Elephant Journal: The Mindful Life With Waylon

This week Waylon discusses three categories of judgement that one might face from others: criticism, praise, and toxic attacks. Criticism is something many of us shy away from. We shouldn’t. It can make us better, if we know how to separate the wheat from the chaff. Praise is fun, but can be uncomfortable or unhealthy. Still, it’s good information to get. Toxic attacks—those are another story, and can really hurt or…just slide right off. Let’s talk about how. “The biggest fear or concern slowing me down is, can I handle this? Can I handle the emotionality, the criticism?” ~ Waylon Lewis  Read the accompanying article on Elephant Journal.  Thanks for listening. Hope you're getting a lot out of it. If this was of benefit, the full conversation is on our indie platform that supports & continues our work: elephantjournal.com/videos You can subscribe, listen, watch, & participate there—and when you do so you'll keep these mindful videos and podcasts going.

Waylon talks with Miyoko Schinner, the acclaimed entrepreneur, vegan cookbook author, founder of Miyoko’s Creamery and Rancho Compasión, a farmed animal sanctuary. They discuss veganism, Miyoko’s firing from the company she founded, the importance of DYI in the kitchen, and how we can support small businesses while launching a peaceful, real, live revolution in today’s food system before it’s too late. While you may know Miyoko’s name best from Miyoko’s Creamery and its products, she describes herself as an “epicurean activist out to end cruelty to animals and climate change by connecting our palate to our future.” Read the accompanying article on Elephant Journal. Thanks for listening. Hope you're getting a lot out of it. If this was of benefit, the full conversation is on our indie platform that supports & continues our work: elephantjournal.com/videos You can subscribe, listen, watch, & participate there—and when you do so you'll keep these mindful videos and podcasts going.

This week Waylon discusses a handful of things that have come to enrich his life in the present that he learned from growing up with less. “People talk about being poor as a sort of a negative thing. However it gave me life skills and appreciation for things that have enriched my entire life. There’s financial poverty, and that’s real, and there are real problems around it. But there are also some positive attributes, and I want to highlight a few of those.” ~ Waylon Lewis Read the accompanying article on Elephant Journal. Thanks for listening. Hope you're getting a lot out of it. If this was of benefit, the full conversation is on our indie platform that supports & continues our work: elephantjournal.com/videos You can subscribe, listen, watch, & participate there—and when you do so you'll keep these mindful videos and podcasts going.

Lyme Disease is terrifying & what to do! Waylon talks with Kayla Nelson, a holistic life and Lyme coach who has gone through Lyme Disease and come through the other side. She now guides others through their wellness journey, spreads awareness, and acts as an advocate. “Lyme disease itself is an invisible epidemic that is happening across the globe…and no one is talking about it.” ~ Kayla Nelson Read the accompanying article on Elephant Journal. Thanks for listening. Hope you're getting a lot out of it. If this was of benefit, the full conversation is on our indie platform that supports & continues our work: elephantjournal.com/videos You can subscribe, listen, watch, & participate there—and when you do so you'll keep these mindful videos and podcasts going.

Mindful Mondays, with Waylon Lewis. This week Waylon discusses emotions—anger, exasperation, grieving, you-name-it—and how they can be incredibly humbling. “We can’t ‘other’ our emotions and kick ’em out and say it’s not okay to be upset. It’s not okay to be angry. We have to bring anger in; we have to bring exasperation in; we have to bring being shocked in; we have to bring these difficult conversations and dialogues in. Because if we don’t have them, we’re never going to get to a place where we can truly heal.” ~ Waylon Lewis Read the accompanying article on Elephant Journal. Thanks for listening to this conversation clip. If this was of benefit, the full conversation is on our indie platform that supports & continues our work: elephantjournal.com/videos You can subscribe, listen, watch, & participate there—and when you do so you'll keep these mindful videos and podcasts going.

