# Escaping Samsara Escaping Saṃsāra - Yoga and Meditation Podcast about practices that liberate us. Interviews with spiritual teachers from the yoga world and beyond. We are a group of friends dedicated to exploring the deep teachings of yoga and other spiritual traditions to see what unites them in their search for Truth and how each practitioner has danced with the Mystery. We want to learn from today's elders about their paths and experiences. What has worked, what hasn't and what is downright weird. From… Page: Feed: --- ## [Why I Ditched My Orange Robes (And What I Found in Vietnam) with Bante Panna](https://b422ebcb-4d44-49a1-a58e-b4097bd2a2a0.libsyn.com/why-i-ditched-my-orange-robes-and-what-i-found-in-vietnam-with-bante-panna) _2025-11-03_ Bhante Panya tried the forest monk thing. He wore the Theravada robes in America, followed the Vinaya rules, and watched potential practitioners flee because he looked too foreign, too untouchable, too "religious icon" instead of accessible teacher. So he made a move that freaked out his ego: took Mahayana ordination in Taiwan, moved to Vietnam, and started asking uncomfortable questions about… [Listen](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/b422ebcb-4d44-49a1-a58e-b4097bd2a2a0/bante_panna_edited.mp3?dest-id=3757335) ## [Kat Ashtanga: Advanced Practice, Motherhood & Spiritual Growth](https://b422ebcb-4d44-49a1-a58e-b4097bd2a2a0.libsyn.com/kat-ashtanga-advanced-practice-motherhood-spiritual-growth) _2025-09-30_ In this episode, we sit down with Kat Ashtanga, an advanced practitioner, to explore: ✨ How practice evolves through the different series of poses ✨ Balancing lineage with personal practice ✨ Integrating pregnancy, postpartum, and motherhood ✨ The subtle benefits of long term asana practice ✨ How the universal energy of prana is conducted via these poses Whether you're deep in your own Ashtanga… [Listen](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/b422ebcb-4d44-49a1-a58e-b4097bd2a2a0/kat_ashtanga_final.mp3?dest-id=3757335) ## [Four Thoughts That Turn the Mind 4/4 \*Death\* with Daniel Ingram](https://b422ebcb-4d44-49a1-a58e-b4097bd2a2a0.libsyn.com/four-thoughts-that-turn-the-mind-44-death-with-daniel-ingram) _2025-09-02_ In the fourth and final episode of our series on The Four Thoughts That Turn the Mind , Nathan sits down with renowned Dharma practitioner and ER physician Daniel Ingram to explore the most confronting and transformative contemplation: death. Drawing from his experience in emergency rooms and deep meditation, Daniel discusses how death can be a powerful catalyst for spiritual urgency, freedom, and… [Listen](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/b422ebcb-4d44-49a1-a58e-b4097bd2a2a0/daniel_ingram_final.mp3?dest-id=3757335) ## [The Four Thoughts That Turn the Mind: \*Drawbacks of Samsara\* with Robina Courtin](https://b422ebcb-4d44-49a1-a58e-b4097bd2a2a0.libsyn.com/the-four-thoughts-that-turn-the-mind-drawbacks-of-samsara-with-robina-courtin) _2025-08-14_ This is episode three in the series on The Four Thoughts That Turn the Mind, contemplations that form the basis of the Buddhist path. In this episode, Ven. Robina Courtin , a Tibetan Buddhist nun with nearly fifty years in the tradition, discusses "The Drawbacks of Samsara". We dive into the nature of suffering in Samsara, the subtle role of attachment, and the practical meaning of the Four Noble… [Listen](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/b422ebcb-4d44-49a1-a58e-b4097bd2a2a0/Robina_Courtin_garage_edit.mp3?dest-id=3757335) ## [Four Thoughts That Turn the Mind: \*Precious Human Rebirth\* with Joe Evans](https://b422ebcb-4d44-49a1-a58e-b4097bd2a2a0.libsyn.com/four-thoughts-that-turn-the-mind-precious-human-rebirth-with-joe-evans) _2025-08-01_ Episode 2/4 on The Four Thoughts That Turn the Mind, and this time we are talking about the "precious human rebirth" and pondering the unique opportunity that human beings have to practice the path to awakening. And to discuss this I am joined by Joe