September 8, 2023 • 30 mins
On today’s episode…I introduce you to Jaina Portwood, a wife, mother, college professor and practicing yogini who seeks wisdom in the natural world. Her belief in oneness and the power of love as life’s purpose shines through. We explore nature, spirituality and the profound impact of interconnected love in the world.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Good afternoon and welcome to everybody.
The podcast which sharesstories that highlight people in
life, that make the world aninteresting place, which
ultimately ties us all togetherin unique and wonderful ways.
And who am I, you might ask.
I would be the headwrappedsocialite Weith mom,
(00:23):
micro-influencer in the fashionand etiquette world.
But on this podcast I will beintroducing you to some people
who I've had the opportunity tomeet along my journey, who have
helped enrich me in my life inbeautiful ways and who I hope
will do the same.
(00:43):
Today we will explore theextraordinary interconnectedness
of life with my friend, Jaina.
She has created an open spacewithin her life to search for
the wisdom which exists in thenatural world, within the depths
of her existence.
Jaina is a practicing yoginiwho believes in a oneness that
(01:03):
transcends our individualego-mind-body complex.
Her journey continues to leadher to the realization that
kindness is the very essence oflife and that love underlies
every aspect of our existence.
Today we talk about the realmsof nature, spirituality and the
power of love.
(01:23):
So, before I turn the floor overto my friend, I wanted to share
how I know you.
So Jaina and I have workedtogether in the fashion sphere.
We have done some modelingprojects together, from fashion
shows to print work, and whatdrew me to her is that she has
always led with a kind heart,not just for me but for others
(01:46):
in our space.
So today I welcome my friendJaina, to the podcast.
Thank you for being here, myfriend.
It's really good to be herewith you.
Can you tell the audience alittle bit about who you are?
Speaker 2 (01:59):
I think that my biggest and most profound
turning point in my life waswhen my son died and I had an
opportunity to either fall intothe depths of despair and
depression and death,essentially, or I had the choice
to live life to the fullestwhich sounds like a Hallmark
(02:20):
card, but really to live life tothe fullest.
I had a breaking point where Ihad to make that decision and
then I feel like that was aturning point in my life and
from then on I've really beenguided by nature, by spirit and
I say spirit from a secularspace, so not tied to any
particular religion and Ibelieve that enlightenment or
(02:45):
self-realization ultimatelycomes from this interpersonal
relationship with others, thoseinteractions we have one on one
with everybody you meetthroughout the day.
This is where I find God, thisis where I find enlightenment.
I've been very fortunate to seethe planet touch every
continent in the last, I'd say,six years, and particularly
(03:09):
being in Hindu cultures orMuslim cultures and Christian
cultures.
Just but he prays the same,we're all doing the same
procession, the same bowing, thesame work from Mahla's with a
different language and adifferent outfit on, and I'm
really moved by people thatconnect with spirit again,
(03:30):
whether that's secular orthrough a church.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
I'm going to ask you about your farm because I can
hear In the back.
I know you spend a lot of timethere.
What things do you embark onwhile you're in that space?
Speaker 2 (03:47):
I grew up in South Minneapolis probably poorer,
although we never use thosewords.
Growing up we had rich familylife and lots of opportunity to
travel, even as a child, butdefinitely grew up in Powderhorn
Park neighborhood in a smallhouse.
It wasn't a family that had acabin.
We didn't have land.
A lot of my other friends hadnatural spaces to go to.
(04:10):
I would run around Powderhornand play in the trees there.
That was my nature experience.
Luckily, my mom has always beenfascinated with the Boundary
Waters Canoe Area.
She's definitely a wildernesswoman and took us camping often.
Being in nature is everythingfor me.
Camp growing up was probably myfunnest time as a child, being
(04:34):
with the trees and everything.
I'm super fortunate to haveeight acres up here in Duluth.
My husband is a tea maker.
It's like a permaculturehomestead.
He's also herbalist.
He has a lot of passion aroundsystems such as ponds and just
(04:55):
the type of agriculture andplant work that feeds into the
soil, feeds into symbioticrelationships.
I've been lucky to learn a lotfrom him Then.
I've also done some courseworkon my own about herbalism and
working with the land.
Right now we have CSA, we havefarmers market.
We grow a lot of the herbs forhis tea business.
(05:17):
In fact, I just have to do alittle shout out, because, if
you're familiar with Awamnee therestaurant on the river that
just won the James Beard Awarddowntown there for the best new
restaurant in the country theycarry his teas.
All their beverages are madewith his herbs and his teas, so
super proud of him for that.
The thing about organic farming, though, is we don't use
(05:39):
pesticides or herbicides orfertilizers or things.
We have a lot of critters.
We have a beaver that's movedin along the creek, we have
skunks and all kinds of animalsmuskrat and groundhog, all these
animals that have moved in.
So that's been interesting.
So you don't be, they are justthere.
(05:59):
It's been a process for me,being a city person, getting
comfortable with it.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
I was going to ask you because for me, would you
say, you have a beaver and amuskrat in my head.
They're the same thing I waslike, I'm going to look this up.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
I will say that one of the most incredible gifts we
have is really pure water.
The well we have, like when Itake a shower, the well water is
so luxurious and I just reallywant that for people who are
living in Minneapolis to havethis experience of clean water.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
I was talking to another podcaster and we were
saying you know how many hoursfrom Minneapolis is the looth?
Not all people get a chance toexperience the true freshness.
Yes, and just what a blessingthat you all have there with
having the eight acres andhaving fresh water and just
(06:53):
being able to kind of separateyourself from city life every
once in a while, to have thatplace so that you can detox.
Yes, also provide somethingback to not only the community
but to the environment as well.
Absolutely, absolutely.
