Integral Yoga Podcast

How does conscious breathing alter cellular energy, reduce inflammation, and calm the nervous system?

In this episode of the Integral Yoga Podcast, host Avi Gordon sits down with Dr. Sundar Balasubramanian (PhD, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500)—biochemist, yoga therapist, Associate Professor in Radiation Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), and founder of the PranaScience Institute.

Dr. Sundar shares insights from his NIH-funded research into the biological mechanisms of Pranayama. He explains how techniques like mindful breathing and humming (Bhramari) impact salivary biomarkers, cellular health, and inflammation—offering practical, evidence-based applications for cancer survivors, stress reduction, fatigue, and healthy aging.

Stick around until the end of the episode for a guided Pranayama exercise inspired by traditional yogic wisdom that you can practice right now.

• 02:15 – Understanding Prana and cellular energy
• 08:40 – The science of slow breathing and salivary biomarkers
• 16:05 – Humming techniques (Bhramari) for stress and vagus nerve stimulation
• 24:30 – Clinical findings: Pranayama for cancer survivors, fatigue, and inflammation
• 33:10 – How to build a simple, sustainable daily breath practice
• 41:50 – Overcoming resistance to meditation through breathwork
• 48:15 – Guided Pranayama Practice with Dr. Sundar

Dr. Sundar Balasubramanian, PhD, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Radiation Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), Director of the Radiation Medicine Wellness Program, and Founder of the PranaScience Institute. As a biochemist, certified yoga therapist, and researcher, he bridges ancient yogic tradition with modern medical science. His NIH-funded work uses biomarkers, digital health tools, and community-based interventions to demonstrate the measurable clinical effects of yogic breathing. He is also the author of multiple books on Pranayama.

• Learn More: www.pranascience.com
• Follow Dr. Sundar: instagram: @pranascience. Facebook

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Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

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What is the Self beyond identity, and how can yoga and meditation help us experience greater inner freedom?

In this episode of the Integral Yoga Podcast, Avi Gordon speaks with Kriya Yoga teacher and author Ryan Kurczak about the deeper teachings of Yoga, meditation, awareness, and spiritual freedom. They explore how meditation helps us step back from conditioned identities without disconnecting from everyday life, and how the Yoga Sutras and Sankhya philosophy offer a practical framework for understanding the relationship between the Seer and our daily experiences.

Together, Avi and Ryan discuss:

• Unhooking from emotional patterns, trauma, and identity

• Applying truthfulness (Satya), discipline, and the gunas (Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas)

• Insights from Ryan’s book, The Samadhi of Water, including the practice of samyama

• Moving from physical experience toward subtler states of awareness through curiosity and practice

🌐 Support & Learn More:

To learn more about the Integral Yoga Podcast, or support our work with a donation, visit: https://iyta.org/podcast/

📹 Prefer to watch? You can view the full video version of this interview on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSEfQt1CjKo

👤 GUEST: Ryan Kurczak was initiated into Kriya Yoga in 2000 and ordained to teach in 2005 by Roy Eugene Davis, a direct student of Paramahansa Yogananda. He is the author of several books on spirituality and astrology, and founder of the 2-Year Kriya Yoga Apprenticeship Program.

Connect with Ryan:

🌐 Website for information on programs and books: https://www.KriyaYogaOnline.com

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryan_kurczak

▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KriyaYogaOnline

🎙️ HOST: Avi Gordon hosts the Integral Yoga Podcast, featuring conversations that explore Yoga philosophy, meditation, self-awareness, consciousness, and practical approaches to living a more meaningful life.If you enjoyed this episode, please follow or subscribe to the Integral Yoga Podcast on your favorite listening app, and consider leaving us a rating or review to help others discover these conversations!

Thanks for being you!

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Can conscious breathing help us heal, find inner peace, and reconnect with our true selves?

In this episode, host Avi Gordon speaks with Heike Amma Farkas about breathwork, self-healing, and spiritual growth. Heike shares her personal journey with pranayama and conscious connected breathing, and how it has deepened her sense of peace, gratitude, and connection to her higher self.

Avi and Heike explore why running from uncomfortable emotions doesn't resolve them — and how embracing anger, fear, and pain with compassion can open the door to healing. They also discuss the link between breath and mind, the role of gratitude in emotional wellbeing, and why self-responsibility is key to lasting transformation.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• How breathwork supports healing and personal transformation
• Why self-love and self-acceptance are essential for growth
• How to embrace difficult emotions instead of avoiding them
• The connection between breath, mind, and consciousness
• Breathwork as a tool for stress relief and inner balance
• The relationship between breathwork, meditation, and yoga

Guest: Heike Amma Farkas has been a certified Integral Yoga Teacher since 1993 and an Integral Yoga Teacher Trainer in Germany since 2002. She's the author of Partner Yoga and leads the Integral Yoga Centre in Augsburg, Germany. Her background as a schoolteacher, massage therapist, and naturopath informs her teaching, and her devotion to Sri Swami Satchidananda — whom she met in Alaska in 1990 — remains her deepest inspiration.

