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

In this episode, we discuss the positives and drawbacks of different ways of practising Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga.

Tiaga covers thoughts and perspectives from his diverse backgrounds studying with Ramaswami, Dharma Mittra, and his experience teaching Mysore style for over 20 years.

We also cover the core Tristana method, getting into the technique of breath and bandha, and how mudra exploration can enhance a regular asana practice.

So if you enjoy Ashtanga or any form of Vinyasa yoga and want a good geek-out with two long-term practitioners, prepare a cup of chai, sit back and listen in.

Ajahn Kovilo joins me from the Clear Mountain Podcast and Richard Josephson - a lay yogi living in a California temple.

We discuss the intersection of yoga, Buddhism, and mysticism in general. We cover Emptiness, pranayama, and the different paths of the renunciate and the layperson and how they can both lead to awakening.

This is a deep-dive discussion covering the transformative effects of sadhana in the modern world. We wonder what Samsara is and if we escape from it.

This is our 4th Escaping Samsara Bookclub and we are joined by author and teacher Daniel Simpson to discuss Gregor Meahle's "Chakras, Drugs, and Evolution: A Map of Transformative States."

Daniel and I discuss our thoughts on Chakras and how they are used in new ways by modern practitioners, our drug experiences and how they affect the spiritual path, and how our subjective experience shapes our practice.

Daniel Simpson

Daniel makes timeless insights accessible and relevant.

He’s the author of The Truth of Yoga, an engaging overview of history and philosophy. He also hosts the Ancient Futures podcast.

His latest course is a year-long immersion, The Path of Knowledge – you can find out more and join us here.

"In this ground-breaking book, Gregor Maehle shows how the chakras offer a blueprint for the natural evolution of life via single-cell organisms, reptiles, mammals and humans. He draws on his experiences with mind-altering plant agents and chemicals during the late 70’s and early 80’s, as well as extensive research, to objectively describe how drugs influence each chakra, including their potential but also spiritual setbacks and dangers. The author further explores whether psychoactive substances are a useful supplement, shortcut or accelerator of spiritual evolution. The book culminates in a complete map of transformative and mystical states, including their potential accessibility through psychedelics versus traditional yogic methods."

This our final episode in our exploration of sex, bindu, rajas, and Brahmacharya and the second of two episodes looking at female practitioners especially.

We are joined by Tova Olsson, a scholar of religion, author, and yoga teacher with over 20 years of experience in education.

We discuss:

• The reproductive model of the yogic body vs Kundalini models
• How Tantra relates to methods of conserving vital energies
• How female practitioners can understand sexual continence in spiritual practice.

She holds a MA in Religious Studies and is currently working on her PhD, researching the construction of gender in contemporary tantra in Europe. She is the author of the book "Yoga and Tantra: history, philosophy and mythology" and runs the online school Saraswati-Studies, where she strives to combine an academic, critical understanding with the experience of a long-term practitioner, joining devotion and discernment. 

https://saraswati-studies.teachable.com

This is the first of two episodes expanding the previous topic of Sex, Semen Retention, and Brahmacharya as it may or may not apply to women.

Female practitioners of yoga don't show up in the old texts but there have been many female-specific physical practices through the ages. And who better to explain how to practice with these archaic information than Ruth Westoby.

Ruth Westoby is a yoga practitioner and academic researcher in yoga studies. Ruth Westoby holds a PhD from SOAS University of London on ‘The body in early haṭha yoga’, supervised by James Mallinson and Richard Williams. Ruth is working on two book projects from her doctoral thesis that passed without corrections. Ruth has published early research findings in the peer-reviewed Religions of South Asia and numerous public articles. Ruth is Visiting Lecturer in Indian Religions at Roehampton University, teaching postgraduate theory and method in the study of religion and undergraduate courses on asian religions, cultures and ethics, contemporary issues in global religions, being human and religion, ecology and politics. Ruth collaborated with the Haṭha Yoga Project’s ‘embodied philology’, interpreting postures from an 18th-century text teaching a precursor of modern yoga, the Haṭhābhyāsapaddhati, in 2016 and 2017. In 2010 she received an MA in Indian Religions from SOAS, University of London, with Distinction.

Ruth has practiced yoga for almost 30 years and in 2015 was authorized by Sharat Jois to teach Ashtanga level 2. Ruth has studied closely with and assisted Hamish Hendry and Richard Freeman. Ruth does not practice at studios that display images of Pattabhi Jois on altars in solidarity with those who were sexually abused by him. Ruth founded and chaired the successful environmental campaign for floodplain meadow restoration at Bartonsham Meadows, Hereford.

www.enigmatic.yoga [email protected] Instagram @ruthwestoby

This series has been quite popular. In our climactic (pun intended) episode, we speak to Richard Freeman about sex and Brahmacharya.

• The context of Brahmacharya within Patanjali's Ashtanga Yoga system
• Specific yoga poses and mudras that move sexual energy
• The use of mula bandha in using sexual energy to reinvigorate your body and mind
• How yoga can be used in all stages and spaces of life

We are happy to welcome back to the podcast Simon Borg-Olivier who has been practicing semen retention for over 30 years.

We discuss how semen retention, loving relationships, and mindful sex can enhance health and spiritual practice.

From Simon's bio: "I have been studying traditional forms of posture, movement, breathing and mental control for more than 50 years. Over this time I have worked as a research-based scientist, exercise-based physiotherapist and a university lecturer in several science fields. My passion for these subjects has led me to understand that the world is a very connected place. I believe that to make the world a better place people should treat each other, all life and the Earth itself in a way that acknowledges the connections between everything. I believe the best way of beginning this practise is to acknowledge and enhance the connections within yourself."

Find out more here: https://simonborgolivier.com/

This is the start of a three-episode exploration into one of yoga’s least understood, but possibly most important topics: Brahmacharya or as we might term it, semen retention. 

Through loss of semen (bindu), [his] lifespan is diminished and he becomes weak. .... Through constant retention of semen, a fine odour arises in the body of the yogin, (-) so the yogin should make every effort to preserve his semen.

(Dattātreya’s Discourse on Yoga, trans. James Mallinson)

This is just one of many similar instructions in yoga texts. So what are we to make of this practice? 

And what other issues are at play? Pornography and sex addiction are getting worse in our society. How can men handle some of their pressures and find more fulfilling relationships with themselves, their partners, and their practice?

Tyson Adams is a trauma-informed IFS men's coach, somatic bodyworker and psychedelic facilitator. After spending 20 years addicted to pornography, he outgrew it seven years ago and has found his passion and purpose in helping other men master their lifeforce energy. He also co-facilitates men's work leadership intensives and works with couples experiencing intimacy challenges. When he's not working you'll catch him on a rock wall or riding a slackline in sunny, San Diego.

https://thriive.kartra.com/page/lifeforcedojo

https://www.instagram.com/tysonadams__

In this episode, we explore the intersection of yoga and Ayurveda with Amy Landry. Amy, a global yoga teacher, mentor, and Ayurvedic practitioner, has shared her wisdom through renowned publications and sold-out retreats. She has focused on integrating Indian wisdom traditions into her daily life and we find out how she manages this balancing act. Join us as we dive into her journey, her approach to living yoga, and the blend of yoga and Ayurveda that shapes her practice.

https://amyelandry.com/