The Delicate Business of Being Human

by Laura Carrotti

Season 1

Spiritual Intolerance and The Escape Hatch of Death with Joseph Braccio

Episode 19 Spiritual Intolerance and The Escape Hatch of Death. This week we are joined by meditation and mental health coach Joseph Braccio to speak about coaching, stillness, and the trap of valuing the vertical over the horizontal. Are spiritual practices that place transcendence over what is here and now taking us away from actual presence? Joseph and I speak about the real possibility that the calm and still ideal we dream will come after death or enlightenment doesn’t exist, and how we can face the chaos that is here in its stead. We discuss the stories we tell ourselves, the way that suicidal ideation keeps us from going all in, and how it would be to enter into committed relationship with our lives. Joseph shares about attempted suicide, so if you don’t have the capacity for that, there will be another episode next week. https://www.josephbraccio.com/ https://www.instagram.com/elemental_truths?stkn=MTl6cjMzb3Q5Mmptdg== Amritakaya अमृतकाय is a non-profit learning platform offering tools and teachings to help us to enter into deeper relationship with ourselves, others, and life itself. Instagram: @amritakaya www.amritakaya.org

S1 · E19

Oct 1, 2026

1:03:08

Dissecting Our Defenses; Envy, The Gateway to Our Hidden Potential with Paramita Oliveira

Episode 18; Dissecting Our Defenses; Envy, Gateway to Our Hidden Potential. In the fourth installment of our study, Paramita Oliveira and I continue on a micro-but-mighty odyssey. The terrain is tracing the ego’s development as a series of solutions and defense mechanisms. We’ll examine the structure of the personality, which was built around a being in development who didn’t have the protection or cognitive capacity to navigate life’s difficulties. We start to recognize these solutions and defenses as being a distortion of our essence. The same way a prism separates white light into the full spectrum, the slings and arrows of this human experience fragment our light. Our fragmentation isn’t moral, its fundamentally human, but it can leave us feeling disconnected from ourselves and separate from our power. We will deepen in coming episodes and create a map that will lead us back to our wholeness using what in us is most unconscious and reactive as a doorway. In this episode we look at the uncomfortable subject of envy and study the ways that it deflects our attention from inner experience, and pain. We ask if envy could be a clue to something deeper and look at what we envy and why. Envy highlights our helplessness, but could it also point to our power? Paramita Oliveira is a psychologist focused on the study of human behavior. She feels deeply privileged to have encountered self-inquiry and self-study in 1994, and was so touched by what she learned that in 2000 she began to dedicate her life to bringing this study to others. She has given workshops all over the world, while continuing her own personal study of meditation retreats and deeply immersing herself in trainings in India, her second home. She specializes in working with the patterns that prevent us from true transformation by keeping us disconnected from our deepest truth. Instagram: @paramitaoliveira YouTube: Paramita oliveira Amritakaya अमृतकाय is a non-profit learning platform offering tools and teachings to help us to enter into deeper relationship with ourselves, others, and life itself. Instagram: @amritakaya www.amritakaya.org

S1 · E18

Sep 24, 2026

1:03:08

The Anatomy of Transformation; How We Change and Why We Don't with Laura Carrotti

Episode 17 The Anatomy of Transformation; How We Change and Why We Don’t. This episode is a replay of a live community class offered by Laura Carrotti. One of the most compelling things about the human being is its capacity to shapeshift, evolve, and transform. Most of us dream of shifting a pattern or overcoming a limitation. Our imagination is constantly fed by the promise of healing and optimizing. How much of that is healthy? How much is possible? How much of our desire to be different is a response to an external model that isn’t human at all? In this class we’ll take a look at the ingredients necessary for real transformation, and map the obstacles found on the way there. We’ll contemplate two very distinct (and potentially opposing) sources of the desire for change, and marvel at how they can both feel true. Together, we’ll really try to understand what it is that we are trying to change into, and imagine what might happen if we never get there. The meditation imbedded in the episode has been reproduced and added as a bonus so that it can be used whenever you might like or need. This episode has a video if you are someone who learns visually it might be better for you to watch than listen. Laura Carrotti has been a practitioner of traditional Tantra for over two decades and has been working with folks from all over the world using ancient frameworks to support transformation, acceptance, and growth. You can connect with Laura's work at www.pathoftantra.com Instagram @lauracarrotti Amritakaya is a 501C non-profit www.amritakaya.org Instagram @amritakaya

