Mahasoma Podcast

In this heart-opening episode, Vedic meditation teacher Laura Poole is in conversation with entrepreneur, kindness advocate and woman of the heart, Sophie Weldon. Sophie is the Founder and Managing Director of Humankind Enterprises - a social enterprise which uses the ancient process of storytelling and the modern innovation of StoryTech and StoryData to help create a world that is more connected, inclusive and empathetic.

What we talk about

• The creation and participation in a new normal
• Sophie’s time in Bhutan learning about Gross National Happiness
• Core values as the foundation for change
• Healing our current systems
• What we could create as humans if we came to the process consciously
• Deep radical empathy.
• Vedic perspective on governance, politics
• Is it really possible to create a social system based on wellbeing, kindness and belonging?

Check out our journal post for the full interview

Connect with Sophie

• Humankind Enterprises website
• Sophie’s Instagram

Resources

• Visit the website of the Gross National Happiness Centre in Bhutan.
• If you’re curious to learn a bit more about the historical and philosophical underpinnings of Neoliberalism, you can read more in this article published by the Conversation. 
• Iceland and New Zealand are two countries have have implemented frameworks concerned with wellbeing. You can read a bit more about how they’re doing this here. 
• Learn more about how Finland solved their homelessness crisis.
• Read Australia Reimagined by Hugh Mackay. 

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

Welcome to Part 2 of our Ayurveda for conception, pregnancy, birth and postpartum care series. In this episode, Vedic meditation teacher Laura Poole speaks with Dylan Smith, Ayurvedic practitioner and educator from Vital Veda, sharing eye opening yet practical wisdom to understand the power of conscious conception and the journey of the 9 months of pregnancy. Make sure you give both episodes in this series a listen (Part 1 and Part 2) because this wisdom of the Veda and Ayurveda has the ability to bring us back to our innate nature of creative beings who know how to conceive, carry and birth with full health, grace and the authority of inner wisdom.

What we talk about

• Conscious conception
• The 9 months of pregnancy according to Ayurveda
• Month by month breakdown of what's happening and what you can do
• The ritual of birthing
• The huge importance of postpartum care
• How your meditation practice might change during this time
• Everything you need to stay vital and radiant as new parents

Check out our journal post for the full interview

Connect with Dylan

• Vital Veda Website 
• Vital Veda Podcast
• Vital Veda Instagram account
• Book an Ayurvedic consult with Dylan online or in person

Resources

• Some cycle/period tracking apps that are used for conception and birth control - Natural Cycles, Daysy and Clue
• Read Vital Veda's Ayurveda guide to the 9 months of pregnancy
• Read Vital Veda's Ayurveda Post Natal Care Plan
• Take a She Births birthing course
• See a full list of products Dylan from Vital Veda recommends for a post-natal support
• Learn more about why you would want to do abhyanga, a warm-oil self massage you can do from your own home - you can then download a poster to learn how to do it yourself
• Podcast on EMF, 5G and building biology via Vital Veda
• Check out the Mahasoma Spotify account to listen to soothing mantra playlists
• Get the Ayurveda herbal formula that helps with morning sickness during pregnancy - MADIPHALA RASAYANA
• Get the special ghee for pregnancy and easy birth - SUKHA PRASAVA GHRITAM
• Get the herb that Dylan says is the most important herb for post-natal care -

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

Welcome to Part 1 of our Ayurveda for conception, pregnancy, birth and postpartum care series. In this episode, Vedic meditation teacher Laura Poole speaks with Dylan Smith, Ayurvedic practitioner and educator from Vital Veda, on Ayurveda and the Vedic perspective on preparing yourself and your partner to conceive, which starts with understanding and honouring the menstrual cycle. These episodes were recorded live in the Himalayas with our team of Vedic meditation teachers. Laura and Dylan are both incredibly passionate about this topic as it as all about the co-creation of life itself. Make sure you give both episodes a listen (Part 1 and Part 2) because this wisdom of the Veda and Ayurveda it has the ability to bring us back to our innate nature of creative beings who know how to conceive, carry and birth with full health, grace and the authority of inner wisdom.

Check out our journal post for the full interview

Connect with Dylan

• Vital Veda website 
• Vital Veda podcast
• Vital Veda Instagram account
• Book an Ayurvedic consult with Dylan online or in person

Resources

• Learn more about the Ayurveda doshas
• Listen to the Vital Veda podcast episode on the contraceptive pill
• Read more about the Ayurvedic perspective on contraception
• Read Hannah Rachel Bell’s book ‘Men’s Business, Women’s Business’
• Listen to the Vital Veda podcast episode on water and water quality
• Ayurveda recipes from Vital Veda
• Check out Dylan’s recipe for an ojas building drink to nourish the whole body and build reproductive tissue
• Learn more about the transference of generation trauma
• Panchakarma is an Ayurvedic detox and rejuvenation treatment that is available to anyone but is particular beneficial to those looking to conceive. Learn more about Dylan’s recommendation for where to do this treatment.
• Period underwear we recommend in Australia - ModiBodi

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

In this episode Vedic meditation teacher Laura Poole speaks with Myra Lewin from Hale Pule on coming back to our nature through Ayurveda, Yoga and Vedic farming practices. Myra is a vibrant and radiating Ayurveda Practitioner, Ayurveda Yoga Therapist, healer and teacher, who over the last 30 years has spent more than 50,000 hours studying and teaching the art and science of Yoga and Ayurveda.

