Hi friend,
I was listening to Lex Fridman’s podcast with Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Ukraine’s president, the podcast is here) and came to realize that in the very near future, I will be interviewing Alex Kuhtarev to whom is Russian and his wife is Ukrainian.
Needless to say he has been following Volodymyr Zelenskyy for 25 years and has lived quite the amazing life with his wife, both of whom are here in the US now. Alex has stories and is excited to share them with us here on The Pranayama Podcast.
Lex and I both share feelings of The Imposter Syndrome. We also feel it would be no fun waking up at the end of your life, only to realize you have lived someone else’s life.
- 70% of individuals experience imposter syndrome at some point in their lives (source: APA). It is common in high-achieving individuals.
I lean more towards Optimism Bias.
Which means I sometimes assume others already know the basics or may not value foundational knowledge. This could be considered a cognitive bias where you unintentionally underestimate the curiosity or needs of others regarding fundamental concepts.
This isn’t pathological—it’s a natural effect of expertise, sometimes referred to as the Curse of Knowledge. This psychological phenomenon happens when you assume others know what you know, making it hard to see the gap between your understanding and theirs.
Always learning, growing and applying.
Things I’ve Learned:
“Life is change. Growth is optional.
Choose wisely.”
One of the techniques that I use to inspire a growth mindset is to ask myself difficult questions on a regular basis. Here are 6, two that I use daily and 3 random ones + a bonus –
- What do I need to let go of—emotionally, mentally, or physically—to move forward? ( I use this one daily )
- What legacy do I want to leave behind, and am I working toward it? ( I use this daily for the last 4 years – when I turned 60 I realized I had something that was worth leaving behind )
- Which of my current values would be different if I were raised by different parents?
- Is this thing I’m worried about actually a problem, or am I looking for problems to worry about because they make me feel in control?
- Is there something in my life I think I’m “passionate” about or “focused” on but I’m actually just addicted to it?
- Do I spend more time defending what I already know instead of trying to learn something new?
- *Are there people in my life who I consider kind and compassionate but they’re actually just too shy to tell me hard truths?
The Pranayama Podcast:
I’m excited to announce our next guest:
Kim Sol shares the transformative journey of Liver Cleansing that has been a part of her life for over 15 years. Beginning with her time as a raw food enthusiast and collaborations with leaders like David Wolfe and David Jebb, she recounts the serendipitous moments that led her deeper into Liver Cleansing Practices, Self-Care & Love.
Kim Sol: Liver Cleansing, Self-Care, and Love
Here on You Tube or Here on Pranayama.com.
Kim has been a dear friend for 30+ years and is currently coaching me through a lengthy Liver Cleanse. So needed! Thank you Kim.
This Weeks Read:
Into my 2nd wk of reading “Fire Weather”: A True Story From A Hotter World by John Vaillant. Amazon.
I have been working 24/7 on the The Pranayama Podcast which has been quite consuming, especially since I am driven to up the quality of the listeners experience with introduction video’s & posting on other platforms.
Still, I would like to introduce you to one of my books that speaks primarily to dancers, yoga practitioners, massage therapist’s, people watchers that are interested in sociological behavior patterns and how they are reflected in the body.
Emotional Anatomy by Stanley Keleman
This is an excellent book with hand-drawn illustrations. It will introduce you to a variety of different shapes the body takes within and how they are reflected externally. Why and how will be presented as well of course, with very interesting vernacular languaging. (Amazon) Enjoy.
A Common Question:
Why did you choose to spend your most valuable money making years studying and teaching yoga?
I knew that if I didn’t do something to purge myself with all the trauma and things that it happened to me earlier in my life, I would not be able to move forward in the progressive fashion that I wanted to. Plus, I wanted to do something that surrounded myself with a wide range of different types of people that were progressive thinkers.
Looking back, it was one of the healthiest things I’ve ever chosen to do, especially since I lived in the back of my Yoga Mandirams for 10 years and was able to accumulate a lot of knowledge and the ability to use the knowledge creatively +
- Saved enough money to become an early Tesla investor.
- Found the love of my life and have built an empire with her.
- Cultivated the skill of finding my tribe and fearlessly, fine-tuning it on any given day.
- Lived in my home town before it become what it is day. Very interesting to say the least.
Music Groupie Insight:
One of my go to sets was a Croatian cellist duo, consisting of classically trained cellists Luka Šulić and Stjepan Hauser called 2Cellos.
As it turns out, 2Cellos broke up in 2022 due to factors that include Luka Šulić wanting to stay home and raise his young children. Well Luka was my favorite of the two and you will see why if you get to know them….
All the same here is one of their pieces together I still watch/listen. Here on YouTube.
It was in my bucket list to go see them live in Europe.
carpe diem was not implemented.
Stay in the light of love my friends. It’s always worth it. Dennis
Our next podcast:
Peter Wilkinson – An Essex boy obsessed with music.
The Saints dummer. Peter’s Wikipedia here.
More on the Saints Here
They were kind of god-like to me and my colleagues. They were just always so much better than everybody else. It was extraordinary to go and see a band that was so anarchic and violent.