1
00:00:54,019 –> 00:00:56,699
Today, we are speaking
with Jeff Patterson.

2
00:00:57,080 –> 00:01:03,059
He is an author, he has thirty-six
years of experience practicing and

3
00:01:03,129 –> 00:01:06,779
teaching meditative and martial arts.

4
00:01:07,259 –> 00:01:09,369
Jeff, could you please introduce yourself?

5
00:01:09,369 –> 00:01:11,999
Let people know just a little
more about you, please?

6
00:01:13,229 –> 00:01:14,600
Yeah, thanks for having me.

7
00:01:14,669 –> 00:01:19,759
Um, I have a, uh, uh, academy
here in Portland, Oregon.

8
00:01:20,190 –> 00:01:23,419
I’ve been teaching here at
the academy for thirty years,

9
00:01:23,500 –> 00:01:25,110
I started it up back in 1994.

10
00:01:26,669 –> 00:01:29,599
And through the years,
I’ve been very fortunate.

11
00:01:29,599 –> 00:01:32,970
I’ve had over 26, 000 students
come through the academy.

12
00:01:33,335 –> 00:01:37,414
And we do four different adult
programs here at the academy, we have a

13
00:01:37,425 –> 00:01:42,024
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu program, a striking
program, or we do boxing and Muay Thai.

14
00:01:42,354 –> 00:01:46,264
We have an Escrima program and then
mostly what we’re going to talk about

15
00:01:46,264 –> 00:01:48,835
today is our meditation program.

16
00:01:49,164 –> 00:01:54,115
And you know, through the years,
what’s been such a motivator for me and

17
00:01:54,115 –> 00:01:58,195
has been a lot of enjoyment is that,
you know, it’s always fun to take a

18
00:01:58,195 –> 00:02:02,764
competitor out in Brazilian jiu jitsu
or Muay Thai and have them do well.

19
00:02:03,255 –> 00:02:08,245
But something that’s always been close
to my heart with the meditative arts

20
00:02:08,245 –> 00:02:13,834
is that, you know, people are coming
here for learning how to deal with

21
00:02:13,834 –> 00:02:18,725
a sickness or an ailment, or maybe
they’re dealing with stress or anxiety.

22
00:02:19,084 –> 00:02:25,610
And when they can take on the meditation
practice and it changes their whole life,

23
00:02:26,300 –> 00:02:29,150
that is something that truly inspires me.

24
00:02:29,150 –> 00:02:33,430
And that’s what’s kind of motivated me to
write my last couple of books and create

25
00:02:33,440 –> 00:02:37,640
my online program and why I’m just really
trying to get the message out there.

26
00:02:40,040 –> 00:02:42,250
Yeah, I enjoy what you do a lot.

27
00:02:42,610 –> 00:02:46,960
I no longer participate in
those sports, but in my younger

28
00:02:46,960 –> 00:02:50,089
day, I used to really enjoy it.

29
00:02:50,590 –> 00:02:57,440
It really helps ground you in many ways,
find your center, and it humbles you.

30
00:02:58,075 –> 00:03:07,094
Once you open up to understanding, you’re
not invincible, and that’s where thinking

31
00:03:07,094 –> 00:03:14,394
about things come in handy, and I take
that meditation helps with that a lot.

32
00:03:16,330 –> 00:03:16,660
Yeah.

33
00:03:16,740 –> 00:03:20,880
Meditation is great, you know,
and it’s funny because I got

34
00:03:20,890 –> 00:03:24,570
turned on to the meditative arts
in a bit of a roundabout way.

35
00:03:24,650 –> 00:03:30,269
I was about nineteen years old, very
into Western boxing, and I used to go

36
00:03:30,269 –> 00:03:34,350
to a boxing gym that’s just a few blocks
down the street here from my academy.

37
00:03:34,789 –> 00:03:39,410
And if, for your listeners, if they’re
not familiar with it, your traditional

38
00:03:39,410 –> 00:03:43,320
boxing gym is not really run like
your normal fitness class where you

39
00:03:43,320 –> 00:03:46,845
come in and there’s a, a teacher
or a coach and everybody follows

40
00:03:46,845 –> 00:03:48,495
what the coach’s instructions are.

41
00:03:49,035 –> 00:03:54,545
In a boxing gym, usually there’s a
handful of coaches or maybe just a couple

42
00:03:54,545 –> 00:03:59,335
depending on the size of the gym, but each
one of those coaches might have three or

43
00:03:59,335 –> 00:04:01,055
four fighters that they’re working with.

44
00:04:01,220 –> 00:04:07,010
Well, at this one gym that I was at,
one of the coaches had created national

45
00:04:07,010 –> 00:04:08,760
and world champion level fighters.

46
00:04:09,060 –> 00:04:12,590
I really wanted to get to spend some
time with him, he was an amazing coach.

47
00:04:12,950 –> 00:04:16,010
And so I’d always show up at the
gym when I knew he was going to

48
00:04:16,019 –> 00:04:19,579
be there and tried to get him
to notice me and work very hard.

49
00:04:19,579 –> 00:04:22,239
So he would, you know, keep an eye on me.

50
00:04:22,239 –> 00:04:28,255
And it was about maybe four months of
doing this, he finally started giving me a

51
00:04:28,255 –> 00:04:30,415
few tips and helping me out a little bit.

52
00:04:30,785 –> 00:04:35,634
And It was only about maybe two or three
weeks from him starting to give me a

53
00:04:35,634 –> 00:04:40,034
few pointers when he said something
to me that changed my life forever.

54
00:04:40,424 –> 00:04:43,745
He said, You know, if you really
want to be a good boxer, you should

55
00:04:43,755 –> 00:04:45,815
start doing meditation and Tai Chi.

56
00:04:46,295 –> 00:04:49,575
Now at the time, I was this nineteen
year old kid who didn’t know much of

57
00:04:49,575 –> 00:04:53,450
anything thinking, You know, isn’t Tai
Chi for like old people in the park?

58
00:04:53,450 –> 00:04:55,310
How’s that gonna help
me be a better fighter?

59
00:04:55,310 –> 00:04:59,519
And, you know, I, I started doing the
practice, I had a lot of respect for him.

60
00:04:59,540 –> 00:05:03,929
And not only did it change my life in
many ways through the years, you know,

61
00:05:03,930 –> 00:05:07,920
I’ve heard hundreds of stories of students
that have come in, come in and taken

62
00:05:07,920 –> 00:05:12,289
on the meditative practice and seen how
it’s positively influenced their lives.

63
00:05:12,290 –> 00:05:15,195
And so it’s, it’s been
a strong driver for me.

64
00:05:17,275 –> 00:05:18,505
Yeah, it’s interesting.

65
00:05:19,435 –> 00:05:23,785
You, you say there’s three types of
meditation, could you cover those

66
00:05:23,794 –> 00:05:28,515
for us and let us know a little bit
about each of those meditation types?

67
00:05:30,305 –> 00:05:35,634
Well, so I, I break down meditation
into kind of five different paths.

