Drishti Point Yoga and Spirituality: Recent Episodes
Farah Nazarali
Founder of Fine Balance Yoga, Nicole Marica, speaks about yoga as a means of self-regulation, embodiment, and mindfulness rooted in non-harm.
This is a beautiful interview about the profound benefits of yoga practice for those who have experienced traumatic events.
Global speaker, teacher, and author, Max Strom speaks about how technology has affected human health and the importance of breathwork in regulating emotions, processing grief, and living inspired and meaningful lives. This insightful interview is full of research and stories that illustrate the value of intentional breathwork and the fundamental needs of humans- connection, love and meaning. www.maxstrom.com
Connect to the source of original thought and awaken to the radical brilliance that is always there. Arjuna Ardagh makes awakening possible in the here and now and speaks of the infinite possibilities that can become the foundation of our lives. This podcast was originally recorded as part of the Hollyhock Talks Podcast series in 2016. For more information about Hollyhock Retreat Center, visit www.hollyhock.ca.
The path of the body is the straightest path to the truth. Conscious Movement Facilitator and long-time Hollyhock presenter, Bettina Rothe speaks about 5Rhythms as a movement practice to re-connect us to the wisdom of our bodies and as a path to healing and wholeness. This podcast was originally recorded as part of the Hollyhock Talks Podcast series in 2016. For more information on Hollyhock Retreat Center, visit www.hollyhock.ca.
Cultural ecologist and geo-philosoper David Abram speaks about awakening our sensual ability to see the wind, hear the trees, feel the land, taste the ocean, and touch the spirit embedded in the world around us. This is a profound and inspiring journey into the intelligence and living presence of all life forms- plants, animals, humans, and living eco-systems. This podcast was originally recorded as part of the Hollyhock Talks Podcast Series in 2016. For more information about Hollyhock Retreat Center, visit www.hollyhock.ca.
Author, biologist and one of the foremost thought leaders of our time, Rupert Sheldrake speaks about scientific findings that prove Eastern spiritual views that the mind extends beyond the body, that living systems (human, animals, and plants) can communicate non-verbally across space and time, and the power of pilgrimage- both his own annual pilgrimage to Hollyhock, and the practice of pilgrimage. This podcast was recorded as part of the Hollyhock Talks podcast series in 2016. For more information about Hollyhock Retreat Center, visit www.hollyhock.ca.
Pioneer of using sound and voice in healing and ceremony, Jill Purce speaks about her journey into the creative and healing power of sound, mantra, and ceremony to heal ancestral wounds and develop harmony in the past, present, and future generations. This podcasts was originally recorded as part of the Hollyhock Talks Podcast series in 2016. For more information about Hollyhock Retreat Center, visit www.hollyhock.ca.
Listen to a podcast with renowned author, teacher, and ceremonialist, Stephen Jenkinson. "You die in the matter of your living." In poetic and soulful language, Stephen Jenkinson speaks of the moral imperative to contemplate and reconcile death as a way to inform how we live, reclaim our ancestral roots, redeem our past, and leave a legacy for those we love. This podcast was recorded as part of the Hollyhocks Talks Podcast Series in 2016. For more information about Hollyhock Retreat Center, visit www.hollyhock.ca.
Listen to a yoga podcast with Swami Muktibodhananda, direct disciple of Swami Satyananda. Swai Muktibodhananda speaks about the ultimate aim of yoga. This podcast was recorded during Swamiji's visit to Vancouver in August 2016. For more information on Swami Muktibodhananda, visit http://www.muktibodharetreatscanada.com/.
Listen to a yoga podcast with Swami Muktibodhanadna, direct disciple of Swami Satyananda. Swami Muktibodhananda speaks the barriers to realizing happiness and harmony and how yoga helps us to get out of our own way and embrace and find peace with our reality. This podcast was recorded during Swamiji's visit to Vancouver in August 2016. For more information on Swami Muktibodhananda, visit http://www.muktibodharetreatscanada.com/.
Listen to a yoga podcast with Swami Muktibodhananda, direct disciple of Swami Satyananda. Swami Muktibodhananda speaks about the heart and what it means to follow your heart and do what makes your heart sing. This podcast was recorded during Swamiji's visit to Vancouver in August 2016. For more information on Swami Muktibodhananda, visit http://www.muktibodharetreatscanada.com/.
Listen to a podcast with Swami Muktibodhananda, direct disciple of Swami Satyananda Saraswati. In this podcast, Swami Muktibodhanana speaks about kriyas- a practice of kriyas as a path to liberation from suffering and the experience of bliss and divinity. This podcast was recorded during Swamiji's visit to Vancouver in August 2016. For more information on Swami Muktibodhananda, visit http://www.muktibodharetreatscanada.com/.
Vishwaguru Sri Paramahans Swami Maheshwarnanda speaks about the practice of yoga for all aspects of our being- the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual and how yoga unlocks the key to the treasures within.
Listen to this podcast with Mary Anne Radmacher and Liz Kalloch, authors of the book SHE: A celebration of Greatness in Every Woman. This book tells the stories of various female leaders and their advice on leadership, compassion, friendship, purpose, and much more. The authors tell us why they decided to create this book, what they define as greatness and how this book can help and inspire people everywhere.
