Awareness Explorers episode 209: Neelam, Guest Explorer

In this episode we talk to Neelam about her awakening with H.W.L. Poonja, known as Papaji, the role of trust in awakening, how the nervous system's capacity to be present is the "missing link" between a desire for truth and the ability to experience it, and how a true feeling of "okayness" enables us to rest in our true nature.

•Includes a guided meditation leading us to the direct experience of presence by noticing the spaciousness that is already here and has always been here, thereby nurturing the growing capacity of the nervous system to rest in presence.

To learn more about Neelam, please visit:
https://neelam.org/
And on YouTube: @NeelamSatsang
https://www.youtube.com/@NeelamSatsang

And here are some upcoming 2026 events with Neelam:

1. Sunday 3/29 Free Open Zoom - Set Your Heart on Fire
Ask questions, connect, and engage with Neelam.
Explore the themes:
Freedom is your Final Destination, and Challenges are Stepping Stones to Awakening!
Details and registration on Neelam.org at Upcoming Events:
https://neelam.org/events-2/

2. April 3-Week Intensive - Sundays 4/12, 19, 26
The intensives are always a beautiful opportunity to engage directly with Neelam and the Sangha. Join for one, two or all three weeks.
Freedom is your Final Destination, and Challenges are Stepping Stones to Awakening!
Details and registration on Neelam.org at Upcoming Events:
https://neelam.org/events-2/

Don't forget to subscribe for more ingenious ways to tap into the ever-present stillness and joy of our true nature.

To learn more about Awareness Explorers, and to listen to all of our podcast episodes, please visit:
https://www.awarenessexplorers.com/

If you want to listen to the meditations alone, you can find all of our meditations excerpted either in this playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLThffcko0gAVvivvVVGNfQgJxbWB6dF6Z

Or on our Awareness Explorers website:
https://www.awarenessexplorers.com/meditations

To Support Awareness Explorers, please consider clicking the "Donate" button on any AwarenessExplorers.com page, or becoming a Patreon supporter:
https://www.patreon.com/awarenessexplorers
NOTE: If you are a Patreon supporter and have not been receiving our bonus material, please check to make sure that the email address you have on Patreon is an active one.

To learn more about Jonathan Robinson and Brian Tom O'Connor, please visit
https://findinghappiness.com/
and
https://www.playawarenessgames.com/

You can listen to all of our episodes on this YouTube playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLThffcko0gAXyaArC4OyY0y84CZ8uSb_n

Enjoy,
Jonathan and Brian

Awareness Explorers episode 208: Trina Dawn, Guest Explorer

In this episode, we talk to Trina Dawn about the "seeker" identity as a mind-created story, which perpetuates suffering by resisting the present moment.

•Includes a guided meditation using questions to help you notice what's shining right here, right now without any effort, and without words or labels, and that's already awake.

To learn more about Trina Dawn, please visit:
https://www.trinadawn.com/

Or watch on these platforms:
YouTube: @trinadawn111
https://www.youtube.com/@trinadawn111
TikTok: @trinadawn111
https://www.tiktok.com/@trinadawn111
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/p/Trina-Dawn-61579360482172/
Instagram: trinadawn111
https://www.instagram.com/trinadawn111/

Don't forget to subscribe for more ingenious ways to tap into the ever-present stillness and joy of our true nature.

To learn more about Awareness Explorers, and to listen to all of our podcast episodes, please visit:
https://www.awarenessexplorers.com/

If you want to listen to the meditations alone, you can find all of our meditations excerpted either in this playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLThffcko0gAVvivvVVGNfQgJxbWB6dF6Z

Or on our Awareness Explorers website:
https://www.awarenessexplorers.com/meditations

To Support Awareness Explorers, please consider clicking the "Donate" button on any AwarenessExplorers.com page, or becoming a Patreon supporter:
https://www.patreon.com/awarenessexplorers
NOTE: If you are a Patreon supporter and have not been receiving our bonus material, please check to make sure that the email address you have on Patreon is an active one.

To learn more about Jonathan Robinson and Brian Tom O'Connor, please visit
https://findinghappiness.com/
and
https://www.playawarenessgames.com/

You can listen to all of our episodes on this YouTube playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLThffcko0gAXyaArC4OyY0y84CZ8uSb_n

Enjoy,
Jonathan and Brian

Awareness Explorers episode 207: Tani Thole and Leslie Rogers, Guest Explorers

In this episode we talk to Tani Thole and Leslie Rogers, founders of the Light Dark Institute, about their philosophy of integrating shadow work for spiritual growth, by bringing love to the most unloved parts of the self, which are the source of internal and external conflict.

• Includes a guided meditation from Tani inviting you to explore some part of yourself that you struggle with or reject, to notice the drain on your life force as a result of rejecting this part, and to bring appreciation and gratitude for how this part is actually watching out for you.

