Ep. 174 - Mindfulness in Hell and Making A Dharma Mix Tape with Oneika Mays

Ethan welcomes yoga/mindfulness teacher Oneika Mays— the author of the great new book Sit With Me— for a fascinating conversation on her personal path through mindfulness, yoga, and wellness practices. The conversation also focuses on Oneika's crucial and transformative work bringing these practices into the prison-industrial complex as she became the first full time mindfulness coach at Rikers Island Correctional Facility and her newly released book, which centers on these experiences. Ethan and Oneika discuss the meaning of metta and restorative practices in an unjust hell realm solely focused on punishment. Weaving serious conversation with playfulness, they also discuss their love for the spiritual music of Stevie Wonder, and they ponder whether The Cure could qualify as "Goth Bodhicitta." Oneika Mays is a yoga and meditation teacher and storyteller who leads with joy, passion, and wisdom. With deep roots and knowledge in Buddhist and yogic teachings, Oneika delivers practical application and authentic connection through her teaching. Oneika has been practicing yoga for more than 20 years, and teaching yoga and meditation for more than a decade. She has used her knowledge to support social justice nonprofits and historically excluded communities. She served as the Mindfulness Coach at Rikers Island Correctional Facility for 4 years, and volunteered there for over a decade total. She teaches at Yoga International, Embodied Philosophy, New York Insight and leads retreats at Kripalu. Oneika's literary debut, Sit With Me: A No-BS Journey to Mindfulness and Meditation(HarperOne, March 2026) explores metta practice as a tool for personal and collective liberation. Connect with her at www.oneikamays.com. Oneika's substack is here. Last year, with your subscriptions, we were able to release more episodes than any previous year. This was only possible with your support. Please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber here. More cool resources: Check out our sponsor platform, A Mindful World! A new free video course from Ethan on Metta (lovingkindness) meditation is now available at this link. Sign up for Ethans May 2nd Windhorse Meditation workshop at this link. Paid subscribers to The Road Home will receive occasional extras like guided meditations, extra podcast episodes and more! The Thursday Meditation Group happens each week at 8am ET on Thursdays, and guided audio meditations are released monthly. Another bonus podcast for paid subscribers discussed the obstacle of resistance to meditation practice, and Ethan also offered instruction in Metta meditation toward yourself. These are all available to paid subscribers. You can also subscribe to The Road Home podcast wherever you get your pods (Apple, Ethan's Website, etc). You can now order personally signed copies of Ethan's books at his website.