My Second Life: Recent Episodes
Wetranceform
I am living my second life - one that is happier, healthier and more meaningful, thanks to an unexpected diagnosis of cancer at the age of 27.
This podcast is about my healing journey, stories and life lessons to help anyone going through tough times, similar situations or unexpected circumstances.
π« New Episode. Every Sunday π«
In this episode I seek answers to questions like... What happens when out of loneliness, for the sake of filling some deep void inside of us, we mentally and physically give in to someone? Even for just few minutes? What happens when we change multiple partners in this age of casual dating and one night stands? Most importantly, where is this idea coming to us that once our physical needs are met we'll be able to feel love? Stay tuned. New Episodes are out on Sundays!
Spiti to me was all about living a carbon positive life and allowing myself to feel love deeply... In this episode I speak about how it is so simple to be in love always if we don't bring in expectations and attachments. Next Episode is on celibacy, something that has helped me break innumerable patterns which will be out on Sunday
We all go through insecurities... Here I was on my way to the mountains not knowing why I was going there - the indecisiveness while choosing to listen to my heart vs. logic. The biggest lesson I've learnt through all this and in hindsight is to just LISTEN TO MY HEART regardless of how illogical it may seem to the world. Stay tuned. New episodes are out every Sunday π
Listen to my mother's thoughts, reactions and views on my cancer diagnosis and journey to recovery. Catch us having a candid chat here! She has a special message towards the end for all parents and children who are listening to this as well...New episode are out every Sunday π¦
"His response taught me a lot and subsequently taking the action of going after my dreams was one of the most important lessons that I learnt here. After having undergone surgery and while I was waiting for my body and mind to recover from all that I had been through I was clear about one thing - this life, my second life, was a gift. And I was not going to waste my precious time, life and energy doing things that I was expected to do but rather I would do what I deeply wanted to do and listen to my inner voice...to pursue all of the things I had desired for a very long time. I realised that many people want to go after their dreams but very few do because they fail to act. And I didn't want to be that kind of a person in my second life... " Listen to the full episode. Stay tuned. New episodes are out every Sunday...
The journey from February to June 2019, from being relieved I was dying to being happy to be alive - let me take you through the diagnostic lab, the road trip to the Western Ghats, my stay in an empty apartment in the outskirts of my city, my stay in Arunachala, the ten days of Vipassana in Sirumalai, my birthday in an amusement park, the family road trip to Tirupati and the surgery to remove the tumor that shrunk without chemotherapy and with herbal medicines by my oncologist. Thank you for staying with me for these 20 episodes of season one.Β It truly means a lot!
What do I do after the surgery? Do I get to start working on my purpose of life? What happened to the teacher who traveled with me? What about the man from the wedding? Do I reconcile with my favourite ex and get back? Stay tuned for Season 2 where I talk about how being a blank slate and an empty canvas led me to live in some of the most remote parts of the Trans-Himalayan region, how I ended up breaking all ties with my teacher, how I landed up beside river Ganga while learning the Bhagavad Gita, how I who used to be an atheist agnostic happily did the CharDham yatra by visiting Gangotree, Yamunotri, Badrinath and Kedarnath, how I ended up traveling to some more ashrams in the coastal parts of South India, how I landed up in Isha Foundation, back at my Vedanta ashram in Madurai and back to Ramanasramam who lead me to Kodaikanal and the inception of Karunachal Foundation, the NGO I've cofounded....it is one crazy amazing story. Stay tuned for season 2! Begins next Sunday :)
Here I talk about achieving the intended result of chemotherapy without chemotherapy and preparing for surgery. Just before the surgery I traveled with my family while realizing that I'm fortunate enough to find friends within my family. Stay tuned for the recap of #seasonone that'll be out next Sunday!
Here I talk about my birthday which I share with my sister. I always wanted to go to an amusement park for my birthday which I did this time around but ironically I wasn't able to sit on most amusement rides as I was so exhausted. Listen to how I spent this day as I realised what matters... Apologies for missing out this Sunday's episode. Stay tuned for new episodes every Sunday.
What is my purpose of life? To raise human consciousness! Listen for deep learnings that got me here and why...New episodes are out every Sunday! Stay tuned.
