Friday, Oct 25, 2019: I saw this funny short video clip on Twitter today. Don’t know where its origin but it’s very clever. John Buchanan tweeted it as a bit of Friday fun. I agreed and shared it with my mailing list. It’s so good I decided to post it for others to enjoy. Wait for it. Sound on.
PS: I had emailed it with my own subject heading—Ever forget where you parked your car? How about your burro? I was going to use that for the blog post title, along with—There’s one way to find out. But I decided to not give anything away, and to just let viewers innocently find out what was going on for themselves. The unexpected ending was hilarious!
Nathanael Chawkin on TVSB show Rejoice with Pastor Chuk
My son Nathanael Chawkin sent me a link to the first in a series of conversations between him and Rev. Charles A. Reed Sr., Pastor, Santa Barbara Worship Center. Pastor Chuk, as he is known, and Nathanael both share a community center space in an old Santa Barbara church built in 1957. Nathanael offers Integral Martial Arts training and group meditation throughout the week, and Pastor Chuk conducts his faith-based services on Sunday mornings. Here is their first delightful discussion on his live TV Santa Barbara show, Rejoice with Pastor Chuk. It’s posted on his Facebook page: “Mystical Experience.” Nathanael posted it on his YouTube channel, with extensive notes: Walk the Talk: The Role of Religion as a Structure of Reflection.
I had the pleasure of hosting Silvia Damiano when she visited Maharishi University to interview some of our faculty for her documentary film, Make Me a Leader, a brain-based approach to leadership.
Silvia Damiano is a scientist, educator, author, speaker, coach, award-winning leadership specialist and filmmaker. Silvia’s scientific background and curiosity about the human brain led her to a decade-long journey of research into optimal brain functioning and the application of neuroscience in leadership and daily life. She founded The About my Brain Institute in 2009, with the purpose of democratizing leadership and neuroscience.
Silvia’s recent About My Brain Institute newsletter contained exciting news: My Creative Journey to Hollywood. Our film wins Best Documentary & Best Director! We wanted to share the good news. Here is Jim Karpen’s article published in the Oct 2, 2019 issue, page 4, of The Review. I added links from our faculty’s names to trailers containing some of their input.
Award-Winning Film Presents Faculty Research
Filmmaker Silvia Damiano has her EEG assessed by Professor Fred Travis in the documentary Make Me a Leader.
A documentary on brain-based leadership that includes interviews with Professors Fred Travis and Robert Schneider, and former adjunct professor Harald Harung, recently won Best Documentary Feature and Best Documentary Director at the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Awards.
The filmmaker, Silvia Damiano, came to campus to conduct interviews.
In his segment, Dr. Travis emphasizes the importance of a leader having a clear mind. Dr. Harung talks about the importance of mind-brain development in becoming a good leader. And Dr. Schneider explains that an optimally functioning brain depends on an optimally functioning physiology. The film, titled Make Me a Leader, also shows Dr. Travis taking Ms. Damanio’s EEG.
A practitioner of the Transcendental Meditation technique, Ms. Damiano is the founder and CEO of About My Brain Institute.
The documentary can be viewed at aboutmybrain.com/makemealeader for $10. A trailer that includes Dr. Harung and Dr. Travis can be viewed on YouTube.
The film describes how to develop the leaders of the future and suggests a new mindset based on science that integrates the entire biological system from the brain down.
Ms. Damiano offers leadership training and wrote in an email, “I am happy I was able to showcase the amazing work of Fred and Harald. I speak about them all the time.”
UPDATE: Due to the current coronavirus pandemic, on March 31, 2020, Silvia Damiano published and sent out this message: Learning How to Lead Ourselves in a Pandemic. She thought it would be a good idea to contribute by making their 2018 award-winning documentary available online for anyone to watch on demand, for free. Visit https://aboutmybrain.com/makemealeader to see it, or watch it here:
I came across this tweet by Tony Walsh @LongfellaPoet about this event: Delighted to share this. Please watch/tag/share. It’s my poem Take This Pen, beautifully illustrated by the wonderful @chrisriddell50. It’s an inspiration piece to launch #tellyourtruthpoem for @PoetryDayUK.
Enjoy this powerful poem and video that is sure to inspire young and old alike to creatively express their own truth in a poem. Read more on this international superstar poet, teacher, and performer Tony Walsh Poet.
Very relevant is this poem, WHO ARE YOU? in the 2013 film, Words and Pictures, inviting students to create and become who they are.
