PODCAST VERSION 10.8

When you’ve spent years trying to survive, there’s no room left to become who you were meant to be. Of course you lost yourself. This meditation is a place to start finding your way back into your own body. 
In this second session of our special meditation collection, we focus on the practice of disassociation by healing your root chakra, the foundation of your “house.” If your nervous system has been stuck in survival mode, this practice helps you come back into your body and begin to feel safe there.
In this session:
Hands-on-heart practice to calm the nervous system
Affirmations to release old conditioning
A gratitude practice for your body
This is the second meditation in our Connection Series collection, made for those who want change. It is for those who want to get back to themselves after abuse or trauma. 
We begin at the root, your foundation, with breathwork, a hands-on-heart grounding practice, and affirmations to help you trust your own feelings and instincts again.
10-15 minutes a day. That’s the commitment. Sit with us, breathe
Living in survival mode keeps your nervous system switched on, and over time that chronic stress can take a real toll on your body.
Please note: This meditation is for general wellness and is not a substitute for professional medical or mental health care, so please reach out to a qualified provider if you’re struggling. 
Meditation Music by Mikhail Vereitinov from Pixabay

Jai Ganesha! This is a special meditation edition, and the first in a series designed for anyone at the very beginning of their healing journey.
If you're an adult healing from childhood abuse, neglect, or C-PTSD, it can be hard to feel at home in your own mind. In this guided meditation, we begin the work of self-awareness: learning what your thoughts are, that the people who failed you no longer hold power over you, and that you are already a survivor with real evidence of your strength.
Drawing on wisdom from the Bhagavad Gita, Goswami Kriyananda, and Osho's The Book of Secrets, this practice guides you through:
Grounding breathwork with posture cues to release what you've are carrying
A color visualization to breathe in what brings you joy
Observing your thoughts
Affirmations for self-forgiveness, worth, and taking up space
A closing breath-awareness technique that focuses on the stillness between breaths, ending with So Hum ("I am")
You were a child. It was not your fault. And it's time to make space for yourself again, ten minutes a day.
Find a quiet place, sit comfortably, and join us. Hari Om.
Note: This episode touches on childhood abuse and neglect. Meditation is a supportive practice, not a substitute for professional mental health care. If you're struggling, please reach out to a licensed therapist or a trusted support person.
Music: Mikhail Vereitino from https://pixabay.com/music

Connection Series: The Observances — Niyama and Self-Discipline for Trauma Healing (Part 2 of 5)
Healing starts with learning to trust yourself again. This episode moves from Yama into Niyama, exploring Kriya Yoga's five observances — and reframes self-discipline as self-compassion for anyone recovering from gaslighting or emotional manipulation
Be patient. Be aware. That is your practice. Trust yourself, and the world opens up.
Healing after trauma often starts with learning to trust yourself again. In Part 2 of our 5-part Connection Series, this Kriya Yoga podcast episode moves from Yama (what to release) into Niyama (what to build) — exploring the five observances of Kriya Yoga: Saucha (purity), Santosha (contentment), Tapas (discipline), Svadhyaya (self-study), and Ishvara Pranidhana (surrender).
We reframe self-discipline as self-compassion, not punishment — a core practice for anyone healing from gaslighting, emotional manipulation, or growing up managing other people's moods instead of their own feelings. If you've ever doubted your own perceptions because of a relationship or upbringing that taught you not to trust yourself, this episode unpacks where that doubt comes from and how to start clearing it.
This is part of an ongoing series for anyone navigating anxiety, trauma recovery, and the disorientation of these current, chaotic times — using yoga philosophy, meditation, and spiritual discipline to become a calmer, more aware, more grounded version of yourself.
Practice along: Three deep yoga breaths + the mantra Hari Om Tat SatMentioned this episode: The Spiritual Science of Kriya Yoga by Goswami Kriyananda
New to the series? Start with Episode 10 (Part 1) and follow along through all 5 parts of the Connection Series.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Please leave a review on Podbean or Spotify and tell us what you're working on this week.

