215: Meditation and Poetry with Yung Pueblo

Namaste. My name is Sahara Rose, and welcome back to the Highest Self podcast, a place where we discuss what makes you your soul's highest evolvement. Oh, man, I so deeply loved this conversation. And I know you're going to love it, too, because Young Pueblo is someone I've been following on Instagram forever. You may know him from his incredible short yet very profound poems that he shares on his Instagram feed, Young Pueblo. And he came over. We have tons of mutual friends. Shaman Durek saw lots of people, and I was so excited to meet him. And, oh, my God, this is just one of those conversations that I'm like, so, what's the meaning of life? So why are we here? We just went in. Like, there is no beating around the bush in this conversation because these are the kind of conversations I like to have, honestly. Like, the life stories are cool, but I want to know about the big things. And we just went right in. So if you love that episode I did with Heather that we're talking about all sorts of stuff, this is one of those conversations that we talk about his creative process. We talk about vipassana, which are the silent retreats that he does. We talk about different types of meditation, poetry, how it comes through all of these beautiful things, and lots about higher consciousness. And it is so important for us to know that anyone can be a poet. In fact, that we all are. You know, there's the corny, we're all poets and we don't know it, but, like, for real, because poetry channels through us at all times. We all truly have our own unique poetry that is coming through, but most of us just block it through our own inner dialogue, our own voice of restriction, our own idea that, oh, this isn't good, this isn't worthy, or I'm not even gonna entertain my thoughts thoughts to even let this come out. So all a poet is is someone that allowed universal source to move through them in the form of words. Now, poetry can also be through dance. When I'm moving and I'm just letting my body go for it, and I don't even know what's going to come next. It's just the music and my body having a conversation, and somehow it's on beat and I'm not even sure because I've never listened to the song before, but my body knows something deeper than I know. That's poetry. When you're sitting in a circle with your friends, with strangers, and you're singing and one person's an acapella, and the other person's holding down the rhythm and you're all coming together, that is poetry. When you're having sex with your partner and everything is just flowing in divine motion and you're connecting on this deeper soul level, and you're creating something that seems to be coming out of the cosmos with your body as the channel that is poetry. So poetry doesn't necessarily have to be words to paper. Poetry can be in any form of channeling that comes through your existence. Now, what helps us be these poets? Having our meditation practices. So in this episode, we speak extensively about Diego's meditation practice, which is the Vipassana method, which is a Buddhist method that they do silent retreat since a certain type of breath work and meditation. I talk about how my meditations are more moving and active and dancing. And there are many forms that are guided visualizations. There's transcendental mantra meditations, there's Kundalini meditation, there's yoga, there's shamanic trance. There's lots of things out there. But it is important, just as much as we value going to the gym, that we value having our own spiritual practice, because spirituality is a practice. And it's very easy for that poetry to just get swept under the rug where it's never seen again if we don't every day have some sort of practice to bring it out. So I hope this episode inspires you to find your own form of meditation, whether it is vipassana, whether it's dance, whether it's mantras, whether it's swimming, whatever it is, and allow the poetry that exists inside of you to come through, because each of us has a unique form of poetry and that is in alignment with our dharma, our highest selves. So this journey, this soul mission here on this planet is just about finding the unique type of poetry that comes through only you. Now, without further ado, let's welcome Diego, AKA Young Pueblo, to the Highest Self Podcast. This episode is brought to you by uva. UVA is a modernized Ayurvedic supplement company that takes certain issues that we have, such as mood, joints, immunity, digestion, and creates these custom little packets exactly for us, infusing ancient Ayurvedic herbs with modern vitamins and minerals. I take the mood formula daily. 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I'm going to be teaching you how to work with these goddesses in all areas of your life and how using them can help you embody your highest self. On top of that, we will be giving away over $3,000 of prizes, including a happiness retreat at the Art of Living center for you and a friend. So head over to rosegoldgoddesses.com to sign up for the challenge today for free. Again, that is. Rose Gold Goddesses. Welcome, Diego, to the Highest Self podcast. It's so good to have you here.

Thank you for having me, Sahara. I'm really grateful to be here.

So the first question I would love to ask you is, what makes you your highest self?

I would definitely say the daily meditation practice. I go away to a lot of meditation courses. I practice vipassana as taught by Sn Ghenka in the tradition of Sayaji UBA Kin. But I really felt that I started growing deeply when I brought that back home. And I do. I meditate two hours a day, one hour in the morning, one hour in the evening. And I feel like that sort of just anchors me in a way that aligns me towards who I want to be, as opposed to just continuing to recreate the past over and over and sort of like falling into those old pathways. But I would say meditating daily is like, absolutely changing my life.

So good. I was just telling your wife how I started meditating more recently after doing this quantum hypnosis healing technique. It's like a very deep hypnosis that goes into past lives.

I think I've heard of that.

Yeah. And really what came through is like, my mind was trying to analyze everything the whole time. So I really was like, okay, I need to actually sit and meditate and try to just slow this thing down a little bit.

Is that the Dolores Cannon?

It is.

Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

It's powerful.

That's great.

So you write incredible poetry, Young Pueblo. I'm sure a Lot of listeners follow you, have read your book and are just touched by your work. I would love to know a little bit more about your writing process and what that looks like.

Yeah, sure. So I think the writing process is sort of based inside of this framework of the idea of Young Pueblo, because a lot of people think that that's actually my name. But it's really sort of this idea that holds it all together, and it's trying to understand and really realize that humanity is essentially young. We're this collective that is growing up. And the example that I like to give people is when you think back to when we were children and we were first going into school, what were your teachers trying to teach you? You know, the simplest things, like clean up after yourself, don't hit each other, tell the truth, be kind to one another. And these are things that we may be able to do as individuals, but as a human collective, we have not mastered these fundamental things at all. And I think that we have this sort of giant challenge ahead of us over this next century. And we're learning, you know, we're really learning. And we actually have this brand new accessibility that hasn't really been around in all of human history, where we actually have healing tools that can help us cultivate ourselves deeply. So what I try to explore in my writing is, you know, sometimes things come up as insights. They'll just, like, come up either when I'm meditating or when I'm not, pretty spontaneously, or other times I'll try to reflect back and see, you know, what have I been learning? What have I been letting go of? Like, how am I dealing with myself? What is, you know, what's coming to my awareness now. And so it's a bit of both. So I try to stay open to whatever may come. And I also try to, you know, every now and then just, like, sit down and see what's going on, you know, what. What's really sort of growing and maturing inside me.

Mm. So beautiful. And your poetry is really an extension of your meditation, for sure.

It wouldn't have. It wouldn't exist if I didn't start meditating.

So normally when you are in meditation, do downloads of poems come through, or do you really try to keep your mind as silent as possible?

