Spiritual Grit

“Who we are being already changes the world.” -Leslieann Hobayan In this episode, I share my thoughts about the pain and suffering that’s happening all around the world, particularly the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. There are a lot of conversations arising on this topic, from what is behind the invasion of Ukraine to neighboring countries opening their borders to refugees. What I’ve noticed is that white folks have been easily welcomed as refugees while brown folks who were also feeling conflict and seeking refuge were being denied entry, often to the point of being beaten down off fences. In times like this, how can we help? I mean really help? And will our help–whatever that looks like– really make a difference? I recount the times when I joined demonstrations, marching for what I thought was right, including protesting against the invasion of Iraq after 9/11 and, more recently, the Women’s March in 2017. I talk about how sometimes our actions feel feeble, maybe even * seemingly * useless. Each of us feels the need to take action, to help shift violence into peace and understanding, and to create balance in the world. But often we wonder: are our actions enough? Is it enough to donate money? To write and call our representatives? To participate in protests? Can BE-ing who we are truly creating the change we need? Take a listen to discover possibilities to these questions.. * Follow me on Instagram for Maverick Mondays, Free Verse Fridays, and some real talk about healing, poetry, AND play: @leslieannhobayan or email me at leslieann@suryagian.com * Sign up for Joyful Meditation, a 5-part introductory series to meditation. Each recorded class is just a half-hour. Five classes to create self-awareness and inner peace-- for just $11.11! Today’s poems/ Books / Oracle mentioned: “The Bag Lady” by Hafiz “Vestige” by Michelle Penaloza

In case you missed this great episode with Aaron Banes... In this episode of Spiritual Grit, we have a special guest, Aaron Banes aka misterwitchboy! He is a gay Filipino-American actor, singer, writer and tarot reader born and raised on the Kingdom of Hawaii. Whether on a stage or in a tarot reading, he sees himself as a storyteller first and foremost. He believes stories help us remember ourselves. We jumped right into talking about astrology (hello, Mercury & Venus retrograde!) and how that relates to how we are experiencing the world right now in pandemic times. How do we hold ourselves during such uncertainty and volatile change? How can certain practices support us and keep us grounded? We also talked about his upbringing as Christian, how he struggled to be accepted by the people around him, people who believed that being gay was a sin, and about his path to where he is now – fully embracing and remembering who he is at his essence. Also? We dove into the wondrous support of tarot cards! Listen along to Aaron's story, how he explored deep inner questions, how he broke out towards his freedom, and how tarot supported his evolution. To find our more about Aaron and book a tarot reading(!), head over to misterwitchboy.com or find him on Instagram @misterwitchboy * Follow me on Instagram for Maverick Mondays, Free Verse Fridays, and some real talk about healing, poetry, AND play: @leslieannhobayan or email me at leslieann@suryagian.com * Today’s poems/ Books / Oracle mentioned: “Elephant Wondering” by Hafiz The Wisdom of Your Body (book) by Hillary McBride “Acts of Helplessness” by Rumi

In case you missed this great conversation... In today's episode, Leslieann talks about Free to Move, a movement workshop for people of color with Rahnee Haskins, and about how crucial it is for folks of color to be in community with each other. How powerful it is to be in a space where you feel like you belong, to be seen for who you are, to let your guard down. To be among your people. You don’t have to explain a thing. You don’t have to apologize for your accent or your thick thighs. You get to be you. That kind of magic is potent! Leslieann shares a few stories from the event to illustrate just how powerful we can be when we come together in community. Listen in to understand how important it is to create a safe space for people of color and to unravel all of the conditioning that has separated us from our inner knowing. * Follow me on Instagram for Maverick Mondays, Free Verse Fridays, and some real talk about healing, poetry, AND play: @leslieannhobayan or email me at leslieann@suryagian.com * Sign up for Joyful Meditation, a 5-part introductory series to meditation. Each recorded class is just a half hour. Five classes to create self-awareness and inner peace-- for just $11.11! Today’s poems/ Books mentioned: “Sometimes I Say To A Poem” by Hafiz “Nate Brown is Looking For A Moose” By Matthew Olzmann

“There is a time of transition, and it's important for us to honor that, to not rush things.” -Leslieann Hobayan In this episode, I recall the time I entered college, not knowing what to do with my life. I didn’t know who I was or who I wanted to be or what I wanted to do. The suppression of my true self had gone on so long that I had forgotten. So my path was chosen for me: pre-med student. There’s a running joke (which is not really a joke, but fact) that Asian immigrant parents always want their American-born children to be a doctor, lawyer, or engineer. Their perception was that there was guaranteed financial security in those occupations. And that would lead to success and happiness. In college, I rediscovered who I was and make the decision to shift my identity into something else: an English major. But what happens when an identity we’re so accustomed to is suddenly no more? Who are we then? What about that in-between space? That transition between the old identity and the new one? As we move towards the expression of our authentic selves and step into this uncertain in-between space, can we trust? The unknown can create a lot of fear. Can we step into this true version of ourselves and trust that we have our own backs as we move into something new and unfamiliar? Take a listen to know if we have the space to evolve and grow into whatever new thing coming our way. * Follow me on Instagram for Maverick Mondays, Free Verse Fridays, and some real talk about healing, poetry, AND play: @leslieannhobayan or email me at leslieann@suryagian.com * Sign up for Joyful Meditation, a 5-part introductory series to meditation. Each recorded class is just a half-hour. Five classes to create self-awareness and inner peace-- for just $11.11! Today’s poems/ Books / Oracle mentioned: Tarot card reading - Light Seers Tarot Deck by Kris Anne: 7 of Swords Tarot card reading - Light Seers Tarot Deck by Kris Anne: Queen of Wands

“Being human has unexpected turns, it has surprises and perfection does not exist” -Leslieann Hobayan In this episode, I shared how the adults around me told me how to act “appropriately” or behave properly. Little girls didn’t sit with their legs spread or play with boys in the dirt. Anytime I did something “wrong”, I was punished. As a result, my authentic self was suppressed. Growing up as a kid of Asian immigrants, my true self was beaten down into hiding. I obeyed everything they told me to do out of fear. But my authentic self couldn’t stay contained –and chances are, yours can’t either. I found ways to escape the boxes of prim-and-proper through journaling, writing poetry, and small, sometimes unnoticeable rebellious acts. And then my divine self couldn’t take it anymore and bust out of the prison created by ego! What’s my secret? Take a listen on how you too can shed the prison of other people’s expectations and step into who you already are. * Follow me on Instagram for Maverick Mondays, Free Verse Fridays, and some real talk about healing, poetry, AND play: @leslieannhobayan or email me at leslieann@suryagian.com * Sign up for Joyful Meditation, a 5-part introductory series to meditation. Each recorded class is just a half hour. Five classes to create self-awareness and inner peace-- for just $11.11! Today’s poems/ Books / Oracle mentioned: “Dropping Keys” by Hafiz “The Same Santan” by Hafiz

This week is all about bringing out your authentic self. As the daughter of Asian immigrants, I grew up in an oppressive environment where I was not permitted to be my true self. It wasn’t safe for me to be Me. I was too much. Too loud. Too rowdy. Not very lady-like. So I tucked away that part of myself, that heart song of myself. After years of deep healing work, I’ve shed layers of the conditioning that has prevented me from shining my light at its fullest. What if we understood that our light was meant to shine brightly? What if we thought that those who are calling us “too much” only need a little time to adjust their eyes. Like when you flick on a light in a dark room: you squint a bit at first, give your eyes time to adjust and you get to see the whole beautiful room basking in radiance. THAT is what we do when we are BEing our authentic selves! We are not here to work towards earning anything from other people whether that’s approval or love or gifts, whatever. We are here to be who we are at our essence and to share the gift of us with others. I invite you to listen along to this episode and take some time to tune in to your beingness. Step into self trust. And sing that chorus of the heart. * Follow me on Instagram for Maverick Mondays, Free Verse Fridays, and some real talk about healing, poetry, AND play: @leslieannhobayan or email me at leslieann@suryagian.com * Sign up for Joyful Meditation, a 5-part introductory series to meditation. Each recorded class is just a half hour. Five classes to create self-awareness and inner peace-- for just $11.11! Today’s poems/ Books / Oracle mentioned: “The Chorus In The Eye” by Hafiz “It is Unanimous” by Hafiz

“We only have control over who we are being and how we respond to the external stuff. We can only control how we are in relationship with ourselves deep within.” -Leslieann Hobayan This week is all about living in the space of in betweenness. In this episode, I take a look at how we can move through these ever-changing times and find places to land. In my own life, I’m between residences. I found a landing place at my mom’s house where my daughters and I are staying while we wait for our own space to open up. Living in between is nothing new for me. Being part of the diaspora, I am born into that liminal space. Many, if not all, children of immigrants are familiar with this in-betweenness, where you do not belong in the US nor do you fit in in your parents’ homeland. Looking for the other side of this in-betweenness, questions arise: when and where are we going to land? What does it look like? Can we also move in such a way that it feels supportive to our physical bodies? I invite you to listen along to this episode to get curious about these liminal spaces we occupy, the spaces that hold no certainty or landing pads. * Follow me on Instagram for Maverick Mondays, Free Verse Fridays, and some real talk about healing, poetry, AND play: @leslieannhobayan or email me at leslieann@suryagian.com * Sign up for Joyful Meditation, a 5-part introductory series to meditation. Each recorded class is just a half hour. Five classes to create self-awareness and inner peace-- for just $11.11!

