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Chilling with JR...and BlairChilling with JR...and BlairHOW HIGHYou're favourite monthly AEW-centric podcast is back, it's another episode of Chilling with JR...and Blair!   We kick things off with a look back at AEWs history and how that stand up to other number 2 federations in history, and a WCW/AEW comparison.   Things kick in to Transaction Talk after that. We look at   -Chris Jericho -Saraya -Mina Shirakawa -Jeff Cobb -Kevin Knight -and more!   There's also a look at the Dynasty card so f...2025-04-012h 05MatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairWhat is the secret to happiness with MinaThis solo podcast is inspired by the BBC journalist Fergal Keane who has written an article about his search for happiness, a quest that has lasted 30 years.  Did he find the answer?  Yes, but not what he expected.I go through his main points and add thoughts from my own journey, such as moments we have both had that can be described as the "lightness of being".  Other points are:the science of happiness - "our minds are biased to interpret things very negatively", Professor Bruce Hood, University of Bristolthere is such a thing as the Hap...2025-01-2628 minAccess Unmissable Full Audiobooks in Mystery, Thriller & Horror, Police & DetectiveAccess Unmissable Full Audiobooks in Mystery, Thriller & Horror, Police & DetectiveFirst Do No Harm by Joe KendaPlease visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/763091 to listen full audiobooks. Title: First Do No Harm Author: Joe Kenda Narrator: Bradford Hastings Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 7 hours 1 minute Release date: September 10, 2024 Ratings: Ratings of Book: 4.67 of Total 3 Ratings of Narrator: 4 of Total 1 Genres: Police & Detective Publisher's Summary: Former homicide detective and star of Investigation Discovery, Joe Kenda follows his authentic and fascinating debut novel with First Do No Harm, another addictive tale of crime and punishment as only he can tell it. A string of overdoses in Colorado Springs has Detectives Joe Kenda and Lee Wilson on the lookout for...2024-09-1003 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairWhat is your relationship to change? with MinaI'm going solo this time, and inspired by the imminent shift in seasons from summer to autumn, the subject of this podcast is CHANGE.  And my question to you is: what is your relationship with change?  Do you resist change or can you "go with the flow"?There have been some recent developments that have made me pause and reflect on how I feel about change, whether it's uncomfortable or comfortable.  The reality is that change is happening all the time, it is the nature of the manifest world in which we live.  Our environment is changing - th...2024-08-2623 minHow To Solve The ProblemHow To Solve The Problem14. Mina insikter från 40 år av miljörapportering | Susanna Baltscheffsky | VetenskapsjournalistHur har klimatrapportering ändrats genom åren, vad hände inför COP mötet 2009 och hur skiljer sig Al Gore och Tony Blair från svenska politiker? I dagens avsnitt träffar jag Susanna Baltscheffsky som har jobbat som vetenskapsjournalist i 40 år. Vi kommer prata om gripande historier från Bakundammen i Malaysia, clickbaitsens påverkan på journalistisken och och hennes råd till Sveriges statsminister för att skapa ett mer hållbart samhäll Välkomna till How to Solve the problem  Sponsor: Reparationsplattformen Enjord.com Producerad av: Jonathan Cygn...2024-08-2246 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairA trip to Nepal and India - is it about the journey or the destination? with Debs AlbonIt's a popular cliché, "it's about the journey and not the destination", but is this true?  What is more important, the getting there or arriving at the endpoint?  Fellow yogini Debs Albon and I found ourselves inadvertently answering this question on a trekking trip to Nepal a few weeks ago, and concluded that it is most definitely about the journey!We had booked the trip with the intention of seeing and honouring the mighty Himalayas and chose the Annapurna Sanctuary trek route. We wanted to learn about the Nepalese mountain culture, especially the spiritual context.  The views were...2024-03-2729 minAccess Unmissable Full Audiobooks in Mystery, Thriller & Horror, Police & DetectiveAccess Unmissable Full Audiobooks in Mystery, Thriller & Horror, Police & DetectiveWithout Remorse by Blair HowardPlease visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/758864 to listen full audiobooks. Title: Without Remorse Series: #9 of The Harry Starke Novels Author: Blair Howard Narrator: Tom Lennon Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 7 hours 27 minutes Release date: March 19, 2024 Genres: Police & Detective Publisher's Summary: On a balmy afternoon in May 2002, wealthy stockbroker Peter Nicholson was turkey hunting with three friends in Prentice Cooper State Forest when he tripped, fell on his shotgun, and accidentally shot himself … dead, but did he? Fifteen years later, as a last resort, Nicholson’s mother asks Harry Starke to find the truth. As we all know, Harry loves a cold...2024-03-1903 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairHow liberation is in the surrender with MinaI am going solo this time to talk about one of my favourite yogic principles: surrender.  I have learned to love this word and apply this principle to my life, which has not been without challenge given the fact it has such negative connotations in the West.  Because surrender is something we want to avoid at all costs, isn't it?  