Yeah, I feel like whenever I, like when I'm meditating, it's to improve my life, not to become a better writer. So I'm getting more and more strict with myself to really just focus in on the practice, really continue observing impermanence as opposed to like, you know, sort of like swimming around my mind and thinking about memories or thinking about poetry. Because I've noticed that it's actually moments of agitation that are. You know, it's like, okay, let me, like, go into this. Because this is like, a safe realm for me as opposed to, like, really facing myself even more deeply. So I try to keep the two separately. But then there are these times where things will appear in my mind as whole, you know, that they'll just, like, come up and it's this whole piece, and then I'll write it down afterwards when I'm done. Or, you know, if it comes up out, I'll tell myself, you know, well, if it stays in my mind and as I continue practicing and if it's still there at the end of the hour, then, sure, I can write it down. But I won't, like, try to cheat, you know, like, pull out a piece of paper or anything like that. So.

Do you ever feel like you're getting a download for a poem but you're meditating and you don't want to get out of the meditation, but you're going to forget it? So you're like, oh, should I stop?

Exactly. So I feel like that's exactly the thing that I'm trying to grow out of and just be okay with that, you know? The point of meditating is that I'm cultivating mental clarity. So in the end, you know, once I'm not meditating and I'm living my life, then hopefully my mind will be clear enough that something great will come along and I'll understand more things later on.

But, yeah, I once read this quote, and it was something about how the poet sits on a hill and the poem comes through in a cloud. And if the poet, when the cloud hits the boy, if he doesn't run home fast enough, the cloud will go to someone else.

Yeah, yeah.

And how these poems, these downloads, essentially, it's like we're all kind of picking up on them. That's why the same kind of people have the same insight in a moment that sometimes I'm like, oh, if I don't write it down, the cloud's gonna go somewhere else.

No. And I actually think that that's one of the. Being okay with that makes more opportunity for yourself as well. Because, you know, either way, the knowledge needs to come through somehow. And I think it's interesting because, like, throughout human history, that's happened a lot. I think one of my favorite examples is the development of calculus. You know, like Isaac Newton, when he was thinking about it. I think there was also some other person whose name I forget who also developed calculus like a few weeks later, you know, so it's like we don't realize how invisibly bonded we are with one another. And I think that's absolutely fine, you know, may it come in whatever way it needs to.

Totally. It's even detachment to the idea that this is my poem. Rather, these are thoughts that need to come through, and as long as they come through somewhere.

Right, right, exactly. Like, am I even real? You know, so, like, let it just go. Because a lot of that sort of holding on to that tension of my existence is really my ego trying to continue grabbing onto another object, another object so that it can hold its dominance over you. And that's really the clouds that are surrounding our consciousness. So, you know, I love the idea of thinking about the mind as having this ego sort of wrapping around our consciousness. And a lot of our accumulations, our patterns, and all these things that are limiting our reality and are limiting our ability to be free and happy are just these thick patterns and, you know, these thick clouds. So as we let them go, more of that clarity and brightness of consciousness can shine through. And that's where we get our creativity. That's where we get our, like, a new ability to problem solve, a new energy and, you know, sort of like that new sense of loving human nature.

Yes.

Yeah.

So I have a question. It's a pretty big question, but do you believe in free will?

Definitely. Yeah. I feel like that's one of. You know, I think that karma is very real, but that you always have that opportunity to start a new life. You know, I really believe that in one life you can be reborn so many times. And I think a lot of us experience that, you know, like every few decades, you know, you look back on your life and you're like, wow, that's almost like a totally different person. But for sure, we can.

So do you believe in destiny?

That I'm not so sure about, because I feel like we're kind of, you know, choosing who we're going to be pretty constantly. And I wonder. I think sometimes some karmic things may play out over the long term, you know, maybe like many lives. And who knows that that may look like destiny, Especially because going from one life to another, there's the opportunity to regain clarity. So you may lose a lot, you know, along the way. But I try not to worry too much about destiny. To me, it's much more important to cultivate my freedom and come out of misery, right?

Yeah. I've been thinking about this a lot because, as you know, I have my elbow surgery thing going on, and I'm.

Like, you're being such a trooper.

I'm like, why would I have chosen this, like, why would my highest self want this to happen to me? You know? And then I'm so. I've just been like, thinking, like, you know, there's that school of thought that's like, we're all in the matrix and you're all fake and you're all a projection of what I really need. But then there's also just like the free will of, like, I don't know, just my thing grew on my arm and I had, you know. So it's just like, interesting because then you wonder, well, why would I be destined for a bad situation?

Yeah, yeah. And I think it's really complex. I think our own belief system is really important. And one of the things that I've definitely seen in my own life, my own life, is moments where, you know, I've played out negative actions or I've done things that have. That I'm necessarily not proud of, and then, you know, they'll come back to me later. So there's these. These ideas that you sort of set up challenges for yourself to become better. But then there's also the possibility of like, you know, I might have done something pretty not good years ago that I don't even remember that's amounting to this moment right now.

True.

Yeah.

So do you think that everything happens for a reason or things just happen and we give them a reason?

I think more so that every effect has multiple causes. So it's very difficult to say that this particular exact philosophy is it. But if you look at one moment in time, there was not just one cause that created it. There's like a multi layered number of situations that had to come together to create this momentary phenomenon. Does that make sense?

Yeah. So it sounds like karma is a really big thing.

Yeah, for sure. I think that's definitely one thing. But there's just so much that I don't know, you know. So I think one thing that really inspires me about the Buddha and the way he sort of lived his life and put out his teachings is that, you know, not to worry so much about the big existential things and to just realize that you're pretty miserable. You know, life is a struggle and that there's a way to come out of this struggle. So I think that's really inspired me to see that I Try not to focus so much on finding myself, but just freeing myself and just like, okay, noticing, like, oh, I have this sort of limiting belief pattern, or I'm, you know, continuing. My mind continues to try to behave in this one way. Let me see if I can come out of that. Yeah. And I think after you cultivate that mental clarity, these existential questions become clearer and clearer and clearer. But it's also really fun to just think about them and talk about them.

It is, Yes. I think it's just part of, you know, the human experience to wonder and sort of like, does it change anything? No. But you just wonder, right?

Yeah. No. Curiosity is so much fun. And it's also a sign of humility. Right. Because it's like, yo, I don't know anything.

Yes. You know, so do you think that each person has a purpose or is it sort of like just living and being here is the purpose?

I think that's interesting. I think what life is, it's an opportunity, and then that becomes what we make of it. But there's just so many things happening at once that, you know, people are so. I think oftentimes we forget how precious life really is and how not only do we have an opportunity for joy, but we have an opportunity for liberation and to really sort of go so deep within ourselves that we can just understand the universe at a whole new level. And I think that's something that humans are now sort of rediscovering. You know, this sort of, like, massive emergence of yoga. Now it's gone completely global. You know, so many different forms of meditation, so many different healing modalities that are just sort of literally pushing forward evolution. So to me, that shines on the fact that, you know, life is an opportunity. So let me see what I can do with it. Yeah.