Learn more: integralyoga.de

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Yoga, Meditation, Arthritis & Chronic Pain Relief with Steffany Moonaz

What if changing your relationship with pain could change the way you experience it?

In this episode of the Integral Yoga Podcast, host Avi Gordon sits down with research scientist and yoga therapist Steffany Moonaz for an insightful conversation about yoga, meditation, mindfulness, movement, and living with chronic pain and arthritis. Steffany shares an evidence-informed perspective on how yoga therapy can help people develop greater body awareness, understand their individual limitations, and discover safe and sustainable ways to move.

Together, they explore topics including chronic pain, arthritis, yoga therapy, meditation, mindfulness, breathwork, body scan meditation, fear avoidance, radical autonomy, yoga philosophy, gratitude, joy, and the mind-body connection. Rather than focusing on pushing through pain, Steffany explains how learning to listen to the body and changing our relationship with pain can support greater awareness, confidence, and well-being.

Whether you're living with chronic pain or arthritis, practicing yoga or meditation, or simply interested in understanding the relationship between the mind and body, this conversation offers practical insights and thoughtful perspectives for developing a more compassionate and sustainable approach to movement and healing.

In this episode, you'll hear about:

* How yoga therapy can support people living with chronic pain and arthritis

* The relationship between the brain and the experience of pain

* Using meditation and mindfulness to change our relationship with pain

* Breathwork as a practical tool for everyday well-being

* Body scan meditation and developing greater body awareness

* Fear avoidance and finding safe, appropriate movement

* Why listening to your own body is essential

* Radical autonomy and honoring individual needs in yoga practice

* The role of joy and gratitude in creating sustainable practices

* Yoga philosophy and the deeper mind-body connection

Guest: Steffany Moonaz

Dr. Steffany Moonaz, PhD, C-IAYT, is a research scientist, certified yoga therapist, author, and founder of Yoga for Arthritis. Combining over a decade of public health research with deep yogic philosophy, her work focuses on the intersection of yoga, chronic pain, and evidence-informed practice to make yoga safe, accessible, and transformative for everyone.

Connect with Dr. Moonaz:

🌐 Website: arthritis.yoga

📷 Instagram: @yogaforarthritis

📘 Facebook: @Yoga4Arthritis

Host: Avi Gordon

Avi Gordon hosts the Integral Yoga Podcast, where he speaks with spiritual teachers, researchers, authors, and practitioners about yoga, meditation, mindfulness, conscious living, personal growth, health, and holistic well-being.

If this conversation resonates with you, consider following the Integral Yoga Podcast and sharing this episode with someone who may benefit from its insights.

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What if yoga is more than a physical practice? What if it can become a pathway to deeper self-awareness, spiritual awakening, healing, and discovering the divine within?

In this episode of the Integral Yoga Podcast, host Avi Gordon welcomes Sita Severson, Director of Soul of Yoga, for a thoughtful conversation about yoga, spirituality, consciousness, meditation, identity, self-love, addiction recovery, and personal transformation.

Sita shares her deeply personal journey through addiction recovery, agoraphobia, trauma, self-loathing, and spiritual struggle, and how yoga and spiritual practice helped her develop a deeper relationship with herself and the divine.

Avi and Sita explore the transformative power of Sadhana, mantra, meditation, self-observation, and surrender, and how these practices can help us recognize unconscious patterns and make more conscious choices.

The conversation also explores the question of who we are beyond our identities and the roles we play. They discuss the relationship between ego, identity, consciousness, and awakening, as well as Samkhya philosophy, Purusha and Prakriti, Shakti, grace, higher consciousness, Shunya, and ego death.

Sita also introduces the idea of becoming a “self-scientist”—learning to observe our thoughts, habits, choices, environment, and experiences so we can better understand ourselves and live with greater awareness.

This episode offers an inspiring exploration of yoga as a path not only toward physical well-being, but also toward healing, self-awareness, spiritual awakening, and a deeper connection with our true nature.

