In this episode we chat with Celeste Tesorerio - a name well known in luxury fashion industry both within Australia and abroad. As Sustainability Manager of Roland Mouret and a member of the British Fashion Council’s Positive Fashion Committee, Celeste has worked with brands including Vivienne Westwood, Stella McCartney, Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen and Balenciaga as well as big retailers such as Net-a-Porter, Matches and Selfridges. Celeste also spent five years directing her own namesake label with her direct experience in the industry as a designer giving her a wealth of first-hand knowledge about the nuances of sustainability and ethical production. She is now the founder of Sonzai Studios - a sustainable fashion consulting business where she helps brands better their environmental presence with a move toward a brighter future of fashion.

What we talk about in this episode:

• What sustainable fashion actually is and if it’s even possible
• The shocking unsustainable parts of the fashion industry
• The process of how a plain cotton t-shirt is made
• The true cost of fashion
• Is sustainable fashion a privilege?
• Celeste's top ways to become more sustainable in the way we shop
• Ways fashion brands can become more sustainable and take greater responsibility
• The 1 thing you can start doing right to empower yourself with knowledge to make better decisions when it comes to buying clothes

Connect with Celeste:

• Sonzai Studios
• @celestetesoriero
• @sonzaistudios
• [email protected]

Books and Articles:

• RIISE Climate Credentials
• Sonzai Studio’s Journal - articles on all things sustainable fashion
• Sustainable swimwear guide by Celeste Tesoriero
• Sustainability By Leslie Paul Thiele
• Zero Waste Fashion Design by Timo Rissanen and Holly McQuillan

Resources:

• Sonzai Studio’s Journal - articles on all things sustainable fashion
• Sustainable swimwear guide by Celeste Tesoriero
• RIISE.Shop - all sustainable brands curated by Celeste
• Vestiare Collective
• The Real Real - hiring clothing
• Depop - hiring clothing

Instagram accounts to follow:

• RIISE 
• Sustainable Fashion Forum
• Stories behind things
• Climate council

Learn to meditate with us at Mahasoma --- follow us @mahasoma --- [email protected]

This episode we have the enlightening Vedic astrologer Blaine Watson back for another juicy session sharing his deep wisdom and experience of the Vedic science and technology known as yajña. On the surface it looks like a fire ceremony, where Vedic pandits are sitting around the fire, offering ghee and other sweet-smelling items, alongside chanting specific Vedic mantras to connect with the desired deity. What may look like an esoteric, occult, or religious practice, is actually a precise Vedic technology that uses consciousness, intention and vibration to resolve our karma and therefore change our future.

What we talk about in this episode:

• What yajña actually is, diving into the Vedic wisdom, beginning with a powerful sloka or verse from Rig Veda
• A poignant Vedic analogy for understanding how the world is created
• Karma + yajña
• How to change the future by altering our DNA in the present
• How you can engage with yajña 
• Yajña Q&A

Connect with Blaine and others:

• Blaine Watson - [email protected] - book in for a Jyotish (Vedic astrology) session or if you need to find your exact birth time, or if you would like a yagya performed on your behalf with the Pandits in India. 
• You can also email Blaine (above) to sign up for the ‘Auspicious Days’ of the Vedic calendar to be emailed to you monthly
• Join Sri Sakthi Amma for the 1000 day Sri Lalitha Yagam - email Beloved Narayani Foundation for details on when the yajña begins

Books:

• Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s Commentary on the Bhagavad Gita – Chapters 1-6 (chapter 3 – on yajña)
• Human Physiology: Expression of Veda and the Vedic Literature by Tony Nadar
• Devi Bhagavatam by Ramesh Menon – stories of Ma Durga (Navaratri)
• View some amazing old photos from LIFE Magazine in 1944, where Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s teacher, Swami Brahmananda Saraswati (Guru Deva), arranged and presided over a mahayagya (great yajña) to end WWII

Listen:

