In this episode of the Align podcast, Jim Kwik and I have a conversation on the three senses: sound, touch, and sight. We discuss how you are born with these powerful tools but the majority of us never get trained on how to use and develop them effectively. We also discuss how these powers relate not only to our overall wellbeing but also to our cognitive performance and physiology. This episode will give you a clear guide on how to tap into the power of sound, sight, and touch, to change the way you interact in the world and more importantly, the way you interact with yourself.
Check out Jim's new book: Limitless
Follow Jim on Instagram: @jimkwik
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:
How often do you think about why you do what you do, why you see the world a certain way, and why you’re unable to create change within yourself? In this episode of the Align podcast, Kyle Thiermann and I have a deep conversation that will change your viewpoint on how you approach multiple aspects of your life.
We answer the questions...
Kyle is a Patagonia Surf Ambassador, producer, freelance journalist, and host of the podcast, The Kyle Thiermann Show. Kyle is also the co-creator and producer of The Motherf*cker Awards, a satirical awards show that aims to create corporate accountability through comedy.
Did you know up until the age of five, the interaction between our movement and gravity is subconscious? After the age of five, we begin to "learn" how to use our muscles, which is an incredible disruption to our relationship with nature.
In this episode of the Align podcast, I chat with well-known movement expert, Dr. Nicholas Romanov, on the biomechanics of movement and why it's essential we realign with gravity to prevent injury and move optimally. We go further than just movement, and also dive into how our emotions, perception, and vibrations all correlate to the way we move.
Dr. Nicholas Romanov is a two-time Olympic coach and creator of the Pose Method, an essential guide for all runners seeking to go faster and farther without injury.
What we discuss:
Find more from Dr. Nicholas Romanov:
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:
In this episode of the Align podcast, I talk you through a seven-minute breathwork and meditation practice that is perfect for helping you tune your nervous system and give yourself the rest you need. At the beginning of the episode, I first talk through how to sit properly while mediating, as well as explain how to properly perform the breathwork practice. This breathwork and mediation practice is great for helping you tune your nervous system and give you a reset any time throughout your day.
Celebrity dog trainer and guest of this episode of the Align podcast, Tamar Gellar, discusses the wisdom and knowledge she has cultivated through dog training and shares how it can be applied to the lives of humans. We discuss a range of topics, including how our ability to accept and embrace pain increases the quality of our lives, how we are forced out of living our truth in today’s society, and the importance of connecting and aligning with our feelings.
Tamar Geller is a New York Times bestselling author and as OPRAH says “A Life Coach for Dogs and their People”. “The Loved Dog” method that she created almost 30 years ago is based on the knowledge she acquired as an intelligence officer in the Israeli Special Forces, from the respect that she gained for the wisdom of nature during the time she spent observing wolves in the wild, and her devotion to personal growth. Tamar has transformed lives and impacted relationships not only for dogs but also of people, who gained insight into themselves and their loved ones while learning Tamar’s unique and mindfulness-based dog training method.
Tamar has helped celebrity clients like Ben Affleck, Jon Stewart, Larry King, Ryan Seacrest, Julianne Hough, Charlize Theron, Reese Witherspoon, Natalie Portman, Jennifer Anniston, Ellen DeGeneres & Portia DeRossi & of course Oprah, and many non-famous dog lovers, to have the most awesome dogs.
What we discuss:
Hanging? That’s right, hanging! Allow yourself to hang from a pull-up bar, tree branch, playground, or anything that will support your weight, for 90-seconds every single day. I promise you, it will change your life! This episode of the Align podcast educates you on the power of hanging and decompressing your spine. I dive into the anatomy of your spine and how hanging helps to successfully bring it back into alignment, and what happens when you don’t. I also dive into the science-backed benefits of hanging. I explain not only how hanging improves your physical health, but how it also has a dramatic effect on your physiological health by bringing you a greater sense of confidence. Plus, I provide you with pointers on how to successfully incorporate hanging into your lifestyle.
Hanging? That’s right, hanging! Allow yourself to hang from a pull-up bar, tree branch, playground, or anything that will support your weight, for 90-seconds every single day. I promise you, it will change your life! This episode of the Align podcast educates you on the power of hanging and decompressing your spine. I dive into the anatomy of your spine and how hanging helps to successfully bring it back into alignment, and what happens when you don’t. I also dive into the science-backed benefits of hanging. I explain not only how hanging improves your physical health, but how it also has a dramatic effect on your physiological health by bringing you a greater sense of confidence. Plus, I provide you with pointers on how to successfully incorporate hanging into your lifestyle.
