In this episode, I explore Vipassana meditation, one of the world’s most ancient and transformative mindfulness practices. You’ll learn its origins, core philosophy, what really happens in a 10-day silent meditation retreat, and why its teachings continue to influence my own practice.

Although Vipassana isn’t the technique I use daily, the Buddhist principles behind it, including the law of impermanence and the cultivation of equanimity, have deeply shaped my understanding of meditation.

What l cover in this episode:

1. What “Vipassana” means and its Buddhist meditation origins
2. How the Buddha taught Vipassana as an antidote to suffering and misery
3. The 3 pillars of Vipassana: Sila (ethics), Samadhi (mind mastery), and Punya (wisdom)
4. Why the breath and bodily sensation are the anchors of the practice
5. The difference between objective truth and subjective truth in meditation
6. A behind-the-scenes look at a 10-day Vipassana retreat — rules, schedule, and challenges
7. The Buddhist law of impermanence (Anicca) and why it’s life-changing
8. Equanimity as the antidote to craving and aversion
9. How contemplating death can help us embrace life fully
10. My personal challenges, breakthroughs, and takeaways from Vipassana in India
11. Why Vipassana works for some people — and why it might not suit everyone

Whether you’ve been curious about Vipassana or are considering a silent meditation retreat, hopefully you find this episode insightful in your own practise and experience of life. 

🙏 Stay Connected & Explore More:

📸 Instagram: @ashleybrown412 📺 YouTube: Ash Brown Meditation 🎙 Spotify: Ash Brown Meditation Show 🌐 Website: ashbrownmeditation.com 📩 Email: ashleysarinebrown@gmail.com

Here is a simple 20 minute timer to support your own self guided meditation practice.

No guidance, no ads, just a soothing timer to help you drop in and come back gently. 

Gentle gong bells will ring, at the beginning and at the end to create a clear container for practice.  Enjoy, the quiet space in between to explore any meditation technique you like.

Enjoy your practice!

Welcome to Part 3 of 3 in this mini series of episodes on Meditation and the Nervous System. 

In this episode, we explore the parasympathetic nervous system, the body’s built-in relaxation response, and why I call it the “meditation response.”

We’ll discover how meditation helps the nervous system reset, release stress, and return to its natural state of balance, joy, and connection.

We also explore the polyvagal theory, which reveals the two very different ways we can enter the parasympathetic state, and why understanding this is key to health, healing, and happiness.

Topics covered:

• The magical nature of the parasympathetic state and its role in healing
• The two different ways we can enter the parasympathetic state
• Ventral vagus vs. dorsal vagus: The difference between connection and shutdown
• How the body instinctively self-regulates when it feels safe
• Why chronic stress blocks access to joy, meaning, and connection
• How meditation creates the conditions of safety for nervous system reset
• Six practical cues that signal safety and shift you into rest & digest
• The unique role of mindfulness in disarming false stress triggers

So hopefully these last 3 episodes have helped you to:

• Understand your own relationship with stress a little better
• Become aware of the levels you may have normalised in your own system
• Illuminate the impact it might be having on your health and happiness

Ultimately, my hope is to highlight not just the stress, but the way back to balance, a clear path in meditation to restoring your health, vitality, and joy.

🙏 Stay Connected & Explore More: 📸 Instagram: @ashleybrown412 📺 YouTube: Ash Brown Meditation 🎙 Spotify: Ash Brown Meditation Show 🌐 Website: ashbrownmeditation.com 📩 Email: ashleysarinebrown@gmail.com

🎵 Intro music from Upbeat (free for Creators!):

Amazing Day by Iris Young → https://uppbeat.io/track/iros-young/amazing-day

Welcome to Part 2 of 3 in this mini series of episodes on Meditation and the Nervous System. 

In this episode, we dive deep into the anatomy of the stress response and explore why meditation is such a powerful antidote.

You’ll learn how this survival system was designed to protect us but how in modern life it often works against us.

Topics covered:

• What the stress response is and why nature designed it
• Your biological defence shield 
• Why imagined fears trigger the same reaction as real danger
• How chronic stress drains energy and relegates our health
• A lesson from the animal kingdom
• 5 ways stress physically reshapes the body (jaw, joints, digestion, nerves, tendons)
• Why meditation is a practical tool to reset the nervous system

Stress isn’t just “in your head”...  it’s in your body!

Through meditation we help our physical body guide shift the nervous system out of chronic sympathetic activation and into a restorative state where tissues, joints, and nerves can re-lengthen, decompress, and heal.

🙏 Stay Connected & Explore More: 📸 Instagram: @ashleybrown412 📺 YouTube: Ash Brown Meditation 🎙 Spotify: Ash Brown Meditation Show 🌐 Website: ashbrownmeditation.com 📩 Email: ashleysarinebrown@gmail.com

Intro music from Upbeat (free for Creators!):

Amazing Day by Iris Young https://uppbeat.io/track/iros-young/amazing-day

Welcome to Part 1 of 3 in this mini series of episodes on Meditation and the Nervous System. 

One of the most common reasons people come to meditation is the impact of too much stress...But!

Not all stress is bad.

In fact, stress is essential, it’s the overdose and poor recovery that harm us.

In this episode, I share how meditation helps us change our relationship with stress and why awareness is the first step to freedom.

Topics covered:

• Redefining stress: the difference between helpful stress and harmful stress

• Where stress lives

• Stress as an internal response

• Why the same event triggers different stress levels in different people

• How stress shrinks your “comfort zone” and makes you more reactive

• The radical shift of taking responsibility for your stress response

• How society conditions us to normalise high stress

• Why stress itself isn’t the problem, but unawareness and poor recovery are

• How self-awareness breaks the cycle of conditioning and restores balance

• Meditation as a daily tool: not just for enlightenment, but for stress management and resilience

So I hope this first episode was helpful in reminding you that stress isn’t the enemy, it’s simply a messenger and meditation helps us listen.

🙏 Stay Connected & Explore More: 📸 Instagram: @ashleybrown412 📺 YouTube: Ash Brown Meditation 🎙 Spotify: Ash Brown Meditation Show 🌐 Website: ashbrownmeditation.com 📩 Email: ashleysarinebrown@gmail.com

Intro music from Upbeat (free for Creators!):

Amazing Day by Iris Young https://uppbeat.io/track/iros-young/amazing-day

In this episode, I sit down with renowned teacher and devoted Shiva Yogi, Nataraj, to explore the heart of Tantra: its philosophy, practices, and relevance today.

Nataraj began daily yoga and meditation at just 13, immersed himself in Tantra by 16, and has since dedicated his life to sharing this wisdom worldwide through retreats, workshops, kirtan, and teacher trainings.

We explore the essence of Tantric and Yogic philosophy, the dance of Shiva and Shakti, and what it means to live these teachings in the modern world.

Topics covered:

- What is meditation

- The Tantric Path

- The descent of consciousness 

- Consequence of limitation

- What is a Shiva Yogi

- The principles of shiva and sakti 

- Goddess Tradition

- What is the mind

- Greif & love

- What is freedom 

- Methods to find grace 

Perfect for anyone curious about Tantra, spirituality, meditation, and self-realisation — or anyone seeking to understand how these timeless teachings can illuminate our search for meaning today.

Connect with Nataraj 🌐 Website: natarajchaitanya.com 📷 Instagram: @nataraj.chaitanya

Upcoming 200-Hour Hatha Yoga Teacher Training 📍 Melbourne | Online 📅 February – May 2026 👉 Learn more & register

Join Ash in a meditation practice to help you connect to presence through the miracle of your living body.

• Express - 20 mins
• Full - 29 mins

This meditation is designed to honour your body’s genius and innate intelligence.

Remember, the most valuable tool in any somatic practice is not technique, but the capacity to meet yourself with compassion and kindness. 

All you need is a comfortable space.

Sitting upright is recommended, but if it feels better to lie down, follow what allows your body to be at ease. 

So, with that being said... Sit back, relax and enjoy!

🙏 Stay Connected & Explore More: 📸 Instagram: @ashleybrown412 📺 YouTube: Ash Brown Meditation 🎙 Spotify: Ash Brown Meditation Show 🌐 Website: ashbrownmeditation.com 📩 Email: ashleysarinebrown@gmail.com

🎶 Music from Uppbeat: Shrine by Tranquilium – Listen here

Join Ash in a meditation practice to help you connect to presence through the miracle of your living body.

• Express - 20 mins
• Full - 29 mins

This meditation is designed to honour your body’s genius and innate intelligence.

Remember, the most valuable tool in any somatic practice is not technique, but the capacity to meet yourself with compassion and kindness. 

All you need is a comfortable space.

Sitting upright is recommended, but if it feels better to lie down, follow what allows your body to be at ease. 

So, with that being said... Sit back, relax and enjoy!

🙏 Stay Connected & Explore More: 📸 Instagram: @ashleybrown412 📺 YouTube: Ash Brown Meditation 🎙 Spotify: Ash Brown Meditation Show 🌐 Website: ashbrownmeditation.com 📩 Email: ashleysarinebrown@gmail.com

🎶 Music from Uppbeat: Shrine by Tranquilium – Listen here

This episode marks the second half of my deep conversation with Cirak.

Cirak is a renowned spiritual teacher, author, public speaker, and host of worldwide retreats. He has written four influential books on meditation, spirituality, God, and mindfulness, with more on the way, and his teachings have inspired thousands around the world.

✨ In Part 2, we explore:

1:00 - Overview 5 levels of awareness

2:00 - Presence as foreign to the mind

5:20 - Intuition as our guidance system

7:05 - Level 1 Awareness

9:45 - Level 2 Awareness

12:30 - Destruction within natural law

14:05 - What catches us when we let go

16:35 - Is life inherently meaningful 

17:40 - Level 3 awareness

20:20 - Our natural state

20:45  - Level 4 Awareness 

22:25 - What it means to be in your power 

24:50 - Level 5 Awareness

27:40 - Your vibration as your gift 

Cirak shares profound insights on meditation, awareness, surrender, and the journey of consciousness — offering practical wisdom for anyone ready to live with more clarity, love, and freedom.

I hope you enjoy!

Connect with Cirak:

📲 Instagram: @cirakteachings

🌐 Website: cirak.com

📖 Book: The Five Levels of Awareness: A Manual for Finding Purpose

🌊 Retreat: Ocean Retreat, Bali — Dec 7–14, 2025

🙏 Connect with Me & Explore More:

📸 Instagram: @ashleybrown412 📺 YouTube: Ash Brown Meditation 🎙 Spotify: Ash Brown Meditation Show 🌐 Website: ashbrownmeditation.com 📩 Email: ashleysarinebrown@gmail.com

Intro music from Upbeat (free for Creators!):

Amazing Day by Iris Young https://uppbeat.io/track/iros-young/amazing-day

Welcome to Part 2 of the Inner Voices Series where I shine a spotlight on the cast of characters living inside your head and explore how awareness can transform your relationship with them.

Topics covered:

• How to separate from your thoughts

• Using language as a tool for freedom

• Analogies that make the mind easier to understand

• The power of presence and awareness

• Disentangling the threads of “I” and “my”

• Practicing witness consciousness

• The inner voice to call forward

If you’ve ever felt controlled by your thoughts, this two-part series will help you see them differently; not as truths to obey, but as energies to observe, understand, and integrate.

