Episode 146

a lot of times in yoga we believe that if you can control the breath then you can control the mind Therefore your perspective on life The powerlessness is in the past and future Oh 100% Yeah And the power like it’s right here Like it’s all harnessed right here Just want people to keep slowing down taking long breaths finding connection to themselves to their experience That’s what this whole thing is about Just to experience life [Music] [Applause] [Music] Hey everybody and welcome to another amazing and exciting and most certainly enthusiastic episode of Finding Peaks Yours truly Chris Burns president and founder Joined today by the one and only Tara Patton activities director wellness and mindfulness extraordininaire So grateful to have you on the show my friend Thank you I’m happy to be here He’s always pushed me out of my my normaly out of my comfort zone and it’s nice to do that every once in a while Yeah And for the first time we’re going to formally invite Kai and Zion on the show as well Terra’s got identical twins miracle babies brewing And so we got a whole different aura and energy going on in here And so just want to invite everybody into the room Finding Peaks Welcome Thank you They’re grateful to be here as well Sweet Uh we were chatting a little bit before the show and uh you know we do what we do I think because it provides so much purpose and centerness in our lives and has any of that changed since learning that you’re going to become a mother like what you do and how you do it and how you pursue not only your own wellness but maybe how you connect with others on that Oh yeah Yeah I think pregnancy in general changes us so much but definitely with movement right there’s this limitation um but it allows us to slow down and slowing down in a beautiful way that uh you’re more present you’re witnessing these changes of things that you used to be able to do you can’t do anymore and so having compassion has been a really big practice and you know it gives me more understanding of different people’s capabilities and ways to modifi modify things for them as well So in a way it’s been a really wonderful tool physically movement wise and it’s definitely been a magical tool for mindfulness Like it’s been so deepening being able to slow down in this way and have this uh intuition and closeness to energy and spirit what have whatever you want to call it that um really helps me show up more show up better uh for everyone we work with and for the people in my circles my family Yeah Yeah you can feel that kind of presence that overwhelming presence and spirit and energy and passion in the work that you do And not just that but like the folks that I have the opportunity to sit down with every now and then and how they rave about what you do and and how you show up so authentically And I I think it’s actually kind of cool too from a movement side of things because you’re often times working with people that have you know core mobidities have certain physical issues have ailments and and so now it’s like this more and not more but a more settled approach or a more understanding and connected approach probably even in that regard Oh absolutely So much more connected to that that experience because now now I have embodied it right my whole practice with all the clients is this embodiment and now I get to embody these these more challenging uh movement uh capabilities And so it allows me to really connect to their experience understand it because I have the wisdom of it now inside of me Um so I can show up better for them Um and I I’m just so blessed with what I do at Peaks It’s it’s such a beautiful part of the program that uh getting to connect with them in that way and show them tools of self-regulating and tools all inside of them and like being able to offer them things that they will be able to take with them outside of Peaks um as they fine-tune them while they’re getting regulated with us So it’s so dope too cuz it’s like I was thinking this morning when I was on my walk and like the sun came up and I remember I was like doing a little video and I’m like I was like and I was like medicine And that’s what I think is so cool about what you do and what’s so my favorite thing about what we do is we offer this thing that insurance doesn’t pay for but that we know actually heals folks on a trajectory of long-term recovery And it’s called this like this opportunity to engage in this free stuff and you show them every morning I remember talking about with Dan when he was here but about your morning routine thing Yeah About how you guys had that thing going But this holistic component that you create is free easy to use doesn’t come in a capsule and it’s sustainable for your whole life 100% I mean and it’s just such Yeah exactly Like going out for our hikes that is there’s so many studies that show going out in nature is so wonderful for our mental health Getting that sun on our face like these things they look forward to because it’s immediate experience of feeling better moving their body having you know good conversations People tend to be more open authentic and share themselves more when they’re in movement while they’re walking And so having the ability to get to do that with them is just amazing Um yeah I forget about that too How I met with a friend this morning that I normally sit down and have a coffee with and I was like “Well just meet me at the park by my house Let’s just walk.” And so I’ve been trying to do that lately and I find that like by the end of it like I I’m what always dawns on me and what is always so clear is that like it doesn’t matter but we do Mhm And so no matter where you go no matter what you’re doing what type of intensity you’re experiencing in your environment if you have these things called like authentic connection Yeah life’s pretty swell Yeah You know right Right If we just bring it down like it’s the most simple things that really make a space in our heart like that really carry us It’s going to be going for that walk with a friend It’s going to be moving your body It’s going to be taking intentional breaths that are going to fill your body with this energy that is going to bring you through mental challenge A lot of times in yoga we believe that if you can control the breath then you can control the mind therefore your perspective on life So how simple of a thing but to breathe to change your experience to to bring more peace clarity joy Mhm It’s it’s the simple things that have the most impact Yeah And introducing too in that like as well like you’re you’re so right like the relational component of it I was chatting with that friend today and I I thought to myself and I just dawned on me today that like addiction kind of is this thing that we focus on but really it’s
