Yoga For Trauma: The Inner Fire of Yoga

Astrology, Suffering And The Fire Within With Rob Dorgan | Ep 15

• Liz Albanis • Season 1 • Episode 15

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In Part 2,  Liz Albanis continues her conversation with Rob Dorgan.  They  explore the Kleshas, The five root causes of human suffering in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. And how they show up in real life. They explore why self-inquiry can feel like “burning down” old identities. And guide us through  personal transformation.From attachment and aversion to the fear of change. Rob shares how the Yoga Sutras and Kashmir Shaivism inform his work. Why building self-integrity through small daily practices can change everything. Drawing from his novel Awakening the Mystic. Which blends fiction, memoir, yoga and astrology. Rob shares how mythology, meditation, and self-inquiry. 

Liz opens up about the emotional aftermath of a literal house fire. And how her journey offered insight into ego. Attachment, and the ever-present fear of change. This episode is a delvers into yoga beyond the mat, and how ancient wisdom can guide us.

Topics Covered:

  • The five Kleshas (Avidya, Asmita, Raga, Dvesha, Abhinivesha) and their relevance today
  • How fire (Agni) acts as a metaphor for personal transformation
  • Using adversity to burn away what no longer serves us
  • Insights from Rob’s novel Awakening the Mystic
  • The importance of consistency in practice (Sutra 1.13) and how it builds self-integrity
  • Exploring ego and identity through yoga and astrology
  • The power of journaling and inner inquiry as healing tools
  • How to begin a spiritual practice when feeling overwhelmed or burnt out
  • Advice for young seekers navigating anxiety, change, or spiritual burnout

Rob Dorgen is a professional astrologer, meditation teacher, certified yoga teacher/teacher trainer.Iinternational retreat facilitator. His new novel-memoir, Awakening the Mystique: A Novel of Cosmic Love and Healing, weaves personal journey with yogic psychology  to illuminate practical pathways toward inner peace.

 https://robandsteve.co/ https://awakeningthemystic.net/  Youtube Instagram

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The content shared in these conversations is intended for informational and educational purposes only, and it is not suitable for listeners under the age of 18. Please use discretion and consult a qualified professional before making changes to your health or wellness routines.

If you’re interested in being a guest or know someone who might be head to my website: https://www.lizalbaniswellness.com.au/podcast/yoga-for-trauma

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[00:00:00] You'll be like, look, right now you're burning down pieces of your house that are outdated and you can't use anymore. Those are the kind of insights that come to us when we take the time to get quiet. When we stick with the consistency, it's multifaceted. It helps to change us, but it also builds self integrity to ourself.

Welcome to The Inner Fire of Yoga, a podcast about transformation, resilience, and the power of yoga beyond the mat. I'm Liz Albanis, senior yoga teacher and yoga therapist in training. This podcast was born in 2024 after I survived my second fire. Fire has been a recurring theme in my life, not just in the literal sense, but as a metaphor.

It has asked me to burn away what no longer [00:01:00] serves me to transform and to rise stronger each time. This podcast is about that fire, the one that challenges us, but also fuels us to grow. The views and opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host Liz Albanis.

The content shared in these conversations is intended for informational and educational purposes only, and it is not suitable for listeners under the age of 18. Please use discretion and consult a qualified professional. Before making changes to your health or wellness routines, before you start listening, this episode contains topics such as house fires and could be triggering for some.

Please take care. I'm not a licensed mental health practitioner. I'm just a yoga teacher, and I'm just. Talking about my experience, and this podcast is not a substitute for [00:02:00] professional mental health advice, treatment or assessment. The advice given in this episode or any other is general in nature. If you're struggling, please see a qualified mental health professional or call lifeline if you're in Australia.

One three Triple one four. I had a great conversation with Rob Dogen the other day. He is a professional astrologer meditation teacher and a certified yoga teacher and teacher trainer. He's also an international retreat facilitator. Began studying yoga in the 1980s. He studied with many teachers, including sna Sherman John Friend, and Sally Kempton in meditation.

Yoga along with astrology changed his life and he's the author of Awakening the Mystic. A novel of cosmic Love and Healing, and this book is part fiction and part memoir as it's [00:03:00] based on his own personal journey to find in a piece. The first line of the book is actually; I want to find in a peace.