It means defeat, losing, weakness, giving in or up.Not so!  Interestingly, in the yogic tradition that is thousands of years old, surrender is a good thing, in fact, it's a goal!  We should aspire to surrender becau...2024-02-0334 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairBringing chanting back into the mainstream with James BoagWhat is the common thread that runs through every human culture through the millenia?  It's so simple:  gathering around a fire, sharing food, sharing stories and singing.  A practice of collective sharing that connects and binds us together as sentient beings.  Dropping into the modern world, in some places this tradition has been lost, largely in the West.  You will find group singing in school/church/professional choirs of course, but not as a regular activity for most people.  Not so in India.  Chanting is very much alive and well here, it's considered just one of many tools t...2024-01-091h 06MatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairHow a trip to Bali was a lesson in awareness, intention and leaps of faith with Kalina MilevaHave you had moments in your life when you just knew in your heart that a decision was right?  Even though perhaps it seemed like a risk at the time and the outcome was uncertain?  This is called a leap of faith, and in my experience, these decisions are the most rewarding.I took a leap of faith this year that inviting a friend I had met online, but not in person, on a trip to Bali was going to be great and it was in fact more!  Kalina and I got in touch through a 300 hour adv...2023-12-0348 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairWe are more than our identifiers - the Pancha Maya Koshas with Debs AlbonWe are obsessed with our identifiers, aren't we?  We think that who we are, our personality/identity, are things like our work status, relationship status, family role, gender, race, nationality, physical attributes, religious beliefs, political views etc etc.  But this is not the whole picture because there is more - we are more than what our egoic mind is telling us.So I'm diving into the ancient yogic scriptures with fellow yoga teacher Debs Albon to find out what wisdom is offered there about who we really are and why we are here. And what we find de...2023-10-1941 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairHow connection is at the heart of saving humanity with Baruch ZeichnerI'm back on the mat with radio host, podcaster and therapist Baruch Zeichner to reflect on this transitional phase the world finds itself in at the moment.  And part of this journey is our collective face off with the dark side of humanity.  We are having to stare at the results of what happens when all we can comprehend and accept is the individual perspective.  When the ego I-ness is the only point of reference.We're chatting about:How fear is the main driver of behaviour and why what you fear you attractHow national and family kar...2023-09-0643 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairDancing your way to good health with Flavio de BritoIt's a long way from southern Brazil to the south coast of England, but it's a journey that Flavio de Brito took over 20 years ago to improve his english and learn ballroom dancing.  His penchant for the performing arts had started already with acting at the age of 14, but it was dance, and specifically the Argentine Tango, that had initially set his heart on fire.Having arrived with a plan to stay for 3 months, he is still here, and Argentine Tango is his life.  He performs professionally while running the Tango with Flavio Dance School.  It was thr...2023-08-0837 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairLeaving it all behind to follow your heart with Kirsten BerryYou hear about people who take the risk and walk away from stable, successful lives.  They leave secure income and safe career paths to head into the unknown.  Why do they do it?  How do they do it?Well, I'm finding out in this podcast with Kirsten Berry, co-founder of Akasha Yoga Academy which offers onsite and online 200 hour and 300 hour Hatha Yoga Teacher Training.  Years ago in Berlin, she was on the path of a successful architect with all that that implies.  But going to a yoga class lead to a couple of trips to India which...2023-07-0641 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairOvercoming (hidden) food addictions with Dr Cori SternI think we all understand the old saying "you are what you eat", but what if you're not aware of what you are actually eating?  Of what the specific ingredients are in the things you are putting in your mouth?  Of the reason(s) behind the choice?Dr Cori Stern has a lot to say about this as she has spent most of her life first sorting out her own health, and then taking that knowledge to help others.  Brought up by parents who fed her junk food, having they themselves been brought up with junk food, Dr...2023-06-0645 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairWhy yoga is the gift that keeps giving with Debs AlbonIn this western culture of "been there, done that, bought the T-shirt" one could think that at some point there isn't more to learn.  Can't teach an old dog new tricks sort of thing.  Not so yoga!  I'm chatting with Debs Albon who has been practicing and teaching yoga for over 30 years and feels that this is a subject that simply keeps on giving.  