68
00:05:35,904 –> 00:05:39,145
And then I’ll, I’ll touch on what you’re
referring to here in a minute when

69
00:05:39,145 –> 00:05:42,819
there are different modalities of how
we can practice the different methods.

70
00:05:42,819 –> 00:05:47,880
And so when somebody comes to the
meditative practice, they can come

71
00:05:47,880 –> 00:05:52,529
with the goal of, uh, what I call the
athletic side of the training where

72
00:05:52,530 –> 00:05:56,460
they’re wanting to improve their athletic
performance and their timing, and their

73
00:05:56,460 –> 00:06:00,080
present state of mind and their ability
to focus, and all those things that

74
00:06:00,080 –> 00:06:01,650
help make them be a better athlete.

75
00:06:02,309 –> 00:06:07,255
Then there’s the therapeutic side of
the practice, which is great for dealing

76
00:06:07,255 –> 00:06:11,655
with injuries, working on your strength,
and stability, and your flexibility.

77
00:06:12,005 –> 00:06:16,275
Then there’s the medical side of the
practice, which is a very deep topic.

78
00:06:16,284 –> 00:06:20,824
You know, all of, uh, Chinese medicine
is based on Qigong theory, which

79
00:06:20,824 –> 00:06:24,394
is one of the meditation practices
that we do here at the academy.

80
00:06:24,804 –> 00:06:29,965
And then there’s the philosophical
side, which teaches virtue

81
00:06:29,965 –> 00:06:35,650
and how to strategically
think through life situations.

82
00:06:35,940 –> 00:06:40,010
And then there’s lastly the spiritual
side of the practice, which is what

83
00:06:40,010 –> 00:06:44,240
we mostly think of or hear about when
we talk about the meditative arts.

84
00:06:44,700 –> 00:06:50,229
Now, any one of these five paths
that we decide to follow, there’s

85
00:06:50,240 –> 00:06:53,979
three basic pillars that we use

86
00:06:54,220 –> 00:06:58,720
that help us integrate the meditative
arts into our lives so we can build an

87
00:06:58,730 –> 00:07:01,090
evolving life practice with meditation.

88
00:07:01,610 –> 00:07:05,599
And they are ritual, active,
and philosophical practices.

89
00:07:06,010 –> 00:07:11,510
A ritual practice is where
you set time aside every day.

90
00:07:11,740 –> 00:07:15,390
Maybe it’s twenty minutes, maybe it’s
an hour, or whatever that is for you.

91
00:07:15,650 –> 00:07:20,039
And you do maybe a sitting meditation,
or a standing meditation, or a

92
00:07:20,039 –> 00:07:23,969
movement practice like Tai Chi, or
Qigong, or whatever that is for you.

93
00:07:24,650 –> 00:07:31,380
And then active practices are where we
integrate these things, these breathing

94
00:07:31,390 –> 00:07:36,924
strategies, these postural exercises,
these mental training exercises

95
00:07:36,924 –> 00:07:40,194
that we do into our daily lives.

96
00:07:40,245 –> 00:07:44,694
And they can be done in as little as
sixty seconds or two minutes, it’s not

97
00:07:44,694 –> 00:07:48,225
that you need to retire to a cave and
meditate for the rest of your life.

98
00:07:48,605 –> 00:07:55,664
But when you can learn to make meditation
a way of life and not a hobby that we do

99
00:07:55,664 –> 00:08:00,255
once in a while, that’s where you really
start to benefit from the practice.

100
00:08:00,534 –> 00:08:03,594
And then lastly, there’s
philosophical practices that can

101
00:08:03,594 –> 00:08:06,715
be both active or ritual based.

102
00:08:06,715 –> 00:08:11,814
And so with these three pillars,
we start to create an evolving life

103
00:08:11,824 –> 00:08:13,366
practice with the meditative arts.

104
00:08:13,366 –> 00:08:15,821
You just brought up a good point.

105
00:08:15,821 –> 00:08:22,885
On one of the podcasts that I
listened to with my research, I

106
00:08:22,885 –> 00:08:29,295
ran across the quote that came from
you, Create a life, not a living.

107
00:08:29,435 –> 00:08:33,105
Now I know that somebody told
you this, but I found that

108
00:08:33,105 –> 00:08:36,235
quote very, very interesting.

109
00:08:36,694 –> 00:08:43,185
And I think that’s important for
introducing into our lives also that

110
00:08:43,205 –> 00:08:50,960
we have to create our life and not a
living when we reach out into the world

111
00:08:50,980 –> 00:08:54,650
for like our jobs and all of this.

112
00:08:54,880 –> 00:08:57,199
So, how do we do that?

113
00:08:57,199 –> 00:09:03,060
How do we create a life instead
of a living in this complex world?

114
00:09:05,650 –> 00:09:10,690
That’s a great question, and
it’s not always the easiest path.

115
00:09:11,090 –> 00:09:18,240
You know, I was the first kid in my whole
extended family to go through college.

116
00:09:18,700 –> 00:09:21,770
And everybody thought, Ahh, he’s
going to go get a big important

117
00:09:21,780 –> 00:09:23,290
job and do something important.

118
00:09:23,400 –> 00:09:28,050
You know, and, and I remember my old
boxing coach telling me you want to

119
00:09:28,050 –> 00:09:29,709
create a life, not make a living.

120
00:09:29,709 –> 00:09:34,830
And, and, you know, the thought of
sitting behind a computer all day

121
00:09:34,830 –> 00:09:39,315
or doing something that I wasn’t
happy doing and doing that for the

122
00:09:39,315 –> 00:09:41,235
rest of my life seemed daunting.

123
00:09:41,585 –> 00:09:44,825
And I was really passionate about
the meditative and the martial arts

124
00:09:45,225 –> 00:09:47,555
and so I decided to follow that path.

125
00:09:47,815 –> 00:09:50,775
And it was difficult, you know,
it took a number of years.

126
00:09:50,775 –> 00:09:55,155
I never would have thought it would turn
into what it was or what it is today.

127
00:09:55,675 –> 00:10:02,390
Um, you know, I remember telling
myself back in 94 that if I could

128
00:10:02,390 –> 00:10:06,510
just make 30, 000 dollars a year
doing what I love to do, I’d be happy.

129
00:10:06,670 –> 00:10:09,420
You know, it was, I didn’t follow
this path thinking that I was

130
00:10:09,420 –> 00:10:10,479
going to be rich, you know?

131
00:10:10,479 –> 00:10:18,650
And, and, uh, it’s been so rewarding
to have a passion that I follow.

132
00:10:18,980 –> 00:10:24,775
And I think the first step for somebody
to do that is, they need to stay

133
00:10:24,775 –> 00:10:27,584
connected to who they really are.

134
00:10:27,645 –> 00:10:29,055
Because there is

135
00:10:31,214 –> 00:10:39,845
such a pull in society today to get in
this fast paced way of life where we’ve

136
00:10:39,855 –> 00:10:44,605
got the cell phone in our hand 24/7 and
we’ve got this distraction, and this

137
00:10:44,605 –> 00:10:48,855
distraction, and this distraction where
we kind of lose touch of who we are.

