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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 Mar 18, 2024
Monday Mar 18, 2024
This gentle guided meditation with music is a beautiful self-love meditation full of pleasure and ease.
Relax and let Ava gently guide you in connecting with love and peace, your most essential layer. Use each breath to soften and love your whole body.
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.
Connect on Socials
Where you can hear from us in daily life
Personal account: @avairani_
Functional Spirituality: @functionalspirituality
Studio: @spandaschool
Monday Mar 11, 2024
Monday Mar 11, 2024
In this episode Ava discusses what trauma is and what happens to our body when we experience a traumatic event. She also shares with us her understanding of the mechanics of a healing process and the different ways of meeting traumatic material.
Relevant links:
Therapeutic Embodiment Facilitator Training (coming soon!)
Chapter markers:
00:00 A bit about Ava and Functional Spirituality podcast
01:43 Intro to today’s topic
04:05 Understanding the mechanics of a healing practice
05:24 What is trauma?
07:40 What happens when we experience a traumatic event?
11:06 What does healing from a traumatic event mean?
15:46 The idea of catharsis
19:50 Ways of meeting traumatic material
22:56 Disclaimer
23:25 Part 1 of the Functional Spirituality Method, free resources and upcoming trainings.
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: The new paradigm of healing:
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.
Connect on Socials
Where you can hear from us in daily life
Personal account: @avairani_
Functional Spirituality: @functionalspirituality
Studio: @spandaschool
Monday Mar 04, 2024
Monday Mar 04, 2024
This beginner friendly, 8-minute guided meditation is designed to help you relax stress stored in the body.
Allow the breathe to help you release unnecessary tension and connect to a state of deep relaxation.
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: The new paradigm of healing:
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.
Connect on Socials
Where you can hear from us in daily life
Personal account: @avairani_
Functional Spirituality: @functionalspirituality
Studio: @spandaschool
Monday Feb 26, 2024
Monday Feb 26, 2024
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 Feb 19, 2024
Monday Feb 19, 2024
Welcome to this 35 minute meditation with Ava. In this meditation Ava begins with some body stretches and gently guides you into a state of relaxation and peace.
This meditation will help you relax the tensions of the body and connect to the sweetness of your middle, the heart space.
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: The new paradigm of healing:
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.
Connect on Socials
Where you can hear from us in daily life
Personal account: @avairani_
Functional Spirituality: @functionalspirituality
Studio: @spandaschool
Monday Feb 12, 2024
Monday Feb 12, 2024
In this episode Ava shares her recent experiences as a parent and openly discusses the difficulties that have played out over the last 13 months.
Ava also talks about what it really means to set boundaries and the journey of applying boundaries in her life, relationship and as a parent.
Whether you are a parent or not, this podcast is for you if you are interested in applying healthy boundaries in your life.
Relevant links:
Click here to read our latest newsletter
Chapter markers:
00:00 Intro
01:45 Ava’s most painful and challenging experience as a parent
2:40 What’s been happening over the last month in her life
4:30 Ava’s experience as ‘the working parent’
5:26 Having resources and choices to navigate the challenges of life vs experiencing hardship with little choices
8:15 Ava shares about a conflict that she’s experienced internally
12:42 The challenges about their current arrangement of caring for Jasmine 50/50
19:20 There can be many layers of our experience that prevent us from sensing exactly what we need
21:19 Boundaries are so important but also complicated
24:34 Steps to create boundaries and the highest value of Functional Spirituality Podcast
29.15 Thanks for listening
Monday Feb 05, 2024
Monday Feb 05, 2024
Join Ava and settle in, away from the mind and towards the body.
This is a body scan meditation with soothing background music to nourish, soften, let go and connect to stillness.
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: The new paradigm of healing:
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.
Connect on Socials
Where you can hear from us in daily life
Personal account: @avairani_
Functional Spirituality: @functionalspirituality
Studio: @spandaschool
Monday Jan 29, 2024
Monday Jan 29, 2024
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’.
Join the discussion in our Facebook group.
Relevant links:
- Free Resources Page
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:
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 workshop: The new paradigm of healing:
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.
Connect on Socials
Where you can hear from us in daily life
Personal account: @avairani_
Functional Spirituality: @functionalspirituality
Studio: @spandaschool
Monday Jan 22, 2024
Monday Jan 22, 2024
Join Anaid in this effortless guided cacao ceremony meditation to relax your body, heal and connect with your true essence.
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: The new paradigm of healing:
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.
Connect on Socials
Where you can hear from us in daily life
Personal account: @avairani_
Functional Spirituality: @functionalspirituality
Studio: @spandaschool
Monday Jan 15, 2024
Monday Jan 15, 2024
This week we are repurposing one of our favourite episodes from the Functional Spirituality archive.
'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.
If you want to receive the longer training on boundaries please click 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