S1 · E17

Sep 17, 2026

1:37:34

The Esoteric Essence of Ganesh; The Lord of Muladhara Chakra with Gurumaa Dipti Rajkumar Baswar

In Episode 16 we are joined by Gurumaa Dipti Rajkumar Baswar of the Shivoham Lineage. In “The Esoteric Essence of Ganesh; The Lord of Muladhara Chakra”, Gurumaa shares the coded creation myth of the beloved elephant-headed god. We explore his role as the embodiment of auspiciousness, and as Shakti’s gatekeeper. Gurumaa will make connections between Ganesh and the purification of the guna-s, Kundalini, and the union of Shiva and Shakti. We’ll learn why Ganesh is always venerated first, how he came to have the head of an elephant, and what his worship can bring us. As with all deities, Ganesh must be understood as both an animate force that exists in the Universe, and an aspect of the little universe of our beings. We’ll learn way to practice, appropriate attitudes, and how best to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi on September 14th. The Hindu calendar recognizes a week-long celebration honoring this beloved force, starting on the 14th. For more information on how to participate, and to receive a sadhana you can connect with @shivohamtantra

S1 · E16

Sep 10, 2026

1:08:51

The Mysterious Three; The Forgotten Map of Jaw, Diaphragm, and Pelvis with Sara Steden

In Episode 15 we are joined by craniosacral therapist, self-proclaimed anatomy nerd, and occupational therapist, Sara Steden. After decades in the medical field, Sara learned that there is tremendous power in understanding one’s own anatomy through direct experience. She teaches folks to reconnect to the wisdom of their hands, and the tissues of their bodies. This week she’ll share about her exploration of the connection between the three horizontal crossings in the body; the jaw, diaphragm, and pelvic floor. These horizontal structures act like floors and roofs, providing support for our otherwise vertical system. We’ll look at the body’s self-organizing capacity and re-imagine illness as a messenger rather than an enemy. We’ll learn about fascia and gentle ways to approach tension in the three crossings with respect and patience. You can learn more about Sara’s work, and her upcoming course on the Mysterious Three here: https://www.sarasteden.de/the-mysterious-three

S1 · E15

Sep 3, 2026

1:04:17

Dissecting Our Defenses; Greed and The Flow of Giving and Receiving with Paramita Oliveira

Episode 14; Dissecting Our Defenses; Greed, and The Flow of Giving and Receiving. In the fourth installment of our study, Paramita Oliveira and I continue on a micro-but-mighty odyssey. The terrain is tracing the ego’s development as a series of solutions and defense mechanisms. We’ll examine the structure of the personality, which was built around a being in development who didn’t have the protection or cognitive capacity to navigate life’s difficulties. We start to recognize these solutions and defenses as being a distortion of our essence. The same way a prism separates white light into the full spectrum, the slings and arrows of this human experience fragment our light. Our fragmentation isn’t moral, its fundamentally human, but it can leave us feeling disconnected from ourselves and separate from our power. We will deepen in coming episodes and create a map that will lead us back to our wholeness using what in us is most unconscious and reactive as a doorway. In this episode we explore the third layer of the mandala; greed. We’ll look at giving and receiving as a single door which is either open or closed. We’ll consider the ways in which we are unwilling to give and the block that creates to our capacity to really open to receive. Greed is deeply related to fear and an understanding of scarcity. Paramita Oliviera is a psychologist focused on the study of human behavior. She feels deeply privileged to have encountered self-inquiry and self-study in 1994, and was so touched by what she learned that in 2000 she began to dedicate her life to bringing this study to others. She has given workshops all over the world, while continuing her own personal study of meditation retreats and deeply immersing herself in trainings in India, her second home. She specializes in working with the patterns that prevent us from true transformation by keeping us disconnected from our deepest truth. Instagram: @paramitaoliveira YouTube: Paramita oliveira Amritakaya अमृतकाय is a non-profit learning platform offering tools and teachings to help us to enter into deeper relationship with ourselves, others, and life itself. Instagram: @amritakaya www.amritakaya.org

