Yakub Mathew spent 35 years in global finance, but a severe near-death experience at age 58 radically shifted his perspective. To mark his 60th birthday, he took his wife and 17 friends to the Mahakumbha Mela in Prayagraj—a sacred, once-in-144-years gathering of 660 million seekers. What began as a birthday celebration evolved into a profound exploration of the infinite.

Drawing from his book Seeking the Infinite: Mahakumbha 2025, Yakub shares how childhood encounters with Mother Teresa and Archbishop Gregorios shaped his worldview, and how facing mortality in a Delhi ICU taught him the true meaning of detachment and service. He explores the unifying message of Ek Onkar (oneness of divinity), the difference between religion and spirituality, and why the infinite is not a destination to reach, but an inward journey where "within you lies a horizon without end."

Recording date: April 2, 2026

In this episode, we explore:

• How a near-death experience reshapes our understanding of enlightenment and presence

• The unifying power of spirituality and India's multi-faith diversity

• Why mindfulness and selfless service (seva) are the ultimate expressions of faith

• Finding awareness and wisdom through the philosophy of "zero" (Shunya) and cosmic consciousness

• The difference between religion and spirituality, and why "God is love"

Thanks to Yakub Mathew for sharing the music sources that were used during parts of this episode.

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - The Secret to Seeking the Infinite Maha Kumbha
• (00:01:23) - Seeking The Infinite
• (00:09:04) - Turning 60: The Kumbh Mela
• (00:12:28) - Participants in the Kumbh
• (00:13:28) - After suffering a pancreatic attack,
• (00:18:40) - Seeking the Infinite
• (00:24:00) - The Book of Kumbh
• (00:31:16) - Philip Gregorius
• (00:34:26) - Padmasana: Interfaith Dialogue and Spiritual Inquiry
• (00:40:10) - Mahakumbha
• (00:49:22) - Understanding the tenets of religions
• (00:51:35) - Religion is not bad
• (00:59:06) - Maha Kumbh: Leadership, Legacy and the Infinite Within
• (01:06:41) - Dying of pancreatitis
• (01:12:02) - Three role models
• (01:14:05) - A message from the book
• (01:16:24) - A message from the book
• (01:18:14) - Pushing My Child's Quest for Purpose

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.

In this clip, Yakub unpacks the cosmic significance of the Mahakumbh Mela—a sacred gathering occurring only once every 144 years—and shares the surprising common thread he discovered across Hindu, Islamic, Christian, and Judaic traditions. Drawing from his book Seeking the Infinite: Mahakumbh 2025, he reveals that the infinite is not an external destination, but an inward journey where "within you lies a horizon without end."

Whether you are deepening your mindfulness practice or seeking wisdom across global faith traditions, this conversation offers a powerful reminder that true spirituality points to the same inner truth.

In this preview episode:

• The cosmic mathematics behind the Mahakumbh's 144-year cycle
• How 55 multi-faith thought leaders define the nature of the infinite
• Why enlightenment is an inward journey, not an external destination
• The universal thread connecting global faith traditions
• Finding awareness and mindfulness through the power of faith and seekership

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.

Hadassah Treu is an award-winning bilingual author and faith blogger from Bulgaria whose book, Draw Near: How Painful Experiences Become the Birthplace of Blessings, offers a profound roadmap for navigating life's trials. From the platform of her own greatest pains—including the loss of her husband and seasons of intense anxiety—Hadassah delivers a powerful message of comfort, showing how adversity is not an interruption to spiritual growth, but its primary training tool.

In this deeply moving conversation, we explore the power of biblical lament, the "ministry of presence," and how to cultivate spiritual awareness when prayer feels impossible. Hadassah shares how drawing near to the divine during our darkest moments transforms our grief into resilience, and why honest expression is the first step toward true healing. Whether you are in the midst of acute loss, walking alongside someone who is struggling, or simply seeking a deeper spirituality in your daily life, this episode offers a compassionate framework for transformation.

In this episode, we explore:

• How painful experiences become birthplaces of blessings and spiritual maturity.
• The vital role of biblical lament and why honest struggle is essential for healing.
• How to cultivate self-awareness and peace when anxiety and grief feel overwhelming.
• The difference between "fearing" God and being afraid of God, and how it leads to true peace.
• Practical spiritual disciplines for the "absolute bottom" of depression and loss.

Recording date: April 1, 2026

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - Draw Near: How Painful Experiences Become the Birthplace of
• (00:02:28) - Draw Near: The Personal and Universal Journey Through Suffering
• (00:07:10) - What brought you to Write Your Pain
• (00:10:58) - Draw Near: A Christian Memoir
• (00:13:42) - How to grieve in a Bulgarian society
• (00:15:35) - How To Write About Suffering in a Multicultural World
• (00:18:10) - How Painful Experiences Become the Birthplace of Blessings
• (00:21:04) - Primary Instrument of Suffering in the Bible
• (00:27:07) - Holding Both Realities
• (00:30:19) - The Bible's Stories of Suffering
• (00:38:41) - What is the Christian faith regarding suffering?
• (00:39:53) - Lament for Grief and Hope
• (00:44:39) - How to Talk Spiritual Growth after Grief
• (00:50:35) - Spiritual Practice for People in Pain
• (00:53:26) - Understanding Fear of the Lord
• (00:57:16) - How to Balance Real Hopes and Dreams
• (01:00:52) - What Do We Say to People in Pain?
• (01:04:22) - What Keeps You Spiritual?
• (01:07:00) - What Would You Do For Someone Who's Suffering?

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.

Key Topics

• Hadassah's journey through infertility, anxiety, and loss that shaped her biblical understanding of suffering as spiritual training
• The transformative power of biblical lament—honest expression of grief to God while holding hope for healing and restoration
• How painful experiences like rejection, loneliness, and unmet expectations create specific spiritual gains when we draw near rather than pull away
• Practical spiritual disciplines for navigating acute pain: journaling, prayer with thanksgiving, renewing the mind, forgiveness, and cultivating joy
• Why the fear of the Lord brings peace rather than anxiety, and how trusting God's sovereignty redirects hope from earthly desires to eternal satisfaction

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.

Gina Cavalier is a former Hollywood studio executive, wellness program director at Sedona Mago Retreat Center, and author of Planet Walking: A Handbook for the Living. Behind her successful exterior in the entertainment industry, Gina battled chronic illness and persistent suicidal ideation that conventional approaches couldn't fully resolve. Her breakthrough came through spiritual and energy healing practices, leading her to reframe suicidal ideation not as a wish to die, but as the soul's desperate call for the death of an unhealthy identity.

In this deeply compassionate conversation, we explore how understanding yourself as energy can bridge the gap between surviving and truly living. Gina shares practical, life-saving tools from her six-week program, including grounding cords, chakra reading, and the "protection rose," to help listeners clean, protect, and strengthen their personal energy fields. Whether you are navigating your own mental health challenges, supporting a loved one, or simply seeking a deeper spiritual perspective on suffering, this episode offers profound hope and actionable wisdom.

