Episode 140: We Can Train The Nervous System To Handle Modern Life

Your body already knows how to come back to centre. The problem is we rarely give it the right signal, long enough, often enough, to override modern stress. We talk with Spencer DeLeal, president of Art of Living Canada, about how rhythmic breathing and mindfulness can help reset the nervous system when life starts to feel like constant fight or flight.

We dig into Sudarshan Kriya, a structured breathing technique built around rhythm, and why the breath is the most overlooked “inner technology” for stress management, anxiety, focus, and resilience. Spencer explains how stress chemistry like cortisol can hijack clear thinking and push us into reaction, and why practices that pull us into the present moment can change the way we show up at work and at home. We also connect this to real-world health: hypertension, inflammation, and the hard truth that progress disappears when we drop the daily routine.

Then we get practical about what an Art of Living retreat in Quebec actually feels like: simple comfortable accommodations, vegetarian meals, morning yoga, guided breathing sessions, lakes, trails, and optional Ayurvedic spa treatments, plus a real chance at a digital detox. Spencer shares powerful outcomes from veterans’ programming, including a story about deep sleep returning after years of hypervigilance, and we talk about how learning in a group can accelerate growth the same way a guide accelerates learning outdoors.

If you’ve been running on fumes, take this as your sign to try something measurable and repeatable. Listen, share this with someone who needs a reset, and subscribe and leave a review with your biggest question about breathwork and stress.

Transcript

Nature’s Rhythm And Your Nervous System

SPEAKER_03 0:05

Everything in nature, as we know, has a has a certain rhythm, right? The sun rises at a certain time, it sets at another time. The seasons come and go in a specific rhythm, and in the same way, as human beings, we have a certain rhythm in our bodies, in our consciousness, in ourselves. And sometimes that gets thrown off, right? Stress increases. I start to get a lot of different thoughts, my energy goes down. So, what the Sudarshan Kriya, this rhythmic breathing practice, does is it brings everything into a line. It brings everything into harmony once again, and it resets the system.

SPEAKER_05 0:42

This week on the Outdoor Journal Radio Podcast Networks, Diaries of a Lodge Owner, Stories of the North. We're stepping away from the daily stress of running a lodge, work, or life in general to dive into the Art of Living. Today we're joined by Spencer DeLeal from The Art of Living, a transformative organization dedicated to breathing techniques, mindfulness, and holistic wellness. On this episode, we explore the parallels of running a lodge and a wellness retreat, and how both can profoundly reduce stress. And in Spencer's case, teach you remarkable techniques to improve your overall health. He walks us through the power of breathing and explains how these simple techniques can boost focus, resilience, and even joy. So if you're tired of feeling as low as a wall digger's boot, or just love people, ideas, and great conversation, take this moment with me to look inward. As we connect the dots between deep breathing and living fully, we might just walk away with insight that brings us a bit closer to feeling better about our daily grind. Here's my conversation with Spencer. Welcome, folks, to another episode of Diaries of a Lodge Owner Stories of the North. And this week we have a very special guest. We have Spencer, and Spencer, tell us all your last name. Reading it, I'm getting Delisle.

Meeting Art Of Living Canada

SPEAKER_03 2:23

Yeah, you can say Delisle is the English pronunciation, and I've got him half English, half French. So Delil is the French. Delil, right on.

SPEAKER_05 2:31

And uh your uh your your business, your idea is um the uh art of living, correct?

SPEAKER_03 2:39

That's exactly right. So I'm the president of the Art of Living Organization for Canada, but it's a worldwide organization, it's a charity, not for profit. And we're in 186 countries, uh, got four 40,000 teachers around the world, and the courses and events between those two, 800 million people have have experienced them. So uh so we got a couple people at our backyard party here.

SPEAKER_05 3:06

That's amazing. Um, and um uh when I heard your story, I couldn't help but think of all of those days back at the lodge when I uh owned Chaudiere. And uh, you know, it is a very stressful um job. Uh well, not a job, lifestyle. And um uh when you've got pride in what you've built, and you've got um 40 to 20 to 40 people every week coming to experience what you're selling. Um and I always I I guess I could say I took it personally, whether you enjoyed your time or not, because that was my that was my contract to you was to show you the most outstanding experience that you could get for that week. And um, with all of those stresses, I found that um, you know, meditation sometimes I was back in those days, this is around 2009, 10, 11, um, a fellow by the name of Tony Robbins was uh was a big motivational speaker. And I I I um I digested a ton of his stuff because it kind of helped me stay focused. And the other person that I found in those days was a fellow by the name of Wim Hoff. And Wim did um breathing exercises. Now, I don't know a whole lot about your story yet, and I like it that way because on on uh on this podcast, um, I feel that it's it's very important that everything is natural and our our family and and our family of listeners, they they know when things are scripted and and everything else. So with that breathing technique, I use that to help me with meditation and motivational speakers. And honestly, I don't think if I was keeping my mind straight at that point in my life, I would have been able to do a job, do the job that I that I ended up being able to do. And I saw that your organization has a lot to do with breathing techniques.

Lodge Life Stress And Coping Tools

SPEAKER_03 5:25

That's right. And, you know, hats off for for running that lodge. I mean, we have uh a retreat center in rural Quebec, and we're about two hours outside of Montreal in a little town called Saint-Massou-de-Palc, but it's a beautiful place, rolling hills. We've got five lakes up there, we've got an Ayurvedic spa, and then of course the meditation and breathing uh center. And wow, it's a 24-7 365 job, as you know. And I mean, that's the thing, right? Like, you know, if you got a good head on your shoulders and you really care, then you're bound to have a lot of stress. Yes. Um yeah. So 100%, you know, understand where you're coming from. And I think, you know, the listening family does too. Um, and so yeah, we live in this very, you know, they call the VUCA world, you know, volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous, you know, you don't know what's gonna happen in the next moment, really. Things are changing so much.

SPEAKER_05 6:31

Yeah, I've never heard that. And you're so right, especially in in um um um career paths similar to the ones that we chose, because I can already just by listening to you, I feel the parallels between what you do and and what I did at the lodge. And um uh you had mentioned before we go any further, you had mentioned you have a uh spa and there was a name that you called it, and I'm not familiar with that name. So could you explain that? Because I'm intrigued. Because as, you know, as manly as I am being a Bushman and guy and everything else, Steve here loves his spa time too.

SPEAKER_03 7:16

No, why not? You know, we need to find ways that we can, yeah, manage our stress and manage our mind, emotions, our body. And um, yeah, I mean, that's the fact of the matter, you know, at least for most of us, neither at home nor at school have we learned how to manage our mind and emotions and our stress. And and and really, I mean, art of living is the you know school for that. You know, that's what we teach. And I mean, we can go into the the breath, the breathing techniques that we teach, as well as meditation, you know, yoga asanas, but the spa's um foundations and the foundations of the techniques we teach, it comes from what's called the Vedic philosophy. So uh it's a secular uh philosophy, kind of a uh a science of consciousness, so to speak, a science of the body, mind, and emotions. And when I the word I use was Aryu Veda. Um, so are you in from this uh Vedic language is Sanskrit, it comes from India. Um means life, and uh Veda means uh wisdom, so it's or science, you could say. So it's kind of the science of life, and it's a whole traditional healing system uh involving herbs and oils and uh different things, like they do a pulse diagnosis, so they put three fingers on your pulse, the Ayurvedic doctor, and they can do a full body scan of your body and kind of tell you what's going on. And I remember I was pretty surprised when the doctor said, Oh, as he's listening to it, oh, you don't uh you can't sleep with your uh without having a pair of socks on. Is that right? It's like, what is this guy got a camera in my house? Yeah. And he just rattled off a whole bunch of stuff that, you know, maybe my only my wife knows. And um, and and it was just very interesting, you know, that uh yeah, we have, you know, medicine and holistic uh medicine, western medicine and eastern medicine, but you know, this type of therapy um is is is is something that's very powerful. Uh and and that's the type of massages and treatments that we do uh at that spot.

