The Philosophy of Now

How do we tap into our ancestors' consciousness - their spirit, their energy? We live in such polarizing and volatile times. How can we learn to be present and yet learn from the past? Our guest today, Spring Washam, guides us on this journey to self-discovery and ancestral wisdom. She is a meditation teacher, Dharma teacher, and author of books like, 'The Spirit of Harriet Tubman.' Spring breaks...

Do we understand what it means to be devotional in religion or spirituality? What is the knowledge of the Bhagavad Gita? In Part 2 of this deep and philosophical conversation with Dr. Edwin Bryant, we understand what bhakti or devotion to God means. The bestselling author of books like 'The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali,' and Hinduism professor at Rutgers University helps us follow the journey of the s...

How does karma work? What is yoga? What is the nature of bhakti? What does it mean to surrender to our destiny? Is there free will? All of these existential questions are truly important on our seeking and spiritual journeys. Dr. Edwin Bryant, the yoga master, bestselling author and professor at Rutgers University guides us through them all. Dr. Bryant is the author of bestselling books like The Y...

Every three to four episodes, we will take a time to reflect together. We will talk about the most recent episodes, some thoughts of insight and ideas to reflect on internally. The Philosophy of Now is a sanctuary for us all to be present and meditate upon the conversations we've listened to and how we wish to develop and apply them in our own lives. Join us on our first Consistent Contemplation s...

What is the nature of true love? Why does our love for even family and friends sometimes feel selfless? How do we tap into the that spiritual love - bhakti? Jai Uttal, the Grammy-nominated and renowned musician, kirtan artist and spiritual guide, breaks out all down for us. He speaks about his guru, Neem Karoli Baba, meeting Ram Dass and how stumbled upon this spiritual journey. He dissects what i...

Can films and art change the world? How do we find purpose through our art? Why do some films stick with us, and transform us? Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra is back on The Philosophy of Now! The National Award-winning renowned filmmaker sits down with us to discuss his creative process and life philosophy. We dissect some of his films by looking at them at a philosophical level. How did Aamir Khan's Ran...

We are back! In our first episode of the new season, we speak with Nina Rao. The acclaimed kirtan artist and spiritual guide talks to us about the importance of practice. Practice, we talkin about practice?! The reality is - without it, we don't become true seekers on our paths towards self development ans true inner peace. Nina Rao talks about destiny - how she found her path and guru. She dives...

Join us in this new season of The Philosophy of Now Podcast! New episodes every Wednesday. What is you life mantra that keeps you grounded in every moment? How do we continue perservere as human beings on our spiritual journeys? How can the trailblazers and thought leaders of today guide us along our journeys? Our mantras become our best friends on this journey. The Philosophy of Now is the podcas...

How do we imbibe the qualities of a monk? What is mean to detach from worldly pleasures? Why does a spiritual life seem so distant to us sometimes? Well, before becoming a monk, our guest today was a young agnostic in U.C. Berkeley trying to figure out his purpose in life like the rest of us. Today, Swami Medhananda is a sanyassi or monk under the Ramakrishna Order, founded by the prolific sage, S...

Our guest today, Sensei Sandeep Desai, is the first South Asian to teach T'ai Chi martial arts across the globe. As a master in the martial arts and yoga, the Sensei has traveled across the globe teaching and holding workshops. Winning numerous accolades worldwide, he learned directly from the Chinese Grandmaster Zhu Tian Chi. He's been featured in BBC World, TEDX and numerous festivals in...

Our guest today is Nikhil Taneja, the founder and CEO fo Yuvaa, the purpose-driven media company for the youth of today. Nikhil is a trailblazer - an entrepreneur, media superstar, writer, creator, speaker and teacher. Very early in his life, he became a leading force within Karan Johar's Dharma Productions. He led the Dharmatic Productions, with streaming and digital shows - way before they b...

Our conversation today is with the bestselling author, Ami Ganatra. Her bestselling books 'Mahabharata Unraveled' and 'Ramayana Unravelled: Lesser known Facets of Rishi Valmiki's Epic,' swept the globe with unique perspectives and analytical gems on the ancient Indian epics. As a student of Sanskrit, yoga practitioner and lecturer on ancient Indian epics and wisdom, Ami has pro...