In our latest, greatest Walk the Talk Show with Waylon Lewis, Waylon talks with Alexandria Crow, an internationally-respected yoga instructor who leads trainings and workshops globally. She encourages each student to respect their own uniqueness, instead of conforming. We talk about yoga and perfectionism, modeling and body image, spiritual materialism, losing heart, integrity, and humor along the path. Good stuff! "I don't begrudge the old version of me. We're doing the best we can with what we know at any given time. And so it's like, well, all right. Now I know more. I have this mission: I want to include people. So I better not do things that lead people to believe they have to have some kind of look or ability to participate." ~ Alexandria Crow Alexandria's guiding principles are around accessibility and inclusivity, regardless of what physicality they're coming with. Read the accompanying article on Elephant Journal. Thanks for listening. Hope you're getting a lot out of it. If this was of benefit, t

Mindful Mondays, with Waylon Lewis. When drama happens, the first thing most of us do is to try to get away from that discomfort. We defend ourselves, or attack, or…retreat, to feel safe in our cocoons. When really, all we have to do is reply, be straightforward…and then rest with that icky yucky feeling, and breathe into and through it. Dare to feel, instead of merely reacting, and creating more drama. Read the accompanying article on Elephant Journal. Thanks for listening. Hope you're getting a lot out of it. The full conversation is on our indie platform that supports & continues our work: elephantjournal.com/videos You can subscribe, listen, watch, & participate there—and when you do so you'll keep these mindful videos and podcasts going.

"I wanted to offer a little Earth Day manifesto, of sorts. A lot of environmentalists talk about hope and how important hope is. I'm having a hard time feeling that. I'm positive about life. I'm forward-looking. But the way things are going, it's not hopeful. They're going in the wrong, wrong direction in so many ways." ~ Waylon Lewis Thanks for listening. Hope you're getting a lot out of it. More videos and conversations like this are on our indie platform that supports & continues our work: elephantjournal.com/videos You can subscribe, listen, watch, & participate there—and when you do so you'll keep these mindful videos and podcasts going.

In our latest, greatest Walk the Talk Show with Waylon Lewis, Waylon returns for a part two conversation with Andrea Rose, whom he calls “pure eco inspiration” and who is the co-founder of the Planet-Based Living Festival in Boulder, Colorado. Her mission is to heal, inspire, and transform the lives of people, animals and the planet through the education of “PLANET-Based Living.” “Do you know what the most eco, green item is? One you already have!” ~ Andrea Rose Read the accompanying article on Elephant Journal. Thanks for listening. Hope you're getting a lot out of it. The full conversation is on our indie platform that supports & continues our work: elephantjournal.com/videos You can subscribe, listen, watch, & participate there—and when you do so you'll keep these mindful videos and podcasts going.

Waylon talks with Zen Buddhist teacher Koshin Paley Ellison about Buddhism’s eightfold path—what is it, and how does it apply to our everyday life?  Koshin, author of "Untangled; Walking the Eightfold Path to Clarity, Courage, and Compassion." is the co-founder of the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. “What’s so beautiful is that inside of the eightfold path, it’s not linear. Some of us want to jump from one to the next, but we also honor where we get caught and where we struggle. Our struggles don’t ever really end, but our relationship to them changes because of how we focus on them through the aspects of the eightfold path.” ~ Koshin Paley Ellison Read the accompanying article on Elephant Journal for more context.  Thanks for listening. Hope you're getting a lot out of it. The full conversation is on our indie platform that supports & continues our work: elephantjournal.com/videos You can subscribe, listen, watch, & participate there—and when you do so you'll keep these mindful videos an

Waylon talks with Chemi Lhamo, a Tibetan Community Activist, in this latest greatest episode of Walk the Talk Show about the recent Dalai Lama controversy. Read the accompanying article on Elephant Journal for more context.  Thanks for listening. Hope you're getting a lot out of it. The full conversation is on our indie platform that supports & continues our work: elephantjournal.com/videos You can subscribe, listen, watch, & participate there—and when you do so you'll keep these mindful videos and podcasts going.

