The Intersection of Zen, Motherhood, and Self-Discovery with Elena Brower
Explicit content warning
03/10/24 • 60 min
Derik Mills interviews longtime friend and colleague Elena Brower about writing poetry, teaching yoga, friendship, and podcasting. They discuss Elena’s debut collection of poetry, Softening Time: Collected Poems.
Elena shares an inspiring encounter she had a Glo student who had taken classes with her online. Derik and Elena also turn the conversation inward, discussing the therapeutic journey from poetry to prose as Elena shares about her book of poems and her upcoming book.
In a previous episode of The Glo Podcast, Elena took over the microphone to guest host. Her guest was Jeff Rosenthal, co-author of Make No Small Plans: Lessons on Thinking Big, Chasing Dreams, and Building Community. Listen to her episode, Community is a Powerful Human Technology, featuring Elena Brower and Jeff Rosenthal.
Closing the chapter on this heartfelt conversation, Derik and Elena speak about dreams, the practice of Buddhism, and how to persist in creative endeavors. Both share about their insights drawn from the lectures of professor Douglas Brooks. (A number of Dr. Brooks’s are available on The Glo Podcast as episodes.)
Elena recommends a few books as well. Find them on her Bookshop.org page, where she offers reading recommendations on poetry, Zen Buddhism, perceptive parenting, on death and dying, art and writing, inspiration for daily living, leadership, yoga, mental health, and essential oils.
Key Takeaways for this Episode
(0:00:01) - a journey of friendship and business
(0:06:32) - the impact of curiosity
(0:16:36) - exploring personal growth and healing
(0:34:38) - exploring dreams and Buddhism
(0:46:41) - the art of practice and compassion
(1:00:58) - book recommendations from Elena
Links:
Being You: A Journal by Elena Brower
Practice You: A Journal by Elena Brower
The Practice You Podcast with Elena Brower
Elena’s reading recommendations on bookshop.org.
Professor Douglas Brooks's New Winter Sessions for 2024
GLO classes:
Derik Mills interviews longtime friend and colleague Elena Brower about writing poetry, teaching yoga, friendship, and podcasting. They discuss Elena’s debut collection of poetry, Softening Time: Collected Poems.
Elena shares an inspiring encounter she had a Glo student who had taken classes with her online. Derik and Elena also turn the conversation inward, discussing the therapeutic journey from poetry to prose as Elena shares about her book of poems and her upcoming book.
In a previous episode of The Glo Podcast, Elena took over the microphone to guest host. Her guest was Jeff Rosenthal, co-author of Make No Small Plans: Lessons on Thinking Big, Chasing Dreams, and Building Community. Listen to her episode, Community is a Powerful Human Technology, featuring Elena Brower and Jeff Rosenthal.
Closing the chapter on this heartfelt conversation, Derik and Elena speak about dreams, the practice of Buddhism, and how to persist in creative endeavors. Both share about their insights drawn from the lectures of professor Douglas Brooks. (A number of Dr. Brooks’s are available on The Glo Podcast as episodes.)
Elena recommends a few books as well. Find them on her Bookshop.org page, where she offers reading recommendations on poetry, Zen Buddhism, perceptive parenting, on death and dying, art and writing, inspiration for daily living, leadership, yoga, mental health, and essential oils.
Key Takeaways for this Episode
(0:00:01) - a journey of friendship and business
(0:06:32) - the impact of curiosity
(0:16:36) - exploring personal growth and healing
(0:34:38) - exploring dreams and Buddhism
(0:46:41) - the art of practice and compassion
(1:00:58) - book recommendations from Elena
Links:
Being You: A Journal by Elena Brower
Practice You: A Journal by Elena Brower
The Practice You Podcast with Elena Brower
Elena’s reading recommendations on bookshop.org.
