Bruce Lee Podcast

Bruce Lee discusses the metaphorical concept of dying as letting go of the past and personal limitations. The hosts explore the importance of staying present, accepting defeat and criticism, and focusing on creation while letting go of negative opinions. They also address misconceptions about Bruce Lee's character and announce a collaboration to create Bruce Lee temporary tattoos.

Bruce Lee, a masculine man of action, shares his love for poetry and how it allowed him to express contemplativeness, love, and oneness with nature. His poems to his wife Linda were filled with warmth and gratitude. Listeners also explore alternative methods of expressing love and find inspiration in Bruce Lee's philosophy. A collaboration involving temporary tattoos of Bruce Lee's quotes is introduced.

The podcast explores the concept of Yin Yang and its influence on Bruce Lee's philosophy. They discuss the importance of understanding the complementary aspects and embracing shadows. The podcast also delves into the four plaques created by Bruce Lee's father to symbolize cultivation and evolution. It explores how Taoism shaped Bruce Lee's mindset and how he fused Eastern and Western philosophy. The concept of fluidity and self-knowledge leading to ultimate freedom is also explored. Additionally, the podcast discusses compassion, collaboration, and the impact of Bruce Lee's philosophy on women in the artistic field.

Linda Lee Cadwell, Bruce's wife, shares stories of his generosity and charity, always willing to help the less fortunate. Bruce's inclusive attitude towards all races and backgrounds shaped his character. Explore Bruce's road to recovery from a back injury and his relationship with his children. They also discuss relatable family dynamics and the impact of their words on listeners. Discover the story of Yooja Wang, a musical prodigy known for her unique style. Lastly, they explore the power of artistic projects and Bruce's cultural inspiration.

11/27/16 is Bruce Lee's birthday and he would have been 76 years old today. In honor of his birthday we are reposting the Be Water, My Friend episode (#2) with a special birthday message from Shannon Lee. To honor Bruce, take a moment for yourself today to listen or re-listen to this episode. It's filled with great tips on how to center yourself, clear your head and move around obstacles you have in your life. "Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless like water. Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup, you put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle, you put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend."

At the request of fans, this week we discuss Bruce Lee's approach to nutrition and fitness! Nutrition and fitness were ongoing obsessions for Bruce during his life, and we can't cover everything, so we'll discuss the big ideas on this episode not specific regimens. Bruce Lee was constantly experimenting on himself and seeing what worked for his body. There was cardio, weight training, martial techniques, teaching as training, nutrition from diet to supplements, meditation, and reading books. Often Bruce would be found doing several things at once, such as stretching and reading, using his time efficiently. Bruce's diet varied, but he consistently drank protein shakes and juices from their commercial grade juicer, an unusual household appliance in the 60's. Bruce Lee explored many diets, including one with organ meats because of their high mineral content. He drank tea every day and put supplements into his tea such as ginseng and royal jelly. He was also a big proponent of getting enough sleep, getting 8hrs a night. Bruce enjoyed all kinds of food, but he didn't smoke, drink alcohol, or drink coffee. It was after Bruce's big fight in Oakland that he started to explore fitness and nutrition in more detail. He started weight lifting, but disliked being bulky. Bruce began training for function over form to make his body strong, fast, and nimble. Bruce created and modified his own exercise equipment to target specific parts of his body. Bruce kept detailed daily planners where he wrote how many kicks, punches, crunches, or miles run he did each day. Stretching and meditation were also important parts of his fitness routine. "Jogging is not only a form of exercise to me, it is also a form of relaxation. It's my own hour, every morning, when I can be alone with my thoughts." Bruce's philosophy about food is one we can all follow: "Eat what your body requires, and don't get carried away with foods that don't benefit you." He was not extreme or rigid about food. He also did not believe in depriving yourself. "Health is an appropriate balance of the coordination of all of what we are." While Bruce was experimenting with nutrition and fitness, he made sure he was in harmony with his body. Health is inline with the philosophy of self-actualization since you can listen to, cultivate, and balance your body. If you're interested in learning more about Bruce's fitness and nutrition routines check out Bruce Lee: The Art of Expressing the Human Body. Take Action: To focus on your nutrition and fitness is to ask yourself this: "I would feel better in my body if I did _____" and fill in the blank with one action you can take. #AAHA This week's #AAHA shout-out goes to Jeremy Lin, American NBA basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets. He's known for unexpectedly leading a winning turnaround for the New York Knicks in 2012, gaining a huge following called "Linsanity." Lin had a rough start to his NBA career, receiving no drafts and getting put in the D-league, and finally joined the Knicks in the 2011-2012 season. Jeremy Lin is the first American of Taiwanese descent and one of few Asian American NBA players. Jeremy, we applaud your hard work, how you've overcome prejudice and obstacles, and your love of basketball. Keep being awesome! #BruceLeeMoment Below we have an excerpt from a #BruceLeeMoment email from Lecroy "Lee" Rhyanes, Jr. Read the full version in the shownotes at Brucelee.com. "There have been many #BruceLeeMoments throughout my life …One that I'd like to share is in response to the 'Walk On' episode #11 topic about phrases that we use to help us. The phrase I use is Bruce Lee's quote "Life itself is your teacher, and you are in a state of constant learning." There is no quote that I've applied in my experience as a student and educator more than this one." Share your #AAHA and #BruceLeeMoment recommendations with us via social media @BruceLee or email us at hello@brucelee.com

This week we talk with Friend of Bruce Lee Steve Aoki. Steve is a Grammy nominated Electro house musician, DJ and record producer. Steve's unique musical life is the subject of a new Netflix documentary called "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead," Steve has been a die-hard Bruce Lee devotee since he was a kid. When he was taking karate classes, and he emulated all of Bruce Lee's moves and became obsessed with watching every Bruce Lee movie repeatedly on VHS. Aoki looked up to Bruce Lee as an Asian man who "made it" when there weren't any strong Asian role models. Having a strong, kick-ass Asian man like Bruce Lee as a role model helped Aoki build confidence even though he experienced racism growing up in Newport Beach. As a teen, Aoki and his friends studied Bruce's interviews and read the Tao of Jeet Kune Do together. This practice became the basis for his lifelong love for Bruce Lee's philosophy. The Bruce Lee quote that Aoki always uses is "Be like water" and he adds "...by any means necessary." He also uses: "Sometimes a goal is just something to aim at." He applies these philosophies in his life by being fluid in his journey towards his goals and following his own creative path. "To live like Bruce Lee, is to be fluid like water and make your own journey." Aoki on Bruce Lee's influence: "Talking about the human side of things, there are a few people that have really changed the world by their words…Bruce Lee is one of them. There are only a few people that can really talk to people in a way that really touches you to the soul. And you know how genuine and authentic and human it is. It's not about the martial art really, the martial art is an extension of his philosophy and the human side of everything. So when you get there, then you're a devout fan for life, you're changed forever." Bruce Lee's philosophy also informs Steve Aoki's creative process and how he thinks about making music--putting his whole heart into his work. "Music isn't just something that you listen to, and especially at shows, you're experiencing all your senses." #AAHA (Awesome Asians and Hapas) Steve Aoki does this week's #AHAA's shout-out to his friend Mike Shinoda from Linkin Park. Shinoda is a Japanese American musician, rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, graphic designer, manager, and film composer. He co-founded Linkin Park in 1996 and Machine Shop Recordings in 2004, and his artwork has been featured in the Japanese American National Museum. Keep on being awesome Mike! #BruceLeeMoment Even though Steve Aoki can claim his whole life as one big #BruceLeeMoment, he shares a specific #BruceLeeMoment: "Game of Death was an incredible film. It's like a video game but he was fighting all these different characters. And the fight he did with Kareem Abdul Jabbar, I stood in front of the framed poster of him fighting Kareem Abdul Jabbar, it's just so epic, him in his yellow jumpsuit and Kareem being 90 ft tall. I just remember that moment right now, it just popped in my head, it always pops in my head. He's just a badass, what can I say? But like what I was saying throughout this whole podcast, all the different ways that I've been able to survive and thrive and build these many successes, and really think about my life, it's always from a Bruce Lee quote. Whether it's "Be like water," or "The journey is more important than the destination." You have to be able to speak to people where you're not excluding them too. That's what he did, he spoke to everybody. It wasn't like he was a human rights leader, but he was in the way in that he didn't exclude anyone…and that's one thing that really made me love this guy so much." Thank you Steve Aoki for sharing how Bruce Lee has shaped your life and career. We support you and think you're awesome! Share your #AAHA and #BruceLeeMoment recommendations with us via social media @BruceLee or email us at hello@brucelee.com

