Escaping Samsara

Nathan Thompson & Evgeny Dziatko
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Escaping Saṃsāra - Yoga and Meditation Podcast about practices that liberate us. Interviews with spiritual teachers from the yoga world and beyond. We are a group of friends dedicated to exploring the deep teachings of yoga and other spiritual traditions to see what unites them in their search for Truth and how each practitioner has danced with the Mystery. We want to learn from today's elders about their paths and experiences. What has worked, what hasn't and what is downright weird. From California psychedelic culture to Tantric Tibet we span the globe finding out what has helped people on their spiritual journey. We hope that it will be of benefit to our fellow truth seekers. OM

  1. 03.11.2025

    Why I Ditched My Orange Robes (And What I Found in Vietnam) with Bante Panna

    Bhante Panya tried the forest monk thing. He wore the Theravada robes in America, followed the Vinaya rules, and watched potential practitioners flee because he looked too foreign, too untouchable, too "religious icon" instead of accessible teacher. So he made a move that freaked out his ego: took Mahayana ordination in Taiwan, moved to Vietnam, and started asking uncomfortable questions about what Buddhism actually needs to look like in the West. This conversation gets real fast. We're talking about: **The stuff nobody mentions:** - How your friend group is a mirror of everything you hate about yourself - The terror of taking the bodhisattva vow - What happens when you sit next to someone who's actually realized  - Why Theravada meditation might be technically superior but Mahayana community outreach hits different - How to fight the dark spots in your mind when you can't run to a cave - The difference between controlling your mind and just not reacting to it - Why unhealed childhood trauma is probably running your whole spiritual path * Bhante's books: https://www.amazon.com/Thoughtless-love-cultivation-Bhante-Panna https://www.amazon.com/touching-enlightenment-parable-distance-attachments-ebook Donations for Bhante: https://venmo.com/u/bhante --- *Escaping Samsara is a weekly podcast exploring authentic Buddhist and yogic practice. Subscribe on Substack (escapingsamsara.substack.com) for free articles, teachings, and more episodes!

    1 ч. 1 мин.

  2. 30.09.2025

    Kat Ashtanga: Advanced Practice, Motherhood & Spiritual Growth

    In this episode, we sit down with Kat Ashtanga, an advanced practitioner, to explore: ✨ How practice evolves through the different series of poses ✨ Balancing lineage with personal practice ✨ Integrating pregnancy, postpartum, and motherhood ✨ The subtle benefits of long term asana practice ✨ How the universal energy of prana is conducted via these poses Whether you're deep in your own Ashtanga journey or just beginning to explore, this conversation offers wisdom and inspiration for yogis at all levels. 🔗 Also listen on Spotify / Apple / Substack 👉 Don't miss exclusive writings, bonus episodes, and behind-the-scenes reflections. Subscribe on Substack today: https://escapingsamsara.substack.com Here's the only video of the old school Advanced A practice I'm aware of on YT:    • Ashtanga Yoga - ORIGINAL 1974 ADVANCED A S...   F ind out more about Kat: https://www.kathache.com/ If you enjoyed this episode, please like, comment, and share — it helps the podcast reach more practitioners around the world.  #Ashtanga #YogaPodcast #EscapingSamsara #Meditation #Motherhood #Lineage

    1 ч. 17 мин.

  3. 02.09.2025

    Four Thoughts That Turn the Mind 4/4 *Death* with Daniel Ingram

    In the fourth and final episode of our series on The Four Thoughts That Turn the Mind, Nathan sits down with renowned Dharma practitioner and ER physician Daniel Ingram to explore the most confronting and transformative contemplation: death. Drawing from his experience in emergency rooms and deep meditation, Daniel discusses how death can be a powerful catalyst for spiritual urgency, freedom, and insight. They reflect on childhood spirituality, near-death experiences, death rehearsal practices, and the delicate balance between striving and letting go on the path. If you've ever asked yourself what really happens when we die—and how contemplating death can make life more vivid and meaningful—this conversation is for you.   0:13 – Introduction 4:18 – Early spiritual experiences and childhood insights 7:05 – Daniel's Dharma path and balancing practice with life 13:30 – Contemplating death and its spiritual impact 19:57 – Near-death experiences and ontological humility 24:44 – Do you have a death plan? 32:28 – Death as suffering and transformation 43:06 – The urgency of practice: why not now? 51:48 – Balancing striving with surrender 58:56 – Daniel's current projects and final thoughts   More about Daniel here: https://www.integrateddaniel.info/

    1 ч.

  4. 14.08.2025

    The Four Thoughts That Turn the Mind: *Drawbacks of Samsara* with Robina Courtin

    This is episode three in the series on The Four Thoughts That Turn the Mind, contemplations that form the basis of the Buddhist path.  In this episode, Ven. Robina Courtin, a Tibetan Buddhist nun with nearly fifty years in the tradition, discusses "The Drawbacks of Samsara".  We dive into the nature of suffering in Samsara, the subtle role of attachment, and the practical meaning of the Four Noble Truths. Robina speaks to the balance between devotion and clear-eyed reasoning, showing how both can deepen and stabilize our practice. Our conversation explores the six realms of existence, the workings of karma, and how understanding the nature of Samsara inspires personal responsibility for our inner life.  Throughout, she returns to one essential truth: the quality of our thoughts and intentions shapes the quality of our lives.  Robina's website: https://robinacourtin.com/ Follow Escaping Samsara: https://escapingsamsara.substack.com/ Instagram: @escsamsara

    1 ч. 1 мин.