🙏 Stay Connected & Explore More:

📸 Instagram: @ashleybrown412 📺 YouTube: Ash Brown Meditation 🎙 Spotify: Ash Brown Meditation Show 🌐 Website: ashbrownmeditation.com 📩 Email: ashleysarinebrown@gmail.com

Intro music from Upbeat (free for Creators!):

Amazing Day by Iris Young https://uppbeat.io/track/iros-young/amazing-day

Welcome to Part 1 of a 2 Part Series where I shine a spotlight on the cast of characters living inside your head.

Topics covered:

• The most common characters that take the stage in your mind
• How these inner voices are universal (rest assured they are not unique to you!)
• How without awareness these voices tend to rule our life
• The function of these voices
• The first step to freedom from identification
• What it means to seperate “I” from the world of “my” 

If you’ve ever felt run by your thoughts, this episode will help you see them differently - as energies to be witnessed, not truths to be obeyed.

In Part 2, we’ll dive deeper into why these voices exist, the challenges they create, and how to build mental freedom through awareness.

Intro music from Upbeat (free for Creators!):

Amazing Day by Iris Young https://uppbeat.io/track/iros-young/amazing-day

In this episode, I have the absolute pleasure of speaking with Cirak.

Cirak a renowned spiritual teacher, author, public speaker, and host of worldwide retreats. Cirak has written four influential books on meditation, spirituality, God, and mindfulness, with more on the way, and his teachings have inspired thousands around the world.

✨ In Part 1, we explore:

2:30 - What are thoughts?

4:30 - Where thoughts come from?

7:40 - What does it mean to identify with thought 

10:06 - How to disentangle self from thought

11:45 Law of Impermanence (Aniche)

12:40 Thought Balloons

13:05 Rationality of spirituality

13:45 - The futility of trying to predict life

15:03 - What is the mind?

16:25 - Creating harmony within your mind

18:10 - The difference be manifesting and controlling

21:05 - What is meditation 

23:40 - Life’s design

24:05 - How acceptance moves you forward

25:00 - The power of acceptance 

This conversation is both profound and practical — touching on timeless wisdom from yoga and meditation while offering insights you can apply to daily life.

If you’ve ever wondered how to quiet the mind, connect with your intuition, or understand the deeper journey of consciousness, this episode with Cirak will leave you inspired.

Connect with Cirak:

📲 Instagram: @cirakteachings

🌐 Website: cirak.com

📖 Book: The Five Levels of Awareness: A Manual for Finding Purpose

🌊 Retreat: Ocean Retreat, Bali — Dec 7–14, 2025

🙏 Stay Connected & Explore More:

📸 Instagram: @ashleybrown412 📺 YouTube: Ash Brown Meditation 🎙 Spotify: Ash Brown Meditation Show 🌐 Website: ashbrownmeditation.com 📩 Email: ashleysarinebrown@gmail.com

Intro music from Upbeat (free for Creators!):

Amazing Day by Iris Young https://uppbeat.io/track/iros-young/amazing-day

Here is a simple 15 minute timer to support your own self guided meditation practice.

No guidance, no ads, just a soothing timer to help you drop in and come back gently. 

Gentle gong bells will ring, at the beginning and at the end to create a clear container for practice.  Enjoy, the quiet space in between to explore any meditation technique you like.

Enjoy your practice!

Join Ash in this Easy-to-Follow-Along Guided Meditation Practise!

Perfect if you are new to meditation or just looking for a soft inward place to land. 

In this practice, Ash shares one of the easiest techniques to begin your meditation journey, no experience needed. 

All you need is a quiet space, a comfortable seat or cushion, and 15 minutes just for yourself.

So with that being said… get comfy, settle in and enjoy this moment of calm.

🙏 Stay Connected & Explore More:

📸 Instagram: ⁠@ashleybrown412⁠ 📺 YouTube: ⁠Ash Brown Meditation⁠ 🎙 Spotify: ⁠Ash Brown Meditation Show⁠ 🌐 Website: ⁠ashbrownmeditation.com⁠ 📩 Email: ashleysarinebrown@gmail.com

Intro music from Upbeat (free for Creators!): Shrine by Tranquilium — https://uppbeat.io/track/tranquilium/shrine

In this episode I sit down with Jana Johnson.

Jana is a psycho-spiritual therapist and founder of her own healing centre, Jana began her path in foundational psychology before feeling an undeniable pull toward something greater than the mind.

Her exploration led her into the deep study of metaphysical study, South American earth-based practices, Buddhism, Universal Science of Mind, Gestalt Therapy, Jungian Dreamwork, Master-level Reiki, and intuitive energy work.

In this episode we cover:

5:03 – What is spirituality?

6:11 – How Tantra guides the right use of energy

11:02 – The practice of devotion

12:09 – Understanding cosmic intelligence

14:25 – How loss of connection to spirit impacts meaning, belonging, and inner connection

17:30 – The root cause of suffering in the world

20:50 – The nature of oneness

23:30 – The mind and how it shapes perception of self and world

25:19 – How expression becomes clouded through the chakras

29:30 – Unlearning as the path to wisdom

30:55 – The body’s role in awakening

31:55 – Living with “one foot on earth, one foot in the spiritual realm”

33:08 – Balancing worldly life with spiritual life

35:35 – Awareness vs. consciousness

35:55 – What it means to be in a higher state of consciousness

44:40 – A practical way to experience your energy body

46:49 – Jana’s personal experiences with her two teachers: an Indian Baba and a Dzogchen Lama

57:29 – The most powerful meditation techniques she recommends

• This is a deep and expansive conversation for anyone curious about the intersection of mind, body, and spirit, and how these realms shape our path to wholeness.