We talk to singer Theda Phoenix in this Drishti Point podcast, who writes and sings music inspired by spirituality, personal growth and transformation. In this podcast, you get the chance to hear about the path that led Theda to becoming a musician, listen to some of her tracks, and hear her perform some of her songs live in studio.
In this Drishti Point podcast, we travel to India where Sri Venu, director of Sivinanda Yoga Vedanta Centre Vancouver, interviews yoga master Brijendra (Bob Eaton). Brijendra talks about his path to meditation and deeper awareness, his experience in India and his guru Swamiji. He also gives his insight on experiencing a higher level of awareness, the illusion of self, and the true self.
Listen to this Drishti Point podcast with Ted Kuntz, author and psychotherapist. He is the author of the book Peace Begins with Me. In this podcast, he describes the difficult personal journey that brought him to learn to cultivate peace in his life, and to helping others down a path to peace too.
In this podcast, we talk to Hari Singh Khalsa, a kundalini yoga teacher who uses the gong in his classes at Yoga West in Vancouver. He talks about his experience learning the gong with master kundalini teacher Yogi Bhajan, and the power of the gong to help you reach a higher realm of meditation, heal injuries and relax body and mind.
Vancouver Iyengar yoga teacher Louie Etting speaks about her path to yoga, her experience working with B.K.S. Iyengar, and the benefits of practicing yoga. She also speaks on the challenges of being a yoga teacher and running a business, and the importance of keeping balance in your practice and in your life.
Listen to this Drishti Point podcast with Ayurveda practitioners, Jaisri Lambert and Madhrui Philips. Ayurveda is an ancient holistic healing system for cultivating wellness in mind, body and spirit. Jaisri talks about what brought her to Ayurveda, the basic philosophies behind this system, and how it differs from modern Western medicine.
In this podcast, Rod Stryker speaks about the history and origins of Tantra, the practice of tantra and mantra, what it means to have a Guru, the experience of samadhi, and the ultimate aim and purpose of yoga.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Mahamandaleshvar Swami Vivekpuri, a Croatian-born Swami dedicated to the practice and teachings of his Master- Vishwa Guru Swami Maheshwarananda, founder of Yoga In Daily Life. Swami Vivekpuri, head of the Croatian Yoga In Daily Life Centers, and the Hindu Religious Society in Croatian speaks about finding happiness through inquiry (investigating our good qualities and bad qualities), discernment between pleasure and happiness, letting go of expectation and disappointments, and the happiness that comes from losing ourself in the service of others.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Brother Nakulananda, a monk of the Self-Realization Fellowship, and a disciple of Paramhans Yogananda, author of the book- Autobiography of a Yogi. Brother Nakulananda explains Kriya Yoga and its power in awakening the sacred cerebro-spinal energy centers (chakras) for the purpose of realizing the truth of who we are, and the nature of God and ultimate reality. This is an inspiring and insightful interview about our potential in understanding Truth, God, and the Self.
Listen to a Drishti Point Podcast with Spiritual Renegade- Lama Sumati Marut, ordained Buddhist monk, university professor, surfer, motorcycle enthusiast, and author of A Spiritual Renegade’s Guide to the Good Life.
This is a book for those who know life is short and who are desperate enough to take up arms and make revolutionary inner changes before it’s too late. It’s a book for people who urgently want to be happy but have figured out the usual methods don’t work. It’s a guide for those tired of trying to become well-adjusted to a perverse society. It’s for those fed up with the dead end of modern consumer-capitalist ideology. This is a book for hereos and heroines, for warriors. It’s for people ready to take the tackle depression, anger, endless desire, jealousy, and pride- the true demons that undermine the happiness we all seek. This is a book for desperadoes, rebels, and insurrectionists willing to pit themselves against a life defined by perpetual dissatisfaction, egoism, and greed. This is a book for those who have figured out that being happy is neither superficial nor selfish but the indispensable ingredient for living a meaningful life of service to others.
Excerpt from Introduction, A Spiritual Renegade’s Guide to the Good Life
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Venerable Sumati Marut about the practice of Guru Yoga. This is a clear and lucid interview describing the relationship between teacher and student, and how to use the teacher as a mirror to illuminate the inner life.
Listen to a Drishti Point Podcast with Radha and Gary Bello of Pacific Horizon Consulting. Radha and Gary share their insights about relationships and how to successfully navigate personal, professional, and intimate relationships using yoga-based techniques of awareness, breath, exercises, and relaxation. Their insightful book, Enlightening Moments, offers hope and direction for creating joyful, long-lasting, and fulfilling relationships- with ourselves, and with those around us.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Yogacharini Maitreyi, Holistic Harmonizer and Founder of Arkaya Yoga. Arkaya means sun and is the quality of the sun that heals all wounds and afflictions. Arkaya Yoga embodies the guru spirit by shedding light on unconscious patterns in our thoughts, emotions, our bodies and transforming all levels of our being.
In this interview, Maitreyi speaks about Jyothi Kriyas- practices that are designed to ignite and illuminate the Divine Light within and help us realize our highest potential.
Yoga is conscious evolution.
