The Downward Facing Spiritual Spiral

A Phone Call Sure Beats a Text

Text messages are destroying mental health in our culture. I'm not trying to be hyperbolic but I think as a culture, we must do better than text messages. Today on the Spiritual Spiral, I wanted to talk about all the lazy text messages we send and why I believe they could be one of the reasons for the cratering of mental health in our society. I know it may take up more time to make an actual phone call, but what if our culture's skyrocketing depression is directly correlated to the influx of texts and DMs? Think about how much better you feel after you hear someone's voice or after a face to face conversation. We can all do better so the next time, instead of sending a text, pick up your phone and make a phone call. I also end the show by playing a powerful clip from a recent Bill Simmons podcast where his daughter is talking about the mental shackles created from social media. As always, thanks so much for listening to the show, and remember, my new book SSAFY can be purchased by visiting SSAFYoga.com or on Amazon by clicking HERE and if you enjoy today's episode and you want to support the show, please subscribe to the podcast on iTUNES or Spotify. It's always helpful if you share the show with your friends or head over to iTunes and write a quick review. You can also purchase my new record at eddieconn.bandcamp.com or visit my website www.iameddiecohn.com and sign up for my email list and newsletter. As always, thanks so much for listening and supporting the show. I'd love to hear from you so please reach out on IG @eddiecohn with any questions. Thanks for listening. 
 

A Reminder About Creativity

It's easy to forget how challenging the creative process can be. Whether it's the frenetic pace in which information moves, the expectations from society or the expectations we place on ourselves, we can often be unkind to our own creative process. On today's episode of the Spiritual Spiral, a quick reminder that we all have our own unique creative process. Sure, the world may make us feel like creativity should happen effortlessly or overnight but I'm here to remind you that your process may look different from everyone else's. I share a quick story about inspiration, I play a quick clip from a recent Marc Maron podcast where he talks about creativity and I also read an excerpt from Rick Rubin's fantastic new book entitled, The Creative Act. As always, thanks so much for listening to the show, and remember, my new book SSAFY can be purchased by visiting SSAFYoga.com or on Amazon by clicking HERE and if you enjoy today's episode and you want to support the show, please subscribe to the podcast on iTUNES or Spotify. It's always helpful if you share the show with your friends or head over to iTunes and write a quick review. You can also purchase my new record at eddieconn.bandcamp.com or visit my website www.iameddiecohn.com and sign up for my email list and newsletter. As always, thanks so much for listening and supporting the show. I'd love to hear from you so please reach out on IG @eddiecohn with any questions. Thanks for listening. 
 

Tundé Terrific VS. Dr. Downer

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year everyone and as we reach the end of another year, I felt inspired to record one final episode for 2022. On today's episode, I talk about some of the personal health issues I've dealt with over the last year and why I believe it's paramount to have a physician who has a positive outlook on your health. See, the other day I was riding on my Peloton and taking a class with Tundé who happens to be my FAVORITE teacher. She's fun, magnetic, inspiring and such a positive source of energy. On the other hand, most of the doctors I've seen over the last two years have this sort of Debbie Downer attitude. And if I offer up an alternative approach to treat particular maladies, they make me feel like they won't work, merely preventing the inevitable which is prescription medication or invasive surgery. As a culture, how much is a negative outlook towards health impacting not only our mental health but even our physical health? Let's say physicians had a more open and positive outlook like Tundé? Is it possible the world be a healthier place just by simply changing our attitude? I share a few anecdotes from the last year that I hope offer you some renewed perspective on the health industry in America. I'm certainly not a doctor, nor in a position to offer professional medical advice, but I do believe it's vital to be surrounded by doctors who are not only upbeat, but also open towards alternate health modalities. Thanks so much for listening to the show, and remember, I'm also very excited to say my new book SSAFY can be purchased by visiting SSAFYoga.com or on Amazon by clicking HERE and if you enjoy today's episode and you want to support the show, please subscribe to the podcast on iTUNES or Spotify. It's always helpful if you share the show with your friends or head over to iTunes and write a quick review. You can also support the show by becoming a subscriber at www.patreon.com/eddiecohn and on the music side, you can also purchase my new record at eddieconn.bandcamp.com or visit my website www.iameddiecohn.com and sign up for my email list and newsletter. As always, thanks so much for listening and supporting the show. Please reach out on IG @eddiecohn with any questions. Thanks for listening. 

Is Anyone Going to Apologize?

