The Uplifted Yoga Podcast

What's the best way to connect with the Divine?

Through a personal relationship with a God you can name, picture, pray to, and love or through meditation on something infinite, formless, and beyond personality?

That's the practical question Arjuna asks Krishna in Bhagavad Gita Chapter 12. Krishna's answer opens a conversation about Bhakti Yoga, devotion, meditation, and what to do when spiritual practice feels difficult.

In this episode:

🔹 Why devotion and meditation on the formless Divine can lead to the same destination, but one may be easier for the human heart and mind

🔹 The compassionate "ladder" Krishna offers when constant devotion feels impossible

🔹 How the Bhagavad Gita and Yoga Sutras approach practice differently

🔹 Why Krishna says spiritual maturity is measured not by mystical experiences, but by patience, compassion, forgiveness, steadiness, and how we treat others

It's easy to measure practice by how often we meditate, how much yoga we do, or the experiences we've had.

But Chapter 12 asks a more uncomfortable question: What is your practice producing in your character?

Want to go deeper between episodes? Subscribe to my new Uplifted Substack for yoga philosophy, reflections, teachings, and conversations delivered straight to your inbox: https://substack.com/@upliftedtrainings

📖 Different translations explored:

Barbara Stoler Miller: https://www.amazon.com/Bhagavad-Gita-Krishnas-Counsel-Bantam-Classics/dp/0553213652

Godsong by Amit Majmudar: https://www.amazon.com/Godsong-Verse-Translation-Bhagavad-Gita-Commentary/dp/1524733474

Eknath Easwaran: https://www.amazon.com/Bhagavad-Gita-2nd-Eknath-Easwaran/dp/1586380192

Bhagavad-Gita As It Is by Swami Prabhupada: https://www.amazon.com/Bhagavad-Gita-As-Bhaktivedanta-Swami-Prabhupada/dp/0892131233

FREE Practice: Easy Kundalini Yoga for Women | Kriya to be DIVINE LOVE EMBODIED

Relevant Blog: Discover the Benefits of the Gobinday Mukunday Mantra for Well-Being

Relevant to Today's Episode:

🐍 History of Yoga

📖 Yoga Life Book

✅ 200-hour Online Yoga Teacher Training

💖 Uplifted Membership

🎧 Also Listen to:

#427 – What Is Bhakti Yoga? Krishna's Most Confidential Teaching (Bhagavad Gita Chapter 9)

#430 – How the Divine Speaks: The Neuroscience of Sacred Storytelling (Part 2)

#433 – Vibhuti Yoga – See the Sacred Everywhere: Bhagavad Gita Chapter 10

© 2026 Uplifted Yoga | BrettLarkin.com

You don't have to fly to Rome to marvel at incredible architecture. One of the most sophisticated engineering masterpieces you'll encounter is already attached to your leg.

Each foot contains 26 bones, 33 joints, three arches, and more than 100 muscles, tendons, and ligaments. All absorbing force, helping you balance, communicating with your brain, and adapting to the ground beneath you.

In this final episode of our anatomy series, we're giving your feet the attention they deserve.

In this episode:

🔹 How the three arches work together like a suspension bridge to support, absorb force, and adapt with every step

🔹 Why your feet are sensory organs and how they influence the entire kinetic chain above them

🔹 The barefoot vs. supportive shoe debate, why plantar fasciitis is so common, and why there isn't one right answer for every foot

🔹 Yoga cues for Tadasana, Warrior poses, Tree, Triangle, and more that help students feel and strengthen their feet

Your feet have carried you through life this entire time. Give them some love.

✅ If this episode makes you think, I want to understand the body this way, come study with us inside Uplifted → https://www.brettlarkin.com/online-yoga-teacher-training/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=200ytt

FREE Practice: Easy Yoga for Your Feet and Ankles (15-min) Simple Light Stretching For Runners

Relevant Blog: Pada Bandha: Your #1 Secret to Happy Feet

Relevant to Today's Episode:

📖 Yoga Life Book

📚 Healing with Somatic Yoga Book

✅ 200-hour Online Yoga Teacher Training

💖 Uplifted Membership

🎧 Also Listen to:

#444 – Spine Anatomy: Do You Understand the System Holding Your Practice Together?

#445 – Diaphragm Anatomy: Do You Understand the Muscle Powering Every Breath?