Can you share with us theexperience that you've had,
since you are surrounded bynature, that has deepened your
(07:15):
belief in our oneness?
Speaker 2 (07:18):
Absolutely.
I feel like any human given theopportunity and the space to
sit alone in the woods wouldcome upon these revelations as
well, and sometimes we need somespace.
Some people need more spacethan others to really tap in.
We have the fortune of beingbutted up against the University
(07:40):
of Minnesota, like arboristfields and forests, so, even
though it's just eight acresthat are ours, we have a lot of
roaming, forest, quiet spacethat nobody's ever out there.
So I watch my children taking,you know, some space in the
morning to go for a solo walk,and they always come back much
calmer, much more patient, muchmore in tune.
(08:03):
I see it.
I see it in their demeanor andI've experienced it myself.
But something about sittingwith the trees and just watching
the natural flow of the birdsflying from one tree to the next
, the little ants in the soil,the way that the leaves move,
taps you into something ancientand innate and deeper.
(08:26):
It's hard to put in words, butI know, trina, you've had this
experience before.
Sitting with water is anotherexample.
I used to live in Hawaii andbeing with the oceans reflects
our movement of breath in such abeautiful way.
It makes you breathe slower andcalmer and deeper.
(08:46):
So I've been a yoga teacher forabout 25 years.
Yoga has been a really big partof my life, not just the
physical stretching and asana,but the deep philosophical and
spiritual work that the ancientpractice of yoga brings some
5,000 year old technology forthe science of the mind and the
science of self-realization andknowledge of self.
(09:12):
The breath is the one thingthat's constantly changing.
So within yoga philosophy weidentify the physical body and
all of nature.
We call this property, and thatincludes the thoughts in your
mind and it includes themovement of breath.
So things that are coming andgoing, things that are
constantly changing, and then weidentify that within you, that
(09:34):
is the conscious awareness thatis observing all of the things
that change.
So the seasons, your mind, yourthoughts, your emotions, your
breath.
And the idea with yoga practiceis to live from that space of
conscious awareness, to be theobserver, to sit on a throne as
(09:54):
a royal goddess and be thewitness of life, unbound by
situation, unbound by theweather patterns, unbound by the
mental complexities andsomething about sitting in front
of the ocean which you find arhythm with your breath.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
It's such a deep meditation for me that's
beautiful because, as you'resaying, that I recently added
into my yoga practice.
When I'm sitting on my mat, Ithink about my breathing and
I've been focused on that a lotmore.
I can see myself in this space,sitting across from myself as
(10:35):
the ocean is going back andforth, and something so tantric,
I think, and something just sobeautiful, and I just keep
thinking why didn't I discoverthis before?
And a part of me goes back tomaybe it wasn't for me to
discover at that point.
The visuals that you give areso strong and you're very aware
(10:57):
and I can see now why I wasdrawn to you.
And not to mention that you area lover of trees, which you
already have my heart, and Idon't know if you've ever read
this book which I just startedamongst my other thousands of
books that I'm reading, but it'scalled the Hidden Life of Trees
(11:18):
and a friend had suggested it,but it's by Peter, I think it's
Wolbin, peter Wolbin, I thinkthat's his name.
But the Hidden Life of Trees,and it kind of just tells how
they feel, how trees communicate, and I totally get what you're
saying when you're amongstnature and you're with the trees
and with your breath.
Speaker 2 (11:38):
Oh, I've heard of this book but I have not yet
read it, and I think theyprobably speak to the mycelium
connections of the mushroomsunderneath too.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
Yes, how it's all connected.
When we were up in Duluth thisis crazy okay, full circle
moment, really quick.
But when we were up in Duluth afew years ago, so this is
before pandemic we had gone intothis artist shop and he had
this framed print by John Muirand I remember being drawn to it
(12:09):
because it said when you tug ata single thing in nature, he
finds it attached to the rest ofthe world.
As I'm talking to you about theinterconnectedness of life,
would you mind explaining to ushow you perceive the
interconnectedness of all livingbeings and what place that
holds in your life?
Speaker 2 (12:29):
Oh, I just love that visual of tugging, tugging a bit
at nature, tugging a bit at apedal on a daisy and feeling the
fabric of reality shifting,because quantum physics I mean
their Western science, isfinally catching up with Eastern
philosophy.
You go down into a microscope,beyond the cellular level,
(12:50):
beyond the atomic level, deeperand deeper, and we see that it's
just one canvas of experienceand that we can manipulate
matter through our intention.
That's what's so striking,because we say this, you know,
and it sounds kind of new agey,like oh yeah, manifest your
reality.
But Western science is actuallyquantifying, calculating,
(13:15):
breaking it down and showingthat atoms are in fact
impressionable by what you'rethinking, which is so wild.
One piece of yoga philosophythat I'm thankful to have
downloaded early, like in my 20s, and whether it's true or not,
I feel like is beside the point,because if this philosophy
(13:38):
allows me to be kinder and morecompassionate and more patient
and a deeper listener, that'sthe point of life, those you
know, fine-tuning ourrelationships with everyone we
meet.
So this philosophy is that theconscious awareness within my
head looking out through my eyesis the same conscious awareness
(14:01):
of every sentient being aroundme looking out through their
eyes.
So I'm essentially talking tomyself.
When we do that, all feardissipates, all afflictive
emotions fall away.
You can't help but fall in love, fall in the deepest love with
everybody you meet.
When you know you're talking toyourself, which is to say
(14:25):
you're talking to God, which isto say you're talking to nature,
there's just one consciousnessbeating through all of our
hearts.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
Wow, that gave me chills, because you have said it
so eloquently.
I believe when we put thatkindness back into the world,
not only are we putting it outto help other people right, in
all essence, we're helpingourselves but we get to be a
mirror to other people who getto be a mirror to us when in
(14:57):
fact, we're all one of the same.
