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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
Monday Nov 28, 2022
Monday Nov 28, 2022
Join Ava in this spacious guided meditation with music. Use your breath and relax yourself into a state of depth and presence.
We finalise this meditation with segment intending, a cultivating tool where you choose a segment of your life that is coming up and you visualise that situation working perfectly for you.
To join our free weekly group meditations message us or visit @functionalspirituality
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: Healing complex trauma:
A free workshop on how to optimise your spiritual practice and your daily life by understanding complex trauma.
Connect on Socials
Where you can hear from us in daily life
Personal account: @avairani_
Functional Spirituality: @functionalspirituality
Studio: @spandaschool
Monday Nov 21, 2022
Monday Nov 21, 2022
Regardless of the type of relationship we're in, our interactions with others can sometimes bring out some of the darkest emotions. We can sometimes feel immense pain, and often experience the feeling of being trapped. We tend to label these relationships as ‘toxic’.
In this episode, Ava unpacks this ‘toxic’ label, reframing what it means to experience being trapped in a ‘toxic relationship’.
Although we had another podcast scheduled to be published this week, Ava decided to discuss something that has been present and meaningful for her in the last days.
Join the discussion in our Facebook group.
Relevant links:
Chapter markers:
00:00 Warning: Honey may be snoring in the background 🙂
01:05 Introduction to the topic
04:00 What happens in our brains when something hurts?
05:35 What is a toxic relationship?
8:50 How do I know that I am in a toxic relationship?
11:10 Ingredients to healing
12:00 Some relationships trigger our deepest wounds
15:00 Ava shares about her experience
16:26 What do we do now?
19:30 Let us know what you think of this episode
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: Healing complex trauma:
A free workshop on how to optimize your spiritual practice and your daily life by understanding complex trauma.
Connect on Socials
Where you can hear from us in daily life
Personal account: @avairani_
Functional Spirituality: @functionalspirituality
Studio: @spandaschool
Monday Nov 14, 2022
Monday Nov 14, 2022
Join Anaid in this effortless guided cacao ceremony to honor the cacao and connect with this sacred medicine.
Take your time to prepare a cup of cacao or any ritual drink or food you'd like to connect with. Come back to this audio when you are in a comfortable space and ready to start the meditation.
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: Healing complex trauma:
A free workshop on how to optimise your spiritual practice and your daily life by understanding complex trauma.
Connect on Socials
Where you can hear from us in daily life
Personal account: @avairani_
Functional Spirituality: @functionalspirituality
Studio: @spandaschool
Monday Nov 07, 2022
Monday Nov 07, 2022
This episode is inspired by a question often asked to Ava: ‘Should I go on a Silent Retreat?’
Listen in to hear Ava discuss the main challenges for attending a Silent Retreat as she explains the steps to build a self reflective capacity and increase the chances for a successful Silent Retreat. Ava also mentions the different types of retreat and what separates a Spanda Silent Retreat from other retreats.
Whether you think a Silent Retreat is your next step or not, we are always happy to hear from you and and assist you in building your spiritual practice.
Relevant links:
Chapter markers:
00:00 Introduction to the topic.
2:30 Different types of retreat
5:20 Should I go on a Silent Retreat?
8:00 Steps to make before attending to a Silent Retreat
9:30 What makes a retreat challenging for a beginner?
13:05 What we do at Spanda Silent Retreat to support beginners with these challenges
15:40 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: Healing complex trauma:
A free workshop on how to optimize your spiritual practice and your daily life by understanding complex trauma.
Connect on Socials
Where you can hear from us in daily life
Personal account: @avairani_
Functional Spirituality: @functionalspirituality
Studio: @spandaschool
Monday Oct 31, 2022
Monday Oct 31, 2022
A gentle, spacious meditation to ground you in the center of your being. Let yourself relax into the heart and surrender everything that is not your true nature.
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: Healing complex trauma:
A free workshop on how to optimise your spiritual practice and your daily life by understanding complex trauma.
Connect on Socials
Where you can hear from us in daily life
Personal account: @avairani_
Functional Spirituality: @functionalspirituality
Studio: @spandaschool
Monday Oct 24, 2022
Monday Oct 24, 2022
In this episode, Ava talks about healthy and rigid boundaries (special thanks to those who requested to hear more about this topic).
'Boundaries' is a common topic in personal development and spirituality, but do we really know what healthy boundaries are? It is a skill that needs to be cultivated and ultimately becomes an art form in how we relate to our health, our happiness and each other. Healthy boundaries help regulate our nervous system in a sustainable way.
