Mahasoma Podcast

What happens after you’ve learned a life-changing practice? After you’ve been inspired, read the books, attended the retreats? There’s a turning point for many of us, a quiet and natural shift, where the teachings stop being something we ‘do’ and start becoming who we are. This is the path of stewardship. In this episode, Laura Poole and Amy Landry converse around moving from student to steward on the Vedic path: not just holding the knowledge for ourselves, but carrying it forward with integrity, maturity, inspiration, and a deep sense of responsibility. This isn’t an episode about yoga as posture or meditation as another checkbox on your wellbeing to-do list. It’s about what happens when the wisdom becomes your inner compass, your way of moving through the world, your quiet and unshakable ground.
What we talk about.
The meaning of sampradāya, a living, breathing lineage, and how it shapes us.
Navigating cultural appreciation vs appropriation.
Why oral tradition and initiation still matter in a modern, digital age.
How history gives us context, grounding, and discernment.
The balance between sharing your work and performing your spirituality.
The transformative magic of India’s temple culture, away from tourist trails.
What it takes to mature on the path without losing the essence.
Connect with Amy Landry.
Website
Instagram
Shruti School of Yoga by Amy Landry
Pre-order Amy’s book The Ocean of Yoga – coming out March 2026

Resources.
Listen to the Empire Podcast (over 200 episodes!) with William Dalrymple and Anita Anand
Read The Golden Road by William Dalrymple
William Dalrymple Tour in Australia – November 2025
Watch the powerful film on India’s partition – The Viceroy’s House
Listen to Laura Poole share on the Amy Landry Podcast
Get on the list to receive the first announcement of our India retreats for 2026
Learn to meditate with us at Mahasoma --- follow us @mahasoma --- [email protected]

In this episode, we sit down with Sarah Steel, author and host of Let’s Talk About Sects, an award-winning independent podcast about which the New York Times said, "Come for the satisfying pun in the title, stay for the deeply researched chronicles of all kinds of cults." We discuss a topic that’s often misunderstood but deeply important, especially in the world of spirituality: the nature of cults. With cult documentaries becoming a regular feature on streaming services, and the word ‘cult’ being thrown around to describe different groups, we wanted to open a conversation to unpack what actually defines a cult and to explore the subtle red flags that can emerge in spiritual, religious, or self-development spaces.
FYI - This isn’t an episode on the different cults that exist in the world nor is it about trauma. Sarah’s podcast is a great resource for those conversations and we highly recommend listening if you’re interested. Instead, we wanted this episode to discuss how cultic tendencies are part of many different communities, what to look out for when joining or being part of a community, and essentially how to not become a cult leader and instead build healthy community for all to benefit from.
Whether you’re part of a spiritual community, a wellness circle, or simply curious about the dynamics of power, control, and coercion—this episode offers powerful insights on building integrity into the spaces we share.
What we talk about.
The definition of a cult and cult leader
Impact of cults on its members
Coercive behaviours, power, and control
Cults evolving from communities 
Why cults are present in spirituality and religion
Cult ‘Red Flags’ to look out for
Supporting ex-members of cults
Media coverage and public awareness of cults
The business of spirituality and cult-like tendencies
How to not become a cult leader
Fostering healthy community and leaders in the spiritual space
Connect with Sarah Steel.
Website
Instagram
Resources.
Let's Talk About Sects Podcast hosted by Sarah Steel
Do As I Say How cults control, why we join them, and what they teach us about bullying, abuse and coercion (also available on Audible and Spotify)
Cultic bahaviour ‘Red Flags’ checklist
Association for Spiritual Integrity honour code for teachers and students
Learn to meditate with us at Mahasoma --- follow us @mahasoma --- [email protected]

We are excited to share with you this conversation on an important subject for many women in our community – the rite of passage known in our modern world as menopause.
We are joined by Ayurveda practitioner and Vedic wisdom holder Erandati Benjamin from Inner Soma. Erandati has a diploma in Ayurveda from the Australasian Institute of Ayurvedic Studies (AIAS) and a Masters in Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine from Maharishi International University (MIU) in Iowa, USA.
Her focus with patients is on health rather than disease and passing on knowledge and tools so each person can take responsibility for their own health. She teaches that through simple but profound changes to diet, lifestyle, behaviour, and exposure to the environment we can realign ourselves with our true nature and begin to address imbalances from the very foundation of our being.
What we talk about.
The Ayurvedic view of menopause as a natural transition in a woman's life.
The 4 x stages of life known as ashramas in the Vedic philosophy.
Menopause as an opportunity for inner growth and evolution, rather than a pathological condition to be ‘fixed’.
Menopausal symptoms as the result of accumulated stress.
Ayurvedic daily practices that can support women during the menopausal transition.
The importance of abhyanga (self-oil massage), dinacharya (daily rhythms), and exposure to sunlight.
Menopause as an exciting new phase of life, rather than something to be feared.
Menopause as a transition for women to tap into deeper wisdom, self-knowledge, and spiritual evolution.
Connect.
Website https://www.innersoma.com.au/
Email [email protected]
Follow @inner_soma
Resources.
Ayurveda dinacharya (daily routine)
How to do self-massage ‘abhyanga’
Vata, pitta, and kapha article – the 3 x doshas in Ayurveda
Vedic asramas (stages) of life article
Learn to meditate with us at Mahasoma --- follow us @mahasoma --- [email protected]