Tani Thole and Leslie Rogers are the founders of the Light Dark Institute, devoted to helping people fall in love with the parts of themselves and the world that they've most rejected. Their work weaves shadow exploration, embodied power play, and bold encounters with the raw, untamed places we usually turn away from. Known for making even the most challenging inner terrain feel safe and accessible, they support leaders and seekers alike to meet the darkness with love — and to live, lead, and relate from a place of wholeness.

To learn more about Tani Thole, Leslie Rogers, and the Light Dark Institute, please visit:
https://www.lightdarkinstitute.com/

Awareness Explorers listeners can receive $100 off Tani and Leslie's "Playing With Darketypes" 9-week online course that starts on March 30, 2026.
Just go to…
https://www.lightdarkinstitute.com/playing-with-darketypes-online-course
…and use the discount code: AWARENESSEXPLORERS
The discount code is valid through March 15th. 2026.

Don't forget to subscribe for more ingenious ways to tap into the ever-present stillness and joy of our true nature.

To learn more about Awareness Explorers, and to listen to all of our podcast episodes, please visit:
https://www.awarenessexplorers.com/

If you want to listen to the meditations alone, you can find all of our meditations excerpted either in this playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLThffcko0gAVvivvVVGNfQgJxbWB6dF6Z

Or on our Awareness Explorers website:
https://www.awarenessexplorers.com/meditations

To Support Awareness Explorers, please consider clicking the "Donate" button on any AwarenessExplorers.com page, or becoming a Patreon supporter:
https://www.patreon.com/awarenessexplorers
NOTE: If you are a Patreon supporter and have not been receiving our bonus material, please check to make sure that the email address you have on Patreon is an active one.

To learn more about Jonathan Robinson and Brian Tom O'Connor, please visit
https://findinghappiness.com/
and
https://www.playawarenessgames.com/

You can listen to all of our episodes on this YouTube playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLThffcko0gAXyaArC4OyY0y84CZ8uSb_n

Enjoy,
Jonathan and Brian

In this episode, Jonathan and Brian debate the value of pre-meditation rituals for enhancing meditation. We outline several practices to enhance meditation, and we also contrast pre-meditation rituals to create deep experiences, versus viewing meditation as simply allowing "what is."

• Includes a guided meditation helping you to transition from your busy day by breathing into any part of your body that is tense or contracted, and by putting aside any story going on in your head.

Don't forget to subscribe for more ingenious ways to tap into the ever-present stillness and joy of our true nature.

To learn more about Awareness Explorers, and to listen to all of our podcast episodes, please visit:
https://www.awarenessexplorers.com/

If you want to listen to the meditations alone, you can find all of our meditations excerpted either in this playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLThffcko0gAVvivvVVGNfQgJxbWB6dF6Z

Or on our Awareness Explorers website:
https://www.awarenessexplorers.com/meditations

To Support Awareness Explorers, please consider clicking the "Donate" button on any AwarenessExplorers.com page, or becoming a Patreon supporter:
https://www.patreon.com/awarenessexplorers
NOTE: If you are a Patreon supporter and have not been receiving our bonus material, please check to make sure that the email address you have on Patreon is an active one.

To learn more about Jonathan Robinson and Brian Tom O'Connor, please visit
https://findinghappiness.com/
and
https://www.playawarenessgames.com/

You can listen to all of our episodes on this YouTube playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLThffcko0gAXyaArC4OyY0y84CZ8uSb_n

Enjoy,
Jonathan and Brian

Photo by Sage Friedman on Unsplash

In this episode we review the core non-duality teachings of Ramana Maharshi and Nisargadatta Maharaj, including their inquiries into the nature of the Self. These teachings have been among the most influential in the present-day satsang and nonduality movements in the West.

• Includes a guided self-inquiry meditation to trace the "I" thought to its source as the knower of all experience, and to help the listener identify as pure, choiceless, allowing, loving awareness.

A good place to get a feel for the teachings of both Ramana Maharshi and Nisargadatta Maharaj is the YouTube channel, "Eternal Life | Non-Duality" from @EternalLife7, here:
https://www.youtube.com/@EternalLife7

The "Spiritual Laughter" YouTube playlist mentioned in this episode can be found here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5MGGRY0HO9ftghd8xwKE9pPL_LmJkz7G

Don't forget to subscribe for more ingenious ways to tap into the ever-present stillness and joy of our true nature.

To learn more about Awareness Explorers, and to listen to all of our podcast episodes, please visit:
https://www.awarenessexplorers.com/

If you want to listen to the meditations alone, you can find all of our meditations excerpted either in this playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLThffcko0gAVvivvVVGNfQgJxbWB6dF6Z

Or on our Awareness Explorers website:
https://www.awarenessexplorers.com/meditations

To Support Awareness Explorers, please consider clicking the "Donate" button on any AwarenessExplorers.com page, or becoming a Patreon supporter:
https://www.patreon.com/awarenessexplorers
NOTE: If you are a Patreon supporter and have not been receiving our bonus material, please check to make sure that the email address you have on Patreon is an active one.

