Unwinding Anxiety with Robert Lurye

This week's conversation is with Robert Lurye, a mindfulness meditation and yoga teacher who offers classes on "unwinding anxiety." Robert's background as an artist and animator provided him with an interest in human behavior and emotional expression (as well as some pretty stressful work experiences). We talk about how common anxiety is, especially in these uncertain times, and how understanding the habit loops of anxiety can help us find some freedom around it. Robert shares mindfulness practices that can help us observe our mental and emotional states without getting so lost in them, as well as embodied movement practices that help to get us out of our heads. One of my favorite parts of this episode is when he talks about some neuroscience research that showed meditators had remarkable ability to be present with pain, minus the dread and anticipation that most of us experience. (See this episode's page on the Moved To Meditate website for links to the study.) Robert Lurye is an artist, educator, and meditation practitioner who loves teaching the ancient wisdom and modern science of mindfulness.  He is a certified MBSR teacher through Brown University's Mindfulness Center, a CYT 200 yoga instructor, and a facilitator for Mindfulness-Based Habit Change programs that address unwanted habits from cigarettes to smart phones, emotional eating, and anxiety. Robert also teaches mindfulness programs at InsightLA, Long Beach Mediation, University of Southern California and facilitates sitting groups for the LGBTQ+ community.  He's been a computer animation artist since 1985 working on feature film, television and video game productions. He earned a Master of Education degree from The Ohio State University and has taught art at Ohio State, Texas A&M, and University of Texas, Austin. Robert is currently training as an Eco-Chaplain and developing contemplative care focusing on Eco-Anxiety.  To get in touch with Robert, look for him at InsightLA (https://insightla.org/teacher/robert-lurye/) and visit his coming-soon website at robertlurye.com. Learn more about Dr. Judson Brewer and his Mindfulness-Based Habit Change programs out of Brown University (including the app and course Robert mentions): https://drjud.com/. To learn more about Addie's work, visit her website at movedtomeditate.yoga.