In this episode, we explore:

• How energy work and spiritual awareness complement traditional mental health care.
• Why suicidal ideation is often a call for the death of an unhealthy identity, not the physical body.
• Practical energy tools like grounding cords and the "protection rose" to build inner resilience.
• The spiritual perspective on soul blueprints, shadow work, and finding your true life purpose.
• How understanding yourself as energy shifts your relationship with suffering and unlocks deep compassion.

Episode recorded March 24, 2026

Chapters

• (00:00:14) - How to Heal Suicidal Ideation
• (00:06:33) - How to Heal Suicidal Ideation
• (00:09:16) - Gina's Energy Healing Process
• (00:11:31) - How to Get Out of the Dark Pit
• (00:14:48) - Why Suicidal People Don't Die
• (00:17:27) - The Desperate Thoughts of Harry Potter
• (00:20:31) - Gina on the Hollywood Drama
• (00:26:03) - The New Monk: Energy Protection and Grounding
• (00:29:14) - The Protection Rose
• (00:31:36) - Asking the Questions of Depression
• (00:37:39) - How to Get Clear With Yourself
• (00:38:39) - The Power of Divination for Mental Health
• (00:40:39) - Ideas for a More Human World
• (00:43:02) - Soul Blueprints: How to Live Your Life
• (00:46:27) - How to Stop Accepting Dark Energy
• (00:51:42) - The Wellness Program Director at Sedona Mago
• (00:55:37) - Gina on From The Edge Of Life

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.

Key Topics:

• Gina's journey from Hollywood executive to energy healing advocate after healing her own suicidal ideation through spiritual practices
• The protection rose practice: visualizing a rose around your aura to block negative energies and set clear boundaries
• Reframing suicidal thoughts as the soul's call for transformation of unhealthy identity, not the body's end
• Six-week Planet Walking program anchored by spirit animals for guided energy healing and soul discovery
• Understanding soul blueprints, contracts, and karma as practical tools for finding purpose and healing at the soul level

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. To access ad-free episodes five days early, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more, become a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

About Podmasana: More than a podcast, Podmasana is a global journey through the landscape of human spirituality. We weave together transformative personal stories with scholarly depth, exploring how ancient practices illuminate life’s challenges—from grief and illness to aging and adversity. Through carefully curated conversations and compelling narratives, we bridge timeless wisdom with contemporary understanding, offering listeners authentic pathways to consciousness, healing, and the universal threads that bind human experience across cultures and generations.

Support the show:

➡️ Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

➡️ Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

➡️ Shop the Podmasana Store

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - The Idea That We Choose Our Life Experiences
• (00:03:05) - From Shadow Work to Life Review

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.

Key Topics:

• Translating Meditations with three voices (instructor, aspirant, skeptic)—bringing ancient personality to modern readers through literary translation and poetic "charge"
• Koinonia (universal human commonwealth)—Stoics' vision that rational animals are designed to serve each other, not pursue individualistic self-improvement
• Cognitive reframing and therapeutic practice—Marcus's radical Stoic principle that happiness depends entirely on our judgments, not external circumstances
• Daily Stoic practices—morning preparation for difficult people, stripping method for desires, focusing on what's in control, anachoresis (inward vacation)
• Hegemonicon (ruling power) as inner fortress—cultivating divine logos portion in each human to escape modern information overload and distraction

Episode recorded March 31, 2026

Audio resources for this episod include: Antiquity Rome 1 & 2- Announcement music - Brass by FK_Prod -- https://freesound.org/s/190029/ -- License: Attribution 3.0

Roman Horn - Announcing sound by deleted_user_6109353 -- https://freesound.org/s/342364/ -- License: Attribution 3.0

The Ancient Empire.wav by LilMati -- https://freesound.org/s/520606/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - Marcus Aurelius: Meditations Review
• (00:05:02) - Podcast
• (00:06:44) - Padmasana Podcast: Bringing Ancient Voices to Life
• (00:07:16) - Translating The Meditations: A Poetic Translation
• (00:10:28) - Meditations: The Translations
• (00:12:32) - Marcus's Meditations: The Literary Power of Poetry
• (00:15:43) - The Meditations: Multi-Voiced Drama
• (00:21:34) - Translations of Poems and Philosophy
• (00:24:42) - translation of medit my Meditations
• (00:26:24) - Stoicism: The Philosopher Emperor in War and Meditation
• (00:28:06) - The Meditations from Marcus
• (00:32:02) - The Meditations, An Autobiographical Work
• (00:37:07) - Meditations: A Book of Personal Practice
• (00:43:56) - Stoic philosophy of universal human duty
• (00:47:04) - Ideas for Political Practice and Meditation
• (00:50:04) - Stoicism Therapy and Timeless Practice
• (00:58:07) - What Makes The Meditations Different from Other Self-Help Books?
• (01:04:48) - Marcus Aurelius

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.

Key Topics:

• Translating Meditations with three voices (instructor, aspirant, skeptic)—bringing ancient personality to modern readers through literary translation and poetic "charge"
• Koinonia (universal human commonwealth)—Stoics' vision that rational animals are designed to serve each other, not pursue individualistic self-improvement
• Cognitive reframing and therapeutic practice—Marcus's radical Stoic principle that happiness depends entirely on our judgments, not external circumstances
• Daily Stoic practices—morning preparation for difficult people, stripping method for desires, focusing on what's in control, anachoresis (inward vacation)
• Hegemonicon (ruling power) as inner fortress—cultivating divine logos portion in each human to escape modern information overload and distraction

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - How does the Stoic vision of universal human duty connect to what

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.

Key Topics:

• Rubina's journey from corporate burnout to founding Inner Design, a body-based mindfulness method rooted in nervous system awareness
• Understanding stress as a nervous system state rather than cognitive issue, requiring somatic rather than purely mental solutions
• Learning to observe breath patterns and physical sensations without interference to allow the nervous system to update outdated predictions
• Creativity as a perceptual and cognitive function dependent on nervous system regulation, not artistic talent or output
• How motherhood refined Inner Design by stripping away performative elements and demanding real-time embodied presence

Episode recorded March 19, 2026

Chapters

• (00:00:14) - How to Heal From Burnout With Inner Design
• (00:06:48) - How I Learned Mindfulness
• (00:09:50) - The Moment of Deep Stillness at 8
• (00:12:02) - In the Elevator With Stillness
• (00:15:39) - Inventing Creativity Through Photography
• (00:20:55) - How High-Performance Environments Are Distilling Creativity
• (00:25:07) - What Does Burnout Really Feel Like?
• (00:29:09) - How to Stop Thinking Your Way Out of Stress
• (00:33:47) - How to Notice Your Natural Breath
• (00:39:30) - The Best Thing We Can Say to Our Loved Ones
• (00:43:01) - Can Regulation of Breathing Unlock Creativity?
• (00:46:42) - How to Restore Creative Vitality
• (00:50:23) - Motherhood and Authenticity
• (00:53:00) - How to Regulate Your Own Leadership
• (00:55:12) - In the Age of Presence-based Leadership
• (00:56:11) - How to Design Your Life With Responsibility
• (00:57:58) - How to Listen To Yourself (

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.

