Consciousness Lab - Knowing and Being

This source features a podcast interview with author Michael Lewandowski regarding his historical fiction manuscript, The Weight of Lead. Set in 1869, the story centers on the intertwined lives of a Chinese immigrant, an Apache woman, and a Navajo soldier as they navigate a violent American frontier. The author highlights how these characters resist systemic exploitation, including human trafficking and the environmental poisons of unregulated mining. By focusing on marginalized perspectives, the narrative challenges traditional Western tropes and examines the moral weight of historical atrocities like the Long Walk of the Diné. Ultimately, the text explores how shared dignity and individual integrity serve as powerful acts of defiance against institutional cruelty.

Why do we perform "rituals of anxiety" even when there is no danger? Why do we perform "rituals of anxiety" even when there is no danger? This episode explores the story of Nas—a man throwing breadcrumbs to keep away non-existent tigers—and how it mirrors our own modern safety behaviors, from obsessive email checking to rehearsed arguments. Deep Dive: Viparyaya: Deconstructing knowledge based on false assumptions. Vrittis: How mental whirlpools trap us in cycles of anxiety. Viveka: Using discernment to stop the "breadcrumbs" and face reality.  

In this podcast Nilu, discusses why many people struggle with traditional meditation programs and how to overcome these challenges. It delves into three common issues that can hinder progress in meditation, including focusing on superficial goals, not being properly prepared for the practice, and taking a random approach. The speaker offers insights and advice on how to address these fault-lines and make meditation a more effective and beneficial practice.

Nilu explores how the yogic concepts of raga (attachment) and dvesha (aversion) illuminate tensions around returning to the office after the pandemic. She contrasts employees’ attachment to remote routines with managers’ attachment to in-person norms and shows how each side’s preference becomes the other’s resistance. Using a real-life scenario and concrete examples—commute, visibility, noise, and control—this episode highlights how the push-and-pull between raga and dvesha creates stress for both managers and employees and sets the stage for upcoming discussions on managing that stress.

Ever wonder what it really means to feel your thoughts — instead of just observing them? In this episode, Nilu dives into the profound practice drawn from the Vigyan Bhairav Tantra, exploring why the mind resists observation and how sensing thoughts through feelings can change the way you relate to your inner world. You’ll learn the subject–object–process model, discover the difference between passive observation and direct feeling, and experience a 7-day practical challenge designed to train your awareness — 100 feelings in 7 days, with daily goals and a simple log to guide you. Join Nilu on this journey to transform your inner experience, notice your sensations more vividly, and move closer to true mindfulness. Reflect, practice, and tune in next week for the next step.