It is a joyful, bottomless well of knowledge that offers you gifts of wisdom every time you dip into it!Debs is passionate about reading ancient yogic scriptures, but are they relevant for the...2023-05-0949 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairHow consciousness and energy has given rise to a new global Golden Era with Dr Alison KayThere seems to be a lot going on around the world and most of it not good: wars and conflict, climate change, Ego-driven politics, suffering on a mass scale.  Perhaps it's best to bury our heads in the sand and hope it all goes away?  Absolutely not!  Fortunately I'm chatting to Dr Alison Kay - award-winning author, yoga and meditation teacher, subtle energies practitioner (chakra system) and founder of the Vibrational UPgrade System - who explains how we are actually in the process of creating a new global Golden Era!After years of travel (10 years living in Asi...2023-04-0647 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairMaking friends with death with Sarah SeymourCan we make friends with death?  Why would we need to do that?  Surely death is something we don't want to talk about, it's too depressing or scary.The inspiration behind this podcast is the book by Judith Lief called Making friends with death, which was recommended reading for a Yoga for Cancer teacher training I completed earlier in the year.  And by taking us through the Buddhist and Tibetan traditions regarding death, Judith explains why it's beneficial to contemplate death and be comfortable with it, with our mortality.To help explore this idea, I ask...2023-03-0942 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairUsing the no-mind space in Cranio Sacral Therapy to harness the body's healing powers with Etienne PeirsmanAs so often happens, when something very challenging, very painful comes your way, it can be life-changing.  It's the Universe waking you up.  This was certainly the case for Etienne Peirsman, a leader and author in the field of Cranio Sacral Therapy.  He tells us how a near-death experience due to a staph infection lead to a trip to India where he did more than recover - he found his life purpose.  To heal and teach people the Cranio Sacral approach.We discuss what is behind our resistance to working with the body's own healing capacity.  What's that...2023-02-0757 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairIt's not about the weight but what's underneath with Lori AloisioIt's the first MatChat Podcast of 2023 and what a better way to start than chatting with Lori Aloisio, a Holistic Weight Loss Coach.  Being on the other side of the festive season, perhaps weight is a poignant subject at the moment.  Losing weight and getting fit must be on the top of most people's new year's resolutions list after all.  But is there another way to approach this challenge other than starting a(nother) diet?Lori offers an alternative option that goes beyond, or rather, underneath what you see on the surface physical level.  What is t...2023-01-0438 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairGiving the gifts that aren't in a box with TobiahChristmas is fast approaching and I've invited friend and singer-songwriter Tobiah back on the mat to chat about what giving and receiving really means.  Because it's so easy to just focus on the commercial, material side of this celebration and miss the deeper message.  It needs to be less "what did I get?" and more "what did I give back?" in the form of good intention and spirit.  We begin by reflecting on all the gifts you can give that don't come in a box, and there are loads!  Such as love, compassion, sympathy, understanding, respect, kindness, wisd...2022-12-0745 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairTaking risk to find your purpose with Sarah SeymourAre you in the right place, doing what you feel you were made to do and fulfilling your core purpose?  Or are you just going through the motions, playing it safe and sensible, yet knowing it's not what your heart really desires?I think most of us at some point have asked ourselves these questions.  Very few hit on what their core purpose is straight away.  It can be a journey spanning years before we stop, switch off our loud, dominating mind, and listen to what our heart is whispering.  Because only your heart knows who you trul...2022-10-3139 minTrick or Treat RadioTrick or Treat RadioTorTR #532 - Don’t Make Me Help You!Send us a textLong time podcast hosts grapple with an otherworldly demon that takes up residence in one of them and threatens to tear their show apart. The presence of a calming, intelligent voice keeps their bond strong. On Episode 532 of Trick or Treat Radio we are joined by regular guest Mina Rose to discuss My Best Friend’s Exorcism from director Damon Thomas, based on the book by friend of the podcast, Grady Hendrix! We also discuss October plans, we talk about 80s nostalgia, and the dangers of demonic possession! So grab your most obscure 80s...2022-10-072h 59MatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairPractising self-enquiry: who am I? with MinaWe are defined by so many things, aren't we?  Just think about it.  Your name was given to you by your parents, your nationality is an accident of birthplace, and your physical features by your genes.  Now add educational status, social status,  work status, financial status etc etc.  You are defined by multiple surface layers, some acquired willingly, others not!But who are you really?  When you strip back all those layers, what is there?  What is left?The practice of self-enquiry is thousands of years old as people across the ages have pondere...2022-09-2823 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairA collective approach to our mental health with Sarah CoxMental health - if we're not talking about it, we're probably thinking about it.  