Landscapes for Learning

8 min Today's word is:  Embodiment Today's Learning Practice is with Jen Bleier, a somatic educator.  She offers up the perfect word!  Embodiment.   Join us in this exercise of practicing conversation on Learning Conversation.  :-) Learning Practice features a 3-minute conversation about a single word.  Unrehearsed, without forethought of the word to be discussed, we practice the art of Learning Conversation.   If you want to practice with us by supplying a word and joining us:   contact us through our websites. Landscapes for Learning YogaHEALS

38 min.   Interview:  Jen Bleier, Somatic Educator Maureen and Pierre interview Jen Bleier, friend and somatic educator.  Trained in Gyrotonic, Gyrokinesis, Pilates, Somatic Experience practitioner, and small "d" dancer.   Jen's work spans different modalities, hence her self-description as a somatic educator.  Jen said: “when you work with bodies, you can't not work with emotions.” Maureen and Jen are on the same team - working to heal, working to educate, integrating Mind Body Spirit health. So what is Gyrotonic? Officially:  the Gyrotonic Expansion System. Gyro - meaning rotating movement that heals - hence tonic. Those who do yoga and work with bodies, those who suffer with lower back issues, sciatica, know the pain that comes from our skeletal system impinging nerves. Better support, better flexibility and expansion of the skeletal system can relieve that pain. Increased space in the skeletal system promotes synovial fluid, whose principal role is to reduce friction between cartilege and bones in joints. Improved flexibility in the body, for instance through an expanded skeletal system that is being compressed everyday by gravity, walking, standing and sitting, can produce improve health.   .  Gyrotonic started out as "Yoga for Dancers." It was started Juliu Horvath. There are over 6,000 Gyrotonic trainers worldwide.  Perhaps you didn't know that?  We certainly didn't until Jen educated us. Check Jen out at:   https://jenbleier.offeringtree.com Check out Gyrotonic:  https://www.centergyrotonic.com/about/gyrotonic_expansion_system/ In a similar vein, Ido Portal:  Movement Culture. https://www.idoportal.com Healing through movement. At the beginning of the podcast, Maureen says: "we're all waiting for the medical world to catch-up." Meaning, catch-up to practicality and success of somatic paths to improved health.  And to some extent it is. Physical therapy after surgery - get up and move. Medical imaging's improved understanding of healing and body mechanics, brain function. And, yet to some extent it isn't because movement therapy is difficult to monetize. Nonetheless, through sharing and learning pathways, courtesy of podcasts, streaming videos, worldwide web interconnectivity, it's happening. We're delighted you are along for the ride in Learning Conversation.  Enjoy!  

Response-ability training is an online educational program to provide people with knowledge and skills to respond to their experiences, as opposed to merely reactiving and over-reacting chronically and unconscoiously. When you can respond to what life presents you with regulation and mindfulness, you save yourself from chronic stress which makes you better and your relationships with others better. The Becoming ResponseAble program is a foundation for learning about mental health as mindbody health and discovering inner resources and outer resources you may be unaware of!    

5 min Today's word is:  Happy Maureen references a documentry on Happy - 2012 movie. Is happy a good goal? Join the conversation.   Learning Practice features a 3-minute conversation about a single word.  Unrehearsed, without forethought of the word to be discussed, we practice the art of Learning Conversation.   If you want to practice with us by supplying a word and joining us:   contact us through our websites. Landscapes for Learning YogaHEALS

Resource:  Dr. Jordan B. Peterson Maureen begins the pod energized having just taught a yoga class.  With over 175 published podcasts on resources, practices, discussions, interviews, reflections, we've somehow not talked about Dr. Jordan B. Peterson. Peterson is a pivotal figure in 'Learning Conversation,' not just for this podcast but for so many who have followed his lead in examining what words mean and how they can be used for good or harm. Peterson's opposition to Canada's speech legislation in Bill C-16, an amendment to the "Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code," catapulted him to a larger audience. Jordan Peterson is a clinical psychologist who early on saw the danger of progressive cultural change.  He recorded his views in 2016. The recordings went viral. Peterson spoke what few dared. His reaction to the Bill C-16 was not the substance of words but the dynamic of the bill which essentially compelled speech - designating what can and cannot be said and making that part of the criminal code. In other words, his objection focused on the foundational principles of free speech. Government should not legislate what can and cannot be said. In objecting, Peterson became the grain of sand in the oyster around which other layers of conversation formed. Peterson's podcasts and interviews became the epicenter of conversations, teachings, discussions which were not being had in other parts of Western society, parts that were tamed and shamed and remained silent on Progressivism's righteousness.  With cultural support and power, political correctness began to be legislated. Today, we find ourselves on one side or the other of 'political correctness' with varying degrees of consequence. Cancel culture. Job security or insecurity. Political divides. Social discord. The binary application of 'for and against' is, unfortunately, part of the political correctness movement. Wielding and leveraging cultural power is key to its change management; no room for discussion, debate, nuance, learning, conversation. Winning is not based on persuasive argument. Of course, speech issues, cultural change, progressive thought, conservation thought are multi-faceted subjects, but without room to examine and discuss facets, discourse is course or dismissed. Shouts and protests are memed and mimed into binary slogans. Black Lives Matter - good, appropriate.  All Lives Matter - not good, inappropriate, disrespectful.   How fitting this podcast is released now. In the aftermath of a heinous genocidal assault that has been building over decades and is embedded in political and religous agendas through the charter of Hamas. We are witnesses to digusting binary barbitry that dehumanizes our collective society, and  breaks down civilized conversation and actions. Just what Jordan Peterson talks about.   Our hearts go out to all who suffer.  Peace through grace, and let it begin with me.   Live to learn and learn to live.   Landscapes for Learning YogaHEALS

