Yoga Ethics For Modern Living

We did it Joe! This is the last episode in the Yoga Ethics For Modern Living Series. A journey that began under a democrat and ended in the desert of our collective souls, lolz. Jk, things are looking up! In this episode: A tribute to Oliver & Phoenix and their saltwater pilgrimage

Yoga Ethics returns with Svadyaya, the yogic principle of self study - a tool for radical self-awareness, and a spiritual survival skill for 2025 and beyond. Explore what it is to just look at yourself: your patterns, ego, addiction, motivations. Facing our true selves voluntarily is preferable to the inevitable alternative of having life force it upon you. And it will. Join the Patreon Also: – th...

Originally released in April 2025, in this episode I walk through the flames of transformation, both metaphorical and literal. With the help of surrealist cinema in the form of David Lynch’s Fire Walk With Me, we put one foot in front of the other, confront our deepest darkest, without running in terror. It’s through discipline and focus that we become the magician, the alchemist of our own lives....

Today we're diving into Santosha —contentment—the second Niyama from Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. This episode explores what it means to find peace by accepting what is… even in a culture that constantly pushes for more. *some episodes recorded back to back around this same time, not pertaining to the Yamas and Niyamas, but referenced therein, can be found at Patreon.com/thisbodypodcast . For example,...

We’re taking out the trash on this episode, as we take a freestyle look at the first Niyama, Saucha, aka Purity. Of mind, of body, of environment.. Lets gooooooo! Mentioned in the episode: Patanjali Yoga Sutra 2.40 Originally released March 2025 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sofiamella.substack.com/subscribe

Originally released in January, 2025 - the month the fires changed many lives in Los Angeles . God is Change. January has been a meat cleaver to the soul. In this intimate and raw episode, I reflect on the devastating loss of my beloved mountain town, Altadena. I talk about what it's like to adjust to life in the desert with my aging pets, the comfort of sunlit silence, and the deep spiritual prin...

Become the master of your domain! The rubber hits the road in episode 4. We explore sexual agency through the lens of the Yama, Brahmacharya, non excess. Also, the American healthcare system is criminal, Syria is liberated, and Brad Pitt is a dickhead. *originally released in December 2024 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episode...

In the third installment of our Yoga Ethics for Modern Living series, we dive deep into Asteya (non-stealing)—one of the foundational Yamas of yoga philosophy. This episode explores how the principle of non-stealing applies not just to our personal lives, but to larger cultural narratives, including the ongoing beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake, the never-ending impact of colonization, and wha...

What even is truth these days? In this episode of the Yoga Ethics for Modern Living series, we explore Satya — the yogic principle of truthfulness — and what it means in an age of Instagram filters, personal branding, and performative authenticity. Is truth about facts, self-expression, or deeper alignment with who we really are? Why does it sometimes feel easier to be nice than to be honest — and...

Come with me as I visit the touchstones of yogic philosophy in this series on The Yamas & Niyamas. Will your karma be ruined if you spray the ants in your bathtub? If you practice long enough, can you go invisible? Will meditation lead of levitation? Let’s find out together! Starting at the beginning with Ahimsa, non-harming. Let’s go! *This episode originally aired in October 2024, before the ele...