like it’s it’solated it’s disconnected it’s all alone it’s absent of relationships but there’s still community in it And so I understand a lot of times why people feel valued in this community and have a tough time transitioning to this one But authentic connection doesn’t have to come in these huge shapes and sizes What I see you do with individuals and groups is engage them on that level which provides this opportunity I think like for a light at the end of the tunnel Oh yeah You know a lot of times my day is not like sitting how you would imagine a yoga experience where I’m sitting at front and I’m leading this class It’s witnessing people like sitting with someone that I’m seeing them go through challenge eye contact How are you going what’s going on it’s it’s that connection It’s like that authentic caring uh that really is my job My job yes I’ll run you through some movement but it’s more a deeper thing Like even today before I came into here there’s a woman walking through a manic episode and having really deep challenge with stillness And so it was today my class was very different It was sitting with her It was working through stuff verbally with everyone talking about common things like that they all are walking through And so it’s that connection piece that’s probably the most important part of my job is being able to sit and listen and just be there It’s not about me doing anything Yeah It’s really their experience that’s most important It’s crazy how simple and like complicated that is It feels like it’s like just sit and be like whole here with one other person What it’s mind-blowing this society because this society is like produce achieve go fast Yeah Oh I have to teach this class This is what the goal is And it’s like no no no no no Slow down Be present witness what’s happening in this space and then be with that and then work off of that Don’t try and achieve something here That’s not that’s not what we’re working towards Yeah it’s very ecolian It is very I love that man You’re here now So they what he says so like he he wrote a book called the power of now of course Yeah and psychological time But really the powerlessness is in the past and future Oh 100% Yeah And the power like it’s right here Like it’s all harnessed right here And I’m here with you on a podcast right now talking on a Thursday we’re doing our thing There’s actually like regardless of whatever I have going on regardless of whatever you have going on if we’re here together we’re not engaging in suffering We’re engaging in presence and connection Yeah And potential influence with others Totally which is dope right So absolutely I think the struggle with now though with people is like being in the now is uncomfortable at first and we never talk about that part of it right like it’s uncomfortable to be in stillness and like have to witness what’s really going on for you or you know maybe it’s in a yoga class where we’re being in these poses but in stillness you’re like wow why is frustration coming up for me why is anger coming up for me or sometimes overwhelming joy that you actually feel your body again making you cry Like it’s not beautiful the now all the time Yes the power is in it But we have to stop making it seem like this only beautiful thing to be in presence because the realness shows up in our presence The truth of what we’re walking through And so um Echer told it right for sure Uh but I think there’s I love I love what you’re saying and I agree 100% is actually like the the uncommon thing would be to be present fully And so we have these glimpses and these these peerins if you will to this process that unequivocally for most people isn’t possible 24 hours a day you know like and so like we get to peer into it And to your point like the longer I’m in recovery the more I’m able to sit with it But if you ask me in my first year like if you start delivering on some Ecatoleian you know and you’re telling me the power of now like my legs going to start shaking really bad you know I’m not going to be able to sit still and it’s not it’s be really uncomfortable So to your point inviting people in in these moments of presence and then allowing them to get back to some what has been working for them as well you know Yeah And and especially in the work that we do it’s like some people have been so numb whether that be through you know numbing out with social media and TV or numbing out through substance whatever it is that when I try and like get them to feel subtle sensations in the now it’s like what are you talking about you know that’s that’s not even present Or to the other degree these people are like I can’t sit here anymore You know we’re working with people that have been avoiding presence and avoiding the now And so giving them these glimpses at first giving them the breath work just giving them something that they can check in with themselves check in with their body like okay this is a sensation I haven’t felt before And just that is enough Just that is enough We don’t want to