So what's the difference between liberation and joy to you?

Joy is something that we can cultivate pretty much more easily. To me, liberation, like, actual liberation, is freedom from all craving. And craving is what creates attachments. And attachments are the bondages that form our suffering. So to be absolutely absent of all craving is. We're talking like Jesus, the Buddha, Krishna, you know, like the. The great sort of people that we look up to, you know, or even like modern, you know, like Anandamayma. There's tons of fantastic people that have been around even in the modern era. But liberation is, like, really coming out of all craving.

It's. It's past that point of momentary joy.

Yeah. And it's. Right. So momentary joy can be found Pretty, you know, interrelationally. Right. Like, the moment I walked into your house, I was like, this is fantastic. I felt so much joy within me. But still, you know, I have a lot of work to do in regards to my own liberation, for sure.

So. Very true. So you have such incredible poems that speak on so many different levels, so I'd love to share. Maybe you can share a poem that you feel like sharing with the audience. I have your Instagram up. Or you can share from your book and let's talk about it.

Yeah, for sure. This is one of my favorite ones to read because I don't really share it online.

And, guys, his book is called Inward. So go check it out. All the bookstores, Amazon. It's amazing.

So this one's on page eight. I spent so much time creating versions of myself that were far from the truth. Characters I would perform depending on who was around. Layers that could hide the inner dance of turmoil between my lack of confidence, the pain I did not understand, and the uneasiness that comes with reaching out to others for the love that I was not giving myself before the healing.

So where were you in your life when you wrote that?

Well, I think I know exactly where I was. I was at Prospect park, sitting in front of a bench. I mean, sitting on a bench in front of the lake. And I had just gotten this. The first line. The first line had come to me one morning and. Right. I spent so much time creating versions of myself, and then I was, like, trying to figure out the rest of the poem. But what I kept thinking back to was myself in high school, where I almost felt like I was, like, shape shifting. Like, you know, I would see some people and I really liked them, but I knew they behaved in a certain way, and I would sort of just become exactly like them. And it was just like this. I was literally living a performative life as opposed to just, like, honoring what was real with me in the moment. Even though, like, you know, not to say that who you are is static because human beings are very dynamic. You know, it's a dynamic situation. Like, we're constantly changing. Right. Like, who you are now is probably so different from who you were five years ago. But honoring that reality that you know of, what you're feeling in that moment is being truthful as opposed to being like, oh, what is this person like, you know, how can I make them like me more? Or what will make them laugh as opposed to, you know, what do I really want to share with them that's real?

So beautiful. I Think most of us had that experience in high school.

Yeah.

It's such a raw time that you have no idea who you are. And you're like, that person seems to know who they are. So let me be them.

Yeah, or them.

Or them. And it's hard. I mean, I think a lot of people are still living like that and don't even know. It's like so many. We try on identities, like, we try on clothes.

Oh, I like that. That's really, really true.

Being around you is making the poetry come through. But. But it's really true that I think a lot of people resonate with those words of just trying to fit in.

Yeah, yeah. Trying to fit in and just like, you know, just not even knowing who you really are or what you even. Like. I think a lot of times, you know, one thing that I try to tell people is be careful with the idea of finding yourself, because when you start going inward, the first thing you're going to find is a profound series of conditioning. Sort of like in a lot of your. What you're engaging with is what society thinks, you know, has taught you that you should want or that you should be. And it's actually going deeper than that and going through that layer to find out what is my real aspiration. Like, how do I. How do I want to use my life? You know, so oftentimes I encourage people, you know, focus on freeing yourself, because then you're removing the clouds, removing the conditioning, removing the patterns. And then it's like, oh, right, this is what I want to do with my life. This is what I should be, you know, spending my time on.

Totally. It's like we were born with it. We just have to take off all the stuff that society has placed upon us to just see it so clearly.

You know, what's been blowing my mind? When it hit me, this last meditation course that I did, that I literally spent 24 years of my life not meditating at all. Like, it was when I was 24 years old that I did my first meditation course. And when you start sort of delving deeper into the mind, you start realizing that these accumulated patterns are happening at such a rapid pace. You're constantly creating valuations and reactions, and this is sort of adding to that hardened conditioning. And it was only when I was 24 that I started cleaning a lot of that up. So that means that There was literally 24 years where I was just, like, adding more and more and more and more and more every day without doing any type of, you know, purification work. To relieve myself of that heaviness and tension. And to me it was like, wow, that's crazy. You know.

So how quickly did it take from when you started to meditate that you could feel really the effects in all areas of your life?

I think after the first silent 10 day course that I did, you know, I think the first 10 day course was extraordinarily difficult. Like I felt like, you know, I wanted to leave so bad and I kept thinking about, you know, how am I going to get out of here? And I think one of the reasons that I actually stayed was because I was in a part of the country. I was in Oregon. I'm sorry, I was living in Oregon at the time and I went to Washington State to take that course and someone had given me a ride there and this was before the time of like Uber and all that stuff. So I literally had no way to get home, you know, so I was like, damn, I just gotta stay. And that was the best thing that could have happened to me because, you know, when I realized that I have no way to get home, I was like, okay, let me really give this a shot. And at the end of it I felt so much lighter. I think I probably lost like, probably like £5 or something like that, but I felt like I lost like a hundred pounds, but in my mind and it, you know, it was such a shocking experience that I ended up signing up for another one like two months later because I knew that something special had happened, but I didn't quite understand what actually happened. So.

So you went into. Not meditating straight into like Vipassana?

Yeah, yeah, for sure. I think one time my wife and I, we meditated once for like 20 minutes and had no idea what we were doing. And we just sat there and I just like, you know, doing nothing. Yeah, and. But no, something just clicked. I mean it's Vipassana sounds very difficult and I think for some people obviously it might be, but. But when you go there, you know, there's a lot of people who are doing it for the first time. And in some ways it's actually easier if you haven't learned another technique. Well, because you're being. It's basically like a 10 day guided meditation. Like every step by step you're being given instructions to be able to learn a technique that when you talk about it it sounds simple, but it's actually very hard to cultivate the sort of mental clarity and mental power to be able to really go that deep. And they literally like handhold you through that And I think that's what makes it, you know, not impossible for sure.

So what is like of Vipassana style meditation?

Well, I think a lot of so Vipassana, you know, it's, it was developed by the Buddha 2500 years ago and it comes from Burma. And it's sort of a Theravadan style of Buddhism. And when you go there, you know, you take a vow of morality. So you basically vow to enduring those 10 days. You're not going to kill any bugs or anything like that. You're not. So, you know, no killing, no stealing, no lying, no sexual activity and no intoxicants. So you take this vow and that then supports you to spend the next three days, the first three days, cultivating your concentration, which is like literally cultivating samadhi. And then you spend the next seven days, once your concentration gets a little bit stronger, you spend the next seven days developing insight, developing wisdom. And you sort of then turn that concentration and start really observing the body and feeling the impermanence that is, you know, it's basically what your body is, is this like rapidly fluctuating system that's changing, you know, like literally trillions of times a second. And through that you get to sort of see the reality of nature and how the universe really functions.