I saw this 30-second loop video on AMOK’s Twitter feed and fell in love. Look at the sweet, innocent, loving expression on this baby’s face as she listens attentively to her mother sing that famous Beatles song! I tracked down their 43-second YouTube video and discovered Us The Duo. Found their music and bio on Spotify, then their website, both posted below.
Published on Feb 13, 2019, Us The Duo‘s Michael and Carissa Alvarado sing “I Want To Hold Your Hand” by the Beatles to their new baby girl, Xyla Rose. Mom is holding baby girl and the camera, while dad plays the piano and holds Xyla’s hand. They say, “This video makes us so happy! We can’t wait to show it to her someday” 🙂 For more daily content of Us The Duo and their baby girl Xyla, check out their instagram @UsTheDuo!
When Michael & Carissa Alvarado met in 2012, they had no idea their romantic relationship would eventually turn into the pop-duo musical sensation known as Us The Duo. These two multi-instrumentalists and singers went from sharing half-faced singing videos on the internet to performing around the world, supporting speakers and artists such as Oprah Winfrey, Pentatonix, and Tori Kelly. Their love of songwriting has led to 5 original album releases, over 100 million Spotify streams and a major feature in the Golden Globe Nominated film, “The Book of Life.” When the band isn’t putting together innovative ad campaigns for brands such as Amazon, AT&T, Target, and MGM Resorts, they are continually creating music videos (over 200+ million views) for their loyal social media fanbase of over 7 million followers. Now, they’ve begun their biggest adventure yet with the arrival of their new baby girl, Xyla. For continual snapshots of their daily family life and musical creations, be sure to visit @UsTheDuo on social media. Visit their website: Us The Duo.
I’ve never let the truth get in the way of a good story. — William Shakespeare*
I love this quote, and the one below, on becoming a writer, both spoken in All Is True, an intriguing film about the final years of William Shakespeare’s life (April 23, 1564 – April 23, 1616). Brilliantly written by Ben Elton, it was produced and directed by the lead actor—an unrecognizable Kenneth Branagh as William Shakespeare. Other notables are master Shakespearean actors Judi Dench, and Ian McKellen.
Earlier on, a stranger approaches Shakespeare, who had returned home to Stratford after his London Globe Theater had burned down, and attempts to ask him a question. Shakespeare starts giving him the usual advice and tries to dismiss him. The stranger finally asks him how he was able to know everything: “There is no corner of this world you have not explored, no geography of the soul, which you cannot navigate.” After some humble bumbling, he clearly gives him this powerful advice:
If you want to be a writer, and speak to others and for others, speak first for yourself. Search within. Consider the contents of your own soul… your humanity. And if you’re honest with yourself, then whatever you write, all is true.
This contrasts dramatically with what his unmarried, bitter daughter Judith keeps saying, that nothing is true. The reason for this clash between daughter and father slowly reveals itself bit by bit as unresolved family issues are finally addressed. I highly recommend seeing this brilliant film. I watched it twice. Also see the DVD Bonus Features.
After the renowned Globe Theatre burns to the ground, William Shakespeare returns to Stratford, where he must face a neglected family and a painful past.
*Reminds me of this quote by Pablo Ruiz Picasso: Art is the lie that enables us to realize the truth.
Bob Roth’s tour of Canada covered 3 cities: Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal. David Lynch joined Roth via Skype for live presentations on Consciousness & Creativity. Bob did a range of interviews for each city.
I have to say, as a Canadian living in the United States, I was equally impressed with the friendly hospitality of the Canadian interviewers, and the relaxed expertise of Bob Roth as he effortlessly delivered information-packed answers while keeping it light and fun. A pleasure to read and watch! Here are media highlights with descriptions and links.
The Vancouver Sun
On May 17, 2019: Dana Gee, a journalist for Postmedia Network Inc., posted an excellent article for the Vancouver Sun. She had interviewed Bob Roth ahead of his visit to Vancouver with David Lynch via video link. The Province, then other publications across Canada, also ran the article. Like the print editions, the online versions contain photos of Bob Roth and David Lynch, but also include a video of Ellen interviewing Bob on her show about his new book and what TM has done for her.
Breakfast Television Vancouver host Riaz Meghji with TM expert Bob Roth
On May 24, 2019: Bob was on Citytv’s Breakfast Television Vancouver with host Riaz Meghji. The two of them really hit it off. It was an excellent lively discussion! See: The Science Of Transcendental Meditation. In ‘Strength in Stillness’, Bob Roth breaks down the science behind Transcendental Meditation in a new, accessible way. He highlights how TM is an effective and efficient way to reduce stress, access inner power, and build resilience. Click to watch it in full-screen mode.