© 2026 Uplifted Yoga | BrettLarkin.com

What if I told you there's an elevator inside your body that you ride roughly 20,000 times a day, but most of us have no idea how it actually works?

In Part 2 of our anatomy series, we're going inside the anatomy of your breath. You'll meet the giant jellyfish-shaped muscle underneath your lungs, the trampoline at the bottom of your pelvis, the expandable walls surrounding them, and the tiny tourists trying to get the full tour of your torso.

Because breathing isn't just about your lungs. Every breath is a coordinated movement between your diaphragm, ribs, abdominal muscles, pelvic floor, and nervous system.

In this episode:

🔹 What your diaphragm is actually doing when you inhale and why it moves in the opposite direction most people assume

🔹 How your diaphragm and pelvic floor work together and why constantly gripping your belly or pelvic floor can interfere with that relationship

🔹 What 360-degree breathing really means and how your ribs, belly, back body, and pelvic floor accommodate every breath

🔹 Why shallow breathing recruits your neck and shoulders and can keep your nervous system's "fire alarm" switched on

Your breath isn't simply moving air. So this week, notice your elevator. Is it getting the full ride or are you spending all day in the penthouse?

✅ If you're loving this level of detail, this is exactly how we teach inside my 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training. Join us for the next cohort → https://www.brettlarkin.com/online-yoga-teacher-training/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=200ytt

FREE Practice: 20 Min Deep Breathing Yoga Flow - Day 4

Relevant Blog: Pelvic Floor Trauma vs Tightness: Why So Many Women Get Misdiagnosed

Relevant to Today's Episode:

🐍 Kundalini 200-hour YTT

🌀 History of Yoga

📖 Yoga Life Book

✅ 200-hour Online Yoga Teacher Training

💖 Uplifted Membership

🎧 Also Listen to:

#366 – Is Trauma Actually In Your Hips? The Impact of Stress on Hip & Pelvic Health with Dr. Brianne Grogan

#444 – Spine Anatomy: Do You Understand the System Holding Your Practice Together?

© 2026 Uplifted Yoga | BrettLarkin.com

Your spine is a team. A very talented team, with some serious communication and boundary issues.

In this episode, the first of a three-part anatomy series, we're looking at the different curves of your spine. Not as a boring anatomy lesson, but as the dysfunctional workplace happening inside your body.

Because every section of your spine has its own résumé. There are movements it's naturally great at, movements it struggles with, and jobs it will happily take over even when it absolutely should not be in charge.

In this episode:

🔹 Meet the workplace characters living inside your spine, from the people-pleasing lumbar spine to the creative director running wild in your neck

🔹 Why more mobility isn't always better, and how yoga can strengthen what's weak while creating boundaries around what already moves too much

🔹 How common poses like Upward Dog, Warrior I, Triangle, Camel, and even Cat-Cow can place the wrong part of your spine in charge

🔹 The cues and simple adjustments that help your core, sacrum, low back, thoracic spine, and neck actually work together

Good alignment isn't about making a pose look perfect. It's about understanding who is doing the work.

What part of your body is overworking? What part is avoiding the work? And who has apparently been working remotely from the Bahamas since 2017?

This is the kind of anatomy we dive into inside Uplifted Yoga Teacher Training, so you can move and teach with more intelligence, confidence, and compassion.

✅ If this episode makes you think, I want to understand the body this way, come study with us inside Uplifted → https://www.brettlarkin.com/online-yoga-teacher-training/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=200ytt

FREE Practice: Gentle Beginner Yoga for Back Pain | LOW BACK STRETCHING TUTORIALS

Relevant Blog: The Nervous System, Not the Poses: What a Modern Yoga Teacher Training Actually Teaches You About Your Body

Relevant to Today's Episode:

📖 Yoga Life Book

🐍 Kundalini 200-hour YTT

✅ 200-hour Online Yoga Teacher Training

🔮 300-hour Online Yoga Teacher Training

💖 Uplifted Membership

🎧 Also Listen to:

#280 – The Pelvis: Your Seat of Power & Embodiment with Lara Heimann

#369 – Nervous System Masterclass with Kristin Leal

© 2026 Uplifted Yoga | BrettLarkin.com

In this final installment of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 11, Arjuna has just experienced one of the most extraordinary mystical visions in the entire text. He's seen Krishna as the infinite creator, destroyer, and force behind all of reality, and his response is surprising: Please become ordinary again.