Wow. So they're guiding you through tapping into your body and feeling that. So interesting. And people who do it, it's a certain kind of meditation that you continue practicing it with, right?

Yeah. And then once you learn it, you know, you take it home and use it to your benefit.

That's amazing. So would you recommend most people who they want to get into meditation? Would you say go straight into Vipassana or do you think that it's, it's not for everyone, at least at the beginning.

Yeah, I think some people, I know a bunch of people who. That's what they've gone into. And then it just suits them totally. Well, whatever.

And guys, this is a silent retreat. Can you explain? Maybe don't know what it is.

It's very silent. So you literally, when you get there, you give them your phone, they lock it away for you. You know, they'll give it back to you at the end. There's no reading, there's no writing. You're literally just no eye contact. Right, no eye contact. You're literally cultivating a sense of being completely alone so that you can totally be by yourself with. Sorry, not by yourself, with yourself. And that sort of creates that special situation for you to not only burn away those old Patterns. But for you to cultivate good amount of wisdom that you would not have been able to if you were just reading books, just writing poetry, just sort of working on that intellectual level of the mind. Because honestly, a lot of letting go happens in the subconscious, as opposed to. A lot of people might think, you know, letting go can happen through thinking, but. And that is definitely true, you know, on some level. But the deepest part of letting go happens through feeling. And that happens when you're cultivating another part of the mind that is access, you know, that is not accessed through reading and writing and all of that. The things that were common to us. Through your own direct experience, do you develop wisdom?

Yeah. Yeah. It's something that I definitely will do one day in my life. But I just like, for me, my story is, oh, I don't like to sit down. So can I do a walking vipassana? Can I.

There's a lot of stuff. Can I dance for a week? No, there's a lot. There's a lot of different traditions of vipassana. And what I tell people is, you know, if it sounds like something that intrigues you, go do it. If it doesn't, don't do it, you know, but no matter where you're at, we live in a special time in human history so that you can find something that meets you where you're at. And I think that's what's really important. So, like, my advice to people is always, you want to find something that challenges you but isn't overwhelming. Because in that sweet spot, you know, you want something that is hard enough that you'll become stronger, but not so hard that you're just gonna be like, oh, no, I'm not gonna do this, and I'm not going back, and I'm not trying to heal myself. And you don't want to turn away from that, you know, So a little bit of challenge is good, but, you know, with some courage and just, like, trying out new things, you can find something that's gonna meet you where you're at. Because there's literally even outside the realm of meditation, if meditation is not a thing for you, there are other, you know, ways to begin.

Yes, definitely.

Yeah.

So let's read another one of your poems.

Sure. The people with the power to move and act through unconditional love will be the healers and heroes of our planet. A new balance.

What inspired that?

I started seeing that. You know, I think I mentioned already that we have these massive, massive challenges. You know, you can just start listening out from Climate change, you can just go on and on and on. Social inequality, there's just so much growing that we can do. But a lot of people understand love through the romantic sense. But love isn't just something that you feel within yourself and amongst people. It's actually an energy that we can use to change the world. And not only is it something that is understood as similarly that love between people, but love can also be taken as a form of mental clarity. So when you are cultivating that love within yourself, the mind gets sharper and sharper and sharper, and that's where the creative solutions will come. You know, like a lot of times we're like, you know, what type of society, what type of economy, what type of government do we need where we can actually be free, where we can actually have a balance between understanding that we function collectively and then we should also protect the individual. But that's going to come from within us, through our own creativity, through our own sort of putting that effort into having that aspiration to build that new world. But when we cultivate that love, all of this stuff becomes much more possible for sure.

So how do you cultivate self love when you're like so upset with the political sphere? You know, how do you send love to those, to Trump and to people like that?

I think it's really, you know, when you're going into that process within yourself, you start seeing the errors that you've committed, right? You know, you don't want to punish yourself. You have to understand that being imperfect is totally fine, that that's part of the growing process. But, you know, when you start thinking about the moments that you've harmed people, that gives you an opportunity to cultivate compassion, right? For yourself, for other people. And, you know, self love is really about getting to know your own emotional history, right? Self love is an acceptance of like, okay, I can be better off, right? And I can do these things that I need to really cultivate myself. And obviously having some sort of tool really helps. But being able to understand and engage with your emotional history, understanding that everybody has their own story and that even though people have different sets of privileges, what we all have in common is that we've all have had these moments of very intense emotion. Like we've all experienced sadness, we've all experienced moments of some sort of grief or another. And these moments become so tense inside of us that they, you know, predispose us to feeling that particular emotion again in the future. So it's funny because self love, it was so cool seeing back in like 2014-2016, that word just sort of like blew up. You know, so many people were talking about self love all over the Internet and people were really trying to understand, you know, what does this mean to me? And I've seen that really be the beginning and a gateway to understanding letting go. Because now everyone's talking about letting go and trying to define it. In the middle of that is seeing like, oh, I have stuff inside me and I need to do something about that.

So what would self love exactly mean to you? How would you define it?

I think to me, self love is an energy that you use to free and heal yourself. And it's like that motivation to go in there and be like, you know what? I can be happier.

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Yeah.

The bubble baths, the fireside chocolate, hashtag self love.

Yeah.

And I found that self love is really just the absence of shame. It's to no longer just be ashamed of who you are, no longer have guilt about who you are, to just accept yourself as you are. And I think that is like actually what self love is. But I think that some acts of self love, like taking a bath or whatever it is, we are confusing that with the actual self love.

Yeah. And I think it's interesting because like, all things, right, it sort of begins on this like, really external side and then you get deeper and deeper because I love that. Is there going to be any change without self acceptance? Absolutely not. Right. You have to like fully, deeply accept yourself. And then you're like, okay, now I can let this go and start moving forward. But yeah, it's been, it's been funny because I saw a lot of that too. And I think that's absolutely fine because we live in this capitalist culture that demands so much from us that we are learning how to rest. Right. We're like sort of putting our foot down sometimes and we're like, okay, like I really don't feel good and literally what I need is a nap. And being okay with that and treating yourself gently in that matter, that's also important. But it's also okay and really valuable to go deeper and to do that self acceptance and to even, you know, go more inward and see, okay, what is, you know, what are these patterns in me that I could release so that I no longer feel so mentally tense or mentally turbulent. Yeah.

So I think what people get confused that is, well, what's really myself and what is the conditioning.

