Mahasoma Podcast

In this episode Laura Poole speaks with her colleague and friend Joh Jarvis from The Light Inside - a not-for-profit foundation which takes meditation into prisons and jails across the United States. The Vedic perspective is that all change in life begins with a shift in consciousness. This is why meditation is the foundation for bringing us into right action. But those who really need meditation may not have access. This is why Joh and The Light Inside exist.

What we talk about.

• Joh’s journey of coming to teach Vedic meditation in prisons at age 54
• How did she get there? What is it like?
• What stories of transformation has she witnessed?
• What challenges has she faced?
• The living of dharma and seva (self-less service)
• How to live in alignment with your true Self
• Trust and surrender
• The huge shift that takes place when you let go and allow life to move through you

It’s not every day you end up teaching Vedic meditation at age 54 in prisons. We hope her story will resonate beyond the specifics into what’s possible at any age, the dharma and purpose we can find, and the joy that comes from being of service to our humanity.

Resources.

Follow Joh @thelightinsidemeditation

Subscribe to The Light Inside newsletters for stories of transformation

Donate to The Light Inside to support the teaching of Vedic meditation in prisons

Watch online

• The Project on Channel 10 interviewing Joh on The Light Inside's meditation program in the North Dakota State Penitentiary
• Joh named New Yorker of the Week March 2024 for The Light Inside's program in Rikers Island jail (camera work was very restricted in Rikers Island)
• Dhamma Bros - Meditation program in Donaldson prison, Alabama
• Doing Time, Doing Vipassana - Meditation program in New Delhi's Tihar prison
• The Work - Set in Folsom State Prison, incarcerated men and men from outside prison together undergo four days of intensive group therapy, revealing an intimate and powerful portrait of authentic human transformation that transcends what we think of as rehabilitation
• Unlocked: A Jail Experiment - A social experiment where incarcerated men are given increased autonomy in hopes of creating a community-driven atmosphere and deterring future criminal behaviour
• God Save Texas: Hometown prison - Richard Linklater documentary
• Step Inside the Circle - Those who experience the Compassion Trauma Circle and learn about Adverse Childhood Experiences and the symptoms of trauma, feel a sense of relief, self-forgiveness and community support

Read People Magazine Article - Only in New York: Australian Writer Becomes Dog Sitter for New York Inmate. Joh’s story of meeting her dog the first week she moved to New York.

Learn to meditate with us at Mahasoma --- follow us @mahasoma --- [email protected]

This content may be emotionally challenging and includes trauma, violence, and sexual abuse. If this doesn’t feel the right time for you to listen, we recommend circling back when you’re ready. We are not providing any professional advice, only sharing a personal story and perspective. Please seek professional help if you need support – we shared some services that you can access via our show notes.

For Melbourne based designer Yeojin Bae, fashion has always been her creative expression for women to enjoy the confidence that comes from wearing beautiful clothes. Back to her earliest memories as a child in Korea, Yeojin was always sketching the most beautiful dresses she could imagine. And with just under three decades working in fashion, she developed a cult following for her stylish silhouettes. Yeojin was living her life as a successful designer, just as she always imagined, when at the beginning of 2020, she walked away with no explanation at all.

For the first time, Yeojin is sharing with us her intimate story of leaving behind what she had spent her whole life becoming, to embark on a deeply transformative and much needed healing journey, supported by Vedic wisdom and practices. Statistically it takes on average 24 years to reveal child sexual abuse, and many never do.

Yeojin thought she was irreparably damaged and for a long time felt a dread that something terrible was about to happen. Yet even at her lowest, she never gave up, some days it was baby steps, and other times a leap, but through this process, Yeojin found a profound acceptance, joy, and trust in life. She hopes by sharing her story today, she can reach out to others who are afraid and help them make progress in their lives too. She admits she experienced a lot of stress release leading up to recording this episode, but it was exactly because of these feelings, she wants to challenge her belief to stay silent and unseen.