Because what happens after the spiritual high?

After the retreat, the awakening, the incredible meditation, or the moment where everything suddenly makes sense, you still have to come back down the mountain and live your life.

In this episode:

🔹 Why Arjuna asks Krishna to return to his familiar human form and what this reveals about our capacity to experience the divine

🔹 The striking parallel between Arjuna's vision and Jesus' Transfiguration, including what happens immediately after both spiritual highs

🔹 Why mystical experiences rarely remove our problems, but can change the person who returns to them

🔹 How to stop chasing your next revelation and start embodying the truth you've already received

Chapter 11 doesn't end with fireworks. It ends with practice, devotion, and a return to ordinary life.

So this week, I want you to consider: What truth do you already know that you haven't started living yet?

Because spiritual experiences don't change our lives on their own. What changes our lives are the choices we make after them.

💖 If you love exploring yoga this way,not just understanding the philosophy, but actually applying it to your real life, that's exactly what we do inside Uplifted → https://www.brettlarkin.com/uplifted/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=uplifted

📖 Different translations explored:

Barbara Stoler Miller: https://www.amazon.com/Bhagavad-Gita-Krishnas-Counsel-Bantam-Classics/dp/0553213652

Godsong by Amit Majmudar: https://www.amazon.com/Godsong-Verse-Translation-Bhagavad-Gita-Commentary/dp/1524733474

Eknath Easwaran: https://www.amazon.com/Bhagavad-Gita-2nd-Eknath-Easwaran/dp/1586380192

Bhagavad-Gita As It Is by Swami Prabhupada: https://www.amazon.com/Bhagavad-Gita-As-Bhaktivedanta-Swami-Prabhupada/dp/0892131233

FREE Practice: Feminine Kundalini Flow w/ Music | Lower Chakras Yoga + Grounding Chakras with Yoni Mudra Meditation

Relevant Blog: How to Resolve Kundalini Awakening

Relevant to Today's Episode:

🌀 History of Yoga

📖 Yoga Life Book

🐍 Yoga for Self Mastery

💖 Uplifted Membership

🎧 Also Listen to:

#427 – What Is Bhakti Yoga? Krishna's Most Confidential Teaching (Bhagavad Gita Chapter 9)

#441– Why Can't You See God Yet? (Bhagavad Gita Chapter 11, Part 1)

#442 – "I Am Time": The Most Famous Verse in the Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 11, Part 2)

© 2026 Uplifted Yoga | BrettLarkin.com

"I am Time, destroyer of worlds."

This is the most quoted verse in the Bhagavad Gita, but it's also one of the most misunderstood.

In Part 2 of our exploration of Chapter 11, Krishna reveals his universal form to Arjuna in one of the most awe-inspiring visions in all of sacred literature. Yet instead of feeling enlightened or peaceful, Arjuna is overwhelmed with fear.

Together, we'll unpack what Krishna really means by "I am Time," compare this unforgettable moment with Jesus' Transfiguration, and explore why encounters with the Divine often leave us speechless rather than comfortable.

Let's explore:

🔹The meaning behind Krishna's universal form (Vishvarupa)

🔹Why Arjuna responds with fear instead of bliss

🔹What "I am Time" really means and why it isn't celebrating destruction

🔹Surprising parallels between the Bhagavad Gita and Jesus' Transfiguration

🔹Why mystical experiences often expand us before they comfort us

👉 Dive deeper into yoga's origins with my History of Yoga Course → https://www.brettlarkin.com/history-of-yoga-course/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=hoy

📖 Different translations explored:

Barbara Stoler Miller: https://www.amazon.com/Bhagavad-Gita-Krishnas-Counsel-Bantam-Classics/dp/0553213652

Godsong by Amit Majmudar: https://www.amazon.com/Godsong-Verse-Translation-Bhagavad-Gita-Commentary/dp/1524733474

Eknath Easwaran: https://www.amazon.com/Bhagavad-Gita-2nd-Eknath-Easwaran/dp/1586380192

Bhagavad-Gita As It Is by Swami Prabhupada: https://www.amazon.com/Bhagavad-Gita-As-Bhaktivedanta-Swami-Prabhupada/dp/0892131233

