Born to be FREE with Sharada Devi Sharada Devi

Dive into the heart of what it means to embrace sacred wealth and divine surrender.

Join us as we explore the intricate dance between spiritual growth and material abundance, revealing the path to living a life in alignment with your deepest truth.

Our guest, Sofia Sundari, a luminous presence in the realms of sacred beauty and wealth. As a self-made multimillionaire and the author of "Liberation into Orgasm," her journey is nothing short of inspiring. Starting as a yoga and meditation teacher, Sofia evolved into an embodiment of divine feminine energy and sacred sexuality, impacting countless lives along the way. Her story is a testament to the transformative power of surrender and the courage to follow one's true calling, leading to a state of bliss and abundance where every experience is seen as sacred. Through her teachings, Sofia guides individuals towards their supreme destiny with grace and power.

In our conversation, Sofia shares her transformative experiences, from her initial steps into meditation to her current state of profound rebirth. She delves into the concept of wealth as a warm, loving presence that transcends mere financial abundance. Wealth is about how we rest in the abundance around us and how we express and direct this energy in our lives.

We also explore the importance of surrender and trust in the divine. Surrendering to the divine beloved within us leads to a state of bliss and oneness, allowing us to live more fully and authentically.

This episode is a treasure trove of wisdom for anyone seeking to harmonize their spiritual journey with the fullness of life. It’s an invitation to redefine wealth and success, embracing a life of abundance, love, and divine alignment.

Join us on this enlightening journey. Tune in to embrace sacred wealth and divine surrender with Sofia Sundari. Listen now to transform your understanding of wealth and spiritual fulfillment.

 

**Show Notes:**

- Sofia’s spiritual awakening; A transformative experience during a meditation retreat that led Sofia to a state of bliss and lightness, shaping her spiritual path.

- Embracing both wild and tender sides for a fuller, authentic life.

- Defining the Beloved

- Surrender as a deep act of faith and connection to the divine

- Evolution as a spiral, continuously revisiting and healing personal and ancestral traumas.

- Embodying true wealth, shifting from scarcity to abundance, and viewing wealth as more than just financial success.

- Sofia’s path to Becoming a Multimillionaire

- Expansion and Fear

- Sofia’s reflections on personal stories, jealousy, and the journey of opening up and sharing vulnerably

- The transformation from self-hatred to self-love

- Sacredness of Human Experience

- Wealth as a support for living one's highest mission, enabling financial freedom and profound impact.

- The essence of leadership in the new paradigm

- Importance of community and overcoming wounds, emphasizing the need for sacred mirrors and support on the spiritual journey

About Sofia Sundari

Sofia Sundari is an international transformational leader, bestselling author of the book Liberation into Orgasm & facilitator of courses on spiritual development and sacred sexuality. Her work has been featured on multiple podcasts and in many publications, including Shape Magazine, The Elephant Journal, Healthline, Bustle, Yoga Journal and Metro. She helps people all over the world return to their to their innate beauty, power and love.

After leaving her law career in 2009, Sofia spent many years in jungles of Thailand and Bali and later to the desert of California and mountains of Colombia where she was practicing 6-8 hours of meditation, hatha and kundalini yoga and tantra every day.

She draws her work from lineages of Tantra, Kashmiri Shaivism, Hatha and Kundalini yoga, Taoism, western esoteric science, transpersonal psychology, quantum physics and shamanism.

Over the past decade she has worked with thousands of people

In the boundless expanse of spiritual exploration, there are luminaries whose presence illuminates the path for countless seekers. Among them shines Kaya Mindlin, a luminary revered as the "teacher behind the teacher" in the realms of yoga, āyurveda, astrology and yoga nidrā. With her profound wisdom and gentle guidance, Kaya has become a beacon of light, guiding souls on their journey to self-discovery.

In this episode, we embark on a transformative journey alongside Kaya, delving deep into the intricate tapestry of divine timing, free will, and destiny. At the heart of our exploration lies the founding of Kaya's institute, a visionary endeavor born from the sage counsel of Swami Dayananda, our revered guru whose wisdom continues to inspire generations.