🙏 Stay Connected & Explore More:

📸 Instagram: @ashleybrown412

📺 YouTube: Ash Brown Meditation

🎙 Spotify: Ash Brown Meditation Show

🌐 Website: ashbrownmeditation.com

📩 Email: ashleysarinebrown@gmail.com

In this episode, I had the privilege of sitting down with Ashton Szabo.

Ashton Szabo is the Co-Owner, Manager, and Lead Teacher at Alchemy Yoga & Meditation Center — one of the largest and most renowned yoga studios, meditation hubs, and wellness cafés in Ubud, Bali. Alchemy also has a thriving location in Uluwatu, with a brand-new studio opening soon in Canggu.

An incredibly gifted meditation teacher and yogi, Ashton blends the wisdom of Non-Dual Śaiva Tantra, mantra meditation, and a deeply embodied approach to mind, body, and spirit. His teachings bridge ancient tradition with modern insight, making them accessible to anyone seeking transformation.

In this conversation, we explore:

1:35 – Purpose & vision – Why you do what you do and what inspired your creations

7:36 – Lineage & roots – Where your teaching tradition comes from

8:30 – What is yoga? – Beyond postures, styles, or techniques

11:25 – Global suffering – How to understand and hold space for it

13:05 – Goddess traditions – What they offer us today

13:35 – The ego – Its role in growth and challenge

17:26 – Sameness & uniqueness – How yoga reveals both

19:59 – Asana as self-expression – Uncovering individuality through movement

23:31 – Understanding the mind – Its influence on perception

26:03 – Patanjali’s “Chitta Vritti Nirodhah” – Modern interpretation

27:31 – Empty mind? – Debunking the myth

28:22 – Immersion in being – Living fully in your experience

28:40 – Tradition vs. modern life – Bridging monastic styles with today’s world

31:04 – Mind as trap or liberation – Navigating fear and insight

34:45 – What is meditation? – Beyond the technique

35:34 – Pitfalls in meditation – When it becomes unhelpful

36:47 – Deeper self-connection – Tapping into your true self

37:26 – Where meditation matters most – Key moments of transformation

38:00 – The power of mantra – Why it works deeply

39:56 – When the mind resists – Working with mental obstacles

40:20 – What is divinity? – Defining and relating to the divine

42:47 – Awakening potential – Is it possible for everyone in this lifetime?

This episode is perfect for anyone curious about the deeper dimensions of yoga, meditation, spirituality, and self-realisation — and for those wanting to understand how ancient Tantric teachings can illuminate our modern search for meaning.

Connect with Ashton Instagram: @yogawithashton Website: Alchemy Yoga & Meditation Center

Upcoming 100-Hour Ether Meditation Teacher Training — Bali 📅 8th–20th September 2025 Learn more & register: Meditation Teacher Training Bali

In this episode we explore Dhyana – the 7th limb of Patanjali’s 8-limb path of yoga.

If Dharana is the practice of concentration, Dhyana is the effortless experience of meditation – a state of flow, absorption and stillness where awareness moves as one continuous stream.

TOPICS COVERED:

• Dhyana: meaning and purpose
• Dhyana vs Dharana
• Dhyana as flow state
• Hobbies vs meditation as access points
• Bhagavad Gita Wisdom
• How striving blocks Dhyana
• Practice and non-attachment in balance
• Signs of Dhyana
• Dhyana as the bridge to Samadhi

This episode helps de‑mystify Dhyana into something practical, tangible and deeply human.

🙏 Stay Connected & Explore More:

📸 Instagram: @ashleybrown412

📺 YouTube: Ash Brown Meditation

🎙 Spotify: Ash Brown Meditation Show

🌐 Website: ashbrownmeditation.com

📩 Email: ashleysarinebrown@gmail.com

In this episode we step into the 6th limb of Patanjali’s eightfold path: Dharana – the practice of concentration. 

This is where the yoga journey moves beyond preparation to the practise & experience of meditation. 

Topics covered:

• A short breakdown of the eight-limb path of yoga
• Why most of us know yoga only through asana
• The mystery and misconceptions around the final 3 limbs
• Dharana –  its meaning & purpose
• Dharana in today’s attention crisis
• Why “forgetting” is included in the design of meditation
• Turning forgetting into kindness and compassion
• How to choose an object for your meditation
• Practical ways to work with Dharana
• Integrating the fire of Tapas with softness and kindness
• From effort to effortless to arrive at Dhyana

Hopefully this episodes helps de-mystify the idea of dharana into something truly practical that can enhance not only your meditation practise but the way we move through life!

🙏 Stay Connected & Explore More:

📸 Instagram: @ashleybrown412 📺 YouTube: Ash Brown Meditation 🌐 Website: ashbrownmeditation.com 📩 Email: ashleysarinebrown@gmail.com

In this episode, I sit down with renowned movement educator and yoga teacher Chris Fox to explore the deep connection between body, mind, and meditation.

Based in Ubud, Bali, Chris is a mobility specialist and the creator of The Fox Method. He leads trainings, immersions, workshops, and retreats around the world, guiding students into a more intelligent, embodied way of moving and living.

In our conversation, we dive into:

• The power of simplicity
• What the subtle body is and how to begin exploring your inner world
• The relationship between movement and stillness, and how they inform each other
• The mind-body connection and why movement can be a doorway to awareness
• The biggest barriers we face on the path of self-exploration
• The teachers and practices that shaped Chris’s own journey inward
• How the inner world can be as vast and expansive as the outer world
• The essence of The Fox Method

If you’re interested in yoga, meditation, embodiment, or the art of mindful movement, this conversation is full of insight and inspiration.

