Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Soma: The Art and Science of Somatic Living

Dr. Jivasu walks through the central problem of being human: that we're the only animals self-aware enough to know we will die — and the only ones unable to accept it. Plants and animals don't carry death anxiety because they don't carry an autobiographical self. We do. From age 2 or 3, the brain begins building a shield to keep us from feeling the reality of what's coming. This episode is about that shield. Why we built it. What it costs us. And what Soma does about it.UPCOMING WORKSHOP WITH DR. JIVASU"Understanding Death to Live Fully" — Begins July 11, 2026Register: https://www.somapath.org/service-page/understanding-death-to-live-fully?referral=service_list_widgetJivasu distinguishes two kinds of immortality: the symbolic kind we chase through children, monuments, religion, art, and wealth — and what he calls true immortality, the leap beyond time itself. He shows how the modern consumer cycle is symbolic immortality dressed in shopping bags, and why this drive to grab and possess life is the engine behind the ecological crisis. Then he lays out the Soma method: not intellectualizing death but feeling it directly. Contemplating it. Sitting in cremation grounds. Attending the dying. Cracking the shield deliberately until the mini somatic crisis arrives, deepens into the full somatic crisis, and finally fractures into the naked duality — life and death facing each other without any escape mechanism left.What emerges on the other side is what Soma calls the somatic self — the background of life resetting from fear and survival into essential well-being. Death itself becomes a presence, not an absence. Jivasu shares his own arc: an earthquake at age 10 that cracked his shield early, PTSD through medical school, MD in pediatrics, the years at Sri Sivananda Ashram in Rishikesh, and the moment a few months ago when death finally became a beloved presence rather than a terror. He references Ernest Becker's The Denial of Death as the most accurate diagnosis of the human condition he's ever read — and explains what Becker didn't include: the way through.What you'll learn in this episode:Why animals don't fear death, and why the autobiographical self is the reason we doThe actual content of the fear — not biological death, but the death of the "I"The two kinds of immortality: symbolic (in time) and true (beyond time)How materialist consumerism is a death-anxiety coping mechanism — and why it drives ecological collapseThe Soma practices for feeling death directly: corpse practice, cremation grounds, sitting with the dying, planning your own funeralThe mini somatic crisis, the full somatic crisis, and the naked dualityThe somatic self — what emerges on the other sideDr. Jivasu's personal arc from age 10 to age 40 to nowThe ancient instruction every tradition delivers: die before you dieAbout Jivasu:Dr. Jivasu is the founder of Soma Path and the lead teacher of the Somatic Yoga Teacher Training. His work brings classical yoga teaching into direct contact with neurobiology and somatic education through Soma — a framework built for adults who want the depth of the original lineage without the mysticism.🩺 About Soma PathSoma Path is a body- and science-based path to embodied transformation, integrating modern neuroscience with classical contemplative traditions. Led by Dr. Jivasu — a physician and somatic teacher — it offers depth without asking you to leave the modern world behind.🧘 Free Monthly Somatic Meditation (live): https://www.somapath.org/service-page/soma-meditation-listening-within?referral=service_list_widget🎓 Somatic Yoga Teacher Training: https://www.somapath.org/online-somatic-yoga-teacher-training🎧 Listen — ▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SomawithJivasu🎙️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0laJc85nHxYzgYyFEK1OfO🍎 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/soma-the-art-and-science-of-somatic-living/id1547156988

Anger isn't the problem. Accumulation is.

Dr. Jivasu walks through the neurobiology of anger as a healthy, protective, primary emotion — and explains why what we call "anger problems" are almost always accumulated anger being projected onto the wrong moment.

He lays out the five-step Soma method for working with anger directly: feeling it, understanding it, expressing it safely, channeling it into creativity, and finally catching it at the level of pure energy before it becomes a pattern. Plus a personal story from Matt about the moment a jar of mayonnaise on a toe taught him more about reactivity than years of practice.

