Episode 13: Manoj Dias: The Evolution of Mindfulness, Feeling Embodied & Navigating Mentorship

 

On this episode of the podcast, I sat down with Manoj Dias, meditation and mindfulness teacher, founder of A—SPACE, and father. After moving from a monistic community in Sri Lanka to Australia where he was introduced to a variety of abuse, Manoj’s life changed drastically as the seeds of un-wellness were planted. As a young man working in marketing, on paper everything was perfect but a life-shaking anxiety attack changed the course of his self-awareness, and eventually he found yoga and meditation. These tools led him into a life of teaching and sharing, having studied with Jack Kornfield and Sharon Salzberg among others. Manoj shares his journey into these practices, along with navigating an eating disorder, becoming a father at a young age and where his own practice is going.

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If we can realize at this moment I’m not mindful—all of the sudden I’m mindful. The moment you realize you’re no longer present, that’s the moment when you become present. It blows my mind.
— Manoj Dias

SHOW NOTES

• 2:35 Manoj’s origin story starting in Sri Lanka

• 4:30 Moving to Australia from being surround by monks

• 5:30 Introduced to racism, abuse and survival

• 9:20 Anxiety attack and addiction to medications

• 11:20 Daughter was inspiration to keep going

• 12:35 Spontaneous compassion from family to support Manoj

• 15:05 There’s something wrong with me, getting into body and feeling

• 15:35 First experience of observing thoughts and mind

• 17:00 Teaching and studying with Jack Kornfield and Sharon Salzberg

• 19:10 Balance between developing discipline and action and letting go

• 22:25 The Buddha’s crisis of consciousness, parallel to our paths

• 24:10 Being an eternal student of the practice and the Self

• 25:35 Getting into Tantric Buddhist teachings

• 26:35 Neck-up society vs living neck-down

• 32:01 What is our motivation for mindfulness?

• 35:25 “Mindfulness is easy, we just have to remember to do it” —Sharon Salzberg

• 36:20 Is my practice evolving?

• 38:35 Dealing with an eating disorder, tied to self-love

• 45:05 The lessons of being a father

• 50:05 How can mentors help us along the path

• 52:30 Following a teacher vs. following a teaching

• 56:25 The male female dynamic with spiritual teachers and transference