Gangaji Podcasts

"Our magical thinking cannot change the universe.It's really all about trying to change something in ourselves that is waiting to be faced." In this month's episode of Gangaji's new podcast, Being Yourself, Gangaji challenges our deeply held concepts about hope and hopelessness. Sharing a very personal story she illuminates how hope can become an obstacle in our lives. What if giving up hope could show you a deeper freedom? Would you be willing to let it go?

Being Yourself: Self-Inquiry with Gangaji is the latest addition to Gangaji Podcasts. In this new show, host Barbara Denempont, dives into the treasure trove of Gangaji's recordings to bring you the most relevant, brilliant and meaningful clips from the past 25 years. In this first episode Gangaji explores the very human experience of being separate from God, truth, love, each other and from ourselves.

Six years ago, we started on a journey and we called it A Conversation with Gangaji. The original question was, what if you could sit across the coffee table from Gangaji and ask her anything you wanted? We covered everything from relationships to money to death to sex to suffering to enlightenment. We started the first episode with the topic of chronic pain and ended our last conversation with the question, what do you really want? Together we got to listen to Gangaji always point to the deeper truth of the matter. And when all the questions were finally asked, all it really was about was finding home.

For anyone interested in or committed to a spiritual practice, this exchange with Gangaji is refreshingly clarifying. In her fierce way, Gangaji suggests that the daily mediation that many of us practice largely consists of what it is we want, or don't want. If that is the more common mantra, then what does it mean to have a spiritual practice? And is a spiritual practice required in order to wake up?

There's a lot of debate, and perhaps some strong opinions, about what it means to take the spiritual bypass. It doesn't necessarily mean addressing every emotion that comes up. But it also doesn't mean pretending everything is fine when it's not. When Gangaji says you don't have to process everything or fix yourself in order to be free, what exactly does that mean? Would you take the bypass in order to be free?

Stevie Leppard had everything anyone could want on the outside, lots of money, fancy cars, a successful career, but on the inside his own self-hatred felt intolerable. Suicide seemed like the only way out. It was grace that would eventually save him, but it was a fierce grace. How Stevie would go on to meet Gangaji is just part of his amazing story.

When hard things in life show up, how do we face the sense of overwhelm that threatens to take us into a spin? Is living a spiritual life ultimately about the hope of avoiding sliding into some sort of abyss? In this repeat episode, Gangaji invites us to inspect whether or not our thoughts about hell are actually different than the experience itself. Rather than giving up, can the challenges in our lives actually be a call to wake up?

What does your life stand for? What do you really want? If the answer is freedom then what does that look like? Does the answer you come up with match your life, how you live your life? Is there something you're holding onto that keeps you from truly realizing what it means to be free? These are potent questions. And what happens in this particular exchange with Gangaji is different because it is the beginning and end of all conversations.

It was the middle of the night. Harriet Watson was driving down a dark, snow covered road alone, barely able to see what was in front of her. Suddenly, she was startled by a loud thud. In the moments that followed, her life would change forever. From the frustration of a life a rigid rules and beliefs to the experience of profound freedom, this story is a testament to the trustworthiness of life.

With rare exceptions, human beings are innately good. Being in alignment with that goodness feels spacious. We can be greedy, cranky, critical, jealous, but being good? Now that's seems like an infinitely better way to go. The problem is that being good can be a trap unto itself. Does our capacity for a deeper awaking rely on our willingness to cultivate this goodness within us? Or are we inherently good, without doing a thing?

Control might ultimately be an attempt to fend off our deepest fears. It can show up in all sorts of ways in our everyday lives. It can interfere with relationships. It can also be exhausting. Some people are self-described "control freaks". For others, control can show up in more subtle ways. Fessing up to our control issues is a pretty tender thing, but when the source of it is finally met, the possibilities are endless.

Just in time for November, we're revisiting a episode we did a while back on the subject of gratitude. There are so many gems in this one. Sometimes when we don't feel especially grateful, we feel as though we should, as if feeling ungrateful is something we should avoid. That's just a jumping off place for one of our favorite conversations.

When trauma happens, it can change the trajectory of a life. It can color how we see the world around us. We can retreat. We can act out. And we can certainly spend our lives running from it, managing it or even trying to heal it. How do we come to terms with even the deepest of wounds without suffering from the identification as someone who has been hurt or wronged in some way? This episode takes a surprising turn and is one of the most revealing conversations so far.

