The Uplifted Yoga Podcast

Have you ever noticed that when humans try to talk about God, awakening, truth, or the divine we almost never explain it directly?
Instead, we tell stories. We say life is a battlefield. God is a shepherd. The soul is a river returning to the sea. The self is two birds sitting in the same tree.
Across cultures, centuries, and spiritual traditions, mystics don't simply define the divine, they paint it.
In this episode, I take you on a kind of devotional poetry slam through sacred metaphor. We'll explore passages from the Bhagavad Gita, the Upanishads, the Psalms, and yogic philosophy to see how spiritual traditions use image, story, and symbol to help us feel our relationship with the divine.
Because metaphor doesn't just help the mind understand. It gives the nervous system somewhere to rest.
We'll explore:
🔹 Why sacred texts use metaphor to describe the divine
🔹 What the Gita, Bible, and Upanishads reveal through images like rivers, shepherds, chariots, and birds
🔹 How metaphor helps us feel spiritual truth instead of just understand it intellectually
🔹 How sacred imagery can support meditation, teaching, and everyday life 
This is part one of a two-part episode on sacred metaphor, divine imagery, and why stories may be one of the most powerful spiritual technologies we have.
If you've ever felt moved by a line of scripture, a yoga teaching, a poem, or an image you couldn't fully explain this episode will help you understand why.
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And if you want to understand where the Gita, Upanishads, Yoga Sutras, Tantra, and other sacred yoga texts all fit together, my History of Yoga course is a beautiful next step. Get it here => https://www.brettlarkin.com/history-of-yoga-course/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=hoy 
 
FREE Practice: Feminine Energy Chakra Meditation 💗 Relax into Your Divine Feminine Energy Channel 🌸 CHAKRA BLISS
Relevant Blog: Understanding What is Divine Love: Key Insights and Perspectives
 
Relevant to Today's Episode:
🕉️ History of Yoga
🐍 Yoga for Self Mastery
💖 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?
#401 – Who Has Your Attention? Attention Economy vs the Ancient Path
 
© 2026 Uplifted Yoga | BrettLarkin.com

Thinking about doing a yoga teacher training—but not sure how to choose the right one?
In this bonus FAQ-style episode, I'm breaking down the questions I hear all the time—from "Will I actually finish?" to "Do I have to want to teach?"—and giving you a grounded, honest framework to make the best decision for YOU.
Because not all trainings are created equal… and the difference isn't just curriculum—it's support, structure, and how you're held through the experience.
We'll explore:
🔹 Why most people don't finish yoga teacher training
🔹 The biggest mistake people make when choosing a program
🔹 What actually builds confidence (hint: it's not more content)
🔹 How to know if you're "ready" (even if you don't feel ready)
🔹 And the one thing that matters more than anything else
If you've been circling this decision, this episode will help you get clear—without pressure.
💖 Ready to deepen your practice and live from your true nature? Explore the Uplifted Membership here => https://www.brettlarkin.com/uplifted/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=uplifted
 
FREE Practice: Gentle Morning Yoga For Beginners: A Full Body Stretch
Relevant Blog: How to Choose a Yoga Teacher Training (That Won't Rip You Off)
 
Relevant to Today's Episode:
✅ 200-hour Online Yoga Teacher Training
🔮 300-hour Online Yoga Teacher Training
🌀 Somatic Yoga Life Coaching 
🎧 Also Listen to:
#264 – How is Kundalini Yoga Different from Hatha/Vinyasa Yoga?
#364 – Dissecting The 8 Limbs and Their Origins
#404 – What If I Fail? Krishna's Answer to Your Inner Critic (Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6)
 
© 2026 Uplifted Yoga | BrettLarkin.com

If your yoga practice keeps falling off… you're not the problem.
In this episode, I share 7 simple, realistic ways to create a yoga practice that actually sticks—even in busy seasons of life.
We explore how to:
🔹 Redefine what "counts" as yoga
🔹 Build consistency without perfectionism
🔹 Create anchor practices you can rely on
🔹 Eliminate decision fatigue (so you actually show up)
🔹 Make your practice feel good again
Whether you're short on time, energy, or motivation—this episode will help you reconnect to a practice that supports you.
✨ Make your yoga practice 2x more potent in 1/2 the time with my Free Yoga Transformational Portal
💗Get my book Yoga Life: Habits, Poses and and Breathwork to Channel Joy Amidst the Chaos => https://brettlarkin.com/yoga-life-book?utm_medium=social&utm_source=podcast&utm_campaign=&utm_term=yogalife-book 
Get the Uplifted Journals:
Uplifted Abundance Journal & Guidebook
Uplifted Chakra Journal
 
FREE Practice: Beginner Gentle Yoga for Flexibility That You Can Do Anytime
Relevant Blog: Yoga To Connect With Your Body For Mind-Body Harmony
 
Relevant to Today's Episode:
📖 Yoga Life Book
📚 Healing with Somatic Yoga Book 
✅ 200-hour Online Yoga Teacher Training
🐍 Yoga for Self Mastery
💖 Uplifted Membership
🎧 Also Listen to:
#264 – How is Kundalini Yoga Different from Hatha/Vinyasa Yoga?
#279 – Yoga Sutras of Patanjali Summary – BOOK ONE Explained
#318 – What Is Somatic Yoga?
#372 – Can the Sutras Make Space for Pleasure? (Sutra 1.15 Explained)

© 2026 Uplifted Yoga | BrettLarkin.com

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