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Hi, my name is Ava and I’m delighted to offer you “Functional Spirituality”, a free resource of talks, trainings and guided meditations. I use an academic approach to invite critical thinking into energetic, mystical and heart-based practices. Spirituality has a history of disempowering the individual and worshiping the guru or priest, without question. In this podcast, I aim to reduce the dogma that has rendered so many schools and practices ineffective - (and strange AF) - and to elevate the conversation around spirituality. I want to EMPOWER the meditator and yogi, to place the power back in our hands, to live directly from our own experience. I hope you enjoy! For Q&A questions, topic suggestions email Ava at functionalspiritualityretreat@gmail.com Visit www.functionalspirituality.com Follow us @FunctionalSpirituality or @avairani_ and our Yoga Studio at @spandaschool
Episodes
6 hours ago
6 hours ago
"Gratitude arises from paying attention, from being awake in the presence of everything that lives within and without and beside us." — David Whyte
Join Kate in this gentle guided meditation, where gratitude becomes a doorway to ease and presence. As you breathe in gratitude, feel it soften your mind, relax your body, and open your heart to peace.
Whether you're setting an intention for the day or unwinding in quiet reflection, this practice will help you cultivate deep appreciation and effortless presence.
If you enjoy this audio you can save the link somewhere in your phone, or make a playlist for it so you have access to this practice with one click.
Increasing accessibility to functional healing + non-dual spiritual oneness.
www.functionalspirituality.com
Free resources:
A monthly update for me on new offers and the energy of the month.
Join the Functional Spirituality Group and enjoy a free resource for meditators and yogis to connect to and enjoy a like-minded community.
Free workshop: Holding Safer Spaces
A free workshop that replaces the old, dogmatic, unsustainable paradigm of healing that burns out our community. Explore how to deepen your presence in both personal and professional spheres. A new, simpler and functional approach to being trauma-informed
Connect on Socials
Where you can hear from us in daily life
Functional Spirituality & Personal account:@functionalspirituality
Studio: @spandaschool
Monday May 11, 2026
Monday May 11, 2026
In this episode, Ava Irani shares practical reflections for facilitators within the Functional Spirituality community on how to hold space in a grounded, clear, and non-over-responsible way. The focus is on supporting others without over-identifying as the “teacher” or taking ownership of participants’ experiences.
She explores what effective facilitation actually requires, including staying regulated, present, and anchored while group processes unfold. Rather than managing or fixing what arises, the emphasis is on creating a steady space where people can meet their own experience directly. The episode also touches on navigating group dynamics, knowing when to step in or step back, and maintaining clarity when emotional material arises, with facilitation framed as presence over performance.
Increasing accessibility to functional healing + non-dual spiritual oneness:
www.functionalspirituality.com
Free resources:
A monthly update for me on new offers and the energy of the month.
Free training - 3 part method of Functional Spirituality:
Learn the clear, practical framework for deep healing, emotional regulation, and spiritual integration.
Connect on Socials
Where you can hear from us in daily life
Personal account & Functional Spirituality: @functionalspirituality
Studio: @spandaschool
Lavandula Botanicals: @lavandula.botanicals
Tuesday May 05, 2026
Tuesday May 05, 2026
In this episode, Ava Irani explores the idea of success through a functional spirituality lens, questioning cultural definitions of achievement, status, and worth. She reframes success as something fluid and subjective, shaped by nervous system state, alignment, and personal values rather than external benchmarks.
She shares her own evolving relationship with success, from early ambition and large-scale building phases to a current emphasis on simplicity, coherence, and inner alignment. The episode also includes a transparent reflection on privilege and unchosen factors, alongside the role of discipline, apprenticeship, and long-term practice in shaping her path.
Increasing accessibility to functional healing + non-dual spiritual oneness:
www.functionalspirituality.com
Free resources:
A monthly update for me on new offers and the energy of the month.
Free training - 3 part method of Functional Spirituality:
Learn the clear, practical framework for deep healing, emotional regulation, and spiritual integration.
Connect on Socials
Where you can hear from us in daily life
Personal account & Functional Spirituality: @functionalspirituality
Studio: @spandaschool
Lavandula Botanicals: @lavandula.botanicals
Tuesday Apr 14, 2026
Tuesday Apr 14, 2026
In this episode, Ava Irani unpacks the complex and often unconscious relationship many of us have with social media. While it’s easy to default to “I hate social media,” she challenges this narrative, inviting us to look deeper at how we engage with these platforms and the power we actually have within that relationship.
