How to Live Smartphone Free (From a 20 Year Old) with Yunus M.
Release Date: 12/17/2025
From Self-Improvement to Reverence (Bhagavad Gita Chapter 7)
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:...
info_outline
How I Get TV Segments & Talk on Camera (Without Stressing Out)
The Uplifted Yoga Podcast
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...
info_outline
Yoga Doesn’t Have a Devil. So What’s the Enemy? (Part 1)
The Uplifted Yoga Podcast
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...
info_outline
How the Chakras Relate to Polyvagal Theory + Your FAQ
The Uplifted Yoga Podcast
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 🔹...
info_outline
How to Get Inspired and Be Inspired (Even When You Feel Burned Out)
The Uplifted Yoga Podcast
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...
info_outline
The Adi Shakti Mantra for Overwhelmed Women with Polly Standeven
The Uplifted Yoga Podcast
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...
info_outline
Trauma-Conscious Kundalini: A New Era of Teaching with Katrina Marie
The Uplifted Yoga Podcast
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...
info_outline
Aparigraha vs. Hustle Culture: I Quit Maximizing. Here's What Happened
The Uplifted Yoga Podcast
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...
info_outline
Root Chakra Meditation
The Uplifted Yoga Podcast
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...
info_outline
Vedanta vs. Christianity: Bliss, Grace & the Divine in Two Spiritual Paths
The Uplifted Yoga Podcast
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_outlineWhat happens when a 20-year-old decides to completely unplug—from smartphones, social media, and the digital world?
In this episode, I talk with Yunus Maximus, a bold, creative soul who's chosen a countercultural path in today’s tech-saturated world. We explore how living without a phone has deepened his art, saved his mental health, and strengthened his human connections. His story will make you rethink your relationship with technology—and your own creativity.
We talk about:
🔹 Why Yunus ditched his phone and never looked back
🔹 The link between digital detox and artistic expression
🔹 Finding community and purpose offline
🔹 What it means to trust your own path in a hyper-connected world
If you’ve been craving more presence, art, or authenticity—this one’s a must-listen.
🎁 Don’t forget to grab my new book: Healing with Somatic Yoga: A 6-Week Journey to Release Emotions, Rewire Your Nervous System, and Reclaim Your Body → https://amzn.to/3WGulGG
GUEST EXPERT: Yunus Maximus
Yunus is an artist and musician helping pave the way in technology and internet counterculture. Through experimentation and therapeutic integration he discovered that stepping away from technology has enabled him to not only connect with his unique gifts but his local community in powerful ways. Yunus encourages everyone to step away from the noise the internet brings, do the art that you love, and trust that opportunities will come your way.
Contact Yunus: yunusmaximusmusic@gmail.com
FREE Practice: Extra Gentle Trauma-Informed Somatic Exercises | How to do Somatic Yoga | Somatic Yoga Flow
Relevant Blog: Somatic Meditation: A Body-Based Approach to Healing Stress, Anxiety, and Trauma
Relevant to Today’s Episode:
🎧 Also Listen to:
#380 – The Internet Is Collapsing — And Why That’s Great News for Yogis & Healers
© 2025 Uplifted Yoga | BrettLarkin.com