If time is relative, how can we dilate it to live presently? How can you improve your focus to bring more time, energy, and money into flow? What does a monk think of money and what financial advice does he give?
In this episode of the Align Podcast, I have a conversation with Pedram Shojai, a.k.a. The Urban Monk, about the very fundamentals of meditation, how to be present and mindful, and how you can go as far as you can with the means you have today.
Plus, we talk about the concept of identity and how so many of us nowadays find our identity structure through ideology groups. We also discuss the value of rites of passage and the importance of wilderness, which often seems to be a missing component in urban life.
Pedram is a master herbalist, licensed acupuncturist, and wellness consultant. He is a dynamic teacher, Taoist minister, and lifelong student of various Alchemical Traditions. Pedram is also a Filmmaker and author, father, and husband.
What we discuss:
03:55: Pedram’s experience of studying with the Dalai Lama
04:47: Explaining educational and philosophical differences between Tibetans and Westerners
06:51: How and why Pedram became a Taoist monk
10:16: How to self-reconcile
12:53: Best practices for optimal focus
14:55: Why do we spend so much time online and how can we stop doing that?
20:08: The value in rites of passage
26:41: Money is trade
29:28: Financial advice from a monk
33:15: Being able to re-write our own story
38:42: Can meditation have different forms?
40:32: How to meditate effectively
44:17: Dissecting the perception of time and how to dilate it
:51:44: Dealing with imposter syndrome
53:55: Transitioning to a bigger game in life
To learn more about Pedram Shojai:
Website: theurbanmonk.com
Instagram: @official_urbanmonk
Book: The Urban Monk
Podcast: The Urban Monk Podcast
What is thyroid disease, exactly? What causes it? Can we even reverse thyroid disease? If so, how can we do that?
In this episode of the Align Podcast, I have a conversation with Alan Christianson, where we discuss how the foods we choose to fuel our body can actually help reverse thyroid disease and how a healthy thyroid contributes to our immune system, our mental health, and our physical health. We then break down what is iodine, what are the optimal levels for human consumption, and what are the best resources we can refer to in order to ensure we are intaking the proper and recommended amount.
We also pick Alan’s brain about emotions and how they can impact our overall wellbeing, his own personal practices of meditation and journaling, and we even touch upon epistemology!
Alan Christianson is a Naturopathic Medical Doctor (NMD) who specializes in natural
endocrinology with a focus on thyroid disorders. He is the author of The Metabolism Reset Diet
and the New York Times bestselling book The Adrenal Reset Diet. He has been named a Top Doctor in Phoenix Magazine and has appeared on national TV shows and in numerous print media.
Website: https://www.drchristianson.com
Instagram: @dralanchristianson
Book: https://www.drchristianson.com/thyroidresetdiet/#Bonus
What we discuss:
[00:02:46] Christianson's new book on thyroid disease research
[00:04:26] The value in making our own food
[00:06:54] What is Iodine?
[00:09:47] The repercussions of iodine deficiency and excess
[00:11:52] What are the optimal levels of iodine?
[00:13:12] What causes thyroid disease?
[00:15:59] Can thoughts and feelings affect the functioning of the thyroid?
[00:18:45] What is the thyroid and how does it work?
[00:20:10] How emotional states contribute to your physical health issues
[00:22:50] Do we have free will?
[00:26:01] Alan’s biggest challenges
[00:32:09] How do we know we know?
[00:36:30] A guide to mediation and journaling practices
[00:38:37] Alan’s thoughts on God
[00:40:19] What are signs of an underlying thyroid issue?
[00:41:26] Can all diseases be reversed and what be the root cause for it?
[00:43:10] How does toxic fat develop?
What's the planet's most nutritious food? SPROUTS! And in this episode of the Align Podcast, the author of the Sprout Book, Doug Evans, tells us why.