• Durga Sapta Shati – 700 Verses to Ma Durga
• Maharishi Veda App for mantra chanting and listening
• Vital Veda podcast episode with Dr Svoboda on connecting with our ancestors and how to perform shraddha

Verse from Rk Veda:

Richo akshare parame vyoman
Yasmin devaa adhi vishve nisheduh
Yas tan na veda kim richaa karishyati
Ya it tad vidus ta ime samaasate

The verses (richas) of the Veda exist in the collapse of fullness (the kshara of ‘A’) in the transcendental field, the Self, in which reside all the devas, the impulses of creative intelligence, the laws of nature responsible for the whole manifest universe. He whose awareness is not open to this field, what can the verses accomplish for him? Those who know this level of reality are e

Learn to meditate with us at Mahasoma --- follow us @mahasoma --- [email protected]

In this episode we speak with the divine Paige Hasaballah, otherwise known as Delta Venus. Delta is a visual communicator and intuitive conduit whose art and offerings are primarily about exploring consciousness. She works with her Egyptian lineage incorporating ancient spiritual practice into her creative expression. Her aim is to create space for the experience of oneness. Each artwork is designed to be lived with, meditated on, and experienced through. You can see her work by following @deltavenus on Instagram, we suggest having a look at Delta’s artwork as you listen to the episode to get a feel for her art.

What we talk about in this episode

• Delta’s Egyptian lineage and the Khemetic wisdom tradition she is part of
• Her process as an artist communicating these deep spiritual truths of life
• The science of imagery and its place in the ancient Egyptian culture
•  Our favourite topic, LOVE!
• We finish with some questions from our community on love as Delta openly and honestly shares from her direct experience.

Connect with Delta Venus

• Follow Paige Hasaballah @deltavenus on Instagram 
• Visit the Delta Venus print shop
• Explore Delta's Egyptian astrology prints
• Have your ‘energy portrait’ taken/created by Delta Venus
•  Purchase Delta's Know Thyself 72-card deck of questions for self-enquiry

Books

• Serpent in the Sky by John Anthony West
• Temple of the Cosmos by Jeremy Naydler
• The Opening of the Way: A Practical Guide to the Wisdom by Isha Schwaller de Lubicz
• The Ringing Cedars book series by Vladmir Megre - the wisdom of the Russian Vedic tradition through Anastasia

Podcast 

• A podcast with John Stuart Reid titled ‘The Startling Secrets of Sound’. John speaks about his experiences in the Pyramids with sound and hieroglyphics.    

Learn to meditate with us at Mahasoma --- follow us @mahasoma --- [email protected]

In this episode, we hear from Caroline Blanco - Mother, Vedic Meditation teacher, creative consultant & mentor. She lives and works on Bundjalung country nurturing individuals and teams to create, birth and live with deeper connection, purpose & freedom. After a deep healing journey from her traumatic first birth, Caroline recently free birthed her 2nd child undisturbed at home and in this episode she shares with us her learnings and experience.

* Trigger warning * - In this episode we talk about birth and birth trauma. Please give yourself the time and space needed to listen and reach out for support if you need.

WHAT WE TALK ABOUT IN THIS EPISODE:

• The possibilities of birth + breaking down the myths
• Medicalised birthing vs. free birthing
• What free birthing actually is
• The importance of centring the mother and her experience
• The role of a midwife
• How to create an empowering birth experience
• The connection between meditation and birth
• Caroline’s direct experience using mantra, Vedic philosophy, breath and Vedic meditation in preparation for sacred birthing.