“With this move, support is really crucial. It helps to work with somebody in clearing the emotional and spiritual spaces and to allow for growth to happen” -Leslieann Hobayan This week’s episode is all about MOVEMENT. I recently moved out of my house–where I lived for 11 years– and am now ready for big changes and new beginnings. In packing up and sorting through the clutter, I got to see first hand –and literally IN my hands– the growth and evolution of me and my family. This whole process of moving is an apt metaphor for our spiritual growth: What’s taking up space in our life that doesn't need to be there? What relationships are no longer nourishing us? What habits or ways of thinking do we still have that are no longer serving us? Time to take inventory and declutter! I also talked the importance of having a support system. Getting help with this move from other people was just amazing. Imagine what it feels like to get that kind of support on your spiritual journey. To get support that allows you to feel that you can do anything. I invite you to listen along to this episode and assess where you are now so that you can get clear on where you are going. * Follow me on Instagram for Maverick Mondays, Free Verse Fridays, and some real talk about healing, poetry, AND play: @leslieannhobayan or email me at leslieann@suryagian.com * Sign up for Joyful Meditation, a 5-part introductory series to meditation. Each recorded class is just a half hour. Five classes to create self-awareness and inner peace-- for just $11.11! Today’s poems/ Books / Oracle mentioned: “With That Moon Language” by Hafiz Tarot Card from The Wild Messengers Alchemical tarot deck

Happy New Year! In this episode of Spiritual Grit, we have a special guest, Aaron Banes aka misterwitchboy! He is a gay Filipino-American actor, singer, writer and tarot reader born and raised on the Kingdom of Hawaii. Whether on a stage or in a tarot reading, he sees himself as a storyteller first and foremost. He believes stories help us remember ourselves. We jumped right into talking about astrology (hello, Mercury & Venus retrograde!) and how that relates to how we are experiencing the world right now in pandemic times. How do we hold ourselves during such uncertainty and volatile change? How can certain practices support us and keep us grounded? We also talked about his upbringing as Christian, how he struggled to be accepted by the people around him, people who believed that being gay was a sin, and about his path to where he is now – fully embracing and remembering who he is at his essence. Also? We dove into the wondrous support of tarot cards! Listen along to Aaron's story, how he explored deep inner questions, how he broke out towards his freedom, and how tarot supported his evolution. To find our more about Aaron and book a tarot reading(!), head over to misterwitchboy.com or find him on Instagram @misterwitchboy * Follow me on Instagram for Maverick Mondays, Free Verse Fridays, and some real talk about healing, poetry, AND play: @leslieannhobayan or email me at leslieann@suryagian.com * Sign up for Joyful Meditation, a 5-part introductory series to meditation. Each recorded class is just a half hour. Five classes to create self-awareness and inner peace-- for just $11.11! Today’s poems/ Books / Oracle mentioned: “Elephant Wondering” by Hafiz The Wisdom of Your Body (book) by Hillary McBride “Acts of Helplessness” by Rumi

If you have missed this episode, now's a great time to listen to this one. A very timely episode for this new year, 2022! “There seems to be no purpose to your meditation if you don’t set the intention” - Leslieann Hobayan Today's podcast is about intention. Intention is everything -- it is the thing that makes the difference where it allows us to evolve and grow out of our old versions. Ask yourself: Is setting the intention helping you grow? Is it helping you evolve from the place you were when you started? Why sit in meditation if you just end up being in the same place? These are just some questions to ponder. Listen along to this full episode as we figure out ways to take action for social justice while deep in our spiritual work, how to bridge both of them through the power of intention. * Follow me on Instagram for Maverick Mondays, Free Verse Fridays, and some real talk about healing, poetry, AND play: @leslieannhobayan or email me at leslieann@suryagian.com * Today’s poems/ Books mentioned: “I saw two birds” by Hafiz “UnAmerican” by Hafizah Geter Membership(s)/Retreat(s) Mentioned: Joyful Meditation : https://suryagian.com/joyful-meditation