Connect with Chris Fox: Instagram: @thisischrisfox

Upcoming Training: The Journey Within: Yintelligence Training Dec 1 – Dec 8, 2025 Yoga Barn, Ubud, Bali

Event link

🙏 Stay Connected & Explore More: 📸 Instagram: @ashleybrown412 📺 YouTube: Ash Brown Meditation 🎙 Spotify: Ash Brown Meditation Show 🌐 Website: ashbrownmeditation.com 📩 Email: ashleysarinebrown@gmail.com

#mindfulnesspractice #mindbody #mindbodyconnection #meditationexplained #presentmoment #meditationforbeginners #attentionandawareness #presentmoment #mentalclarity #spiritualgrowth #innerpeace #meditationteacher #nervoussystemregulation #meditationmechanics  #mindbodyconnection #consciousliving  #beginnerfriendlymeditation

Intro music from Upbeat (free for Creators!):

Amazing Day by Iris Young https://uppbeat.io/track/iros-young/amazing-day

What does it mean to live yoga—not just practice it?

In this episode, I explore how yoga can become more than a mat-based ritual but a way of life; a path of awareness that reaches far beyond postures and breath into the very heart of daily life. 

Topics covered:

• • Yoga as a philosophy of love

  • Three layers of union: self, others, and the infinite

  • Balancing practising yoga with living yoga

  • Where classical Tantra expands on traditional yoga

  • Two pathways: the inward journey and the return into life

  • Yoga as both a personal and collective healing journey

  • Love as our natural state and how practice reveals it

I believe, yoga and Meditation are not invitations to bypass the challenges and struggles of worldly life but instead, invitations to lean into life, to say yes to life and step deeper into our own heart so we can learn what it means to live from a state of love. 

Hope you enjoy!

🙏 Stay Connected & Explore More: 

📸 Instagram: ⁠@ashleybrown412⁠ 

📺 YouTube: ⁠Ash Brown Meditation⁠ 

🌐 Website: ⁠ashbrownmeditation.com⁠ 

📩 Email: ashleysarinebrown@gmail.com 

Intro music from Upbeat (free for Creators!):

Amazing Day by Iris Young https://uppbeat.io/track/iros-young/amazing-day

In this episode I dive into yoga - what yoga actually is — beyond just the physical practice we all know and love.

Topics covered:

• The often unseen and forgotten link between yoga and meditation

• The original intention behind the 8 limbed Yogic Path

• Insights from the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali, the father of classical yoga

• A breakdown of one of the most well-known sutras — and how we can adapt its wisdom here in the heart of daily modern life

• Why awareness is key and how it grants us the power to choose and capacity to create the life we want to live.

I hope you enjoy!

🙏 Stay Connected & Explore More: 📸 Instagram: @ashleybrown412 📺 YouTube: Ash Brown Meditation 🌐 Website: ashbrownmeditation.com 📩 Email: ashleysarinebrown@gmail.com

In this episode, I sit down with Irene Ais — a Traditional Tantric Hatha Yoga teacher, Vedic meditation guide, integrative physiotherapist, and somatic facilitator with over two decades of experience in mind-body healing.

Together, we explore how the body becomes a vehicle for transformation through the intersection of Tantra, Hatha Yoga, mental health practices, and somatic awareness.

We dive into:

The origins and purpose of Tantra and Hatha Yoga

Why traditional Hatha differs from what we see in modern yoga studios

The role of mental health first aid in integrative wellness

How somatic meditation shifts our relationship with the mind and body

The Vedic view of healing and embodiment

🔗 Explore Irene’s work:

🌐 www.ireneais.com

🧘‍♂️ Upcoming with Irene

Online 300-Hour YTT: The Great Return to Love

📍India Pilgrimage: October 18–26

Yoga Nidra is one of the most powerful and accessible gateways into meditation.

What makes Yoga Nidra unique is that it bypasses the need for effort. You're not trying to control the mind or force stillness. Instead, your awareness is gently guided on a journey, moving through the layers of your inner world in the most effortless, soothing and spacious way.

This guided Yoga Nidra practice is a sanctuary for your nervous system — a chance to slow down, reset, and return to your natural state of ease.

Whether you're feeling anxious, overwhelmed, emotionally drained, or simply seeking a moment of quiet, this practice is here to support you.

🧘‍♀️ Set yourself up comfortable by laying down on your back, either on the floor or your bed. Be sure to support yourself with as many blankets and pillows as you need! Press play, and let your body and mind unwind...

Perfect for:

• Evening wind-downs

• Midday re-centering

• Emotional reset

• Inner healing

• Conscious rest & nervous system support

🎧 Use headphones for the most immersive experience.

🙏 Stay Connected & Explore More: 

📸 Instagram: ⁠@ashleybrown412⁠ 

📺 YouTube: ⁠Ash Brown Meditation⁠ 

🌐 Website: ⁠ashbrownmeditation.com⁠ 

📩 Email: ashleysarinebrown@gmail.com

Intro music from Upbeat (free for Creators!):

Shrine by Tranquilium https://uppbeat.io/track/tranquilium/shrine

Here is a simple 10 minute timer to support your own self guided meditation practice.

No guidance, no ads, just a soothing timer to help you drop in and come back gently. 

Gentle gong bells will ring, at the beginning and at the end to create a clear container for practice.  Enjoy, the quiet space in between to explore any meditation technique you like.

Enjoy your practice!

In Part 2 of this conversation, I speak with Sarah O’Brien — a renowned Vedic meditation teacher — to explore the deeper terrain of meditation, love, and illusion.

We dive into:

• How meditation uncovers the love that already exists within us
• The Vedic view of Maya (illusion)
• The ripple effects of meditation on collective consciousness

🧘‍♀️ Learn to meditate with Sarah:

www.mahasoma.com

🙏 Stay Connected 

📸 Instagram: ⁠@ashleybrown412⁠ 

📺 YouTube: ⁠Ash Brown Meditation⁠ 

🌐 Website: ⁠ashbrownmeditation.com⁠ 

📩 Email: ⁠ashleysarinebrown@gmail.com⁠

This simple guided meditation is here to support anyone with a busy mind, offering a soft landing into presence and calm.