In this first episode of YogaScussion, Gina and Brendon participate in the first YogaScussion where they touch on how they met, what brought them to yoga, the role it has played in their lives, the evolution of their practices, the cultural appropriation of yoga, the role of yoga in spirituality, mental health, and the benefits of this ancient system from India.

Subscribe to YogaScussion on Apple | Spotify | YouTube | RSS or wherever you get your podcasts.

About Yogascussion: YogaScussion is a yoga podcast for modern yoga practitioners exploring yoga philosophy, mindfulness, breathwork, trauma-informed practice, and embodied wellness. Hosts Gina Clingerman and Brendon Orr dive into yoga’s past, present, and future through authentic conversations with diverse yoga teachers, meditation guides, wisdom keepers, authors, and conscious entrepreneurs.

Each episode unpacks yoga culture, ancient teachings, nervous system regulation, and practical tools for stress relief, creativity, and personal growth. Whether you’re a certified yoga instructor, a daily meditator, or simply curious about bringing mindfulness off the mat, you’ll find grounded insights that honor tradition while embracing contemporary practice.

New episodes drop every other Wednesday, with short preview episodes in between.

Check out some of the many other YogaScussion episodes from the archive:

• Is Western Yoga Dead? Embodiment & Energy Work with Meghan Lucas

• 8 Limbs of Yoga Explored with Pavithra and Ananya Raja

• Ayurgenomics & Yoga Therapy with Yogacharya Nilachal Padmashanti

• Amplified Yoga & Kundalini Energy | Donovan McGrath

• Yoga, Ayurveda & Emotional Balance | Sophie Malahieude

• Prana, Breath & the Mystery of Being Alive | Bernie Clark

Chapters

• (00:00:05) - Episode 1 of Yoga Scussion
• (00:01:38) - Mentors to Teachers: How We Met
• (00:05:55) - Ron Frost on His First Yoga Class
• (00:09:55) - "How Do You Start Yoga?"
• (00:11:07) - A More Balanced Yoga Studio Vibe
• (00:14:02) - What Keeps Bringing You Back to Yoga?
• (00:19:13) - What Does Yoga Mean to You?
• (00:24:19) - How Has Your Yoga Practice Changed Over Time?
• (00:29:00) - How to Keep Your Yoga Practice Organized
• (00:36:58) - You Think Yoga Is the Best Tool for Evolution
• (00:40:44) - In the Elevator With Yoga
• (00:43:23) - In the Elevator With Emily Brown
• (00:45:56) - How Yoga Teacher Training Changed My Life
• (00:49:29) - How the darkness of my practice informed my teaching
• (00:56:12) - A yogi on the wolf pack
• (00:57:48) - Why Do You Keep Teaching Yoga?
• (01:01:01) - On Re-evaluating My Yoga Teacher
• (01:05:28) - How Yoga Made Me a Better Person
• (01:10:27) - On Yoga and Mental Health
• (01:12:04) - How Yoga Has Evolved
• (01:18:11) - In the Elevator With Yoga
• (01:24:43) - The First Yoga Scussion

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.

Key Topics

• Rubina's journey from corporate burnout to founding Inner Design, a body-based mindfulness method rooted in nervous system awareness
• Understanding stress as a nervous system state rather than cognitive issue, requiring somatic rather than purely mental solutions
• Learning to observe breath patterns and physical sensations without interference to allow the nervous system to update outdated predictions
• Creativity as a perceptual and cognitive function dependent on nervous system regulation, not artistic talent or output
• How motherhood refined Inner Design by stripping away performative elements and demanding real-time embodied presence

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - How to Stop Thinking Your Way Out of Stress
• (00:04:30) - How to observe a child's breath

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.

Episode recording March 10, 2026

Big thanks to Rob and Goodbye Gemini for sharing their beautiful music for this episode.

Other sound effects by: Dungeon Ambiance by phlair -- https://freesound.org/s/388340/ -- License: Attribution 3.0

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - Keynote: Awakening the Mystic
• (00:01:52) - From academia to mysticism
• (00:06:32) - Robyn on Astrology and Yoga
• (00:13:05) - How I Learned To Love My Life Through Astrology
• (00:18:34) - The Surprising Things That Yoga Did For Me
• (00:22:27) - The Mystic in Yoga
• (00:25:49) - How Much of The Book Came from My Astrological Chart
• (00:31:53) - Kleshas, Miracles and the Feminine
• (00:35:52) - Why Do We Refuse To Believe in Magic?
• (00:40:04) - The Yoga Story With a Gay Male Yogi
• (00:43:53) - How Astrology Helped Ren in His Spiritual Growth
• (00:48:01) - The Gay Catholic in '
• (00:53:21) - United Souls: Partnership and the Work Ahead
• (00:58:24) - Between Awakening the Mystic and Linda Goodman's New Book
• (01:01:17) - Seeking Your Inner Counsel
• (01:04:06) - Where Are You Now in Your Journey Through The Cliches?
• (01:07:04) - The Mystical Revolution

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.

Key Topics:

• Rob's journey from academia to mysticism through yoga and astrology after studying with Linda Goodman
• The five kleshas as a framework for understanding and transforming mental afflictions that cause suffering
• Protection rose visualization practice for setting energetic boundaries and blocking negative influences
• Reframing suicidal ideation as the soul's desperate call for transformation of unhealthy identity pattern
• The Legion of the Feminine and how goddess archetypes mentor spiritual growth and balance masculine/feminine energies

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.

Recording date: May 11, 2026

Key Topics:

• How consciousness precedes and creates matter rather than emerging from brain activity
• The sevenfold model of human nature from divine self to physical form
• Why the heart's electromagnetic field supports its role as consciousness center
• Evidence for reincarnation and karma from near-death experiences and children's past-life memories
• How moving beyond materialism toward integrated science supports humanity's spiritual evolution

Audio effect credit: Heart beat.Valve move and muscle work.Sound design_EM.wav by newlocknew -- https://freesound.org/s/614938/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - Consciousness Came First
• (00:07:01) - My Mindful Moment
• (00:08:34) - How Science and Consciousness intersect
• (00:12:52) - The vision of the project manager
• (00:16:09) - Exploring the perennial philosophy of India
• (00:19:59) - What is Progressive Properity?
• (00:24:36) - Philosophy of Materialism
• (00:30:16) - An Infinite Mind: The Search for Science
• (00:34:17) - The Scientific Paradigms
• (00:40:58) - The 7-Fold Human Being
• (00:47:44) - The Heart, Not the Brain
• (00:51:54) - The Symbols of Sacred Texts
• (00:56:33) - Three subtle energies central to occult physiology
• (01:00:28) - Suetti on Reincarnation
• (01:07:42) - The Brain and Human Nature
• (01:14:46) - The Path of Matter and the Light
• (01:19:21) - The Search for More Beautiful Things
• (01:20:45) - Eddie Levine on Science, Art and spirituality

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.

Key Topics:

• Integration of science and spirituality
• Perennial philosophy and ancient wisdom
• Subtle energies and consciousness
• Reincarnation and karma evidence
• The primacy of the heart in consciousness
• Limitations of materialism in science
• Symbols and allegories in esoteric teachings
• Evolution of human consciousness and future paths

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.