What are the main ingredients of having Healthy Boundaries? How can we develop this skill so our requests are not either too rigid or too loose?
Listen to this podcast to answer these questions and receive the longer training on boundaries here.
Relevant episodes:
Chapter markers:
00:00 The importance of internal awareness and reflection in spirituality
2:45 Boundaries vs Spiritual Values
5:00 Relational dynamics and how they contribute to our health
7:00 What are healthy boundaries?
8:50 How do we build this skill?
12:55 Self awareness
14:15 Communication
19:00 Flexibility
20:30 Rigid boundaries vs Healthy Boundaries
24:58 We invite you to take some space to reflect on this topic.
26:00 Join our facebook group and subscribe to the Functional Spirituality podcast.
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: Healing complex trauma:
A free workshop on how to optimize your spiritual practice and your daily life by understanding complex trauma.
Connect on Socials
Where you can hear from us in daily life
Personal account: @avairani_
Functional Spirituality: @functionalspirituality
Studio: @spandaschool
Monday Oct 17, 2022
Monday Oct 17, 2022
Let your breath deepen and empty out anything that isn’t this present moment.
Listen inward and relax the unnecessary tensions in your body.
This meditation helps you feel your body, relax and return to stillness.
To join our free weekly group meditations message us or visit @functionalspirituality
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: Healing complex trauma:
A free workshop on how to optimise your spiritual practice and your daily life by understanding complex trauma.
Connect on Socials
Where you can hear from us in daily life
Personal account: @avairani_
Functional Spirituality: @functionalspirituality
Studio: @spandaschool
Monday Oct 10, 2022
Monday Oct 10, 2022
Inspired by Ava’s friends who have asked questions about her baby’s ‘soul’. In this episode Ava elaborates further on why she does not believe that anyone has a soul.
With a degree in philosophy and a profound knowledge of non-duality, she explains that what we are in essence is very different to the common concept of the soul.
Join our Facebook community group and share with us what you believe the ‘soul’ is. We would love to hear your comments on this topic.
Relevant episodes:
Chapter markers:
00:00 Introduction to the topic.
3:00 How spiritual concepts get conflated with physical reality.
4:00 The four stages of spiritual seeking and the importance of logic.
7:15 Ava’s job as a philosopher is to refine her thinking.
9:09 What is the soul?
12:08 The most up to date knowledge on personality.
15:00 Non- duality and Ava’s most profound meditation and spiritual experiences.
18:15 What am I essentially?
22:10 Personality, the nervous system and the soul.
27:00 Adopting beliefs in order to create otherness and belonging.
29:00 Using spirituality as a bandaid.
30:00 Today’s episode summary and the importance of refinement.
33:30 We would love to hear your comments of this episode.
Monday Oct 03, 2022
Monday Oct 03, 2022
Gift yourself some minutes to be present. Breathe and connect to the life that is here, right now.
Let your body, your emotions and thoughts ground and melt into the Now and notice the powerful shift that occurs.
To join our free weekly group meditations message us or visit @functionalspirituality
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: Healing complex trauma:
A free workshop on how to optimise your spiritual practice and your daily life by understanding complex trauma.
Connect on Socials
Where you can hear from us in daily life
Personal account: @avairani_
Functional Spirituality: @functionalspirituality
Monday Sep 26, 2022
Monday Sep 26, 2022
In this episode Ava talks about the process of birth and summarizes what she has discovered after going through a ‘rabbit hole’ of personal research over the last 3 months.
Listen in to know more about what she believes is the main driving factor for the birthing process to be more medicalized and how our reductionistic and superficial assumptions can affect the way we see and experience birthing.
Ava also shares the new philosophy and beliefs that she has adopted and answers the question 'What does natural birthing really require to become more functional?'
Chapter markers:
00:00 Introduction.
2:50 Reasons why birthing is more medicalized.
4:30 The contradiction between our biological processes and how our society operates.
7:00 Stress, healing and the conditions required for natural birth.
11:00 The reductionistic and superficial ideas in both medical and spiritual systems.
16:40 New workshop is coming up.
18:10 What does natural birthing really require to become more functional?
23:10 Thank you for listening, if you have any comments, questions and want to share your own experience about birth, join our Facebook group.
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: Healing complex trauma:
A free workshop on how to optimize your spiritual practice and your daily life by understanding complex trauma.
Connect on Socials
Where you can hear from us in daily life
Personal account: @avairani_
Functional Spirituality: @functionalspirituality
Studio: @spandaschool