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

EPIC conversation alert!!! Today I get *in it* with one of my visionary friends, Katie Silcox, founder of Shakti School. Through concrete examples like online dating, your dog getting bitten, your husband’s obsession with drainage and house maintenance, Katie and I weave deep lessons on tantra, polarity and somatics. Listen and learn:

I bet you thought the goal of yoga was to achieve samadhi or enlightenment, right? WRONG. More precisely, yoga is about dismantling the 5 kleshas (obstacles) which prevent us from realizing that samadhi (bliss) is our natural state. Deep dive with me into eleven critical epithets: Verses 2.1 to 2.11 of the Yoga Sutras, where I’ll give the often overlooked kleshas - the obstacles and afflictions that cause suffering - the attention they deserve. Discover:

Ready to get an easy-to-understand debrief of all the sutras, weighing various translators, while comparing and contrasting translations - AGAIN? It’s time for our Yoga Sutra reading party, this time with BOOK TWO (Sadhana Pada). I’ll read each and every sutra, providing more than just one translation. I’ll give you my high-level interpretation, strive to make thematic connections, keep it practical, and set the stage for you to explore your own ideas. If the sutras have daunted you in the past, or you haven’t read them yet, you are welcome! Those of you who’ve read them many times will enjoy this comprehensive review. Let’s get into BOOK TWO, yoga nerds! Listen to BOOK ONE first if you haven’t yet!    Let me know if you liked this style of episode on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/larkinyogatv/  

During my father’s cancer battle, I stayed busy. After he died, I refused to grieve for fear of completely breaking down. If only I had Kris Carr’s incredible new book on mourning which we dive deep into in this week’s episode. You may know Kris as a best-selling author and wellness leader, who’s been thriving with stage IV cancer for more than 20 years. But what shook her to her core was not her own cancer journey, but the death of her father to pancreatic cancer in recent years. Today, we connect around both our fathers’ passing and share all our best tips with you around fear, uncertainty, death, and spiritual growth. Learn:

Join me as we discuss embodiment from a neurodevelopmental perspective with incredible physical therapist Lara Heiman. Do you love sinking into a low lunge? Lingering in hip openers? Flowing through feel-good movements? (My hand is raised!) While all of this is okay, our most sophisticated practice develops when we prioritize stability over mobility. In particular, when we truly honor the pelvis as our seat of power.      Listen and learn:

Ever wish you could get an easy-to-understand debrief of all the sutras, weighing various translators, while comparing and contrasting translations? Join me in today’s episode for a Patanjali BOOK ONE (Samadhi Pada) Yoga Sutras extravaganza! I’ll read each and every sutra, providing more than just one translation. I’ll give you my high-level interpretation, strive to make thematic connections, keep it practical, and set the stage for you to explore your own ideas. If the sutras have daunted you in the past, or you haven’t read them yet, you are welcome! Those of you who’ve read them many times will enjoy this comprehensive review. Let’s go into BOOK ONE, yoga nerds!    Let me know if you liked this style of episode on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/larkinyogatv/   ✨ PRE-ORDER MY BOOK: brettlarkin.com/yogalife ✨  

We hear so often that you should “embody the next best version of yourself” and then “become it.” BUT HOW? Especially when your current reality is *nothing like* the reality you're attempting to manifest. Or there’s zero proof of things going your way?  Buckle up for this deep exploration of identity, adversity and emotion with one of my favorite conversation partners, Tracy Litt. We talk about practical steps you can take when “rubber meets the road” and your nervous system is in a state of hyperarousal, dragging you into old patterns. We put concrete examples of my own life, marriage and blocks through Tracy’s framework so you can see her method in action. Get ready to learn:

“Trauma informed” Kundalini Yoga may sound like an oxymoron. Today, we unpack why and what to do about it. I’m joined by Uplifted Lead Teacher Trainer, E-RYT 500+  Katrina Marie, who has a background in biological sciences, somatics, and a deep love of yoga, especially Kundalini. She is the author of a meditative trauma healing journal for women, a virtual and local studio owner, and one of our very own lead teacher trainers on all three of our Uplifted trainings. Get ready to learn:

If you’ve ever done a Yoga Teacher Training or are looking to do one, you’ve most likely heard about the Yoga Sutras by Patanjali as part of the teacher training.  Hey, maybe you’ve even heard me mention them once or twice (I talk about them a lot!) You may wonder “Why?” or even, “What in the heck are these Yoga Sutras?!”. Well, that’s what we’re going to explore in this episode! Anyone who has some sort of Yoga practice will find inspiration in the Yoga Sutras as these texts provide a very different perspective to the Yoga we know these days. Seasoned teachers, I promise there'll be some fresh fun facts in here for you too!  

Kundalini yoga is a deeply spiritual practice. In fact, many say that the Kundalini process can lead to a spiritual awakening. And while spiritual enlightenment sounds like a really good thing, it can come with a whole lot of intense experiences (headaches, nausea, YUCK). The way that yoga talks about this spiritual experience is through the Kundalini process, where prana (life force energy) moves through the subtle body (aka your spinal column) until it reaches the Sahasrara Chakra at the top of your head… …to awaken Kundalini. Before you go chasing the Kundalini experience (like I did), take some time to get acquainted with the Kundalini awakening process. There are a few things you should know about awakened Kundalini, first. And then I’ll share my tips on how to use this ancient practice to achieve your own spiritual awakening too. So buckle up. We are about to embark on a spiritual journey.

Yoga teachers are poor! Right?! WRONG! Today, I interview one of my Uplifted 300-Hour Alumni, Arielle Castillo, about how she kicked her yoga career into high gear, and started earning $10K a month within three years of graduation. Arielle holds nothing back. She takes up step-by-step through her career change, discovering her niche, the trial-and-error process of figuring out what to sell, and those awkward first sales calls. Go behind-the-scenes on her business, with all my prying questions, and walk away inspired. You can do this too!     GUEST EXPERT: Arielle Castillo | https://www.halftimeyoga.com/   Go deeper with me: ✨200-hour Online Yoga Teacher Training ✨300-hour Online Yoga Teacher Training (this is the program Arielle took!) ✨Uplifted Business Launchpad ✨Get Your Free Yoga Business Plan  

My guest today leveraged yoga to overcome 17 orthopedic surgeries and regain her mobility so she could do what she loved – hike, backpack and garden. Did you know our connection to nature is a profound tool in our healing journey? Yet nature is a tool that most yogis and yoga teachers completely overlook.  Today, we hear Andrea’s inspiring yoga transformation story. How she shifted her mindset from a victim mentality into one of abundance, where she is now thriving. At age 50, Andrea took her first Uplifted Yoga Teacher Training, became a leader in our Uplifted Teacher Training world, got certified as a Mindful Outdoor Guide, and is teaching multiple classes at two YMCAs. In this episode, Andrea provides practical ideas about how you can take your mindfulness practice outdoors and allow nature to soothe your nervous system. She explains the parallels between yoga and spending time in nature, with lots of practical tips about how to get outside in order to shift into specific moods or emotions. Mindfulness ins

Here’s what no one ever tells you: Yoga was always meant to be profoundly personal. A yoga practice adapted uniquely to you is *twice* as potent as a generic group class that’s one-size-fits-all. In a world with personalized medicine and personalized nutrition, of course you should have your own personalized yoga ritual. This is how yoga was always MEANT to be. So it’s time to put together your most potent practice with my brand new book YOGA LIFE. Are you ready?

What is Kriya Yoga? It depends who you ask! In this episode, I work to demystify this term. We look at how “kriya yoga” is interpreted by

I used to hear the word “boundary” and thought that it meant putting up an energetic brick wall. This was not fun (and not feasible). In today’s episode, I share practical tips about what I’ve learned on setting and holding boundaries with an open heart. Most of us have been conditioned to think that “boundaries = confrontation” and even physically tense up when we have to hold a boundary or say “no.” The tips I share today will help with that:

Ugh… that annoying “self care” word again. It’s overused. We know we should be doing it. But what is it really? Today, I attempt to dissect and lift the veil on what self care truly means (hint, it’s not just bubble baths). Listen and discover:

Influencer burnout, overwhelm, childhood trauma, ketamine — no stone is left unturned in this juicy conversation with me and one of my yoga BFFs, Sarah Beth of Sarah Beth Yoga. Tune in to today’s episode to discover:

Ever felt like you’ve unlocked a new level of happiness or success… only to have everything come crashing down around you? That’s because we self sabotage when we leave our energetic comfort zone. For many of us (sadly) we’re *more* comfortable with lower, negative vibrations than the higher ones we’re ascending toward. Today, we unpack how this works and learn concrete action-steps you can take to counteract self-sabotage. Discover:

The BEST goddess to liberate you from guilt, shame, doubt, fear? KALI! Our Kali Yoga Challenge starts in just a few days. Kali is the FIERCE goddess of death and rebirth. She’s profoundly misunderstood.

Let’s talk SNAKES!