138
00:10:49,275 –> 00:10:54,225
And a lot of times it’s almost as if,
you know, we’re wearing a mask everywhere

139
00:10:54,225 –> 00:11:00,375
we go or got these barriers up to maybe
not show people how we truly feel.

140
00:11:00,385 –> 00:11:03,074
We don’t want to say something to
hurt their feelings or we don’t

141
00:11:03,074 –> 00:11:05,125
want them to see how we really feel.

142
00:11:05,475 –> 00:11:12,415
And because of this, sometimes we get
so caught up in this way of life that

143
00:11:12,515 –> 00:11:16,135
we start to look at ourselves in the
mirror and we’re still wearing that mask.

144
00:11:16,515 –> 00:11:21,775
And the meditative arts is one of those
things that allows us to take those masks

145
00:11:21,775 –> 00:11:27,495
off, put those barriers down, and really
stay connected to the root of who we are.

146
00:11:27,495 –> 00:11:32,915
And when we can do that, then we can
start to create the life that we want.

147
00:11:32,935 –> 00:11:37,334
But without that connection, it’s,
it’s a very difficult thing to do.

148
00:11:39,915 –> 00:11:41,535
Yeah, I believe that 100 percent.

149
00:11:41,564 –> 00:11:45,344
Now going further with
that, you live in Portland.

150
00:11:45,944 –> 00:11:50,425
You know, I, I live in Southern
Oregon down here in Bly, Oregon.

151
00:11:50,835 –> 00:11:57,905
And I’m in the wilderness by Crater
Lake so I have a lot of time to be

152
00:11:57,915 –> 00:12:04,224
in nature and I consume it a lot
because I find it peaceful and it’s,

153
00:12:04,245 –> 00:12:06,595
it’s kind of a meditation practice.

154
00:12:07,095 –> 00:12:12,624
So living in the city,
how do you enjoy nature?

155
00:12:12,644 –> 00:12:13,564
Or do you?

156
00:12:13,625 –> 00:12:18,815
And do you try to apply
that into your life?

157
00:12:19,050 –> 00:12:23,510
First off, yes, I love
being out in nature.

158
00:12:23,510 –> 00:12:29,395
Which is why, um, we live in the
outskirts of, of the, the town here.

159
00:12:29,425 –> 00:12:35,625
Um, we have a seven and a half acre lot up
in Forest Park, which is, uh, beautiful.

160
00:12:35,625 –> 00:12:39,465
There’s lots of trees, it’s quiet, you
can’t see any neighbors around, you

161
00:12:39,465 –> 00:12:41,594
know, it’s, it’s very peaceful up there.

162
00:12:41,594 –> 00:12:47,415
And that’s always been, uh, something
that I’ve desired and wanted.

163
00:12:47,425 –> 00:12:52,455
You know, for most of my life I’ve lived
in the city and having some connection

164
00:12:52,685 –> 00:12:55,225
to nature, I think is real important.

165
00:12:55,885 –> 00:13:03,340
The other thing is, is that same feeling
you get sometimes when you’re in nature

166
00:13:04,340 –> 00:13:08,780
is having the tools and the ability
to use these different meditation

167
00:13:08,780 –> 00:13:15,470
practices to tap into that energy and
that feeling when you’re in your office,

168
00:13:15,470 –> 00:13:18,785
or when you’re in your living room,
or when you’re in your car, you know?

169
00:13:18,785 –> 00:13:24,245
And start making it become a connection,
and a feeling, and a way of life

170
00:13:24,255 –> 00:13:26,225
that you do and everything you do.

171
00:13:26,225 –> 00:13:29,455
And the great thing about the
meditative arts is, it gives us

172
00:13:29,455 –> 00:13:33,835
the tools and the ability to keep
that connection going all the time.

173
00:13:36,275 –> 00:13:36,685
Yeah.

174
00:13:36,744 –> 00:13:37,775
Yeah, I love that.

175
00:13:38,094 –> 00:13:42,344
And I think it’s really important
for people to practice some

176
00:13:42,354 –> 00:13:46,375
sort of quietness, if you will.

177
00:13:46,415 –> 00:13:51,805
I know nature is not quiet,
it’s got birds, and wind, and

178
00:13:51,945 –> 00:13:54,365
water, and all of these things.

179
00:13:54,365 –> 00:14:02,065
They can be very calming if we just
listen to them and I find it really nice.

180
00:14:02,685 –> 00:14:10,415
Uh, another thing you talk about is, uh,
understanding the five religions and this

181
00:14:10,415 –> 00:14:13,435
will lead to a healthier, happier life.

182
00:14:13,815 –> 00:14:17,465
Can we talk a little bit and
understand more about that?

183
00:14:18,735 –> 00:14:19,135
Yeah.

184
00:14:19,135 –> 00:14:23,275
So these are the five, what I
call the five regulations and

185
00:14:23,275 –> 00:14:29,355
they are, um, the fundamental
pillars in any meditation practice.

186
00:14:29,725 –> 00:14:33,644
And basically it’s regulating
the body, regulating the breath,

187
00:14:33,724 –> 00:14:37,685
regulating the mind, regulating the
energy, and regulating the spirit.

188
00:14:37,795 –> 00:14:40,565
And briefly I’ll kind of touch
on what all of those are.

189
00:14:40,635 –> 00:14:44,130
So first, regulating the body.

190
00:14:44,470 –> 00:14:48,920
It doesn’t matter what meditation
practice you take up and whether

191
00:14:48,920 –> 00:14:52,500
it’s a sitting practice, a standing
meditation, a movement practice

192
00:14:52,500 –> 00:14:57,510
like Tai Chi, Qigong, or Yoga,
regulating the body is very essential.

193
00:14:58,010 –> 00:15:02,160
Now the idea of regulating the body is
being aware of our skeletal alignment,

194
00:15:02,160 –> 00:15:06,060
and our muscular tension in the body,
and how we move through the day.

195
00:15:06,370 –> 00:15:12,280
And an example of this would be, think
about a time maybe when you’re sitting

196
00:15:12,280 –> 00:15:15,560
down at your computer and you’ve been
there three or four hours and you’re

197
00:15:15,560 –> 00:15:19,220
feeling lethargic and drained and
you’re, maybe even your neck’s getting

198
00:15:19,220 –> 00:15:24,510
a little bit sore, and then think about
another time when the most important

199
00:15:24,510 –> 00:15:28,400
person in your world walks in the
room and your body perks up and you

200
00:15:28,400 –> 00:15:30,160
feel like you’re on top of the world.

201
00:15:30,610 –> 00:15:34,970
Well, these two different
energetic states, we are in

202
00:15:34,970 –> 00:15:38,079
control of 100 percent of the time.

203
00:15:38,399 –> 00:15:43,940
And so when we can learn how to regulate
the body, we can regulate how we present

204
00:15:43,940 –> 00:15:45,820
ourselves to the rest of the world.

205
00:15:46,210 –> 00:15:49,715
And the question that I ask for those
of you that are listening is, How

206
00:15:49,725 –> 00:15:53,515
much of your day are you choosing
to live in that depleted state?