Morning Live in Vancouver
Bob Roth on CTV News Morning Live in Vancouver
Bob Roth also joined 3 newscasters at CTV News Morning Live in Vancouver to discuss TM and DLF in Canada, and that evening’s event with David Lynch. You can watch the lively discussion here.
CTV ETalk in Toronto
While in Toronto Bob taped an interview on CTV’s ETalk, Canada’s #1 Entertainment Show, which aired mid-June. See the short edited (1:39) info-visual-packed video: Stars can’t get enough of this meditation guru.
The Morning Show in Toronto
The Morning Show hosts Jeff McArthur and Carolyn MacKenzie with Bob Roth
Bob taped a 10-minute segment for the national half hour Global TV News The Morning Show, which aired July 4. Meditation guru to the stars @meditationbob stopped by to tell us about the power of Transcendental Meditation and how it’s transformed lives!
The delightful hosts Jeff McArthur and Carolyn MacKenzie asked practical questions about TM and the David Lynch Foundation, and enjoyed Bob’s informative answers. They closed the interview with a fun question about meditating with Ellen at her house, and why she wanted to learn.
Watch the setup, Serenity Now: Meditate Like A Celeb, a 10-second intro (12:54-13:04) with photos of Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, and Katy Perry; followed by the 7-minute interview (13:10-20:10).
NOMAD Life TV in Montreal
NOMAD Life TV meditating host Jason Rodi asked Bob Roth great questions
On JUNE 2 Jason Rodi welcomed Bob Roth to NOMAD Life TV for an interview on Transcendental Meditation during his Montreal visit, the last leg of his Canadian TM Tour. The timing couldn’t be better for the release of La Force du Silence, the Québécois version of his best-selling book, Strength in Stillness, with an introduction by Dr. Guy-Paul Gagné.
The Natasha Hall Show in Montreal
On June 3 Bob was interviewed on Montreal’s popular CJAD radio morning program, The Natasha Hall Show. It was excellent! Unfortunately it hasn’t been archived yet to enjoy.
Dr. Robert Schneider addressed medical doctors at a conference of the Age Management Medicine Group in Miami, Florida, April 2019. The Review spoke with Dr. Schneider about his presentation and published an article on page 2 of the May 15, 2019 issue (Vol. 34, #15, Maharishi University of Management). A video of his talk is embedded below.
Dr. Schneider Addresses Doctors on the Role of the Mind in Aging
Hundreds of medical doctors specializing in age-management medicine learned about the role of the mind in modulating the aging process thanks to a plenary address by Robert Schneider, MD, FACC, dean of the College of Integrative Medicine.
At a conference of the Age Management Medicine Group held last month in Miami, Dr. Schneider explained how stress, such as anxiety, depression, and social isolation, accelerates the aging process by causing physiological damage, including inflammation and free radicals. These in turn damage telomeres, parts of the DNA that protect cells from premature aging.
“The doctors were very interested to hear how the mind-body connection can speed up or slow down the aging process,” said Dr. Schneider. “I explained that one needs to manage the mind to manage the aging process.”
Dr. Schneider then spoke about the research on the Transcendental Meditation® technique showing that it mitigates a range of physiological conditions associated with aging.
For example, it reduces harmful free radicals, lowers blood pressure and other cardiovascular risk factors, and increases telomere repair. He then pointed out that indeed research shows reduced mortality rates in subjects who practice the Transcendental Meditation technique.
“The contribution of lifestyle to aging is becoming a major theme in contemporary medicine, so these physicians were fascinated to hear how Transcendental Meditation can modify aging,” Dr. Schneider said. “This was the only session to show research on how science supports the mind-body connection. My talk spoke to their desire for evidence-based recommendations in mind-management medicine.”
Medical doctors can now become certified in age-management medicine. The physicians at the conference received continuing medical education credit for participating in Dr. Schneider’s presentation.
I saw this video (27:47 minutes) posted on a Kazakhstan TM Center’s YouTube channel. They provide close-captions and translate the interviewer’s questions into English subtitles. Here is the program description about the 1973 show. Finnish TV: interview with Maharishi and group meditation. Most or all of the meditators had flown in together with Maharishi. Note that the meditation was held before the interview. Obviously, the director thought it better not to start the broadcast with more than five minutes of virtual silence—in itself a rare feat on TV—but to show it somewhere in the middle of the program.