Guest: Sita Severson

Host: Avi Gordon

Podcast: Integral Yoga Podcast

Sita Severson is the Director of the Soul of Yoga Institute and a spiritual mentor known for weaving science and spirit into a grounded path of healing and transformation. As an Ayurvedic Practitioner, Yoga Therapist, author, and longtime teacher on The Shift Network and Wisdom From North, she guides people through the deeper thresholds of their lives so they can live in alignment with their dharma.

Her work rests on the knowing that the mind and body are not separate but reflections of one field. She helps people release the stories held in their muscles and bones, uncoil old pain in the nervous system, and soften the patterns that keep the mind in survival mode. Through this, she teaches a relationship with the inner world that is consistent, honest, and strong, creating harmony in the mind, freedom in the body, and a renewed sense of belonging to one’s own life.

Her teaching background includes yoga and meditation programs for Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins Hospital, and the Baltimore County Department of Aging. She has supported thousands through Ayurveda, Yoga Therapy, somatic work, and Vedic counseling, offering insight that is both intuitive and precise. Her work is known for restoring core vitality, honoring both the sacred and the ordinary, and helping people understand the different forces shaping their lives.

Website

On Instagram

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Learn more about the Integral Yoga Teachers Association: http://www.iyta.org/

Explore. Awaken. Grow.

Integral Yoga Podcast — Conversations for a Deeper Journey Within.

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What does it truly mean to live with greater awareness, compassion, and presence?

In this episode of the Integral Yoga Podcast, host Avi Gordon sits down with renowned spiritual teacher and kirtan artist Krishna Das for a heartfelt conversation about the inner journey of awakening. Drawing on decades of spiritual practice and the teachings of Maharaji (Neem Karoli Baba) and Ram Dass, Krishna Das shares practical wisdom for navigating everyday life with more love, acceptance, and peace.

Together, they explore topics including karma, reincarnation, ego, meditation, bhakti yoga, mantra chanting, mindfulness, unconditional love, gratitude, healing, and the role of spiritual community. Rather than offering abstract philosophy, Krishna Das explains how these timeless teachings can help us meet life's challenges with greater clarity, compassion, and resilience.

Whether you're beginning a meditation practice, exploring yoga philosophy, or simply looking for inspiration on your personal path, this conversation offers thoughtful insights into cultivating inner freedom and living with a more open heart.

In this episode, you'll hear about:

* Karma and how our actions shape our lives

* Reincarnation and spiritual evolution

* Letting go of ego and attachment

* Bhakti Yoga, mantra chanting, and meditation

* The influence of Maharaji (Neem Karoli Baba) and Ram Dass

* Healing through compassion, gratitude, and presence

* The value of Satsang and spiritual community

* Finding lasting peace through everyday spiritual practice

Guest: Krishna Das

Krishna Das is one of the world's most respected kirtan artists and spiritual teachers. Through his music, retreats, and teachings, he has introduced countless people to Bhakti Yoga and the transformative practice of mantra meditation. His work continues to inspire people around the world to cultivate devotion, compassion, and inner peace.

Host: Avi Gordon

Avi Gordon hosts the Integral Yoga Podcast, where he speaks with spiritual teachers, authors, and practitioners about meditation, yoga, conscious living, personal growth, and holistic well-being.

If this conversation resonates with you, consider following the Integral Yoga Podcast and sharing this episode with someone who may benefit from its wisdom.

• 00:00 – Introduction & Welcome with Avi Gordon
• 02:15 – Maharaji (Neem Karoli Baba), Ram Dass & Spiritual Beginnings
• 08:00 – Bhakti Yoga, Devotional Chanting & Mantra Practice
• 14:30 – Understanding Karma, Reincarnation & Spiritual Growth
• 21:10 – Ego, Attachment & Living in the Present
• 28:45 – The Transformative Power of Mantras & Kirtan
• 35:20 – Unconditional Love, Compassion & Presence
• 42:50 – Grace vs. Personal Effort on the Spiritual Path
• 50:15 – Healing Trauma, Suffering & Finding Inner Peace
• 56:40 – Satsang: The Power of Spiritual Community
• 1:01:10 – Final Wisdom, Gratitude & Closing Thoughts

Connect with Krishna Das:

• Website: https://krishnadas.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/krishnadasmusic
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@KrishnaDasMusic

Connect with Host Avi Gordon & Integral Yoga:

• Integral Yoga Teachers Association: http://www.iyta.org
• Contact: [email protected] | 434-969-3121, ext. 159

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In this episode of the Integral Yoga Podcast (Ep. 152), we sit down with master percussionist and sound healer Arjun Bruggeman. Known extensively for his decades of touring and playing the tabla alongside kirtan wallah Krishna Das, Arjun shares his profound evolutionary journey from a young punk-rock-loving drummer to a devotional musician and sound journey guide.