Ayurveda And Vedic Roots Explained

SPEAKER_05 9:36

Oh my God, I love it. I um uh even before the lodge in my late 20s, but probably early 30s, um, I found out or I was diagnosed with hypertension. And um it was, and I'm still, I still have issues with hypertension. I've learned to deal with them, but I did a lot of research because the doctor put me on the first thing the doctors the the that um um over here, the Western Society, they put you on medication. And um, by the time I was, you know, over the course of about six months from when the doctor said, Oh, your blood pressure is high. And I remember the day I found out. It was uh I was picking up something for my mother-in-law or a prescription for one of the kids at the drugstore, and I stuck my arm in uh one of those uh, you know, cuffs on the bench in there, and and uh it came up. And when it was over, when it finished taking my blood pressure, um, it didn't even register, but the red light was flashing, and I thought, uh-oh, that doesn't look good. I had no idea what hypertension or blood pressure or anything was. And I took it again and it was worse. And there was the scale on the side of it, and my blood pressure was right off the scale. So I thought, nah, that's uh that doesn't sound uh it must be broken. Then I went to the doctor, and sure enough, I had uh I had a uh my blood pressure was high enough that um within six to eight months he had me on five pills. Wow. And uh I got uh it was um it was a very um um stubborn and I later learned that that type of blood pressure usually has, well, uh I've I've learned all blood pressure has underlying issues. And um to treat with medication, you're just masking the problem and not fixing the root cause. So I've done a lot of different things. Um, you know, I've uh I've gone to natural paths and I I went to um a um uh uh herbal doctor who um held vials of different things on my wrist to test to see if I had um um uh any kind of uh of um allergies and resistances to different things. So I've been down this road. Um I uh to the and and then you know later on I was also diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, which um people call a disease, I call it a state because it can be reversed. I've done it. Um and and the one thing that I've learned is if you have had or been in a type 2 diabetic state, um you can never cure it. But what you can do is you can control it. Because if you if if um uh sugar and uh high fructose corn syrup and all of these other factors that put you in that state in the first place, if you decide to take that all out and live healthy and all of a sudden your blood sugar stabilizes and you know um all is good, you don't need metformin, you don't need insulin. I never needed insulin, but metformin, um you're good. But as soon as you start doing the shitty things that led you down that road to get there in the first place again, you're right back where you were. It's like uh it's like when you train to run, you know, you can build up your your um uh your aerobic strength, but if you stop running for three, four months, you're back where you started, right? And that's the same thing that I've learned with this. So all of these treatments that you're talking about, massage and mindfulness, I I absolutely love. And that's why um when there was this correlation between you having a retreat and running a business that, you know, all of the principles between a fishing resort on the Upper French River and your place in the bush in northern Quebec or or what central or wherever the location is, there are a lot of parallels to what you're doing. You're providing an experience. You have to live up to expectations. And um, I I I really congratulate you for what you're what you're doing and what you believe in, because quite frankly, I believe in exactly the same thing. And um, I think that what you do and the model that you're doing it with is very intriguing. And the next question I'm gonna ask you, um number one, we're gonna uh these are a couple of questions, but we'll we'll break, we'll we'll we'll dive into it. Number one, what got you interested in the first place? And number two, if I was a person who somehow was at the beginning stages of what I went through and I stumbled upon you, what would my experience be from start to finish when I go and see you? So let's start with number one. And I and I do this, I put two questions out there so you can help remind me of my second question.

SPEAKER_06 15:22

Sure, yeah. Fair enough.

SPEAKER_05 15:25

So what got you in interested in this kind of stuff? Like, I mean, you're a young man, it's it's um, it's rare. Um, one of my guides, Pat Tryon, and a regular guest on on uh diaries, um, he is very much like that. Um, he's he's um he's uh matured um mentally and spiritually so much further than most people his age. And I think Pat is probably a he's in his mid-30s now. And and and uh you're a young man as well. And it's very interesting to me on the path that got you to where you are. So I'm gonna stop talking and enjoy.

Hypertension Diabetes And Root Causes

SPEAKER_03 16:08

Yeah, sure. So I mean, I think one thing that's for sure is that, you know, things have changed so much in the last, you know, say 30, 40 years, you know. I mean, I think we've gone from a lifestyle that's very natural, you know, and also being very connected with nature to now living in a society where we are very disconnected with nature and our surroundings and the natural way of being, you know, like yeah, um I I remember, you know, being fortunate enough as a kid, you know, we had a cottage, you know, for a while. I was living in uh Ottawa at the time. We had a place in Smith Falls, Ontario. And it was amazing, you know, just being able to swim in those lakes and be in those rivers and and and and hike around that area. And I mean, it's it's just to be able to connect with nature does something to you, you know. Um so for me, I think as I grew up and I started to kind of get into the system, so to speak, um, I started to achieve a couple few things in my academics and then in my career. I I'm a uh nutritional biochemist uh by uh profession and biochemist by education. And yeah, I mean I started to achieve different things and and they started to have no value, actually. Really? And yeah, yeah. You know, I would get this um, you know, maybe, you know, write a paper and it would do well, and you know, people would get really interested in our research or we would discover something new. And it just, I just didn't have the juice in my life that I did before. And I started to ask kind of the bigger questions about life. Okay, well, you know, is this life just about, you know, getting up in the morning, rushing to work, you know, getting in the laboratory and and you know, and doing all my stuff in the lab, you know, doing my best not to burn the place down. And uh, and then coming home and spending a little bit of time with my family, and then going to bed and like rinse and repeat. And and yeah, I mean, I just found myself spending so much time at work and away from my family that um yeah, I really, I really went down actually, kind of dark place. And um, and I ended up actually, I was in Toronto at the time, I ended up moving to um to Montreal, and that's when I uh went back to school. I saw a poster that said free meditation. So I was a student again, so I said, okay, it's the right price. Yeah, economics are uh factors. Yeah. So so I gave it, I gave it a shot. I really enjoyed my experience. And I did this course, the Art of Living Part One course. I learned the Sudarshan Kree, which is the main breathing technique, the foundational kind of first step that we teach. And wow, it made a huge difference, you know, all the mental fog and the inability to focus and uh, you know, the my my mood being so down, like my energy picked up. Uh, and I felt that juice in life once again. So obviously, you know, you catch on to something good when you're not feeling so good. So you really want to dive into it. So yeah, I mean, and that's what I see art of living as kind of like the ocean, you know, like some people just like to walk on the shore, some people like to go fishing, some people like to scuba dive. Uh, whatever it is, ocean is there for you. And I just dove right in, like scuba diving maximum, you know? And and then I became a teacher. And after teaching my first six months, um, I ended up uh connecting with the founder of the Heart of Living, his name's Shri Shri Ravishankar, and he's a yogi master from India. And um, and he said, Oh, you it looks like you like this a lot. Have you ever thought of doing it full time? And I said, Yeah, I would like that, but you know, I have my job. And he said, Why didn't you take uh you ever thought of taking a sabbatical? And I thought, oh, that's a good idea. So I ended up just uh starting out by taking actually just a couple weeks vacation, and those couple weeks have now turned into about 18 years working full-time for the foundation. Uh and it's just been a joy, you know. Uh I mean, teaching these techniques to, yeah, I mean, everybody in the community here, to uh police force, veterans, active military, um, you know, teaching these in corporations to kids. I mean, to see like someone's spirit uplift and and to see that change for them and their family, I mean, it's totally inspiring, you know, and and and that I think really is what uh I feel so, you know, in inspired about what I do because I I get to do to see that upliftment in in others.

SPEAKER_05 21:09

Well, it's um it's very vibrational, right? Yeah when you when you start to to raise your vibration and people start to raise their vibration to match, and then all of a sudden they start feeling better. And it's one of those things that it you feed off of each other and like attracts like, right? And um it um it's uh it's a such a great story, and you mentioned a couple of things that um I really I really um resonate with. Uh first when you said that in your your childhood you had a connection with nature. And um for me that took me back to a place I was I was blessed in a in the sense that um My mom and dad didn't have a whole lot of money, but what they did have was my grandparents, my dad's mom and dad owned a farm just uh north of Orangeville. And they um they gave my my dad uh one acre severance off of the farm and my aunt and uncle the other severance off of the farm.

SPEAKER_03 22:18

Oh, nice.

