Learning Conversation

5 min

Today's word is:  creative

Learning Practice features a 3-minute conversation about a single word.  Unrehearsed, without forethought of the word to be discussed, we practice the art of Learning Conversation.  

If you want to practice with us by supplying a word and joining us:   contact us through our websites.

Landscapes for Learning

YogaHEALS

See ya around the corner. :-) 

24 min

Attia's newsletter and podcast is:  The Drive.

Dr. Peter Attia is a physician with degrees in engineering and mathematics. An authority on longevity and healthy lifestyles.

Lifespan vs. Health span

Maureen & Pierre discuss Attia's book, Outlive: the Science and Art of Longevity.

In addition to the main themes in the book, Attia self-reveals his own drive and inability to self-care, which led him to crisis.  Driven to point of working and almost missing his wife giving birth during a difficult pregnancy, only later does this imbalance in priorities bubble up as problematic behavior.

Another resource in balancing and caring for self in the mind-body-spirit space, check out Dr. Attia.  His forte is medical science related to healthy living.  

See also his deeply self-revealing discussion on Rich Roll's podcast.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Attia

https://peterattiamd.com

https://peterattiamd.com/about/#:~:text=Peter%20is%20an%20advisor%20to,board%20for%20the%20journal%20Aging.

8 min

Rich Roll has an iconic intro sound to his podcast: a bicycle wheel freely spinning and clicking.  An early podcaster, Roll's open question style where he lets guests freely spin their stories can be a beautiful thing to listen to. 

It's beautiful because his research is thorough, but he doesn't answer questions for guests, but leads with genuine curiosity and lets guests speak.  Refreshing.  Results are impactful when a guest, given the time, comfort and challenge of Roll's questions drops into a deep personal share.

Roll's podcasts are a resource from which Maureen and Pierre found many resources in mind-body- spiritual health! Fitness, wellness, illness, dis-ease, eating healthy, and recovery.

Roll is a lawyer, alcoholic, ultra-marathoner, and now podcaster.  His drive is extraordinary.  His podcasts well researched, hence detailed discussion.  Some podcasts can be like his ultra-marathons - long; some are 3 hours long. 

Maureen gives permission to listen to portions of a podcast. Both

Maureen and Pierre get around to talking about one of their first influencers in podcast world.  

Check him out:  Rich Roll.  Episodes and his story below.

https://www.richroll.com/all-episodes/

https://www.richroll.com/bio/

10 min

Maureen shares a very personal story about yoga teacher training.

With 2 children in high school and twins in college, Maureen travels to Thailand for 9 weeks to become a yoga teacher. 

Pierre asks Maureen about leaving kids 'alone.'  Maureen responds  that her four children were raised as responsible children (response - able). In pursuing yoga teacher training in Thailand, Maureen also wanted to set an example that women, and specifically 'moms,' can be independent people.

Maureen sensitively reflects on the balance of putting your children first, as moms and parents, is balanced by also putting yourself first to model healthy adult behavior.  

From a women's yoga seminary, to 9 weeks in Thailand for teacher training, to a 1-year sabbatical traveling the world as a yoga teacher, writing two books, changing careers from high school humanities teacher to licensed mental health counselor, Maureen models her WORKOUT WITHIN curriculum.

Referenced in the podcast are:

Emmy Cleaves - iconic yoga figure and teacher in the Bikram hot yoga world.  

https://www.facebook.com/groups/136016771174512/posts/715420693234114/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHBc8aW3AxU

Bikram Choudhury - hot yoga teacher responsible for an explosion of interest in and practice of yoga from the 1980 - present. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bikram_Yoga

5 min

Today's word:  history

Humans as storytellers and the long arc of history: his-story. 

Learning Practice features a 3-minute conversation about a single word.  Unrehearsed, without forethought of the word to be discussed, we practice the art of Learning Conversation.  

If you want to practice with us by supplying a word and joining us:   contact us through our websites.

Landscapes for Learning

YogaHEALS

5 min

Today's word is: smashed!