5 min Today's word is:  Suffering Learning Practice features a 3-minute conversation about a single word.  Unrehearsed, without forethought of the word to be discussed, we practice the art of Learning Conversation.   If you want to practice with us by supplying a word and joining us:   contact us through our websites. Landscapes for Learning YogaHEALS

24 min Maureen and Pierre discuss spiritual traditions of solitude versus the disaffectation of anxiety and isolation.  Spiritual practices include: Jesus in the desert for 40 days.  Thoreau “On Walden Pond.”  Meditative practices.  John Francis - not talking for 17 years.  Modern disaffection include recent school shootings, which is on Maureen's mind as a former school teacher, mother, person. It's counter-intuitive or perhaps ‘unnatural' that there are these traditions of finding integration into society by withdrawing from society. Because we are so society bound, its not usual for a person to take up spiritual practices of solitude.  Maureen's website:  Landscapes for Learning focuses on working out within, and the wisdom of knowing thyself.  Often finding oneself involves being with oneself outside of the complications of society.   Maureen a former school teach brings up the flip side of the coin, a disaffected person who retreats from society and ‘loses' themselves versus finding oneself via a spiritual tradition of separation. Recent school shootings, most if not all taking place from disaffected or mentally challenged males, raise the discussion point which Maureen wants to explore:  is isolation healthy or not healthy for individuals.   The discussion leads back to a little known book about monastic life called:  The Cloud of Unknowing.   Maureen reflects on her walkabout.  A year of traveling and teaching yoga, separated from her normal roles of mother, teacher, dog owner, family member.  The walkabout allowed Maureen to shed normal roles and live one day at a time.  If you are interested in a walkabout, you might enjoy listening. If you are interested in the power of 'unknowing' consider it as a concept to fully embrace the world you experience.  

5 min Today's word is:  Orange Color or fruit. Double espresso's and Pierre's got hop at the buzzer + one. Learning Practice features a 3-minute conversation about a single word.  Unrehearsed, without forethought of the word to be discussed, we practice the art of Learning Conversation.   If you want to practice with us by supplying a word and joining us:   contact us through our websites. Landscapes for Learning YogaHEALS

15 min What does it mean to be fit? How do you stay fit?  If you want to be fitter, how do you do that?What motivates you?  Maureen found a gym that has been motivating her towards building strength and getting fitter.  There are many elements in it and Pierre is curious. Maureen begins to explain Crossfit to Pierre, who starts to see the attraction of Crossfit in mind, body, and spirit training, with a work-out community supporting good each others good health.   Maureen explains that Crossfit started with the concept of cross-functional fitness, in order to enable ordinary people to be functional in everyday movements.  Wow. Basic. Powerful. Especially as one looks around at today's fitness challenges. Maureen also says that a big part of the attraction of a Crossfit gym is the community - people supporting one another on a journey to better movement and health. Without a “why,” without a community, lots of efforts to improve health fail.  It's important to find a path and know yourself. What motivates you towards better health?   Pierre and Maureen discuss their motivations and differing experiences with gyms and paths towards fitness.  Maureen introduces resources and people connected to Crossfit for listeners to check out. RESOURCES Greg Glassman - founder of Crossfit.  Science based, cross-functional fitness.   Jocko Willink - retired U.S. Navy SEAL officer, Silver Star, Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medals, co-author bestseller:  Extreme Ownership:  How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win podcast  www.jocko.com Dave Castro - retired Navy SEAL and Crossfit trainer https://www.instagram.com/thedavecastro/?hl=en   Landscapes for Learning YogaHEALS

21 min Jon Kabat- Zinn is today's resource.   Kabat-Zinn is a professor emeritus of the University of Massachusetts Medical School.  He received a Ph.D. in molecular biology for MIT in 1971. He is one of the earlier people in the health field to recognize the adverse effects of stress on health.   His book Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain and Illness (1991) leads today's conversation into this resource. Full Catastrophe Living - the title of his book, Pierre claims is the title of his, Pierre's, life.  Maureen mentions how Kabat-Zinn had to prevail with his editor to keep the word “catastrophe” in the book title.  Seems appropriate for these days and our lives.  Kabat-Zinn set up The Center of Mindfulness at Mass.  Winner of all kinds of awards, Kabat-Zinn was a leader in bringing the body into the health equation, and also into mindfulness space.  It's not all in your mind, and the solutions are not all in your mind.  There are complimentary effects in healing the whole person.  Where Ever You Go, There You Are - another title of Kabat-Zinn's.   And here you are!  Reading and listening to this podcast. We're glad you are here.  Enjoy this health resource as we explore together the nexus of literature and resources in the mind, body, spirit space.     Landscapes for Learning YogaHEALS Enjoy this health resource as we explore together the nexus of literature and resources in the mind, body, spirit space.     Landscapes for Learning YogaHEALS

5 min Today's word is:  message. Learning Practice features a 3-minute conversation about a single word.  Unrehearsed, without forethought of the word to be discussed, we practice the art of Learning Conversation.   If you want to practice with us by supplying a word and joining us:   contact us through our websites. Landscapes for Learning YogaHEALS

