Living the Tao-A Spiritual Podcast

Mikel Steenrod
  • 4.4 (7)
  • SPIRITUALITY
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Living the Tao with Taoist Master Mikel Steenrod.   Discover how ancient Taoist training can improve modern life. Living the Tao blends real doctrine, practical instruction, and clear explanation—helping you reduce stress, develop emotional resilience, and cultivate a mind that sees the world as it truly is. Each episode explores the core practices of Taoism, including meditation, qi cultivation, self-awareness, intuitive clarity, and the philosophy behind living skillfully. Master Steenrod combines classical teachings with modern psychology, everyday examples, and the calm precision that long-time listeners love. 🎧 New full episodes release on the first Friday of each month. ⚡ Living the Tao Shorts arrive biweekly—fast, focused insights to help you reset your mind. 🌐 Deepen your practice with articles, Taoist explanations, and study materials: https://www.the-taoism-for-modern-world.com 🥋 Explore Qi Gong training, videos, and wellness resources: https://www.watermountainvirtual.com If you want the complete feed, please put our public RSS in your player or directly use podbean. The public feed: https://podcast.the-taoism-for-modern-world.com/feed.xml Want captions?  Use the podbean player.  All new episodes are captioned and the back catalog is being updated.

  1. Trailer | Part of One or Part of Many

    TRAILER

    Trailer | Part of One or Part of Many

    Is it better to become highly specialized… or to remain adaptable? Modern society often pushes us toward specialization. We are encouraged to develop a narrow skill, become highly useful, and build our lives around productivity. But Taoist philosophy has long offered a different perspective. In this episode of Living the Tao (1-170), Master Mikel Steenrod explores an ancient debate that mirrors a surprisingly modern question: the tension between specialization and adaptability. Beginning with a simple evolutionary example of specialist and generalist species, the discussion moves into classical Taoist ideas drawn from the Zhuangzi, including the story of Ding the Butcher and the famous warning of the “useless tree.” These teachings challenge the assumption that usefulness alone defines value. Through this exploration, the episode examines how Confucian and Taoist thinkers approached the role of individuals within society—and why Taoist philosophy ultimately emphasizes balance rather than rigid answers. At different times in life, we may need the discipline of specialization. At other times, we need the freedom and adaptability of the generalist. The real skill lies in knowing when to turn the dial. Listen to the trailer for Episode 170 — Part of One or Part of Many. Join the community to unlock full access to this episode and the complete archive. 🔒 Full episode available on Supercast.  Subscribe now at  https://living-the-tao.supercast.com

    1 min
  2. Shorts | Dreams vs Taoist Vision

    5D AGO · BONUS

    Shorts | Dreams vs Taoist Vision

    Are dreams the same thing as spiritual vision? In this episode of Living the Tao Shorts (2-17), Taoist Master Mikel Steenrod and Morgan explore the important difference between dreams and Taoist Vision—two experiences that are often confused but arise from very different processes. Dreams largely reflect subconscious activity and mental processing. Taoist Vision, however, emerges through meditation and appears at the boundary between sleep and wakefulness. In this threshold state, perception begins to change and the internal world starts to overlap with the external world. The conversation explores why Vision requires accumulated Qi, why many practitioners experience only brief flashes of it, and why proper training and timing matter in Taoist internal practice. Using vivid metaphors and practical explanations, this short episode offers a glimpse into one of the more advanced concepts within Taoist meditation and perception training.   🌐 Explore more Taoist teachings: https://www.the-taoism-for-modern-world.com 🎧 Listen to more Living the Tao Shorts & full episodes: https://podcast.the-taoism-for-modern-world.com Access the video form of the episode here: https://youtu.be/bpA-hDlZAko     Intro music: “Finding Movement” by Kevin MacLeod — licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Source: incompetech.com