Among the mind-blowing nutritional qualities of sprouts:
― they have 20-30 times the nutrients of other vegetables and 100 times those of meat
― they pack cancer-fighting properties and help to protect us from cardiovascular disease and environmental pollutants
― they aid in digestion
― they are a simple way to grow your own vegetables and compatible with all diets
Ready to learn more? Tune into the full episode!
Over 70% of our body is composed of water, which means that staying hydrated is extremely important. But is simply drinking water enough to keep us hydrated?
In this episode of the Align Podcast, our guest Tracy Duhs covers the hidden capabilities and benefits of hydrating adequately. We discuss the incredible amount of information that water is capable of holding onto and how that is crucial for processing our emotions.
We also discuss the different water filtering processes and filtering systems and how we can upgrade the quality of the water we drink, catered to various budgets.
Tracy Duhs is the director and founder of The Sanctuary Wellness Experience, a luxury retreat that provides complete nurturing for the mind, body, and soul. She is a herbalist, alchemist, and specialist in integrative medicine.
What we discuss:
03:54: What is water?
08:13: What are the potential contaminants in water?
11:08: How does water hold information?
13:52: Masaru Emoto's experiments with water
16:22: What is structured water?
19:57: How do our bodies create structured water?
20:46: What is vortexing water?
22:58: Possible methods to upgrade the water we drink
26:33: What is Ocean Plasma?
31:14: Why and how Tracy started to experiment with different types of water
37:40: How to mineralize our water
44:16: How movement and hydration relate to each other
48:12: How sunlight exposure impacts hydration
51:16: The 9 Pillars of Health
To learn more about Tracy:
Instagram: @tracyduhs
Website: tracyduhs.com
Book: Hydrate with Tracy Duhs
Podcast: Hydrate
In this episode of the Align Podcast, I have a wonderful conversation with Emily Fletcher where we dive into the semantics of meditation and how it's much more powerful than many of us may realize. It's not only a tool for calming our mind, but it physically transforms our mind and body.
We also dive into our childhood wounds, how it has affected us in our adult life, and what we have found to be successful in our healing process.
And as a bonus, at the end of the episode, Emily offers us a transformative 5-minute mediation practice that you
can use as a tool for yourself.
Emily Fletcher is the creator of The Ziva Technique and the founder of Ziva, where she developed the world meditation training program. She is also a best selling author: she wrote
Stress Less, Accomplish More - Meditation for Extraordinary Performance. She is one of my best friends and overall, a meditation legend.
What we discuss:
[00:08:16] How meditation calms our chaotic energy
[00:11:43] The cerebral processes that occur in meditation that make us more empathic
[00:12:29] Bypassing our emotions vs. allowing ourselves to feel them
[00:23:13] How the body is a record of our past
[00:24:13] How meditation is healing: de-exciting our nervous system
[00:27:15] 5-minute meditation exercise
Instagram: @emilystellafletcher
Website: zivameditation.com
Book: zivameditation.com/my-debut-book
What’s keeping you from claiming your true powers? Are you even aware of the powers you hold within you and how you can tap into them?
Today’s conversation is with one of my closest friends and widely known, Mr. Jim Kwik. We talk about his book, Limitless – a fabulous read! Jim’s main niche is about memory, focus, and accelerated learning, although the book content is much wider than that. While our imagination might make us think that being limitless is a synonym for perfection, in this episode, Jim explains it in a much more tangible and human way: Limitless is about advancing and progressing beyond what we believe to be possible.
Jim has created a three-part framework that he breaks down for us in this episode. This framework acts as a lens to see what holds us back and to construct our self-awareness to "unlimit" the areas that are in our way. Plus, we both talk about what makes us come alive and our purpose - both fundamental emotional factors for
reaching our full potential.
Jim is a renowned brain coach, a memory and speed-reading expert, international speaker, and a social entrepreneur. He has been featured in many programs and podcasts and his book, Limitless, became an instant New York Times bestseller and #1 Wall Street Journal bestseller.