SPEAKER_05 22:19

So I grew up on a hundred-acre farm. Incredible. Um I can remember being young and when spring would come and I would be in my boots and out frozen but and soaking wet, but loving every bit of playing out in the water and in the mud. And then, you know, I vividly remember times where I would I would walk back to the swamp, which was about a 20-acre swamp, and it had little clearings and anthills and long grass. And I would go walk out there by myself and I'd find myself lying in the long grass staring at the sky and watching the clouds, right? And there are so few people or children that are having those types of experiences, and and um to be able to connect people back with with nature and sometimes not even connect them back, connect them for the first time is such an amazing experience that um that was one of the driving forces for me. Um, the other thing that come to my mind listening to you uh was, you know, when you can go out with a child or an adult or any person on a fishing trip, and we used to do guided trips, and somebody catches a fish for the very first time, it's such a it's such a um uh moving experience because it's almost like for me and for a lot of guides, because this is one of the things that I like to ask people, when you're in that situation, even though you're not reeling that fish in, watching somebody else do it for the first time makes you feel like you're doing it again for the first time. And those connections with nature and whether, you know, we we would do uh shore lunches. So we would harvest some of those fish and we would cook them on the shoreline uh for lunch and and enjoy them that way as sustenance, or we would, and then everything else is live release. So it it was um a very magical experience and um to be able to to do what you're doing and bring people out into the wilderness, number one. I I'm sure you and I both understand that um um we as a species are so interconnected with our environment um historically that over the last I don't even know how long, like is it is it maybe it would be decades? It's it's not long, it's 20, 30 years. I'm 50. I remember the days when there were no cell phones. I remember you know being in in uh in high school and going with a buddy and and going on a fishing trip to actually Lake Kippewai in Quebec, and there were no phones. We would say, hey, listen, this is the phone number to where we're staying. If something happens, you can call them, but I'll see you in a week.

SPEAKER_03 25:37

That's it, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 25:39

Right, and and all of a sudden, what that does, number one, it um it teaches you uh to um connect with people because there's no distraction, there's there's um um undivided attention between you and the person in the boat back then. And sometimes we would like I'd go with a friend and we would go hours without saying anything to each other, and then sometimes we would talk for hours on end, but it was always you were focused on on that person, you were focused on the environment, and you weren't worried about exterior um um pushes, we'll call them. Right. And um what you're doing, I think, is is and and what I continue to love to do um is very important for mental health, especially um because um it's it's a very, a very uh difficult world to live in. And now we're starting to find out that you know um the big tech uh companies are are becoming liable for addiction. And in California, figures it's California, um, there was a girl and her mother sued um Facebook or one of maybe it was Twitter or it was one of the social media uh applications uh uh saying that it uh it uh made her addicted to it and negatively affected her life to the tune of six million dollars. Wow, they so you know, um there's obviously negative effects with the technology and giving it to children that are too young. And I've never heard of nature negatively affecting children, right?

SPEAKER_03 27:44

Yeah, yeah, I totally agree with you, and I think that, you know, obviously there's benefits to this IT, you know, information technology and it's made things, you know, faster and we can communicate. I mean, that's part of what we're doing right now is we're in totally different places and we're able to communicate. It's great, but I agree, you know, that I think there's this, you know, we're not developing the other kind of IT, the the inner technology.

SPEAKER_04 28:11

Yes, that's great.

SPEAKER_03 28:12

You know, and and one way of connecting, you know, with that inner technology is is through nature, you know, through being able to be in nature, to, you know, uh get up early and and go for a walk or go for a swim or you know, go out for some early morning fishing or what what what what have you, you know, to be able to be in silence. I mean, most of the energy that we spend is from talking so much, you know, and and I mean it's ironic that we're talking with each other now, and nothing wrong with it, but a lot of the talking is just to fill space.

SPEAKER_04 28:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 28:54

And the nice thing is that, yeah, at our retreat center, uh, we also do these courses across Canada, even in the cities too. Um, but uh we do really nice uh retreats at our retreat center uh where we do a silent meditation retreat. And believe it or not, you know, we um we when you get there, of course, the first evening is all just processes to talk and express and talk and express. And at the at the end by the end of it, you're just like, okay, I'm ready to you know ready to shut her down. Yeah. So then, and it's incredible because many people come and think, you know, there's no way. There's no way I'm gonna be able to be silent for for three, four days. And the irony of the whole thing, I remember my first experience, you know, with these breathing practices and the meditation that we do during those um, you know, those three, four days, at the end of it, your mind is just so quiet. Like I literally remember the only analogy I could use was like, you know, you you head down to the lake super early in the morning before there's a boat or an animal or anything in the water. And just the stillness of that lake was exactly how my mind felt. Wow. And and the peace and rejuvenation that that gives you is is incredible. You know, it's it's ironic. I mean, opposite values are complementary, you know, like in order to be dynamic and to be active and to be, you know, uh out in society, what do we need? We need to rest very deeply. You know, both of those are are counterbalanced, but you know, one really does is necessary for the other. And of course, I mean, being in nature and having a natural environment where you can step away and really get some deep rest and some separation from your day-to-day is is important. But then we also teach these breathing and meditation techniques that you can even use in your day-to-day life uh to give you that respite and to give you that energy and clarity that comes with with practice.

Spencer’s Shift From Lab To Breath

SPEAKER_05 31:02

Well, um, it's very uh I love what you're saying. And for me, and with my um uh experiences with meditation and and uh and I don't claim to be a um a professional, like I'm I'm far from it. But um it's hard some well, I think it's hard to to quiet that voice in your mind enough to find stillness, and and not like I mean not many people, number one, can get there. No, I don't think anybody can get there without practice, number one. Um, and then once you do it, the first and and in in the years like I've been kind of focused on Wim Hof and and serious meditation and stuff for probably about five years. And I don't do it every day. I want to, I should do it, I know it improves the quality of my life, but you know, with four teenage kids and and so many different things on the go, um, it just it just doesn't work that way. But I can tell you that honestly, I think that in that time I have touched stillness once for sure. Wow, wonderful, maybe twice, but just trying to get there slows everything down. And when you you start to become cognizant of that voice that's in your head, that everybody's got like everybody's got to the point where most people um that voice in your head drowns out a lot of a lot of of your person, of who you are, and and and forces its way into your life. And when you can at least keep that beast at bay and understand that that voice in your head is not you, right? Then at that point, you start to really become uh you you feel the benefits of it. And you know it's sorry, go on. Yeah, no, like that that would that's the that was my point, is is um it's not easy, but those those few moments that you actually understand when you see it and touch it and feel it. Um and actually you don't really see anything, right? Because to to to to quiet your mind and and to get to a point where you can you can be aware of the thoughts that are entering your space and you become cognizant of saying that's a great idea, and then you but I'll let it go, and then you go back to no thought. No thought is the silence for that's right, right? Yeah, and and and it seems the closer you get to to that stillness, the better the ideas are. Oh yeah. Wow, those ideas they come a lot slower, but all of a sudden there's there's ideas that you're like, oh my god, that's such an i a great idea. And I had to through talking with Pat and you know, brainstorming about all of this stuff, because there's not a whole lot of people out there that um that unless you're in those circles that you can actually talk to and they understand, right? Like I couldn't, I couldn't go to my fishing buddy or whoever who's never thought of meditation, and there's millions of those people and say, Hey, you know, when I'm trying to quiet my mind and get rid of my thoughts, they're like, get rid of your thoughts, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_08 34:59

But yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 35:01

You know where I'm coming from. But I found that the technique that I had to, and this come from Pat. He said, you know, those I because I said, Oh my God, the ideas are I get, I'll get, I'll get, I'll feel like I'm just outside of that that place that I'm I'm hunting to go to. And all of a sudden, this freaking fantastic idea pops through my mind, and you grab it, and all of a sudden you're gone. Yeah, you can't even get back, right? So it's um what he suggested and his technique was hey, listen, if the thought's that good, you're not gonna forget it. So when you're in that moment, you let that thought go, let it go. And if it truly was that great, when you're done your meditation, it'll come back, you'll remember so true. And um, and and that part of it is uh uh was a game changer for me. And coming back to it, um um Wim Hof breathing techniques were were another key to helping me get to that place because um for those of you um out there listening, um Wim Hof basically he um he'll you you take uh anywhere from 40 to 60 deep breaths at different speeds. So I usually set it at moderate and uh it's like uh and you do that 40 times, 45, 50 times in a row, and you're super oxygenating your blood. And sometimes during that process, like my hands will almost uh feel like they're cramping, or I'll feel lightheaded, or you know, you kind of get tingly in different spots. And then at the end of those breaths, you go into a retention, which is holding your breath. And um, I'll do three of those rounds, and man, there are there are days where I can go into a tra a retention. Now, this is on a full lung. Sometimes I like to do a retention with a lung full of air, and then sometimes I'll do a retention emptying my lung and then holding my breath. But on a full lung, I'm I've been I've I've tickled five minutes of of retention. And when you're in that retention and you're focusing on your heartbeat and you're focusing on on on you're focusing inward, that is where I've found the closest place that I can describe to you as um that um that uh that that silence that uh you know and um um with that tell me let's go on to the second part or the second question. So for all of us out here who and I uh hey, listen, if there's somebody out there that doesn't need this, good on you. Um because everybody has busy lives and everybody is affected by external things going on in the world today, especially today, you had that acronym, it was a dandy. Um what things um um if I'm feeling if I if I if I'm depressed or if I'm at high blood pressure, or what are you curing and how are you curing it and what's the experience at the retreat?