Yeah. And that's the real game, you know. And that's why it's really important to have some sort of tool to sharpen and see, you know, what's my real aspiration, what do I really want to be doing versus what do I think or what has been taught to me is sort of forced upon me.

And you would say meditation is kind of the only way that you can know.

No, I don't think so. I mean, I think, you know, psychotherapy is huge. I think there's so many things, like different healing modalities. I mean, like, you know, Ayurveda is massive, right? Like, that's. I'm sure you, from where you were before to where you are now, there is a greater sense of awareness there for sure. Right. And I think it's really about finding something that fits you and meets you where you're at. But I also would recommend, you know, it's not as simple as just like journaling and, you know, I think having that degree of honesty is very helpful in the beginning. But then you should also challenge yourself to pick up something new, something that, you know actually has already helped other people and see if that's also going to help you. And if it doesn't, keep trying. There's, there's, you know, like I said, so many forms of meditation, so many forms, different types of yoga, different sort of energy, healing modalities, therapy practices, breath work. You can just go on and on and on. There's so many things that I don't even know about, but that's the special time that we live in, is that there's a real chance for you to feel happier.

I love that. So this is a special time and something you've mentioned. So do you think that right now is particular, a special time, or every generation has thought they live in a special time.

Oh, I'm sure, you know, because there are always challenges, right? Like, life is literally ups and downs, ups and downs. I think the only thing is that we have collectively, through literally just ignorance, just like not understanding on a human level, have sort of caused this massive imbalance. And I think because awareness and like collective consciousness is rising a lot, we're taking note of that. And now we're saying, okay, not only do we have these massive challenges, but at the same time we have these massive challenges. All these amazing tools have become global. And it's funny because a lot of that is going to come over the next decade, two decades, three decades. But so many people are doing the work right now to develop themselves, to come out of ego and to just sharpen Their clarity so that people are literally going to be heroes now and later.

So do you think that this is related to 2012 or this divine feminine shift, or do you think it's just. It's just kind of happening. There's not really a real reason behind why, I think.

I mean, like I said, I think it probably is a little bit of everything, right? Because there's definitely a lot of invisible, invisible forces out there. You know, you can feel them, and it's hard to sort of pinpoint, okay, this exactly is it. But it's so many different causes. I think the biggest cause is probably just not being aware. You know, we're literally like. Like, people. Like when people developed the atom bomb, they would explode it, and then they would stand right in front of it. You know, they would stand outside of the blast radius, but they didn't even know that the radiation was coming their way. And then a lot of the people who were, like, invented it ended up quickly dying of cancer because they just. They just didn't know. So, like, humans, you know, we would come up with these ideas and we would quickly develop them, and then we'd have no idea, you know, the full extent of what we were creating. So, right, we start using oil, and we're like, oh, right, this is great. Now I have light, blah, blah, blah. And the next thing you know, it's like, whoa. Like, the whole system's out of balance. So honestly, it's like a massive lack of awareness. And now that's, you know, luckily we're growing. We're.

We're cultivating, and we're still going through it, too. One day they're like, egg yolks are good for you. Now they're bad for you. This is good for you. It's bad for you. It's like, do we even know? Like, my mom's whole thing is, like, stevia is the worst thing ever for you. It's their new aspartame, but they're calling it stevia, and soon you're gonna see it's causing cancer. And I'm like, no, it's so good for you. But I'm like, maybe she's right, you know?

Oh, my goodness. Especially with the health fads and, like, all these things. Like, I think there's definitely a lot of truth in them, but people's bodies are super different. And, you know, I've tried out a lot of different diets, and, you know, you just have to find what works.

For you for sure at this time, at this moment, which might change Next month?

Yeah, yeah, for sure. And I think that's part of, you know, that's a good. Another opportunity to, like, just be okay. Like, my body's asking for this. This is what I need right now, and that's fine.

Do you know what your dosha is? Your ayurvedic dosha?

I think it's a kapha.

I think you're a kapha for sure. Yeah, Kaphas are very just, like, chill, calm, grounded.

One of my. One of my favorite things is just to chill. Yeah. Yeah, but I don't get that much chill time anymore.

No, but you definitely have that kapha energy to you, which. Oprah's Eckhart Tolle, Deepak Chopra. A lot of spiritual teachers are kapha.

I didn't know that. That's interesting.

Yeah, it's this level of being able to hold space. You know, the Earth is like this giant planet that we're all living on, and kapha people can just, like, hold it down. Like, I could be freaking out, going crazy, and you're just going to be like, it's. It's cool.

It's fine. It's going to change. That's my thing. It's like, yeah, it's fine because you.

Have this strong anchor to you. So is it hard for you ever to pick up new habits? Because sometimes that's the hard thing for kapha people.

I'm sort of like a creature of habit. Like, no, like. Like a. I think like a locomotive. Like a train. Like, it'll start very slowly, and even before then, I'm, like, sort of really taking a good picture of what I want to be doing, and then I slowly pick up. So I have a funny pattern that I figured out. Like this, like, long arc. I remember one of the big things that I wanted to change was, like, I didn't. I didn't, like, you know, I think, you know, smoking weed is, like, great for a bunch of people. It was actually great for me for a while, and then I realized I didn't want to smoke anymore. And the same thing with alcohol. I was like, ah, this is. I actually don't like this. And then it was sort of like combating the current conditioning because it's everywhere. That's how people hang out. They hang out through this medium and then asking myself, like, oh, like, I actually don't like this, you know, And I actually still love these people and would want to hang out with them, even whether they do it or not. But for me, this is not it. So I spent so much Time, like, you know, coming out of that. And then I was like, oh, you know, I want to start meditating two hours a day. And it took a while for me to like really sort of stabilize that in my life. And I'm finding that, you know, I'll pick like one major thing in my life that I want to shift and I'll like spend like a year and a half like stabilizing it in my life and it becoming like a real, you know, not just like a habit, but like a part of my being. And it's been funny because I like, I'll see what I want to change, but I can only really focus on like, you know, especially if it's such an ingrained part of me. Focus on like one thing at a time.

Yeah, that's a very Kapha Kaphas have the best endurance, but it's like the slower start.

Yeah, yeah, it's like the slow start. And then we're just like steamrolling, you know?

Yeah. So I'd love to know what made you decide to stop smoking weed and stop drinking.

It was two things. One was that I had done a number of vipassana courses and I realized that when I would go and meditate, you know, I'd purify my mind a significant amount and I'd feel a lot better and then I'd go home. And these things that you used to feel like they helped me didn't help me any longer. You know, I felt like my vibration was sort of like going down and was kind of like just like holding me down and not allowing me to go deeper into the practice. And the other side was that I wanted to start doing longer courses. And one of the requirements for a 20 day course was to not drink or smoke or really take any intoxicants for a whole year. And I was like, that's a good challenge. You know, like, I want to, I want to see what meditating longer is like. And like, you know, why not? I don't even really like these things. So I was like, let's do it. You know, so what if people think it's weird?

