Guru Singh On Compassion, Discernment & The Primacy of Self-Mastery

05/24/18 • 107 min

This episode marks the first installment of Guru Corner — a spiritual version of my popular Coach's Corner series featuring my favorite teacher on all things mystic, metaphysical and ethereal, Guru Singh.

For those new to the show, imagine a modern-day Gandalf who rocks like Hendrix while dropping pearls of wisdom that beautifully fuse Eastern mysticism with Western pragmatism.

A celebrated third-generation Sikh yogi, master spiritual teacher, author, and musician, for the past 40 years Guru Singh has been studying and teaching Kundalini Yoga. He is the author of several books, a powerful lecturer, and behind-the-scenes guide to many a luminary, including Fortune 500 CEOs, athletes, and artists.

A peer of rock legends like Janis Joplin and the Grateful Dead, Guru Singh is also a supremely talented musician who began his recording career on Warner Bros’ Reprise label in the 1960s. When he isn’t recording tracks with people like Seal, he’s bringing down the house on the daily at Yoga West, his Los Angeles home base.

Today's conversation is intimate exploration into cultivating compassion, developing discernment, embracing our divinity, and ultimately expanding our capacity to do what we are here to do – to love ourselves and love others to the best of our abilities.

We discuss the root of psychic and emotional pain and the nature of violence. We imagine new educational modalities for future generations. We dive deep into the power of group consciousness to drive cultural change.

And we consider the importance of maturing the social infantilism of our emotional infrastructure as a social imperative.

Over the last couple years, I have grown quite close with Guru Singh, a beautiful and highly relatable consciousness I’m proud to call friend, family and mentor. It’s a privilege to share more of his powerful wisdom with you today.

My hope is that this conversation will empower you to more deeply invest in the development of your conscious awareness, personal boundaries, and spiritual growth.

Because, to quote Guru Singh, life is not about controlling the outside world, it's about mastering perceptions from the inside.

Note: If you missed our initial two conversations, you can find them here and here.

Another Note: We recorded this episode back in mid-February, so the topical events we discuss are not quite as current as they were on the date of the conversation. Nonetheless, the wisdom remains timeless.

Final Final Note: The visually inclined can watch our conversation on YouTube at: http://bit.ly/gurucorner1 (just make sure to subscribe!)

Let the master class begin.

Peace + Plants,

Rich

For those new to the show, imagine a modern-day Gandalf who rocks like Hendrix while dropping pearls of wisdom that beautifully fuse Eastern mysticism with Western pragmatism.

And we consider the importance of maturing the social infantilism of our emotional infrastructure as a social imperative.

My hope is that this conversation will empower you to more deeply invest in the development of your conscious awareness, personal boundaries, and spiritual growth.

Because, to quote Guru Singh, life is not about controlling the outside world, it's about mastering perceptions from the inside.

Note: If you missed our initial two conversations, you can find them here and here.

Final Final Note: The visually inclined can watch our conversation on YouTube at: http://bit.ly/gurucorner1 (just make sure to subscribe!)

Let the master class begin.

Peace + Plants,

Rich

Previous Episode

Fasting For Longevity With Valter Longo, Ph.D.

When it comes to longevity, the goal isn’t just to live as long as possible.

The true objective is to live as vibrantly and energetically as possible for as long as possible.

So how exactly do we do this?

Valter Longo, Ph.D. has devoted his life to answering this question. Along the way, his groundbreaking discoveries hold the potential to change your life in truly dramatic fashion.

One of the world's leading scientific authorities on the subject of longevity, Dr. Longo is an expert in gerontology and biological science as well as the Director of the USC Longevity Institute and the Program on Longevity and Cancer at IFOM in Milan, both of which focus on developing a better scientific understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of aging, disease and, of course, longevity.

In addition, Dr. Longo is the author of an extraordinary new book entitled, The Longevity Diet*. The culmination of 25 years of research on aging, nutrition and disease across the globe, it provides an easy-to-understand, accessible and implementable road map to living to living well longer through improved nutrition.

What differentiates Dr. Longo from many of his peers is that his focus is not purely academic, but practical. From his exhaustive research on aging in both mice and humans, he has created specific diet and lifestyle protocols scientifically proven to active stem cells; promote organ regeneration and rejuvenation; reduce the risk for diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer’s and heart disease; and ultimately extend that which we all seek: lifespan.

As discussed at length over the course of our almost 2-hour exchange, Dr. Longo's specific longevity prescription entails a daily diet regimen based on a studied group of centenarians (think Blue Zones). He then combines this with a periodic 5-day fasting protocol called the Fasting Mimicking Diet (undertaken 3-4 times per year), designed to reap the benefits of a true calorie free fast while still nourishing the body daily.

This is a powerful conversation the explores all of the foregoing. It's about what promotes longevity and what undermines it. Separating truth from misconception, it's exploration of the benefits of fasting and the science that supports it. And it's a primer on the optimal lifestyle protocols you can employ in your every day life to live well and long.

Break out pen and paper because you're going to want to take notes on this one.

It's an honor and a privilege to share Dr. Longo's experience with you — one of my most important podcasts to date.

I sincerely hope you not only enjoy the exchange, but employ his wisdom for your long-term well-being.

Because we all deserve to live our best life.

For the visually inclined, you can watch our conversation on YouTube at: http://bit.ly/richandvalter

If you are enjoying the video versions of the show, do me a favor and subscribe!

I sincerely hope you enjoy the exchange.

Peace + Plants,

Rich

Next Episode

Jesse Itzler On Building Your Life Resume & Why Happiness Is An Action

It's easy to take risks when your back is against the wall.

But it's the rare individual that will continue to push the envelope, face fear and embrace the unknown when that person could choose to live without self-imposed obstacles.

Jesse Itzler is one such human.

After a barnburner appearance on the podcast back in 2015 (check RRP #197 if you missed it), the man who lives so far “out of the box” that there is no box returns for another stellar exchange that does not disappoint.

For those new to the show, this is a guy who fast-talked his way right out of college into a recording contract, ultimately taking his music all the way to MTV, the Billboard 100 and even an Emmy.

Jesse then takes a wild entrepreneurial left-turn, creating and ultimately selling big companies like Marquis Jet, the world’s largest prepaid private jet card company, and Zico Coconut Water, before wooing Spanx founder (and Shark Tank guest host) Sarah Blakely all the way to the altar.

Despite his tremendous success as a serial entrepreneur, Jesse started to feel his life stagnate. Desperate to avoid the malaise of risk adversity visited upon many a prosperous peer, he embarks on a hare-brained scheme to invite adventure back into his life by convincing Navy SEAL David Goggins — the most popular episode in the history of this show — to move in with him. David relents on one condition: that Jesse comply with David's every demand, no matter how severe. The insanity that ensues is hilariously chronicled in Living With A SEAL, Jesse's well deserved New York Times bestseller.

He eats only fruit before noon. He runs 100 mile races. He raises millions for charity. And when he isn't playing super dad to his four kids (check his Instagram stories for daily dad episodes), he's an in demand motivational speaker (check out his TEDx Talk) who just happens to own the Atlanta Hawks NBA franchise with a few friends. No biggie.

So the question is: how does this guy have such an extraordinary life?

Jesse boils it down to one singular mission statement:

Live life full blast. Never be afraid to fail. And never, ever allow yourself to stagnate.

Enjoy!

Rich