    10 min
  3. Acceptance is Not Surrender

    MAR 6

    Acceptance is Not Surrender

    Acceptance is often misunderstood. Many people believe it means giving up, surrendering, or resigning themselves to circumstances they cannot change. In reality, acceptance is something very different. In this episode (1-169) of Living the Tao, Taoist Master Mikel Steenrod and Morgan explore what acceptance really means and why it plays such an important role in both everyday life and deeper spiritual practice. Humans are not purely present-moment creatures. We carry our past experiences with us and constantly project expectations into the future. When those projections fail—when reality does not behave the way we expect—it often creates anxiety, frustration, or resistance. Acceptance is the ability to respond to reality as it actually exists. Through practical examples—from simple daily frustrations to survival situations and life transitions—the discussion examines why acceptance strengthens resilience and allows people to adapt more effectively to change. The episode also explores how resistance to reality can trap people in patterns that weaken their ability to move forward. Topics discussed include: • Why acceptance is not surrender • How expectations about the future create anxiety • The role of past experience in shaping perception • Why people sometimes struggle to accept success or change • The connection between acceptance and resilience • Acceptance as a foundational Taoist practice Acceptance is not passive. It is a skill that allows a person to respond clearly, adapt quickly, and continue moving forward—even when circumstances are difficult or unexpected.     🌐 Explore more Taoist teachings: https://www.the-taoism-for-modern-world.com 🎧 Listen to more Living the Tao Shorts & full episodes: https://podcast.the-taoism-for-modern-world.com Access the video form of the episode here: https://youtu.be/RnXn_V9ou2M   Intro music: “Finding Movement” by Kevin MacLeod — licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Source: incompetech.com

    28 min
  4. Trailer | Power of the Martial Body Sphere

    TRAILER

    Trailer | Power of the Martial Body Sphere

    In this episode (1-168), Master Mikel Steenrod explores one of the most misunderstood components of the Four Ascendant Tradition model: the Martial Body Sphere. In the ancient world, travel meant risk. Banditry was common. Central authority was distant. Periods of famine and collapse brought about cannibalism. In such an environment, physical capability was not recreational — it was necessary. Why were classical moral figures trained in martial disciplines? What did it mean to be “capable” in unstable eras? And why does Taoism refuse to separate the body from spiritual development? This episode examines how martial training historically functioned as survival infrastructure — and how the development of the body supports liberation rather than distracting from it. “You are your body.” If the body fails, clarity narrows. If health collapses, spiritual work becomes fragile. The Martial Body Sphere reframes strength, vitality, and longevity as foundational elements of the path. Available exclusively to Living the Tao subscribers. Join the community to unlock full access to this episode and the complete archive. 🔒 Full episode available on Supercast.  Subscribe now at  https://living-the-tao.supercast.com

    1 min
  5. Shorts | Chinese Herbs: Qi Effect or Chemical Effect?

    FEB 24 · BONUS

    Shorts | Chinese Herbs: Qi Effect or Chemical Effect?

    Are Chinese herbs working because of chemistry… or because of Qi? In this episode of Living the Tao Shorts, Daoist Master Mikel Steenrod explores the difference between nutritional value and essence value — and why two foods that look identical on a label may affect your energy very differently. You’ll hear: How Qi is absorbed from both food and environment Why some herbs function biochemically like natural drugs What “essence” means in Taoist herbal theory Why heavily processed foods may leave you energetically depleted A revealing college-era story about calorie intake vs vitality This short bridges classical Taoist herbalism with modern physiology without dismissing either perspective. If you’re interested in Qi cultivation, organic food, energy building, or understanding how Chinese herbs really work, this episode offers a clear and grounded framework. Listen, reflect, and reconsider what you’re actually feeding.   Do you want more information on the intersection of nutrition and qi?  Try our site here:  https://www.watermountainvirtual.com/qi-gong-nutrition/ 🌐 Explore more Taoist teachings: https://www.the-taoism-for-modern-world.com 🎧 Listen to more Living the Tao Shorts & full episodes: https://podcast.the-taoism-for-modern-world.com Access the video form of the episode here: https://youtu.be/O_WQY0zfQHM     Intro music: “Finding Movement” by Kevin MacLeod — licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Source: incompetech.com