15 min Today's Learning Conversation is about the death of conversation. Maureen and Pierre share thoughts on the value and importance of conversation for health and wellness in a democracy .  The Death of Conversation is also the title of a podcast between Coleman Hughes and Jonathan Haidt which is resourced in this episode.   Coleman Hughes is a black, African-American, intellectual with a podcast called Conversations with Coleman. Check him out.  https://colemanhughes.org. Jonathan Haidt is a professor of moral philosophy, the Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership at NYU Stern School of Business, Pierre's alma mater.  Professor Haidt's books include: The Happiness Hypothesis The Coddling of the American Mind The Righteous Mind:  Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion Both Professor Haidt and Mr. Hughes tackle difficult subjects.  Coleman Hughes does so with aplomb which both Maureen and Pierre find remarkable.   Here's what Coleman says about his podcast:  “Home to honest conversations with leading intellectuals on the polarizing issues in the realm of grace, politics and racism.”    Say what?  People are talking about these things?  Yup.  In Conversations with Coleman. Check him out.  This conversation that we're ‘resourcing' is called “The Death of Conversation” and can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsW7q12WJBs Jonathan Haidt's podcasts with others can be found here: https://jonathanhaidt.com/podcasts/ Enjoy Learning Conversations.  Enjoy Conversations with Coleman. Live to Learn and Learn to Live   Peace through grace

5 min Today's word is:  opportunity Learning Practice features a 3-minute conversation about a single word.  Unrehearsed, without forethought of the word to be discussed, we practice the art of Learning Conversation.   If you want to practice with us by supplying a word and joining us:   contact us through our websites. Landscapes for Learning YogaHEALS

17 min Listen to Maureen and Pierre podcasting from their less than professional sound studios! Pierre introduces a resource that Maureen has not heard of, read about, or taught.  Wow!  Score one for Pierre. Pierre brings forward a resource:  Vivekananda. Called the ‘Messenger of Indian Wisdom to the Western World,'  Vivekananda was the first person to come to America and teach yoga and Indian spiritual philosophy.   Only in the United States for four years, Vivekananda had a profound effect on the trajectory of yoga and eastern philosophy in America.  He was the first in a line of yogis journeying to America.   The occasion of Vivekananda journey to the US was the ‘World's Parliament of Religions' taking place in Chicago in 1893.  Fittingly, his speech was given on September 11th, 1893, the same day of the year that this podcast is being released.  A fitting anniversary for a speech that rocked our world. His first words were:  Sisters and brothers of America….   Pause and think about those five words for a moment. His message was one of love. He spoke in opposition to the pursuit of fanatical religious ideas wherein dissension, wars, and centuries of tragedy perpetuated senseless ideas.   Vivekananda's book Bhakti Yoga, meaning the yoga of love and devotion, is instructive for its deep insights into how the universe works.   Vivekananda writes of energy being the essence of the universe.  He also writes that man's striving for pleasure, the sensational joys of mind and body, is short-sighted and not in keeping with the ways of God. Uninvited, yet traveling all the way from India by ship and train, he arrived and spoke at this august gathering to powerfully proclaim an end to bigotry and fanaticism. If you've not heard of Vivekananda, you might want to check him out.  When his work was done on July 4th, 1902, he reportedly passed releasing his soul through ‘mahasamadhi' while meditating.  Enjoy Learning Conversations.

30 min Pierre is retired and working.  Wait, what? Why? What does retirment mean? What does work mean? Work and retirement are the subjects of today's podcast.   The action of leaving one's job: retirement. Is this a good thing?  Work life balance. What does that look like in different stages of life.   What does work look like in a capitalist society? Is it a good thing?  Is it a bad thing? The amount of physical labor has lessened over the years, so does that change work and retirement in any fundamental way?   Join us for a meaningful discussion on what work means in different ages and stages for different people in different jobs.

15 min Health and fitness questions from Pierre.  Answers from Maureen. Or is it questions that answer from Maureen?  This is a pretty hilarious account of Pierre's inquiry into how to use a gym.  Maureen knows gyms inside and out. Pierre's set up to this podcast is classic Pierre mumbo jumbo, until Maureen sends the strike missile!  Yup - laser guided question:  why do you think you want to do this?  What's your motivation - strike missile is at the 7 min mark. Maureen explains the magic of Cross Fit. Maureen explores entrees and motivations to fitness. Long and short of it, if you are interested in fitness you might be interested in this Learning Conversation.  It's a practical dive into why we do fitness, how we do fitness, and what fitness context is right for you.  Strength, social, movement, cardio, outdoor, indoor, guided, free-form?   Check it out.  You might look at lifelong fitness challenges and find a key to unlock your interest and desire to be fit. Enjoy Learning Conversations!  

5 min Today's word is:  Radical Learning Practice features a 3-minute conversation about a single word.  Unrehearsed, without forethought of the word to be discussed, we practice the art of Learning Conversation.   If you want to practice with us by supplying a word and joining us:   contact us through our websites. Landscapes for Learning YogaHEALS

18 min Pierre and Maureen introduce a resource:  Yuval Noah Harari.   Listen to the end of the podcast and find out why Pierre is so happy.  :-)  This podcast veers from Learning Conversation's usual resources in physical, mental and spiritual health to consider human behavior from the beginning of time.  Yup - big subject!   Yuval Harari takes on the history of humans masterfully. A professor at Hebrew University,  Harari received his PhD from Oxford University in history and social philosophy.   Sapiens - A Brief History of Humankind is a tour de force in describing humans behavioral effects. Insightful and scary. Pierre and Maureen riff on the destructive qualities of human kind as puzzle pieces in the natural forces of creation and destruction that are universally present.  Harari's book, Sapiens, sold 25 million copies.  It reads like a page turning novel. The Guardian newspaper credits Harari with re-popularizing non-fiction.   Check him out.    For reference, Harari's books include:   2014:  Sapiens - A Brief History of Humankind;    2016:  Homo Deus - A Brief History of Tomorrow;  2018:  Twenty-Lessons for the Twenty-First Century; and  2022:  Unstoppable Us - The True Story of Humans.