No, I'm so on that same boat with you especially. I mean, I was never really into smoking. Weed just gives me anxiety and I just don't like it. But with the alcohol, definitely when I was in college, I would drink and it just, it so brings down your vibration.

Oh, for sure.

And it, it makes you not yourself. It makes you this, this shadow version of society. Aggression and over sexualized and whatever it Is. And it's like, why is this how we hang out? Like, let's. Let's take off who we really are and, like, become this, like, fake MTV version of ourselves. Like, why is this.

Talk about being performative, right? Yeah, yeah. No, it's a real thing. I think, you know, part of the reason that we sort of, like, lubricate our social interactions with alcohol is because there are so many things inside of us that we don't want to engage with. I remember when I was in college, I would, you know, drink and party, and then when I would get home and I'd be by myself and I'd feel myself sobering up, and I'd be, like, four in the morning in front of my computer, and I'm like, oh, my God, I'm so depressed. You know, like, this is this, like, massive thing inside me that's calling for my attention, and I'm just, like, running away from it, you know, either through, like, using. You know, literally, like, just, like, hanging out all the time so that I don't have to be by myself or nighttime. And I'm like, you know, taking in all these intoxicants so that it can even more. So double down on running away from myself and actually making more layers so that there's more space between me and me, you know?

It's so true. Yeah, it really is. And it's funny how the dating world, where you're supposed to really get to know. Know someone is around alcohol.

Yeah. Yeah.

That's probably the worst thing that you could do to actually try to get to know someone.

No, and that's. That's one of the reasons why I was so pumped that Ruby Warrington. Yeah. Has become, like, such a big proponent and has taken it, you know, because, like, that's not something that I'm sort of. I'm not shy about it. You know, I, like, tell people when it comes up. But to challenge that whole side of the world, you know, the alcohol is, like, in every culture for sure. And to just ask people, you know, not even becoming fully sober, but, like, you know, what would your health and your happiness be like with a little less alcohol?

Yeah. Yeah. It was something that I just naturally also just stopped drinking over time. And then I realized pretty much no one. I hang out with drinks. And then when I did Ruby's panel, and people were like, oh, you don't drink? Like, it's so weird. And I was like, oh, wow. There still hasn't really been that conversation around it. It's just sort of this Natural, like, thing that I just would assume that you don't drink, right? Because it's just that just naturally happens as you get to a certain level of spiritual growth.

I, like, there was this one thing. I remember watching the Yogananda documentary a few years back, and it was some really famous musician, and he was asking Yogananda, like, you know, I'm still going out and I'm still drinking. And he was like, don't worry about it. Just keep meditating and eventually you're going to want to stop. Yeah, and that's exactly what happened. Like, I kept meditating and then I was like, I don't want to do this. I was like, this isn't that fun.

Yeah, you don't. You don't need to, like, force yourself. It just. You just don't want it. Yeah, yeah, I love that. So I want to talk about a topic that's important for you right now, which is human habit versus human nature. What does that really mean to me?

I think what. And it's so funny because all throughout history, you know, you find so many people talking about human nature and they classify it as, you know, greedy, that we're like, pugnacious. We want to fight with each other and sort of like these, like, lower aspects of human emotions, right? And what you start finding when you start going inward is that there is this natural emergence of love, right? As you start actually starting the deconditioning process and removing all these patterns that are so sort of tense and wrapped around your consciousness that cloud it so much that when you start letting them go and releasing those very thick chunks and very thick clutter, that light of consciousness starts shining forward. And what really made it hit home was that so many different human beings throughout human history have used different techniques to cultivate and really, like, push themselves forward in evolution. And they all come out with such massive love, so much compassion, so much goodwill, and so much, like, incredible mental power. And to me it's like, oh, that's human nature. Because when I put myself in that process and I started seeing, you know, I have a lot of friends who also meditate in the same tradition, and the same thing is happening to them, you know, they become much less led by craving and much more so led by love. And, you know, in a big way, human habit has been something that we've gathered and accumulated within us. And that's what we've been taught, you know, and it makes sense because the ego sort of situations itself in a defensive position, right? Because that's what we've needed evolutionarily, Right. To get us to continue being like a human race, to continue sort of pushing forward. Because the ego sort of helps you. You know, the ego is not necessarily bad. It has its function and helps you survive. You know, you have intense trauma, something horrible happened, and then you continue moving forward. That's a very valuable thing to have. But the ego does not necessarily help you thrive. Right. It doesn't help you be at your happiest because that's not its most important thing. It's most important thing is for you to survive and keep going. But when you start sort of switching living from ego and now living from calmness, clarity, equanimity, and you start releasing all of that, you start seeing that, oh, right, love is also powerful. Love can actually also defend me. And love is, you know, what's going to sort of guide my life forward.

I love that. So a lot of people say, well, war is a part of human nature. Look, we've always had war since the beginning of the time. What would you say to that?

I think that it makes sense because, you know, we were dominated by our fears and our greed and our lack of communication with ourselves as individuals. So obviously that's going to reflect globally. But now I think more than ever. Are there, like, peace initiatives? Right. Are there, like, more so, you know, even like the development of something like the U.N. which is like, obviously has its imperfections, but is here to literally stop or at least try to stop major wars from happening. Or there's just, you know, I would say over the last hundred years, and it continues to grow, especially with the advent of social media, is this explosion of empathy and compassion? Because we're realizing that, you know, we're so interconnected that if I hurt you, I'm literally hurting myself. So this doesn't quite make sense. Let's see if we can solve it another way. But I think, you know, that's part of the growing process. You're literally going from a lack of awareness to greater awareness.

So true. Yeah. And I think it's. It's happening. There's this heightened number of people who are empaths and feeling things. And then there's also, I don't know if it's heightened or not, to the equal ratio of. Of the shadow side.

Yeah, for sure.

The other stuff, the real fear paradigm, that's happening too. And. And then it makes you wonder, like. Like, how do we overcome this? You know, is it. Is it always going to be balanced? Does it need to be balanced? You know, some people, I Don't. Have you ever done plant medicine? It's never been your journey?

No, I've tried different psychedelics, but never biomedicine in particular.

Yeah. Some people who've done it have told me I haven't done ayahuasca personally, but that the message they received was that the light and the shadow always needs to be balanced. So as much as there is light, there is shadow. So those light aspects of human nature with the other more, I don't know, fear based, jealousy based aspects are always going to be balanced. But I'm like, does it really have to be like that?