-Dr. Swami Gitananda
In this podcast, Anodea speaks about her book- The Global Heart Awakens: From the Love of Power to the Power of Love, which uses the yogic chakra system as a framework to understand the current planetary crisis, our evolution as a human species, and tell the powerful story of the impulse from power towards love.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Denise Johnson, a gifted Chaneller, Clairvoyant, author, and poet. Denise came to the spiritual path after having dreams of Tibetban Buddhist teacher Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and being called to using her life in service of love and wisdom.
For two years, Drishti Point Yoga Podcasts had produced a special Valentine’s Day special with Chuck Damov about love. The first interview is a beautiful interview about love as a path to knowing God, and the various kinds of love that can unfold within the human heart; self-love, brotherly and sisterly love, parental love, love for other sentient beings, love for our planet Earth, and love for God.
If you know love, you know God. If you don’t know love, you don’t know God, for God is love!
For two years, Drishti Point Yoga Podcasts had produced a special Valentine’s Day special with Chuck Damov about love. This is the second interview.
If you know love, you know God. If you don’t know love, you don’t know God, for God is love!
This interview is about the Four Infinite Thoughts metta (loving-kindness), karuna(compassion), mudita (joyfullness), and upekha(equanimity), and how to cultivate this kind of love in your mind and heart.This second interview (for Members only) is an inspiring interview about the deeper dimensions of love, and the importance of love on the spiritual path.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Venerable Sumati Marut. Lama Marut speaks about his latest book- The Spiritual Renegade’s Guide to the Good Life, a book for spiritual warriors who find themselves on the battlefield of their inner consciousness fighting the demons in our minds that block us from happiness.
With humour, honesty, and candour, Lama Marut speaks the wisdom of the ancients in a modern vernacular and presents the Contentment Mantra, the necessity and benefits of gratitude and unilateral forgiveness, and how to overcome ‘liberphobia’.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Shelley Tomczyk. Shelley speaks about her spiritual journey into the Western Baul Lineage and her love of Anusara Yoga. This is a beautiful interview about what it means to open the heart and to live and practice from the heart.
Listen to a Drishti Point podcast with Shadi Mogadime, former business manager and attendant for Lama Sumati Marut, and senior teacher with Three Jewels Vancouver as we discuss How to Navigate the Spiritual Minefield. With so many options in spirituality, how can we discern between what’s authentic and what isn’t, how do we choose a teacher we can follow, and do we even need one given all of the amazing access we have to technology, information, and the internet?
Listen to a candid discussion about the difference between information, knowledge, and wisdom as they relate to the spiritual path and finding a teacher.
Wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.- Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
Giving up a prestigious career in law, and following a strong desire to find his life purpose, Baptist de Pepe embarked on a journey to investigate the incredible power of the heart and how it can lead us to the life we are meant to live. Listen to an interview with filmmaker and author Baptist de Pepe about his own journey and what he has learned from the world’s foremost spiritual teachers about the power of the heart and how to use the heart to cultivate intuition, intention, gratitude, forgiveness, and loving-kindness.
For more information about the Film and book, visit The Power of Heart (www.thepowerofheart.com).
Listen to a fascinating interview with Ora Sundara Maimes who completed a three year Retreat at Diamond Mountain. Ora speaks about her Retreat and what it means to let go of who you are and using Retreat to transform ourselves from the inside out. Ora elaborates on the eleven yogas of the Angel of Diamond and how meditation is a tool to transform how we see ourselves, how we see others, and ultimately how we see our world.
This is a deeply profound interview about Retreat, transformation, and Enlightenment.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Radio podcast with Michael Stone. Michael speaks the benefits of integrating western psychological perspectives with yoga and vice versa. Michael is a psychotherapist, yoga teacher, Buddhist teacher, author, activist, and founder of Centre of Gravity.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Master teacher Max Strom. In this interview, Max speaks about his book A Life Worth Breathing and the importance of the three pillars of health- mind, body, and emotions, and the power of practicing gratitude which opens the doorway to forgiveness, compassion, and all other positive virtues.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Kimberly Theresa about Finding your Calling. “When we are aligned with our core values and deepest yearnings, our lives are filled with passion, meaning and authenticity. We can, and must, identify and follow our hearts desire in order to feel complete.” Kimberly explores the nature of callings, and how we identify them, and key strategies for stepping into them.
