The DPO Project

What is holistic fatalism? Zi and Vindesh cover this topic and explain how a fatalist mindset can be beneficial to your health.  Zi describes it as way to save energy and reduce stress by accepting things we can’t change. It’s letting go the idea that we need to control everything or even can in the first place.  The Vedas describe fate as the wayward mistress, and Zi provides more insight into th...

This week Zi and Vindesh discuss a fun topic and exercise to get to know the self more.  As Vindesh explores his spoken word project, Jonta, one of Zi's nephews, recommends building a playlist of what you like to listen to.  This helps build a yantra of the self.  So, what is on your playlist?  

This week Zi and Vindesh cover a story from the Vedas that many of us can relate to today.  He shares the story about Yudhisthira and Kunti Ma.  They both lived with a set of principles but each of them made different choices with their hardships.  One was authentic, while the other struggled to mask their true self.  We talk a lot about influencer culture on this podcast, but in this sense, we ca...

This week Zi and Vindesh explore the topic of disappointment and why it affects our mental health.  Disappointment often arises from having expectations.  Once it is revealed that what you were expecting won't be delivered, we tend to focus on negative resentment for whomever is responsible. However, Zi shares tools of how to avoid most disappointment in the first place.  

This week Zi and Vindesh discuss grief.  We all have to come to our own understanding of how we deal with loss.  Zi shares stories of the people he lost both young and old.  Vindesh reflects on his grandmother’s death and how that helped him have a better understanding of life.  Zi stresses the importance of grieving and why avoiding it has a negative effect on your health.

This week Zi and Vindesh discuss the phrase, "they are built like scrap iron." What does that mean exactly? We envision a person who overcame extreme adversity and managed to weather the storm.  Zi shares experiences his own life experiences facing hardship and how Vedic philosophies and stories kept him going despite his suffering.  Vin asks him how someone who hasn't had as many hardships can em...

This week Zi and Vindesh talk about the extraordinary phenomena that is life.  Zi makes a good point about living life to the fullest and what it means to really feel "alive."  They discuss what they think the meaning to life is and why we go through the hardships we do.  Like Zi says in this episode, you can't laugh unless you've cried.  

This week Zi and Vindesh focus on mental health awareness.  Zi mentions that anxiety is meant to serve a purpose, but when we operate on anxiety a majority of the time, it becomes detrimental to our brain health.  Vindesh asks Zi for solutions and exercises that help mark the level of anxiety and reduce the physical symptoms.  Zi mentions that sitting is the new cigarettes and why movement is so i...

This week Zi shares his most recent synchronicity that restored his faith in the world.  Vindesh shares his thoughts on faith and what makes it such a powerful force.  Zi’s story is about a chance encounter with a woman who trained under the same track coach he did, Mr. White.  Mr. White recently passed away, but his teachings and life philosophies live on in those students that were lucky enough...

This week Zi and Vindesh continue their conversation about communication and right speech.  Naturally, this topic turns to relationships and why we work on our communication styles to begin with.  Zi uses his experiences as an example as to why we should be straight forward with everyone and everything in our life. We also learn what is most important to him in his personal relationships.

This week Zi and Vindesh discuss the art of communication.  People often say you must read between the lines, but that requires a lot of assumption and energy.  Zi says he sees this most with couples that have a hard time being on the same page because they don’t ask for what they want.  Right speech is a principle of Buddhism and Zi explores this philosophy and how it applies to our every day lif...

Other people’s ability to see your vision is limited.  This week Zi and Vindesh talk about the fine line of sticking to your truth, but be receptive enough to listen to others feedback.  How do you balance that in a dispassionate away? Zi and Vindesh discuss how to walk this fine line without losing yourself and your vision.

This week Zi and Vindesh cover a story from the Vedas about the Sense Mind Army.  The Sense Mind Army is deployed in warfare to confuse the opponent with distractions and illusions. Essentially, they would use your senses against you.  Flash forward to today, we have virtual technology and constant notifications take us away from the present moment.  We have to mine the news feed in order to get t...

This week we welcome back David Nik as a special guest.  Zi and Vindesh discuss why it’s important to have uncomfortable conversations with those close to you.  By avoiding conflict, we can cheat ourselves of moving past the obstacle in the way of deeper intimacy.  Question everything is Zi’s advice and they talk about the incentive programs for the vaccinations.

This week Zi and Vindesh cover a topic that comes up a lot in our podcast.  Why do we suffer? Zi describes the way the ego works and compares it to an animal.  He also breaks down the different kinds of suffering we go through in life and why the worst kind is the one we invite in.  Vindesh asks Zi how we can manage the ego and what it takes to “starve” it. 

This week we welcome guest Ed Dellis to the podcast.  When Zi met Ed, he had met his match.  Now, 20 years later they get together again and talk about what has happened in that span of years.  Zi describes the ripple effect that takes place when we make choices.  He always says, "do not be fooled by the transience of time."

This week Zi and Vindesh are fired up about the book Zi has been reading called "The Brain Body Diet" by Sara Gottfried.  The author describes her life changing experience after she had a traumatic injury.  She found herself having to change diet and narrative in order to recover from a brain surgery.  Zi and Vin talk about how her story is helping so many and uncovers a lot about what's going on...

This week Zi and Vindesh catch up and talk about their latest trip together.  Zi shares his experience with losing a friend and how his friendship shaped his life.  Vindesh reflects on the funeral and what he took away from meeting a few people from Zi’s past.  In the Vedas, it is said that those who die with many friends truly lead a divine life.  They talk about the importance of diet and what y...

This week Zi and Vindesh discuss if complaining is really worth all of the effort it takes. Sometimes we just forget to appreciate what we have right in front of us.  Zi says having gratitude is the best grounding exercise.   They bring up the the Buddhist death meditation and why it is practiced.  

This week Zi and Vindesh talk about empathy.  Zi discusses the part of your brain that corresponds with empathy and the pineal gland.  We have the ability to develop this part of our brain, but it does require practice.  Vindesh asks Zi how he is able to read people’s health so well.  Zi shares with us his formula and how we can also learn this skill.

This week Zi and Vindesh discuss how pride and shame are one and the same.  Zi describes how these feelings can create a vicious cycle and lack of self-ownership  Shame hinders your ability to improve yourself.  They get into the topics of the day where this dynamic is played out and why it's so important to know yourself.  

This week on The DPO we reflect on those moments that happen that forever change our lives.  Zi and Vindesh discuss the ramifications of being reactive and how the ego can hijack our logic and emotions.  This episode includes a challenge.  A challenge to better understand yourself and how to choose to respond to life’s storms.  What moment changed your entire life’s trajectory causing that one day...

This week Zi and Vindesh explore what it means to express the truth in your heart.  Zi shares his experiences working with people who are faced with a life changing illness and must find a way to endure.  There is a commonality between them and what he’s seen work is that love carries you all the way.

This week Zi and Vindesh tackle a topic that most of us have said in our life, "common sense is not common."  Zi shares his experience when he switched from an iPhone to Android and how Apple is brilliantly highjacking our brains.  What does this mean for humanity? We have more access to information than ever before, but with that comes a consequence.  This new tech boom could be affecting our bra...

This week Zi and Vindesh explore the topic of how to find yourself.  Zi discusses how the digital landscape has created an “anti-hero” narrative and how the rise of influencers can cloud your development to self-realization.  What if we get canceled? Zi addresses the downward spiral that happens when you buy into movements that don’t actually support your well being.  These “digital warriors” and...