SPEAKER_03 38:48

Yeah, it's a great uh question. And uh, well, I mean, just to your point, I mean, our main breathing technique is called Sudarshan Kriya. It's a Sanskrit word, it comes from that Vedic tradition. Su means proper, darsh it means vision, and kriya is a purifying action. So it's a rhythmic breathing technique. We actually do it with the nose, uh, in and out through the nose and rhythmic, uh, specific rhythms. And so what this breathing, this rhythmic breathing does is it brings the whole system into harmony. Now, everything in nature, as we know, has a has a certain rhythm, right? The sun rises at a certain time, it sets at another time. The seasons come and go in a specific rhythm. And in the same way, our our as human beings, we have a certain rhythm uh in our bodies, in our consciousness, in ourselves. And sometimes that get that gets thrown off, right? Yes, stress increases. I start to get a lot of different thoughts, my energy goes down.

SPEAKER_05 39:49

We always hear about the circadian rhythm for that's right.

SPEAKER_03 39:53

That's exactly right. So, what the Sudarsankria in this rhythmic breathing practice does is it brings everything into a line, it brings everything into harmony once again, and it resets the system. In fact, it's interesting. We've got over um a hundred uh peer-reviewed studies um demonstrating the benefits of Sudarshank Kriya on the system, even at the DNA level. Uh Sudarshan Kriya has been shown to increase the um the telomere uh length at the end of the DNA, which is associated with your telomere, huh? Yeah, exactly. With the longevity, exactly. I mean, you I would appreciate you calling me young man, and I feel young, and I also feel you're young. I'm only a year behind you.

SPEAKER_05 40:36

Get it. I thought honestly, uh, I was pegging you at Patsy, like early 30s.

SPEAKER_03 40:43

I appreciate that a lot. And uh, and I mean that's the thing, you know, like through practicing these techniques regularly, it actually decreases the rate of cellular aging. So not only does it do all the things that you talked about in terms of you know calming the mind for those great ideas to come, increasing your focus, increasing your memory memory, but it makes you it makes also the cells uh younger as well. So you get that that added benefit. And that's the thing is that you know, um we our mind is moving all over the place, you know, like either uh, you know, we're the mind is in the future, and when you're run down and you've got no energy and you're overwhelmed when your mind's in the future, what's happening to you? Well, typically you're feeling anxious or fearful about what's to come, you know, especially in the environment that we're living in. Uh, don't recommend watching the news at all these days.

SPEAKER_05 41:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_09 41:39

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 41:39

You're burning energy, worrying, stressing over what could happen. And honestly, out of the 100 or thousand or five different things that scenarios that you're wasting your energy drawing up, the reality is there's only one that's going to happen.

SPEAKER_03 42:00

Isn't it? Yeah. And and it's so crazy because no matter how much we don't want to, it seems to happen again and again, or the other way. You know, when you're overwhelmed and your energy's low and your mind's stuck in the past, what's happening? Maybe anger, regret. We get stuck. And not only does it stay in one spot, it bounces back and forth, you know, and it's like you get anxious and fearful, your body goes cold, uh, and hands get clammy. Then you go into anger and regret, you're getting angry and hot under the collar. So you're going like from the freezer to the microwave, freezer, microwave, freezer, microwave. And I don't know if you've ever had you know reheated you know, microwave pizza. It tastes terrible. You know, that's that's what we're doing to our bodies. Yeah, you know, so it's no wonder we get sick.

Nature Quiet And Tech Overload

SPEAKER_05 42:48

And well, and the whole time that you're bouncing back and forth, you're you're always in the uh sympathetic uh in your par uh there's your parasympathetic, uh, and your sympathetic, your fight or flight, or your rest and digest, and you're always in that fight and flight, which creates actual metabolic and physical changes in your body. That's first and foremost being the production of uh cortisol.

SPEAKER_04 43:18

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 43:19

And cortisol is a is a uh hormone that um when properly utilized by the human body is a magic. That's right. Magic hormone because it was it was um uh put into our our our system because back when we were cavemen and the saber toothed tiger was coming around the corner, your body needed to produce cortisol, which all of a sudden makes your your your senses extremely sharp. It gives you lots of energy, it gives you all kinds of great things. But the the the the

SPEAKER_03 44:00

the the side effect is inflammation and when you when you are constantly in this state of fight or flight and you're you're producing far too much cortisol um your your body is becoming inflamed in every place that you can imagine number one your gut and yeah and your gut is the is the source of your health right so um and to piggy sorry no go ahead i'm also getting some uh you're you're lighting me up here with all kinds of interesting things too and and yeah i mean you're you're right you know in in cortisol it can get you running if the if the the bear the grizzly is chasing you thank god the cortisol is there but in another sense um cortisol when we've got too much of it and we're overstressed then we get you know kind of uh hypervigilant and everything's a threat yeah not just the grizzly but then my colleagues are and you know my my my wife and my kids are my husband and everything becomes a threat everything becomes a little grisly so to speak and and what happens is is that cortisol ends up flooding the cerebral cortex which is like our kind of wizard brain so to speak and so that cerebral cortex the the seat of you know high focus uh you know intelligence reasonable rational intuitive thinking gets shut down and our brain goes into that like so to speak lizard brain the amygdala where you were saying the the fight uh fight or flight is is really living and so when we get over stressed it it we we end up being in reaction yes and you know we we end up whatever it is you know yelling at our family or um saying something you know we didn't mean at work or doing rash things that in a calm state we would never do. So you know finding a way that we can you know be able to clear that cortisol from the cerebral cortex and kind of reboot the the wizard brain is really what we're looking for. And it turns out that there's a very powerful tool to do that, which you mentioned right under your nose. And that's the breath. And particularly Sudarshan Kriya and the accompanying practices, we've got a lot of research demonstrating how it actually clears the cortisol from the prefrontal cortex and allows that you know those brain cells to reboot because the cortisol actually cuts the uh communication between the neurons so it can't function. So when we're able to reduce that level of cortisol we reboot the the wizard brain so to speak and we can make those rational intelligent intuitive uh decisions and not only that when you start to use the breath properly uh two things the breath and the body are always in the present moment you know can you say okay I breathed enough today I'm gonna start again on the weekend good luck right no breath is always in the present moment yeah so suddenly instead of being in this you know kind of see saw ping pong match between the future and the past I'm able to bring myself back to the present moment through the breath and not only that I can turn that one way street of feeling you know an emotion and breathing in a certain way you know how do you breathe when you're angry we usually breathe pretty fast and and you know uh shallow and then how do I breathe when I'm afraid well often we don't breathe yeah you get you you get caught with your breath so so you can come back to a a rested centered calm state and instead of uh just you know feeling an emotion and breathing in a certain way you can use the breath to kind of take back the remote control on the control of your mind and emotions and that's what we're doing with Sardarshankriya um it's a daily practice we teach it over uh three it's a three-day course three hours a day you can take it to the retreat center um but we also do it you know in in cities and rural environments throughout Canada and really across the world and that's the thing I mean it's really putting you back in the driver's seat like I I think of it as this you know some people might say oh yeah I breathe every day I don't need it but they still suffer with their own mind and emotions and it reminds me of uh you know this uh story of this um beggar that was begging his whole life you know just to get by and finally he ended up passing away and as they were clearing the spot where he was sitting his whole life begging they discovered a huge treasure filled with gold and diamonds and just so ironic that you know he was sitting on this spot with this incredible wealth beneath him and he just didn't know and he went on living this begging this life of a beggar and it's very similar to to our our own life you know we we have such a wealth within us you know that is the breath that is you know having this wisdom of of our mind our nervous system our consciousness and with just a little bit of a a of a technique from a training structure it can make such a massive difference in your life well I I absolutely um love that welcome to two rivers lodge where we know that our hard work and determination creates your best experiences you'll arrive as a guest but leave as family surrounded by a multi-species fishing mecca like no other our elite cabins and professional staff are ready to make your stay unforgettable experience the difference because at two rivers every cast is a story and every guest is a part of the family back in 2016 Frank and I had a vision to amass the single largest database of muskie angling education material anywhere in the world our dream was to harness the knowledge of this amazing community and share it with passionate anglers just like you.

SPEAKER_02 50:45

Thus, the Ugly Pike Podcast was born and quickly grew to become one of the top fishing podcasts in North America.