We unroll a mat and, unexpectedly, we fall in love. We fall in love with the way we feel in these moving, breathing bodies. We fall in love with the sweetness of stillness. [We are] transformed by yoga, [and we] continue to be transformed time and time again. This constant shifting permeates beyond the studio, touching all facets of our lives.- Melissa Carroll, editor of Going OM: Real Life Stories On and Off the Mat
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Melissa Carroll, yoga teacher, writer, and editor of Going OM. Melissa speaks about the inspiration to compile a book of stories about yoga, and what personally inspires her in her practice and teaching.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Co-Directors of the White Lotus Foundation Retreat Center, Ganga White and Tracey Rich who have developed a contemporary and evolutionary approach to yoga. Ganga and Tracey, long time practitioners of yoga, share their views on how to practice yoga safely, developing meditative awareness in all aspects of our lives, and how an evolutionary approach to yoga can bring about deep transformation awakening an intelligence that is capable of meeting the accelerating demands of the twentieth-first century. This is a podcast with Tracy Rich.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Co-Directors of the White Lotus Foundation Retreat Center, Ganga White and Tracey Rich who have developed a contemporary and evolutionary approach to yoga. Ganga and Tracey, long time practitioners of yoga, share their views on how to practice yoga safely, developing meditative awareness in all aspects of our lives, and how an evolutionary approach to yoga can bring about deep transformation awakening an intelligence that is capable of meeting the accelerating demands of the twentieth-first century. This podcast is an interview with Ganga White.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Eliza Mada Dalian, affectionately known as Mada, a self-realized spiritual teacher, mystic, internationally acclaimed master healer, and best-selling award-winning author of In Search of the Miraculous: Healing into Consciousness. Using her extraordinary ability to see the root causes of people’s fear, pain, and ailments and read thought-forms repressed in their body and energy with 100% accuracy, in 1997 Mada devised the evolutionary Dalian Method™ for health and consciousness. The self-healing Dalian Method helps to permanently eradicate pain and suffering, and help people find ultimate health, and live their full potential.
We need to take a quantum leap and make a dramatic advance in our understanding of what is at the root of our suffering- fear and guilt. The key is taking responsibility for everything that we perceive in our world as being an extension of us. [When] we learn to correct our projections and misperceptions, we can begin to reclaim our power, align with our true worth, and discover our purpose in life thereby dissolving the guilt that binds us.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Devrah Laval, author of Leap to Freedom and the Magical Doorway to the Divine. Devrah speaks about guilt as the root of all human suffering and how to overcome it. Elucidating different types of guilt- metaphysical (unconscious), existential, and psychological, Devrah writes about how all types of guilt separate us from our Divine Source and knowing that we are Love in physical form, and in this interview, she speaks about her own experiences that allowed her to fully release herself from the chains of guilt and fully embrace her Divinity.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Radio podcast with Vishwaguru Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda. In this beautiful and inspiring interview, Swami Maheshwarananda speaks about the four classical paths of yoga: Raj Yoga, Bhakti Yoga [the yoga of devotion], Karma Yoga [the yoga of selfless service], and Gyan Yoga [the yoga of wisdom].
Visit SwamijiTV for live webcasts and Satsangs.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Tami Simon, founder of Sounds True, a multi-media publisher of spiritual wisdom. Tami is a long-time meditation practitioner, and received intensive training under the guidance of Dr. Reggie Ray, Spiritual Director of Dharma Ocean. Tami speaks about the spiritual path, and her own personal journey.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Sarah Powers, co-Founder of the Insight Yoga Institute. In this interview, Sarah speaks about the unique inter-disciplinary approach of Insight Yoga that blends the insights and practices of yoga with Buddhist mindfulness and meditation.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Sally Kempton, author of Awakening Shakti.
How do you live a life of spiritual awakening as well as outer abundance, inner freedom as well as deep intimacy? How do you serve the world selfessly, yet passionately and celebrate your life?
The sages of Tantra have known for centuries that when you follow the path of Shakti—the sacred feminine principle personified by the goddesses of yoga— these gifts can manifest spontaneously. Awakening Shakti is a practical guide to evoke the energies of the Divine Feminine (Kali, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Radha, Bhuvaneshvari, and Parvati) and integrate them into your life.
Vielen, herzlichen Dank to Martina Bell for this insightful interview!
Often, what keeps us from joy is the menacing assumption that life is happening other than where we are. For years, I’ve been trying to explore and understand: How can we remember we are of one human family? How can we stay awake and authentic when our wounds make us numb and hidden? How can we minimize what stands between us and our experience of life? How can we make a practice of wearing down what thickens around our mind and heart? -Mark Nepo
Listen to an insightful and delightful yoga podcast with Mark Nepo, spiritual writer, poet, philosopher, healing arts teacher, and cancer survivor. Mark speaks about his newest book of poetry, Reduced to Joy, his journey towards healing from cancer, joy, and the practices that can help keep us authentic, connected, and conscious of the Universal love that binds us all together.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Yoga Therapist Leila Stuart. Leila speaks about her experience as a long-time yoga practitioner and her journey towards healing from an illness.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Kate Potter. Kate Potter is an internationally respected yoga teacher known for her TV and DVD series Namaste. In this interview, Kate speaks about her challenges in living with chronic pain for over 8 years, and her discovery of how to break through patterns of pain by re-programming the brain. She also speaks about creating a new pathway in yoga therapy to help treat people with pain, depression, and addictions.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Judith Hanson Lasater about the practice of Restorative Yoga. Judith recounts her personal story of using restorative yoga poses after a personal tragedy and the importance of rest and relaxation. This is a wonderful interview from a long-time yoga practitioner, devoted teacher, and author of 8 books on yoga.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Radio Podcast with Dorothy Ratusny Cognitive Therapist and author of Live Your Life’s Purpose and the Purpose of Love. ‘Being Love is both a deliberate action and a state of mind – a conscious decision to act and live in ways that model love in the world and in your life.’ Dorothy speaks about how to heal your past through meditation, love, and compassion and the inner peace that comes from unconditional self-love.
