Jivana Heyman 07:37:07
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Anjali Rao 07:37:37
Welcome to the love of Yoga podcast. I'm your host, Anjali Rao. This podcast explores the teachings of Yoga for self and collective transformation. We dive into how spirituality and philosophy can ignite social change. I share conversations with folks who are on the front lines of justice and liberatory movements, thought leaders, change makers, and healers.
Hello, everyone, welcome to the love of Yoga podcast. I'm your host Anjali Rao. And today with us is Tracee Stanley, who is an amazing, amazing Yoga educator, author of the best selling book really interest you're going to drive for deep relaxation and awaken clarity and the forthcoming or actually it has already been released and it's a fantastic read the luminous self sacred yogic practices and rituals to remember who you are. Tracy is the founder of empowered life circle, a sacred community and portal of practices rituals and tantric teachings inspired by more than 25 years of studentship in Sri with the Tantra and the teachings of the Himalayan masters, as opposed to lineage teacher, Tracy is devoted to sharing the wisdom of Yoga, Nidra, rest, meditation, self inquiry, nature as a teacher, and ancestor reverence. I so love that last part, especially the note about ancestor reverence, and nature. Tracy, welcome to the podcast. And I'm so honored and thrilled to have you as a guest.
Tracee Stanley 07:39:31
Thank you so much. Anjali, it's an honor to be here.
Anjali Rao 07:39:35
Can you share your own path into the work into into this calling, and what are some pivotal moments that perhaps on reflection and hindsight, feel like while you're watershed moments.
Tracee Stanley 07:39:51
So my path started a long time ago, sitting on a balcony, watching a sunset, or sunrise, I should say. And just falling into kind of a spontaneous moment of meditation that I didn't know was a spontaneous moment of meditation. It was something that I just didn't have words for. But I knew that something profound had happened. And I went searching for what that thing was. And luckily, I met someone who he handed me a number of books, including colonial bronze, the prophet, he handed me way of the Peaceful Warrior self esteem prophecies, all these different books that were giving me a different perspective. And when I finished reading them, I started to think about meditation and found myself in a Zen Buddhist meditation center. And something about that felt not quite right, because I think at that time, I had too much energy and too many thoughts and too many things going on that I couldn't sit still. And then I found Yoga. And so that was the first moment. The second moment that was a kind of watershed moment, was when I picked up a translation of the Yoga Sutras. And having had and didn't know anything about the Yoga Sutras at that time, I had been practicing power Yoga and some Kundalini Yoga. And I was going on a Yoga retreat and saw this book that had the word Yoga on it, and I was like, oh, I'll just pick this book up and see what's what's there. And as I was reading, the book, the translation, I felt an energy. And it was like this vibration that was very powerful. And in the midst of reading, I came across sutra 136 V. Shoka, by Jyotish. Mati that, essentially, in this translation talked about there being a place inside each of us, that was eternal and Apulia gent, and that it was a place that was the Beyond all sorrow, beyond all conditioning. And when I read that I was like, Well wait a second, I don't think I'm doing the right Yoga or I'm not studying with the right people, because I haven't heard this before, to know that there that this is one of the promises of Yoga. And so I went on a kind of mission to find a teacher who could lead me to the promise of Yoga. And what I really feel is that there, there are so many teachers and so many teachings that I've been really privileged to receive. And I feel like each time I took on a sadhana, committed practice, that also became a watershed moment.
Anjali Rao 07:42:57
I love that. Well, thank you, thank you for sharing that. That sounds very powerful, and poignant and real. So you know, sometimes you don't know on hindsight, that oh, yeah, that was one of those turning points, and only after like, a lot of time has passed, and you process some of that. And you're like, oh, yeah, that was it, you know. So yeah, I'm sure many people can relate to that. So thank you. What inspired you to write the Lumina self? Can you share some of your thoughts and processes in writing this, this creation of this book, because it is a beautiful, beautifully written book. It's very authentic, and it's very real,
Tracee Stanley 07:43:38
huh, I appreciate hearing that. Thank you. You know, there's a quote from a poem from Swami Veda Bharati, I'm going to read part of it, because I think it's pertinent to this. It is, as though someone was in the innermost room of a cave, that is the treasure house of light. And as they come out, they unravel a ball of thread, emerging from the mouth of the cave. They hand the other end of the thread to the student, and advise them to follow the thread inward, until the seeker of the treasure reaches the internal golden hit on your God, Abba, the first and the last guru. And I really love that because I feel like that's what sharing teachings is. It's the handling of the threat, to bring us to a place that is authentic and real. And I feel that for me, I've been fortunate enough to receive a lot of teachings that have led me closer to that place, or at least to know that it there's something there that exists, right, yeah. And, you know, I also feel that I am tuned into some of the feelings and vibrations of the world. And there came a time, just pre pandemic, where I started to sense that there's a different kind of pain that feels like it is present in the world. And, yes, there's a possibility that I was blind. And now I see, right. But there was just a kind of inner turmoil and inner poverty, that I was sensing in people that during the pandemic also became this i this thing of just chaos, and pain and unattended grief, and rage, and polarization, and hatred. And I felt like because this was actually the first book that I had planned on writing. And then radiant rest came about, and I wrote radiant rest. And then I had the good fortune to be able to be in the midst of the pandemic, or towards the end as I started to write this, and it was like, oh, yeah, this is why I was feeling like I needed to share these teachings. So the I think the the impetus for it, were in the beginning was, what can I do to help to shift anything in this greater collective? I have teachings, some of these teachings are not readily available to the householder, even to the person looking up the next Yoga training because you don't really know where to look sometimes. And so I felt like I did have a responsibility to pass that thread to someone else before I leave this earth.