What you'll learn in this episode:

Why anger is one of six biological primary emotions found in every culture — and what nature designed it for

Explore how Soma works through the body → https://www.somapath.org

Chapters:

00:00 - Start

00:40 - The current state of fear and anger in the world

01:24 - Anger is a healthy, biological emotion

02:01 - The protective purpose of anger

03:25 - The six primary emotions

04:28 - Why anger becomes a problem: accumulation

05:55 - Accumulated anger becomes violence

06:55 - How every accumulated emotion transforms (anxiety, depression, mania, hatred, shock)

08:09 - Cultural conditioning: why we’re told to suppress

09:53 - Family conditioning and inherited anger

10:19 - Ancestral anger across generations

11:42 - Projection: how accumulated anger becomes violence

13:11 - Why we explode at home

14:50 - The 5-step Soma method

15:28 - Step 1: Feel the anger

16:53 - Step 2: Understand the cause

19:28 - Step 3: Express and resolve safely

20:16 - Step 4: Channel anger into creative power

21:13 - Gandhi, Lincoln, Mandela: anger as the engine of every revolution

23:33 - Creativity as action, not just art

24:45 - Matt’s mayonnaise story: the moment of awareness

28:24 - Why we react more when tired and stressed

29:33 - Step 5: Emotional wisdom — catching anger at the level of energy

31:08 - Nipping anger in the bud

32:04 - The somatic self: energy unified into a single river

33:22 - Accumulated anger and chronic illness

34:30 - Anger is nothing else but energy

35:49 - Becoming the compassionate, loving mother

36:27 - Fire personality: the link between anger and passion

37:17 - Closing: anger as the peak of life

🩺 About Soma PathSoma Path is a body- and science-based path to embodied transformation, integrating modern neuroscience with classical contemplative traditions. Led by Dr. Jivasu — a physician and somatic teacher — it offers depth without asking you to leave the modern world behind.

🧘 Free Monthly Somatic Meditation (live): https://www.somapath.org/service-page/soma-meditation-listening-within?referral=service_list_widget

🎓 Somatic Yoga Teacher Training: https://www.somapath.org/online-somatic-yoga-teacher-training

🎧 Listen —

▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SomawithJivasu

🎙️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0laJc85nHxYzgYyFEK1OfO

🍎 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/soma-the-art-and-science-of-somatic-living/id1547156988

💗 If this resonates

Have you ever felt you had to choose between living fully in the modern world and seeking something deeper? What would change if the two weren't opposed?

Share your thoughts below.

Why your yoga practice isn't transforming you — and what would actually have to change for it to work.

Dr. Jivasu walks through the neurobiology behind why an hour of yoga or meditation a day produces real but temporary effects, why the original yogis required 24-hour devotion to reach liberation, and the two specific Soma methods that turn ordinary modern life into the practice itself. If you've ever wondered why the peace from your morning practice evaporates by lunchtime, this episode answers it.

Chapters:

00:37 — Can yoga twice a week actually liberate you?

02:33 — Why modern practice can only borrow part of the original tradition

03:37 — The 10,000-hour rule and biological anchoring

04:25 — Inner psychedelics: why the change wears off

05:53 — Even a daily morning practice isn't enough — and why

07:07 — What modern practitioners are missing that ancient ones had

08:07 — The real meaning of yoga: linking practice to life

08:37 — Passion: when your energy is divided into a hundred streams

10:27 — The default mode network and constant distraction

11:19 — Flow state, transient hypofrontality, and why high performers transform

13:29 — Karma at every scale — personal, ancestral, universal

15:34 — When passion has to become obsession

18:42 — The parable of King Janak and the oil lamp

22:51 — Two birds on a tree: the witness consciousness

24:27 — Interoception: the 8th sense, and how to train it

27:44 — Somatic personality and 24-hour self-care

30:09 — Where physical yoga and meditation actually fit in

32:06 — Why we want liberation in the first place — the impulse of life

What you'll learn in this episode:

Why short practices release "inner psychedelics" but don't create lasting anatomical change in the brain

The 10,000-hour threshold for biological anchoring, and what it means for serious practitioners

How the default mode network and flow state research from Steve Kotler's Rise of Superman explain why most practice fails to integrate

The two-part method — passion and obsession — that the original yoga texts called the difference between routine and transformation

Interoception, the "8th sense," and how somatic awareness becomes a 24-hour practice

The classical parable of King Janak and the oil lamp — and why it's the Soma model for living an ordinary life with extraordinary attention

About Jivasu:

Jivasu is a physician, author, and the founder of Soma Path. Soma Path is rooted in the body and grounded in science to awaken the body’s wisdom for trauma healing and transformation. It is accessible to people of all ages, abilities, and beliefs.