CONNECT WITH CAROLINE

• Visit Caroline’s website to learn more about her offerings and Vedic meditation courses in Byron Bay
• Follow Caroline on Instagram @_____love_now
• [email protected]

RESOURCES

Listen 

• Podcasts:
  • Pregnancy Birth and Beyond
  • Vital Veda
• Narayani Moola Mantra by Edo and Jo
• Please email [email protected] to connect with us and receive the special Vedic birthing mantra

Read

• Sacred Birthing: Birthing a New Humanity - Sunni Karll
• A Compassionate Guide to Being With Birth - Jenny Blyth 
• Jane Hardwick Collins – HERstory

Instagram

• @ripsnorter
• @michellepalasia 
• @wild.womb.witch
• @indigenous.doulas
• @_rosierick_
• @wild.pregnancy_free.birth
• @padmini_yoni 
• @bushrat_
• @zoe_bosco

Learn to meditate with us at Mahasoma --- follow us @mahasoma --- [email protected]

In this episode Mahasoma teachers Laura Poole and Sarah O’Brien come together to talk about Sarah’s journey into Vedic meditation. Sarah’s comes from a background in legal advocacy. After finishing her law degree, Sarah jumped straight into working in human rights and administrative law, which was what she had spent her 7 years at university hoping to do. In a pretty short period of time, she witnessed the way we currently try to make change in the world and it began to feel that for her, the legal industry wasn’t the way she could have the best impact. As Sarah went deeper into Vedic knowledge, travelled to India and really allowed herself to dream, she came to understand that teaching people new (or should we say re-enlivening old) ways of seeing the world was going to have much more of an impact than her current work. 

Sarah came to understand that it is through the mind of each person that we gain our community. It is therefore vital to influence the way individuals see the world so that we as a community can be more inclusive, multi-generational, and compassionate. She now understands this is how we can create true change.

What we talk about

• How Sarah came to learn Vedic meditation herself
• What she learnt about making change, both in career and mindset
• Sarah's journey of transitioning from being a lawyer to a meditation teacher
• Her passion for creating change in the world which looks a little different to how she thought it would
• The three parts of evolutionary change through the Vedic lens (creation, maintenance and destruction)
• How to engage with each phase of evolution
• The purpose and necessity of compassion
• How true compassion often involves strong action but is ultimately a freeing experience
• The misinterpretation of wisdom that leads to spiritual bypassing
• The dismantling of this misinterpretation and how to correct our vision
• Why we shouldn’t get defensive when people point out to us where we need to change
• The need for us to collectively dream a better world together

Connect with Sarah

• [email protected]
• @sarahobrien_meditation
• Learn Vedic meditation with Sarah

Books to read

• Read Maharishi Mahesh Yogi on the Bhagavad Gita: A New Translation and Commentary, Chapters 1-6

Learn to meditate with us at Mahasoma --- follow us @mahasoma --- [email protected]

In this episode our Mahasoma teacher Laura Poole speaks with our Vedic Astrologer, Blaine Watson. Vedic Astrology, or ‘Jyotiṣa’ as it is called in Sanskrit, has become an increasingly popular way of taking care of one’s future. Jyotiṣa means the ‘best of lights’. It’s the Vedic science of bringing awareness or light to the evolutionary process of life, predicting what’s coming and revealing that which is hidden from view, so we can adapt, adjust our behaviour, make better decisions and create greater coherent flow for ourselves as individuals and our society as a whole.

Blaine Watson is a  Vedic astrologer who has been studying astrology since childhood. On a trip to India in 1980 while spending time with his teacher and Guru, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, he became deeply interested in Vedic astrology and began studying in earnest. After several years of self-study in India, USA, Spain, Netherlands and Switzerland, Blaine was personally certified as an expert in jyotiṣa by the Dean of the Department of Sanskrit at Benares Hindu University in Varanasi, India in 1989. He has been a professional astrologer for over 30 years and has more than 30,000 clients in over 30 countries. People find him only via word of mouth as the Vedic tradition with which he is associated does not permit him to advertise.

What we talk about

• The true purpose of jyotiṣa – both on the individual level and the cosmic level
• The difference between Western astrology and yyotiṣa
• What influences an individual’s chart
• Karma and past lives
• How to remedy afflictions in our charts
• The power of yajña to restructure our DNA
• Saturn returns and 'sadi sati'
• The 12 zodiac signs personalities and traits
• Intuition vs. jyotiṣa
• Free will vs. determinism
• How to study jyotiṣa and become a Vedic astrologer

Connect with Blaine.