Our own and that of others we care about.  The pandemic has focused our attention very firmly on this subject.  It touches everyone - young, old, rich, poor.  It transcends all difference because it's about being human and how to manage stress.I'm chatting to friend and fellow yogi Sarah Cox about why mental health is at the top of the agenda and simply can't be ignored.  Because it wasn't always this way.  We reflect on previous generations who faced enormous hardship but coped...2022-09-0625 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairReframing meno-pause as meno-go and celebrating the Wise Woman phase with Melissa AyresThis week I'm co-hosting with friend and fellow yogi Sarah Cox and we are talking about the M-word: menopause.  Half the population have to go through this natural transition and yet for many women it's fraught with emotional, mental and physical issues.  No two menopausal experiences are the same.  It's a time of upheaval and yet so often unspoken.  Well, fortunately things have changed, and women have been given permission to speak up for themselves and get the support/treatment they need.  But why the silent suffering for so long?  And the shame?  What can women do to help...2022-08-0248 minCMAJ PodcastsCMAJ PodcastsFixing the problem of drug shortages in CanadaSend us a textDrug shortages are a persistent problem in Canada and around the world. They interfere with patients’ ability to consistently take medication to manage chronic diseases. And they disrupt urgent care as critical drugs like epinephrine and propofol face shortages. The COVID-19 pandemic led to concerns that the pandemic would exacerbate existing issues with drug shortages in Canada. Canadian policy-makers responded with several important measures in March 2020 in an attempt to ensure a steady supply of medication.On this epi...2022-07-0429 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairFeel the vibe - bringing sound to the yoga mat with Zach SilverIt's all about vibration.  The universe is vibrating, this planet is vibrating and you/we are vibrating.  Even rocks vibrate.  All the time.  Everything is in constant motion - some you can feel, like an earthquake, and some you can't, like the different frequencies in vibration of your internal organs.  But it's all scientifically proven and measured. In fact, scientists tell us the universe vibrates at 432 hertz!But universal vibration is something that has been known in the spiritual world for thousands of years of course.  It's called Om (or technically, AUM), which is a key element in the...2022-06-2833 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairProducing food from the heart - a farmer's story with Pammy RiggsI must admit, in my ignorance I had always thought that "organic farming" was an alternative response to modern farming.  But this week Pammy Riggs sets me and the record straight.  The term "organic" is misleading.  For thousands of years, human beings have farmed without chemicals - call that organic is you wish - and then in modern times the chemicals were invented to increase yield.  Organic farming is simply farming like it's always been done.She should know - she and her husband bought a plot of land decades ago in Devon and set about developing a li...2022-06-2135 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairLightening your karmic load with Sarah CoxWhat is karma?  You're probably thinking that it's the thing where you do something bad, then something bad happens to you.  "Getting your just desserts", as it were.  That's part of it but there's a lot more.  Yes, the energy created by a negative action sometimes causes a negative rebound, but it doesn't have to.  Instead, it can roll over and accumulate, becoming a karmic burden.This week I chat to friend and fellow yogi Sarah Cox and ask her what her take is on this subject.  It turns out you generate karma not just through action, but th...2022-06-1422 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairComing home - finding your true self with Gillian McMichaelThere is one thing we all have, and that is a story.  Our own personal story.  It begins the moment we are born, but we don't become aware of it until we develop cognition and memory as older children.  We can be given a good story, such as "you are loved", "you are worthy", "you are valued".  But unfortunately, some of us are given a heavy load to carry, such as "you're not good enough", "you're a failure", "you don't belong".Gillian McMichael - master coach, reiki healer, meditation teacher and author - was indeed given a heav...2022-05-3144 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairThe joy of the full breath - the gift of pranayama with DevdasApparently we breathe in and out about 22,000 times a day without thinking.  It happens automatically, a bodily function we take for granted, along with the heart beating and the body digesting.  But the ancient yogis discovered that there was much more to the breath when practiced consciously - what would happen if you paid attention when you breathed?Who better to ask than Devdas, lead pranayama teacher at Akasha Yoga Academy, who has taught pranayama for several decades including 12 years in India.  Devdas explains how conscious breathing benefits us on different levels:Physically - stretches the spi...2022-05-2438 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairHow letting go builds a business fit for the future with Carmela MartinezCarmela Martinez is no stranger to the concept of letting go on many levels.  