Together with her husband, Kaya embarked on a sacred mission to create a sanctuary of learning, where seekers could immerse themselves in the teachings of yoga and Vedanta. As we traverse the terrain of destiny and free will, we confront the rawness of human experience – the trials of womanhood, the scars of past wounds, and the delicate dance of embodying "juiciness" in spiritual teachings.

The juiciness of sexuality, femininity, the juiciness of the Devi. Between fate and choice, destiny and free will is a dance of cosmic proportions, where each step is guided by the wisdom of the ages and the light of our own inner knowing. Amidst twists and turns of life's journey, a beautiful reminder of embracing our true selves – messy bits and all – is the key to unlocking the door to freedom.

Enjoy this episode, and may it serve as a guiding light on your own path of self-discovery and spiritual exploration.

**Show Notes:**

- Establishing the Institute - Jyotisha (Vedic astrology) as the "eye" of the Vedas - Astrology and divine timing - Vedic view on Free will & Destiny - Karmic aspect of meeting one's spouse - Pursuit of ultimate freedom and ‘’moksha’’ - Parental loss and the quest for understanding suffering - Vedic tradition & meditation from a teacher at 19 - The teacher as pivotal point in spiritual journey - Addressing past traumas and pain in the pursuit of freedom - Holding the tradition as a woman amidst renunciate models - Discovery of womanhood - Sacred Sexuality into spiritual tradition - Teachers embodying juiciness - Freedom in loving oneself unconditionally.

Timestamps: - 00:00: Intro - 00:39: Introduction of Kaya Mindlin, expressing gratitude and admiration. - 01:06: Highlighting their shared lineage from Swami Dayananda and their online connection.- 02:20: Description of Kaya Mindlin's background as a teacher and lineage holder in yoga and Vedanta. - 04:28: Discussion about the podcast and the decision to invite Kaya. - 05:32: Explanation of Mahasamadhi and its significance in Vedanta. - 06:37: Overview of Swami Dayananda's dedication to Vedanta and the vision of oneness. - 07:07: Explanation of the background of Swami Dayananda and Kaya Mindlin's experience with him. - 09:11: Description of the intimate and unexpected time spent with Swami Dayananda in the US ashram. - 11:03: Swami Dayananda's guidance for Kaya and Michael to establish an institute, shared during a private meeting. - 13:07: Explanation of Jyotisha (Vedic astrology) as the "eye" of the Vedas and its importance in various aspects of life. - 14:42: Discussion on the use of astrology to understand divine timing and its applications in individual lives. - 15:48: Discussing the Vedic view on free will and destiny. - 18:32: Reflecting on the importance of trustworthy Jyotishas (astrologers). - 19:16: Reflecting on the karmic aspect of meeting one's spouse. - 22:15: Sharing the story of how Kaya and her husband first met. - 28:10: Discussing the concept of freedom and its pursuit. - 29:25: Reflecting on the momentum of karma and the pursuit of freedom. - 30:02: Pursuit of ultimate freedom and moksha. - 30:45: Experience of suffering due to the sudden death of the father at age 10.

“I’m back in Switzerland after 22 years, and it’s a very special moment. It’s snowing, and I’m beginning this new season of the Born to Be Free podcast. I want to dedicate this season to the magic, the profound blessing, and the world of rituals.

Ritual has been a part of my life for a very long time, and it has changed me in every possible way. I’ve discovered that we can ritualize our life, recognizing that everything is a given. Everything here is grace, a gift from the Universe, from the Goddess, from God. When we see what we have, we can’t help but feel gratitude for what is given. We realize that everything is grace.

Meaning, we aren’t really in control of anything. We can have wishes, desires, dreams, but we never know what we’ll actually receive or if we’ll accomplish what we want to accomplish, fulfill our desires. And so, the outcome is given by the universe. Everything is given. We only have a say over our actions. I can choose to act, to refrain, or to act differently. We have free will. And in the Vedic tradition, it’s said that the most powerful way to use our free will is in prayer.