207
00:15:54,335 –> 00:15:59,775
Because we can all change that
by the simple idea of learning

208
00:15:59,775 –> 00:16:01,125
how to regulate the body.

209
00:16:01,684 –> 00:16:04,885
Then the next regulation
is regulating the breath.

210
00:16:05,174 –> 00:16:11,075
And regulating the breath is a very
deep topic, it’s something that you

211
00:16:11,075 –> 00:16:15,055
will study for the rest of your life
if you take on a meditation practice.

212
00:16:15,425 –> 00:16:20,144
And oftentimes, Qigong is referred
to as the science of the breath

213
00:16:20,145 –> 00:16:24,095
because there’s literally hundreds
of different breathing strategies.

214
00:16:24,414 –> 00:16:29,680
And so we broadly categorize them
into the Yin Methods and Yang Methods.

215
00:16:30,130 –> 00:16:34,336
Yin Methods are often deeper,
more holistic style of meditations

216
00:16:34,336 –> 00:16:37,650
that bring the energy inward.

217
00:16:37,910 –> 00:16:43,779
And an example of a Yin Meditation,
or a Yin style breath would be, if

218
00:16:43,780 –> 00:16:48,430
you ever listen to somebody sleep,
their natural breathing pattern is a

219
00:16:48,430 –> 00:16:51,209
longer inhale and a shorter exhale.

220
00:16:51,620 –> 00:16:56,385
And this is the body’s natural way of
bringing your conscious mind into our

221
00:16:56,385 –> 00:17:00,245
subconscious mind, which is where we
are when we’re sleeping and dreaming.

222
00:17:00,755 –> 00:17:05,875
And so if we want to emulate this
style of energy in our meditations,

223
00:17:06,264 –> 00:17:10,445
we can do longer inhales, soft
retentions, at the end of the inhale

224
00:17:10,704 –> 00:17:12,945
to help bring that energy inward.

225
00:17:13,195 –> 00:17:17,724
And this is very effective for stress
reduction, dealing with anxiety,

226
00:17:17,744 –> 00:17:22,115
panic attacks, it’s good to boost your
creativity, there’s a lot of benefits

227
00:17:22,125 –> 00:17:23,914
that come from this side of the practice.

228
00:17:24,454 –> 00:17:30,310
Then we have the Yang side of the
practice and this is more aggressive.

229
00:17:30,310 –> 00:17:33,840
It’s kind of like if you’ve ever had to
push your car or you pick up something

230
00:17:33,840 –> 00:17:39,310
heavy, your natural instinct is to
use the exhale side of the breath,

231
00:17:39,899 –> 00:17:43,689
put tension in the breath, make it
audible, and this helps generate

232
00:17:43,689 –> 00:17:46,080
power and bring the energy outward.

233
00:17:46,569 –> 00:17:51,350
Another example of a Yin breath
would be, if you ever listen to

234
00:17:51,350 –> 00:17:57,050
somebody when they’re crying, they are
normally, they’re doing longer inhales,

235
00:17:57,070 –> 00:17:59,199
which brings that energy inward.

236
00:17:59,440 –> 00:18:03,959
And in turn, when somebody cries for
a long time, and they get depressed,

237
00:18:03,959 –> 00:18:09,049
and they turn their energy inward as
a, as a, over a period of time, they

238
00:18:09,049 –> 00:18:14,409
will often make them sick because
this Yin, this strong Yin energy

239
00:18:14,699 –> 00:18:16,909
is weakening of the immune system.

240
00:18:17,500 –> 00:18:21,400
And then the flip side of that, and
another example of the Yang side

241
00:18:21,400 –> 00:18:26,095
of the breath would be when you’re
laughing, ha ha ha ha ha, you’re

242
00:18:26,315 –> 00:18:28,284
exhaling longer than you inhale.

243
00:18:28,284 –> 00:18:31,725
And if you’ve ever laughed, did a deep
belly laugh and laughed for twenty

244
00:18:31,745 –> 00:18:36,004
minutes, you’ll notice you start
sweating and you start feeling very warm.

245
00:18:36,335 –> 00:18:40,454
Well, this is an example of how
we lead that energy outward.

246
00:18:40,880 –> 00:18:44,240
And we naturally do these
things in our life all the time.

247
00:18:44,650 –> 00:18:50,179
But when we can learn how to control
that and balance that with our breath,

248
00:18:51,110 –> 00:18:54,829
and in Chinese philosophy, they
call this balancing the Kan and Li.

249
00:18:55,259 –> 00:18:59,769
Now, you know, everybody goes through
the day with emotional ups and downs.

250
00:18:59,839 –> 00:19:03,630
Some people are like a roller coaster,
others maybe a little more balanced.

251
00:19:03,940 –> 00:19:09,210
But when you start recognizing these
imbalances, and you start feeling a sense

252
00:19:09,210 –> 00:19:14,174
of agitation or excitement, we can use the
Yin breath to help bring you back down.

253
00:19:14,534 –> 00:19:17,674
And when you start feeling
depleted, we can use the Yang

254
00:19:17,685 –> 00:19:19,215
breath to help pick us back up.

255
00:19:19,925 –> 00:19:25,595
And now understanding how to do this
can provide us a lot more balance in, in

256
00:19:25,595 –> 00:19:29,874
present state of mind throughout the day
by learning how to regulate this breath.

257
00:19:30,395 –> 00:19:35,085
And then the third regulation
is, regulating the mind.

258
00:19:35,094 –> 00:19:39,185
And just as with the breath,
this is a lifelong practice.

259
00:19:39,605 –> 00:19:44,125
Now, oftentimes I’ve heard people
that are coming to the practice,

260
00:19:44,145 –> 00:19:48,364
they’ll tell me, I tried meditation,
but it just didn’t work for me.

261
00:19:48,365 –> 00:19:49,785
I couldn’t quiet my mind.

262
00:19:50,445 –> 00:19:56,384
Well, somewhere along the way people got
this idea that in order to be successful

263
00:19:56,384 –> 00:20:00,625
with meditation, that you have to
reach this state of Nirvana and nothing

264
00:20:00,625 –> 00:20:02,635
bothers you and you never get distracted.

265
00:20:02,635 –> 00:20:04,845
And it couldn’t be further from the truth.

266
00:20:04,905 –> 00:20:08,615
You know, I’ve been studying the
meditative arts for a long time.

267
00:20:08,655 –> 00:20:10,864
I’ve traveled around the world
and trained with some of the

268
00:20:10,865 –> 00:20:15,325
most amazing practitioners on the
planet and I have never once met

269
00:20:15,355 –> 00:20:17,995
anybody who doesn’t get distracted.

270
00:20:18,435 –> 00:20:21,034
Everybody does, it’s
just the way of humanity.

271
00:20:21,435 –> 00:20:26,165
And when you can change that mindset
and realize that you’re not failing

272
00:20:26,165 –> 00:20:31,335
when you get distracted and realize
that you’re doing good by recognizing

273
00:20:31,335 –> 00:20:35,385
the distraction, you can turn it
from a negative into a positive.

