The Yoga Hour

Deciding to Be Free: The Mystery and Delight of Surrender

Surrender of the illusion that we are separate from the Source of all, and that the ego is in control of our lives, is essential to the experience of real freedom. Surrender is a spiritual practice found in every mystical tradition and a cornerstone to 12-Step recovery programs as well. Rabbi Rami Shapiro and Rev. O’Brian explore the nature of surrender as a practice and offer some surprising insights needed to enter the way of surrender.

Divine Fitness: The Path of Optimal Health, Peace of Mind and Joyful Living

Dr. Marc Halpern, teacher of Ayurvedic medicine, joins Rev. O’Brian for a look at how to unlock our healing potential through self-awareness and conscious living. Discover how the sciences of Ayurveda and Yoga come together to provide a comprehensive map for optimal well-being—physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. 

Breath: The Key to Consciousness, Vitality and Liberation

Join Rev. O’Brian and Richard Rosen, yoga teacher and pranayama expert, for an insightful exploration of how yogic breathing practices can break up ineffective breathing patterns, return you to your authentic breath and open the door to expanded energy and awareness. Richard Rosen is the director of Piedmont Yoga Studio in Oakland, California, and the author of The Yoga of Breath: A Step-by-Step Guide to Pranayama, Pranayama Beyond the Fundamentals: An In-Depth Guide to Yogic Breathing With Instructional CD, and Original Yoga: Rediscovering Traditional Practices of Hatha Yoga.

Meditation, Science and Your Brain: Insights From Neuroscience That Can Change Your Life

Visionary and world-renowned neuroscientist Richard Davidson joins Rev. O’Brian for this fascinating and illuminating conversation about the mind, the brain and our emotional nature that will change the way you see yourself and inspire your ability to make positive changes. A pioneer in researching the effects of meditation, Dr. Davidson was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine. He has co-authored a new book with Sharon Begley entitled, The Emotional Life of Your Brain: How Its Unique Patterns Affect the Way You Think, Feel, and Live—and How You Can Change Them.

Stable and Conducive to Bliss: Insights Into Asana

Asana, the posture or seat that prepares us for meditation, is an intentional meeting place for the body, mind and essential Self. Meta Chaya Hirschl, author of Vital Yoga: A Sourcebook for Students and Teachers, joins Rev. O’Brian for a deep look at how yoga philosophy and practice can help us transcend fear and experience bliss.

Patience, Contentment and the Key to Unconditional Happiness and Peace

Allan Lokos, founder of The Community Meditation Center in New York and author of the book Patience: The Art of Peaceful Living, joins Rev. O’Brian for an insightful conversation about the powerful role patience plays in our lives every day. Is it possible that many mistakes we have made, or unkind words we have spoken, could have been avoided if we had been more patient? What does being patient require of us? What does it make possible?

The Way of Spiritually Conscious Living

Roy Eugene Davis, a direct disciple of Paramahansa Yogananda, offers spiritual insights and practical tools from the tradition of Kriya Yoga to facilitate spiritually conscious living every day. Rev. O’Brian welcomes her spiritual teacher back to The Yoga Hour with this conversation that explores the pure simplicity of spiritual enlightenment and its accessibility for spiritual seekers today.

Ashtanga: Patanjali’s Step-by-Step Guide for Spiritual Realization and Fulfilled Living

Ashtanga Yoga, or the Eight-Limbed Path, offers eight essential steps for spiritual realization and fulfilled living. This path is identified in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra, the classic text for meditation and spiritual practice. Author and Yoga Philosophy teacher Nicolai Bachman joins Rev. O’Brian for a profound and practical look at how living these steps each day can positively transform our lives. Discover how these steps work from the inside out and the outside in to purify our hearts, minds, bodies, and our relationships in order to awaken our deepest wisdom.

A New Harmony: The Spirit, the Earth and the Soul

John Philip Newell, minister with the Church of Scotland and author of more than 15 books, brings his passion for peace among the religions to this conversation about the importance of  harmony within us as well as between us. Join Rev. Newell and Rev. O’Brian to explore the meeting place of Yoga and Celtic spirituality, especially as these traditions honor the Earth and help us find healing in our lives today. Capture the vision of our essential oneness and be part of the new harmony coming into planetary awareness.

Yoga, Ecology and the Divine Feminine

Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, the spiritual head of the Himalayan Institute, joins Rev. O’Brian for an inspired look at how the eternal powers of Spirit and Nature, Purusa and Prakriti, are both within us. An unprecedented level of fulfillment awaits our realization of our innate potential. Discover how a deeper understanding of yoga, ecology and the Divine Feminine can open the door to this fulfillment.