Through a functional spirituality lens, Ava explores how social media is designed to hijack our attention, amplify emotional triggers (especially fear), and keep us in cycles of seeking rather than satisfaction. Yet, despite its pitfalls, it also holds genuine potential for creativity, connection, expression, and joy.
Rather than positioning ourselves as victims of the algorithm, this episode encourages a shift toward awareness, intentionality, and self-responsibility. By understanding our own patterns, desires, and nervous system responses, we can redefine our experience, transforming social media from something that drains us into something we consciously shape and even enjoy.
Increasing accessibility to functional healing + non-dual spiritual oneness:
www.functionalspirituality.com
Free resources:
A monthly update for me on new offers and the energy of the month.
Free training - 3 part method of Functional Spirituality:
Learn the clear, practical framework for deep healing, emotional regulation, and spiritual integration.
Connect on Socials
Where you can hear from us in daily life
Personal account & Functional Spirituality: @functionalspirituality
Studio: @spandaschool
Lavandula Botanicals: @lavandula.botanicals
Wednesday Mar 25, 2026
Wednesday Mar 25, 2026
In this episode, Ava Arani is joined by Ryan Hassan from The Centre for Healing for a grounded conversation on what happens when a core wound becomes active and how it can be met with compassion rather than self judgment. Ava shares a recent retreat experience in India where she noticed a persistent unsettled feeling that she first assumed was guilt, but later recognised as “not enoughness.” Through the lens of Internal Family Systems and the book No Bad Parts, they explore protector and exile parts, why there are no bad parts within us, and how healing can happen through contact, kindness, and the right kind of inner support. They also discuss why meditation can feel hard to commit to, how guided practice reduces resistance, and what trauma informed meditation looks like when the intention is healing rather than chasing transcendence.
Increasing accessibility to functional healing + non-dual spiritual oneness:
www.functionalspirituality.com
Free resources:
Newsletter sign-up:
A monthly update for me on new offers and the energy of the month.
Community meditation:
Join the Functional Spirituality Group and enjoy a free resource for meditators and yogis to connect to and enjoy a like-minded community.
Free training - 3 part method of Functional Spirituality:
Learn the clear, practical framework for deep healing, emotional regulation, and spiritual integration.
Connect on Socials
Where you can hear from us in daily life
Personal account & Functional Spirituality: @functionalspirituality
Studio: @spandaschool
Lavandula Botanicals: @lavandula.botanicals
Monday Feb 09, 2026
Monday Feb 09, 2026
Relax and let Ava softly guide you into a felt sense of love, safety, and ease within your body. Through slow, steady breaths, you are invited to soften, open the heart, and reconnect with the body as a place of warmth and belonging.
This is a nourishing self love meditation with music that supports nervous system settling, embodiment, and gentle integration. A space to rest, receive, and meet your body with kindness, pleasure, and care.
Allow each breath to bring you closer to peace, presence, and a deeper relationship with your inner space.
If you enjoy this audio you can save the link somewhere in your phone, or make a playlist for it so you have access to this practice with one click.
Increasing accessibility to functional healing + non-dual spiritual oneness:
www.functionalspirituality.com
Free resources:
A monthly update for me on new offers and the energy of the month.
Join the Functional Spirituality Group and enjoy a free resource for meditators and yogis to connect to and enjoy a like-minded community.
Free training - 3 part method of Functional Spirituality:
Learn the clear, practical framework for deep healing, emotional regulation, and spiritual integration.
Connect on Socials
Where you can hear from us in daily life
Personal account & Functional Spirituality: @functionalspirituality
Studio: @spandaschool
Lavandula Botanicals: @lavandula.botanicals
Wednesday Feb 04, 2026
Wednesday Feb 04, 2026
In this conversational episode, Emma and Ava explore what it really means to “drop in” before any meaningful work, practice, or conversation. They unpack how embodiment shifts us from surface-level survival mode into deeper presence, clarity, and connection. Ava shares the moment she knew silent retreats would be her life’s work, and how her teaching evolved over time, from transcendence-focused awakening practices toward a more balanced approach that includes nervous system education, trauma awareness, and functional integration.
Together, they speak candidly about burnout, the dangers of “spiritual perfection” promises, and why some tools help in one season of life but fall short in another.
The episode also highlights the power of community and emotional safety, how being with others in a regulated, intentional space can create profound healing and belonging.