When she took over her father's printing business seven years ago in Montreal, Canada, she had some big shoes to fill.  The company was organised on old school, patriarchal values which Carmela quickly realised didn't resonate with her management style.  Enter: a challenging time of forging change that had her questioning her identity and her ability.What did she discover?  To build a company fit for the future, you have to let go of the past and "the way things have to be done".  To be...2022-05-1737 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairHow detachment sets you free with Sarah CoxWe spend a lot of time and energy clinging onto stuff, don't we!  Just think about it.  What are the things you are constantly striving for or fear losing - your looks?  Money?  Status?  A relationship?  It can get quite exhausting.  And it's a timely subject given we're being forced to think about what we really need in the wake of current food/energy/petrol supply issues.I invite friend and fellow yogi Sarah Cox back onto the mat to chat (and laugh!) about why channelling non-attachment sets you free.  That detaching is in fact liberating yourself.  It's a ke...2022-05-1039 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairWhy giving back and empowering women is a win-win with Connie FogartyIt's simply a fact that empowering others feels empowering!  You've learnt some stuff in your life - specific skills, knowledge, and maybe you've had a few unexpected curve balls thrown at you that's given you wisdom and resilience - and now it's time to share that with others.  To give a leg up to those finding their own way on their journey.  It feels great, it feels right, making it all worthwhile.This is where  my friend and ex-colleague Connie Fogarty is at.  She has earned her corporate stripes and in her retirement is spending her time suppo...2022-04-2640 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairStaying curious about what makes us tick with Joff BrownThere is a lot of discussion and information out there about the mind-body connection, isn't there.  It's a big topic.  But what does it mean?  And what can cause disassociation, a disconnect, between the head and the body?So this week I'm chatting with Joff Brown, a Functional Neurology Practitioner and Pain & Performance Therapist, to find out more.  He spends his personal time studying, and professional time treating people with, issues surrounding neural connections, movement and pain.  He explains what new approaches to movement inhibition are emerging, of which there are quite a few.  For example, Quantum Biolog...2022-04-1945 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairEmpowering farmers and ourselves through progressive agricultural practices with Karen SeyerstedRegardless of where we live in the world, what we believe in and what work we do, there is one thing every human being has in common: the need to eat.  Most people have to buy food, making choices about what to put into our, and our family's, bodies.  It's an ongoing routine that goes on automatic most of the time, I expect.  And perhaps now, with a pandemic-induced health awareness, we think about those choices more.  More veg/fruit/lean meat, less sugar and fat etc.  But how about taking that a step further, or should I say...2022-04-1233 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairOutrunning the demons - healing trauma through running with Phil HewittPhil Hewitt (UK runner, author and journalist) woke up to a sunny morning in Cape Town, South Africa and a day filled with his favourite sport, cricket.  He was thrilled to have got tickets and make the journey.  But by the end of the day, Phil's life had changed forever.  A decision to walk back to the city on his own led to a near-fatal knife attack, his life miraculously saved by a passing pizza delivery man.Returning back to the UK, it became clear that Phil was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).  How could he g...2022-03-2944 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairOffering a new take on the "Mother Role" with Sarah CoxIt's Mother's Day in the UK this coming Sunday, when we celebrate mothers, but it's actually a day that is difficult for many.  You may have lost a mother recently/prematurely, or desperately want to be a mother but can't for whatever reason, or have a difficult relationship with your mother, or have lost a child and are no longer a mother.  Yeah, it can be a pretty loaded day.I invite friend and fellow yogi Sarah Cox back onto the mat to chat about our society's general relationship with "Mother".  We have a lighthearted explore of the...2022-03-2321 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairA lesson in contentment by a Sami reindeer farmer with MinaIt's a solo episode this week as I share reflections on a recent trip to the Arctic!  It's my second trip to Northern Norway but this time in mid-winter, when the landscape is covered in ice and snow.  It's just as raw and rugged and awe-inducing as summer, but perhaps a bit more magical in the frosty glow.While there, I visited a Sami reindeer camp, where we could interact with the animals and learn about the Sami culture.  It's quite the thing when you're in the same room with an indigenous person explaining his/her culture and sha...2022-03-1513 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairManaging the loss of a parent to Alzheimer's and Vascular Dementia with TobiahWe arrive into this world and meet the people (or person) who are going to look after us, usually our parents.  