Dorothy teaches meditation workshops on Being Love to teach people the tools to live with an open heart capable of generating self-love and love for others.
Listen to a special Drishti Point Podcast with Sarangi Master Dhruba Ghosh, one of the living Masters and virtuosos of the ‘instrument of a hundred colors’- the Saranghi. Dhruba speaks about both the Sarangi and the bansari flute to create vibrations that transcend time and space, harmonize our bodies and minds, eliminate all dualities, and connect us to the Divine Source of all creation and all of life.
This is a phenomenal interview highlighting Dhruba’s life-long commitment to the Divine art of using the Sarangi as an instrument to connect to Source, and using sound vibration to express universal Cosmic love.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Vancouver Yoga Teacher and Mentor, and mother of two- Christine Price-Clark. In this contemplative interview, Christine reflects on her personal journey in embracing yoga as her dharma and life, and what it means to live your truth in your teaching, in your practice, and in your life.
Prayer is our most universal and individual way of communicating with the Divine, of connecting with the infinite dimension of our being. As this collection so beautifully illustrates, we each have our own way of prayer and praise. Let these words speak and remind you of this sacred mystery. —llewellyn vaughan-lee, ph.d., sufi teacher and author
Listen to a Drishti Point podcast that explores the practice of prayer from all spiritual (and atheist) traditions. Celeste Yacoboni, author of How Do You Pray? speaks about the inspiration in putting together this book and the universal practice of prayer. This book includes writings from spiritual, shamanic, scientific teachers and leaders as well as activists and guides. How Do You Pray? also includes writing from various yogis, including Sri Prem Baba, Deva Premal and Miten, Sharon Gannon, as well as many Sufi, Buddhist, Islamic, Buddhist, Jewish, and Christian teachers.
If you connect to the practice of prayer, you will love this book!
Listen to a Drishti Point Interview with Atum O’Kane is a spiritual teacher, Founder of Spiritual Guidance Training programs, and a Senior Teacher of the Sufi Order International. With a Ph.D. in transpersonal psychology, and many years of study with various spiritual teachers of many traditions, Atum weaves together insights from Jungian psychology and spiritual wisdom. In this fascinating interview, Atum speaks about Spiritual Archetypes, dreams, and the role of a teacher.
Archetypes are universal mythic characters that reside deep in the human psyche and understanding archetypes and their qualities can help us access wisdom about our life and purpose.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Dr. Anne Little a Transpersonal Psychologist. Anne speaks about her fascinating journey with holotropic breathwork, shamanism, and Buddhist studies. She describes non-ordinary states of consciousness and what it means to have a ‘spiritual emergency’ in the all encompassing context of transpersonal psychology.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Kirtan duo Heather and Benjy Wertheimer of Shantala Music.
Heather and Benjy of Shantala and and Bansuri Flutist Steve Gorn speak about the yoga of sound, music, and devotion. Heather, Benjy, and Steve share their favorite mantras, stories from their personal lives, and the immense gratitude they have for the kindness, generosity and love of their gurus and teachers.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Norman Fisher, author of Taking Our Places: The Buddhist Path to Truly Growing Up, an accessible and engaging book about maturity and what it means to skillfully navigate the demands of adults life.
Norman speaks about the practices that support maturity, listening, commitment, open-heartedness, forgiveness, meditation, and what it means to meet life on its own terms and live deeply.
Thanks to Mark Varellas for being a Guest Drishti Point host.
Ahimsa is the fundamental ethic and principal of yoga. The asanas awaken the faculty of ‘chit’ and allow the natural luminosity of our being to shine light on all the unconscious patterns of our lives, giving us the freedom to choose thoughts, speech, and actions that are based in love and wisdom. When ‘chit’ begins to illuminate our lives, we become more naturally inclined to living in a state of ahimsa- recognizing the dignity and beauty of all living beings.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga podcast with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, international peace advocate, global humanitarian, and tireless advocate for a Violence, Stress-Free world. Sri Sri speaks about yoga, non-violence, and the goal of a more peaceful world.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Vishwaguru Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda. In this interview, Swami Maheshwarananda speaks about Patanjali’s Yamas and Niyamas and what it means to integrate these principles into our daily lives. This is a beautiful interview about the ethical and practical foundations for practicing yoga.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Dr. Christiane Northrup. Internationally known for her empowering approach to women’s health and wellness, Dr. Northrup is a leading proponent of medicine and healing that acknowledges the unity of the mind and body, as well as the powerful role of the human spirit in creating health. She is the author of Women’s Bodies Women’s Wisdom, The Wisdom of Menopause, and several other best-selling books.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Douglas Veenhof, former mountain guide, an award-winning journalist, and the author of White Lama. Douglas speaks about the Four Applications of Mindfulness, a comprehensive methodology to probe four misunderstandings that are the root of all human problems.
This innovative system of practice was developed by the Buddha and investigates our conceptual wisdom with the empirical method of single-pointed meditative focus. The Buddha called this “the direct path” to liberation, and it is the fusion of Shamatha and Vipashyana.