When you see Kim Rosen on stage performing poetry, she exudes a distinct sense of certainty. But the truth is that for a period of her life she suffered from a particular type of fear that was profoundly painful. Her prayer to be released from it's confines would be answered two different times. And both times that grace came in the form of a poem. In the end, Kim's story wasn't about making her fear go away. It was about meeting it and doing life anyway, in a most extraordinary way.

The next episode of Epiphany features Kim Rosen. Her story will make you believe in the power of courage. Coming up on September 20th.

Gangaji has always said that inquiry isn't theoretical, it's about real life. This episode is a perfect example of that. Gangaji experienced a serious injury recently. She's going to give us an update, but we're also going to take this as an opportunity to continue our conversation on the body. Difficult things happen to people, no matter their level their awareness, so how does that play out with someone like Gangaji? How do we face our fear of losing when unexpected things happen in life? Gangaji addresses all of the above, and more, on this new episode of Gangaji Radio.

The body is the first way we're identified in this world. It's our unique gateway to experiencing sound, touch, seeing beautiful things, and it's a way we connect with each other. But in times of pain or challenging emotions, being in a body can seem like a burden. If we could just fix it, make it look the way we want it to, then maybe we would be liberated. The question is, do we ask too much of these bodies of ours? This month, Gangaji explores both the bliss and the existential crisis of being in a body.

Kenny Johnson was trapped in a life that seemed impossible to escape. You could call it a kind of hell. He spent more than twenty years in prison, sometimes just fighting for his life. What he wanted was just to be free. What happened to him was beyond his wildest imagination. This month's epiphany story is about amazing grace. It's about discovering light in the darkest of places.

Preview our next Epiphany episode, The Last Hustle. Kenny Johnson spent over twenty years in prison. What he wanted was to be free. What he got was something he could have never imagined. Coming up May 17th.

It's easy to experience silence or stillness in the midst of deep meditation or in a moment of appreciating the beauty in the world. But what about the times when we're upset or angry? How about the times when our sense of well being is swept up in whirlwind of fear or sadness? How do we know that who we really are is silence and why is it important? We'll also be talking about difference between space and spaciousness, where intelligent thought comes from, and much more.

A lot has been said about the subjects of karma, fate and destiny. Is the course of our lives predetermined? How is it that some people seem to live a life of abundance while others face huge difficulties? Most of us have probably experienced a bit of both. Is it possible to change our karma? What is the difference between choice and choicelessness? In this episode Gangaji also shares her thoughts on responsibility and the power we have over our karma.

In October of 1998, a talented musician named Craig Johnson, along with millions around the world, was rocked to his core by the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard. It was a hate crime, a hate crime against gays. In the years that followed Matthew Shepard's death, although they never met, he and Craig would become brothers in the deepest sense. At the core of Craig's story is the question, is love present in the midst of the unthinkable?

Coming up this month on Epiphany Grammy Award winning musician Craig Hella Johnson takes us on a journey that began with the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard. It asks the question, can love be found in the midst of the unthinkable? Look for it on February 15th.

The bubble of me is made up of my body, my thoughts, my worries, as well as my hopes, dreams and desires. In and of itself, it's neither good nor bad. It's just part of being human. But sometimes there can be a preoccupation with this bubble of me, which perhaps is a distraction from a deeper anxiety. In this conversation, Gangaji also looks at the bubbles we create around our political, social or spiritual beliefs. Is it important to reach beyond our own bubbles? And if so, how do we do that?

When we feel back into a corner, asking for help can be seem difficult. In fact, it can be sort of an act of courage to do it. In those moments when we call out for help, if we let go of what that might look like, is there a guarantee that our prayer's will be be answered? What about other categories of help, like giving help? When does offering help serve and when does it interfere? When is it actually a distraction? When we move beyond our daily hopes and fears, is there a final prayer just to be free?

Mica Carew comes from a long lineage of medicine women. Her grandmother taught her that if you quiet the mind you can hear another person's body. From the age of nine, that's the medicine she practiced. In her twenties, she turned her back on her native medicine. It was a sincere and desperate prayer for help that took her on a journey she never could have imagined.

To say that the US presidential election of 2016 has created a firestorm around the world would be an understatement. While some people are happy with the outcome, the election of Donald Trump has left many shocked, angry and in fear of the future. In this special episode, Gangaji responds to some of the questions and reactions that have naturally come to the surface. Do we have the capacity to bear the fallout from this, no matter what side we're on? Important questions for the sobering times we find ourselves in. Some of us feel blindsided. Where do we go from here?

