Sivana Podcast: Eastern Spirituality, Yoga Philosophy, And Conscious Living

Join us with Cara Bradley, author of On the Verge, as we discuss the ways in which we can engage the world and thrive no matter what we find ourselves doing, while still remaining connected to spirit. What are some of the likely roadblocks on the path? What is the difference between active and passive attention, and how can they affect our ability to thrive? In this episode, we'll learn helpful tips and practices on how to remain present, how to show up in our lives, and thrive! Special Guest: Cara Bradley Cara Bradley is the author of On the Verge: Wake Up, Show Up, and Shine. She is a passionate teacher of yoga, meditation, and fitness who has been in the trenches of personal transformation as a “mental strength coach” for over three decades at her Verge Yoga Center, retreats, corporate training sessions, and with teams such as Villanova University and Penn State. She lives in Wayne, Pennsylvania. Visit her online at www.carabradley.net Hosted by: Ashton Szabo Sound Engineer: Zach Cooper Produced By: Benn M

How does one deal with grief? What would you do if you lost someone you love? Our guest for this episode is Alexandria Romero. At the age of thirty, mother of a two year old and six weeks pregnant with her next child, she was finishing up her masters in transpersonal psychology when her husband suddenly died. Alexandria shares her struggles and the things she did to not just simply overcome the grief she felt from her husband’s passing, but integrate it into her life. Join us as we journey towards a greater understanding of how grief is part of our spiritual path. Special Guest: Alexandria Romero www.alexandriaromero.com Hosted By: Ashton Szabo Sound Engineer: Zach Cooper Produced By: Benn Mendelson www.sivanaspirit.com

What IS a magical life? Do you create it or is it revealed to you? Is a magical life all about rainbows and puppy dogs, love and light, or does it allow for the full range of human experience? How do we find magic in the more difficult moments? Join us as we chat with Alana Sheeren, a writer, intuitive life coach, and the host of the Create Your Magical Life Podcast, as we explore ways to navigate the turbulence of life. Special Guest: Alana Sheeren www.alanasheeren.com Hosted by: Ashton Szabo Sound Engineer: Zach Cooper Produced by: Benn Mendelson www.sivanaspirit.com

How do we live a fulfilled life while engaging in loving relationships? What are some of the myths we hold onto about love, and how do they impact our capacities for loving relationships? Join us with Linda Bloom, psychotherapist, educator, author and relationship counselor, as we dive into a conversation about relationship. We'll explore how relationships can become our greatest spiritual practice, and learn some of the possible road blocks and difficulties we're likely to encounter along the way. Special Guest: Linda Bloom www.bloomwork.com Hosted by: Ashton Szabo Sound Engineer: Zach Cooper Produced by: Benn Mendelson www.sivanaspirit.com  

The Story of Viveka is both a tale of yoga itself as well as our own spiritual journey. Join us in a story that takes us from the beyond, back into the every-day world. We’ll meet teachers that represent various spiritual attitudes and understandings, and learn what role they might play in our personal evolution and growth. Finally, Viveka’s journey will invite us to look back into our embodied relationships and find the ways we can best contribute to the world and society. Written by: Ashton Szabo Narrated by: Ashton Szabo Sound Engineer: Zach Cooper Produced By: Benn Mendelson www.sivanaspirit.com  

One of the biggest challenges we all face in life is learning to accept life as it is, instead of how we think it should be. In part two of our mini-series on Accepting Life As It Is, we dive into a story of Shiva, an old woman, and a strange guest. The story shows us all the opportunities we have to close our selves off to what life is offering, and how we can learn to stay open in those moments. We’ll also look at how we treat strangers in our western culture, and how that contrasts many cultures of the world that welcome the stranger in as God him/herself. If you struggle with accepting difficult moments of life, this story will give you inspiration and insight into how to more skillfully and lovingly accept life as it comes. Written by: Ashton Szabo Narrated by: Ashton Szabo Sound Engineer: Zach Cooper Producer: Benn Mendelsohn www.sivanaspirit.com

Where did tea come from? What can the tea ceremony teach us about ourselves? The world is wild about tea, with it holding a prominent place in cultures across time. Join us as we chat with Ganga Nath, a practitioner of Cha Tao, the Way of Tea, and learn things about tea that you never knew before. Learn how he went from a casual, social relationship with tea, to tea becoming his main spiritual practice. How is tea a spiritual practice? Listen to this podcast and find out! Special Guest: Ganga Nath www.emptycloudzen.com Host: Ashton Szabo Sound Engineer: Zach Cooper Producer: Benn Mendelson www.sivanaspirit.com

One of the biggest challenges in life is learning how to accept life as it is, instead of how we think it should be. In this podcast, the first of a two part series, we'll explore how the fear of death inhibits our ability to accept life. We'll dive into the story of Nachiketas and Yama (the Lord of Death) from the Katha Upanishad to learn the secrets of death and the true meaning of life. Written by: Ashton Szabo Narrated by: Ashton Szabo Sound Engineer: Zach Cooper Produced by: Benn Mendelson www.sivanaspirit.com