This book encompasses yoga, especially through the ways we suffer as outlined by Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. It is full of real possibilities for the future of human species and Mother Earth. Well, let's get to the book now. Okay. I know it's not just yoga, it's astrology as well because of your experiences.

Especially the lacs. I'd love to have a rundown of the book. So the book actually, the inspiration for it came to me while I was teaching a 200 hour. I was teaching the Yoga Sutras and I was driving to class and I basically had, this was unusual for me, okay? Mm-hmm. Almost like [00:04:00] a vision of a piece of all the sutures coming together in a story.

And I start typing and I type, I, I start writing. I wrote for two years. I wrote a, a huge amount of material. So, it's an adventure story that weaves in the sutras. So somebody who doesn't know yoga. And that's what I've had in the reviews. People are like, I thought, oh my God, I'm gonna be so lost. There is a glossary.

So, oh yeah, that would definitely help. The Sanskrit words are in the back, but, 'cause I didn't wanna not use them. But you don't have to know yoga or astrology. It's just that's how the characters move through the book. That's good that you don't need to know that. Yeah. And be, and because of the way that you and I are talking, the things that the story is outlined around what the sutures call the Kleshas.

Patanjali in the yoga [00:05:00] Sutras says there are five things that keep us suffering or keep us from happiness, and they're called the Kleshas. So in the book, the main character, whose name is Ren, has this council, and the council actually come to him in his deep meditations. So, there's that part. I talk about samyama the last three stages of the, uh, yoga sutras.

And he goes deep into his samyama practice and meets these gods and goddesses who are representative then of his astrological chart. That's where astrology comes in. Oh. But again, you don't have to know astrology. Yeah. These gods and goddesses also talk very yogic. They use Sanskrit words and they tell the main character, you're gonna go through the Kleshas one by one.

Each one of them is going to challenge you in the way that you are evolving in your consciousness. So, it's kind [00:06:00] of like a Hercules story. You know, where Hercules goes through all these different trials. That's what Ren does. He goes through each Klesha, they tell him he's dealt with Avidya, which is the first Klesha, which is ignorance says, you've educated yourself for the last 30 years.

You're doing fine. You're teaching other people. That's great, but let's get into the next one. And that's ego. So, the character then has to face ego, and he does it in different ways because ego is tricky. The most obvious part of it he gets, but then he gets a little caught up in the next one and the next one.

So, ego takes a little bit longer. And then the next section of the book is about attachment. And they send him back in time to deal with attachment and aversion and back in time in his own life where he has to face some things he thinks that are of regret. And then of course the fifth one is called Abhinivesha.

Which is the fear of. Is [00:07:00] fear, but you'll read most of the time it's the fear of death. Fear of death, yeah. Of our own mortality. Yeah. And so, then that becomes the third arc. So, the, if, if you looked at the book, there's like three arcs dealing with ego, attachment aversion, and then Abhinivesha. But again, Liz, it, it's for people who are listening.

You don't have to know anything about these things. What I'm getting is people are like, wow, this made me wanna know more about yoga. So yeah, about yoga or astrology, because my astrology business Oh yeah, of course. Because people, I talk about the chairman of the board and people now wanna know who the chairman of their board is, uh, as they develop their inner mystic.

Oh. So that's how the book evolved through kind of like a. A vision or I felt like a creative push from a [00:08:00] muse, specifically Saraswati depending on how you like to pronounce it. And, uh, she's over in the corner, over my shoulder there, so, uh, she sits with me a lot. Not to get too out there. It was in your intuition, you felt a calling, and that's why I do believe that.

Things happen for a reason in our lives. Sometimes at the time you think, what the heck? Why did this happen? Yeah. But they help pave out the rest and help you find your dharma and Yeah, without being a neurotic ulcer, exhausted kid, I would never have probably gotten to yoga. Yeah. Without the fire last year, I don't think I'd ever would've thought.

What I wanna start a podcast and raise some more awareness. Yeah. So things happen for a reason. Definitely. Can you just elaborate a bit on that Kleshas? I think in Australia I hear [00:09:00] teachers call them Kleshas, but then Yeah. Yeah. You hear it, it both ways. I was taught that it was Klesha, but I think it's either way is correct.

You could be right. I've just heard Klesha, but, you know, uh, it's like some styles of yoga. Like they don't, say Trikosana, they say Trikonasan. It's a, a dialect sort of thing, so. Yeah. Yeah. Well the Kleshas, the Kleshas are a great learning tool, just like the eight limbs. Because what Patanjali is saying, the eight limbs help us to face the five Kleshas.

And if you think about it, it makes sense. First of all, ignorance. If we stay ignorant, if we don't educate ourself or get more knowledge, we just swirl around in the same life that we want to. And usually there's discontent. Wow, this just isn't filling the niche that I want. This just isn't [00:10:00] working. Why do I not feel fulfilled?

All of that kind of stuff. So, we gain knowledge, which in some cases is just experimenting and finding something like yoga. Does that make sense ourselves? Oh yeah. The ignorance is educate yourself. So Vidya is knowledge of Vidya, which is what they say is the Klesha is without knowledge. Then the second Klesha is ego or asmita.

And that really colours them all, really, even going back to ignorance. I know everything I don't need to learn. So, it can keep you from moving into knowing more of yourself. Yeah. Not having a beginner's mind for one thing. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. And then it just keeps you from self-reflecting to move into like, what are my attachments?

You know, what am I really attached to? And people get, there are good attachments. Like you want [00:11:00] your daughter to have good attachments to people and to community. But what Patanjali is talking about with the Kleshas is the attachments that I just can't live without. Oh my God. I much prefer that. Oh, I can't do that.

You know? So then, because Raga and Dvesha actually go together, attachment and aversion Yeah. Should be the way they are. It should be this way. Right. And we spend so much, right. We spend so much time just ruminating through our opinions. Oh, I don't like that. I don't like that. Without ever saying, well, why?

And I was gonna avoid that because I don't like it. And most of it is I'm gonna avoid it because what if it changes my life? You know, so much fear comes about change. Yeah, change. And that's a Abhinivesha too, not it's the ultimate change is our transformation with our own mortality. That's why people don't talk about it.

They're afraid of it, but [00:12:00] it's change in general that causes fear. The interesting thing is, is when we look at nature, it's changing constantly. There is nothing in our world that doesn't change, but we hold on. And if we keep our attachments to things and our versions and we keep pushing it back, we think that we're gonna be able to keep it just like this.

And you know what, if you did, you'd be bored. Oh yeah. Be boring. Yeah, it's just this cycle. I think I want security by not ever having anything to change, you know? But then we become bored. We're not very content, and we just use so much of our mental energy saying, I like this and I don't like this. And most of the time it's so unimportant.

Yeah, I can go on about the Kleshas, but that's the general way that I interpret them and, but I wanted you to [00:13:00] talk about that. I felt the Kleshas last year a lot after the fire. There was a lot of, I could feel the thought patterns of why me, why not so and so they haven't suffered a fire. This is my second.

Why me? Why me? And it was not helping. I knew it was happening. That was kind of my yoga practice last year. Mm-hmm. And then surrendering to the divine ish saying things happen for a reason. There was a reason this happened and when someone, as I've said in another episode, has those sorts, it's not that they're not grateful that they didn't lose everything, blah, blah.

The fire for me was interesting with, uh, attachment. I thought, I thought I'd be more attached to physical items that we lost, that we couldn't replace. But it was more, I had an attachment of my former self of how I used to be, and [00:14:00] that I changed and I did. I felt like my 11-year-old traumatized child after the first traumatic incident, I didn't know who I was.

You know? And I, I think we have an attachment to that. As you said. We resist change. And I had an attachment to the way things should be. I wanted it to be pleasurable in the galacia and it was, you know, accepting that I wasn't the same person and that I was gonna have to take some time out to practice self-care and to find myself again.

Yeah. You know, I didn't think it would affect me so much. My father was like, well, of course it's gonna affect you. This is the second fire. You've already got ptsd, TSD, and you've got a ADHD. Of course it's gonna affect you, but Liz, now [00:15:00] you, it helped you to start this podcast, which is helping people.

Exactly. You gave me more authenticity as we were talking about. Right. The reason I wanted to be on here was listening to your podcast. You are giving such great content and the fact that you are, that you shared very personal, that you're like, well, why couldn't it have been somebody else? I've already been through this once.

