Spiritual Practice for the Real World

As householders, we still have to work, earn money, care for our bodies and relationships, experience loss and pleasure, make difficult choices, and deal with the consequences of our actions. The question is not how to get away from all of this, but how to move through it without becoming trapped by it.

Over four weeks, we will explore:

• How to participate fully in the world without being consumed by it, including how we can work with money, roles, relationships, responsibilities, and social conventions while remembering what is ultimately true.
• What karma actually means, including the traditional teachings on sañcita, prārabdha, and āgāmi karma, and why karma is much more nuanced than punishment, reward, or “you get what you deserve.”
• How spiritual growth changes our relationship with karma, using the three levels of jñānis described in the Tripura Rahasya to understand why knowledge may deepen even while old patterns and consequences continue to unfold.
• What duality really is, and why experiencing opposites such as light and darkness, pleasure and pain, good and bad does not necessarily mean they are ultimately separate.
• How to develop greater freedom within ordinary life, so that spiritual practice becomes less about trying to create perfect circumstances and more about meeting the circumstances we actually have with clarity and skill.

Our final teaching brings us to the Divine Mother and the recognition found throughout the Devī Māhātmya: She is present in everything. The sacred is not confined to the parts of life we find beautiful, peaceful, or easy to understand.

Through teachings from the Tripura Rahasya, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Devī Māhātmya, we will explore how to live among the seeming opposites of this world without losing sight of what lies beneath them.

How do you know if someone is truly spiritual?

In a world shaped by social media, personal branding, and carefully curated images, it has never been easier to make assumptions about another person's inner life. We often decide who is wise, authentic, or worthy of our trust based on appearance, personality, lifestyle, or reputation. But can genuine realization really be seen from the outside?

This month, we'll explore Chapter 21 of the Tripura Rahasya (verses 1-56), where this ancient text challenges one of our most deeply held assumptions. Rather than teaching us how to recognize an enlightened person, it gradually reveals why true realization cannot be measured by outward appearances. In the process, it redirects our attention away from judging others and toward the only mind we can truly know: our own.

Throughout the month, we'll explore what genuine knowledge looks like, the difference between discernment and judgment, and why appearances often tell us far less than we think. We'll also incorporate a simple contemplative practice inspired by Byron Katie's The Work, using four powerful questions to help us investigate our own judgments with curiosity and honesty.

• Why outward appearance is an unreliable measure of spiritual maturity.
• The difference between image, personality, and authentic realization.
• How unconscious judgments shape the way we experience the world.
• The distinction between healthy discernment and habitual judgment.
• A practical meditation for turning moments of judgment into opportunities for self-inquiry.
• How the Tripura Rahasya invites us to shift our attention from evaluating others to understanding ourselves.

If you've ever found yourself wondering who to trust, what makes someone authentic, or how to navigate a world full of appearances, this study offers a timeless perspective that is as relevant today as it was centuries ago.

Join us this month as we discover that the greatest obstacle to seeing clearly is often not another person, but the stories we tell about them.

Each month, we dive into a core theme from essential yogic texts like the Bhagavad Gita, Yoga Sutras, Vedas, and Devi Mahatmya, exploring how these teachings apply to real life, right now.

Here’s what’s included every month:

📚 1 Monthly Teaching + Guided Theme
Each month begins with a focused teaching that introduces the core theme. From there, the material is developed week by week through the month during Weekly Wisdom sessions.

🧘🏾‍♀️ 1 Monthly Practice
A simple, accessible practice aligned with the theme. This may include meditation, breathwork, or movement to support clarity, steadiness, and real-life application.

💬 4 Live Weekly “Yoga Wisdom” Sessions
Tuesdays at 11 AM EST on Zoom.
This is where the monthly theme is unpacked and explored in depth. Each session builds on the last and includes space for questions, discussion, and real-time application. You’re welcome to bring questions live or send them in ahead of time.

If you can’t attend live, all sessions are uploaded to the portal so you can follow along at any time.

📖 Organized for a Clear Path
All Weekly Wisdom sessions are housed within the monthly module and arranged in order, so you can follow the progression of the teaching from beginning to end.

📚 Full Library Access
You will also have access to the full library of previous modules. This allows you to revisit past teachings, explore topics at your own pace, and return to what is most relevant to you as your understanding deepens.