To learn more about Jonathan Robinson and Brian Tom O'Connor, please visit
https://findinghappiness.com/
and
https://www.playawarenessgames.com/

You can listen to all of our episodes on this YouTube playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLThffcko0gAXyaArC4OyY0y84CZ8uSb_n

Enjoy,
Jonathan and Brian

In this episode we explore relationships as a path to awakening that reveals obstacles to love, and how MDMA can serve as a catalyst to open-heartedness.

The book we discussed in this episode is
Ecstasy for Couples: How MDMA Therapy Can Create More Love and Less Conflict In Your Relationship

To learn more about Ecstasy for Couples, please visit:
https://xtcforcouples.net/

For more information about the amygdala, which was mentioned in this episode:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/amygdala

Don't forget to subscribe for more ingenious ways to tap into the ever-present stillness and joy of our true nature.

To learn more about Awareness Explorers, and to listen to all of our podcast episodes, please visit:
https://www.awarenessexplorers.com/

To Support Awareness Explorers, please consider clicking the "Donate" button on any AwarenessExplorers.com page, or becoming a Patreon supporter:
https://www.patreon.com/awarenessexplorers
NOTE: If you are a Patreon supporter and have not been receiving our bonus material, please check to make sure that the email address you have on Patreon is an active one.

To learn more about Jonathan Robinson and Brian Tom O'Connor, please visit
https://findinghappiness.com/
and
https://www.playawarenessgames.com/

You can listen to all of our episodes on this YouTube playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLThffcko0gAXyaArC4OyY0y84CZ8uSb_n

Enjoy,
Jonathan and Brian

Photo by Enq 1998 on Unsplash

In this episode, we talk to Kate Alvo about Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE) how they can release tension held in the body from stress and from traumas of the past, as well as how releasing stored tension naturally quiets the mind, offering a physical pathway to presence that can facilitate awakening.

• Includes a guided meditation to help listeners tune into their bodies and notice direct present-moment experience without judgement.

To learn more about Kate Alvo, please visit:
https://katealvo.com/

The books we discussed in this episode:
The Revolutionary Trauma Release Process: Transcend Your Toughest Times
by David Berceli
https://treglobal.org/recommended-reading/
Shaking Medicine: The Healing Power of Ecstatic Movement
By Bradford Keeney
https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Shaking-Medicine/Bradford-Keeney/9781594771491

Don't forget to subscribe for more ingenious ways to tap into the ever-present stillness and joy of our true nature.

To learn more about Awareness Explorers, and to listen to all of our podcast episodes, please visit:
https://www.awarenessexplorers.com/

If you want to listen to the meditations alone, you can find all of our meditations excerpted either in this playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLThffcko0gAVvivvVVGNfQgJxbWB6dF6Z

Or on our Awareness Explorers website:
https://www.awarenessexplorers.com/meditations

To Support Awareness Explorers, please consider clicking the "Donate" button on any AwarenessExplorers.com page, or becoming a Patreon supporter:
https://www.patreon.com/awarenessexplorers
NOTE: If you are a Patreon supporter and have not been receiving our bonus material, please check to make sure that the email address you have on Patreon is an active one.

To learn more about Jonathan Robinson and Brian Tom O'Connor, please visit
https://findinghappiness.com/
and
https://www.playawarenessgames.com/

You can listen to all of our episodes on this YouTube playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLThffcko0gAXyaArC4OyY0y84CZ8uSb_n

Enjoy,
Jonathan and Brian

In this episode, we explore how technology is accelerating human transformation and consciousness, and we outline the five key areas that are driving this shift: psychedelics, nootropics, gadgets, new techniques, and AI coaching.

• Includes a guided meditation leading us to recall a specific, highly awakened or peaceful experience and how to amplify the feeling with deep breaths and visualization.

Don't forget to subscribe for more ingenious ways to tap into the ever-present stillness and joy of our true nature.

To learn more about Awareness Explorers, and to listen to all of our podcast episodes, please visit:
https://www.awarenessexplorers.com/

If you want to listen to the meditations alone, you can find all of our meditations excerpted either in this playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLThffcko0gAVvivvVVGNfQgJxbWB6dF6Z

Or on our Awareness Explorers website:
https://www.awarenessexplorers.com/meditations

To Support Awareness Explorers, please consider clicking the "Donate" button on any AwarenessExplorers.com page, or becoming a Patreon supporter:
https://www.patreon.com/awarenessexplorers
NOTE: If you are a Patreon supporter and have not been receiving our bonus material, please check to make sure that the email address you have on Patreon is an active one.

To learn more about Jonathan Robinson and Brian Tom O'Connor, please visit
https://findinghappiness.com/
and
https://www.playawarenessgames.com/

You can listen to all of our episodes on this YouTube playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLThffcko0gAXyaArC4OyY0y84CZ8uSb_n

Enjoy,
Jonathan and Brian

Photo by Joshua Sortino on Unsplash