Advertise on podcast: Escaping Samsara

Bhante Panya tried the forest monk thing. He wore the Theravada robes in America, followed the Vinaya rules, and watched potential practitioners flee because he looked too foreign, too untouchable, too "religious icon" instead of accessible teacher. So he made a move that freaked out his ego: took Mahayana ordination in Taiwan, moved to Vietnam, and started asking uncomfortable questions about what Buddhism actually needs to look like in the West. This conversation gets real fast. We're talking about: **The stuff nobody mentions:** - How your friend group is a mirror of everything you hate about yourself - The terror of taking the bodhisattva vow - What happens when you sit next to someone who's actually realized  - Why Theravada meditation might be technically superior but Mahayana community outreach hits different - How to fight the dark spots in your mind when you can't run to a cave - The difference between controlling your mind and just not reacting to it - Why unhealed childhood trauma is probably running your whole spiritual path * Bhante's books: https://www.amazon.com/Thoughtless-love-cultivation-Bhante-Panna https://www.amazon.com/touching-enlightenment-parable-distance-attachments-ebook Donations for Bhante: https://venmo.com/u/bhante --- *Escaping Samsara is a weekly podcast exploring authentic Buddhist and yogic practice. Subscribe on Substack (escapingsamsara.substack.com) for free articles, teachings, and more episodes!

In this episode, we sit down with Kat Ashtanga, an advanced practitioner, to explore: ✨ How practice evolves through the different series of poses ✨ Balancing lineage with personal practice ✨ Integrating pregnancy, postpartum, and motherhood ✨ The subtle benefits of long term asana practice ✨ How the universal energy of prana is conducted via these poses Whether you're deep in your own Ashtanga journey or just beginning to explore, this conversation offers wisdom and inspiration for yogis at all levels. 🔗 Also listen on Spotify / Apple / Substack 👉 Don't miss exclusive writings, bonus episodes, and behind-the-scenes reflections. Subscribe on Substack today: https://escapingsamsara.substack.com Here's the only video of the old school Advanced A practice I'm aware of on YT:    • Ashtanga Yoga - ORIGINAL 1974 ADVANCED A S...   F ind out more about Kat: https://www.kathache.com/ If you enjoyed this episode, please like, comment, and share — it helps the podcast reach more practitioners around the world.  #Ashtanga #YogaPodcast #EscapingSamsara #Meditation #Motherhood #Lineage

In the fourth and final episode of our series on The Four Thoughts That Turn the Mind, Nathan sits down with renowned Dharma practitioner and ER physician Daniel Ingram to explore the most confronting and transformative contemplation: death. Drawing from his experience in emergency rooms and deep meditation, Daniel discusses how death can be a powerful catalyst for spiritual urgency, freedom, and insight. They reflect on childhood spirituality, near-death experiences, death rehearsal practices, and the delicate balance between striving and letting go on the path. If you've ever asked yourself what really happens when we die—and how contemplating death can make life more vivid and meaningful—this conversation is for you.   0:13 – Introduction 4:18 – Early spiritual experiences and childhood insights 7:05 – Daniel's Dharma path and balancing practice with life 13:30 – Contemplating death and its spiritual impact 19:57 – Near-death experiences and ontological humility 24:44 – Do you have a death plan? 32:28 – Death as suffering and transformation 43:06 – The urgency of practice: why not now? 51:48 – Balancing striving with surrender 58:56 – Daniel's current projects and final thoughts   More about Daniel here: https://www.integrateddaniel.info/

This is episode three in the series on The Four Thoughts That Turn the Mind, contemplations that form the basis of the Buddhist path.  In this episode, Ven. Robina Courtin, a Tibetan Buddhist nun with nearly fifty years in the tradition, discusses "The Drawbacks of Samsara".  We dive into the nature of suffering in Samsara, the subtle role of attachment, and the practical meaning of the Four Noble Truths. Robina speaks to the balance between devotion and clear-eyed reasoning, showing how both can deepen and stabilize our practice. Our conversation explores the six realms of existence, the workings of karma, and how understanding the nature of Samsara inspires personal responsibility for our inner life.  Throughout, she returns to one essential truth: the quality of our thoughts and intentions shapes the quality of our lives.  Robina's website: https://robinacourtin.com/ Follow Escaping Samsara: https://escapingsamsara.substack.com/ Instagram: @escsamsara

