Vedic Worldview

What can Vedic Meditation offer in a place most people only imagine from the outside? In Part Two of this two-part series, Thom Knoles and Joh Jarvis trace Joh's work teaching meditation in prisons, from her early efforts in New York to The Light Inside's programs with incarcerated people and corrections officers in prisons and jails across the United States.

Joh reflects on the challenges people face inside and after release, and on why this work matters to the wider community. If you haven't heard Part One, start with Part One, then listen to or watch this conversation.

Episode Highlights

[00:45] What Drew Joh to Prison Work

[05:16] Getting In: Goulburn Gaol and Brooklyn Jail

[10:48] Rikers Island: Remand and First Impressions

[17:57] Teaching the First Students

[22:17] The First Course in 2020

[26:23] Joh Finds Herself in North Dakota

[32:36] Jamestown and James River

[37:07] After Prison

[40:48] Research on Wellbeing and Sleep

[46:00] How to Support The Light Inside

[49:31] Working with Prison Officers

[55:47] Old Colleagues and Friends React

[58:11] Thom's View of the Future of Vedic Meditation in the Prison System

Useful Links
You can find out more about The Light Inside here:https://the-lightinside.org

[email protected] 
And you can find out more about Joh Jarvis at https://johjarvis.com/

https://thomknoles.com/

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https://www.youtube.com/c/thomknoles

https://thomknoles.com/ask-thom-anything/

What could be more worthy of a twice-yearly celebration lasting nine nights and ten days than the celebration of Mother Divine herself?

In this bonus episode, coinciding with the festival of Navaratri Sharad: The Nine Nights of Mother Divine, Thom explores the meaning and significance of the event, describing Maha Durga Devi as the protective, active expression of Mother Divine who observes what the world needs. He connects this seasonal transition and Vijaya Dashami, the day of action immediately following Navaratri, with restoring the relationship between the laws of Nature and humanity.

Explore this Vedic perspective on honoring the Divine Feminine, and listen to or watch the episode.

Episode Highlights
00:45 Q - What is the meaning and relevance of Navaratri Sharad?

01:00 A - Mother Divine's Protective Power

02:47 Motherly Protection In Action

04:51 Seasonal Change And Restoring Nature's Laws

06:46 Celebrating The Divine Feminine

Useful Links

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https://thomknoles.com/ask-thom-anything/

How can a piece of advice unsettle a life that seems already established? In this first installment of a three-part conversation, Thom Knoles and Joh Jarvis, a fellow Vedic Meditation teacher, look back on their first meetings, Joh’s years as a journalist in Australia, and the unexpected suggestion that led her to New York City. Joh reflects on meditation, becoming a Vedic Meditation teacher, and learning to follow a path that felt more true to her.

Listen to or watch Part One of their conversation. The next episode covers Joh's work establishing The Light Inside (http://the-lightinside.org), a program that teaches Vedic Meditation inside the US prison system.

Episode Highlights
[00:45] First Impressions And A New Direction

[04:25] From Journalism To Meditation

[07:36] The First Face-To-Face Meeting

[12:28] Connections To Australian History

[14:46] A Dangerous Paradise

[19:44] Taking The Leap To New York

[21:27] Training To Teach Meditation

[22:30] Meditating In Rishikesh

[25:01] Following A Path That Feels Right

[26:12] Finding A Home In New York

Useful Links

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https://thomknoles.com/ask-thom-anything/

Is the problem ego, or our misunderstanding of it? In this Ask Me Anything episode, Thom responds to three big questions: how to balance eliminating the ego with having a healthy self esteem, whether consciousness can move backward through time, and how compassion differs from enabling.

Along the way, he connects self-esteem, spiritual evolution, past lives, and compassionate boundaries to the regular practice of Vedic Meditation.

Listen to or watch this episode for a clear Vedic perspective on identity, evolution, and what it really means to love wisely.

Episode Highlights
[00:45] Q - Can ego and self-esteem coexist?

[00:52] A - The Ego Cannot Be Erased

[03:38] The Mantra Turns Inward

[05:46] Purifying the Individual Ego

[08:58] Enlightenment and False Identity

[11:22] Q - Can we reincarnate backwards in time?

[11:30] A - Evolution Does Not Reverse

[13:58] The Universe Has a Larger Now

[16:07] Evolve. Period.

[18:10] Revisiting the Past Consciously

[20:01] Q - Is tough love compassionate?

[20:07] A - Compassion Refuses Enabling

[24:05] Support What Sustains Life

[26:11] Compassion Arises Spontaneously

Useful Links

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https://thomknoles.com/ask-thom-anything/

It's never been easier to connect with others yet loneliness is reportedly the fastest-growing epidemic worldwide. In this episode, Thom explores why human beings are built for proximity, how consciousness affects us in subtle ways, and why technology cannot fully replace the richness of physical presence.

He also expands the conversation beyond human interaction alone, pointing to a living, sentient Universe and the importance of participating fully in community, even when that comes with challenge.

Listen to or watch this episode for the Vedic perspective on loneliness, connection, and what it means to truly relate.

Episode Highlights

[00:45] Technology Cannot Carry Presence

[01:59] Human Beings Need Proximity

[05:00] Isolation Shrinks Human Exchange

[07:29] No Room Is Truly Empty

[09:20] Reality Extends Beyond Human Company

[10:31] Social Chocolate Is Not Enough

[12:28] Practice, Then Go Interact

[14:44] We Need to Get Out More

Useful Links

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https://thomknoles.com/ask-thom-anything/

What if abundance begins when we stop assuming everything is running out? In this short bonus episode of The Vedic Worldview Podcast, Thom previews his upcoming Living Abundance retreat in Sedona and explores why certainty has to be internalized rather than extracted from an ever-changing world. He reflects on unboundedness, spiritual evolution, and a deeper view of the Self as the basis for happiness and success.