That is so natural. Oh yeah. For us to as humans. Yeah. But you observed it and you're like, this isn't helping me. If anything, it's shutting me down. That was your yoga coming up. Exactly. Yoga. It seeps into your life in the most unexpected ways like that. It changes the way we think. Sally Kempton used to say about meditation, but I can say it about yoga.

It's like it doesn't solve your problems. It changes the way you think about them. That's true. We can't avoid [00:16:00] problems. Oh, we can't avoid obstacles. They're gonna come. It's how we handle them. And that's why you and I are here teaching people and talking about yoga and why we're so fired up about it, because it's a change.

Uh, it makes us more resilient. It makes us more in internally more powerful because we take control over the mind. I'm not saying we can't live with, we can't live without the ego or the mind, but if it is in control all the time. It's like having a 12-year-old in control of your household or your country or whatever.

Because it's just like, because the mind is just doing that. Right. Willing like a, yeah. So, the yoga helps us to be able to center and to pull it back. And I mean, you're a great example of that because, and the other thing that I think is important for listeners is we are [00:17:00] always evolving. We are always a continual work of art.

So, like, you know when something happens, like you hit it for the second time and you're like, why can't I, you know, if, do you get off over the like, well, why me a second time? But you're like, why am I not more resilient to this? You know, first of all, you're human and if you really look at how you're handling it at different times, it probably was different.

That's what yoga helps us with. Yeah. Yoga helps us realize we're human like, uh, as Judith Lasater says, how human of you? Yes. But yeah, for me it was as also a sign that I needed to focus more on self-inquiry. And an interesting story for you and the listeners was my, the yogi, who I'm studying yoga therapy with as Celia Roberts did some self-inquiry with me and she said, you burnt down the house.

Oh, no, no, no. She started with you started the fire and I said, no, [00:18:00] the massage chair started the fire. She said, your house burnt down. I said, well, not all of it burnt down, but it's gonna get demolished. It can't be fixed. She said, you burnt down with the fire? And I said, no, I'm still here physically, you know, she said, half of you burnt down with the fire.

And I said, yes, that's it. And she said that fire. Is a theme of your life and it's here to teach you something and to help you learn to burn away what's no longer serving you. And I thought, oh, that's making more sense. And then you, because you are literally dealing with the element of Agni in that way.

Oh yeah. You can actually help other people to see, even if they're not, their house isn't literally burning. You can see like when you're talking to people or when [00:19:00] you start to, to do your yoga therapy in yours, it's like you'll be able to use that analogy. You'll be like, look, right now you're burning down pieces of your house that are outdated and you can't use anymore.

Those are the kind of insights that come to us when we take the time to get quiet. And we do self-inquiry. Yes. And we're all in that process. I'm years ahead of you in uh, numbers, but that doesn't mean anything. 'cause I'm always facing new things. Just like in the book, the characters, everybody's like, oh my God, he's, you know what happens is this introvert gets thrown out into the public eye.

He's a yoga teacher and he's an introvert, and then suddenly, because of, and I don't want to spoil anything, but because of what happens in chapter five, he becomes internationally known, although he doesn't want to. Everybody's like, oh my God, this guy's got the answers. Everybody's bowing at his feet. And he's like, oh.

He's like, I'm [00:20:00] screwed up. I've got regret. I've got, I got with things to work on. Uh uh, uh uh, because he's been doing the work, he knows that he's not perfect. And although people wanna put him up on a pedestal, and there is one section where it kind of looks like he's gonna go in that direction, and I won't say anymore 'cause I don't wanna spoil it for anybody.

Talking about that. Sadly, it does happen in the yoga world where people become, uh, have so many devotees, and I'm not gonna mention names here. Yeah. I know that they do think they know it all and that in this ends up destroying them. They change as a person. So it's sad. They burnt. They burnt down their house.

Yeah, exactly. And it's 'cause those same yogis, if you read anything by them years later, a lot of them have come back to humility, have come back to the real practices and they're like, [00:21:00] that really changed my life. So there's them burning down their house. Yeah. And then some of them unfortunately didn't recover, but it's, yeah.