Listen to a Drishti Point interview with Gurpreet, Enlightened Master and author of Wake Up. In this interview, true to her nature as radiant and luminous, Gurpreet’s wisdom shines light on love, living in the heart, using emotions and suffering as gateways to awaken and the importance of being in the presence of a teacher.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Douglas Veenhof, an award-winning journalist, and author of White Lama, the acclaimed biography of yoga pioneer and Tibetan explorer- Theos Bernard.
This podcast is about shamata, a step-by-step progression of meditative techniques for training our unruly and drowsy minds to be perfectly attentive to the present moment of experience. In this podcast, Douglas Veenhof gives us the lineage for this practice, the benefits, and useful instruction.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Venerable Sumati Marut on the Ashtavraka Gita, an advanced text that describes jivamukti, liberation in this lifetime. This radical text describes the mind, actions, and behaviours of a JivanMukti (liberated soul) and the Ultimate Truth that there is nothing to do, nothing to strive for, nothing to meditate on, nothing to achieve, and that all we have to do is stop doing the things that prevent us from seeing our natural perfection that has always
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Vishwaguru Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda. In this beautiful interview that flows like nectar, Swami Maheshwarananda speaks about Divine Incarnations, fully enlightened beings who bring the Cosmic Light and the wisdom of Sat Sanatam Dharma to sincere seekers of the truth. This interview is FREE!
Visit SwamijiTV for live webcasts and Satsangs.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Vishwaguru Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda. In this interview, Swami Maheshwarananda speaks about Kundalini and Guru-student relationship. This is a beautiful interview about what kundalini is, how it awakens, and the ever lasting relationship between Guru and disciple.
Visit SwamijiTV for live webcasts and Satsangs.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with brain scientist, researcher, and author, Daniel Siegel. Daniel is author of The Mindful Brain and Executive Director of the Mindsight Institute. In this interview, Daniel speaks not only of the intersection between science and spirituality, but also of his personal experiences with mindfulness practices.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Rick Hanson, author of The Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom. Science now reveals how the flow of thoughts sculpts the brain, and that it’s possible to strengthen positive brain states. Weaving together the classical teachings of Buddhism, and the revolutionary findings of neuroscience, Hansen’s book is about how to use your mind to shape your brain for greater happiness, love, and wisdom.
The Buddha’s Brain presents an unprecedented intersection of psychology, neurology, and contemplative practice, to inspire the read to tap the unused potential of your brain and rewire your brain for greater well-being and peace of mind. This is an inspiring and insightful interview about the profound intersection of science and spirituality, and the power of spiritual practices in shaping our brain for greater happiness.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Osho Devotees- Deva Premal and Miten. Deva and Miten talk about their dedication to the path, their lives as devotional singers, and the power of singing mantras from various wisdom traditions.
Listen to a podcast with international Chant Master Krishna Das. In this interview, Krishna Das speaks about how chanting helps him to calm the mind, untie the knots in his heart, and bring him into the presence of God.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Radio podcast with Regina Sara Ryan, a former Catholic nun and author of Igniting the Inner Life. Regina speaks about meeting her Spiritual Mentor, Western Baul Master- Lee Lozowick, and what it means to follow a life of complete and absolute devotion.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Kirtan Artist Krishna Das. In this interview, Krishna Das speaks about his Guru Neem Karoli Baba, and his life as a devotional singer. This is a beautiful interview about the yogic path of devotion- Bhakti Yoga.
Listen to two Drishti Point Podcasts with Master Teacher Rod Stryker, founder of Para Yoga, and author of The Four Desires.
In the first yoga podcast, Rod speaks about dharma (the desire to become who you were meant to be), artha (the means to fulfill your dharma), kama (the desire for pleasure), and moksha (the desire for freedom and a connection to the Eternal). This is a beautiful interview about how to create a life of purpose, prosperity, happiness and freedom.
Tantra, Mantra, Gurus, and the Goddess
In the second yoga podcast, Rod speaks about the history and origins of Tantra, the practice of tantra and mantra, what it means to have a Guru, the experience of samadhi, and the ultimate aim and purpose of yoga.
Listen to a special Drishti Point Podcast with Marion (Mugs) McConnell. Recently awarded the Queen Jubilee Award for her service to yoga, and one of the founding members of SOYA, Mugs has dedicated her life to training yoga teachers. In this interview, Mugs speaks about how she found yoga, the love of her dear teacher Dr. Hari Dickman, her favorite yoga books, and her advice for young people who are searching for their path and purpose in life.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podast with Cranial Sacral Therapist, doctor of Chiropractic medicine and author of the book The Secret Life of Babies, Dr. Mia Kalef. During this interview Dr. Kalef discusses the fascinating discoveries found through scientific data, case studies and therapeutic practices about the influential period of a person’s development between pre-birth, birth and post-birth. Drawing from her extensive knowledge as an educator and health practitioner Dr. Kalef provides wonderful insight into understanding what babies might be trying to tell us when they are unable to communicate with all the words and provides some innovative insight into how people can heal from the effects of a less than ideal beginning.
Listen to Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Venerable Sumati Marut about Gyana Yoga (the Yoga of Wisdom). This is a beautiful interview about the importance of a Guru in realizing wisdom; and how this relationship has the potential to bring about a complete transformation in such a way that the student realizes the Guru within and lives life in accordance with the highest wisdom that the world is a projection of our mind.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Venerable Sumati Marut about the practice of Bhakti Yoga or Guru Yoga. Lama Marut takes about the nirguna (formless) and saguna aspects of Ultimate Reality [God], what it means to surrender to a Guru, how to practice and take refuge in Guru Yoga, and the difficulties and discipline of yoking yourself to a spiritual being.