Jivasu, with his wife, Karen, spent many years volunteering as a doctor at the Sivananda Ashram in Rishikesh and in the Garhwal Himalayas. Later, he studied acupuncture and Mind-Body Medicine at Harvard.

Over four decades, he taught acupuncture, mind-body medicine, yoga, and meditation programs worldwide.

🔗 Explore Soma Path

🌐 Website: https://www.somapath.org

🎓 Somatic Yoga Teacher Training: https://www.somapath.org/online-somatic-yoga-teacher-training

🎧 Listen / Watch▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SomawithJivasu

🎙️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0laJc85nHxYzgYyFEK1OfO?si=c569b62584d84f65

🍎 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/soma-the-art-and-science-of-somatic-living/id1547156988

📲 Follow

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jivasumd

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drjivasu

#SomaPath #YogaPhilosophy #Neuroplasticity #Interoception #FlowState #DefaultModeNetwork #Enlightenment #Liberation #SomaPath #DrJivasu #SomaticPath #SomaticLiving#WitnessConsciousness #KarmaYoga #YogaScience #InnerPsychedelics #PatanjaliYoga #Yoga #Meditation #YogaPractice #YogaTeacherTraining #Mindfulness #ConsciousLiving

Most people think life is happening to them.

But what if everything you experience… is reflecting something back to you?

In this episode of Soma: The Art & Science of Living, we explore the idea that life is not random—it is relational. Every thought, emotion, and reaction is shaped through interaction with others.

Life Is a Mirror: Why Everything You Experience Reflects You

And through that mirror, we come to know ourselves.

This conversation breaks down:

• What life actually is (beyond philosophy and belief)

• Why you cannot define yourself without others

• How emotions like anger and frustration are shaped through relationships

• Why most of your reactions come from your past—not the present

• How the subconscious controls your life (and how to become aware of it)

• Why relationships are the most powerful tool for self-understanding

• What it means to develop a healthy identity through the body

• How awareness transforms reaction into insight

This is not about fixing others.

It’s about learning to see clearly.

🔗 Explore Soma Path

🌐 Website: https://www.somapath.org

🎓 Somatic Yoga Teacher Training: https://www.somapath.org/online-somatic-yoga-teacher-training

🧠 Free Somatic Meditation (Monthly): https://www.somapath.org/service-page/free-monthly-somatic-meditation?referral=service_list_widget

🎧 Listen / Watch

▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SomawithJivasu

🎙️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0laJc85nHxYzgYyFEK1OfO?si=c569b62584d84f65

🍎 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/soma-the-art-and-science-of-somatic-living/id1547156988

📲 Follow

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jivasumd

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drjivasu

💗 If This Resonates

Start by observing your reactions.

That’s where the mirror begins

⏱️ Chapters:

00:41 - Introduction + The Real Question

01:06 - What Life Actually Is

07:21 - Life as a Mirror Begins

12:20 - Why You Can’t Exist Alone

14:04 - Emotions Only Exist Through Others

16:06 - Relationships Reveal Who You Are

17:23 - Love as the Purest Mirror

19:05 - Why Relationships Break Down

21:31 - Social Media & Distorted Identity

24:09 - The Subconscious is Running Your Life

25:48 - Why Reactions Keep Repeating

30:03 - Awareness vs Reaction

35:02 - Healthy Identity (Where It Starts)

37:18 - Expansion Beyond Self

38:06 - Final Insight

Most approaches to growth tell you to step away from life.

Withdraw. Simplify. Renounce.

But what if transformation doesn’t require leaving anything behind?

⏱️ Chapters

00:00 Introduction

01:10 The problem with modern materialism

04:30 Why traditional systems are losing relevance

07:00 The body as the entry point

10:00 Transformation in daily life

13:00 Is there an end point?