Arjun opens up about his early life, the hilarious story of how he got his first drum kit, and his first chaotic introduction to the world of kirtan. He dives deep into what happens internally while anchoring a room full of chanters, sharing incredible transcendent experiences of devotion and the feeling of complete stillness on stage.

We also explore his shift during the pandemic toward his solo "Sound Journey" work—inspired by the etheric nature of the Northern Lights—and how he uses meditation and ambient percussion to help others drop out of the mind and into the "sensation arts" of the body.

🌿 In This Episode You'll Discover:

• The Chaos of Kirtan: Arjun’s transition from heavy metal and punk rock to playing tabla for Krishna Das.

• Stillness in Action: What it feels like to find complete stillness and "watch your body play" on stage.

• Belief vs. Knowing: How direct, experiential moments dissolve intellectual spiritual concepts.

• The "Sensation Arts": Shifting out of the analytical mind and into the deep sensation of being present in the body.

• Sound as a Portal: How Arjun designs solo sound journeys using ambient percussion and mantra.

• Devotion & Teachers: Reflections on his time with spiritual teachers like Siddhi Ma.

⏱️ Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction & early musical roots (heavy metal, punk, and prog rock)

01:13 - The hilarious story of Arjun's first drum kit

04:41 - First impressions of Kirtan (and why it originally felt like "a mess")

06:05 - What happens internally while drumming for Krishna Das

07:14 - Experiencing out-of-body stillness on stage

09:05 - A transcendent vision of Neem Karoli Baba/Maharajji

11:00 - Facing suffering at age 16 & early meditative experiences

13:19 - Is something wrong with the world? The paradox of acceptance

15:37 - Transitioning to solo "Sound Journeys" and the Northern Lights

18:41 - The "Sensation Arts" & dropping out of the analytical mind

22:10 - The critical difference between Belief vs. Experiential Knowing

25:23 - Surrendering in the presence of Siddhi Ma

About Arjun Bruggeman:

Arjun is a world-renowned percussionist, tabla player, and sound healer. For nearly two decades, he has accompanied Krishna Das worldwide, grounding the rhythm of global kirtan practices. Today, he also leads his own retreats and solo sound journeys, blending ancient ambient sensibilities with deep meditation.

Connect with Arjun:

• Website: https://www.arjunspace.com/

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arjunbruggeman/

• Spotify: Listen to Arjun's Music: https://open.spotify.com/search/arjun%20bruggeman

💬 If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Integral Yoga Podcast on Acast, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Your support helps us share these inspiring conversations on yoga, devotion, and conscious living with the world!

#IntegralYoga #IntegralYogaPodcast #ArjunBruggeman #AviGordon #Kirtan #Tabla #KrishnaDas #SoundHealing #Meditation #Devotion #SoundJourney #InnerPeace

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EP-151 | Muktan Pappalardo: Meditation, Mindfulness & Spiritual Growth | Integral Yoga Podcast – In this powerful episode, Muktan Pappalardo shares profound insights on spirituality, mindfulness, meditation, self-discovery, and living a conscious life.

Welcome to another inspiring episode of the Integral Yoga Podcast. In this deep and thought-provoking conversation, we sit down with Muktan Pappalardo to explore the journey of self-awareness, spiritual growth, meditation, yoga, and conscious living in today's fast-paced world.

Muktan shares his personal experiences, lessons learned throughout his life, and practical wisdom for those seeking greater clarity, purpose, and inner peace. This conversation dives into the importance of mindfulness, understanding consciousness, overcoming mental challenges, cultivating a meaningful life, and integrating spiritual practices into everyday living.

Whether you're interested in yoga philosophy, meditation, personal development, mental wellness, or spiritual transformation, this episode offers valuable perspectives and actionable insights that can support your journey toward a more balanced and fulfilling life.

Throughout the discussion, we explore topics such as self-discovery, awareness, emotional resilience, personal growth, conscious decision-making, inner transformation, and the role of ancient wisdom in modern society. Muktan's unique perspective provides inspiration for anyone seeking a deeper connection with themselves and the world around them.

If you enjoy meaningful conversations about spirituality, consciousness, yoga, meditation, self-improvement, and holistic well-being, be sure to subscribe and join us for future episodes of the Integral Yoga Podcast.

🎙️ Guest: Dr. Gabe "Muktan" Pappalardo

You can get Amaru: The Self-care Virtual Pet, support the sequel, or contact Dr. Gabe by visiting www.sixwingstudios.com.

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What if your brilliance isn't something you become — but something you reveal?

Diana Esther is a Transformational Teacher, International Speaker, and creator of the Diamond Within Method — a framework that uses the Diamond Clarity Grading system as a model for human transformation. Just as a diamond's inclusions obscure its natural clarity, our limiting beliefs, emotional patterns, and stored experiences keep us disconnected from who we truly are. Diana's work bridges emotional healing, embodiment, and universal spiritual principles — guiding people from survival and disconnection back to themselves.

Her own path has been shaped by intensity and resilience, including a miraculous recovery from lymphatic cancer and profound personal challenges across continents. She doesn't teach from theory. She guides from lived wisdom.

In this episode, Diana takes us through the beautiful metaphor at the heart of her work: just as a rough diamond contains extraordinary brilliance before anyone cuts or polishes it, so do we. The gifts, the purpose, the light — it's all already there. The journey is learning to see it, trust it, and let it shine.

We talk about why we are spirits on a human journey (not the other way around), how feelings are our compass rather than our mind, why gratitude is a portal rather than just an emotion, and how love — specifically self-love — is the single most powerful thing we can offer the world.

Diana also shares the story of how a deleted book manuscript in the middle of the night became a lesson from the universe, and why a Lebanese chef confirmed everything she believes about love as an ingredient.

"As kids we like to play hide and seek — and that's what life is all about. Our brilliance is hidden within us and it takes our life journey to find it."

- Diana Esther

Topics covered:

• The Diamond Within Method and how it was born during COVID
• Spirit on a human journey vs. human on a spiritual journey
• Belief = Be + Live
• Resistance, flow, and divine timing
• Uniqueness as the antidote to comparison
• Fear, love, and emotional balance
• Feelings as our internal compass
• Gratitude as a portal
• Self-love and its effect on everyone around us
• Conscious living in everyday moments
• The malfunctioning program running in the background of the mind

Connect with Diana Esther:

Website: https://www.dianaesther.co.uk/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Diana.Esther.Berschader

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diana_esther_berschader_/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diana-esther-the-diamond-within/

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Most of us are holding on — in our bodies, our identities, our relationships — without even knowing it. This conversation is about learning to let go.

"We're really good at holding on — to our material things, our identity, our grudges, our correctness. But letting go, that muscle is a little weak in us." — Leslie Howard

Leslie is a yoga teacher, pelvic health specialist, death doula, and author of Pelvic Liberation and the forthcoming Between Breath and Death. In this wide-ranging conversation, she shares how chronic pain led her to specialize in pelvic floor health, why most people (including athletes and yoga practitioners) are too tight — not too loose — and how the same principle of letting go that heals the pelvic floor also applies to identity, suffering, and ultimately, death.

We explore:

• Why 75% of the people Leslie works with have a hypertonic (too tight) pelvic floor — and what causes it

• The connection between trauma, breathing patterns, and chronic pelvic tension

• How savasana can be a portal to genuine non-dual experience

• The relationship between over-identification with the self and suffering

• Gratitude as a daily practice — and why the details matter

• What sitting with dying people has taught Leslie about how to live

Leslie's website

New book

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If this conversation resonated with you, please subscribe and share it with someone who might need it.

0:00 Introduction

0:08 How Leslie found her way into yoga, pelvic health & death work

4:08 Pelvic floor 101: what's actually going on for most people

5:35 Hypertonic pelvic floor — why tight isn't the same as strong

6:26 Trauma, breathing, and chronic pelvic holding

7:37 Tone vs. tightness: what we actually want from the pelvic floor

8:15 Body awareness, attention & the limits of knowing your own body

10:24 Sexual conditioning, shame & their effect on pelvic health

14:15 Are men's and women's pelvic floor issues that different?

16:46 Savasana as a taught pose — Leslie's approach

19:17 Why stillness has become a radical act

20:48 Practical tools for a guided savasana: mantra, mudra & breath

22:18 The experience of "no Leslie" — dissolving identity in savasana

24:43 Over-identification with self as the root of suffering

25:16 What does oneness actually imply? The no-enemy perspective

27:22 Taking action without losing your center

30:04 How to catch yourself and come back to awareness

33:07 What generates our thoughts? The koan approach

34:35 Blame culture and the difficulty of accountability

36:39 What happens in the body when you switch into compassion

38:45 Letting go as a practice — parallels between pelvic work and dying

43:53 What death doula work has done for Leslie personally

45:34 Appreciation for simplicity and the daily three-things practice

49:24 Letters of gratitude — a group practice

53:02 Where to find Leslie and her books

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