Chapter markers:
-
The “drop in” and why it changes everything [00:00]
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How Ava knew silent retreats were her path [00:10]
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Awakening practices vs nervous system healing [00:18]
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Burnout: what happened and what it taught her [00:27]
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The “spiritual perfection” trap and one-size-fits-all promises [00:38]
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Is Ava “channeling,” or is it skill + environment + group energy? [00:52]
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Community, emotional safety, and why “sangha” matters [01:03]
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Yin vs yang in business and living in regenerative mode [01:14]
Increasing accessibility to functional healing + non-dual spiritual oneness:
www.functionalspirituality.com
Free resources:
Newsletter sign-up:
A monthly update for me on new offers and the energy of the month.
Community meditation:
Join the Functional Spirituality Group and enjoy a free resource for meditators and yogis to connect to and enjoy a like-minded community.
Free training - 3 part method of Functional Spirituality:
Learn the clear, practical framework for deep healing, emotional regulation, and spiritual integration.
Connect on Socials
Where you can hear from us in daily life
Personal account & Functional Spirituality: @functionalspirituality
Studio: @spandaschool
Lavandula Botanicals: @lavandula.botanicals
Monday Feb 02, 2026
Monday Feb 02, 2026
In this guided meditation, Ava invites you to slow down, feel into the body, and let effort soften.
As the nervous system unwinds, space opens for a grounded sense of joy, appreciation and connection to emerge on its own.
If you enjoy this audio you can save the link somewhere in your phone, or make a playlist for it so you have access to this practice with one click.
Increasing accessibility to functional healing + non-dual spiritual oneness:
www.functionalspirituality.com
Free resources:
A monthly update for me on new offers and the energy of the month.
Join the Functional Spirituality Group and enjoy a free resource for meditators and yogis to connect to and enjoy a like-minded community.
Free training - 3 part method of Functional Spirituality:
Learn the clear, practical framework for deep healing, emotional regulation, and spiritual integration.
Connect on Socials
Where you can hear from us in daily life
Personal account & Functional Spirituality: @functionalspirituality
Studio: @spandaschool
Lavandula Botanicals: @lavandula.botanicals
Wednesday Jan 28, 2026
Wednesday Jan 28, 2026
Many people think healing means fixing themselves, but real change often begins when a “protector” part finally feels met.
In this episode, Ava shares a personal IFS (Internal Family Systems) breakthrough from a retreat in India: instead of feeling guilt about time away from family, an old survival pattern surfaced: pressure, urgency, and the fear of falling behind. Through the lens of IFS, she explores how protectors work to keep deeper pain out of awareness, and how healing happens through contact, attunement, and relationship rather than force or self-improvement.
If you’re navigating anxiety, overdoing, or inner pressure, this conversation offers a grounded way to understand what’s happening inside and a compassionate pathway toward more space, safety, and inner freedom.
Listen in and share how this lands for you. Whether it resonates or challenges you, reflections are welcome.
Chapter markers:
- 00:00 Introduction to healing and inner freedom
- 09:00 IFS overview: protector parts, exiles, and the shift from fixing to meeting
- 14:30 “Healing is contact” attunement, nervous system resourcing, and compassion
- 22:00 What changes when the protector softens
Increasing accessibility to functional healing + non-dual spiritual oneness:
www.functionalspirituality.com
Free resources:
A monthly update for me on new offers and the energy of the month.
Join the Functional Spirituality Group and enjoy a free resource for meditators and yogis to connect to and enjoy a like-minded community.
Free training - 3 part method of Functional Spirituality:
Learn the clear, practical framework for deep healing, emotional regulation, and spiritual integration.
Connect on Socials
Where you can hear from us in daily life
Personal account & Functional Spirituality: @functionalspirituality
Studio: @spandaschool
Lavandula Botanicals: @lavandula.botanicals
Monday Jan 26, 2026
Monday Jan 26, 2026
This is a gentle guided meditation to support grounding, softening, and inner clarity.
Through a slow body scan, breath, and loving inner attention, Ava guides you to empty accumulated tension and reconnect with your inner space. This practice supports nervous system regulation and integration, allowing presence and ease to arise naturally.
A guided meditation with music. Ideal for mornings or moments when you want to return to yourself.
If you enjoy this audio you can save the link somewhere in your phone, or make a playlist for it so you have access to this practice with one click.
Increasing accessibility to functional healing + non-dual spiritual oneness:
www.functionalspirituality.com
Free resources:
A monthly update for me on new offers and the energy of the month.
Join the Functional Spirituality Group and enjoy a free resource for meditators and yogis to connect to and enjoy a like-minded community.
Free training - 3 part method of Functional Spirituality:
Learn the clear, practical framework for deep healing, emotional regulation, and spiritual integration.
Connect on Socials
Where you can hear from us in daily life
Personal account & Functional Spirituality: @functionalspirituality
Studio: @spandaschool
Lavandula Botanicals: @lavandula.botanicals