So, what are we praying to? What are we not praying to?

This Universe is an infinite, intelligent being. It’s alive, filled with infinite knowledge. The more we know, the more we realize how much we don’t know. We call this Universe Jagat, the world that comes and goes. In the Vedic tradition, we have many names for this world. We also refer to this world as the Goddess, Devi, or the God, Deva - from the Sanskrit root ‘Dev’, meaning to shine, to be self-luminous. Thus, the Goddess is she who shines, she who is self-existent; Deva is he who shines, he who exists.

God is God, needing nothing else for its existence. This whole universe is, as we call it, Devi or Deva.

This is how the Goddess, how God is, in the form of this magnificent universe, starting with space. Where is space not? Without space, nothing exists; it accommodates all beings. We have the air, especially here in Davos, where it’s so wonderful to breathe because the air is really fresh. So, we have the goddess in the form of air. We get to breathe, to feel the cold, the heat. We have fire, the Goddess, God in the form of fire, the heat, the sun, without which we cannot see anything. And we have water. Imagine life without water. Because of water, we can taste, and we have the earth. Because of the earth, we can smell. Thus, we’re constantly experiencing the Goddess, God through existing, hearing, speaking, feeling, seeing, smelling, tasting.

However, we’re often not aware of this because we’ve been told that the Goddess, God, or God is something else. Who talks about the Goddess? She’s been long forgotten but is now reemerging. We’ve mainly talked about the God that most people are introduced to as sitting up in the sky, judging us. Such a concept of God is not very trustworthy, leading many to dismiss God altogether because the image we’ve been given is not believable.

In the Vedic tradition, we don’t just believe in God or the Goddess; we seek to know, to understand, to discover God, Goddess in everything and everyone, including ourselves.

Discovering that God, Goddess is, that you are God, I am God, and all that is here is God, means recognizing that all is sacred, nothing is profane. We are in a constant state of prayer, of gratitude, grateful for waking up each morning, for our legs that carry us, for the water that cleanses us.

There’s consciousness in every action, a realization that nothing can be taken for granted. Ritualizing our life is a beautiful way to stay in touch with the reality that everything here is given, is grace, is sacred. It makes life meaningful, purposeful, and allows us to enter the magic that always is. I learned from my teacher and lineage to ritualize my life, from waking until bedtime, maintaining a state of prayer because we cannot take anything for granted. When we are in pray

The inaugural season of the Born to Be Free Podcast has just wrapped up, and I'm thrilled to announce the launch of Season 2.

Kicking things off, I'm joined by my dear heart sister, Beta Gaiana Lisboa—a Trauma Therapist, Menopause Mentor, Kanika Temple Wear Designer, and the author of the Embodiment Guide for Women.

Together, we dive into a controversial discussion that is bound to ignite diverse viewpoints. At the heart of being free lies sexual freedom—the liberty to express oneself wholly, untethered by societal dictations of dignity.

In this vast universe, nothing is profane; everything is sacred. We enter this world as sacred, sexually free beings, indulging in self-pleasure even within our mothers' wombs. The natural curiosity an infant has to explore their body embodies the sacred innocence many of us have regrettably lost.

As children, our play knows no bounds until the moment an adult intervenes, admonishing our self-exploration or our interactions with peers, imprinting a deep wound. This trauma often follows us into adulthood, where we conceal our sexual desires and fantasies. Closing the door on our erotic innocence means shutting out our boundless, orgasmic creative potential.

Sexual energy is not only healing and empowering but profoundly sacred.

May this episode reignites your spark of Eros and nudges you one step closer to true freedom.

