The Middle Way with Dr. Matthew Goodman

Sarah Marshank has lived many lives: college student, lover, Orthodox Jew, escort, celibate monk, truth-seeker, recluse. As we all do in some fashion, Sarah embarked on a hero's journey to answer her deepest call: to be a teacher. Through these diverse and rich experiences, Sarah now shares what she's found to be the most helpful principles and practices for being a "self" in the world. What exactly does this look like?

This episode explores the "self" in all its complexity and beauty.

Sarah Marshank is the founder of Selfistry, a unique learning system for mastering the art of being human. She’s the author of Being Self-ish: My Journey from Escort to Monk to Grandmother and Selfistry: A Guide to Embodying Timeless Spiritual Wisdom. Based in California, Sarah teaches and speaks internationally, offers online programs, consults with corporate clients, and works one-on one with individuals. Her training as an educator makes her an effective and impactful facilitator, but Sarah’s embodied presence is what touches people the most — the fruit of spending ten years in personal retreat. Her superpower is how she weaves Eastern philosophy and Western psychology into a process that yields profound authenticity. Sarah loves to guide people towards this deep and sustainable encounter with themselves.

In this episode, Sarah and I dive into:

-Sarah's background: from her childhood in Detroit, to being an educator and orthodox Jew, to going on retreat for 10 years, to finally arriving at the work she does now with Selfistry.

-The relationship between "Source," "Self," and "Witness" as Sarah understands it.

-Working with the "messy" parts of ourselves: our flaws, habits, addictions, wounds, and all the things we want to change within ourselves - how we can both work on these things AND hold "loving awareness" (i.e., The Witness) for all of the beautiful messiness in its entirety.

-Why attempts to transcend the "self" may not be so helpful.

-Why "The Witness" helps us mediate between what the universe wants for us, and what we're actually doing.

-How suffering works as a "feedback mechanism" that keeps us on track with what the universe wants (i.e., Source).

-Meditation as a "self-improvement" project and how to even hold loving-awareness for this!

Learn more about Selfistry: https://selfistry.com/

Check out Sarah's books: https://selfistry.com/books/

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Zen-prov! Class (Improv + Zen): ⁠⁠https://www.matthewgoodmanphd.com/zenprov⁠⁠

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~May you be happy. May you be healthy. May you live with ease and joy. May you be free of suffering~