The Yoga Hour

Aging With Vitality and Grace

How can we remain vital and healthy as we grow older? The ancient system of Ayurveda, the sister science of yoga, has a deep understanding of our body’s natural aging process. We can utilize the medical science of Ayurveda to age naturally, remaining robust and vigorous throughout our entire life. Cynthia Copple, author of Know Your Blueprint: The Ayurvedic Secret to Restoring Your Vitality and Passion in 30 Days, joins guest host Dr. Laurel Trujillo for a discussion about Ayurvedic practices that help us stay healthy, energetic, and passionate as we age. Tune in and find out how!    

Rediscovering Wholeness: Yoga’s Tools for Recovery From Trauma

After we face physical or emotional trauma, how can we reconnect with the wholeness that is present at the soul level? How does yoga help us to heal? Yogic practices have been proven to alleviate both pain and suffering, and to allow us to find increased joy and serenity in our lives. Mary NurrieStearns, author of Yoga for Emotional Trauma, joins regular guest host Dr. Laurel Trujillo for a conversation about how yoga can help us rediscover the healing and wholeness that is within us. Tune in and learn steps you can take to live more joyfully in the present moment.

Yoga’s Powerful Tools for Rejuvenation and Healing

How can yoga help us to heal our hearts and our bodies? What scientific evidence is there that yoga is an effective tool for the treatment of chronic disease? Stress contributes to the development of many of today’s chronic diseases, and yoga is a masterful system for healing the effects of chronic stress. Yoga expert Nischala Joy Devi, who helped develop the stress management portion of the Dr. Dean Ornish Program for Reversing Heart Disease and cofounded the Commonweal Cancer Help Program, joins regular guest host Dr. Laurel Trujillo in a conversation about how yoga can help restore our health and vitality. Tune in and find out more about yoga’s tools for rediscovering our wholeness.

Conscious Companionship: How to Be a Compassionate Presence

What does it mean to be a conscious companion? Being with someone who is suffering a loss, is ill, or dying can be an intense, intimate experience. How does our relationship with our own body, mind, and spirit affect our ability to be present for others? How do we take care of ourselves so we can be that compassionate presence? Frank Ostaseski, founder of the Metta Institute and cofounder of Zen Hospice Project, joins regular guest host Dr. Laurel Trujillo to explore how we can wholeheartedly accompany others on their journeys.

Mysteries of the Brain and the Secrets of the Heart

There is a power for good within each one of us. It is the same power that runs the universe. When we nurture awareness of that power and learn to cooperate with it, we can accomplish our worthy goals. Join regular guest host Dr. Laurel Trujillo and Dr. James Doty, author of Into the Magic Shop: A Neurosurgeon’s Quest to Discover the Mysteries of the Brain and the Secrets of the Heart. A clinical professor of neurosurgery at Stanford and founder and director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education, Dr. Doty brings a scientific viewpoint as well insights from his journey of awakening to discover what this power is, how we can access it for our own success, and for the good of the world.

Walking With Paramahansa Yogananda: The Pilgrim’s Journey

Paramahansa Yogananda’s faith, devotion, and persistence to know God propelled him to be one of the leading spiritual teachers of all time. His travels throughout India and meetings with saints and sages continue to inspire seekers today. Join Yogacharya Ellen Grace O’Brian and Ron Lindahn, both devoted students of Roy Eugene Davis, a direct disciple of Paramahansa Yogananda, and hear stories of Ron's pilgrimage to places where Yogananda and his spiritual teachers walked. Learn little-known stories of Yogananda that will inspire your own inner pilgrimage of self-discovery. 

Living a Yoga Life

What does it mean to live a life of yoga? Simply put: yoga offers us the opportunity to live fully—joyfully, consciously, and purposefully. Swami Sitaramananda, head of the Sivananda Centers on the West Coast of the United States and in Asia, and Yogacharya Ellen Grace O’Brian will explore the joys and challenges of living a yoga life—offering gems of inspiration and practical wisdom from their decades of practice. 
 

The Transformative Power of Self-Compassion

How does the practice of self-compassion transform our lives and positively affect our world? Can we learn to give ourselves the same caring support we would give to a friend? When we are critical of ourselves we may seek to blame others for our shortcomings or try to hide those aspects of our personalities that we don’t like. With self-compassion, we can open our hearts and look kindly on all aspects of our personality. This ability to see clearly and with kindness enables us to choose a different way that leads to a healthier, happier, and more fulfilling life, and more peaceful interactions in the world. Dr. Kristin Neff, author of Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself, joins Yogacharya O’Brian to explore how the practice of self-compassion can lead to healing for us and for our world. 

Enjoy Food, Enjoy Health, Enjoy Life!

In our modern fast-paced, fast-food culture, it’s easy to forget how to enjoy food in a healthy way that nourishes all aspects of our being. What can we learn from the yoga tradition about cooking and eating that will help us shift into a more satisfying relationship with food? Regular guest host Dr. Laurel Trujillo is joined by Diksha McCord, author of The Healing Kitchen: Vegetarian Cooking With Higher Awareness, for a conversation about how healthy eating habits honor your body temple and help to expand your consciousness.

Living Our Spirituality

What happens when we move spirituality from the periphery to the center of our life? When our practice is not an isolated time of meditation, but part of everything that we do? Pravrajika Vrajaprana, author of Vedanta: A Simple Introduction, joins Yogacharya O’Brian for a conversation about how we can move from compartmentalized spiritual practice to living in divine awareness all the time, regardless of our activities. Tune in and learn what steps you can take to live your spirituality every day!