My Daily Thread – Details, episodes & analysis

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My Daily Thread

Jeff Lichty

Education

Religion & Spirituality

Frequency: 1 episode/3d. Total Eps: 296

thread sutra, (Sanskrit: "thread" or "string") Welcome to My Daily Thread. A little slice of wisdom from the ages. From Patanjali through the present, a little riff to make your day! That's the thread, the sutra, the wise string that binds us all together.

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🇨🇦 Canada - Self Improvement
06/10/2026
#77

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300. Tapas: Who's Running the Show?

Wednesday, September 30, 2026 • Duration 04:36

300. Tapas: Who's Running the Show?

Your phone buzzes. Someone cuts you off in traffic. Something triggers you!?

... Who's running the show?

In this second episode on tapas, we return to Yoga Sutra 2.43 and focus on one important word:

indriya — the senses.

kāyendriya-siddhir aśuddhi-kṣayāt tapasaḥ

Through tapas, impurities are diminished, bringing greater mastery of the body and the senses.

The senses take something in.

The body responds.

A feeling arises.

And then we have a choice.

Tapas is not about suppressing what we see, hear, taste, touch, or feel.

It's about cultivating enough awareness to notice what is happening before automatically reacting.

Notice the trigger.
Feel the response.
Create the pause.
Choose the next step.

For me this week, the practice is simple:

Choose joy.

Not because everything is perfect.

Not because difficult feelings disappear.

But because I don't have to let every sensation, impulse, or reaction run the show.

The practice is to become aware of what we are consuming, what we are focusing on, and how quickly the senses can pull us into an automatic response.

Then we create a pause.

And in that pause, we get to choose.

So today, ask yourself:

Are my senses running me — or am I becoming more capable of choosing my response?

Yoga Sutra 2.43

kāyendriya-siddhir aśuddhi-kṣayāt tapasaḥ

Om, Peace, Out!

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299. Tapas: Burn Away What!?

Episode 299

Monday, September 28, 2026 • Duration 05:20

299. Tapas: Burn Away What?

Heat. Fire. Purification. But what exactly are we trying to burn away?

In Yoga Sutra 2.43, Patañjali returns to tapas — one of the three practices we first encountered in Kriyā Yoga and now the third of the niyamas.

But this time, he takes us deeper.

kāyendriya-siddhir aśuddhi-kṣayāt tapasaḥ

Through tapas, impurities are diminished or worn away, bringing accomplishment or mastery of the body and senses.

But "impurity" can be a difficult word.

This isn't about believing there's something fundamentally wrong with us. We don't need yoga to make us worthy.

Instead, what if we ask:

What's getting in the way of who I already am?

Reactivity.
Compulsion.
Distraction.
Avoidance.
Numbing.
Old unconscious patterns that continue to run our lives.

Tapas gives us the opportunity to notice those patterns, create some friction, and begin choosing differently.

The practice isn't about becoming worthy.

It's about becoming freer.

So today, ask yourself:

What unconscious pattern has been running me?

Notice it.

Become curious about it.

And perhaps that's something worth putting to the fire.

Yoga Sutra 2.43

kāyendriya-siddhir aśuddhi-kṣayāt tapasaḥ

298. STOP IT! Never Enough Sucks.

Wednesday, September 23, 2026 • Duration 05:22

298. STOP IT! Never Enough Sucks

What does it actually mean to practice contentment?

In this final episode of our three-part exploration of santoṣa, we move from philosophy to practice.

Three simple places to start:

Acceptance.
Stop arguing with reality as it is. Notice when the mind gets pulled into regret about the past or an imaginary future — and learn the difference between what you need and what you want.

Comparison.
Pay attention to what you're consuming. The yogic idea of mitāhāra traditionally refers to moderation in food; here, we extend that idea to what we're feeding the mind.

Social media, doomscrolling, algorithms, and endless comparison can turn what we have into "never enough." Guard what you allow through the gates of your senses.

Gratitude.
Don't just think about gratitude — practice it. Name something good. Write it down. Tell someone you appreciate them. Express it.

Maybe practicing santoṣa can be that simple:

Accept what is.
Know the difference between needs and wants.
Notice comparison and guard what you let in.
Find something you're grateful for — and express it.

Yoga Sutra 2.42

सन्तोषादनुत्तमसुखलाभः
santoṣād anuttama-sukha-lābhaḥ

"From contentment comes the attainment of unsurpassed happiness."

Mentioned in this episode:
Bob Newhart — "Stop It!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8Et28kBi1A

Om, Peace, Out!

297. Yeah, yeah! Contentment. I Want More!

Episode 297

Friday, September 18, 2026 • Duration 05:02

Episode 297: Yeah, yeah! Contentment. I Want More!
... Contentment? or Complacency?

