Episodes

  • Ep. 50 – Bhuta Agni with Paula Crossfield

    Ep. 50 – Bhuta Agni with Paula Crossfield
    Jul 11 2024
    Using an Ayurvedic lens, Paula Crossfield and Dr. Svoboda discuss the element of fire and the concept of Bhuta Agni.This episode was originally published on Paula Crossfield’s The Cosmic Business PodcastThis time on Living with Reality, Paula and Robert :How fire is the reason that humans were able to expandThe fascinating hypnotic effect of fireAgni as an element, personality, and beingTransformation as the key quality of fireDigestion as transformation of energyDigesting emotions, thoughts, and conceptsTending to internal and external firesHow Bhuta Agni is fed by sensory inputsThe importance of being mindful when consumingSlowing down our thoughts so that we can digest what is going onDeveloping a relationship with our own life forceListening to what our organism tells usAbout Dr. Robert Svoboda:Dr. Robert Svoboda is the first Westerner ever to graduate from a college of Ayurveda and be licensed to practice Ayurveda in India. During and after his formal Ayurvedic training he was tutored in Ayurveda, Yoga, Jyotish, Tantra and other forms of classical Indian lore by his mentor, the Aghori Vimalananda. He is the author of twelve books including Prakriti: Your Ayurvedic Constitution and the Aghora series, which discusses his experiences with his mentor during the years 1975 – 1983.In the years since 1986, Dr. Svoboda has traveled extensively, spending three months per year on average in India. He often speaks on Ayurveda, Jyotish, Tantra and allied subjects in locales across the world.Join Dr. Svoboda’s courses, watch the latest video in Dr. Svoboda’s 5 Minutes series on Youtube and follow Dr. Svoboda on Facebook and Instagram for updates, events, and new content. You can also check out www.drsvoboda.comAbout Paula Crossfield:Paula Crossfield is Vedic astrologer and Business Coach dedicated to helping a million spirit-led entrepreneurs make more money and impact so they can bankroll the change they want to see in the world. Her insights on astrology and business strategy have helped her clients build sustainable five figure+ per month incomes while still embodying their values.For more information on 1-on-1 opportunities and group coaching programs with Paula, go to www.weaveyourbliss.com, where you can also get the 2023 Astrology Guidebook”Agni is regarded as a personality, as that element, but also that being who is able to release awareness and energy and heat and light from where it is being trapped in the earth and water elements and to release it into the less physical aspects of reality.” – Dr. Robert SvobodaSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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    1 hr
  • Ep. 49 – The Chain of Being with Robert Thurman

    Ep. 49 – The Chain of Being with Robert Thurman
    Apr 19 2024
    Robert Thurman joins Dr. Svoboda once again for a vast discussion on his lineage, karma, and the chain of being.Get a free 50-page ebook, Analyzing Karma: Fate or Free Will, by Dr. Svoboda here.In this episode, Dr. Robert Svoboda and Robert Thurman converse about:Robert Thurman’s lineage, upbringing, and young adulthoodRobert’s experience losing his eye and having a spiritual vision while in the hospitalRobert’s journey to and through India and finding home with the TibetansRobert’s instruction to bring Buddhism to those seeking enlightenment through psychedelicsKarma producing an effect of biological evolutionThe danger of solipsism and how we have all been everythingLiving in inter-tangled subjective fieldsAstrology and the ZodiacAbout Robert Thurman:Robert Thurman is the Jey Tsong Khapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies in the Department of Religion at Columbia University and President of the Tibet House U.S., and is the President of the American Institute of Buddhist Studies. His new book, Wisdom Is Bliss: Four Friendly Fun Facts That Can Change Your Life, is now available.About Dr. Robert Svoboda:Dr. Robert Svoboda is the first Westerner ever to graduate from a college of Ayurveda and be licensed to practice Ayurveda in India. During and after his formal Ayurvedic training he was tutored in Ayurveda, Yoga, Jyotish, Tantra and other forms of classical Indian lore by his mentor, the Aghori Vimalananda. He is the author of twelve books including Prakriti: Your Ayurvedic Constitution and the Aghora series, which discusses his experiences with his mentor during the years 1975 – 1983.In the years since 1986, Dr. Svoboda has traveled extensively, spending three months per year on average in India. He often speaks on Ayurveda, Jyotish, Tantra and allied subjects in locales across the world.Join Dr. Svoboda’s courses, watch the latest video in Dr. Svoboda’s 5 Minutes series on Youtube and follow Dr. Svoboda on Facebook and Instagram for updates, events, and new content. You can also check out www.drsvoboda.comAbout Paula Crossfield:Paula Crossfield is Vedic astrologer and Business Coach dedicated to helping a million spirit-led entrepreneurs make more money and impact so they can bankroll the change they want to see in the world. Her insights on astrology and business strategy have helped her clients build sustainable five figure+ per month incomes while still embodying their values.For more information on 1-on-1 opportunities and group coaching programs with Paula, go to www.weaveyourbliss.com, where you can also get the 2023 Astrology Guidebook“I consider karma to be Buddha’s Darwinian theory.” – Robert ThurmanSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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    1 hr and 8 mins
  • Ep. 48 – Friendships and Runanubandh