"Man, the living creature, the creating individual, is always more important than any established style or system." From a very young age Bruce Lee was a rebellious thinker with a keen awareness that established systems could restrict the full development of a human being. One event that sparked this questioning was the discrimination he faced at his Kung Fu school in Hong Kong. He was ultimately kicked out of that school because he wasn't 100% Chinese. He learned that the institution favored an arbitrary rule over his passionate devotion to study martial arts. This made no sense to him--even as a young man. Bruce Lee eventually called classical martial arts styles "organized despair" because he felt that the rigidity of the styles limited people from discovering themselves and their personal style of martial arts. "Why do you as an individual depend on thousands of years of propaganda? Ideals, principles, the 'what should be' leads to hypocrisy." He said "you do not have to become a robot," in any system. In the beginning stages, it is okay to figure out who you are, what you're into. While doing so it is important to be your best self and be in harmony. Only then you begin to listen and become in tune to what truly speaks to your heart (not the system). "Man is constantly growing, and when he is bound by a set pattern of ideas or 'Way' of doing things, that's when he stops growing." After years of classical study, Bruce Lee developed his own martial way called Jeet Kune Do. Though Bruce enjoyed teaching others the discoveries he had made, he recognized that as soon as he defined the style to others, it was in danger of becoming dogma. Bruce Lee wanted every student of martial arts to discover what works for them and to develop their own styles. This approach requires one to spend a lot of time studying one's own thoughts, body and energy. "In solitude you are least alone. Make good use of it." When you're alone, you are with yourself and with your own thoughts. It's when you're alone that you can truly assess yourself. Take Action: Try an exercise of being alone with yourself without distraction. Identify what systems you're a part of right now, and are they serving you? What ideas, values, and interests come up for you when you're alone? Write down the thoughts that come to you when you're alone. Are your thoughts and values in sync with any institution you're a part of? If you'd like to share your experiences trying our exercise in being alone, please reach out via hello@brucelee.com or via social media @BruceLee. #AAHA (Awesome Asians and Hapas) This week our #AAHA shout-out goes out to Yo-Yo Ma, the prodigious Chinese American cellist. He has won 18 Grammys in his career. Aside from classical music, he is interested in Blue Grass, traditional Chinese music, and tango Brazilian music. He has collaborated with many artists including Bobby McFerrin, and Quincy Jones, and movement artists such as Charles Lubbock Riley. Beyond music, Yo-Yo Ma is a United Nations Messenger of Peace and has been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. So also he uses music as a way to cross cultures and bring people together. He has a film coming out soon called The Music of Strangers. Thank you Yo-Yo Ma! We appreciate your awesomeness and all the levels of your artistry. #BruceLeeMoment This week's #BruceLeeMoment comes from Youssef E. and he tells us about how Bruce Lee's philosophy has always been a part of his life and how he is excited to pass it along in his family for generations to come. Read the full #BruceLeeMoment in our show notes at Brucelee.com/Podcast. Share your #AAHA and #BruceLeeMoment recommendations with us via social media @BruceLee or email us at hello@brucelee.com.

In this week's episode we are finishing up our 3-part discussion of Bruce Lee's affirmations with the 7th and final affirmation: Willpower. Affirmation 7: "Recognizing that the power of will is the supreme court over all other departments of my mind, I will exercise it daily when I need the urge to act for any purpose, and I will form habits designed to bring the power of my will into action at least once daily." Bruce believed that, "A self-willed man has no other aim than his own growth. He values only one thing – the mysterious power in himself, which bids him live and helps him grow. His only living destiny is the silent, ungainsayable law in his own heart, which comfortable habits make it so hard to obey but which to the self-willed man is destiny and godhead." Bruce Lee didn't view willpower as the voice in your head forcing you into action, but more as the energy of mastery over one's soul.Being a self-willed man is about tapping into your heart, your life force, that power within you, that thing that is tugging at you to live, and go for the things that speak to you and speak to your heart. Which in return, serve as a catalyst for action or willpower. "The enemy of development is pain phobia: the unwillingness to do a tiny bit of suffering. As you feel unpleasant you interrupt the continuum of awareness and you become phobic and this weakens the heart of the will." "A self-willed man obeys a different law, the one law I too hold absolutely sacred – the human law in himself, his own individual will." The other 6 affirmations lead up to this final affirmation, willpower, which is the culmination of Memory, Subconscious Mind, Imagination, Reason, Emotion, and Conscience. "[Willpower] the mysterious power in himself which bids him live and helps him grow." Take Action: Identify something in you that makes you feel alive, that is something that you want to grow. Continue to develop your own affirmations, or you can use Bruce Lee's, and write them down and carry them around for you to reference daily. And take some small action steps every day inspired by your affirmations We'd love to hear about your affirmations, please reach out via hello@brucelee.com or via social media @BruceLee. #AAHA (Awesome Asians and Hapas) This week we give an #AAHA shout-out to Eleanor Mariano, a Filipina American physician and military officer. She is the first Filipina American graduate of the Uniformed Services of Medicine to reach the rank of Rear Admiral in the US Navy. She's the first woman to be the director of the White House Medical Unit and she's the first military woman in the history of the US to be appointed as personal physician to the President serving as physician to George Bush Senior, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush. Eleanor, we just want to say we think you're awesome and thank you for your service! #BruceLeeMoment This week we have a #BruceLeeMoment from Russ Grant: As a 55-yr-old English male, I have never felt the need to email best wishes to any company. But I send my heartfelt best wishes in your endeavors to take the Bruce Lee philosophy to a wider audience. I grew up on Bruce Lee films, and there's not a man in the world who wouldn't want the skills he had. All the best for the future, Russ Grant Thank you for your best wishes Russ, we really appreciate it! Share your #AAHA and #BruceLeeMoment recommendations with us via social media @BruceLee or email us at hello@brucelee.com

This week we continue our discussion of Bruce Lee's Affirmations with three more concepts: Emotions, Reason, and Conscience. Even though we are discussing each affirmation individually, Bruce Lee used all 7 together to help achieve wellbeing. 4th Affirmation: Emotions "Realizing that my emotions are both positive and negative, I will form daily habits which will encourage the development of the positive emotions and aid me in converting the negative emotions into some form of useful action." 5th Affirmation: Reason "Recognizing that my positive and negative emotions may be dangerous if they are not guided to desirable ends, I will submit all my desires, aims, and purposes to my faculty of reason, and I will be guided by it in giving expression to these." 6th Affirmation: Conscience "Recognizing that my emotions often err in their over-enthusiasm, and my faculty of reason often is without the warmth of feeling that is necessary to enable me to combine justice with mercy in my judgments, I will encourage my conscience to guide me as to what is right and wrong, but I will never set aside the verdict it renders, no matter what may be the cost of carrying them out." Take Action: Continue to develop your own affirmations, or you can use Bruce Lee's, and write them down and carry them around for you to reference daily. We'd love to hear about your affirmations, please reach out via hello@brucelee.com or via social media @BruceLee. #AAHA (Awesome Asians and Hapas) Our #AAHA shout-out goes out to Ali Wong, badass actress, comedian, and writer. She graduated from UCLA in Asian American studies, but then decided at 23 to try stand-up for the first time. Since then she's acted on several TV shows including "Inside Amy Schumer," "Black Box," and "Are you there, Chelsea?" and became a TV comedy writer best known for the series "Fresh Off the Boat." Ali Wong has continued with stand-up comedy and she's incredible in her most recent comedy special on Netflix called "Baby Cobra." If you haven't seen it already, check it out! We couldn't stop laughing. You keep being you Ali, and stay awesome! #BruceLeeMoment This week we have a lovely email from Robyn R. in Connecticut about how Bruce Lee's "Artist of Life" has helped her deal with her relationship with her estranged son. Read the full version in our show notes at Brucelee.com/podcast Share your #AAHA and #BruceLeeMoment recommendations with us via social media @BruceLee or email us at hello@brucelee.com.