S1 · E14

Aug 27, 2026

43:18

Yoga Nidra and the Path of Awareness with Yorgos Aryavrat

Episode 13; Yoga Nidra and the Path of Awareness with Yorgos Aryavrat. This week we are joined by long time meditator and teacher in Satya Loka Yoga School Yorgos, to explore the link between Yoga Nidra and consciousness. When we imagine Yoga Nidra as just an effective relaxation technique, we miss its power as a tool for moving awareness, and going beyond the rational mind. In this episode Yorgos will frame Yoga Nidra as a map which allows us to visit terrain not usually accessible in normal waking states, and highlights surprising benefits that the practice can yield. Yorgos is deeply influenced by his decades of study in Orthodox mysticism and gnostic Christianity. He is an initiated teacher in the Shivoham Tantra lineage, and runs trainings and courses throughout the year. For those who would like to go deeper in September he will offer a donation-based Yoga Nidra workshop, visit https://satyaloka.net/yoga-nidra-retreat-workshop/ for more information.

S1 · E13

Jul 30, 2026

47:54

Gurupurnima; Gratitude, and the Role and Responsibility of the Guru with Gurumaa Dipti Rajkumar Baswar

We are joined by Gurumaa Dipti Rajkumar Baswar of Shivoham Tantra in episode 12 to speak about Gurupurnima, the auspicious July full moon when Hindus, Jains, and Buddhists alike celebrate the principle which awakens our inner knowing. We’ll speak about the role and responsibility of the teacher, and the part that the external Guru has in awakening the inner Guru. We’ll discuss the importance of gratitude and dispel some misconceptions about practices of devotion. Shivoham will offer a live stream on Instagram on Gurupurnima itself for anyone to join and experience what it is to offer reverence to the principle that awakens our true self.

S1 · E12

Jul 23, 2026

1:06:40

Identification, The Arc of Evolution, and the Place of Practice with Laura Carrotti

There is a single arc present in the growth of our bodies, our psychological development, and our spiritual evolution. Can understanding the trajectory of undifferentiated, to individuated, and back home to the primordial soup help us to navigate with more grace? Each individual's path is both utterly unique, and necessarily pre-patterned; can recognizing the ubiquity help us to really rest in our specificity? We discuss thresholds, initiations, and the place of a practice as a training ground.

S1 · E11

Jul 16, 2026

47:05

Dissecting Our Defenses; Procrastination, Postponement, and Laziness with Paramita Oliveira

Episode 10; Dissecting Our Defenses; Procrastination, Postponement and Laziness is live. In the third part of our study, Paramita Oliveira and I continue on a micro-but-mighty odyssey. The terrain is tracing the ego’s development as a series of solutions and defense mechanisms. We’ll examine the structure of the personality, which was built around a being in development who didn’t have the protection or cognitive capacity to navigate life’s difficulties. We start to recognize these solutions and defenses as being a distortion of our essence. The same way a prism separates white light into the full spectrum, the slings and arrows of this human experience fragment our light. Our fragmentation isn’t moral, its fundamentally human, but it can leave us feeling disconnected from ourselves and separate from our power. We will deepen in coming episodes and create a map that will lead us back to our wholeness using what in us is most unconscious and reactive as a doorway. In this episode we explore the second layer of the mandala; sloth or laziness. We’ll look at the paralyzing and infantilizing iterations of this force; postponing, procrastinating, and keeping ourselves busy with everything but what we really need to do. We’ll study sloth’s relationship with fear and its capacity to keep us small, stuck, and not living our lives fully. Paramita Oliviera is a psychologist focused on the study of human behavior. She feels deeply privileged to have encountered self-inquiry and self-study in 1994, and was so touched by what she learned that in 2000 she began to dedicate her life to bringing this study to others. She has given workshops all over the world, while continuing her own personal study of meditation retreats and deeply immersing herself in trainings in India, her second home. She specializes in working with the patterns that prevent us from true transformation by keeping us disconnected from our deepest truth. Instagram: @paramitaoliveira YouTube: Paramita oliveira Amritakaya अमृतकाय is a non-profit learning platform offering tools and teachings to help us to enter into deeper relationship with ourselves, others, and life itself. Instagram: @amritakaya www.amritakaya.org

S1 · E10

Jul 9, 2026

43:45

1 of 3