RESOURCES:
Learn Vedic meditation with Mahasoma
Rishi Training - advanced Vedic wisdom course
Siddha Training - advanced Vedic wisdom course

SUPPORT LINKS:
https://fullstop.org.au/get-help/our-services
https://www.1800respect.org.au
https://www.beyondblue.org.au
https://www.nasasv.org.au/support-directory
https://blueknot.org.au
https://www.nationalredress.gov.au

Learn to meditate with us at Mahasoma --- follow us @mahasoma --- [email protected]

This time of year can be very full, fast paced, and involve a lot of doing, we thought it would be timely to share this short podcast episode from our teacher Kathleen O'Brien. Our hope is that it softens the busyness this time of year can bring. In this episode you'll be reminded that life is a constant process of unfolding. We need reminding because when everything is rolling along smoothly it can be easy to see the big picture. But when life gets challenging or we’ve been ignoring change, life can get very overwhelming! It’s usually in these moments when the body starts to move into a state of fight or flight that we tend to forget the process is the solution.

When we’re experiencing something we find uncomfortable or we can’t see it in context (meaning we just want it to end and get back to the flow state), we tend to kick ourselves out of the present moment and move into future thinking/solution mode. In this state we can be so focused on a solution and wanting to change the current situation that we move out of the power of the present moment. We miss the opportunity for growth and learning. We resist life by resisting what is.

Life is not really about getting to a final destination. We never will say ‘ahh I’ve done it all! The to-do list of my life is complete! I never have to do anything else again!' We know that life continues and we must keep evolving. But when we’re in outcome mode we can forget life is a process. We miss the now and therefore we miss life! When what we really need is to find greater ease and grace in the process, knowing the process is the solution.

What we talk about in this episode

• Feminine leadership
• Collaboration and co-creation without goal orientation
• There's no final destination only the process of life
• Seeing growth and possibility rather than ‘problems’
• Nature as our greatest teacher
• How Vedic meditation teaches process orientation

Connect with Kathleen

• [email protected]
• @kathleenobrien_

Learn Vedic meditation with Kathleen

• Castlemaine
• Melbourne
• Adelaide

Learn to meditate with us at Mahasoma --- follow us @mahasoma --- [email protected]

Learn to meditate with us at Mahasoma --- follow us @mahasoma --- [email protected]

This podcast episode refers to suicide and its impact. Please seek professional help if you need support. A list of mental health and counselling resources can be found in the show notes.

In this episode Laura Poole joined by Melbourne-based artist and storyteller, and fellow Vedic meditator, Ryan Abramowitz to talk about an important subject that can be shrouded in shame and stigma – suicide. Ryan is the author and artist of ‘Elegy for an Elephant’, a picture book he has been working on these past few years, after the loss of his own father to suicide.

There is a severe shortage of suicide bereavement resources available for families and mental health workers to draw upon when supporting those in grief. You may think picture books are just for kids, but they are actually an accessible format for all ages to address this complex subject matter.

An elegy is a lament, a passionate expression that honours those who have passed. Elegy for an Elephant chronicles Ryan’s family’s experience in processing the complexity of post-suicide grief. It has been crafted as a therapeutic resource for readers (aged 7+) who have lost loved ones, and those communities and caretakers supporting them through their mourning. While it touches on suicide, it more universally addresses how we come to terms with bereavement and access shapes of healing following the loss of loved ones.

We asked Ryan to come on the podcast as we wanted to share the journey he has been on creating this book, his own healing that has turned into a gift of healing for the world, and to create a space for him to share the research, love, and divine energy that has gone into it. Elegy for an Elephant is being released on World Suicide Prevention Day - September 10, 2023, but is available for pre-purchase now. If you know of anyone mourning the loss of a loved one, or if you’re a clinician, parent, mental health worker, meditation teacher, or school teacher, may you consider getting this book, which Ryan says is a gentle and warm hug, when needed in tender times.

Show notes.