That's an interesting way to think about it. I feel like the way I look at it is I often try to look at humanity as one human being, right? So if it's one human being, what happens when you put yourself in this process of rising awareness is that these good sides of you are shining much more brightly. And then obviously that sheds light on these sort of thicker aspects of you. And because you're becoming much more purified, much more lighter, and you're like sort of existing at a higher vibration that creates a situation where this heavier side of you is, is going to come up, right? And I feel like humanity is like going through its storms because we're literally like allowing this stuff that was deep within us to arise and release. And I think that's one of the most important things, like on the actual individual level is understanding that when you take that inward path very seriously, it's not all about bliss, right? You have to allow for these deeper aspects of you that are pretty thick, that carry a lot of tense energy and it might cause you a few days that are heavier and that's absolutely fine. That's part of the practice. And sometimes people think, oh, am I doing it wrong? Am I going backwards? Blah, blah, blah. But no, actually it's usually a sign that you're doing it right. And that, you know, really to me, that reflects on the human moment that we're in. And it's like, whoa, like, where did all this racism come from? You know, we thought we were done with that, but no, it was just like so deeply ingrained and became so quiet. And as people are actually trying to work on it, it just like has to come up and it's like, okay, now let's try to fully release it and move forward and release as much of it as possible. Yeah, but it's interesting, it's beautiful.

It's a cool time to be alive.

Yeah, definitely rather be alive now than before.

Oh, yeah. It's the best time. Maybe I'll choose 10 years from now. Who knows? So can you read for us one more?

Yeah, for sure. Let's see what we got. I held my fear by the hand, honored its existence, and thanked it for teaching me that happiness exists beyond the boundaries it creates.

I love that. So what inspired these words?

I realized that so much of my life I spent with, like, tremendous anxiety, and I literally was oblivious to it. Like, I didn't know, you know, I didn't know why. I, you know, sort of really geared my life so much towards pleasure and easy situations so that I wouldn't have to deal with my fear and my anxiety. And once I started cultivating that awareness and being super honest with myself, I mean, I feel like that's one of the big first steps is, like, developing honesty and courage. That came to light was like, wow, you're afraid of so many things. And one of the things that I feel is really important and you hit at it so beautifully, is like, you have to be able to fully accept that, you know, that's what I'm carrying right now in this moment. And to be, like, totally accepting of it and be okay. Because in that moment of profound acceptance, usually that's what was missing for that to shift and I don't know, it just really hit home.

Yeah, I mean, I think fear. Fear and also loneliness. I was speaking. Do you know Teal Swan?

I've heard of Teal, but I've never met.

Yeah, she's like. She has a lot on YouTube. She's really great. And I interviewed her and we were talking about fear, and she's like, I feel, like, lonely. And I'm like, oh, yeah, that too. But the fear and the loneliness, the just disassociation with ourselves and disassociation from others is just at the root of all of this unnecessary suffering.

Yeah, for sure. I think that's really important because something that's a massive societal problem is atomization, where we're like, we live such separate lives from each other and there's so little community that, like, we literally created social media to have more community, you know, because it was lacking so much from our lives. But if we actually had better relationships with each other, we'd be a lot happier, for sure.

Yeah. And I think people like you are putting out such great content on social media that it doesn't have to be this, like, soul sucking thing that makes you feel horrible about your life. Like, every time I go on social media, I feel like I'm like, reading a book. Like, it's inspirational quotes and great pictures that are informative. And I like being on there, though it can still be, you know, an escape from your work or from whatever you're standing in line or whatever you're doing. So what are your social media habits?

I. I mean, I. Exactly. I think I really am resonating with what you just said because, you know, social media obviously has its drawbacks. It's, like, geared to make us more addicted to it. Right. It's designed like that. But at the same time, you can also understand that that's what it is and then use it to your benefit. Right. You know, these are the patterns that I want to develop in my life. These are the things that I want to strengthen in me. So, like, I want to be more inspired, I want to be happier and. And literally designing your own account so that you're following people who are giving you the things that you want to cultivate. And to me, that's been super helpful is like, following people that, you know, give me tons of inspiration and that make, you know, give me things that I want to think about. But that can be, you know, you can use it to. One thing I kept hearing over and over, I was just at this conference, Wisdom 2.0, is that, you know, social. Oh, Jay Shetty said that. That it. That it amplifies what's already inside you. And I feel like that he definitely hit a home run with that one, for sure.

So do you set any kind of. Like, I'm only going to use it for an hour a day, or I'm only going to use it in these situations, or are you just sort of.

I was loosely strict with it. Like, I mean, I'm, you know, it's like my work, like, I post on social media and I, like, write things to put them on social media. So I do have to spend some time on it, but I try to keep that to the morning, and then I'll check it periodically throughout the day. But I'll try not to spend any sort of, like, extended time on it, only really in the morning. But Instagram just added this feature where you can set a timer. Did you see that? You can set a timer and you can, like, I set mine to an hour, hour and a half. So, like, the moment I hit an hour and a half, it just like, pops up really big. And it's like, you spent an hour and a half on Instagram, and every time now I'm just like, whoa, like, okay, I gotta cool it, you know, like, let me put it down and.

Put it away is a feature within Instagram, or just.

It's a natural. They set it up and it's really great. And it's not. It's not too hard to find, but it's like, kind of in there.

Okay, I need to do that.

Yeah. And it's the best because the moment that hour and a half hits and I just like. I'm like, whoa. Like, I didn't even notice that much time passed, and I'm like, I gotta cool it. I gotta stop and let me go read a book or something.

Definitely. Yeah. We don't. We don't realize because the brain is so stimulated that things just go by so fast. And you're like, wait. Whereas, like, reading a book can sometimes feel like life is in slow motion because it's not changing and you have to create the images. And we're kind of not used to doing the work anymore.

No. Yeah. And also, we don't realize how exhausting it is to take in massive amounts of information because you're like, you're on social media and you're just reading so many things, or you're, like, looking at these images and your mind is just overloaded, you know? So, like, that, you know, you're zapping your energy with that, for sure.

Right. It's like, when in history have we had. You know, sometimes I think we're just about number of text messages and emails, and when, like, before we had one mailbox, once a day, the mailman would come. You had, like a month to get back to that letter.

I know.

And now it's like 30 different inboxes that are constantly going 24 hours a day, time zones around the world. And if you don't respond in 24 hours, they, like, follow up with you. It's like, great. Like, how do we do this?

And people think that you hate them or something. And I'm like, honestly, I just, like, don't want to spend the whole. My whole existence on my phone.

On my phone. I know. I'm always like, if I were the kind of. If I responded to every single message I got, I would not be the kind of person you want to message.

Yeah.

Just live my life on my phone.

Oh, my goodness. I love that so much. I literally have been saying that to people, too, because it's like, I can. Because I want to do this for the long term, you know, And I actually want to give myself the time so that, you know, it's worth. It's worthwhile for you. To read this, you know, but to be able to do that, I have to set up boundaries because there's just so much stuff happening on Instagram and all these different, you know, social media platforms. And it is interesting, but I also, like, I need to take care of myself so that I can keep going for sure.