Consciousness is a word we hear often these days, but what does it mean to have a conscious relationship? How do we  relate to ourselves and the world around us? Join us with Katie Vessel, a writer, yoga student and teacher, and holistic health coach, as we chat about what it means to be in a conscious relationship.  Special Guest: Katie Vessel www.katievessel.com Hosted By: Ashton Szabo Sound Engineer: Zach Cooper Produced By: Benn Mendelson www.sivanaspirit.com  

Stories are an essential way in which we translate our experience of life and the world. They become even more important in helping the human mind comprehend the beyond. India realized this with the writings of the Puranas, ancient stories that give the form to the formless. These stories help to convey essential truths in a way that is more digestible by the human mind. Written By: Ashton Szabo Spoken By: Ashton Szabo Sound Engineer: Zach Cooper Produced By: Benn Mendelson www.sivanaspirit.com    

What are the Six Qualities of Consciousness? How can learning about these qualities enrich your life? Join us as we chat with author and teacher, Danny Arguetty as we discover new insights and perspectives on living life to the fullest. www.sivanaspirit.com

What is the difference between knowledge, understanding, and wisdom? What does it have to do with success and prosperity, and our purpose in life? Join us for the final installment of our three part mini-series about wealth, success, and purpose, following stories of Ganesha, the beloved elephant headed deity. In this final episode of the mini-series, we'll hear of Ganesha' trip around the universe, and learn how applying knowledge into our lives brings forth success and prosperity, without their usual trappings and temptations. Written By: Ashton Szabo Narrated By: Ashton Szabo Sound Engineer: Zach Cooper Produced By: Benn Mendelson www.sivanaspirit.com

Art finds a way to touch us all deeply as beings and carries with it the potential to transform our lives. Join us in this conversation with a sacred artist whose work is heavily inspired by his spiritual practice, Abhishek Singh, as we explore how art is linked to our most basic and profound human experiences. How can art tell a story and convey mystical ideas? What can art teach us about our deepest selves? Abhishek offers keen insight into art’s influence on eastern philosophy and how art can lead us into deeper spiritual understanding. Whether you consider yourself and artist or not, you are sure to look at art with entirely new eyes after listening our latest episode of the Sivana Podcast. Host: Ashton Szabo Special Guest: Abhishek Singh www.abhishekart.com Sound Engineer: Zach Cooper Produced by: Benn Mendelson www.sivanaspirit.com  

What is the source of fulfillment? Does it come from finally getting that thing you’ve always wanted? The new job, the new house, new car, new relationship? In Part Two of our three part mini-series on life’s purpose and the temptations of wealth and success, we’ll explore the story of Ganesha and Kubera, the King of Gold. We’ll see what happens when you get caught up in the materialism of the world, always putting off your happiness until some time in the future once you’ve finally gotten that “thing”, and how this saps joy and fulfillment from your life. This is a great episode for you if you’ve ever found yourself thinking that once you get this thing or that thing, that you’ll finally be happy, only to then realize afterwards that you still feel unfulfilled. Written By: Ashton Szabo Spoken By: Ashton Szabo Sound Engineer: Zach Cooper Produced By: Benn Mendelson www.sivanaspirit.com  

What is Ayurveda? And how can this ancient form of medicine help you live up to your fullest potential. Join us as we chat with Britt Barret, an Ayurvedic Counselor and founder of Daily Ayurveda. She offers up some Ayurvedic Life Hacks so you can bring Ayurvedic concepts into your life to optimize your health and strengthen your immune system.

Join us for Part One of a three part mini-series as we explore how to live purposefully and abundantly in the world, without succumbing to the temptations of success, wealth and fame. Through various stories of the popular elephant headed deity, Ganesha, we will learn to navigate obstacles on the path of life. Is life all about work and money? Fame and success? Does being successful mean you have to sell your soul? Do you have to give up all your possessions and renounce money to be “spiritual”? Find out, by listening to this engaging three part mini-series. Written By: Ashton Szabo Spoken By: Ashton Szabo Sound Engineer: Zach Cooper Produced By: Benn Mendelsohn www.sivanaspirit.com

Join us on a conversation with Peter Rader, the producer of the highly acclaimed documentary on the life of Pramahansa Yogananda, Awake: The Life of Yogananda. Peter shares some behind the scenes stories about making the movie, how making the movie changed his life, and some interesting stories about Yogananda himself!

Are you feeling disconnected from the divine, separate from people and the world around you? Through this story of the birth of Ganesh and the decision of Shiva to take form as Hanuman, we’ll explore how living a life of service can connect us to the divine and everything around us.

What is Mantra? Cultures all across the world, from all time periods have practices (both social and private) that encourage the repetition of certain words or sounds. In these two stories, we’ll explore examples of how to use mantra in our lives to help us overcome our subconscious desires and distractions in order to achieve our greatest goals.

Learn how to decode sacred images! Join us as we sit down with my good friend, the incredible sacred artist and author, Ekabhumi Ellik. Ekabhumi lives a life immersed in his sacred art, and recently added his own contribution to the Adult Coloring craze by releasing the Shakti Coloring Book. In this podcast we discuss mystical symbols and how we can begin to “read” sacred images by understanding basic concepts of what certain symbols mean. Why does this deity carry a sword but that one an mace? What does it tell us when a deity is holding a lotus flower? With this basic understanding, you can begin to look at sacred images in a whole new light!