What we talk about

• Myra's journey regenerating land in Hawaii using Vedic farming practices
• Ayurveda and yoga as healing practices coming from our own inner nature
• Interdependency vs. co-dependency
• The importance of interacting with Mother Earth to understand ourselves
• How as we heal the environment, the environment actually ends up healing us in return 
• Practices for getting to know who and what we are
• The power of Agnihotra
• The future of Ayurveda.

Check out our journal post for the full interview

Connect with Myra

• Hale Pule website 
• Hale Pule Live Ayurveda and Yoga app for iPhones 
• Train with Myra in Ayurveda online 
• Hale Pule Events
• Hale Pule on Instagram

Resources

• Read about Yagya - ancient fire ceremonies that are performed to commune with nature's intelligence
• Follow Laura @devaloka_bushland
• What are the doshas? From the Ayurvedic perspective, everything on the planet (including us) is made up of different combinations of five elements: earth, water, fire, air and ethers. The three doshas – vata, pitta and kapha – each represent two elements and are responsible for various functions in the body and mind. To learn more about how to understand the doshas, have a read of this blog by Hale Pule.  
• PRAKRITI is a Sanskrit word which means ‘first state or creation’. In this context we are talking about the state of health in which are all first born into
• TAMAS, along with RAJAS and SATTVA is one of the three qualities that are present in everything around us, including within our own bodies as well as the foods that we eat. Ayurveda teaches that we need all 3 of these qualities, also known as the MAHA GUNAS, in order to live but we should take care to balance these qualities. Read here for more on what each of these qualities represent and how to balance them. 
• Listen to the MAHAMRITYUNJAYA MANTRA
• To follow up on Laura and Myra’s recommendations for how to learn more about Agnihotra (Vedic fire ceremon) take a look at the Hale Pule website. To purchase your own Agnihotra kit or supplies, and to get a timetable of sunrise and sunset times visit Homa Therapy Australia’s website. 
• Check out the online 'introduction to permaculture' course with Australian-based Milkwood. They also have a fantastic blog with m

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

In Part 2 of this episode, recorded on the banks of the Ganga River in Shivanandi, Northern India, Vedic meditation teacher Laura Poole continues her conversation with Alice Miller, as she shares her personal story and the journey of how she came to be here, now.

Originally born in South Africa, Alice moved to Israel when she was a young child. She had a dream to be a fighter pilot in Israel because she loved the stars. All she wanted to do was be closer to them, to know their secrets and understand her place in the universe. 

But she was told that women couldn’t be fighter pilots in Israel. Undeterred, Alice went on to study Aerospace Engineering and returned to South Africa to learn to fly. After being told by the President of Israel that ‘only when he could find a man to mend socks like a woman’ would he let women become fighter pilots, Alice decided that she would sue the Israeli Government. She could not understand why she was unable to fly, and as it turns out neither could the Supreme Court of Israel. 

Since Alice won her case, 1268 Israel women have been admitted into the Airforce. Alice was a revolutionary for so many women, and her story is a testament to allowing yourself to dream big and create a reality that you wish to be a part of. 

Alice is a rebel, driven by a love of life and deep drive to connect and belong. This is such an uplifting and deeply inspiring episode. Alice’s strength, determination and conviction is something we could stand to see more of in our collective.

Make sure you listen to Part 1 - Creating Community from India to Israel with Alice Miller

For more details head to our Mahasoma journal post

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

In our inaugural 2-part podcast episode, Vedic meditation teacher and founder of Mahasoma, Laura Poole, is in discussion with Alice Miller – mother, traveler, community creator, rebel of the heart and the woman who ‘broke the wall of gender’ in the Israeli Air Force. 

Recorded on the banks of the Ganga River in Shivanandi, Northern India, Alice shares with us her journey of creating community in India and Israel, and her unique life experiences as her and her family live between the two. 

When in India, Alice dreams. She witnesses the Ganga River and allows herself to observe and be. When in Israel, all the lessons and the learnings she has taken in from India find an outlet, and she builds and creates within her community. 

Alice teaches us that after searching for answers and asking where she was supposed to be in life, she discovered that it was all right here, right now. To Alice, everything feels like home whether she is on the banks of the Ganga River or in the desert with the Bedouin tribes of Israel. 

Alice dives deep into why establishing a Kibbutz in Israel was a deeply transformative experience for her, and shares that the fundamental ingredient to community is the will to be together. 

With what we are creating at Mahasoma, Alice’s insights inspired us further to keep building and shaping community based on unwavering support and the desire to listen to what was needed. 

Please join us and share in this powerful, insightful discussion with the force of nature that is Alice Miller.

Make sure you listen to Part 2 - Rebel of the Heart with Alice Miller

For more details head to our Mahasoma journal post

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

Welcome to our podcast! In this intro episode, we share with you the vision for our podcast, what it's all about, who we are at Mahasoma and what we will be sharing in upcoming episodes. If you'd like to find out more, read the show notes for each episode or simply connect with us then please head to mahasoma.com/podcast. Enjoy listening! Love the Mahasoma Team x

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