I found the original video on the YLE Finland TV website. The quality is sharper but the interviewer’s questions are not translated and subtitled in English as the one above. Their video description translates to: Mirja Pyykkö interviews the inventor of Transcendental Meditation and the Beatles guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in the studio during this visit to Finland. They post the air date as 1.12.1973, Maharishi’s birthday!
A friend pointed out that she saw Sally Peden meditating from 11:23-11:33. What a pleasant surprise!
Around two years and 5 months later Sally would travel with Maharishi and a handful of people on a Timeless Journey in India To Jyotir Math to inaugurate the Dawn of the Age of Enlightenment.
From that interview in Finland, we would meet around 30 years later in a Maharishi Vedic Science class at Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa, and share an evolving 14-year life-transforming friendship.
I first met Maharishi on a course for Canadian meditators. It was held at the beautiful Chateau Lake Louise, located in Alberta’s Banff National Park. The setting was majestic! A CBC film crew showed up to interview Maharishi for their popular television series, Telescope. The episode, The Guru (aka Maharishi at Lake Louise), turned out to be the best documentary every made of Maharishi at the time. It still stands today. Watch the 1968 film of Maharishi at Lake Louise.
I had never heard of her and was impressed with her powerful voice and candid nature. She can sometimes sound like Stevie Nicks or Adele. Listen to this Fleetwood Mac cover of Dreams and you’ll understand why.
Around 9 minutes in she talks about a peace she found in Mt. Pleasant at her great-grandmother’s funeral. She carried it with her to California and always came back to visit family. Then she says, “I went to Fairfield and took a TM course, Transcendental Meditation.” We checked and verified that Lissie had learned TM in June 2014.
They embed the video from Oct. 11, 2016: Folk musician Lissie escapes back home to Midwest. After leaving the Quad Cities area for the fast-paced lifestyle in Los Angeles, Folk-style musician Lissie discovered an Iowa farm was better for her soul than the fast lanes of Southern California.
I’ve been to Fairfield to learn Transcendental Meditation.
Lissie says: “I spent my time growing up in Iowa. I had this kind of romanticized dream or idea that some day I’ll have a farm in Iowa. I visited the Bridges of Madison County. My mom and I took a road trip and we went to John Wayne’s house. You know, like I’ve done some things in Iowa. I’ve been to Fairfield to learn Transcendental Meditation. And I’ve just always had this soft spot for Iowa.”
Lissie identifies as a Midwesterner from the Heartland and says how much she loves Iowa, describing all the reasons why. It’s where her heart belongs. Looks like she found her roots and is at peace with herself.
Dean Hurley, the show’s music director, and a collaborator since 2005, said she “is an incredibly emotive performer who completely embodies her music and gives everything. Lissie was definitely one of the acts that David wanted involved from the beginning. He’s been a big fan of hers for years and discovered her by a series of videos she posted on YouTube covering Lady Gaga, Metallica, etc.” (See others including Bonnie Raitt and Bob Dylan.)
In that interview, The Music of Twin Peaks: The Return: Lissie, Dean further explains what David looks for in a musical performance when realizing his ideas for the series. He blends intense music, emotion and acting, so the power of Lissie’s music fulfills that for him.
He said “David doesn’t attend a lot of concerts, but when she came through LA years back, he wanted to go. I can’t emphasize how rare that is for him to want to go out to a show.”
He added, “An artist like Lissie thrives in the live performance arena, she’s one of these people that almost can’t be contained on a recording because she’s the fullest realization of herself live.”
See the Update below where Lissie explains how she and David connected, how she learned TM in Fairfield, Iowa, then went to have coffee and talk with him in LA, and ultimately received an email from him asking her if she wanted to be part of the new Twin Peaks.
I enjoyed this short video profile on iHeartRadio: Lissie – Artist Stories – Interview (2016) – Part 1 and Part 2. It starts with her intention: “I would like to be successful with my music, but it’s about more than that, it’s about, like figuring out what my purpose for being on this planet is.”
This is an interesting description from that interview: With a career that has seen her open for renowned artist Lenny Kravitz an early supporter, Tom Petty, and even been asked to perform at Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore’s wedding, Lissie has had a wealth of incredible experiences that have made her the confident and determined artist she is today.
Verse 2 of Ojai is pure poetry; so succinct yet says so much!