It's easy to think that a sudden and profound awakening has more meaning than more subtle awarenesses that happen over time. It's like a thunderbolt versus an onion. It's natural to want to compare the two but the question is, are those comparisons worthwhile? Could it be that it's ordinary moments that are the true openings to realizing who we are? Could these moments be the final call for us to stop trying to fix ourselves and realize what has been here all along?

To bring our conversation from August's episode, When We Disagree, full circle, we've included this special bonus clip. This monologue from Gangaji's compilation Being in Peace shows us where war originates from within ourselves and how it is then projected out into the world. In this lucky lifetime, Gangaji points to this rare opportunity to call off this war on ourselves and finally be at peace.

Pro-choice, pro-life, pro-guns, anti-guns, racism, immigration, sexuality, financial equality, the debate around different social and political issues that have stirred a heated debate for many. What if our disagreements lead to hate, even if our hate is a result to those who say hateful things? Who's right and who's wrong? What happens if we throw away the requirement that we have to agree with each other at all? In the midst of these heated emotions and passionate opinions, is there room for love and respect?

At first glance, giving up hope doesn't seem like the best idea. After all, isn't hope what helps us make it through difficult times? We hope for good health, financial stability and fulfilling relationships. We hope for a life without suffering, where our most sincere wishes can come true. What would life be without hope? If we didn't have hope would we risk falling into some sort of abyss? Is hope what keeps us afloat or is it actually something that contributes to our suffering? This month, we're looking at the surprising obstacle that hope can create, as we discover what is possible if we are willing to let it go.

All of our iTunes subscribers are in for a treat this month as we share with you a special advanced preview of the next podcast that we hope to add to Gangaji Radio. The inspiration for the show is to connect all of us through our own teaching stories. Sharing these remarkable personal stories, Epiphany brings to life the profound impact our "aha moments" have, not only on our own lives but on everyone around us, including people we may never even meet. Your help will not only allow us to launch this important new offering, but it will also support the continuation of A Conversation with Gangaji. This pilot episode, Teachings from Grief, is about love, loss and courage, and what is possible when they all come together.

Shame is probably one of the most avoided words in the English language. And no wonder. It seems dark and sticky and secretive by it's very nature. Shame can arise from anything from abuse to sex to doing something we feel embarrassed about to simply being in a human body. The story of shame can wind its way through every part of our lives. What happens when we finally stop to face our own experience of shame? The answer could be both liberating and life-changing.

Have you ever looked in the mirror and thought you looked too fat or too thin? Does the way you feel in your body ever seem frustrating or even intolerable? This month Gangaji is joined by author Geneen Roth. She is known by millions by her New York Times #1 Bestseller Women, Food and God. Together they get at the root of this sometimes painful relationship we have between our self-worth, what we look like and our relationship with food.

There's Ram Dass saying that goes, if you think you're enlightened then go spend a week with your family. Family relationships can evoke the most explosive emotions. A certain kind of remark or tone can come from anyone else and mean nothing, but with family, in an instant, we feel like we're ten years old again. The bonds that began in our earliest memories of childhood have the power to influence how we relate to life in general...who we marry, what we do for a living, where we live. The question is...Can we all just get along? And.....do we even need to?

We will all lose someone we love in the course of a lifetime. There will be that moment when we face the stark reality that we will never be able to touch or hear or be with that person ever again. It is in those moments when grief surges to the surface, using all its force to gain our attention. If we fully meet this grief, is it possible to discover something that we may have not known before? Some may ask where people go after they die because they seem gone, but is that really true?

If you enter the word “spirituality” as a google search, you'll come up with about 145 million results. Clearly there's an abundance of blogs, youtubes, retreats, etc. to help us on our spiritual journey. But if you find one person who changes your life in profound and unmistakable ways, do you keep searching or does finding that teacher, once and for all, end your search? What is the difference between taking advantage of a plethora of offerings or overindulging? When it comes to finding a teacher, are you in an open or a committed relationship?

The right book or person or opportunity shows up at just the right time. You meet someone unexpectedly who says just want you needed to hear. What are these moments of synchronicity? Are they just coincidence? Or has your intention or desire attracted these things that have somehow shown up in your life? Is there something beyond manifestation? If the peace and fulfillment we are looking for are available to us any time by inquiring inward then what is the role of positive thinking and synchronicity?

It's often said that if one is certain of the love that lies within oneself the choice to be in a relationship or to be single is freed up. In that, relationships are no longer centered around insecurity and identification. Some people feel better when they're in relationships, but that's not entirely a good thing if they're rooted in dependency. Some people are more accustomed to being single, but what if that's not by choice? And what about the feeling of loneliness we sometimes feel no matter who we're with? This month, we're asking, what does it mean to be alone?