Oh Kyrie. Sure your tweet was offensive, but if you would have simply apologized, you wouldn't be on probation and the world probably would have moved on and forgotten all about your silly tweet. But in a world of megalomaniacs who refuse to apologize, the drama ensues. Today on the Spiritual Spiral, I examine the Kyrie Irving story from this past week and how his behavior is emblematic of some of the major issues in our culture. Huge egos, people, especially celebrities, think every word they utter is worth spouting out on social media. And people's inability to say "I'm Sorry." Why is it so dang hard for so many people to simply apologize? I also play a clip from a recent Bill Maher and Bill Simmons podcast and I read an excerpt from a wonderful article by Jesse Washington from Andscape entitled, Kyrie Irving needs to answer for promoting antisemitism. Thanks so much for listening to the show, and remember, I'm also very excited to say my new book SSAFY can be purchased by visiting SSAFYoga.com or on Amazon by clicking HERE and if you enjoy today's episode and you want to support the show, please subscribe to the podcast on iTUNES or Spotify. It's always helpful if you share the show with your friends or head over to iTunes and write a quick review. You can also support the show by becoming a subscriber at www.patreon.com/eddiecohn and on the music side, you can also purchase my new record at eddieconn.bandcamp.com or visit my website www.iameddiecohn.com and sign up for my email list and newsletter. As always, thanks so much for listening and supporting the show. Please reach out on IG @eddiecohn with any questions. Thanks for listening. 

Do ”They” Want You to Get Sick and Pop a Pill?

Being sick is scary AF and sometimes, the easiest thing for us to do is call the doctor, pop a pill and cross our fingers that we feel better. But does the healthcare system in America truly want us to feel well if they simply keep prescribing us toxic medications? Sure, there's been a lot of chatter lately about all the measures that turned out to be wrong in terms of the pandemic. But instead of focusing on the last few years, I want to share some stories that have happened to me over the last few months. From a wisdom tooth removal, a potential surgery and a blood test scare, I was reminded of the broken healthcare system. So often, the American healthcare system isn't looking for the cause of a malady, but merely puts a band-aid on the problem. They order MRI's and perform surgeries, prescribe drugs for a "quick fix" except most of these drugs come with potentially serious side effects. And the moment a patient suggests an alternative or holistic treatment, western doctors will often just roll their eyes. It's a cycle that I first noticed as a child and going through this process again, I wonder if the US healthcare system and big pharma want us all to get sick. I know, a pretty dystopian view of the world but I really think it's time to question if healthcare in America is simply here to make a profit and put a band-aid on our health problems. I play a clip from a powerful Bari Weiss podcast entitled, Eating Ourselves To Death where she speaks with Dr. Casey Means about the obesity epidemic in America. I also a play a clip from the Bill Maher podcast where he speaks with Ross Douthat, author of the wonderful book, The Deep Places where he writes about his experience contracting Lyme Disease. I hope today's episode inspires you to think more deeply about how you approach health. Thanks so much for listening to the show, and remember, I'm also very excited to say my new book SSAFY can be purchased by visiting SSAFYoga.com or on Amazon by clicking HERE and if you enjoy today's episode and you want to support the show, please subscribe to the podcast on iTUNES or Spotify. It's always helpful if you share the show with your friends or head over to iTunes and write a quick review. You can also support the show by becoming a subscriber at www.patreon.com/eddiecohn and on the music side, you can also purchase my new record at eddieconn.bandcamp.com or visit my website www.iameddiecohn.com and sign up for my email list and newsletter. As always, thanks so much for listening and supporting the show. Please reach out on IG @eddiecohn with any questions. Thanks for listening. 