Show Notes

• Return to Erotic Innocence • The Healing Nature of Sacred Play Dates• Shutdown in Early Age • Projections of Society and People • The Fear of Being Judged and Rejected• Healing the Shame of Being a Sexual Being• The Myth of Black Magic• Why Trauma Healing Alone Is Not Enough• Adding Pleasure as the Key to Heal Our Traumas• Integrating Spirituality and Pleasure with Trauma Healing• Making Love to One’s Pain and Shame• Discovering One’s Orgasmic Pain, Orgasmic Shame• Becoming a Trauma-Informed, Pleasure-Based DEVI Coach with Devi School• The Launch of Gaiana’s First Book: The Embodiment Guide for Women • Kanika Temple Wear - Wearing Your Blessings Beta Gaiana Lisboa’s Bio is a passionate Brazilian spiritual seeker, founder of Dynamic Spiral Yin Fascial Yoga, a fascia awareness yoga system. She offers  and a Yoga Mentoring Program and is a Women's Embodiment Coach, a Somatic Experiencing Trauma Therapist, a Myofascial Release Bodywork Healer, and Author. She has over 25 years of research and study in Women’s Embodiment and Trauma Healing Integration. Her School of Yoga advocated over more than 500 graduates in 20 different countries with over 5000 hours of teaching experience.  betalisboa.com https://kanikatemplewear.com/pages/about-us /////// Follow Sharada Devi Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sharada_devi_school/Website: https://www.devischool.info/ You are born with a purpose. You are born a leader. You are born with a legacy. Receive my free Vision Quest and regular emails that inspire you live a life of freedom, re awaken your erotic aliveness and follow your highest path. https://www.devischool.info/vision-quest

Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/born-to-be-free/id1732123169

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4w1KLIoHKxifsUo7odfFSV

Devi Coaching Certification https://www.devischool.info/the-muse-online-group-coaching

Sacred Woman Expansion https://www.devischool.info/sacred-woman-expansion-retreat

Devi School – VIDEO DISCLAIMER The information contained within this video is for informational purposes only. We shall in no event be held liable to any party for any reason arising directly or indirectly for the use or interpretation of the information presented in this video. Copyright 2024, Devi School - All Rights Reserved.

When the student is ready, the teacher appears.  

Welcome to the 4th and final episode of Season 1 of the new podcast, 'Born to Be Free.'  

The life of becoming happy, compared to being in a hamster wheel—constantly moving yet not going anywhere—is called 'Samsara' in Sanskrit.  

It is astonishing how many times we go through the same scenario until we truly learn our lessons.  There is a saying, 'Repetition makes the master.' Just like life, which gives us objectivity through countless momentary experiences, all meant to serve as a playground for us to see where we have projected our happiness onto something other than ourselves.  

Every situation is meant to help us grow. No situation is ever here to make life difficult. Only we, as humans, make it difficult for ourselves.  In this recognition that, in reality, life is simple and yet the struggle seems endless, in this recognition of despair or in a moment when we lose control, we can become fit for a spiritual life.  

The moment we ask for support, the moment we open our hearts to the mystery of life, the moment we let our guards down, the signal sent out into the universe is registered, and the response is already on its way.

'When the student is ready, the teacher appears.'  And so it is. 

No knowledge will be truly received unless we ask for it.  The teachings of the Vedic Tradition reveal the Vision of Wholeness.  From the standpoint of the universe, you are whole; there is nothing wrong with you.  So, there is no savior or agenda from the side of the universe to preach or to indoctrinate anyone. 

On the contrary, the teaching is only given when it is asked for. This is profoundly beautiful because, in that agendalessness, there is trust, and there is room for growth and space for knowledge to take place; in other words, self-ignorance can be removed.  

I am not my experience. I am not my mind. I am not my judgments. I am not even my knowledge.  I am free from everything.  Everything is me. 

 A sacred mirror in words that reveals the truth of our limitless existence.  In deepest gratitude to my lineage, to my teachers, and to the Goddess.  

I offer this podcast in deepest reverence, with a prayer in my heart for freedom and true happiness for all beings.  May all beings be happy. May all beings be free from pain. May all beings see the sacred in each other. May all suffering be destroyed.  

May the river of knowledge continue to flow on and restore purpose and meaning to life to thousands and thousands of people.  

With love.