5 min. Today's word from Maureen is:  Pushing. Maureen wants to move away from nouns. Her word pushing, pushes Pierre right into Forumla 1.  Push, push, push. Hilarious practice where Pierre speaks so fast to get in all he wants to say about F1, that he leaves Maureen with 9 seconds!   Enjoy. Learning Practice features a 3-minute conversation about a single word.  Unrehearsed, without forethought of the word to be discussed, we practice the art of Learning Conversation.   If you want to practice with us by supplying a word and joining us:   contact us through our websites. Landscapes for Learning YogaHEALS  

25 min   Maureen and Pierre wander a bit off the road of spiritual mind body health by discussing “narratives.”   Pierre's been wondering about the term “narrative.” He is a little hesitant to express himself, lest Learning Conversation lands in the quagmire of politics.  His insight to the word  narrative - stories with a moral, a teaching moment - considers moral stories previously emanating from trusted sources, like parents, grandparents, teachers - and they tended to shape lives for the better.  Now narratives are employed ubiquitously in the press, social media, and other life shaping institutions, operating to tell people how life is. Seems a bit scary.  Are new narratives from trusted sources?  What happened to reporting? Why all the narratives? Is culture shifting so rapidly new narratives are needed? Is power at the root of it all? Maureen steers the conversation back to mind body spirit by recounting how humans developed conversation and stories with meaning around campfires.  Conversing and convening to develop cultural and social meaning is what humans do. We've done it since the beginning of time. This Learning Conversation evolves to consider the perils of new forms of communication, which power can manipulate faster than humans evolve to adapt. Hence, from new technologies in communication comes revolutionary change - the printing press, Bible, radio and new 20th century empire building.   Pierre closes off the conversation with Martin Gilbert's History of the 20th Century on facism's use of radio technology to consolidate power, and then tells a funny story, factoid really, about Eisenhower's time at West Point.  Fun fact - as Maureen says. Enjoy.  

5 min Today's word is:  creative Learning Practice features a 3-minute conversation about a single word.  Unrehearsed, without forethought of the word to be discussed, we practice the art of Learning Conversation.   If you want to practice with us by supplying a word and joining us:   contact us through our websites. Landscapes for Learning YogaHEALS See ya around the corner. :-) 

24 min Attia's newsletter and podcast is:  The Drive. Dr. Peter Attia is a physician with degrees in engineering and mathematics. An authority on longevity and healthy lifestyles. Lifespan vs. Health span Maureen & Pierre discuss Attia's book, Outlive: the Science and Art of Longevity. In addition to the main themes in the book, Attia self-reveals his own drive and inability to self-care, which led him to crisis.  Driven to point of working and almost missing his wife giving birth during a difficult pregnancy, only later does this imbalance in priorities bubble up as problematic behavior. Another resource in balancing and caring for self in the mind-body-spirit space, check out Dr. Attia.  His forte is medical science related to healthy living.   See also his deeply self-revealing discussion on Rich Roll's podcast.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Attia https://peterattiamd.com https://peterattiamd.com/about/#:~:text=Peter%20is%20an%20advisor%20to,board%20for%20the%20journal%20Aging.  

8 min Rich Roll has an iconic intro sound to his podcast: a bicycle wheel freely spinning and clicking.  An early podcaster, Roll's open question style where he lets guests freely spin their stories can be a beautiful thing to listen to.  It's beautiful because his research is thorough, but he doesn't answer questions for guests, but leads with genuine curiosity and lets guests speak.  Refreshing.  Results are impactful when a guest, given the time, comfort and challenge of Roll's questions drops into a deep personal share. Roll's podcasts are a resource from which Maureen and Pierre found many resources in mind-body- spiritual health! Fitness, wellness, illness, dis-ease, eating healthy, and recovery. Roll is a lawyer, alcoholic, ultra-marathoner, and now podcaster.  His drive is extraordinary.  His podcasts well researched, hence detailed discussion.  Some podcasts can be like his ultra-marathons - long; some are 3 hours long.  Maureen gives permission to listen to portions of a podcast. Both Maureen and Pierre get around to talking about one of their first influencers in podcast world.   Check him out:  Rich Roll.  Episodes and his story below. https://www.richroll.com/all-episodes/ https://www.richroll.com/bio/

10 min Maureen shares a very personal story about yoga teacher training. With 2 children in high school and twins in college, Maureen travels to Thailand for 9 weeks to become a yoga teacher.  Pierre asks Maureen about leaving kids 'alone.'  Maureen responds  that her four children were raised as responsible children (response - able). In pursuing yoga teacher training in Thailand, Maureen also wanted to set an example that women, and specifically 'moms,' can be independent people. Maureen sensitively reflects on the balance of putting your children first, as moms and parents, is balanced by also putting yourself first to model healthy adult behavior.   From a women's yoga seminary, to 9 weeks in Thailand for teacher training, to a 1-year sabbatical traveling the world as a yoga teacher, writing two books, changing careers from high school humanities teacher to licensed mental health counselor, Maureen models her WORKOUT WITHIN curriculum. Referenced in the podcast are: Emmy Cleaves - iconic yoga figure and teacher in the Bikram hot yoga world.   https://www.facebook.com/groups/136016771174512/posts/715420693234114/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHBc8aW3AxU   Bikram Choudhury - hot yoga teacher responsible for an explosion of interest in and practice of yoga from the 1980 - present.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bikram_Yoga  

5 min Today's word:  history Humans as storytellers and the long arc of history: his-story.  Learning Practice features a 3-minute conversation about a single word.  Unrehearsed, without forethought of the word to be discussed, we practice the art of Learning Conversation.   If you want to practice with us by supplying a word and joining us:   contact us through our websites. Landscapes for Learning YogaHEALS