Special note: this episode briefly touches on some aspects of sexuality that may be uncomfortable for some listeners.

Key Topics:

• Stephen's journey: Blackpool, England → Florida → spiritual counselor & author
• The Venus Flytrap memoir: love, obsession, betrayal, and awakening
• Soul contracts: relationships as divine invitations to evolve
• "Nothing happens to you, it happens for you" philosophy in practice
• Bipolar disorder, mental health stigma, and spiritual growth
• Codependency, addiction, and breaking toxic relationship cycles
• Ego death as liberation, not destruction
• The mirror principle: external relationships reflect internal work
• Breath, awareness, and connection as spiritual anchors (ABC)
• Self-forgiveness as the foundation for forgiving others
• Wealth, luxury, and the illusion of material happiness
• Navigating the "new sexual revolution" and evolving perspectives on monogamy
• Practical wisdom for finding meaning in suffering without spiritual bypassing

Get a free copy of Stephen’s bonus book, The Venus Flytrap: Madness and Mayhem. See Stephen’s coaching and counseling services.

Chapters

• (00:00:13) - The Venus Flytrap
• (00:06:33) - Stephen King on Growing Up in Blackpool
• (00:12:26) - Bipolar patients talk about their experiences
• (00:14:03) - In the Elevator With Tamaz
• (00:19:41) - Steven Spielberg on Managing His Own Demons
• (00:25:35) - The Life of One of the Models
• (00:26:51) - In the Elevator With Stephen
• (00:30:53) - The Code of Codependency
• (00:34:51) - Ideas for Sri Padmasana
• (00:36:18) - Venus Fly Trap: Spiritual Awakening Through Chaos
• (00:41:19) - The Secret Life of Relationships
• (00:41:41) - Stephen on Soul Contracts
• (00:44:17) - How to Stop Feeling Like a Victim of Love
• (00:47:53) - Bookmark: The New Sexual Revolution
• (00:53:11) - Forgive Yourself
• (00:54:19) - Podmasana: Ego Death
• (00:59:12) - The Pain of Suffering
• (01:02:48) - From Perfection to Failure
• (01:08:37) - How to Become Rich: The Secret to Life
• (01:10:04) - How to Leave a Distant Relationship
• (01:12:59) - Padmasana

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.

Key Topics:

• Stephen's journey: Blackpool, England → Florida → spiritual counselor & author
• The Venus Flytrap memoir: love, obsession, betrayal, and awakening
• Soul contracts: relationships as divine invitations to evolve
• "Nothing happens to you, it happens for you" philosophy in practice
• Bipolar disorder, mental health stigma, and spiritual growth
• Codependency, addiction, and breaking toxic relationship cycles
• Ego death as liberation, not destruction
• The mirror principle: external relationships reflect internal work
• Breath, awareness, and connection as spiritual anchors (ABC)
• Self-forgiveness as the foundation for forgiving others
• Wealth, luxury, and the illusion of material happiness
• Navigating the "new sexual revolution" and evolving perspectives on monogamy
• Practical wisdom for finding meaning in suffering without spiritual bypassing

Get a free copy of Stephen’s bonus book, The Venus Flytrap: Madness and Mayhem. See Stephen’s coaching and counseling services.

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. To access ad-free episodes five days early, bonus episodes, exclusive group chat, Q&As and more, become a Podmasana+ partner at podmasana.com/plus.

About Podmasana: More than a podcast, Podmasana is a global journey through the landscape of human spirituality. We weave together transformative personal stories with scholarly depth, exploring how ancient practices illuminate life’s challenges—from grief and illness to aging and adversity. Through carefully curated conversations and compelling narratives, we bridge timeless wisdom with contemporary understanding, offering listeners authentic pathways to consciousness, healing, and the universal threads that bind human experience across cultures and generations.

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - In the Dark With Tomaz

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.

Key Topics:

• The concept of Indra's Net: infinite cosmic web of interconnectedness

• Reimagining tarot: no hierarchy, no bad cards, reversed major arcana

• Three levels of self: lowercase (ego), italicized (conscious), capital S (divine)

• Untying mental ropes: releasing limiting stories and conditioning

• Prosperity consciousness: finding abundance through self-love, not wealth

• Triggers as growth opportunities: the four doorways to conscious living

• Life is counterintuitive: intuition over mind for true freedom

• Synchronicity: recognizing genuine meaningful coincidences

• Vedic astrology and Enneagram as observational tools, not predictions

• Embracing the human experience as the path to awakening

Some sound effects for this episode: Multiple Crystal Bowl Rhythm by easy_thunder -- https://freesound.org/s/264290/ -- License: Attribution 4.0, Mongolian Welcoming Song by RTB45 -- https://freesound.org/s/232410/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - Indra's Net
• (00:04:20) - Settle In Open Your Heart
• (00:05:34) - Indra on Her Spiritual Journey
• (00:08:34) - Seeking the Truth in the 70s
• (00:12:49) - Indra's Net: Writing the Book Around the Tarot
• (00:18:12) - Indra's Net: A Seeker's Guide to the Human
• (00:21:27) - In the Elevator With Astrology's Legends
• (00:24:54) - The I Ching: The Lowercase Self, Italicized
• (00:28:23) - Untying the Rope
• (00:31:20) - Indra on Prosperity Consciousness
• (00:35:53) - All Things Are a Teaching
• (00:38:07) - Understanding the Traits of Life
• (00:41:28) - Indira on Her Awakening
• (00:44:31) - Indra
• (00:46:08) - Individuation: Synchronicity and the Enneagram
• (00:50:00) - Indra on Feeling Separate and Alone
• (00:52:32) - Indra's Net: The Spiritual Journey
• (00:54:53) - Indra's Net

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.

Key Topics:

• The concept of Indra's Net: infinite cosmic web of interconnectedness

• Reimagining tarot: no hierarchy, no bad cards, reversed major arcana

• Three levels of self: lowercase (ego), italicized (conscious), capital S (divine)

• Untying mental ropes: releasing limiting stories and conditioning

• Prosperity consciousness: finding abundance through self-love, not wealth

• Triggers as growth opportunities: the four doorways to conscious living

• Life is counterintuitive: intuition over mind for true freedom

• Synchronicity: recognizing genuine meaningful coincidences

• Vedic astrology and Enneagram as observational tools, not predictions

• Embracing the human experience as the path to awakening

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.

