Lisa Garr From Well-Read Radio Host to Inspirational Author
For 15 years, Lisa Garr has served as the energetic, vivacious, and intelligent host of “The Aware Show,” a radio program with several million listeners worldwide. More than 1,500 guests, many of them authors, have made appearances on the air with Garr, chosen for their alignment with the show’s mission,“To communicate messages that inspire positive growth and change.”
The show emerged as a result of her quest to recover her own health after a devastating cycling accident, near-death experience and debilitating brain injury. It’s a story she has finally told in her own newly released best-seller, Becoming Aware: How to Repattern Your Brain and Revitalize Your Life. Becoming Aware is a combination of personal story and practical techniques for brain recovery and brain health, complete with embedded QR codes and downloadable multimedia material.
The book offers something of the roadmap Lisa followed on her own quest for health. She says, “I started the show to engage in conscious conversations and learn something new every day.” These everyday practices are integral to the ability of the brain to heal itself. Fifteen years in, she’s still engaged in conscious conversations, learning, and using her daily routine as a source of boosting brain health. Her go-to practices include morning exercise to push the reset button and wake up her brain, consistent high-quality nutrition, meaningful connections with family members including her daughter, trying out new activities (ping pong breaks with her husband is a current workday diversion), and listening to audio programs at night related to current areas of research.
LA YOGA: What finally convinced you to write your own book?
Lisa Garr: The President of Hay House, Reid Tracy, has always been a mentor of mine. He mentioned how satisfying the process of writing my story would be for me and he strongly suggested I write my book. When Reid suggests something, you are smart if you listen. It took me a while to complete the process and now that I the book is out, I fully understand what he meant. It is a cathartic process to put your story on paper, share it with the world, and see how many people your experience can help. I now give the same advice: Put your story on paper and experience how it feels!
LA YOGA: What are some books or authors that have been strong influences for you?
Lisa Garr: Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Dr. Joe Dispenza, Creative Visualization by Shakti Gawain, and The Power of Intention by Dr. Wayne Dyer. I have over 1,000 books on my shelves that I am always pulling from for research.
LA YOGA: What are you reading now?
Lisa Garr: The Brain that Changes Itself by Dr. Norman Doidge; this is my go-to reference guide. Dr. Doidge is a neuroscience researcher who talks about the brain’s ability to heal itself.
LA YOGA: Where would you suggest someone begin reading on the spiritual path?
Lisa Garr: The Conversations with God series by Neale Donald Walsch is both conversational and truthful. A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson is a staple when it comes to A Course in Miracles.
The Secrets of the Lost Mode of Prayer by Gregg Braden is a small book that describes the ancient prayer of “praying as if.” This is an ancient Mayan practice; they would go out into the field and perform a rain dance with an attitude that it was already pouring. Reverend Michael Beckwith talks about this as a process that you approach as a quantum leap into the practice realized, praying as if the solution is already in place. This shift in perspective actually had the potential to change the cascade of neurotransmitters that are released.
LA YOGA: What has been meaningful for you as you’ve been telling your own story?
Lisa Garr: Watching people implement practices, make connections, and experience synchronicities. I know there are meditation teachers who have been teaching these ideas for years. I’m a practical, working parent and find that there are practical methods to implement these life-changing techniques.
For more information on The Aware Show and Becoming Aware, visit: theawareshow.com.
Felicia Tomasko has spent more of her life practicing Yoga and Ayurveda than not. She first became introduced to the teachings through the writings of the Transcendentalists, through meditation, and using asana to cross-train for her practice of cross-country running. Between beginning her commitment to Yoga and Ayurveda and today, she earned degrees in environmental biology and anthropology and nursing, and certifications in the practice and teaching of yoga, yoga therapy, and Ayurveda while working in fields including cognitive neuroscience and plant biochemistry. Her commitment to writing is at least as long as her commitment to yoga. Working on everything related to the written word from newspapers to magazines to websites to books, Felicia has been writing and editing professionally since college. In order to feel like a teenager again, Felicia has pulled out her running shoes for regular interval sessions throughout Southern California. Since the very first issue of LA YOGA, Felicia has been part of the team and the growth and development of the Bliss Network.