EP 16 - Living One Breath at a Time with Susan Swan and Mark Whitwell - a podcast by Mark Whitwell

In this episode, Susan Swan and Mark Whitwell talk about Susan’s experience as a Yoga teacher, including suffering a stroke and continuing to teach while rehabilitating.

Susan speaks about recovering language through breath, swearing and the sound of OM, coming face to face with the reality that we live one breath at a time, and teaching yoga in hospital to help other patients recover.

Together, long-time friends Mark and Susan discuss the inevitable decline of the body, finding contentment despite it all, the pain of facing judgement and abandonment, and some possible positive outcomes from the impact of the pandemic on yoga teaching.

They also discuss what kept Susan going as a teacher during the most difficult times, and meetings with UG Krishnamurti. We hope you enjoy the bhav of this friendship.

 

Links

• More information on aphasia and on Susan's aphasia book club mentioned: https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/the-aphasia-book-club/
• Ram Dass on bodily decline - “It’s like taking off a tight shoe”
• Susan on gratitude — “It was a day. A day of my life. I’m fine. I was fine the whole time,” she says. “If you have something that life serves up, you have a choice to say, hey, there is a blessing in here. How is it going to serve me and not impede me?” https://www.latimes.com/health/la-xpm-2012-nov-17-la-he-gratitude-20121117-story.html
• https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/yoga-teacher-susan-swan-is-photographed-at-her-los-angeles-news-photo/564012471

 

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