    Ep. 48 – Friendships and Runanubandh
    Mar 8 2024

    Focusing on the value of relationships, Robert Svoboda discusses genuine friendship and the concept of Runanubandh.

    This podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/beherenow

    This time on Living with Reality, Dr. Robert Svoboda lectures on:

    • True friendship and a familial connection
    • The root of the Sanskrit word for friend
    • Vimalananda and the quality of friendliness
    • Sangha, Satsang, and what real friendship is all about
    • Being mindful of who we associate with
    • Recognizing when our friendships are beneficial or not
    • Runanubandh and the karmic debts that may bring people together
    • Knowing when to end a relationship
    • Having patience when enduring a disconnection
    • The positive imprints from real friendships

    "In satsang, we should come together and attempt to assist one another to go beyond our limitations. That’s what real friendship should be about. Devoting your attention and your energy, your life force, your prana, to extending yourself out to your friends to attempt to assist them to be able to live their lives better and more satisfactorily, more meaningfully, and investing some of your prana, investing some of your life force in order to do this.” – Dr. Svoboda



    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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    34 mins
  • Ep. 47 – Lessons from Vimalananda with Dr. Fred Smith & Paula Crossfield

    Ep. 47 – Lessons from Vimalananda with Dr. Fred Smith & Paula Crossfield
    Jan 8 2024

    Dr. Svoboda is joined by Dr. Fred Smith & Paula Crossfield to share the many cosmic lessons learned from Vimalananda.

    This time on Living with Reality, Dr. Robert Svoboda , Dr. Fred Smith, and Paula Crossfield discuss:

    • How Dr. Svoboda and Dr. Smith met Vimalananda
    • Transforming what we ingest
    • The unusual and auspicious things that Vimalananda made happen
    • Vimalananda’s capacity to enliven tantric forces
    • Dealing with karmic debt
    • Being attuned to the celestial realm
    • Vimalananda’s lessons on the cosmic forces in trees
    • Becoming sensitized to our own senses
    • Magic and mantras in the kitchen
    • The challenges of being born in the west

    Read more about Vimalananda on Drsvoboda.com.

    “This was a way that he was teaching, by just sensitizing us to use our own senses” – Dr. Fred Smith

    About Dr. Fred Smith:

    Dr. Fred Smith studied Sanskrit for more than a decade in Pune, Madras, and elsewhere in India, and earned his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. He is known for his work on Vedic ritual and the early sixteenth-century philosopher Vallabhacarya, whose work he has been translating. With his work on deity and spirit possession, his interest in Indian religious and spiritual experience has assumed a unique form. He teaches at the University of Iowa.

