Reggie Hubbard on national unity, active peace, & creating more diversity in the wellness space

Buckle up, friends, because this episode is FIRE.  Kicking off Black History Month, we have yoga teacher and Capitol Hill activist, Reggie Hubbard.  He shares bespoke and ancient wisdom on actionably creating peace in our country, diversifying the wellness space, and what we can do NOW to live a high vibrational, purpose-filled life.

CONNECT WITH REGGIE:
Active Peace Yoga
Instagram - @activepeaceyoga
Instagram - @oreggieglobal
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/oreggieglobal/

BOOKS MENTIONED:

Be Here Now by Ram Das
Love and Rage  by Llama Rod Owens
Radical Dharma by angel Kyodo Rev. Williams, Lama Rod Owens
Autobiography of Malcom X

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Light, Love, & Peace,

Jaclyn Steele

Transcript

0:00

Hi, I am Jaclyn Steele and a welcome to self discovery. Howard Thurman so beautifully wrote, don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive, coming alive. That my friends, is what self discovery is all that matter. My friends and dear listeners, boy, do I have a fun episode for you. Today on the podcast we have Reggie Hubbard. But before I share the incredible and transformational conversation that I had with him, I want to give you a little background on Reggie and a little context, some parentheses if you will, around the conversation that we had, you need to know this man. And here's a little bit about his background. Reggie is a 500, our certified yoga teacher and the founder and chief serving Officer of active peace, yoga, that's active peace, yoga, calm, and through active peace. He offers Asana and meditation classes to help others nurture peace of mind creativity, and equanimity in spirit and physical health. In addition to his teaching practice, Reggie has held many senior strategic and logistical roles across a variety of fields, ranging from global marketing, digital and community organizing government relations, international education, to presidential campaigning. He currently serves as a leading progressive political strategist, regularly interacting with elected officials on Capitol Hill, and managing relationships, impact and communications among the broader progressive movement. In addition to advanced yogic and meditative studies, Reggie received a BA in philosophy from Yale University, and an MBA in international strategy from the cleric Business School in Belgium, this is one impressive human being. And I hope you enjoy listening to this conversation as much as I enjoyed having it. Ah, friends, listeners, we have such such a beautiful conversation on the way. I have Reggie Hubbard with us. He is a teacher. He's an activist. He is also a black hippie, which I absolutely love. And we connected through Elena Brower, and through a yoga class that you taught, and I am so freaking honored to have you on the podcast today. So thank you for being here. Absolutely. Happy to be here. Lovely to connect, look forward to staying in touch and all those who are listening. you're meant to be blessed, I think, yeah, you guys are in for a serious treat. So before Reggie, and I got on the line to start talking we spitballing ideas of what we could talk about. And I felt like in this moment, and Reggie felt like in this moment, that talking about unity, after such a time of turmoil would be really helpful. And so I want to start with the first question, and it is this. Now that the election and the inauguration are over, I want to talk about unity and healing some of the deep wounds that have occurred in recent years. How do you think we can do this? And what are some action steps individuals can take to be part of the solution for bringing our country back together? Lovely question. And this is like our hearts work. Right? As we talked about. I served in a resistance capacity. But I'm a healer, right. So I served the moment to bring about this moment. So this is the moment where it's like a like wonder twin powers activate kind of thing. So one thing I would say initially is you can breathe, it's okay to exhale. Right? elective anx. And for boating, or conversation I had earlier today where someone's like a perpetual Doom scroll. For the past four years where think about the the collective impact of that. such heavy, heavy weighted energy, you feel that like, like you compress the next shrink is like, like so what you can do is like deepen the breath, and allow the body to relax. I feel that just in that way. Amen. Right, right, and acknowledge that a new moment is here that doesn't necessarily diminish how crappy the moment is, to some extent. But, you know, and I've talked about this a lot in the teaching that I've been doing, you know, Lotus metaphor, you know, active peace, like, our logo is a lotus. Two of them, I was a purple Lotus for prints and like a fire Lotus for Jimi Hendrix. But like the only the Lotus only comes out of disgusting circumstances, right, like muck. So we think we think about that in terms of the platitude, right? So in the in the sunnier days, about our collective humanity. yoga classes were full of just like, oh, the Lotus, bla bla bla, bla bla, and they would talk about it as platitude. Now we have an opportunity to see it in its allegory. Right. So like, these are the conditions from which beauty can emerge. Leave that right. And that's not that that's not parable. I mean, that's not well, that's, yeah, I totally agree, paint from Beauty. That's one of my life's mottos is like, when I experience pain, I want to make something beautiful out of it. And that's why pain exists, like pain exists to remind you that you can heal. That's why pain exists. So number one, what we can do as individuals is we can breed number two, we can acknowledge that the past happened, right? So we can't just sweep this under the rug right? In the first place, right, you know, like, people been like denying like black racial justice forever, you know, we can't continue to be like, Oh, that's too painful. You have to have an honest reckoning of what is in order to welcome what should and could be. Right? So exhale, inhale, exhale, so deep in the breath, feel nurtured by Grant by gravity. You know, another class I took recently, humanity's The only human beings are the only beings that think of themselves outside of the natural order. Right, right. So yeah, right. We're above. So we're not right, like so. Remember that? If the sun rises in the east, sets in the west, and we're held by gravity, then we're good, huh? Right. So I would say is that remember, especially for those of you with a more faithful upbringing, you're here for a reason. You survived. Grace, give gratitude, give thanks for that. Like, that doesn't diminish the pain that you feel that and that's not to assuage that, per se. But it is to say that you are here on purpose, like the God that I serve and believe in is not an accidental God. Right. So like, anyway, you're here, for on purpose. So use that intentionality with a deeper breath and a reckoning of what we've been through to create the conditions for our Renaissance? Oh, yes, that is priming the soil. I just have my hands in the air right now, because that resonates so deeply with me. Because I think so often, people get intimidated by the problems we're facing. And they think we have to have a solution right, now we have to have a map, we have to have a game plan. But I think it's so much simpler than that. I think it's exactly what you said, it's priming the soil, so that growth can occur, right. And like you said, if our God is intentional, then all of that is already in the works. We just need to make ourselves vessels to participate. Right. And part of that, as we talked about before, is getting out of the way. So another thing I'll say is what we can do is be radically present and transparent and honest. That doesn't mean like you know, we'll talk about this in a minute like this. That doesn't mean canceling people out. Yeah. When keeping it real goes wrong. You know what I mean? Like last time I checked, everyone who is human is a flawed individual. So our flaws are the opposite are the instruments through which perfection can be attained. Right? And protection. I mean, perfection for me is intentional. Love is perfect. Yeah. Forgiveness is perfect. Mm hmm. Right. Like, like care is perfect. Like canceling somebody out or like white washing history, no pun intended, but I'll put it there too. But like, that's not perfect. That is the mental perfection that is like predicated on white supremacist norms. But for me like radical presence and acknowledging what has happened, I'm acknowledging tough conversations need to happen. Then step so like taking deeper breath expanding and then that actually Spansion, like radically affirming what's going on, is how you can begin to create the conditions for change. I wish this never happened. Sure. I can say, and I'm cheating because like, Donald Trump is one of my best teachers. Huh? Right. From forced me to take $500 of yoga teacher training. Right forced me to live radical compassion. force me to step into a trying situation with fierce grace. Yeah, fearlessness. So they are not Washington. But like, Thank you, teacher. Our biggest triggers are our greatest teachers. And it's, I think it's so easy to get caught up in the moment and the emotion. But when we can take a step back and realize this is a blessing in disguise, and what can I learn from this? That that's it's such a powerful position. I wanted to touch on to self responsibility. I think so many people right now. And I understand why are wishing, hey, I wish this didn't happen. I wish we could just forget about this. Bla bla bla, but self responsibility, and the willingness to have these kinds of conversations, where we call out what has happened. But we sit and we understand how we have participated in those systems or how I have participated in those systems is part of the healing process. And I think the fear of doing that is far worse than the reality of doing that. Absolutely, no, I completely agree with that in the one one rejoinder, I would add to that, is that you, you always it's harder to just do it. But once you do it, it gets easier. Yeah. Fear is the only thing that shrinks as you walk towards it. It's so true. Oh, that's so true. If you sit here, oh, my God, oh, my god. Like if you lean back, it gets bigger. But if you like, open up and walk towards it, not only does it get smaller, your capacity to alchemize, it becomes bigger. Yeah, we are so powerful in our ability to transform everything. Another thought that I just had before I ask the next question is I was listening to while I was listening to Elena browers podcast, and she was talking about how a thought is just a thought. And I think sometimes, you know, like Wayne Dyer, we say, well, thought becomes a word. And a word becomes an action and an action becomes reality. And in so many ways, in instances, that can be true. But also, sometimes a thought is just a thought. And I think if we can take some of the pressure that we're placing on our mindless thoughts to be perfect all of the time, that will also put us in a position to ripen that soil for growth. Yeah, and the other thing I would offer is that we're more than our mind. Ah, amen. Right, we're more than our mind. Right? So we have six senses, I would say five that are commonly talked about. The mind is one of them. Mm hmm. Right. And the mind is the means through which that and I've taught this the other day, where the sixth sense is the intuition that comes from the alignment of all the senses. So when the mind is regulated, and everything is on par and and balanced, and that's when your intuition grows. And then that's when that's when you become extrasensory. Oh, I love that. I love that so much. Okay, so we touched on it a second ago, but canceled culture. I want to ask you about this, and I want to dive into this canceled culture has become more and more prevalent in recent years. And what is your take on this increasingly popular action? Not a fan, not a fan at all. Number one, like I'm a human being so who like you know, someone who grew up in the Christian tradition, but he or she who is without sin cast the first stone, you know, I mean, it doesn't mean that you condone bad behavior, but it means that you address it, and then offer space for the person to like, give it give a response. Mm hmm. Yeah. So if, if so, Jacqueline, if you and I had a disagreement, I'd be like Jacqueline says, Love you. And I really don't appreciate how this went down. Mm hmm. And if Were mindful in that situation, I would be open to receiving that and going, please forgive me, I'm sorry, I will try and do better. Right. And it doesn't have to be a situation in which somebody is completely extricated from the situation and forgotten about, or shamed into oblivion. Yeah, because you know, as someone who is a interesting spiritual mix, but all the practices that I hold, whether they be Christian, or yoga, or Buddhist, are rooted in compassion, compassion rules all. So you can hold someone accountable from from a place of compassion, and I would argue that's stronger. And you need to step forth. So by you call people in as opposed to calling people out like President Obama gave a really good conversation about canceled culture on the Guardian that I would encourage people to check out. But the gist of it is that once you think that you're accomplishing, you're not accomplishing by canceling because there is no opportunity for growth and healing. You're perpetuating a mob mentality, which is not the foundation of humanity or democracy. Not at all. Not at all. And I think of a biblical principle. You know, you and I were both raised in the church, and the Bible over and over talks about teaching and admonishing with love. And it is so much more effective to have a conversation like the hypothetical one. You just said, like, hey, love you, Sis, but the way that you said that really hurt me or what you did really hurt me. That's so much more effective than reacting in anger, or whatever kind of negative emotion. There is righteous anger. So for instance, sure, um, when the Trump administration jailed children and didn't tell us about it, and we responded with righteous anger, that's different, you know, like, we, we need to cancel that. Right, because that's malevolent. Right? And so righteous anger, to rectify malevolence is one thing. But just because someone says something, you know, just because, you know, not everyone has the same background as you. So you need to give grace for yourself. And for them to try and understand where they're coming from. Just because you perceive something a certain way, isn't necessarily how someone intended and not giving them the opportunity to explain their intention is awful. And not only that, like, having the superior having a superior mindset is, you know, fair saying, for lack of better terminology, you know what I mean? Like, yeah, you don't, it's very arrogant. We don't have all the answers. Right. And you know, and what ends what happens in canceled culture is that I think the intent of canceled culture is pure. Sure. You call into that? Mm hmm. However, calling into account through shame, and intimidation, and destruction, and eraser. I mean, that's what they did to black people. Yeah. I mean, during Jim Crow, and that's what they want us to some extent right now. Right. So I would argue that aspects of canceled culture are rooted in white supremacist notions of perfect perfection. Hmm. Oh, I think you are spot on. I don't agree with that. So for those who are listening, who may be apt to want to cancel someone out, what do you think are some effective steps? The first one that to rectify that, but what don't one of the first things that comes to mind for me, is just asking clarifying questions. Right. Do you want to add anything to that? Yeah. Well, I mean, it's, it's kind of the Socratic method. Right? So if I'm hearing you correctly, yes. Is it safe to assume that Mm hmm. Right? Right. So you're basically building the case. And like giving the person an opportunity to shift and the you know, sometimes rather than cancel the best thing to do is walk away. Yeah. You know, this thing not like the, the watered down disgusting notion of karma, which is not at all true to like, it'll come back and get you know, like, people will you reap what you sow though, right? So if someone is sowing malevolence, and Miss truth, and you offer an offer peaceful and compassionate witness to that, it will they'll get what they get like Trump won, you know what I mean? Like Yeah, you know, in the African American tradition, a troubled on last always, you know what I mean, but you need to be vigilant. And you don't have to, like you don't have to cancel someone out like it may happen. They cancel them. So they may not be on the timetable that you want. The last time I checked, none of us are in charge of this thing. We're just passing. Oh, we don't have any we don't have control. No. And I think again, it relates back to self responsibility. And I view my participation in the world as this. I want to be as loving, and kind and compassionate and aware as possible. But beyond that, I have no control. And so I view that as not my responsibility. Like when I interact, I want to be the epitome of kindness. But if somebody doesn't receive that, or I can't change a situation, through my kindness, etc. That is not my fault. It's not my responsibility. My responsibility is purely my own actions, my own thoughts, my own way of being. The other thing I would say is that, and this is controversial. But Hi, I kind of live in that space. The energy of kancil culture is not that dissimilar from the mob that stormed the Capitol. Huh? It's so true. It's the same energy, isn't it? Like so for those of you who are flying off the handle? I said, energetics I didn't say I'm not equate on the I work on Capitol Hill. So stop that. What I'm saying is that, like the piling on the anger, the you know, I've seen canceled culture destroyed good businesses. Oh, right. I've seen canceled culture destroy. well intentioned people who said the wrong thing. One wrong thing. Took her livelihood. I can't condone that. Whereas if the person who started the canceled culture would have been like, so did you mean it this way? They could have had a conversation. Mm hmm. Right. Mm hmm. That's what I would say. Um, again, I believe that the I believe in accountability. You kidding me? Like I was one of the spiritual leads of resistance, right. I clearly believe in accountability. But I believe in accountability rooted in our collective well being, which is not like not destruction, no, and our collective well being to me, we are all part of the same thing. And we have to stop pitting each other against one another, we all come from the same place, we all come from the same source, when I mean to somebody else, and also being mean to myself. Exactly. We it's, there's so much reflection going on. And so to be aware of that and to tread lightly in this canceled canceled culture department, I think is something all of us need to be aware of. And the last thing I'll say to that is that always think about what is the end game here? Hmm. Am I seeking to do right? To be right? Mm hmm. Right. Always want to err on the former. Mm hmm. Always want to err on the side of doing right. Doing like living with justice, love and mercy, as opposed to being right. Because just because you're right doesn't mean that you're correct. Oh, yeah. Feel like I just need to sit in that for a second. It's so, so true. I thought about you yesterday, I was reading be here now by ROM das recipes. That book, it is from another realm. It's so good. It's so good. But in it, he quoted Gandhi. And the quote was this. The essence of civilization consists not in the multiplication of wants, but in their deliberate and voluntary renunciation. And what I take from this quote, is that we have to want better, we have to be more conscious of the realities we're bringing about and the decisions that we make. And on first blush, I think we get bent out of shape, when we feel like we're going to be required to change, but the spiritual path, and my personal experience show that I'm so much happier and content, when I'm making choices that are responsible and that are socially and environmentally conscious. It's like buying one sweater from everlane, which is a sustainable fashion brand versus buying for sweaters from a place like forever. 21. So what are some things that if we actively renounce them, would change us, our country, our world? for the better, I love this quote, I love the articulation of it. So I appreciate that. I want to bring an elder Malcolm X into the space where he talks about or like, he talked about the difference between illness and wellness. Right? No. And I want to talk about that in the context of our society, but also in the wellness industry, of which you and I are affiliated with. We need to renounce the egotism and the attachment to self. Right? Like, I, the solipsistic version of wellness is illness. Collective care is wellness, right? And that's not just in your yoga practice, that's in your civic engagement. So like, for instance, like, you want to talk about voting, I voted, I did my part. No, you like, that's just part of doing your part. Right? So when we start to think and then we need to renounce like, what, what, what, what's in it for me? That's the biggest renunciation I think we need to get rid of, right? Because when we think of how we nurture all of us, it has derivative benefit for all of us. Oh, it's so full circle. It's beautiful. It's so beautiful. The more I give, the more I give back. And that sounds so selfish. But the very act of doing that, like breathes joy into my lungs. I mean, I'm the biggest one of the biggest skeptics in the world, which is probably why I'm one of the most ferocious yoga teachers because like, it changed my life. And you also think about it because like, I was an existential philosophy major from Yale and grew up black outside of Baltimore, right? So you understand. So like, for me, like to be just like, oh, like, then give it a shot. But when you so active peasy Yoga is by teaching practices we talked about in a significant place, and it's donation based, for the most part. So I mean, if I if I teach like the DNC or something that's not donation based, but like, it's like, it's a service. And what I found is that like, keeping it that way, and then giving from the first fruits of that, to homeless shelters and hospices, and food banks, and those sorts of things, because that's what I do. And I don't like to talk about it, because it's just not who I am. But, you know, I think it's important to share. Yeah, my teaching practice is a service like, yes, not, it's not a business, it is a service. And so having a donation base, and then from those first fruits, giving it away. I don't even know how many people have been blessed by that. So like my business, has been a service to humanity. So that has like informed my teaching. Like I tell every all the regulars that come to active peace. I'm like, so we just fed the homeless. We just gave money to this hospice center. We just gave money to an immigrant rights shelter. Right? And like, we will continue to do this. So if I were just like, ah, Hi, I'm ready. No, no, no, no, I am a servant. And you may have seen this on my website. I'm the chief serving officer. Mm hmm. I didn't see that. It's beautiful. It's beautiful. And I think one of the byproducts of adopting a servant's heart. And the way that a servant walks in the world is this immense inner joy. I mean, it there is no amount of clothing or cars or homes or vacations or whatever your particular materialistic wants are, that replace the joy that comes from genuinely caring for the people in your circle? Nothing. Not even close. And that's a direct affront to the capitalist notion that governs our society, right? From and I'm into that, right. But like, I can tell you from personal experience to know that the teaching practice that I really had no intention of starting. Jonah, which we talked about, we'll probably talk about it a little bit, but I'd like to know that that has served not only 1000s upon 1000s of people in their daily life, but to know that the donations because I had someone recently say I don't have any money. I'm like them, this is the perfect practice for you. Like I'm worried about that, like, my job is to like Get you so in tune with you, that money will come. Because you will be you will be in alignment with your purpose in life when you are in alignment with your purpose, like beauty and not even wealth because wealth, wealth of spirit yields like sustenance. Oh, yes, that is so true wealth of spirit does yield sustenance. And for our listeners, if you would Reggie, give a little synopsis of how you became a yoga teacher and got to the point of where you are, because, and I know that wasn't in the questions that I sent you. But I think this is so pertinent. Because from the outside looking in, I would assume you were just born to do this. And this is what you've always been doing. But that couldn't I mean, you were born to do this. But it couldn't be farther from the truth that this was always what you're doing. So what a divine freaking intervention. So can you give us just a little synopsis of how that happened? Because I think it's going to encourage people so much when it comes to the pressure that they put on themselves to find their purpose. Right? Well, um, I'll begin by saying, like, I started practicing yoga to not curse out my boss. It's that simple. I started practicing yoga, to not call someone the 1314 letter password, right? Like it was really that simple. Like, I had joined this nonprofit in Colorado, they started treating me like hell. And like, black hippie runs hot, you know what I mean? So like, we would be in staff meetings, and it was like, I was like, I can't get it. Right. I will be in the staff meetings. And I was like, I was pledging pi phi or something like that. You know what I'm saying? So like, why did we hire you? You're so bad. Bla bla bla bla, I'm like, I like I as black dude, why am I hating this white sorority? This is crazy. You know what I mean? So like, and I'm like, I can't curse them out, because I moved across the country to serve these children was an educational nonprofit. So what can I do to not curse these ladies out? And I was like, This yoga thing seems okay, so I started going into sunrise and sunset yoga, a pop, pop, pop pop. What I did not know what's happening is that I did not know that I was cultivating inner peace. I did not know that I was cultivating the distance between like, witnessing and reacting. And so that that distance is response. So I was becoming responsive, as opposed to reactive. I did not know that was happening. I was just struggling. I'm just trying not to curse these people out. So when they fired me via text message 10 months later, yes, that happened. Reggie, we gotta talk. Seriously, but I've been someone broke up with me via text before. So last whatever, like, but that's why now I'm like, what else is on them? when they when they fired me via text message, Jacqueline, I was just like, Okay. And they asked me we should have a exit interview. I'm like, I don't really think that's a great idea. You know, thank God for Southern roots as a y'all know, that's not really a good use of our time. But I do want to thank you. Thank you for how poorly you treated me. Because you gave me the wisdom to deal with adversity with grace. Ah, and that's after, that's after 10 months of practice. So I did not know that that was yielding space for yoga to become discipline for me. Right. So like, I did not know like yoga became my mechanism through which I interpreted the world. So whenever I had any, any situation, I'd be like, okay, so alignment, breath, like, like, just totally got into the physical, the breath and philosophical and those sorts of things. And that has just completely unfolded into active piece of backtracking a bit. All throughout this journey. People would tell me, you're going to be a great teacher. And I'm just like, I'm just trying to get my vinyasa on, like, I am not joining your damn teacher training program, I'm not doing it, whatever, whatever. Like stop with that, like, whatever. We need your voice. I'm not speaking. So, um, I just kept hearing it again, hearing it again, hearing it again. And as we talked about earlier, like, I started my 200 hour teacher training while in the heart of the resistance, and I did it to deepen my practice, right? I did it that way. But that yielded not only personal benefit, but I was able to serve other people because of what I was doing for myself. So I was able to serve for my abundance. Right? So I had an abundance of peace and an abundance of clarity and an abundance of like hope at the middle of the resistance when we didn't think we were going to be able to flip the house right. So like I had hoped then, and then we end up flipping the house and then I did 300 hour training after that, because in my mind, I'm just going to dive deeper into my practice. Right. So then, as we talked about, like, was in the middle of impeachment, like the dead center at the center, middle of all of it. And then even on film in the middle of it, right? Yeah, literally. So when rasheeda Talib broke the internet, like I helped break the internet, because that was my party. And my profile and like my pinstripe suit, I'm there with my prayer beads on. And what I didn't know then is that I would end up ministering to them. Right? So from my peaceful center, in the middle of that moment, was able to give them peace and their staff peace, because that was happening in the middle of a government shutdown. So again, I kept hearing you be a great teacher. I was like, I don't know. Good. I'm good. I'm good. I'm good. But what for those of you who may be struggling or like vexing about your path, first of all, the thing that people tell you that don't know you that you'd be good at? You should consider that. Right? Because Hello, people told me you'd be a great teacher and I've resisted know, whatever, whatever. And very long story short, um, I thought that I would so go through the flipping the house go through impeachment. Like I'm gonna write a book. So if you want more of the story, Oh, I'm so glad. I'm so glad that was gonna be one of my questions. And I have to like, Did this story anyway, but like black dude telling the story like, I love it so much. Please let me know how I can help you advertise it. Okay. Sorry. I have to write because like, it's like it's meant the story is meant to be told because only one person can tell it. So after being in the middle of flipping the house in the middle of impeachment, so like teaching like, like low key teaching the squad and like their staff and those sorts of things. One of my teachers yoga roofer rod Stryker, in the middle of a deep philosophical training, called me out right in front of a 200. People just like, some people need to not take some mini trainings and teach more Reggie, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And I'm like, Man, this name drop. Come on, man. Stop, right. And this is in front of 200 people. And so but then again, the responsive as opposed to the reactive, and then I got into my philosophical piece. I'm like, homie, maybe you needed to hear that. Maybe you needed to hear that, get out of your ego, get out of your fields, get out of the denial, and hear what the master teacher is saying to the student, like, you know, whatever, right here, this. So for those of you that may be in this, then when the pandemic hit. In March of last year, I was in a group full of teachers, and I was the only person that was ice cold call. And then that's when I realized, okay, they're right. It's time to serve now. Right. So it was a bit of a circuitous path. But all along the way, there were whispers. And you know, one thing that I mentioned briefly is that I used to teach high school civics. And that was the best accidental dress, of course, I'm an activist, right? So like, I used to teach high school civics and like, that was the last job that I had ever applied for. So went to grad school and Europe came back into the recession. And the only job that I could get as a teacher Hint, Hint, and the kids loved me. They did. Oh, of course, like when someone's you should be a yoga teacher. Of course, I went back to the same stuff that I did. No, no, but this teaching thing has been consistently said to me, since I was like 17. So for about 30 years. So for those of you struggling, hear the whispers that you've been ignoring the thing that someone that you should consider this and you're like, but like so like that, like, investigate that visceral reaction, and dislike the wisdom and may not be for you at that moment. But it's likely meant for you if here's what I'm saying, if a people from completely different aspects of living existence, tell you the same thing. That's not them. Now, pay attention, right. That's my guides, elders, whatever you want to call it, like people are just like, Yo, I think it'd be a great or I remember when I lived in Brazil for a while. This one guy in Portuguese told me, you're so charismatic. You should write a book and be a teacher in Portuguese. Yo, like, like, we're way down south there. paraglide You're so charismatic and charming. You should be a teacher and write a book and so I denied him in Portuguese. And now and now you're doing it. Oh, it's so cool. It's so cool. Speaking of Brazil and Portuguese, my favorite author Paolo suela. quail. Oh, Don't know how to pronounce his last name, William. Ah, I love him so much. I've read pretty much every one of his books, but I'm gonna bring this back to what you just said, he wrote, all you have to do is pay attention. lessons will arrive. And when you are ready, and you read the signs, you'll learn everything you need to know in order to take the next step. It can really be that simple. We don't have to have everything laid out and perfect. We just have to pay attention. Yeah, and one other thing I'll share is a Mickey Sanger is someone that my 300 hour teacher training, I wrote a thesis called spiritual activism, like how to serve humanity from a sense of devotion and love. I talk about mikki. Sanger basically says the whole goal of yogic practice is to be at peace with whatever unfolds before you. So like the universe, or whatever is in charge will have a situation passed before you. And the goal of practicing of life is an out of the millions of potential realities, this thing is before you, right? So your job is to make it better, because it passed before you. It's that simple. It takes years to get there sometimes. I mean, it could be 40. But like it, the goal is like when something passes before you is essentially to be a blessing to that situation. And what ends up happening is that like the, the situations become more profound. So that means your opportunity to be a blessing becomes more profound. Mm hmm. Right? So, so simple as I was a blessing to the students that I worked for, and that terrible job, right? Because I was still in practice. Four years later, it became being a blessing to the Congress. During the first round, right, right, right, right. So from 2015, in October to 2019. The ancestors were quick, but it's it's that simple to be present and loving, and witness what comes before you, and do your best to be a blessing to that. And then as it passes on, refine yourself with with consistent practice. And then I receive that so deeply. I want to have that like tattooed on me just be a blessing like that, that really can just be our purpose. Just be a blessing to other people. Right? Oh, thank you for sharing that. And also, I want to share to all the listeners, Reggie has built his yoga studio into this international thing that is so cool, and so unique in less than a year. Right? I haven't really left my house. So active peace Yoga is a global virtual studio black owned, and like it started on April 4 2020. Like it's not even really right. alignment, that is alignment, you are living out your purpose to be a blessing. I had to go out of my way personally, we talked about Yeah, but like when I was like, Okay, all right. All right. The people came like I don't even have a marketing budget, right? Like, like, the practice has exploded because of word of mouth, or like, I'll be on, like, Hey, I met you through your leg. Like, whenever I get a chance to speak, I speak from the heart. It just blows people's minds. And they're just like, What's up with this guy? Where has he been like he's been in his own way. You do though, you have such a way of articulating healing principles and distilling them down into concepts that I feel like people can understand. And what a gift that is a gift to humanity, especially now. Especially now. Okay, before I start crying, I want to ask you some more questions. Okay. I do want to shift gears into wellness. Yeah. Which is a passion of both of ours. And just like your yoga studio suggests peace is active. So how do we get active about creating more peace in our individual lives? And I think this is so important, and we did touch on this, but because the more peaceful we are as individuals, the more likely we are to be peaceful as a collective. What are some action steps here? So one is that, you know, and I got the best compliment recently because of my teaching style, because you alluded to it just now. It's like it's it's basic, but profound. Yeah, it's anything but basic. It's because you have the ability to alchemize really difficult spiritual and philosophic concepts into bite sized pieces that people I think can ingest and understand. Mm hmm. Thank you for the advice I received that. We take the breath for granted. So, the breath is what animates this apparatus, right? So you can go 40 days without food. Seven days without water, give or take six minutes without breath. Six minutes, right minute. So, conversely, more peace would mean deeper breath. Hmm. Oh, right. rooted in the breath, being aware of the gift of the breath. And then living your life from that rooted place of deep breath. So rather than react to a situation, take a breath survey, bless it from a place of peace, as opposed to having something happen. Like, you know, get there been there. I totally understand that. But what I've learned to do is something happens and I'm like, the first thing I do is right, so I inhale to survey as opposed to, like, shorten, I'm like, like so because there's wisdom on the breath, right? prana is on the breath. Right? So like, if I'm in a situation that like, makes you want to tense up, I'm like, it's as if you're activating your inner peace. Like, for real though, like, the breath taps into the piece that I've cultivated, and it just activates it and it brings it top of mind. Yeah, I respond from that. But it starts with a deeper breath number one. So you probably already know this, but most of us are not breathing properly. That is why breath work is having such a moment in the wellness space right now and hopefully a very long like forever moment. Because not breathing properly messes up our very biology. shallow breathing can lead to heightened cortisol sweating, increased heart rate among other health issues. It can also increase our anxiety and lead to panic attacks. Deep breathing on the other hand prompts a calming response to the brain helps to release toxins from the lungs, loosen our glorious muscles and decrease our blood pressure. What if you could ease anxiety and breathe deeper without any kind of medications? What if you could do this with a simple product that was inspired by ancient wisdom has scientifically proven results is endorsed by psychiatrists and designed by a therapist. I am so excited to introduce you to the shift by co Musso design. I'm wearing it right now as I'm recording this, and it is a beautiful and simple necklace with an apparatus that you breathe through. And this little necklace helps you to control your breath. So you can decrease your stress hormone cortisol, slow down your heartbeat, decrease blood pressure, loosen your muscles and come back into the present moment. The shift was inspired by colusa monks of 17th century Japan, they used a bamboo shakuhachi flute as a healing modality and a method of attaining enlightenment. I love this. The shift also provides stress relief backed by science, you can just visit their website to see all of the amazing results that they have created. It's so simple to use. You take a deep breath and you exhale through the shift. You relax and then you repeat five more times. My husband and I both have a chef necklace and we love them. I have the gold version. It's so gorgeous and it goes perfectly with all my other layered necklaces. And my husband has the charcoal version which is masculine and minimalistic I love the weight of it. I love the way it feels around my neck. And I also love knowing that at a moment's notice I'm feeling a bit of stress. I can stop and breathe through this and come back into the present. It is something that I wear almost every single day and I think it's something that you will absolutely love to check out this stress transforming necklace at ko Musso design that's KMUSDS ign.com and use code Jaclyn j AC Li n for 15% off your shift necklace. Now back to the show. Number two is that when we begin to view you know yoga Beyond Asana, but when we begin to you view spiritual practice as discipline, as opposed to activity, right? So when we begin to view, I need to eat well, to preserve the temple, I need to be mindful and prayerful, because that allows me to connect to source and be of service to other people. When that becomes part of your ritual, then that's peaceful. Right? When when you begin to view your life as a, how can I bless others? That's peaceful, because like you're blessing from abundance, and you don't have a scarcity mentality, right. So that's what I would say, like from the meta perspective, but from the individual perspective, this is hard to get to as well. But you have to consider that you're exactly where you're supposed to be. Right now, this is more tantric than anything. So I'm here to Tantric Yoga philosophy. Everything that you've been through in this life has prepared you for this moment. If you believe that, and begin to operate from the profundity of that, that's peaceful. Because you're not in resistance, right? Ah, you just accepted. Right in it, you don't have the Oh, what if I did this? What if I did this? No, I'm here. Because I'm here. I'm here because I'm meant to be here. You know, because it goes back to what we're talking about earlier. Like those people who are like, I believe in the in the purposefulness of divinity, meaning, we're here for a reason. So everything that I've been through in this moment has prepared me. So I've only been quote unquote, teaching for 10 months. But one of my teacher colleagues is like, Yeah, but you bring 46 years of your lived experience, and all of your ancestors. Right? If that's if that's the case, which it is, then I'm a mess like. So all the stuff that I went through with that bad job, like the ex who broke up with me via text, like the ex who ghosted me when my grandma died, like all that stuff, has prepared me to be loving, and present, and whole, and hilarious in a beautiful mess. Ah, I just feel like I could sit in this moment and just cry tears of joy, because I feel like your heart is speaking directly to my heart. And I receive everything that you're saying. And it rings so deeply. True. So thank you. Ah, okay, what do you think needs to change in the wellness space? Well, I am one. First things first, we need to take care of we not just not, so we need to adopt models of collective care. As opposed to, I will go take my class for me, and then go live my life. Like that has to end right or not even end but like transform, it has to evolve. The other thing is that we have to begin to celebrate the diversity of the human experience. Whether it's how people identify, or body type or all these other things, like, you know, I love my skinny white sisters. But like, it's not everybody. Yeah. And there are people who are resistant to that, that you if if all of us are taking care of them, we're all taken care of. There's enough of us there's enough to go around. So enough to go around, like, oh, like we need to begin to not only uplift I mean, we're almost we're almost at Black History Month. So we need to start like spotlighting teachers of color, not just black, but black and brown. Right? Because like we need to let the wellness industry has has got the spotlight. Not everyone is like me, like I come in and just like, Hey, I come in, grab your heart, and then we go for a ride. But like, not everyone has been given that gift. Yeah, right. So we as an industry have got to figure out ways to if I'm not clearly not uncomfortable with this, I'm clearly okay with the spotlight. But for people that aren't, how can we create opportunities for them to receive attention? Right? That's one. Number two, how can we broaden the notion of wellness from activity toward lifestyle? Yeah, right. So for me it's holistic. Yeah. One hour a week. Yes. Right. Like, yes, these beads are beautiful. And yes, they match my Lotus. I pray with them. Yeah. Every bead I wear has been prayed over. Hmm. It's active peace. It's active wellness. Right, right. It's great. It's embodied. Hmm. And not disembodied, like when something becomes embodied and not only becomes organic, but it becomes expansive. Right. So the reason that I'm talking to your heart right now is because it's in mind. Mm hmm. You know, and the beauty of the human experience and the beauty of diversity. Why are we so afraid of people that are different than us? Because to me, the connections that we create, when we look into another human's eyes, it does not matter, their background, what they look like, what they believe anything, we are so deeply connected and rooted together. Yeah, we have been conditioned to forget that. And I think that one of the lessons, one of the broader lessons of the season that we find ourselves in now is that I can't touch. So this is one of the one. You're a teacher and for all of our teachers out there, I'm going to let you in on some of my secret sauce. Most teachers don't do this. But should it's free, here you go. I have become a better teacher, because I have to teach through the voice. I have to teach from the heart. I can't rely on my physicality. I have to rely on my energetics and my heart space. So that means my heart space has to be clear. I have to be radically wide open. I have to be like, here we are like I have to be that way. And that has transformed my teaching. Because it's pure, it's raw. It's embodied. It's visceral, it's present. It's not like rote or mechanic. Mm hmm. Like it's visceral. Like that Prince class you taught was wide open. I had like six words on a note card. Yeah. And a playlist. But I was just like, my goal here is to just be open, you are so present, and in to be to be that present. For so many people around the world, like I'm holding you. So you're safe. So now you can be the you that you're afraid to be? Oh, yeah, black hippies. Gotcha. So similarly, those of us who are healers and teachers and facilitators, like if we can hold that space, and essentially hold protective and healing space for people, then we can begin to see ourselves in the other. Mm hmm. And what I just took from what you said, too, is you took what could be a perceived weakness, and made it one of your greatest teaching strengths. how gorgeous is that? Oh, Reggie, okay. We touched on this, but I want to get really micro here. How can someone like me, a white woman who's grown up with many privileges, and probably from the outside looking in would be like a quintessential wellness kind of woman? How can I lock arms with you to create more diversity in the wellness space? Well, we're doing it partially right. So like, I'm creating opportunities for people like myself, I don't even know what that means. There's no one like me, but like, but creating opportunities for not only me to be seen, but just to talk about things that aren't really comfortable, per se. Yeah, doing so in a loving space, right. So like if there are other teachers of color, if there are other options, so Black History Month coming up, like if you like create opportunities to talk about diversity writ large and bipoc communities that strong, right, you know, people listen to you, you're a trusted and love source, right of information. So in our in the aftermath of the Trump era where people rely on individual sources of information, as opposed to collective sources of information. So using the blessing that you have created, the community that you've created to inform. That's one way that you can do it. Another way that you can do it is just by being honest like you You've been with in our conversation like, I don't know what to do. That's the best thing. Because to some extent, none of us really know. Oh, yes, but but but but to be honest about that, yeah, that level of vulnerability, yield healing. Mm hmm. Right. So the notion of whether it be imposter syndrome or whatever you want to call it, guess what? Last time I checked, the mind is finite and spirit is infinite. So none of us know anything. So take the pressure off, right. Be the blessing be nothing. Right. relishing your ignorance, right. And rather than in rather than read Hello, books, like talk to folks, right, step outside the comfort zone. You know, I taught this class this weekend, which I'm actually going to teach you get on Thursday for a studio in DC, which encouraged people to try something way outside their comfort zone, but have fun doing it. Right, right, because I did these balance poses. Okay, tree pose. Everyone's like, yeah, might not close your eyes. Oh, yeah, exactly. Right. Now what? Have fun, have fun. Turn it into Yeah, we can turn it into this playing tree. Right, exactly. Right, right. Be Tarzan and Jane has so many things that you could do with that, right? Like, viewing the uncertainty as a dance. And I taught a lesson about this a year ago, where we get so mechanized and rigid. You know, life can be a dance. It is a dance. It can be a dance with uncertainty. Oh, what's up Bob Dylan line? There's nothing so constant is change. Right? What it is? It is it's so true. We're coming to the end of this conversation, and I want to do some rapid fire questions with you. He's like, bring it on. What do you take comfort in? And take comfort in? loving service? Hmm, what brings you joy? What brings me joy? hearing how my loving service has impacted another's life. Hmm. Ah, and boy it has? Who are what has been your greatest teacher outside of Donald Trump? I mean, I'll say that, you know, you're so cool. You're so cool. Five repulsion to him. has given me compassion for his supporters. Right. You know, I watched the insurrection as someone who worked on the Hill who has Capitol Hill and his job title, right, so I watched it and I was like, what has happened in your life to make you so angry? Right, that was my first question. And then the next question was like, I hope you have a good lawyer. Yeah, but the first question was, like, What has happened? In your heart? Make you so angry? Yeah. Like, that's crazy for me. But like that has that has happened because of my, because my teacher training was in the resistance. Right? I didn't go to Bali, on no retreat. Like I did it while in theater. So like, to some extent, like, action, and compassion and love are forged together. Um, and you know, the other part I would say is, um, my greatest teacher, my family, right. So my I am nurtured and nourished by the stories of my ancestors, right? Like, I my grandfather couldn't go to college. They said, there's no way it could be that smart. And I went to Yale, you know what I mean? And like, so like, I have been nourished and buttressed by their stories, which has made me kind of fearless. Yeah, thing that I do, because I'm just like, Yo, I'm here alive to do what they said you could not do. So similarly, my for my activism, black people used to not be able to vote. So your aunt's your descendant, briefs, the Speaker of the House. Oh, Reggie, it's so touching to me that, you know, with your life experience and what your grandfather experienced, you could carry and hold such anger. But you have turned that into such grace and love. It just like it. It's so touching. And it's so beautiful. So thank you for teaching us that we're all capable of that. I received an appreciate what you said. Because just to digress a moment, there's so much anger out there now. Uh huh. And I'll be very explicit about this. Like, there are few angrier souls than the African American male in the United States. Right? Right, because they try and destroy us as a sport. And so the blessing of yoga and meditation has been it has taught me to take the anger and use the flag leave the bitterness. The fire. Right, because that fire is creativity, right? That fire is joyful, defiant. It's like that fire is to be to be radically present. Like I said, Papa, they said that you couldn't that you weren't smart. Oh, I got this one. You know what I mean? Or grand. My great grandfather couldn't Great, great. couldn't vote. I advise the Speaker of the House and the leader of the Senate and like, like, right, so like, for me, it's just like, I've been able to take their pain, which is mine. It's hard like ancestral traumatic healing. Oh, whoo. Yeah. Right. So and changing the story. Right, right. completely shifted the story. Right. And so my narrative going forward is triumphant. Right, as opposed to, we never will. I'm the first shit like, that never is over. Like we like from here on we always. Like up until now. We never but from here on we always write so that yeah, that that's that anger. almost killed me. And it has now become the catalyst for my creativity. It's so it's so beautiful. Thank you. Your favorite book? Yeah, before we go, I'll close by saying this. The anger that anyone feels right now for any reason. Begin to, like, explore that. And see, so the thing that makes you the angriest is the thing that you love. Yep. Right. Yeah. So explore. Maybe that's something that you need to serve. Maybe that's something you need to leave. Right. You know, llama rod Owens has and this is one of my favorite books to answer the question. He had he wrote a book on anger. Love and rage. Oh, okay. I'll link that in the show notes. Rama Rama rod Owens. That's a good book. Radical dharma. Read Angel. Chiodo Williams, is a book that has just transformed my life. But I mean, I'm old school right Autobiography of Malcolm X. Like I was 11 years old reading that book when I was Gosh, high school class president. When Malcolm X came out in the early 90s. And our teacher, our principal said, If anyone whereas Malcolm X paraphernalia, you're going to be suspended. It's already rolled in the next day with his ex Hatton was a man if you gotta be expelling people, it's gonna start right here. Okay. But I love it. You 15 Give me a break. Right? Like that. Somebody's got to take the stand. Right? He's got to take the stand. My favorite poster in my third grade classroom was stand up for what is right, even if you're standing alone. Absolutely. And I've been that person to stand up alone. But yeah, I also say love and rage, radical Dharma Autobiography of Malcolm X. And if you if you're like me, you've got like, 11 books you're reading at the same time? Yeah. So that's the thing that I buy the most. That is like my materialistic Achilles heel is books. Yeah. But it could be it could be worse. Okay, best piece of advice you've ever been given? Oh, the best piece of advice I've ever been given? Is he or she who loses their cool first loses? So true. What do you want our dear listeners to take away from this episode? I hope that you take away from this that vulnerability is strength. That the harnessing anger can be the best experience of your life because it opens you up to just like transformative love and service. And that it's okay to be in uncertainty. But you're not. You're not in this uncertainty alone. Like we're all in this. Yeah, all in this uncertain moment together. And so if we have the vulnerability if we have the self reflective nature and then we figure out ways to bring that together Other, that is the harmony that exists in community that I think will lead us forth from this point. That's priming the soil, just like we said at the beginning of the episode. Oh, Reggie, what an honor. Ah, okay, so people can find you at active peace. yoga.com right. Yeah. And then I'm going to link your Instagram and everything else. But I just thank you for being here. Absolute pleasure, love and grace to you love and grace to everyone. And lastly, lastly, this moment is a call for us to be better than we've ever been. But better together, not better. individualistically Yeah. So how exciting that is. Yeah, right. We the blessing of everything being destroyed is that we get to recreate? Yeah, let's do it together. Out of destruction comes opportunity and beauty