274
00:20:35,824 –> 00:20:40,170
And now say, for example, you’re
doing a, a sitting meditation or

275
00:20:40,170 –> 00:20:45,090
a movement practice for twenty
minutes, and you get distracted

276
00:20:45,090 –> 00:20:46,960
fifty times during that session.

277
00:20:47,560 –> 00:20:51,500
Well, every time you get distracted,
you recognize the distraction.

278
00:20:51,509 –> 00:20:55,585
You use your posture, your breath,
your movement, whatever it is to

279
00:20:55,585 –> 00:20:57,225
help bring you back to center.

280
00:20:57,554 –> 00:21:02,355
And now you just got fifty
repetitions of being out of focus and

281
00:21:02,355 –> 00:21:04,344
bringing yourself back into focus.

282
00:21:04,864 –> 00:21:09,105
Now you do this every day, every
month, every year, you start

283
00:21:09,125 –> 00:21:10,974
almost becoming indestructible.

284
00:21:11,210 –> 00:21:15,844
And if somebody says something to throw
you off your game, or you have a stressful

285
00:21:15,855 –> 00:21:21,085
day at work, you can use these techniques
and strategies to help come back to

286
00:21:21,085 –> 00:21:26,634
the present state and be more balanced
and approach it with that calm state of

287
00:21:26,634 –> 00:21:29,364
mind rather than that imbalanced place.

288
00:21:29,835 –> 00:21:36,705
You know, there’s this, uh, story that I
really enjoy about these two old monks.

289
00:21:36,795 –> 00:21:40,474
And they’re walking down a dirt road
after a rainstorm and everything’s

290
00:21:40,484 –> 00:21:42,275
muddy and there’s puddles everywhere.

291
00:21:42,615 –> 00:21:46,815
And they come up to this huge mud puddle
and on the other side of the puddle

292
00:21:46,815 –> 00:21:51,094
is this beautiful little girl standing
there in a white dress and she’s crying.

293
00:21:51,610 –> 00:21:55,030
And the older monk, he yells
across the puddle and says, Is

294
00:21:55,030 –> 00:21:56,290
there anything we can do to help?

295
00:21:56,320 –> 00:21:57,219
Are you okay?

296
00:21:57,610 –> 00:22:00,950
And she says, I need to be somewhere,
but if I walk across this puddle,

297
00:22:00,950 –> 00:22:02,420
I’m going to get my dress all dirty.

298
00:22:02,880 –> 00:22:06,849
So the older monk, he rolls up his pant
legs and he walks across the puddle,

299
00:22:06,880 –> 00:22:10,540
picks her up, puts her on his back,
takes her to the other side, sets

300
00:22:10,540 –> 00:22:12,310
her down, and she’s off on her way.

301
00:22:12,959 –> 00:22:16,590
Well, him and the younger monk are
walking a couple miles down the road,

302
00:22:16,610 –> 00:22:21,570
and finally, the younger monk is just
furious, and he says, You know we’re

303
00:22:21,570 –> 00:22:25,370
not supposed to touch girls, but yet
you did back there at the puddle.

304
00:22:25,950 –> 00:22:29,585
And the older monk looks down
at him and says, You’re still

305
00:22:29,594 –> 00:22:30,955
thinking about that girl?

306
00:22:31,134 –> 00:22:32,695
I left her back there at the puddle.

307
00:22:33,545 –> 00:22:38,214
And how many times in life do we
have to get two miles down the muddy

308
00:22:38,214 –> 00:22:42,725
road before we finally realize we’re
imbalanced or need to let something go?

309
00:22:43,224 –> 00:22:46,505
And so this idea of learning
how to regulate the mind is a

310
00:22:46,514 –> 00:22:50,565
very important pillar in the
practice of the meditative arts.

311
00:22:51,245 –> 00:22:55,194
Then the fourth pillar
is, regulating the energy.

312
00:22:55,735 –> 00:22:59,404
And regulating the energy is a very
deep topic and something that we

313
00:22:59,415 –> 00:23:05,024
could talk about for hours, but the
basic understanding of it is, is once

314
00:23:05,024 –> 00:23:09,139
you’ve reached a competent level in
regulating the body, the breath, and

315
00:23:09,170 –> 00:23:14,950
the mind, now you have the tools to
circulate the energy in the body.

316
00:23:14,970 –> 00:23:18,159
Lead the energy inward,
extend the energy outward.

317
00:23:18,539 –> 00:23:23,189
And we do this for different
meditations to get different outcomes.

318
00:23:23,600 –> 00:23:28,534
And then the last regulation, which is
regulating the spirit, is a very profound,

319
00:23:28,545 –> 00:23:34,415
deep idea, and it’s something that
meditation masters and, and monks will

320
00:23:34,415 –> 00:23:39,335
spend their entire life working towards
that ultimate goal of enlightenment.

321
00:23:39,864 –> 00:23:45,550
And from these basic five pillars, or
five regulations, they’re the fundamental

322
00:23:45,550 –> 00:23:48,280
principles of any meditation practice.

323
00:23:48,590 –> 00:23:52,529
The cool thing is when you start to
understand these and see how they

324
00:23:52,529 –> 00:23:58,260
work, you can see that the practice
affects everything we do in life.

325
00:23:58,549 –> 00:24:03,029
And when we start integrating these
concepts into our day to day activities,

326
00:24:03,349 –> 00:24:05,070
it can make everything we do better.

327
00:24:07,735 –> 00:24:08,304
Awesome.

328
00:24:08,764 –> 00:24:11,655
You know, I want to say
sorry to my listeners.

329
00:24:11,905 –> 00:24:18,395
My dyslexia kicked in there and I
said religion instead of regulations.

330
00:24:18,574 –> 00:24:20,304
So I do apologize for that.

331
00:24:20,595 –> 00:24:24,705
I do want to be mindful of those absentee

332
00:24:26,804 –> 00:24:28,174
moments in my life.

333
00:24:28,564 –> 00:24:34,405
So I do really enjoy that and
I understand it better now.

334
00:24:35,205 –> 00:24:41,415
So I want to talk about the
Yielding Warrior Program and

335
00:24:41,575 –> 00:24:46,495
the Yielding Method a little bit
because that, that’s truly unique.

336
00:24:46,584 –> 00:24:48,384
Could you cover that for us?

337
00:24:49,895 –> 00:24:55,665
Yeah, so yielding is a concept that is
used in the meditative and the martial

338
00:24:55,665 –> 00:24:58,264
arts and it has been for generations.

339
00:24:58,604 –> 00:25:02,384
And all through my career, I’ve
always been fascinated by the idea

340
00:25:02,395 –> 00:25:06,834
because it allows somebody who’s
smaller and weaker to deal with

341
00:25:06,834 –> 00:25:08,635
somebody who’s bigger and stronger.

342
00:25:08,995 –> 00:25:14,799
And the basic idea of yielding is, there,
I break it down into three pillars.

343
00:25:14,799 –> 00:25:17,769
We have physical yielding, mental
yielding, and emotional yielding.

344
00:25:18,330 –> 00:25:23,619
Physical yielding is the idea that
I push you, you push me, whoever’s

345
00:25:23,620 –> 00:25:27,040
the bigger, stronger person with
the most leverage eventually is

346
00:25:27,040 –> 00:25:28,590
going to push the other person over.