    About Paula Crossfield:

    Paula Crossfield is Vedic astrologer and Business Coach dedicated to helping a million spirit-led entrepreneurs make more money and impact so they can bankroll the change they want to see in the world. Her insights on astrology and business strategy have helped her clients build sustainable five figure+ per month incomes while still embodying their values.

    For more information on 1-on-1 opportunities and group coaching programs with Paula, go to www.weaveyourbliss.com, where you can also get the 2023 Astrology Guidebook


    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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    1 hr and 23 mins
  • Ep. 46 – Ayurveda and The Microbiome with Dr. Scott Blossom

    Ep. 46 – Ayurveda and The Microbiome with Dr. Scott Blossom
    Nov 22 2023
    Looking at the Microbiome from the perspective of Ayurveda, Dr. Scott Blossom and Dr. Robert Svoboda discuss a sustainable path to human health.Check out Dr. Svoboda’s course on Ayurveda and the Microbiome! In this course you will receive a comprehensive deep-dive based on proven science and the ancient Indian knowledge of Ayurveda with practical things you can do right away to support mind and body.In this episode, Dr. Robert Svoboda and Scott Blossom cover:Modern medicine and meta organismsThe microbiome viewed through AyurvedaHow the microbiome impacts so many human systemsThe way our gut can impact our psychologiesThe relationship between human biology and microbial biologyTaking control of our own health through microbiome scienceThe ways that our social and natural environment affects our microbiomeThe multifactorial nature of human conditionsLooking at the forest instead of the trees when considering human healthThe types of foods we should eat for a healthy microbiomeIntermittent fasting, exercise, and soothing the vagus nerve for homeostasis“We also know that our internal proclivities towards imbalance or balance in our lives, in our health, is deeply, profoundly influenced by our social environment, by our natural environment. That is precisely what is being unearthed for microbiome science. For example, it is now well established that our gut microbiome is primarily influenced by the people that we live with, that would be the people we’re breaking bread with, the people were having healthy or not healthy social relationships with, the spaces we inhabit, the way those spaces are kept, etc.” – Dr. Scott BlossomAbout Dr. Scott Blossom:Dr. Scott Blossom is a Traditional Chinese Medical Practitioner, Ayurvedic Practitioner and yoga teacher. He has been studying yoga since 1990 and teaching since 1997. Scott lives in Berkeley, CA. You can find out more at www.doctorblossom.com.About Dr. Robert Svoboda:Dr. Robert Svoboda is the first Westerner ever to graduate from a college of Ayurveda and be licensed to practice Ayurveda in India. During and after his formal Ayurvedic training he was tutored in Ayurveda, Yoga, Jyotish, Tantra and other forms of classical Indian lore by his mentor, the Aghori Vimalananda. He is the author of twelve books including Prakriti: Your Ayurvedic Constitution and the Aghora series, which discusses his experiences with his mentor during the years 1975 – 1983.In the years since 1986, Dr. Svoboda has traveled extensively, spending three months per year on average in India. He often speaks on Ayurveda, Jyotish, Tantra and allied subjects in locales across the world.You can find out more about his work at www.drsvoboda.com and follow him on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.About Paula Crossfield:Paula Crossfield is Vedic astrologer and Business Coach dedicated to helping a million spirit-led entrepreneurs make more money and impact so they can bankroll the change they want to see in the world. Her insights on astrology and business strategy have helped her clients build sustainable five figure+ per month incomes while still embodying their values.For more information on 1-on-1 opportunities and group coaching programs with Paula, go to www.weaveyourbliss.com, where you can also get the 2023 Astrology GuidebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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    32 mins
  • Ep. 45 - The Goddess Kali

    Ep. 45 - The Goddess Kali
    Oct 16 2023

    Explaining the Hindu goddess Kali, Dr. Svoboda lectures on disrupting structure in order to see supreme reality.