If I'm content with my life, why the hell would I try to make it better?

That's the tension at the heart of santoṣa, the yogic practice of contentment.

In Yoga Sutra 2.42, Patanjali writes:

सन्तोषादनुत्तमसुखलाभः
santoṣād anuttama-sukha-lābhaḥ

From contentment comes the attainment of unsurpassed happiness.

But contentment doesn't mean complacency. It doesn't mean giving up our goals, settling for situations that aren't right for us, or pretending we don't want more.

In this episode of My Daily Thread, I explore a different question:

Can I want my circumstances to change without requiring them to change before I allow myself to be okay?

Can I want more money without believing money will make me enough?

Can I want a better relationship without expecting another person to complete me?

Can I work wholeheartedly toward something better without postponing my peace until I get there?

Maybe santoṣa isn't about eliminating desire.

Maybe it's about refusing to make our peace dependent upon the outcome.

Something to sit with today:

What are you telling yourself has to change before you can be okay?

And can you still pursue it wholeheartedly—without needing it in order to be okay today?

Om, Peace, Out!

296. Santosha: I'll Be Happy When…

Episode 296

Wednesday, September 16, 2026 • Duration 04:25

296. Santosha: I'll Be Happy When…

"I'll be happy when…"

More money. A better relationship. The job. The body. The house. Recognition. The next experience. The travel.

Sound familiar?

In this episode of My Daily Thread, we begin a mini-series on santoṣa (santosha), the second niyama in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras.

Santosha

Santoṣa (santosha) — contentment, satisfaction.

It's a simple concept. Maybe a little more difficult to actually live.

Santosha is being content with circumstances as we find them, not as we want them to be.

But let's be clear:

Contentment is not consolation. And it isn't complacency.

We're talking about finding gratification and fulfillment—a sense of ease and equanimity in the present moment.

Pulled forward. Pulled backward.

So often we're pulled into the future by our wants and desires.

Or we're pulled back into the past by regret, betrayal and rejection.

Either way, we're not fully here.

The deeper question behind santosha becomes:

Can I be fully present? Can I be at peace with what is happening right now?

And can I do that without requiring my reality to be different before I can be okay?

Acceptance is not approval

One of my favorite teachers, Byron Katie, explores this beautifully in her book Loving What Is.

Her work reminds us of the futility of resisting what is actually happening in our present reality.

And that brings us to an important distinction:

295. YS 2:41. Saucha, Madonna and Jewish New Year

Episode 295

Friday, September 11, 2026 • Duration 04:51

295. Saucha, Madonna and a Jewish New Year

What are you carrying forward that you don't need to carry anymore?

Old stories. Attachments. Expectations. Fear of not being enough. Things we still think we need to prove.

In this episode of My Daily Thread, we continue exploring śauca (saucha), the first niyama in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras.

Saucha is often translated as purity or purification. But this isn't about a bad person needing to become good. It's about clearing away some of what clouds the mind so we can become clearer about our intentions—and about where we're actually trying to go.

Because before we start moving toward a goal, it's worth asking:

What is my goal? And am I clear about why I'm moving toward it?

Yoga Sutra 2.41

Here's the Sanskrit we're working with:

sattva-śuddhi-saumanasyaikāgryendriya-jayātma-darśana-yogyatvāni ca

And the translation we're using:

"Moreover, one gains purity of sattva, cheerfulness of mind, one-pointedness, mastery over the senses, and fitness for Self-realization."

Now that sounds pretty good.

Who doesn't want a little more clarity? A more cheerful mind? Better focus? A little more mastery over the things that pull us in twelve different directions?

Let's look at a few of those Sanskrit words.

Sattva-śuddhi

Sattva — clarity, luminosity; the quality of mind associated with balance and discernment.

Śuddhi — purification, cleansing.

This is where saucha becomes more than simply cleanliness. We're creating greater clarity in the mind.

Saumanasya Ekāgrya Ātma-darśana-yogyatva Madonna, Kabbalah and a Spiritual New Year

294. 2:40 Śauca... Clean up your side of the street.

Episode 294

Friday, January 23, 2026 • Duration 05:29

Śauca — Sutra 2.40 Sanskrit (Transliteration)

śaucāt svāṅga-jugupsā parair asaṁsargaḥ

English Translation

From purity arises a natural distaste for excess attachment to one's own body and for contact with what clouds clarity.

Plain-language meaning

When purity develops:

Obsession with the body loosens
Craving, clutter, and unnecessary contact fall away
You stop feeding what agitates you

Key insight for listeners:
Śauca isn't about being "clean" — it's about becoming less hijacked by impulses.

