sarahjaneshangraw.com where she offers offers weekly classes, monthly workshops, meditation groups, and mentoring.

Welcome to the second and fourth overall practice of “Tuning In, Reaching Out.” We have deeply enjoyed connecting with some of you about intentions, methods, hindrances, and insights. A deep bow to all practitioners.In this practice, Sarah Jane shares thoughts on the purpose and practice of mindfulness through the Early Buddhist lens and highlights some aspects of the Satipatthana Sutta, an early practice guide in the voice of the Buddha. She suggests a few yin postures in which to dwell while practicing each of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness--body, feelings, mind, and phenomena.Yin postures include butterfly, sphinx, and supine twists. A blanket and cushion will be useful. The practice ends with a 15-minute sit.DisclaimerThe information and postures shared in this episode are not a substitute for proper medical care. If you are ill or injured, please consult your physician. Practicing asana comes with inherent risk. It is up to you to assess whether the postures shared in this practice are appropriate for you. Consult your physician before beginning any exercise or movement program. You assume responsibility for any injuries suffered while practicing these techniques.~Skillful Means Podcast is offering this virtual retreat to help you recommit to your yoga and mindfulness practice even - especially - during this difficult time. We welcome your comments and questions. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, or send us a note at feedback@skillfulmeanspodcast.com. You can get in touch with Sarah Jane directly at https://www.sarahjaneshangraw.com where she offers offers weekly classes, monthly workshops, meditation groups, and mentoring.

Welcome to the second day of your virtual retreat. This morning, Jen brings you a gentle yang yoga practice in the tradition of her root teachers of Nosara Yoga Institute. This practice is appropriate for all levels including beginners, but you may find it helpful to have some asana experience in order to follow the verbal cues. DisclaimerThe information and postures shared in this episode are not a substitute for proper medical care. If you are ill or injured, please consult your physician. Practicing asana comes with inherent risk. It is up to you to assess whether the postures shared in this practice are appropriate for you. Consult your physician before beginning any exercise or movement program. You assume responsibility for any injuries suffered while practicing these techniques.~Skillful Means Podcast is offering this virtual retreat to help you recommit to your yoga and mindfulness practice even - especially - during this difficult time. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, or send us a note at feedback@skillfulmeanspodcast.com with your comments. You can get in touch with Jen directly at https://sati.yoga where she offers weekly classes, workshops, and trainings as well as group and private mentoring sessions.

In this second practice of the Tuning In, Reaching Out Virtual retreat, Jen will guide you through a timeless meditation called Shamatha, or calm abiding.  You'll have an opportunity to practice in a formal way as well as in Yin Yoga postures. The postures featured in this practice include: butterfly, sphinx, empty coat sleeves, and reclined twist. You might appreciate having a folded blanket or blocks handy for the poses as well as whatever set up you use for meditation practice. DisclaimerThe information and postures shared in this episode are not a substitute for proper medical care. If you are ill or injured, please consult your physician. Practicing asana comes with inherent risk. It is up to you to assess whether the postures shared in this practice are appropriate for you. Consult your physician before beginning any exercise or movement program. You assume responsibility for any injuries suffered while practicing these techniques.~Skillful Means Podcast is offering this virtual retreat to help you recommit to your yoga and mindfulness practice even - especially - during this difficult time. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, or send us a note at feedback@skillfulmeanspodcast.com with your comments. You can get in touch with Jen directly at https://sati.yoga where she offers weekly classes, workshops, and trainings as well as group and private mentoring sessions.

We are pleased to kick off our virtual retreat with this Yoga & RAIN Meditation practice with Sarah Jane. In this guided practice, Sarah Jane invites you to spend a few moments warming the body and enhancing chi circulation with simple movements undertaken in concert with a slow and steady breath. We then settle in and progress through the steps of RAIN meditation--Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Nurture--with the opportunity to rest in various yin yoga postures through their unfolding. Poses include: child's pose, shoelace, dragonfly, recalled butterfly, and savasana. You may need a blanket or two and a pillow or cushion for support in the yin postures. Developed by Vipassana teacher Michele McDonald and championed by psychologist and meditation teacher Tara Brach, RAIN is a mindfulness-based, self-compassion practice that can be used in a moment or over a lengthy meditation sit, and anywhere in between. Our intention in offering this practice at the outset of the retreat is to fortify you and provide a useful tool you can bring forth when emotional discomfort arises, presenting the opportunity for an accelerated cultivation of loving awareness. DisclaimerThe information and postures shared in this episode are not a substitute for proper medical care. If you are ill or injured, please consult your physician. Practicing asana comes with inherent risk. It is up to you to assess whether the postures shared in this practice are appropriate for you. Consult your physician before beginning any exercise or movement program. You assume responsibility for any injuries suffered while practicing these techniques.~Skillful Means Podcast is offering this virtual retreat to help you recommit to your yoga and mindfulness practice even - especially - during this difficult time. We welcome your comments and questions. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, or send us a note at feedback@skillfulmeanspodcast.com. You can get in touch with Sarah Jane directly at https://www.sarahjaneshangraw.com where she offers offers weekly classes, monthly workshops, meditation groups, and mentoring.