347
00:25:29,370 –> 00:25:32,430
But with yielding, instead of
us trying to see who the bigger

348
00:25:32,430 –> 00:25:36,390
meathead is, when you push me, I
get out of the way of that force.

349
00:25:36,830 –> 00:25:38,959
Now I can respond with less effort.

350
00:25:39,000 –> 00:25:41,840
So I’m not trying to butt
heads with you and see if I’m

351
00:25:41,850 –> 00:25:43,270
bigger and stronger than you.

352
00:25:43,820 –> 00:25:49,824
Now it’s obvious how this is beneficial
in any kind of sport or physical activity.

353
00:25:49,824 –> 00:25:54,444
Because many times in athletics,
we come up against athletes that

354
00:25:54,444 –> 00:25:55,934
are bigger and stronger than us.

355
00:25:56,184 –> 00:25:59,224
And meeting them head on and
trying to force our will on them,

356
00:25:59,394 –> 00:26:00,864
we’re going to lose that battle.

357
00:26:01,314 –> 00:26:05,424
But when we can use this strategy and
learn how to lead them to a point of

358
00:26:05,424 –> 00:26:11,544
weakness and then attack, it allows
us to get the upper hand on people who

359
00:26:11,544 –> 00:26:13,385
are a lot bigger and stronger than us.

360
00:26:13,914 –> 00:26:17,314
Now in order to be good at
physical yielding, a lot of

361
00:26:17,314 –> 00:26:18,844
things have to come into play.

362
00:26:19,184 –> 00:26:21,604
First, we need to be well rooted.

363
00:26:21,954 –> 00:26:26,024
The lower part of our body needs to be
strong and flexible so you can change your

364
00:26:26,025 –> 00:26:28,014
central equilibrium without getting tight.

365
00:26:28,524 –> 00:26:32,445
The body has to be relaxed,
the breath has to be calm, and

366
00:26:32,445 –> 00:26:33,745
the mind has to be present.

367
00:26:35,885 –> 00:26:38,755
It’s a lifetime journey
to master that skill.

368
00:26:39,095 –> 00:26:43,745
However, from day one, when we start
integrating the meditative arts into

369
00:26:43,745 –> 00:26:49,304
our life, we start developing awareness
of these things inside of ourselves.

370
00:26:49,885 –> 00:26:53,504
Which, and this is where it starts
to become very interesting, and we’re

371
00:26:53,504 –> 00:26:57,785
also moving into what I call mental
yielding now, but when we start to

372
00:26:57,785 –> 00:27:02,465
see these things more clearly inside
of ourselves, we also start to see

373
00:27:02,465 –> 00:27:04,065
them more clearly in other people.

374
00:27:04,780 –> 00:27:08,909
Now, say for example, you and I
are having a conversation and I

375
00:27:08,919 –> 00:27:10,949
say something that unsettles you.

376
00:27:11,300 –> 00:27:16,529
And I pick up on it right from that
first sign of imbalance, it’s a lot

377
00:27:16,530 –> 00:27:20,270
easier to adjust the conversation
and keep us in a happy place.

378
00:27:20,760 –> 00:27:24,264
Than if I’m not paying attention to
that, pretty soon I’m so far off track,

379
00:27:24,264 –> 00:27:25,825
you want to knock me upside the head.

380
00:27:26,255 –> 00:27:31,995
And so learning how to use yielding in all
of our interactions is extremely powerful.

381
00:27:32,455 –> 00:27:36,075
One, we’re just being more
considerate, which is something I

382
00:27:36,105 –> 00:27:38,184
think we could all do more of anyway.

383
00:27:38,574 –> 00:27:44,274
And two, it allows us to be strategic
in our interactions, which is great

384
00:27:44,274 –> 00:27:48,405
for relationships, for business,
for sales, for negotiations.

385
00:27:48,405 –> 00:27:51,479
I mean, there’s so many
different applications of this.

386
00:27:52,909 –> 00:27:58,529
Now, the next pillar
is emotional yielding.

387
00:27:58,909 –> 00:28:03,519
And emotional yielding is very much
like mental yielding, but it’s with

388
00:28:03,519 –> 00:28:05,419
our own interpersonal conflicts.

389
00:28:05,770 –> 00:28:09,629
So you think about, oftentimes
something will happen to us and we’ll

390
00:28:09,630 –> 00:28:13,840
respond and we’ll go down this path
and we might get an hour, a day,

391
00:28:13,840 –> 00:28:15,740
a week down that road and realize,

392
00:28:16,330 –> 00:28:18,230
maybe that wasn’t the best choice.

393
00:28:18,810 –> 00:28:23,350
But by integrating the meditative arts
into our life and being able to stay

394
00:28:23,350 –> 00:28:28,720
present and aware of these things when
they happen, oftentimes it allows us the

395
00:28:28,730 –> 00:28:34,745
time needed to kind of sit back, analyze
the situation with a little more detail,

396
00:28:35,075 –> 00:28:39,805
and come from a more balanced state
of mind and make a different choice.

397
00:28:39,815 –> 00:28:43,234
Oftentimes that can save us a lot
of heartache on the other side.

398
00:28:43,805 –> 00:28:49,114
You know, and I’ve been explaining this
idea of yielding now for many years.

399
00:28:49,115 –> 00:28:51,455
I’ve been running this
academy here for thirty years.

400
00:28:51,864 –> 00:28:56,135
and one of the most common things
I’ll hear people say is, Ahh,

401
00:28:56,135 –> 00:28:57,365
that makes a lot of sense.

402
00:28:57,385 –> 00:28:59,595
In fact, I do yielding all the time.

403
00:29:00,375 –> 00:29:04,354
And while I would agree, I think
everybody does some degree of yielding

404
00:29:04,375 –> 00:29:08,194
all the time, whether they label
it that or recognize that or not.

405
00:29:08,924 –> 00:29:13,259
It’s kind of like if you or I were
to walk into a crime scene with a

406
00:29:13,259 –> 00:29:17,600
detective who’s been on the job for
thirty years, I guarantee you that

407
00:29:17,600 –> 00:29:21,989
person would see things about the
series of events in the timeline that I

408
00:29:21,989 –> 00:29:24,310
know at least I would have no clue of.

409
00:29:24,829 –> 00:29:29,629
And the meditative arts helps us
see things inside of ourselves and

410
00:29:29,629 –> 00:29:34,330
inside of other people that I truly
believe that unless you practice the

411
00:29:34,330 –> 00:29:38,270
meditative arts, you will go through
your entire life and have no clue

412
00:29:38,270 –> 00:29:39,730
that these things are even happening.

413
00:29:40,780 –> 00:29:42,320
Yeah, very interesting.

414
00:29:43,180 –> 00:29:52,059
Uh, getting into later life, I know it’s
very important to stay active and physical

415
00:29:52,060 –> 00:30:00,170
and, you know, get involved with programs
because it keeps you active socially also.

416
00:30:01,590 –> 00:30:07,539
There’s always a level where people
are trying to enter into these

417
00:30:08,159 –> 00:30:11,289
martial arts meditation programs.

