Live like a Tracker
I was recently interviewed for this unique podcast hosted by Brilliant Miller, who has an incredibly fun, fresh style. He started the School for Good Living to help everyone live more fulfilling and joyful lives. In our discussion we explored my books and some encounters from my time as a tracker, as well as what it means to live a good life. We also talk about what it took to get my books written and my tips for future writers!
#152 HOW TO FIND YOUR LIFE TRACK WITH BOYD VARTY
Thank you Mark Leruste from The Unconventionalists – and for your words below:
“There’s nothing more healing than finding your gift and sharing it.” – Boyd Varty
Since childhood, Boyd Varty shared his home with lions, leopards, snakes, and elephants and has spent his life in apprenticeship to the wisdom of nature.
Boyd survived a harrowing black mamba encounter, a debilitating bout with malaria, even a vicious crocodile attack, but his biggest challenge was a personal crisis of purpose.
As a university student, he studied psychology and ecology, supplementing his education by learning martial arts in Thailand, hiking through the jungles of the Amazon, and apprenticing to a renowned tracker from the Shangaan tribe deepening his intimate knowledge of the natural world. Boyd grew up speaking the local language and learning the true meaning of coexistence between people and with nature.
Today, Boyd has a psychology degree from the University of South Africa, is a certified Master Life Coach, is the author of two books, a TED speaker and has taught his philosophy of “Tracking your Life” to companies and individuals all over the world.
He has since been featured in the New York Times and NBC.
I can’t wait to read your comments over on social media (@markleruste) and hear what golden nuggets you got out of our powerful conversation.
Be true, be brave, be kind. And let it rip.
Fan favorite lion tracker, Boyd Varty, is back with us and diving into the “art” of suffering – a self-inflicted phenomenon.
It’s safe to say that we’ve all suffered one time or another, but oftentimes people remain in the drama-filled stories that they, themselves, have created. I know I have. With this, the suffering doesn’t end… it only replicates. In this episode, Boyd breaks down a few of his own stories of suffering and his discoveries from the untrue stories that he placed atop the kind reality.
Boyd Varty’s podcast series, 40 days and 40 nights, is the most impactful content I’ve experienced this year. In it, Boyd explores the archetype of the mystic in nature, how consciousness changes outside of the structures of modern life, and what it means to be wild.
In this episode we discuss:
Born and raised at Londolozi Game Reserve in the South African wilderness in a family of conservationists, Boyd Varty grew up with lions, leopards, snakes, and elephants, speaking the local language and learning how humans and nature can naturally and beautifully co-exist. Boyd is a wildlife and literacy activist and a lion tracker, life coach, storyteller, and author. On today’s podcast, he joins Katherine Twells to talk about how you can discover the track of your life and find your authentic path. He also shares some deep insights that can guide us, especially as we navigate these uncertain times.
Boyd Varty lives on a game reserve in South Africa near Kruger National Park. After his family began returning the land to its wild state, it awakened something wild in him, too
Boyd Varty is a lion tracker by trade, for a no-hunt safari operation in South Africa. Through his work out there in the bush, tracking the most dangerous animals, as well as his work as a shaman, he has an immense amount of wisdom to share to put you on the track of your life. He’s come face-to-face with lions, been partially eaten by a crocodile, and assisted in healing countless people in medicinal ceremony. Boyd is an undiscovered force for good in this world and he has some great stories and a beautiful message that can help people track their life path.
Original Episode HERE
It’s hard for me to contain my excitement for this week’s episode.
Having spent 5 days in July 2019 in the South African bush with Boyd Varty, our guest for this week, I knew the conversation would resonate with so many.
Boyd is literally a lion tracker. He also has the unique gift of translating the lessons learned on the Londolozi Game Reserve into deep wisdom that resonates with those of us that are thousands of miles away.
In this episode, we discuss the importance of decision-making through presence, how to foster “track awareness”, and discovering that all we need is already within us. Boyd’s gift of storytelling is on full display as he shares tales that made my heart race a little faster and stoked my excitement for my next trip to Londolozi.
One thing I’ve learned from the current COVID-19 situation is that with all the uncertainty and challenges, I truly believe that this is an opportunity to question the pace with which I’ve been approaching my daily life. With that in mind, there are few guides (if any) that I would rather have as a companion than my South African brother Boyd Varty.
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Show Notes:
8:28 – Tracking as a tool for development
16:00- The comparison concept
17:18 – The meaning of Ubuntu
20:07 – How to start REAL dinner party talk
22:21 – Separating what you want from the noise
30:05 – Byron Katie’s meditation technique
35:48 – Your wild side vs. social side
42:13 – How to handle the unknown
48:32 – Boyd and his family’s traumatic experiences
1:01:30 – The authentic track
1:09:14 – Embodying different roles
1:12:33 – My slow path to love completely
1:17:30 – Fully connecting with family
1:24:17 – Teasing the trauma out
1:31:14 – The path of the tracker
1:41:09 – Your track should scare you a bit
1:42:28 – Attuning to tracking through presence
1:46:48 – Redefining your relationship with time
1:48:56 – The paradox – is this your doing?
1:51:57 – Yoga is not about the positions
1:56:35 – Track Your Life Retreat
2:13:53 – More presence, less conditioned response
2:15:38 – 40 days, 40 nights in the wilderness
2:18:19 – How to disconnect with little time
Resources:
Byron Katie – TheWork.com
Boyd Varty’s Latest Book – The Lion Tracker’s Guide to Life
Boyd Varty’s First Book – Cathedral of the Wild
40 Days and 40 Nights Podcast – 40 Days and 40 Nights Podcast
Boyd Varty’s Website – BoydVarty.com
Sit Spots – Disconnect in Nature
Adyashanti – Adyashanti.org
Connect with Boyd Varty:
Website | https://boydvarty.com/
Twitter | https://twitter.com/BoydVarty
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/Boyd_Varty
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/boydvartyinc/
Youtube | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKDnU7G1VLXpWmuSvM30Kwg
Connect with Cal:
Website | https://www.thegreatunlearn.com
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/bunkercal/
Twitter | https://twitter.com/BunkerCal
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/BunkerCal
YouTube | The Great Unlearn
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