From that moment on we are dependent on them/her/him until we are old enough to take care of ourselves and establish our own lives.  But this relationship, be it good or bad, easy or hard, joyful or painful - let's try to take the judgement out of it - remains part of our story.Regardless of the quality of that parental connection, the moment will come when they pass on, and assuming grandparents have pa...2022-03-0139 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairFinding gratitude after serious injury and healing PTSD through writing with Katy ParkerIt was just another day until Katy Parker was crossing the road and got hit by a van only a metre away from reaching the pavement.  Lying dazed on the ground but aware she had been badly injured, she was overwhelmed with a profound sense of gratitude.  Gratitude that she was still alive, she could open her eyes and see the sky.  Later in A&E, she was told it had been a very close call - a few inches further back and she could have been killed or paralysed.  As it was, she was lucky to have got away...2022-02-2230 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairCan suffering be a catalyst for positive personal growth? with Baruch ZeichnerTo suffer is to be human, but this is a tricky question which might provoke an immediate "No!" for some or most people. Resisting or avoiding pain is understandable and perfectly natural!However, it's something I can explore with Baruch Zeichner who describes his life as a growth journey.  After gaining a Masters Degree in Counselling Psychology from college in New Hampshire, US, Baruch began his own practice and teaching.  A part time job as a DJ on local radio sparked his lifelong passion for broadcasting and lead to the creation of his podcast/radio show Paradigms...2022-02-1537 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairThe risks and rewards of unconditional love - is it worth the ride? with Sarah CoxWhat is unconditional love?  That's a big bite to chew, isn't it!  And to tackle this universal, eternal key life question, I invite my friend and fellow yogi Sarah Cox back onto the mat.  Loving should be so easy and effortless, I mean, we all have a heart, so what is the problem.  Well, it turns out that love is a risky business involving heartache and disappointment, depending on who and what the object of our devotion is, and the cards we are dealt in life.We start the discussion by reflecting on the ease of t...2022-02-0829 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairBuilding a bridge of trust to our herbal roots with Dee AtkinsonHuman beings have had a relationship with the plant world since we were formed.  We rely on it for food, fuel and food for raising domestic animals which also sustain us.  But we have also relied on plants and herbs for medicinal purposes and for helping us heal.  Herbalism is a tradition found in every culture in the world, anywhere plants grow.Which is why I'm excited to chat with Dee Atkinson, a Medicinal Herbalist (of Napiers Herbalists in Edinburgh, est 1860) .  Dee's journey to herbalism began as a child when she saw her sick father's bothersome stomach ulcer symp...2022-02-0137 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairWhy finding stillness and meditating is essential 'hygiene for the mind' with Burkhard LangemannI'm sure I'm not the only one who finds regular meditation challenging to maintain in all the busy-ness of daily life, but Burkhard Langemann is very clear that it's an essential practice we need to do daily.  Like brushing our teeth.  Hygiene for the mouth and hygiene for the mind, he says.Burkhard should know, he is a Psychologist by background and is currently a Yoga & Meditation Teacher Trainer.  Ten years ago he co-founded Akasha Yoga Academy, which is where our paths crossed when I did my yoga teacher training with him in Bali 5 years ago.We beg...2022-01-2555 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairEmbracing change and growth through physical, mental and emotional movement - NLP explained with Nily RonI'm always curious when I sense - hear, feel or see - fear of change.  It's like we think that a state of things-must-stay-the-same is a safe, secure place, and that change is scary or dangerous.  Fear of change is actually fear of the unknown, the not-knowing.  But the reality is that change is happening constantly, it's something we can neither control nor resist or avoid.  And change is a good thing!Life is therefore a state of continuous movement, as Nily Ron explains in this week's MatChat.  She is a NLP (Neuro-linguistic Programming) Practitioner, Life Coach and Movem...2022-01-1137 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairA back-breaking story of finding one's inner resilience with Reva MyersI celebrate the start of a new year and my chosen theme for the year, resilience, by inviting fellow yogi Reva Myers onto the mat for a chat.  We met on Bali nearly five years ago where we shared an intense month on a yoga teacher training course, a life-changing experience for us both.  She returned to the US with a dream to live the life of a travelling yoga teacher, going wherever the spirit would take her in a yogified van!Reva did indeed make her dream a reality but not quite in the way she intended.  A c...2022-01-0427 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairChannelling resilience for 2022 with MinaIt's the end of another year and a natural pause for reflection.  So this week I'm sitting on my virtual mat on my own and sharing some thoughts on the year that's gone.  What will you take with you into the new year?  