Follow Sharada Devi Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sharada_devi_school/

Website: https://www.devischool.info/

You are born with a purpose. You are born a leader. You are born with a legacy. Receive my free Vision Quest and regular emails that inspire you live a life of freedom, re awaken your erotic aliveness and follow your highest path. https://www.devischool.info/vision-quest

Listen and review on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/born-to-be-free/id1732123169

Listen and review on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4w1KLIoHKxifsUo7odfFSV

For All: Discover the sanctuary of your being with weekly online Vedic Wisdom Classes https://www.devischool.info/vaidika-dharma-online-classes

For Women: Join the Devi Temple a one of a kind journey to the sanctuary of your magnificent being where you discover that all you have ever wanted is already here. https://www.devischool.info/devi-temple

Devi School – VIDEO DISCLAIMER

The information contained within this video is for informational purposes only. We shall in no event be held liable to any party for any reason arising directly or indirectly for the use or interpretation of the information presented in this video. Copyright 2024, Devi School - All Rights Reserved.

Welcome to this third episode, where I share my first spiritual awakening experience at the age of 18 during my trip to India.

I was young, open, in search of eternal happiness, and admittedly naive.

Nothing could hold me back. Determined to visit India, I journeyed with my older friend, who guided me through the most wonderful places from the North to Rajasthan. We spent days and weeks immersing ourselves in the culture, the land, seeking inspiration and answers to life’s questions.  

During my journey, I picked up a book titled "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse, which described the story of a boy unable to find true, lasting happiness and answers to the fundamental questions of life.

He became my hero, and I imitated him in all his actions.

I began to fast, meditate, cease speaking, and gave away my belongings, just like Siddhartha, learning to live the simple life of a Sadhu—a kind, wise person with deep respect for causing the least harm and disturbance to the environment.

At that time, I was in the mesmerizing city of Pushkar, a revered place of worship for many devotees.  

Taken by its beauty and guided by a priest to the mountains, I was welcomed by a group of Sadhus ready to initiate me into realms where the veil of separation is dissolved. That's when I had my first spiritual awakening.

It struck me like a thunderbolt. Suddenly, the veil of duality was lifted, revealing the truth:

We are all one.

The truth of our existence is that we are Love.

All suffering is not real and doesn’t belong to me.

I saw that our experiences do not define us and that the purpose of life is to discover our freedom, in other words, our essential wholeness.

The experience was so profound that it lingered for weeks & impacted my entire life.

Nothing would ever be the same again.

However, at that time, it was more than I could handle.

There was a point where I couldn’t differentiate between shared reality and my own projected reality.

In Western medicine, this would be called psychosis, which is really just the psyche’s longing to heal itself.

Many factors, such as ungroundedness, unresolved pain and trauma from the past, a new environment, literal interpretations of the book's teachings instead of understanding them as metaphors, a parasite, the influence of plant medicine without proper guidance, etc., resulted in the overwhelming nature of the spiritual awakening, which required intervention and surveillance as I could have potentially hurt myself.  

With the proper support and guidance of a shaman or medicine woman, one can return to a state of equilibrium without any Western medication, using time-proven and ancient tools and ways to integrate such an experience.

In my case, I was sent to a mental hospital, and for a few months, I was in recuperation, given medication that shut down my whole system. Within weeks, the experience started to dissipate, and I literally turned into a ghost.

I could barely eat, walk, or brush my teeth.

Nevertheless, my heart knew I had discovered the truth.

Nothing could convince me otherwise, not even the doctors who told me I would never have a normal life again and would be on medication for the rest of my life.

I was determined to discover what had happened and to find answers to my spiritual awakening.

After a few months of a solid routine, attending different kinds of therapies, I begged my parents to let me go, as I saw no way out or any hope of true recuperation there.

With my parents' blessings, I left for South America, as I wasn’t ready to return to India yet. I knew the time would come, but not just yet.

First, I delved into the shamanic world of temazcal, sweat lodges, and started to collaborate with a foundation in Venezuela, where I stayed for 5 years serving the community. I was mentored by a beautiful woman named Elsbeth and found a yoga community where I adopted a healthy, stable routine and regained a healthy self-image.  

And the day came when I was