Ep. 9: Priya Dey-Sarkar

Like many of my guests, Priya is a bit of a paradox: she is both pipeline engineer and a bhatki yoga teacher, an energy business executive and Vedic astrologer. She describes her own childhood spiritual life as “chaotic” and “unorthodox.” Growing us as the child of Bengali immigrants, she had neither a traditional American experience nor a traditional Indian one.What she did have was initiation into a bhakti tradition from birth — her grandmother singing the Hanuman Chalisa, gathering in friends houses for puja as a kid, to now leading kirtan and teaching bhakti in her own unique way.In this conversation, we talk about our personal experiences with Neem Karoli Baba and Hanuman, how prayer contributed to her sisters miraculous recovery, and how bhakti might be treatment for C-PTSD. I hope you enjoy this exploration of practices! Have questions about anything we talked about? I’d love to hear.⏱️ Chapters 00:00 - Welcome + Priya’s magical path 01:45 - Growing up in a puja-filled household 06:30 - Science, spirituality, and the bhakti path 10:00 - Bhakti yoga as nervous system healing 14:30 - Feeding people as sacred practice 18:00 - Divine love, lineage, and Neem Karoli Baba 33:00 - Surrender and miracles 35:00 - Community prayer and Priya’s sister’s healing—🕊️ #BhaktiYoga #DivineFeminine #SpiritualHealing #Hanuman #PujaPractice #ComplexPTSD #SacredCommunity #FindingMeaning #NeemKaroliBaba #Chalisa #HanumanChalisa #miracles→ Subscribe for more conversations with spiritual seekers, teachers, and mystics. → Learn more or work with me: www.veralester.comThis Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Thanks for listening! Want to help me grow? Share with someone you think would appreciate this conversation. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit veralester.substack.com/subscribe