5 min Today's word is: smashed! An onamatopoeia!!  Pierre and tennis (of course) come up.  Maureen muses on the difference of whacked and smashed, and a discussion of words in different languages winds up the pod.  Learning Practice features a 3-minute conversation about a single word.  Unrehearsed, without forethought of the word to be discussed, we practice the art of Learning Conversation.   If you want to practice with us by supplying a word and joining us:   contact us through our websites. Landscapes for Learning YogaHEALS     Onamatopoeia!!  Pierre and Tennis (of course) 

33 min. Reflection:  Making Good and Bad Podcasts Maureen and Pierre discuss their podcast journey.  No editing.  Cleaning up speech patterns.  Sharing resources.  Sharing dialogue with a friend.  How did this adventure start? Pierre revisits the early beginnings when Maureen met Pierre at Bikram Teacher Training 2015, Khao Lak, Thailand at the 10 min mark.  Yoga training was 9 weeks of transcendental hell camp. In this reflection, at different times Maureen and Pierre raise the need for our polarized society to remember conversational arts.  Though a bit of a ramble, this pod explains how Learning Conversation was born, reflecting on topics, formats and the courage of pressing a record button and posting - no net trapeze work.  Discussing the podcasts strengths and weaknesses, a bright spot is the unrehearsed conversation and spontaneous thinking and speaking which keeps exchanges fresh.  Essentially conversation! Check it out folks.  Done in love, hope you are enjoying.  Closing out as usual: Live to learn and learn to live - Maureen Peace through grace - Pierre

18 min Maureen does a Tough Mudder.  Don't you just love that name? The way it sounds?  Tough Mudder.   Ok, so what is a Tough Mudder?  It's a national phenomenon now for some time where people challenge themselves with an obstacle course.  And yes, the obstacles are "tough" and some involve mud.  Maureen hits the podcast after teaching a 6:30 AM Bikram hot yoga class and munching on breakfast tells a hilarious story about the legacy of tough mudding she discovers.  Worth a listen.  Doing hard things with other humans is a way to thrive.  In Tough Mudder competitions you help fellow contestants.  People face their fears.  You see another person do it, and think:  hey, I can do that.  The competition builds confidence and resilience.  Maybe you can do a certain obstacle this time, maybe you can do it next time.  It's a competition that embraces Maureen's website and program, which she calls "Landscapes for Learning."   Tough Mudders are special landscapes for learning, but everyday is also a landscape for learning.   Enjoy Maureen's success and description of this competition. What landscape for learning are you traveling these days?  Oh wait, you're reading this!  Good for you!  Booooo yaaaaa!      

14 min Yes, you read that right.  Today's resource podcast is "anonymous."  Not just any anonymous, but a famous anonymous. Well as famous as an anonymous person can be. That is because, he - fairly certain of that gender - wrote a book of some fame.  The book is titled:  The Cloud of Unknowing.   A resource podcast is where we pick a person, a podcast, a book and bring it forward for consideration as a mind, body, spirit health resource. This relatively obscure little book is today's resource. The book was published in the 14th century.  It advises a young monk how to approach God.  It's been called a mystical book, but that misrepresents it.  It is really a manual for this young monk, a guide toward wisdom, faith and God; away from pretense, ego and  certainty.   It's mystical in the sense that one must embrace mystery. In this podcast, Maureen and Pierre explore living in a cloud of unknowing.  Perhaps a virtue not just towards achieving a spiritual life, but calming gift for living through uncertain and divisive times. Join in for a listen.  The more you know the more you realize you don't know. The Cloud of Unknowing - Anonymous. 14th century manuscript, ironically available on Amazon.  

5 min Today's word is:  Labor Labor is life, says Maureen. Learning Practice features a 3-minute conversation about a single word.  Unrehearsed, without forethought of the word to be discussed, we practice the art of Learning Conversation.   If you want to practice with us by supplying a word and joining us:   contact us through our websites. Landscapes for Learning YogaHEALS

5 min. Today's word is:  alert. Learning Practice features a 3-minute conversation about a single word.  Unrehearsed, without forethought of the word to be discussed, we practice the art of Learning Conversation.   If you want to practice with us by supplying a word and joining us:   contact us through our websites. Landscapes for Learning YogaHEALS

20 min Existential Humanist Psychology - well that's a mouthful.  Maureen is as geeky and deeply interested in psychology as anyone, says Pierre. The two of them go down a rabbit hole of discussion kicked off by Dr. David Puder's podcast.  A bit of a banter fest here. What was going to be a Resource pod on Dr. Puder's podcast crumbles into a discussion. Dr. Puder's podcast with Dr. Kirk Schneider of the Existential-Humanist Institute, where he is a co-founder, launches this discussion pod, because the two experts Puder and Schneider have difficulty framing this psychological modality and what Schneider does. Because the podcast had difficulty explaining the subject, according to Pierre, Maureen ‘splains integrative therapy to Pierre.  Maureen suggests she is in full geek mode in explaining this, but Pierre disagrees because as geeky as Maureen is in trying to read everything on the planet related to her interests, she digests it, stays grounded, and can explain it in a few words. The fact that philosophical terms like ‘existential' and ‘humanist' find their way into therapy shouldn't make it confusing, but it does to Pierre. Dr. Puder's podcast, titled “Psychiatry and Psychotherapy” is not for everyone, but is useful to practitioners and counselors as Maureen says.    Maureen wrote Dr. Puder complimenting his podcast. Dr. Puder gave her a T-shirt. Pierre suggests that's how he maintains audience. Kind of a weird podcast. Worth a listen, if for nothing else the opening bucolic scene of Pierre's workation on a ranch in Washington State.   Be well.  Peace through grace. Learn to live and live to learn.    The podcast that launched the discussion.  Dr. David Puder   https://open.spotify.com/episode/1np6ANPzdxLmiU4W3RpsV1?si=6bGQQZwUTWOXgGTOtwMLIw