In our latest, greatest Walk the Talk Show with Waylon Lewis, Waylon talks with Shannon Watts, the founder of Moms Demand Action—the largest grassroots movement in the United States—on commonsense gun reform and what you can and must do about it: text READY to 644-33 to join a Moms Demand Action chapter in your town. “When there are these national shooting tragedies, people do want to get involved…often they want to get in quick, do something, and get out. But that is not how activism works in this country. I call it the unglamorous heavy lifting of grassroots activism. It requires you to show up over and over again.” ~ Shannon Watts Read the accompanying article on Elephant Journal.

Mindful Mondays, with Waylon Lewis. This week Waylon sat down with Elephant’s own Nicole Cameron: writer extraordinaire and managing editor at Elephant Journal. They talked about her average workday, dogs, and the “challenges” of the last year in indie media. This should be a good watch for any writer or reader at Elephant curious about some of the inner workings. New videos and podcasts are released each week. Follow us to never miss an episode:   Subscribe to view our full, complete videos on Union: elephantjournal.com/mindfulpathpasses   Listen to "The Walk the Talk Show" podcast: www.elephantjournal.com/podcast   Like "The Walk the Talk Show" on Facebook: www.facebook.com/walkthetalkshow   Follow "The Walk the Talk Show" on Instagram: www.instagram.com/walkthetalkshow

In our latest, greatest Walk the Talk Show with Waylon Lewis, Waylon talks with Andrea Rose, a veritable fount of knowledge of all things “planet-based living” and the co-founder of the Planet-Based Living Festival in Boulder, Colorado. Her mission is to heal, inspire, and transform the lives of people, animals and the planet through the education of “PLANET-Based Living.” “I have such a caring-about-the-planet crush on you. I’m so into this!” ~ Waylon Lewis Stay tuned for part two of their conversation next week. 

Walk the Talk Show with Waylon Lewis presents: Mindful Mondays, with Waylon Lewis. I had a lot of loss last year and a lot of grief, and I think some depression and some giving up. And in my recent, first Ayahuasca ceremony, after those hours of crying and crying and love and crying and crying, I was left with a question that wasn’t hopeful—but it was real. And that question was, why love again? Why would I open my heart up again when I’ve lost so much? When we love, we risk losing. Don’t we learn from abuse, not to go back for more? Why shouldn’t we learn from love lost? Then, suddenly, I found a way forward.

A new Walk the Talk Show conversation with Waylon Lewis: Waylon and speaks with the founder of The Vegan Stay, Faik Bouhrik. The Vegan Stay is basically a vegan Airbnb with locations all over the world—and our staying at one directly benefits animal sanctuaries. Read the article on Elephant Journal and support Indie Media. 

Waylon and bestselling author David Richo discuss the 5 A’s in relationship with parenting, our lover, and our sweet self. “I wrote this book based on my realization that the only models I had for what a relationship could look like were my parents, and movies. I wondered if there was an actual skill that one could learn, so that a relationship could work better.” ~ David Richo

St. Patrick's Day may have come and gone, but this video merely uses it as an example for a larger conversation: "Some traditions are beautiful. Some are awful. Most are both. Some change is needed. Some should be fought. Discernment is key. Know our history." ~ Waylon Lewis  Read the article Waylon quotes inside this video, "Tradition alone is not enough reason to continue something that has unnecessary pain and hurt wrapped up in it." 

This week, instead of his usual weekly three mindful tips…Waylon is sharing three mindful things he’s working through in his own life—right now: How to give helpful advice. How to get good advice. And how to make big, hard decisions. “The first step in taking good advice is to insist that the person dispensing good advice listens, first, because if they don’t listen, they don’t know all the factors.” ~ Waylon Lewis

Waylon talks with Francesca Perotti. They discuss how to get through really, really tough time times and feeling comfortable with our loneliness when it comes up. "It's easy to get lost in the darkness, and get lost in victimhood...to not taking responsibility. If you're moving through darkness, if you're moving through something really hard, then hopefully you are surrounded by people who can help you see that there's light at the end of the tunnel and that this is actually happening for you, not to you."  ~ Francesca Perotti