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 | 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
  2. 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
  3. Good, Evil, and the Power of Neutrality

    FEB 6

    Good, Evil, and the Power of Neutrality

    Are good and evil moral absolutes — or are they something else entirely? In this episode (1-165) of Living the Tao, Taoist Master Mikel Steenrod presents the Daoist view of good, evil, and neutrality as energetic positions, not moral judgments. Rather than focusing on right and wrong, Daoism examines how actions affect energy, probability, and personal power. This conversation explores why Daoism was never designed as a social or moral control system, how karma functions energetically rather than morally, and why neutrality may offer the greatest potential for influence and change. Topics include: The Daoist rejection of moral hierarchy Why judgment creates false polarities How karma actually works in classical Daoism Why destruction releases energy faster than creation The role of neutrality in spiritual cultivation How Qi Gong relates to energy outside moral frameworks This episode is ideal for listeners interested in Taoism, spirituality, philosophy, and anyone questioning traditional good-versus-evil thinking. In this episode (1-160), Taoist Master Mikel Steenrod explains why positivity is not about denying reality or forcing optimism. Instead, it’s about where you place your attention, how you process experience, and how much failure you can tolerate without giving up. Topics include: Why negativity often feels justified—but limits your life The difference between motivation and long-term damage How childhood conditioning shapes what you focus on The Taoist idea of fail tolerance and endurance Why most people set goals that guarantee failure A practical, no-nonsense discussion of positivity as a trainable skill, not a personality trait.   🌐 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/zwhATqB4JJs   Intro music: “Finding Movement” by Kevin MacLeod — licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Source: incompetech.com

    31 min
  4. Trailer | A Table in Your Mind

    TRAILER

    Trailer | A Table in Your Mind

    In this trailer for Living the Tao – Episode 1-164, Mikel Steenrod introduces a traditional Taoist mind-training drill drawn from the oral tradition. The exercise begins with a simple image: a group of people seated comfortably around a table, discussing what the outdoors is like. A door stands nearby. Everyone knows it leads outside. Anyone could open it. Yet no one does. From this setup emerges a deeper exploration of comfort, consensus, direct experience, and why truth is often discussed rather than encountered. This episode does not offer conclusions or doctrine. Instead, it presents a tool—one designed to be revisited, examined, and experienced over time. The full episode is available exclusively to subscribers.  Subscribe now at  https://living-the-tao.supercast.com

    1 min
  5. Shorts | Shaking Off the Red Dust: Taoism's Answer to The Vision Quest

    JAN 27 · BONUS

    Shorts | Shaking Off the Red Dust: Taoism's Answer to The Vision Quest

    Many cultures have a tradition of the vision quest. In Taoism, a related practice is known as Biguan. In this short episode of Living the Tao, Master Steenrod explains Biguan as a retreat from the social mind—the accumulated pressure of identity, expectations, and unconscious influence often described metaphorically as “red dust.” This is not an extreme or monastic practice. Biguan, especially for lay practitioners, is about withdrawing from influence without abandoning life. Even small, intentional separations can restore clarity and help us choose what we bring back into daily living. A concise reflection on identity, clarity, and returning to the world with awareness.   🌐 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/DJNUwT88TLk   Intro music: “Finding Movement” by Kevin MacLeod — licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Source: incompetech.com

    6 min
  6. Trailer | Making Talismans for the Lay Person

    TRAILER

    Trailer | Making Talismans for the Lay Person

    In this trailer for Living the Tao (1-163), Taoist Master Mikel Steenrod introduces a subscriber-only episode on lay talismanic practice—what it is, why it exists in Taoism, and where its real limits are. Talismans were never meant as superstition or shortcuts. They developed as practical tools for people who do not possess the energetic capacity to act directly on reality, and who are not part of priestly or sectarian systems. In this episode, Steenrod explains how lay talismanic work fits within Taoist tradition, why a dedicated altar matters, how invocation binds energy, and what can responsibly be done at the folk level. No secret registers. No initiations. No fantasy explanations. The full episode, Making Talismans for the Lay Person, is available exclusively to subscribers.  Subscribe now at  https://living-the-tao.supercast.com

    1 min
  7. Trailer | What is the Best Mood?

    TRAILER

    Trailer | What is the Best Mood?

    What is the best mood? In this subscriber-only episode of Living the Tao, we explore mood not as a virtue or flaw—but as a functional tool that shapes qi, perception, action, and health. Drawing from Taoist practice and Natural Form and Essence Qi Gong, this episode examines three core mood states—joyful, neutral, and disdain—and the specific advantages and limitations of each. Rather than promoting emotional suppression or forced positivity, the discussion focuses on emotional fluidity and the importance of maintaining a healthy, life-supporting baseline. This episode is for listeners who sense that calm alone doesn’t always move life forward—and that emotional extremes, positive or negative, come with hidden costs. 🎧 LTT Episode 1-162 Available subscriber-only 🎧 Full episode available to subscribers on Supercast.  Subscribe now at https://living-the-tao.supercast.com

    1 min
  8. Shorts | Are Humans Becoming Less Real?

    JAN 13 · BONUS

    Shorts | Are Humans Becoming Less Real?

    What if reality isn’t about right and wrong — but about how real you actually are? In this Living the Tao Short, we explore the Taoist Ching scale, an ancient framework that measures existence as a balance between reality and symbol. From the Dao as pure, undifferentiated potential, down through gods, dragons, humans, and animals, this scale reveals how power, change, and perception work in Taoist thought. You’ll learn why: Humans were once believed to be more real than they are today Dragons are considered creators and allies of humanity “Illusion” in Taoism doesn’t mean false — it means changeable A short episode with long echoes.   🌐 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/OLbnDPlDb9w   Intro music: “Finding Movement” by Kevin MacLeod — licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Source: incompetech.com

    13 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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