5 min Today's word is:  water. Pierre immediately goes to Jesus.  Ut oh.  Maureen sees Shirley Winters floating by in her nightmares.   Learning Practice features a 3-minute conversation about a single word.  Unrehearsed, without forethought of the word to be discussed, we practice the art of Learning Conversation.   If you want to practice with us by supplying a word and joining us:   contact us through our websites. Landscapes for Learning YogaHEALS

5 min Today's word is:  slowly. Maureen says:  no more nouns, kids!  Let's get action oriented! Ok, so the word is slowly??????  Yup, the word is slowly.  Check out Maureen and Pierre practicing how to speak to one another. Check out "Learning Conversation." Learning Practice features a 3-minute conversation about a single word.  Unrehearsed, without forethought of the word to be discussed, we practice the art of Learning Conversation.   If you want to practice with us by supplying a word and joining us:   contact us through our websites. Landscapes for Learning YogaHEALS

15 min.  James Clear, Atomic Habits, ducks Wikipedia. What? Maureen wants to talk about James Clear, Atomic Habits: Small  Changes Make Big Differences.  Pierre explains that there is no Wiki entry for James Clear. Has he somehow taken control of the Internet?  Good for him! His book sold 10+ million copies.   3 key points in Atomic Habits, according to Maureen: Small changes make a big difference. Just 1% improvement compounding over days, months, years makes a big change. Forget about goals; focus on systems. Goals are about results; systems are about processes that lead to results! Focus on how you are going to get there.  'You don't rise to the level of your goals; you fall to the level of your systems.' Lasting habits are made from identify based change.  Who are you? Who do you want to be?  “Every action is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.”  Like Aristotle:  “You are what you repeatedly do.” Maureen explains on a practical level how James Clear and new habits can bring change to people - helping people facing challenges.   Maureen:  We all know we are going to the grave. Question is: who do you want to be along the way? Maureen says:  "No dawg."  Really she said that?  Yup, she did.  Pierre closes out with terrible jokes / puns. Thank goodness Maureen mercifully ends it:  "Bah bye now."  Check it out, folks.  Another resource.  Practical advice. Maureen and Pierre kicking it.  

5 min Today's word is:  woke Learning Practice features a 3-minute conversation about a single word.  Unrehearsed, without forethought of the word to be discussed, we practice the art of Learning Conversation.   If you want to practice with us by supplying a word and joining us:   contact us through our websites. Landscapes for Learning YogaHEALS

5 min Today's word is:  virture Learning Practice features a 3-minute conversation about a single word.  Unrehearsed, without forethought of the word to be discussed, we practice the art of Learning Conversation.   If you want to practice with us by supplying a word and joining us:   contact us through our websites. Landscapes for Learning YogaHEALS

33 min. Maureen wants to talk about Jonathan Haidt. He is a resource teaching about regulating nervous systems in the midst of social fragility and political brittleness. He's a guy who is in the forefront of calling out aspects of popular culture which he believes are well intentioned but misguided. Jonathan Haidt's article in Atlantic Magazine, “The Coddling of the American Mind,” more or less went viral as a result of calling out teaching practices which insulate children, and young adults, from struggles and challenges in learning.  Haidt's written other books. The titles alone are compelling:   The Happiness Hypothesis:  Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom.   The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion The Coddling of the American Mind:  How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas are Setting Up A Generation for Failure Haidt's book and subtitle for The Happiness Hypothesis ties right into Maureen's book:  Landscapes for Learning, Ancient Wisdom for Modern Humans, which became the foundation for launching this podcast. Maureen says:  “It's not the kids fault.”  Maureen and Pierre discuss learning, education, the concept of ‘unintended consequences' and many more topics in this pod. Come join us for a dive into current topics in education and political correctness.  

33 min Fitting for a “Learning Conversation,” this discussion covers a lot of ground. Maybe it's like your conversations? Those conversations when you are learning, listening, sharing, discovering?   This podcast covers:  Whoop (fitness bit) > 90-min hot yoga > strength training >  spirit training > Hubbell telescope >  science > out space > inner space > a cloud of unknowing > tolerance for ambiguity > self-regulating in challenging situations through mind body spirit disciplines / practices. Check it out.  Our discussion starts with a dramatic fact statement:  Maureen takes a 90-minute hot yoga class at 104-106 degrees, checks her Whoop fitness bit device and it doesn't register activity! Maureen thinks the Whoop is broken or maybe drowned in sweat and not registering. She thinks that because her heart rate remained steady through class. She checks her stress level and it registered a minor uptick for 90 minutes.  Whoa. Whoop was working.  Maureen knocked it out of the park with fitness. Come check out where this podcast goes from there. Love you guys listening. Maureen and Pierre rolling and riffing here. Enjoy.