In this first episode of Soma: The Art & Science of Living, we explore a different entry point — one grounded in the body, in biology, and in the reality of modern life.

We look at why traditional systems are becoming less relevant in today’s world, and how scientific and economic materialism have shaped the way we think, live, and pursue fulfillment.

Instead of rejecting this reality, Soma works through it.

This conversation breaks down:

 • Why chasing more never leads to lasting fulfillment

 • The difference between external success and internal access

 • How the body becomes the gateway to awareness and transformation

 • Why you don’t need to escape your life to reach your potential

 • What real transformation actually looks like (and why it never ends)

This is not about belief, philosophy, or adopting a new identity.

It’s about learning to access what is already within you — through direct experience.

⸻

🔗 Explore Soma Path

🌐 Website: https://www.somapath.org

📩 Join the newsletter: https://www.somapath.org (footer signup)

🧠 Free Monthly Somatic Meditation (Live): Check classes

🎓 Somatic Yoga Teacher Training: https://www.somapath.org/online-somatic-yoga-teacher-training

⸻

🎧 Listen / Watch

▶️ YouTube (Full Episodes + Clips) 

🎙️ Spotify  https://open.spotify.com/show/0laJc85nHxYzgYyFEK1OfO?si=1qOU298jQgarWTSDycSWXw

🍎 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/soma-the-art-and-science-of-somatic-living/id1547156988

⸻

📲 Follow

Instagram: @somapath / @jivasumd

YouTube: @SomawithJivasu

LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/jivasu-md

⸻

🔥 If This Resonates

If you’re beginning to see things differently, start with the body.

Join a class, explore a program, or simply begin observing.

Wisdom and Knowledge

The most important path to transformation is awakening our eight sense (Interoception) and feeling the life force within the body.

Jivasu's Presentation from Unity Conference-

How love can become the catalyst for transformation.

Mira's Presentation from Unity Conference-

Biology of Trauma and Transformation. How to use trauma and transform it from a curse to a blessing.

Cultivating Healthy Identity and Understanding My Own Powers.

From faith to destiny and releasing the energy within us to have control of our lives.

Gathering with Jivasu to explore the words "Transformation" and "Science" for selfknowing and inner journey.

Summary of the last 5 personalities sessions with Jivasu and Mira.

How to balance each personality with self-care and gain control of our lives.

What are the three expressions of somatic personalities?

How do elements form our unique personality.

What are the constituents of personalities and how they are born.

Why discovering our personality is so important.

How to become free from habits, addictions, and Karma

Experiences on SOMA journey.

How to get to know ourselves and experience complete health by noticing the moments of flow in our lives.

Trauma is stored in the body's fascia; the largest organ that supports all the systems in the body. This leads to physical symptoms such as chronic pain, tension, and discomfort. Most chronic illnesses are caused by trauma stored in the fascia.

What is a body? Body is an extension of nature, and by connecting to the body, we also connect to all living beings, promoting harmonious coexistence.

This episode is about understanding the science behind well-being, creative vitality, and peace by highlighting the significance of feelings, or the eighth sense of interoception. Interoception tunes us to our body's internal signals and helps maintain homeostasis or the natural balance of life. The body is an extension of nature, and by connecting to the body, we also connect to all living beings, promoting harmonious coexistence.

Returning to Wholeness and Restoring Body's Homeostasis.

Returning to Wholeness and Restoring Body's Homeostasis.

Returning to Wholeness and Restoring Body's Homeostasis.

Returning to Wholeness and Restoring the Body's Homeostasis.

Returning to Wholeness and Restoring Body's Homeostasis

An Awakened body is expressed in the following ways.  The body becomes fully functional, with all senses and systems operating at their peak. The first and second centres of conscious energy are awakened, leading to an awakening of the body’s cells, a transformation and liberation of the body. Changes in nature and the universe are felt in the body, which is in communion with biological nature as well as the material universe. The body of a Natural being is affected by everything that happens on this earth and beyond. The experience is primarily one of physical sensation rather than of feeling. In a Natural being, life and death become one. 

But this is not the end of our own journey towards truth. Truth is boundless and so the journey continues…according to our nature.