SPEAKER_00 50:52

Step into the world of angling adventures and embrace the thrill of the catch with the Ugly Pike Podcast. Join us on our quest to understand what makes us different as anglers and to uncover what it takes to go after the infamous fish of 10,000 casts.

SPEAKER_02 51:06

The Ugly Pike Podcast isn't just about fishing. It's about creating a tight-knit community of passionate anglers who share the same love for the sport. Through laughter through camaraderie and an unwavering spirit of adventure this podcast will bring people together.

Stillness Practice And Releasing Thoughts

SPEAKER_05 51:20

Subscribe now and never miss a moment of our angling adventures tight lines everyone find Uglypike now on Spotify Apple Podcasts or wherever else you get your podcast there was one one important thing that um that uh I wanted to bring up but I couldn't break your thoughts because it's awesome. But it's um I'm a very um um I'm a hospitality driven person so I'm um uh I'm more in tune with uh people's emotions than some are and um it's very uh I feel that it's very vibrational because I always talk about I can feel like when I walked the dining room I would talk to every couple every guest every group to find out how their day was because the only way that I could improve on what I was doing was to get real time in the moment feedback from the people that I was there to serve and um I could feel I didn't even have to um talk to people sometimes I could feel their energy and I knew if it was good I knew if it was bad and I would confront it. A lot of people they they can they do feel that kind of stuff and everybody feels it when it's powerful enough like you know when somebody's pissed off but you back that up and and um I would I would ask questions and and you know I'd say how was your day well if if Betty looked at looks at me and says yeah no it was pretty good Steve it was yeah we had a we had an okay day well that wasn't good for me. No because it me it's not okay is not okay you know and um the the whole thought of back to you know the the fight or flight and the prefrontal cortex and the and the the cortisol um drowning everything out and living in that reactional primitive state of mind I know that when I'm there and believe me there they're there I like to think that I'm not there a lot but I I can get there. I know that my vibrations fuel all of the people around me. Yeah and and when they're negative it just makes for a a shitty experience all the way around. Yeah you know and I try to explain to my kids too because they're at the age where you know they're growing up in a different time than I than I grew up and and trying to talk to your teenager and say you know if you if you approach somebody with good vibrations with with good thoughts um you'll get that back because like attracts like and they're like I don't know what you're talking to dad. And and I would say okay listen you want to do an experiment go to school tomorrow walk up to your teacher and say that shirt makes you look fat and see what kind of reaction you get okay or walk up to that same teacher and say wow blues your color you're looking great today they don't even have to like people don't even have to do the experiment then to understand how negative vibrations and positive vibrations attract each other. Because if you walk up to a person and you say hey that shirt makes you look fat they're gonna say you know what bud why don't you go fuck your hat yeah right exactly yeah that's the kind of vibration that is gonna you're you're attracting that whereas if you go and you say wow blue's your color you look great today they'll say hey you know what thanks buddy I thought I looked pretty good in it too right and that's the that that all it's it's almost um a revelation in real time for me because it's that that whole living in that that primitive you know reactionary state where you you're just I sometimes I get so much on the go and I get frustrated because it's it feels like my wheels are spinning on four different projects and nothing is happening and I feel tired and like I've been working but I don't really have a whole lot to show for it. And you know uh my wife will come home and she'll say how was your day or what did you do today? Yeah what did you do today on her end is just a simple you know hey what'd you do today and on my end in that frustrated mind I'm like well I was working what did you do today you know what I mean yeah and and this uh that was an important point that I wanted to that I wanted to bring to the table because that was one of the the the the um the ideas that I clinged on to when you were talking and the other thing I'd I'd like to to also mention and clarify um I uh we talked about the technology and how it's being banned and how it's terrible and all of that stuff. Well I'm a guy I'm I'm I'm fairly conservative as as things go and I don't believe that that things should be outright banned but what I do believe is I do believe that things that are good need to have the same kind of attention that those things that are good but you know are bad, you know, there's gotta be other choices. There's got to be a balance a yin and a yang so for all of that technology and the TikToks of the world and the Instagrams and the the Snapchats and all of them you know I hey I I I'll be the first to admit there's times when I'll jump onto TikTok and scroll for what I feel like five minutes and look down and think holy shit I've been on this thing for an hour. But I can I can put that away and and walk away from it I've got other choices. I've got uh you know I can go outside I I've got animals I got to look after I've got different things right and this what you're doing is one of those extremely important things that I feel like I need to stand on top of the rooftop and yell as loud as I can to offer that to people that that haven't that aren't even in a place where it's crossed their mind. Yeah 100% 100% yeah that's the reality I think for most of us we get so used to just the noise and living in a certain state of whatever that is frustration or you know low energy or you know blah it just it it it just and and listen I've been aware well aware of this for at very least five years and I've been well aware of Wim Hof and all of these alternative um uh options for your health for the better part of 20 years and still the the the outside world can get into your mind without you even knowing and then all of a sudden you know I haven't got up and did yoga for two weeks I haven't uh I haven't uh done uh Wim Hof for for a week and a half or two weeks and all of a sudden you know you're just in this this difficult place to crawl back out of.

SPEAKER_03 59:31

Yeah but once you crawl back out and you see that light again you think to your I did it this morning I got up and I did uh I did uh uh a half an hour of yoga and uh and um uh I did um three rounds of Wim Hof at five o'clock I started and you know by by seven o'clock my day is a totally different day I remember going downstairs I made coffee for Melissa and I took a leak as I'm standing there taking a leak I'm thinking I can't even believe that I'm saying this to myself again but the answer is Wim Hof meditation and yoga it changes everything it just changes everything right and it's it's it's easy for me to forget it let alone people that haven't even thought about it or aren't physically capable of doing yoga but I'll tell you what you're always physically capable of breathing and meditation right so true yeah um so a little bit more about uh the retreat um if I wanted and I do want uh by the way if I wanted to come and visit your retreat how does it work like is it a three-day is there a five day plan is there a week plan yeah like I mean how how does that work yeah sure so yeah there's different ways you can come visit um if you want to come up and do a course so for instance our entry level program with the Sudarshan Kriya um where you're on course for three hours per day for three days yeah um yeah so you would you would come up um you know we um you can drive up or if you're coming from a little farther away then um you know we we often have a shuttle that goes to the airport and can pick you up um and then um do you have facilities for me to stay at we do we do indeed yeah so you would arrive uh we'd get you set up in in your room um so we've got all kinds of different accommodation i mean yeah i would say our retreat is a little more of the rust rustic style it's not it's not a five or a six star resort that's okay but it's it's still comfortable um I mean I would say the accommodation in our best place is kind of like a three-star hotel kind of a thing but it is really nice it's I mean I also like it because it's very simple you know it's you know there there isn't a TV in every room yeah uh it's it's a it's a time where you're you're you're going in a different direction really and I mean obviously it's your choice you know but but uh we recommend you know seeing if you can get some distance from your devices 100% I mean you want to stay yeah connected to your family and everything like that if you're if you're going away and if you have some kind of emergency that comes up um but that's part of the retreat is that yeah the accommodation is very simple um but comfortable uh and then uh so we have accommodation you can stay in um it's a beautiful retreat center so we have a number of paths we have a huge organic garden which is actually grown into a farm at this at this point we sell in the in the we see yeah we sell in the local community and then we also um use a lot of the vegetables um even in the winter uh you know to for the food that we cook for for our guests um so we'll get you signed up we'll get you set up in your room um every evening um we have um we have a uh what do you call that we have dinner of course every evening and then uh after dinner there's a a a kind of um uh celebration of sounds so we do like a concert sort of thing yeah and we do what's called satsang uh which is kind of the yoga of sound so we sing in this call and response manner with uh Sanskrit language and it's interesting it's very simple words it's about peace it's about love the different songs um and obviously if you want to sing along great if you don't want to that's no problem we also have course uh songs in English too so you can sing your favorite English song it's a mix and it's a nice way to uplift the energy um and and kind of celebrate you know uh together so we finish every evening like that the next day uh we always have morning yoga um so we have a morning uh yoga class uh which is especially nice for for those of us that don't usually give ourselves the permission to stretch the body and and and a lot of the tension and the issues in our body and our in our mind comes from the body not being um being so stiff uh so so we we spend some time on that then we do the breathing practices in the morning um we're a little bit we have uh at least on most of the courses is a pretty little bit relaxed schedule obviously you can get up earlier if you want but the the the sessions start at 6 30 or 7 a.m the the morning sessions yeah and then we've got breakfast uh after breakfast typically there's some time to go for a nature walk if you want to go to the spa and get some treatments you can do that um we've also got five lakes on the property so if you want to get uh in one of the canoes or you know whatever it may be you can feel free to go for a swim enjoy the lakes and then we you'll have your course session so we'll we'll come into one of the Mendahitian halls if it's a bigger course we'll be in our in our uh main meditation hall which is right on the lake um that meditation hall holds about a thousand people to go course it's massive no shit have you done have you had a thousand people there before yeah we've had a thousand people so so um um so gurudev shri shriavishankar when he comes um basically people from all around the world that that come and then he gives uh courses there and yeah we in that building we'll we'll have uh over a thousand people so do you have accommodation for that many people or what do you do for that that's a great question yeah accommodation we have for about about a quarter or to a third of of that amount of people like 250 to 300 people that's it on site and we mix that with like we have an Number of different residences, but we also have a fairly big uh camping area as well. Yeah. Uh so people can come up and camp in the summers too, um, which is a really nice experience. Uh, and then there's a lot of uh lodging like in the surrounding community. We're right next to a beautiful national park. It's called uh Parc de la Maurice. It's uh we're in the region of La Mauricie in uh Quebec, and it's beautiful waterfall and huge park over there. Um, so there's a number of different inns and hotels close by. So for the bigger events, we end up um exactly. Um, but but typically uh during the year, um, you know, we don't have courses of of that size. Like we might have uh, you know, a course of like um, you know, 80 people, but usually the the course sizes they range from uh they're usually about 10 people, 20 people, um, but they can be they can be only four people and they can sometimes be 50 people. So, you know, I mean, I'm sure you know as as you know, as the lot the lodge owner and the and and managing that whole project that, you know, I mean, of course, you can predict things to a certain extent, but to a la large extent, they're very unpredictable.

