Solemn Place

Doc Mitchell has been a Practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine since 1989 and is a senior professor at Five Branches University.Strong emotions can drive our decision-making and objective reality is paradoxical. yuko uno, yuka una, and Doc discuss an underlying reality that is unchanging. Everything is always changing and unfolding in the present moment. There is nothing that is stable. In the classical Chinese language, there is no verb "to be". You can't say "I am". You can't self-define. There was no abstract word for the word "time". The word they had was "seasons".With everything in the context of seasons, there is an organic root which references a world to every kind of phenomena that is unfolding. In talking about personal cultivation, Buddhist and Christian schools offer a lot; praying to a monotheistic God is stable.All of your experience you can see as a sort of an illusion or a dream. This frees one from attachment (desire) which is the root of all suffering.

Doc Mitchell has been a Practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine since 1989 and is a senior professor at Five Branches University.From getting caught as a 12-year-old cutting down trees in Mr. Nielson's backyard and being forced to walk with him through the forest every Sunday, learning the names of every plant, to years later getting very sick in South America stopping in the market places to talk to curanderas, Doc has collected more than just stories.He began collecting plants when he moved back to the U.S. and had jars full of plants when his wife, Sandy, met him and helped him transition back into civilization. Developing a discipline, he began seeding the direction (no pun intended) in his interest in Traditional Chinese Medicine.For more information and upcoming events, visit solemnplace.com

yuka una sits down with yuko uno to explore his history with music. From the first songs he ever wrote to the sound he carries today. Together, they move through a time capsule of melody and memory, reflecting on how music has carried them through life’s highs and lows.They discuss how interacting with music shapes who we become and how it ultimately led to the conception of Solemn Place.Music is the language of the soul. yuko shares his belief that the fabric of our reality is woven from vibration, light, and sound. That our entire experience is, in many ways, a living light and music show. He revisits the earliest songs he remembers writing and playing after first picking up a guitar, offering snapshots of his formative years as a songwriter.They also explore a deeper side of the journey: how music can become intertwined with trauma, and how healing can happen through reconnecting with music in a new way.For more information and upcoming events, visit solemnplace.com

yuka una and yuko uno discuss suffering and our relationship to pain. Suffering is subjective. What may be a positive experience to one may be a negative experience to another. Desire and preferences breed suffering.They dive into the idea that wanting things to be a certain way creates aversion and opposition to what is. How pain is inevitable and suffering is optional. yuko speaks to his own personal suffering and challenges. He enlightens listeners to the benefits of cold plunging.The topic of suffering can be a sensitive subject. Our hosts approach this conversation with gentleness and awareness of how challenging life can be at times.We are all sharing this human experience together. It is our hope and prayer that the vulnerability, music, and shared trauma experience can bring us closer to healing—to remembering who we are.For more information and upcoming events, visit solemnplace.com

yuko uno speaks with his guest and fiancée yuka una about hope and death. They discuss the light on the other side of life. yuka una is a hospice nurse who has a passion for assisting people in dying well. She shares some of her experience of sitting with over 2,000 people in their last moments. She shares what she’s witnessed at the bedside: the fears, the peace, the beauty, and the light.yuko also shares some of his own personal struggles with mental health and depression. He talks about how finding hope in life can fill our life with light. Serving and helping others can be a really helpful tool in the midst of the struggle with depression.If you are struggling right now, you are not alone. You can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the United States. If you are outside the U.S., please seek your local crisis support line. There is help. There is hope.Solemn Place is a safe place for those who are seeking belonging, healing, and friendship.Solemn Place exists to explore spiritual teaching and personal healing through the vessel of music and community.You can visit us online at solemnplace.com

In this first episode of the Solemn Place Podcast, yuko uno reflects on healing through his journey in music. He shares the inspiration behind Solemn Place, a spiritual community in Santa Cruz, California, dedicated to music, healing, and communal gathering.Solemn Place exists to explore spiritual teaching and personal healing through the vessel of music and community. In this episode, yuko talks candidly about complex trauma and social survival, encouraging listeners to awaken the parts of themselves that have been hidden—the very parts they once concealed in seeking acceptance.He also invites anyone who is able to join Solemn Place’s monthly gatherings—held on the last Sunday of every month at Santa Cruz Recording—to come with intention, vulnerability, and a heart open to healing. Together, the community experiences music, meditation, mindfulness, and spiritual teachings in a safe, supportive space.For more information and upcoming events, visit solemnplace.com