The Clip Out’s February book club meeting was a fantastic one – we learned to introvert with one of our favorite yoga instructors, Ross Rayburn.  Our February pick was “Turning Inward:  The Practice of Introversion for a Calm, Joyful, Authentic Life” written by Ross, and we were so honored and thrilled to have him join us for our monthly book club meeting.  

If you haven’t read Ross’ book yet, you must run (or walk, row, or bike….see what I did there?)  to your nearest store (or just hop online and get the audible version).  Whether you meditate regularly or struggle to meditate at all, you’ll find a lot of nuggets in this book that will help you learn to shut out the noise of the world, ground yourself, be your authentic self, and, frankly, enjoy life more. 

Before we get into the really deep concepts that Ross shared, did you ever wonder how long it takes Ross to prepare his amazing meditations that we all love?  Ross says he doesn’t script his meditations – he simply looks inward and asks all the teachers who have come before him what the greatest service is that he can provide that day.  All we know is we’ve never actually gotten to the end of one of his sleep meditations!  

Ross’ insights were amazing, as he walked us through his best tips for introverting.  We laughed, we thought deeply, and Ross was his authentic self throughout our hour-long talk with him!   We all started by looking inward for a minute, and Ross encouraged us to set an intention at that time (spoiler alert- if Peloton had a “setting an intention and looking inward for one minute” badge, Tom would have…. one Peloton badge.)  😀

Ross said his book had been in the making for about ten years! Interestingly, he began to write it pre-Peloton and could have self-published it – but being a part of Peloton gave him a big enough platform to find a publisher.  In fact, he scrapped the entire first draft and re-wrote it with the help of a friend who could listen to what he was saying and help “put his words in order”.  

Ross told us that a turning point in his life and his meditation practice took place when he grasped the fact that there is a blue pearl that shines a light at the core of everyone’s being.  By believing that everyone has this pearl, we can bond with anyone and focus on their essence.  Ross revealed that we are all apparently separated (people, families, friends, and even countries), which is the source of our suffering.  Anything we can do to heal the trauma of that separation reveals the beauty of who we can be.  A 

Ross also told us that a “deathbed meditation”  (stick with us here, it’s not a sad thing) is helpful in making difficult decisions in various circumstances – assume that you will live a very long life – on your deathbed at, for example, age 90, which decision will you wish you had made?   

Ross told us that even when we are in a moment of great pain, we can see pain as a privilege and rise above it or go beneath it and find light.  Then, when we are no longer in pain, the celebration of abundance can take place with a community of people to share it with.  

For those of us who struggle with turning inward (and how could we not, with the fast pace of today’s world?), Ross’ tip is to simply stop for a minute or two.  Listen to something outside, focus on an object, hug a tree – anything that makes us stop moving.  Consider whether that tree cares about your problem – realize that your problem is not all around you. 

Ross’ message was well taken – he is so good at simplifying the concept of introversion. By turning inward, and focusing on the light that emits from our blue pearl and the blue pearl that is within others, we can become a beacon of hope and light while everyone else is cursing the darkness.  Isn’t that an amazing goal?    

Also, things we didn’t know about Ross (and you’ll need to watch the replay of the book club meeting to put these all into context):    He was an Eagle Scout, he can tie a knot with one hand, and he has a dog named “Hattie”.   Please buy Ross some toilet paper with vocabulary words on it.  And for the love of all that is good, learn some Sanskrit, people!   Do not buy him anything that is “Captain Kirk” green.  And finally, Ross loves all of the modes of workouts on the Peloton platform and especially enjoys rowing – but he said he’ll stick to his yoga, meditation, and stretching as far as teaching – which is perfectly okay with us!  

Join us for our next book club meeting by joining Patreon. (You can also check out the replay!) The meetings are open to all levels of Patreon members, even the free level, and they take place on the second Tuesday of each month.  Our members voted on the next two books, and we are excited about both of them!  The March book is “5 Second Rule” by Mel Robbins ( it’s about improving your life, not about your kids’ food dropping on the floor, folks) and our April book will be ”Maid” by Stephanie Land.  

We’ll see you next month!    

Tune in to The Clip Out every Friday to hear Tom and Crystal’s take on this and other hot Pelotopics. We’re available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, iHeart, TuneIn. Be sure and follow us so you never miss an episode. You can also find the show online on Facebook.com/TheClipOut. While you’re there, like the page and join the group. Lastly, find us on our YouTube channel, YouTube.com/TheClipOut, where you can watch all of our shows.

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