For the Love of Yoga with Nish the Fish

After we performed our Śyāmā Kālī Pūjā this year (which you can watch here), we took up a short, concise but I think quite concentrated discussion on how image worship, the danger of superimposing our projections unto Kālī & the check and balance of taking seriously what Her saints have had to say about Her through their own mystical experiences throughout history. Most importantly, we point to the two "extreme" ends of the spectrum when it comes to Kālī devotees and we propose a sort of synthesis of these two, that I pray, will lead to a deeper felt sense of the inscrutability and immediacy of Mā Kālī's unfathomable, all-pervasive wild power! (We recap some material from the How To Say Grounded & Reasonable In Kālī Pūjā lecture also to renew our commitment to śāstra, lineage, and accountable, honest and reasonable spiritual instruction. Support the showLectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

A lively dive into the turning point of Vivekananda’s transmission to the West and why that day still matters. An exploration of tantric strands in the tradition, including Sri Ramakrishna’s intense pūjā practices and transgressive sadhanas. Practical focus on why learning pūjā, mantra, and bhava matters and how ritual can be artful, devotional, and transformative.

Before we plunged into the fervor of Śyāma Kālī Pūjā, we paused to reflect on an important question that Sandhyā Devī astutely asked one morning which was more or less along the lines of "how can we verify the truth claims of the tradition"? "how do we stay sane, grounded & reasonable while practicing a somewhat radical form of Tantra?" "how do we know that our spiritual experiences are legitimate and not a function of delusion or egoic thinking?" (I paraphrase). Essentially, before participating fully in something, we have to ask if there are checks and balances inherent in the tradition to keep the narratives and the individuals who represent them grounded and accountable. And the tradition replies resoundingly in the affirmative! In this somewhat foundational and important discussion, we explore what some of these checks and balances might be and how we might access and benefit from them to stay sane, grounded, reasonable and safe even as we plunge recklessly into the fire of devotion like intoxicated moths! Support the showLectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

A Halloween dive into vampiric imagery and why vampires make a rich metaphor for Tantric spirituality. Connections between Kali, goth culture and transformed erotic devotion are explored. Tensions between personal will and divine will are examined across Christian and Indian traditions. Practical notes on Kali puja, Dākinīs, Yoginīs and ethical ways to approach fierce rituals are offered.

The best way to start is to just start. Here's everything you need and more.Support the showLectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

A deep dive into image-worship and how ritual invites a deity into a form. Clear explanations of pashu, anu, and why the embodied path suits most seekers. A close look at shaktipata, degrees of awakening, and the disciplined risks and preparations for becoming a suitable vessel for Kālī. Reflections on how ritual and nondual practices can complement each other.

One of the most important ideas in Tantra (and often one of the most misunderstood and most difficult to discuss) is Kuṇḍalinī! What exactly is this "serpent power", as Arthur Avalonji once called it? Specifically in this talk, we relate Kuṇḍalinī to Kālī to show her centrality in the Kaula tradition of Tantra! Finally, based on this reflection, we discuss the quintessential Kaula ritual, the "Ādi Yāga" which features in Chapter 29 of Abhinava Gupta's Tantrāloka. You'll find all of our talks on foundational Tāntrik concepts hereSupport the showLectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

A deep dive into the Devī Māhātmya as a single powerful vidyā and how its 700 verses can function as mantra-packed practice. Discussion of Shakta theology, non-duality of Shiva and Shakti, and the goddess as independent power-holder. Exploration of bija syllables, condensed Navarna formulas, Kali’s paradoxical nature, and practical notes on ritual, diksha, and applying the Chandi in daily spiritual life.

As one of the most ancient and important texts of the Tāntrik Goddess (śākta) tradition, the Devī Māhātmyam is of course unspeakably rich in its every dimension!In its esoteric dimension, it is a very complex manual of mantra, ritual and magical application. As literature, is aesthetically and poetically sublime beyond comparison. As a narrative, it is astoundingly complex and ingenious in terms of structure and progression. And as a philosophy or theology, it is among the most refined and sophisticated that any religious tradition has ever offered! Politically, never have we encountered a more triumphant depiction of fierce, untamed feminine power! Theologically, the texts challenges our metaphysical ideas of objective reality & temporality, our ethical understanding of "good & evil" (the narrative is intensely morally ambiguous, after all as I point out in this talk) and our spiritual notions of the One & the Many, the Transcendent & the Immanent, the Absolute & the Relative etc. Studying and contemplating this text (and of course chanting and living the text) will dramatically transform everything about your world view, especially with regards to how you view the self, the world and "God" who in the text is "put to sleep", i.e transcended by this Absolute Reality we call Śakti, Power. In order to tease out some of this complexity as part of our Navarātri celebrations last week, we offered this talk! May all this be placed at the feet of our beloved Mā who comes to me in the form of all of you! Jai Mā! PS: you'll find all the talks we've given on the Devī Māhātmya in this playlist.Support the showLectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM

After our discussion on the Three Kinds of Madness | Kālī vs. Laxmī vs Sarasvatī on Laxmī Purnimā earlier this week, we launched into a very beautiful, rich and universally helpful Q&A discussion on difficult emotions and how to transform them into ecstasy! We discuss the importance of setting boundaries and not spiritually bypassing our feelings but we also present that state beyond all boundaries in which everything is seen, accepted, and celebrated as God's will! We argue against "healing", "growth" and "transformation" as valid goals in spiritual life in favor of unconditional love, Bhakti for the Infinite Reality, God. We argue that there is no such thing as a true atheist! We present a few metrics for gauging our own spiritual growth. And most importantly, we discuss what happens after you see God!Here is a playlist of our all our Q&A discussions over the years! Support the showLectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and again at Friday 11am PST Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrM