After an introduction to the wonderful Deepak Homebase and the Be Here Now Network in association with Ram Dass and Love Serve Remember Foundation, Nina Rao leads a wonderful chant to start off the show. The comedian, Duncan Trussell, sits down with Be Here Now Network teachers Chris Grosso, Lama Surya Das, and Raghu Markus. Listen as Chris speaks of his struggles with alcoholism and how spirituality has helped him balance his addiction. He also talks about how he has found spirituality pervade all facets of life, even at a Slayer concert. Chris is an accomplished author with two published books, but he has a humble demeanor on the stage talking of his deep internal experiences that led to his new writing gig. Much of the information in the books was inspired into him while he was simply out going on runs. This is proof to him and the audience that anything you do can become a spiritual practice if you allow it to come in. Lama Surya Das comes up onto the stage after Chris tells his story and speaks about the story of the Buddha’s enlightenment and goes beyond the mythology to explain to us how removing “I” from experience grounds us in everything. This truly represents oneness in all things. “I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together,” Lama Surya Das says, to quote the Beatles. The Lama is casually throwing jokes back and forth with Duncan, while simultaneously bringing great wisdom to the conversation effortlessly. Finally, Raghu Markus comes to the stage to share his experience with Duncan Trussell and talk a bit about how the Be Here Now Network came to be through him. He related it to how Duncan took the first step to meet Raghu and it led to such a fruitful, symbiotic relationship. Before you can make any sort of life change, you have to have the courage to make that first step. He dives deeper into the idea by telling a story of how Maharajji told him that “Courage is everything.” The four teachers have a short question and answer session, where they talk about their experiences of “enlightenment” and what it really means in our everyday lives. This is followed by a closing meditation and chant led by Lama Surya Das chanting “Om mani padme hum.”

“The Wisdom of Broken Pieces” As humans, we will all have experiences that break us open. Maybe we’ve struggled with addiction or depression, the loss of a loved one, PTSD or any other part of life that shows us our broken pieces. Most of us react by running away from or suppressing the pain of these situations. When we do this, we keep ourselves locked in a perpetual cycle of more pain and more dis-ease, and move further and further from true healing. Buddhist nun Pema Chodron once said, “When we protect ourselves so we won't feel pain, that protection becomes like armor, like armor that imprisons the softness of the heart.” Chris Grosso’s heart armor was strong, but the culmination of fear, anger, hurt, sadness, drugs, cutting and suicide attempts ultimately shattered that armor and allowed him to begin healing the broken pieces. In this talk, Chris will show you how he found the courage to use those dark times as the catalyst to change his life. He will show you how to make friends with your past, embrace the skeletons in your closet, create an open space for healing, and learn to love yourself, and others, without holding back. You can go from sitting amidst broken pieces to allowing the light into your broken open heart.

Chris Grosso knows firsthand what the cyclical nature of sadness, pain, and despair feels like. A former addict, Chris shares how he found spiritual growth when he was at his most vulnerable in this Speakeasy talk from Wanderlust Stratton 2014. Finding our true spirit, he says, depends a lot on our own unique experiences. But acknowledging both our relative, physical self and our ultimate self can get us there. "These experiences of pain and suffering and a broken heart, there actually is a lot of grace in them. Because these are times in our lives where we are weakest and we are most vulnerable, and we are actually at that point on very fertile ground for spiritual growth. Our egos are bruised and beaten, and putting of the white flag isn't so difficult." To learn more about Chris Grosso, visit http://theindiespiritualist.com.

Chris Grosso, author of the Indie Spiritualist, shares his story about the last time he experienced psychedelic drugs. Chris has always been a huge fan of Ram Dass. And when this event took place, he was very much into Dass’s book Be Here Now. So, one Sunday afternoon, with the intention to focus on Be Here Now and have an incredible experience, or trip, Chris ingested some mushrooms. “I am going to take this whole eighth by myself and I’m going to see the face of God and it’s going to blow my mind and be amazing.” …Or so he thought. Chris had experimented with psychedelics heavily in the past, easily over 100 times by his estimation. At that time he had “never had a bad experience.” This time, after taking the mushrooms, he went on a stroll to a local Thai restaurant and ordered some wine and food. But soon after arriving he noticed the nearby statue of Shiva looking at him, and then start to move. “Oh this isn’t good,” he realized. So he quickly drank his wine and asked for his food to go. To Chris the walk home felt like it took days… It was actually more like 15 minutes. “If you want to practice mindful walking, take a ton of mushrooms,” Chris says. When he finally did arrive home, Chris tried to sleep off his trip, but his anxiety began to grow. He called his parents in desperation. They arrived and brought him back to their home. They asked what was going on. In response, Chris handed Be Here Now to his mother and said, “maybe this will explain it.” Recalling looking up at the stars, Chris describes how he felt: “It was a very transcendental experience—but it wasn’t in a good way—it was all like forever was crashing down on me and I just muttered, ‘it’s all too real.’” The next morning his mother confessed that she had read the whole book and didn’t get it. Chris took this trip as a sign that psychedelics, however eye-opening they had been in the past, were not the path for him. He hasn’t touched them since. “I lived and learned,” he says. — Video shot and edited by Edward Boyce Accompanying text by Kristin Diversi

Watch The Full Episode Here: http://www.gaia.com/video/stay-inspired-indie-spirit-and-recovery-chris-grosso Every time Chris Grosso believed he had fallen about as far as he could fall, the bottom dropped out from under him and his life crashed lower. His role in the indie music scene gave him too much contact with the drug and alcohol addictions that were destroying his life. Finally, as he reveals in this powerful interview, originally webcast on April 20, 2016, he connected with spirituality and found an inner serenity that allowed him to find a path away from substance abuse. Now, he helps others.

In this talk, Chris Grosso, author of Indie Spiritualist, Everything Mind, and Dead Set On Living (Spring 2018) discusses the importance of intentional morning rituals, outlining a 6-step routine that will empower individuals to start their day from a place of peace, purpose, reverence, and bold courage. Rise and thrive! Chris Grosso is a public speaker, writer, spiritual director of Toivo by Advocacy Unlimited and author of Indie Spiritualist: A No Bullshit Exploration of Spirituality (Beyond Words/Simon & Schuster), Everything Mind: What I’ve Learned About Hard Knocks, Spiritual Awakening and the Mind-Blowing Truth of it All (Sounds True) and Dead Set On Living (Simon & Schuster/New World Library-Spring 2018). He writes for ORIGIN Magazine, Huffington Post, and Mantra Yoga + Health Magazine, and has spoken and performed at Wanderlust Festival, Celebrate Your Life, Yoga Journal Conference, Sedona World Wisdom Days, Kripalu, Sun Valley Wellness Festival, and more. Chris is passionate about his work with people who are in the process of healing or struggling with addictions of all kinds. He speaks and leads groups in detoxes, yoga studios, rehabs, youth centers, 12-step meetings, hospitals, conferences, and festivals worldwide. He is a member of the advisory board for Drugs over Dinner and hosts The Indie Spiritualist Podcast on Ram Dass’s esteemed Be Here Now Network. Chris’s work has been endorsed by an eclectic mix of celebrated individuals including Jeff Bridges, Ram Dass, Tony Hawk, Ken Wilber, Sharon Salzberg, MC Yogi, Alex Grey, Lama Surya Das, Jack Kornfield, Lissa Rankin, Tara Brach, Bernie Siegel, Noah Levine, Treach (Naughty By Nature), and more. Produced by Wanderlust Festival (http://wanderlust.com) Filmed at Wanderlust Snowshoe 2017