Anjali Rao 07:46:58
Yeah, I totally understand that. And I respect that so much. I respond to that as well. So I understand I understand what you're Talking about responsibility. When you have something, or when you when you have an access to some something, you want to share it, and hope that it support someone else. That I think is the one of the greatest responsibilities as a teacher, or as a space holder, or whatever. And it took me a long time to even call myself any of those words, so. So I appreciate that reflection. And in your book, I love this line. And I think this goes to what you were talking about, you know, the collective pain. And I think that pain has only worsened because of so many reasons that we're witnessing right now in the world. So I'm looking at, you know, kernels of wisdom from people like yourself who have experiences and who have taught and shared spaces, what are some of the things that look real and possible for a person to inculcate in their life, and I like this line in your book. So I'm going to read that out. Ritual is the fascia that holds the center when it seems like everything is falling apart. And I know for myself, I've gone toward ritual so many times. How can we cultivate rituals that are authentic, sustainable? And especially given the scale of heartbreak that we are witnessing in the world? What are some of your your recommendations for folks who want to like, include rituals? What how would you first of all define a ritual? And what are some of the things that we can do every day?
Tracee Stanley 07:48:43
Yeah, that's a really great question. I mean, the first thing I would say is that we are creating rituals all the time. We're in ritual all the time, whether we realize it or not, right, the moment that you have a two minute break, and you pick up your cell phone to look at your emails or your Instagram, that's a ritual. Right? Let's it's an unconscious ritual. It's not one that's probably bringing you anything that is life affirming, or life enhancing. But it is a ritual. Right? Yeah. And so I think we need to be able to ask ourselves, what is the ritual that we need now? What is the ritual that is needed in in these times, in our own life, and so I think with everything that is happening in the world with, you know, the the war in Gaza, and Congo, Sudan, what's happening in Haiti, and all the many wars and conflicts that we are not even aware of, including the ones that are internal in our own being, that if we can just take a moment first to acknowledge the heartbreak. And to perhaps as we acknowledge the heartbreak to consider, when have I felt this kind of heartbreak or pain before, until we can kind of move towards the original heartbreak? Which is the original heartbreak that I think we all share as a collective. And then ask ourselves, what is the antidote to this heartbreak? And if I can touch into an antidote for this heartbreak, or for whatever it is that I'm experiencing? How can I create a ritual, which is really anything that we are consistently devoted to? Whether it's we're consistently devoted to taking a moment of prayer, a moment of mantra, a moment of meditation, you know, whatever that is for us, because I think it's individual. I don't think that anyone can tell us that collectively, we all need to be doing this one thing, right? Because we're all in a different experience. But I think that once we find that antidote for ourselves, and we, we devote ourselves to the ritual, then that has a force within us, that if we are conscious of the fact that when we create this ritual, that this devotion, and this ritual is not just for us, right? Yes, it begins with us, but then it extends to our family. Or we can ask how can this extend to my family? How can this extend to my community? How can this extend to the collective then we become a force of healing and change for the world? That's my own personal opinion.
Jivana Heyman 07:51:46
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Anjali Rao 07:52:44
I love it. I love it. What are some of your rituals? Do you have one many? And I asked this off even Michelle, because Michelle was my guest. Last time we talked about this. So it'll be beautiful to ask, ask you to what I do have any? Yes,
Tracee Stanley 07:52:58
I have a lot of basically, it's like a ritual container and here. So my morning ritual begins with a tea ceremony and meditation and mantra. And so my mantra that I've been doing for a very long time, is really part of the thread, right? It's part of that thread that leads back to the innermost cave. Just silence in the morning, waking up before the sun rises, right? This is these are things that are really important to me, I feel like if anything ever happens, and I don't have those rituals, I can feel the vibration is different for the day. I love to go outside and be with nature. And to really just give my gratitude to all of the beings that are in the space and are on the land and the ancestral land, I have an ancestor altar, I make sure that my ancestor altar is tended to you know, there's so many different things, movement practice, and I really feel like this idea of ritual can become something around how you do everything. Mm hmm. Right? It's not just, Oh, I'm gonna have this ritual that starts before sunrise. And they, once it's over, I'm just kind of like not paying attention to what's happening. Yeah, it's, it's really a way of being. And one of the things that I said in my first book, radiate rest is this idea of life becoming a ritual. And that's how I think of it really is that life is a ritual. And if life is a ritual, it means that I'm trying to be as awake and aware and present in all times, and all moments.