Connection Series: Episode 1: Healing Trauma with Kriya Yoga (Part 1 of 5)
The foundation episode of our 5-part Connection Series. In turbulent times, real strength starts within. Drawing on Ram Dass, the Bhagavad Gita, and Kriya Yoga philosophy, this episode introduces self-awareness as the starting point for healing — and includes a simple daily practice to begin.
In the first installment of our five part Connection series, we explore a counterintuitive truth: in turbulent times, the path to strength begins not out in the world, but within. When everything around us feels chaotic, corrupt, or out of our control, the one thing we can control is our own mind, our mindset, and the way we move through it all.
This episode lays the foundation. Drawing on the wisdom of Ram Dass, the Bhagavad Gita, the Art of War, and Goswami Kriyananda's The Spiritual Science of Kriya Yoga, we look at why self-awareness is the starting point for everything and why becoming an observer of your own thoughts is the real work. You'll learn the first principles of Kriya Yoga, including the practice of abstentions (the things we choose to step away from), and why healing yourself first is what gives you the power to heal others and connect with the collective.
We also sit with a bigger idea: that we are all woven into the same fabric. From Advaita Vedanta's teaching of oneness to the surprising echoes between ancient Hindu philosophy and modern physics, this episode invites you to feel your place in the interconnected web of existence—and to treat yourself, and everyone around you, with a little more grace because of it.
By the end, you'll have a simple, doable practice to begin with: just a few minutes a day of breathing, stillness, and going within.
This is only the beginning. Over the next four episodes, we'll keep building on this foundation—deepening the practice and exploring what it truly means to connect, with ourselves, with each other, and with something larger.
Jai Shree Ganesha.
Hit play, settle in, and start the journey. If it resonates, leave us a review on Podbean or Spotify and share it with someone who might need it.
Links referenced:
Meditation from Ram Dass, https://open.spotify.com/track/5kdXiiF8MxyLVhRjkVv9jQ?si=KmYXGTqzTq2no1j7DmwB0w&rowId=e7198dbe2fad7dc0&nd=1&dlsi=8aff5001ebbb44d1
The Spiritual Science of Kriya Yoga By Goswami Kriyananda, https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-spiritual-science-of-kriya-yoga_goswami-kriyananda/293639/#edition=2297722&idiq=5030633

Trauma Healing & Kriya Yoga
The world feels chaotic right now — and that's by design. In this episode, we break down one of the most powerful psychological warfare tactics being used against us today: distortion. From "fake news" to government gaslighting, the goal is to keep us confused, divided, and too mentally exhausted to fight back.
But we are not powerless.
Drawing from ancient Vedic teachings, her own healing journey from CPTSD and avoidant attachment, and insights from cognitive warfare research, Vrinda walks us through how to reclaim mental clarity and inner strength. She covers how 90% of our thoughts are repetitive and not based in fact, the connection between childhood trauma and physical illness, how to use box breathing and meditation to calm a triggered nervous system, why going within — not seeking external validation — is the path to resilience, and the mind-body-spirit connection through yoga and Upanishad philosophy.
This episode also features key findings from the Institute for the Study of War's 2025 report on Russian cognitive warfare, and a recommended deep dive into attachment theory with Dr. Tracy Marks.
If the chaos feels overwhelming, this episode is your reminder: your strength is inside you. And together, we rise.
Please consult your doctor before making any health decisions. This podcast is for informational and empowerment purposes only.
Jai Shree Ganesha.
Resources:
Report on understanding cognitive warfare: https://www.understandingwar.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/ISW20CW20Russian20Cognitive20Warfare2C20June20302C20202520PDF20FINAL_0.pdf
Study on Repetitive Thoughts: https://verybigbrain.com/psychology-thinking/how-many-thoughts-do-you-have-per-day-and-do-any-of-them-really-matter/
Dr. Tracy Marks: https://youtu.be/0mHm1seHKkE?si=6UwzRFvdEM89GwNG
Integrated Medicine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1QVVwdWiK4
Understanding Yoga: https://www.arhantayoga.org/blog/5-fundamental-upanishads-in-yoga-philosophy-explained
Yoga as journey of the self: https://www.hoshyoga.org/what-does-yoga-is-the-journey-of-the-self-through-the-self-to-the-self-mean
7 Types of Negativity to Kill: https://www.tumblr.com/faronmckenzie
Importance of Meditation: https://realitypathing.com/mastering-self-realization-through-vedanta-teachings/

Trauma Healing & Kriya Yoga
In this episode, we explore the growing political and cultural divide—and why now, more than ever, men and women must come together instead of being pulled apart.
We examine how “divide and conquer” strategies, amplified by media and political movements, have fueled toxic masculinity, gender resentment, and confusion about what strength truly means. Drawing on spiritual and psychological frameworks like yin and yang, Jung’s anima and animus, and the sacred union of Shiva and Shakti, we discuss how both masculine and feminine energies live within each of us—and must be balanced for true wholeness.
This conversation challenges the shadow side of both energies while redefining the “divine masculine” as presence, accountability, and courage—and the feminine as intuition, creativity, and emotional wisdom.
We close with a grounding spiritual practice to help you stay centered, clear, and empowered during uncertain times.
Now is not the time for division.
It’s time for integration—and unity.