SPEAKER_05 1:07:17

100%.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:18

And and so, yeah, that's it. And then, you know, you do your course, come for lunch. We have uh yeah, a number of different activities you can do. You can do uh another yoga session. Um, once again, you can go to the spa, go for a hike, and then either there may be an afternoon session, depending on what course you're doing. Um, and then once again, we'll have dinner, we'll have an evening uh session. We also do, we might have we have a really nice bonfire space. So often we set up a bonfire, we might have a bonfire for everybody that's there. Um, we also hold a kids' camp every year. It's called Camp Santoche. And um, yeah, it's nice. Like we teach these techniques uh to the kids. So kind of the first first part of the year, they're learning um these these techniques the first part of the day. And then and then in the afternoon, we're doing some kind of excursion. So, you know, maybe we're taking them to the national park, we're doing a canoeing trip like uh through the park, or maybe we're going um, you know, doing a tree-to-tree kind of adventure, or we did paintball one year, like, you know, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's it. You know, getting them to experience and be in nature uh and share our love for nature with them and get them hooked on it just like we are. And um, and yeah, we also host yeah, veterans' retreats. Um uh, you know, I I know veterans course, we did a study we did. I remember one of the participants, he was telling us that he um he did, I think, three tours in in uh Iraq. And um and he came back, and I mean, it's like his head was on a swivel, you know, like couldn't stop shaking. And the he told us that, you know, uh in the 10 years following his last deployment, he the longest he had ever slept was four hours in a night. So I mean, you can imagine that kind of sleep deprivation and yeah, really the trauma, actually, you know, it was just in invaded his nervous system and took over. And it was interesting because after doing the Sudar Shankriya one time, uh, he came back to us the next day and he was kind of tongue in cheek, you know, angry at us. He said, Because of you, I almost missed my dentist appointment because I slept 10 hours last night. Wow. So, you know, having that degree of rest and your body saying, Okay, it's safe for me to rest, because the irony of the whole thing, like this hypervigilance that had kept him alive in Iraq, you know, was was destroying here in Canada. So, so you know, he just even from the first session, having that huge reduction in his in his level of stress, allowing him to sleep. And yeah, the interesting thing is that even just doing this course one time, like say you never do the practices again, we have some research that demonstrates that the reductions in stress and PTSD in that case were held for for three, six, and twelve months after the course. So, of course, the biggest benefits, as you were sharing, and we both know, is from doing it, you know, as much as you can. You know, if you can't do it all the time, no big deal. You you do the best you can, you know. And I think part of it is being able to accept ourselves as we are. Okay, that's the way it is for me right now. Yeah, and and giving ourselves that freedom is also part of the practice.

Sudarshan Kriya Cortisol And Presence

SPEAKER_05 1:11:05

Well, it's the negative talk that can very quickly that voice in your mind, it's as brutal a voice as as uh as anything. And um sometimes it'll turn on you. Oh, yeah. Right? There's a lot of negative talk that can come from that. And um, you talk about you're not you know, nobody's perfect. And I'm I I don't I don't do it every day. Although I will tell you that when that pendulum starts swinging and I feel like it's swinging out of control, when I do do it, it uh it it it it slows it down, it brings everything back to center. And the longer you do it, the more consistent you do it, the better you feel. And um the one streak that uh that I had um that I know was um the longest and most consistent streak was last year in um uh in uh January, I did a 40-day water fast. And um and and like I mean, in a sense, I was supplementing um the water with um with uh sea salt and uh I was taking magnesium and potassium, and then uh after 10 days, I added a half of fresh squeezed lemon in every liter of water that I was drinking, and I made sure that I drank between uh seven to nine liters of water a day. And um, every day I took my stats, which was blood sugar, blood pressure was maybe every three days. Towards the end, I took it more, but because I didn't I didn't like looking at it.

SPEAKER_07 1:12:45

Right. Fair enough.