Whether you're feeling overwhelmed or just need a pause in your day, this is your moment to breathe, reset, and return to what matters. 

🎧 Put on your headphones, sit back, and let your nervous system unwind.

🙏 Stay Connected & Explore More: 📸 Instagram: @ashleybrown412 📺 YouTube: Ash Brown Meditation 🎙 Spotify: Ash Brown Meditation Show 🌐 Website: ashbrownmeditation.com 📩 Email: ashleysarinebrown@gmail.com

This simple guided meditation is here to support anyone with a busy mind, offering a soft landing into presence and calm.

Whether you're feeling overwhelmed or just need a pause in your day, this is your moment to breathe, reset, and return to what matters. 

🎧 Put on your headphones, sit back, and let your nervous system unwind.

🙏 Stay Connected & Explore More: 📸 Instagram: @ashleybrown412 📺 YouTube: Ash Brown Meditation 🎙 Spotify: Ash Brown Meditation Show 🌐 Website: ashbrownmeditation.com 📩 Email: ashleysarinebrown@gmail.com

In this episode, I sit down with Sarah O’Brien — a Vedic meditation teacher at the top of her field, known for her depth, clarity, and profound wisdom.

Together we explore:

• The foundations of Vedic meditation
• The deeper meanings of the Vedas
• What it truly means to transcend
• The art and practice of letting go
• The Vedic perspective on “being”

🧘‍♀️ Learn to meditate with Sarah: www.mahasoma.com

This is Part 1 of our conversation — Sarah is a fountain of knowledge so I’ve split it into two parts to make it easier to absorb & integrate.

Stay tuned for Part 2, coming soon — and as always, thank you for listening where we dive into How Meditation Reveals Love & Dissolves Illusion . I hope these episodes, reflections, and practices continue to serve you.

Lots of love,

Ash

🙏 Stay Connected

📸 Instagram: ⁠@ashleybrown412⁠

📺 YouTube:  ⁠@AshBrownMeditation⁠

🌐 Website: ⁠ashbrownmeditation.com⁠

📩 Email: ashleysarinebrown@gmail.com

So meditation is often referred to as an inward journey... but what does that actually mean?

In this episode, we’ll explore:

• ​What it means to turn inward
• ​What people mean when they refer to the subtle body it is and why it key to the path of meditation and
• ​The yogic roadmap of inner experience known as the Kosha model

🙏 Stay Connected

📸 Instagram: ⁠@ashleybrown412⁠

📺 YouTube:  ⁠@AshBrownMeditation⁠

🌐 Website: ⁠ashbrownmeditation.com⁠

📩 Email: ashleysarinebrown@gmail.com

In this episode, I sit down with Kristian Crowe — a deeply respected teacher of Vedic meditation and yoga philosophy — to explore some of the timeless insights from the Vedic tradition and how they apply to modern life.

We touch on:

• The Vedic worldview and how it reframes our understanding of self and reality
• How to relate to thoughts during meditation
• Whether it's truly possible (or even necessary) to have an “empty mind”
• The role of meditation in healing the nervous system and reducing stress
• A modern perspective on enlightenment — and how it differs from the traditional ideal

Explore more of Kristian’s work: 🌐 Website – Vedic Yoga

🧘‍♂️ Upcoming with Kristian

📍 Sādhanā Retreat – India 25th Sept – 1st Oct 2025

📍 Sādhanā Day Retreat – Mornington Peninsula Date TBC, 2025

📚 Yoga Teacher Training Feb – May 2026

🙏 Stay Connected

📸 Instagram: ⁠@ashleybrown412⁠

📺 YouTube:  ⁠@AshBrownMeditation⁠

🌐 Website: ⁠ashbrownmeditation.com⁠

📩 Email: ashleysarinebrown@gmail.com

In this episode, Ash explores the ego through a yogic and meditative lens.

She unpacks:

• What the ego (Ahaṁkāra) really is in yoga philosophy

• How roles, labels, and achievements shape our sense of identity

• Why the ego isn’t “bad” — but how over-identification can lead to suffering

• How meditation helps us connect to a more stable, grounded sense of Self

Ash also shares her personal story of identity loss after a career-ending injury in professional sport — and how yoga and meditation became the path that helped her rebuild from within.

This episode is for anyone navigating change, identity, or simply wanting to deepen their self-awareness.

🙏 Stay Connected

📸 Instagram: ⁠@ashleybrown412⁠

📺 YouTube:  ⁠@AshBrownMeditation⁠

🌐 Website: ⁠ashbrownmeditation.com⁠

📩 Email: ashleysarinebrown@gmail.com

Meditation is not the art of enduring pain. In fact, meditation should be the most comfortable part of your day.

In this episode, Ash explores:

• ​Why discomfort is one of the biggest reasons people give up on meditation
• ​How traditional yoga, tantra, and Vipassana shaped modern ideas of posture
• ​The myth of “sitting like a statue” — and how it blocks real depth
• ​Practical, flexible guidelines for finding a posture that suits you
• Why comfort isn’t a luxury — it’s the foundation of your practice

Hopefully these insights help you approach your next meditation with more ease, comfort, and depth.

🙏 Stay Connected

📸 Instagram: @ashleybrown412

📺 YouTube:  @AshBrownMeditation

🌐 Website: ashbrownmeditation.com

📩 Email: ashleysarinebrown@gmail.com

Join Ash in a meditation practice to help you find space.

This meditation is a gentle invitation leading you towards an experience of pure awareness.

So, with that being said... Sit back, relax and enjoy!