What we discuss:
[04:45] Jim’s go-to practices for dealing with stress and anxiety
[05:53] Defining what it means to be "limitless"
[11:11] Why we need to have a sense of purpose in our lives
[15:36] What makes Jim feel alive?
[16:52] What makes Aaron feel alive?
[20:52] Opening our own mechanisms through the love towards another person
[27:03] The antidote for feeling stuck
[27:20] The 3 M’s: Mindset, Motivation, Methods
[29:06] What Jim would change in the current western educational system
Find more from Jim:
Website: www.jimkwik.com
Instagram. @jimkwik
Book: www.limitlessbook.com
Be sure to check out the Align Collection, including Align bands, pants, shorts, and more! Shop now here.
Do you know how to love? And more importantly, do you know how to let love in?
In this conversation, I sat down with the legendary Bobby Klein at his own awesome home in Tulum, Mexico who shares the most important life lessons he has learned throughout his 89 years of life, including why the bottom line of life is always love.
Plus, we explored the ideas of what this human experience is, our inner guidance and intuition, and how necessary it is to be brutally honest with ourselves.
As we go deep into what the hell we are doing here, he shared a handful of fascinating and badass experiences in his life.
Bobby Klein is a truly special guest: He carries a rare wealth of experience, deep compassion, and an arsenal of healing tools. He's a clinical psychologist, spiritual and psychological educator, writer, and intuitive Life Path Counselor. He was also a driving force in securing the legalization of acupuncture in America and became one of the first practicing acupuncturists in the United States. He is a true elder and a new friend I see as a mentor.
What we discuss:
03:53: Why 'fake it till you make it' is horse shit
05:09: What stands out that is different in the world today compared to the 60s?
06:06: How Bobby's relationship with death has transformed over the years
11:12: is fear the root of suffe14:28: Alcohol vs. psychedelics
21:30: How trusting someone can let them show who they really are
22:29: Do guidance systems exist? What are they?
29:40: The blueprint for cultivating a relationship with yourself
34:06: What it means to be wild
41:50: How Bobby got started with acupuncture
46:14: Healing and intuition
52:17: Is the concept of 'survivor' attached to the idea of suffering?
Find more from Bobby:
Website: bobbyklein.com
YouTube Channel: @bobbyklein
Be sure to check out the Align Collection, including Align bands, pants, shorts, and more! Shop now here.
What can we learn about ourselves when we go through a separation from another? It’s easy to feel strong when things are working, but what about when things aren't?
There is valuable opportunity given to us that only present themselves when relationships fall apart–The opportunity to navigate through the deep layers of ourselves. But how do we actually navigate through these layers?
In this conversation, Aubrey Marcus and his wife Vylana - two of my very favourite people - answer the questions I have on separation from someone you love (or feel deeply about), as it's something I currently am going through in my own life. Plus, they discuss why “wounds allows the light to enter”, and how truly loving ourselves is the best tool for facing a broken heart.
Aubrey is the founder of ONMIT, a NYT bestselling author, the AMP podcast host, and founding member of Fit For Service Fellowship.
Vylana is a sound alchemist, singer, Tahitian dancer, and medicine woman.
What we discuss:
[00:07:09] Aaron's current context
[00:12:17] Love autonomy
[00:18:56] Using the pain of a separation to growth
[00:22:35] Facing and accepting fear
[00:27:37] Self-love practices
[00:40:38] Trust in acceptance
[00:45:25] Expediting the process of accepting events within ourselves
[00:51:22] Why current life events show you where there is still work to be done
Find more from Aubrey and Vylana:
Podcast: https://www.aubreymarcus.com/blogs/aubrey-marcus-podcast
Program: https://www.aubreymarcus.com/pages/fit-for-service-fellowship
Instagram: @aubreymarcus
Instagram: @vylanamarcus
Our ability to connect and relate to each other is dependent upon how we feel. Which means, the food we eat has a strong influence on how we connect to each other. But one of the issues lies in the fact that the environment we have created around us is conducive and supportive to sickness, and is ultimately preventing us from experiencing deeper connections.