David Bensimon

This week on the Spiritual Spiral, I am SUPER excited to welcome my friend, astrologer and author, David Bensimon to the show. I met David close to ten years ago at the infamous Yoga Works on Main Street. Since that time, David has gone on to become an astrologer as well as an author writing the children's book, The Little Crab Finds a Friend. If you're curious about astrology and the meaning behind a "natal chart", then I think you're going to LOVE today's chat with David. We talk about a myriad of important issues and we begin by reminiscing about the yoga world from 2020. We discuss tech, social media, creativity and since David has recently started reading my book, he shares some perspective about social media and the yoga world. David and I then dive in and discuss astrology, looking at one's "natal chart" and how astrology impacts his own life. David shares stories about how he works with clients who want to get a better understanding of their own natal chart and he explains what inspired him to become an astrologer. And we end the show by talking about his new children's book The Little Crab Finds A Friend, the inspiration behind the story and when we can expect the next book in the series. You can find David on IG @littlecrabastrology and you can also purchase his amazing book on AMAZON by clicking HERE. As always, thanks so much for listening and remember, I'm also very excited to say my new book SSAFY can be purchased by visiting SSAFYoga.com or on Amazon by clicking HERE and if you enjoy today's episode and you want to support the show, please subscribe to the podcast on iTUNES or Spotify. It's always helpful if you share the show with your friends or head over to iTunes and write a quick review. You can also support the show by becoming a subscriber at www.patreon.com/eddiecohn and on the music side, you can also purchase my new record at eddieconn.bandcamp.com or visit my website www.iameddiecohn.com and sign up for my email list and newsletter. As always, thanks so much for listening and supporting the show. Please reach out on IG @eddiecohn with any questions. Thanks for listening. 

Emily Goodson (Visit #2)

Well you're in for an amazing chat as today on the Spiritual Spiral, I'm thrilled to welcome back to the show for her second visit, entrepreneur, public speaker and writer Emily Goodson. With so much going on in the world surrounding health, wellness and alternative medicine, I felt it was an appropriate time to have Emily back on the show to discuss some of these complex topics. Emily is the CEO of CultureSmart, a consultancy that helps startups build a more positive and inclusive workplace culture. Emily has also published numerous articles in Medium and she recently had an essay published in the LA Times entitled, I'm A Disabled Woman. Is that a Dating Deal Breaker? Emily and I begin by talking about the paradoxical nature of technology and what our culture's overwhelming reliance on tech may be doing to some of the more intrinsic qualities in our lives. We discuss finding balance with our technology usage, we chat about healthcare and finding alternative modalities outside of the mainstream therapies promulgated by western medicine. Emily shares more intimate details about her childhood brain injury and what she's doing outside of western medicine to restore balance and better health in her life. We also again discuss the complex yin and yang found from living in a such a beautiful yet chaotic and unpredictable world. You can find Emily on her website at ecgoodson.com and be sure to check out Emily's fantastic article in the LA Times by clicking HERE and you can follow and read her articles on Medium by clicking HERE.  Emily can be also found on IG @ecgoodson. As always, thanks so much for listening and remember, I'm also very excited to say my new book SSAFY can be purchased by visiting SSAFYoga.com or on Amazon by clicking HERE and if you enjoy today's episode and you want to support the show, please subscribe to the podcast on iTUNES or Spotify. It's always helpful if you share the show with your friends or head over to iTunes and write a quick review. You can also support the show by becoming a subscriber at www.patreon.com/eddiecohn and on the music side, you can also purchase my new record at eddieconn.bandcamp.com or visit my website www.iameddiecohn.com and sign up for my email list and newsletter. As always, thanks so much for listening and supporting the show. Please reach out on IG @eddiecohn with any questions. Thanks for listening. 

Polly, The Cos, Hacks & Some Fatal Attraction

After a little hiatus, I'm excited to be back for this week's episode of the Spiritual Spiral as I welcome back actress, writer and my friend, Polly Humphreys, to the show. First off, you have a little bit of homework after you listen to today's episode. You must check out the powerful new documentary on Showtime called We Need to Talk About Cosby, which inspires the beginning of my chat with Polly. We try and make sense of the complex duality of human beings and how a person can make us laugh and seem sincere but inexplicably also be toxic and despicable. Your next piece of homework is to watch the hysterical show Hacks on HBO which is the next topic Polly and I discuss and we end the show by unraveling the apparent frivolous and flippant nature of drug use on television. Oh, I also begin the show talking about the magnificent movie, Fatal Attraction, and why we will NEVER see a thriller that good again. That's your last assignment - WATCH or RE-Watch Fatal Attraction. As always, thanks so much for listening and supporting the show and remember, I'm also very excited to say my new book SSAFY can be purchased by visiting SSAFYoga.com or you can buy it on Amazon by clicking HERE and if you enjoy today's episode and you want to support the show, please subscribe to the podcast on iTUNES or Spotify. It's always helpful if you share the show with your friends or head over to iTunes and write a quick review. You can also support the show by becoming a subscriber at www.patreon.com/eddiecohn and on the music side, you can also purchase my music at eddieconn.bandcamp.com or visit my website www.iameddiecohn.com and sign up for my email list and newsletter. As always, thanks so much for listening and supporting the show. Please reach out on IG @eddiecohn with any questions.