A Curious Yogi with Bobbi Paidel

“These small practices can make you mindful and make your mind recharged. And I think that’s what retreat is. To really slow down and just be within yourself.” What happens when we step away from everyday life and create space to truly practice the inner, still and silent, yoga? In today’s conversation, I speak with yoga teacher and retreat leader Himangee Raviya about yoga retreats, sadhana, meditation, and the deeper meaning of yoga. Himangee shares how yoga became a constant in her life, how she came to lead retreats across India, and why a retreat can offer a powerful container for going deeper into practice. We explore Raja Yoga and Bhakti Yoga The relationship between asana and meditation The role of nature and setting in retreat Why real yoga practice continues even when we return to everyday life Himangee also shares simple ways to create your own retreat at home, including morning journaling, breath awareness, yoga, nourishing food, yoga nidra and intentional time alone. For yoga teachers, she offers advice on starting a retreat with a small group of students and shares what she has learned in her own retreats. I loved this conversation about slowing down, coming home to yourself, deepening your sadhana and discovering that retreat can be a practice, not just a destination. Find Himangee on Instagram: @Himangee And if you’re still considering, we have two rooms remaining for our Yog Sadhana Retreat Sri Lanka, February 1-8 2027. Special discounts for members of a Curious Yogi Online Community. Come study, play and live your yoga beyond the ordinary. In oneness, Bobbi Thanks for listening! 💭Support the podcast! Join a Curious Yogi Community Membership for monthly live satsang or Yog Sadhana Practice Membership for All Access to my live classes 💭 If you liked this episode, please leave a review – it really, really helps the show reach more people, plus I love reading each one. 💭 Share your biggest takeaway on Instagram stories @bobbipaidel 💭Join me on Retreat in India, Scandinavia or Sri Lanka Learn more HERE 💭 If you’d like to chat about the show, be a guest, or practice together - Let’s connect! 🙏♥️✨

“Practice is knowing moment to moment that your only purpose is to be at peace.” In this episode, I sit down with my dear friend and fellow seeker, Ritambhara (Reta), to explore the heart of meditation and what it truly means to live from the unchanging truth of who we are. Reta has been on this path of sadhana and self-inquiry for 50 years, and she shares her lived experience and knowledge as our conversation moves from personal stories of friendship to deep yogic wisdom. We chat about why the external search for freedom so often leaves us feeling unfulfilled, and how sadhana returns us to clarity. If you’ve been mechanically going through your practice or wondering how to drop the struggle and anchor into real inner peace, this episode is a loving reminder that the freedom you're looking for is already right here. In this episode, we unpack: The Restless Search: Why travelling the world or achieving worldly success still leaves an inner longing, and how that restlessness leads us back to our true home. The Power of the Witness (Sakshi): Learning to shift identity away from the noisy, changing mind and rest in the silent Knower. Sadhana as a Way of Life: How practice isn't just something we do on a cushion or mat, but a continuous "dip" into purity that transforms how we navigate daily life. The Gift of Satsang & Good Company: Why gathering with other earnest seekers acts as a living field of support for your spiritual practice. Effortless Being: How to stop forcing spiritual experiences and start recognizing the peace that is naturally present when we surrender. Connect & Practice With Me If this conversation inspired your path, I’d love to welcome you into my yog sadhana community: Join the Online Practice or Community memberships: Practice weekly or monthly starting at just $8/month! Upcoming Yog Sadhana Retreats:4 Days in Norway (This September!) Immerse in nature and traditional practice. Sri Lanka Retreat (Next February) Only 5 rooms left for our beachside retreat! In oneness, Bobbi Thanks for listening! 💭Support the podcast! Join a Curious Yogi Community Membership 💭 If you liked this episode, please leave a review – it really, really helps the show reach more people, plus I love reading each one. 💭 Share your biggest takeaway on Instagram stories @bobbipaidel 💭Join me on Retreat in India, Scandinavia or Sri Lanka Learn more HERE 💭 If you’d like to chat about the show, be a guest, or practice together - Let’s connect! 🙏♥️✨

“There's a sweetness in Advaita non-dual teachings, right? There is this emphasis on the truth of freedom and...eternal, the eternal ever-present You. I mean, how sweet is that?” - Robbie Chesick Today I share a candid and reflective conversation with Robbie Chesick. Robbie is a lifelong meditator, by nature tropic to tuning into the hum of pure existence at the base of her sense of self. She is also a (recently retired) trauma therapist, a mom, a lazy poet, and a curious wanderer. We discuss meditation, nonduality, feminism, and how spiritual practice meets ordinary life. How can inquiry cut through the conditioning, politics, and ego? It's a delightful and light hearted conversation about the real "stuff" we deal with as humans just navigating our way. Robbie gives great insight into the approach and pursuit of the yogi from her 35 years of sadhana. Key topics: Satsang and the essential shared space of spiritual inquiry. Early questions about identity, the self, and what lies beyond surface reality. Robbie shares her formative journey in her early twenties, including travel through India, illness, danger, and the eventual decision to come to her brother and meet Swamiji. How spiritual realization can coexist with family life, work, parenting, and a public-facing life in the world. Inquiry should be applied everywhere, not only in meditation, and that the mind’s habit of either-or thinking can obscure more nuanced, intelligent action. The pressure to conform to tribal thinking, especially in wellness and yoga circles, and how fear of rejection can shape beliefs and behaviour. The forest wanderer phase of life reframed. Robbie distinguishes pure existence from personal identity, emphasizing that the goal is not to become anything other than what you are. I absolutely loved this conversation with Robbie, a wise friend and courageous yogi. She gives me inspiration to keep steadfast on this path as I meet and greet the many phases of life. I know she will give you something to consider as well in this thoughtful satsang space. In oneness, Bobbi Thanks for listening! 💭Support the podcast! Join a Curious Yogi Community Membership for monthly live satsang or Yog Sadhana Practice Membership for All Access to my live classes 💭 If you liked this episode, please leave a review – it really, really helps the show reach more people, plus I love reading each one. 💭 Share your biggest takeaway on Instagram stories @bobbipaidel 💭Join me on Retreat in India, Scandinavia or Sri Lanka Get on the waitlist HERE 💭 If you’d like to chat about the show, be a guest, or practice together - Let’s connect! 🙏♥️✨