Blaine is currently booked for all Vedic astrology sessions for 12 months and isn’t taking any new clients. However you can sign up to Blaine’s daily inspirational email via [email protected].

Resources

Listen

• Listen to Blaine on the Vital Veda Podcast
• Ep 49 - Karmic Relationships, Why am I single? & Past Lives
• Ep 41 - Celestial Organisation of Life with Vedic Astrology

Online learning

• David Frawley's online courses for learning Jyotish

Books

• Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's Commentary on the Bhagavad Gita (we suggest trying to finder an earlier copy of the book, ideally from the 1960s-1970s)
• Light On Life by Hart Defouw
• The Greatness of Saturn by Robert Svoboda
• A Story Like The Wind (The Collected works of Laurens van der Post) - What Blaine read during his sadi sati that changed his perspective on life forever.

Learn to meditate with us at Mahasoma --- follow us @mahasoma --- [email protected]

In this episode we are joined by our dear friends, Daniela Prema and Sole De Riccio from Soma Shakti, to talk about postpartum care and how to apply the wisdom of Ayurveda to create greater health, nourishment, and vitality.

What we talk about

• What an Ayurveda postpartum doula is
• Why it is such important support to have
• The sacred window of the 40-days after birth
• Foods to eat and avoid
• Ayurvedic herbs to take
• Massage and belly wrapping
• The role of meditation as a newborn mother
• How as women we can support each other in this journey
• How to become an Ayurveda postpartum doula.

Connect with Soma Shakti

• www.soma-shakti.com.au
• Follow @soma.shakti
• Follow @soledelriccio

Resources

• Become an Ayurveda postpartum doula with Soma Shakti
• Become a wise women birthkeeper with Soma Shakti
• Discount code for Soma Shakti online store: MAHASOMA10
• Soma Shakti Recipe Book for newborn mothers – E-Book & Printed Version
• Ojas building hot milk recipe
• Ayurveda herbs for postpartum care:        
  • Self-massage (abhayanga) oils for mother and baby
  • Breastfeeding Ayurveda protein shake
  • Post-natal Ayurveda tonics by Vital Veda
  • Ayurveda herb ‘Galakol’ for increasing ease and flow of lactation by Vital Veda
• Episode 5 - Ayurveda for menstruation, pre-conception and conscious conception & Episode 6 - Ayurveda for pregnancy, birth and postpartum care
• Mahasoma Resources – Conscious Conception, Pregnancy and Birth
• Ya Devi Mantra on Spotify
• Healing Mantras of the Divine Mother
• Find an Ayurveda postpartum doula: 
  • Australian Birth Stories Directory
  • Home Births NSW
• Become an Ayurveda postpartum doula with Sacred Window Studies
• Conscious Postpartum Care
• The Ringing Cedars Book Series

Learn to meditate with us at Mahasoma --- follow us @mahasoma --- [email protected]

Up next on the Mahasoma Podcast we have author, speaker and relationship coach John Gray. He is the author of the most well-known and trusted relationship book of all time, Men Are from Mars, Women Are From Venus. It was the #1 best-selling book in the 90’s and one of the top 10 most influential books of the last quarter century. John joins us on the Mahasoma podcast to talk about the world of intimate relationships.

What we talk about

• Role-mate vs. soul-mate relationships
• Understanding hormones and behaviour differences in men and women
• Why so many women are unhappy in the modern world
• Why women attract needy men
• The intersection of meditation and relationship work
• Understanding the female menstrual cycle (both for women and men)
• How we can engage in certain behaviours at certain times of the menstrual cycle to increase hormonal balance, sexual intimacy and happiness

Check out our journal post for the full interview

Connect with John Gray

• Mars Venus website
• John Gray on Instagram 
• John Gray on Facebook - video content and FB live
• Mars Venus online courses

Resources

• Listen to more of John on the Lifestylist podcast, then jump into another episode to hear more of his story
• Visit John’s blog to hear more of his insights into relationship dynamics. We love the following: 
  • ‘What leave me alone actually means in a relationship’ 
  • ‘How to balance the burden in a relationship’
  • ‘Tired of dating? Here’s how to get excited again!’
  • And heaps of great posts on wellness, from tips for working through anxiety to helping create oestrogen and testosterone naturally. 

Books

• Men Are from Mars, Women Are From  Venus by John Gray
• Beyond Mars

Learn to meditate with us at Mahasoma --- follow us @mahasoma --- [email protected]

Today we have a brilliant, thought-provoking, challenging and just all round awesome episode for you all! Vedic meditation teacher Laura Poole is in conversation with Meg Ulman of Artist as Family. Meg lives with her partner Patrick, their sons Woody and Zephyr and their dog Zero in Daylesford, Victoria on a ¼ acre permaculture plot. It’s home to their ‘School of Applied Neopeasantry’ at Tree Elbow University on Djaara peoples' country. They live a life of deep connection to Nature and community, teaching radical neo-peasant homemaking, community economy making and other accountable living skills.

What we talk about

• How to get started living a permaculture life
• Unlearning, growing up and up-skilling
• Unschooling our kids
• Teaching ecological literacy to the next generation
• The magic of compost
• Learning from our first peoples and their connection to country
• The importance of dismantling patriarchy
• Capitalism and neo-liberalism to reclaim community and connection
• The complexity of living on unceded land
• Divesting from capitalist systems
• The one thing you can do right now to begin the change

Check out our journal post for the full interview + all the resources mentioned

Connect with Meg + Artist is Family

• Artist as Family Instagram
• Artist as Family Blog
• Artist as Family YouTube
• Permaculture Living Course at the School of Neopeseantry
• Read ‘The Art of Free Travel’ inspired by their 400 day journey on bikes from Daylesford to Cape York and back
• Watch their episodes on Happen Films

Websites

• Retro Suburbia
• Holmgren Design
• Permaculture Principles
• Permaculture Australia
• Transition towns
• HRN – Hepburn Relocalisation Network
• Milkwood Permaculture
• Happen Films - @happenfilms
• Wim Hof

Documentaries

• The World According to Monsanto
• Bullshit – Vandana Shiva
• King Corn
• The Need to Grow
• Kiss the Earth

Books

• The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is

Learn to meditate with us at Mahasoma --- follow us @mahasoma --- [email protected]

This episode, Vedic meditation teacher Laura Poole is in discussion with Simon Borg-Olivier on 'The Misconceptions of Modern Yoga'. Simon is a biologist, physiotherapist and yoga teacher based in Sydney, Australia. He has spent decades sharing his incredible knowledge of the human anatomy and physiology, and is a master at teaching the foundations of traditional yoga to a modern audience. Simon’s motto for life is “Tense less, stress less, breath less, think less, eat less.” We love this and hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did.

What we talk about

• Simon’s personal journey into the world of yoga and meditation
• What real yoga is
• The difference between modern and traditional practice - the good the bad and ugly!
• Static meditation vs. moving meditation
• How to live in your body in a relaxed way
• The signs to look for that are the expression of 'healthy exercise'
• Whether stretching is actually beneficial for us
• How get a cardio workout without stressing the heart

Check out our journal post for the full interview

Connect with Simon and learn more

• Connect with Simon Borg-Olivier on Instagram
• Learn more from Simon on his official Facebook Page

Resources

• Get a feel for Simon’s work with these FREE 4 practice video sequences and accompanying PDFs
• Find out more about Simon's 'Health Happiness and Longevity' monthly membership
• Join Simon for in-person or online for yoga (movement and breath work) classes at Yoga Synergy
• Subscribe to Simon’s newsletter via his website for more information on what’s coming up, or check out some practice videos on his website

Learn to meditate with us at Mahasoma --- follow us @mahasoma --- [email protected]