And it's mind-blowing when youthink about it like that.
You look at your fellow humanbeing and why would you want to
have your ego come into playwhen you're just me going
against yourself?
I just feel like in thesemoments we get to be selfless
(15:18):
and more compassionate, when weget to view the world in the way
it was just described, becauseI, through these moments, we are
continuing to create differentpathways to the love source.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
Well, also just to add to that, through my world
travels I really have realizedthat it's a secular experience.
You can find that through everyreligion or through no religion
, and it works.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
And it works.
It's like the more and more, andI don't know if it's because as
you get older, but I know thereare so many younger people who
I like to say that they're likeold souls and they have this
wisdom about them and for me Ifelt like it took me like 50
something years to get to thispoint where other people get
(16:12):
there a lot sooner.
But it's okay because, again,it's all a part of our
individual journeys but itbecomes the collective journey
of the whole and it'smind-blowing when you start to
think of the world in that way.
It goes back to why would Iwant to hurt someone else if
that same hurt is reallydirected at myself?
(16:33):
Yes, once we all get to a pointand you know everybody's on
their different parts of theirspiritual journey, whatever that
spiritual journey looks like.
But I really believe, once weget to that point of almost like
you said in the beginning,there's an enlightenment and you
get to see, you know it's likeokay, this is where we're all
(16:57):
trying to go, if we're all opento this experience.
Speaker 2 (17:01):
Or there's only one of us here and the moment I wake
up, the whole world's gonnawake up.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
Mmm.
Okay, I'm gonna marinate onthat because that's deep, but
have you always thought this way?
Have you noticed that aboutyourself?
Speaker 2 (17:19):
Mmm, no.
So I was a swimmer for most ofmy life.
I started swimmingcompetitively when I was four
and that eventually led me to acollege scholarship out in
Seattle and I think moving fromMinnesota to Seattle was a huge
breakthrough in breaking open mymind and my heart.
(17:40):
The Pacific Northwest I metpeople I was not involved with
them in Minnesota, so hippiesand people living off the land
and psychedelic people, just afully blasted my mind open.
And I feel like it was at thatpoint that things started to
(18:03):
shift, this idea that just eventhe concept of having an ego and
watching the ego experienceseparate from my divine self,
which is my conscious awareness.
From Seattle, I ended up movingto Hawaii for about three years,
so I'm 19 years old at thispoint.
I'm kind of living on the beach, I'm surfing every day and I
(18:25):
grew up Trina in a veryscientific household.
So my parents were like sciencepeople who believe in God.
That's superstition.
Those people are stupid, it'sjust science.
And I remember going to Hawaiiand meeting a friend.
We were sitting on a cliff andyou know I don't know if you've
been to Hawaii, but there'srainbows every day.
We're sitting on this cliffwatching the ocean and there's
(18:48):
rainbows, and I'm in absolutebliss.
And I turn to him and I sayI've never been so happy before.
I just feel like I'm at home.
This rainbow is blowing my mind.
And he said this feeling you'rehaving right now.
He said, jaina, this is whatpeople are talking about when
they use the word God, and thatI will remember that moment for
(19:10):
the rest of my life.
And he said you don't have tocall it God If there's some ties
to feeling like the patriarchyand like this white bearded man
in the sky and all that.
Like you can.
You can not call it God, youcan call it the rainbow.
And so I started calling thatfeeling of oneness the rainbow.
Yeah, I was 19 years old.
(19:31):
That was when a big shifthappened for me.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
Well, that's amazing and it goes back to me, I think,
in like the people that youmeet along the journey, they
help you a lot of times, unlocksomething that was there all
along, but you just have thatkey.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
Yet, yes, that's such a beautiful way to say it.
You're right.
I want to share it because Iwonder if some of your listeners
don't have the opportunity tosee these really epic and
nourishing places.
I'm a college professor and twosemesters ago I had the
opportunity to lead some yogaclasses in a medium security
(20:08):
prison Lionel Lake's mediumsecurity and this is one of the
reasons you know to thelisteners if you haven't tried a
yoga practice or a meditationpractice yet, you don't need
anything.
You don't need a beautifulspace.
You don't need, you don't evenreally need a mat.
I mean, these guys in the prisondidn't have space.
(20:30):
They're in a cell with two bedsnext to each other and a toilet
in between, and I taught themabout bad yoga.
We called it bad yoga, whereyou do your stretches and your
meditation on the bed.
We need not have the perfectenvironment to step into it and
enlighten state of being, and,in fact, you need not have the
(20:51):
perfect teacher, you need nothave the perfect environment.
That it's within us and it'skind of inherent in the essence
of the foundation of who we arethat we go on this journey.
I really love how, a minute ago, you said certain relationships
will, you know, will be the keyto unlock whatever evolution
you're ready for and to reallytrust into that space, to trust
(21:13):
into life, to trust into thetiming of your life.
Speaker 1 (21:17):
I was thinking when you said that as well.
It's the hidden gems.
It's a book that calls you andjust like you could go and read
a book and it takes you awayfrom the place that you're in.
If you're in that meditativestate, in that meditative space,
you really can close your eyesand be anywhere.
Speaker 2 (21:39):
Yes, and divine oneness is coursing through them
too.
Amen.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
Thank you for sharing that and what you're doing to
help others, because that isimportant and to bring them a
piece of humanity.
Yeah, exactly so thank you, myfriend, for doing that and
sharing with them.
The one question that I that'skind of like tugging at me is
(22:07):
how do you hope to inspireothers to cultivate that deeper
connection with the naturalworld and to embrace this idea
of oneness?
Speaker 2 (22:17):
Yes.
So I really feel walking, thewalk, is the most important
thing.
I think that that has the mostinfluence and I think it's a
domino effect.