Listen to a special Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Heidi Groschler (Hirdaya). Hirdaya has been teaching and practicing the transformative science of meditation and yoga for more than 30 years. She founded the Here and Now Meditation Center in Vancouver, and has completed a specialized Mastership program at the International Meditation Institute in the Himalayas. She currently lives in the Himalayas where she continues to study under the guidance of a Self-Realized Master.
This is the second of four interviews in a Series on the Bhagavad Gita with Hirdaya. In this interview, Hirdaya speaks about devotion, the dissolution of duality, the practices of bhakti, and their effect in opening the channels to the heart, and connecting us with the Source of all life.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Padma, one of Canada’s most respected teachers of Meditation and Yoga. In this fourth interview of our Yoga Sutras Series, Padma speaks about Dhyan and Samadhi, the transformation of one’s being that are the result of meditation, and the perfections that arise in clarity, awareness, and atunement to nature and the Universe.
This is a most inspiring interview about the potential of realizing Oneness, and the ultimate aim and purpose of yoga.
To be awake, to be enlightened, is to be fully and completely embodied. To be fully at one with who we are, in every respect, including our physical being, our emotions, and the totality of our karmic situation.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Director of Dharma Ocean, Dr. Reggie Ray. Reggie speaks about the modern alienation of the body, the importance of connecting to the Earth as a way of grounding and finding inner calm, and developing sensitivity to and connection with the Earth as a living being as a part of our spiritual evolution.
"Our hearts are made for loving.”
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Norman Fisher, author of Training in Compassion: Zen Teachings on the Practice of Lo-Jong. Fisher is an American Soto Zen Roshi, poet, and Buddhist author, co-Abbot of the San Fransisco Zen Center and founder of Everyday Zen Foundation.
In this yoga podcast, Fisher speaks about our deepest human longing for connection and love, our potential for compassion, and the practice of Lo-Jung as a method of training the heart. This is an insightful interview on one of the most Buddhist practices.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Radio podcast with Vishwaguru Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda. In this beautiful and inspiring interview, Swami Maheshwarananda speaks about Guru Tattva- the unchangeable, eternal, everlasting principle that leads us from the darkness of ignorance to the truth of the Light through Satsang, through the guidance of one who has reached higher consciousness, and through the practice of yoga.
Whatever we are doing, we should be aware that the aim of my life is to realize this Guru Tattva within.
Visit SwamijiTV for live webcasts and Satsangs.
The sooner we can awaken from the thrall of the obsolete mythos that we are predatory by nature, the sooner we’ll be able to evolve spiritually and discover and fulfill our purpose on this earth.
Listen to a special Drishti Point Podcast in honor of World Peace Day (September 21, 2013). Dr. Will Tuttle, author of The World Peace Diet, is a pianist, composer, educator, and recipient of the Courage of Conscience Award. A former Zen monk, his Ph.D. from U.C. Berkeley focused on educating intuition and altruism. He presents ongoing events promoting peace through compassion for all life.
The greatest potential we have for opening our hearts lies in the opening of our minds. The heart is simply a bank of emotional potential. It’s a vastness of possible experience. We all hold within us the capacity for joy, love, and laughter, but not everyone uses that capacity. In order to use it, we need to reach a unity between heart and mind. In our thoughts, we hold the key to our feelings. In our minds, we hold the key to love. In the wise words of the Buddha: “All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become.”
-Vironika Tugaleva
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with author of the Love Mindset, Vironika Tugaleva. Vironika speaks about her own healing journey from self-loathing to self-love, and the myths in our culture that prevent us from understanding and accessing love.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Shaykh Nurjahn of the Sufi Meditation Center. Shakyh Nurjahn speaks about the Sufism as a path to connect with the Divine through the heart. Shakyh Nurjahn explains what it means to overcome the ‘ego’ or nafs, the importance of a Spiritual Guide, the practice of Zikr and whirling, and how to tune into the ever-present Divine energies of the Spiritual Masters.
This is a beautiful interview which captures the gentle, patience, and loving presence of Shaykh Nurjahn and the wisdom of the teachers of the Sufi Lineage and the Nasquabandi Sufi Way.
Listen to a Drishti Point Podcast with Anne Parsonage, founder of Yoga from the Heart Canada. In this yoga Podcast, Anne describes the practical aspects of this new approach to yoga which is based on the teachings of yoga master Heinz Grill of Germany. Grill’s teachings are based in devotion to God (bhakti), and reflect a deep understanding of the integral nature of earthly life and spiritual life, and are specifically developed for a modern-day Western consciousness. Topics include ordering of the soul powers (of thinking, feeling, and willing), free-flow breathing, and inspired pictorial spiritual “imaginations” relating to the classical poses of yoga.
Listen to a Drishti Point Podcast with Dave Stringer, a visual musician, filmmaker, jazz musician, and kirtan artist about the raucus and radical origins of the Kirtan movement.
