Legal Advice in Paradise (AUDIO)

We're excited to bring to you Episode 2: Yoga as Art, with special guest Amanda Giacomini, also known as 10,000 Buddhas! Giacomini is a yoga teacher, artist and co-founder of Point Reyes Yoga in California. Giacomini and her partner Nicholas, known as MC YOGI, are a dynamic duo, who travel the world sharing their creative talents and their experience of yoga. In this episode, we talk with Giacomini as we sit in front of a collection of her paintings at her yoga studio, which is nestled in the rural coastline of Point Reyes. Giacomini first met yoga after a health crisis in her late teens, which manifested as a rare autoimmune disease. Through our conversation, she shares her intimate and powerful healing journey in yoga and how her painting project became her practice. Giacomini has been teaching yoga for over 25 years. She has taught yoga across the world, including The White House and the Forbidden City in China. Giacomini has been an artist for almost the same amount of time. Inspired by ancient Buddhist artwork in the Ajanta caves of India, Giacomini lead a mission to paint 10,000 Buddhas. Now with more than 10,000 Buddhas painted across the world, 10,000 Buddhas is a highly sought-after art project that includes large-scale murals and fine art paintings.

In today’s interview we’ll hear from MC YOGI, a renowned Yogi and musician aka Nicholas Giacomini. MC YOGI is a revolutionary who draws on the power of music, yoga, art and activism in a new genre of conscious hip-hop. In this conversation, we dive into MC YOGI’s journey into yoga. A master storyteller, he shares with humility, great wisdom and humor - and spontaneously breaks into poetry and rap. Today, MC YOGI is an international hip-hop artist and one of the most well-respected yoga teachers in North America. Yet, his journey to success took strong will and direction. MC YOGI was a juvenile delinquent, who was sent to live at a group home for at-risk youth, was arrested for vandalism, and got caught up in a world of drugs and chaos. At 18, fate brought him to his first yoga class. After discovering yoga, MC YOGI devoted himself to the practice. From traveling to India to study with gurus to living and learning with many American yoga masters, MC YOGI soaked in the knowledge that would revolutionize his entire life and put him on the path to healing, wholeness and peace. In 2008, he created an inspiring video in support of Obama for the election and he and his wife, Amanda, were invited to the White House by Michelle Obama to teach yoga and become Global Health Ambassadors. Check out MC YOGI"s recent memoire called "Spiritual Graffiti," in which he offers his wisdom and inspiration.