    This podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/beherenow

    This time on Living with Reality, Dr. Robert Svoboda explains:

    • The 700 verses of Shri Durga Saptashati
    • A description of Kali’s attributes
    • Ayurveda and the separation of the desirable versus undesirable
    • The manifestation of Mahamaya
    • Blood as the representation of Prana
    • How Kali fights off the enemies of our spiritual development
    • Kali Shakti and awakening awareness
    • Kundalini and identifying with Shiva
    • Removing Maya and turning it into consciousness
    • The difference between Kali and Kali Yuga
    • Time, death, and darkness
    • The liberation that comes from destruction
    • Images of the goddess as incarnations and invocations

    “Everything you see is in the process of falling to pieces … and Kali is standing there as the manifestation of what will happen to everything and everyone. There will be that total destruction and that reversion of everything into something new.” – Dr. Robert Svoboda



    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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    33 mins
  • Ep. 44 – Honoring Your Ancestors with Paula Crossfield

    Ep. 44 – Honoring Your Ancestors with Paula Crossfield
    Sep 27 2023

    With the Ancestor Fortnight on the way, Dr. Robert Svoboda and Paula Crossfield discuss the importance that honoring your ancestors can have for creating harmony in your life.

    This episode originally aired on The Cosmic Business Podcast with Paula Crossfield, a show for spirit-led entrepreneurs who want to create purposeful and profitable businesses aligned with the planets. Learn more at weaveyourbliss.com/podcast.

    This podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/beherenow

    In this episode of Living with Reality:

    • Paula and Dr. Svoboda discuss the Ancestor Fortnight, which runs this year from September 29 through October 14
    • They focus on the importance that honoring your ancestors can have for creating success and harmony in your own life
    • Dr. Svoboda explores some of his own relationships with troubled ancestors and how he’s worked with the karma that is passed down from generation to generation
    • Dr. Svoboda provides detailed instructions on how to perform the ancestor worship ritual, as it was taught to him by his guru

    Join Dr. Svoboda’s Satsanga on Teachable for access to 200 hours of courses, live monthly Q&As, and more. Registration for the Satsanga is only available until October 1, so join today!

    “Here it’s like part of the challenge that we’re experiencing in society is the fact that these ancestors are all trying to grab our attention and they have not yet found a good way to be really harmoniously aligned with one another. So part of what our responsibility as natives of the United States is, when we’re doing ancestor worship, to acknowledge the ancestors of everybody in the country and how we salute them, but we have to encourage all of them to do what they need to do. And part of what they need to do is to learn how to cooperate together for the benefit of everybody who is in the country.” – Dr. Robert Svoboda


    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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    48 mins
  • Ep. 43 – Ganesha Storytime

    Ep. 43 – Ganesha Storytime
    Sep 6 2023

    Explaining the origin and evolution of Ganesha, Dr. Robert Svoboda dissects numerous ancient stories about the remover of obstacles.

    This podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/beherenow

    This episodes contains a discussion with Dr. Svoboda on:

    • Maharashtra as the hub of Ganesha worship
    • Ganesh Chaturthi, the annual festival of Ganesh
    • The Eight Temples of Ashta Nayika
    • How we can seek wisdom and cleverness through Ganapati
    • Ganesh as the remover of obstacles
    • Recognizing Ganesha through the popular Elephant Head image
    • Shiva, Parvati, and the many tales of Ganapati’s birth
    • The verses of the Mahabharata and how Ganesh became a scribe
    • The competition between Ganesh and his brother Kartikeya
    • Santoshi Maa and the modernist story of Ganesha’s daughter
    • The myth of Ganapati cursing the moon to wax and wane

    “Ganesh is continuing to evolve. The goddess is continuing to evolve. All these Devatas and Devis are continuing to evolve. It seems very interesting to me to see how this evolution takes place. We haven’t come to the end of the stories of Ganapati yet. Time will tell what happens next.” – Dr. Robert Svoboda

    Dr. Robert Svoboda mentions Shri Moraya Gosavi, a prominent Hindu saint. Learn more HERE about Gosavi and his influence in spreading the worship of Ganapati.


    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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    58 mins