Śauca in the Body

Eat foods that leave you clear, not heavy
Bathe, stretch, breathe — treat the body as a temple, not an obsession
Sleep enough — fatigue pollutes awareness

Soundbite:

"Purity isn't about control — it's about reducing friction."

Śauca in the Mind

Reduce mental junk food (doom scrolling, outrage, gossip)
Notice what you repeatedly feed your attention
Ask: Does this bring clarity or agitation?

Practice for listeners:
One day. One habit. Remove one thing that muddies your mind.

Śauca in Speech

Speak truthfully and cleanly
Less reacting, more responding
Silence is often the cleanest option

Śauca in Relationships

Who you spend time with matters
Purity doesn't mean isolation — it means discernment

Closing Reflection

293. Niyamas overview. Organizing our Inner Life.

Episode 293

Tuesday, January 20, 2026 • Duration 05:26

शौचसन्तोषतपःस्वाध्यायेश्वरप्रणिधानानि नियमाः

Niyamas

1:32. śauca-santoṣa-tapaḥ-svādhyāya-īśvara-praṇidhānāni niyamāḥ

In the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the Niyamas are the inner disciplines of yoga.
If the Yamas describe how we relate to the world around us, the Niyamas describe how we relate to ourselves.

They are practical, grounded practices—not moral rules or spiritual ideals to perfect. They're ways of organizing our inner life so that clarity, steadiness, and freedom become possible.

Patanjali offers five Niyamas. Each one is a practice of attention. Each one asks us to take responsibility—not for controlling life—but for shaping the quality of our inner experience.

Today, we'll briefly name each Niyama and then explore them one by one, not as theory, but as lived practice.

The Five Niyamas – Concise Setups

1. Saucha — Cleanliness
Saucha is about clarity and purification—of the body, the mind, and the environment we live in. It asks a simple question: What am I allowing in?

2. Santosha — Contentment
Santosha is the practice of being at peace with what is, without giving up the desire to grow. It's learning to stop arguing with reality.

3. Tapas — Disciplined Effort
Tapas is the steady heat of practice—the willingness to stay with discomfort in service of growth, not punishment. It's where transformation happens.

4. Svadhyaya — Self-Study
Svadhyaya is honest self-reflection. It's the courage to look inward, notice our patterns, and learn from them rather than run from them.

5. Ishvara Pranidhana — Surrender
Ishvara Pranidhana is the practice of letting go—of control, of ego, of the belief that we're doing this alone. It's trusting something larger than our personal will.

292. " Man in the Arena"- Happy New Year from Teddy and me.

Episode 292

Saturday, January 17, 2026 • Duration 05:35

Man in the Arena

In this episode, Jeff reads and reflects on one of the most enduring passages on courage and participation: Theodore Roosevelt's "Theodore Roosevelt'" from his 1910 speech Citizenship in a Republic.

This reflection isn't about winning, achievement, or public success. It's about something far more intimate and challenging — the willingness to step into the arena of our own lives, imperfectly and honestly, rather than standing safely on the sidelines as critics of ourselves or others.

Through the lens of the Yoga Sutras, this episode explores how Roosevelt's words echo ancient yogic teachings, particularly:

Abhyāsa — steady practice over time, even when we fall short
Vairāgya — releasing attachment to outcomes, approval, and perfection
The difference between the inner critic and the witnessing awareness cultivated through practice

Jeff connects the idea of "the arena" to real life: the yoga mat, recovery, difficult relationships, moments of starting over, and the courage required simply to stay engaged when things feel uncomfortable or uncertain.

Rather than offering motivation or quick fixes, this episode invites quiet reflection. It asks listeners to notice where they may be withholding effort, hiding behind judgment, or waiting until they feel ready — and to consider what it might look like to step back into participation, one small act at a time.

This is an episode about effort without guarantee, action without attachment, and the kind of courage that doesn't look heroic — but changes lives.

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291. Season Finale - Transcend

Episode 291

Wednesday, December 24, 2025 • Duration 05:26

A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

As we usher out 2025, we play the yearly word game.

A huge thank you to all the My Daily Thread Tribe!
We an extra shout out to Peter and Laura, both who admitted that My Daily Thread was their number 1 Podcast in 2025!

Now let's finish this season ...

Choose the word that represents 2025, put it on paper, then send it back to the Universe with a big thank you!

Choose your word for 2026, put it on paper, then send it to us in the comments.

Stay safe everyone. Live. Love!!

Om Peace Out!
J

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My Daily Thread – Details, episodes & analysis

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My Daily Thread – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

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Apple Podcasts

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