overwhelm them with like you know silent retreats or anything Yeah Even I think about a silent retreat I’m like “Wow man.” Or like the ones where they Aaron Rogers he goes in the dark for like two weeks or whatever Yeah I did a silent retreat earlier this year How was that it was hard Even with a meditation practice even with um you know what I thought was a good mindfulness practice It was sitting in silence for 3 days And um you might think like right on the front end like I’ll be down for that It’s like a three-day fast technology don’t have to talk don’t have to socialize I could just be I was like this is going to be amazing And then the first 3-hour seated meditation I was like hm this is not quite what I thought it was You’re meeting yourself in the deepest way and then like your body wants to like make it so you can’t sit there It’s like oh your back hurts really bad And you’re like no it doesn’t hurt But it’s like these manifested things that try and pull you out of presence Yeah And it was it was deeply challenging Yeah How long would you sit in meditation we would do the morning session 3 hours then we get sit for 3 hours Yeah Sit for 3 hours and then we would get a break for lunch and we sit for 3 hours and then we get a break and then we sit for 3 hours and then you had an optional fourth sit after dinner Cross-legged Cross-legged Some Some people would choose um chairs Um little chairs Yeah Like a comfortable chair Okay Like straight back Um some people would lay down cuz I mean this is I’d be like it is hard Um so you would transition through different poses as you are sitting there for sure And it the funny thing that I never even thought to think of is like I’m sitting there in silence and I’m hearing this person’s stomach grumbling This person needs to blow their nose Like all these things are like Yeah I’m like if we were talking this wouldn’t be so bad or like even like some meditation music like just literally silently ring a boop and then that is it You don’t hear any traffic It’s away from things Oh yeah It’s in the mountains Yeah Wow It was wild What is the overarching like the big takeaway from something like that
honestly there’s so much pe even though I’m talking of course of the challenge There is so much peace and there’s so much to explore inside of you that it’s it’s endless You have so much wisdom so many stories so much beauty inside of you If you spent the time just to be in stillness with yourself you wouldn’t have to go anywhere You don’t have to go on a vacation There is so much that we carry And so even in just three days in three days yeah You just just so much beauty like you know my grandmother comes up that passed away you know these experiences that I’ve had and you haven’t thought about in forever in forever just come up that you know come into the mind some that you forgot about oh yeah absolutely that’s cool yeah yeah and they come up in beautiful ways and even the challenging stuff the things that I still have work around like my shame my guilt stuff comes up too those ones I usually I’m like makes my shoulder get out of here but yeah it’s It’s my takeaway is uh maybe not total silence but being in stillness with yourself There’s so much to explore Yeah Yeah That’s so rad It’s interesting the way you describe that is how most people describe psilocybin retreats Really like the grand takeaway Yeah You know it really is like what you just said I think um it’s just really really cool really objective and really um introspective Yeah You know I tell clients all the time I’m like you know what’s divergent is you doing this right now Like you choosing self-care and stillness and this in a world like we just talked about that’s like progress achievement to be still is to be the contradiction of that ideal Right so sitting here with yourself is is something I want I think they want us to avoid right like because we have so much beauty so much if we let the stories the projections everything melts away as we sit in this stillness together then we get to witness wow like I am whole I’m healing but I’m whole too And I have so much beauty uh inside of me and those stories what’s happened those projections are you know true or not true but they don’t affect this this thing that I’m getting to witness in my stillness And so um yeah I think that’s the takeaway for life like simplify slow down Yeah Yeah I like that I love that They don’t talk a lot about that in Alcoholics Anonymous unfortunately I know Um but TJ Woodward talks about it quite a bit that essential self that you’re kind of focusing like you get to kind of see that essential self which is whole and perfect you know and then you get to go hold that space for others which actually is like in my opinion it’s what best the best therapy is is people that are able to take care of that and see that about themselves and go and hold that space for others like you were talking about it not just being a class and this potential individual exchange and sometimes you don’t even have to say anything you know which is even sometimes probably more powerful in the work you do Yeah Especially in our work right like a lot of people have shame and stuff And so even just two days ago on a hike this guy’s like “I just don’t feel like I deserve forgiveness Like why why do I deserve it?” And I’m like “What do you mean this is Did you not forgive yourself by coming here that you’re worthy of this care you’re worthy of this experience you need to you know let down that intellectual protector in your mind that’s telling you that you aren’t worthy of this experience That essence of you that puress inside is worthy of forgiveness Yeah So that’s dope When you hit people with that like [  ] we used to be like drink you’re going to die Like are you kidding me now like this is like it’s like like a I just saw downtown here at the Methodist church they did a four songs from Imagine Dragons