Listen to or watch this brief invitation to discover what Thom will be teaching from January 3 to 8, 2027.

Find out more about the LIVING ABUNDANCE Wisdom Retreat here: https://thomknoles.com/abundance-retreat

Episode Highlights

[01:04] A Playground Beneath Red Rocks

[01:55] Certainty Has to Be Internalized

[04:18] Letting Go of Non-Abundance

[06:14] Change Your View of Self

Useful Links

[email protected]  

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https://thomknoles.com/ask-thom-anything/

Are fears about AI justified, or is it fear itself that's the problem? In this episode, Thom puts today’s anxiety about artificial intelligence into a much larger context, from thermonuclear war to the Vedic understanding of consciousness itself.

He explores why fear is the real danger, how Vedic Meditation helps stabilize awareness, and what it means to participate fully in life without panic.

Listen to or watch this episode for a grounded Vedic perspective on AI, consciousness, and how to stay steady in uncertain times.

Episode Highlights

[00:45] Fear Is the Real Enemy

[04:06] Create Collective Consciousness

[06:25] One Consciousness Field

[08:37] Vedic Meditation Beats Panicking

[11:33] Be a Super Evolved Cannibal

[12:52] Humanity Has Survived Before

[14:45] Enjoy Life While You Can

[16:15] Consciousness Is Unslayable

Useful Links

[email protected]  

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https://thomknoles.com/ask-thom-anything/

What if becoming extraordinary has less to do with certainty and more to do with your capacity to move with the unknown? In this episode, Part Two of a two part series (Listen to or watch Part One here if you haven't already) Thom responds to retreat questions about charm, long-term planning, chaotic times, collective consciousness, and how to make a meaningful contribution in a suffering world.

From the difference between pleasure and charm to the idea that real leadership begins in individual consciousness, this conversation reframes what growth and responsibility can look like.

Listen to or watch this episode for a grounded, far-reaching exploration of how personal evolution shapes the world around us.

Episode Highlights
[01:00] Q - How do charm and planning work together?

[01:56] A - Planning Without Predicting

[06:16] Guided Tours and Real Adventure

[09:56] Q - How do I relate to conflicting thoughts?

[10:27] A - The Unknown Is Safe

[11:03] Q - How do we contextualize chaotic times?

[11:24] A - Every Day Is "These Days"

[14:38] Build a Contextualizing Consciousness

[16:58] The Collective is in Charge

[19:44] Wars Start in Kitchens

[23:17] Q - What is pleasure versus charm?

[23:24] A - Localized and Overarching Charm

[25:42] State of Consciousness Expands Choice

[28:20] Q - How do I make peace with privilege?

[28:42] A - Make Your Contribution Count

[32:36] Evolution Still Moves Forward

[34:49] Follow What Breaks Your Heart

Useful Links

[email protected]  

https://thomknoles.com/

https://www.instagram.com/thethomknoles

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https://www.youtube.com/c/thomknoles

https://thomknoles.com/ask-thom-anything/

What if safety is not found in the familiar, but in our willingness to move into the unknown?

In this episode, Thom explores why the ever-repeating known leads to stagnation, while greater context, transcendence, and Vedic Meditation awaken more of our human potential.

From brain power and stress to evolution, ancestry, and consciously designed change, he offers a grounded Vedic perspective on what it really means to become an extraordinary human being.

Listen to or watch this episode for a practical and expansive reframe on change, relevance, and the courage to evolve.

Episode Highlights
[00:45] Beyond the Body Story

[03:59] The Guru Gives Context

[07:36] Consciousness Shapes Experience

[10:27] Scarcity Is a Brain-Power Problem

[13:54] A Renaissance Brain Awakens

[16:57] Stress Eats Brain Power

[20:30] The Ever-Repeating Known

[24:38] Design Change or Deteriorate

[28:17] Your Ancestors Were Adventurers

[31:28] The Cognitive Revolution

[33:52] There Is No Going Back

[36:44] The Human Spirit Explores

[38:01] Meditation Launches Into the Unknown

[40:40] Thank You for Making Me Worthy

Useful Links

[email protected]  

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https://www.youtube.com/c/thomknoles

https://thomknoles.com/ask-thom-anything/

We're often told that we live in a world full of toxic behaviour, but is it the world that's toxic or is it our view of it that gives it a toxic flavor?

In this episode, Thom explores the true source of toxicity: the stress we carry that makes us sensitive to the inputs from the outside world.

As always Thom has a solution that allows us to remove those stresses and develop the resilience we need to be less disturbed by the forms and phenomena we come into contact with on a day-to-day basis.

Listen to or watch this episode for a grounded Vedic perspective on toxicity, stress reactivity, and the invincible integrity of the inner Self.

Episode Highlights

[00:45] What Makes Something Toxic?

[04:31] Beyond Stoicism, Toward Vastness

[06:15] Maharishi Meets an Imposter

[08:58] Toxicity Comes From Reactivity

[10:32] Granite, Clay, and Foam Rubber

[14:40] Infinite Stability Meets Adaptability

[16:12] Premature Associations Become Reactions

[19:43] Rest Beyond What Sleep Provides

[21:33] Inner Integrity Is Invincible

Useful Links

[email protected]  

https://thomknoles.com/

https://www.instagram.com/thethomknoles

https://www.facebook.com/thethomknoles

https://www.youtube.com/c/thomknoles

https://thomknoles.com/ask-thom-anything/