FREE Practice: Kundalini Meditation for Focus | AWAKEN YOUR HEART AND THIRD EYE

Relevant Blog: Kundalini Awakening: What Is It and How To Awaken It

Relevant to Today's Episode:

🌀 History of Yoga

📖 Yoga Life Book

🐍 Yoga for Self Mastery

💖 Uplifted Membership

🎧 Also Listen to:

#406 – Vedanta vs. Christianity: Bliss, Grace & the Divine in Two Spiritual Paths

#413 – Yoga Doesn't Have a Devil. So What's the Enemy? (Part 1)

#425 – How the Divine Speaks: Sacred Symbolism in the Gita, Bible & Upanishads Part 1

© 2026 Uplifted Yoga | BrettLarkin.com

Why does Krishna wait until Chapter 11 to reveal his universal form?

In this episode, we explore one of the most dramatic turning points in the Bhagavad Gita. After ten chapters of spiritual teaching, Arjuna is finally granted "divine sight."

But why now?

In this episode, I'll compare Krishna's revelation with Jesus' Transfiguration, explore the yogic concept of avidya (ignorance), and explain why spiritual practice doesn't create God. It removes the veil that keeps us from recognizing what has always been there.

In this episode:

🔹Why Arjuna couldn't recognize Krishna's divinity until now

🔹The difference between belief and direct spiritual experience

🔹How yoga removes avidya, the veil of ignorance

🔹What Jesus' Transfiguration reveals about spiritual readiness

🔹Why mystical experiences are received as grace—not earned

👉 Dive deeper into yoga's origins with my History of Yoga Course → https://www.brettlarkin.com/history-of-yoga-course/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=hoy

Want to go deeper between episodes? Subscribe to my new Uplifted Substack for yoga philosophy, reflections, teachings, and conversations delivered straight to your inbox: https://substack.com/@upliftedtrainings

📖 Different translations explored:

Barbara Stoler Miller: https://www.amazon.com/Bhagavad-Gita-Krishnas-Counsel-Bantam-Classics/dp/0553213652

Godsong by Amit Majmudar: https://www.amazon.com/Godsong-Verse-Translation-Bhagavad-Gita-Commentary/dp/1524733474

Eknath Easwaran: https://www.amazon.com/Bhagavad-Gita-2nd-Eknath-Easwaran/dp/1586380192

Bhagavad-Gita As It Is by Swami Prabhupada: https://www.amazon.com/Bhagavad-Gita-As-Bhaktivedanta-Swami-Prabhupada/dp/0892131233

FREE Practice: The Healing Power of Divine Love | VINYASA FLOW HEART OPENING

Relevant Blog: Third Eye Chakra Opening Symptoms And How To Open Your Sixth Chakra

Relevant to Today's Episode:

🌀 History of Yoga

📖 Yoga Life Book

🐍 Yoga for Self Mastery

💖 Uplifted Membership

🎧 Also Listen to:

#358 – Intro to The Bhagavad Gita: How Do You Navigate Moral Dilemmas?

#433 – Vibhuti Yoga – See the Sacred Everywhere: Bhagavad Gita Chapter 10

© 2026 Uplifted Yoga | BrettLarkin.com

We live in a world obsessed with consuming more information. More podcasts. More reels. More quotes. More content.

But what if transformation doesn't come from learning something new, but from deeply remembering something ancient?

In this episode, we explore how to intentionally choose a mantra, sutra, psalm, poem, or sacred line to memorize and why this practice can become a powerful anchor for anxiety, overwhelm, distraction, and nervous system regulation.

You'll learn:

🔹 How to choose a verse or mantra that speaks directly to your current season of life

🔹 Why memorization changes your relationship to wisdom itself

🔹 Somatic and creative techniques for memorizing sacred text

🔹 Why repetition, rhythm, sound, and poetry regulate the nervous system

🔹 How to turn ancient wisdom into a living daily companion

💖 Want to shift what you're practicing and paying attention to? Join the Uplifted Membership: https://www.brettlarkin.com/uplifted/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=uplifted

✨ Get The Uplifted Journals:

Uplifted Abundance Journal & Guidebook

Uplifted Chakra Journal

FREE Practice: Guided Meditation For Intentions: A Grounding Visualization Meditation

Relevant Blog: What are Patanjali's Yoga Sutras?