In this episode of the Align Podcast, I chat with Aubrey Marcus on all the shame and stigma that surrounds sex. Why do we feel shame? Why do we think we are doing something wrong? Why do we allow it to change the way we feel about ourselves? Aubrey shares his personal experiences with sex, as well as lessons he has learned and the wisdom he has cultivated through these experiences. Aubrey’s insight helps us break through our own sexual barriers, allowing us to enhance our own personal experience.
Aubrey is a long-time close friend of mine, as well as the founder and CEO of Onnit, a lifestyle brand based on a holistic health philosophy he calls Total Human Optimization, and is one of the leading health and wellness influencers in the industry,
Aubrey and I discuss:
Find more from Aubrey:
Find more from me:
To live your most optimized life, prioritizing meditation for at least ten minutes a day is essential. Countless people come to me saying “meditating is impossible” and I understand it’s a difficult practice, but I believe people make it much more difficult than it needs to be.
In the episode of the Align Podcast, I break down three common mistakes you’re probably making when meditating that are preventing you from growing your practice. I truly believe, when these mistakes are addressed, meditation will not only become more tolerable, it will become extremely enjoyable.
I also share three of my all-time favorite mindful quotes, and explain what each one means to me and how it relates to a mindfulness practice.
In this episode of the Align podcast, I chat with world-renowned boxer, Tony Jeffries. Tony was the 2008 Olympic bronze medalist, 7 time national champion, and an undefeated professional boxer. Today, Tony remains active in the fitness industry, traveling the world as an international trainer, honing the skills of professional athletes, including UFC fighters, and sculpting the bodies of some of Hollywood’s biggest stars.
I believe Tony is the kindest, most open-hearted human, especially for being such a bad ass, and know you’re going to enjoy our grounded and authentic conversation on what it’s like to have an Olympic mindset. Tony gets vulnerable, sharing the mental struggles he faced, the mental shifts he needed to make, and the affect his mentality has on his life now. Tony believes mental preparation needs to come before all else, and claims the game completely changed once he made it his number one priority.
Find more from Tony:
We’ve gotten so far from what is central to us being human, making it essential for us to find our center again. Much of this has to do with letting go of our ego, discovering the practices that bring us silence within, and aligning our actions with our true selves.
In this episode of the Align podcast, Micheal Trainer and I chat on a wide array of topics that ultimately boil down to how living authentically leads us to experiencing the greatest contentment, purpose and success in our lives. This conversation is a must-listen for anyone who is serious about leveling up in their lives.
Micheal helps you recognize the different ways in which you are living now and how they are pulling you out of alignment of who you are at your core. Plus, he gives you clear guidance on how to make the necessary shifts for aligning with your authentic self, as well as his formula on how to experience true success and contentment in your life.
Michael is a social entrepreneur focused on building movements for social impact. As a Fulbright Scholar he studied community-building strategies in Sri Lanka, where he lived and researched for two years. As a member of the Board of Directors of Sarvodaya USA Michael worked intimately with Sri Lanka's largest social movement and NGO, Sarvodaya, serving 11 million people across 15,000 villages. Since that time he has traveled and worked to build global movements.
What else we discuss:
Hear more from Micheal by checking out his podcast: Peak Mind
In this episode of the Align podcast, I give you a step-by-step guide on how I prepare for every single one of my podcast interviews. Plus, I give you a full breakdown of all the equipment I use for recording.
No matter what kind of interview you are conducting, I believe it’s beyond important to follow the guidelines I share with you to make your guests feel comfortable, respected, and prepared to give you their best knowledge. Whether you’re podcast interviewing, or simply having a conversation, using these tactics will improve your communication skills and ensure you get the most out of the person you are speaking with.
If you have any questions on purchasing equipment, getting it set up, or on how I conduct my interviews, feel free to reach out to me on Instagram, @alignpodcast.
Audio-Technica BPHS1 Broadcast Stereo Headset
Zoom H6 Six-Track Portable Recorder
Behringer Microamp HA400 Ultra-Compact 4-Channel Stereo Headphone Amplifier
If you’re someone who is striving to be proactive with their health, tune into this episode of the Align Podcast to learn more about floor sitting – one of the simplest things you can do to increase your vitality and longevity.
Our hips, ankles, knees, spines, and the fluids throughout our body have been built upon movement, necessitated by getting up and down off the ground. Although in western societies, floor sitting is not a staple in our lifestyle.
So here is where the problem lies…our body is like a home. If we make good use of the space, squatters will take over. Inside the body, the squatters will look like adhesions, calcifications, and inflammation. But, when we move our body through its full range of motion regularly, in ways it’s intended to be moved, we prevent the “squatters” from taking over. And when our knees, ankles, and hips can smoothly move through their full range of motion, it’s a clear indication of the vitality of the rest of our body.
In this episode I discuss:
Find more from me: