Why do you want to meditate? People meditate for different reasons. Some meditate to relieve anxiety and stress. Others meditate to connect with the nourishing and restorative silence within.
But it’s rare to find someone who meditates for others. But that’s why my friend Erin Aquin meditates. As a clinical acupuncturist and long-time yoga teacher, she embraces meditation because it makes her a better teacher and practitioner of Chinese medicine. As Erin describes it, practicing meditation helps her serve her students and clients more effectively.
In this episode of The OneMind podcast, we explore the intersection of yoga, meditation, and traditional Chinese medicine with yoga teacher and clinical acupuncturist Erin Aquin.
Although Erin taught yoga far longer than she practiced acupuncture, it was the philosophy and practice of Chinese medicine that compelled her down the path of meditation.
For Erin, meditation is not so much about self-improvement or stress relief. Instead she sharpens her perception and serves her clients and students more effectively when she meditates every day.
One thing that stood out in my interview with Erin is something you probably won’t hear from most disciplined meditators. She doesn’t really like to meditate. But the intrinsic benefits of this ancient practice override her resistance and keep her coming back for more.
And more than that, she sees the practice of meditation as fundamental to her work as a teacher and practitioner of Chinese medicine. That inspired me, and I think it will inspire you too.
In this interview Erin Aquin and I explore:
- Why meditation is essential to her clinical acupuncture practice
- The relationship between tradition Chinese medicine and meditation
- Why she believes every yoga teacher should practice meditation
- How meditation helps you suspend your judgment of other people
- How meditation makes her a better yoga teacher
- Why she meditates consistently even though she doesn’t really like it
- The value of meditating with other people
- Why experiencing deep silence for long periods of time is important
Show Notes
- Aquin Yoga
- The A to Z of Being A Yoga Teacher by Erin Aquin
- Yin Yang Yoga Teacher Training Course with Erin Aquin
- OM 008: How To Turn Meditation Into A Keystone Habit
- The FREE How To Meditation mini course
(Photo via Flickr Creative Commons: Miguel Virkkunen Carvalho; me&her photography)
Perfect listening. I am at a place where my body no longer can no longer practice the yoga that I so enjoyed when I was younger. I am resentful, angry , sad and grieving that practice .
I listened to your podcast with Erin today and realize how many possibilities there are for me..
Thank you from my heart and soul.
I am also new to meditation now ,, namaste,
Anne
Hi Anne,
Thanks for your feedback and that’s so great to hear re your realization.
I was in a similar boat…after practicing yoga for 15 years my body started to break down and I couldn’t do it anymore…much to my disappointment. Erin is a real inspiration and I’m happy that interview opened some doors for you. Keep us posted and thanks again!
Good morning and thank you for sharing with me.
I love the meditation with flute, I have listened several times now, enjoy the morning quotes as well.
After my morning meditation I feel very comfortable and self assured.
By the afternoon I notice that I am the impatient person again!!!
I moved to San Jose 11 months ago, any yogis that you would suggest for
beginning my practice here.?
Namaste
Hi Anne,
I’m really happy you like the guided meditations on the site and especially the one with Rodrigo on flute. And that’s great to hear about the results of your meditation practice.
Unfortunately I don’t know any yogis in your area, but you might try the website Yoga Trail which has a pretty big listing of teachers across the country.
Hi there! I’m quite sure that I have something that I can connect and interject, my book is about relevant lessons from my journey towards self-realization. Tried and tested by my activism during my grassroots movement to uphold democracy, I realized that the vigor of my convictions and capacity to uphold freedom was driven by my belief in my inner being. My strong sense of my personal responsibility to protect individual freedom led me to explore and test my inner capacity to sustain the spirit of freedom. I daresay, I launched a democracy movement in order to test my inner capacity to realize my ability to protect what is owed and natural to me in my body, mind, spirit and soul. The desire to be free is a soul searching self-realization.
Our advocacy is to promote change for the better through self-realization we express the natural genius and open our minds to feel the flow of life energy as it courses through us. By experiencing the life form in its true creative genius we connect to our body, mind and spirit as it was meant to be. The learning from our inner experience in meditation allows us to know who we are. In meditation, we reevaluate life and are inspire ourselves to experience more fully our best selves.
Help us, visit our website at http://www.iamthechangeiseek.org and also http://www.goodreads.com/kathleensuneja
Thank you and have a great day!
The ‘Universal Law‘ are natural principles that exist whether we care to accept or believe they exist or not. Abiding by and using the universal laws helps an individual lead a fulfilling life by overcoming obstacles and problems by aligning oneself with the universal laws. Watch Willbur Glenn Colaco introduce us to the Universal Laws.