Varun Soni had many significant messages to offer in the film and provided them so effortlessly and concisely that they were easy to gloss over. We discuss them in detail and he reciprocates by providing his superb all-inclusive, healing, energy to our podcast in this very special interview. Two of the many different themes discussed how his family have been influenced by Paramahansa Yogananda and how the great guru’s teachings are relevant for peace and harmony between religions. The issue of mental health amongst the youth of today is also dissected, using the light of India’s timeless gift of Yoga to the world.

0:00 Meet Varun Soni

8:00 Religious conflicts in the world;

11:20 The inclusive approach of Yogananda;

15:51 Young people and religion;

23:14 Spiritual and mental healing;

26:10 Teaching spirituality at an early age;

29:27 Varun’s involvement in the Awake film;

31:52 The meaning of Yogananda in Varun’s life;

34:28 The reconceptualization of God;

36:42 Wording the message of spirituality;

42:45 Measuring data on well-being;

45:05 The structure of the Awake film;

47:50 Is the Awake film used in his classes?;

49:59 Attention spans and short form content;

51:59 Mindfulness classes;

55:10 The progress of inter-faith culture in America.

Dr. Varun Soni is the Dean of Religious Life at the University of Southern California (USC) and the first Hindu to serve as the chief religious or spiritual leader of an American university. He is also Vice Provost of Campus Wellness and Crisis Intervention, Adjunct Professor of Religion, and University Fellow at the Annenberg Center on Public Diplomacy. Prior to USC, he spent four years teaching in the Law and Society Program at the University of California, Santa Barbara.