In this episode of the Align Podcast, I have a conversation with Shawn Stevenson on what contributes to deeper human connection, how the media affects our relationships, and why Shawn’s marriage has been successful.
Plus, he also discusses how nutrition plays a surprising role in sleep, his thoughts on the conventional medicine approach.
Shawn is a bestselling author of Sleep Smarter and has another book coming out, Eat Smarter, is a nutritionist, science educator, & creator of The Model Health Show, featured
as the #1 Health Podcast in the U.S.
What we discuss:
[00:06:15] Shawn discusses the relationship between social media and sleep deprivation
[00:09:07] How nutrition affects sleep
[00:11:32] What Shawn thinks of the conventional medicine approach
[00:16:47] How the environment plays a role in our behavior
[00:24:32] Who we are at our core vs. how we behave
[00:29:08] Romanticized media vs. our true needs in a relationship
[00:37:55] Being human: intuition and connection
[00:50:55] Our capacity of connecting to others is dependent upon how we feel individually
[00:56:12] How does our nutrition affects the way we relate to our significant other
Website: https://themodelhealthshow.com/
Instagram: @shawnmodel
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheShawnModel/
Book: https://eatsmarterbook.com/
Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-model-health-show/id640246578
What impact did the dietary changes in humanity have on our bodies? Going back as far as our pre-historical ancestors hypothesize very interesting correlations. What does the wide research say about eating animal products and how that influences our brain size and capacity? Research shows we have shrunk our brains in the last 10-12 thousand years, very possibly due to relevant shifts in our diet and habits. These big shifts were forced by major planetary changes such as the Younger Dryas, which took place 12,900 years ago.
Dr. Paul Saladino, who is back on the Align Podcast, not only discusses why our brain is shrinking but also shares with us very interesting suggestions on nutrition and lifestyle through an anthropological lens. He discusses findings and hypotheses by significant figures throughout history that observed indigenous peoples and compared their aligned diet to the general western diet.
We also dig into our surroundings as a factor for stimulation, focus, and relaxation, and we pose the question of if we need to get away from common human behavior.
The outdoors provides us a natural way of life and we might be taking a step in the wrong direction, placing a burden upon us that is opposite to the way we have been designed to live. Being in nature barefoot and experience a shift in the microbiome, interacting with other humans, eating foods that are in line with our genetics: all is perpetually being relegated in place of living mostly in squared-line architecture.
Dr. Paul Saladino is the leading authority on the science and application of the carnivore diet, author of the “The Carnivore Code: Unlocking the Secrets to Optimal Health by Returning to our Ancestral Diet”.
What we discuss:
[0:02:48] Paul Saladino's upbringing
[0:05:35] Why we should always challenge our beliefs
[0:09:04] Earth's temperature correlation with periods of intellectual and cultural flourish and stagnation
[0:11:21] What happened on Earth 12,900 years ago that might have changed how we eat
[0:15:36] Three pre-historical species that relate to us and their diet
[0:17:26] Human's change from primates to Australopithecus: eating animals vs. eating plants
[0:20:31] Expensive Tissue Hypothesis: gut vs. brain
[0:22:58] Correlation between B12 levels and brain size
[0:28:15] Effects of chewing properly
[0:30:56] Could Vitamin A deficiency by under-diagnosed in most people?
[0:46:00] How architectural shapes and forms influences our state
Find more from Dr. Paul Saladino:
Website: https://carnivoremd.com/
Instagram: @carnivoremd
podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fundamental-health-with-paul-saladino-md/id1461771083
Products: https://heartandsoil.co/?ref=CarnivoreMD
Book: https://carnivoremd.com/book/
Grab your Align Pants: www.alignpodcast.com/alignpant
In this episode of the Align Podcast, I chat with Jamie Kilstein who is the host of the Fuckups Guide to Self-Help, as well as a well-known stand-up comic and Jai Jitsu fighter.