So the more.
And this comes back to thisidea that there might only be
one one of us here, this oneconsciousness.
So if I walk through the worldwith really beautiful steps,
(22:41):
with really regal steps, as agoddess moving through the
planet in selfless service sonot service to bolster my own
ego identity, but service ofnature and if every interaction
I have like meta, lovingkindness, how can I serve, how
can I uplift the person in thissituation?
(23:03):
That does have a domino effect,even just smiling at somebody as
you walk by them in the city,you know, sometimes we just
don't even make eye contact.
But even just smiling andconnecting, you don't even know
how you can change someone's day.
So you know, teaching yogaclasses and speaking about these
(23:24):
philosophies are good, but Ifeel like the impact that I have
is most powerful in my day today choices to be in a space of
selfless service, and it doesn'tmean that you're not an
activist.
One of my early teachers,sharon Gannon from New York City
, she the nail on the head forme in this reminder that to be a
(23:46):
yogi doesn't mean you're justpassive, like spiritual
bypassing, like everything'sfine roses and rainbows, like to
actually stand up for what'sright and to be an activist, but
to do so with compassion,knowing that everyone is doing
the best they can with what theyknow.
So speaking truth and speakinglight into injustices is to be a
(24:10):
yogi.
Something else that comes tomind, because I do have a lot of
children and I'm aroundchildren often, you know,
especially in the last coupleyears, I've really reoriented
and dedicated my life toenriching their lives Like I
want.
My purpose in life right now isto help save the bees that
comes with the gardening and toenrich the children's lives,
(24:33):
because every moment Makes adifference and teaching them.
I have an opportunity this fall.
A friend of mine, chance York,and I and Aaron Lipkin Some real
movers and shakers inMinneapolis with youth sports
and yoga we're starting anonprofit called peace and
practice to bring Yoga, teachertraining, college credit, gym
(24:57):
credit and career training tokids in high school.
Oh, we're working on grantwriting right now, but we've
been doing strategic planningfor this for about two years.
We're very, very excited tohopefully pilot with North High
School this fall and get itstarted and and connect kids.
You know, at this critical agewhere you know having a trade
(25:19):
right out of high schools, beingable to make money doing
something that you love, that is, making a difference in other
people's lives, is so valuablefor sure.
Speaker 1 (25:27):
And not only that, but you're paying forward of all
the information that you haveto help kids along their journey
Earlier than maybe they wouldhave even began to think about,
and that, in turn, changes thespirit in which they live to
promote Compassion and love, andthat will change a whole new
(25:48):
generation.
And I would love to see, oncethis program starts, what these
kids end up doing.
They definitely you know how ajumpstart and changing the world
.
Yeah, I believe it.
How wonderful my friend Isthere.
Is there anything that youdon't do?
But you, my friend, are justsuper magical and Just so much
(26:17):
knowledge and wisdom.
And, like I said in thebeginning, that you notice when
somebody has that compassionateheart and that compassionate
spirit, and when I first noticedyou At one of our gigs, first
of all, not only are youstrikingly beautiful, but you're
(26:37):
generous.
You're generous and you shareinformation.
And just a Side story, if youever have a map but you don't
have a map you think you knowwhat you're doing, but you don't
.
Jena is the woman for you.
She will get you to where youneed to be, on time, in the
right In the right space, in theright state of mind.
(27:01):
Every single time.
Speaker 2 (27:02):
She's just Well and Trina, thank you for your
beautiful words.
I also want to point out thatyou see me Because you're cut
from the same fabric.
You know, you see you.
You see we value the samethings and this is why you see
this in me.
So thank you for the workyou're doing on this planet.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
I love you, my friend .
Any of the listeners wanted tofollow you on social media
because you do a lot ofdifferent things.
How would they go aboutfollowing you?
Yeah, they wanted to get yourcheese.
How would they go about doingthat as well?
Speaker 2 (27:40):
so I'm on Mostly just Instagram and that's just my
name.
At Jena Portwood.
My main focus in my shares Ismy yoga retreat Business, the
trips I do.
I take about four Internationalyoga retreats a year and we're
always on a different continent.
This year upcoming we're goingto Egypt, bali, india, japan and
(28:06):
there's some local retreats aswell.
So definitely check out theInstagram page.
One thing I love about the workthat I do on these week-long
trips is, you know, of coursewe're doing cultural immersion
and visiting a new country, butwe also are doing this spiritual
work yoga, philosophy,conversations, circles,
(28:28):
journaling and I really findthat people come back from the
experience and they feel thatthey've shifted Something really
profound and big.
So it's it's a vacation, butit's also a really, really rich
experience and it's alwaysawesome, beautiful, all ages.
I mean I get women in their 70s, I get men in their 20s, like
(28:50):
it's.
It's literally all ages.
So I encourage listeners tocheck that out, can find my
website and everything throughthe Instagram.
And then the tea is called on ahot to herbals Okay website for
that.
Yep, how do you spell that?
It's a, n, a, mm-hmm, a, t, aand then herbals, h, e, r, b, a,
(29:13):
l, s, comm, perfect and so wecan go on there and Grab some
teas as well.
Yes, in my website's belovedretreats Dot com.
Speaker 1 (29:24):
Okay, first of all, I'm going on the website now and
I'm gonna grab some teas,because you know I'm a tea
genado and I'm also gonna checkout beloved retreats to check
out you know, the differentretreat offerings that you have
and I am hoping One of thesedays that I'm gonna be able to
join you, because I know that itwould be experience and a
(29:47):
knowledge filled afternoon andWeekend and experience and
anytime that I get a chance tospend with you.
Yeah, I'm down.
Thank you, trina, is great totalk with you.
It's great to talk to you too,my friend, and I would just say
until the next time, may all ofour hearts Be open and may we
all find harmony and the onenessthat unites us all.