An onamatopoeia!!  Pierre and tennis (of course) come up.  Maureen muses on the difference of whacked and smashed, and a discussion of words in different languages winds up the pod. 

Learning Practice features a 3-minute conversation about a single word.  Unrehearsed, without forethought of the word to be discussed, we practice the art of Learning Conversation.  

If you want to practice with us by supplying a word and joining us:   contact us through our websites.

Landscapes for Learning

YogaHEALS

Onamatopoeia!!  Pierre and Tennis (of course) 

33 min.

Reflection:  Making Good and Bad Podcasts

Maureen and Pierre discuss their podcast journey.  No editing.  Cleaning up speech patterns.  Sharing resources.  Sharing dialogue with a friend.  How did this adventure start?

Pierre revisits the early beginnings when Maureen met Pierre at Bikram Teacher Training 2015, Khao Lak, Thailand at the 10 min mark.  Yoga training was 9 weeks of transcendental hell camp.

In this reflection, at different times Maureen and Pierre raise the need for our polarized society to remember conversational arts.  Though a bit of a ramble, this pod explains how Learning Conversation was born, reflecting on topics, formats and the courage of pressing a record button and posting - no net trapeze work. 

Discussing the podcasts strengths and weaknesses, a bright spot is the unrehearsed conversation and spontaneous thinking and speaking which keeps exchanges fresh.  Essentially conversation!

Check it out folks. 

Done in love, hope you are enjoying. 

Closing out as usual:

Live to learn and learn to live - Maureen

Peace through grace - Pierre

18 min

Maureen does a Tough Mudder.  Don't you just love that name? The way it sounds?  Tough Mudder.  

Ok, so what is a Tough Mudder?  It's a national phenomenon now for some time where people challenge themselves with an obstacle course.  And yes, the obstacles are "tough" and some involve mud. 

Maureen hits the podcast after teaching a 6:30 AM Bikram hot yoga class and munching on breakfast tells a hilarious story about the legacy of tough mudding she discovers.  Worth a listen. 

Doing hard things with other humans is a way to thrive.  In Tough Mudder competitions you help fellow contestants.  People face their fears.  You see another person do it, and think:  hey, I can do that.  The competition builds confidence and resilience.  Maybe you can do a certain obstacle this time, maybe you can do it next time. 

It's a competition that embraces Maureen's website and program, which she calls "Landscapes for Learning."  

Tough Mudders are special landscapes for learning, but everyday is also a landscape for learning.  

Enjoy Maureen's success and description of this competition.

What landscape for learning are you traveling these days?  Oh wait, you're reading this!  Good for you!  Booooo yaaaaa!

14 min

Yes, you read that right.  Today's resource podcast is "anonymous."  Not just any anonymous, but a famous anonymous. Well as famous as an anonymous person can be. That is because, he - fairly certain of that gender - wrote a book of some fame.  The book is titled:  The Cloud of Unknowing.  

A resource podcast is where we pick a person, a podcast, a book and bring it forward for consideration as a mind, body, spirit health resource. This relatively obscure little book is today's resource.

The book was published in the 14th century.  It advises a young monk how to approach God.  It's been called a mystical book, but that misrepresents it.  It is really a manual for this young monk, a guide toward wisdom, faith and God; away from pretense, ego and  certainty.  

It's mystical in the sense that one must embrace mystery.

In this podcast, Maureen and Pierre explore living in a cloud of unknowing.  Perhaps a virtue not just towards achieving a spiritual life, but calming gift for living through uncertain and divisive times.

Join in for a listen.  The more you know the more you realize you don't know.

The Cloud of Unknowing - Anonymous. 14th century manuscript, ironically available on Amazon.  

5 min

Today's word is: Labor

Labor is life, says Maureen.

Learning Practice features a 3-minute conversation about a single word. Unrehearsed, without forethought of the word to be discussed, we practice the art of Learning Conversation.

If you want to practice with us by supplying a word and joining us: contact us through our websites.

Landscapes for Learning

YogaHEALS