🙏 Stay Connected 📸 Instagram: @ashleybrown412 📺 YouTube: Ash Brown Meditation 🎧 Spotify Podcast: Ash Brown Meditation Show 🌐 Website: ashbrownmeditation.com 📩 Email: https://uppbeat.io/track/tranquilium/shrine

In this episode ash explores:

• What it means to have a nature
• The nature of the mind
• The nature of our true self
• How one of the most important functions of meditation is to help us discern, distinguish, and disentangle these two threads — which, for most of us, are woven so tightly together we mistake them as one in the same.

• Why identifying with the mind can be dangerous and how most of the time and most of lives we don’t even realise we are doing it… 

Hope you enjoy!

🙏 Stay Connected:

📸 Instagram: @ashleybrown412

📺 YouTube: Ash Brown Meditation

📩 Email: ashleysarinebrown@gmail.com

Here is a simple 5 minute timer to support your own self guided meditation practice.

No guidance, no ads, just a soothing timer to help you drop in and come back gently. 

Gentle gong bells will ring, at the beginning and at the end to create a clear container for practice.  Enjoy, the quiet space in between to explore any meditation technique you like.

Enjoy your practice!

Michael Green is an Ayurvedic Practioner and a mindfulness based meditation teacher. 

Since completing his first 10-day Vipassana retreat in India in 2007, Michael has studied and practiced different meditation techniques and traditions, including Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Dzogchen, and others. His personal practice is in the Vajrayana (Tibetan) Buddhist tradition. 

In this episode we cover:

• The function of Meditation
• Theravada Buddhism, Vipassana & Mindfullness 
• How meditation gives the power of choice
• The current attention crisis
• Science of Meditation vs Ancient Wisdom
• How meditation changed Michaels life 
• Where Meditation is leading us
• How meditation is a process of disentangling and deconstructing all that we believe about ourself to reveal our nature as human ‘beings’ 

Michaels Website: https://www.michaelgreenayurveda.com

🙏 Stay Connected & Explore More:

📸 Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@ashleybrown412⁠⁠⁠

📺 YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠Ash Brown Meditation⁠⁠⁠

🎙 Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠Ash Brown Meditation Show⁠⁠⁠

🌐 Website: ⁠⁠⁠ashbrownmeditation.com⁠⁠⁠ 📩 

Email: ashleysarinebrown@gmail.com

Why The Present Moment - Insight #3

In this episode, Ash covers:

• Attention & Awareness
• The difference between them
• How to work with them in meditation 
• How they can lead us into the present moment
• What it truly means to experience the present moment - beyond just thinking about it
• Why this is such a valuable experience to have. 

Hope you enjoy!

🙏 Stay Connected & Explore More:

📸 Instagram: ⁠⁠@ashleybrown412⁠⁠

📺 YouTube: ⁠⁠Ash Brown Meditation⁠⁠

🎙 Spotify: ⁠⁠Ash Brown Meditation Show⁠⁠

🌐 Website: ⁠⁠ashbrownmeditation.com⁠⁠ 📩 

Email: ashleysarinebrown@gmail.com

The Noble Failure - Insight #2

In this episode Ash explains the Noble Failure - The key to understanding and finding longevity in your meditation practice. 

In this episode you will cover:

• What is the noble failure
• Why it is noble
• The nature of the mind
• Our true nature
• The process of disentangling 
• How to embrace the nature of your mind whilst experiencing a depth of awareness 

Hope you enjoy!

🙏 Stay Connected & Explore More:

📸 Instagram: ⁠⁠@ashleybrown412⁠⁠

📺 YouTube: ⁠⁠Ash Brown Meditation⁠⁠

🎙 Spotify: ⁠⁠Ash Brown Meditation Show⁠⁠

🌐 Website: ⁠⁠ashbrownmeditation.com⁠⁠ 📩 

Email: ashleysarinebrown@gmail.com

Join Ash in a meditation practice to help you find balance.

In this meditation Ash shares one the most simple, easy and effective techniques she has come across to invite a feeling of both balance & ease to your current state. 

So with that being said... Sit back, relax and enjoy!

🙏 Stay Connected & Explore More:

📸 Instagram: ⁠@ashleybrown412⁠

📺 YouTube: ⁠Ash Brown Meditation⁠

🎙 Spotify: ⁠Ash Brown Meditation Show⁠

🌐 Website: ⁠ashbrownmeditation.com⁠ 📩

Email: ashleysarinebrown@gmail.com

Intro music from Upbeat (free for Creators!):

Shrine by Tranquilium https://uppbeat.io/track/tranquilium/shrine

What I share in this episode was a GAME CHANGER for me.

There is a big belief out there that when we close our eyes to meditate, we are supposed to end up in some calm peaceful blissful buddah like zen state… This is a gross misconception of meditation.

In this episode we will explore:

• One of the biggest misconceptions around meditation
• The function of meditation
• What to expect to set you up for success
• The different types of experiences we can have and how to understand what it happening
• The mechanism of stress release in meditation
• A new scale to help you form better language to describes your experiences
• The benefits of 'releasing expectation'
• The dual function of mediation
• The final golden insight that changes & informs everything

Enjoy!

🙏 Stay Connected & Explore More:

📸 Instagram: ⁠@ashleybrown412⁠ 📺 YouTube: ⁠Ash Brown Meditation⁠ 🎙 Spotify: ⁠Ash Brown Meditation Show⁠ 🌐 Website: ⁠ashbrownmeditation.com⁠ 📩 Email: ashleysarinebrown@gmail.com

Struggle to meditate? Think it’s boring, too hard, or not for you?

Are you an existing meditator who wants to deepen their understanding & experience of meditation? Or

Maybe you’re a curious yoga teacher wanting to further explore the art of stillness?

You're in the right place. Welcome!

Join Ash — a full-time meditation & yoga teacher, nutritionist, caterer, and former Australian National Team soccer player — as she shares powerful insights and real-life practices to support you on your inward journey.