Topics: Shirdi Sai Baba, spiritual awakening, Hindu spirituality, Brahmin heritage, devotion, miracles, grace, Atma, consciousness, meditation, yoga philosophy, Bhagavad Gita, chakras, spiritual seeking, rebirth, karma, puja, rituals, Kundalini yoga, saints, divine intervention, spiritual transformation, aging, mortality, death, surrender, faith, Varanasi, Kashi, cosmic consciousness

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - This 82-Year-Old Man's Quest for Spiritual Truth
• (00:06:12) - Vishwanath's spiritual inheritance
• (00:13:17) - Robert Suthi's War's Waste
• (00:20:28) - Podmasana on Spiritual Inheritance vs Distraction
• (00:26:50) - The Secret to Sri Sai Baba's Grace
• (00:30:49) - Sai Baba's Last Moments
• (00:32:38) - Baba Came Very Vividly in My Dream
• (00:40:28) - How spiritual transformation happens in our life
• (00:42:23) - Experience of Shirdi Sai Baba
• (00:49:49) - Punishment for spiritual seeking
• (00:57:30) - Sri Aurobindo
• (01:03:42) - Are You Ready to Let Go?
• (01:08:39) - The Fear of Death

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.

Topics: Shirdi Sai Baba, spiritual awakening, Hindu spirituality, Brahmin heritage, devotion, miracles, grace, Atma, consciousness, meditation, yoga philosophy, Bhagavad Gita, chakras, spiritual seeking, rebirth, karma, puja, rituals, Kundalini yoga, saints, divine intervention, spiritual transformation, aging, mortality, death, surrender, faith, Varanasi, Kashi, cosmic consciousness

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - The Poem on War's Waste

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.

Key Takeaways

• Basic goodness is ingrained from a young age.

• We are often told we are broken, but this is false.

• Meditation helps us recognize our inherent goodness.

• Self-doubt is a common struggle across various backgrounds.

• Recognizing our goodness can lead to societal healing.

• Mindfulness practices can help us stay present.

• Emotions are impermanent and can be managed.

• We must see goodness in those we disagree with.

• Healthy relationships require attention, acceptance, appreciation, affection, and allowing.

• Public figures also face self-doubt despite their success.

Some sound and music in this episode was provided by Lodro Rinzler or by Artninja -- https://freesound.org/s/841960/ -- License: Attribution 4.0, by JavierZumer -- https://freesound.org/s/156942/ -- License: Attribution 4.0, by Yap_Audio_Production -- https://freesound.org/s/218464/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Chapters

• (00:00:14) - You Are Good, You Are Enough
• (00:06:25) - How Basic Goodness Affected My Life
• (00:08:24) - You Are Good, You Are Enough
• (00:15:01) - The Trap of Self-Doubt
• (00:18:37) - In the Elevator With meditation
• (00:20:19) - What Do I Believe In?
• (00:23:08) - The Trap of Self-Doubt
• (00:27:40) - Buddhism for Non-
• (00:32:27) - One Simple Practice for Getting Out Of Self-Doubt
• (00:33:22) - What's Happening in the World?
• (00:35:21) - How to Deal with Heartbreak (The Incredible Hulk Syndrome)
• (00:40:46) - Does Basic Goodness Apply to People?
• (00:47:31) - The 5 A's of Relationships
• (00:51:23) - 5 A's of Relationship
• (00:54:53) - Living the Teaching Through Social Media
• (00:59:12) - How Basic Goodness Can Heal the World
• (01:03:23) - Kristen Ritter on Teaching Buddhist Wisdom
• (01:05:17) - X-MEN Horoscopes: Broken Souls
• (01:08:21) - You Are Good, You Are Enough
• (01:11:44) - When Your Daughter Asks You To Be a Good Dad

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.

Key Takeaways

• Basic goodness is ingrained from a young age.

• We are often told we are broken, but this is false.

• Meditation helps us recognize our inherent goodness.

• Self-doubt is a common struggle across various backgrounds.

• Recognizing our goodness can lead to societal healing.

• Mindfulness practices can help us stay present.

• Emotions are impermanent and can be managed.

• We must see goodness in those we disagree with.

• Healthy relationships require attention, acceptance, appreciation, affection, and allowing.

• Public figures also face self-doubt despite their success.

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - The Buddha Walks Into a Bar

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.

Topics: yoga teaching, studio ownership, accessible yoga, motherhood and yoga, Iyengar yoga, restorative yoga, meditation, Shavasana, stillness practice, work-life balance, self-care, community wellness, Kansas City yoga, props in yoga, mindfulness

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.

Topics: yoga teaching, studio ownership, accessible yoga, motherhood and yoga, Iyengar yoga, restorative yoga, meditation, Shavasana, stillness practice, work-life balance, self-care, community wellness, Kansas City yoga, props in yoga, mindfulness

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - Maria On Yoga's Motherhood
• (00:02:26) - How to Care for Yourself in a Full Life

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.

Check out Dinesh's book 101 Twisted Tales.

Topics: education reform, Indian education policy, Kumbh Mela, Gandhian philosophy, mathematics, spirituality, higher education innovation, holistic learning, contemplative education, Design Your Degree, vocational learning

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.

Topics: education reform, Indian education policy, Kumbh Mela, Gandhian philosophy, mathematics, spirituality, higher education innovation, holistic learning, contemplative education, Design Your Degree, vocational learning

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - Mathematics and Spiritual Inquiry

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.

Topics: nervous system regulation, somatic healing, trauma therapy, energy work, collective healing, spiritual bypassing, polyvagal theory, embodiment, liminal space, IFS therapy, Reiki, highly sensitive people, empaths, public humanities, rest as resistance

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.

About My Mindful Moment

You know those moments when enlightenment, insight, and wisdom find us? When the universe speaks to us during periods of adversity, joy, or stillness and we feel more aware, mindful, and present having listened to it? What if we took the time to record those moments and share them with others? This is the inspiration behind Podmasana’s sibling podcast, My Mindful Moment, where you are invited to listen to the mindful moments of others from around the world and share your own.

Share Your Mindful Moment

Send your recording via email to mymindfulmoment@podmasana.com. Feel free to include a photo of yourself that you would like to include with your Mindful Moment. Further instructions are below.

Instructions:

Find a quiet room or space and open a recording app on your phone.

Speaking in full sentences, please share your Mindful Moment. No need to write down your story and read it from paper, but feel free to do so if that makes you more comfortable. Just try to keep it natural. Please keep the submitted recording to less than three minutes. Your recording should include (but does not need to be limited to): 

• Your name (feel free to use an anonymous alias)

• A particular moment or experience that left you feeling more enlightened, inspired or wise. Share as much about the moment as you can recall:

  • When did it happen?

  • What was it like?

  • How did it make you feel more mindful?

  • Why do you want to share it with others?

Again, please try to keep the submitted recording to less than three minutes. When you are finished, email the file and an optional accompanying photo to the show to appear in podcast art. Be sure to let us know whether or not you are okay with background music being added. For more detailed instructions, see the recording tips page.

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.

In this eye-opening conversation, therapist Jess reveals why talk therapy alone often falls short — and what's actually happening in your brain when you try to "think your way" out of trauma, anxiety, or chronic stress. Drawing on the neuroscience of the brain's three layers (neocortex, midbrain, and brainstem), Jess explains the critical difference between "top-down" and "bottom-up" healing, and why your nervous system must feel safe before any amount of cognitive reframing can stick.

As an empath and highly sensitive person (HSP), Jess brings both clinical expertise and lived experience to her work. She shares why breathwork, yoga, somatic practices, and mindfulness aren't just wellness trends — they're direct conversations with your nervous system in its own language. Whether you've spent years in talk therapy without lasting change, or you're simply curious about the body's role in healing, this episode offers a profound reframe: safety isn't something you think your way into. It's something you feel your way toward.