Anjali Rao 07:54:50
Beautiful Life itself is ritual. That is the aspiration for sure. And in your book, you also mentioned and I really appreciate you mentioning some of your teachers, Srividya, tantra and the Himalayan tradition as your teachers. So how important is studentship? In your, in our paths? How important has it been in your path? And how can we maintain that as householders and I want to also like, invite you, I know, this is not in the list of questions. But I also want to like ask you, how do we hold these this tension between being over consuming of everything, including Yoga education, as well as continuing to be student when there's a lot of questions? So yeah, please get into any anything.
Tracee Stanley 07:55:38
No, I love it. I can only speak from my own experience to say that student ship was very important for me, it was very important for me to be able to have a structure and an understanding of where these teachings came from. Because it wasn't until I started looking for that teacher or that lineage or tradition that can lead me towards the promise of Yoga that I read in Patanjali Yoga Sutras that I even heard anybody talk about, this is where the practice came from. And this is my teacher and my teachers teacher, and this is the original sage from the lineage and then you and Jen, just saying that actually, I can feel it in my body. Right. Yeah. And so I think that when we have that kind of student ship that is based on and with people who are speaking about the teachers before them, right, that it's not based in such an egoistic way, where it's like, I'm showing up and these are my teachings, like, these are not your teachings, right? It's like they came from somewhere and you have to acknowledge where they came from. So that to me, is very important. I think that you know, there I would be remiss if I didn't mention that there are so many Other traditions where there has been harm caused? Yes, right. And so we also have to be aware of where harm has been caused and make our own decisions around, how much to engage and where to engage and all of that. And then I think the other thing is that there are just, you know, it's interesting when sometimes when I do workshops, in new places with, you know, new people that I haven't studied with before, that or haven't studied with me before, when I mentioned this idea of doing a sadhana. It's the first time that sometimes people have even heard this word sadhana, or this idea of doing a devoted practice, and how a devoted practice can really transform and change you over a period of, you know, 40 to 60 days. And so I feel like, to me, the thing that shifted everything in my Yoga journey, and being a student of Yoga, was this idea of having something that I was devoted to doing for a period of time consistently.
Anjali Rao 07:58:24
Beautiful. And what would be some of the things that you would tell people like, this is a question that I get also asked, and I'm interested in curious in what you have to say, you mentioned, you know, like a lot of the teachers, especially lineages, which are older lineages, and currently too, there are a lot of harmful teachers, there's a lot of abuse. And so some of the students when I say your name, your teachers, they say, but what if these teachers have caused abuse? And we come to know of it after? Because that's typically what happens? Then how do we name them? Do we name them at all? You know, because the when you name them, you're again, you're somehow uplifting their work or their whatever, you know, the, the presence even? So it's a tough question. It's a challenging question. So what would you what would you suggest people do?
Tracee Stanley 07:59:19
It's so interesting that you're asking this because I literally had this conversation with a friend yesterday. Oh, wow. Okay. And, you know, for me, I will name the teachers and give a caveat of, especially if it's something that has recently happened, because it's up to you to make your decision. You know, what I don't like doing is to name the teachers with no caveat, because they're the first thing that happens then, is people go on Google. And they're like, Oh, let me go study with this person, I want to study with your teacher. And then inevitably, not always, but oftentimes, because this has happened a couple of times where I've gotten a call from someone who took a workshop and then did some research, and then they want to study with a teacher. And then they say, Oh, I had such this such and such experience with this person. Yeah. And so I think that it's really a good idea to bring that caveat in and not be afraid to say do your research, all you have to do is put the teachers name and the word scandal and see what happens.
Anjali Rao 08:00:30
And it's sad, but it's true. Yeah. Yeah, no, absolutely. I say the same thing. Like you share the teacher, and then, you know, and, and what has happened? And also know the context know, the context of all of it, right? I mean,
Tracee Stanley 08:00:47
yeah, and and also know that, you know, people can change. Right? And that goes both ways that those from someone who can seem extremely enlightened and bright, yes, something can change. And somebody can be extremely, you know, seemingly all over the place. And something can change, and they can have a different experience and be a different person. And so I think it's always good to tune in to see what do you sense in the vibration of the person's voice? What do you sense in your body when you hear them talk or when you practice with them? And does that feel like truth? Or does that feel like chaos and then make a decision from there.