Welcome to the inaugural episode for the new season! Our first guest is an extremely special one. We go right into the deep end of our spiritual journeys and meditation practices, as we speak with a renowned Zen master - Henry Shukman. Henry teaches meditation, mindfulness and awakening practices to a wide range of students from all traditions and walks of life. He is a Zen Master in the Sanbo Zen...

Today we speak with the founders of the Baithak Foundation, Dakshayani Athalye and Mandar Karanjkar! The foundation is a nonprofit based in Pune, India - but focuses on making Indian classical music accessible to all students regardless of their socio-economic background. The goal is to bring the essence of all Indian art and classical music to young students: that it is a sadhana or practice to h...

We learn from Hanuman Dass. Another "Das" in our podcast!  It's not a surprise because to be a das in Sanskrit means to serve. And like the other great guests, Hanuman Dass' very mission is to serve all people. The founder of Go Dharmic, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering individuals to help create positive social change throughout humanitarian and environmental efforts and camp...

Today we learn from Pooja Bhale. An environmentalist, ecology warrior and social activist - all these words still don’t do justice what she is. At heart, she is a free spirit. She is the founder of The Protecterra Ecological Foundation, dedicated to creating a global society that respects nature, practices sustainability and comes together in solidarity. believe that people will only do as much as...

In today's episode we speak with Acharya Prashant. He is an acclaimed Vedanta exegete and author of over 80 books, including the National Bestseller  'Karma – Why Everything You Know About it is Wrong'. An alumnus of IIT-Delhi, IIM-Ahmedabad and a former Civil Services officer, he is an exponent of pure Vedantic wisdom, a vocal warrior against superstition and inner weaknesses, a promulgator...

In this episode, we speak with the popular and acclaimed yoga instructor and author. Ira Trivedi. She has truly become a pathbreaker in the yoga community with her ability to make spiritual philosophy and practice engaging for the modern world. After her own journey exploring the world of Hinduism and yoga, writing books about feminism and human emotions, she has now become a trailblazer in the yo...

In this episode, Sri M, the yogi, mystic and spiritual teacher guides us through a wide range of philosophical discussions. The Padma Bhushan recipient speaks to us honestly about his spiritual journey, from being a wandering monk in the Himalayas, to his guru's teachings to what he discovered about true yoga. The Satsang Foundation founder speaks to us about the true value of free will, what he d...

Our Christmas special! In today's episode, we speak with the legendary kirtan singer, Krishna Das. Known for his numerous devotional song albums, the founder of the Kirtan Wallah Foundation speaks to us candidly and honestly about his spiritual journey. The Grammy-nominated artist speaks about his own life hurdles, personal life lessons from his guru, Neem Karoli Baba, the importance of finding yo...

We speak with the phenomenal singer and musician, Shashaa Tirupati. With instant hits and classics like Vaan, Kanha, Phir Bhi Tumko Chahunga, The Humma Song and Khulke Jeene Ka, the star has taken India by storm having won a National Film Award! But in this conversation, we go deeper as usual. We learn about the singer's multicultural and unique background, what drives her musicially and creativit...

In this episode, we learn from the yogi, popular musician and former monk - Raghunath Cappo.  Cappo achieved success early in his life, leading a punk rock band, Youth of Today, which championed the ideals of vegetarianism, clean living and self-control, to a reach of thousands of fans. Eventually, Cappo went on a spiritual journey to India, becoming a monk in Vrindavan for more than six year...

The director of Hindi film classics like 'Rang De Basanti,' and 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag,' Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra sat down with us to talk about his journey in to filmmaking, his fondest memories while making his movies and why he sees his movies as mirrors. With his latest film, 'Toofan,' starring Farhan Akhtar, the masterful artist talks to us about the common themes in his films, his thoughts on th...

We learn from Rameshwar Das, the dear friend of spiritual leader Ram Dass and disciple of renowned guru and yogi, Neem Karoli Baba. An artist and author, Das talks about his own spiritual journey, most intimate moments with his guru in India and best memories of Ram Dass. We dive into his latest book, “Being Ram Dass,” a memoir which he co-authored alongside Ram Dass. The book releases in India on...

We speak with Jeffrey Alan Henderson, the pathbreaking designer, engineer and entrepreneur. He has worked with brands like Nike, Yeezy, Cole Haan and more. Realizing the need for social impact in his community, he used his design expertise and passion to create initiatives like goodthin.gs and NiinetyNine Products, designing shoes for and schools and collaborating with the educational community to...