20 min Hold the presses!   Pierre knows what he's talking about? Wait! What?   Well, let's qualify that.  Pierre knows what he wants to talk about.  We're not saying Pierre actually knows what he is talking about. Let's be clear about that!  Pierre wants to talk about a book:  Radical Love, by Omid Safi.   The book was given to Pierre by his good friend Manish. Hat tip to  Manish with a riff on his special friendship.  The book, Radical Love, is a compilation of poems from Sufi mystics.  You may have heard a few of the authors' names:  Rumi, Hafiz, etc.  Omid Safi introduces their poems in a new light stemming from an approach to Islam which involves a single-minded focus on God, to the exclusion of all else. Hence the title:  Radical Love. At the center of Islam, according to these mystics is God; and God is love. By stripping away human, material, and differentiated things and ideas, one can see God according to these mystics. The introduction by author Omid Safi provides the religious context of the poetry as well as biographical information on the poet authors. Pierre and Maureen explore the book, sometimes reading poems (10-20 words long) with a back and forth question asking and answering that hopefully piques your interest in finding this book. .   While Riverdance and whirling dervishes make a brief appearance, this podcast mostly focuses on the poetry that seeks to illuminate a path to God.  Check it out:  Radical Love.   This book might just plant a seed for thinking about life and Islam differently.  Omid Safi is a professor at Duke University who also teaches spiritual courses through Illuminated Courses.  He also leads yearly educational and spiritual tours through Turkey, Morocco and other countries.  Check him out. Peace through grace, my friends.  Peace through grace.

5 min Learning Practice features a 3-minute conversation about a single word.  Unrehearsed, without forethought of the word to be discussed, we practice the art of Learning Conversation.   If you want to practice with us by supplying a word and joining us:   contact us through our websites. Landscapes for Learning YogaHEALS

25 min Eckhart Tolle's video:  Excess baggage.  How we think of life's struggles causes unnecessary suffering.  The second arrow analogy in Buddhist tradition. Tolle says life is one's response to circumstances, not the collection of circumstances.  Maureen and Pierre resource an outstanding light in the modern field of spiritual awakening: Eckhart Tolle. The assumption that people shouldn't face difficulties or suffer is delusional.  Struggling, suffering is one way to grow. Tolle calls thinking we should be free of struggle a dysfunctional use of  mind.   Maureen and Pierre spend a fair amount of time discussing the role of struggle.  Also discussing how struggling to avoid struggling can be counter productive - the second arrow. Marueenism No. 101:  Check yourself before you wreck yourself. Work out within.  What's on my side of the street?  Another of Maureen's lessons from Landscapes for Learning - let life be your teacher and you'll be destined to thrive!   Check out Tolle's 11 minute video interview:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHhEPUp5X_I More on Tolle in Part II

40 min Maureen and Pierre revisit Eckhart Tolle to explore his life's story.  Follow-on conversation from the first podcast on Eckhart Tolle. Before revisiting Tolle, Maureen mentions  people are actually listening to these podcasts.  Wait, what?!  They are???  WOW!  Cool!  Maureen says someone mentioned liking ‘Pierre's voice and playfulness.'  Pierre loves the playfulness comment, and riffs on his relationship with his voice.  Many years ago in a used book store, Pierre found the book:  Change Your Voice, Change Your Life, by Morton Cooper. It was indeed, a life-changing book. Speaking of life changing books, Maureen and Pierre revisit Eckert Tolle's work and his life.  Tolle self-educated himself from about the age of 13.  His life story is remarkable.  Learn more here:   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eckhart_Tolle  He taught, studied and dealt with bouts of depression until one day, in the depths of a depression he had a spiritual experience. Overnight, he awakened to the beauty available in the present moment.  From that moment on - excuse the pun, his life transformed.   Nonetheless, it took decades before he wrote the Power of Now.  And as they say, the rest is history.   Tolle eschewed capitalizing on fame and tried to maintain an organic approach to disseminating his views. Join Learning Conversation as we learn more about Eckhart Tolle's interesting life. Truly a seminal figure in the literature and modern movement of spiritual awakening.    Maureen and Pierre dive into the Power of Now experience from first reading to now - no pun attended again.  Going deeper into the now, Maureen and Pierre discuss meditation and yoga, the struggle to be here now can cut through the noise of everyday life.  Distress causes focus and you move closer to finding your true self through struggle.  A short clip of Eckhart Tolle interview referenced in first pod: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHhEPUp5X_I  

10 min. Maureen wants to talk about Deb Dana. Pierre and Maureen begin by laughing and laughing some more about their efforts to explain polyvagal theory. A mind-body resource, Deb Dana, a psychologist teaches people how to recognize their physiological states.   If you understand the ladder of stress and relaxation, high regulation or low, she says there are 3 distinct states. Prior paradigms of physiological control focused on the mind controlling the body.  But Deb Dana and Stephen Porges show through polyvagal theory that communication is a two-way street - body to brain, brain to body.   Recognizing when your brain is triggered by the body's reaction can help provide perspective and provide therapeutic benefits, traction.   Come join us explore Deb Dana as a resource in this exploding universe of mind body knowledge.  Check her out at these links: Deb Dana & Stephen Porges at the Polyvagel Institute https://www.polyvagalinstitute.org Rhythm of Regulation https://www.rhythmofregulation.com And books: Anchored:  How to Befriend Your Nervous System Using Polyvagal Theory Polyvagal Exercises for Therapists and Clients, 50 Client Centered Practices Polyvagal Flip Chart, Understanding the Science of Safety ….and others.  Enjoy

20 min Maureen and Pierre reflect on a year of podcasting trying to learn conversation.  Yes, ironically that's the title of our podcast:  Learning Conversation. Join us as we consider "the shit that comes out of our mouths."   We skip over the structure of our podcasts, listed below, and dive into the speaking / listening duality. We consider Socratic dialogue.  We explore having a 6th form of conversation.  Maureen provides a 411 - information please - on Socratic dialogue.  How does it work? We agree that in most conversations statements are made and accepted without exploration or question.  The conversation then proceeds along.  How different would conversation be if we truly considered each statement and resolved meaning?   In Socratic dialogue, it's almost as if we start with a statement and go backwards. We consider the source and truth of statements.  In normal conversation, we start with statements and move forward from their foundation.  How different is conversation that looks at foundations and sees what they rests on, how is it solid? A bit rambling - but that is the nature of conversation.  Maureen and Pierre reveal their own beginning fascinations with conversation. Below is our podcast structure.  In Year 2, we may be adding a 6th form, Socratic Dialogue.  We'll do that as soon as we can figure out how to do that!     Learning Conversation's Podcast Structure 1. Resource - introduce a resource 2. Reflection - reflect on past pods 3. Practice - 3 min drill on 1 word 4. Interview - interview a person  5. Discussion - discuss a topic