CONNECT WITH RYAN

www.narrativesofnature.com

@narrativesofnature_ 

RESOURCES

Pre-purchase Elegy for an Elephant

Mental Health Resources

LIFELINE - Available 24/7 for crisis support - Call 13 11 14 or text 0477 13 11 14

Please see our Mahasoma Journal post for full show notes and images.

Learn to meditate with us at Mahasoma --- follow us @mahasoma --- [email protected]

Laura Poole is again joined by Vedic astrologer Blaine Watson to talk all about Guru Purnima – the full moon night that occurs once a year where we honour the guru and all teachers in our lives. We go a beautiful journey exploring what a guru is (and is not), the relationship of guru to transcendence and love, stories from Blaine’s time with his guru, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and other great gurus and saints. We finish with how we can observe the Vedic celebration of Guru Purnima and gain the auspicious blessings of this full moon night.

What we talk about in this episode.

• Definition of Guru Purnima
• Difference between a teacher (acharya) and a Guru
• How Guru Purnima is celebrated
• Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and Guru Purnima
• The purpose of devotion and awakening the heart
• Lineage and tradition
• Transcendence and the Guru
• Love and the Guru
• Guru-shishya relationship
• When the Guru falls from the pedestal
• Is the age of the Guru dead?
• Is it possible to find a true Guru?
• The path of the Guru
• The day of the Guru – spiritual practice for this day
• How to observe Guru Purnima and gain the auspicious blessings

Show notes.

BOOKS

• The Ocean of Love: The Anurag Sagar of Kabir
• The Collected Works of Ramana Maharshi
• Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda KINDLE or PAPERBACK
• A Search In Secret India: The classic work on seeking a guru by Paul Brunton

OTHER

• Neem Karoli Baba
• Ananda Mayima
• Purnamadah Mantra

Learn to meditate with us at Mahasoma --- follow us @mahasoma --- [email protected]

This episode comes from a group meditation Q&A where a student asked about falling asleep in meditation and why it keeps on happening. We explore why meditation is a practice of two-fold revealing and the importance of allowing cosmic intelligence to take the drivers seat in life. If you’ve ever fallen asleep while meditating, we hope this gives you a new perspective to see everything is just as it should be.

We hope you enjoy!

What we talk about:

• Why meditation is a practice of two-fold revealing
• Surrender and letting cosmic intelligence take the drivers seat 
• What the true purpose of Vedic meditation is
• Why we need to accept and allow all experiences in meditation

Show notes

Connect with Laura

• [email protected]
• @laura_poole

Learn Vedic meditation with Laura

• Noosa
• Melbourne

Learn to meditate with us at Mahasoma --- follow us @mahasoma --- [email protected]

Something we’re passionate about in our community is women’s health, and in this episode Laura Poole is joined by Ayurveda practitioner and author Chasca Summerville who some of you may know from Instagram as Alchemy of Ayurveda.

Chasca’s real speciality is Ayurveda for women sharing holistic ways to rejuvenate and wisdom to empower women to be their own healers. In this episode we explore all of this, with a focus on one ritual – yoni steaming - which changed Chasca’s life and healed her from chronic endometriosis. We speak about what yoni steaming actually is, how, when, and why to do it, the deeper purpose and how we can use ritual to heal, embody, and empower ourselves as women. As we share in the podcast, we recommend connecting with a practitioner to begin your journey into the rituals we share. We acknowledge the history and traditional cultures that yoni steaming has come from, and we honour the women who have passed down the ritual in its wholeness for all women to benefit from today. We hope you enjoy this episode on Yoni steaming with Chasca Summerville!

What we talk about in this episode:

• Chasca’s journey into Ayurveda
• Menstrual cycle education (or lack thereof)
• Rituals for fertility
• What is a yoni?
• Yoni steaming – what is it all about?
• How to use yoni steaming in your menstrual cycle
• Healing from Endo, PCOS, infertility, hormonal imbalances and more with yoni steaming
• The deeper purpose of yoni steaming and healing
• Connection of vata imbalances and the womb space

Show notes.