418
00:30:11,289 –> 00:30:18,789
And I feel that Tai Chi is one of
those beginner steps that is easy for

419
00:30:18,819 –> 00:30:28,500
people to get into, even if they’re
old and sore and beaten up and broken.

420
00:30:28,930 –> 00:30:37,080
It can actually help you reduce the level
of pain and stressors on the body if you

421
00:30:37,229 –> 00:30:43,550
activate them using these simple movements
like in Tai Chi, is that correct?

422
00:30:44,129 –> 00:30:47,580
Oh, there’s been hundreds of
studies on this, you know, and

423
00:30:47,580 –> 00:30:52,860
it’s, it’s been proven that Tai Chi
will help with your flexibility,

424
00:30:52,860 –> 00:30:54,739
your strength, with your balance.

425
00:30:54,739 –> 00:31:00,450
A lot of older patients or students will
practice Tai Chi for fall prevention.

426
00:31:00,899 –> 00:31:04,180
And, you know, they did a study at
Harvard Medical School, which a lot of

427
00:31:04,190 –> 00:31:09,900
people don’t even think about Tai Chi or
meditation for this benefit, but where

428
00:31:09,930 –> 00:31:17,610
they took a lot of people who had, um,
early onset Alzheimer’s and they were

429
00:31:17,720 –> 00:31:22,800
losing their, their memory and they
taught them how to do deep breathing and

430
00:31:22,800 –> 00:31:30,240
they put them in these oxygen chambers
and everybody improved on average thirty

431
00:31:30,260 –> 00:31:33,750
percent after just a few short sessions.

432
00:31:34,190 –> 00:31:39,350
Now, a lot of this is, you know, when
we’re doing the meditative practice, we

433
00:31:39,350 –> 00:31:45,870
learn how to improve our lung capacity
so we can use deeper breathing and

434
00:31:45,890 –> 00:31:52,520
create that oxygen, carbon and dioxide
exchange, which is very beneficial.

435
00:31:52,520 –> 00:31:58,040
And as we age, it’s also been proven
that we start to breathe more shallowly.

436
00:31:58,350 –> 00:32:02,650
And so it’s one kind of hidden
benefit of learning how to keep

437
00:32:02,650 –> 00:32:07,139
those lungs more pliable and
access more of our lung capacity.

438
00:32:07,450 –> 00:32:13,410
Cause I also read that eighty
percent of the population out there

439
00:32:13,630 –> 00:32:18,090
uses anywhere from forty to sixty
percent of their lung capacity.

440
00:32:18,460 –> 00:32:22,520
So if we could improve that and use
eighty or ninety percent of our lung

441
00:32:22,520 –> 00:32:27,779
capacity, think about how that would
change our energy and think about

442
00:32:27,790 –> 00:32:32,500
how that could improve our cognitive
ability, our overall physical awareness,

443
00:32:32,500 –> 00:32:35,010
and, and, and our energy levels.

444
00:32:35,020 –> 00:32:39,525
And so there, there’s just so many
benefits for people of all ages.

445
00:32:39,525 –> 00:32:42,115
You know, I have students that come
in here that are in their nineties,

446
00:32:42,115 –> 00:32:46,215
and I have students coming in here in
their twenties, and all in between.

447
00:32:46,225 –> 00:32:49,595
So it, it really is a great
practice for everybody.

448
00:32:51,025 –> 00:32:57,585
So, so what is the cost barrier to
get involved in a class like that?

449
00:32:58,575 –> 00:33:03,215
You know, that’s the great thing about
this practice is that it doesn’t cost

450
00:33:03,215 –> 00:33:05,925
much to learn something like this.

451
00:33:05,925 –> 00:33:11,285
You know, anytime somebody new is coming
to the meditative arts, the biggest

452
00:33:11,295 –> 00:33:15,475
barrier is getting over your own self.

453
00:33:15,844 –> 00:33:20,160
You know, it’s, um, there’s,
there’s three things that I always

454
00:33:20,340 –> 00:33:25,690
try to make really clear to new
students coming to the practice.

455
00:33:26,020 –> 00:33:31,010
And the first one is, why are
you coming to the practice?

456
00:33:31,350 –> 00:33:32,929
Why is it important to you?

457
00:33:32,940 –> 00:33:37,180
Do you want to stay healthy into old age
and be able to play with your grandkids?

458
00:33:37,469 –> 00:33:40,329
Or you want to learn how to
deal with stress and anxiety?

459
00:33:40,639 –> 00:33:43,399
Do you want to improve your
performance on the field?

460
00:33:43,765 –> 00:33:44,695
What is that?

461
00:33:44,725 –> 00:33:48,515
Because I guarantee you, it doesn’t
matter who you are, maybe it’s tomorrow,

462
00:33:48,555 –> 00:33:52,975
next week or next month, your alarm is
going to go off in the morning and you’re

463
00:33:52,975 –> 00:33:57,174
going to be tempted to hit the snooze
button and say, I’ll meditate tomorrow.

464
00:33:57,174 –> 00:33:58,385
I’m going to sleep in today.

465
00:33:58,865 –> 00:34:03,420
And so if you have a strong why,
it gives you the energy and the

466
00:34:03,420 –> 00:34:07,730
drive to stop looking at this
like a chore you have to do.

467
00:34:07,979 –> 00:34:12,490
But something that you get to do and be
grateful that you have this opportunity

468
00:34:12,490 –> 00:34:18,060
to learn these skills and to positively
change your life by doing this practice.

469
00:34:18,710 –> 00:34:22,970
Then is the idea of consistency,
and consistency is key

470
00:34:22,970 –> 00:34:24,170
with the meditative arts.

471
00:34:24,170 –> 00:34:27,170
You know, in fact, the, the Dalai
Lama once said that everybody

472
00:34:27,170 –> 00:34:29,850
should meditate for twenty minutes
a day unless you’re too busy, then

473
00:34:29,850 –> 00:34:31,360
you should meditate for an hour.

474
00:34:31,710 –> 00:34:37,889
And I love that saying and that, you know,
everybody should take at least twenty

475
00:34:37,910 –> 00:34:41,120
minutes a day to connect to who you are.

476
00:34:41,120 –> 00:34:46,660
And that consistency, it develops
discipline, integrity, perseverance,

477
00:34:46,690 –> 00:34:48,200
and many other qualities.

478
00:34:48,549 –> 00:34:53,320
And by doing this in our practice,
those qualities become not just how

479
00:34:53,320 –> 00:34:57,669
we are when we’re meditating, but it’s
how we show up to our friendships and

480
00:34:57,669 –> 00:35:01,420
our relationships, and our work and
our hobbies, and everything we do.

481
00:35:01,420 –> 00:35:06,410
And so it changes our life in many ways
by having this consistent practice.

482
00:35:06,880 –> 00:35:10,405
Then lastly, and this is one
of the most important things

483
00:35:10,405 –> 00:35:12,935
is, you need to find a guide.

484
00:35:13,425 –> 00:35:16,725
I’ve, you know, I’ve been around
the meditative arts for many years.