Episode 2/4 on The Four Thoughts That Turn the Mind, and this time we are talking about the "precious human rebirth" and pondering the unique opportunity that human beings have to practice the path to awakening. And to discuss this I am joined by Joe Evans, founder of the Rangdröl Foundation and teacher of Dzogchen under the name Jigme Rangdröl. The Four Thoughts that Turn the Mind, also known as the Four Reminders, are a set of Buddhist contemplations that encourage practitioners to turn their minds away from worldly distractions and towards spiritual practice. These thoughts are: 1) the preciousness of a human rebirth, 2) impermanence and death, 3) karma (cause and effect), and 4) the unsatisfactory nature of samsara (cyclic existence). The first episode of this series was on Karma (see our podcast feed for that one) but it's not necessary to listen to them all in order! To find out more about Joe Evans, visit: https://www.rangdrolfoundation.org/ Follow our substack for weekly posts, essays, and podcasts! Join our Telegram community

In this episode of the Escaping Samsara Podcast, we begin a four-part journey into the Four Thoughts That Turn the Mind—a set of foundational Buddhist contemplations that help orient us toward Dharma. Our focus today is on karma. I'm joined by Ellen Johansson, a long-time Ashtanga teacher and committed Vajrayana practitioner, who brings deep insight into how karma works—not as punishment, but as a mirror of cause and effect, intention and outcome. We explore how karma is understood across Buddhist and yogic traditions, what it means to take responsibility for our actions, and how this recognition can become a force for transformation. We also touch on the differences in how Buddhism and yoga approach the idea of selfhood, and how both paths invite us into ethical living grounded in compassion. Ellen shares about her upcoming yoga teacher training rooted in philosophical inquiry, and we invite you to sit with these ideas—see how they land, and where they lead. More on Ellen: https://ashtanganepal.com/ And: https://www.instagram.com/ashtanganepal/ Escaping Samsara Substack: https://escapingsamsara.substack.com/

In this short announcement episode, I introduce our new online home: the Escaping Samsara Substack — a space where all our content will now live, including podcasts, written pieces, and weekly reflections. Here's what to expect: 🧘 Weekly Practice Notes Personal insights from my daily practice — exploring themes like working with moon phases in asana and mantra, or extending meditation into the evening hours. It's an honest, ongoing look at what it's like to live a spiritual life in the modern world. 🌀 Longform Articles & Interviews Every week, either a new podcast episode or a deep-dive written piece. Topics might include: Dzogchen vs. Theravāda Psychedelics and spiritual distraction A new interview series on Ashtanga Yoga in the post-lineage era, reflecting on the legacy after the passing of Sharath Jois 📱 More Content Channels Podcasts are now also available on YouTube New YouTube Shorts and video content in development Light-hearted expansion onto TikTok Instagram remains the central social hub 💬 Community Join the growing Telegram group to chat with fellow practitioners, ask questions, and share your path. All links are in the show notes. This is a big step forward in professionalizing Escaping Samsara — and I'm thrilled to have you along for the journey. 👉 Subscribe now on Substack (it's free!) to stay connected and receive all the latest content direct to your inbox. 🧭 Links: 🔗 Escaping Samsara Substack 🗣️ Join our Telegram Group 📺 YouTube Channel 📸 Instagram: @escsamsara If you enjoy the show, please rate, review, and share. Your support helps us reach more people! 🙏

In this episode of Escaping Samsara, Nathan Thompson sits down with Susi Sweeney—a lifelong yoga practitioner, teacher, mother, and now grandmother. Her path runs deep through 30 years of practice and cuts across the raw terrain of anxiety, eating disorders, motherhood, and aging.  She trained with Pattabhi Jois. She now works through the sixth series. Every movement, she says, pulls something loose—grief, joy, memory.  Susie explains how she raised children while maintaining her practice, how her mat held steady through births and breakdowns. Now a grandmother, she reflects on change—not as decline, but as deeper awareness. We discuss how the mat can be altar, battlefield, and therapist's chair. Susie reminds us that yoga doesn't ask for perfection. Just honesty. And repetition.

In this episode, Nathan sits down with Gregor Maehle to explore the deeper patterns that shape a lifetime of spiritual practice. Rather than focusing on technique or lineage, this conversation travels into the inner terrain—what changes as we mature in our practice, what stays hidden until we're ready to see it, and how we relate to disembodied knowledge and the teachers who carry it. Gregor speaks candidly about moving through different phases of yoga—physical, philosophical, devotional—and the quiet shifts that signal growth. The conversation turns to the Yoga Sutras, not as a rulebook, but as a living inquiry: What is spiritual maturity? How do we move beyond surface-level understanding into direct experience? We also touch on: Why certain teachings only reveal themselves at the right time The role of intuition vs. tradition Disembodied teachers and mystical messaging The role of avidya (ignorance) in Yoga vs Buddhism Is someone "tending the light at the end of the tunnel"? This is one for listeners who are walking the long path—those in the middle of a cycle, or perhaps sensing the end of one.