Jamie shares the root of his humor, why weirdness is something you should accept and love about yourself, and his journey towards building more self-awareness. Plus, we dive into the divide in our country when it comes to social movements and political stances and how harsh each side can be towards each other.
What We Discuss:
Jai Jitsu
Controversial comedy
Accepting your weirdness
Meditation
Why the US is so divided right now
Being a political flipflopper
Online fighting
Find more from Jamie:
Podcast: A Fuckups Guide to Self-Help
Instagram: @thejamiekilstein
Twitter: @jaimiekilstein
Joe Rogan: #1031
In this episode of the Align Podcast, I am joined by Harry Grammer, who is by far one of the most important figures I have had on the podcast and one of the most important conversations I have ever shared.
Harry discusses the primary roots of oppression, injustice, and racism that exists in the United States. There are a lot of layers. It’s not as simple as putting one blanket statement on a cardboard box and going out and yelling about it. There is a deep injustice happening among our fellow human beings and it is our duty to uncover it.
Harry is an activist, scholar, and poet and founder of New Earth, an organization playing an integral part in reforming the juvenile justice nationwide system. In 2017, Harry was honored as a CNN Hero and in 2018 selected as an inaugural Obama Foundation Fellow.
Harry is an invaluable character with invaluable information to share. I hope my conversation with Harry will help you begin to peel back the layers.
What we discuss:
Find more from Harry:
In this episode of the Align Podcast, I chat with fitness influencer, Nimai Delgado, who shares his interesting journey through life from being an American raised in a Hindu community to becoming one of the most prominent vegan bodybuilders in the industry.
We begin our conversation discussing the foundations of Hinduism and Niami’s view on God. Niami explains what it was like growing up in Southern America as a Hindu and how he made a personal shift from, “sharing less to fit in more” to embracing his full self. We also dive into his journey from being a vegetarian, to actively deciding to never eat animal products again. Niami explains common mistakes vegan’s make, as well as his best advice for thriving on a plant-based diet.
After listening, you will not only be left with greater knowledge on a vegan diet, but you will also be left with a new perspective on embracing your difference in a world where you feel pressure to follow the norm.
Find more from Nimai:
Instagram: @nimaidelgado
Youtube: Nimai Delgado
Podcast: Generation V
Website: veganfitness.com
In this conversation with Lindsey Simcik, we dive into the simple practices Lindsey incorporates into her life for connecting deeper with her higher self. She gives a beautiful explanation for each practice and provides you with a clear guide on how to implement these practices into your daily life. We touch on the topics of overwhelm, releasing feelings, finding tranquility, and being authentic. As well as discusses the practices of shadow work, channeled writing, gratitude, and vision boards. If you’re looking to develop a new daily routine for connecting with your higher self, you will leave this conversation with countless ideas as to how to do so.
Overwhelm: 0:30
Shadow Work: 8:30
Releasing feelings and finding tranquility 12:00
Channeled writing: 16:00
Finding a daily habit that connects you to your higher self: 19:30
Gratitude practice: 22:00
Vision boards: 27:00
Embodying how expansive you are 30:30
Communicating authentically: 37:00
Being 100% yourself in relationships 40:30
Podcast: almost30.com | @almost30podcast
Instagram: @lindseysimcik
In this episode of the Align Podcast, I chat with my dear friend, Byron Katie, who shares invaluable insight into living in the present moment. Through this conversation, you will have a deeper understanding of how our unhappiness, stress, and anxiety all stem from our lack of living in our now. And through simply shifting our perspective to the moment we are living in, we are able to experience our life to the fullest.
We also dive into how to come to terms with our death, un-trapping ourselves from the story we are living in, and many more mindfulness nuggets you don’t want to miss.
About Byron Katie:
In 1986, at the bottom of a ten-year spiral into depression, rage, and self-loathing, Byron Katie woke up one morning to a state of constant joy that has never left her. She realized that when she believed her stressful thoughts, she suffered, but that when she questioned them, she didn’t suffer, and that this is true for every human being. Her simple yet powerful process of inquiry is called The Work.