It's still part of their journey. Yeah. That's still their journey. That's true. 'cause they're still suffering as far as I see it. My opinion, they can't acknowledge it, so. Exactly. That's ignorance. Yeah. Yeah. And yoga's about reducing suffering really. So, yeah. Yeah. So, with your continued studies mm-hmm. On all of the yoga philosophy.

And some people say Vidant isn't yoga, but to me they're long together. Yeah. Is other than teachers, are there any books over the years that you've read that have helped you, you know, understand the philosophy, interpret it? I mean, I've got several. I've got books [00:22:00] galore. I've got a, yeah, just everywhere.

Sally Kempton's books have really helped me because that's a form of yoga that I'm really attached to, or Yeah. I will say attached because it, it helps to, right. It helps to answer a lot of questions for me. So Awakening Shakti and also her, oh yeah. That rings a bell. Yeah. And she, her first book was called Meditation for the Love of it.

That's a really good one because it gives a lot of practical how to stuff from this woman who is very advanced, in my opinion. Those two books have really helped me a lot as far as yoga goes. I read a lot of different interpretations of the sutures and uh, because I like to get different takes on it.

Yeah, me too. And kind of see where that comes. Like I have a Yoga Sutra notebook where I just, I write down a lot of the ideas that people do because sometimes it's just like one little idea that'll just spark [00:23:00] something different in me about that. Yeah, I would say those are like the biggies for me. Oh, waking Shakti.

That does ring a bell. I haven't heard of the other one, but I will look her up. I've been getting into learning more about the sutures. Yeah. With some new books here. As part of my self-inquiry and helping others in my studies. So, I do find that if I were just to sit there and read a, like the Sanskrit with the English translation, it's not enough.

You need an interpretation, and that's why originally yoga was handed down one to one. Explain. Great. Yeah. An oral tradition. Exactly. Yeah, so that makes sense. Is there a favourite Sutra you have or a favorite quote from some other grip you'd like to share? Well, I think if I were gonna say that. [00:24:00]I have a sutra.

It's 1.33 Okay. First of all, going back to the book, it's all about Sutra 1.13, which is about consistency in practice because that's what this character's teachers keep telling him. And the number one 13 keeps surrounding him. But Sutra 1 33, and you might remember, is the one where it talks about cultivating certain attitudes.

Like it says, attitudes of friendliness. Friendliness towards the happy compassion towards the unhappy yes delight to the virtuous and disregard or indifference to evil or ignorant. That one is something that I can pull up so quickly that I think that's why I, I really resonate with it because in those four scenarios.

Is envy coming up because somebody's doing something better than I am. Oh wow. Their book's doing better. Their classes are bigger, they're, you know, and it's [00:25:00] envy. Can we be happy for 'em? Yeah. You know, so what I'm saying is I think that's Sutra and there's so many great sutra. I know it's hard of me to ask you what for one, because, oh, but I love it.

I love it because it was, I was like, that is the one I probably bring to mind more quickly. And then in this day and age where things are just so whacked out to basically disregard or whatever word the translator uses about some will say evil or non-virtuous or whatever, it's just like, for me, that's about just trying to separate as much as possible from that energy so it doesn't tear me down.

And there's a lot of that right now. You know, most of us are having issues with things coming up and how can. This be happening, and where's the hope, where's the love and all that. So that would probably be my sutra. Justine said, one of my other guests said that one too. And it's kind. Oh, [00:26:00] really? Draining.

Yeah. I do love the sutras. It's helped explain my mind. Yeah. And it's the scripture I'm the most familiar with because there's just so much out there really with all it's yoga philosophy. So, and you know what? You just have to listen to your heart when it comes to what to read. See, I feel like this awakening the mystic and what I'm doing now in my retreats is called awakening your Inner Mystic, and that's through practices of meditation and, and asana and all that is waking yourself up so that when a person enters your life or a book enters your life.

You kind of just sit back with it, feel it in your spiritual heart and go, yeah, is this for me, or No, it's not. And you trust it. So, you're really working in tandem with your divine spark, your [00:27:00] intuition. I mean, better partner. Yeah, that's true. You know? Yeah. So, when you get overwhelmed, you just like, okay, I need a minute.

I gotta step back from this. What's going on? And you can observe and you're more aware of what's happening. So those subconscious thoughts become conscious. You can recognize those Sams scars that are not serving you. Yeah. Things like that. Yeah. And maybe set 'em down. Pardon? And it said maybe set 'em down.