I narrate three stories from '101 Zen Stories' transcribed by Nyogen Senzaki and Paul Reps. These stories had a deep influence on me, much deeper than many practices too, as my connection with Zen Buddhist practices go way back. This stay in Ramanasramam paved way to Karunachal, the nonprofit organization I've cofounded, whose name is a wordplay on Arunachala. New episodes are out every Sunday π―
In this episode I talk about finding true freedom in surrendering and discovering what faith means to me. Here I reflect on how I learnt to simply be in the present and experience being alive and feeling ONENESS while simultaneously remaining disconnected...New episodes are out every Sunday π΅
In this episode I talk about how my associations with respect to animals died. Here I attempt to verbally express the deepest and most profound learnings of my life when it came to forgiving and letting go, the art of true compassion and the courage inside me to be able to accept perpetrators and victims alike. Stay tuned. New episodes are out every Sunday πΈ
I split this episode into two parts...in this first part I talk about my association with animals and why they mean so much to me...this is very important because it gives you deep insights into my associations and help you reflect on your own associations that you guard with all your life! Here I talk about how reflections into my deeply buried childhood memories gave me answers to my deepest love, fears and promises. Stay tuned. New episodes are out every Sunday π
In this episode I talk about magical experience with Ramana Maharshi and Arunachala. As I reflect on this experience I understand how important a person's first seven-eight years of life is. I have learnt by experience that I've lived most part of my adult life based on the impressions made on my growing mind as a child. Here I talk about how one such experience led me to a place where the bulk of my healing happened. Stay tuned. New episodes are out every Sunday π
In this episode I talk about some of the epiphanies I had while I walked by a construction site multiple times everyday. I realised looking at the so called 'poor' that they're the disguised 'rich'. Here, I urge you to think about your lifestyle and the choices you make and how that affects the larger picture. I'm not for or against any lifestyle but I'm definitely concerned about living in line with the natural laws of the Universe. Stay Tuned. New Episodes Every Sunday π«
In this episode I talk about one of the strangest nights of my life. I realised that death is a physical separation and what worries us in any situation is the unknown and death is probably the biggest unknown. I talk about how this understanding transformed me and made me learn the biggest lessons that I'd been trying to learn all through my life. Stay Tuned. New Episodes Every Sunday π«
In this episode I talk about the lessons I learnt from one of the most important relationships of my life. I understand now that closures can never be given by anyone, we have to find it ourselves. We move from one relationship to another be it with friendships or family without closing things properly and I understand now how important it is to end things right, at least in our minds. Stay tuned. New Episodes Every Sunday π«
In this episode I talk about one of the only two relationships I had been in. I realised that healing from it meant accepting ugly truths about myself that I would have liked to lie to myself and to the world about. I understood the mistakes and owned up to them in my mind as I went about slowly letting go even though we'd officially broken up almost a year ago. I realised that once you love someone, the love never dies... Not because of the person but because the love is inside of you and will always be something that blossomed and made you into the person you are today. Stay Tuned. New Episodes Every Sunday π«
In this episode, I talk about moving closer to home but not living with family. I talk about my routine for the three weeks I lived in an empty apartment. I learnt the importance of my closest relationships and I talk about how I came to terms with my father. New Episodes. Every Sunday π«
In this episode I talk about my three weeks in the Western Ghats where I feel I left a part of my soul, a very dark part of my soul, for the trees to absorb into themselves. I learnt that it's the simple things that matter in life. I realised that gratitude is just not about changing your thinking, rather it is about feeling it and living it.Β Stay tuned... π« New Episode. Every Sunday π«
In this episode I talk about self-inflicted anger, hatred, guilt and shame. I learnt that we all make mistakes that are unthinkable and unforgivable, but after beating ourselves up for it forever, it's really just time to let them all go... not suppress it or ignore it, but work it out in our minds and really release it all...closure you see, is in yourself, in expanding your consciousness to really allow yourself to go off the hook.Β Stay tuned... π«New Episode. Every Sunday π«
In today's episode I talk about being on one edge of trust on a frail bridge that required an immense leap of faith to cross over. I talk about my darkest of fears and how my natural instincts kick in to protect myself and all I love...much like a wolf. I learned how to trust once again but not blindly and with an exit plan just in case... I learned how to follow my intuition and let myself fly but allow myself to depend on my own wings to carry me forward. Stay tuned... π« New Episode. Every Sunday π«
In today's episode I talk about friends and how I learnt the difference between convenient friendships and true friendship! I thought I knew for a fact that there were four people on Earth who would see me through anything. I was shattered to see the truth that was brought to surface in such times.Β I talk about coming to terms with people whose memories we're friends with and not the current people they are. Stay tuned... π« New Episode. Every Sunday π«
In this episode I talk about the conversations we have with ourselves. I have understood through experience that we can think about anything and yet we choose to dwell on things that we did and make up scenarios for future. Even for simple things. Doing so once may give some clarity on how to respond next time and we can call it reflection. But replaying it in our minds and remaining in constant irritation costs us the most important thing - peace of mind. I realise that I have a choice to think thoughts that work towards calming me, or not. And it's up to me to choose wisely. Our thoughts become things because ultimately our choices make us. Stay tuned... π« New episode. Every Sunday π«
In this episode I talk about the tipping point and how it progressed to kindle hope in me when times seemed bleak and dark otherwise. I learnt that to be completely in the present you only have to be completely in the present. Stay tuned... π« New Episode. Every Sunday π«
In this episode I talk about the tipping point, a start to a beautiful and unbelievable story. I met someone and this taught me that it is easier to open up to people we don't know because there's no filter of perception altering how we speak. I've tried to put this lesson into practice by doing my best to keep filters of perception at bay everytime I talk to anyone. Stay tuned... π« New Episode. Every Sunday π«
In this episode I talk about the moment I realised that uncertainty is not really uncertain. It is certain that we will all die. It is certain that as human beings we will all endure suffering. Only when we are faced with tough situations do we see this in its true form. Stay tuned... π« New Episode. Every Sunday π«
In this episode I talk about the day I got my diagnosis result. This gave way for me to realise that my family loves me and always did. I never believed that I was capable of being loved because I never knew how it felt to be loved. I had a belief system that I was unlovable/unworthy/useless. And no matter who tried to change that with whatever actions of love/kindness I just could not see it. Stay tuned... π« New Episode. Every Sunday π«