The Uplifted Yoga Podcast

What will your final thought be?
In Chapter 8 of the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna gives a surprising answer: your last thought isn't something you can control in the moment — it's the result of what you've practiced thinking about your entire life.
So this chapter isn't really about death — It's about attention.
In this episode, I explore:
🔹 Why your final thought reflects your lifelong mental patterns
🔹 The powerful teaching: "Remember me and fight" — spiritual awareness inside real life
🔹 How attention shapes your consciousness and future trajectory
🔹 The meaning of Om as a tool to reorient your awareness
🔹 The difference between rebirth, higher realms, and liberation (moksha)
🔹 A practical question: where is your attention actually going each day?
If you've been feeling scattered, overwhelmed, or pulled in a million directions, this episode brings you back to one core truth:
You become what you consistently pay attention to.
💗 Want to shift what you're practicing paying attention to? Start with my free somatic yoga class or workshop to reset your nervous system and come back to presence→https://www.brettlarkin.com/embodiedyoga?utm_medium=social&utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=embodiedyoga
📗 Join the book club → https://www.brettlarkin.com/uplifted/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=uplifted 
 
📖 Different translations explored:
Barbara Stoler Miller: https://www.amazon.com/Bhagavad-Gita-Krishnas-Counsel-Bantam-Classics/dp/0553213652 
Godsong by Amit Majmudar: https://www.amazon.com/Godsong-Verse-Translation-Bhagavad-Gita-Commentary/dp/1524733474 
Eknath Easwaran: https://www.amazon.com/Bhagavad-Gita-2nd-Eknath-Easwaran/dp/1586380192 
Bhagavad-Gita As It Is by Swami Prabhupada: https://www.amazon.com/Bhagavad-Gita-As-Bhaktivedanta-Swami-Prabhupada/dp/0892131233 
 
FREE Practice: Yoga for Somatic Healing | Beginner Full Body Somatic Yoga Flow to Release Emotions & Trauma
Relevant Blog: Om Meaning: What Is Om And Why Is It Important?
 
Relevant to Today's Episode:
📖History of Yoga
🐍 Yoga for Self Mastery
💖 Uplifted Membership
🎧 Also Listen to:
#401 – Who Has Your Attention? Attention Economy vs the Ancient Path
#415 – From Self-Improvement to Reverence (Bhagavad Gita Chapter 7)
 
© 2026 Uplifted Yoga | BrettLarkin.com

If yoga doesn't really have a Satan figure…what's the enemy?
In this second part of my comparative theology series, I explore what Hindu philosophy names as the real obstacle on the spiritual path: ego, desire, delusion, and ignorance.
We continue tracing parallels between Jesus, Buddha, and Hindu mythology — but here the focus sharpens around one big idea: the deepest danger isn't pleasure or power. It's misidentification.
In this episode, I explore:
🔹 Why the "enemy" in yoga often sounds like self-doubt, ego, and identity insecurity
🔹 What Hindu myths reveal about spiritual power without humility
🔹 Why temptation often shows up right before transformation
🔹 How self-sabotage can actually signal a threshold moment
🔹 What Jesus, Buddha, and Hindu philosophy all teach about staying rooted in who you are
If you've ever felt yourself unravel right before an up-level — or noticed self-doubt get louder the moment you're about to expand — this episode is for you.
💖 Want to keep exploring yoga philosophy in community?
Join me inside the Uplifted Membership for deeper study, spiritual conversation, and the Yoga Sutras Book Club → https://www.brettlarkin.com/uplifted/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=uplifted
 
FREE Practice: Full Body Somatic Workout for Women | Yoga to Find Your Power & Release Guilt
Relevant Blog: Self Love for Women: How to Cultivate Compassion and Confidence
 
Relevant to Today's Episode:
✅ 200-hour Online Yoga Teacher Training
🔮 300-hour Online Yoga Teacher Training
💖 Uplifted Membership
🌀 Somatic Yoga Life Coaching 
💫 Somatic Certification
🎧 Also Listen to:
#297 – What is Samkhya Philosophy and How is it Different from Yoga?
#387 – Book 4 of the Yoga Sutras: The Mystical Path to Liberation Explained
#413 – Yoga Doesn't Have a Devil. So What's the Enemy? Part 1
 