The Work consists of four questions and the turnarounds, which are a way of experiencing the opposite of what you believe. When you question a thought, you see around it to the choices beyond suffering.
Katie has been bringing The Work to millions of people for more than thirty years. Her public events, weekend workshops, five-day intensives, nine-day School for The Work, and 28-day residential Turnaround House have brought freedom to people all over the world.
Byron Katie’s books include the bestselling Loving What Is, I Need Your Love—Is That True?, A Thousand Names for Joy, and A Mind at Home with Itself. For more information, visit thework.com.
What we discuss:
Why we are so serious. 1:30
Duality vs. Unicity 2:30
Katie’s 10-year depression 5:00
Having a timeless state of mind 8:30
Being trapped in our story 14:00
Steps for coming to terms with our own death 25:00
Addiction 38:00
Trauma 42:45
Find more from Byron Katie:
In this episode of the Align podcast, world-renown poet, In-Q, shares his deepest thoughts on universal issues of love, loss, forgiveness, transformation, and belief, based on his new book Inquire Within. Through our conversation, he provides us with a unique perspective in which we can see and think about ourselves and the world. The new light In-Q shines on our lives will help us learn to stop getting in our own way and tap into our authentic selves.
Find more from In-Q:
Book: Inquire Within
Website: in-q.com
Instagram: @inqlife
“Yoga has never been about the stretch, it’s always been about your reaction to the stretch.” In this episode of the Align podcast, guest Seane Corn, celebrated yoga teacher and activist , shares a deep, gut-level understanding of our highest self through yoga philosophy. She shows that spirituality and yoga have nothing to do with a mat, or stretching, or sweating, but everything to do with changing our perspective and waking up. Her thoughts and lessons shared in this episode will encourage you to heal, evolve, and change the world.
What we discuss:
Karma
Reaching enlightenment
Boredom
Living out the true definition of yoga
Experiencing trauma
Repressing emotions
Accessing your inner child
The benefits of therapy
Speaking with your “unconscious” self
Psychedelics
Feeling “whole” and split at the same time
Find more from Seane:
Book: Revolution of the Soul
Website: seanecorn.com
This is a fascinating time we are living in. We can’t control what’s happening in the world around us, but we can control the perspective in which we view what’s happening. We can choose to look at it through the perspective of anxiousness and fear, or we can choose to look at it through the perspective of opportunity. In this episode, I walk through multiple different ways in which we can shine light on this commonly perceived dark time.
The foods you choose to consume and the lifestyle practices you live out daily determine the quality of your relationships, the happiness you experience, and ultimately your fate.
In this episode of the Align podcast, I chat with Dr. Terry Wahls, who is more than a doctor specializing in autoimmune conditions, but also a patient with a chronic, progressive disease. Dr. Terry was diagnosed with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis in 2000, and by 2003 she had transitioned to secondary progressive multiple sclerosis. It was clear that eventually she would become bedridden by her disease, and she made it her mission to forestall her fate as long as possible.
From Dr. Terry’s direct experience, she shares her expertise on the connection between our diet and lifestyle and the quality of our lives. We chat about everything from the amount of love and loneliness we feel, to the amount of energy and vitality we experience, and the deep relationships we have in our lives.
Dr. Terry Wahls is also a clinical professor of medicine at the University of Iowa Carver College, the creator the Wahls Protocol diet, and the author of the Wahls Protocol book.
What you’ll learn:
Find more from Dr. Terry:
Cold showers and cold plunges are widely spoken about in the world of wellness, but are they really worth the pain and discomfort theyput you through? In this episode of the Align podcast, I dive into cold- exposure therapy–why it’s essential for optimizing your life, and how to do it properly to ensure you are reaping the full benefits. I also give you a deep explanation on brown adipose tissue, what it is and where it comes from, and the science-backed benefits of Wim Hof-style breathing techniques.
What you’ll learn:
Links discussed in this episode: