Meandering Through The Madness: An Ordinary Person's Spiritual Journey

Welcome to Tim's Grateful Eight. This is a weekly list of things and experiences for which I am super grateful. They might be simple, beautiful things like a sunrise or a smile from a stranger. Or they might be curated resources that have been helpful to me, like a really good book or podcast. Links to cool stuff off of the list: Podcast: Esther's Universe Here is her website, where you can find out all about her podcast and other cool things she is up to: Esther's Universe. Eric Pierce and his Friday High Five “Every Friday I share 5 things that brought me joy this week. Also, high fives are inherently cool, and I think we can all agree Friday is the bestest day. Hence the Friday High Five.

How to get a little more balance into the ole solar plexus Manipura, the Sanskit name for the third chakra, means “lustrous gem of the city.” Since it’s element is fire, this could be taken to mean the energy in the city of your body. It’s located near the belly button and solar plexus, but not as high as your breast bone. The third chakra is linked to self esteem, sense of purpose, personal power, and your role in society. Digestion and metabolism also have ties here. An imbalance in the third chakra or solar plexus is just another way of saying that your digestive system and associated internal organs are in trouble. This in turn causes disturbances with your emotions, thoughts and wellbeing. Photo by Ava Sol on Unsplash

Sleep deprivation cuts into our health, our happiness, every aspect of our lives. But what can we do about it? Here are a few practical ideas on how to get more rest for day owls and night owls alike.

What is the connection between the second chakra and sexuality, creativity and body awareness? What are the ways that shame can affect your energy flow? And how do "expert" opinions take away your freedom and creativity? Photo by Aziz Acharki on Unsplash

What are chakras, and why do they matter? We start at the root and talk about our connection to the earth, grounding, safety and security. Photo by Photo by Marc St on Unsplash

Who is Tim Ebl? How does his past shape his writing and his meditation practice? Kyla interviews Tim and they discuss abuse, hoarding and how these become fuel for some of the articles he is working on. You can find Tim's work at Medium or at his website https://medium.com/@ambitious.eclipse https://www.tim-ebl.com/

Who is Kyla Dagenais? What journey led her to be a yoga and meditation instructor? Kyla is a full time mother and teacher. She uses her yoga knowledge to lead students in breathwork and meditations. Kyla holds space for those with trauma and stress disorders using her hard won life lessons. This podcast gets into Kyla's experiences with sexual abuse, her indigenous background, and her loss of the use of one eye.

We discuss some common myths about meditation. Bonus: Kyla gets a sign from the universe! 1. It’s All About Stopping Your Thoughts — I Can’t Meditate Because I think Too Much 2. Meditation is Hard. You Need To Sit In Lotus Position And Be Very Dedicated 3. You Need To Sit Perfectly Still, So It Definitely Isn’t For Me 4. It Takes Years To See Results. That’s Too Much Time For Me! 5. Meditation is a Way To Escape. I’m Not Into Running Away Inside My Head 6. Transcendent Awakenings and Experiences Are The Goal. I’m Not Into All That Hippie Stuff.

Are you a fan of New Year's Resolutions? We like the idea of them, but they usually don't result in any lasting change. Why is that? we think we know part of the answer, and we can help you set goals that you will actually be able to accomplish. Gym rats, marathon runners, being chased by bears, and of course meditation, all come up in this resolution episode.

Meandering Through the Madness 9 – 5 Steps to Lasting Love - An Evidence-based Guide to Protecting and Repairing Your Relationship, by Ann Marie Taylor. Kyla and I were excited to interview the author of a great new relationship resource – we both think it is so groundbreaking and yet so simple to start using right away. I want everyone I know to get this book! It could change lives. Here is the description from Amazon: Discover the surprising, underlying reasons for most relationship breakdown and what you can do to protect yours · including the three small, everyday acts that can make all the difference! Are you in a long-term relationship and struggling to make it work? Feeling worn down by life & exhausted by conflict? Do you yearn for more love, joy & passion in your life? To come home to friendship and laughter? There are hundreds of relationship books out there. Many are very wordy with a mix of random tips or complicated exercises to work on as a couple. But what if your partner is too busy or doesn’t want to do them? What if you are too busy yourself? Who has the time for this stuff? What then? I’m here to tell you that busy people can have great relationships—& fulfilling sex lives-too!

Have you ever wondered what is going on inside of someone who is having a manic attack, or psychosis? This episode is an interview with Michael Fillinger, The Manic Mechanic. Mike is a personal trainer and a mental health coach, and he really understands the challenges people might be going through. Mike tells us his story of how he went from a normal adult life into one plagued by a mental disease, how this took everything away from him, and how over time became the man he is today. There are some themes and events that may be disturbing to listen to in this podcast. Depression, mania and other mental health topics are discussed in detail. Please listen responsibly.

A deep dive into triggering events, anxiety and all the things this affects in our day to day. All the way from conflict over a Facebook post, to disagreements at work, to shopping at Walmart. Halfway through, we discuss some really personal life events that might be triggering for you, the listener. So if this is something you don't want to face right now, please skip this episode! But if you feel up to some honest sharing on difficult topics, and ways we have learned to cope with and assimilate them, please stick around.

This is the continuation of Gratitude is Everything, our previous episode. What are the reasons that we need gratitude for healthy emotional and mental lives? What are things you are grateful for?

Why do we need to work in being grateful, and what does that really mean, anyway? This is a deep subject that gets right down to your world view. It's about saying yes to life. It's about expectations, programming and fear. True gratitude can only come from really being honest about what you want in life, and being willing to accept it. It's about realizing that everything has a purpose, even wasps and hornets. It's about focusing on what you have, not what you desperately want. This recording is part one of two

Most of this episode also applies to women, but we focus on why men should start a yoga practice. We talk about stress reduction, injury proofing, increased flexibility, and a lot more. We even briefly touch on sexual stamina and libido. We would love to hear from you! To send us topic suggestions or give feedback, you can email us at meanderingthroughmadness@gmail.com

This is our first interview, with an amazing and thoughtful guy, Mageed Salem. From meditation to charity work to burning letters, its all here. What's the connection between tiny horses and apple trees? Listen carefully and you might find out!

We dig deep into self talk, programmed behaviors and ways we've found to get along in life. We discuss a couple of simple tools anyone can use to change self talk. Then, we end the show with a challenge to ourselves for the week

Kyla and Tim talk about how being courteous is creating a positive moment from nothing, how meditation has changed their lives, why kale isn't a prerequisite for spirituality, and more