5 Key Topics:

• Why "top-down" talk therapy often fails to create lasting change — and the neuroscience behind it
• The brain's three layers (neocortex, midbrain, brainstem) and how each processes experience differently
• "Bottom-up" healing: why the nervous system must feel safe before cognitive work can take hold
• How breathwork, yoga, and mindfulness speak directly to the nervous system in its own language
• Reconsolidating memory through body-based work — creating new experiences so the body responds differently

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.

Joe McClarnon is a retired carpenter turned yoga teacher who, at age 58, was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer — Gleason score 10, the most aggressive kind, with cancer in his lymphatic system and bones. Doctors gave him 1.5 to 5 years to live. His first instinct was suicide. But his wife, a nurse practitioner, refused to let him give up before he even understood what he was facing. That conversation saved his life.

Now, more than six years later — far exceeding every expectation — Joe volunteers at the Kansas University Cancer Center where he receives treatment, pushing a cart of snacks and visiting patients who are often scared and alone. He wears a button that says "Survivor Strong" and shares a simple message: cancer may eventually kill him, but it can't break his spirit. He chooses life and love.

In this deeply moving conversation, Joe traces his journey from 18 years in social services working with traumatized children, to becoming a carpenter at 38, to discovering TKV Desikachar's The Heart of Yoga at 49 — a book that felt like coming home. He explains how the eight limbs of yoga prepared him mentally and spiritually for the fight of his life, why he created "Slow Flow with Joe" for people who feel intimidated by yoga, and how classical music, humor, and Hawaiian shirts became his medicine alongside chemotherapy.

5 Key Topics:

• How the eight limbs of yoga provided stability and positive energy through stage 4 cancer treatment
• "Why not me?" — shifting from suicidal despair to becoming one of the rare patients who beat the odds
• Creating "Slow Flow with Joe" — a yoga class for people who feel intimidated, injured, or left behind
• Trauma-informed, hands-off teaching and why Joe announces he won't touch students unless invited
• Volunteering at the cancer center as a form of service, community, and living proof that attitude affects outcomes

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - This Cancer Survivor Learned Yoga Through Slow Flow
• (00:06:04) - Joe Became a Carpenter at 49
• (00:12:02) - "The Heart of Yoga"
• (00:15:59) - An older teacher's quest for teaching certification
• (00:20:56) - The slow-flow yoga
• (00:22:33) - Classical Music in Yoga Classes
• (00:28:19) - My Wife Saved My Life
• (00:32:18) - Hope for prostate cancer patients
• (00:36:33) - How Yoga Prepared Me for the Fight
• (00:37:33) - Joe's positive attitude during cancer treatment
• (00:44:02) - Volunteering at the Kansas University Cancer Center
• (00:50:34) - How to Choose Life with Cancer

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.

Topics: Stage four cancer survival, prostate cancer, Gleason score 10, cancer and yoga, why not me, choosing life, Slow Flow with Joe, TKV Desikachar, The Heart of Yoga, yoga for osteoarthritis, trauma-informed teaching, hands-off teaching, classical music in yoga, eight limbs of yoga, yoga sutras, chemotherapy with positivity, Hawaiian shirts, cancer center volunteer, hope and healing, living with terminal illness, quality of life, positive attitude, fitness and cancer survival, cancer support, patient advocacy, why me vs why not me, facing mortality, grace under pressure, carpentry to yoga, social services background, assisted suicide decision

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - "The Heart of Yoga"

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.

Parveen Chopra has spent nearly three decades at the intersection of journalism and spirituality, asking how media can serve not just to inform, but to transform. In 1996, he founded Life Positive, India's first body-mind-spirit magazine, chronicling a wellness awakening that was decades ahead of its time. After senior roles at India Today and DNA, a serendipitous job offer brought him to New York in 2008, where he edited the South Asian Times and the interfaith journal One World Under God.

In November 2022, in the aftermath of COVID-19, Parveen launched his most ambitious project: A Lotus in the Mud, a paywall-free wellness and spirituality web magazine. Like the lotus flower—pure and radiant while growing from muddy waters—the magazine embodies the inherent power to rise and bloom in body, mind, and spirit. In just over two years, it has published 750+ original articles featuring voices like Sadhguru, Dr. Tony Nader, and NYC Mayor Eric Adams.
In this conversation, Parveen shares his belief that a mystical core unites all religions, explains why the lotus needs mud to grow, and reveals how ancient wisdom traditions and cutting-edge science can help us become happier, healthier, and more peaceful—even in turbulent times.

5 Key Topics:

• Founding Life Positive in 1996 and chronicling India's wellness awakening before it was mainstream
• The lotus metaphor: why spiritual growth requires the "mud" of worldly challenges
• The common mystical core across all religions and how to honor each tradition's uniqueness
• Bridging ancient wisdom traditions with evidence-based journalism and modern science
• Building A Lotus in the Mud as a social enterprise—750+ articles, interfaith harmony, and world peace

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - Parveen Chopra on Wellness and Spirituality
• (00:05:27) - Part 1 Life Positive and the Indian Awakening
• (00:06:11) - Life Positive
• (00:11:39) - Life Positive
• (00:15:31) - Parveen on Deepak Chopra
• (00:19:01) - How Meditation Changed My Journalism
• (00:22:59) - The Life of Gurus
• (00:25:13) - India Today's Wellness and spirituality editor
• (00:28:52) - Why I Left India for America
• (00:34:01) - Parveen on Interfaith Work
• (00:38:34) - The Common Core of All Religions
• (00:42:00) - Indian spiritual life in America
• (00:50:50) - A Lotus in the Mud
• (00:55:22) - A lotus in the mud
• (00:58:46) - Healthy Living: Alternative Systems of Medicine
• (01:03:22) - Wonders of the World: Can Wisdom Adapt to Short Form
• (01:05:45) - spirituality in the 21st century
• (01:09:00) - Punji Parveen On Padmasana

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.

Topics: Wellness journalism, spirituality media, Life Positive magazine, A Lotus in the Mud, transcendental meditation, Indian spiritual awakening, 1990s India, Deepak Chopra connection, immigration story, green card journey, interfaith work, One World Under God, mystical core of religions, Brahman consciousness, religious silos, COVID-19 impact, social enterprise, nonprofit media, alternative medicine, Ayurveda, naturopathy, plant-based diet, Eric Adams interview, attention spans, TikTok vs depth, multicultural society, spiritual evolution, journalism and transformation

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - Interfaith work urgent in America
• (00:02:19) - No religion is superior than other religions

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.

Gina Clingerman didn't set out to become a yoga teacher. She entered her 200-hour training while navigating profound depression, simply hoping to find steadier ground within herself. What she discovered instead was C-PTSD, a calling to hold space for others, and a teaching philosophy rooted in one radical idea: you don't have to be perfect—you just have to be good.