Dave tells the story of how he ended up living in an Ashram community in India, absorbing and digesting Eastern and yoga philosophy and experiencing the transformative effect of chanting and mantras.
His inquiry and reflection on this experience, his curiosity as a musician, and his knowledge of the history of the kirtan music makes for a fascinating interview!
Buddhism is a profound study in time and time management because the better you manage your mind, the less hold time has on you. Every moment can be lived fully, free, and unconditioned, and every moment holds infinite possibilities and opportunities for a fresh start. Every moment of heightened consciousness is precious beyond price, for awareness is the primary currency of the human condition. Buddhism for me, is a study in how to live fully and authentically, not only in our earthly time zone, but in what I call Buddha Standard Time- the dimension of timeless time, wholly now. – Lama Surya Das
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Lama Surya Das, known affectionately by the Dalai Lama as ‘the Western Lama’ is one of the foremost Western Buddhist teachers and scholars. In this interview, Lamaji speaks about developing concentration, spending time outdoors and in Nature, the 5 Paramitas (Perfections) and how to bring the sacred into everything we do.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Padma on the practice of Pratyahara and Dharana. Padma speaks about the inner instruments of the mind field manas (creative power of thinking and memory), chit (consciousness), buddhi (discernment), and ahamkar (ego or the sense of who you are).
Padma also speaks about the various ways to train your concentration, and the beauty of mantra in harmonizing all aspects of our being.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Padma, one of Canada’s most respected teacher of Meditation and Yoga. In this first interview of our Yoga Sutras Series, Padma speaks about ahimsa (non-harm) as the foundation for a meditation practice. Padma also speaks about the Yam and Niyam, a comprehensive guide of ethics and morality presented in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.
This is a beautiful interview about how the ethics of yoga help guide our actions in the right direction and habituate our minds towards enlightened ways of being and acting in the world.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Geshe Michael Roach, one of the first Westerns to be given the title Geshe, founding member of Andin International Diamond Corporation, and author of the book- The Diamond Cutter. Geshe Michael speaks about his book which describes how to use the teachings of the Buddha to achieve personal and financial success.
This is a beautiful interview about how to integrate the quest for success with living a spiritual life.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with James Baraz, co-Founder of Spirit Rock Meditation Center, and author of Awakening Joy. This beautiful and inspiring interview James speaks about the techniques to awaken our natural capacity for joy and well-being.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with writer, singer, and Order of Canada recipient Ann Mortifee. Her book In Love with the Mystery is a beautiful and inspiring testament to Ann’s distinguished artistic career, and her commitment to the practice of Kriya Yoga.
Many years ago, I chose to begin awakening each morning at sunrise. These hours of quiet developed an awareness of the fertile stillness that underlies all things. Each day, for a year, I wrote a short passage [in a book given to me by my husband] and it was from these passages that In Love with the Mystery emerged.
How do we put the virtues of yoga (Yamas and Niyamas) into action? Pandit Tejomaya is a priest in a long Lineage of yogis from the Himalayas. For the past few years, his practice has included studying and putting into practice the Yamas and Niyamas. Starting with ahimsa (non-harm), Pandjit-ji explains his understanding of ahimsa and his commitment of applying ahimsa to all speech.
This is an inspiring interview about making a commitment to the virtues of yoga and the power of dedicated practice.
As a path to enlightenment through compassion for all beings, Jivamukti Yoga is grounded in the original meaning of the Sanskrit word asana as “seat, connection” – relationship to the Earth. Earth implies all of life. Citing Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra, which states that asana should be sthira and sukham, Jivamukti Yoga maintains that one’s relationship to others (asana) should be mutually beneficial and come from a consistent (sthira) place of joy and happiness (sukham). This is a radical idea that, when put into practice, can dismantle our present culture, which is based on the notion that the Earth and all other animals exist for our benefit and to be exploited for our own selfish purposes. So the practice of asana becomes more than mere physical exercise to keep one’s body fit or to increase strength or flexibility; it becomes a way to improve one’s relationship to all others and thus lead to enlightenment – the dissolution of the sense of separateness, the realization of the oneness of being, the discovery of lasting happiness.
Listen to a Drishti Point Yoga Podcast with Jivamukti co-Founder, Sharon Gannon. Sharon speaks about Jivamukti Yoga, compassion for all beings, devotion to God, and her own Sadhana that is woven into all that she does.
The Hatha Yoga Pradipika is one of the core texts of yoga that give explicit instruction for the transformation of the body and mind. Listen to a series of interviews with Swami Muktibodhananda, an Australian-born yogini who spent 10 years with her Guru Swami Satyananda Saraswati and is a life-long practitioner and Acharya (teacher). In this informative yoga podcast, Swami Muktibodhananda explains how yoga affects the physical, mental, and emotional aspects of our being, and the various techniques outlined in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika that promise transformation.
Nischala Joy Devi speaks about the practice of Hatha Yoga as a balance of the masculine and feminine energies. When these two energies are balance, it facilitates the release of an energy which connects us to the Divine within us. Nischala speaks about the importance of the practicing the Yamas and Niyamas along with asanas and pranayam and how the practice of pratyahara helps to awaken the inner senses and ultimately the Divine essence.