6. Relaxing into (True) Freedom w/ GuruViking aka Steve James

Published: Jan. 30, 2019, 5:04 p.m.


\nWhat is the actual point (and benefit) of meditation?
\nAre intimate relationships always going to feel burdensome?
\nHow can we men ever experience true freedom amidst life\u2019s endless challenges?
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\nSteve James is a wise man. I\u2019ve known Steve personally for a few years. He\u2019s been my teacher, my coach, and as a man I just really like being around, I\u2019m going to claim him as my friend, too.
\nI\u2019ve led an extraordinary life, and I\u2019m envious of Steve\u2019s extraordinary life!
\nGrowing up on the windswept Shetland Islands off the northern-most coast of Scotland, in his teens Steve was apprenticed to a Christian mystic from the Celtic tradition of Christianity, which launched him into years of deep, personal inquiry and practice around various forms of prayer, contemplation, meditation, textual study, and service.
\nMuch like mine, Steve\u2019s path of investigating the human experience is through his own direct experience. He\u2019s explored the limits of physical and psychological performance through his fascination with extreme outdoor survival expeditions, including arctic survival training in the boreal forests of northern Sweden, where daytime temperatures reach highs of only -24\xb0C.
\nWhen I learned that Steve had also toured internationally as a guitarist and musical director with multiple #1 best-selling pop artists out of the UK, well, I found the parallel to my own former life as an indie band manager both curious and delightful.
\nThere\u2019s so much to say about Steve\u2019s experience; I feel very much a kindred spirit with this man, whom one of his many fans described as \u201cthe human, fiery bearded re-incarnation of Yoda.\u201d \u2026 and he does totally have a Yoda with a British accent thing going on.\xa0Steve\u2019s work is full of the embrace of paradox, which I\u2019ve discovered is an essential practice on the quest to living a truly masterful life, for not just surviving but actually thriving in intimate relationship, and for simply feeling alive.
\nWe talk about the living practice of paradox \u2013 and more \u2013 in this episode of \u201cMen, This Way.\u201d
\nAlright … Let\u2019s dive \u2026
\nSHOW NOTES
\n8:04 ~ A significant early experience in Steve James\u2019 life
\n15:50 ~ How a near-death experience continues to inform Steve\u2019s life
\n20:15 ~ What men should know about intimate relationships
\n22:57 ~ Your purpose for having a relationships and how that will not always be met
\n26:08 ~ Examining our assumptions about relationships
\n27:26 ~ The importance of feeling our emotions and feelings in our body
\n36:13 ~ The profundity of meditation
\n46:22 ~ Pushing to \u201cthe edge\u201d
\n50:23 ~ One of Steve\u2019s \u201cedges\u201d
\n55:25 ~ \u201c5 KEY TAKEWAYS\u201d FINALE
\n56:08 ~ KEY INSIGHT: Find your own insight
\n57:14 ~ KEY MAN TO LEARN FROM: Bruce Lee, particularly his book \u201cTao of Jeet Kune Do\u201d
\n58:28 ~ KEY RESOURCE (most impactful, inspiring book, movie, podcast): Book: Michaela Boehm\u2019s \u201cThe Wild
\nWoman’s Way: Unlock Your Full Potential for Pleasure, Power, and Fulfillment\u201d
\n59:48 ~ KEY INVESTMENT (the best thing you spent money on, under $10,000): Tibetan language lessons
\n1:01:21 ~ KEY PRACTICE (7-day challenge to the men listening): 5 minutes of mindfulness
\nOTHER LINKS AND RESOURCES
\nwww.guruviking.com