    8 min
  6. Trailer | Power of the Social Sphere

    TRAILER

    Trailer | Power of the Social Sphere

    What is power? In this episode (1-167) of Living the Tao, Taoist Master Mikel Steenrod challenges the modern assumption that power means dominance or control. Instead, he reframes power as something far more fundamental: the ability to make a decision and see it reach fruition. This teaching focuses on the first of the Four Ascendant Spheres — the Social Sphere — the domain of language, persuasion, money, politics, and what classical Daoists referred to as the “red dust.” Why does poetry move people more than reason? Why does external spiritual identity fail to create real transformation? And how does one move from the illusion-dense realm of talk into deeper spiritual development? This is a subscriber-only doctrinal episode. Hear the full teaching on Supercast.   🔒 Full episode available on Supercast.  Subscribe now at  https://living-the-tao.supercast.com

    1 min
  7. Trailer | I Ching Dyad: Beginning and Folly

    TRAILER

    Trailer | I Ching Dyad: Beginning and Folly

    I Ching Dyad: Beginning and Folly Subscriber Episode Preview Most failures don’t happen at the end. They happen at the beginning. In this preview of a subscriber-only episode, Taoist Master Mikel Steenrod examines two closely linked hexagrams from the I Ching: Difficulty at the Beginning and Youthful Folly. These two states describe what happens when structure is trying to form — and when we don’t yet understand what we’re dealing with. In the full episode, he explores: The two ways a beginning collapses Why impatience destroys emerging order The difference between chaos and ignorance Why changing lines indicate pressure, not simple prediction This trailer offers a glimpse into the deeper structural analysis available to subscribers. 🔒 Full episode available on Supercast.  Subscribe now at  https://living-the-tao.supercast.com

    1 min
  8. Shorts | Think or Feel?

    FEB 10 · BONUS

    Shorts | Think or Feel?

    We’re often told to “think for ourselves.” But what if that’s only half the story? In this Living the Tao Short (2-15), Taoist Master Mikel Steenrod explores a deeper and often forgotten form of freedom: learning to feel for yourself. Drawing from Taoist practice and ancient cultural understandings of purpose, this short looks at how joy, harmony, and meaningful relationships emerge when the internal relationship with the self comes into balance. Rather than being shaped by pain, habit, or expectation, Taoist practice offers a way to re-craft the self—beyond conflict and toward quiet enjoyment of life. This episode touches on: Why internal harmony matters more than constant self-analysis How pain shapes identity—and how transformation goes beyond healing The Taoist view of joy, embodiment, and emotional authority Why feeling was once considered central to human existence A short reflection on joy, transformation, and the art of living. 🌐 Explore more Taoist teachings: https://www.the-taoism-for-modern-world.com 🎧 Listen to more Living the Tao Shorts & full episodes: https://podcast.the-taoism-for-modern-world.com Access the video form of the episode here: https://youtu.be/YTLhTcinOYc   Intro music: “Finding Movement” by Kevin MacLeod — licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Source: incompetech.com

    11 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.4
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Living the Tao with Taoist Master Mikel Steenrod.   Discover how ancient Taoist training can improve modern life. Living the Tao blends real doctrine, practical instruction, and clear explanation—helping you reduce stress, develop emotional resilience, and cultivate a mind that sees the world as it truly is. Each episode explores the core practices of Taoism, including meditation, qi cultivation, self-awareness, intuitive clarity, and the philosophy behind living skillfully. Master Steenrod combines classical teachings with modern psychology, everyday examples, and the calm precision that long-time listeners love. 🎧 New full episodes release on the first Friday of each month. ⚡ Living the Tao Shorts arrive biweekly—fast, focused insights to help you reset your mind. 🌐 Deepen your practice with articles, Taoist explanations, and study materials: https://www.the-taoism-for-modern-world.com 🥋 Explore Qi Gong training, videos, and wellness resources: https://www.watermountainvirtual.com If you want the complete feed, please put our public RSS in your player or directly use podbean. The public feed: https://podcast.the-taoism-for-modern-world.com/feed.xml Want captions?  Use the podbean player.  All new episodes are captioned and the back catalog is being updated.

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