15 min After a weather report comparing morning temps in MA and CA, both 58 degrees, Maureen introduces Professor John Vervaeke as a Learning Conversation resource. He is an award winning lecturer at the University of Toronto in psychology, cognitive science and Buddhist psychology.   Vervaeke's academic interests include wisdom, mindfulness, meditation....  Wait, what?  Pierre comments those subjects were not available when he went to school.  How times have changed.   A reason the Learning Conversation podcast started is the exploding amount of literature in the field of psychology, mindfulness, somatic health, meditation, yoga, and on and on knitting elements of cognitive science , brain / body science, neurology, ophthalmology all intersecting and illuminating traditional spiritual pathways as developed through meditation, yoga, Tai Chi, Qigong, not to mention ancient wisdom through philosophy.   Vervaeke says we (the West) are suffering from a wisdom famine. Parenthetically, Maureen sent Vervaeke a copy of her book:  Classic Wisdom for Modern Humans, which relates to the professor's interests in Stoicism and classical wisdom. Professor Vervaeke's newest video series is:  “After Socrates.”  Check him out on YouTube.   Awakening from the Meaning Crisis - his 50 part lecture series is also on YouTube. Enjoy!

15 min Maureen and Pierre share their daily weather report, and then pod their way into the subject of atttention.  Then, Maureen tells Pierre about the workshop she is giving on attention and love at Yoga Studio Y in Danvers, MA, where Maureen has opened a Wellness Resource Center.  The Wellness Center at Studio Y is designed to create community by expanding offerings of the yoga studio.  Think of it as ‘yoga off the mat.' Maureen explains she is giving a series of weekend lectures focused on the question:  what is wellness?  Illness, wellness and fitness.  How do they all go together?  Let Maureen explain.   Attendance is free for members.  Check it out if you are in the Danvers area.  And check out this pod discussing the expanding resources of Maureen's world:  Landscapes for Learning.

13 min   Maureen talks about a course she took from a resource called:  Embodied Philosophy.   Pierre, who knows nothing about polyvagal theory, plays the part of the ventriloquist dummy trying to understand what polyvagal theory is all about.  Maureen explains.   Put on your safety belt for a zoom down the steep part of the roller coaster.  Maureen recaps: Polyvagal Theory Neural Exercises for Safety and Connection.   Dr. Stephen Porges who discovered an interesting medical fact / theory related to the polyvagal nerve explains what he found in the medical world.  He is speaking with Deb Dana.  Deb Dana, a psychologist, sees Dr. Porges' medical information and constructs a theory around behavioral health related to neuroception.   Three tiers of the nervous system are explained here.  Once we understand what tier our nervous system is in, our self-awareness allows us the opportunity to manage affect.  Game changer. Ok - we told you, strap in.  There are even dinosaurs in this one! Enjoy

5 min Today's word is:  resourceful. Learning Practice features a 3-minute conversation about a single word.  Unrehearsed, without forethought of the word to be discussed, we practice the art of Learning Conversation.   If you want to practice with us by supplying a word and joining us:   contact us through our websites. Landscapes for Learning YogaHEALS

13 minutes Lately, Pierre's been obsessed with the title of our podcast, Learning Conversation - see prior Reflection podcasts. He is enjoying learning about learning through conversation, and improving conversational skills.  Wait, what? Listening is involved? Who knew? On that note, Maureen tells Pierre about a book she used with her students to teach the skill and importance of listening. The book emphasizes listening's role in creating authentic relationships.  It's called Ragged Edge of Silence: Finding Peace in a Noisy World by John Francis.  It's the latest MindBody Resource that we want listeners to know about! Here are a few gems from the book: -In the context of solving problems, not speaking precludes argument -From a place of silence new understandings emerge -Inability to listen suppresses opportunities to learn. The book is based on John Francis' experiment in not speaking for 17 years!   Join us to explore John Francis unique experiment in listening.  17 years my friends, 17 years! Enjoy.  

20 min After beginning with disclosures about their espresso fixations, Maureen and Pierre jump into a reflection on conversation.  Going beyond reflections about their podcasting, this reflection considers the nature of conversation itself -  balancing speaking and listening.  The art of conversation. Elevating curiosity, holding space to listen and consider other people's ideas, Maureen brilliantly explains the negotiation of social meaning through dialogue. The process of making, confirming, changing, and passing on culture - norms, values, processes. The process of building relationships that in effect underly culture and functioning social interactions. Explore dialogue as a key component of human beingness. The ability to regulate one's nervous system to effectively engage in dialogue is critical to highly functioning societies. And not just functioning societies, but functioning personal relationships.  Maureen points out that mental health counseling is often about being there for people who don't feel heard - can't have a conversation with their partner or their parents. Both Maureen and Pierre reflect on different kinds of conversation through family and cultural lenses.  For instance, how is conversation in Pierre's Italian family (Tucci) different from other conversations?  How must people regulate around different cultural norms for conversation? Check out this podcast and consider the utility and importance of effective conversation, especially considering  conversational dissonance and disfunction in America today. A meandering podcast reflecting on the meandering and often messy, but valuable nature of holding understanding space in conversation.   Join us.  Enjoy.