  5. 01.08.2025

    Four Thoughts That Turn the Mind: *Precious Human Rebirth* with Joe Evans

    Episode 2/4 on The Four Thoughts That Turn the Mind, and this time we are talking about the "precious human rebirth" and pondering the unique opportunity that human beings have to practice the path to awakening. And to discuss this I am joined by Joe Evans, founder of the Rangdröl Foundation and teacher of Dzogchen under the name Jigme Rangdröl. The Four Thoughts that Turn the Mind, also known as the Four Reminders, are a set of Buddhist contemplations that encourage practitioners to turn their minds away from worldly distractions and towards spiritual practice. These thoughts are: 1) the preciousness of a human rebirth, 2) impermanence and death, 3) karma (cause and effect), and 4) the unsatisfactory nature of samsara (cyclic existence). The first episode of this series was on Karma (see our podcast feed for that one) but it's not necessary to listen to them all in order! To find out more about Joe Evans, visit: https://www.rangdrolfoundation.org/ Follow our substack for weekly posts, essays, and podcasts! Join our Telegram community

    1 ч. 9 мин.

  6. 07.07.2025

    Four Thoughts That Turn the Mind: *Karma* (with Ellen Johannesen)

    In this episode of the Escaping Samsara Podcast, we begin a four-part journey into the Four Thoughts That Turn the Mind—a set of foundational Buddhist contemplations that help orient us toward Dharma. Our focus today is on karma. I'm joined by Ellen Johansson, a long-time Ashtanga teacher and committed Vajrayana practitioner, who brings deep insight into how karma works—not as punishment, but as a mirror of cause and effect, intention and outcome. We explore how karma is understood across Buddhist and yogic traditions, what it means to take responsibility for our actions, and how this recognition can become a force for transformation. We also touch on the differences in how Buddhism and yoga approach the idea of selfhood, and how both paths invite us into ethical living grounded in compassion. Ellen shares about her upcoming yoga teacher training rooted in philosophical inquiry, and we invite you to sit with these ideas—see how they land, and where they lead. More on Ellen: https://ashtanganepal.com/ And: https://www.instagram.com/ashtanganepal/ Escaping Samsara Substack: https://escapingsamsara.substack.com/

    1 ч. 13 мин.

  7. 01.07.2025

    Announcing the Escaping Samsara Substack

    In this short announcement episode, I introduce our new online home: the Escaping Samsara Substack — a space where all our content will now live, including podcasts, written pieces, and weekly reflections. Here's what to expect: 🧘 Weekly Practice Notes Personal insights from my daily practice — exploring themes like working with moon phases in asana and mantra, or extending meditation into the evening hours. It's an honest, ongoing look at what it's like to live a spiritual life in the modern world. 🌀 Longform Articles & Interviews Every week, either a new podcast episode or a deep-dive written piece. Topics might include: Dzogchen vs. Theravāda Psychedelics and spiritual distraction A new interview series on Ashtanga Yoga in the post-lineage era, reflecting on the legacy after the passing of Sharath Jois 📱 More Content Channels Podcasts are now also available on YouTube New YouTube Shorts and video content in development Light-hearted expansion onto TikTok Instagram remains the central social hub 💬 Community Join the growing Telegram group to chat with fellow practitioners, ask questions, and share your path. All links are in the show notes. This is a big step forward in professionalizing Escaping Samsara — and I'm thrilled to have you along for the journey. 👉 Subscribe now on Substack (it's free!) to stay connected and receive all the latest content direct to your inbox. 🧭 Links: 🔗 Escaping Samsara Substack 🗣️ Join our Telegram Group 📺 YouTube Channel 📸 Instagram: @escsamsara If you enjoy the show, please rate, review, and share. Your support helps us reach more people! 🙏

    6 мин.

  8. 24.06.2025

    Susi Sweeney on Ashtanga's Sixth Series, Aging & Authenticity

    In this episode of Escaping Samsara, Nathan Thompson sits down with Susi Sweeney—a lifelong yoga practitioner, teacher, mother, and now grandmother. Her path runs deep through 30 years of practice and cuts across the raw terrain of anxiety, eating disorders, motherhood, and aging.  She trained with Pattabhi Jois. She now works through the sixth series. Every movement, she says, pulls something loose—grief, joy, memory.  Susie explains how she raised children while maintaining her practice, how her mat held steady through births and breakdowns. Now a grandmother, she reflects on change—not as decline, but as deeper awareness. We discuss how the mat can be altar, battlefield, and therapist's chair. Susie reminds us that yoga doesn't ask for perfection. Just honesty. And repetition.

    1 ч. 5 мин.
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Escaping Saṃsāra - Yoga and Meditation Podcast about practices that liberate us. Interviews with spiritual teachers from the yoga world and beyond. We are a group of friends dedicated to exploring the deep teachings of yoga and other spiritual traditions to see what unites them in their search for Truth and how each practitioner has danced with the Mystery. We want to learn from today's elders about their paths and experiences. What has worked, what hasn't and what is downright weird. From California psychedelic culture to Tantric Tibet we span the globe finding out what has helped people on their spiritual journey. We hope that it will be of benefit to our fellow truth seekers. OM

Информация

  • Автор
    Nathan Thompson & Evgeny Dziatko
  • Годы выхода
    2020 - 2025
  • Выпуски
    76
  • Ограничения
    Без ненормативной лексики
  • Авторские права
    © 2023
  • Сайт подкаста
    Escaping Samsara