SPEAKER_05 1:12:47

Uh and I took my weight. I really liked looking at that, and um, I did yoga and wim hof every morning, and um that was really the the moment where I realized that it is the most important part of all of it. It's not the fast was great, but I wouldn't have been able to pull the fast off without the yoga and Wim Hof, just to constantly be checking in on my body and how you know it's it's funny. So many people don't even know or understand how to just take a moment every day and sit down and look inside and feel how you're feeling. Feel because you know, pain is something that at 50, like I mean, I'll wake up in the morning and you know, my feet are sore for the first five minutes when I'm walking, or you know, I'll wake up and and my lower back is stiff until I start moving. Well, knowing just and you and it becomes dull. Like, I mean, it just becomes part of your life. And then after a while, you don't even think about it anymore. It's still there, but you don't even, it doesn't even register. And um, and being on that water fast and doing the yoga and the mindfulness and the whim hof. Um after about day five, my inflammation, the inflammation of my body basically disappeared. I wasn't sore anymore. I could I could do the yoga and and keep track of how strong I was because you know, you go 40 days without eating anything solid. Um, you're not just losing fat and visceral fat and and uh um uh and Bob's your uncle, and you're gonna be a titan at the end of it. Like you lose everything. And I was cognizant on not wanting to lose too much strength and muscle and and lean mass, right? So the the yoga and the the mindfulness was very key because there were times when I thought to myself, ooh, this uh this might not this might be the end of her. I I'm not sure because when I went into it, I I promised myself that um I wasn't gonna let my ego um uh call the shots in the end. Because you know, for those of you who who uh don't aren't that aren't clear about what I mean by that, I mean that, you know, when I first saw the 40 day fast, and it was actually on TikTok. It was some dude on TikTok that it, I didn't even watch it. Soon as I saw it, I said, I'm doing that. And then um I I uh I it started right away, but I remember thinking, and your ego's like, yeah, I can do that. There's no hey, I've done 10 days, I've done 15 days. If that guy can do 40 days, I can do 40 days. You know what I mean? But when you're stretching things out like that, you really have to listen to your body. And I promised myself that I wasn't going to get 10 days away from my goal and push it too far. And uh, there were times when I thought, ooh, maybe I'm pushing her too far, but it came back to the yoga and the mindfulness. And the other key thing was, and the reason I'm telling you all of this is because they're keys. The other key thing was the data entry and tracking the the key points of my health blood sugar, blood pressure, weight. Because when I come off of that um 40-day fast, I had lost 41 pounds in 40 days. And um, I um I had this total sense of relief. I I did it. Oh, I did it. Incredible. You know what happened? I stopped doing I stopped doing the things that got me there, the most important things. Number one, the yoga and the Wim Hof every morning. You know, it was, you know, you know uh right after it was a routine, so it would be four days out of seven. And then, you know, after a month or two, summer comes and and I get on a shoot with Fish in Canada, and you know, we're up at six o'clock and in a boat. And, you know, I don't feel like getting up at at uh at uh 4 30 in the morning to do yoga and whim hof because we were we we had uh a scotch and smoked a cigar till 11 o'clock the night before. Right, right, yeah, yeah. You know, you think, oh yeah, no, I'm just uh we're just gonna get going here. And and and all of a sudden life happens. And um, and and I stopped recording my vitals. And and the those important things that got me to where I I ended up, I lost touch with them. And you know what happened when I lost touch with them? I ended up right back where I started. And it happens so often. And for a guy like me, I've done this over and over again. And and this time, although the result was the same, the the what I learned was very different. Uh, it became very clear to me that if for me, and I can only speak for me, and I would never, never suggest to anybody that they should be going out and not eating for 40 days. Okay. But for me, what I learned is the most important part to my health was the routine of yoga in the morning, the mindfulness and breathing, because number one, the yoga puts me in in touch with how my body is feeling. I I'm I I'm stiff, I'm sore, I I'm not as flexible, or I was this flexible uh two weeks ago, and I haven't done yoga in two weeks, and now holy shit, I can't do that anymore. Right? Where you would never know. And then all of a sudden it starts to slip away, and and you end up you end up a month or two months or three months, and you're right out of that routine. And all of a sudden, now when you get out of bed in the morning, you're like, oh my god, you gotta shuffle to the bathroom. Yeah, you know what I mean? That's right. So uh if if I could impress on anybody um with my experience, the most important thing was that, and it's only 20 minutes of yoga in the morning, is all you need. And it's only another 15 minutes of that Wim Hof, or some sort of combination of breathing techniques or mindfulness where you're just really thinking about how you feel inside. Where's my pain? And then writing down what your weight is. Take your blood. I have a I have a Libre, I have uh freestyle, so I know where my blood sugar is. Make note of where your blood sugar is, and then make note of what your blood pressure is because when you start following it, you see the trends begin before you get to where you don't want to be. Where if you're not taking, if you're not cognizant of that and you take your eye off the ball, all of a sudden one day you're you're you're looking in the mirror and you're looking at you think, boy, how did I get so fat again? You know what I mean? And and you think vividly in your mind about the point when you were looking at yourself proud of your achievement, thinking, wow, I look pretty good, and I am never going back there again. And then all of a sudden you're there. And then you get that little that that little voice in your head that starts negative talk, and all those vibrations start to nosedive. And you come back to what got you there, and what I've learned is it is what you're doing, it is the yoga, it is the mindfulness, and it is being cognizant of how you feel. Yeah, yeah, for sure. Yeah, uh, again, it's uh it's it's uh that's why I I I I felt an instant connection with what you were doing, and I am so much more impressed now hearing about the experiences, and you know, you you've got things because when you had said um you come for a three-hour course and then uh you got the rest of the day, I was thinking, well, if I do the three-hour course, what am I gonna do for the rest of the day? But yeah, you explained it beautifully. You've got activities, you've got the spa, you've got the the nature. It's an it's an it's a holistic in the true sense of the word, a holistic experience.

unknown 1:22:09

Right.

SPEAKER_03 1:22:10

Yeah, and if I can jump in there, um, I really agree with what you're saying, you know. Like I think, you know, everyone's got their own kind of formula that's gonna work for them. Yeah. Like uh, you know, and I think being able to start being aware, like the first step is just to be aware, you know, like you're saying, and and to start almost, you know. I mean, I come from a scientific background, and I mean you have a lot of that temperament too, in terms of like, but turning it into like observing yourself and saying, okay, wow, I'm eating this and I feel energized and I feel alive. I'm eating that and I feel wow, my energy goes down, and I feel like I just need to sit on the couch for for a few hours, you know, and just like whatever it is, you know, and and I think with the fasting as well, like um and and lifestyle, like the the beautiful thing about these techniques, you know, whether you do the art of living breathing techniques or Wim Hof or what have you, and whatever meditation you do or whatever practice you have, um, yeah, I mean it's it's it's important to see how you can how you can make it your own and incorporate it into your life. And and really um, yeah, I mean, like you said, you know, diet and and is a part of that too, like fasting, for instance.

SPEAKER_05 1:23:37

100%.

Retreat Schedule Yoga Spa And Lakes

SPEAKER_03 1:23:38

And and then also uh, you know, seeing what we eat, like, you know, uh for for some people, a certain type of diet suits them great. For other people, they can't do it, you know, and they need to find something else out. So um I think it's important, like no matter no matter what you eat, no matter what your lifestyle, no matter what you like, these techniques can benefit you no matter who you are. You know, maybe we may look different, we may eat different food, we may, you know, uh have worship different, have different cultures. Yep, but we all have that same nervous system and that same biology and these techniques can just uplift you in an incredible way. And at our retreat center, yeah, we have it's it's you know, it's a fasting environment, so to speak. So we don't, you know, we don't have a like any kind of bar or license at the at the retreat center. Um the the our retreat center is vegetarian. Um so for those you know that are coming on a retreat, uh, this is the suggestion anyway. I mean, we're not looking at the middle of the night someone that brought their beef jerky or what have you, but uh but but but that's the idea is that you know, seeing how we can just be a little lighter on the digestive system, be a little lighter on uh on our senses, and in that kind of a fasting state, then then then learning some of these techniques and then having a base to go home and and continue what whatever you know lifestyle you you happen to have. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:25:17

And and there's there's a couple of things that I'll add to that. Um, number one, I think it's important for people to understand that it is so much easier to go and learn about this stuff with other people. Um it's it's like it's like a fishing guide. Everybody can go and grab a fishing rod and and head out on the lake and and try their hand at fishing. But whenever you you go out with a guide, what's happening with that fishing guide is the knowledge that you are that you are obtaining from that person in eight hours will put you ahead by years.

SPEAKER_03 1:25:59

That's right.

SPEAKER_05 1:26:00

Right? And this is this really is the same thing to try and kind of figure all this out on your own or by you know going online or whatever. It it doesn't it doesn't compare to going to people that have been there and understand and know what what experience you should you kind of you give. And and um I would suggest and the other really important thing, especially when we're talking about your health and and all of those rebounds and and everything else, it is never too late and you are never too old, right? That's right. And and that's right, with those two things, I think that um the service, I'll call it, that you're providing is essential. And um that anybody that's even remotely interested in this kind of stuff, um, sure research it or whatever, but I would just dive in and go and see you. That's the best way, yeah. Right? And and really feel what the experience is. And and and not only that, if you're going to make that decision, because the way things are going is really shitty right now for you. Um, and believe me, I've been there. Uh, if you're gonna make that decision to go and do something like this, it's very important that you go into it with an open mind.

SPEAKER_04 1:27:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:27:34

And and if if if uh a spouse or somebody is is wanting to go and and wants to bring you to this, and you gotta go, and you know, there you feel a little friction because this isn't your thing. Like you're talking about, you know, Indian monks and you know, people that are totally uneducated about that, right? With especially in our world too. Today where segregation and and and racism seems to be coming back, to make sure that when you when you are are taking this on or you're forced to go or whatever, believe me when I tell you, any experience, whether it's this experience or a different experience that you're being forced to go on and you gotta do it, well, you know what? That experience is always better when you go into it with an open mind.

SPEAKER_03 1:28:32

That's it. Yeah, you never know. You never know. Right? Yeah, and I mean, just to hop on your uh the coattails here, uh, you know, I mean, I think that you know, the all the wisdom in the world belongs to you. Yeah, there's no borders on, you know, like for example, I mean, I love, you know, Thai food. Yeah, like I love it. I love the green curry. I love curry in general. Yeah, in general, curry is great.

SPEAKER_05 1:29:04

And I grew up as a kid who who when you you heard about curry, you were like, curry curry, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:29:12

No, no. That's it, you know, and and I mean, I also I love Italian food. You know, I love Italian, I don't have an Italian bone in my body, no, but I love it. And so it doesn't mean like to enjoy Italian food, I don't need to be Italian. No, you know, like I can still enjoy it, and that's the way I think about these techniques, you know. No matter where they're from, if they have a usefulness for me and they benefit me, well, that's my wisdom, and and I can enjoy that no matter where it's from.

SPEAKER_05 1:29:44

Well said. Well said. And um on that, um, just before we we sign off, uh, there is a couple of pieces of information that I need from you for myself and everybody else. Um, how do we get a hold of you? Uh, where can we find you? And um roughly how much would it cost for a uh um a stay of three days, or or at least tell us where we can go to find out your pricing so that if anybody out there is sitting in their vehicle driving home thinking, uh, another day of work tomorrow and I don't feel good, and I just uh this this this life that I'm living is not working for me anymore. I'm not happy. I need something, and they want to uh reach out to you and say, hey, I'm in, I got an open mind. I don't know if it's gonna work for me, but I sure as hell want to try. How can they get a hold of you?