I miss the seasons, I miss the land I miss them for reasons I don’t understand I took it all for granted I bloomed where I was planted
She sums up her approach: “You know, I’m not trying to do anything. I’m not trying to be cool. I’m not trying to ever have a fresh sound or a cool look for an image. I’m just singing songs about my life in the most heartfelt genuine way I can, and I’m gonna be moving on to more songs very soon. And it’s as simple as that.”
I wonder if some of these developments may have come about after she learned TM? Lissie had the courage to trust and act on her inner yearnings and is happier for it. She followed her heart and is now living her life on her own terms.
It’d be nice if she decided to visit and play Fairfield one day. Some of us are reaching out to her. She’s on tour, so we’ll see if anything happens.
Update: Now that I’ve been finding and listening to more of her performances and interviews on YouTube, I noticed Lissie mentions again her learning TM in Fairfield, in last year’s BUILD interview, and also says it’s where Maharishi University is located in Iowa.
Further into the interview she’s asked how she got into Twin Peaks, and extends what Dean Hurley had mentioned about David Lynch going to see her in concert. “We ultimately ended up talking on the phone and he came to my show. He’s really into TM, so after I had been in Iowa to take this TM course, I had reached out, and ended up joining him at his home and drinking coffee and catching up on life. And so we just stayed in touch over the years and he’s just been very supportive and kind to me. So I think it was 2015, I got an email, ‘Hey would you want to be on the new Twin Peaks?’ So of course, like yes, that’s amazing, like this legendary status. Ya, he wanted me to be a part of it, and I performed in episode (14) for Twin Peaks!”
Further Update: A little over 7 months later I would finally get to hear Lissie perform in person. A strong supporter of Bernie Sanders, Lissie had posted on her Instagram that she was going to open for him at the Steamboat Senior Center in Burlington, Iowa on Saturday night, and then at the Bridge View Center in Ottumwa the following night, Sunday, December 15, 2019.
I drove with a friend to the Ottumwa event. We sat up close to a makeshift stage in the lobby area surrounded by rows of chairs. When she sang, I felt my head tingling! Wish fulfilled. After she left the stage, I introduced myself, that I was from Fairfield, Maharishi University, mentioned her TM teacher, her meeting David Lynch, what he thought of her as an artist, and that I felt the same way.
I asked her what it was like when David invited her to perform in Twin Peaks, The Return. She was driving at the time and had to pull over to the side of the road to read his message. What an unexpected surprise!
Lissie said David’s friendship and support did a lot for her self-esteem. David’s like that. He recognizes talent when he sees it. He’s given several unknown artists a chance to shine, drawing out their best performances that would launch their careers. Naomi Watts comes to mind.
Of course in Lissie’s case, she was already a fully formed exciting artist, as Dean Hurley explained in his interview. What David did was offer her a legendary venue to perform in and be heard by a much larger audience!
None of this fame seems to have gone to Lissie’s head. She’s very down to earth, accessible. I found her to be very friendly, quite lovely actually. She introduced me to her sister Annika, who took our picture. Here is a cropped closeup of one of them. Looking forward to Lissie visiting us some time next year.
Meeting Lissie at the Bridge View Center in Ottumwa after her opening for Bernie SandersonSunday, December 15, 2019
Newer addition: Feb 19, 2021: @ipondrnetwork posted a short video profile of Lissie today on her farm in NE Iowa. This musician didn’t know she was missing something. Until now. Musician @lissiemusic migrated back to the Midwest after spending time in California, and was surprised to find how creatively fulfilled she felt there. The pandemic has afforded her more time to enjoy her new home and appreciate the passing of the seasons. Lissie also posted a clip from it on her Instagram. See the full 5:09 minute video here.
Winter Holiday addition: Saturday, Dec 18, 2021: A Holiday Winter’s Eve Concert with Lissie. Just in time to kick-off the season, Lissie returned to The Parkway Theater for a very special holiday performance which was filmed and will be streaming for you. Join in for a festive show of holiday classics and some of Lissie’s originals accompanied by piano. Lissie will be live-chatting during the premiere on Dec. 18 at 1pm PT / 3pm CT / 4pm ET / 9pm UK time – come say hi! If you can’t watch the premiere you can watch the stream On Demand through December 26th. Get your tickets: https://bit.ly/lissiexmas.
New Album: Sept 2022: Lissie’s new album, Carving Canyons, is out now and she’s on tour starting in Norway. While there she collaborated with Darling West for a new Family Session where they recorded a beautiful cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams.”
The Uncarved Blog 