Set, set 'em down. Yeah. But more Or at least a little bit. Yeah. Yeah. Well, some of them. The one thing, you know, we were talking about neuroscience. The one thing I love about it is it talks about these practices in calling ourself on changing our Yes. The way we think starts to change the neuro passageway that we have because it's the neuroplasticity of the brain.

Exactly. Some of 'em are very deep, but the more we [00:28:00] look at them, we reflect on 'em and we change our pattern, they become less dominant. Once I start reading stuff like that, I was like, that is actually what I feel like has happened inside me. The consistency is paid off. I like to encourage that too.

Consistency is important. It's even in the sutures to be consistent. Dr. Timothy McCall over in the US Yoga As Medicine author and he is also wrote a book on his cancer diagnosis. He really. Emphasised consistency being important part of your yoga practice Daily, even better, twice daily. I have not read him, but I will because it sounds very interesting.

But part of that is consistency helps you to change, but consistency also helps you to build your sense of integrity with yourself. I said I was gonna do this, I'm going to do, it's [00:29:00] Oh, you mean it makes you, uh, what's the word? Your integrity in that discipline of you trust yourself that exactly you're gonna do it because you built, because you said you were yourself.

If you've made a commitment to yourself and you break it, it's just like any relationship. Oh, it, it sever, it severs a, a sense of trust, right? Yes. You stop trusting yourself. You're like, oh, no, I won't do it. I have right. Right. Oh, I can't do that. I can't. And so, we give everything back over to that internal task master, like the one that your other teacher was talking about.

Mm-hmm. But when we stick with the consistency, it's multifaceted. It helps to change us, but it also builds self-integrity to ourself. It's like, yes, I said I was gonna do this. Even if I have to say to my friends, I've gotta do my practice. So you're going out to dinner at six o'clock and I haven't done my [00:30:00] practice.

I'll be there at seven. I mean, that's just a a minute example, but it's keeping the integrity with yourself and that self-love and compassion is what builds us up to be what I call the inner mystic. Yes, it's a very good point about the integrity, but, and as we were saying before, it also. Is the most advantageous towards the neuroplasticity of the brain?

Yeah. Going to two yoga classes a week, it's not usually as effective as if you, even if you did 10 -15 minutes of a yoga practice, each day can be more effective, especially if it's meeting you where you are. That yoga practice. Yeah. Before I ask you about what you're offering other than your book and where you can buy it, if you had a few tips for someone who was [00:31:00] like you were when you were younger, suffering from burnout or anxiety, how they would start yoga or start a meditation practice, start something today, something simple, what advice would you, yeah, well.

The first line of my book is I want to find inner peace, and that's literally one of the first things I wrote in my journal as a child. Yeah, and that starts that off. I think if someone is seeking it, first of all, if they know they're nerved out or they're going through some really rough times and they're really looking for something like that, it's a little different right now because of.

Internet and social media. No, I know. Social media. I know, but what I'm, but what I mean is, but finding sources could be easier. Like I had to search for a yoga class. Now eventually. [00:32:00] I don't like using apps for meditation because is the sutures talk about it is really being with yourself in silence. Now, with that said.

There are things that can help you get there. Like you said, if this was a person that realized that they were burnt out and what could they do? Well, sitting silently might not really work for 'em. Not maybe ready for that. Yeah. But something like an inside timer or a full body scan where it just helps you to relax.

My advice is find something, experiment with it. Keep it easy. Find something that makes a difference. Breathing is the thing. Learning how to breathe deep and let it go and breathe deep can change your whole, uh, anxiety level. Using the diaphragm and not the secondary respiratory muscles. Yeah, [00:33:00] exactly. So, if they can just find, you know, I, I'm keeping it really simple.

If you're talking to somebody. In their twenties or something. I'm like, find a yoga class that you can do. But if we're talking about an adolescent, help them find like a full like yoga Nidra without any expectations or just ways that they can actually learn, like you said, to do the whole diaphragm breathing.

So that they like me. I told you early on when I went to that first class, my mind was, but when I laid down and I was doing some breathing after all that movement in Shavasana, that first class, I was like, there's something with this. So, my advice is find something that wakes you up like that. Like this is possible because when we are nervous, when we're neurotic, when we're dealing with the.