SPEAKER_03 1:30:48

So, pretty simply, uh, I mean, the organization is called Art of Living. So if you just Google Art of Living, uh, you'll be able to see our our website. The Retreat Center uh has its own website. It's Art of Living Canada Center.org. So Art of Living Canada Center, you just type that in dot org. Um, or if you type in Art of Living Retreat, Quebec, you'll get our you'll see our center in the Google uh and and then all our courses and all the activities, they're all there. Uh you could you can explore that. And it ranges. Um you know, it ranges from from retreats that are gonna be, you know, around 500 bucks, you know, uh for a couple days. Yeah. And and depending on the level of accommodation and the type of course and the length that you're you're how often you frequent the uh the spa. That's it. How often you frequent the spa, you you know, uh it rises up uh from there. Um, but I mean, uh, I would say, you know, our our prices are pretty, pretty affordable. And um we also have uh we also have payment plans too. If people want to get them set up, you know, maybe you're thinking, oh man, I really need this retreat, but I think I'm only gonna be able to save up, you know, for this over the next few months. Well, we can set you up, you know, on a payment plan. Um and me, or maybe it's a time thing, you know, you're thinking, oh, wow, well, you know, how am I gonna get this time to do it? Uh and I mean one thing that I really appreciated what you said there, Steve, that, you know, it's like you're never gonna get that time back. You're always gonna have there's always gonna be something with the kids or with work or what have you. And deciding to just say, okay, you know, I deserve this time. I'm gonna take three, four days out. I'm gonna be in nature, I'm gonna learn some techniques that can serve me for the rest of my life. Well, it's interesting because you're gonna get that time back because when you're when you're doing the breathing, when you're doing the meditation, you're more in the present moment. So, what does that mean? The mind is not wandering, you're making less mistakes and you're getting things done more efficiently. Why? Because your mind is in the present moment. And that's a gift that you know no one can give you. You just have to experience it for yourself. And why not take some time, separate yourself from your life, from your day-to-day, and and get that deep rest, be in nature, you know, come swim in our lakes, or if you're coming in the winter, come for a snowshoe with us, or or skate on one of the lakes together, or or go to the waterfall in the summer, or or what have you. Um, you know, you deserve it. And I think many of your listeners and many of us are just running around, you know, taking care of our of our family and work and community. And one person is getting left out, and that's an important person. And and being able to take some time for for yourself is is is really a first step, not only for you feeling better, but being a better father, mother, you know, brother, sister, um uh you know, an entrepreneur, uh, the whole thing.

SPEAKER_05 1:34:09

It goes back to those vibrations. And that's right. When when you can go and you can um get some knowledge that helps you stay in a positive vibration or a positive frame of mind, everybody around you feels it.

SPEAKER_01 1:34:32

So true.

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SPEAKER_05 1:34:33

Right. And um the more that they feel it, the more they are uplifted. The more they are uplifted, the more you feel it from them. And um uh if uh if if those techniques can help anybody be better, and I know they can. I I know they can. Uh at the end of the day, folks, I'm gonna sit, I'm gonna, I'm gonna put my reputation on the line, and I'm going to tell you that if you go and spend one, two, three, four, five days with Spencer, um, you will not regret it. Um that's what I'm saying. There is no downside. There is absolutely no downside. And um to take that time to to reflect and maybe spend it with your spouse and uh and and really reconnect uh with emotionally with other people or with nature or honestly with yourself, yeah. These are all things that can happen and none of them are negative. It's not it's not it's not time that you've lost. In my opinion, I'll I'll I'll stake my reputation on it. It is time well spent.

SPEAKER_03 1:35:48

No kidding. Yeah. And I would also say, too, you know, like, I mean, coming come to the retreat center, we'd love to have you. And if you know you you feel that, okay, I just can't get away, it's not possible. Um, we also do courses where you live. Uh we do courses all across Canada. Uh, we have in-person programming happening. Just go to artofliving.org and you can get a uh a course in your community. You you go to the course venue, you you spend, you know, two and a half, three hours, you know, on the course, and then you come back to your life, come back for for three days or whatever it is. And that's a possibility. We also do it online as well. Um, so we do online programming that's very accessible. Um, but you know, like Steve was saying, if you can, if you can stretch a little bit, and you know, you won't regret it. You know, it's it's just all upside. And um I look forward to to hearing your experience after the retreat. Yeah. And and we do the same. We we we we do our our our tours of the dining hall and check in on people, and I'm looking forward to meeting you and and checking in to see how you how you're doing.

SPEAKER_05 1:37:02

Well, Spencer, it has been a pleasure. And I think what we uh what we should do um for all of our diary listeners, um, I think um my wife and I need to come and experience what you're doing. Oh, we'd love to have you and um and we'll sit down and we'll do a podcast at your place after we're done. Right.

SPEAKER_03 1:37:24

Let's do that.

SPEAKER_05 1:37:25

Let's do that. And and go from there. And listen, folks, for all of you out there that um that are listening, our Diaries family, and um uh listen, I love every one of you. And um give Spencer a call, tell him you're part of the family, uh, and uh and and and take that step. Just just say to hell with it, I'm I'm not happy where I am, and I'm gonna try and do something to improve it. And this out of just about everything, anything that you could do is one of those things that will truly, truly benefit. And on that note, brother, thank you so much for this um this uh show and this experience. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I hope everybody out there uh uh this does too. I'm sure they will.

SPEAKER_03 1:38:16

Thanks so much, Steve, and thanks to the lodge owner and family here on the podcast. Uh yeah, it's been such a pleasure. And uh yeah, I think everyone's really appreciates you getting out there and making people aware of new things. And uh yeah, I really uh really just appreciate this conversation. It's been really great. Thank you.

SPEAKER_05 1:38:36

Thank you. I'm grateful for that. And folks, I am also so grateful for all of you and thank you for getting to this point of the podcast. Uh, I greatly appreciate it. And uh, this is all the same stuff, the housekeeping. Head on over to fishingcanada.com where we've got a ton of videos. Our season is now just about complete. You can watch all of those new episodes on our YouTube channel right through the uh dot com. We've got merch, there's all kinds of uh of great things. And thank you to the Outdoor Journal Radio Podcast Network. Uh, they always do such a wonderful job. And to our producers, Dean the Dancing Machine, and uh Anthony Mancini, the machine. We really appreciate everything that you guys do. And I guess it uh as much as it pains me, it is that time. Thus brings us to the conclusion of another episode of Diaries of a Lodge Owner, Stories of the North.

SPEAKER_06 1:39:42

I'm a good old boy, never meaning no harm. I'll be the whole you ever saw. Been reeling in the hog since the day I was born. Someday I might on the lodge and how to be fine. I'll be making my way, the only way I know how. Working hard and sharing the noise with all of my plows. Up by the lodge and live my dream. And now I'm here talking about how life can be as good as it seems. Yeah.

How To Join Pricing And Closing

SPEAKER_05 1:40:43

Welcome to Two Rivers Lodge, where we know that our hard work and determination creates your best experiences. You'll arrive as a guest but leave as family. Surrounded by a multi-species fishing mecca like no other. Our elite cabins and professional staff are ready to make your stay unforgettable. Experience the difference. Because at two rivers, every cast is a story, and every guest is a part of the family.

SPEAKER_01 1:41:27

As the world gets louder and louder, the lessons of our natural world become harder and harder to hear, but they are still available to those who know where to listen. I'm Jerry Oulette, and I was honored to serve as Ontario's Minister of Natural Resources. However, my journey into the woods didn't come from politics. Rather, it came from my time in the bush and a mushroom. In 2015, I was introduced to the birch-hungry fungus known as Chaga, a tree conch, with centuries of medicinal use by indigenous peoples all over the globe. After nearly a decade of harvest, use, testimonials, and research, my skepticism has faded to obsession. And I now spend my life dedicated to improving the lives of others through natural means. But that's not what the show is about. My pursuit of the strange mushroom and my passion for the outdoors has brought me to the places and around the people that are shaped by our natural world. On Outdoor Journal Radio's Under the Canopy podcast, I'm going to take you along with me to see the places, meet the people that will help you find your outdoor passion and help you live a life close to nature and under the canopy. Find Under the Canopy Now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever else you get your podcasts.