When it comes to relationships, fear of abandonment can lead to all sorts of forms of self-betrayal. In trying to manage this very human fear, we can sometimes ignore our own knowing, all in the name of not being left. Ironically, these subtle or not so subtle attempts to escape being rejected actually results in our own abandonment. Telling the truth about ways we betray ourselves is ultimately liberating, but what do we do when we are betrayed by the person we are in a relationship with? Gangaji shares her own experience when it comes to this inner and outer betrayal.

This month, we're looking at the subject of love and attachment. What is the difference between the two? We can love a partner, a parent, a child, a pet, a teacher. But what happens when we're attached to the object of our love? Does this attachment keep us from experiencing something we don't want to face, or is it the vehicle that helps us discover what love truly is? In reality, how much control do we have over what or who we love? Whether you're in a relationship, hoping for one or if you find relationships difficult, this conversation is for everyone has ever experienced love.

He is a hip hop artist whose words and music have provided a message of clarity, optimism and peace to millions. For over 25 years, she has pointed us to freedom by inviting us to look deeper than our thoughts. What happens when two people from very different backgrounds come together to talk about skin color? This month, Prince Ea sits down with Gangaji for a special feature of A Conversation with Gangaji. Where does racism come from? How do we face the truth about our own prejudices? In these turbulent times, is it possible to transcend our differences?

How many times have we been betrayed by a lover, a friend, a family member or an institution? How many times have we witnessed others being treated unfairly, people we care about or even people we don't even know? And what about the state of the planet? Perhaps it's built into us as humans to want justice. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. But when we get caught up in this desire to remedy unfairness, what is it that we're actually looking for? What is the deeper question when it comes to our search for justice?

Have you ever asked what it means to just be yourself? The answer to that might seem easy, but maybe not. Have you ever thought to yourself, I'm not quite myself today. What does that mean? Maybe you feel like you have to be a certain person depending on different situations. Are you your sex, the different roles you play in life, your successes and failures? For some us, we can be so practiced at who we think we should be that the question of being our true selves can be surprisingly perplexing. It could also be the most important questions we can ask. What does it mean to be yourself?

Aging is sometimes called the great humbler. Some embrace it. Some dread it. But most of us vacillate between the loving the good parts and resisting the reality that our bodies and brains have a limited shelf life. What does that mean for our quality of life? Aging is an involuntary invitation to seeing how we are attached to who we want to be and where we are afraid to let go. But if we shift our attention in a certain way we might find our ideas about aging aren't quite as concrete as we thought.

When a strong emotion like anger or fear or sadness pops up there seems to be an automatic impulse to get rid of it, or at least to try and manage it. It's as if these feelings of ours are something dangerous, something that might overwhelm us, or at the very least, something that interferes with our lives. Is there a way to transcend these emotions of ours? What if we choose not to do anything with them? Is giving up the habit of trying to escape them a doorway to liberation?

Sometimes there seems to be a little competition that goes on within ourselves between confidence and doubt. I'm good at this, but not so good at that. I'm smart. I'm attractive. I'm able. But sometimes it feels like I'm not. If doubt is nothing more than a bad habit and confidence is fleeting and somewhat superficial, then what's deeper, more trustworthy than both of those things? Is there a place within all of us that is rooted in a certainty that transcends both confidence and doubt? And if so, how do we find it?

It's irritating at the very least, someone assumes what you're thinking or feeling, or what you need to do. Perhaps you have someone in your life right now who is just certain they know what is true for you. In an extreme way, perhaps it's even an abusive relationship. Do we ignore their projections? Do we not take them personally? Do we stay or do we go? If we find that projections in general aren't ultimately based in reality then how do we find solid ground when it comes to relationships?

How many times have we been triggered by friends, co-workers, family members or acquaintances in some way that seems separate from us? Perhaps we've found them controlling, needy, critical, arrogant or self-absorbed. Are they simply displaying difficult parts of their personalities or are they are mirroring back to us some part of ourselves we'd rather not see? Projections and assumptions cause all kinds of trouble in relationships. Getting at the root of them can open up all sorts of possibilities.

The sense of freedom and intimacy that happens by the sheer willingness to be vulnerable can be life-changing, somethings in ways we could never have expected. It takes courage to let down our defenses and expose the ways we feel wrong or afraid or embarrassed. But what about the times we are caught off guard, when we are put on the spot in ways that are not by our own choice? This month, Gangaji looks at voluntary and involuntary vulnerability and what role they play in living a fuller life. How can the willingness to be exposed put an end to suffering?