“Knowledge is really important. Knowledge brings forth this awakening as well.” What does it actually mean to bring the roots of yoga to your practice? To bring inspiration? To bring prayer? Mantra? Pranayama? Knowledge? In this episode of a Curious Yogi, I sit down with Crystal Rainbow Borrelli - author, oracle deck creator, and third-generation yogi. We dive into how to honor the ancient wisdom, respect tradition and understanding tools like sacred mantras can completely reshape your time both on the mat and in your life. Key Takeaways Yoga is a way of relating to life Mantra becomes more meaningful when it’s mythology and history is understood Own your voice! Essential for yoga teachers Yoga's Spiritual Heart: Insights on practicing in yogas heartland of India. The mythical story behind the warrior poses Studying the roots of yoga, with respect for tradition, helps preserve it’s depth To experience the world as a yogi is to hold both the human and the spacious Yoga supports nervous-system regulation by creating a pause before reaction Yoga Teacher Trainings in the west, things to consider and how to choose the right trainings Raised off-grid on a remote island on the West Coast, Crystal Rainbow Borrelli is a yogi, international retreat leader, and teacher trainer for 200-hour and 300-hour programs worldwide. She is the author of Within the Divine Realm, a guide to the mythical stories and sacred mantras of yoga's gods and goddesses, and creator of the Sacred Realms Oracle Deck. Crystal's Online Classes, Book & Oracle Deck: crystalrainbowborrelli.com Connect with Crystal: @crystalrainbowyoga I loved this conversation! Crystal is such a power house and she truly shares from her heart. This conversation is sure to give you inspiration for how to practice your postures, sing your mantras and approach your yoga practice. In oneness, Bobbi Thanks for listening! 💭Support the podcast! Join a Curious Yogi Community Membership for monthly live satsang or Yog Sadhana Practice Membership for All Access to my live classes 💭 If you liked this episode, please leave a review – it really, really helps the show reach more people, plus I love reading each one. 💭 Share your biggest takeaway on Instagram stories @bobbipaidel 💭Join me on Retreat in India, Scandinavia or Sri Lanka Get on the waitlist HERE 💭 If you’d like to chat about the show, be a guest, or practice together - Let’s connect! 🙏♥️✨

Are you treating your yoga practice as a checklist item, or as a splendid return to your essence? In this episode, I’m talking to you straight about what it means to bridge the gap between modern postural yoga and the ancient spiritual depths. Hello, yogasana sadhana. We dive into the reality of spiritual burnout, escaping the rigid "box" of mainstream studio culture, and how to treat your physical practice as a doorway to the divine rather than the final destination. Here’s what I share: The Seed vs. The Branch: Recognizing that while modern postural yoga is a beautiful physical doorway, it is just a single branch of a deeply rooted, magical tree Overcoming Burnout: My journey of "hitting the wall" while teaching within profit-driven spaces, and how returning to sadhana saved my mental health and my yoga Finding the Middle Ground: Exploring vivek (discernment) and vairagya (dispassion) to find the non-judgmental middle path in a highly commercialized yoga world Ancient Wisdom for Modern Seekers: Words from Chapter 6 of the Bhagavad Gita to anchor ourselves in THE STATE of Yoga Ditching the Spiritual High Horse: Maturing into spiritual study means expanding our compassion, not looking down on those who are on the mat just for mobility Links Mentioned: The Curious Yogi Online Practice Community: Join My Momence Community Here (Migrating soon from Patreon—download the Momence app to track your practice, book 90-minute classes, and join our monthly Satsangs!) Listen to Stewart’s Latest Episode (There’s two!): On What Yoga is NOT Listen to Nikki’s Episode from Season 1: On Finding The Middle Yoga is not a mechanical checklist; it is an act of remembering the light, clarity, and love that is already sitting quietly with you. How do you maintain and relate to your sadhana? I’d love to hear how you are riding these waves. In oneness, Bobbi Thanks for listening! 💭Support the podcast on Momence and join monthly satsangs 💭 If you liked this episode, please leave a review – it really, really helps the show reach more people, plus I love reading each one. 💭 Share your biggest takeaway on Instagram stories @bobbipaidel 💭Join me on Retreat in faraway places like India Get on the waitlist HERE 💭 If you’d like to chat about the show, be a guest, or practice together - Let’s connect! 🙏♥️✨