From borrowed VHS tapes in her teens to teaching trauma-informed yin yoga over a decade later, Gina's journey reflects a deep commitment to understanding how we heal—not through having all the answers, but through the courage to simply be with what is. Her academic background in English literature, Native American studies, and anthropology informs a teaching style that weaves storytelling, polyvagal theory, and somatic practice into every class.

In this vulnerable conversation, Gina shares how yoga became both refuge and mirror, why she now prioritizes restorative practice over power flow, and how creating safety in the nervous system is the foundation of ethical teaching. Whether you're a yoga teacher, a trauma survivor, or someone who's ever used practice as a measuring stick for self-worth, this episode offers a profound invitation to soften, release judgment, and meet yourself with compassion.

5 Key Topics:

• Discovering C-PTSD during teacher training and how it transformed her teaching approach
• The shift from alignment-based yoga to sensation-based practice—honoring each body's unique architecture
• Polyvagal theory and creating safety in the nervous system for trauma survivors
• Why "you don't have to be perfect, you just have to be good" is a radical act of self-compassion
• Navigating adrenal fatigue and redefining what a "yoga practice" looks like when intensity isn't available

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.

Topics: meditation practice, Soham mantra, Atman, Self-realization, Bhagavad Gita, Jnaneshwari, Swami Swarupanandaji, Jnaneshwar Maharaj, Hindu meditation, bliss consciousness, mindfulness, contemplative practice, Indian spirituality, Maharashtra saints

Subscribe or follow My Mindful Moment to get ad-free episodes of that show in your podcast feed.

About My Mindful Moment

You know those moments when enlightenment, insight, and wisdom find us? When the universe speaks to us during periods of adversity, joy, or stillness and we feel more aware, mindful, and present having listened to it? What if we took the time to record those moments and share them with others? This is the inspiration behind Podmasana’s sibling podcast, My Mindful Moment, where you are invited to listen to the mindful moments of others from around the world and share your own.

Share Your Mindful Moment

Send your recording via email to mymindfulmoment@podmasana.com. Feel free to include a photo of yourself that you would like to include with your Mindful Moment. Further instructions are below.

Instructions:

Find a quiet room or space and open a recording app on your phone.

Speaking in full sentences, please share your Mindful Moment. No need to write down your story and read it from paper, but feel free to do so if that makes you more comfortable. Just try to keep it natural. Please keep the submitted recording to less than three minutes. Your recording should include (but does not need to be limited to): 

• Your name (feel free to use an anonymous alias)

• A particular moment or experience that left you feeling more enlightened, inspired or wise. Share as much about the moment as you can recall:

  • When did it happen?

  • What was it like?

  • How did it make you feel more mindful?

  • Why do you want to share it with others?

Again, please try to keep the submitted recording to less than three minutes. When you are finished, email the file and an optional accompanying photo to the show to appear in podcast art. Be sure to let us know whether or not you are okay with background music being added. For more detailed instructions, see the recording tips page.

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - How to Heal Yourself During a Time of Great Suffering

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.

Dr. Raj Kumar Mani is a distinguished pulmonologist and critical care specialist with nearly four decades of medical excellence. As director of clinical services at Yashoda Hospital and past president of the Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine, he pioneered non-invasive ventilation and sleep medicine in India, led landmark legal efforts establishing India's right to living wills, and stood on the frontlines of COVID-19 care.

But his most profound contribution may be invisible to medical journals. At 23, fresh out of medical school, he lost his beloved mother to brain fever. In that moment of devastating grief, something shifted—a vision of consciousness descended, transforming not just how he practiced medicine, but how he approached life itself.

In this deeply moving conversation, Dr. Mani shares how he navigated the tension between spiritual awakening and materialistic demands, why he believes "you are your own light," and how poetry became his prayer. He reveals how yoga practice (even just 15 minutes daily) grounded him through pandemic chaos, why end-of-life care became his passion, and how love—not ritual—is the true essence of spirituality.

5 Key Topics:

• How losing both parents by age 23 triggered a spiritual awakening that transformed his medical practice
• Leading India's legal reform for living wills and dignity in dying—representing his profession before the Supreme Court
• Navigating the tension between spiritual vision and materialistic demands of marriage, fatherhood, and medical career
• Why "you are your own light" and how to protect that inner light through life's storms
• Poetry as prayer—how verse captures what prose cannot, and why the heart is closer to the soul

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.

Topics: Spiritual awakening, grief and transformation, pulmonology, critical care medicine, yoga practice, contemplative medicine, poetry and spirituality, end-of-life care, right to die, living wills, non-invasive ventilation, medical ethics, loss and bereavement, consciousness, integration of spirituality and medicine, physician wellness, walking meditation, Indian medicine, COVID-19 frontline care

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.

Dr. Vijay Jayadeh is a beautiful paradox — an orthodontist who spent his professional life straightening teeth while dedicating decades to straightening the path between the Bhagavad Gita's timeless wisdom and modern life's crooked challenges. Born in 1941 in Karnataka, India, he watched his father (also a dentist) study the Gita daily, planting seeds that would bloom into a radical project: reorganizing the entire scripture by topic rather than chronology, so that ordinary people struggling with anxiety, depression, and unhealthy competition could actually access its teachings.

Now in his 80s, Dr. Jayadeh has published his interpretation in Marathi and is translating it into English, determined to reach even more people lost in the labyrinth of modern life. His subtitle says it all: "As Understood by a Common Man for Other Commoners." In this conversation, he explains why the Kurukshetra battlefield is a metaphor for our daily dilemmas, how to cultivate equanimity in gain and loss, and why the Gita's essential message is this: you yourself are your best friend — or your worst enemy.

5 Key Topics:

• Why Dr. Jayadeh reorganized the Gita thematically (not chronologically) to make it accessible to contemporary readers
• The three personality types — Sattvic, Rajasic, Tamasic — and how to recognize which one is driving your life
• Practical teachings on equanimity, karma yoga, and overcoming greed, lust, and anger in the modern world
• "Uddharet atmanatmanam" — why you must uplift yourself, because the self is both your best friend and worst enemy
• How a 2,000-year-old battlefield dialogue addresses today's crises of anxiety, depression, and unhealthy competition

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - The Bhagavad Gita
• (00:07:21) - Podcast
• (00:08:36) - The Gita and Dr. Jayaday
• (00:15:00) - The Gita
• (00:18:22) - Writing for the Common Person
• (00:25:29) - Karma Yoga and Bhakti Yoga
• (00:30:47) - Why The Gita's Accessibility and Relability
• (00:34:09) - Ancient Wisdom for Modern Crises
• (00:37:59) - Gita's message for struggling with anxiety and depression
• (00:40:12) - Dealing with moral dilemmas in contemporary life
• (00:43:31) - The Message of Gita in English
• (00:45:17) - What has the Gita taught you?
• (00:47:16) - Dr. Jede

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.

October 10th, 2025. Brendon Orr walks his 16-year-old dog Amelia through a golden sunlit meadow. But Amelia stops—perhaps the first time in her life she clearly doesn't wish to walk. Three deer appear in the tall grass, watching peacefully. Brendon locks eyes with one deer. A profound moment of stillness. He looks down at Amelia looking up at him. Together they watch the deer slowly walk into the tree line, as if returning to where they came from. A tear passes down Brendon's cheek. "It's time to go home now, isn't it girl?" Amelia passes that afternoon. If we are still enough and listening openly, the universe speaks.