485
00:35:17,145 –> 00:35:19,665
I’m still a student, I’m
learning all the time.

486
00:35:19,665 –> 00:35:21,525
And I, this isn’t just a hobby for me,

487
00:35:21,525 –> 00:35:22,815
this is my profession.

488
00:35:22,815 –> 00:35:27,185
You know, it’s a very deep practice,
and if you try to do it on your own

489
00:35:27,185 –> 00:35:31,615
by listening to an app or watching
a video on YouTube, you could waste

490
00:35:31,615 –> 00:35:36,365
ten, twenty years of your life and
very get above, just treading water.

491
00:35:36,735 –> 00:35:41,495
And so the idea is, is there’s lots of
good teachers out there, there’s lots

492
00:35:41,495 –> 00:35:45,744
of good programs, don’t get caught
up without having somebody that can

493
00:35:45,745 –> 00:35:47,435
help point you in the right direction.

494
00:35:47,435 –> 00:35:51,955
And, you know, one of the things that I
see people getting distracted with that

495
00:35:51,955 –> 00:35:57,105
are maybe even fairly disciplined with
the meditative arts these days is that,

496
00:35:57,845 –> 00:36:01,065
you know, I’ll hear people say, Oh yeah,
I’ve been meditating for five years.

497
00:36:01,065 –> 00:36:02,265
And I listened to this app.

498
00:36:02,995 –> 00:36:08,105
Well, the meditative arts are called
the internal arts for a reason.

499
00:36:08,835 –> 00:36:14,905
I think apps are great, videos are great
to learn specific practices, but when you

500
00:36:14,905 –> 00:36:20,324
do your ritual practice, you shouldn’t be
watching a video or listening to an audio.

501
00:36:20,525 –> 00:36:24,444
It’s time to turn that focus
inward and listen to yourself.

502
00:36:24,784 –> 00:36:29,015
Because if you don’t do this,
you’re never going to get a very

503
00:36:29,015 –> 00:36:31,085
deep level of practice by this.

504
00:36:31,085 –> 00:36:35,485
And I think that a lot of people get
distracted because there’s so many

505
00:36:35,495 –> 00:36:40,135
different apps out there and videos
out there that, and, and they don’t

506
00:36:40,145 –> 00:36:43,525
have a guide, they don’t have somebody
pointing them in the right direction.

507
00:36:43,865 –> 00:36:47,264
That they think they’re doing
well when really they’re, they’re

508
00:36:47,264 –> 00:36:48,894
kind of shortcutting themselves.

509
00:36:48,894 –> 00:36:53,494
And so find yourself somebody to help
point you in the right direction, be

510
00:36:53,495 –> 00:36:58,355
consistent and have a strong why, and
you’ll be successful with the practice

511
00:36:59,610 –> 00:37:01,930
That’s solid advice, I like that a lot.

512
00:37:03,100 –> 00:37:06,900
Jeff, our time is really
starting to wind down here.

513
00:37:06,900 –> 00:37:09,109
We could go on for hours about it.

514
00:37:09,440 –> 00:37:13,550
Is there anything important that
our listeners need to know about

515
00:37:13,760 –> 00:37:15,760
what you practice, what you teach?

516
00:37:16,319 –> 00:37:19,579
You know, if you like what we’ve
been talking about, you could

517
00:37:19,800 –> 00:37:26,340
order a free copy of my book, uh,
at theyieldingwarrior.com/book.

518
00:37:26,850 –> 00:37:29,890
And it’s a great way to kind of
get introduced to these concepts

519
00:37:29,890 –> 00:37:31,209
and see what we’re doing.

520
00:37:31,520 –> 00:37:38,439
And also at theyieldingwarrior.com, you
could get introduced to my online program

521
00:37:38,439 –> 00:37:42,990
that teaches you the strategies on how
to build an evolving life practice using

522
00:37:43,380 –> 00:37:47,790
Tai chi, Qigong, sitting meditation,
breath work, standing meditation,

523
00:37:48,090 –> 00:37:52,140
all of these different things so you
can incorporate these strategies and

524
00:37:52,140 –> 00:37:53,900
learn how to build a practice there.

525
00:37:54,250 –> 00:37:57,609
I also have a teacher
training program up there.

526
00:37:57,609 –> 00:38:02,589
So if you’re somebody who is a life
coach, or maybe you own a yoga studio

527
00:38:02,589 –> 00:38:06,969
or a martial arts studio, and you want
to learn how to have another pillar

528
00:38:06,969 –> 00:38:10,969
in your business where you can target
maybe a new clientele, you know, cause

529
00:38:10,969 –> 00:38:15,010
here at our academy, you know, in
our martial art programs, we have a

530
00:38:15,010 –> 00:38:19,950
lot of twenties, thirties, and forty
somethings in our, in our boxing,

531
00:38:19,950 –> 00:38:21,930
and Muay Thai, and Brazilian Jujitsu.

532
00:38:22,410 –> 00:38:26,780
But in our meditation program,
we’ve got a lot of fifties, sixties,

533
00:38:26,790 –> 00:38:28,419
seventies and eighties in there.

534
00:38:28,640 –> 00:38:33,260
And so as a business, if you can
add a whole nother client base

535
00:38:33,260 –> 00:38:36,295
to your market, this can be huge.

536
00:38:36,495 –> 00:38:39,115
So it can add a lot of
benefit to what you’re doing.

537
00:38:39,125 –> 00:38:45,464
And I’ve seen in many cases where they,
somebody will add an internal art program

538
00:38:45,465 –> 00:38:50,165
like this to their existing business
and it ends up dwarfing the sales that

539
00:38:50,345 –> 00:38:51,764
they’re doing in their other business.

540
00:38:51,765 –> 00:38:56,445
And so it really is something that’s very
substantial and can help you in many ways.

541
00:38:57,425 –> 00:39:00,245
I like that a lot, that’s
kind of interesting.

542
00:39:00,555 –> 00:39:07,394
And, you know, there are a lot of gyms out
there that could put these practices into

543
00:39:07,395 –> 00:39:12,080
their pillars and it would do them good.

544
00:39:12,090 –> 00:39:18,990
And it helps the community get stronger
and healthier, so I like it a lot.

545
00:39:19,990 –> 00:39:25,200
Jeff, I want to say thank you for being
part of the Dead America Podcast today.

546
00:39:25,219 –> 00:39:30,290
It’s been very, uh, educational
in many ways for me.

547
00:39:30,855 –> 00:39:31,945
Hey, thanks for having me.

548
00:39:31,945 –> 00:39:32,765
It’s been a pleasure.

549
00:39:35,905 –> 00:39:37,655
Thank you for joining us today.

550
00:39:38,235 –> 00:39:44,485
If you found this podcast enlightening,
entertaining, educational in any way,

551
00:39:45,255 –> 00:39:51,630
please share, like, subscribe, and join
us right back here next week for another

552
00:39:51,650 –> 00:39:54,940
great episode of the Dead America Podcast.

553
00:39:55,340 –> 00:40:00,869
I’m Ed Watters, your host, enjoy
your afternoon wherever you might be.