Something like PTSD or trauma or whatever, ADHD, everything is, yeah. ADHD. [00:34:00]Everything is, uh, about maintaining, being able to maintain. We're holding on so tight that it takes a great amount of trust to take a deep breath. So, you have to find out where you can do that and feel safe and with who. So, I guess I take it down to find some place to help you breathe deeper.

That can be a really great place to start. And would you say journaling since that first line of your book was what you wrote? Oh, I think if somebody is, yes. I think putting words to a page are freeing. Yeah. Big time. I do. Yeah, I've journaled since I was a kid, and I think that that was part of my journey too, is just journaling to try to get it out of me.

Yeah, me too. And I never thought I'd write a book. I just wanna put [00:35:00] that out there. This whole book thing is a whole new thing that came about through an inspiration. Go ahead. Sorry. Quick question about that book, because you'd never written a book. Did you get someone to help edit it or give you advice on writing?

I have written, I've just not written a book. I've blogged, I've written, I have a master's degree in European history. I've written thesis and Oh, that's right. I do know how to write. It's just, I'd never written a book before. But if you, if somebody is writing a book, you want somebody to edit it because they'll catch stuff that you don't.

Oh yeah. So, I did have an editor that I worked with, the publisher. She was incredible. Oh, that's great. And how long ago was it published? February. So, this year. Okay. Yeah. And where's the best place for people to purchase it for Australia? Probably the only place that you'll be able to [00:36:00] get it is Amazon.

Yeah, Amazon. Easy like that. Yeah. So, they'll have it there. I love going through local bookstores, but I'm not sure that the distribution will. We'll go to Australia. So, I asked the publisher before I was on here and they said the easiest way for people to get it outside of the US is through Amazon, because Amazon has Amazon Australia.

You know, all of that. So at least you can get it to other parts of the world because Exactly. Oh, and let me just say too, I did the audio, I read the book. Myself. So the audio, oh, there's an audio version. That's right. 'cause I listened to a couple of chapters, but there's a whole Kindle or something. Is it a what audio?

Kindle. Yeah. Kindle E-book. Uh, it's in every way you can get it. But the audiobook is gotten a lot of good reviews because I think because I wrote it. And I gave it a little oomph. [00:37:00] So if people listen more than they read, I think they would like that too. And I would love any feedback that people have. Oh, I'm sure you would welcome it.

Yeah. No, that, oh, big time. Yeah. That's great. And what else are you doing these days? You've got retreats and things. Yes. Leaving for retreats this week I'm gonna do a whole month in Key West Florida. We rent a house down there and then we're doing, this year it's called, uh, awakening Your Inner Mystic. So people will come down and study with us.

We'll do yoga and meditation practices, but we also then study in the afternoons some philosophy because these are also continuing education retreats for yoga teachers. You don't have to be a yoga teacher to go on. We keep it pretty fundamental as far as what we teach, but they are available for continuing ed for those that are registered.

And then I do a lot of astrology. So, I know you'll probably put up my website, but [00:38:00] people can there. Oh, absolutely, absolutely. And if somebody's interested in a chart, we can do that no matter where you are in the world. Especially with things like Zoom. That's the good thing about the modern world. Yeah, it is.

That's true. Because in the book I was telling you that the astrological chart becomes his council, and each of us through our chart has what I call a chairperson. So once people read the book, they're like, I wanna know who my chairperson is. So, I've gotten a lot of people having their charts done. I do psychological, spiritual astrology.

I'm not necessarily telling you about the future. I'm kind of telling you about your soul's evolution and where it is right now and how can that help a person knowing this? 'cause I know nothing about this like chart. Yeah, well, yoga and astrology are sister arts. They really are. Because it, it all goes with know yourself.

Yes, that's true. So, and it's [00:39:00] ancient. It's also ancient, you know, Vedic astrology also comes from India, so the. The planetary energies. I think it's like yoga I was telling you about back when I was started back in the eighties. All these misconceptions with astrology. There's just a lot of really miscon, a lot of misconceptions out there about what it is and what it isn't.