This is just a quick reminder about the upcoming virtual retreat here on the podcast. Join us on Nov 20-22 for twice daily practices to help you strengthen your connection both to yourself and to those around you. Episodes will appear here in the podcast feed at midnight and noon EST. You can also join for optional live Zoom calls and receive email tips. Sign up at: http://bit.ly/tiro2020We hope this offering is off benefit to you and the wider world.-----You can find Skillful Means Podcast on Facebook and Instagram, or send us your comments at feedback@skillfulmeanspodcast.com. You can also get in touch with Jen and Sarah Jane directly. 

As a companion to episode 29 on Internal Family Systems (IFS therapy), we invite you to enjoy this guided parts meditation.Jen will help you locate and get to know one or more parts during this experience. IFS is an embodied practice, so the doorway into your inner environment is through body sensations. After a few minutes of guided relaxation, you'll start to track your somatic experience as a way of foregrounding what needs the most attention right now. It's helpful to engage in IFS parts work at a quiet time where you are neither rushed nor distracted. Many people find this to be a fruitful addition to their daily practice. ~Skillful Means Podcast offers these guided practices to help you deepen into your yoga and mindfulness journey. We welcome your comments. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, or send us a note at feedback@skillfulmeanspodcast.com. You can get in touch with Jen directly at https://sati.yoga where she offers yoga and mi mindfulness classes, workshops, and trainings. She also offers group and 1:1 IFS coaching sessions. 

In this episode, Jen and Sarah Jane finally and excitedly get around to talking about Internal Family Systems. IFS is having a moment lately, and is being brought into yoga and Buddhist communities by some prominent teachers, including Sarah Jane and Jen’s primary teacher, Sarah Powers.Since Jen has completed Level II IFS training, Sarah Jane asks her to describe the core proposition of IFS – that our mind is composed of sub personalities that have their own perspectives and motivations – and the benefits of bringing this model into spiritual life.Ever concerned about the spiritual bypassing, appropriation, and dilution they see in many parts of yogaland, particularly in the U.S., Sarah Jane and Jen speak specifically about what IFS can do for yoga practitioners who seek to heal the wounds that prevent them from fully showing up.-----Resources MentionedSarah & Ty Powers’ Insight Yoga InstituteAmy Weintraub’s Lifeforce Yoga“Introduction to Internal Family Systems” by Dr. Richard Schwartz“Self Therapy” by Jay EarleyJen’s All Parts Are Welcome 4-week IFS Support Circle-----Join us for our first live Virtual Retreat, November 20-22: Tuning In and Reaching OutWe believe in taking the opportunity we have here now, in our ephemeral existence and in uncertain times, to strengthen the web of interconnectedness, in which our freedom is found. And so, our first virtual retreat will feature talks and practices that encourage inner investigation as well as interconnectedness.Get all the details and register for live Zoom calls and email support-----You can find Skillful Means Podcast on Facebook and Instagram, or send us your comments at feedback@skillfulmeanspodcast.com. You can also get in touch with Jen and Sarah Jane directly. 