Professor Douglas Brooks's New Winter Sessions for 2024
GLO classes:
Previous Episode
Healing Journeys with Trauma-Informed Yoga, hosted by Rachel Autumn, feat. Darby Rae
Join our conversation with host Rachel Autumn and Darby Ray, a trauma-informed yoga teacher. Darby discusses how yoga spaces can be a sanctuary, supporting students’ experiences with stress and trauma. In the compassionate world of trauma-informed yoga, personal agency and resilience are at the heart of a healing practice.
Darby has been teaching yoga for more than ten years, and is a passionate advocate for bringing trauma informed practices into wellness spaces. She’s worked in different treatment centers and communities, offering yoga as a modality to assist the body’s inherent capacity for healing and growth.
The conversation covers how to navigate the delicate balance of personal boundaries and growth within yoga, we share candid reflections on maintaining focus amidst distraction, and the power of listening to one’s body over external cues. Breathwork, often a cornerstone of yoga, is dissected for its dual role as a grounding force and a potential source of discomfort, prompting a deeper conversation on offering choices and normalizing a spectrum of responses. Moreover, we tackle the practical aspects of teaching, like the use of consent cards for hands-on adjustments and the necessity of self-care to sustain the quality of teaching, especially in group dynamics post-pandemic.
Included is a discussion about the art of crafting a yoga practice rich in options and variations that honors all bodies and abilities. Rachel and Darby explore the challenges of online instruction, affirming the critical role of language and pacing when visual cues are absent, and how the universal benefits of trauma-informed yoga that can extend beyond trauma survivors to anyone coping with life’s stresses.
Key Takeaways for this Episode
(00:00) Introduction to Darby Rae
(06:53) Addressing trauma in classes
(11:27) The language of trauma-informed teaching
(18:00) Teachers' responsibility in trauma-informed classes
(24:01) Creating a supportive and flexible classroom environment
(26:31) Step-by-step exploration of trauma-informed yoga practice
(34:27) Importance of self-care in yoga teaching
(37:11) Building a trauma-informed public yoga class
(45:12) Trauma-informed yoga classes online
(51:02) Collective Resilience yoga teacher training
Links:
GLO classes:
Listen To Your Body Qi Gong with Stephanie
Regulate Emotions Flow with Elena
Next Episode
The Celestial Wisdom of Astrologer Natalia Benson, with Guest Host Rachel Autumn
Guest host Rachel Autumn welcomes her mentor and friend Natalia Benson on The Glo Podcast to discuss astrology and business coaching, and to celebrate Natalia’s podcast, which has surpassed a million downloads. They explore Natalia’s astrology origin story, starting with a pivotal moment that led to Natalia discovering her passion for astrology and commitment to learn more about it. Natalia emphasizes the impact that astrology has had on her understanding of her personality and business, and how astrology has shaped her mission to help women create independent revenue streams through spiritual and conscious entrepreneurship.
Rachel and Natalia discuss Natalia’s book Mystical AF, and explore the significance of natal charts, using Rachel’s chart as an example. Natalia offers some insights into how celestial placements can indicate transformations in your career and life, and unpacks the concept of Saturn transits and the Saturn return. Astrological events, Natalia says, are often seen as challenging. But they can highlight areas in our lives that require attention and work. Finally, Rachel and Natalia rethink Mercury retrogrades, asking listeners not to dread them, but consider them as opportunities for reflection and growth.
Key Takeaways for this Episode
(09:14 - 10:08) Astrology as science and art
(14:58 - 17:12) Natal chart book discussion
(20:10 - 21:54) Astrological signs and personalities
(24:46 - 26:09) Exploring astrology and personal beliefs
(30:01 - 31:22) Exploring astrology transits and personal growth
(37:06 - 37:55) Multi-faceted creative journeys
(41:28 - 43:06) Pluto on mid heaven
(46:03 - 48:28) Understanding zodiac signs through personal stories
(52:25 - 54:20) Navigating Saturn’s energy for personal growth
(01:03:18 - 01:04:16) Retrograde planets
Links:
Mystical AF: A Very Aries Journey from Darkness to Lightness of Being
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