Relevant to Today's Episode:

🐍 Yoga for Self Mastery

💖 Uplifted Membership

🌀 Somatic Yoga Life Coaching

💫 Somatic Certification

🎧 Also Listen to:

#401 – Who Has Your Attention? Attention Economy vs the Ancient Path

#415 – From Self-Improvement to Reverence (Bhagavad Gita Chapter 7)

#437 – The Forgotten Way to Learn Yoga Philosophy: Ancient Memory Practices (Part 1)

© 2026 Uplifted Yoga | BrettLarkin.com

Hatha and Kundalini are both yoga, but they can feel completely different in your body.

In this episode, I break down some of the biggest differences between these two styles: how they use movement, breath, meditation, mantra, repetition, and the subtle body. Plus, why one style may resonate with you very differently than another.

If you've been Kundalini-curious, love a traditional Hatha or Vinyasa practice, or simply want to understand what all these different yoga "styles" are actually doing, this is a great place to start.

I'll explore:

🔹 How Hatha/Vinyasa and Kundalini approach movement, breath, and meditation differently

🔹 Why Kundalini often feels more repetitive, energetic, and meditative than a traditional flow class

🔹 How different yoga styles can reveal different patterns in your body and nervous system

🔹 Why there's no single "best" yoga style and how experimenting helps you discover what your system actually responds to

The most important takeaway? You don't have to choose your yoga style intellectually. Experience it in your body.

🌈 Join my FREE Find Your Style Challenge starting tomorrow, September 17th!

Practice different styles of yoga with me and discover what genuinely fits your body, energy, and life → https://www.brettlarkin.com/style

FREE Practice: 20 Min Kundalini Yoga for the Entire Body | KUNDALINI YOGA FOR HEALTH

Relevant Blog: What Is Kundalini Syndrome? (And Can It Happen To You?)

Relevant to Today's Episode:

🐍 Kundalini 200-hour YTT

🔮 Kundalini Demystified

📖 Yoga Life Book

💖 Uplifted Membership

🎧 Also Listen to:

#277 – Trauma Conscious Kundalini Yoga with Katrina Marie

#318 – What Is Somatic Yoga?

#412 – How the Chakras Relate to Polyvagal Theory + Your FAQ

© 2026 Uplifted Yoga | BrettLarkin.com

Today's episode is another behind-the-scenes look, this time inside my Somatic Yoga Training and Embodied Yoga Life Coaching Certification.

This teaching explores how we move energy through the body using breath, movement, sound, and visualization. Inside EYLC, we work with different maps of the subtle body, including the doshas, polarity, Shiva and Shakti, and the relationship between movement and stillness.

In this clip, I explore why movement is not just something we do before meditation. Movement can help us express, discharge, and release what may be stuck in the body so we can access a deeper sense of presence, authenticity, and self-trust.

Inside this episode, I explore:

🔹 How vata, pitta, and kapha can help us understand different energetic textures

🔹 Why Shiva and Shakti represent the dance between stillness and movement

🔹 The three core ways we move energy: breath, movement, and sound

🔹 How somatic coaching helps clients move from talking about emotions to experiencing and shifting them in the body

The goal is not just to move so you can become still. It's to move what is blocking your truth, so you can sit more deeply in who you really are.

💗 Learn more about Embodied Yoga Life Coaching: https://www.brettlarkin.com/somatic-yoga-training-certification/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=eylc

💎 Experience somatic yoga in this Embodied Yoga Workshop: https://www.brettlarkin.com/embodiedyoga?utm_medium=social&utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=embodiedyoga

FREE Practice: Yoga for Women for MORE ENERGY | Release Emotions

Relevant Blog: How To Incorporate Somatic Coaching Into Your Yoga Practice

Relevant to Today's Episode:

🐍 Yoga for Self Mastery

🌀 Somatic Yoga Life Coaching

💫 Somatic Certification

🎧 Also Listen to:

#384 – Do Less, Heal More: 7 Invitations to Resolve Trauma from Organic Intelligence

#385 – The 5 Vayus: How Energy Moves Through Your Body (Part 1)

#391 – Vyana + Udana Vayu: Energetic Expression, Circulation + Embodiment

© 2026 Uplifted Yoga | BrettLarkin.com