(30:10):
And thank you, friend, forbeing that guiding spirit.
Oh, love you.
Good afternoon and welcome to everybody.
The podcast which sharesstories that highlight people in
life, that make the world aninteresting place, which
ultimately ties us all togetherin unique and wonderful ways.
And who am I, you might ask.
I would be the headwrappedsocialite Weith mom,
(00:23):
micro-influencer in the fashionand etiquette world.
But on this podcast I will beintroducing you to some people
who I've had the opportunity tomeet along my journey, who have
helped enrich me in my life inbeautiful ways and who I hope
will do the same.
(00:43):
Today we will explore theextraordinary interconnectedness
of life with my friend, Jaina.
She has created an open spacewithin her life to search for
the wisdom which exists in thenatural world, within the depths
of her existence.
Jaina is a practicing yoginiwho believes in a oneness that
(01:03):
transcends our individualego-mind-body complex.
Her journey continues to leadher to the realization that
kindness is the very essence oflife and that love underlies
every aspect of our existence.
Today we talk about the realmsof nature, spirituality and the
power of love.
(01:23):
So, before I turn the floor overto my friend, I wanted to share
how I know you.
So Jaina and I have workedtogether in the fashion sphere.
We have done some modelingprojects together, from fashion
shows to print work, and whatdrew me to her is that she has
always led with a kind heart,not just for me but for others
(01:46):
in our space.
So today I welcome my friendJaina, to the podcast.
Thank you for being here, myfriend.
It's really good to be herewith you.
Can you tell the audience alittle bit about who you are?
Speaker 2 (01:59):
I think that my biggest and most profound
turning point in my life waswhen my son died and I had an
opportunity to either fall intothe depths of despair and
depression and death,essentially, or I had the choice
to live life to the fullestwhich sounds like a Hallmark
(02:20):
card, but really to live life tothe fullest.
I had a breaking point where Ihad to make that decision and
then I feel like that was aturning point in my life and
from then on I've really beenguided by nature, by spirit and
I say spirit from a secularspace, so not tied to any
particular religion and Ibelieve that enlightenment or
(02:45):
self-realization ultimatelycomes from this interpersonal
relationship with others, thoseinteractions we have one on one
with everybody you meetthroughout the day.
This is where I find God, thisis where I find enlightenment.
I've been very fortunate to seethe planet touch every
continent in the last, I'd say,six years, and particularly
(03:09):
being in Hindu cultures orMuslim cultures and Christian
cultures.
Just but he prays the same,we're all doing the same
procession, the same bowing, thesame work from Mahla's with a
different language and adifferent outfit on, and I'm
really moved by people thatconnect with spirit again,
(03:30):
whether that's secular orthrough a church.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
I'm going to ask you about your farm because I can
hear In the back.
I know you spend a lot of timethere.
What things do you embark onwhile you're in that space?
Speaker 2 (03:47):
I grew up in South Minneapolis probably poorer,
although we never use thosewords.
Growing up we had rich familylife and lots of opportunity to
travel, even as a child, butdefinitely grew up in Powderhorn
Park neighborhood in a smallhouse.
It wasn't a family that had acabin.
We didn't have land.
A lot of my other friends hadnatural spaces to go to.
(04:10):
I would run around Powderhornand play in the trees there.
That was my nature experience.
Luckily, my mom has always beenfascinated with the Boundary
Waters Canoe Area.
She's definitely a wildernesswoman and took us camping often.
Being in nature is everythingfor me.
Camp growing up was probably myfunnest time as a child, being
(04:34):
with the trees and everything.
I'm super fortunate to haveeight acres up here in Duluth.
My husband is a tea maker.
It's like a permaculturehomestead.
He's also herbalist.
He has a lot of passion aroundsystems such as ponds and just
(04:55):
the type of agriculture andplant work that feeds into the
soil, feeds into symbioticrelationships.
I've been lucky to learn a lotfrom him Then.
I've also done some courseworkon my own about herbalism and
working with the land.
Right now we have CSA, we havefarmers market.
We grow a lot of the herbs forhis tea business.
(05:17):
In fact, I just have to do alittle shout out, because, if
you're familiar with Awamnee therestaurant on the river that
just won the James Beard Awarddowntown there for the best new
restaurant in the country theycarry his teas.
All their beverages are madewith his herbs and his teas, so
super proud of him for that.
The thing about organic farming, though, is we don't use
(05:39):
pesticides or herbicides orfertilizers or things.
We have a lot of critters.
We have a beaver that's movedin along the creek, we have
skunks and all kinds of animalsmuskrat and groundhog, all these
animals that have moved in.
So that's been interesting.
So you don't be, they are justthere.
(05:59):
It's been a process for me,being a city person, getting
comfortable with it.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
I was going to ask you because for me, would you
say, you have a beaver and amuskrat in my head.
They're the same thing I waslike, I'm going to look this up.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
I will say that one of the most incredible gifts we
have is really pure water.
The well we have, like when Itake a shower, the well water is
so luxurious and I just reallywant that for people who are
living in Minneapolis to havethis experience of clean water.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
I was talking to another podcaster and we were
saying you know how many hoursfrom Minneapolis is the looth?
Not all people get a chance toexperience the true freshness.
Yes, and just what a blessingthat you all have there with
having the eight acres andhaving fresh water and just
(06:53):
being able to kind of separateyourself from city life every
once in a while, to have thatplace so that you can detox.
Yes, also provide somethingback to not only the community
but to the environment as well.
Absolutely, absolutely.
Can you share with us theexperience that you've had,
since you are surrounded bynature, that has deepened your
(07:15):
belief in our oneness?
Speaker 2 (07:18):
Absolutely.
I feel like any human given theopportunity and the space to
sit alone in the woods wouldcome upon these revelations as
well, and sometimes we need somespace.
Some people need more spacethan others to really tap in.
We have the fortune of beingbutted up against the University
(07:40):
of Minnesota, like arboristfields and forests, so, even
though it's just eight acresthat are ours, we have a lot of
roaming, forest, quiet spacethat nobody's ever out there.
So I watch my children taking,you know, some space in the
morning to go for a solo walk,and they always come back much
calmer, much more patient, muchmore in tune.
(08:03):
I see it.
I see it in their demeanor andI've experienced it myself.
But something about sittingwith the trees and just watching
the natural flow of the birdsflying from one tree to the next
, the little ants in the soil,the way that the leaves move,
taps you into something ancientand innate and deeper.
(08:26):
It's hard to put in words, butI know, trina, you've had this
experience before.
Sitting with water is anotherexample.
I used to live in Hawaii andbeing with the oceans reflects
our movement of breath in such abeautiful way.
It makes you breathe slower andcalmer and deeper.
(08:46):
So I've been a yoga teacher forabout 25 years.
Yoga has been a really big partof my life, not just the
physical stretching and asana,but the deep philosophical and
spiritual work that the ancientpractice of yoga brings some
5,000 year old technology forthe science of the mind and the
science of self-realization andknowledge of self.
(09:12):
The breath is the one thingthat's constantly changing.
So within yoga philosophy weidentify the physical body and
all of nature.
We call this property, and thatincludes the thoughts in your
mind and it includes themovement of breath.
So things that are coming andgoing, things that are
constantly changing, and then weidentify that within you, that
(09:34):
is the conscious awareness thatis observing all of the things
that change.
So the seasons, your mind, yourthoughts, your emotions, your
breath.
And the idea with yoga practiceis to live from that space of
conscious awareness, to be theobserver, to sit on a throne as
(09:54):
a royal goddess and be thewitness of life, unbound by
situation, unbound by theweather patterns, unbound by the
mental complexities andsomething about sitting in front
of the ocean which you find arhythm with your breath.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
It's such a deep meditation for me that's
beautiful because, as you'resaying, that I recently added
into my yoga practice.
When I'm sitting on my mat, Ithink about my breathing and
I've been focused on that a lotmore.
I can see myself in this space,sitting across from myself as
(10:35):
the ocean is going back andforth, and something so tantric,
I think, and something just sobeautiful, and I just keep
thinking why didn't I discoverthis before?
And a part of me goes back tomaybe it wasn't for me to
discover at that point.
The visuals that you give areso strong and you're very aware
(10:57):
and I can see now why I wasdrawn to you.
And not to mention that you area lover of trees, which you
already have my heart, and Idon't know if you've ever read
this book which I just startedamongst my other thousands of
books that I'm reading, but it'scalled the Hidden Life of Trees
(11:18):
and a friend had suggested it,but it's by Peter, I think it's
Wolbin, peter Wolbin, I thinkthat's his name.
But the Hidden Life of Trees,and it kind of just tells how
they feel, how trees communicate, and I totally get what you're
saying when you're amongstnature and you're with the trees
and with your breath.
Speaker 2 (11:38):
Oh, I've heard of this book but I have not yet
read it, and I think theyprobably speak to the mycelium
connections of the mushroomsunderneath too.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
Yes, how it's all connected.
When we were up in Duluth thisis crazy okay, full circle
moment, really quick.
But when we were up in Duluth afew years ago, so this is
before pandemic we had gone intothis artist shop and he had
this framed print by John Muirand I remember being drawn to it
(12:09):
because it said when you tug ata single thing in nature, he
finds it attached to the rest ofthe world.
As I'm talking to you about theinterconnectedness of life,
would you mind explaining to ushow you perceive the
interconnectedness of all livingbeings and what place that
holds in your life?
Speaker 2 (12:29):
Oh, I just love that visual of tugging, tugging a bit
at nature, tugging a bit at apedal on a daisy and feeling the
fabric of reality shifting,because quantum physics I mean
their Western science, isfinally catching up with Eastern
philosophy.
You go down into a microscope,beyond the cellular level,
(12:50):
beyond the atomic level, deeperand deeper, and we see that it's
just one canvas of experienceand that we can manipulate
matter through our intention.
That's what's so striking,because we say this, you know,
and it sounds kind of new agey,like oh yeah, manifest your
reality.
But Western science is actuallyquantifying, calculating,
(13:15):
breaking it down and showingthat atoms are in fact
impressionable by what you'rethinking, which is so wild.
One piece of yoga philosophythat I'm thankful to have
downloaded early, like in my 20s, and whether it's true or not,
I feel like is beside the point,because if this philosophy
(13:38):
allows me to be kinder and morecompassionate and more patient
and a deeper listener, that'sthe point of life, those you
know, fine-tuning ourrelationships with everyone we
meet.
So this philosophy is that theconscious awareness within my
head looking out through my eyesis the same conscious awareness
(14:01):
of every sentient being aroundme looking out through their
eyes.
So I'm essentially talking tomyself.
When we do that, all feardissipates, all afflictive
emotions fall away.
You can't help but fall in love, fall in the deepest love with
everybody you meet.
When you know you're talking toyourself, which is to say
(14:25):
you're talking to God, which isto say you're talking to nature,
there's just one consciousnessbeating through all of our
hearts.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
Wow, that gave me chills, because you have said it
so eloquently.
I believe when we put thatkindness back into the world,
not only are we putting it outto help other people right, in
all essence, we're helpingourselves but we get to be a
mirror to other people who getto be a mirror to us when in
(14:57):
fact, we're all one of the same.
And it's mind-blowing when youthink about it like that.
You look at your fellow humanbeing and why would you want to
have your ego come into playwhen you're just me going
against yourself?