And you, I know you were just on your 30 day Vipassana, so it's just like, got, bye, guys. I'm gone for 30 days and that's awesome. You know, I think, like, a lot of us are afraid of even spending a week off social media. It's like, well, what if people forget about me? You know, it's this fear of being. Not being on top of people's attention anymore.

Yeah, yeah. It's interesting because I remember I definitely had similar thoughts like that when I would go away to courses, but then it's like, I need to do what's best for, like, you know, inside of me first. And unplugging definitely helps. And honestly, I look forward to the moments when I go there and I, like, give them my phone and they lock it away, you know, for safekeeping until the course is over. And I'm like, it's so nice to have empty pockets. Not having, you know, like when you.

Go down the street and you don't have anything with you, like, that doesn't happen anymore.

No, no. You need like a special situation. Yeah, yeah.

And then I'm sure when you come back and you open up your phone, it's like, oh, God, I don't want to turn this on because it's so many.

Yeah, the notifications. Yeah, yeah. But it's fine. You know, it is what it is.

And in a way, it's sort of like when I don't have my phone for a long time and I come back to it, I'm like, oh, it feels like home a little bit. Maybe that's my crazy millennial self.

No, I think it's nice to have the opportunity to, like, miss each other, you know, because in. In that, like, being able to miss the ones close to you or the people that you work with or even like the audience that, you know, the back and forth between you and your audience. It's really nice to just value each other and to remember, like, why am I doing this? You know, I'm doing this to try to support people in their growth.

Totally.

And I feel like that's something that. That always kind of like rekindles the fire of why, you know, why to keep going.

So what advice would you have for yourself when you first started this whole poetry journey.

Oh, wow. I would say use the laws of nature to your benefit. Right. Give selflessly and do your best to just not crave results. Right. I think one of the biggest things was like, in the beginning was like, I want to write something so good that everyone's going to love so much and it's going to be so great. But then there'd be so much craving around that that it would literally, like, block for me, thinking clearly enough to actually make something that's useful. And to this day, you know, I still. I still combat that. And I'm trying my best to just, you know, notice when the craving comes up and I'm like, okay, you know, like, relax, like, it's totally fine. You know, just do your best and try to move forward with, you know, a real sense of, like, love and service as opposed to, like, oh, I want this, I want that, I want this, and I need this to be happy. And, you know, I think realizing that, that you can have a goal and it not be a craving, like understanding the difference between a craving and a goal, that was something Vipassana teacher told me about during my first course that really hit home. And, you know, it's fine to have goals, but you, you know that your goal has become a crate, a craving, when you're trying and trying and you don't get it and then you're so miserable. But, you know, it's a real goal when you're trying and trying and you're like, okay, let me see how I can do this better. And you keep going without losing your mental balance. And that's something that I'm really trying to cultivate. And I wish I had known earlier.

But yeah, so good. Yeah. I mean, even in Law of Attraction, if you want something so bad, you're. You're actually giving off that desperate energy which repels it from you first.

Yeah, it's exactly. Yeah, that's exactly what I'm saying. Yeah, for sure.

I love that. And what is next for you?

I think I'm going to. I want to spend some time just writing. I'm starting to work on my second book, but I really want to sort of stretch and see what I've really been learning and go back to different topics that I haven't touched in a while and keep meditating and just keep writing because I feel like it's been interesting, you know, doing more events and speaking in public has been fantastic because there's a beautiful energy that happens when you connect with someone on an actual physical level. But what I've noticed is that the busyness of, like, preparing all these things, like, totally zaps the creativity, you know, it zaps. But my energy is going to, like all these emails and preparing for the event and practicing what I'm going to speak, which is all well and good and valuable, but then it's the writing suffers a little bit.

And yeah, I always say, I always compare even, like, areas of your business, like your dosha. So the pitta is like that. Going out there, speaking, emailing, connecting with people, a lot of fire energy, or you're active. But after pitta needs to come the kapha, which is the sacred pause, the going inward, which is the name of your book. So kapha. But connecting back to that energy and then naturally from that place comes the vata, which is the idea, the inspiration that download that poem that, you know, you need to go write down. But that doesn't happen when you're hustling and preparing for a speech and doing all those things that can only happen when you're in that kapha.

I love that. You just know that. And it took me so much time to, like, see that pattern.

It took me a lot of time, too. Yeah, don't worry.

See that pattern in my life and I'm like, oh, oh. Like, that's why I haven't written anything in a month, because I've just been traveling and, like, you know, doing these events. And they're fantastic. You know, they're so worthwhile. But I'm realizing that I can't do both well at the same time.

And it's seasons, you know, you can't live your life as the summer. You have to move into that winter, going inwards, and then that's when naturally spring can arise.

Yeah. That's so great. Thank you. That. That makes me feel even more because I'm, you know, then you have the other side of you wondering, like, oh, like, you know, is this the right thing or shouldn't I. Should I always be doing events? But I'm realizing really in my heart that, you know, the best thing is to just like, calm down for a little while and revitalize and just like express new things.

Yes. And that will allow that new evolvement of you to come through. Because sometimes we remain on this one wheel and we're just like, action, implement, action, implement. And then when we can take that pause, suddenly that wheel moves up here. Wow.

You'Re rocking my world right now. I'm feeling so, like, inner validated. Because that respecting that period for proper integration is so important and undervalued. Yeah. Yeah. And I'm really understanding that in my own life. Thank you.

Well, thank you for creating these beautiful works of words that are resonating with so many people for a reason. Because you really speak speaking to emotions that we can't often verbalize. And you're putting it into tangible words that are just like, oh, yes, someone gets me. And I feel like that's the liberation that you're giving people through your poetry.

Thanks so much. Yeah, I'm really glad that it's actually serving people well because, you know, we live in a fast paced society and that's why I've been trying to take a minimalistic approach. And also these things don't have to be that complicated.

It doesn't have to be that complicated, guys. Well, thank you so much for being on the podcast. And where can listeners connect with you and get your book?

I think one of the best place to hang out is on Instagram so you can follow me there at Young Pueblo. Y U N G P U E B L O and I'm also on Twitter and Facebook as youngpueblowithoutthe underscore. And my book is available online on Amazon and book depository, all the places where you can buy a book and it's in all bookstores and it's spelled I n w a r d. Thank you so much. Yeah, thank you too. It's really been just such a joy.

I hope you enjoyed this episode. If you loved it, I would love if you could leave me a review in the itunes store. And as a free gift, I will share with you the first half of my unreleased book eat right for your mind body type. Simply email a screenshot of your review over to SaharaetFeelFresh.com again, Sahara S A H A R AatFeelFresh.com and I will send you over the first half of my unreleased book eat right for your mind body type. And just as a reminder, while you have your phone out, if you want to sign up for my absolutely free five day rose gold goddess challenge, head over to rosegoldgoddesses.com and you'll be able to sign up absolutely free. I cannot wait to see you there. Namaste.