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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
4 days ago
4 days ago
In this episode, Ava answers a listener's question: "What is Kundalini?"
She takes you on a journey from the Sanskrit origins of the word to its cultural context in India and the modern science surrounding it. Ava also shares her personal experiences with Kundalini and explores why it fascinates so many people.
Relevant links and resources:
Roots of Yoga - James Mallinson & Mark Singleton
Chapter markers:
00:00 Introduction to Functional Spirituality Podcast
03:30 Introduction to Kundalini
8:55 Is there any science behind Kundalini?
13:44 What is Kundalini
18:25 Why are people obsessed with Kundalini?
22:20 What happens inside of our bodies when we experience Kundalini awakening?
26:00 Ava’s experience
29:44 Thank you for listening
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 Apr 14, 2025
Monday Apr 14, 2025
Welcome back to our guided meditations. In this meditation, Anaid gently invites you to return to yourself with presence and care.
This is your sacred pause, a moment to simply be… and rest.
With curiosity, we explore the inner landscape, allowing tension to melt and awareness to ground fully in the present moment.
From this place of stillness, we journey inward to meet what lives at the core of your essence.
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
Monday Mar 24, 2025
Monday Mar 24, 2025
Welcome to this spacious guided meditation to relax your body and explore joy.
Take a deep breath, settle into stillness, and allow a sense of peacefulness and gratitude to gently flow through you.
This meditation invites you to soften, open your heart, and reconnect with the simple, radiant joy within.
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 Mar 17, 2025
Monday Mar 17, 2025
"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 Mar 10, 2025
Monday Mar 10, 2025
Join Ava in this soothing meditation. We begin with a grounding practice, softening the tissues and melting tension away. We then gently tune into the heart space—the middle. Using a light RAIN technique, inspired by Tara Brach, this meditation guides you to recognise, allow, investigate, and nurture what is alive within you.
If you enjoy this audio you can save the link somewhere in your phone, or make a playlist for it on your Spotify 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 Mar 03, 2025
Monday Mar 03, 2025
Need a quick reset? This short yet powerful guided meditation, led by Ava, will help you relax, clear your mind, and find a sense of calm in just five minutes. Perfect for a midday pause or a gentle start to your day.
If you enjoy this audio you can save the link somewhere in your phone, or make a playlist for it on your Spotify so you have access to this practice with one click.
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 Feb 24, 2025
Monday Feb 24, 2025
In this episode, Ava dives into a topic that has been percolating for a while—the philosophy of the "natural parent" and how deeply held beliefs shape not just our parenting but our entire reality.
This isn't just about parenting; it's about the way we form beliefs in natural health, medicine, and beyond—and how those beliefs interact with our nervous system and sense of self.
Chapter markers:
00:00 Introduction and why is a functional philosophy so important?
05:30 The natural parent fallacy
16:30 Some ideals of natural parenting don’t actually fit into the context anymore
19:13 Shifting from natural to functional
21:00 Practical ideas to support our refining of our perspective
27:24 Trusting yourself, trusting the world and the importance of having space to process our experience
29:51 Parenting is a practice not a philosophy or a set of rules
31:47 Conclusion & thank you for listening.
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
Personal account & Functional Spirituality: @functionalspirituality
Studio: @spandaschool
Lavandula Botanicals: @lavandula.botanicals
Monday Feb 17, 2025
Monday Feb 17, 2025
In this meditation Ava gently leads us into the depths of our true nature. With simple yet profound pointers to Being—she helps you settle beyond the mind into the quiet presence of what already is. Allow yourself to soften, listen, and rest in the stillness at the core of your existence
If you enjoy this audio you can save the link somewhere in your phone, or make a playlist for it on your Spotify 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 Feb 10, 2025
Monday Feb 10, 2025
Welcome to a soothing guided meditation with Anaid.
We start the meditation by connecting with our breath and body. Slowly inviting the gentle power of the smiling energy technique to dissolve resistance and bring us fully into the present moment.
Allow yourself to soften, release, and embrace a state of 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 Feb 03, 2025
Monday Feb 03, 2025
Take a deep breath and arrive in this moment with curiosity and kindness. In this guided meditation Anaid invites you to cultivate both aliveness and relaxation through the breath, gently grounding awareness into your heart space.
Explore the sensations and presence here with openness, allowing life to unfold naturally and effortlessly.
If you enjoy this audio you can save the link somewhere in your phone, or make a playlist for it on your Spotify 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