four songs from Coldplay and it was a I don’t know if it’s called a quintet or it was four of them Three violins and a cello Oh beautiful And they ripped and there was like a thousand candles in there Oh Tickets were like 19 bucks It was like one of the greatest things I’ve ever chose to do With my mom last weekend and the boys and Cass you walk in there’s all these candles They’re not They’re fake candles which isn’t my thing We don’t want to burn it down but it’s beautiful And that’s what that’s that’s what it sounds like to me It’s just like this harmonic rhythm and this flow of energy that in this ecosystem that you’re able to create alongside other team members in the multi-disiplinary team that really allows people to feel feel really really safe and and even safe enough to consider things like I’m whole and perfect right okay that’s great I because I was you know all this stuff that you’re talking about like I had thought that like at one point until they were like none of that [  ] fella You know and so the old ways and I understand sometimes and I know there’s some really good components and I’m still down with it and things like that but gosh when we sit here and talk and I think about an authentic healing process I’m so grateful that this type of care is out in front of the people that we serve 100% Yeah I just our what we do at Peaks is is special It’s it’s different It’s it’s not you know kid gloves but we we allow them to have big emotions because we’re a safe space We’re there We allow you know they feel safe and comfortable with us to say that they are undeserving of forgiveness because we create this space that you know they can have their darkest deepest expression And we aren’t going to judge them We’re going to sit there We’re going to listen to them No shaming You know past programming has like this bit of undertone of shame And everything that we do is is not coming from that space It’s coming from the the violin It’s coming from the let me meet you with open hands Let’s let’s do this together And really I think what people need from this space is like that allowance that allowance to maybe think that I am whole and that these stories that create shame for me are not me so that when they leave our our care they can create a life that has that in the background so that they can trust when things start going good they can build this life that has joy and happiness and not try and you know push it away or sabotage or anything because they do have that glimmer of like wait I am I am God I am whole Yeah I deserve the dopest seed that could be planted Yeah Yeah Cuz then they’ll accept a life that’s better than the one that they were numbing out for or they were running from And then once you create a life that is better than what felt good to you as a maladaptive behavior then you’re going to keep growing into that instead of leaning into the maladaptive behavior Yeah So it’s and it’s a seed that is is really really sustainable and lasts for life regardless of if like the individual or the guest in our care decides to go out and follow the afterare instructions or not It’s really this authentic piece that says like you’re valuable And it’s it’s it’s one of those things I said I was always thinking that but I I know a lot of people that would sit in these like trap houses and these really acute mental health situations and think like I think I’m better than this Right And I’d always have that thought I’m just waiting for somebody to say it Yeah Nobody’s saying it And then there’s like a couple people that are like I love you Like whoa Right Okay So we’re we’re in it today We’re back in it You know and so to your point it’s like it’s like this seed that permeates marinates and is consistent over the course of time We won’t change everything today but that’s not the idea Not the idea Uhuh Yeah I would say like even in my own journey I’d always be walking through whatever challenge was in front of me maybe I went too hard on the weekend and so afterwards I’d be like I am better than this But I would choose a behavior that would make the narrative of what I thought I was true right like I would continue to choose behaviors that were not towards my highest and best but then when I would go back to my life and like oh wow like I that I am more but it had to be I had to change that narrative of I’m not a good enough person for that you know and so that’s the beauty of Peaks is we we actually get to change that core narrative Yeah it sucks playing that It’s like that uphill game It’s like I now I gota do six great things I did five bad count like five and a half and I’m counting too like karma math Oh man you remind me of this um ah there was this guy in our program his name was Mark and Mark had been to
like I don’t know like 10 treatments M he was um probably you know probably a little older than me He was like 45 at the time Okay And I think it was in the pandemic So it might have been 2020 or 2019 And he had been most recently in a program in Prescuit Arizona I’m not going to name the program That’s just very militant very 12step very driven on um behavior modification is what it is Yeah And he’ been in that program for 10 months And what happens in those programs is like right wrong or indifferent they engage the [  ] out of your family Button them up tie them up and they’re in their hands And so if Joey wants to leave treatment we just call family They don’t do it So family is very much like if you leave you know it’s like intervention style Okay Yep So whatever Peaks um 10 years ago used to be more closely aligned with that than they weren’t And some 12 but um anyway so fast forward he’s sitting in a a peer group of mine and he had been at peaks He was just finishing up a couple months or whatever it was at the time Yeah And I’m like Mark you know and I said “What is it?” Uh you know you’ve been in Peaks 60 days and you know your