© 2026 Uplifted Yoga | BrettLarkin.com

If joint pain has ever made you afraid to move, this episode is for you.
In this conversation with Scott Hogan, we talk about what actually helps painful joints heal — and why doing nothing often makes things worse. We explore the relationship between movement, compensation patterns, nervous system safety, and how to rebuild strength without constantly re-triggering pain.
In this episode, we cover:
🔹 Why people get afraid to move after injury — and what to do instead
🔹 The difference between mobility and stability (and why both matter for healthy joints)
🔹 How pain compensation patterns can quietly create bigger issues over time
🔹 Why core stability is often the missing piece in joint healing
🔹 How to think about recovery, connective tissue, and rebuilding beyond your old baseline
This is such a grounded conversation if you're navigating pain, getting older, or trying to support your body with more intelligence and less fear.
📘 And if you want to go deeper into the nervous system side of healing; Grab my book Healing with Somatic Yoga → https://amzn.to/3WGulGG 
 
GUEST EXPERT: Scott Hogan | @scotthhogan | @saltwrap
Scott Hogan is the author of the best-selling book, Built from Broken. And founder of SaltWrap, a therapeutic sports nutrition company.
Scott's website: saltwrap.com 
Get Scott's book Built from Broken: https://saltwrap.com/pages/built-from-broken 
 
FREE Practice: 5 Minute Easy Kundalini Yoga | MORNING YOGA FOR STIFF JOINTS
Relevant Blog: Yoga For Arthritis: 9 Poses For Joint Pain Relief
 
Relevant to Today's Episode:
📚 Healing with Somatic Yoga Book 
🔮 300-hour Online Yoga Teacher Training
💫 Somatic Certification
🎧 Also Listen to:
#285 – Is Yoga Enough…? with Dr. Jen Fraboni
#296 – How Ancient Primal Habits Help You Thrive with Cate Stillman
#300 – Unraveling the Mystery of Chronic Pain for Yoga Teachers & Practitioners with Kim Patel



© 2026 Uplifted Yoga | BrettLarkin.com

Have you ever wondered what the original learning environment of yoga philosophy actually looked like?
In this episode, I share why texts like the Yoga Sutras, Bhagavad Gita, and Upanishads were never meant to be read alone—and how studying in community can completely transform your understanding.
As I've been leading my Yoga Sutras Book Club, I've seen how powerful it is to learn this way—and why it might be the missing piece in your own practice.
We explore:
🔹 Why reading alone is actually a modern anomaly
🔹 How sutras were designed to be unpacked together
🔹 Why commentary and conversation deepen insight
🔹 How community supports nervous system regulation
If something feels like it's missing in your spiritual study, this episode will show you why.
💖 Want to experience this in practice?
Join me inside the Yoga Sutras Book Club where we study these teachings the way they were originally meant to be explored—together, in community, and in conversation → https://www.brettlarkin.com/uplifted/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=uplifted 
📘 Want the physical, glossy keepsake journal? Order it here → https://cart.brettlarkin.com/sutras-journal-pada1/ 
 
FREE Practice: 15 Minute Power Morning Vinyasa Flow For Strength
Relevant Blog: What Is Santosha? Yoga's Philosophy of Happiness.
 
Relevant to Today's Episode:
🐍 History of Yoga
📚 Healing with Somatic Yoga Book 
💖 Uplifted Membership
🎧 Also Listen to:
#297 – What is Samkhya Philosophy and How is it Different from Yoga?
#358 – Intro to The Bhagavad Gita: How Do You Navigate Moral Dilemmas?
#364 – Dissecting The 8 Limbs and Their Origins
 
© 2026 Uplifted Yoga | BrettLarkin.com

If you've been working all day, running around, or living a little too much in your head, this short guided meditation is designed to help you shift out of "doing" mode and back into being.
In this visualization, I guide you into a peaceful nighttime beach setting where you encounter a radiant goddess figure who bathes you in what I call the nectar of compassion — a symbol of the feminine qualities many of us forget to give ourselves: softness, warmth, receptivity, and care.
You can practice this meditation lying down and return to it anytime you need to release stress, reconnect with your body, and transition into a calmer, more intuitive state.
In this meditation, we explore:
🔹 A simple three-part breath to slow the nervous system and release the day
🔹 A soothing moonlit beach visualization to shift from mental activity into embodied presence
🔹 Meeting a compassionate goddess archetype representing nurturing feminine energy
🔹 A symbolic "nectar of compassion" ritual to soften tension and restore emotional balance
🔹 Reconnecting with the quiet strength, warmth, and intuition already within you
This practice is especially beautiful when you're transitioning from work into the evening, preparing for rest, or simply needing a few minutes to reconnect with yourself.
✨ Want more practices like this?
Inside the Uplifted Membership, you'll find a full library of guided meditations, somatic yoga practices, and deeper trainings to help you regulate your nervous system, reconnect with your body, and build a sustainable spiritual practice.
Join here →  https://www.brettlarkin.com/uplifted/
 
© 2026 Uplifted Yoga | BrettLarkin.com