In this meditation drawn from Taosit practices, Sarah Jane guides you through a breath-based visualization for replenishing and balancing inner energy. We are both individually whole and inextricably interconnected with each other and the natural world. We can view everything--even human beings--as composed of elements and infused with energies that, when in balance, create harmony and health. By drawing grounding earth chi, or earth energy, from below to fill the dantian or hara, the body’s energetic center in the lower abdomen, we capacitate stability. Similarly, by drawing energizing heaven chi, or sky energy, from above to fill the heart center, we capacitate liveliness.In this meditation we spend time doing both, using long, slow, smooth breaths as guides. After filling the hara and heart, we start to intermingle these two energies for a sense of balance, harmony, and health. Well rooted and in touch with our depth, as well as filled with activating energy, we will not need to leave our inner ground in order to navigate the shifting course of life. ~~ Skillful Means Podcast offers these guided practices to help you deepen into your yoga and mindfulness journey.Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, or send us a note at feedback@skillfulmeanspodcast.com with your comments.You can also get in touch with Sarah Jane directly where she offers weekly classes, monthly workshops, meditation groups, and mentoring.

In this episode, Jen and Sarah Jane address the human predicament: We are wired to avoid unfamiliarity, uncertainty, and unpredictability in life, even while these very forces are ever-present realities. This simple paradox is the source of much of the stress in our complicated lives.  Acknowledging the particular challenges of navigating life in the midst of a global pandemic, the US election, and seasonal changes, Jen and Sarah Jane share the methods they use to soothe the nervous system in times of distress. But what about building long-term resilience so that we may engage with life as it is, no matter how it is? Back and forth, they share what they’ve learned for, drop by drop, “filling the pot with good.”Ultimately, they talk about how understanding and accepting the nature of change can ease passage through life that will naturally be filled with obstacles. Like water running downhill and around obstacles, aligning ourselves with the way things work is foundational to living a life free of, at least, the unnecessary sufferings we place upon ourselves.Related ResourcesSarah Powers Insight Yoga and online practices to fill your water pot, drop by drop.Adyashanti’s The End of Your World, for spiritual clarity on the nature of the world.Why Buddhism is True by Robert Wright, on how Buddhism addresses the human condition. Coming in November on the show!We’ll be offering a virtual retreat in November, with live Zoom check-ins to start and end, two practices a day via the podcast feed for three days, and two Q&As tucked in between for support. Make sure you're subscribed to receive it all. In the meantime, you can find us on Facebook and Instagram, or send us your comments at feedback@skillfulmeanspodcast.com. You can also get in touch with Jen and Sarah Jane directly. 

The landscape of yoga studios is not what it once was. With some studios closed permanently and others open only temporarily or in limbo, practitioners who relied on guided classes may be more motivated than ever to develop a self-led practice.In order to have a regular self-led yoga asana practice, you need one thing: some form of inquiry practice. Whether it’s a regular mindfulness practice, a journaling practice, or another method of self-examination, you need to be able to assess your current state of being so that you can select methods that address your present needs. After all, what is a yoga practice if not the opportunity to attune and attend? In this episode, Jen and Sarah Jane introduce the body-heart-mind check-in, a three-part inquiry practice that allows a practitioners to investigate: How does my physical body feel today? What is present for me emotionally?Where is my mind and is my mental body cluttered, free, or something else?And once we know how we are, we can proceed from there. Jen and Sarah Jane share tips and examples from their own practices and teaching.  Resources Mentioned3-Part Check-in Meditation Guided PracticeLoving Kindness Guided PracticeCompassion Guided PracticeSympathetic Joy Guided PracticeEquanimity for Balanced Action Guided PracticeMindfulness of Breathing Guided PracticeJen & Sarah Jane’s Weekly Yin Yoga & Mindfulness Classes via ZoomFollow us on Facebook or Instagram, or email feedback@skillfulmeanspodcast.com. 

Wrapping up our series on the Four Immeasurables, in this guided practice, Sarah Jane Shangraw unpacks the fourth “sublime state,” upeksa (equanimity). Upeksa is a state of non-preferencing that can arise in meditation when we feel into and accept the uncontrollable flow and tonality of experience, and leave it at that. Not a cool and distant quality, equanimity combines the wisdom of understanding together with compassionate inclusivity. Under its influence, we are balanced and open, able to “be with” rather than give in to the compulsion to “react to.” More broadly, it helps us accept our joys and sorrows equally, and engage skillfully in the wider world, despite its many challenges. Skillful Means Podcast offers these guided practices to help you deepen into your yoga and mindfulness journey.Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, or send us a note at feedback@skillfulmeanspodcast.com with your comments.You can also get in touch with Sarah Jane directly and sign up to attend her ongoing twice weekly live meditation drop-in, Mindful Morning Sangha.