This podcast blends ancient wisdom and lived experience to help you feel grounded, calm, and connected — without needing to clear or empty your mind.

Ash’s mission is simple:

Make meditation feel accessible, relatable, and actually enjoyable. Hope you enjoy!

Get in touch:

Instagram: ⁠@ashleybrown412⁠

YouTube: ⁠Ash Brown Meditation⁠

Email: ashleysarinebrown@gmail.com

Stillness is absolutely not supposed to feel like a trap… 

In meditation, you never want to feel stuck inside your own skin. Stillness is not about forcing silence or stilling the mind but rather it’s about choosing to meet yourself fully.

In this episode we will explore how stillness can becomes a powerful tool which opens the doorway to subtler layers awareness, deeper healing and intuitive clarity.

Topics covered: • Why stillness should never feel like a trap

• The difference between force and choice

• The physical, energetic, and mental benefits of stillness

• The Subtle Body and how to sense it

• Making the subtle obvious

• The principle of Spanda — the pulse of life

• The blessing of intuition and inner guidance

Hopefully this conversation helps you to view the act of stillness not as confinement, but as a beautiful gateway towards transformation. Listen now and learn how to use stillness as a tool for awareness, healing, and awakening.

🙏 Stay Connected & Explore More: 📸 Instagram: @ashleybrown412 📺 YouTube: Ash Brown Meditation 🎙 Spotify: Ash Brown Meditation Show 🌐 Website: ashbrownmeditation.com 📩 Email: ashleysarinebrown@gmail.com

Intro music from Upbeat (free for Creators!):

Amazing Day by Iris Young https://uppbeat.io/track/iros-young/amazing-day

In this episode Ash explores one of the biggest myths or misconceptions in meditation. This is the idea that you must remain perfectly still the entire time. 

In this episode I cover:

• The common misconception
• Where the “sit perfectly still” myth came from
• Practises that life affirming 
• Why you’re not bound to the first position you choose
• How pain contracts body-mind-energy
• How mindful movements/adjustments create expansion
• The difference between fidgeting and intentional, mindful movement

• Movement that doesn’t compromise the integrity of presence

• How comfort in the body supports deeper awareness

• Stillness as a tool for discernment, not a trap

• Simple ways to free yourself from feeling stuck

By the end, hopefully you’ll see that moving mindfully within stillness doesn’t compromise meditation, but makes the experience richer and more sustainable.

After all, if we can’t move mindfully in the quiet, serenity of a seated meditation practice… What chance to we have in the heart of daily life?

🙏 Stay Connected & Explore More: 📸 Instagram: @ashleybrown412 📺 YouTube: Ash Brown Meditation 🎙 Spotify: Ash Brown Meditation Show 🌐 Website: ashbrownmeditation.com 📩 Email: ashleysarinebrown@gmail.com

Intro music from Upbeat (free for Creators!):

Amazing Day by Iris Young https://uppbeat.io/track/iros-young/amazing-day

Join Ash in a quick easy meditation practise to establish contact with yourself before heading out into the business of the day.

This meditation has been created to slip easily into your morning routine.

All you need is a comfortable space.

Sitting upright is recommended, but if it feels better to lie down, follow what allows your body to be at ease. 

So, with that being said... Sit back, relax and enjoy!

🙏 Stay Connected & Explore More: 📸 Instagram: @ashleybrown412 📺 YouTube: Ash Brown Meditation 🎙 Spotify: Ash Brown Meditation Show 🌐 Website: ashbrownmeditation.com 📩 Email: ashleysarinebrown@gmail.com

🎶 Music from Uppbeat: Shrine by Tranquilium – Listen here

Join Ash in a quick easy meditation practise to establish contact with yourself before heading out into the business of the day.

This meditation has been created to slip easily into your morning routine.

All you need is a comfortable space.

Sitting upright is recommended, but if it feels better to lie down, follow what allows your body to be at ease. 

So, with that being said... Sit back, relax and enjoy!

🙏 Stay Connected & Explore More: 📸 Instagram: @ashleybrown412 📺 YouTube: Ash Brown Meditation 🎙 Spotify: Ash Brown Meditation Show 🌐 Website: ashbrownmeditation.com 📩 Email: ashleysarinebrown@gmail.com

🎶 Music from Uppbeat: Shrine by Tranquilium – Listen here

Aaron is a Yoga Therapist, studio owner of OmSom Yoga in Berwick, and a true master of Hatha Yoga, Yin Yoga, and Yogic Philosophy.

A true master of Hatha Yoga, Yin Yoga, and Yogic Philosophy, Aaron has a rare gift for translating ancient wisdom and esoteric teachings into language that feels clear, grounded, and relevant for the modern mind. Together, we explore the energetic, philosophical, and practical layers of yoga and meditation, revealing how these timeless practices lead us into greater awareness and self-realization.

✨ In this episode, we dive into:

0:00 Intro

1:31 Personal relationship to Mediation 

6:15 Meditation to know the Self

13:45 What is Hatha Yoga

24:29 The Pathway of Fire

28:54 What is the Mind

34:38 How to relate to Thoughts

39:06 Is your practise working?

43:35 The nature of Consciousness

52:45 Yin & Taoism

If you’re curious about Hatha Yoga, Yin Yoga, or the deeper dimensions of yogic philosophy, this conversation is for you. Aaron’s way of articulating the esoteric makes the unseen realms feel more accessible and tangible.

🕉 Connect with Aaron (Nataraj): Website → omsom.yoga Instagram → @omsom.yoga Studio Instagram → @aaronpetty Podcast → OmSom Podcast on Spotify

🧘‍♂️ Upcoming 200-Hour Hatha Yoga Teacher Training 📍 Melbourne & Sri Lanka | October 2025 – February 2026 👉 Learn more & apply here