What have you learned?  Do you need to make some changes to the way you behave, to what you value and to your attitude?  I think in the end it's about discovering your inner resilience, which is a profound awareness that emerges when we are deeply challenged.  And that's what I propose we take going forward - resi...2021-12-2811 minListen and Let Your Mind Roam Free With Full AudiobookListen and Let Your Mind Roam Free With Full AudiobookBad Guy Audiobook by Ruby DixonListen to this audiobook in full for free onhttps://hotaudiobook.com/freeID: 552306 Title: Bad Guy Author: Ruby Dixon Narrator: Felicity Munroe, Mason Lloyd Format: Unabridged Length: 09:29:36 Language: English Release date: 12-28-21 Publisher: Tantor Media Genres: Romance, Multicultural & Interracial, Romantasy Summary: Crulden the Ruiner is the name of a fierce gladiator who's broken the rules . . . and broken anyone that approaches. It's my name. It's a name that strikes fear into the hearts of all . . . all except the small human female who comes to clean my cell and glares at me the entire time. My new owners want things from me...2021-12-289h 29MatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairFinding one's purpose through loss and giving the gift of acupuncture with Paula Macklin CreasyOne of the key learnings in the ancient yogic scripture The Bhagavad Gita, is: "It is better to strive in one's own dharma than to succeed in the dharma of another.  Nothing is ever lost in following one's own dharma."Dharma is Sanskrit for purpose, for one's calling.  It's the thing you've come into the world to do and it resonates deeply in your heart.  It can be something obvious that you know from a young age or it can take years to become apparent.  Sometimes we have to suffer to discover what we're really about, whic...2021-12-2138 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairHow conventional and traditional medicine can work together - a homeopath's story with Lone PedersenHumans have been treating their ailments for thousands of years in one way or another, leaning into what Mother Nature offers.  Conceived in 1796 by the German physician Samuel Hahnemann, homeopathy joined the ranks of traditional (I don't like the word 'alternative'!) medicine and has been helping people heal ever since.I ask Lone Pedersen what she has discovered during the 20 years she has been practicing as a Classical Homeopath in her international practice which focuses on mental and emotional conditions such as ADHD, OCD, anxiety and depression.  Can conventional and traditional medicine work together?  She explains how homeopathy wor...2021-12-1436 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairCan self-care and Christmas co-exist? with Sarah CoxChristmas is soon upon us with all the excitement and expectation that that implies!  It's a time of celebration and joy, of course, but it can also be a difficult time, of stress, as you strive to make it whatever you feel it needs to be.  If you celebrate Christmas, you will have developed a relationship with it over the years, and perhaps wellbeing tends not be on the (very long) seasonal to-do list!I ask friend and fellow yogi Sarah Cox, can self-care and Christmas co-exist?  Because you could argue it's needed more now than at any...2021-12-0730 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairWhy we really are what we eat with Nicola RussellThis week I'm exploring the gut with Nutritional Therapist Nicola Russell.  It's so much more than a 9 metre long tube where stuff goes in at the top and waste comes out at the bottom!  It produces more neurotransmitters than the brain.  It regulates and self-cleans itself.  It controls our mood.  We discuss all this and other interesting facts as Nicola takes us through her own gut journey overcoming IBS, and how she now empowers others to heal their digestive system and get their lives back.  Because yes, we are what we eat!Find Nicola: @nicolarussellnt, www.nicola-russell.co.uk2021-11-3048 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairEmbracing the ever-changing female body (especially during menopause!) with Becky PottsIt feels like we at times fear or fight change in principle, that we'd prefer things stayed the same.  And yet change is all around and within us constantly without our control!  Take the female body.  From the moment of birth, it's an ongoing growth that shifts into monthly cycles, pausing only for the 9 month wonder of pregnancy if and when that occurs, before it gears down into peri- and finally menopause.  It's quite the journey to navigate, but how supportive of ourselves are we on the ride?I ask Becky Potts, Women's Health Physiotherapist, Pilates instructor and...2021-11-2336 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairHonouring and listening to what your body needs with Ciara Roberts PART 2This is Part 2 of a discussion with Ciara Roberts, a holistic kidney expert with lived experience of dialysis and transplantation.  A yoga teacher and naturopathic nutritionist of 10 years, she is also the author of Wholly Aligned, Wholly Alive: Awakening your inner physician. Having chatted about Ciara's health story in Part 1, our focus moves onto the importance of honest conversations about unhealthy habits and relationships with food.  The way forward offered is to own your health and do what you can to nourish your body.  Be your best health advocate.  So, do the research and ask the questions.  At th...2021-11-1636 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairHonouring and listening to what your body needs with Ciara Roberts PART 1This is Part 1 of a discussion with Ciara Roberts, a holistic kidney expert with lived experience of dialysis and transplantation.  A yoga teacher and naturopathic nutritionist of 10 years, she is also the author of Wholly Aligned, Wholly Alive: Awakening your inner physician.  Ciara shares her health story which started at the tender age of four, when a strep throat infection led to permanent kidney damage.  Over her growing years she became her own best health advocate, learning how to nourish and nurture her body through good times and bad, and entering adulthood with a passion for a hol...2021-11-0940 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairLiberating ourselves from fear for a happier world with David RogersThe constant and relentless news headlines about violence between human beings, particularly by men against women, is hard to ignore.  What could be behind such an imbalance in human relations to manifest this level of anger?   How do we achieve wellbeing for all?  I put these questions to David Rogers, a yogi for over 30 years and a yoga teacher for ten, who offers helpful insight into the topics of male power and fear.  We discuss whether the answer lies in self-liberation, in finding common ground and balancing our  masculine and feminine sides.Find David: @averyenglishyogi, www.averyenglishyogi.com2021-10-2640 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairBringing yoga to the corporate world and men to the mat with Scott RobinsonWhen I first saw a photo of Scott, aka the Yogibanker, on Instagram doing a yoga pose wearing a business suit on a street in the City of London, I knew immediately I needed to talk with him!  Fortunately for me, he agreed to a MatChat Podcast and to tell his yoga story.  Scott explains why he wanted to bring yoga into the office and put wellbeing on the corporate agenda.  What was the response?  Are more men finding their way to the mat and practising self-care in general these days?  And if you've got a spare 15 minutes in a day...2021-10-1237 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairWhy what you want is not always what you need with Kate WinterWe spend a lot of time chasing, wanting and desiring things that we think will fulfill us and make us happy, don't we?  Well, sometimes the universe feels it needs to show us that this is not always true, that this is in fact a distraction that prevents us from understanding what really matters and who we really are.  My friend Kate discovered this when she lost her marriage, family home and job in a short space of time.  Find out how she climbed from rock bottom to new heights where she now enjoys magnificent views she didn't think wer...2021-09-2847 minMatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairHow an injury can become a self-empowering opportunity with Bill PottsThis MatChat podcast celebrates my one-year milestone post arm-breakage - last September I shattered my humerus bone in a freak horse riding accident which left me wondering whether I'd ever be able to practice or teach yoga again.  Fortunately, the universe sent me to physiotherapist and Pilates teacher Bill Potts of Perfect Motion Physio, who walked alongside me as I navigated the process of healing physically, mentally and spiritually.  He shares his wellbeing story and why he loves his job of empowering people, and graciously accepts my suggestion that he is in fact a "healer"!Find Bill: @perfectmotionphysio, ww...2021-09-1441 minListen and Let Your Mind Roam Free With Full AudiobookListen and Let Your Mind Roam Free With Full AudiobookRizzio Audiobook by Denise MinaListen to this audiobook in full for free onhttps://hotaudiobook.com/freeID: 539768 Title: Rizzio Author: Denise Mina Narrator: Katie Leung Format: Unabridged Length: 02:18:45 Language: English Release date: 09-07-21 Publisher: Tantor Media Genres: Mystery, Thriller & Horror, Suspense, Political Thriller Summary: From the multi-award-winning master of crime, Denise Mina delivers a radical new take on one of the darkest episodes in Scottish history-the bloody assassination of David Rizzo private secretary to Mary, Queen of Scots, in the queen's chambers in Holyrood Palace. On the evening of March 9th, 1566, David Rizzio, the private secretary of Mary, Queen of Scots, was brutally murdered...2021-09-072h 18MatChat with Mina BlairMatChat with Mina BlairWorking through grief, choosing joy and empowering yourself with Hannah WallaceThis week I connect with Hannah Wallace whom I "met" online through a mutual friend.  She describes herself as a speaker, model, podcaster of the Finding Grace podcast, mentor, healer, priestess and writer.  I invited Hannah to chat "on the mat" with me about her inspirational wellbeing story which takes us through health challenges and loss but ultimately leads to self empowerment and finding joy.  Listen to Hannah explain why life must be lived to the full!Find Hannah: @thehannahwallace, www.hannah-wallace.com2021-08-3154 minThe Joanne Avison PodcastThe Joanne Avison PodcastInterview: Mina BlairThis interview with Mina Blair is one that I hope leads you to read her beautiful book "Not for the Last Time" (available on Amazon). Mina, as a mother of two girls, in a corporate world, got on with her life (as any of us do) to manage her family and pay the bills. The book is an exquisite story of the courage to stay with life, whatever happens, finding your way from the inside out. Mina is clear, concise and relentlessly "real" in describing her journey from corporate life, through counceling, to becoming a yoga teacher. We met...2021-08-2547 min