Anjali Rao 08:01:36
I love that. Thank you. Thank you, Tracy. Going back to your book, The luminous self it has a lot of great practice about remembering, you know smithy and you refer to how healing has hubs ebbs and flows between remembering and forgetting I really like that because it is so true and powerfully stated. What is healing in a world that is hurting so deeply right now like you only mentioned, you know, collective we are all in collective pain, and that has only I think, been more sharp And then it's more much more intense. You know, one cannot be but heartbroken at what we are seeing. So what is healing in a world that is hurting so deeply look like? What is the vision? For? That's
Tracee Stanley 08:02:25
a really good question. I really do believe that this is something that we collectively need to dream into. I don't believe that the old ways are working. Yeah. And that the way in which we heal and which we mend, and which we learn to tend to each other, again, is going to come from an old paradigm, it is going to come from the place of us being in meditation, us being in collective grief together, acknowledging our pain together, dreaming together and imagining something new. And I really think that there this is, you know, as much as we'd love to kind of sit in circle and practice, we need to sit in circle and dream. And we need to sit and lay and circle and dream. And we need to sit in circle as well. And imagine a new future. And I don't know what exactly the healing is going to look like. But I know that it's up to us to make it happen.
Anjali Rao 08:03:32
Yes, I agree. Thank you. Thank you for that. What is your going to draw me into? Why is this an important practice for us in the modern world? And where does it fit into this healing that we are talking about in this, you know, this collective radical dreaming and reimagining a present and a future?
Tracee Stanley 08:03:55
Yeah, I think that, first of all, Yoga nidra, you know, is something, at least to me, that is beyond the technique of deep relaxation, right Yoga, Nidra is a state of consciousness. Yoga, Nidra is a place that the goddess can touch us and hold us. Beautiful. And I really feel like we need practices like Yoga nidra. Because we need to be able to be rested, we need to be able to be clear, we need to understand and know that there is a part of ourselves that has the wisdom of the past, present and future simultaneously. Because that is the place that we need to touch into to be able to bring the future forward in a way that is healing, and not repeating the lessons of the past. So Yoga nidra, to me, also is a practice that opens a doorway, to lucid dreaming as well, right into all other kinds of dreaming practices that we might not have been initiated into, but they somehow come forward out of this void space. And so I think that Yoga nidra is the practice for now. I think there's a reason why we have seen such an interest and a move towards the quieter practices of Yoga, whether they be Yoga, Nidra, yin Yoga, restorative Yoga, sound healing, it's because our nervous system systems need this. And somewhere in the universe, somebody knew that we needed this for this time. Yeah. Because if we didn't have these practices now, I don't know what state we would all be in. Yeah.
Anjali Rao 08:05:48
Yeah. Totally. Thank you. If you were to change one thing about the world of Yoga, what would it be and why? I and I said, I asked this because I feel like the world of Yoga as a microcosm of the bigger larger world. So it's a two point question, actually. So what what would it be?
Tracee Stanley 08:06:12
Yeah, I really think that what I would want to do is to illuminate this fact that Yoga is not something that we do that Yoga is a state of consciousness. And Yoga is either present or not. And for us to be able to perceive the difference. And to have the tools to be able to welcome this state of consciousness into space where it is not present. Because that unity consciousness is exactly what we need to heal the world.
Anjali Rao 08:06:57
Beautiful. Thank you. Anything else you wanted to share? Tracy I love I loved our conversation so far and anything else you want to uplift any upcoming offerings of your Orr's
Tracee Stanley 08:07:10
upcoming offerings. So I don't know when When will this air
Anjali Rao 08:07:15
um may meet sometime in May. Okay, so,
Tracee Stanley 08:07:20
in June, I'm going to be co teaching with my dear friend, Dr. chante tacoronte PEDAS. And we're doing a five day introduction kind of Foundations of Yoga Nidra immersion, that's happening in upstate New York. Best thing to do is to look at my website and see the offerings that are coming up. Yeah, that's the best thing to do.
Anjali Rao 08:07:47
Well, thank you, thank you for sharing that and I so appreciate all your generosity in sharing your wisdom and your sadhana with with us with me. And I look forward to continuing to learn and study all the things that you are bringing forth into the world. Thank you so much, Tracy.
Tracee Stanley 08:08:07
Thank you so much, Angela. And thank you for everything that you do. So appreciate you. Thank you.
Anjali Rao 08:08:20
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Transcribed by https://otter.ai
