My Failures & Learnings Detailed with Brett Larkin [Episode 253]
Release Date: 01/29/2019
The Uplifted Yoga Podcast
Are you collecting yogic wisdom… or in a relationship with Divine mystery? Today we’re opening into Chapter 7 of the Bhagavad Gita, and it’s a true turning point. The first six chapters have been so much about discipline, self-mastery, and effort… but here, we pivot into the bhakti arc: relationship with the divine. Before we drop into the verses, I frame the big shift this chapter is asking of us — and I weave it through a distinction that changes everything: jnana (intellectual knowing) vs vijnana (realized, embodied knowing). Here are the 5 biggest takeaways from this episode:...
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I recently went on live television — and it reminded me how much intentionality goes into both getting these opportunities and preparing for them. In this episode, I share how media invitations actually happened for me (spoiler: it wasn’t cold pitching networks)… and how I prep so live TV doesn’t fry my nervous system. If you have a book, retreat, teacher training, or offering you want to grow, this is the real behind-the-scenes. In this conversation, I cover: 🔹 The two-part strategy that builds visibility over time 🔹 Why doing “three uncomfortable things a day” changed my...
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Let’s talk about something a little controversial today… the forces of evil. 👀 How do different wisdom traditions frame temptation, demons, and the dark forces that often appear right before a spiritual breakthrough? I’ll explore the story of Eve in the garden, Jesus in the desert, and Buddha under the Bodhi tree, comparing how each figure faces illusion, doubt, and distraction—and what we can learn from them in our own practice. I’ll also break down how yogic philosophy (and Hinduism more broadly) defines the “enemy” very differently—from the ego as adversary to karmic...
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What if your chakra “block” isn’t a block — but your nervous system doing its job? In this bonus episode, I go deeper into your most advanced chakra questions: from how the polyvagal ladder maps onto the energy body, to why certain life patterns keep repeating. We’ll explore how trauma, somatics, and subtle anatomy intersect — and why your healing path isn’t linear (and was never meant to be). We’ll explore: 🔹 Are chakras sequential or cyclical? 🔹 Why trauma theory transforms how we understand energy centers 🔹 How the koshas and gunas make chakra work more precise 🔹...
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If you’ve been feeling stuck or uninspired—whether in your personal practice or your teaching—this episode is for you. I’m sharing how I’ve reignited my own creativity over the years, not by pushing harder, but by allowing myself to breathe in new experiences. From Da Vinci to Mirabai, from Einstein’s violin to the poetry of Lalla, I’ll take you on a journey that reveals the true source of inspiration—and how you can access it again (and again). Here’s what I’ll explore: 🔹 What “inspiration” really means (and why you can’t force it) 🔹 How to feed your creativity...
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If you’ve been feeling braced, overextended, or stuck in your head — this episode is for you. In this conversation with one of my Kundalini Yoga Teacher Training graduates, Polly of North & Soul, we explore the Adi Shakti mantra not as theory… but as medicine. This isn’t just a breakdown of Sanskrit. It’s a conversation about what happens when you stop micromanaging your life force — and allow energy to move again. In this episode, we explore: 🔹 Living at “two out of ten” versus fully expressed in your energy 🔹 Kundalini as your magnetism — your truest creative...
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Does Kundalini yoga have to be intense and activating? What if it could be trauma-conscious, deeply supportive, and even soothing? In this powerful conversation, I sit down with Katrina Marie—trauma survivor, author, and lead trainer in Uplifted’s 200, 300, and Kundalini tracks—to explore how Kundalini yoga can be safely adapted for students with trauma and nervous system sensitivity. We talk about how to teach from a place of safety, how to create choice instead of pressure, and why your unique experience as a teacher is your gift. In this episode, we explore: 🔹 The difference...
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Are you addicted to efficiency? This episode explores the fifth Yama, Aparigraha — non-grasping, through the lens of modern life. We talk hoarding… not of stuff, but of tasks, to-dos, and productivity itself. If you’ve ever found yourself trying to “earn” your rest or multitasking even in your downtime, this one’s for you. Let’s talk about: 🔹 What it really means to stop grasping (hint: it’s not just about material things) 🔹 The dark side of the “maximizer” mindset 🔹 Why we hoard productivity (and how it erodes presence) 🔹 How contentment (Santosha) offers an...
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Ready to reconnect with your roots? This short guided meditation focuses on the first chakra — Muladhara, the root chakra — helping you ground into your body and feel deeply supported by the earth beneath you. Whether you're feeling anxious, scattered, or just want to center yourself before your day, this practice is here to help you return to solid ground. In this meditation I’ll guide you to: 🔹 Visualize the root chakra and the fire at the earth’s core 🔹 Feel your body anchoring into the present moment 🔹 Explore the void — the energetic origin point of grounding and...
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We recently completed Chapter 6 of the Bhagavad Gita — a raw and honest moment where Arjuna admits, “My mind is more restless than the wind.” But before we dive into Chapter 7 (where everything shifts), I want to pause and explore an important question that naturally arises right here: How do the yogic teachings on Ananda (bliss) compare to the Christian understanding of grace — and why do these two paths feel so different in the body? This episode is a bridge — between effort and surrender, empowerment and comfort, self-regulation and devotion — as we explore this question from a...
info_outlineLearn about all the things I’ve done “wrong” in business and my key takeaways. Inspired by my conversation with Dave Ursillo in which we talked about his “failed” book launch, I open up and talk about two whole companies that I launched, which didn’t quite work out quite as planned... Enjoy my post-mortem on my experiences, including the lessons I took away. These learnings helped me form the successful yoga business that I love running today.
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Brett is the founder of Uplifted Yoga, an online yoga and meditation community empowering students to personalize their practice and ignite their best life - on and off the mat. She’s instructed at top studios, companies like Google and Pinterest, and leads the world’s most interactive Online Yoga Teacher Training program. She teaches to a social media following of over 300K people. Her content on Youtube is streamed for 2 million minutes each month. Learn more at BrettLarkin.com
Creator & Host: Brett Larkin
Sound Engineer: Zach Cooper
Producer: Benn Mendelson
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