In this episode, Jen and Sarah Jane take a look through the Buddhist lens at the mind. Specifically, they explore using mindfulness, being with discomfort, and taking responsibility as foundations for the necessary and ongoing work of recognizing and undoing our conditioning, including unconscious bias.Though this conversation is inevitably incomplete, it touches on several concepts that can serve as jumping off points to further our contemplation and engagement in a world where the dominant racial identity group must reckon with and right deeply rooted, systemic wrongs. Conversation includes:What mindfulness is and isn’tInternally and externally focused mindfulnessNot scratching the itch (being with discomfort)We are not our minds after all (thank goodness)The sausage-making effect of conditioningHow much control do we actually have?The almost inevitable “affective push” of feelingsPractices for seeing and slowing automatic mindQuestions we should not stop asking ourselvesRelated Links & Resources MentionedImplicit Social Attitudes Test from Project Implicit, Harvard University“The Buddha’s Original Teachings on Mindfulness” a Tricycle.com article containing Thanissaro Bhikkhu’s translation of the Satipatthana Sutta, the Four Foundations of Mindfulness.Metta Hour Podcast, Episode 87, where Sharon Slazberg interviews Ruth King on her work encouraging mindfulness to meet unconscious bias and more.Sarah Jane’s Introduction to Mindfulness & Compassion Online CourseYou can find us on Facebook and Instagram, or send us your comments at feedback@skillfulmeanspodcast.com. You can also get in touch with Jen and Sarah Jane directly. 

In this episode, Jennifer offers guidance for creating space between a difficult stimulus and the response to it. Whether you are confronted by a challenging event or a triggering conversation, the prompts in this meditation can bring forward a more responsive — rather than reactive — inner attitude.The setting for this guided practice is sphinx pose, chosen for being a relatively gentle, although not entirely neutral, shape. Postures can help us approximate uncomfortable situations so that we can practice how we respond to them. For more guidance on how how to practice this way, check out this article.~Skillful Means Podcast offers these guided practices to help you deepen into your yoga and mindfulness journey. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, or send us a note at feedback@skillfulmeanspodcast.com with your comments. You can get in touch with Jen directly at https://www.sati.yoga. 

In this episode, Jen is joined by her friend and colleague Kaya Mindlin to discuss the Bhagavad Gita and how to fully and authentically show up for social justice while staying true to one’s dharma. In this sweeping conversation that, at times, adopts the atmosphere of a workshop, Jen and Kaya discuss:how to embrace the discomforts of learning, the setting and themes of the Bhagavad Gita, what is yoga, understanding the mind through the lens of the Gunas, what the Vedas can tell us about the origins of implicit bias and how we can overcome them, ancestral work, and how the Gunas shed light on some of the ways we may be missing the mark when it comes to our activism. About Guest Host, Kaya MindlinKaya Mindlin is a Yoga therapist and educator who has been teaching the “softer side of yoga” for 19 years. Her background includes thousands of hours of in-depth study with masters in the Vedic Tradition - including Therapeutic Yoga, Ayurveda, Vedic Astrology, Sanskrit and Yogic Texts, Vedanta and Tantra. Kaya makes traditional teachings powerfully meaningful for yogis living a modern life. Her warm and intelligent approach inspires dedicated yogis and teachers in every aspect of life. Kaya's students are often longtime seekers who resonate with her storytelling, technical acumen and mothering bhava. She is committed to supporting spiritual growth and resolving misleading messages in the popular Yoga world through her programs. Kaya lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, Vedic Astrologer Michael Manzella and their children.Links & Resources MentionedKaya’s Website & Instagram The Nectar of the Gita Online CourseUse Coupon Code skillfulmeanspodcast20 for 20% offBlindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People by Mahzarin Banaji & Anthony GreenwaldImplicit Social Attitudes Test from Project Implicit, Harvard UniversityResmaa Menakem on On Being with Krista Tippet~~You can find us on Facebook and Instagram, or send us your comments at feedback@skillfulmeanspodcast.com. 

This guided meditation encourages you to take up residence in your body in order to be present for the life that is inside you right now. With kind attention, we feel into the physical body and citta (the heart-mind), which may need some buoying. Then, drawing on our own creative compassion, we resource ourselves internally so that we can meet the call of the wider world in the in this and future moments. Finally, we wish safety, happiness, and peace to all beings, near and far, known and unknown. May it be so.Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, or send us a note at feedback@skillfulmeanspodcast.com with your comments. You can also get in touch with Sarah Jane directly.