Everybody's chart is individual. Mm. I mean, just because you might be a Gemini doesn't mean that the rest of you know you're gonna be like all the rest of the Geminis. It's like, oh yeah, because see, that's what got me, like Virgo. I don't fit all of the Yeah. Characteristics, but then it's like with Ayurveda and your Prty Yeah.

You're not pure pick, you're combinations and then you get imbalances. Yeah. That's a great example. It, it is very much like that. It's like, you know, you maybe your Pitta, but Kapha Vata. Okay, so you're a Virgo, but what if you're Leo Rising, that's gonna give [00:40:00] you more of the extrovert energy that you wouldn't read about for a Virgo.

So that's just an example. Yeah. So, oh, that makes sense. Have a, yeah. And then we all have an energy in our chart that really is kind of leading. So I, in the book, I refer to it as the chairperson, so yeah. And that's all on my website. People can read more about it or they can contact me if they have questions too.

Can you just say the website as well? Yeah. Now what? What's the website again? Yeah, www dot Rob and Steve, who is my partner, and we work on all of this together. So R-O-B-A-N d.co, CO. If they Google my name, which you can see over here on the book, Rob Dorgan. My website's gonna be either my website or the website for the book is gonna come.

Oh, the website for the book? Yeah. And it's called Awakening [00:41:00] the mystic.net. Oh, okay. So, there's a website for that. And, and you're on social media too, for people to connect with? Yeah. Instagram, TikTok, Facebook. Oh, TikTok. Oh, well, I feel. Yeah, a publisher kind of forced that on me, but yeah. Yeah. Anyway, what one thing, Liz, if people were like, wow, I might really want to check this book out, if they go to the website, well, first of all, there's a great, there are great reviews on Amazon that would help them probably make a decision and a description.

But on my website, one of the cool things that we did pre pub were 11 little videos. Yes, that's right. They're very interesting under press and they give like little snippets from different chapters that we've brought to life and people loved those. Oh yeah. I thought there were audio. Oh, maybe I just, I listen to something, but I didn't realize it.

Yeah. On the website there is [00:42:00] audio where you can hit Oh, but under press there are videos, so check those out too. Oh, and so, and your publisher suggested that? Yeah. Oh, that's good for anyone else listening who's, uh, thinking of writing a book. Yeah. I think it's becoming more of a thing, so, yeah. Yeah. So, you were fun to put together and they really give you a taste for the book.

Oh, yeah. That's great. And you're still doing teacher trainings? I am doing continuing ed mostly. I've kind of had to take a little bit of a break from being, I do teacher trainings. As a like adjunct, like there's studios here, I'm in Cincinnati, Ohio that bring me in to do like philosophy. So, I go in during a teacher training for a weekend or two and I teach Oh yeah.

Before I was doing the whole thing. Okay. And actually, I'll tell you, I actually prefer this. I get to teach exactly what I want. Yeah, [00:43:00] fair enough. I'll put all your links in the show notes so people can connect with you and check. Love it that out and thank you so much for joining. Thank you podcast. Rob, it's been lovely to have this chat.

It's been a really interesting chat. It's been very interesting for me too to, you know, to talk to a host that knows yoga because I've been on a couple, well, I've been on a couple where they're interested, but they don't have a yoga background. Oh, right. Oh yeah, that's true. Yeah. So you and I got to get into the heart of it.

That's why I was so excited about today. This was great. Oh, you're so sweet, Rob. That's lovely. Yeah, that's really nice. Well, thank you for this opportunity and I, I hope your listeners are enjoying your podcast as much as I'm Oh, thank you. I hope they are too and I'm open to feedback and requests on guests and uh, it's really nice to have guests come on my podcast.

It would be so boring with [00:44:00] just me on their, on solo episodes, so I'm really grateful to my guests for coming on and spending time chatting. Yeah, yeah, it's great. Thank you for this. Thank you for joining me on podcast. I hope today's episode has left you feeling inspired and informed and empowered to take meaningful steps towards your wellbeing.

If there's a topic you'd like me to cover, or if you'd like to share your story, I'd love to hear from you. Just fill in the form on the podcast page of my website. Your voice is an important part of this journey. I want this podcast to reflect the conversations that matter most to my listeners. If today's episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who might benefit from these conversations.

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Liz Albanis

Host
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Rob Dorgan

Guest