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.