But by arriving at the seventh chakra we are reborn through our womb of potentiality into wholeness, wellness, freedom and individuality. After our physical birth, we walk into the human-made world and become conditioned. But after the rebirth at the seventh chakra, we discover the center with which we were born, before we became socialized. At the seventh chakra, we find our unique individual place in the world and look and feel from our perspective. Our centre is our mind-body which functions as an integral unit rather than as a result of the chaos of the fragmented and scattered pieces of life. We enter and swim in life’s river with ease, moving toward the unknown and mysterious ocean of existence

But by arriving at the seventh chakra we are reborn through our womb of potentiality into wholeness, wellness, freedom and individuality. After our physical birth, we walk into the human-made world and become conditioned. But after the rebirth at the seventh chakra, we discover the center with which we were born, before we became socialized. At the seventh chakra, we find our unique individual place in the world and look and feel from our perspective. Our centre is our mind-body which functions as an integral unit rather than as a result of the chaos of the fragmented and scattered pieces of life. We enter and swim in life’s river with ease, moving toward the unknown and mysterious ocean of existence

But by arriving at the seventh chakra we are reborn through our womb of potentiality into wholeness, wellness, freedom and individuality. After our physical birth, we walk into the human-made world and become conditioned. But after the rebirth at the seventh chakra, we discover the center with which we were born before we became socialized. At the seventh chakra, we find our unique individual place in the world and look and feel from our perspective. Our centre is our mind-body which functions as an integral unit rather than as a result of the chaos of the fragmented and scattered pieces of life. We enter and swim in life’s river with ease, moving toward the unknown and mysterious ocean of existence

But by arriving at the seventh chakra we are reborn through our womb of potentiality into wholeness, wellness, freedom and individuality. After our physical birth, we walk into the human-made world and become conditioned. But after the rebirth at the seventh chakra, we discover the center with which we were born, before we became socialized. At the seventh chakra, we find our unique individual place in the world and look and feel from our perspective. Our centre is our mind-body which functions as an integral unit rather than as a result of the chaos of the fragmented and scattered pieces of life. We enter and swim in life’s river with ease, moving toward the unknown and mysterious ocean of existence

Traditionally the sixth chakra has only two petals, which is deeply symbolic, and its colour is white, which is also significant. It is quite a transition from the complexity of the sixteen petals of the fifth centre with its vibrant blue colour. Suddenly the complexity and many-sidedness of the centre of reason and science give way to the simplicity of the two dimensions of existence, namely life and death.

Traditionally the sixth chakra has only two petals, which is deeply symbolic, and its colour is white, which is also significant. It is quite a transition from the complexity of the sixteen petals of the fifth centre with its vibrant blue colour. Suddenly the complexity and many-sidedness of the centre of reason and science give way to the simplicity of the two dimensions of existence, namely life and death.

At the fifth centre, the individual becomes the fundamental creative unit of the human world, rather than the family, group, or clan. Accordingly, the individual’s fulfillment replaces the fulfillment of the aspirations of the community. 

At the fifth centre, the individual becomes the fundamental creative unit of the human world, rather than the family, group, or clan. Accordingly, the individual’s fulfillment replaces the fulfillment of the aspirations of the community. 

At the fifth centre, the individual becomes the fundamental creative unit of the human world, rather than the family, group, or clan. Accordingly, the individual’s fulfillment replaces the fulfillment of the aspirations of the community. 

The fourth centre is the door to the personal subconscious and a staircase to the universal unconscious. Conscious life is only the tip of the iceberg of our existence.

The fourth centre is the door to the personal subconscious and a staircase to the universal unconscious. Conscious life is only the tip of the iceberg of our existence.

The fourth centre is the door to the personal subconscious and a staircase to the universal unconscious. Conscious life is only the tip of the iceberg of our existence.

Third Chakra- Chakra of Emotion

Second Chakra- Chakra of Energy

First Chakra- Chakra of the Body

How to Use the Right Words when Communicating with Children

The conscious Life of a Child Begins with Lying

Formation of Ego or Sense of Self in Children

Child's Emotional Security and Love

Child's Body intelligence (from 3 months to 2 years)