Spiritual Practice for the Real World

The Call to Sacred Action in Troubled Times

IThere are moments in history, and moments in our own lives, when the weight of the world feels close. When the nervous system tightens. When the heart wonders if it would be easier to disappear, to simplify everything down to comfort, to step away from responsibility and just protect what is small and familiar.

The final chapter of the Bhagavad Gita speaks directly to this place.

In verses 18:1–12, Krishna offers Arjuna a last and clarifying teaching. True renunciation is not leaving life. It is removing personal grasping from how we live it. Not abandoning action, but releasing the claim that it is about us.

This February, we enter the Gita’s full-circle moment. The place where Arjuna’s desire to lay down his bow meets the deeper understanding that he was never meant to escape his life. He was meant to offer it.

This module is an invitation to remember that who you are, and what you are here to do, matters. Especially now.

 In this module, you will explore

• The difference between personally motivated action and selfless action

• Why Krishna teaches that some actions should never be renounced

• The three sacred actions that sustain life
– sacred offering
– generosity
– conscious effort

• The subtle but powerful difference between abandoning duty and true non-attachment

• Tamasic, rajasic, and sattvic “renunciation” and how they show up in real life

• How karma is shaped not just by what we do, but by why we do it

• Why action cannot be escaped, and how it can be purified

• How to live your purpose in a way that benefits the whole, not just the self

• A reflective teaching on Krishna’s final clarification to Arjuna

• A real-life discernment quiz to explore
– when you may be running from life
– when you may be reacting from personal desire
– when you are acting from clarity and offering

• An actionable reflection and practice guide to help you
– move from heaviness into life force
– move from reactivity into clarity
– deepen selfless action already unfolding

• Journaling contemplations to support honest self-inquiry

• Daily life practices to turn insight into lived change

This module also includes mantra teachings to support both steadiness and strength.

 Krishna mantras for coherence, clarity, and right action

•Durga mantras for courage, protection, and staying power

These practices are offered as inner companions for those who are not leaving the world, but learning how to stand inside it without being consumed.

• You feel the weight of the times and are unsure how to meet them

• You notice the urge to withdraw, simplify, or disappear

• You are questioning your purpose or your place

• You want to serve life without burning out

• You want to act without being driven by fear, guilt, or reward

• You long to live in a way that is beneficial, honest, and free

Living a Spiritual Life in an Ego Driven World

Every day we are asked to decide who we want to be. The world pushes us toward speed, comparison, self-protection, and the constant need to prove our worth. The Bhagavad Gita’s sixteenth chapter cuts through all of this and teaches that there are qualities that lift us into clarity and qualities that pull us into confusion. This module brings that teaching into the real, lived landscape of modern life.

Choosing Light invites you to slow down enough to see which inner forces are guiding you. It helps you notice where ego takes the wheel and where your deeper nature is calling for something truer. This is not about perfection. It is about learning to return, again and again, to the qualities that open the heart, sharpen discernment, and steady the mind.

You will explore how divine qualities look today in the middle of family, work, activism, and personal uncertainty, and you will learn how to recognize the subtle habits that keep you stuck in the opposite direction. The aim is simple: to live with more truth, more courage, and more compassion than the world around you often rewards.

This module includes:

• Clear teachings on the divine and non divine qualities through a modern, practical lens
• Guided contemplation to help you see where ego leads and where spirit points the way
• Simple daily practices for pausing, witnessing, choosing integrity, and softening harm
• Journaling prompts for tracking your choices and noticing real inner shifts
• Support for living a spiritual life without abandoning your role as a householder

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:

📚 4 On-Demand Philosophy Lessons
Bite-sized, heart-centered teachings that break down the monthly theme into clear, digestible insights. A new theme is announced at the start of each month.

🧘🏾‍♀️ 1 Monthly Yoga Practice
An accessible, all-levels practice aligned with the month’s theme. Each offering may take the form of asana, pranayama, meditation, or another supportive practice. Explore at your own pace, in your own space

💬 4 Live Weekly “Yoga Wisdom” Sessions
Tuesdays at 11 AM EST on Zoom (recordings available). These live classes weave yogic philosophy with current events, personal insight, and meditative downloads from Shanna. Bring your questions, or send them in ahead of time. We make space for real-time discussion and reflection.

This structure is designed for the householder path: flexible, meaningful, and made to support you through the ups and downs of everyday life.