Connect with Chasca

• Alchemy of Ayurveda website
• Ayurvedic Rituals – Chasca’s amazing book
• Book an Ayurveda consultation with Chasca
• Follow on Instagram @alchemyofayurveda

Yoni Steaming

• Neoflam Clay Casserole Dish / Yoni Pot 
• Organic dried herb supplier
• Pre-mixed herbs
• Womb Medicine (book on yoni steaming)
• How to steam ~25min
• Steamy Chick on Instagram

Learn to meditate with us at Mahasoma --- follow us @mahasoma --- [email protected]

This is a new offering on our podcast of shorter wisdom sessions shared from our teachers. Of things we have been exploring in group meditations, mentoring sessions, and in our personal lives. This episode came from a question at group meditation: ‘How do I trust life? How can I surrender and have faith when things just don’t see to be going ‘my way’ or as I had hoped they would go?’ 

Kathleen explores a different take on trust, shifting our perspective from a life based in faith, trust, and belief, to a new paradigm of knowing. She shares how life is in-fact a very knowable experience, rather than something occurring externally. 

Initially we may not have this relationship with life so we need to employ faith, trust, and belief. These can be functions of the mind that help us move forward. We can begin by telling ourselves, “It’s OK, I've got this, even though this feels big or scary, I’m going to put all of my fear aside and trust that it will be ok. I’m going to take the leap of faith.” But the next step we want to take is building a direct and unfiltered relationship with life. We want to know from within.

What we talk about in this episode.

• What is trust?
• How Vedic meditation is the tool to move from trusting to knowing
• Why we would prefer to know than trust
• The importance of direct experience
• The innocence of forgetting
• The necessity of compassion and playfulness when learning new skills

Show notes.

Connect with Kathleen

• [email protected]
• @kathleenobrien_

Learn Vedic meditation with Kathleen

• Castlemaine
• Melbourne
• Adelaide

Learn to meditate with us at Mahasoma --- follow us @mahasoma --- [email protected]

This is a new offering on our podcast of shorter wisdom sessions shared from our teachers, of things we have been exploring in group meditations, mentoring sessions, and in our personal lives.

This episode is about the idea that meditation can cause you to avoid doing the ‘real work’ - the harder, emotional, deeper work of change.  Laura Poole shares a perspective that helps us understand what’s really going on when people use meditation to spiritually by-pass what’s needed, and how we can empower ourselves to use our practice in the way it was intended.

What we talk about in this episode.

• What is spiritual by-passing
• Why meditation can be seen as avoiding doing the ‘real work’
• What meditation actually is
• The real purpose of a daily practice
• How to harness the full power of meditation as a tool for real, long-lasting, and integrated healing

Show notes.

• Connect with Laura
  • [email protected]
  • @laura_poole
• Learn Vedic meditation with Laura
  • Noosa
  • Melbourne

Learn to meditate with us at Mahasoma --- follow us @mahasoma --- [email protected]

This is a special episode for everyone who knows and loves Pandit Baskaran AKA Panditji. Panditji is a Vedic meditation teacher, pandit, and man of bliss consciousness. You may have had the great blessing of being on retreat with him in India, experiencing the bliss and joy of being in his presence.

This episode is devoted to sharing Panditji’s life story and wisdom. We hope you enjoy and get sore cheeks from smiling as much as we did.

What we talk about in this episode.

• Panditji’s life story
• Training as a meditation teacher with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
• Who is Shiva
• The deeper meaning and purpose of abishekam ceremony
• Tamil Nadu temples
• Living a life of bliss

Show notes.

• Connect with Pandit Baskaran
  • panditbaskaran.com
  • @panditbaskaran
• Rameshwarum Temple
• Brihadisvara Temple, Thanjavur
• Vedic meditation teacher training with Mahasoma and Pandit Baskaran

To see photos of all the places and experiences we talk about in the episode, head to our journal post for more.

Learn to meditate with us at Mahasoma --- follow us @mahasoma --- [email protected]