What does it mean to walk a path across lifetimes, through lineages, and into the heart of divine practice? In this intimate and powerful episode, we sit down with Sat Inder Khalsa, a teacher of Ashtanga Yoga, student of Tantra, and dedicated seeker who has traveled many spiritual paths—including Wicca, Sikhism, Hinduism, and more—to uncover deeper layers of truth. Sat Inder shares his mission to help others integrate yogic and tantric wisdom into everyday life—guiding students through Sanskrit, philosophy, temple life, and the very human challenges of spiritual growth. With warmth and honesty, he opens up about his life journey, the mentors who shaped him, and what it means to truly embody practice. ✨ Whether you're a curious beginner or a long-time practitioner, this conversation is a heartfelt transmission of lived experience and grounded wisdom. 📿 Follow Sat Inder: @in_her_lap

Known simply as Darby, his story is one of movement, devotion, and surrender, which led him to India in 1979. There, in Mysore, he met Ashtanga guru Pattabhi Jois and embraced the transformative rigor of the practice. Darby's experiences reflect a deep commitment to both physical and spiritual growth.  Today, as a husband, father, and teacher, Darby shares how he balances family responsibilities with his practice, emphasizing surrender as the key to fulfillment. Whether you're a seasoned practitioner or new to yoga, this episode offers wisdom on integrating Chinese Medicine, Hatha, and Kriya yoga into daily life while staying true to your spiritual core. We cover: Life in the original Mysore shala The original classical Ashtanga and the modern version Kriya yoga and integrating original hatha practices into modern practice Coming back to practice after parenthood What it really means to walk the yogic path

Kim Allen's journey into Buddhist practice began in 2003, sparked by a period of deep personal change and suffering. Guided by her primary teacher, Gil Fronsdal, she devoted herself to intensive retreat practice, sutta study, and a life aligned with the Eightfold Path. With over 1,000 days of silent retreat, including practice in Sri Lanka and Buddhist centers across Asia, Kim brings a depth of lived experience to her teaching. She has studied with renowned teachers like Shaila Catherine, Bhikkhu Anālayo, and Bhikkhu Bodhi, and now offers teachings on classical texts, sutta study, and the integration of deep Dharma into daily life. In 2020, she took formal commitment as a Lay Contemplative, receiving the Dharma name Sumatimitta—a "wise friend" on the path. Kim's teaching is rooted in direct experience—the willingness to meet reality as it is, with clarity, compassion, and wisdom. Her approach blends the profound depth of early Buddhist wisdom with the simple beauty of the present moment—whether it's the sound of a hawk's call or the ripple of aspen leaves. I'm honored to welcome Kim to the podcast today as we discuss the Dharma, the power of retreat practice, and what it means to live a contemplative life in the modern world.

In this episode we're once again joined by Richard Josephson for a Dharma discussion centred around family life as a vehicle for practicing Buddhist and general liberation teachings. With over 50 years of practice experience both as a monk and a family man, Richard Josephson is perfectly placed to give a wise perspective on how we can best practice, whatever our circumstances.  Listen for insights on: Why you should or shouldn't become ordained The challanges of being a monk or nun How to find time in family life to practice well How to cultivate an attitude and find motivation to pursue the noble path How to find stillness and release from stress no matter what

What does it mean to be truly happy? In this episode of Escaping Samsara, I sit down with teachers Richard Freeman and Mary Taylor to explore the deeper layers of practice beyond asana and into meditation and philosophy. Drawing from their decades of experience in spiritual practice, they discuss the subtle intersections of yoga, Buddhism, and embodiment—revealing how happiness is not just an emotion, but a fully integrated state of being. We dive into the challenges of modern yoga, the pitfalls of spiritual ego, and how to navigate tradition without becoming dogmatic. Richard shares candid insights on guru culture, the Westernization of yoga, and the fine line between devotion and delusion, while Mary offers grounded wisdom on cultivating joy through breath, presence, and compassionate awareness. Join us for an illuminating conversation on the art of practice, the paradox of happiness, and what it really means to escape Samsara. Check out Richard and Mary's new book: Feeling Happy: The Yoga of Body, Heart, and Mind Find more info about Richard and Mary here.

In the latest episode of Escaping Samsara, I sit down with Spiros Antonopoulos and Barry Silver in person on the banks of the Ganga River in Varanasi to explore their incredible project, Gently Down: Bathed, Beaten, and Blessed — a 20-year journey of artistic and spiritual collaboration rooted in the sacred energies of the Ganga and the Maha Kumbh Mela festival. Spiros and Barry first met as yoga students in New York City, unaware that their paths would intertwine for decades, leading them back—again and again—to the ancient flow of India's most sacred river.  We discuss: 🔹 The power of consecration—how objects, spaces, and even moments can be transformed into sacred vessels 🔹 The ritual journey of Bathed, Beaten, and Blessed 3.0 at the Kumbh Mela festival 🔹 How purification, intention, and devotion anchor us in deeper realities 🔹 The intersection of yoga, esoteric traditions, and artistic expression