Functional Spirituality

Is meditation one of your new year’s resolutions? How can you incorporate more meditation into your schedule? In this episode, Ava explains the key elements of meditation that help remove the obstacles for practicing.  Meditation is an activity, a craft that we work on and can get better at. At the beginning it may require some effort but eventually the practice becomes an absolute joy and is weav...

In this episode Ava shares the birth story of Jasmine, born on Christmas day 2022. She describes the timeline and details of this intense, highly inspiring and empowering journey of 100+ hrs of labor.    Chapter markers:  00:00 Introduction 7:30 Timeline of the birth and details of what happened 49:00 Conclusion   Increasing accessibility to functional healing + non-dual spiritual oneness: www.fun...

Ready to start the new year with intention? Choosing a 'word of the year' helps bring focus and clarity to what we want to create in our lives. Struggling to pick a word? No worries, this guided meditation is here to help you! This isn’t about crossing another goal off your list, it’s about creating an intention to help guide your daily actions and cultivate the qualities you want more of this yea...

The holiday season can be a stressful time for a lot of people, where self-care practices are placed second to social engagements and commitments. It is in fact also the perfect time for rest and reflection. A sacred time for journaling, evaluation and integration of the year.   In this episode Ava shares her favourite journal prompts to help you stay grounded and balanced during the holiday perio...

Join Ava in this guided meditation where we explore the RAIN technique, one of our favourite deconditioning tools. In the second part of this meditation we deepen our practice using smiling energy to connect us to the heart space, the adult part of our consciousness, our being. If you enjoy this audio you can save the link somewhere on your phone, or make a playlist for it on your Spotify so you h...

This week's topic is on Awakening; the third part of the three part method in Functional Spirituality.  Inspired by an email we received a couple of months ago that draws attention to how the word ‘awakening’ can be a very confusing topic for some people. Ava talks about the process behind Awakening and the importance of having a clear and simple explanation of exactly what it is, how the awakenin...

Join Ava in this spacious guided meditation with music. Use your breath and relax yourself into a state of depth and presence. We finalise this meditation with segment intending, a cultivating tool where you choose a segment of your life that is coming up and you visualise that situation working perfectly for you.     To join our free weekly group meditations message us or visit  @functionalspirit...

Regardless of the type of relationship we're in, our interactions with others can sometimes bring out some of the darkest emotions. We can sometimes feel immense pain, and often experience the feeling of being trapped. We tend to label these relationships as ‘toxic’. In this episode, Ava unpacks this ‘toxic’ label, reframing what it means to experience being trapped in a ‘toxic relationship’. Alth...

Join Anaid in this effortless guided cacao ceremony to honor the cacao and connect with this sacred medicine. Take your time to prepare a cup of cacao or any ritual drink or food you'd like to connect with. Come back to this audio when you are in a comfortable space and ready to start the meditation. If you enjoy this audio you can save the link somewhere in your phone, or make a playlist for it o...

This episode is inspired by a question often asked to Ava: ‘Should I go on a Silent Retreat?’ Listen in to hear Ava discuss the main challenges for attending a Silent Retreat as she explains the steps to build a self reflective capacity and increase the chances for a successful Silent Retreat. Ava also mentions the different types of retreat and what separates a Spanda Silent Retreat from other re...

A gentle, spacious meditation to ground you in the center of your being. Let yourself relax into the heart and surrender everything that is not your true nature.  If you enjoy this audio you can save the link somewhere in your phone, or make a playlist for it on your Spotify so you have access to this practice with one click.   Increasing accessibility to functional healing + non-dual spiritual on...

In this episode, Ava talks about healthy and rigid boundaries (special thanks to those who requested to hear more about this topic).  'Boundaries' is a common topic in personal development and spirituality, but do we really know what healthy boundaries are? It is a skill that needs to be cultivated and ultimately becomes an art form in how we relate to our health, our happiness and each other. Hea...

Let your breath deepen and empty out anything that isn’t this present moment. Listen inward and relax the unnecessary tensions in your body. This meditation helps you feel your body, relax and return to stillness.   To join our free weekly group meditations message us or visit  @functionalspirituality     Increasing accessibility to functional healing + non-dual spiritual oneness. www.functionalsp...

Inspired by Ava’s friends who have asked questions about her baby’s ‘soul’. In this episode Ava elaborates further on why she does not believe that anyone has a soul. With a degree in philosophy and a profound knowledge of non-duality, she explains that what we are in essence is very different to the common concept of the soul. Join our Facebook community group and share with us what you believe t...

Gift yourself some minutes to be present. Breathe and connect to the life that is here, right now. Let your body, your emotions and thoughts ground and melt into the Now and notice the powerful shift that occurs.   To join our free weekly group meditations message us or visit  @functionalspirituality     Increasing accessibility to functional healing + non-dual spiritual oneness. www.functionalspi...

In this episode Ava talks about the process of birth and summarizes what she has discovered after going through a ‘rabbit hole’ of personal research over the last 3 months. Listen in to know more about what she believes is the main driving factor for the birthing process to be more medicalized and how our reductionistic and superficial assumptions can affect the way we see and experience birthing....

A spacious guided meditation to ground your awareness into the body and invite an attitude of softening and allowing the moment to be as it is. Use your breath and the heart space as a doorway for trusting life and connecting to the stillness of your Being    To join our free weekly group meditations message us or visit  @functionalspirituality     Increasing accessibility to functional healing +...

In this episode Ava describes the fawn response and how it relates to developmental trauma. She explores the difference between fawning and being authentically caring. Discover how powerful it is to understand how our behaviors can be unconsciously maladaptive and learn what to do to connect to a more authentic and grounded Self.   Relevant episodes:    Therapeutic Embodiment Facilitator Training ...

Take 10 minutes of your day to ground in stillness and peace with this guided meditation. Let go of any resistance to this moment and allow everything be as it is. Beyond the turmoil in our thoughts, emotions and body, lies a deep, stillness. Explore for yourself.   To join our free weekly group meditations message us or visit  @functionalspirituality     Increasing accessibility to functional hea...

Today’s episode is part two of the series of Jarred and Ava discussing their relationship. Jarred answers questions from our listeners, and the couple reflect on their core values and the new paradigm of parenthood.   Another episode not to be missed. If you have any questions or comments, join the discussion on our Facebook group.   Relevant episodes:    Ava and Jarred chat about their relationsh...

This is a 5 minute guided meditation with music to slow down and allow yourself to become more present in the heart. A beautiful practice to listen any time of the day to connect inward and explore the stillness at the core of your being.  To join our free weekly group meditations message us or visit  @functionalspirituality     Increasing accessibility to functional healing + non-dual spiritual o...

In this week’s episode Jarred joins Ava to talk about their relationship and answer  questions from our listeners. Listen in to hear Jarred reflect on his relationship with Ava, discuss his biggest fear about becoming a dad and share valuable wisdom around relationship and parenthood. An episode not to be missed. If you have any questions or comments, join the discussion on our Facebook group.   R...

Join Ava and Deniz and explore the importance of educating yoga teachers in mental health, as they answer these questions: Why do people come to yoga? When is cueing not mental health aware? What is the antidote to this?    About our guest: Deniz Aydoslu is a self-care coach, senior yoga and meditation teacher, somatic educator, and an expert in the therapeutic application of embodied movement sys...

Join Ava for a short 12-minute gentle meditation. Use your breath to soften your body and rest in stillness and presence.   To join our free weekly group meditations message us or visit  @functionalspirituality     Increasing accessibility to functional healing + non-dual spiritual oneness. www.functionalspirituality.com   Free resources: Newsletter sign up:   A monthly update for me on new offers...

In this week's episode Ava shares her experience of her 10 year relationship with partner Jarred. She details how they met, the challenges and struggles they have navigated over the years and where they are at the present moment. This episode provides a timeline and some context to their relationship before our next podcast where Jarred and Ava will be answering some questions from our listeners. ...