I just feel like in thesemoments we get to be selfless
(15:18):
and more compassionate, when weget to view the world in the way
it was just described, becauseI, through these moments, we are
continuing to create differentpathways to the love source.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
Well, also just to add to that, through my world
travels I really have realizedthat it's a secular experience.
You can find that through everyreligion or through no religion
, and it works.
Speaker 1 (15:49):
And it works.
It's like the more and more, andI don't know if it's because as
you get older, but I know thereare so many younger people who
I like to say that they're likeold souls and they have this
wisdom about them and for me Ifelt like it took me like 50
something years to get to thispoint where other people get
(16:12):
there a lot sooner.
But it's okay because, again,it's all a part of our
individual journeys but itbecomes the collective journey
of the whole and it'smind-blowing when you start to
think of the world in that way.
It goes back to why would Iwant to hurt someone else if
that same hurt is reallydirected at myself?
(16:33):
Yes, once we all get to a pointand you know everybody's on
their different parts of theirspiritual journey, whatever that
spiritual journey looks like.
But I really believe, once weget to that point of almost like
you said in the beginning,there's an enlightenment and you
get to see, you know it's likeokay, this is where we're all
(16:57):
trying to go, if we're all opento this experience.
Speaker 2 (17:01):
Or there's only one of us here and the moment I wake
up, the whole world's gonnawake up.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
Mmm.
Okay, I'm gonna marinate onthat because that's deep, but
have you always thought this way?
Have you noticed that aboutyourself?
Speaker 2 (17:19):
Mmm, no.
So I was a swimmer for most ofmy life.
I started swimmingcompetitively when I was four
and that eventually led me to acollege scholarship out in
Seattle and I think moving fromMinnesota to Seattle was a huge
breakthrough in breaking open mymind and my heart.
(17:40):
The Pacific Northwest I metpeople I was not involved with
them in Minnesota, so hippiesand people living off the land
and psychedelic people, just afully blasted my mind open.
And I feel like it was at thatpoint that things started to
(18:03):
shift, this idea that just eventhe concept of having an ego and
watching the ego experienceseparate from my divine self,
which is my conscious awareness.
From Seattle, I ended up movingto Hawaii for about three years,
so I'm 19 years old at thispoint.
I'm kind of living on the beach, I'm surfing every day and I
(18:25):
grew up Trina in a veryscientific household.
So my parents were like sciencepeople who believe in God.
That's superstition.
Those people are stupid, it'sjust science.
And I remember going to Hawaiiand meeting a friend.
We were sitting on a cliff andyou know I don't know if you've
been to Hawaii, but there'srainbows every day.
We're sitting on this cliffwatching the ocean and there's
(18:48):
rainbows, and I'm in absolutebliss.
And I turn to him and I sayI've never been so happy before.
I just feel like I'm at home.
This rainbow is blowing my mind.
And he said this feeling you'rehaving right now.
He said, jaina, this is whatpeople are talking about when
they use the word God, and thatI will remember that moment for
(19:10):
the rest of my life.
And he said you don't have tocall it God If there's some ties
to feeling like the patriarchyand like this white bearded man
in the sky and all that.
Like you can.
You can not call it God, youcan call it the rainbow.
And so I started calling thatfeeling of oneness the rainbow.
Yeah, I was 19 years old.
(19:31):
That was when a big shifthappened for me.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
Well, that's amazing and it goes back to me, I think,
in like the people that youmeet along the journey, they
help you a lot of times, unlocksomething that was there all
along, but you just have thatkey.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
Yet, yes, that's such a beautiful way to say it.
You're right.
I want to share it because Iwonder if some of your listeners
don't have the opportunity tosee these really epic and
nourishing places.
I'm a college professor and twosemesters ago I had the
opportunity to lead some yogaclasses in a medium security
(20:08):
prison Lionel Lake's mediumsecurity and this is one of the
reasons you know to thelisteners if you haven't tried a
yoga practice or a meditationpractice yet, you don't need
anything.
You don't need a beautifulspace.
You don't need, you don't evenreally need a mat.
I mean, these guys in the prisondidn't have space.
(20:30):
They're in a cell with two bedsnext to each other and a toilet
in between, and I taught themabout bad yoga.
We called it bad yoga, whereyou do your stretches and your
meditation on the bed.
We need not have the perfectenvironment to step into it and
enlighten state of being, and,in fact, you need not have the
(20:51):
perfect teacher, you need nothave the perfect environment.
That it's within us and it'skind of inherent in the essence
of the foundation of who we arethat we go on this journey.
I really love how, a minute ago, you said certain relationships
will, you know, will be the keyto unlock whatever evolution
you're ready for and to reallytrust into that space, to trust
(21:13):
into life, to trust into thetiming of your life.
Speaker 1 (21:17):
I was thinking when you said that as well.
It's the hidden gems.
It's a book that calls you andjust like you could go and read
a book and it takes you awayfrom the place that you're in.
If you're in that meditativestate, in that meditative space,
you really can close your eyesand be anywhere.
Speaker 2 (21:39):
Yes, and divine oneness is coursing through them
too.
Amen.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
Thank you for sharing that and what you're doing to
help others, because that isimportant and to bring them a
piece of humanity.
Yeah, exactly so thank you, myfriend, for doing that and
sharing with them.
The one question that I that'skind of like tugging at me is
(22:07):
how do you hope to inspireothers to cultivate that deeper
connection with the naturalworld and to embrace this idea
of oneness?
Speaker 2 (22:17):
Yes.
So I really feel walking, thewalk, is the most important
thing.
I think that that has the mostinfluence and I think it's a
domino effect.
So the more.
And this comes back to thisidea that there might only be
one one of us here, this oneconsciousness.