In this episode Laura Poole speaks with her colleague and friend Joh Jarvis from The Light Inside - a not-for-profit foundation which takes meditation into prisons and jails across the United States. The Vedic perspective is that all change in life begins with a shift in consciousness. This is why meditation is the foundation for bringing us into right action. But those who really need meditation may not have access. This is why Joh and The Light Inside exist.

What we talk about.
Joh’s journey of coming to teach Vedic meditation in prisons at age 54
How did she get there? What is it like?
What stories of transformation has she witnessed?
What challenges has she faced?
The living of dharma and seva (self-less service)
How to live in alignment with your true Self
Trust and surrender
The huge shift that takes place when you let go and allow life to move through you
It’s not every day you end up teaching Vedic meditation at age 54 in prisons. We hope her story will resonate beyond the specifics into what’s possible at any age, the dharma and purpose we can find, and the joy that comes from being of service to our humanity.

Resources.

Follow Joh @thelightinsidemeditation
Subscribe to The Light Inside newsletters for stories of transformation
Donate to The Light Inside to support the teaching of Vedic meditation in prisons
Watch online
The Project on Channel 10 interviewing Joh on The Light Inside's meditation program in the North Dakota State Penitentiary
Joh named New Yorker of the Week March 2024 for The Light Inside's program in Rikers Island jail (camera work was very restricted in Rikers Island)
Dhamma Bros - Meditation program in Donaldson prison, Alabama
Doing Time, Doing Vipassana - Meditation program in New Delhi's Tihar prison
The Work - Set in Folsom State Prison, incarcerated men and men from outside prison together undergo four days of intensive group therapy, revealing an intimate and powerful portrait of authentic human transformation that transcends what we think of as rehabilitation
Unlocked: A Jail Experiment - A social experiment where incarcerated men are given increased autonomy in hopes of creating a community-driven atmosphere and deterring future criminal behaviour
God Save Texas: Hometown prison - Richard Linklater documentary
Step Inside the Circle - Those who experience the Compassion Trauma Circle and learn about Adverse Childhood Experiences and the symptoms of trauma, feel a sense of relief, self-forgiveness and community support
Read People Magazine Article - Only in New York: Australian Writer Becomes Dog Sitter for New York Inmate. Joh’s story of meeting her dog the first week she moved to New
Learn to meditate with us at Mahasoma --- follow us @mahasoma --- [email protected]

This content may be emotionally challenging and includes trauma, violence, and sexual abuse. If this doesn’t feel the right time for you to listen, we recommend circling back when you’re ready. We are not providing any professional advice, only sharing a personal story and perspective. Please seek professional help if you need support – we shared some services that you can access via our show notes.

For Melbourne based designer Yeojin Bae, fashion has always been her creative expression for women to enjoy the confidence that comes from wearing beautiful clothes. Back to her earliest memories as a child in Korea, Yeojin was always sketching the most beautiful dresses she could imagine. And with just under three decades working in fashion, she developed a cult following for her stylish silhouettes. Yeojin was living her life as a successful designer, just as she always imagined, when at the beginning of 2020, she walked away with no explanation at all.

For the first time, Yeojin is sharing with us her intimate story of leaving behind what she had spent her whole life becoming, to embark on a deeply transformative and much needed healing journey, supported by Vedic wisdom and practices. Statistically it takes on average 24 years to reveal child sexual abuse, and many never do.

Yeojin thought she was irreparably damaged and for a long time felt a dread that something terrible was about to happen. Yet even at her lowest, she never gave up, some days it was baby steps, and other times a leap, but through this process, Yeojin found a profound acceptance, joy, and trust in life. She hopes by sharing her story today, she can reach out to others who are afraid and help them make progress in their lives too. She admits she experienced a lot of stress release leading up to recording this episode, but it was exactly because of these feelings, she wants to challenge her belief to stay silent and unseen.

RESOURCES:
Learn Vedic meditation with Mahasoma
Rishi Training - advanced Vedic wisdom course
Siddha Training - advanced Vedic wisdom course

SUPPORT LINKS:
https://fullstop.org.au/get-help/our-services
https://www.1800respect.org.au
https://www.beyondblue.org.au
https://www.nasasv.org.au/support-directory
https://blueknot.org.au
https://www.nationalredress.gov.au
Learn to meditate with us at Mahasoma --- follow us @mahasoma --- [email protected]