This was Brendon’s Mindful Moment. Submit yours to mymindfulmoment@podmasana.com. For more information, visit https://podmasana.com/mymindfulmoment.

Topics

Loss of a pet, dog death, end of life, saying goodbye, mindfulness in grief, deer encounter, animal communication, last moments, recognizing endings, new beginnings, profound stillness, universe speaking, trust in timing, life transitions, sacred moments, presence in loss, honoring grief, animal companions, 16-year-old dog, sister dogs, moving with elderly pets, when it's time, peaceful passing, tears and love, listening to wisdom, chapters closing and opening

Listen to previous My Mindful Moments: https://my-mindful-moment.castos.com/ 

Listen to Podmasana: https://podmasana.castos.com/ 

Yogascussion Podcast: https://yogascussion.castos.com/ 

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.

Share Your Mindful Moment

Send your recording via email to mymindfulmoment@podmasana.com. Feel free to include a photo of yourself that you would like to include with your Mindful Moment. Further instructions are below.

Instructions

Find a quiet room or space and open a recording app on your phone.

Speaking in full sentences, please share your Mindful Moment. No need to write down your story and read it from paper, but feel free to do so if that makes you more comfortable. Just try to keep it natural. Please keep the submitted recording to less than three minutes. Your recording should include (but does not need to be limited to): 

• Your name (feel free to use an anonymous alias)
• A particular moment or experience that left you feeling more enlightened, inspired or wise. Share as much about the moment as you can recall:
  • When did it happen?
  • What was it like?
  • How did it make you feel more mindful?
  • Why do you want to share it with others?

Again, please try to keep the submitted recording to less than three minutes. When you are finished, email the file to the show. For more detailed instructions, see the recording tips page.

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - My Mindful Moment

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - Bhakti Yoga: The Essential Yoga Chapters
• (00:01:08) - Gita on Happiness and sorrow

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.

Pete Allman, psychotherapist with over 25 years of experience, joins us to explore his book "Thoughts: The Power of Your Mind"—a unique alphabetical journey through wisdom from Aristotle to Gary Zukav. Each chapter pairs a provocative quote with practical insights drawn from Pete's work guiding clients through anxiety, depression, personal growth, and relationship challenges.

We explore powerful ideas: Aristotle's wisdom about entertaining thoughts without accepting them, Buddha's teaching that we become what we think, Einstein's insight that we can't solve problems with the thinking that created them. Through quotes from Gandhi, Jesus, Maya Angelou, Tina Turner, Oprah Winfrey, and even Yoda, Pete illuminates how belief shapes capacity and reality.

Pete's message is both empowering and challenging: like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, we possess the power to transform our lives, but first we must understand that the mind is "a wonderful servant, but a dangerous master if left unexamined." Drawing from Eastern philosophy that has informed his spiritual journey and therapeutic practice, Pete invites us to become our own gurus—to consciously connect our intentions with our experiences.

From understanding the two sources of thoughts, to processing fear's path to suffering, to applying ancient wisdom to contemporary global conflicts, this conversation offers practical tools for creating the life you want by mastering the most powerful force you possess: your mind.

Topics: Thought patterns, belief systems, consciousness, psychotherapy, Eastern philosophy, personal transformation, anxiety, depression, mindfulness, authentic power, intentional living

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - PTI: The Power of Thoughts
• (00:02:44) - The Power of Youf Mind
• (00:04:37) - 3 Truths of Therapeutic Therapy
• (00:08:16) - Aristotle's "See the Thought, Not Act on It
• (00:09:44) - Multiple Sources of Thoughts in My Brain
• (00:11:18) - A New Way to Solve Our Problems
• (00:14:33) - The Power of Belief
• (00:19:16) - The Power of Maya Angelou's
• (00:20:32) - In the Mind of Men: Love and Compassion
• (00:22:57) - The Beginner's Mind
• (00:25:05) - How To Live More Authentically With Your Intention
• (00:27:08) - What Are the Dominations in Your Thoughts?
• (00:29:03) - The Mind is a Terrible Master
• (00:31:11) - Yoda's The Power of Fear
• (00:33:10) - How spirituality has informed my work as a therapist
• (00:34:49) - How mindfulness is shaping humanity's future
• (00:36:44) - Padmasana: A Week in the Life

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.

Ron shares the transformative spiritual experience he had at age 16 in a snowy New Jersey forest—an encounter with infinite light that shaped his lifelong journey. After years of wrestling with how to reconcile the material world of science with the spiritual dimension he knew permeated reality, Ron participated in the ultimate training in Tibetan Buddhism: the Three Year Retreat, during which he took temporary monastic vows.

We explore the eight common features found across all world religions, the philosophical foundations that connect Judeo-Christian beliefs with scientific inquiry, and why the conflict between science and religion doesn't have to exist. Ron explains how neurotheology studies the brain during spiritual experiences, why creativity in science points beyond pure rationality, and how practices like meditation and yoga are influencing Western spirituality.

From continental drift paradigms to the benzene ring discovered in a dream, Ron demonstrates how both science and spirituality require openness to trans-rational thinking. As we face climate change, social upheaval, and technological transformation, Ron sees a parallel spiritual awakening happening "under the radar"—one that may be essential for humanity's evolution.

Topics: Materialism vs. spirituality, religious experience, neurotheology, meditation, interfaith dialogue, yoga philosophy, scientific paradigms, consciousness, Tibetan Buddhism

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.

Thank you for being here. This introduction episode welcomes you to Podmasana—a space dedicated to exploring the landscape of human spirituality through authentic conversations with teachers, scholars, practitioners, and seekers.

In This Episode:

• Discover what Podmasana is and why it exists
• Learn about our mission to explore ancient mindfulness, spiritual practices, and wisdom traditions alongside their modern applications
• Hear about upcoming conversations exploring spirituality in the age of materialism, grief and grace, yoga as refuge, and making ancient texts accessible
• Find out how you can support the show and become part of our community

Chapters

• (00:00:00) - Welcome to Podmasana
• (00:06:04) - An Invitation to Listeners

Follow Podmasana wherever you get your podcasts. Get early access to ad-free episodes, bonus content, exclusive group chat, live Q&As and more by becoming a Podmasana+ member at podmasana.com/plus.

Follow and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Leave a review and share the show with others on their own spiritual journey. 

Support the show:

> Join Podmasana+ for extra benefits, content and perks

> Say Thank You and Donate to the Show

> Shop the Podmasana Store

Thank you for listening and thank you for your support! 

Connect With Podmasana:

Website: podmasana.com

Past Episodes: podmasana.com/archive

Submit Guest Ideas: ideas@podmasana.com

Submit Feedback: feedback@podmasana.com

Social Media: YouTube | Bluesky | Mastodon | Instagram

Check out Podmasana Media’s other show’s: YogaScussion and My Mindful Moment.