Category: Yoga & Movement

Dennis Lewis: Breathing Space into Space

Tami Simon speaks with Dennis Lewis, an author, teacher, and practitioner of natural breathing, qigong, and meditation. After leaving the corporate world, Dennis studied a number of healing arts traditions, including Taosim, Advaita, and the Gurdjieff work. He is author of the books The Tao of Natural Breathing and Free Your Breath, Free Your Life, and with Sounds True he has produced the audio program Natural Breathing: Teachings and Exercises for Health and Self-Transformation. In this episode, Tami speaks with Dennis about the relationship between our emotions and our breathing, how we can let go into the unknown as we exhale, breathing as a metaphor for living, and what it might mean to “breathe space into space.” (56 minutes)

It’s All in the Breath

Tami Simon speaks with Leslie Kaminoff, a yoga educator with more than 30 years of experience in the fields of yoga and breath anatomy. He is the founder of The Breathing Project in New York City, a non-profit dedicated to teaching breath-centered yoga. Leslie is the coauthor of Yoga Anatomy, and with Sounds True, a program called Freeing the Breath: Health, Clarity, and Relaxation Through Better Breathing. In this episode, Tami speaks with Leslie about the most common misconceptions about better breathing, how to experience a “breath koan,” the relationship between the motions of the breath, and what it feels like in the whole body to take one beautiful breath. (62 minutes)

Secrets to Live to be 100

Tami Simon speaks with Maoshing Ni, a doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Their discussion includes using the mind as an ally in the healing process, what Dr. Mao has learned from his study of centenarians, the correlation between caloric intake and longevity, and how certain exercises can help us bring the mind and the body into harmony. Dr. Mao has been featured in the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times, and is currently featured as an expert on Yahoo! Health. With Sounds True, Dr. Mao has released Meditations to Live to Be 100 and has a forthcoming release called Qi Meditations: Guided Visualizations for Self-Healing. (49 minutes)

Living Yoga

Tami Simon speaks with Richard Freeman, an author, teacher, and founder of The Yoga Workshop in Boulder, Colorado, which is also the location of Sounds True’s studio. His background includes Sufism, Zen, and vipassana Buddhist practices. He’s also a practitioner of bhakti, hatha, and Iyengar yoga, and is an internationally respected instructor of ashtanga yoga. Richard is the author of The Mirror of Yoga, and has created many audio learning programs with Sounds True, including The Yoga Matrix, Yoga Breathing, Yoga Chants, and the DVD series The Ashtanga Yoga Collection. Richard speaks about the paradox of self-reference, the discovery and breaking down of samskaras, and how yoga unites the opposing patterns in the body. (54 minutes)

Yoga Nidra—The Sleep Yoga

Tami Simon speaks with Richard Miller, a master of yoga and meditation who holds a doctorate in clinical psychology. He is recognized as a leading authority on the practice of yoga nidra, and is currently teaching iRest, a healing technique he developed based on deep relaxation and meditative inquiry. Richard has worked with Sounds True to create an integrated book-and-audio learning program called Yoga Nidra. Richard discusses the stages of yoga nidra, how the practice is a path to realization and self-inquiry, the nature of paradoxical sleep, and his ongoing work with soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder through the practice of yoga nidra. (61 minutes)

Running and Walking as Spiritual Practice

Tami Simon speaks with Danny Dreyer, a marathon runner, esteemed running coach, and a student of t’ai chi master George Xu. He’s the author of two books; ChiRunning and ChiWalking, as well as the Sounds True audio programs of the same name. Danny discusses finding stillness in the midst of action and the importance of incorporating chi into all aspects of our lives, what Danny calls “creating the conditions for energy to flow.” Danny also offers a practice intended to help us move and live from our center. (51 minutes)

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