Evans, founder of the Rangdröl Foundation and teacher of Dzogchen under the name Jigme Rangdröl. The Four Thoughts that Turn the Mind, also known as… [Listen](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/b422ebcb-4d44-49a1-a58e-b4097bd2a2a0/Joe_Evens_un.mp3?dest-id=3757335) ## [Four Thoughts That Turn the Mind: \*Karma\* (with Ellen Johannesen)](https://b422ebcb-4d44-49a1-a58e-b4097bd2a2a0.libsyn.com/four-thoughts-that-turn-the-mind-karma-with-ellen-johannesen) _2025-07-07_ In this episode of the Escaping Samsara Podcast , we begin a four-part journey into the Four Thoughts That Turn the Mind—a set of foundational Buddhist contemplations that help orient us toward Dharma. Our focus today is on karma. I'm joined by Ellen Johansson, a long-time Ashtanga teacher and committed Vajrayana practitioner, who brings deep insight into how karma works—not as punishment, but as… [Listen](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/b422ebcb-4d44-49a1-a58e-b4097bd2a2a0/ellen_karma_2.mp3?dest-id=3757335) ## [Announcing the Escaping Samsara Substack](https://escapingsamsara.substack.com/) _2025-07-01_ In this short announcement episode, I introduce our new online home: the Escaping Samsara Substack — a space where all our content will now live, including podcasts, written pieces, and weekly reflections. Here's what to expect: 🧘 Weekly Practice Notes Personal insights from my daily practice — exploring themes like working with moon phases in asana and mantra, or extending meditation into the… [Listen](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/b422ebcb-4d44-49a1-a58e-b4097bd2a2a0/substack_announce.mp3?dest-id=3757335) ## [Susi Sweeney on Ashtanga's Sixth Series, Aging & Authenticity](https://b422ebcb-4d44-49a1-a58e-b4097bd2a2a0.libsyn.com/susi-sweeney-on-ashtangas-sixth-series-aging-authenticity) _2025-06-24_ In this episode of Escaping Samsara , Nathan Thompson sits down with Susi Sweeney—a lifelong yoga practitioner, teacher, mother, and now grandmother. Her path runs deep through 30 years of practice and cuts across the raw terrain of anxiety, eating disorders, motherhood, and aging. She trained with Pattabhi Jois. She now works through the sixth series. Every movement, she says, pulls something… [Listen](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/b422ebcb-4d44-49a1-a58e-b4097bd2a2a0/susi_sweeney_final.mp3?dest-id=3757335) ## [Cycles Within Cycles: Gregor Meahle Returns](https://b422ebcb-4d44-49a1-a58e-b4097bd2a2a0.libsyn.com/cycles-within-cycles-gregor-meahle-returns) _2025-06-02_ In this episode, Nathan sits down with Gregor Maehle to explore the deeper patterns that shape a lifetime of spiritual practice. Rather than focusing on technique or lineage, this conversation travels into the inner terrain—what changes as we mature in our practice, what stays hidden until we're ready to see it, and how we relate to disembodied knowledge and the teachers who carry it. Gregor… [Listen](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/b422ebcb-4d44-49a1-a58e-b4097bd2a2a0/gregor_2_no_metronome.mp3?dest-id=3757335) ## [Code Faster with Clear Tutorials (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/GSEJWJIbddMn) _2025-06-02 · **Sponsored**_ Short, step-by-step coding videos you can follow along ## [Sat Inder Khalsa: Going Beyond Yoga Asana into the Depths of Hindu Tantra](https://b422ebcb-4d44-49a1-a58e-b4097bd2a2a0.libsyn.com/sat-inder-khalsa-going-beyond-yoga-asana-into-the-depths-of-hindu-tantra) _2025-04-20_ What does it mean to walk a path across lifetimes, through lineages, and into the heart of divine practice? In this intimate and powerful episode, we sit down with Sat Inder Khalsa , a teacher of Ashtanga Yoga, student of Tantra, and dedicated seeker who has traveled many spiritual paths—including Wicca, Sikhism, Hinduism, and more—to uncover deeper layers of truth. Sat Inder shares his mission to… [Listen](https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/b422ebcb-4d44-49a1-a58e-b4097bd2a2a0/satinder_final.mp3?dest-id=3757335)