family had kind of written him off and we he was in our family program He’s probably working It was either Pemma or someone else might have been Lisa or Pemma at the time And I’m I’m like “What did you get?” You know what was it and he says this thing that it feels very cliche a lot of time but I I felt it so much in the moment He said “I’m perfect just the way that I am.” M like peaks That’s what I That’s what I that’s I that’s what I came to get I didn’t know and that’s what I’m leaving with Oh so that’s and we’re good Talk about 180 I’m just like and and I don’t give a [  ] like how many days in sobriety you have man Life’s hard sometimes you know Amen You know Amen It’s a It’s a really cool thing And so it actually reminds me and and when I heard this song from Mahali Oh yeah So Mahal just released an album called Before the Dream Yeah There’s a song called Wise Man on it I don’t know how long ago that came out but a few years ago probably Yeah Um when I first heard it I was like “Oh that’s why I never feel like I’ve worked a day in my life.” M because there’s a um in um before the dream this album I just heard him on a podcast and he um he would have these thoughts lyrics chords you know artistic thoughts before he went to sleep and then he would wake up and he would spend the next morning or the next day writing this album and all these songs would come up Yeah And so that’s why it’s called Before the Dream But there’s this quote in his chorus um for wise men and I’m not going to butcher it I’m going to get it right says “A wise man said to me give all your love for free in what you’re given in return is more than you can earn And when you’re ready to find real wealth put another before yourself cuz it’s lonely at the top until we all have got a
spot.” And the trumpets play the best trumpets Yes So I when I hear that and I’m driving and I’m like all of the stuff Shout out to Mahali music Yeah Thank you Um all of the stuff seems to slip away and I seem to come back to the present moment and I get to walk in here with you and I was listening to it before I got here and it’s cool today to be driven with purpose Um to walk with people authentically in a healing space you know Yeah Feels good So good That’s why this job is just so beautiful right because it’s like so purposeful Everything I give which you know my whole heart my whole you know it it’s returned to me by just getting to see people experience it see people like the light come on See people you know having an experience where they you know finally feel their your their body again or uh come out of a very deep depression and believe that they they’re worthy of happiness Like so everything that I do I get back tenfold uh by doing it Yeah Yeah What you’re given in return is more than you can earn What 100% It’s interesting theory though because it’s now a concept in my life and in your life it’s a fact but for others might be a concept because when you turn on the TV and you go out in our environment right now and you listen to whatever you might listen to it’s kind of the opposite of what you’re hearing Oh yeah You know 100% 100% But there has to be something to be said You know I’ve done I’m the one of those people that does all like the self-help programs and Tony Robbins and stuff And all of them say be of service All of them do And you know these guys are the top of their game for a reason And that being of service there’s a reason why it’s so important and it’s part of their mustd do protocols Mhm Uh because what we get to experience every day that feeling Mhm That connection that ripple effect that we get to see Yeah And that’s how you all you all just continue to rock it and disrupt the industry through quality of care is these like these these subtle but yet not subtle nuances that you actually don’t get paid for I mean there’s a tremendous amount of treatment programs that just come in and do the job We do the human thing and have an objective and goals and yeah we do that but we do this too which is so much more anchoring Um because you got to do that right at bare minimum in the state says you must do that right so you got to do that And and I just think the way that you all are meeting people is is so cool And as much as Peaks has changed over the last 10 and a half years the same thread of like nobody cares what you know until they know that you care is carried out in a really even more authentic way today um through individuals like you that choose to call Peak’s Employment home Yeah So grateful for it Feel so blessed Yeah Well I appreciate you coming on the show Let’s think You have any amazing quotes to share with anybody any inspirational stories anything you want to get off get off your chest what was that what was that show then was it on MTV okay Where they used to people used to call in It wasn’t truth or dare It wasn’t like they would call Oh when they when they would like call in and like dedicate songs Yes Well it was not only dedicated songs but there was also a game Oh a game Maybe it was Maybe I’m thinking something totally different Anyway I don’t know I don’t know that one But I honestly I’m not good at quotes No I’m not going to I’m not going to throw a quote out but I just know that we’re doing some good stuff and I’m grateful to be a part of it and um just want people to keep slowing down taking long breaths finding connection to themselves to their experience That’s what this whole thing’s about Just to experience life So well stated End of story Terra Yeah that’s a Terara quote Terara patent Everybody let’s go No that’s the experience that I get to you know kind of live on the outside of and connect with a little bit I’m grateful for you your team the people you uh have the opportunity to work alongside to carry out this very very critical mission of ours to save lives through quality of care So thank you for coming on today my friend Yeah thank you Peace