So if I walk through the worldwith really beautiful steps,
(22:41):
with really regal steps, as agoddess moving through the
planet in selfless service sonot service to bolster my own
ego identity, but service ofnature and if every interaction
I have like meta, lovingkindness, how can I serve, how
can I uplift the person in thissituation?
(23:03):
That does have a domino effect,even just smiling at somebody as
you walk by them in the city,you know, sometimes we just
don't even make eye contact.
But even just smiling andconnecting, you don't even know
how you can change someone's day.
So you know, teaching yogaclasses and speaking about these
(23:24):
philosophies are good, but Ifeel like the impact that I have
is most powerful in my day today choices to be in a space of
selfless service, and it doesn'tmean that you're not an
activist.
One of my early teachers,sharon Gannon from New York City
, she the nail on the head forme in this reminder that to be a
(23:46):
yogi doesn't mean you're justpassive, like spiritual
bypassing, like everything'sfine roses and rainbows, like to
actually stand up for what'sright and to be an activist, but
to do so with compassion,knowing that everyone is doing
the best they can with what theyknow.
So speaking truth and speakinglight into injustices is to be a
(24:10):
yogi.
Something else that comes tomind, because I do have a lot of
children and I'm aroundchildren often, you know,
especially in the last coupleyears, I've really reoriented
and dedicated my life toenriching their lives Like I
want.
My purpose in life right now isto help save the bees that
comes with the gardening and toenrich the children's lives,
(24:33):
because every moment Makes adifference and teaching them.
I have an opportunity this fall.
A friend of mine, chance York,and I and Aaron Lipkin Some real
movers and shakers inMinneapolis with youth sports
and yoga we're starting anonprofit called peace and
practice to bring Yoga, teachertraining, college credit, gym
(24:57):
credit and career training tokids in high school.
Oh, we're working on grantwriting right now, but we've
been doing strategic planningfor this for about two years.
We're very, very excited tohopefully pilot with North High
School this fall and get itstarted and and connect kids.
You know, at this critical agewhere you know having a trade
(25:19):
right out of high schools, beingable to make money doing
something that you love, that is, making a difference in other
people's lives, is so valuablefor sure.
Speaker 1 (25:27):
And not only that, but you're paying forward of all
the information that you haveto help kids along their journey
Earlier than maybe they wouldhave even began to think about,
and that, in turn, changes thespirit in which they live to
promote Compassion and love, andthat will change a whole new
(25:48):
generation.
And I would love to see, oncethis program starts, what these
kids end up doing.
They definitely you know how ajumpstart and changing the world
.
Yeah, I believe it.
How wonderful my friend Isthere.
Is there anything that youdon't do?
But you, my friend, are justsuper magical and Just so much
(26:17):
knowledge and wisdom.
And, like I said in thebeginning, that you notice when
somebody has that compassionateheart and that compassionate
spirit, and when I first noticedyou At one of our gigs, first
of all, not only are youstrikingly beautiful, but you're
(26:37):
generous.
You're generous and you shareinformation.
And just a Side story, if youever have a map but you don't
have a map you think you knowwhat you're doing, but you don't
.
Jena is the woman for you.
She will get you to where youneed to be, on time, in the
right In the right space, in theright state of mind.
(27:01):
Every single time.
Speaker 2 (27:02):
She's just Well and Trina, thank you for your
beautiful words.
I also want to point out thatyou see me Because you're cut
from the same fabric.
You know, you see you.
You see we value the samethings and this is why you see
this in me.
So thank you for the workyou're doing on this planet.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
I love you, my friend .
Any of the listeners wanted tofollow you on social media
because you do a lot ofdifferent things.
How would they go aboutfollowing you?
Yeah, they wanted to get yourcheese.
How would they go about doingthat as well?
Speaker 2 (27:40):
so I'm on Mostly just Instagram and that's just my
name.
At Jena Portwood.
My main focus in my shares Ismy yoga retreat Business, the
trips I do.
I take about four Internationalyoga retreats a year and we're
always on a different continent.
This year upcoming we're goingto Egypt, bali, india, japan and
(28:06):
there's some local retreats aswell.
So definitely check out theInstagram page.
One thing I love about the workthat I do on these week-long
trips is, you know, of coursewe're doing cultural immersion
and visiting a new country, butwe also are doing this spiritual
work yoga, philosophy,conversations, circles,
(28:28):
journaling and I really findthat people come back from the
experience and they feel thatthey've shifted Something really
profound and big.
So it's it's a vacation, butit's also a really, really rich
experience and it's alwaysawesome, beautiful, all ages.
I mean I get women in their 70s, I get men in their 20s, like
(28:50):
it's.
It's literally all ages.
So I encourage listeners tocheck that out, can find my
website and everything throughthe Instagram.
And then the tea is called on ahot to herbals Okay website for
that.
Yep, how do you spell that?
It's a, n, a, mm-hmm, a, t, aand then herbals, h, e, r, b, a,
(29:13):
l, s, comm, perfect and so wecan go on there and Grab some
teas as well.
Yes, in my website's belovedretreats Dot com.
Speaker 1 (29:24):
Okay, first of all, I'm going on the website now and
I'm gonna grab some teas,because you know I'm a tea
genado and I'm also gonna checkout beloved retreats to check
out you know, the differentretreat offerings that you have
and I am hoping One of thesedays that I'm gonna be able to
join you, because I know that itwould be experience and a
(29:47):
knowledge filled afternoon andWeekend and experience and
anytime that I get a chance tospend with you.
Yeah, I'm down.
Thank you, trina, is great totalk with you.
It's great to talk to you too,my friend, and I would just say
until the next time, may all ofour hearts Be open and may we
all find harmony and the onenessthat unites us all.
(30:10):
And thank you, friend, forbeing that guiding spirit.
Oh, love you.
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